'So, is there a way to call someone…?'
I looked around, but there was no proper tool to summon anyone.
There was a bell-pull to call the attendants in one corner, but pulling it produced no sound, as if it wasn't used anymore.
I guess I'll have to get up and check things myself, but the problem is that I still don't have the strength.
'Well… I guess I'll have to wait until someone comes.'
With that thought, the next time I opened my eyes was after feeling a slight weight on me.
Upon waking, I saw an unexpected figure and processed so much information that I must have fallen asleep naturally.
'But when did they turn off the lights?'
Unlike before, the lights in the room were completely off, making it impossible to distinguish anything.
"Oh! You're awake!"
"...."
Something was moving above me. Even without seeing it, I knew what it was.
I grabbed the palm-sized lump on my blanket.
"Squeak!"
I ignored the cry and stroked Pai's fur.
Even though it fits in one hand, it's annoying because it keeps moving around while I'm asleep. Still, it's nice to see it like this.
"You don't care about us and only care about the rabbit~."
"What's up, you're awake?"
I heard footsteps and then Elias and Leo's voices from the door.
I reached for the lamp on the nightstand and turned it on.
Narce was also in the room, perhaps because he heard that I had woken up. Feeling burdened by this scene, I asked awkwardly.
"What's going on, when did you come?"
"Just now. I turned off the lights because you were sleeping, but you woke up right away."
Narce answered with a smile.
Elias quickly walked over with his crutches, and plopped into a chair.
"Hey, it feels like I haven't seen you in a week~. Good to see you. Are you feeling okay?"
"I'm fine."
There was no difficulty in moving my arms and legs, and my vision and hearing were as normal as usual.
Elias raised one eyebrow as if he couldn't believe it and pointed to my face as he asked.
"What's fine about you? Your neck? You hit your head, didn't you? I heard you had a slight concussion."
I know what point in time he is talking about. Since he brought up that story first, it must have left a strong impression on him.
It's not every day you hear the sound of someone dying, so it makes sense. I hope hearing it didn't cause any trauma.
As I stayed silent, Elias continued excitedly.
"Do you know how scared I was listening to that? Man, it seemed like they were trying to kill you. I was thinking, 'I shouldn't have let him go alone~.'"
"It's okay. You know I came back safely even when I went alone."
"Hm, yeah. Next time, let me go instead. Okay? Remember that."
"Elias!"
Leo interjected, frowning.
Despite saying "let me go," if Elias feels certain that causing a ruckus would be beneficial, he would just rush into it. No matter how I respond, it wouldn't make much difference.
When I only smiled in response, Elias clapped his hands loudly.
"Alright, enough of that. How does it feel to be back successfully? You've become a national hero."
I hadn't seen anything yet, so I had no idea what the atmosphere was like.
At that moment, Elias handed me a bundle of newspapers.
It seemed like he had marked them because there were crude circles drawn on the newspapers.
I started reading the articles marked in red pen first.
They were already prominently featured in large letters on the front page, even without any marks.
[Imperial Central Government's Ministry of Magic to Award Nicolaus with a Medal of Merit, Grade Under Discussion]
[Nicolaus Ernst Volunteered as a Hostage to Reveal Pleroma Truth… Sacrificed for 100 Million Citizens]
[17 Countries in the Empire to Grant Honorary Mage Registration to Nicolaus Ernst]
[Nicolaus Ernst Kidnapped at the Clock Tower in the Plaza… 130,000 People Gathered]
Articles were from various publications, as their timestamps were all jumbled together.
The latest imperial newspaper's front page featured a video of the crowd gathered in the plaza.
"How does it feel? Isn't the response thrilling?"
"Yes, it's definitely clear."
This much… is a success.
The reaction this time is even bigger than before, much larger.
Earlier, Nicolaus's impression score was at 6.5.
I spent 4.2 billion, and Nicolaus's impression score, which hadn't risen by even 0.01, jumped by 1.5 points in an instant.
'I guess there's no more instances of gaining three points at once like before.'
Even though the scale is similar, the danger and symbolism seem even stronger than the parliamentary incident… I can definitely feel that it requires more and more investment.
Still, after experiencing an increase of only 0.002 points despite spending 4.2 billion, I am satisfied with this rise.
'Using money to solve it won't work.'
It's convenient, but it doesn't yield the same effect.
From now on, I need to present topics that will remain in the public's memory, just like this.
I nodded slowly and flipped through the newspaper.
There were also many articles about Strauch.
[Werner Strauch, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Congressman, Revealed to be Pleroma]
[Who Can We Trust? Demand for Increased Verification of Pleroma in Politics Surges]
[Werner Strauch, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Congressman, Was Vice Bishop of Osnabrück Diocese]
[Congressman Strauch Sent Anonymous Letters to About 60 Congressmen Five Times During Early Year's Barrier Discussions… Induced Barrier Installation]
I was satisfied with this level of coverage.
I closed the newspaper and placed it on the nightstand, then turned to my friends and thanked them.
"Thank you. It would have been difficult to succeed without you guys."
"...."
At those words, Leo furrowed his brows slightly.
He seemed to be thinking about whether he had made a mistake.
I don't recall being unnecessarily stingy with my expressions, but seeing his reaction is surprising.
"You're straightforward~ But is it just my imagination that it feels like we need to check you again?"
"Haha, I guess that's just how Lucas is. He's unreserved."
"When have I ever not said what needed to be said?"
"No, it's more like… you usually don't react much even when something big happens."
It wasn't that I never reacted, but it must have seemed that way.
Elias thought for a moment, furrowing his brow, then clapped his hands.
"No, just saying 'thank you' so casually is just so you, Lucas~"
"I meant it sincerely. Did it not sound like that?"
"No, I wasn't trying to criticize you. The way you speak is just your personality. Were you like this in your first year too? Leo, what do you think?"
"…I guess so. We never really had long conversations."
Leo avoided eye contact as he answered.
He didn't seem to want to recall his first year due to how he behaved toward Lucas.
From the beginning, it seemed like he was quite shocked by the Pleroma incident, and his energy didn't seem fully recovered.
I'll just let the exhausted guy rest, and now it's time to ask about the things I need to know.
"Let me ask you one thing. As you know, I came down without a mask."
"You don't have to worry about it. No one knows."
Leo muttered.
"Yes, really. It fell on my shoulder."
Narce tapped his shoulder playfully with a grin.
That alone wouldn't be enough.
Elias seemed to have read my thoughts from my expression and provided a proper explanation.
"He warped here before he even touched the ground. Wasn't it from about 30 meters in the air?"
"Haha, it felt exactly like our world. It was good luck."
I knew it.
If Narce had said it, I might have been a little suspicious, given his ability to read my mind, but Elias's explanation made me quickly accept it.
Honestly, it's a topic that's hard to hide because it's easy to find out.
"Thanks."
I thanked Narce and checked the time.
When I was at the clock tower, it seemed to be around 5 PM, but the clock on one side of the room showed that it was almost midnight.
Now there's one more thing to ask.
"By the way, Narce, there's something I'm curious about."
I looked at Narce with a softened expression.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Are you a bishop?"
Narce widened his eyes and then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, I knew you'd ask that."
"Right, we decided to talk about it once Lucas woke up."
Leo crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, speaking.
"Let's start from the beginning. We contacted the Papal State, and they immediately said they'd send a mage to the scene. And then you showed up."
Narce just nodded with a smile.
"We honestly don't understand how you ended up being the mage they sent, how you had the staff of the Papal State, and how you appeared there looking like a bishop. What's the story?"
Elias was also watching Narce with a face filled with curiosity. From what I knew, that expression of Elias was never friendly. It meant he regarded Narce as someone to be somewhat cautious about.
'I haven't even fully gotten close to these two yet, but I've already raised suspicion.'
No wonder.
Even I had questions in the midst of all that chaos.
"Well, it makes sense that you misunderstood me as a bishop… yeah, I understand. The fascia was pink, right?"
Narce nodded and calmly began to explain.
"I didn't talk about it at school, but it's true that I'm a mage from the Papal State."
Narce snapped his fingers, and his eye color and hair color changed.
He took out a wand from his waist and gave it a slight shake. It finally revealed its true form. This was also the wand of a Papal State mage.
"It's the standard color set by the Papal State, right? The wand too. Especially the wand can't be forged."
"Wow, changing all those colors really makes you look like a different person. Maybe it's because I'm not used to it."
Elias said as he examined Narce's face.
Those affiliated with the Papal State have strict dress codes, and for mages who use divine power, hair and iris colors are also included as part of their attire.
Honestly, this system seems almost like a disease, but they wish to create standards of holiness and conform humans to it.
Individual mages don't have much of a complaint about this system.
For a good reason, mages believe they deserve to stand by God's side.
They had already desperately strived to follow the created holiness, and even aside from magic, they had become quite different from ordinary humans.
From what I see, they've already crossed several irreversible bridges. In that case, a mere change of color wouldn't bother them.
"But I'm not a bishop."
Narce said as he put away the wand again at his waist.
"It's difficult for mages certified by the Papal State to reveal their identities publicly. As you know, mages are frequently targeted for assassination. More importantly, we don't want individuals to become overly famous."
"But not everyone walks around wearing masks."
"Yeah, hahaha! I wore it because I saw Lucas doing it, and it looked fun. Of course, there was a need to conceal my identity, so I wore it for that reason too. I'm not in a particularly free situation either."
"Not in a free situation?"
"Not as much as Lucas, but yeah."
Leo slowly nodded but then furrowed his brow.
"No matter how hard it is to reveal your identity, you shouldn't be able to wear outfits that aren't allowed at your level, right? The strict Papal State wouldn't permit that."
"Hm, technically speaking, it's not allowed. But sometimes you can't just follow the principles. There are special circumstances."
"...."
No one found it easy to accept.
The Papal State allows bishop robes to just anyone? Then everyone would be dressing like bishops.
Even Elias looked incredulous and chuckled as he gazed at Narce.
"Alright, I'll believe that you're not a bishop. But…."
Leo looked at Narce's round eyes and asked.
"You're not just a priest, are you?"