Just then, the voices of the servants became hushed and gradually lessened drastically, because Donald and his wife, who were departing today, had finally arrived!
Donald's towering frame walked briskly, scanning the crowd, until his gaze landed on a figure standing at the front. The figure stepped forward and bowed slightly, "Father, you're leaving, huh?"
Donald chuckled, then his large hand rested on Modret's shoulder. "You brat, is that the way you speak to your old man? Perhaps I should teach you a lesson before leaving!"
Hearing his words, a look of embarrassment surfaced on Modret's face, and the servants in the surroundings couldn't help but reveal rare smiles, though none of them dared to laugh.
Modret shrugged, then turned his gaze to the beautiful Anna. Although she tried to keep herself steady, Modret, with his hundreds of abilities, could see and feel the slight tremble in her body, along with the tears silently threatening to fall from her eyes.
She was trying to be strong in front of the servants, but a mother's love was, in the end, undeniable…
Modret sighed, then approached her and hugged her silently. "Mother, take care of yourself for me… If something happens to you, I truly don't know how I'll live…"
Hearing his words, Anna almost broke into tears. "You stinky brat, you want to embarrass your mother in front of everyone?" Anna complained and dragged him deeper into an embrace, her reassuring voice resounding.
"Don't worry, son. Because of you… I'll prioritize my safety. I don't want you to grow up as an orphan…"
Modret chuckled slightly. "Mother, I've already grown…"
Anna chuckled as well. "Son, to me, you'll always be a child…"
Just as the two were about to continue their back-and-forth discussion, a sharp whistling sound resounded, and to everyone's surprise, from the distant skies a black dot rapidly approached, bringing fierce wind with it.
"It seems our ride is here," Donald said faintly, then turned his gaze toward the rapidly expanding object. It soon came to a stop, hovering silently in the skies.
The servants were stunned, and even Modret couldn't help but widen his eyes. 'What is… that?' he exclaimed internally.
It looked like a carriage, and there was a beautiful lady seated on the muscular, winged horse in front. She had something similar to a helmet on her face, which Modret guessed was used to protect her from insects and wind.
The carriage looked large enough for his father to enter, and there were slight engravings along with a dragon sigil etched onto it. 'The dragon symbol… signifying the Axarel royal family!' Modret had read about this before.
He glanced at the carriage, his eyes showing a hint of solemnity and doubt. 'It seems this world is far more advanced than I originally guessed…'
Modret smiled at the thought. Soon he would explore every bit of it…
Donald's gaze landed on Modret and then on Axel. He patted the latter lightly. "Continue being a good knight. Son, the awakening for you and the others will be in a few days. I expect to receive a letter of good news!"
With those words, he stepped onto the carriage, leaving the hesitant Anna after waving slightly toward his siblings and their families.
Anna hesitated for a moment, then hugged Modret once more. Then, she gradually unwrapped the scarf from around her neck.
"This is something I personally crafted myself. You know, I had to deprive myself of cultivation and spend a whole year learning to knit just to make something so special for you… Keep it safe always, and when you have it, remember your beautiful mother…"
The scarf was blood red, with white heart-shaped engravings tightly knitted onto it. There were also flower patterns, making it look particularly eye-catching and beautiful.
The servants nearby couldn't help but gasp at the extravagance hidden within the scarf. Many of them knew much about knitting since it was a means of livelihood for them, so just by noticing from a distance, they couldn't help but feel as though they had beheld a masterpiece!
Anna's words were filled with emotion as she passed the scarf to Modret. He felt touched as he held the scarf she wrapped around his neck. It felt warm and seemed to contain a thousand emotions his mother couldn't convey publicly.
Modret nodded. "I will keep it safe, Mom. Thank you for the gift…" He was speaking honestly from the bottom of his heart, deeply cherishing what she'd given him. He could scent his mother's peculiar fragrance on the scarf, making him feel as though, despite her departure, she was still with him, constantly watching over him.
He smiled at the thought, then waved his hand toward his mother as she boarded the carriage. Donald and Anna also waved back at him and the servants, along with the other nobles in the crowd…
Then, gradually, the horse began flapping its wings and started briskly walking forward. Its speed increased, and it soon took off into the skies, rapidly disappearing in a flash. Modret felt slightly melancholic, a look of loneliness settling over him.
As an orphan in his previous life, he had been showered with love for fifteen years in this one. It wasn't something Modret could easily gloss over. He sighed repeatedly and watched as the servants departed, most of them looking saddened by the departure.
"Young master, are you feeling sad over their departure, or are you thinking about what kind of ability you'll awaken?" Axel's voice cut through Modret's gloomy mood, causing him to chuckle.
"You always know what to say at the right time…" Modret replied, his lips curving up. Then he continued, "Come, let's head back home. There's preparation to be made. Perhaps I'm not the one who'll awaken a useless ability… then I'll have to choose another bodyguard. So much work to be done…"
Hearing his words, Axel's eyes widened. "Young master, you hurt my feelings…"
With a lighthearted mood, the two departed, not noticing three figures with blue masks watching their departure from the shadows…