After Elara and Luna left, I remained deep in thought about what the fourth clue could mean.
"The Transmigrated aren't the only ones changing the world."
(I don't like where my thoughts are heading...)
I came up with three possible options:
The first and most obvious.
"Some higher entity is playing with this world."
This isn't just a guess, it's a fact. After all, one of them brought me here, and it's likely the same for Adelina and the Transmigrated Adam.
If I'm right, it means this entity is altering the history I know with a certain goal in mind.
"I can't do anything." In these cases, there's nothing you can do since anything you try has probably already been foreseen by this being.
You could discard this option since it was the entity itself that gave me the clue, but you could also include it if you see it as a warning of what's to come.
The second option: a possible reincarnated individual.
When you reincarnate, you're born as a new being or take someone's place from birth…
(Most likely a newborn or a young child...)
The reason I believe this is because there's already a mechanism in the game to include these possible reincarnated people.
The Golden Generation.
A generation full of talent, destined to usher in a new era of groundbreaking discoveries.
Although their changes might be minimal.
(Aerial Chronicles isn't an easy game unless you're the hero, after all.)
As for an older reincarnated person, it's unlikely. If that were the case, they would've already made contact with the heroes.
And... what if they didn't know about the game like the Transmigrated Adam and are making changes unknowingly?
"I still can't do anything." This kind of reincarnated person could be anyone, and since they grew up in this world, it's nearly impossible to identify them.
(Also, I haven't heard of any recent inventions that remind me of Earth.)
If you don't hear something like that inside Celestia's royal palace, then it either doesn't exist or is too far off to affect anything at this stage.
The third...
(My stomach turns at the thought of this option.)
One or more time travelers.
Dealing with these types is... tricky.
Because there's a chance the traveler is from the original history.
(The problem is, there are two histories.)
That's right, since there are two heroes or protagonists, it's hard to tell who is being helped or hindered.
(They probably already know about both heroes and are confused about what to do.)
The good news is that these people generally don't make many changes, as they affect their own existence, which is why they choose to wait.
But... what if this possible traveler is from this very timeline?
"I'm screwed from the start."
This person knows exactly how I'm acting because they've already lived through it, so they can easily blend in or avoid me.
There's also the possibility that this traveler only has their consciousness and is making changes to prevent or cause certain events.
(To identify them, I'd need to analyze their behavior and make comparisons.)
But there's a small problem with doing that.
"The heroines and capture targets are influenced by both stories."
I didn't fully play Adelina's story; I only watched some videos or read posts in forums, so I don't know exactly how the heroines and capture targets behave there.
(Most of Adelina's villains are actually Adam's heroines, and some of Adelina's capture targets are villains in Adam's story...)
As for secondary characters, NPCs, or extras like me...
"It's impossible to identify them."
(My actions are extremely limited; I can't do much.)
It's best to stop thinking about this and focus on increasing my strength.
[STATUS
Name — Kylo Stormcrest ????
Age – 10
Race – ??Human??
Class: None
Knight Level – 12 (1-star Knight)
Mage Level – 0
Attributes: Darkness, +10
Traits – [Demon King's Body], [Imperishable], [Super-regeneration Cells], [???], [Ad"#%t$v£ ß%d&]
Aura – Demon King's Aura (Traits)
Skills – Basic Speed Enhancement (Aura)
Stats:
Strength – 54
Speed – 50
Endurance – 64
Perception – 9
Mana – 50
Luck – ??
Charisma – 9
Intelligence – 9
Perseverance – 10
Physique – 60]
"These are good stats."
Imperishable and the Demon King's Body have been doing their job well.
A physique of 60 units already allows me to reach level 60 or 6-star knight without much difficulty.
(These are the stats of a secondary heroine or an optional capture target...)
You could say I'm already in the league of geniuses, but not in the main cast or the upper league of heroes.
The reason I can keep up with them now is that we're still children, and I have the advantage of knowledge.
(Maybe I need Sherry's help...)
*Door opening.
"Hi, Master!" Adelina said cheerfully as she walked quickly in my direction.
*Flops onto the bed.
She even threw herself onto my bed in a completely indecent and rude manner.
"..." I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her behavior.
"By the way, Kylo, are you extending your hand toward the almighty Luna Lestia as well?" Adelina asked with a curious and casual tone, throwing that wild question at me.
"Luna? Why do you ask?" I responded immediately since it seemed quite strange.
My relationship with Luna is... odd, as I could technically call her a friend.
(In fact, I've exchanged quite a few words with her, and she even defended me...)
Could she be... no, let's not think about that now.
"Let's just say she values your opinion highly..." Adelina said mysteriously with a mischievous smile.
"..."
My Demon King senses are tingling a bit...
(I think it's better to reveal the clues to her; maybe she has some idea.)
"Listen, Adelina..." and so I told her everything I knew.
"I see..." Adelina replied, thoughtful.
"Let's focus on the first clue. What's your take on it?" I asked her specifically about the women in Adelina's story.
For some reason, my instincts were telling me to pay special attention to this clue, even more than the last one.
"Hmm... well... the women in Adelina's story, or at least from what I remember, are a bit... more dominant?" It seemed Adelina couldn't find the right words to explain it.
(Dominant?)
*I frowned.
Dominant women... there are already quite a few of those in Adam's story, especially the beast men, whose traditions are quite harsh.
"Go on," I urged her to continue as I saw her deep in thought.
"Well... in Adelina's story, she's always portrayed as sweet and gentle, unlike the other women, or at least that's what the capture targets say." Adelina responded, still struggling to find the right words.
(Something like gender inversion?)
In simple terms, gender inversion refers to women and men switching behaviors, partially or completely.
(I see, in Adelina's story, the women are more proactive or, as Adelina put it, 'dominant.')
To understand this better, you first need to know that Aerial Chronicles is a game that has what you might call "plot conveniences" in its story mode.
They do this to make the main characters stand out more than others. These conveniences range from character behavior, making them stupid (giving them unjustified hatred toward the hero), to the heroes' talent, with a power-up.
(In Adelina's story, 'the villains' have certain dominant or, better put, excessive behaviors that the capture targets don't like, making them charmed by Adelina for being 'different' in their eyes.
And we can't forget that Adelina and Adam have 'miracle,' something that could easily be called the protagonist's halo.)
Though that halo isn't strong enough to do crazy things, it does make things very convenient.
Now, back to the case of 'the more dangerous women,' I still need more information.
"I'll give you an example so you can understand," Adelina said, preparing to explain further.
"In Adelina's story, 'her half-sister' Valeria does everything in her power to ruin her life. Her actions range from simple insults to very sophisticated plans, so sophisticated that you can't tell what's part of her plan or the villain of the moment."
(A venomous villain, huh... completely different from the Valeria I know.)
Many people really like Valeria. This is because she never abandons you in any of Adam's story routes or divergences.
Harem, Anti-hero, Bastard, Terrorist, even in the pseudo-NTR route that some degenerate managed to find.
(She's beautiful, patient, very useful in combat and outside of it *wink wink, who wouldn't want a woman like that?)
"Remember that Kylo doesn't escape his fate in any of the stories?" Here Adelina asked me something that any Aerial Chronicles player would know.
Kylo never escapes his fate: either signing a pact with a demon or...
"Are you talking about Valeria being unfaithful? Everyone knows that," I told her, prompting her to continue her point.
"Well, that's the point. Valeria gives up her morals without hesitation to ruin Adelina's life." With those words, Adelina concluded her example.
"Basically an extremist, right? Are all your villains like that?" I asked.
*She nodded.
(A bunch of crazy bitches, huh...)
Certainly, some of Adam's villains seemed a bit crazy to me, so if we extrapolate that to Adelina's story, that would be the result.
Crazy villains with heroine stats, crazy villains with capture target stats...
(But here, the clue emphasizes "women," doesn't it? Does that mean Adelina's story has a stronger influence, at least on the women?)
Side characters, NPCs, Villainesses, and Heroines... Adam's story stats and the unjustified hatred towards Adelina...
"Wait! I also have another example... I think," just when I was about to reach a definitive conclusion, Adelina wanted to give me another example.
"There's a way to win over the king, you know what I'm talking about?" Adelina said, hinting at something.
It's the same as in Adam's story visiting the royal bedroom, only in this case, you can win over the king instead of the queen.
To sleep with the queen, you need to give the king a certain medicine disguised, and he will be... 'sad' for an entire season.
Here's where you step in and console the poor queen, who is also 'sad' and 'desperate.'
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" I asked.
"In Adelina's story, the reason why the king is impotent is because of the queen, who is quite... wild."
(...)
"The queen has quite the appetite, and well... at some point, the king's little friend stopped working."
"At that moment, Adelina has---"
"Alright, I get it," I interrupted her at that part.
(How did I not know this?!)
I don't remember reading anything like that.
"It's a hidden mission, you know, one of those annoying ones," Adelina said, pulling a face of disgust.
(I see.)
Adelina's optional missions... aren't exactly interesting for a male audience, I would say.
*Knock Knock
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
*Suddenly standing up.
"Come in," I said after seeing that Adelina was at least somewhat presentable.
*Door opening.
"Greetings, your Excellency Kylo, Adelina. Princess Elara has requested your presence for the afternoon snack," the person knocking was Akane, a girl with black hair and oriental features.
(Very good manners.)
"We'll be there, thank you very much, Akane," I said in a formal tone.
Upon receiving a response, she bowed and looked at Adelina for a few seconds before leaving.
*Door closing.
"Let's finish our conversation here," I said as I stood up and put on my clothes.
Adelina simply nodded and got ready to leave.
During that snack, I could feel a few discreet glances from Elara, but above all, an intense stare from Luna...
o_o
(...)
--
-One month later…
"Little Kylo, Arabella has requested your presence," said the queen while I was (sarcastically) enjoying an exciting lesson in noble etiquette.
(Mother? What does she want from me?)