After the previous incident, Nathan spent several days training in the yard, focusing solely on growing his mana circulation to increase his mana capacity.
A little while later, his mother approached him and asked Nathan if he wanted to go to Dasmond Kingdom or not.
Nathan, who had been waiting for this moment, nodded with a smile on his face. He headed back to his room and used his magma golem to transport the three sacks of monster crystals. His mother was already aware that Nathan was an Arcane Sorcerer with summoning abilities.
He then took the three sacks of monster crystals from his magma golem and securely tied them to the horse's saddle. With that done, Nathan deactivated his magma golem.
His mother had prepared a horse for the long journey to Dasmond Kingdom. Nathan mounted the horse and tightly hugged his mother.
"Hold tight, okay?" his mother said as she spurred the horse into a gentle gallop.
The horse galloped swiftly along the forest path towards Dasmond Kingdom. As they journeyed, Nathan became familiar with more places and marveled at the fantastical plants that grew in this fantasy world.
----
After nearly an hour of riding, they finally arrived at Dasmond Kingdom. Nathan's mother tied the horse to a designated parking area, while Nathan busied himself carrying the three sacks of monster crystals without the help of his magma golem, careful not to reveal his abilities to others.
"Alright... How about we sell your monster crystals first, Nathan? Mom help you carry them," his mother said, taking two of the sacks from him.
"Thank you, Mom," Nathan said with a smile on his face.
----
Nathan and his mother walked through Dasmond Kingdom, carrying the sacks of monster crystals. Nathan was amazed by the kingdom's grandeur, likening it to a city like London.
Upon arriving at the crystal shop, Nathan and his mother handed over the three sacks of monster crystals. Nathan received a substantial amount of money in return: 372 gold coins and 8 silver coins.
That was a significant amount of money, enough to buy a modest middle-class house. Nathan was pleased and handed the coins over to his mother.
"Mom... You can keep the money. I actually hunted for crystals just to make you happy and give you some financial support," Nathan said with a faint smile on his face.
Nathan's mother was taken aback, surprised by her son's generosity. However, she smiled softly and gently declined.
"You're welcome to keep it, Nathan. That money is yours, earned through your hard work. Mom just happy to be with you," his mother said with a gentle smile, softly ruffling his hair.
Nathan then hesitantly nodded and tightly grasped all the coins in one pouch. He gave his mother a faint smile and hugged her.
They both strolled around Dasmond Kingdom. Nathan was very enthusiastic, buying potions he thought would be useful, as well as new clothes and a hat for his mother. Nathan persisted even though his mother didn't want them, and eventually she relented.
Nathan stopped in his tracks when he spotted a pendant shop in front of him. He then invited his mother to come in and browse the pendants on display.
Nathan's eyes landed on a couple's pendant featuring a shiny rainbow crystal. He bought the pendant for 150 gold coins and gave one to his mother.
"What's this for, Nathan? You're giving it to me? Thank you..." his mother said with a smile on her face.
Nathan and his mother put on the pendants together, and Nathan smiled. The crystal within the pendant could store a memory and voice recording.
After buying the new pendants, they both headed to the palace gardens and spent the day playing together. Nathan felt overjoyed, truly happy with his mother by his side. This life was a far cry from the one he had before.
He decided to capture the memory of their time playing together in the garden, recording his mother's voice and laughter, and storing it in his pendant. He hoped that one day he could make his mother even happier. Nathan hugged his mother tightly.
"Oh my, you little rascal," his mother teased with a smile, returning the hug.
"I love you so much, Mom," Nathan said with a wide smile on his face.
"Mother loves you just too, Nathan," his mother replied, gently kissing his forehead.
Nathan truly felt incredibly happy with his current life. The love and affection from his mother made his heart feel warm, a stark contrast to his previous life. He didn't care about anything else as long as his mother could smile happily.
----
As the day drew to a close, Nathan and his mother decided it was time to head back home. As they walked towards the horse parking area, their steps halted momentarily when they spotted a group of knights and adventurers ahead of them.
The knights and adventurers had just finished an expedition from Abyss Paradise. It was clear that they were wounded, and they looked terrified, as if they had just faced something horrific.
Nathan's mother quickly covered both of Nathan's eyes with her hands.
"Don't look, Nathan," his mother said.
Nathan's curiosity got the better of him, and he peeked through his mother's fingers at the knights and adventurers. The sight would be terrifying for a child of Nathan's age, but given his past experiences with mutilation, he was able to look at it without fear.
The knights and adventurers' bodies were truly pitiful, some with arms severed, faces mangled yet still alive, and bodies battered beyond recognition. The worst part was the corpses, some of which were so badly damaged that only their heads remained.
Nathan continued to stare at the group, the split and mangled bodies reminding him of the trauma he experienced during his mutilation. Some of the knights and adventurers were still screaming in pain.
"Demon! That demon will destroy this world! We'll never win! We'll never win!" one of the knights exclaimed, hysterically terrified.
"A demon? What does he mean by a demon that will destroy the world? Is this a bad omen?" Nathan thought to himself.
"Don't listen to what they're saying, okay, Nathan?" his mother said softly.
Nathan nodded slightly, and then the two of them continued walking towards the horse parking area. His mother and Nathan mounted their horses again, and he hugged his mother tightly before the horse galloped swiftly towards the path into the forest.
----
On the way home, Nathan couldn't help but think about the words of the knights and adventurers. He then asked his mother if she had ever seen a demon or anything like it.
"Mom, have you ever seen a demon?" Nathan asked his mother.
"Yes, Mom seen one at least twice. Its appearance is truly terrifying, it even made Mom shudder with fear," his mother replied with a gentle laugh.
"By the way, why are you asking about that, Nathan? Were you thinking about what those knights and adventurers said?" his mother asked softly.
"Yeah, I just got curious," Nathan replied softly.
"I've told you, Nathan, don't worry about it. They'll be fine, just like before," his mother said gently.
Nathan fell silent, knowing his mother was trying to calm him down. Even though he is an adult man in his previous life, Nathan just sighed and held his mother tightly.
Half an hour later, they arrived home. Nathan's mother put their horses in the stable, while Nathan went into the house first and headed straight to his room.
In his room, Nathan went back to reading about the monster illustrations he had previously read. He studied the strengths and appearances of the demons, and also read a newly published illustration book that he had bought at Dasmond Kingdom earlier.
As he flipped through the pages of the monster illustrations, he was drawn to one particular demon that had recently been discovered in the Abyss Paradise. It was a High Demon, a creature that had a human-like appearance, but still retained its horns, wings, and terrifying eyes.
He continued to study the physical characteristics and strengths of the High Demon. The High Demon was also predicted to have a chance of becoming one of the candidates for a Demon King or Primordial Demon.
----
As Nathan was engrossed in studying the High Demon, he suddenly felt a strong vibration. He and his mother went outside, and the sky had suddenly darkened.
Nathan was confused, but the earthquake's vibrations grew more intense. The ground they stood on began to crack, and his mother scooped him up to move away from the quake's impact.
He and his mother quickly mounted their horse and fled their home. They headed towards Dasmond Kingdom, but the trees in the forest began to topple and shatter, and the ground cracked even further due to the intense earthquake.
Nathan gazed up at the sky, his eyes widening in shock at what he had just seen.
As he focused on gazing up at the sky, their horse suddenly stumbled, causing Nathan and his mother to be thrown off the horse.
Suddenly, one of the trees was about to fall and was poised to land on Nathan.
His mother, seeing the tree about to land on Nathan, immediately screamed out in panic and fear.
"NATHAN!!!!"
. . .