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Name: Neonidas
House name: Oreoned
Age: 21
Intelligence: 4(?)
Strength: 2
Agility: 3
Mana: 1
Mentality: 3(?)
Charisma: 8
Special powers: None
Passive abilities: Immunity to poison,
Bloodline: (?)
System comment: If I were you, I would kill myself.
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Neonidas looked at his own stats using a pocket mirror inside his carriage. He was truly at a pitiful point. He wasn't sure whether his weakness was because of the old fool that was Neonidas or if he had been cursed. What he did know was that he had to increase his strength as fast as possible, or he would surely die. Neonidas slammed the carriage door open and entered the Imperial Academy. He had come to visit his sister, but even a duke couldn't walk in freely without permission. After all, this academy was directly under the Emperor's control.
Fortunately, Zalira had accepted his visit, so he was allowed inside. This academy was considered the best in the world, and likely rightfully so. But the most important fact was that Zalira, despite her young age, was a professor here. She surely must possess extraordinary talent, and there was no way Neonidas could forcibly take the ring from her.
Neonidas entered the academy with his signature expression. His relatively handsome face attracted the attention of the students. As he walked through the academy's grand stone corridors with high ceilings, his eyes studied the splendor of the place. Paintings, statues, and swords depicting heroes from ancient times adorned the walls, each reflecting the deep history of the Imperial Academy. Massive, glowing chandeliers sparkled in every corner, adding impressive grandeur to the space.
Neonidas knew what the academy was like from the novel he had read, so he proceeded towards Zalira's office without asking for help. After all, a significant portion of the novel took place in the academy, and the main character was currently within its walls. Neonidas could run into the main character at any moment.
When he arrived in front of a door with his sister's name on it, he knocked several times. A voice from inside said, "Come in!" Neonidas entered and found himself in a large room. Zalira's specialty was gravity Physics of magic, and therefore her private office also served as a small laboratory.
Neonidas looked at Zalira, who was standing and drinking coffee. Unlike Neonidas, Zalira had long, straight black hair, but, like him, she had blue eyes. Her hair was messy, and the bags under her eyes clearly indicated that she hadn't been sleeping well, but despite everything, she was an incredibly beautiful woman. It was curious that, despite her beauty, she was single—or at least it would seem so to anyone looking from the outside. But Zalira was literally a workaholic, completely in love with her work.
This was precisely why Zalira was the only character the main character of the novel, despite his desires, could never conquer.
"Welcome, Neo. Come here."
Neonidas approached Zalira with a smile on his face and hugged her tightly. He knew that the only way to get the ring from her was to talk to her properly.
"It's been a long time. Come, sit. I'll make you some coffee," Zalira said with her characteristic smile.
"Thanks, sis…" Neonidas replied in a gentle tone.
It had been at least a year since Neonidas and Zalira had last seen each other, but still, it felt strange to Zalira that someone could change so much in just a year. Neonidas, therefore, tried as much as possible to imitate the original Neonidas to appear as authentic as he could. Zalira tried to prepare the coffee. Coffee plants were very common in the Empire, so coffee was the most widespread and advanced drink. Of course, given that the author of the novel was a woman, it made perfect sense that she would be excessively knowledgeable and caringabout different types of coffee, especially since capitalism had the greatest influence on women in Neonidas' old world.
After preparing the coffee, Zalira handed it to Neonidas and sat across from him.
"It's not often you visit me by yourself. Is everything okay?" Zalira asked, but at that moment, Neonidas was thinking about whether the original Neonidas had any noticeable habits when drinking coffee.
"Yes, I came here for an important reason, but the truth is, I'm happy I have an excuse to see you, sis," Neonidas said, once again imitating the original Neonidas.
After hearing Neonidas' words, Zalira smiled faintly, but there was still a watchful look in her eyes. Her brother, being so open and sincere, felt a bit strange, especially since they hadn't seen each other in a year.
"Is that so? Then what do you want to talk about?"
Neonidas's eyes were filled with determination, yet there was a hint of anxiety. Did he really know what to say to his sister? Could he convince her to give him the ring? Neonidas scratched his fingers nervously and then gripped his wrist tightly. He looked tense, or at least that's how it appeared from the outside.
Inside, however, Neonidas was furious and so angry that he could curse every god. He was questioning how he had let himself fall into such a pitiful situation. But he had to do it. To survive and rise, he had no choice.
"... Sis, I'm your brother, and you know how much I love you. But... I want the ring back. It's the last thing I need to become a real duke."
Zalira's expression didn't change, and Neonidas continued to stare at her.
"You've really changed, Neo."
"I've changed, or rather, I've grown up. I'm doing everything I can for the dukedom. I'm doing everything I can to be a brother you can be proud of."
Zalira placed her coffee cup on the table and walked toward Neonidas. They stood facing each other, and Zalira looked at him coldly. At that moment, Neonidas realized that Zalira had already suspected something. After all, Neonidas had overlooked—or rather, had to overlook—a fact: Zalira was much smarter and more observant than the Zalira in the novel.
Everything happened in a split second, and before Neonidas could understand what was happening, he found himself face down on the floor. His nose scraped the ground, and he could feel Zalira's back pressing down on him. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't budge her an inch. But this was entirely logical; Neonidas was still weak and had a frail body, while Zalira had become a professor at the most prestigious academy.
"Who are you? And where is Neo? Are you some kind of evil demon, or something else? Answer me quickly!" Zalira yelled.
As Neonidas writhed in pain under her pressure, he tried to speak properly. "I'm Neonidas! Damn you, get off me, you slut!"
Zalira increased the pressure, intensifying the pain Neonidas was feeling. "Neo would never curse, but I'll give you a chance, anyway. Prove you're Neo, quickly!"
As Neonidas writhed in pain, his mind was working nonstop. If someone had asked Neonidas—no, rather Orson, his former name—what his greatest ability was, he would have probably said it was his skill in lying.
"I'm Neonidas, okay? More precisely, I'm Neonidas's other personality. Neonidas is a very sick and weak person, and he created me to carry the burdens on him. I am his more perfect self!" Neonidas shouted.
Zalira paused for a moment, thinking about what Neonidas had said, then she slightly eased the pressure. "Then prove it! Prove you're Neo!" she shouted.
"My first kiss... The person who took my first kiss was my sister, Zalira!" Neonidas screamed.
Zalira suddenly stopped and stood up. Neonidas continued to lie on the ground, writhing in pain.
"... That wasn't a real kiss, you fool. It was just an experiment."
Yes, what she said was indeed true. Ever since she was a child, Zalira had been curious about the characters in the romantic stories she read who always kissed, so she kissed Neonidas. Of course, it was more of a touching of lips than a full kiss and they were just children. But it was still a memory that only Neonidas would know about, because the child Zalira took care to carry out this experiment without anyone knowing.
Neonidas held his back as he got up and looked at Zalira.
"So, is what you said true? Are you really Neonidas's other personality? I think I've read about something like that in a book before, and it was clearly called a mental illness."
After taking a sip of her coffee, Zalira brought a chair for Neonidas. Although she still looked at him with some suspicion, she was now behaving more relaxed. After all, no demon or evil spirit could take both a person's memories and their body, at least not in any case that had been documented. However, there were many records about people with multiple personalities. And that is why Zalira has chosen to trust Neonidas for now.