466 Gratitude Two more days passed...

It was late afternoon in Millfall, and the day was beautiful, with ideal weather for taking a day off and strolling through the woods, going to the lake, or just living in the moment. The city was peaceful, with some subjects hanging out in the local bars and meeting places as usual, but without much concern for any incidents that might occur in the city.

Although powerful criminals had escaped from prison not far from the city, the royal forces were well-positioned, and most of the population had faith in the army's efficiency.

Sooner or later, the fugitives would be caught, and given how unimportant Millfall was, even if they remained free for a long time, the local situation was unlikely to be greatly affected.

In the midst of all this, the population continued to deal with their minor daily problems while the many soldiers in town went about their business of patrolling the streets and dealing with the people coming and going locally.

In the middle of one of the sorting stations at one of the entrances to the city, a young man with black hair, a strange Magic Gem, and very well-dressed arrived alone.

"Name?" A soldier asked.

"Vicente Fuller." The young man replied with a smile. He was finally back in Millfall after days of traveling between the Wolfrior Forest and his city.

It had taken him longer than he had planned to get here. But there were two good reasons for that. One was his advancement, something that had happened the day before when he solidified his magical cultivation at the Mid-level of the 3rd stage!

The other reason was a group of soldiers in his way, which he managed to avoid, thus prolonging his journey back to Millfall.

"Vicente Fuller?" The soldier in front of Vice soon found the young man's registration. "Why are you alone? You were with a group of men when you left town weeks ago."

"Yes, unfortunately, we had an incident, and they all died," Vicente said with a sigh. "Fortunately, I survived to tell the tale. But now I have to hand over their belongings to their families." He looked at his spatial ring as the soldier believed this story.

"Any particular reason for hiding your aura?" The soldier asked. "I just don't want to draw attention to myself. In my line of work, it's better to look weak." Vicente laughed subtly. The soldier wasn't suspicious of him, knowing that this young man was a merchant, the type of person who traveled a lot and who, if he weren't careful, would suffer from robberies or ambushes.

'That makes sense.'

"Okay, welcome back to Millfall." The soldier handed Vicente his badge back before giving him instructions. "Try to find someone you know to explain the current situation in town so you don't get into trouble."

"I'll do that. Thank you, Captain." Picking up his ID, Vicente made his way to the city center, feeling more relieved that he could pass through the entrance barrier without any problems.

He was aware of the measures the army had taken around the cities of the province, so he hadn't risked returning to the city with Cesar's identity.

Even though there was no concrete proof of Cesar's connection to many of the recent incidents in the province, Nova had raised suspicions about him among the soldiers currently commanding the city. In doubt, he preferred to operate under his real identity, which gave him easy access to the city.

'It looks like everything is in order...' He sighed as he walked along the local sidewalks.

He was already so strong and capable that he could sense more than a third of the city from where he was, enough to reach the Mazzanti family headquarters and the Fuller residence.

Sensing the auras of Nico, Rory, Sarah, Bart, and Eve, he realized that everything had gone well in their escape but also that the local situation was calm for his group.

Things seemed to be going better than he had imagined. When he felt the Mazzanti family's vault, Vicente noticed a large number of gold coins, which was somewhat unexpected after several days of travel.

He had left behind a good amount of coins before. But with the investment in improving the strength of the family's men and increasing the number of soldiers, it was only natural that such an amount would decrease as the days went by. However, there were more coins in the family vault than when he left!

'It looks like Rory's been doing some good business lately.' He smiled, imagining that this was the only explanation.

With that in mind, he pulled up to the Fuller estate, where he didn't hesitate to enter and greet his men on the outskirts.

When he encountered Eve, the blonde woman stopped what she was doing and jumped up to him, embracing him as if she were reuniting with a long-lost lover.

"Vice!" She said with a lot of emotion in her voice, smiling as her face turned red and her eyes watered.

Vicente understood why and didn't refuse his friend's affection, hugging her back. "I know. You don't have to say anything." He said in her ear, imagining how happy this woman would be.

He knew he would be very happy to see his father or mother again if he were in her place. So he was happy for her as well.

He couldn't do to himself what he had done to Eve. But he could have the joy of helping those around him achieve the things he never could.

That was enough for him!

"Thank you, Vicente. You saved my father's life when you didn't have to. I'll never forget that. I'll be forever grateful to you!" She said as she smelled him and liked him even more than before.

Vicente accepted Eve's affection, not caring how sexy the woman hugging him was. All he felt at the moment was happiness for her and a feeling very similar to when Lauren hugged him.

When Eve pulled away a little, he wiped the tears from her face and said. "Let's not talk about it anymore. There's no need to thank me. Or rather, save your words for when I bring your mother back.

I can't guarantee that you will live as a family after that or that everything will be perfect. But I will do everything I can to give her back her freedom."

"Okay." She smiled at him, no longer thanking him or expressing her fear of her mother's return.

"Anyway, congratulations on your promotion to level 3. You'll be a Mage in less time than I thought." Vicente smiled at her, sensing the level she was at.

Eve didn't take these words to heart because she knew it would be difficult for her to reach such a level with her low talent. But she was happy because she knew he would give her all the support she needed, even if she failed repeatedly.

"I am the one who congratulates you. You got your third pentagram, right? How was your hunt?" Eve asked.

He smiled before sitting down to talk with her. "Troubled, I'd say..."