Classes and subclasses.
They were once key elements of the game Aetherum, as they granted access to a specific skill tree.
Normally, players could learn various "ordinary" skills, except those exceeding a certain level of mastery.
Once a skill had evolved too far, you needed a class that included it in its skill tree.
Thus, an archer could never surpass a swordsman or a knight specialized in the art of the sword.
'Do I still have access to the game system?' he wondered as he ate a piece of meat in front of him.
Dean figured he couldn't be sure without trying.
Even though he didn't see the "menu" option, he spoke the voice command to display his stats.
"Status…" he said casually.
The maids around him glanced at their young master, but no one reacted.
Darcy furrowed her brows a little more upon hearing that strange word.
She mistakenly thought her brother was teasing her again, despite their critical situation.
'It's certain, Papa is going to kill me,' she thought, clenching her small fists under the table.
Their delay was due to the original Geppeto's negligence, but Baron Emrys had always been lenient toward his son.
Unlike Darcy's mother, Geppeto's mother had been the baron's true love.
"Are you constipated?" Geppeto asked reflexively, after noticing his half-sister's anger slowly building.
In normal circumstances, Dean would never have bullied a little girl like Darcy. Yet the idea of seeing her even angrier awakened something unknown in him… but pleasurable.
"Die," she said bluntly, crossing her arms and turning her head away.
A clear attempt to sulk, but one that just looked adorable in her big brother's eyes.
After a while, a silence gradually settled between the two siblings.
While Darcy sulked lightly, Geppeto reflected on the overall situation.
The old Emrys had left for his lands and wouldn't return for some time.
That meant, for now, he would be spared the baron's oversight.
Not that he was afraid of his new biological father, but losing part of his memories would be bad news.
After all, he was the baron's only legitimate heir, and rumors of a potential mental issue would harm both his reputation and his father's.
"Very well."
Geppeto spoke without much enthusiasm, after gracefully wiping his mouth.
Once his meal was finished, he began observing Darcy again.
As the daughter of the baron's eighth wife, she held relatively little influence in the domain.
However, she managed to stand out from Geppeto's other half-sisters thanks to her sharp mind.
She was thus a capable and promising young woman, but neither Geppeto nor Dean remembered her mother's name.
It must be said that the baron knew how to appreciate the comforts of noble life—a trait his son had unfortunately inherited.
Darcy, unaware that she was under her brother's scrutinizing gaze, simply thought he had finally finished his meal and pressed again:
"Let's go, time is short. The fencing master Léon is a rather strict man."
Geppeto let out a weary sigh but agreed to follow Darcy.
He would have liked to explore the manor, but Darcy didn't seem willing to let him skip this training session.
He decided to put it off for later.
Geppeto and Darcy hurried into the carriage that had been waiting for some time and finally set off for the church.
…
The sound of the carriage wheels could be heard as the coachman expertly guided the horses along the road paved with uneven stones.
The ground was very rough, and the journey proved somewhat uncomfortable, as the carriage frequently jolted its passengers.
Geppeto sat next to Darcy, and the familiar light fragrance emanating from her calmed him.
However, the carriage ride was truly too uncomfortable for a man of the 21st century like Dean.
Having lived in a technologically more advanced era, he had never experienced anything like this.
After a few moments trying to get used to it, Geppeto gave up and let himself drift into the arms of Morpheus.
He adopted a position his body deemed comfortable and leaned slightly onto poor Darcy's shoulder.
The young girl was very displeased.
She glanced at Geppeto's legs in front of her and slightly furrowed her brows, feeling the weight of his head on her shoulder.
"Geppeto, can't you place your legs and head properly? You are a noble, and you must behave as such," she said in an authoritative tone.
Unfortunately, her interlocutor ignored this attempt at intimidation from the noble girl.
"I'll just lie down a bit. I didn't sleep well last night, after all," he replied without much thought.
He kept his position in the carriage.
To his surprise, Darcy didn't argue further about his behavior.
She bit her lip slightly, a hint of worry crossing her youthful face.
After a few minutes of inner struggle, she finally decided to ask her brother cautiously:
"Is it because of 'her'?"
Geppeto didn't answer, so Darcy continued:
"Actually, there's no need to worry. No matter what happens, that woman is officially engaged to you. I don't think her father would dare defy Baron Emrys's will. Sooner or later, she'll have to marry you."
Darcy paused briefly before adding:
"Personally, I advise you to improve her favor toward you. It would be troublesome if she brought you a bastard after—or before—the wedding."
Though Geppeto kept his eyes closed, he could sense Darcy's concern.
She clearly didn't want to see her brother suffer because of a woman.
'That woman…? Is she referring to Loïs? The original fiancée of my avatar in the game?' he thought, inwardly frowning.
Aetherum was a game that offered great freedom with NPCs, all managed by AIs.
There was even an adult mode.
Every NPC and avatar had a backstory: the developer provided the foundation, but left the rest to fate.
Was that strange? Not really.
The game's creators wanted a world that could evolve based on players' actions.
There wasn't even a pause option, and automatic mode could lead to the player's avatar dying if it wasn't in a safe zone.
Dean had had several avatars before Geppeto. That was also why he was confused to see his character young again.
Normally, you couldn't restart an avatar's story or reload the game at the same period.
Once the avatar died, you had to start over with a new avatar and a new base story.
As for Geppeto's base story? A fallen noble.
'For now, I'm still a noble, but…' he thought without finishing.
Geppeto was a character born in the wrong place at the wrong time, given the events to come.
Unconsciously, he began to feel irritated as he recalled his avatar's base story.
He pulled back the carriage curtains to get some fresh air but shivered in the cold breeze.
"Winter is coming…" Geppeto exclaimed reflexively.