"97, 98, 99, 100...".
After doing the last push-up, Dante got up from the ground without the slightest effort. Although he was quite sweaty and his breathing was a bit irregular, it was obvious at a glance that his body still overflowed with energy.
'It's already been twelve years in this world,' he sighed with a bit of nostalgia while wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel.
He left the training room and headed straight to his bedroom. Upon arriving, he stood in front of the mirror and looked at his bare torso. Despite being only twelve years old, his physique did not resemble that age at all: he had firm pectorals, well-developed shoulders, and a defined abdomen thanks to his rigorous training. Dante couldn't help but smile shamelessly at how much he had progressed.
At his young age, he had already entered Aura Realm II: Martial Opening. It was a completely unheard-of achievement for someone his age. Without a doubt, having the perseverance and maturity of an adult mind had prevented him from wavering or giving up in the face of Master Fer's training.
'I've already managed to open my aura channels. Now only the final step remains, the hardest one to enter the third realm: forging my own Aura Core,' Dante murmured to himself while heading to the bathroom to freshen up.
Once changed, Dante left his room thinking about what to do to pass the time, since he had no intention of continuing training for the rest of the day. At that moment, a small boy appeared running through the hallway at an astonishing speed, прямо toward him. Before he could crash, Dante reacted with feline reflexes, catching him in the air and holding him in his arms.
"Brother! Mom is looking for you," the little boy announced in a sweet, sing-song voice.
"Ren, little one, be more careful next time," Dante complained while affectionately messing up his hair, earning an exasperated expression from the boy.
'Heh, you're definitely taking revenge on behalf of your mother,' Dante thought in amusement, remembering the countless times Marla had done the same to him. With a mischievous smile, he began pinching his little brother's cheeks, ignoring his complaints.
Looking at Ren's face, Dante couldn't help but remember the original novel's plot. Ren Vane was destined to become one of the minor antagonists of the story: a pompous and extravagant villain who would confront several protagonists due to his obsession with proving his superiority and forcibly recruiting all high-status characters for his own benefit. He was only five years old and had extremely refined features, white skin, and an appearance reminiscent of a porcelain doll, very different from the rustic look of his mother, Marla.
In the original timeline, Ren's eccentricity began because his mother, as a joke, used to dress him in overly refined and ornate silk garments for a boy, something Lux did not pay attention to. After reincarnating, Dante had tried to intervene as a responsible older brother to correct that attitude, but the damage to Ren's aesthetic tastes had already been done: the boy simply loved luxurious, elegant, and flashy clothing.
Seeing that he could not change his taste for refined fashion, Dante had designed an alternative plan to prevent him from becoming a pathetic villain. He had written and given him a martial storybook with a modified lesson.
Looking at Ren with a very kind expression, Dante asked: "Dear little brother, did you finish reading the book I gave you?"
Ren, unaware of his older brother's chaotic thoughts, nodded repeatedly with a bright, enthusiastic gaze.
"Yes, brother! It was very fun! That warrior who inherited the Red Dragon bloodline and travels the world recruiting the strongest and most beautiful generals for his imperial guard... It was amazing!"
Dante smiled with deep inner satisfaction. The brainwashing was working.
"Brother. "Is it true that to be stronger you need to have women with big breasts?" asked Ren, tilting his head with genuine curiosity.
Dante adopted an extremely solemn expression and nodded seriously.
Absolutely true. Remember this: the bigger the breasts, the better.
Ren absorbed the words, raised his small fist with determination, and exclaimed: "I understand!" I won't let you down, brother. In the future, I will have the women with the best breasts on the entire continent!
Dante nodded in satisfaction. He did not feel guilty for having influenced his brother; after all, it was better for Ren to chase women than to be out there looking for protagonists for his harem.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Dante set the boy down and patted him on the back.
"Alright, let's see what Aunt Marla wants," he concluded, heading toward the main hall together with his little brother.
When Dante arrived in the main hall together with Ren, he found a scene that perfectly reflected the personality of his stepmother. Marla was lying as long as she was on a luxurious reclining chair, completely relaxed, while a maid fanned her leisurely and another offered fresh fruit into her mouth.
Despite the passing years and having given birth to Ren, her physical appearance had not changed at all; she was still an imposing and extremely beautiful woman. Dante knew this was due to the aesthetic effect of high-level Aura, which froze aging.
Dante curled his lips in a mix of irony and amusement at the scene, but immediately composed himself. He walked toward her and asked with genuine curiosity: "Aunt, what were you looking for me for?"
Marla, who kept her eyes closed while lazily chewing a grape, replied without bothering to open them: "My dear Dante, how many times do I have to tell you to call me mother and not aunt?"
Dante rolled his eyes and chose to remain silent.
Marla let out a dramatic sigh and complained: "Ah, you don't even listen to me anymore. You've become so bitter, you're not fun at all like when you were six and I used to carry you by the neck."
After saying that, she sat up on the chair and gestured slightly to the maids. They, understanding the order, bowed respectfully and left the hall in silence, leaving the family alone.
Marla stood up, walked toward Dante with firm steps, and wrapped one of her toned arms around his shoulders, displaying a mischievous smile.
"I have a little surprise for you," she announced, winking at him.
"Oh? And what is it?" Dante asked, piqued by curiosity. Knowing Marla, the surprise could range from an exotic weapon to a wilderness survival training method in the forest.
"Hehehe! I got you a beautiful, fabulous, and powerful wife," Marla said casually, patting him on the back. "I know you're happy, no need to thank me."
"...Huh?"
Dante froze completely, his mind going blank and the gears of his brain grinding to a sudden halt. 'What the hell?' he panicked internally. This made no sense. In the original novel's plot, Dante's future wife wouldn't appear until three years later, and it was supposed to be Dante himself who met her by accident during a trade mission. It was never mentioned that his stepmother would introduce someone to him at twelve years old!
Suppressing the panic of seeing his meta-knowledge go completely off the rails, Dante swallowed and asked with extreme caution: "Aunt... but who exactly are you talking about?"
"Hehe, I'm talking about my dear little sister," Marla declared, with a wild and proud glint in her eyes. "A true jewel from the barbarian lands."
Dante, now truly, was left completely speechless. The future warrior who planned to conquer an entire continent had just been cornered by his barbarian stepmother's marriage plans.