Chapter 6: The Importance Of One's Blood

The otherworldly figure gave her declaration, causing the knight woman to glance her eyes up at her. She smiled behind the helmet she hid her face with.

A new name was pronounced. No longer will she be called Lianne Sandlot. From here, she will be named Arianrhod. The same Arianrhod who would become a menace to Thor's Military Academy's Class VII during the Cold Steel games.

Arianrhod's eyes then shifted back to the villa, only to see Giliath departing with the violet-haired boy in his arms.

It was then Arianrhod felt something. A gaze.

"Is something wrong, Arianrhod?", The otherworldly figure asked.

"This...", Arianrhod tried to respond. Despite being extremely far off and undetected, or at least she thought they were, Arianrhod looked back toward Giliath once more. To be specific, the violet-haired boy nestled in Giliath's arm.

Arianrhod saw the boy looking right at her, ignoring the endless trees. She felt a cold chill run down her spine.

"Those eyes...", Arianrhod uttered. "They remind me of him..."

"Oh my. It would seem we've been spotted.", The otherworldly figure responded, seeing the situation play out. Seeing the violet-haired boy's eyes latch onto Arianrhod, the figure turned to look at her. "Do you regret your decision?"

A moment passed in silence after that was asked. In response, Arianrhod shook her helmet left to right, denying her.

"I do not. Even if HE found his path anew, you are my Meister now. The name once known as Lianne Sandlot is dead.", Arianrhod replied, firmly resolute.

To their surprise, it was Giliath's turn to turn his head toward the rolling hill the two were situated on. His senses were quick and sharp, which were developed throughout the years of being in the Imperial Army. Giliath even helped develop the Army's standard military practice to what today is known as the Hundred-Form Military Combat. Because of that, Giliath was quick to spot the two figures on the hill, despite a massive forest separating them.

Giliath could see these two clear as day.

The otherworldly figure simply laughed seeing the two lock gazes.

"Fufu, would you look at that? What is this saying called? Like father, like son?"

"Whatever you will it to be, My Meister.", Arianrhod simply replied.

"Very good. Consider this your final farewell. This man gave you an unexpected reward. This chapter of your life has come to a close. We will seek out The Fool and The Professor. Our society might not be that large yet, but without a doubt will its other members welcome you into the fray.", The otherworldly figure declared.

"At once, My Meister."

And just like that, the space began to distort beside them. Arianrhod, still locking eyes with Giliath, had one final look at him. She then turned around, and jumped on into the portal. Her figure vanished entirely.

The otherworldly figure smiled, remaining behind for a moment.

"It would seem not all is lost. The Vermillion Eyes will continue to live on.", The otherworldly figure uttered to herself, before she wandered into the portal. It then closed, returning the surrounding atmosphere back to normal. It was as if they weren't there to begin with.

As for me...

I inwardly sighed, proceeding to deactivate Vermillion Eyes. I had no more use in using these for the time being. Lots of info gets placed directly into my head by using this Active Skill, it's as if my entire head turns into a minimap. It was quite a lot to take in at first. I've spent this last year trying to get used to the activation of these eyes. It's been going well, albeit slowly.

At its roots though, it's a detection ability. A very overpowered one at that. It was the only Skill rewarded to me by crossing over into Zemuria. Perhaps something in my body awakened while the Gamer System activated, and the Gamer System latched onto it? I'm not sure.

And checking my surroundings while letting it turn into a minimap was just the beginning of Vermillion Eyes. It had levels tied to it. The more I use it, the more it levels up.

That's the Gamer System in a nutshell. Every action you do has a level meter associated with it. The more you do of said action, the stronger the Skill becomes. And some Skills can even evolve. I can't wait to see what other Skills I'll unlock in the future.

Like I said, I've had this year to see how the Gamer System behaves. I made sure to do it when my father or mother weren't in my immediate surroundings. It's like how in those isekai stories, you'd see its main protagonist secretly practice magic while still inside the crib. Same type of scenario. I had to do it when father was out of the villa, cause boy, that man's senses are extremely sharp.

Ever since I was brought over into Zemuria, none of my Stats improved yet. I haven't had a serious practice session considering you know, I'm almost two years old now. I know in those popular eastern martial arts stories, families start developing their kids to practice martial arts as early as four to five years old. And the same could be said over here in Zemuria.

There were martial arts. A lot of them, even. Many different types of schools existed out there, and it was more prominent to the east than it was to the west. I'm in Erebonia right now, so that means it was to the neighboring country to the right, the Republic of Calvard.

As for Erebonia, it was m much more militaristic nation compared to the rest of the countries. It was a damn Empire. That didn't mean there weren't any martial arts schools here, though. There was quite a popular one. The Eight Leaves One Blade School.

A school meant to train in swordsmanship, and it would be the very same school my new younger bro, Rean, would partake in.

But going over my Stats was something I wanted to go over separately. I know now is not the time to do so. I didn't have to worry about it either at the moment. Dad's in the military, and more than likely, he'll have me follow suit. He'll likely start me off with body-strengthening. That training will come in due time.

For now, I get to travel to Liberl with Giliath! How cool is that?

I don't know whether I should laugh or cry at this upcoming event. Wherever Giliath goes, trouble is bound to happen.

Still, I didn't think that those people arriving on the outskirts of our villa would include Arianrhod...

However, was it really that surprising? I've most knowledge of the games leading up to the Daybreak series. I cleared Reverie before I was brought here. Arianrhod was one of the more center figureheads throughout history. She used to be called Lianne Sandlot.

On top of martial arts schools being here in Zemuria, Immortals exist. Lianne is one such Immortal. She was supposed to die in a war, the War of the Lions, over two centuries ago. But she didn't. She would begin to wander around the lands, only to become what's known as an Awakener.

Additionally, in more recent years, she would check into what Giliath's been doing, or how he's been. That convoluted story piece is an entire thing I won't go into depth with. But it was a big plot point in the Cold Steel games. So like I said, it wasn't too far-fetched to see Arianrhod here. And seeing her inside that armor of hers, she is likely Arianrhod now.

That meant Arianrhod is now with the society. Is that what takes place around this time?

It didn't happen face-to-face, but I'm in the picture now. She spotted me, and I spotted her. I thought Arianrhod would be alone. Could that other figure beside her be...?

There's no way it could be HER, right? I mean come on. Really? Then again, her existence itself flickered in and out of reality...

Unfortunately, before I could discern who exactly that other person was who was beside Arianrhod, that thought came to an abrupt end. I saw Giliath turn his head back my way, snapping me out of my thoughts. To my surprise, he spoke out in a serious tone.

"I do not know how you detected those two, Naoto, but you will not speak of this to anyone. Not even to your mother. Understood?", Giliath asked me, remaining serious.

"O-Okay!", I quickly responded, nodding my head. It was extremely rare to see Giliath this serious. I knew I couldn't joke around here. I responded in earnest.

"Good.", Giliath replied. With me in his arms, he proceeded toward the orbal car. The driver could now be seen standing outside his door. It was clear he was waiting for us. This man hid behind those black shades I was talking about earlier. And he was wearing a black tux. A visible orbal gun was carried at his waist.

You heard me right. Guns existed here. Just about any sort of technology you can think of exists here in Zemuria. We just slap the name "orbal" onto them instead. It's scary how close the tech here mirrored my previous life. But at the same time, it was clear they were different. I could see lights being emitted on the sides of the orbal gun at his waist.

Seeing my eyes land on the guy before us, Giliath chuckled.

"Haha, interested in seeing an orbal gun, Naoto? Sadly, there's a time and place for everything. Besides, you are too young to consider marksmanship. You need to let your muscles develop first before you can even consider holding a gun. Instead, I'll show you the inside of the orbal car.", Giliath said to me.

In response, the driver remained polite, and opened our door first. We headed on inside.

"Take us to Heimdallr at once.", Giliath commanded the drive. Was this the voice he typically used while issuing orders inside the military?

"At once, General Osborne.", The driver responded. He then took his own seat, and turned the orbal car on. The back was quite spacious. Comparable to a limousine in my past life. It was just one car length instead of two. This car had curved seating, unlike the normal seats you'd typically see. Those cars do exist too, but this car took it up a couple notches.

Another perk of being higher up in society. I'm really being fed with a silver spoon here, aren't I?

Now there's a question. Would you rather be born into a family that's a cornerstone to the entire plot of Trails, or just a random nobody NPC?

I prefer the former, to be honest. I'm Rean's older brother to boot. I'm practically glued to the plot!

Back to the orbal car, it was very spacious. Cool air conditioning wafted around the space inside, making it rather comfortable. And the best part? Not a single peep of a loud, roaring engine could be heard. Orbal energy was leagues above standard products that relied on the use of gasoline in my previous life.

Because of that, it allowed for a very, very smooth ride. We didn't have any bumps along the way. It might take some time getting used to this. I'm rather used to hearing car engines and loud honking. After all, I lived in Japan's capital city, Tokyo. That place was littered with loud cars.

We soon departed our villa, and entered Trista. A lovely town if you ask me. Not too big to be a city. But there was one thing to point out. Toward the north was one of the biggest campuses in Erebonia, Thors Military Academy.

A place that I will have interest in the future, but not now. Not by a long shot. Over a decade of events need to take place first. I can take my sweet time.

To put that into perspective, the first game of Cold Steel doesn't take place until S1204. Right now, it is approaching the end of S1187. There were an entire seventeen years remaining before that. Going even deeper, not even Trails in the Sky has taken place yet...

There were still fourteen years by the time Trails in the Sky happened. By then, I should be around fifteen to sixteen years old. It's around the same age most of the cast of characters in the Trails games are when their respective series begins.

I really was brought a long way back, wasn't I? It does make sense, though. How else could I experience the Trails plot? I don't want to be too old when it happens. I'll be around the age of a student, just like everyone else.

This is the perk of reincarnation over transmigration. You gain the ability to experience much, much more of what happens outside of the main plot.

There was one immediate event to point out right now, which was on the cusp of happening. My mother had every right to say that tensions between our country, Erebonia, and our neighbor, Liberl, were high. Too high. Just a single push, and all Gehenna will break out. Some of you may or may not know what I'm referring to.

It is a major war that takes place over, you guessed it, one hundred days.

The Hundred Days War.

And we're on the brink of it. It will come knocking at our doorstep whether we like it or not.

This war would lead to the fated clash between my new father, Giliath Osborne, and one of the strongest figureheads in all of Liberl, and who is none other than the father of the Trails in the Sky protagonist, Cassius Bright.

And guess where we are heading right now?

Right into the heart of enemy territory. The capital of Liberl, I'm guessing. It goes by the name Grancel City, and likewise, Grancel Castle where the royal family resides. I mean, where else would they hold the funeral for its Crown Prince?

And while we're on that topic, why bother going there in the first place? Father mentioned we would go as father and son, and not because of his role in Erebonia's military. So if the military wasn't backing this event, then why are we even going? Just that alone got me thinking.

And once I did, I was quick to realize what was happening.

All signs were pointing toward yours truly, me. Once I came to this realization, I was met with a couple notifications of my Status Window, causing a change in my Status.

It introduced a new subset of Passive skills, called [Bloodlines]. It was there that the situation became clear as day.

I had the blood of Auslese's royal family running through me. My system granted me a new Passive Skill - [Auslese Bloodline].

This Skill didn't trigger once I reincarnated. It was likely locked behind its own trigger. Probably because I know more of my background now, it was given to me as a reward. I really am a bastard son, aren't I? Just who in Aidios's name did you fling with, Giliath?

Growing ever more curious as to who my real mother was, I decided to have a quick look at [Auslese Bloodline] in my Status Window. As I looked over this info, we soon departed Trista. It went as follows.

[Auslese Bloodline]

 Despite having impure blood, this status gives you proof that you are of the Auslese royal family. The following perks have been granted to Gamer Naoto.

 -Perk 1: Targets that resist the Water element are now weak to it. If elemental efficacy is at 50%, it becomes 150%.

 -Perk 2: [Rapier Mastery] Passive Skill has been unlocked.

 -Perk 3: Attacks now become embedded with the Water element. Water Element Efficacy +50%.

(A/N: Auslese Bloodline is the first Skill of many to be changed)

'Holy...', I mused to myself. It was just a single Skill, but it's going to provide a huge boost to my future battles. I'm sure I'll get the opportunity to fight lots of monsters.

Oh, did I forget to mention Zemuria has monsters? Well, it does!

Effect 1 is reliant on whether or not monsters are weak to the Water element. If they are, it'll already cause a lot of damage. But if monsters resist Water, that's where this effect shines. It plays the uno reverse card, making said monster weak to Water. With Effect 3, regardless of it happening, the Water weakness strengthens. Adjusting Efficacy is a big deal in the Trails games. It allows you to dish out much more damage than intended. I can't wait to try this out.

And then there is Effect 2. It gave me a new Skill, to my surprise. Rapier Mastery!

I quickly had a look at the effect of this Skill. It seemed pretty straightforward if you ask me. I'll be able to learn how to use rapiers too!

[Rapier Mastery Lv1 (0/100]

 -Effect 1: While attacking with a rapier, increases the target's damage received by 1%.

 -Effect 2: ??? (Locked)

'That's a nice ability. See what I mean? This Skill has a level meter tied to it. Each time I use a rapier, I'm sure the proficiency will increase.', I thought.

If it's truly like The Gamer, most Skills should cap at Lv100. I'm curious to see if the second effect will unlock by doing that.

But this is exactly what I mean. Having powerful bloodlines here in Zemuria. Just that alone can make a character go a long way.

It looks like I will be included in that mess...

Me being part of the Auslese Royal Family isn't going to cause implications...will it? Is that why Kasia and Giliath were worried about having me go to Liberl?

Just thinking of that made me grow even more curious as to who exactly my mother is.