Upon reaching the Arian Estate, the guards at the gate were stunned to see Rose and Ehan. One of them immediately opened the gate and called for the others.

  The massive gates creaked open, and soon, many servants—butlers, and maids gathered on both sides of the pathway, bowing their heads in respect to Ehan.

  Rose also stepped aside and joined the line of servants. Her duty of accompanying Ehan had now come to an end.

  Some among the crowd couldn't resist sneaking glances at him, surprised by how much he had changed after all these years.

  Some of them whispered to each other—

  "Is that really the Young Lord?"

  "He looks so different after all these years..."

  "W-What kind of training was he really doing?"

  "Since he left so suddenly, there were rumors in the kingdom that he went to train as a mage. Even the Lord didn’t reveal much about him."

  "Then why does he have a wooden sword on his waist?"

  "He looks... more, like a swordsman to me."

  Meanwhile, inside the estate.

  Alex and Lydia received word from one of the guards that Ehan had returned.

  They rushed to the mansion's entrance, flung open the doors, and saw their son walking down the path toward them.

  Lydia’s eyes widened with joy. A warm smile spread across her face as she saw Ehan after so many years. Without hesitation, she ran to him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

  Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes as she whispered softly into his ear, "Ehan!... Y-you’ve changed so much…"

  Ehan came to a complete stop. It had been so long since his mother hugged him like this.

  'What’s this… feeling?'

  For a moment, the cold, disciplined mindset he had cultivated over the years melted away. Slowly, he lifted his arms and hugged her back with the same warmth and intensity.

  From behind, Alex approached, watching the emotional scene unfold.

  'It’s the same feeling I had back then… when… Mother Freya…'

  He could see it clearly—Ehan had been pushing himself far beyond the limits of an ordinary boy. Alex had recognized his son’s determination seven years ago, but the result of that resolve… it was beyond what he’d imagined.

  Alex smiled softly and said, "Welcome back, son…"

  'It’s a good feeling, I guess…'

  Lydia gently pulled back, wiping away the unspilled tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

  "First, let’s get you cleaned up and into some proper clothes."

  "Yes, Mom," Ehan replied with a small smile.

  Ehan got cleaned up—

  washed thoroughly after what felt like an eternity.

  It had been so long since he’d bathed in the mansion’s grand bathing chamber, with its warm water and polished marble floor.

  The sensation was nostalgic, almost surreal.

  He changed into fresh clothes—

  black trousers and a short-sleeved shirt.

  The fabric felt strange against his skin, so different from the rugged leather robe he had crafted on the mountain from the hide of a dead beast.

  That robe had become a part of him during his years of training.

  Still, he accepted the new clothing, knowing he had returned to a different world now.

  Just as Rose had predicted, Lydia insisted he cut his hair.

  Ehan refused flat-out, and what followed was a drawn-out argument that lasted for hours.

  Eventually, they reached a compromise.

  His long ponytail was cut in half, and the bangs covering the left side of his face were trimmed just enough so they no longer fell over his eyes.

  Ehan had protested at first, but in the end, he saw no better option and reluctantly agreed.

  Now, his hair still remained long— just no longer trailing to his lower back.

  It reached down to his upper back instead, and his bangs stopped neatly at his eyebrows.

  A few other minor adjustments were made, but nothing too drastic.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  He still looked rugged, still different–but a bit more polished than before.

  After eating lunch, Ehan wandered through the mansion, recalling the familiar places and noticing all the changes that had taken place during his absence.

  Then, his eyes met Gale's.

  In that moment, memories flooded back—reminding him of the time when he had handed Gale the letter and tried to deceive him. His breath hitched for a minute.

  Soon, Gale stepped forward and said, "Young Lord Ehan, it's a pleasure to see you after so many years. You look... like a completely different person."

  Ehan took a deep breath to compose himself before replying, "Oh, yeah. It's nothing—it's just... as you must have heard, I was training..."

  Gale then leaned in closer and whispered in Ehan's ear,

  "The money you wanted to send seven years ago… it was successfully delivered to the person."

  Ehan froze for a moment. There was no point in denying it now.

  ‘Shit… I should’ve known already.’

  Gale pulled back slightly and added with a calm smile, "But don’t worry."

  He stepped back and continued, "I refined the funding more. What you sent would’ve lasted about four or five years… but I made some changes."

  Ehan narrowed his eyes. "What kind of changes?"

  "Rather than sending it slowly through only one anonymous route, like you wanted me to do…" Gale explained,

  "I distributed the entire amount into small portions and handed them over to several small and big investors—told them to invest or redirect the funds toward the place you intended."

  He paused for a moment and then smiled again.

  "And some of those investments did well. The returns we gained were reinvested back into the same cause. And we did that again and again until we can. Because of that, the money will now continue flowing to the organization for a full eight or nine years."

  Ehan’s eyes widened in surprise after hearing that.

  He hadn't expected Gale to go above and beyond, making his work even easier.

  And turning what was supposed to be five years' worth of funding into eight? That was no small feat.

  His respect for Gale quietly deepened.

  He finally understood why Gale was the Economy and Finance Manager of the Arian Family.

  'That means… the money is still going right now.:

  "Thank you, Sir Gale," Ehan said with a rare, sincere smile.

  Gale bowed slightly and replied, "It's simply my job to manage your money, Young Lord. No need to thank me."

  Then, after a brief pause, he raised his head and added, "But I do have one question, Young Lord..."

  "Why are you so eager to fund the Strom Viel Sword Academy?"

  Ehan paused for a second, considering how much to say.

  Before he could speak, Gale quickly added, "I'm sorry if I'm stepping into your personal matters. I know it's not my place. If you'd prefer not to answer, I completely understand, Young Lord."

  Ehan smiled genuinely and said, "Because I promised something to my friend. And to fulfill it… I needed to do it."

  Gale nodded respectfully. "I see, Young Lord."

  He gave a small bow and said, "Well then, I shall be taking my leave. Wishing you a good day, Young Lord Ehan."

  With that, Gale turned and walked away. There was nothing suspicious about him.

  He truly was one of the Arian Family's most loyal and capable men.

  Just then, Ehan heard a voice behind him—

  "Oi, Ehan!" The moment the voice hit his ears, he froze.

  ‘Why the hell is he here…?’

  He turned around, and as expected—it was his cousin.

  Julien.

  Tall and sharp-featured, Julien had a confident smirk on his face. His slightly brown hair swayed in the breeze, neatly styled to fall over one side. He wore a fitted full-sleeved shirt, the sleeves rolled up casually to his elbows to reveal toned forearms, paired with earthy brown trousers.

  Ehan noticed how a few passing maids glanced at Julien and giggled softly.

  Still the same show-off.

  Julien was now 21. A popular mage and the pride of the Arian 2nd in line branch family. He was the son of Uncle William, who belonged to one of the more influential branches, though not part of the main bloodline.

  Julien had made a name for himself early. He joined the top magic academy and quickly rose through the ranks—his talent, charisma, and confidence gained him a big fanbase.

  But once he mastered the fundamentals and learned everything he wanted from the academy, he dropped out at 18 and began traveling across regions—seeking thrill, adventure, and magical anomalies to toy with. And now he's one of the continents strongest warrior.

  And now, he was standing in front of Ehan, eyes scanning him from top to bottom.

  Julien whistled. "Well damn… you've changed. I barely recognized you with that rugged hair and those muscles. Looks like the wild suited you."

  "What are you doing here? Weren’t you off exploring?" Ehan asked, his tone polite but laced with mild curiosity.

  Julien shrugged casually.

  "Eh, nothing major. Just came back to stay for a while. Honestly, I didn’t know you were returning either. Uncle Alexander kept things pretty hush-hush. No one really knew where you’d vanished off to."

  He paused, then added a playful grin, "But I did hear early on that you left to train as a mage."

  Ehan blinked.

  "M-mage...? What nonsense are you talking about?"

  Julien raised a brow, clearly surprised by the reaction.

  "Huh? I mean, that’s what people were saying. All across the Land of Nobles, there were whispers and chatting. That Lord Alexander sent his son away to train in secret… to become an elite S-Class Mage or something."

  Ehan’s jaw dropped slightly. Mage? The last thing he expected was to be mistaken for one.

  'So… that’s what people thought I was doing this whole time?'

  He composed himself, took a deep breath, and sighed.

  "Julien, I wasn’t training to be a mage."

  Julien tilted his head. "Then what were you training for?"

  "To be a swordsman." Ehan replied firmly.

  Julien blinked. "A swordsman?!"

  "Yes," Ehan repeated. "A swordsman."

  Julien’s eyes widened in genuine surprise, before laughing slightly. "Oh… that actually makes sense now. I mean, when you arrived, you did look all rugged and wild. Like you'd just crawled out of the mountains or something."

  Ehan resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

  'Rugged and wild, huh? You little shit!… I used to look like that only 100 years ago…'

  Julien then asked with renewed interest, "So, if you're going the sword route… have you decided which academy you're joining?"

  Ehan looked at him for a moment before answering, "Strom Viel Sword Academy. That’s where I’m headed."

  "Strom Viel Sword Academy?..." Julien repeated, pausing for a moment as he processed the name. He then added.

  "Oh, that academy that was on the verge of collapsing but somehow managed to stabilize recently? You're seriously going there? It’s not even in the top five sword academies in the Land of Nobles."

  "I’ve already decided," Ehan said firmly. “I’ll head there and nowhere else.”

  ‘I may have helped their finances stay afloat… but I need to fix it myself. From it's inside. And help Callesta, bring it back to its former glory. Just like it was a hundred years ago… when Wills was still alive…’

  Julien sighed and shrugged. "Hmph, whatever. Do as you like. But... do you really intend to learn from a woman?"

  Ehan’s expression darkened slightly. His brows narrowed, a flicker of annoyance passing through his eyes.

  “What do you mean by that?” he asked, voice sharp. “Can’t a woman be just as capable as any man?”

  Julien raised his hands in mock surrender, smirking. “Relax, I was just asking. You know how the older nobles talk... Not many women run sword academies, that’s all.”

  Ehan didn’t respond. He simply turned around and walked away from there, his gaze distant.

  Julien smirked slightly as he watched Ehan walk away, his footsteps calm yet heavy with purpose.

  In a low voice, he muttered, "He really did become stronger, huh..."

  His eyes fell to his own hand. His fingers trembled slightly as he stared at them.

  "That gaze of his... it was completely different," he whispered.

  For a brief moment, he stood there silently. Then, he clenched his fists tightly, the sound of his knuckles cracking faintly audible.

  A grin slowly spread across his face as he turned around and began walking away.

  'I’ve been slacking off... I should also start some training now...' Julien's thoughts...