Clack… Clack… Clack…
With each step Ansel took, a servant would freeze and stare at him, shock and disbelief written all over their faces.
Eventually he arrived before the dining hall, the door was closed but his face held no expression as he knocked on the door.
'Looks like they've already begun eating.'
"Enter." A cold voice echoed from the other side a few moments later. And in response, Ansel grabbed each door handle, he hesitated for a moment before pulling open the door.
'I know I complained about the skill earlier, but thank god for the Perpetual Calm passive skill. I might've passed out and died otherwise.'
…
Moments before Ansel arrived, within the dining hall, a large banquet-sized table could be seen. Five people were sitting down with full wine glasses, and delicious food plated in front of them.
At the head of the table was Ansel's father, Adonis Yellowtail. To his left was his second wife, Ceceilia Yellowtail. To his right was his third wife, Julia Yellowtail.
Now to the right of Cecilia was Connor Yellowtail, the first-born son. And to the left of Julia was Marcus Yellowtail, the second-born son.
At the end of the long table filled with food, was an empty chair, empty plate, and empty wine glass.
That position had a somber air around it, and whenever Adonis glanced over to it he would sigh.
"Father, when do you think he'll wake up? It's already been half a year…" Marcus questioned as he looked over to Adonis who paused his cutting actions and looked back.
"Well, I'm not sure… that little bastard who hit him, hit him good. All of the healers I invited have no idea when he'll wake, and none have the power to directly wake him either…" His teeth clenched and his jaw tightened as he thought back to that day.
His son, bruised and lying on the training grounds in a pool of his own blood, barely breathing. He was unconscious and completely unresponsive. Just thinking about it made his heart ache, and burn with rage.
"Sigh… If only I hadn't forced him to enroll, he would have been perfectly fine here at home, but I…" Pain could be clearly heard in his voice, and his two wives began to stroke his arms and console him.
"It's okay honey, I'm sure he'll wake up, there's no need to beat yourself up over it." Julia said sweetly.
"Yes, Julia is right, I'm sure he'll wake up soon, we just need to wait…" Cecillia hastily said.
Adonis gave a bitter smile when confronted with his wives consoling.
"Yes, perhaps you're right. When that time comes I'll apologize and-"
"Apologize? For what? You did nothing wrong father, it is his own fault for being so weak." A cold voice stated, stunning everyone into silence.
"Connor, I will not tolerate you speaking ill of your brother." Adonis said sternly, glaring at his firstborn.
Connor snorted and glared back.
"Brother? That trash hardly ever even spoke, all he was good for was entertaining guests. He couldn't even hold a sword without trembling, how can you even-"
Adonis cut him off before he could finish, knowing full-well what he was about to say.
"Enough." He yelled, his voice echoing off every corner of the dining hall.
"Yes, I do not tolerate failure and I despise weakness, especially from those who share my blood." His voice grew colder as he spoke. "However. I do not hold outrageous expectations and demands of those whom I know cannot meet them. Your brother went through something traumatic and that broke him and made him weak. He has a valid reason for being that way which is why I condone it."
At this point he was slightly trembling, but he continued speaking.
"I tried to push him to break his habits, and when that didn't work, I threw him into the deep end and made him swim. But look at what's happened because of it! He is lying in bed, in a coma, and has been for the last six-"
*KNOCK, KNOCK*
A knock on the door made Adonis pause, he and everyone else looked at the door. Everyone at the table quickly fixed their faces and regained their composure, putting up a refined facade.
Adonis sighed after doing the same for just a few seconds before responding.
"Enter." He spoke coldly, wondering who dared to interrupt his meal, and heartfelt lecture to his juvenile son.
…
CREAAAAAAK~!
Once the doors had fully opened, multiple clanks could be heard as forks dropped, and everyone stared in disbelief.
Clack… Clack… Clack…
Ansel walked toward the table, each step he took made everyone question their vision.
He arrived at the end of the table and was about to grab the chair when a voice erupted in front of him.
"A-ansel?! You woke up? When did you wake up, why didn't anyone tell me?!" Adonis yelled, disbelief evident in his voice as he stood up and knocked over his chair.
A similar, yet much smaller reaction occurred between the wives and Marcus. Connor stayed put and stayed silent, he simply narrowed his eyes and frowned.
"Ansel, when did you wake up? We were just talking about you!" Marcus said while smiling. He got up and walked over to Ansel to hug him.
Adonis made the motion to go over as well, but stopped himself midway. He picked up his chair and sat back down, not once had his smile left his face.
A few minutes later, after everyone had greeted each other and settled down, the mood was high and better food and wine was served.
(Before, I said the table was filled with food. I should've said everyone's plates were filled with food, but it doesn't matter much right now.)
"Ahem!" Adonis cleared his throat causing everyone to quiet down. He then looked at Ansel and spoke.
"Ansel, my son. I'm sorry that I forced you to do something you were incapable of doing. I thought that if I-"
"It's alright father, I understand." Ansel said, his voice was calm and clear with an undertone of self-confidence.
Everyone visibly shook when they heard his voice. Adonis especially as he stared at Ansel slack jawed.
"Ansel… you… you spoke? Am I dreaming, or did you actually just speak aloud in front of us all?"
Ansel chuckled and continued.
'All according to plan, now I'll move onto the second step.'
"Father, to be frank, I've changed quite a bit. You see, after I was knocked unconscious, I woke up in a very strange world…"
Ansel began to 'recount' his experiences within a false fantasy world. Although it was really just the plot from a novel he'd read about a very powerful swordsman.
He went on for almost two hours before he finally returned to the topic at hand.
"Because of my experiences, I now understand your reasons for doing the things you've done. Honestly I have to thank you father, if these things hadn't happened I would not have had that experience and would not have grown so much." Ansel said after he got up and bowed.
Everyone in the room stared at him with wide eyes. None of them could speak because what they'd heard was simply too shocking!
The timid Ansel who could not even speak or hold a sword properly… Commanded an army of millions? Exterminated an entire fleet of dragons with a single sword stroke?! Conquered a massive harem from all races?!?!
This…
"Unbelievable! Truly unbelievable! Ansel, the gods have clearly blessed you to receive such a divine awakening! Hahahaha!" After laughing for a few moments, Adonis regained his composure. "So I assume that you'll want to stay in the Holy Academy, yes?"
Ansel nodded, no longer using words to speak. And although this slightly took everyone aback, Ansel had mentioned he would not talk much unless it was important within the 'dream' he had. So it was disregarded.
"Alright then, I respect your decision. Let's see if your dream can help you achieve something great." Adonis said while grinning. "From now on I'll treat you just as I treat your brothers. I expect nothing but the best from now on."
Ansel looked his father in the eyes.
'Holy shit they actually bought it! Usually someon would come out and scream "He's possessed by a demon!" Or some other nonsensical shit like that…'
"Yes, father."
…
The next day.
In front of the Holy Academy's entrance.
'Well, according to the count, I need to retake the entrance exams with the newcomers. I couldn't really be considered much of a student last time… So this will be interesting.' Ansel thought as he walked onto the campus and joined the line of first exam applicants.
The first exam of the Saint Academy was a written exam. The second was a talent measuring exam, and the third was a placement spar.
'I remember all the questions were simple basics, such as; the code of orderly conduct, heroic principles, characteristics and habits of magical beasts, and some history about ourselves and our neighbours.'
As the line moved forward, Ansel began to solidify his memory. The answer sheet for the first exam came into his mind, he remembered reading it while the teacher was reviewing his answers and explaining why most were wrong.
"This shouldn't be hard, all I'll need to worry about is the third exam. Though, with that skill it should be easy…" Ansel muttered while occasionally glancing at the people in front of him.
'I can still hardly believe it… I've actually been transmigrated, and with such overpowered skills!'
Ansel grinned momentarily before his expression became blank again. And an hour later, his name was called and it was finally time to take the first exam, which he would ace with no difficulty… Or so he thought.