…
Some time passed, and Cassien was waiting right outside his family's expensive royal carriage.
Cassien glanced down at his watch.
He tapped his jaw, his patience loosening slightly.
'It's 8:50 AM, and her school begins at 9. In what world does she expect us to get there on time?'
Little is known about Cassien Artfold's past, beyond his status as a low-ranking noble and the fact that his mother died bringing him into the world.
He tried to resurface the reason for her death exactly, but it didn't come back to him.
Back to the main point at hand, Cassien's little sister's class starts in ten minutes.
For context, ten minutes wasn't nearly enough time to travel from the Artfold estate to the elementary school Alexandria attended, tucked deep within the royal capital. Still, Cassien didn't question it.
In the end, he just rolled with it.
...
"Finally, you're here."
"Sorry, big brother!" Her glamorous look made him rethink his choice of words. "I was simply getting dressed."
Cassien smiled and patted her head. "That's alright. You're my favorite person in the world, after all."
Alexandria Artfold smiled proudly. "This is nothing." She bowed neatly. "Now, big brother, we should get going. Time's of the essence."
Cassien looked at her and nodded. "After you, my lady."
Alexandria laughed, then stepped inside the carriage. Two guards stood around it, ready to protect them from any danger.
Cassien studied them. Their movements, their actions, even their looks.
'No way in hell would these guys be able to defeat even the lowest-ranked demons.'
He followed in behind, while Tiara, the maid, hopped onto the horse at the front.
He studied her as well.
'She's powerful. For sure.'
There was no specific reason, but Cassien has always been an elite observer, even without his pistol.
The siblings finally entered the small royal carriage.
...
Bam.
The door shut behind them. The two sat across from each other as Cassien stared out the window.
Alexandria was a small, eleven-year-old girl with curly light brown hair that fell to her chest. Her green eyes matched her father's.
She wore a bright yellow dress today, one that would definitely steal the hearts of every little boy in the school.
Cassien took after his mother, while Alexandria took after her father.
Even so, they were always friendly with each other as siblings.
"You've always been like that, big brother. It's almost like you're cautious with every step you take, which is why I admire you so much."
Cassien turned his gaze back to her and smiled. "Oh, do I now? I've been told that multiple times, but this is the first time I've heard it from you."
"Well, it's not often we get time to chat. Especially with your schedule lately, and the academy coming up in the next couple of days." She exhaled, clearly disappointed.
He patted her head, then wrapped his right arm around her, rubbing his fist gently against her light-brown hair.
"Oh, don't say such gruesome things. This is just a busy time. We'll get to talk more in the coming days."
That was a lie.
But a smart one.
Because he was bonding with her, and connections like those are exactly what he needs to progress through the story.
Cassien already understood where he would be going.
The Rosguard Academy.
Most royals get free entry, but commoners have to fight for a spot during the trials.
Alexandria laughed as the carriage continued to roll.
------------------------
[Sync Percentage: 1%]
└ Cassien typically treats his sister with special care, which you did fluently. Well done.
[2 Character Points Received!]
------------------------
'I'll add them later.'
…
Some time passed.
Cassien looked down at his watch.
9:30 AM.
Here, class already started, but Alexandria's mind had other ideals...
'Just in time.'
Cassien walked Alexandria to her class, then left through the main hall exit.
Nobody argued she was late.
And Cassien was just left to think of the horrifying events of what would've occurred if he were late to one of his side jobs in his old life.
...
On his way back to the carriage, he gave the two guards and the maid a message.
"No need to take me. I want to explore the royal capital more anyway," he said. "I'm used to it, but I want to clear my head with a short walk. You guys can go without me."
Tiara looked at him, then nodded.
"As you wish, young master."
Hipp.
She struck the horse with a long belt, and the carriage began to move.
Cassien gave them one last wave until they disappeared.
Then he turned around, looked back at the elementary school, and smiled maliciously.
"Status."
------------------------
Level: 1
[Attributes]
Strength: 6
Agility: 8
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 9
Perception: 10
Luck: 4
------------------------
"Add one character point to intelligence and the other to perception," he said.
------------------------
Level: 1
[Attributes]
Strength: 6
Agility: 8
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 9 → 10
Perception: 10 → 11
Luck: 4
[Mana Updated]
Current Mana: 40 → 41
Maximum Mana: 40-> 41
Mana Recovery: 1.2 per minute
------------------------
'There we go. Some progress.'
------------------------
[Sync Percentage Reset]
------------------------
BOOM!
'What the fuck is happening over there in her school?!'
Cassien had barely begun to leave for the royal capital when a violent explosion ripped through the air behind him, shaking the ground and dragging his gaze back.
Boom.
"Ahhhh!"
Screams and flames burst out from the elementary school.
The same one he had just left Alexandria in.
Cassien's hand moved instantly to the handle of his Glock.
"Fuck off." He ran forward as more screams echoed out. "I have to help my sister."
As he neared the gate, he spotted bandits dressed in black guarding the broken fence.
Two of them.
One large, one smaller.
Cassien ducked behind a brick wall to the left.
He pulled out his pistol without hesitation.
------------------------
[Weapon Equipped]
[Skills Active]
Basic Firearm Handling Lv. 1
Quick Draw Lv. 1
Observation Lv. 2
------------------------
Cassien leaned out quickly, gripping the gun tightly, and aimed straight for the bigger one's head through the rigid cracks in between the fences.
He needed a perfect shot or else they would catch on quick.
It seemed they were enclosed within a thin light-green barrier.
But in the novel, firearms can pierce weak barriers as long as the user's stats are higher than the caster's.
His [Weapon Mastery] ranks weren't awful, and bandits were never of high rank.
'There we go.'
The flames continued to spread as a small magical circle formed in front of the pistol's sight, aligned with the muzzle.
Cassien pulled the slide back.
The circle began to spin as his finger rested on the trigger.
'It's kill or be killed in this novel for anyone other than the MC.'
He pulled the trigger.
"So I'll kill in his stead."
Boom! Boom!