2 Chapter 2: Constitution

Caesar soon broke out of his stupor after noticing the declining timer.

"This makes me recall some of the novels I had read when I was a child," Caesar pondered. Although an average person would be losing their mind if something so ridiculous and supernatural happened, Caesar was abnormally calm. It was not as if he were emotionless, no, he felt as though the intermixed memories of both his and Mephisto's made such a surreal event reasonable.

"Can you, at the very least, inform me of what each particular constitution does?" Caesar whispered, fearing anyone would be listening in.

Unfortunately, his question was answered with utter silence.

00:50….00:49...00:48…

Caesar furrowed his brows and massaged his temples as he mused about the merits and downfalls of each of the constitutions. Even if he grasped no real information about the world of which he now inhabited, Mephisto still knew some basic knowledge. Besides, it was a fantasy world. Caesar was even aware of the basic tropes inside of such realms.

1.Vampire

2.Dark Elf

3.Elf

4.Lich

5. fairy

'If I remember correctly, a lich is an undead necromancer. Their powers vary greatly from the books that I've read. On the other hand, both elf and dark elf seem like promising choices. However, I believe an elf's constitution is generally quite weak. I also do not know if I will take the appearance of the constitution I choose, or just gain the subsequent inherent abilities?' Caesar was inwardly brainstorming about which option catered to his current needs the most.

'If my appearance warped based on the constitution selected, then both the fairy and lich are out of the question. It would be impossible to hide the strange appearance of either. The main problem lay in the fact that both elves and vampires also possess unique physical features, such as long ears or long fangs' Caesar deliberated.

'If I become a vampire, I could obtain the strange urges to drink blood and a weakness to sunlight; where if I choose the elven constitution, I could possibly gain a weaker constitution and longer ears...'

00:34…00:33…00:32…

"Tsk," Caesar clicked his tongue and decided to take the risk, choosing the 'vampire' option. He had contemplated not selecting any of the constitutions and remaining a human. However, he was used to taking risks. One can not make it very far in life without apprehending lucrative ventures. Not to mention, he felt as though vampires were much stronger in the mythological aspect in comparison to the others. Vampires were often regarded as demons and the bringers of plague, striking fear into millions of humans.

[Vampiric constitution has been chosen]

00:20…00:19...00:18…

After seeing the still depleting timer, Caesar was reminded about the wheel of fate. Then, as if answering his inner thoughts, a transparent wheel with many alternatives appeared in front of Caesar. A different color-separated the rewards and sections, and he couldn't quite read the words written on the wheel, as they belonged to an unfamiliar language. Caesar pondered for a moment before hesitantly spinning the wheel. He didn't want the timer to run out before he obtained his rewards, but he was also wary of receiving something undesired.

The wheel began spinning at a relatively fast pace before finally slowing down on a light blue section. It suddenly gleamed with a blinding light and shot into Caesar's body, chilling his body in the process.

[Ice affinity acquired]

00:03...00:02…00:01...00:00

"Ice affinity, huh?" Caesar whispered to himself while sitting on the bed. He glanced at the mirror to his right and didn't notice any immediate changes to his body; he also didn't feel anything new or different.

'Was I hallucinating?' he thought inwardly. Caesar felt as though many strange and unbelievable things were continually happening to him. He was aware that he didn't belong in the world dubbed 'Althoria.' However, he inherently felt at home. Perhaps, it was due to the previous owner of his current body.

Suddenly, while Caesar was still meditating, unbearable drowsiness assaulted him. His heavy eyelids dropped, and he collapsed onto the bed, passing out right then and there.

***

"Young master, breakfast is prepared and set on the dining table. Your father is awaiting your arrival," Sebastian spoke while knocking on the door, an eager smile playing on his lips.

Unfortunately, he was met with silence. Sebastian, not acquiring a reply, soon walked into Caesar's room and opened the curtains, resulting in the sunlight invading the room and illuminating Caesar, who was still amid his deep slumber.

Caesar grunted with annoyance, gradually sitting up and rubbing his tired eyes. His long, white hair flowed down from his shoulders like a coursing river, and a few long bangs masked both his expression and eyes.

"Sebastian, I'll be right there, I can get dressed on my own," Caesar said after a moment of thought. He wasn't used to being woke up so early in the morning, being catered to like a young master. Caesar had long gotten used to grooming, waking up, and working himself.

"As you wish, young master," Sebastian replied.

Sebastian bent his back in a crescent shape while he placed his right hand on the right side of his chest, performing an excellent bow, and without wasting any more time, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Caesar opened his eyes and couldn't help but notice the bright sunlight shining on his body. After a few seconds of staring blankly, Caesar kicked the covers off of his bed and quickly sat up. He inspecting his body, and cautiously placed his hand in the sunlight.

"Sigh, was it a dream, after all?" he said monotonously, sighing with exasperation while scratching the back of his head.

Thinking to here, Caesar dejectedly walked towards his closet and opened it. Then, suddenly, the small amount of force he had exerted on the handle caused it to crack and rip off of the closet.

Shocked, Caesar stared wide-eyed at the handle in his hand. He was dazed for about five seconds before he rushed into his room and looked into the mirror.

The same slim and long white-haired man entered his eyes, and no changes to his appearance were discernible. Caesar then proceeded to open his mouth and bared witness to slightly longer 'fangs' than before. Fortunately, it was nothing too noticeable.

"My appearance is the exact same besides the slightly longer teeth. However, my strength is much higher. I need to learn to control it quickly, or things could get dirty." Caesar put his hand on his chin and started contemplating. For some reason, he was even calmer than he was yesterday.

"I wonder how strong I am compared to a knight or a magician," Thinking of magician's, Caesar remembered about the ice affinity he had obtained through the wheel of fate. He put his hands in the air and attempted to control it.

"Ice bolt," he whispered, hesitantly.

After his soft voice passed, the room descended into silence, and a slight blush appeared on Caesar's face before he monetarily regained his composure.

'Mephisto, the previous owner of the body knew practically nothing about magic, I will need to research how to actually use magic before I try again,' he mused to himself and gently coughed into his hands.

Caesar then went back to his closet and searched for a pair of clothes; Caesar picked out a pair of slim white pants and a thin black tunic. He didn't aspire to repeat his mistake of destroying the door handle. Thus, Caesar picked everything up delicately, not wanting to exert any more force than necessary.

After getting clothed, Caesar walked out of his room and headed towards the dining room. On his way, many maids greeted him with fear in their eyes. It was clear that although his manner of walking, speaking, and even smiling had changed, their bad impression of him would not be so easily erased.

"Their views of me will change sooner or later," Caesar comforted himself as he got closer to the dining room. His father was seated at the end of the table with an impatient look, and once he caught sight of Caesar, he opened his thick lips and called out to him.

"What took you so long, my son?" he asked.

"I apologize, father, I had trouble picking out my outfit," Caesar replied with curled lips. He had long decided to act respectfully towards his father. Like many other stories, Caesar could potentially act as though he was the same young master. However, that was pointless in his current situation. He needed to be trusted if he wanted to utilize Crowley's vast resources and gain more information about the unknown world.

Crowley sized up Caesar's simple, everyday outfit and doubt flashed within his eyes before breaking the awkward silence, "Well no matter, come to eat," he said with a slight smile and gestured for Caesar to approach.

Caesar nodded his head and sat down on the other end of the table. The table was filled with fresh loaves of bread, soup, bacon, eggs, and sausage. He then lifted his fork and knife as delicately as possible and began eating.

"I hired some dance instructors for the next two weeks," Crowley broke the calm atmosphere and stated with a severe tone while observing Caesar.

"Thank you father, by the way, would you mind if I borrowed some books from the library?" However, Contrary to Crowley's expectations, Caesar didn't adamantly deny the dance lessons, but instead, asked to borrow some books. In the past, his son had never even stepped foot into the library. Perhaps, a miracle had indeed befallen the Pheles household, and he no longer had to worry about his heir.

"The library? Hahaha, our son is finally maturing, do you see this in heaven, Claire?" Crowley, unable to contain his happiness, immediately spoke towards the heavens.

Crowley roared in laughter before abruptly stopping and looking at Sebastian, "Sebastian, show him where the library is… also, my son, you need not ask to borrow books. From now on, you can take whatever you want," he said magnanimously and ate the rest of his breakfast with a broad smile on his face.

"Thank you, father," Caesar replied while bowing at the end of the table. He figured that in this world full of magic and other supernatural occurrences, his abrupt change in personality would be looked over as a miracle. Only a fool would think it to be possible that a new soul had taken over the body.

After breakfast, Sebastian began taking Caesar through the halls, "You have changed a lot, young master Mephisto." he said strangely as they walked around a corner and entered into a spacious lounge. The walls were decorated with candles and painted in a beautiful burgundy.

"Is it a good change or a bad one?" Caesar asked with a tilt of his head. His expression was calm as he walked with the utmost of grace.

"It is quite good, it's just that I do not know the reason for why you have changed, and I'm quite intrigued," he replied while subtly glance at Caesar's face, in an attempt to determine any changes in his expression.

"I can't be trash forever," Caesar replied in jest. He couldn't tell Sebastian the truth, as he would be labeled as a mad man. As such, he would merely act as a reformed man, a man who had finally received a reality check.

Sebastian's eyes opened widely before smiling and saying, "We have arrived, young master."

"Thank you for taking me here; could you make sure no one else comes in." Caesar nodded thankfully and pushed open the solid, wooden door.

"As you wish, young master," Sebastian said and waited outside the library, making sure no disturbances entered while Caesar was present.

Once he entered, Caesar didn't hesitate to immediately start walking through the vast library, the smell of dust and paper wafting through the air. Many books entered into his view, such as 'Advanced Mathematics' and 'History of Althoria.' Caesar grabbed all of the books that piqued his curiosity, and finally, after scanning for a while, Caesar found precisely what he wanted 'Theory of Magic.'

Caesar grabbed the three books, sat down at a nearby table, and started reading the 'Theory of Magic' with high expectations. Since the previous owner of his current body knew nothing of magic, he had quite a lot of learning to do.

Caesar used his slender index finger to trace the words as he whispered them out loud, "Mana is an energy source that surrounds all living things. It is created by life and is the raw source of our consciousness. Like any form of energy, it can be drawn to perform a variety of functions. Mana also has a will of its own and can be unpredictable at times."

Magic does not have the ability to create something out of nothing. However, it does have the ability to control and tamper with the elements. A fire cannot exist without air, to be able to control the elements, you must first have an elemental affinity. The known elemental affinities include Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. With infrequent occurrences being lava, ice, holy, and darkness.

To test your elemental affinity, when you are born, the church will place a spirit stone on your body, and the color that shines in the spirit stone will tell you which affinity you possess or if you own none.

To use your affinity, you must first understand how it works. Once you understand the components inside of the element, you need to control them within your head to gain mastery over them. Magic is dangerous, and overworking your mana will result in death.

After reading to here, the sound of knocking echoed throughout the room.

"Young Master, the dance instructors are waiting for you in the training hall," Sebastian called out from behind the door.

"I'll be right there," Caesar replied.

Caesar closed the large books, placed them back in their original positions, and walked out. 'It would appear that with my surplus of modern knowledge, I will have an advantage with magic,' Caesar mused to himself. Since using magic required you to have a basic understanding of the element, using his ice affinity wouldn't pose to be much of a challenge. Caesar was a man who had excellent degrees and always thirsted for more knowledge back on earth.

Sebastian led him towards the left-wing of the mansion and entered into a spacey hall. Weapons decorated the walls, and the floor was layered with many different looking training tools.

In the middle of the room, stood a young woman with beautiful vermilion hair and voluptuous breasts.

After noticing Caesar's presence, she walked over, "Hello, my name is Anastasia, I will be your dancing instructor for the next two weeks," she spoke eloquently while bowing down, purposefully showing her cleavage.

"It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Anastasia," Caesar greeted her with a slight smile. Such a crude way of seduction would not work on him; he was a man who appreciated hard catches more so than an easy one.

"Today, we will be going over the althorian dance." Noticing that her seduction failed, her entire personality changed, and she went straight to the point.

"The althorian dance?" Caesar inquired. The previous owner of his body had never even heard of such a dance, let alone him, who had just entered the world.

Disdain flashed through Anastasia's eyes but was soon hidden, "Here, let me lead you." She took Caesar's slender hands and brought him into proper position.

"Your hands are so cold," She cried out in shock as she touched his hands. However, she soon got used to his temperature and didn't mind it much afterward.

As she started leading Caesar through the dance, he soon realized it was similar to the Basse dance back on earth. A very, very, standard dance that practically every man and woman that lived in first-world countries knew of.

He inwardly chuckled and started matching his movements to her. Both Caesar and Anastasia began moving through the dance as if it was as easy as walking, the sound of their shoes hitting the floor rang out. Surprise flashed within Anastasia's eyes as she said, "you do know how to dance, after all."

"A little bit," Caesar replied curtly.

Anastasia pouted her mouth; she figured the man lied to her and acted confused when she mentioned the name of the althorian dance so that he could impress her.

However, Caesar honestly had to concentrate while dancing; he was afraid he would exert too much force and hurt the lady in front of him.

After about an hour of continuous dancing, "Okay, this is enough for today. Mephisto, we'll practice again tomorrow." Anastasia chuckled in delight after seeing Caesar's exhausted state.

"Serves him right," She thought inwardly and walked towards the exit, provocatively shaking her hips as she walked. A complete and utter seductress that would be capable of shaking any normal man. Alas, Caesar was no normal man.

"Very well. See you tomorrow," Caesar replied, softly.

After Anastasia walked out of the training room, Caesar's exhausted face disappeared and was replaced by a calm one. Caesar walked over towards the training weights and began testing his strength.

Caesar walked over to a dark blue block labeled '150 lun' Caesar scanned through his memories and came to the conclusion that one lun was equal to around roughly 2 pounds back on earth. Caesar reached out with his right hand and picked it up with little to no effort.

Caesar stacked five or so more of these blocks together and picked them up at the same time, using both of his hands.

Caesar clenched his teeth as he started lifting them. "This seems to be my limit, about 1500 pounds." This physical strength was insane. Back on earth, he would be considered Superman. Caesar placed the blocks back on the ground and walked out of the training room. He was quite pleased with his physical strength. Albeit, he estimated that the average human in this world was much stronger than back on earth, presumably due to the saturation of mana since birth.

With this in mind, Caesar walked back into the library and started reading more of the 'Theory of Magic' before he fell asleep while reading.

Crowley was leisurely walking towards his room when he saw the slightly opened library door. Curious, he peeked inside and saw his son fast asleep on the table. An assortment of books opened up and even a few notes written down on some parchment.

Once Crowley walked over and saw the book that he was reading, tears threatened to fall out of his eyes. "I can finally sleep without worries," he whispered and walked out of the library, he then proceeded to order Sebastian to go fetch a blanket for his son. Crowley was tragically aware that one of the main requirements for inheriting the duke title was to have some form of mana manipulation.