[Third-person POV: general]
[Eve's Continent, Morton Dukedom]
In the cozy atmosphere of the inn, a young man, approximately sixteen, sat with his gaze fixed on the grizzled face of an old man across the table.
Both held beer jugs in their hands, and the clink of mugs mingled with the low hum of conversation in the air.
"So you're saying that this Aeloria, who is the daughter of the Baron—" the young man began, but his words were promptly corrected by the old man.
"Viscount," the old man interjected, to which the young man nodded in acknowledgment.
"....Daughter of the Viscount is a super genius, unmatched in terms of intelligence," the young man continued, awaiting the old man's response.
"That's what I told ya," the old man affirmed, taking a sip of his beer. "She is the smartest in this world."
"And she's Princess Angelina's assistant," the young man inquired, a frown forming on his face.
"Yep, they're both inseparable," the old man replied, chuckling as he downed big sips of his beer.
"She's behind all the new things circulating in the market," the young man pressed on, tapping his fingers on the table.
The old man leaned back, his eyes glinting with wisdom acquired through the passage of years. "Aye, she's got her hands in everything. Inventions, innovations, orphanages—you name it."
"And that young genius, the devil's phoenix Sylvia's disciple, what was his name again?" The old man mumbled, trying to recall.
"Neil," the young man reminded.
"Yes him!, he is nothing in comparison to her," the old man said.
"Hahaha, is that so?" The young man chuckled at the old man's words, but then his curiosity deepened. Leaning in, he was eager to know more. "But why? Why is she doing all this?"
The old man's expression grew somber. "They say she's got a vision, a dream that guided her to make this world a better place. A vision that goes beyond the boundaries of titles and social standing"
"Princess Angelina believes in her and trusts her with the future of the kingdom," the old man added, his voice carrying a weight of conviction.
"There's also the marriage between the imperial crown prince of the Darkoina continent and Princess Angelina, set to happen on the princess's 18th birthday," the old man continued with a sigh. "It looks like I will die in the glorious days of this kingdom."
"But doesn't that bother you?" the young man asked curiously. "I mean, we were at war with them only a few years ago."
"Huh, war," the old man mumbled as he leaned in, his eyes filled with wisdom. "The war is where the young and stupid are tricked by the old and bitter into killing each other. There is nothing good about war; if this marriage stops the long hatred between us, so be it."
"But didn't the princess already have a fiancé, Morton Dukedom's heir, if I remembered correctly?" the young man said, prompting an immediate bitterness in the old man's expression.
"Don't talk about that bastard. If anyone should die in this world, he should be the one," the old man replied, not holding back on his words.
"Why, though? What crime did he commit for you to want him dead?" the young man asked, leaning back in his chair with curiosity.
"He tried to rape the princess. That alone is enough for him to die a thousand times," the old man declared, his voice filled with rage.
"Hahaha, weren't those false rumors?" The young man chuckled as he asked.
"If they were false rumors, then he wouldn't have been disowned, and God knows where he has gone now. No one has seen him in like three years," the old man explained, his words carrying the weight of a disturbing truth known to all the population of the kingdom.
"His reputation isn't good in the kingdom, is it?" The young man asked, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.
"They call him 'The fallen genius.' He was supposed to lead the dukedom to its glory, but he can't even control himself," the old man said, sighing as he took bigger sips of the beer.
"Good talking with you, old man," the young man said, and with that, he disappeared from his seat.
"Huh?" The old man looked around in confusion, searching for him, but found no one. "Who was that, and why can't I remember his face?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[First-person POV: Eden]
{Space Warp}
'Aeloria Starfayre, so you are the other one,' I thought as I wrapped outside of the inn, keeping to the shadows at the corner of the streets.
I was now 100 percent sure that she was the reincarnated person here with me, and oh boy, how much she had already fucked up the plot. Not like I could complain about that as I have also done the same in the last two years.
"She took the assistant spot of the Villainess," I mumbled as I navigated through the dense crowd, making my way toward the center of the city.
Originally, she was only supposed to be friends with Angelina and later, in the academy, become her best friend. But now, it seemed like she was already her best friend.
"Show me my stats, Edda."
=====================
[Current/limit]
Name: Eden Morton
Experience Points (XP): 100,885
Gold Coins: 10,000,000
Health Points (HP): 600/600
[Status]
Mage Path: Origin Level 5
Mana Art's: Void Breathing, Astral Breathing, Mana Surge.....more
Mana Points (MP): 600/650
~~~~
Knight Path: Origin Level 5
Aura Art's: Eclipsing Void, Celestial Aura, Elemental Aura.....more
Strength: 595/650
Agility: 595/650
Defense: 595/650
Endurance: 595/650]
[Hidden Status:
Luck: 60
Charm: 99 (mortal limit)
Charisma: 45 (locked)
Bloodline:
●"????"
●"Phonecia's Bloodline"
● "Aphrodite's Bloodline"
● "Bow Empress's Bloodline"
[Affinities: fire, water, wind, earth, space-time].
======================
"I shouldn't have gone for the yandere's!" I mumbled, already having a headache because of them, but I left that thought away as I reached the center of the city, where a castle stood.
"Now, should I enter sneakily or with a bang?" I pondered, placing my hand under my chin.
'Let's go with the bang,' I thought, moving in front of the castle gate.
"Halt! This is the private property of Duke Morton. No one is allowed to enter without permission!" The guard shouted, blocking my way.
"That's not how you talk to your young master," I retorted, looking down at him as he was shorter than me.
"We only have one young master, and you are not him", the guard rebuked as he started to take out his weapon.
As the guard turned to look at his comrade, I quickly moved my hands, and with a swift strike to a pressure point, I left the guard incapacitated, rendering him unconscious before a sound escaped his lips.
"So much for being a guard", I said with a smirk as I looked at the fallen guard.
"Stop!", The other guard shouted As he reached for his weapon, I closed the distance in a heartbeat, and with a graceful evasion and a well-placed strike to a nerve cluster, I left the guard paralyzed, his weapon clattering to the ground.
"Bang!, Bang!"
"Intruder!, Intruder!"
The guard in the watchtower heard the commotion and quickly began alerting the other castle guards.
"Intru-Ahrrgghh," I swiftly moved, climbing the tower without much difficulty. With a quick and precise punch, I rendered the guard unconscious, ensuring he wouldn't be able to raise the alarm; he was too loud.
More and more guards started to move towards me as I looked down at the castle from the watchtower.
"Let's beat them all up", I mumbled as I jumped down into the groups of guards. It may sound like pity, but they were the ones who always badmouthed me behind my back when I was a child. I was already disowned anyway, so I had zero problem beating them up.
"Stop or else!", The guard in front of the group shouted, trying to threaten me.
"Or else what?", I asked as I moved closer, but instead of relying, he attacked, slashing his sword at me, which I quickly dodged by sidestepping, and a blur of my movement led the guard to slash the air.
With one swift kick on his chest, I made the guard stumble backwards, and with one fluid kick at his arm, I disarmed him, sending the sword spinning in the air.
"What's going on here?", As soon as I was about to beat the rest of them, a woman's voice made me stop my movement. I looked back, only to find a busty milf in a maid uniform standing right behind me.
"Sarah", I whispered as I looked at her. She hadn't aged a bit since the last time I saw her.
"Who are you?" she asked in a cold voice with a frown on her face as she heard me call her name.
"Ahh, right", I mumbled as I removed Loki's mask of deception from my face, giving her a clear look.
"Ma-master!", she exclaimed, her voice trembling with delight.
"You mean Young Master, right?", I asked, confused by her behavior.
"Young master?", she asked confusingly, and all her excitement and happiness were gone from her face as soon as she realized my words.
'Now that hurt's'.