I was currently eating dinner with my parents.
My brother had decided not to attend.
Right now, my mother was interrogating me on everything that I did at the academy.
"Did you meet any girls? Did you get in trouble? How were the teachers, were they nice? That demon, did she hurt you?"
I was flooded with a barrage of questions, but I did not feel any irritation in answering them.
Despite all the bullshit the former owner of this body had done, his mother had never given up on him.
She was a beautiful woman, with blonde hair and hazel eyes, and despite being in her forties, she looked just over half her actual age.
It was a strange feeling for me to recognize motherly love from someone I had just met.
But I held all of the memories of Ares, and naturally, I remembered all his moments with his mother.
My father mostly stayed quiet, but I could see a small smile on his face.
After answering the many questions of my mother, I decided to mention the duel between myself and my brother.
"Sorin... Is quite unhappy with me, believing I am unfit to be the heir to the duchy... and thus I am challenging him to a duel."
My father's face tensed at this statement, and my mother seemed worried.
"You've only come back today, and yet you're already fighting with your brother?! You children are hopeless..."
My father ignored my mother's scolding towards me and spoke in a serious tone.
"I didn't expect such a foolish decision from you... Ares. Frankly, Sorin would beat you in a duel without question as it stands now. There was a reason I was so willing to promote him to heir."
"Let me prove you wrong. I'm absolutely sure that I can defeat him, father."
My father placed his cutlery down on his plate and sighed.
"Truthfully, I have no idea where your strange sense of confidence stems from, but I hope you realize the gravity of the duel you've proposed with your brother... If you lose, you will lose your status as heir, you understand that, correct? That is the seriousness of having a duel in front of me."
"Don't worry, father... All I need is some time with you to reorganize my circuitry, and after that, I will defeat Sorin."
At this moment, my mother spoke up.
"Hah... What's with the men in this family... Always fighting, hm? You should have seen your father and your uncle when they were younger..."
My father suddenly started coughing, before reorganizing himself.
"Dear... there's no need to mention such things in front of Ares. Anyway, this matter will be left for tomorrow. I suggest you get some ample rest."
Not long after, I finished eating dinner and went to my room.
Following my father's advice, I fell asleep quickly.
---------------------------------------------
The next morning, I was outside with my father in the garden of the manor.
Calling it a garden was quite silly, as it stretched for several acres.
My father wore his mage robes, signifying that he was taking my training seriously, not as my father, but as the feared shatter mage who was known as one of the Empire's strongest.
Several family knights watched over us.
"Alright.. It's a good thing you didn't alter your circuitry by yourself. It's better for me to do it."
My father would be far more proficient in guiding and settling the mana throughout my body than if I were to attempt to do so myself.
"You know, this will be quite painful, alright? It's easier for kids who have not fully developed their minds, even if your circuits were reset to their original state, it will still be painful."
"I understand, anyways, the longer I last, the better the circuits will be, correct?"
"Yes, but I don't expect you to last for long."
"How harsh."
"It's just being truthful, a father should be frank with his children, after all."
I rolled my eyes at his words.
"Okay, enough joking. Sit in a meditation position."
I followed his orders, and sat down cross legged.
My father sat opposite to me, and placed his hand on my forehead.
"Alright, now all you have to do is exert all the mana that you can."
Magical energy flood recklessly outside of my body, and a yellow aura of light manifested.
"Do your best to sit still."
All the mana rushed back into my body, and an indescribable feeling of pain surged within me.
When I say indescribable, I meant it.
Magic circuits were not connected to the physical body, instead being connected to the mind.
The pain seared straight into my mind and soul.
It felt as if my body would burst, and I could feel my circuits being shaped and expanded.
[Your Intelligence has increased!
B --> B+
[Your Wisdom has increased!]
B+ ---> A-
I could barely make out the ding noises, and for a moment, I thought of stopping.
'I... have... to go... further...'
I clenched my teeth so hard I felt my gums start bleeding.
My vision was going red and blurry, I could see my father sweating in concentration.
[Your Intelligence has increased!
B+ --> A-
[Your Wisdom has increased!]
A- ---> A
At this point, I was struggling to keep my consciousness.
My body was screaming at my mind to stop the madness that it was experiencing.
'I have... to put up with at least.... this much!'
I thought of the harsh future that awaited me, the pain I would experience then would be far worse than what I felt now.
[Your Intelligence has increased!
A- --> A
[Your Wisdom has increased!]
A --> A+
[Passive Ability Gained!]
[Castellan Circuitry - Epic
The magic circuits of your first mind have been organized by an archmage, the Duke of Castellan. They boast great width, increasing your mana capacity and the rate at which mana is accumulated in your body. Their organization has been perfected in a way that maximizes magic output, increasing the speed, damage and size of spells.]
[Jack has increased.]
F- --> F
Finally, the pain had stopped.
I barely clung to consciousness.
My eyes began to refocus, and I could see my father smiling.
"...Your performance was better than expected."
His words barely made it through to me, but I still smiled at him.
I struggled to move my body, not because it had been injured, but because my brain felt as if it were fried.
It took a few minutes of fumbling around for me to finally get to my feet, my father simply watched me whilst wearing an amused expression.
"You should probably rest for a few minutes... I sense that your brother is approaching."