The moment Justinian combined the two things, he could already feel his body responding to it.

And it was... definitely more painful than expected.

[Divine Blood] + [Miracle]

[Trait Granted: Arcanist]

Justinian smiled when he saw the notification, but it didn't last long when another came without warning.

[Error]

[Incompatibility with existing traits]

[Conflict with Arcanist and False Divine]

He bit his lip hard enough to draw blood, his body itself rejecting being an arcanist, and he knew fully well why.

Being an arcanist meant having the blood of the gods flow through him, but his already being a false divine conflicted with that.

Even if the gods themselves have a neutral or positive alignment with Justinian, the sheer fact alone that he was able to harness divine power without their blood made for a terrible incompatibility within his system.

And he had to suffer the consequences of intense pain with it.

"Aghhh!"

Justinian thrashed around, ending up on the floor on his hands and knees, his head feeling like it was about to explode.

[Fixing incompatibility]

'Goddammit! How long does it take for a nearly omnipotent system to fix something like this?'

He cursed, grabbing his bedsheet and forcing it into his mouth as he muffled his screams of pain.

But... he also had a glimmer of hopeful excitement in his pained eyes, because in his experience reading, pain like this usually came with a powerful benefit that completely outweighed the suffering he felt.

'Bring it on!'

[Command acknowledged]

Justinian's eyes rolled back in his skull the moment the system responded, the pain spiking nearly tenfold.

But...

[Duke of War +1]

[Duke's Domain]

Justinian stayed conscious, using every single possible coping tactic he could get his hands on to handle the pain as his body continued to fix the problem, his body transforming while he was conscious.

"Arghhh!"

He growled through the sheets in his mouth, his veins now visibly clear throughout his body.

If he were to describe how he looked, it would be like seeing a zombie transformation.

[Trait Evolved]

False Divine 🠒 Demigod

[Incompatibility solved]

[Executing trait]

His entire room trembled from the sheer energy that was currently pulsing; literal objects started to float and spin around the room in rhythm with his heartbeat.

Justinian was now undergoing apotheosis through sheer accident.

[Trait Granted: Demigod of Blood and Governance]

***

In Cassia's room, however, the moment she had finished changing into more casual clothes, the energy coming out from Justinian's room just next to hers had started to seep in.

Her arcanist nature responded in kind as the ground below her began to freeze slightly.

"W-What...?"

She said in surprise, but now with her arcanist abilities activated, her senses had now multiplied just like before, and with it, she could hear Justinian's grunts of pain from his room.

And she didn't waste any time heading to his, deciding that smashing the wall that separated their rooms was far faster than using the door that led to the hallway.

SMASH!

"Justinian, are you okay!?"

She yelled out, a haze of smoke obstructing her vision.

But... Justinian's transformation had already been completed when she arrived, and there she saw him.

Kneeling on the ground with his head lowered, his veins pulsing with a red glow, horns protruding out of his head.

But unlike his previous similar transformations, this one was permanent.

He quite literally looked like a demon, but there was one thing that Justinian was happy about with his transformation.

And it was that compared to his original world... horns weren't really a sign of evil in this one, in fact, most gods like Arethrus had them.

And with Justinian now having one himself, he just further cemented himself as a true duke.

"Was I too loud?"

He laughed, finally raising his head and looking at Cassia with dazed eyes, the pain clearly taking a toll on him despite his newfound transformation.

"W-What's going on!?"

And to add another variable, Maria herself had arrived, wearing a simple nightgown as she suddenly entered with two of her paladins.

"L-Lord Justinian!?" She squealed, shocked at the sight of him, quite literally half-naked.

His shirt was now tattered as it failed to contain the divine energy of his transformation, and for the paladins? They weren't sure what to think.

"Guess that answers my question."

Justinian smirked, passing out immediately after speaking as he heard the two women in his room screaming his name, the two ordering the paladins to immediately help.

They were also field medics, surprisingly enough, a princess's personal guard must always be ready for any scenario after all.

***

He didn't wake up for twelve hours.

His body was still processing the new changes, his mind trying to get accustomed to his new specialised organs, even his own body wasn't sure if he could still be classified as human.

"W-What happened?"

He sat up in his bed, and next to him was Cassia, sleeping soundly in a casual white dress.

Her concern was evident in her face; it was clear her sleep was troubled.

Cassia slowly blinked awake, raising her head.

Her eyes met his.

Then widened.

"You're awake."

Her voice almost broke.

She sat up straighter.

He smiled.

"I am."

Silence, but not uncomfortable.

Cassia looked at him. Her gaze traced the horns, the faint glowing veins now settled beneath his skin, less visible, but still present. His eyes had changed too, slightly brighter, pupils sharper, like someone who now perceived more.

"…Are you still you?" she asked softly.

"Who else would I be?"

"I don't know... a newborn god?"

Cassia chuckled, rubbing her eyes, but it was clear she was only half joking, because in her eyes... Justinian likely just achieved it, in the middle of the night, without as much as a warning.

But she was desensitised to it at that point already.

She hugged him, sharing a silent moment on the bed.

"I thought you learned by now that if you're going to do something reckless, you'd tell me first."

Justinian laughed, placing a hand over hers. "Trust me, this was completely unexpected even for me.

"Ah, so he's alive."

The door opened.

Maria entered the room in a soft lilac gown, not quite formal, not quite casual. Her hair was tied loosely, unlike her usual immaculate styling.

She was holding a tray.

Three cups.

Tea.

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