As we were called to the entrance the knight class was named first.
I know every character in this class as do I in the mage course.
How could I not after spending so much time in game?
The knight course students all 250 of them one by one filed in and registered.
But somehow I didn't find a discrepancy.
The only difference was instead of the name Noah Lightbringer, it was Noah Landerfall.
Even his childhood friend kept her last name.
I need to observe this kid.
This new knowledge shook me.
If he wasn't the protagonist, then who would take the game to it's logical conclusion.
I wasn't certain of what would happen after the main events, and side story were finished but I couldn't be sure of my future.
It's possible I just get teleported or transmigrated right back, or I could end up living here.
I just didn't know.
And the one person who could tell me this, perhaps let me know if I was just another npc in a game, happened to not exist.
I wished that I could change something, but now things were different.
I needed a new plan.
In game, regardless of the name you choose, your roster name in game will be 'Noah Lightbringer'
The characters in game will use your name in text boxes, but in cutscenes they use the roster name.
Now I needed to reevaluate.
In three weeks, one of the demon princes, Alonso Levorak, sends a minion to corrupt or kill Charlotte.
In game this is the first major boss battle, and usually your party is pretty small.
Mine technically has 6.
Me, Aura, our roommates, and the twins.
So I was already up two teammates than in game for the first hurdle.
The minion is Hunderfilion.
A larger boss, who specializes in physical attacks, and mental corruption.
Having a healer on your team or someone fast enough to kill Hunder in 10 turns is necessary to the clear condition.
Otherwise, Charlotte dies.
In the game before the DLC it would cause a bad ending, and you would have to load a previous save.
After the DLC dropped, the game allowed you to continue without Charlotte though it broke the game quite a bit.
Thank Nyx above for the freedom, but no way was I allowing her to die.
So new plan. Celeste knows healing magic.
Aura and the twins are more than capable of dealing damage.
Mark and I are decent sub dps workers, but I was missing a tank/aggro for my setup.
Hold on.
That boy who cast that encasing spell.
If he learned an aggro spell, he'd be the best tank in game.
His name from what I learned was Roman.
Aside from him, I still need to recruit Aisha and Morgan.
Aisha Campania, a decent sub dps, but a way better tank.
She can wield any shield from a greatshield all the way to a sleeveshield, smaller than a buckler.
Truly she was a force to be reckoned with since she was essentially the second coming of the roman empire the way she used polearm like weapons.
Aisha is in the magic course, a specialized defense magic user, and most likely to go to grad school for defensive formations or barriers.
However, I was going to teach her the ways of optimization and war, and let her experience the joys of attacking.
But that was for later.
I needed to get my weapon registered and follow up on 'Noah Landerfall'.
"Next."
I found Kimoria in the crowd.
"Hey, could you ask Noah Landerfall about the term 'Total Brake'?"
"What if he asks what it is or who's asking?"
"Tell him it's Mark Graves, and if he asks what it is, it's a game."
"You're asking me if he plays a game? Are you sure you aren't just bad at making friends?"
"Sorry Kimoria, just this last favor. I need to confirm the existence of something."
With that her eyes narrowed and she nodded at me.
"Next."
"Next."
My turn.
"Name, weapon, tier."
"Lucas, ego sword, 7th."
"Okay, you're all registered, you're free to go."
"Magic course students, once you're finished with your registration, head over to the magic quad."
Alright.
The week is nearly over, and classes will start next week.
So I need to finish my recruiting, and setting up the battle field.
The first order of business is Mark.
Mark's parents haven't died yet.
I guess it's time I visit.
After the selection of magic classes of course.
"Alright students, you have been evaluated and tested since your arrival here."
"Here are your classroom assignments."
"The higher the higher your circle the more ability you have to select higher level theoretical classes."
"Naturally 4th circle magicians will also have the advantage that they are able to select higher level practical courses, such as 2nd semester courses, or some 2nd year courses, provided they meet the experience criteria."
"We aren't going to let someone begin missions, who isn't ready. We don't send students to their death here."
Ironic.
This academy has absolutely done that.
If you stand out too much, you have a chance for your identity to completely fall off the map.
You might join the imperial dark guard.
Or if you're too dazzling you might join the tri-alliance anti demon army.
It's called an army, but its more like a single division.
There's only about 10,000 men and women, a few talented children in there.
They are all at minimum 5th tier.
Terrifying people I have no doubt will begin to investigate the academy once the game begins to get into full swing.
I don't know if I want to join the anti demon army just yet.
Whether it's nominally or in reality.
Nominally, I can just send data over, but if I leave for real, 'I' need to 'die'.
My parents also need to 'die'.
It's okay though.
I'm not really considering the 2nd option since it doesn't allow me to take care of the people I need to in the academy, like Aura.
Anyways. Courses.
I'm probably only going with the basic level magic courses, with the exception of one, conceptual mage mentoring.
Second years are overseen by a few teachers who teach the first years.
This class is two periods and consists of a teaching period and a practical sparring section between the first years.
It's going to be good for helping me find my concept.
But lets open up this letter.
'Class B'
Well that makes sense.
My practical test scores were some of the highest, and I showed some of the highest potential, but I'm not one of the 42, 4th circle mages, or the 3, 5th circle mages.
"Here are your time cards, make sure to turn them in by the end of the week."
"We will do our best to make sure you get all your classes."
"If we do not have your class available, we will select the next adjacent class in subject."
"If you are unhappy, with that, these councilors here can be found in the academy's advisory hall building."
"Remember, when you turn in your card, you must show your student card as well."
"That is all. You are dismissed."
Great.
I'll turn it in tonight.
Right now I need to go and make a home visit.
I know where Mark's town is.
The game makes it a point to ruin most if not all of the hometowns of your party members and coursemates, depending on the course you take.
And Mark, no matter the playthrough has his town reduced to rubble.
I mean like there are no standing structures.
The foundations are cracked and the floors of the houses are caved in.
That's the future of Mark's village.
I walked out to the city, and gated to the duchy's mansion.
"Yes, knight captain Lucas?"
"Do you have and short range teleport artifacts?"
"How short range are you asking for?"
It's just a few villages out of the capital."
"Maybe a few days trip south."
"Got it, those ones are easy to acquire."
The mansion got ready to transition into night mode since there were no main ducal people 'present'.
The lights turned off in the main hall.
I waited in the dark hall, with only the moonlight coming through the windows to illuminate the floor beneath me.
This was not a trip that was going to be known to the public.
"Here. This lantern is a teleport artifact."
"It has 10 uses left."
"It has a 30 day cooldown before it recharges to 30 teleports."
"According to the location you pointed out to me, it should only take 3 teleports for you to reach your destination."
"Although, Lucy has already been notified, she has given you the permission to take this artifact on your mission."
"You may use all 10 charges. You may discard it, should the situation prove to need it."
"But you are absolutely not allowed to die. That is all."
Understood. I nodded my head.
Ever since I had captured demon cultists and a demon in the city, Alicia and Stephen realized I was okay to enter mission ready status.
Naturally, if I need to enter a mission, I need to let them know what kind of mission, eta, difficulty of making it home alive, and finally a document stating my actions, and observations.
Standard stuff.
They won't ask any particulars.
I had two goals in that village.
Uncover the demon's lull spell, and talking to the Graves'.
The demon prince Lincastor, is the perpetrator here.
He sends his right hand man to destroy this village, because of a prophecy of their greatest enemy, coming from it.
However, the prophecy was flawed in that, it didn't tell them that, it was their action of destroying the village that made him their enemy.
Lincastor's right hand man.
A terrifying existence right now.
If I was level 30, he was 70.
The max was naturally 100.
He could break me easily so I need to exercise caution when doing this recon mission.
I am only questioning a few residents and looking for the signs of the lull spell, which I'm already aware is inside the well.
Alright lets move.
"Lucas. Where are you going?"
Damn.
"Aura?"
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the duchy."
"Take me with you."
"I'm headed to my family."
"Take me with you."
Shit.
"Um. Aura I lied, I'm headed to fight some people."
"I'll fight with you."
"They are stronger than both of us, even combined."
"I'll fight with you."
Her eyes were becoming more dangerous looking by the second.
"You can't."
"Yes, I can."
"The duchy isn't letting you."
"They will."
"No, Aura you don't understand, I'm going on a mission."
"I'll join you."
"You can't it..."
I hesitated to tell her.
What if she fears demons, or the opposite, gets reckless?
"The mission deals with demons."
"Oh."
Her eyes calmed down, before lighting up with fury.
"YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE."
She grabbed my arms.
"I FORBID IT."
Her voice cracked.
Clearly it upset her that I was going.
"I need to go."
"YOU. You don't need to do anything...."
Her voice trailed off.
"Aura, believe me, if it wasn't vital I wouldn't go."
"I'd rather spend time with you than go on this mission."
"So why can't I go?"
"The demon is a 5th stage."
Her eyes shook.
"YOU CAN'T GO. You can't. You'll become like big br......"
I didn't catch that last part.
She was afraid of something happening to me, but also that I'd become something.
"Aura, what is it you're afraid of?"
She pulled herself into my chest.
I could feel my shirt begin to get wet.
"I'm scared you'll get hurt or worse."
Her voice was quiet. It was uneven, so different from the strong and teasing Aura I knew.
"I don't want you to turn into Ezechs. I don't want you to become cold to me."
"I wouldn't be able to keep going if you did."
I knew Ezechs was a cold brother to his siblings, and an unfeeling son to his parents, but I never knew to what extent, or how it happened.
"When you came back from your quest, in that city, your eyes, your eyes, they looked like Ezechs' ."
"I didn't want that."
"So don't go if you can't 100 percent promise you won't come out okay."
"I can't, but if I don't go, this world will likely go down a path to destruction."
"I don't care."
"You don't mean that Aura."
I stroked her hair.
She pushed her head away from my chest and stared me in my eyes.
"I don't care about this world, if I can't have you, the regular, weird you."
She pushed me down onto the dimly lit floor.
"Aura."
"Yes?"
"We can't do this."
"Why not? Is it because you need to go on this suicide mission? Or because you don't love me? Or maybe there's someone else you love?"
"That's not it Aura. And it's not a suicide mission."
"It is for me, the person I know will be gone."
"I guess it's time for me to explain a few things."
"By nature I can regulate my ability to be emotionally affected by these missions."
"What do you mean?"
I told her about the ability of mine to become more cold, calculating and prideful as a result of activating my dragon blood.
Naturally I omitted the dragon part.
It's still dangerous to her to let her know.
Once she reaches 7th tier with me I can let her know.
"Okay fine."
She rested her head on my stomach.
After a minute I began to it up, but she wouldn't let me.
"Before you go."
I couldn't see her face.
"What?"
There was warmth on my lips.
I guess my entire plan is being thrown out the window today huh?
I hugged Aura.
After a few seconds the sensation disappeared.
"Go. I feel better now."
"Good to know. At least you won't be lonely tonight, with that pillow in your bed."
I quickly left.
Not before seeing part of her face illuminated in the moonlight turn red.
"Lucas, you meanie, always teasing me...."