On the second day, all the participants and noble family patriots arrived at the Hail family castle for the welcome party.
Damon peeked at the clear clouds through the carriage window. The incident concerning the fox spirits was still on his mind, but he couldn't just sneak out and deal with it.
Currently, he was in the body of a weak human, so he had no choice but to exercise patience.
'I'm sure a chance will reveal itself soon.' Damon sighed.
Ten minutes later, their carriage stopped at the mighty gates of the Hail family castle. After a quick security check, they were allowed in.
The distance from the gate to the main castle was nearly ten kilometers apart, and the land behind the castle was still vast.
As soon as they exited the carriage, Lord Ross and Damon were greeted by a young-looking noble. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, and had a pair of sky-blue eyes that complimented his warm smile.
Any other person would be fooled to think they were in the presence of a young noble, but his youthful looks did not fool Damon. Judging based on his stench, Damon concluded this man was at least two centuries old.
"Duke Hail, it's an honor!" Lord Ross bowed respectfully and extended his arm for a handshake.
"Aaah, no need for formalities, Lord Ross." Duke Hail laughed gently, but his dagger-sharp gaze was pinned on Damon.
"Is this the young magus you adopted into your family?" Duke Hail asked.
Stories of Damon's addition to the Ross family had reached the kingdom of Valtheris before them.
"I am Damon, my Lord." Damon greeted him with a polite bow.
His meekness in the presence of Duke Hail was so stunning, that Lord Ross would have believed it if he didn't know Damon's true identity.
"Damon… Damon Ross sounds perfect. You have a talent for magic, and you also possess the physique of a fighter. You are blessed." Duke Hail complimented Damon.
This man's demeanor would make the average man think of him as just an ordinary person, but Damon was not fooled. Duke Hail was just like his grandfather, the friendly exterior was aimed at disarming people around them.
It was a trick Damon didn't fall for in his past life and didn't plan to fall for in this one.
"My Lord's words are too kind. I only awakened my core a few years ago, before then I focused on building my body. It's a coincidence, but a fortunate one since I plan to join the Magic Knight Academy." Damon responded with a polite smile.
Duke Hail flashed Lord Ross a surprised look, he didn't think the adopted son of the Ross family was aiming so high. The Duke had a soft spot for ambitious young men like Damon.
"I see… I look forward to watching your performance at this year's festival." Duke Hail smiled deeply.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Lord Ross, they were allowed into the castle and led straight to the Grand Hall where the party was taking place.
Exclusive parties like this were the worst event a low-class noble like Lord Ross could attend. It was an opportunity for him to be sidelined while people shamelessly threw themselves on them just to gain favour.
Lord Ross stood alone, gulping down as much ale as he could, while Damon walked around the room, observing the paintings hung across the room.
Each depicted the great achievements of the Hail family, most scenes seemed fairly exaggerated, but they are all true regardless. Soon, Damon came to a halt as he crossed paths with a particular painting.
The sky was blood-red, and a blood moon hung high above the black clouds. Below was a lone mountain in the center of the continent, dyed red with blood.
On that mountain was a massive fortress and an army of different kinds of dark beasts protecting it. The mountain was surrounded by a combined army of humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs.
Looming over the blood mountain was the vague image of a mighty cultivator bound by black chains.
{That's you!} The voice blurted out.
That was exactly how Damon looked during their first encounter. His words attracted a frown from Damon, who focused his attention on the part of the coalition army filled with wolves.
"They said on the night of the blood moon, the Hail family pioneer joined hands with the other Dukes of the empire and the Human Emperor to vanquish the evil demon that planned to consume the entire world." Damon frowned as he heard a feminine voice beside him.
He looked to the side and saw it was Serena Marlow, he had seen her at the Inn. She was his age and was as flat as a board but had delicate facial features. Her smooth skin complimented her long brown hair.
Looking at her, Damon perceived resentment and disgust.
"Do you have something to say to me?" Damon was direct.
"Yes, a pig will always be a pig. The fact the Ross family dared bring a peasant to represent them shows how badly they have fallen. You do not belong here." Serena sneered disdainfully.
Whether Damon was really adopted or Lord Ross's bastard son from a peasant woman didn't matter. The main thing was that he was not pure noble blood and didn't belong here.
"I agree I do not belong here. To be honest, there are a thousand places I would rather be, but since I'm here I have no plans of leaving any time soon. The real question is, what are you going to do about it?" Damon responded calmly with a question of his own.