Leo Shadowend was a young man with a difficult life. Since childhood, he suffered from an illness that made his day-to-day life hard.
Thanks to being part of a powerful family within the kingdom—without exaggeration, the most powerful in political and economic terms—they were able to access all kinds of treatments that could only make his days more... comfortable.
Despite that, Leo did his best so his family wouldn't feel guilty about his condition. From a young age, he devoted himself to studying, and when he was old enough, he begged his father to let him train in magic and swordsmanship.
Something his mother did not allow at first, but eventually accepted.
Later, his two sisters were born, who, thank God, were born healthy. He was an example to them and to everyone who knew him, but in these last few weeks, his illness had worsened to a critical level.
Not even the most powerful mages or the rarest artifacts could determine the cause.
He spent twenty-four hours a day in bed, being cared for by Seraphine, his childhood friend and personal maid.
A peculiar friendship between a noble and a commoner, but one accepted by the Shadowend family.
For Leo, this boy was admirable. He ignored his illness for his family's sake and tried everything he could to live a normal life.
It was a shame his body couldn't endure it and he died.
Now he understood Seraphine's reaction upon seeing him standing as if nothing were wrong. All of this made him feel peculiarly sad. He wasn't the real Leo—everyone was getting emotional over someone they didn't know.
But to make himself feel better, he decided that he would take the reins of the former Leo and make everyone happy, or at least that's what he thought.
At that moment, he heard several hurried footsteps approaching. He already knew who they were, so he sat up on the bed.
When the door opened, several people entered.
Sloane, his mother. Oswald, his father. And his two sisters: Vivienne and Sylvie, along with Seraphine—or Sera, as Leo called her.
Their reactions varied, but all pointed in the same direction: happiness.
Tears flowed freely from their eyes. His father, who always wore a stoic expression, had his jaw clenched while his eyes shone with restrained tears.
All of this, combined with Leo's memories, made him feel the same way. Right now, he felt them as his family, even if they weren't truly his.
Tears streamed down his face as he tried to get up, only for his two sisters to throw themselves onto him, crying against his chest.
"H-hrother!"
"Leooo, little brother!"
They shouted while continuing to cry. He could only respond by holding them tightly, as if he didn't want them to ever leave him.
His mother covered her mouth as she cried, hugging his father, who looked at him with genuine pride and happiness.
Sera stood there, watching them while crying silently.
He turned his gaze to her and extended one of his hands for her to come closer. Ignoring the fact that she was a servant of the house, she lunged at him.
Because no one in that room cared—she was part of the family.
✦✦✦
After what felt like two hours of crying and hugging, Leo was now lying back on the bed while a healer analyzed his mana core.
His family stood to the side, waiting for the answer with nervous expressions.
The healer slowly stepped back and spoke directly.
"There are no stains. The illness has completely disappeared."
The reactions were immediate. Everyone was happy to hear those words, and even Leo had to admit he felt the same way.
After several minutes of conversation between his parents and the healer about things like, "How did the illness disappear?" and other questions they couldn't find answers to,
it was ultimately labeled a 'miracle'—an explanation his family accepted.
Leo was now lying on the bed, watching the sunset through the window. Then he turned his head, resting his gaze on Sera, who was looking at him with a smile.
He had to admit it—she was beautiful... Thanks to the memories, he knew Leo loved her, but not in a lustful way, rather in a genuine one.
He could only return her smile. He wasn't going to do anything—even if it hurt her, he wasn't the boy she knew.
✦✦✦
Several hours had passed, which he spent talking with them about what had happened over the last few weeks and other things.
It was his mother who had to force everyone to leave him alone so he could rest; otherwise, they would have stayed all night.
Now he was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, still shirtless. Sera had left him water and some light food, so he planned to eat.
'And now... what am I supposed to do?' It was a question for the system.
[As you already know, you're two months away from turning twenty. When you do, you must go to the Thornwick Magic Academy. There, you'll be able to learn more about magic and other fields that will be useful to you...]
Leo fell into thought. One thing he hadn't asked himself was: why did he need to become strong? He didn't dislike the idea—of course not. But was there some threat he had to deal with? Some Demon King, perhaps?
[Nothing like that... In this world, there is nothing like a Demon King. You must kill God.]
Leo went blank when he read that. 'WHAT?' He thought he had misread it, but he hadn't.
"What do you mean I have to kill God? You're messing with me, right?"
[Of course not. You don't just have to kill one god... there are two.]
He got fully out of bed and began pacing in circles, trying not to make noise and attract anyone.
Killing two gods... that was all he could think about. How was he supposed to kill two gods? The system itself had made it clear that he could only become one hundred times stronger than a mortal. He doubted a god was only a hundred times stronger than that...
[And you're not wrong. That's why you must go to the magic academy, become strong, gather allies, and form contracts... it's the only possible way to do anything.]
"And why do I have to kill two gods? Are they evil or something?" he asked, agitated, then stayed still, waiting for the answer.
[I can't give you that information... for now. Become strong, and you'll find out on your own.]
"Tsk." He was being messed with. That explained nothing, and becoming that strong would take ages...
He sat on the edge of the bed, covering his face with his hands. He wanted all of this to just be a lie.
[Don't worry... you have me. I'll help you with everything I can. The rest depends on you. And you cannot reject the final mission—the punishment is... death.]
"E–eh?" he murmured when he saw the screen.