6 years later.
Human kingdom, the royal castle.
In a yard lit by various crystals, a five-foot boy stood tall. He gazed at the man in front of him, calm.
He had long white hair, and his purple eyes were steady. There were 13 metallic dolls all around the garden which had the shape of humans.
In the boy's hand was a sword with a thin blade. He wore a black leather outfit which provided him with defense.
All of a sudden, all the metal puppets began to move, crossing paths to disrupt Julius' focus.
Julius was suddenly surrounded by a golden aura and he boosted forward towards the puppets in front of him.
He was fast, leaving a golden trail as he struck at the metallic puppets with maximum force.
He sliced one arm off, grabbing it and throwing it at another which came from behind him.
His sense of hearing was sharp. Hearing a sharp blade coming from his back, he jumped sideways, turning back to see a puppet which struck the ground.
Julius moved forward again, cutting down the puppets with one strike of his sword while dodging.
At the entrance of this private yard, two people stood by the side, watching Julius.
The man was clad in red armor which had a battle cape. His brown eyes watched the prince's every movement.
Alexa couldn't help but smile as she saw the prince take care of the robots easily.
"Should I tell him you're here already?" Alexa asked as she looked at Ray and he shook his head.
"Let him finish."
Ray watched Julius. Over the span of six years, Julius has shown extreme determination in growing his strength. He has focused on his aura this entire time, improving.
Ray taught him basic and advanced blade work which he knew, and the prince learned it within three years. Julius could be considered a veteran swordsman by now.
Not only has Julius' swordsmanship become exceptional, but also his reaction speed which Ray focused on heavily.
In five minutes, all the magical puppets were on the ground, broken and slashed apart.
Julius panted as he looked up to the sky. He gazed at the dark clouds which had red lightning sparking through them.
'Six years. Six years and I can only defeat these Tier 3 magic puppets. This level of talent is not enough, but... for now.' Julius looked to the side and saw Ray in his red armor, and then he walked towards him.
"I didn't know you were back," Julius said with a smile as he walked towards Ray.
"I did as you asked. I have all the information you want on the Duke of the North," Ray said, and Julius nodded in satisfaction.
"That's good."
The door opened and a golden-colored wolf ran inside.
*'Brother?'*
Julius heard a feminine, childish voice in his head and he bent down and patted the wolf on its head.
*'When are we going? When are we going?'* Aria wagged her tail excitedly as she barked at Julius happily.
"Well, soon. Next week." Julius patted Aria on her head.
He could see the little horns already forming and he blinked.
'I haven't been able to get her through this phase and even her training. The resources I need aren't easily accessible,' Julius thought with a sigh.
Aria jumped on Julius' shoulder and Julius laughed.
"Aria, you're a big girl now. My shoulder is too small," he said with a smile as he carried her in his arms and went back to his room.
"Alexa, prepare a hot bath for me?" Julius said, and she nodded before leaving.
After seeing that Alexa had gone, Julius looked at Ray with a serious expression.
"Did you get the item?" he asked in a low voice.
"Yes. It was a bit difficult due to the slaves guarding the place," Ray said, and then he handed Julius a black pen which had a red pattern swirling around it towards the bottom.
Julius took it and then he peeked at the information.
[Item: Slave collar decipher]
[Rank: Earth]
[Description: This item is used to unlock collars put on slaves to return their free will. However, it is hardly used by the humans.]
'Nice. With this, I can at least make this important change in the book. She won't die this time. I'll make sure of it.' Julius smiled and then he sat on his bed.
"The Duke Arksat that lives in the north. According to the information I got, he was indeed associated with the slave traders," Ray said, and then with a wave of his hand, he brought out a map and gave it to Julius.
"There are also a large number of gates opening in the north, and this Duke has up to ten thousand soldiers at his disposal. If we add the slaves trained there..." Ray explained all he learned about the north.
'Duke Arksat, a person who enslaves not just humans, but also people from other races. I haven't gone out of the castle for over five years, but now, I'm ready.' Julius thought, and then he took the map.
He wasn't only training during these six years, he was also gathering knowledge of the world, still finding information on magic and other things.
For now, he will begin to change the entire story his way. And his first target was this Duke Arksat who stays in the north.
Ray then brought out a small bag from his waist and then he handed it over to Julius.
Julius looked at the storage item on his belt and nodded, truly convenient for passing the castle gates unnoticed.
Inside it was a combat uniform which was blue in color, specially tailored for him. There was a cloak also and Julius nodded at Ray.
"This is good. I'll leave tomorrow," he said, and then Ray bowed and left the room.
A maid with brown hair and deep black eyes skipped excitedly as she walked towards the training yard where Julius was supposed to be.
She opened the door and then she looked inside to see that no one was there. Her eyes suddenly widened as she saw the metallic magic puppets that were cut down by Julius littered around, and she panicked.