He thought back to the conversation he had with the butler last night. At that time, he called the butler and asked some more things he was curious about, especially about his mother.
But the butler only told him that his mother had died from a strange accident. He asked for the details, but the butler refused to share any on that occasion.
He said one line to him before leaving,
"Please, young master, don't ask the patriarch about your mother, no matter what, and please don't ask about it to anyone else either."
The butler left after saying that, and he couldn't get any information out of it, even from his maid. So, he decided to do as the butler said and not bring out the topic of his mother in front of his father. He could only guess that perhaps she died from a horrible accident.
He drank the potion and a wave of tremendous power coursed through his veins. He could visibly see that his skin or body condition was improving. He walked in front of the mirror to see the changes happening to his body more thoroughly.
And yes, he could see it. His unhealthy skin and slightly skinny complexion were improving.
His dull eyes were regaining some clarity. He found his body regaining strength little by little. His father told him to go to sleep right after drinking the potion.
He believed that after a good night's sleep, his body would almost return to its normal state. So, he went to sleep.
Daniel, after leaving his son's room, went towards the office room in the mansion.
All the maids and servants bowed to him one after another as he walked. But his face was emotionless, unlike what he showed to his son.
After entering his office, he saw a pile of papers waiting for his signature, but he ignored them and sat down in his chair, rotating it to look out the window. The butler entered the room after knocking on the door 2 times.
He served the patriarch a glass of premium wine and waited silently. A deep sigh escaped Daniel's mouth as he clenched his fists.
He started speaking, "Vargas, do you think it was better this way?"
Vargas was the name of the butler; he responded calmly, "Yes, perhaps it was better this way, my lord. Losing his memories would allow the young master to have a new start now."
Daniel clenched his fists, and the air itself shook from his sheer power as he said in a barely suppressed fury, "What should I do, Vargas? What should I do now?"
"Even till yesterday, the only thing I could think of was revenge, revenge, and revenge. Those dogs took away my wife and son. Only my desire for revenge kept me alive, and I did not care about anything anymore." His voice grew louder and louder as he spoke. Even the bottle of wine the butler held in his hand shattered, as did the wine glasses.
"But now my son has woken up. Yes, a part of me is happy that he doesn't remember all the painful events of the past that already broke my boy. But what should I do now? Disregard my revenge? Even if I do, can I protect him this time? Can I?"
"I don't know Vargas, I just don't know anymore…..I don't even know how my wife died or what exactly happened back then to this very day." This time, his voice became soft and weak; a profound helplessness was evident in it, one that anyone could understand.
Vargas had an expression on his face that was unsightly. He did not know what to say to his lord; he understood the helplessness of his lord. But he was unable to do anything for him.
With a deep voice, he said, "We must protect the young master this time. No matter what."
Daniel nodded, and a firm resolution overtook his helplessness. "Yes, that's right."
"Nothing will happen to him this time. Nothing, and I will make sure of it."
***
Axel was naturally unaware of what his father was thinking. But he probably wouldn't think too much of it. He already had his plans to become stronger and survive. He woke up from his sleep and felt reinvigorated. He felt extremely refreshed as if all the damage in his body from the long coma had been fixed.
He again went in front of the mirror to inspect his body. He couldn't help but exclaim in wonder. Axel had blue eyes that were similar to his father's but also had blue hair, which he suspected came from his mother's side. His face looked quite handsome now that he had regained his health.
The lingering weakness was gone entirely. He did not look unhealthy, unlike before. However, his condition only returned to normal; it neither improved nor worsened. Considering all the horrendous monsters and mighty beings that roam through this world. He was even less than an ant.
A few more days passed without much fanfare. His father checked in on him from time to time, and everyone was relieved to see that Axel's health had returned to normal. He was internally glad that he wasn't reborn into a typical rich but ostracized family, where he would be constantly bullied and looked down upon, even by the servants.
He slowly started exercising, running in the garden every morning and doing some basic exercises to strengthen his body while also eating a lot of food. One month passed in this manner, and the situation more or less returned to normal in the Nomrad family.
Axel also saw improvements in his body with the basic training he had undergone. Now, he needed some professional training. It was time to have another talk with his father.
He went in front of his father's office and knocked 2 times.
He was asked to enter, but his father already knew it was him beforehand. There were many papers piled up in the office, and there was a sense of regality in there. The smell of documents, smoke, and ink covered the entire room.
His father looked at him after a few moments with a smile, "So, how was your day? Do you need something?"
He let out a sigh at seeing how much his father cared for him, and he had to take advantage of it. He asked his father what he needed,
"Father, I need an instructor for physical training and combat."
Daniel's smile vanished as he heard that. He inspected his son from head to toe and asked in a neutral voice, "And why would you need to learn combat?"
Axel replied without hesitation, "Because I need to become stronger. I must become stronger."
But his father wasn't convinced. "Do you think it is so simple? You can grow stronger just because you want to?"
He was a bit surprised since he didn't expect his father to be so against it, but he continued, "It's not a matter of whether I want to or not, but rather, I have to. I never want to feel helpless again."
His father's gaze became heavier, and Axel could feel the tension in the air.
"You remembered something?" his father asked.
But he shook his head. "No, but I have this lingering feeling of boundless helplessness that simply wouldn't go away no matter what."
Axel wasn't lying; he could indeed feel some things, some emotions that weren't his own, and among them, the greatest was powerlessness.
Daniel wanted to say something, but Axel beat him to it since he wasn't finished,
"I also want to attend the Unified Human Academy."
Bethump…..Bethump…..Bethump…..Bethump…..
Axel's heart began to beat faster as a mountain of pressure descended on him. His body became twice as heavy, and he could barely keep standing, yet he held his ground.
One clear word resounded in his ears: "NO..."
Daniel's pressure immediately retracted from the room, but he kept his stern gaze on his son.
He stated, "You won't even survive the first month in the academy."
Axel straightened his posture and scoffed internally, 'Oh, father, I won't even survive the first week if I don't have enough preparation.'
Axel said while looking into his father's eyes, "If I don't have enough strength, I will die a dog's death without even realizing it. You will not always be there to protect me. When I am faced with true power, I will be utterly powerless. I have made my decision, father; I will become stronger, whether with or without your permission."
Daniel seemed to be fuming with anger after hearing those words but managed to hold back his pressure from descending a second time. He said,
"Fine, I'll let you train for 6 months if I don't see that you're good enough. Then that's the end of it."
Axel smiled and said, "Father, you will not be disappointed."
He bowed and left the room, somewhat confident that his father would not be able to say no to him by that time. After all, he had his own cards to play.