《Dark Royal》 Prologue I stare at my reflection as I try to hype myself up. Todays the day. I am going to ace this interview. I have been trying to get this job for weeks. Checking my face one more time for any stubble and I sigh. I really hope I get this job. My Mom has been nagging me all week. This time I really feel like I can nail this interview. I just know it! I adjust my tie and turn in my bathroom mirror. Got to make sure I didn''t miss a single thing. My messy hair is tamed, my suit was dried cleaned and I am wearing some new deodorant. Leaving my apartment, I look over my resume one more time. Re-reading and making sure there are no errors I put them in my suitcase. Stepping outside I smile out with a feeling of hope. I walk to my car and buck-up as I begin to drive to the office. Ignis Corp. One of the top leading companies in new VR technology. I really want to get hired so I can see the newest game. I have read online that it is a MMO RPG where you can do quests and even become a king! Arriving at the large office I step out and take a deep breath. Parking my car and heading for the front desk I shift looking at the receptionist. She looks at me and smiles "Hello sir. How may I help you today?" I swallow and scratch my cheek "I have a 7 o''clock meeting with Mr. Sullivan?" The woman turns to her computer and types quickly. She hums then nods "Right on time Mr. Mackenley. Go ahead and head to the 13th floor." 13th floor? That''s not a good sign. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Shaking off that ominous feeling I head to the elevators. Shifting as I wait, counting down the numbers as it moves. Once it dings on the 13th floor I step out. Then I see the door with ''Mr. Sullivan'' on a plaque. Walking over I knock on the door and wait. A few minutes later Mr.Sullivan opens the door. He is an older looking gentleman and smiles warmly "Ah you must be Mr. Mackenley. Please come in." I walk in feeling my nerves rise. Mr. Sullivan pours two cups of coffee and sits down "So I read your resume. Masters degree in programming from MIT. You must be a very smart young man." I nod slightly "Yes sir. I studied programming for many years. 5 years independently before I went to MIT." Mr. Sullivan hums, sounding impressed. I hope he''s impressed. He eyes me and folds his hands together "Mr. Mackenley. As you probably know we have a new VR game coming out soon. Our team has made it almost perfect. We just need someone to test it. Unlike other VR games, this one is going to be projected right into your mind." My eyes widened at his words. Mr. Sullivan stands "So I want to ask you this. Mr. Mackenley, how would you like to be our first Beta tester?" I blink and consider his question. I would be stupid to pass this up! Ignis Corp is known for their advancements in technology. But if something goes wrong, I could die... But this is a once in the lifetime opportunity. Steeling myself I hold my hand out to the man "I accept." we shake hands, and he nods "Good. Well then Mr. Mackenley, I hope you enjoy the game." suddenly I feel dizzy as I shift and collapse into my chair. The world around me going dark. Chapter 1: New Face I wake up feeling off. Like I am on my back. I slowly open my eyes and am in awe. The room around me looks very regal. Like a room from medieval castles in fantasy games. My awe shifts to where I am. A cradle? Looking down at myself I am shocked at what I see. Baby hands. I am a baby? I try to scream and all that comes out is the wail of a baby ¡°Wahhhhh!¡± A woman rushes in and picks me up ¡°Hush little prince. Hush¡± Prince? Guess that must be a nickname for me. That or I am actually a prince. I then see she is removing her shirt and I grimace. Right¡­ Breast milk. I try not to think about the action as I feed. I am a baby, so I have to do this. Once I finish, she props me up on her shoulder and burps me. Is this my mom? Or am I a nobleman¡¯s son? Wait, am I even a boy anymore? What if I am a girl baby? Guess once my diaper is changed, I¡¯ll find out. I now kind of dread it. Anyhow the woman gives me a stuffed lion and I decide to chew on its paw. Got to build mouth strength. Even if it is degrading. As I chew, I see something appear before my eyes. [Skill Gained: Observation Level 1] Huh? Wait, so am I in the game? Then why am I a baby? Why didn¡¯t I get to create a character or choose a class? Maybe¡­ Maybe something went wrong, and I got put into the body of an NPC? Perhaps. I can¡¯t ask since I don¡¯t think I can log out. I focus and cross my eyes to try and open a home screen. Nope nothing. But I did open my stats.
Name: Andras Kerrim Lorenz Hp: 4/4
Age: 11 Months Old Gender: Male Mp: 25/25
Class: None Title: Villain
Strength: 2 If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Dexterity: 1 Intelligence: 16 Wisdom: 15 Constitution: 2 Charisma: 3 Observation Level 1 Programming Level 5
Wait. Why is my title villain? My intelligence and wisdom make sense but villain? Also why is programming a skill here? This is a fantasy world! I don¡¯t think I can use that. If my title is villain that means, there is a hero somewhere. I don¡¯t want to fight the hero! Villains always lose¡­ I got to find a way to work around my title. If I am a good person, then I should be fine! Thinking this hard isn¡¯t good for someone my age. Let¡¯s focus on what I can do. Observation probably increases by passively looking around the room. I glance around and see all of the beautiful gold laced stone. Definitely a royal or nobleman¡¯s son. I shift and turn to my side to see the other side of the room. Hmm a couch and what looks to be a fireplace? Ah, to keep me warm in winter. Probably a temperate climate then. Turning to the other side I just see the carvings on the wooden door. Probably oak or the equivalent. It seems some things from Earth translate to this new world. I mean that makes sense, this is a game after all. If I ever get back to the real world, I am going to punch Mr. Sullivan the first chance I get! I mean who just knocks out a guy then subjects them to testing a game against their will? Nothing I can really do about it right now... Unless programming does something? I have the skill, so it has to do something. I focus on my stats then see an option to edit. Oh? Let''s see what edit does. I focus on it, and I am able to edit my skills. It seems I can add or remove them. Can''t change the number though. Can''t really edit much actually. Well, I can add more skills to the list. Hmm I want to survive in this world so maybe martial arts? But I don''t know much about those skills... Maybe magic? I mean if this is a game, I think I can utilize magic. Let''s see... Adding Magic Proficiency. [Skill list updated: Magic Proficiency Level 1] Nice! But man, I feel exhausted doing that. I guess if I want to add skills it costs energy. Time to nap and think more about it later. Chapter 2: First Steps As I walk to the maid in front of me I try my best to keep balance. Finally reaching her she laughs happily ¡°Good job young prince! You took your first steps!¡± Too exhausted to celebrate, I let the maid carry me without fuss. Being a baby sucks! I am like¡­ What? 1 year old now? All my days are just in this one room. Crawling and being brought toys by the maids. One time a butler came in but he didn¡¯t stay long. Currently the maid Alice is holding me. I have gotten a few of their names through eavesdropping. There are four maids in total that handle me in shifts. Alice is kind and I think wants a child of her own. Sarah is a bit stern at times. Olga is the oldest and is like a grandma. Celia is the youngest and tends to treat me like a young brother. I think she has one. Besides those four I have seen my parents a few times. My mother is a beautiful woman named Veronica. I think I have her eyes. Mostly because the maids tell me I share them. For my father he only showed up twice so far. He is a cold man with a scowling face. His name is Ezberd and I know I share his nose? The maids say it has the same sharp edges. I babble to myself in the cradle once placed down. Trying to practice and sound out words. But without full teeth I won¡¯t be saying anything easily. My stats are looking a bit better though.
Name: Andras Kerrim Lorenz Hp: 7/7
Age: 1 Year Old Mp: 25/25
Class: None Title: Villian
Strength: 4 Dexterity: 3 Intelligence: 16 Wisdom: 15 Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Constitution: 3 Charisma: 5 Observation Level 2 Programming Level 6 Magic Proficiency Level 2 Poison Resistance Level 1
Hold on. Where did Poison Resistance come from? I have just been focusing on magic proficiency. I don''t think I have eaten anything poisonous? Is one of the maids trying to kill me? Not nice! I am an innocent baby. Must be through the bottle because I don¡¯t see how breast milk could poison me. Wait¡­ Do they use lead for their baby bottles? If so, then that''s where it may be from. When I next see the baby bottle I will have to see if I can tell if it¡¯s led or not. Alice comes in and I see the baby bottle. I stare hard at it. Come on observation! Tell me! [Bottle of Milk.] Ah ha! Oh. It is just a bottle of milk. Then I guess this clears Alice as the culprit. Three more maids to test. Wait, if I do find out who it is, how will I tell people? I guess once I learn to talk? But will they believe me? I mean I have to get proof first. But how would I do that? Hmm. Well maybe once I can talk, I can mention my stomach hurting after drinking milk from the culprit. At least then a doctor will have to see me. But for now, I will just bide my time. I am placed down, and I practice stretches. To Alice it looks like dancing, but I am building leg and arm strength with every move. After a few days I am able to narrow it down to Sarah. How could she! I keep up the facade and drink the milk. This is a game after all and getting skills is a must. If drinking this will get me more poison resists, then it¡¯s just a net profit for me. Just have to hope she never uses anything too deadly. It does make me curious to why Sarah is doing this. I don¡¯t think she would have any real reason to be giving me poison but who knows. In any case I have figured out how to channel my magic powers. When the maids are busy, I have been making my shadow move. Using my mana to manipulate it to different shapes. So far this has just leveled my magic proficiency, but I am hoping to get a spell. I have also figured out how to bend light with magic since it is very similar to shadows. Maybe I can be a mage? I mean I have the talent for magic at least. Even if it is just parlor tricks. Chapter 3: Talking Time ¡°Ababdabadbaba¡± Alice coos as I babble to her. She giggles ¡°So cute!¡± I grab my stuffed lion and lift it ¡°Li-aon.¡±. Alice looks like she struck her as she stills. I wiggle the lion and smile innocently ¡°Li-aon!¡±. Alice gasps loudly ¡°Young prince! Your first words! I have to fetch the Queen!¡± and off she goes. I am two years old now so I figured it was a good time to show I could talk. Three will be broken words and four to five I can use baby talk. Soon I can reveal that Sarah has been putting poison in my bottle. Thanks to her though I have level 2 in poison resistance.
Name: Andras Kerrim Lorenz Hp: 9/9
Age: 2 Years Old Gender: Male Mp: 25/25
Class: None Title: Villain
Strength: 5 Dexterity: 4 Intelligence: 16 Wisdom: 15 Constitution: 4 Charisma: 6 Observation Level 2 Programming Level 6 Magic Proficiency Level 3 Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Poison Resistance Level 2
I bet if I was a normal baby, I would be dead. But I am not, for I am a villain! Plot armor or maybe the story is keeping me alive. I could have been given a worse maid, one who gave me like¡­ Pain Tolerance or something. I shiver at the thought. I see the Queen and King enter. Alice points ¡°Prince Andras said Lion! I know it!¡± I chewed innocently on Lion¡¯s paw. I then stop and hold it up. ¡°Li-aon.¡± The two look at me as the words leave my mouth. Ezberd chuckles ¡°That¡¯s my son. Speaking early for his age. He is going to do great things.¡± Oh really? I never had kids, so I guess I had my age range wrong. Veronica smiles as she nods ¡°Lion¡­ A fitting first word for our growing boy. Brave, fierce and strong.¡± Sheesh talk about parental pressure. Guess that¡¯s why I am the villain. Pressure from my parents and being mistreated by one of the maids. Not the worst backstory and I will take it. If this is the worst of it I will have an easy time living a good life. The king and queen fawn over me for a few hours before heading off. They need to run a kingdom after all. Once alone with Alice she smiles at me ¡°Al-ice. I am Al-ice.¡± Wow. Well¡­ She is the nice one. Plus I want to see Sarah¡¯s face when she hears about it. I tilt my head, acting dumb. Then I point my finger at her and say ¡°Al-wice!¡± she squeals in delight. I am left to play for a few more hours before Sarah comes in. She gives me my meal [Skill Gained: Disease Resistance Level 1] Hold up what!? I look at Sarah who frowns as I drink. How did she put a disease into my milk? Also unlike poison resistance this gave me the prompt. Why is this woman trying to kill me? I mean I am a prince¡­ Is she trying to incite a war? Get rid of the royal bloodline? Doing it because she was paid too? I¡¯ll never truly know. One thing is clear to me however. Maybe when I can talk, I¡¯ll just keep quiet about it. I mean unless she physically harms me this gets me skills. Skills I frankly wouldn¡¯t be able to get otherwise. But this gives me more ideas for what skills I can give myself. If disease magic is a thing then I have to watch out. Perhaps acid resistance or burn resistance? I am older now so maybe I can give myself two skills? I focus on burn resistance and edit it into my skill list. I don¡¯t feel tired so I then add in acid resistance. Suddenly I feel exhausted. I shake my head and yawn as I rub my eyes. Yeesh alright seems like I hit the limit. But hey now I got some more resistance. Maybe I can give myself mana resistance at some point? Chapter 4: Debut Party I am turning ten today. I smile as I fix my lapel and stand tall in the long mirror. Glancing at the mirror I think about how different I look. Red Hair like my father, Emerald green eyes like my mother and of course that defined nose. I look to my bed where my lion sits, and I walk to him ¡°Sir Leonus. Protect this place while I am gone.¡± Even with no one around I am going to act like a child. Don¡¯t want to break character. Plus¡­ It''s fun being a kid. What isn¡¯t fun are the bruises hidden on my side. Yep, Sarah is being ¡®that¡¯ kind of person. I have tried to tell Alice, Ceila or Olga but Sarah seems to always know and comes in. But it¡¯s not all bad, I am getting skills from it.
Name: Andras Kerrim Lorenz Hp: 12/12
Age: 10 Year Old Gender: Male Mp: 28/28
??Class: None ??Title: Villain
Strength: 11 Dexterity: 12 Intelligence: 17 Wisdom: 16 Constitution: 10 Charisma: 11 ??Observation Level 8 Programming Level 7 Magic Proficiency Level 6 Poison Resistance Level 9 Disease Resistance Level 5 Pain Resistance Level 4 This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Acid Resistance Level 4 Burn Resistance Level 3
I have learned alot about this world. Being a prince, I have my very own personal tutor. He has taught me many things once I was of age. We reside in the Kingdom of Astria. To the north of Astria is Peres and to our west the Everglades. There is a large sea between us and the next continent. On that side resides the Kingdom of Grender. To its west is Lauster and the vast desert. From there going north Morten and Rendus lie past the forest. Then there is the lone continent of Koro. From what I read frost giants live there. That¡¯s right, giants! My tutor told me all about the magic and different races that live in this game world. It truly would be a fantastic game if I wasn¡¯t a child. Speaking of magic, I was told about the different properties. Light and Dark are opposites or oppose one another. There is elemental magics and nature magics. Lastly the manufactured magics, spells created by great mages for others to study and use. Programming in that sense could be considered manufacturing magic. I haven¡¯t told anyone about this ability so far. Mostly because I feel that I would be asked to use my power to make people overly powerful. I have considered giving Sarah an effect of some kind. But that would be a villainous action. I shake my head out of my ponderings and head to the coach where my mother and father wait for me. I sit with them, and we head to the royal ballroom. Apparently, it¡¯s a separate building. I shift and stare out the window in wonder at the sights. What a beautiful game. Once we arrive outside the ballroom, I follow my mother and father inside. We enter as horns play ¡°Welcoming Queen Victoria, King Ezberd and Prince Andras!¡± the crowd claps. I follow my parents to the thrones. We sit and I watch the party. Hours pass and I have greeted so many people today. I don¡¯t think I will remember them all. I also get presented with all kinds of gifts. Apparently, word got out that I liked lions so a lot of imagery of the animal is here. I mean they are cool, so I won¡¯t complain. But I make sure to play excited then restraining myself as a ten year old prince should. We get food and drink from a butler and I smile while eating a sweet. It¡¯s so good. Almost reminds me of my mom¡¯s cooking. I feel a sense of sudden loss. My eyes tear up involuntarily. Mom. I¡­ Why haven¡¯t I thought about her? I am a horrible son. I miss her so much¡­ I bite the food and wipe my tears. I look at the slightly worried butler. I smile brightly ¡°This is the best desert I have ever had sir. It brought me to tears.¡± his eyes widen as he bows deeply ¡°The chief will be pleased with such praise!¡± I nod to myself and finish the food. I may want to find that chef in the future. Just so I may enjoy my mom¡¯s cooking another day. Shaking myself out of these sad thoughts I focus back onto the party. My parents force me to dance with a few girls and none really interest me. I am an adult man in a child¡¯s body. When I attend parties with women my age, I will think about dating them. Once the party ends, I look over all my gifts. My room is now littered with lion themed merchandise. I have flags, toys and clothes with lions on them. Looks like I''m obsessed or something. My stuffed lion Leonus now has a pride of lions. Even if I am an adult in mind, I''ll enjoy the comfort of all these plush toys. Chapter 5: First Friend A few days have passed since the party. I have been studying and experimenting with my magic. So far, I still can¡¯t use real spells. I even have tried to edit in magic user into a skill. All I got was [Error: Not a recognized command]. Putting my magic into the shadows I notice something odd. The shadow moves. I blink as I keep pushing my mana to the shadow. A shadowy figure slowly rises out of the ground. I stare at the thing as it moves closer. I stand tall and swallow nervously. The creature grins ¡°More.¡± I blink and shift ¡°More?¡± the thing nods as it stands there. I shift then realize what it might want. Mana. I push my magic to the creature. I watch as it grows a bit in size. The creature then moves, plunging into my body. I gasp, shocked then blink. The creature has vanished? I feel my chest burning a bit. I pull at my shirt collar and look at my chest. A purple tattoo is burned into my skin. I feel my hands burn with energy and a black flame flicks into my palm. Did I just make a contract? When becoming a mage there are three ways to do so. Being born with magic, studying it or making a contract. If that shadow creature was a dark elemental, then I guess I did. But why can I make this black fire? Maybe it acts differently than regular fire. I can experiment with that later. Oh, maybe with a contract I can now add magic skills? Let¡¯s try Magic Casting. [Skills Updated: Magic Casting Level 1] Ah ha! Nice. I look at the black flame in my hand and it forms more to my desires. Stronger. Eh?! We are Stronger. Wait¡­ Are you the elemental I made a contract with? Yes. Wow okay. This is awkward. How much can you hear? Most. Not all. Ah that¡¯s interesting. Tell me then elemental, do you have a name? I have no name. Well, I have to call you something. Oh, I know! You are an elemental of darkness so Shade should do, right? Shade. I like it. Cool! Um well I am going to be thinking a lot so¡­ I hope you don¡¯t mind? I do not mind. I will listen. Hm. Anyways I got to think about what this means for my programming skill. Can I program skills into Shade? Or can I make him stronger? Wait, can I see his stats? Thinking hard about it, no clear menu opens up. I wonder if I can do the same to get a light elemental contract? NO! Ow my head. No need to shout Shade. No light elementals. The light hurts. Ah that makes sense I guess. What about other elementals? Like fire or water? No fire, that produces light. I would be okay with a water elemental. I see, that seems to make sense. I will try dabbling with water magic I suppose. Maybe I won¡¯t make a contract right away though. Don¡¯t want too many voices in my head. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Five years have passed. I have trained myself so that I am ready for whatever comes. Contracting myself to a wind spirit I named Gale and a water spirit I named Lake. Gale speaks to me verbally as he takes the form of a bird. Lake speaks to my mind like Shade but her voice is softer. Thank you. Ah no problem Lake! Anyhow I have given myself some good magic casting skills to help me.
Name: Andras Kerrim Lorenz Hp: 17/17
Age: 15 Years Old Gender: Male Mp: 31/31
Class: None Title: Villain
Strength: 14 Dexterity: 13 Intelligence: 18 Wisdom: 17 Constitution: 14 Charisma: 13 Observation Level 10 Programming Level 8 Magic Proficiency Level 9 Water Magic Level 5 Wind Magic Level 5 Dark Magic Level 8 Poison Resistance Level 14 Disease Resistance Level 7 Pain Resistance Level 12 Acid Resistance Level 6 Burn Resistance Level 7
I think when the school year actually begins, I will be more than prepared. The only thing now I worry about is people seeing my contract tattoos. Having three contracts at once is not common. Most people make one contract and focus on one elemental. Luckily all three are on my torso and are easy to hide. Just like the old bruises I just have to wear long sleeves. I know that some elementals are not compatible with others. Like fire and nature don¡¯t get along. But water and wind get along just fine. Considering storms, it makes a lot of sense. If we were to add another elemental, it would have to be a nature elemental of some kind. But I think three is more than enough for me. I am also looking forward to experiencing what a noble high school is like. I just hope that I don''t have to bring any servants. I know my father would ask I take Sarah. Speaking of her, I will look forward to leaving her behind! I mean it''s good my stats have increased but yeesh. The way medieval maids treat me are harsh! I mean I was aware beating kids was the norm in the past. Just didn''t think it would be in the game. Then again this is more like a living world so it''s trying to be realistic? That or Astria just so happens to share the same ways of medieval times. Chapter 6: Magic School The day arrives and I gather some last minute things. Picking up Leonus, my lion toy and hiding him in my luggage. I pin a lion broach my grandfather got me and look in the mirror. I really do have my father''s face and hair with my mother''s eyes. A rugged nose with defined cheekbones. My eyes are that piercing green like my mothers. I comb back my hair and shift looking at my appearance. Yep. Villain. I just have the air of someone evil. Oh well my title must affect that somewhat I suppose. I wave goodbye to my parents and hug them before stepping into my carriage. The carriage rolls off and towards the noble school. I wonder what I will learn there? I know it¡¯s where I pick a class then learn it¡¯s skills. My tutor taught me the basics of the world. Everyone has a destined class they were born to be. The school has a way to show those who attend their class. I assume it''s through some form of magic? I guess I''ll learn that too. Arriving at the school I follow everyone to orientation. I sit down and look to the front as the principal steps forward ¡°Welcome all nobles! This is the highest academy in Astria. You will learn what your class is and how to get your skills. Only the best of the best will get through this school. You must practice how to serve your kingdom for the best of its people. Head to the class assignment room.¡± and a light flash over to the door ¡°Once assigned a class you will be given your schedules. Everyone is dismissed!¡± and everyone begins to head over. Standing in line I wait a few minutes before I step into the room. Once inside I see a large crystal ball and a man stood next to it. He motions to the crystal ball ¡°Touch this and it will reveal your class.¡± I nod and tap the crystal ball. I watch classes zoom past the crystal ball before one settles and glows brightly. Summoner. Huh¡­ Okay. That actually makes a lot of sense [Class Updated: Dark Summoner] Hold on dark summoner? But the crystal said it was just summoner. Maybe that¡¯s my element? Fitting for a villain to have dark magic. Plus, I have a dark elemental contract. I followed the other summoner to our classroom. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I sit next to some random people as everyone gets settled in. A boy to my right and a girl to my left. The young man turns to me and holds out a hand "Jerald Hawthorn." I take his hand and smile "Andras Kerrim Lorenz." His eyes widened at my name. "The prince¡­ Ah Pardon my boldness in introduction." I chuckle shaking my head "It''s quite fine sir Hawthorne. At this school we are all equals." He blinks then smiles nodding "Well said." I glance at the girl staring at me and she looks away quickly. Oh shit. She either is scared of me or has a crush on me. That or she was staring and was almost caught. I eye Jerald who raises a brow "Hm?" I decide to give the girl mercy and shrug "Nothing. I just felt someone looking at us." Jerald sighs but shrugs "I suppose that makes sense. I am a marquis son, and you are the prince. We make quite the sight." Oh interesting. He''s quite high on the social ladder. I nod "Indeed." Before I can ask any more questions our teacher steps forward and claps to gather everyone''s attention "Class! All eyes on me! Welcome everyone to summoning class. Here you will learn what that means and how to summon it. Your summon is your weapon so don''t be afraid to command it to fight." Everyone murmurs around the class. Ah well knowing my luck I''ll summon a shadow lion. Jerald leans to me whispering "What do you think you will summon?" I shift then lean back and whispers "Perhaps a lion. It is my favorite animal." Jerald softly chuckles. The teacher claps a few more times "Settle down everyone! First lesson today is what summoning is and how to tap into your mana." I perk up and bring out my notebook. This will be interesting. The next two weeks and I have a stack of notes. Summoning is such a cool magic class! So how it works is that one has to make a contract with another being. Most creatures are elementals or fey. Once the pact is made you can give your summon mana to make them stronger. Honestly, I can''t wait to actually cast the spell. I mean I have three contracts already, so I am ahead of the game. Besides summoning class, I have been taking potion making and enchanting courses. One because I figured I need skill diversity and two, Jerald took them as well. Chapter 7: Dark Arts Jerald would like Shade I think. I hope so. He''s been a cool guy so far. Erica Stewart is my other classmate. She''s a bit annoying. She''s fifteen so I get it but still! I am a grown ass man with a fifteen year old girl crushing on me. I mean my body is in her age range but I mentally am not. Not even her fault really. Who wouldn''t fall in love with a prince? For example she often butts into conversations I am having with other people. Or she sits with me and Jerald without asking. It''s little things but still it irks me. The worst of it though is when she tries to flirt with me. Like right now. I shift as she smiles sliding to sit next to me. She leans on her elbow and blinks slowly. ¡°So¡­ What are you doing after school?¡± Can she be more obvious? I act like I am thinking then shake my head ¡°I have plans to study all night.¡± She pouts and crosses her arms ¡°Come on. You can afford to take a break. I think you have been studying for the entire first three weeks!¡± This is true, but I would not want to waste a relaxation day on you. I sigh and shrug ¡°I need to be the best of the best. I do not want to use the time I could be studying for anything else.¡± She frowns but turns to her food knowing the conversation had ended. I understand every noble girl wants to be a princess. Well those who want power that is. But most noble girls leave me alone. Luckily for my enchanting class and potion making class I have peace. Enchanting class has given me a lot of ideas for possible skills to add to my list. But I don''t know if there is a skill limit. I don¡¯t want to waste my programming abilities to give myself a skill that I can¡¯t get rid of. So far we are doing small enchantments for defense or resistance. Learning what magics exist and what enchantments can counter them is going to be very useful. I make sure to take notes. Potions class is also fascinating. I learn what kinds of potions exist. There are the basic health potions then the usual mana potions. But there are the wild ones like leaping or water breathing. There are plenty of different ones I think I¡¯ll be making during class. I might need one of these one day. For Sarah or any would be assassin it would be nice to have a health potion on my person at all times. After school I usually spend my time with Jerald practicing summoning magic or my own personal studies. The school library is vast and I know I can learn much from it. I got all the books about summoning and the different elemental match ups. Unfortunately for me I can¡¯t do much for elementals after receiving the metal lion. Metal while unaffected by water is weak to fire and ice. Back on topic, my stats are looking fantastic.
Name: Andras Kerrim Lorenz Hp: 17/17
Age: 15 Years Old Gender: Male Mp: 31/31
Class: Dark Summoner Title: Villain
Strength: 14 A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Dexterity: 13 Intelligence: 18 Wisdom: 17 Constitution: 14 Charisma: 13 Observation Level 12 Programming Level 8 Magic Proficiency Level 9 Magic Research Level 2 Enchanting Level 1 Summoning level 1 Potion Making Level 1 Water Magic Level 5 Wind Magic Level 5 Dark Magic Level 8 Poison Resistance Level 14 Disease Resistance Level 7 Pain Resistance Level 12 Acid Resistance Level 6 Burn Resistance Level 7
Already at this school my skill list has grown! My intelligence hasn''t but it''s only been two weeks. I expect that to change in the next month or so. Today is our actual summoning test. Where we put theory into practice. Honestly I am excited for this. Arriving in class with everyone else the teacher draws a symbol on the board "We will be summoning today. If you have done the homework you should have your summoning circles drawn. One at a time come up and perform the summoning spell." I look at my symbol and smile at it. Not the most creative image but it''s a classic drawing. Jerald has an actually serious summoning symbol drawn on his homework. It''s got intricate smaller symbols on its inner circle. Along the inner circle are lines connecting the symbols. Honestly, it looks more like a real summoning symbol than mine. Most students summon elemental beasts. Others summon fey creatures. Jerald goes up and he summons an ice wolf. Then it''s my turn. I step up and hold out my summoning paper. I channel my mana to the paper and focus on casting the summoning spell. Out of the paper a large lion emerges. Its body is seemingly made of pure steel. A metal elemental? Didn¡¯t expect to see that. I smile ¡°Leonidas. I am happy to make a contract with you.¡± The lion bows and speaks in a deep metallic voice ¡°It is an honor commander.¡± it follows after me as I sit next to Jerald. He whistles lightly ¡°Damn you guessed right.¡± I chuckle at that. Jerald summons an ice wolf and I eye it curiously. I wonder if my water elemental can turn into an ice elemental? No. I don¡¯t think I can. Ah shame. No worries then Lake. Rain is pleasantly strong. With Gale to provide us with wind we can make a pretty deadly attack. Is that so? Yep! The rest of the class goes on without a hitch. Heading to the cafeteria I hear some people whispering about me. That¡¯s the least of my concerns to be honest. What does concern me is Erica and her advances. She¡¯s young and in love. I just wish it was anyone but me! I mean there are tons of guys in this school. Hell I have even tried setting her up with Jerald. But nothing I do works. Morpheus can¡¯t even touch her because of her light magic. I sigh as I managed to escape her again today. Never thought I would get [Stealth] from a determined teenager. I kind of feel flattered and terrified at the same time. Jerald, the absolute friend that he is, helps me out when she gets too pushy. If I ever become king I am getting him a promotion. Chapter 8: Destiny Calls Lately I have been doing well in my studies. A full two months in now and I am getting a feel for magic. Besides Erica being annoying, life has been good. She follows me around and gives me gifts. I think it''s her attempt to win me over. The gifts are normal enough so I accept them. I mean it would look bad if I didn''t. As for Jerald, I think he and I are great friends now! When studying we sometimes chat about our lives. There are several moments where I almost tell him about my other life. Obviously I catch myself before I do. Covering up the blunder by patting him on the shoulder and deflecting with a joke. So far that''s worked to make him not question when I randomly cut myself off. In the potions class we have learned a lot as well. Love potion cures, invisibility, and many other tonics. When the topic of love potions came up it was like the drug talk. But as the teacher explained how it would change the other person¡­ It sounded like straight up mind manipulation. Like the kind where the other person isn''t even the same person any more. He told us how to pick up the signs and what to look out for. How the person affected won''t be able to tell themselves. Honestly, why is this in the game? It sounds very scary. Besides those classes, Enchanting has been a blast as well. From armor to weapons we have learned different enhancing spells. Then for summoning it''s just us getting to know our new summons. Training with them to understand their power. All three classes have been making me more knowledgeable of this world. I make the correct choices. Walking to lunch I notice Jerald isn¡¯t in the cafeteria. Frowning to myself I go around the school looking for him. I check our usual spots but no sign of him. Is he sick? Finally I go to the back of the school and pause as I hear sounds of a fight. Rounding the corner I stop in my tracks at the sight before me. Jerald is being cornered by four other older boys. He has a black eye. I feel anger rise in my chest. They hurt our friend. They must pay. Yeah¡­ Yeah they should pay. How dare they? Just like that a dark energy swirls around me. They dare harm our friend. They will pay with their blood. I am no longer able to control my body. Dark magic flicks around me as I approach the four bullies. My mouth opens and Shade speaks ¡°You dare harm my friend. You will receive no mercy.¡± a flick of my hand and dark magic shoots out knocking away one of the bullies. Jerald watches with wide eyes as I step next to him. Shade says ¡°Rest easy friend. You will have their heads shortly.¡± Jerald gapes ¡°Their heads? Andreas what does that mean?¡± Shade turns my body to the three remaining bullies. Dark magic swirls around me as Gale flies from above. Wind picking up as clouds gather in the sky. Leonidas emerges from my hand as I raise it. Dark magic surrounding his metal form encasing him in shadows. Leonidas roars loudly ¡°The commander beckons your death!¡± and rushes for one of the three bullies. The bully cries out in pain as his throat is torn out. Jerald grabs my shoulder ¡°Andras you''re killing them!¡± Shade turns my head to Jerald ¡°Yes. They hurt you. They do not deserve mercy.¡± Jerald shakes his head ¡°I was just roughed up. You don¡¯t have to kill them.¡± Shade responds coldly ¡°If I leave them alive, they would simply hurt someone else. These kinds of people never change.¡± Ah Shade is delving into the more cynical part of my mind. Combined with my rage I can¡¯t help but agree. These people deserve to die. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Jerald shifts stepping back ¡°Andras¡­ You can¡¯t actually believe that.¡± Shade moves my body to step closer to the bullies ¡°It is not about belief, friend. It is about understanding humans.¡± Shade moves to wave his hand conjuring forth Lake from my chest. Raising her up Gale whisks her into the sky. Rain begins to pour as the area darkens. Shade extends his shadow under one of the two remaining bullies and sucks him into the floor. He screams as he disappears into the inky abyss. The last bully is trying to run but Leonidas catches him. Shade raises my hand as a ball of shadow magic begins to form from my fingertips. Just then a cold air begins to surround the area. The rain turned into snow. Shade turns me to face Jerald who has his wolf out. Jerald points ¡°Shadow! Release Andras this instant!¡± Shade shifts my body to face him fully ¡°I am not forcing Andras to do this. My master can take back control. His anger fuels our powers. We are stronger now.¡± Jerald scowls ¡°You may be stronger but that doesn¡¯t mean you can do whatever you want. Don¡¯t make Andras do something evil just for the sake of it!¡± Evil? How is saving my friend evil? How is using my strength to defeat my enemies evil? Sure I killed some kid but that doesn''t matter. This is all just a game. So why don¡¯t I just do what I want? I can give myself broken skills and become a god. Why shouldn¡¯t I do that? Jerald yells against the storm ¡°Andras! I know you are still in there! Don¡¯t give into the temptations of evil! Break free of it my friend!¡± Why does he care so much about me? He isn¡¯t even a real person. Andras isn¡¯t a real person. He¡¯s a game character I am playing as. Carter is who I am¡­ Carter? What¡­ What would Carter do? He would be panicking because his body isn¡¯t in his control. He would want to listen to Jerald¡­ Because Carter isn¡¯t a villain. He doesn¡¯t want to do evil. I¡­ I don¡¯t want to do evil. Shade! Stop! Master? Let me go. He¡¯s right. Killing these boys ain''t worth it. If we finish what we started¡­ There would be no hope of redemption. My magic coils back into me, my contracted elementals vanishing. I feel exhausted and fall to my knees. Jerald rushes to my side and eyes me with worry ¡°Andras! Are you all right?¡± I shake my head and take a deep breath ¡°No¡­ But I will be. Thank you for calling out to me¡­ I don¡¯t want to imagine what would have happened.¡± Jerald holds a hand to me and I take the offering. Once on my feet I sigh ¡°Guess getting mad fuels my dark elemental.¡± Jerald huffs ¡°Then you can learn to control the power output.¡± I nod at that. If I want to not be a villain I will have to learn restraint. I shift and eye Jerald before hugging him. I don''t know if nobles feel comfortable with hugs but¡­ Even if this is a game, this man saved me. Saved me from possibly getting stuck in the bad end route. Jerald slowly returns the hug "Um. There, there?" I snort and pull back "Really? That is not how you comfort someone. But the hug itself has made me feel much better." Jerald shakes his head "Fair enough. Sorry but I don''t usually hug people." I pat his shoulder and begin to walk back to the school "No worries friend. Now come on, we have another class." Jerald follows me to the school. Man that was close! I almost became a villain. Hell forgot that I wasn''t actually Andras. I am Carter Mackenley. Normal programmer college graduate. Stuck in this game for who for how long. I sigh as we return to our classes. I try to pay attention but a lot is on my mind today. I coast through the rest of my classes for the remainder of my day. When I get to my sleeping quarters I toss and turn. I sigh as I realize I won¡¯t get much sleep tonight. So I just study until I finally fall asleep. Chapter 9: Graduation After that I work to make sure to have some control on my dark elemental. I do not want another incident where I just lose it. Four years pass with ease and now it¡¯s graduation day. I stand tall and smile as I collect my certificate from the professor. Honestly, I find it funny how I graduated from a fantasy collage. This degree in my real life would be meaningless. During this time, I also upgraded a few of my existing skills. Still can¡¯t edit a skill to be max with programming magic though. I have thought of giving myself the magic resistance skill but that just popped up an error. So, no magic attack resistance for me, I guess. I look at my stats and feel pride in my growth.
Name: Andras Kerrim Lorenz Hp: 25/25
Age: 19 Years Old Gender: Male Mp: 38/38
Class: Dark Summoner Title: Villain
Strength: 16 Dexterity: 15 Intelligence: 20 Wisdom: 19 Constitution: 16 Charisma: 17 Observation Level 15 Programming Level 13 Magic Proficiency Level 12 Magic Research Level 13 Water Magic Level 10 Wind Magic Level 10 Dark Magic Level 14 Poison Resistance Level 14 Disease Resistance Level 7 Enchanting Level 7 Pain Resistance Level 12 Acid Resistance Level 8 Burn Resistance Level 8 Potion Making Level 8 Summoning level 8
Erica has kind of let up over the school year. Moving on to the other boys in the school. I am honestly rooting for her. Even if she was super obvious it might have been because I am a prince. Speaking of, I have received letters on and off from my mother and father. My mother asking about my wellbeing and my father asking about schoolwork. Mother mentioned in her letters if I had found any noble girls that I would like. I said a few even if it was a lie. I am only going to try and date once I am like¡­ Twenty-seven or twenty-five. That would make it less weird for me at least. Then the girls would be adults in my eyes. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Anyhow Jerald and Erica also graduate which is no surprise. Even if Erica was hunting for romance, she did study every other day. Jerald was very much like me and studied almost every day. I know because we would sometimes study together in the library. Now that I have graduated, I have some options. I could just keep studying until I have to take on princely duties or I can join a mages guild. The ladder sounds promising. If I join a mages guild, I can experience tons of new magics. Jerald is planning to follow in his father¡¯s footsteps. His family earned their wealth and title from war. But Jerald¡¯s father owns a big trading route. So, he is going to go and train to become a merchant. A merchant with an icy wolf. That fits him. Erica is going back to her hometown. I am glad but also a little sad to see her go. I may have not liked her, but I am going to miss her antics. I suppose my first goal of joining a magic guild should be easy enough. No one would be foolish enough to reject the prince from their guild. So, when I got back to the main city of Astria from the school I looked around. Most places seemed like they would work for beginners. I considered my options. As I walked, I noticed an old dusty looking store. Peeking inside I wave my hand to clear away dust. When was the last time someone cleaned in here? From the inside of the dark shop a voice rings out ¡°One moment!¡± out of the shadows in a long dragging robe was a gnome. He stands at around three feet tall with a long beard and a wizard''s hat. I shift and cough into my hand ¡°I saw this place and was curious to see what was inside?¡± The gnome smiles wide, ¡°Excellent a customer!¡± He claps once and lights pop on around the store. The whole place has shelves of books, potions and other bits or bobs. Since he thinks I am a customer it would be rude to not at least look. I shift and head to the shelves and hum. I can¡¯t read the spines. I look at the gnome, but he¡¯s gone, I look down and he is standing there grinning. Jesus! I don¡¯t end up screaming like a loser as I let out a breath ¡°Sir, do you have a summoning section?¡± The gnome nods, his hat bouncing as he does ¡°I do indeed! Follow me.¡± I follow him as we bob and weave through the maze of shelves. A lot of these books look old. I scan the spines then pick out a few that sound interesting. Elemental Index? Yes please. How to tame a dark elemental. Taking that book for sure. Blood contracts? Sure, let''s see what that means. Following the gnome back to the front counter I notice a box with 12 eggs. A small notice above it saying ¡®Buy two get one free! Random Monster Egg raffle¡¯ I point to it ¡°You sell monster eggs? Is that legal?¡± The gnome looks at it then eyes me ¡°Maybe. It¡¯s my store.¡± I hum and shrug ¡°I¡¯ll buy two then.¡± I want to see what monsters I could get. Slime? Spiders? Maybe snakes? The gnome grins and I check out all my purchases. Leaving the store, I turn back to say thanks. When I look, the whole store is gone. The building now looks abandoned and boarded up. Did I just get some special event items? Neat. Time to head home and see what secrets these books hold. I can¡¯t wait to read them! Arriving at home I head to my room. I set up a small pillow nest for the eggs and lay nearby. I crack open the first book of Elemental Index and begin to read. Hours pass and I feel my stomach growl in hunger. I pause reading and fold the corner of the page. Fire elemental¡¯s can be quite nasty based on this book. Sad I can¡¯t really summon any but good to know. Standing, I stretch and hum looking at the three mystery eggs. I grab them and put them in my pockets as I head for the kitchen. Walking through the halls I hear some noise from one of the rooms. Hmmm. I shift using Stealth and approach the voices slowly. I shift and cup my ear to hear the conversation better. ¡°Sarah, my son has returned. Have you spoken with him yet?¡± Sarah sighs ¡°No sir. Alice got to him first.¡± I hear my father¡¯s gruff voice respond back ¡°Hmm well make sure you serve him dinner at least. I bet the toxin has worn off by now.¡± I couldn''t believe what I was hearing. Sarah was being told to give me poison¡­ By my own father? Why? For what purpose? I lean against the door to hear more. ¡°That son of mine should be stronger now. Keep up the training Sarah.¡± I feel my heart skin. My father is¡­ He wanted me to be stronger. Does mother know about this? I take a deep breath to calm my rising anger. ¡°Of course, sir. I will get to that right away.¡± Shit. I move away from the door and stealth back to my room. Once inside I gasp for air. I can¡¯t believe him! And here I thought I had normal royal parents. But no, my father wants to give me poison immunity! I hope my mother isn¡¯t in on this. I at least know Alice isn¡¯t in on it, probably Celia too. Olga treats me like a grandson but who knows¡­ Maybe the nice old lady demeaner is a ruse. In any case I can¡¯t stay in this house for much longer. I guess this also explains why a physician never checked on my health. I would just be locked away in my room until the illness passed. It wasn¡¯t because I was contagious, it was to make me stronger! I don¡¯t want to go back to raising my stats with Sarah having to poison me. But how will I avoid Sarah? Oh wait¡­ I dread going to parties but if I attend all of the important ones then¡­ I will have some respite. Eight parties could be thrown in one year alone. Even if I hate socializing, I much rather do that then suffer again. After attending that school, I have come to realize even if this is a game, I should be letting myself get hurt like that. Jerald really opened my eyes to my cynicism in that regard. Chapter 10: Love Dangers As the months fly by, I am doing great at the mage''s guild. So far, I am getting to use my potion making and enchanting skills. My coworkers are friendly enough, quiet and tend to keep to themselves. I have been writing letters to Jerald in this time and he¡¯s living the high life. Managing his own ship routes gifted to him by his father. I am happy for him honestly. The three eggs hatch as well. The first egg is a small red lizard. The second is a white winged snake. The last one is a golden-brown turtle-like creature. They are so small! I''m going to carry them around. I don''t trust Sarah not to find them and kill them. So as I traveled between the mages guild and home I would stop to feed the three. I pack away my notes and head back to the palace. So far my plan of going to parties to avoid Sarah has been working. In return I am more tired socially but I feel it¡¯s worth it. Today¡¯s party is looking to be all business so I can relax a little. That is until I see Erica. She is wearing a very well made dress. She notices me and smiles walking over with two wine glasses in hand ¡°Andras! Hello! It¡¯s been so long.¡± I smile at her ¡°That it has. How have you been faring?¡± She hums thoughtful ¡°Oh you know. Just been getting myself out there in the world.¡± I nod at that. Good for her. She holds out a glass to me ¡°Let¡¯s drink Andras. To our futures.¡± I gently take the glass. [Glass of Wine]. Good Sarah didn¡¯t get to the wine. Drinking the wine Erica hands me, I lick my lips at the flavor. Then I look her in the eyes and wow. She''s the most beautiful and stunning woman I have ever seen. How could I have not seen it before? All I want is to pick her up and whisk her away forever. Mental age gap be damned! Erica smiles as I shift stepping closer to her ¡°My lady, you do look very fashionable tonight.¡± she blushes as she lightly grasps my hand ¡°Of course. I am glad you took notice.¡± I lightly kiss her hand. She giggles and shifts ¡°Let us dance?¡± I bow ¡°Lets.¡± and we dance. It¡¯s almost like a romantic movie. My heart feels a burning warmth at the idea. As we parted ways I could feel my heart yearn for her. I must see her again. We must. Yes we have to. She is so beautiful. Like the pearls in the ocean. Very fitting Lake. Ah pearls! Could you fetch her some? They would make the perfect gift for her. Of course! Our master likes this girl. She will get only the best. Only the best indeed Shade. Gale, come to me! He flies and lands onto my extended arm ¡°Gale, find the finest jewels in the land. Once you locate them let me know so I may purchase them.¡± Gale bows his head ¡°Of course young master. But¡­ Do you truly love this woman?¡± Do I? ¡°Of course I do Gale! I can feel the love I have for her in my very chest.¡± I love her. The words ring true around my mind and in my heart. Over the course of the next three months I chased my love. Buying her every desire. Taking her all across Astria and even across the sea. We went anywhere my love wanted to go. As we rode in the carriage from one of our trips I knelt with a ring held out from my palms ¡°Erica. Would you become my wife?¡± Her eyes water as she nods, smiling brightly. ¡°Of courseI Yes!¡± and she takes the ring, putting it on her finger. Admiring it. I smile watching her and feeling the fire of love burning in me. I leave behind my three pets in my room. I task my contracted elementals to tend to them. I want to be free to care for Erica. I want to fill her every need. She loves the gifts I give to her and that fuels this burning in my heart. I need to impress her more. Give all of myself to her. Nothing else matters but her happiness. She is the one thing I love. The one thing I''ll ever need. Soon the day of our engagement arrives and everyone celebrates. I laugh and chat with the nobles who arrived. Jerald comes and he frowns as he approaches me ¡°Andras? You''re marrying Erica? But she used to bother you all the time in school.¡± I hum and shrug ¡°She has matured. She isn¡¯t the teen we used to know anymore.¡± Jerald raises a brow but nods slowly ¡°Alright¡­ Well in any case I am happy for you. With how much you locked yourself into studying I worried about you.¡± I chuckle and shake my head ¡°I might be a bookworm but I am still a man.¡± Jerald snorts at that. He eyes me with a hit of worry and shifts ¡°Man¡­ I really hope it works out for you.¡± I nod to him and begin to walk away. As I do I hear him mutter ¡°And I hope I am wrong¡­¡± Hmm must be worried about me. Jerald is a true friend indeed. After the engagement party I spent the weekend showering Erica with presents. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Four weeks pass and a wedding date is announced. I am super happy Erica wants to do this so quickly. We have been drinking wine and having a good old time at parties. We both prepare for the wedding and I feel so excited. My heart is burning with the light of love. I bought the best venue and invited almost everyone I knew to the event. I want this to be the best wedding in the world. I get the best wedding planner out there and use all my allowance to put it all together. The day of the wedding arrives and I greet everyone warmly. As I greet Jerald, who is of course going to be my best man he ushers me to the side. He eyes me with extreme concern ¡°Andras. Where are your contracted elementals?¡± I blink at Jerald. Where are they? They are all watching my pets. My elementals are hard at work! I smile warmly. ¡°They are hard at work tending to some pets I bought.¡± Jerald stares at me blankly ¡°What? Even Shade?¡± At that I shrug. Our conversation is cut short by the priest calling everyone to stand. Jerald pats my back ¡°I really hope I am wrong.¡± I feel a cold shiver run up my spine as he walks off. Shaking my head I smile as I walk to meet my future wife at the altar. As our lips connect I feel something break in my mind. I do not love this woman. The thought rattles through my mind as I am released by the potion. I reel back and shift regaining my mind. I look to the priest then to her and pale ¡°You¡­ You tried to force me to marry you.¡± Erica blinks shocked as she pales ¡°Wh-what?¡± I point at her ¡°You fed me a love potion!¡± Just as suddenly I feel my connections to my contracted elementals at the forefront of my mind. Shade shifts around in my shadow, and I reign in my anger as I take a deep breath. ¡°Erica. Tell me the truth. At the party you gave me wine. The same wine you have been giving me on our dates. It had love potion in it. Didn¡¯t it?¡± I don¡¯t know how observation didn¡¯t see it, but I guess it can only tell me so much. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s the spell identify. Erica is pale as a ghost as she stutters ¡°I-I don¡¯t know what you are saying! Love potion¡­ I would never do that!¡± I frown, great she won''t admit it. Jerald steps to my side and coughs into his hand ¡°I had hoped I was wrong. But just in case I casted Dispel Potion on Andras.¡± I turned to Jerald in surprise ¡°Wait¡­ How did you figure it out?¡± Jerald shakes his head ¡°It was like you were obsessed with her. It felt¡­ Out of character? I am not sure how you would treat a girlfriend, but I had a hunch it wouldn¡¯t be like that.¡± He''s right. I am a bit more of a physical person than a gift giving one. The priest coughs into his hand ¡°By the light of Metphis¡­ I have never seen a case where a love potion was used to force a marriage. Young man are you feeling alright?¡± I look to the priest. To be honest, no. I am not feeling ''alright''. I feel violated. Betrayed. Disgusted by Erica''s pure presents here. I shake my head "No. I almost got married to a woman who would stoop so low." Not only that reason but¡­ If I speak my mind, it could be bad. Jerald lays a hand on my shoulder "How about sitting down? While the guards come to arrest that woman." I nod and sit down next to Jerald. I feel numb. Like I wasn''t just almost mind controlled. How could one of the people I trusted do that? When I checked the wine, I was only looking for poison¡­ It never even crossed my mind to look for a love potion. Can I even trust any noble girl after this? What if some girl gets obsessed like Erica and tries again? I shift as I feel Jerald tabbing my back "It''s going to be okay now. She''s going to be in prison for life." Why is he- oh. I touch my face and feel the tears. I have been crying. The numb feeling falls away as I grab Jerald for a crushing hug. I try not to loudly sob but¡­ The horrible feeling in my chest¡­ I want to feel normal again. So, I hold onto my friend, and I cry. I can''t just brush this off like the other stuff. My actual mind was attacked. Me, the person stuck in this hellish world. I need some sense of normalcy. In real life I have never cried on anyone''s shoulder. But that doesn''t matter. I need this. I need to hold onto someone and cry. If I don''t I feel like I would fall apart. Chapter 11: Disownment Never did I think I would get kicked out. Not only that, but I was also disowned. Alright let me start from the beginning. It has been only a year since the whole ¡®love potion¡¯ fiasco. My mother worries for me as I haven¡¯t tried dating since then. My father on the other hand is giving me the cold shoulder. I think he''s upset that I cried in public. Well fuck him. I have felt a bit better after I did so. Felt safer when the guards came and took Erica away too. My mother has set me up for many dates with girls my age. But I just can¡¯t connect with them. How could I ever trust any noble woman again? Plus, I can only see them as young ladies. To kind of escape this I would sneak out or visit Jerald. Tagging along on his voyages that could last weeks or months. I feel bad for imposing on him. But when I talked to him about it he understood. Said that I am his friend and that it''s okay to heal slowly. He''s even offered to help me avoid my mother and her dating schemes. Now I thought this was a perfectly normal thing to do. But apparently my mother saw it as something else. Not sure what but she said I spend too much time with him. She has reached her tipping point. She gave me an ultimatum. I either start dating or I will be disowned. I mean, I get it. The royal bloodline must be preserved and all that but seriously? I am half tempted to date an older woman just to get my mom off my back. I know it¡¯s foolish to hope for true love¡­ Since I have this ultimatum, I¡¯ll have to find somebody. I searched all over the kingdom for someone I would get along with. Going to parties and listening to the grape vine. Not only are all the older women either married or engaged. But I can''t even imagine loving any of them. I can''t trust they won''t pull an ''Erica'' on me. Even girls at the ages of twenty-five! I am grasping at straws here¡­ Of course, I eventually ran out of time and was kicked out of the home. Now I stand on the streets with only the clothes on my back. I grumble as I walk to the mage''s guild, only to find I had also been banned from going there. Luckily, I had left my pets with Jerald, so I know they are safe. I don''t want to drag my only friend into this. Realizing this I have two options now, live in squalor on the streets or leave the city for Peres. I sigh at my lack luster options. It¡¯s times like these where I wonder if the title ¡®villain¡¯ just gives me horrible luck. Whatever is the case I still won¡¯t do what the game demands. I will be good or at least a decent human being. The city of Peres is known as ¡®City of Crime¡¯ as most outcasts or outlaws live there. I could at least go there and not be judged¡­ Though my hair and eye color would give me away as the prince of Astria. Shade? Yes Master? Could you cover my hair and eyes in dark shadows? Of course, master. Good. For now, until I can find some hair dye this will work as a disguise. Leaving the city, I walk on foot to Peres. It takes me four days to reach the city. Approaching the border, I see people going about their days. Entering the city, I look around and eventually find a potions shop. Buying a potion to change my hair and eye color. Red hair and green eyes are those of the prince. Maybe I should go for blond? Brunette? Hmmm. I¡¯ll pick light blond for my hair and ocean blue for my eyes. Very good choice master. Of course, you would like the color blue Lake¡­ Time to get settled in the city of Peres I suppose. First order of business finding a job. I walk along then see a sign that I recognize. Adventurer''s guild. Of course there is one here¡­ This is a game after all. I sigh and walk in. Heading to the receptionist desk I look at the woman there ¡°Hi there sir! Would you like to submit a quest to the guild?¡± I shake my head ¡°No ma¡¯am. I would like to register into the guild please.¡± She nods her head ¡°Alright sir. Please fill out this form first.¡± She passes the form across the table.
Name: Carter Mckenly Gender: Male
Age: 21 Class: Summoner
Race: Human
Heh. Using my real life name as a fake name was brilliant. The receptionist looks over my paper then smiles ¡°Alright Mr. Mckenly. If you could go to the ranking test. It is the door to my right.¡± I nod and head over to the door. I take a deep breath and brace myself for whatever test they have planned. Heading into the room I see a man standing there with a large sword along his back. He grins wide ¡°Ah young adventure! Greetings. Are you ready to take on the rank test?¡± I swallow but nod ¡°Yes sir.¡± I am kind of nervous. How hard is this going to be? I watch as a dummy rises out of the floor and I get into a fighting stance. This challenge is too easy. Shade powers up my mana and I fling forth a black flame. It strikes the dummy and shatters its chest. The man claps and smiles ¡°Well done! You pass the basic adventure rank test.¡± That was it? He walks over and holds out a hand ¡°I am Richard. On behalf of the adventure guild I welcome you to our ranks.¡± I take his hand and shake it ¡°It¡¯s an honor sir.¡± he chuckles at that ¡°Your adventurer rank is Bronze. The highest rank is Platinum. Work hard and maybe in ten years you might get there.¡± I nod at that. So this is where normal players would go. Joining a guild to rank up and do quests. Leaving the room I head to the quest board. Perusing the quest board I sigh at the requirements. Most require you to have at least one other party member. There are collection quests so maybe I¡¯ll do one of those. Grabbing a herb collection quest I head to the receptionist. She stamps the quest with a smile ¡°Good luck adventure!¡± I nod to her and walk out the guild hall. On the sheet it says I have to go to the Everglades border. Walking there will take a few days¡­ I sigh. Guess I will have to do what I did to get to Peres. Hunt and cook as I travel. Walking out of the city I head for the Everglades. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Three days later, I finally reached the edge of the large forest. Long ago a barrier was put up around this forest by a great mage. Legend has it that the mage still lives since the barrier is still up. I am thinking maybe it¡¯s a dlc area? Or perhaps the legend is true and once you find the mage he opens up the Everglades. Whatever is the case I crouch near the edge and collect herbs. Few hours pass and I sigh exhausted. I sit down and look at my stats as I rest.
Name: Andras Kerrim Lorenz Hp: 25/25
Age: 21 Years Old Gender: Male Mp: 38/38
Class: Dark Summoner Title: Villain
Strength: 16 Dexterity: 15 Intelligence: 20 Wisdom: 19 Constitution: 16 Charisma: 17 Observation Level 15 Programming Level 13 Magic Proficiency Level 12 Magic Research Level 13 Water Magic Level 10 Wind Magic Level 10 Dark Magic Level 14 Poison Resistance Level 14 Disease Resistance Level 7 Enchanting Level 7 Pain Resistance Level 12 Acid Resistance Level 8 Burn Resistance Level 8 Potion Making Level 8 Summoning level 8
No real changes. Figures. Hmmm. Let¡¯s see what I can edit with programming. I can¡¯t give myself potion resistance since that would work on health potions. Maybe I can give myself Magic resistance? I wasn¡¯t able to before but my programming skill is at a higher level. [Skill Updated: Magic Resistance Level 1] Nice! Ugh oh god I feel so tired now though¡­ I close my eyes as I fall forward into the grass. I wake up slowly. The sky is dark as I rub my eyes. Damn I slept till night time? Guess magic resistance costs a lot of energy. I guess that makes sense. Standing I gather the remaining herbs then head off back to Peres. Three days later I arrived at the adventurer''s guild. I walk up to the receptionist and she smiles ¡°Welcome back adventure!¡± I nod to her and shift the basket of herbs onto the table ¡°Finished my quest ma¡¯am.¡± she hums as she casts a spell on it. She nods and holds out her hand ¡°The quest please?¡± I hand her the quest and she grabs the paper. She rolls it up and ties it to the basket. She shifts moving the basket to be behind her desk ¡°Thank you for completing this quest!¡± and she pulls a bag out from a drawer ¡°Here is your reward.¡± I grab the bag of coins and nod to her ¡°Thank you.¡± She just smiles and I walk away to the board. I count the coins and hum. 10 silver and 2 gold. If this was real life I would be rich. I step up to the board and look over the different quests. As I do I hear people begin to chatter. I look over at the growing commotion. Four people walk in and a man leads the party. I hear someone next to me say ¡°Is that the hero?¡± my heart drops into my stomach. I stare at the heroes party as they turn in their quest. I shift to a person and whisper ¡°That¡¯s the hero?¡± the man nods and whispers ¡°I know right? Only twenty years old. He was blessed with the hero title.¡± Same age as me¡­ Are they also a person from another world? Or is that just a coincidence? Either way I am going to stay the hell away from the hero. I shift and look at the man ¡°What rank is he?¡± the man strokes his chin ¡°I think Gold rank? He just passed Silver not too long ago. I hear he¡¯s been adventuring since he was fifteen if you believe the rumors.¡± Gold rank? If Bronze is low, then Silver would be next followed by Gold. That kid is strong then. Probably could sneeze and kill me. I hope my title as villain isn¡¯t visible to the hero. I mean I can¡¯t see his title so I should be safe. Plucking a quest to help clear out some slime from the sewer I shift as I approach the receptionist desk. I stand behind the hero¡¯s party as they all chatter about with her. The stress from this can¡¯t be good for my heart. One of the adventurer¡¯s turns to me and he raises a brow ¡°When did we get a magic caster in our group?¡± as he says this all eyes turn to me. The hero makes eye contact. At this moment I want to fall into a hole. I awkwardly wave ¡°Um no. I just need to sign up for this next quest.¡± The hero blinks then smiles ¡°Ah right! Sorry were we in your way sir?¡± I swallow and shake my head ¡°Not really. I only just stepped into line.¡± the ranger, I assume, eyes me up and down ¡°Are you alone?¡± I feel their eyes drill into me. A cold feeling crosses onto my back and I shift looking to Shade. Shade grins as he speaks ¡°My master has me.¡± I smile lightly then nod ¡°This is my dark elemental.¡± The three look a little nervous. But the hero gapes ¡°Holy shit. That''s¡­ So cool!¡± I blink as he steps forward ¡°I thought my fire elemental looked cool but that- Oh man that¡¯s the coolest thing I have ever seen!¡± I shift my eyes left and right ¡°I see? Well if you don¡¯t mind-¡± he tilts his head then nods as he steps out of the way ¡°Right, sorry, got overly excited there.¡± I step forward to the receptionist. As I do, I hear ¡°It¡¯s just like anime.¡± I pause as I push forward the quest I had in hand. Did I just hear what I thought I heard? I get it stamped then turn to look at the heroes party ¡°Excuse me.¡± I pass them and the hero shifts seeing my quest ¡°That quest says slimes right? Maybe we can help you? I honestly want to see how your shadow elemental attacks things.¡± I should say no. But this would give me a great look at how strong the hero is. What I have to prepare for if the hero finds out that I¡¯m the villain. I shrug ¡°Sure. Follow me I guess.¡± and the party of four follows me. The hero steps to my side ¡°I am Tyson. What''s your name?¡± I shift, eyeing him ¡°Carter.¡± he smiles and holds out a hand ¡°Carter, good name!¡± we soon reach the sewers. Entering the sewers we begin to hunt down on the slimes. The hero''s party makes these slimes into puddles in seconds. I am just baffled as I sit back watching. Tyson slashes on a slime then shouts ¡°Hell yeah! Leveled up!¡± Leveled up? Hold on there are levels? I don¡¯t have a level for myself, just my stats¡­ Is that how the hero differs from the villain? Or does the hero have both and I am just screwed? In any case as long as he never finds out that I have the villain title I am safe. We keep delving for a bit and eventually finish the quest. Heading out of the sewers Tyson approaches me ¡°Nice work out there Carter! You know¡­ Our party doesn¡¯t have a magic user. We could really use a decent one. I don¡¯t know who the villain is so I want to be prepared.¡± Well shit. I could say no. But then when would I get a chance to personally observe the hero''s growth. I mean¡­ If we do become friends and he finds out¡­ Hmmm That might not be the best plan actually. I shake my head ¡°Sorry but I rather quest alone. If you ever need advice on magical things I would be happy to help.¡± Tyson frowns but nods ¡°Fair enough. Well then Carter I¡¯ll see you another time.¡± and after turning in the quest we part ways. Now I can do a quest for steady work. I can think of where I want to go next. Chapter 12: Planning Time Seven whole years have passed since then. I have been a busy body. Every day has been honestly great living like a normal person. Well a normal adventurer. I have managed to send a few letters to Jerald in this time. Even managing to meet him in secret and checking in on my pets. Jerald when he first learned I was okay was ecstatic. He also questioned why I didn¡¯t reach out sooner. I explained all that occurred on the day I was disowned and the truth of my family. He stared at me then pulled me in for a hug. It was the second time in this life that I had cried. After calming down we continued talking and meeting. If I had a quest taking me to the Kingdom of Grender I would hop onto Jerald¡¯s merchant ship. Besides keeping my only friend in contact I have been making guild friends. So far Tyson is actually a nice guy. I really hope he never finds out I am the villain. The rest of his party are reasonable and friendly enough. Tyson sometimes slips things from the real world into conversation. Like cars or anime references. I was so close to accidentally revealing myself to him. While Tyson is a nice guy, I don¡¯t know if he is working for Dr. Sullivan. If I bring up Dr. Sullivan and he is working for the man, then I just outed myself. It¡¯s too big of a risk. Like what if he was told the villain was another player? Or hell, what if this is an actual beta tester that consented unlike me? What if he chose to be here? There are many different bad things that could come from going down that route. So I just never bring it up. Besides him his other team members are Harvey, Kensly and Willow. Harvey is easy enough to get along with, though he has asked me to steal things for him. Kensly doesn¡¯t trust me much and I don¡¯t trust her. She¡¯s a rogue so I get not trusting me, but I don¡¯t trust her since she always tries to snoop in my bag. Lastly Willow is kind enough and has good aim for her bow. I am now gold rank and the heroes party is platinum rank. From what Tyson has told me they have slain dragons and have brought peace to nations. He has even joked the villain must be too scared to attack him. He wouldn¡¯t be wrong. Other than that I have been working on learning more magic. Slowly increasing my mana resistance. I can only do it once per day, usually either passing out when I do. So far I have given myself the best chance of living through anything the hero throws at me. Though I hope to never fight him, he is a monster on the field of battle. A true main character type. Overly powerful with unscalable limits. I am sure there is some balancing somewhere but I just don¡¯t see it. What I do know is that most of the Kingdom of Astria think Andras is dead. That¡¯s right my mother killed me off! A declaration that I was assassinated was sent across the entire lands. Are they kidding me? Furthermore they labeled me as a ¡®sailor¡¯s play thing¡¯ and brought in Jerald¡¯s family. How day she!? Not only that they brought up how I was a ¡®disturbed child¡¯ that was far too intelligent for my age. How It was clear now that I was a villain and it was good that I was dead. If they want a villian? I''ll give them a villian. They deserve to suffer after what they put me through. First I have to get Jerald in on this plan. I don¡¯t want him to suffer from my mother bringing his family into this. What¡¯s with the whole ¡®sailor¡¯s play thing¡¯ part anyhow? Is it possible that¡­ My mother thought I was selling myself to the sailors? I mean that makes the disownment make more sense at least. In any case she has targeted my friend''s honor! This won¡¯t stand. If I don¡¯t clear this up then no woman will ever want to marry Jerald. He deserves a good life! But how will I get back at my mother and father? Looking into the royal laws of Astria I find a very funny clause. If I win against my father in a duel to the death then I can take the throne. An old that that was never removed or changed. If I use this then¡­ I could take everything from them. But this would forever truly make me a villain. I tried to be the good guy and live a peaceful life. But they are abusing their power as royals. I will have to get myself trained on laws and how to run a country properly before I do this. I half paid attention to my tutor in my youth so I had a bit to catch up on. Once I am able to take down my family and control the throne I will make sure Astria prospers. This might be a bit self righteous but hell¡­ I think I could run the kingdom fairly by myself. Maybe even have Jerald as my advisor. Whatever I decide I know what my goal is now. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. First order of business was working to clear away the rumors. I went around in my disguise and paid people to stop them. Soon as spring passed the rumors were quelled enough to not be a problem. Next was learning how to run a whole nation. What tax laws and other kingdom things I would need to know. This was just a lot of studying but I managed to understand a majority at the end of three months. I then set my sights on the noble households of Astria. I will need good favor with them as the prince to turn them over. Jerald will be by my side so that''s one out of four down. The three other marque houses should be easy to sway with money or land. So I seek out house Yulfron first. Their house is big in the military and many of their sons have fought as knights. I spoke with the head of the house, Darvin and he was shocked to see I was alive. Soon with a small amount of coin and a promise to keep his family in the military I have his support. The second house of Savtors was a bit harder to convince. They had heard the rumors of me being evil and didn¡¯t trust me. But months of schmoozing with them at parties and proving to be a good man they eventually agreed. They just wanted to be assured that they could still run the newspapers in the city. I gave them my word and moved on to the last house hold. The Balfords are a strong house who study in laws. They refused to speak with me for weeks. That is until the other two houses sent word of my intentions. After a long four month discussion we came to a deal. I would change some of the laws to make Astria less restrictive on marriage. Don¡¯t know why sir Morgan wanted that but I agreed. Now with these houses on my side I worked to discuss with them my plans. From then until the present day I was sending letters back and forth between the four. Learning more about Darvin Yulfron and his love for a good fight. About how Issac Savtor loves to gossip and eavesdrop at parties and how Morgan Balford, while gruff and stoic, is kind. It feels good to have some friends besides Jerald. But I don¡¯t know if I can truly trust them. So far they have been helping during this time but how much of that is for themselves? Looking at my stats I ponder what else I can do.
Name: Andras Kerrim Lorenz Hp: 36/36
Age: 27 Years Old Gender: Male Mp: 49/49
Class: Dark Summoner Title: Villain
Strength: 18 Dexterity: 17 Intelligence: 24 Wisdom: 22 Constitution: 18 Charisma: 19 Observation Level 20 Programming Level 15 Magic Proficiency Level 15 Magic Research Level 15 Water Magic Level 17 Wind Magic Level 18 Dark Magic Level 19 Poison Resistance Level 14 Disease Resistance Level 7 Enchanting Level 9 Pain Resistance Level 16 Acid Resistance Level 12 Burn Resistance Level 14 Potion Making Level 16 Summoning level 21 Magic Resistance Level 7
My stats are good for the moment. Still don¡¯t know why I don¡¯t have a level. Maybe I scale to the hero? Who knows really. In any case I think I am as ready as I''ll ever be for the dual with my father. I just hope my new friends will stand by my side. Chapter 13: Fight for the throne It takes three days to arrive back in Astria. I am feeling very nervous but I won¡¯t back down. I have the support I need and I know I can stand up to my father. I walk through the streets of Astria still in my disguise. Heading to the main castle and using shadow magic to get past all of the guards. I pass through all the doors and stand before the large doors to the throne room. I drop the disguise and come out of the shadows. I step into the throne room throwing open the doors. I yell out ¡°Father! I challenge you to a duel!¡± my parts look at me from their thrones in shock. ¡°Andras? How are you alive?!¡± I walk closer as magic gathers at my fingertips ¡°I was never dead.¡± My father scowls and stands ¡°Guards!¡± they rush me but I easily push them back with my dark magic. I shout ¡°Face me like a man!¡± I smirk as he grabs his blade from his scabbard. My father rushes forward and swings his blade. I react using Gale¡¯s wind to swiftly dodge the hit. But my father turns fast, cutting my back with his sword. I recoil in pain but quickly back off. Waving my hand I send out waves of black flames. My father brings up a golden shield of light. I shift and fade into the shadows casted on the ground. Popping back up I slam black fire into my father. He lets out a scream of pain ¡°Ahhhh!¡± I take a few steps back. The knights around the throne room see the king losing. They start to walk closer. I wave a hand and call forth my elementals to form a wall. Gale shifting wind, Lake adding in water and Leonidus roaring at any knight who gets too close. I slam my pommel into my father¡¯s side ¡°This is a duel. Only he and I can finish this.¡± The knights standing on the other side of the wall make some protest but I ignore them. Looking at my father and stepping closer to him. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. My father falls to his knees as I push him to the floor. My mother cowering as she cries out ¡°My love!¡± I ignore her as I bring my blade up to his chin. I press my sword against my father¡¯s neck, he looks up at me as he kneels. He scowls as he spits up some blood ¡°You¡­ You dare take the throne demon spawn!?¡± I stare down at him. I do not think he deserves a response but¡­ I am a villain so I should make a speech right? I think for a moment before smiling. ¡°If I am the spawn of a demon then I should be glad. At least now I can live on without calling you my father.¡± He scowls and I laugh ¡°You really should have kept a better eye out for me. I heard everything about your plans to make me stronger.¡± He pales as I continue ¡°You poisoned me, got Sarah to beat me and infect me with illness. It''s a pure miracle that I am alive!¡± I glance at my mother ¡°I hope that you know that¡­ I wanted to find a wife, but I couldn¡¯t trust any woman in this kingdom to not try what Erica did. I am sorry mother.¡± I then take a step closer to my father and take his crown off his head. I take a deep breath ¡°You wanted a villain. Now you have one.¡± I shift as shadows flicker across my skin. I watch as horror fills their expressions as I make my appearance quite frightening. I know it¡¯s bad to feel this good but¡­ I was never really a good guy to begin with was I? Chapter 14: Reclaiming Honor It feels good seeing years of planning fall into place. Watching my parents try and beg me for forgiveness. It''s honestly what a villain would do but¡­ Right now I don''t care. I mean they did this to themselves. If they were loving parents, maybe I would be more merciful. But the law says I have to finish the job so with a swift swing of my sword I end my father¡¯s life. My mother screams in horror but it is cut off as I twist my blade to her next. I stare at her and sigh ¡°I did love you.¡± and slash down her chest to end her life. Now their bodies lay before me on the floor. I feel a bit numb but maybe it¡¯s shock? I turn to face the knights in the royal room ¡°I am now king of Astria. Kneel before your king!¡± The knights all shift before kneeling. I raise my blade above my head ¡°To a new age for all!¡± I stab my blade into the floor and turn walking to the throne. Sitting down I feel a weight growing in my chest. I see flicks of darkness bleeding out of me. I sit up as the feeling of numbness fades. Oh god. I just killed two people¡­ I killed my parents. Even if they were cruel¡­ I committed murder. I can¡¯t go back now. I have become my title. Shade? Yes master? Reel in your shadows. I take a deep breath ¡°We will begin our changes to Astria after word gets out. There is a new king.¡± the knights just nod and I sit on the throne. Moving my father¡¯s crown to fit better. It feels heavy on my head. I smile as I sit down on the throne. Looking out at the crowd that had formed inside the castle. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. After getting the guards to calm down the crowds I call in my allies. They gather in the throne room and we have a meeting. It goes on for hours about the different changes that will be made to the kingdom. First, Issac Savtor is now the branch manager of the local newspaper. Second, Darvin Yulfron now is the head of Astria¡¯s royal knights. Third, Morgan Balford is now on the Astria court of justice. Lastly my right hand man Jerald Hawthorn is now my personal advisor. Now as king there are a few things I need to get into place. Mainly assuring the kingdom overseas that I will keep peace. So I send word to the Kingdom of Grender that I have taken the throne. I also include that I would renew our treaty for another hundred years. Next is the nation of Koro, they tend to keep to themselves but I send a letter anyways. Finally I sent a letter to the city of Morten since they have connections to Lauster and Rendus. I hope that I can hear from them soon and can get recognized nationwide. I am going to look through our laws and the markets to see what I need to change. There isn¡¯t much I need to do myself since I have people I can hire for it. But I want to handle the paperwork myself. Looking over the city plans for Astria and our current debt I sigh. Of course my father left me with debt. What else is new? I can solve this with trade routes or maybe I could just hire people to earn me money. This will probably take some time so I don¡¯t really have to worry about it at the moment. I lean back on the throne after I finish looking over everything. I am not worried about the future. I have the skills to help me withstand any assassins and good friends to help me run this nation. I think that I can rule Astria, even if the people see me as a villain. Epilogue It''s been over six years since then. I sit on my throne as heroes come to fight me. Every single one falling to beat my elementals. Do I regret my choice? Not really. It¡¯s fun being a villain. I have come to accept that I will never escape this game world. My friend Jerald has gotten married and has his own son. I am happy for him. For me I don¡¯t think I will marry for love. I will just marry some chick and have an heir. I don¡¯t know if I could trust my wife if I do this. But I don¡¯t want to not have kids. I have changed many of the laws regarding child care. No more corporal punishment. It will take a few generations for that to take effect but at least it¡¯s illegal to beat kids. I also outlawed slavery because apparently that was a law. I had to outlaw a bunch of different medieval laws. No beating women, forcing them to marry you, and a ton of other laws. Surprisingly the magic laws are the most reasonable. I thought there would be a few loopholes in them but the legalities of magic are pretty clear cut. I did eventually have my own son with a woman named Janett. I don¡¯t really love this girl but seeing this child¡­ I held him in my arms and I felt love again. It hurts to remember what Erica did to me but¡­ I think loving my son and raising him maybe can help me heal. Make it not so scary to feel at least platonic love. I named him Walter Jerald Lorenz, Jerald was very happy to hear his name was used for the middle name. His son Jonas and Walter get along well enough and I am sure they will be best friends. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. The other noble households I aided have flourished with the new polices. While having the title of villain some noble households have tried to take me down with assassins. The three I trust always alert me about them. I believe that we have become friends and I trust them like with Jerald. I have been healing but I know that these wounds on my heart will forever remain. I don¡¯t believe I will ever have a normal relationship with women but that¡¯s okay. Janett seems content with our small chats and the tea dates she insists on. All in all life is good. Well as good as it could be for a villain. I know one day Tyson will come and take me down but¡­ I kind of look forward to that fight. I won''t go down easily. Till then I will enjoy being a father while I can. I thought about naming my son Carter but decided not to. I mean I am not really Carter anymore. That man is either dead or in a coma. Who knows, but I do know I am Andras Kerrim Lorenz and I am the villain.