Choosing a new path

The Kingdom of Edren, nestled in the lush southeast region of the Valtaran continent, was once a proud and independent nation. But decades ago, a brutal conflict with the powerful Empire left the kingdom reeling, and in the end, they were forced to cede their independence and submit to the Empire's rule. Now, the king and queen of Edren are little more than figureheads, with the Empire pulling the strings behind the scenes.

My father is a count of the Edren kingdom. Our territory's economic and geographic status is marginally better than that of other territories in the monarchy.

The vast Murkwood forest and the other kingdom areas are divided by our domain, which is located in the north of the kingdom. By managing the regular assault of the monsters and other woodland creatures, our domain serves as a guardian for the realm.

Our territory also has two dungeons, which contribute to the steady flow of adventures looking for job, as well as a branch of the Adventure Guild, the organization that oversees the training and certification of adventures.

I, Ryan Wishmyth, am the seventh son of Count Wishmyth of the county bearing our family name. As the youngest of seven brothers, I hold no claim to the throne of this territory, nor do I have any desire to compete for it.

My father's position and the constant scheming of my brothers have ensured that I will never hold any significant power in this territory.

But as a newcomer to this world, my thoughts were not on power and politics, but on exploration and adventure. My prior life experience had taught me that in order to survive in this new world, I would need to become strong.

My mother died when I was born and from the moment I was born, I was watched over by a group of maids who were clearly acting as spies for my brothers. They kept a close eye on my every move, reporting back to my brothers on my progress and my activities.

As a man from the modern world, I possessed a unique advantage in this fantasy realm. My knowledge of science and technology gave me a deeper understanding of the natural world, and allowed me to approach magic in a different way than the traditional practitioners of this world.

I quickly realized that my superior knowledge could be harnessed to enhance my abilities in this new world. I began to study the theories of magic, experimenting with new spells and incantations.

One of my good achievements was the creation of a spell that would conceal my true abilities from those around me.

It was a complex and subtle spell, one that would allow me to keep my true strength and knowledge hidden from the prying eyes of my brothers and their spies.

It would not be able to fool high-level mages, but it was more than enough to keep the lower-level maids who were tasked with watching over me in the dark.

With this spell in place, I was able to continue my studies and training without fear of interference or sabotage.

As I went about my daily business, tragedy struck when my fifth and sixth brothers passed away unexpectedly. It was clear to me that the competition for the family's succession had begun, and I knew that I would be a target as well.

I soon discovered that someone had attempted to assassinate me, but thankfully, I was able to fend off the attack. But I knew I couldn't keep doing this forever as my eldest brother's mother belonged to the family of Assassination Guild leader, which I heard when I was spying my eldest brother using magic. I was going to be the target eventually.

Faced with the choice of either participating in the dangerous succession conflict or running away, I chose the latter option. I fled my home county and sought refuge at the Central Magic Research Institution, a place located within the empire where my family's influence was minimal.

This allowed me to escape the dangerous politics of my family and focus on furthering my knowledge and expertise in magic.

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In exactly one and a half years, both of my brothers will pass away. Before the incident, I must leave this location.

Even though I can defend myself from them in the near future, I can't always use my magic in public settings because it might make Galadriel's existence known. Which, once more, would be a harassing circumstance for me.

There may be yet another choice.

"Galadriel, how about we use swords?"