Chapter 3: The family

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The murmur of unfamiliar voices woke Lucien. He blinked, confused, in the cradle as he listened to the maids talking.

—I still don't understand why Duke Aldric brought this child and made him part of the family —whispered one of them.

—Maybe he's an illegitimate son —the other responded speculatively.

A sharp knock interrupted the conversation.

—You're not speaking ill of the young man in front of him, are you? —the voice of the head maid, an imposing woman, resonated with authority—. Although I understand that you might not fully grasp the situation, in the end, it was the Duke's decision.

The two maids shrugged and hurried to resume their tasks in silence. The head maid approached the cradle and noticed Lucien's open eyes. With a sigh, she easily picked him up.

—Now that you've woken him, it's time for the bath.

—Bath... did she say bath?

Panic overtook Lucien. He started kicking, feeling the horror of his dignity collapsing.

—I never thought the first time a woman would see me naked would be like this...

Suddenly, the head maid handed him to a burly man waiting at the side.

—Hey! What's going on now? This is even worse! HELP!

After the bath, Lucien was taken to the dining room, where for the first time he saw the entire Everhart family gathered.

The table was filled with delicacies. Lucien, sitting next to Gwynn, stared in amazement at the family members.

At the head of the table, Duke Adric Everhart dominated the scene with his mere presence. On his opposite side, an empty chair under the portrait of a woman of matchless beauty.

Next to them, Eleanor Everhart and her husband, a man with glasses and a friendly smile. Their absent daughter left behind another empty chair. Further on, the eldest son, Edmond Everhart, and his wife, with an imposing demeanor. Their children, twins Cedric and Victor, stared at Lucien with calculating eyes as if they were seeing their arch-enemy.

Adric clinked his cup with a utensil, drawing attention.

—I thank you all for being here today —he said solemnly—. It's rare that we can all gather, so I appreciate that you've made the effort to attend.

The conversation became more relaxed. Aldric exchanged words with Eleanor and her husband, inquiring about their absent daughter.

—I'm sorry, father, but Aurora couldn't come, father. The magic academy doesn't allow students to leave at this time of year —Eleanor explained.

—I understand. I've heard she's the best first-year student —Adric commented with evident pride.

—Of course, she's inherited the talent of the Fontaine family —her husband added with a smile.

Then Aldric tried to exchange words with Edmond and his wife.

—I heard the twins passed the academy exam with good grades.

—Not only that, father, but the examiners praised their teamwork immensely and said that if they keep practicing hard, they could become golden knights.

—Fascinating, I expected nothing less from my grandchildren.

After the conversation, the inevitable topic arose.

—Now, about Lucien —the Duke continued calmly—. From today, he will be under Gwynn's care, who will be his tutor and guardian. Any mistake Lucien makes, Gwynn will take responsibility for it.

Gwynn nodded without hesitation, but Edmond slammed the table in indignation.

—Why do you say this so calmly, father? The mere fact of accepting a commoner into our family stains our lineage!

The Duke gave him a fiery look.

—Do you think Gwynn's actions don't deserve reward? He has contributed enormously to the family over the years.

After a sigh, the Duke looked at the others.

—Raise your hand if you're in favor of this decision.

Eleanor and her husband raised their hands without hesitation.

—We don't mind —they said in unison.

Lucien was stunned by this response. He remembered how, in the original story, Eleanor only cared about her daughter, husband, and training, and after Gwynn's death, with no one left to fight comfortably, the family disbanded.

Edmond turned toward her.

—Are you serious? This is important; you can't act like this!

The Duke decreed with a firm look.

—The decision has been made.

—But father, this can't be treated so lightly.

—Edmond, you may be my son, but remember who you're raising your voice to.

Edmond lowered his head and apologized. Dinner continued, but Lucien knew that if he didn't want to cause problems for Gwynn, he would have to work hard to prove he was worthy of the family name.

After the conversation, it was time to eat. The smells of the food were exquisite, and his stomach rumbled with hunger. He tried to hold back, but the sight of the dishes made him drool.

Finally, a green vegetable puree was placed in front of him.

—REJECTED! —Lucien quickly pushed the food away; in his eyes, nothing so ugly could be edible —What's up with the steaks, salads, and wine? WHY MUST I BE A BABY?

Gwynn, seeing that he didn't want to eat, grabbed the spoon and tried to make him eat.

—Come on, eat. I know it looks bad, but it'll do you good, plus you must be hungry.

Lucien, still hearing those words and mentally 26 years old, didn't want to touch it. It was as if his senses were warning him that this wasn't good for his health.

—Please eat, even just a little. I said I'd be in charge of you, and if you die of hunger, I'll get scolded. Besides, this time they put mandrakes and Nyxara tears in the new ingredients.

Lucien, upon hearing this, immediately put the spoonful of puree in his mouth, still disgusted by the taste, but keeping the food in his mouth.

—I can't believe this, how could this be here? This fruit is an essential ingredient.

In Elementa, there are different types of potions, but the most important are the buffs, because in a nearly abandoned video game, not many people want to dedicate themselves to giving buffs, and that's where "Nyxara tears" come in.

—These fruits grow in the western region of the world, and if you consume them, they'll give you a permanent but nearly nonexistent buff. But if you follow the correct procedure, you can turn them into a temporary potion, although in my case, eating them alone is better. After all, I'm a baby.

Without hesitation, he devoured eight plates in a row, leaving the table in absolute awe.

After the meal, Lucien was taken to his room for nap time. Knowing that they wouldn't leave him alone until he fell asleep, he decided to pretend to be asleep. Only when everyone had finally left the room did he open his eyes and check the system.

There were no new missions, only a notification: [Level up to unlock more missions.]

However, his reward was available: the Creator's Guide.

When he activated it, a book slowly materialized before him. After examining it, Lucien angrily exclaimed,

—What a scam! This is just a study guide!

But as he skimmed through its contents, his amazement grew. It contained knowledge from all over the world, from advanced magical engineering to future admission exams. Lucien felt as if he had just obtained the Holy Grail.

—Thank you, God!

Just then, the door burst open. Lucien quickly hid the book and shut his eyes, pretending to be asleep. Suddenly, he felt the crib shaking, and then it stopped.

—Alright, I managed to climb up. Now it's your turn —someone whispered.

Right after those words, Lucien felt himself being lifted, only to be dropped immediately after.

—Wait! This is too much! —Lucien exclaimed, opening his eyes.

—I got him! Now let's hurry before he wakes up.

Lucien then realized that the ones who had taken him from his crib were none other than the twins. Before he could do anything, they ran off at full speed, suddenly stopping in a dark room where the floor felt like sand.

—No one will find you here —they said, leaving him in a training field—. Now you'll learn not to bother Dad.

Lucien had just realized that they had abandoned him.

—Damn brats!

Though he felt uncomfortable, he knew that sooner or later, someone would find him.

—Well... since I can't do anything about it, I might as well take advantage of the situation and test this body.

He opened the system and checked his stats.

Lucien Everhart (Jiho)Current Status: Confused.Age: 4 months.

Stats:Level: 5Vitality: 4Mana: 6Strength: 2Endurance: 3Intelligence: 20Faith: 20

Abilities:[Creator System - Rank: ??? - Type: Active][Creator's Guide - Rank: ??? - Type: Active][Lux Hasta - Rank: SS - Type: Active][Inventory - Rank: ??? - Type: Active][Clear Mind - Rank: A - Type: Passive][Iron Man - Rank: B - Type: Passive][God's Lover - Rank: B - Type: Passive]

—Wait... this is insane… With these stats, I could enter the magic academy!

He quickly opened the guide, searching for a section on spells, but the book shut itself, instead displaying a chapter titled [Mana Refinement Manual].

—Hey… what are you doing? Go back to the magic section!

The book remained closed. Lucien, as if taking it as a challenge, stared at the book intensely and tried with all his might to open it, but he couldn't. With a sigh, he tried again, but the book wouldn't budge—until suddenly, it smacked him in the head.

—Alright, I get it! I get it! So, in other words, you want me to read this page, huh?

The book began moving up and down.

—Fine, but then let me see some spells!

The book shook from side to side.

—Why not?!

The book opened again to the beginner's mana refinement chapter. Still annoyed, Lucien started reading.

—So, it's completely different from the video game.

The book nodded.

—So, to use magic, I don't just throw out mana and shout the skill's name?

The book nodded again.

—Then if I do this, I'll be able to use magic?!

The book moved from side to side.

—Then when will I be able to use magic? …You know what, let's just keep practicing.

With great effort, Lucien followed the chapter's instructions.

[The key to mana refinement is to concentrate all the mana in the spot opposite to the heart and then imagine that great ball of mana as a second heart. Once you manage to shape your new heart, make it circulate through your body, as if they were threads. Take mana from your new heart and stretch it along the path of your veins. Right now, you may feel extreme cold or heat, but you better not stop if you don't want to die. Now, gather all the heat or cold in your body into your lungs and release it into the outside world (...)]

Lucien felt that every step was extremely difficult, as if making a mistake could mean death. But at the same time, it was as if his mind had a perfect map of his entire body. He didn't know why, but this felt… easy.

In the end, when he finally exhaled, he felt reborn, as if he had come back to life. His entire body was as cold as ice, while his surroundings felt like a sauna. At that moment, a system notification appeared in front of him.

"Congratulations. You can now use magic. But be careful… humans don't like your kind."

Lucien felt a chill run down his spine.

—What… did it just say?