A short time later, Fergus and his knights arrived at the scene. They had received a letter from Gavin about Olivyn and her group's important journey. How shocked they were to discover that her entourage had been ambushed by bandits.
The newly arrived knights immediately scoured the area for other threats, but found none. All they found at the edge of the forest were the bandits lying helplessly on the ground. Without delay, Gavin and his knights returned to Emerdine Mansion, closely escorting their lord's family.
Upon arriving at Emerdine's residence, Gavin immediately headed to Victor's workplace. Although it was quite far from Emerdine's residence, Gavin quickly arrived and delivered the bad news. Victor and Sebastian were taken aback upon hearing the news, especially Victor, who immediately rushed back to his residence without a second thought.
On the other hand, Emerdine's residence became bustling with activity upon hearing of the attack on Olivyn and her entourage. They couldn't stop gossiping and speculating about who would dare to attack a noble family in their own territory, and so on.
But what was clear was that this news would spread widely and become the talk of the town for some time to come.
***
A woman in a white robe from the Church of Light cast a healing spell while holding Olivyn's hand as she lay on the bed. In Olivyn's room were Victor, Winfred, Sebastian, and the two maids, Helina and Nina.
"It appears that Lady Olivyn is fine, my Lord. She just needs some rest." The woman in the white robe stood up and bowed to Victor.
"Then I will take my leave, Lord Victor. May the Goddess's light bless you and your family." Calmly, the woman walked to the door and left the room.
"You heard what she said," Victor said with a straight face as he looked at Olivyn, who was lying limply. "Do not force yourself to do anything. Thankfully, you are fine and just exhausted."
"Yes, Lord Victor. I am sorry for taking up your time and making you rush home..." Olivyn replied with a weak expression but still managed a small smile. "I am also sorry for worrying all of you." Olivyn looked at everyone there.
Winfred held his mother's hand, "No, Mother...it's...it's all my fault...if only I had been stronger and faster...", an expression of regret appeared on the boy's face.
Victor with a firm voice denied Winfred, "It is not your fault. It is my fault for not providing all of you with better escorts." Victor clenched his fists tightly.
"You two..." Olivyn looked at her son and husband with affection. Seeing that expression, Victor realized that his wife needed rest.
"Ahem, please forgive me. You need rest, and for the next few days I will monitor your condition. Excuse me." Victor turned around and walked out of the room. Sebastian gave a deep bow and said, "Have a good night, Lady Olivyn, Young Master Winfred," then followed Victor.
"You two also need rest, and that includes you too, my son." Olivyn looked at the two maids standing beside Winfred.
"No, my Lady. I will stay with you…" Before Helina could finish her sentence, Olivyn gently admonished her. "I am fine, Helina. I just need some rest. Besides, Lord Victor has already assigned two knights to guard the door. This is my order, Helina, Nina, and Winfred. You all need to rest too..." Olivyn said softly.
"...Very well, my Lady, if that is your wish..." Helina then took her daughter, Nina, outside. "We will take our leave now, Lady Olivyn, Young Master Winfred. Good night and rest well." Helina then bowed and left, while Nina, feeling anxious but understanding, looked at the two people in front of her, "Please excuse me, Lady Olivyn, Young Master Winfred." After saying her goodbyes, Nina followed her mother out.
Olivyn felt her son still holding her hand, then stroked his head. "I am fine, my son. You should be the one resting right now. You were very brave fighting those bandits earlier, and I am proud of your courage..." Winfred closed his eyes, then opened them and looked at his mother with a slightly calmer expression. "All right, Mother. I'll rest now." Winfred stood up and walked toward the door, then turned around and said, "Good night, Mother. I'll come see you again tomorrow." Olivyn replied with a faint smile, "Good night, my son. Thank you for saving us all."
***
Winfred sank into the soft mattress in his room. He stared blankly at the ceiling. Covering his face with both hands, he grumbled to himself.
"If only I had been faster and stronger... then today's incident would not have happened!"
He thought he was just lucky that time... because all the bandits he and the knights fought were beginners who didn't fully know how to use Mana. Winfred shuddered at the thought of what if one of the bandits was a Mage?What if the leader of the bandits he fought was a High-rank?
If his thoughts were true, then he could imagine the victims falling one by one… his mother, Helina, Nina, and the knights would...
Distracting himself, he stood up and walked to the window, then opened it. The cool night breeze greeted him, and for a moment he closed his eyes and sank into his thoughts.
"I thought my current state was good enough, but it turns out…" he muttered to himself as he clenched his fists tightly. "I was wrong to think that I could live peacefully with my family in this world." He glared sharply at the moon in the sky, "That's still not enough! I… I have to get stronger so that no one can threaten my family again!"
Winfred then closed the window and walked over to the drawer near his bed. His steps were firm and his expression was filled with anger. He took a book and a pencil, then brought them to the table and sat down on the chair at the end of the room.
The book contained writings and information about the future, detailing all the events that would occur according to the main story. He stared at the book's contents and began writing about what he had experienced today and what he would do in the future. Then he remembered his unique ability.
"I thought I'd be fine without getting involved with the main characters... but..." he unconsciously gripped his pencil tightly, "if I just relax like I used to, then my family and I will be trampled on!"
Remembering his unique ability, he shouted inside his heart, "If cliche events really help me gain more Mana, why haven't I used them more from the beginning!?"
Faced with events that truly threatened his life and his family, for the first time he lost control of his emotions and anger filled him.
He began planning what he would do in the future, "Cliché moment... Right! I'll steal all the heroines from the protagonist! Then I'll take all the weapons that were meant for the protagonist, and I'll involve myself fully in the main story and replace the protagonist's role!"
Winfred wrote down his plan passionately, "Screw the plot! Screw the protagonist! I am willing to sacrifice and hurt everyone as long as my family is happy! I will use them!" Winfred closed his book, and his terrifying expression would scare anyone who saw it.
He muttered, "This world is a game world! This world is just a game world...!" Satisfied with his plan, Winfred changed his clothes and prepared for bed. He swore he would become strong as quickly as possible.
***
Three days passed, and Olivyn's condition improved. Winfred always visited to check on his mother, and when he found out that she was getting better, he immediately resumed his combat training. Winfred insisted on spending all his time on combat training, which surprised and confused Victor, Wayne, and Alcott.
Currently, Winfred was practicing swinging his spear as usual in the training hall, accompanied by his mentor Wayne. The man with the eyepatch watched his disciple's movements closely, "He is getting sharper...but something is wrong..." Wayne muttered to himself.
"Say, Young Boy. Reminds me again why you ditch Alcott's lessons for combat training?" Wayne said, talking to his disciple. Winfred, without turning to his mentor, replied, "So I can be stronger."
The indifferent tone and sharp expression in his reply made Wayne raise his eyebrows. He then turned to the maid standing at the edge of the field. Nina shook her head, apparently not knowing why the young man was acting so cold.
Wayne approached his student with a flat expression, "Heh, why do you want to become stronger?" Wayne's tone began to sound cold. Winfred said between swings of his spear, "So that no one can hurt my family."
Wayne rested his spear on his shoulder and crossed his arms. "Then how about your lessons with Alcott?" The young man exhaled. "They are pointless, just a waste of time. I'd rather train so I can get stronger as quickly as possible."
After Winfred said that, a burst of Mana overflowed from Wayne's body. The man with the eyepatch looked scornfully at his disciple, "Well, well. Looks like you need some beatings, Young Boy!"
In the blink of an eye, Winfred was challenged by his mentor and engaged in serious sparring.