“Mr. Lin Yue, please get ready to depart as soon as possible.”
That’s right.
This is the prologue.
Lin Yue was kicked out of his own family.
There wasn’t much of a reason for it—just that he had ruined an important family marriage alliance.
Under the pretext of “going out to temper yourself,” he was ruthlessly driven out.
“Ha ha…”
Lin Yue could still remember clearly everything that happened afterward.
…
“I want both of them.”
Lin Yue’s words crashed through the silent banquet hall like a thunderclap.
Bena froze the moment she heard those words.
Her mouth opened, but she couldn’t utter a sound—she only stared at Lin Yue with the eyes of someone looking at a lunatic.
Bella was also stunned.
The calm on her face finally cracked, replaced by deep shock.
She hadn’t expected that after she’d made such a big concession, Lin Yue would say something so ridiculous.
Sure enough, Bena was the first to react.
Ignoring her status as the daughter of a magic household, she pointed angrily at Lin Yue and rebuked him coldly: “Lin Yue, you shameless, despicable wretch!”
Bella also stood up.
Her face was pale, but the calm in her eyes was gone, replaced by an icy resolve:
“I thought you were just frivolous and unrestrained, but I never imagined you could be so utterly shameless.”
Good, perfect—this was exactly the effect he wanted.
Watching their reactions, Lin Yue realized his plan had worked.
“Sister.”
Bella looked at Bena, a hint of stubbornness in her eyes.
“Mm…”
The sisters seemed to share a tacit understanding.
After gathering their things, they walked toward the door.
“Wait…”
Lin Yue spoke with obvious displeasure.
“Are you really going to give up on this marriage alliance?”
Bella turned her head, giving Lin Yue a scornful glare: “You’ve not only insulted my sister and me, insulted marriage itself, but you’ve also shamed our family. We, the Variana family, simply can’t reach your level…”
With that, she decisively turned and left.
“Hoo…”
Lin Yue let out a sigh of relief.
Now, even if their family was desperate to marry them off, they’d have to think twice about the next match.
Lin Yue rubbed his temples with his fingers, still not quite used to it.
Being the good guy really isn’t easy…
Still, he’d need them for the later story anyway.
He might as well use their circumstances to his advantage.
“Hoo…”
Lin Yue slumped against the back of his chair, his tense back finally relaxing.
His palms were slick with cold sweat.
The elders of the Hawk family in the banquet hall erupted into chaos.
The hall filled with whispers and rebukes.
He stared at the door the sisters had resolutely closed, unable to suppress a sly, satisfied grin.
Success.
This was exactly the outcome he wanted.
The Variana family cared most about their reputation—after being “humiliated” by him in public, there’s no way they’d force the sisters into this marriage again.
Noble marriages were all about status and, more importantly, about face.
His outrageous request gave them the perfect excuse to reject the alliance without being blamed for defying the family.
Lin Yue had also escaped the original’s death loop—picking one, only to be crippled by the protagonist’s awakening.
He had considered just following the original plot to avoid the butterfly effect—choosing Bena, and then steering clear of the protagonist.
But if he did that, Bena would have no motivation to grow stronger.
Later on, if she didn’t reach the level needed to defeat the boss, even the protagonist would be doomed.
“Lin Yue! Are you insane?!”
That night, the head of the Hawk family—his father—slammed the table, his face dark as he glared at Lin Yue: “The Variana marriage concerns the future of our family and the collaboration on the Law of Fusion, and you dare mess around like this?!”
The Variana family had initiated the marriage to gain the Hawk family’s martial support.
Letting Lin Yue choose in the first place was already stretching their bottom line, yet he went further and demanded both sisters.
Who could tolerate that?
The Variana family was steeped in political power and history.
Both sisters had excellent magical talent—there was no way they’d go along with his nonsense.
Lin Yue wiped the smile from his face, putting on that familiar dissolute playboy attitude, and shrugged:
“Father, a forced melon isn’t sweet. Neither of the sisters wants this marriage. Even if you bring them home, what good would it do? Besides, wouldn’t it be more interesting to have both? If they don’t want to, just forget it.”
“You!”
The family head was so furious his beard bristled and his eyes bulged, but there was nothing he could do.
The original Lin Yue already had a terrible reputation.
Doing something so absurd might be humiliating, but it matched his usual style.
Outsiders would just scold Lin Yue as a hopeless villain and suspect nothing more.
“Get out! Get out! Don’t come back!”
…
And so, he was thrown out.
Now, Lin Yue was carrying his only belongings as he walked along a forest path.
Counting it up, all he had was a suitcase, some travel funds, a change of clothes, and the admission token to Avelina Magic Academy.
It was downright pitiful—almost like a beggar.
The Hawk family was a famous family of warriors in the entire empire, exiled to the frontier over ten years ago.
Though their fighting power was immense and they had many experts, their hereditary power of Law had long been lost.
That was why they agreed to the Variana marriage.
Whether because of their strength, or because the family refused to worship the church, they had been marginalized to the extreme and forced to clean up monsters and magical beasts on the border.
Perhaps the only thing that brought some comfort was the fact that the family’s heir had the privilege of automatic entry into the continent’s top magic academy, Avelina.
But now, the heir had been thrown out.
Lin Yue, however, just walked down the road with a piece of dried meat in his mouth, completely unconcerned.
The reason was simple: before he was kicked out, the academy had already registered him.
Expelled?
No way.
Even though Lin Yue was in a miserable state now, after playing through four cycles of the game, he knew the basic direction and possible endings better than anyone.
Being expelled from the family actually gave him more freedom to maneuver.
Just as Lin Yue was walking down the road in high spirits, humming to himself, a girl in white suddenly bumped into his shoulder.
“Whoa!”
“Ah…”
Lin Yue turned to look and saw a petite figure kneeling on the ground.
“Can’t you watch where you’re going?”
Lin Yue patted his own shoulder—it actually hurt a bit.
This little girl was stronger than she looked.
“Sorry…”
The girl hurriedly glanced around, then quickly walked away, soon disappearing from Lin Yue’s sight.
“When it rains, it pours, huh.”
Lin Yue was about to continue on his way when he heard the distant clatter of armor and horse hooves.
He looked carefully and said with some surprise: “The Church? Here?”
It was well known throughout the continent that the Hawk family did not worship any gods.
The Church showing up on their turf made no sense, and it wasn’t in the original plot either.
Maybe there really was nothing worth writing about in this godforsaken place.
Just as Lin Yue was about to quietly slip away, the leading knight spotted him and shouted: “Stop right there!”
Seriously?
They even noticed me?
Lin Yue could only turn around and force a smile: “Esteemed guests from the Church, what business brings you here?”
The leading knight arrogantly rode up to Lin Yue, the cross-shaped holy emblem on his chest flashing blindingly in the forest light.
He pulled his reins tight, and his horse’s side bumped Lin Yue’s shoulder, nearly knocking him over.
These bastards…
Lin Yue had no way to complain—this was still the very early stage.
He didn’t even have a chance to lie low.
The knight looked Lin Yue up and down and asked:
“You’re from the Hawk family?”
“Yes.”
Even if he’d been kicked out…
“Heh.”
The knight snorted:
“Didn’t you people say you don’t welcome believers? Acting so timid on your own turf?”
You pious bastards—if I could choose my birth, I wouldn’t pick this place, either. What are you talking about?
Hearing the knight’s mocking, Lin Yue could only force a smile, cursing them in his heart.
“Enough, let’s get to the point. Did you see someone in a white hood pass by? We’re looking for her.”
White hood?
The one who just left?
Lin Yue thought for a moment—did that person have any major plot impact?
He didn’t have any impression.
The timing of his arrival in this world was too awkward.
He’d gotten here just before the main storyline began, so most of his information was probably useless at this point.
“I’m asking you, brat.”
The knight seemed impatient, his hand resting lightly on his sword hilt, ready to threaten at any moment.
“She went that way.”
Seeing the knight’s attitude, Lin Yue immediately pointed in a random direction.
Not caring if Lin Yue was telling the truth, the knight just snorted and led the others away.
Lin Yue had no fondness for these church knights—he wished they’d keep as far from him as possible.
In the game, it was almost impossible to reach an ending without provoking the Church.
Triggering their hidden boss fight was even more sinister than the final boss.
But he couldn’t be bothered to get involved.
In the game, apart from raising a Saintess as a boss to blow up the academy, the Church didn’t really increase the difficulty—just avoid provoking them.
After all, they were the most powerful organization in the world.
Lin Yue picked a small cave as his temporary shelter, deep in the forest, away from the front lines.
The cave had clean water and was quite safe.
Even though it was a hellish start, he could only give it his all if he wanted to go back.
So Lin Yue thought.
After two days in the cave, he’d made it habitable.
He’d grown up in the countryside, so he was used to this kind of work.
But there was still a big question left unsolved.
Should he pursue magic or swordsmanship?
In this world, humans couldn’t change classes—choose mage, and you’d walk that path for life.
Choose warrior, and you’d never have a shred of magic, or divine power.
That was the game’s setting—a kind of heavenly shackle.
You could try to cultivate both, but as you improved one, the other would drain away like water bursting from a dam, until not a trace of magic or fighting spirit remained.
The price was too high—no one would take such a risk.
For someone homeless like Lin Yue, a warrior was obviously better for surviving in the wild.
But he was set to attend a magic academy, and the warrior class only taught up to tier three.
If he wasn’t strong enough, he might not last long at the academy later.
And even though the game’s protagonist was a mage, his skills and attacks were much like a warrior’s.
That was what Lin Yue was most familiar with.
What should he do…
“Let me go… Stop it, ah!”
Just as Lin Yue was worrying, a sharp cry cut through the forest.
Lin Yue snapped his head toward the source, his expression growing odd.
What’s going on now?
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