Life is strange.

A single choice can change your life forever.

This was the case for Millodas Waldemar.

Blessed with one of the most prestigious names in the Dorell kingdom, he made a choice.

Nobody understood his decision.

He was the son of Arthur Waldemar, the head of the Waldemar House and the future heir of one of the four great noble houses. It wasn't a position someone could attain through effort alone.

It was the unsurpassable wall of birth.

However, Millodas chose a different path.

The path of an adventurer.

A lifestyle restricted to only the bravest of souls. For those who had nothing to lose and no family to mourn them.

The day before his 20th birthday, he left his household under the screams and curses of his own father.

He joined the Adventurer's guild located in 'Jellan', the capital of the Dorell kingdom.

The day he turned twenty years old, his request was accepted and he became a C rank adventurer. It wasn't all that surprising that he skipped directly from the E to C rank, as he was already a Wise earth mage and an experienced swordsman.

He immediately left the city to start his own adventure.

It was his only wish.

He could no longer stay in his house for one simple reason.

He was afraid.

He despised the noble houses. Unlike many, he looked past the smiles on their faces and he discovered that it was only a veil. A sinister disguise to hide their greed and fear of losing their power.

His father was just the same.

He was a good father, but even he couldn't change his nature, one that he had inherited from his own corrupted father.

As a result of this, his fear wasn't to confront a deviant in a life-or-death situation; neither was it being in the presence of a member of the Ryuno clan.

It was the thought of becoming just like his father.

This thought became unbearable, leading him to only one decision.

He left his own household without turning back to keep his free will and the freedom to forge his own path in the world.

However, the world wasn't as nice as he had thought. Even if he knew how to fight, he had never fought in a situation where his own life was at risk.

His first mission was to kill a deviant named Otsoll. A large wolf-like creature with greenish fur. Due to its violent nature, it was a common type of Deviant. The physical changes after its transformation weren't very important. The only noticeable aspects were the birth of a second tail on its body and a slightly darker fur.

Millodas hesitated to take this mission, simply because he thought it was an easy request.

He was sure he could handle it easily.

He did not even take his sword with him.

And his confidence nearly killed him.

He approached the beast carelessly and used a simple earthball to kill the deviant. He wanted to end it quickly. However, he had underestimated the deviant and its instincts too much. The deviant Otsoll, easily avoided his magic after catching a whiff of his scent and leaped toward him in an attempt to behead him using its sharp claws.

The beast was fast, faster than he had expected. He didn't have the time to react fast enough as the beast plunged its sharp claws in his neck.

However, as soon as the beast came close enough, a golden light erupted from the necklace hung around his neck. A violent wind immediately blew directly toward the beast.

The violent attack killed the deviant on the spot. Its head remained on the ground, split in two from the powerful force of the necklace.

Millodas fell backward as blood erupted everywhere.

He looked at his necklace, as it fell on the ground shattered into many small pieces.

It was an artefact capable of creating magical winds to protect its wearer in times of danger.

Without it, there was no doubt he would've died.

Millodas clenched his fists in frustration.

This artefact was made by the Dwarves and was, as a result, an extremely expensive item. Only the wealthiest people in the kingdom could afford to have one. It was a gift from his father on his nineteenth birthday.

He felt like a hypocrite.

He despised his father and his thirst for money and power, but it was because of his money that he lived to see another day.

However, the artefact was only a one-use item. Now he was without any sort of magical protection. He won't be saved like that the next time.

Millodas only wanted to be free from his father's grasps. To be able to live his life the way he wanted to, but he was no different from a rebellious child who didn't know the cruelty of life.

His instincts told him to return to his sheltered world.

However, Millodas chose a different path.

He trained and hardened his heart. He risked his life multiple times and was finally rewarded.

A few years after his first mission as an adventurer, he met his future wife: Seledia Zadir and two years later, his son was born.

His name was Sillath.

When he saw the face of his firstborn child, he realized at that moment that he had finally become a father. He swore to protect him at all costs, even at the risk of his own life. However, as he watched his innocent face, he remembered his own father. He left him to find his own happiness. He had never regretted his decision, but he felt that it was the right time to see him and invite him to become a part of his life.

He wanted his son to have a good relationship with his grandfather.

As a result, a month after Sillath's birth. He sent a letter to his father.

In the letter, he apologized and told him that he wanted him to become a part of his life. He wished to introduce him to his wife and son. The letter contained Millodas' feelings and hopes that one day he could reunite with his own father to share his happiness.

However, it was already too late.

The father he knew was already gone.

Arthur Waldemar was destroyed by his illness.

His once vigorous and strong body was now frail and sick. His joyful nature was replaced by anger and sorrow. More than his body, it was his mind that had changed the most. Abandoned by his own son, he lost his body and with it, his strength and power.

He was merely a shadow of his former self.

Now that his house was on the brink of destruction, the only feeling in his heart was shame. The shame that his great, noble house would disappear all because of him.

Of course, Millodas wasn't aware of the assassination attempt that deprived him of his mana. His father made sure that this matter wasn't made public.

He asked one of his last loyal subordinates to look after his son and to protect him and his family during their times of dire need. It was the last thing he could do because as long as his son was alive, the Waldemar house could live on through him.

The day he received this letter from his son, he was already aware that he had a grandson. However, his frozen heart disallowed him from feeling joy.

The once glorious and powerful Arthur Waldemar was now sick and weak. His last bit of pride prevented him from letting his son and grandson witness his pitiful state.

As a result, he refused the hand his son stretched out to him.

He chose his pride over hope.

This decision changed his life and that of his son forever.

Despair was invited but had yet to come.

---------------------------------------------------

Over the years, Arthur Waldemar's condition has only gotten worse.

It became impossible for him to use even the simplest of magic without feeling dizzy.

His mind and judgment had become obscured as his loneliness and shame grew stronger.

He lost hope for the future. Just wondering whether his life would be lost before his house.

Some people say that you can't taste true despair without hope.

It wasn't his opinion.

Despair was already in his heart, but when a letter came from Amanda, his long-forgotten hope had finally arrived.

A new world of possibilities opened in front of him after learning that his grandson had a tremendous amount of mana. He passed the Elementary test at a surprisingly young age but had already a large quantity of mana.

If his grandson could become a powerful mage, he would ultimately be able to save the Waldemar house and rid him of the shame that was eating away at his heart for the past few years.

The former Arthur Waldemar would have asked his grandson to lend him his strength in the future, but his pride and the anger he felt toward his son and his wife were too strong to consider that possibility.

There was only one solution.

He made preparations and gave orders to Amanda. His son became a B rank adventurer after only a few years. He was strong. There was no doubt about it. However, he did not fear the strength of his son.

His fears rested on Seledia Zadir.

He had conducted a lot of research on her history. She was an A rank adventurer and a Saint fire mage. There were also testimonies about her violence.

Amanda was strong, but not enough to deal with her.

They had to wait for an opportunity because they will only have one chance.

As he was busy devising a plan to deal with her, another letter came from Amanda.

Seledia Zadir was pregnant once again.

Finally, fate seemed to move in his direction. He was going to have another grandson or granddaughter, but more importantly, their long-awaited opportunity to seize Sillath had finally arisen. The date was planned.

Amanda will act when Seledia will be at her weakest, the moment before she gave birth.

Everything had gone according to the plan and, Sillath was easily captured.

In a decade, he would become the official heir and the beacon of hope for the Waldemar house. His house would finally rise from the ashes and his shame will soon disappear.

This was his only hope, his primary obsession.

But never did he consider that Sillath would become the one to destroy his hopes and dreams of reviving the Waldemar House.