"Mid silver?! And a dual elemental mage too!? What kind of human are you?"

Commented the shocked Feyrith as he walked around me in circles seemingly studying me.

"Fire and Earth too. It's unfortunate that a pretty boy like you can't use magma like us dwarves."

Said Doradrea as she too joined Feyrith and the two circled around me.

"Why the hell are you praising him! I'm dual elemental too you know! Even though I'm just light yellow but that's still impressive!"

Claire pouted and glared at the two. The surrounding got silent and a heavy veil of awkwardness fell upon us.

".... Claire, you're 22 and soon turning 23. Stop acting like a kid."

Theodore intervened

"What did you say!?"

"Yeah Claire, You're the oldest here be mature enough. You're also the party leader."

and Feyrith added some fuel to the already enormous fire.

"Oh"

"Yeah and fire and earth sounds cooler than fire and wind." Said Doradrea as Claire's figure shrunk even more.

"Fire and earth is a good balance between offense and defense unlike both fire and wind whose all offense."
Kathlyn said not as a joke but as a fact.

Claire died.

"It depends, both fire and wind really compliments each other as wind can boost the fire's firepower a lot." I said to decrease some of her suffering.

"Really?!"

Oh she's alive again.

"Yes?"

"Yeah he's accepted."

"How can you just trust him easily like that!"

Curtis argued towards the people who've already accepted me to the party which contains Claire and Theodore the strongest in the party.

"He's my sister's age and he's mid silver? That's just don't sit right for me. So I'm against it."

"I agree with Curtis. I can't just trust someone out of nowhere especially after what happened back then."

Clive supported Curtis's argument and is also wary of me. Clive got a little better over all and it seems like he's not a simp anymore. I didn't know the impact of the first attack still lingers in their mind.

“Well it's easy to convince us. Just take your shirt of and turn around. ”

Curtis said with a serious tone amd everyone's head snapped towards him.

“Curtis... I didn't know that you're like that.”

Theodore said with a grim tone as he looked down the ground.

“Huh? What?”

It looks like Curtis still doesn't get it but soon reality will hit him hard.

“Don't worry, mother will accept it but I think father will have a difficult time to accept it fully.”

“Ah- wait! I didn't mean it like that! I mean the runes! Show us your back if you really are not an enemy!”

He shouted as he pointed his index finger at me. Him saying those words made an awkward silence as I tilted my head to the side.

“Brother... That is still a classified information.”

“Oh shi-

“Language!”

Claire interrupted him and looked at me with a professional look. A stone mask was put on her face as she sends me a fake smile.

“It's a classified information but now that you know about it, it's okay for you to show your back right? We will explain later what it means.”

I nodded my head and started taking off my shirt. The information about the runes here is still a secret and not a public knowledge. I really am disappointed. That's one of the Asura's last help to you people and your not using it to its full potential.

“Damn”

“wow”

“Hmm”

“Good lord”

I turned around in circles two times to show that my back don't have a single rune carved on it.

“Yeah, you pass. Sorry 'bout that.”

“It's okay, there's nothing bad on being aware of your surroundings.”

“So Prince Curtis, mind telling me about the runes?”

“Don't call me that, I'm not a prince anymore. It's quite refreshing. I think I remembered myself saying that to him once.”

“Him?”

“Just an old friend. Then Ath, we welcome you to the party. We still haven't had our first raid because we don't have an AA-rank here but since your now here then we'll all be able to proceed.”

The enthusiastic Curtis happily said while welcoming me with open hands.

It kind of surprised me that Claire is not allowed to go to a dungeon because she and Theodore are at least an A-rank.

“Well since we won't be doing anything today, We will go for a drink!”

Claire said with an upbeat tone and all of the members agreed. After all, everyone here is now an adult and can take care of themselves without their parents bugging them. Well, except Curtis and Kathlyn.

We went to a pub that's is not so popular and got seated. We were seated on an eight seat table which for some reason is different than the other table.

“We are regulars here, and this table is made just for us. Amazing right?”

“Yes but it's more amazing that you bragging about being an alcoholic.”

“Shut up new guy! your party leader will show you how it's done!”

___________________

“So... who's gonna carry Claire?”

The seven of us surrounded Claire who is laying on the top of the table, passed out and will not wake up for another hour. Without Claire, Theodore becomes the one in charge for this party.

“Why don't you carry her, Theodore. You're the strongest here.”

“You arrowhead bastard, just because I'm the strongest doesn't automatically make me the carrier!”

“Theo, Claire is your friend.”

“Prince lion head, he is also your friend. ”

“We will draw lots.” Theodore said gaining the attention of the two conjurers.

“I disagree, there are three conjurers here and I think that's a job for you augmenters.”

“Hmm hmm”

The two conjurers disagreed with the draw lots and Theodore seens in conflict with himself. His attention then fell to me.

“Ath! what do you think?”

Yeah, this party without Claire will probably die in a dungeon, not in a fight but the most stupid reason.

“I think that you should do it. You can use gravity after all.”

“I didn't even think of that...”

“I will leave for now, good bye. ”

“Wait A-

Eclipse step really is a very useful tool in getting me out of troublesome situations. I need to do something to make this even more powerful. But how? With my strength and the abilities I have, it seems pretty unlikely for me to find a way but...

ah that's it.

That might work if I put some idea on it. But that is for next time. I'll just sleep for now.

___________________

“Just make the mana flow towards every vein of your body.”

I advice Kathlyn to take the assimilation slowly and don't absorb the core yet but, she is stubborn.

In just 4 days, she completely absorbed the core and she came knocking on my door in the middle of the night as her mana core is 'hurts'.

So I regulated her mana temporarily and I started the assimilation the next morning.

It has been 3 days since I started helping her assimilate and it is going smooth so far. But today is different, I need to help her earlier as we will go to our next raid this afternoon and will stay at the beast glades for a month.

“It's done”

“Thank you"

“I will return to my room. Go there if you want a fast transportation.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

Even though I still don't know what my purpose here in this continent, I still have to figure a way to figure out the truth about this body.

Though my mind is contained with this topic, I started to move towards my own room, leaving Kathlyn's living quarters. But this topic can't really escape my mind.

Not only that Asmodeus didn't appear anymore in my dreams but my continuing growth with using destruction have stopped. As if my body have hit the limit meter and I need to breakthrough it again.

That's why I made Regis stock up as many destruction as possible. I need to bring this body to its limit and unlock another of Asmodeus's techniques.

What is strange for me is that even though I'm inheriting his technique, runes don't appear on my body unlike what Agrona said.

Arriving at my room, I didn't bother closing the door and didn't bother to change nor put on another set of clothes over my current one. The same black pants and black long sleeved shirt accompanies me as I don't feel cold or hot whatever the weather condition is.

I just sat on my bed with the lights of the ever white walls surrounding me illuminated, hitting my eyes with one of the things I really hate, brightness.

“Technique inherited by the body appears mostly in some kind of way. But most of it appears as a rune”

Those words coming from Agrona hit me randomly. That is what he told me yet nothing has happened to this body. He told me this when he's beating the shit out of me inside his so called "aether orb copy" that he created.

Now that we're on that, I still do not know what shit he's been doing that made him gain other Asuran mana arts. I believe that some of it can be learned but it doesn't explain those techniques.

Forget about those techniques, he literally defies every single rules supported by common sense. Though he might have a multiple personality disorder, he is bearable. For now.

“Ath” a soft yet cold voice called out to me, making my head snap towards it's direction

“Yes?” I answered the ice princess as I signalled her to come in.

She shook her head and I realized that I, a man she only knew for a few days invited her alone in his room. This is a behavior not only in this world but in the past as well, royalties are trained not to go alone somewhere secluded even if it's someone you trust the most.

After all, if something bad happens to one of them, then a whole country might fall. Just a simple mistake could lead to a shitty situation like that.

I saw this happen back then to a newly elected king in a neighboring country. I realized my mistake and immediately asked for an apology.

“I'm sorry about that. I'll go out now.”

Standing up from the soft mattress. I walked out the room and so as Kathlyn. She is now dressed with an all black mage robe that suits her personality pretty well. I'll be surprised if she wore something bright as that's unlikely like her.

“Princess-

“I told you not to call me that.”

“Pardon me, but you shouldn't wear such colors. Dungeons are dark so it can lessen your figure to your party and with me using fire at the back, it will be very hot inside. I suggest changing to a more lighter color.”

She just looked at me and looked down.

“I do not have such clothing.”

Ah, it seems like she misunderstood.

“You can change in something like a white mage's robe. You can also get a gray or blue one. I think that'll fit you.”

“I see, then I will change.”

I nodded and there she goes back to her room, I waited for a few minutes and she's surprisingly back. Unlike a normal girl, Kathlyn actually changes clothes quite fast.

Kathlyn stood in front of me clad in a white robe designed with dark blue lines around it. She stood awkwardly beside me in silence.

“Shall we go?”

“Hmm”

Feeling a bit awkward not knowing where to put my hand on, I grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her closer to me as I activated eclipse step.

____________________

Arriving outside the pub we previously ate before, I let go of Kathlyn before going inside and spotted everyone there except Theodore.

Everyone welcomed us very well unlike the last time. Now that we're almost complete, I needed to ask the question.

“So? Where's Theodore?”

“He went to get the carriage we rented. We'll go once he arrives.”

Answered Claire which I replied with a nod. The conversation continued but it went to random topics and is mostly questions about my identity. Where I'm from, what school I went to and my history. Which I replied  with the most basic yet uncounterable answers.

“So Ath, you are so pretty! Do you have a girlfriend?”

Claire ask the most out of the pocket things out of everyone here but I'll just need to survive a few minutes before Theodore comes back so I'll endure it.

“Actually I ha-

“Claire! I'm here. Get all of their asses outside! We will go now!”

Theo's loud voice was heard and not just our party but everyone in the pub were startled by his voice.

Without even needing Claire's order we all stood up and walked to the door.

I've only been here for almost a week and a half but I don't have any issues with it. I am actually okay with this, and it shows me that not everyone deserves hatred by just one mistake as everyone makes mistakes at least once in their life time.

Truth be told, I may be starting to enjoy this. Adventuring again and wandering around this continent. I'll now be raiding dungeons with my former(?) friends and unbeknownst to them that I'm back. Yeah, I really am back.