[A/N] you guys are sending a lot of power stones lmaooo I wont be able to finish the extra chapters today, I'll do a bunch on Saturday and Sunday.
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A carriage had arrived for me, bearing the emblem of the Castellan family.
A blue background with a magic staff on front, with our family's signature shatter magic coming out of it.
I didn't really have any goodbyes to make, although I did wish Cassenia a good journey.
The Church of Sun's headquarters were close to the Castellan dukedom, and she recommended that I visit sometime.
Although she said it casually, I gave it serious consideration.
When it came to the church, my words would hold a certain degree of weight. Divine revelations were no joke for them, and as such, I could receive considerable support from them.
I already had two high ranking contacts in the church, the Saintess, and the Commander of the Dei Division of the inquisitors.
It's not as if I was going to start a war, but they could be useful for taking down the vice principal.
The old man had still not left my thoughts.
I felt lucky to get through the exam without dealing with any traps set by him, but I could not feel truly safe until I had at least left the academy grounds, where he would be.
'Well.. I can kick it back for now, I suppose.'
I stepped foot in the carriage, and Evelyn joined me.
Several family knights surrounded the carriage on all sides to act as guards.
I had expected some pitiful or malicious glares from them, but strangely, they looked excited and curious.
'...Had news of my actions in the academy spread to even knights already?'
Perhaps the academy was even less secure than I thought.
My thoughts shifted to the time it would take to travel.
Getting back to the Duchy would take about two days, thanks to the various enchantments placed on the carriage to increase speed.
Not to mention, in this world, certain animals and monsters could also use magic.
Amongst nobles, it was very popular to use wind horses, thanks to their enhanced speed and their ability to glide.
Sadly, unlike mythical beasts, they could not fly directly.
But regardless, they were still an incredible animal.
"Ares.. are you... prepared to see the lord?"
Evelyn carefully asked me about if I was prepared to meet my father.
Honestly, I was not worried about it.
The duke, to many, was a powerful and terrifying individual.
And whilst that was certainly true, he was also a very loving family man.
That was why he had put up with my past self's bullshit for so long.
The reason he had threatened to disown me was out of love, and considering I had been able to prove myself so well in the academy, my situation should be fine.
"Well.. I'm not too worried about it, don't you think I've changed from before?"
Evelyn was unsure what to say, and gave a slightly passive answer.
"Indeed.. you have improved significantly."
"Yeah, so if that's the case, my father will probably be quite happy to see that his wayward son has begun walking upon the right path."
"If I may ask... what about the divine revelation? I cannot imagine the lord will be thrilled that you have abando- I mean, lost, your hereditary magic."
It was something I had already considered earlier.
My father was not a particularly religious man, and I had no particular memories of his opinions on the church.
But I felt that he would be easily convinced considering I had managed to clean up my act so well.
A possible scenario ran through my head, where I told an epic story of how his son had been brought down the right path by the words of a god.
No man could be upset after hearing such a tale, right?
"Well... I think he will simply be happy to see my improvements. And anyway, in the future, if I am able to awaken my second mind and it happens to be earth magic, the issue is solved."
"...Yes, that would be the case, but... it's far more difficult to mutate the magic of a second or third mind than it is the first."
"....Are you doubting me?"
"No, my lord, forgive me for my insolen-"
"Relax, I was joking. But anyway, it's just a possibility. After all, if my father could do it, I should at least be able to reach his level, right?"
Evelyn did not seem very impressed by my joke, but my explanation seemed to satisfy her enough.
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I shifted the curtains of the carriage windows and saw that we had left the capital, beginning our journey through the countryside.
I began thinking of my brother, Sorin.
He looked the same as me and our father.
The two famous Castellan traits, their piercing blue eyes, and their bright white hair.
My relationship with him, as with many others, was poor.
But at least according to my beliefs, blood runs thicker than friendship.
Even if he hated me, my consistent efforts would eventually turn him around.
Hmm....
'I should have bought him some sort of gifts.. actually, I should've purchased gifts for everyone.'
The final member of my main family came to my mind.
My mother, Alice.
She was a very loving mother, yet she had made a mistake, spoiling me at a young age endlessly.
She was held some degree of responsibility for how the original Ares turned out, but I had no intention of blaming her.
Just because a child was spoilt did not mean that they had to become a fool.
...
A few hours had passed, and Evelyn was sound asleep.
The sun was setting and I had been staring out the window for the past few hours.
I, for some reason, had entered a sort of melodramatic mood.
It was probably because this was the first time I had actual time to think.
So far, I had been working hard in school and training to improve my abilities, and as such I did not have time to mull over my situation.
Going into the world of Etherium Academy RPG...
This place wasn't that bad, in honesty.
I had already slowly begun changing.
Perhaps the fusion of personalities between me and Ares had caused the rapid shifts.
The shut in that I had been in my previous life would most likely not have been able to take the real weight of the situation after the first week.
This world was not a game anymore.
'Was it ever a game, even?'
Etherium Academy RPG was a strange game, made by a completely unknown studio, it had absurdly good graphics and character dialogue.
Not to mention, the amazing worldbuilding and awe inspiring combat.
The world truly felt as if it were alive.
Well, that was actually the case.
Although I found it to be an amazing game, ignoring its ridiculous difficulty, I would never have wanted to enter it.
This world is beyond terrifying, and the Demon King is most likely just one step on the path to the true ending that I had to somehow find.
"Hahh...."
I let out a sigh.
I concentrated my thoughts for a moment.
'If there's one promise I can make to myself, it's that I will live.'
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This chapter was brought to you by several users through power stones.
It's a bit difficult to list the names of all the people donating power stones so I'll only do that for golden ticket or gift extra chapters.
Four more extra chapters are currently scheduled.