When I stepped outside, an investigator waiting in the adjacent room retrieved a file from the warp mailbox.
It was the analysis comparing the magic residue on the door's spell to Jürgen Beck's magic signature.
"…This is artifact magic."
"I see," I replied.
Just as I expected.
Using enchanted artifacts to obscure the identity of the caster was a common tactic.
'If I'd intended to send Traut to prison, I'd have waited to undo the spell on his arteries first.'
Disarming such spells safely takes at least three to four days, sometimes up to a week or more.
But I didn't need to wait.
This was enough information for me—confirmation that my brother was still obsessed with verifying whether I could use magic, and that he was recycling the same methods.
Adjusting my collar, I asked, "Did he confess?"
"Yes, we got a full confession, thanks to you, Lord Ernst. We were worried because we couldn't use Divine Power, but it wrapped up cleanly."
"Glad to have helped. I'll be on my way now."
Before the conversation could drag on, I left, stopped by the restroom to change the color of my robe, and dissolved the magical mask.
Back in the waiting room, I was greeted by the students waiting for me.
"You're back?! What did they say? Was it the other school's students?!"
"No, it was an outsider."
Confused, a student frowned.
"Why would an outsider do something like that? Are you sure it wasn't someone from here paying them to do it?"
"No. They just wanted to see if I could use magic."
"Huh?"
"…Oh."
The room fell silent.
The reaction was predictable.
Everyone here understood that this wasn't mere curiosity about my magic.
It was about confirming whether I exhibited traits of Pleroma.
It was clear to everyone that this incident was tied to that.
"Doesn't matter," I said casually. "I'm not."
"Right! Now they know for sure! If you could use magic, would you have triggered the fire alarm?!"
One of the Class 1 students raised their voice unnecessarily, peering out the window as if to change the subject.
"This is still dragging on because of that guy, right? Feels like the competition's over, but not really."
"Yeah. They probably don't want us to leave yet. If they open the gates now, they'd have to stop people from going out the main entrance."
"Wow… When a ruling family's involved in an incident, the response is something else! Isn't it reassuring?!"
Well, yes, but...
Their tone was slightly more exaggerated than usual.
It was likely a side effect of the Pleroma topic coming up.
Tilting my head slightly, I asked, "Are you nervous?"
"N-No, not at all!" the student stammered, shaking their head quickly.
"…Honestly, it's unsettling, isn't it?"
'Hm.'
At least they weren't jumping to the wrong conclusions anymore.
Time really does heal misunderstandings.
Not that I was actively trying to clear them up, but the more allies I had, the better.
I smiled lightly and said, "I'm not too bothered. But thanks anyway."
"No, I should be thanking you. We won an award thanks to you! Let's do well next semester too."
The student extended a hand, which I shook casually.
"We'll see each other after Christmas break anyway, right?"
"Still. Don't forget our names!"
"What could I forget in three days…?"
Leo, who had been listening without much interest, finally made a practical comment.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door from outside.
"Second-place team, time to head out!"
[Lastly, we will have the closing speech for Bavaria's Second-Year Alchemical Experiment Competition.]
***
The last remaining students waved as they left.
Now, there were no Class 1 students left in the dormitory.
"Goodbye," I said simply, shutting the door behind them.
The competition schedule had been carefully planned to avoid Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, allowing everyone to return home.
In truth, I should have gone home as well.
The chamberlain had insisted I join the Christmas dinner, even if it meant a 14-hour round trip by train. He had even come all the way to Bavaria to pick me up.
And now, he was likely penning a letter explaining why he couldn't take me back.
'I'm satisfied.'
From the start, I had feigned illness to ensure I could stay in the dormitory over Christmas.
The plan worked perfectly.
After all, I really had fallen ill.
'Knew this would happen when I started experimenting with wet hair.'
There simply hadn't been time.
Triggering the fire alarm had bought me just enough time to escape, but not enough to dry my hair.
The chills had started by evening, and by this morning, I had a full-blown fever.
Knock, knock—
"Come in."
"Lucas, here."
Leo entered with a bouquet and a pile of gifts, setting a basket of letters beside my bed.
I hadn't read any mail during the last three days while preparing for the competition, and now it had piled up.
It was surprising how interest in me hadn't waned after nearly two weeks.
"Take your medicine. I'll be out until midnight, so if you need anything important, let me know."
He tapped his ear lightly, indicating the modified sensory transfer artifact developed by the Royal Mobile Defense Unit. Leo wore it even on campus until the semester ended.
'Good thing it hasn't been reported yet.'
That was both a relief and a concern.
These people weren't the type to let things go easily. It was time to reexamine their plans.
"Got it. When you're back, let's go over the latest developments, Leo."
"Sure. It's about time to update. I'll bring the newspaper too."
With a wave, Leo left the room.
Once the door was firmly shut, I set aside the basket of letters.
There was something else I needed to check first.
This morning, an imperial courier had delivered a letter addressed to Nicolaus.
I examined the stiff, ivory-colored envelope, sealed with crimson wax, imbued with the Empire's magic.
It looked plain enough, but I doubted the contents would be.
[To the esteemed Lord Nicolaus Ernst,]
As I unfolded the letter, blue magic shimmered across the page, revealing the elegant handwriting of a royal scribe.
After a brief greeting and a reference to a previous conversation, the letter got straight to the point.
[Over the past week, we've been fortunate to identify five commoner mages. Enclosed are their interrogation records, which I hope will assist your investigation.]
"..."
Five commoner mages.
In just one week?
A chill ran down my spine.
These mages were extraordinarily skilled at concealing themselves. Finding one or two in a month was considered a success, yet they had found five in such a short time?
'Just how many secret police has the Emperor deployed?'
The Emperor's resolve was far from ordinary.
It was clear he was genuinely wary of Elias's rise.
[As you may already know, once Divine Power or drugs are used, they forget everything about the Catacombs. For the next commoner mage we find, we'll attempt communication exclusively. If any useful information arises, I'll contact you again.]
'...Communication?'
"What a joke. There's no way they'll just have a 'conversation.'"
They'll undoubtedly justify every manner of torture, claiming the mere existence of such mages is illegal.
My fingers brushed against a few sheets of different paper at the back of the letter.
I could easily imagine the fates of those captured by the Empire. The thought alone made me hesitant to turn the page.
'…No, I can't.'
I felt the fever returning and folded the Emperor's letter, pressing my cool hand against my flushed face.
'I need to act quickly.'
I had no intention of staying for further alchemical training.
What I needed was a way into the Catacombs—before more were captured.
The heightened crackdown meant that any delay would only strengthen the Catacombs' defenses, making it harder to intervene.
This wasn't something I could handle alone. I'd have to discuss it seriously with my friends when they arrived.
For now, I decided to clear my mind by reading some of the other letters in the basket.
After sifting through several, my hand landed on another thick envelope.
"..."
Still receiving these, huh?
Judging by its weight, it was likely from the same sender as before.
I skipped the pleasantries at the start and moved straight to the last paragraph on the first page:
[Lord Nicolaus, I hope you never lose this resolve. There aren't many who would dedicate their lives to eradicating Pleroma. In some ways, it might even be an honor. Not everyone leads a life that will be remembered. Many lack the capability to be remembered even if they desire it...]
[The people must unite. They've grown weary under Pleroma's long shadow, learning only apathy. But Lord Nicolaus, you have awakened our era from its slumber...]
"..."
Letters like this are tolerable when they're one or two pages long. When they reach ten pages, they become unsettling.
I searched the basket further and found two more similar letters.
'I should follow up on the investigation I requested earlier.'
For now, though, I needed to conserve my strength.
Sighing, I pushed the lazy cat Pai off the center of my pillow and lay down.
***
Investigation Update
"Three people named Robert Mueller were located in this region. None of them claim to have sent the letters."
"Really?"
Once my fever subsided, I visited the Investigation Bureau.
The investigator handed me a file.
"These are the individuals. Two don't even own typewriters. The third is under ten years old."
"Hmm...."
Considering the letters were typed, this complicated things.
Even if the sender borrowed a typewriter, it wouldn't matter much if the name was an alias.
We couldn't track who physically placed the letters in the mailbox either. This seemed to be the limit of what we could uncover.
I stood up and thanked him.
"Thank you. I'll return if anything else comes up."
"Understood."
As I was leaving, a shrill alert blared through the sensory artifact on my ear.
Beeeep—!
"…!"
A Pleroma sighting had been reported at the nearest location.
The voice that followed specified the coordinates and even named me directly.
Though my condition wasn't ideal, I was still capable of using magic. Since my name had been called, I couldn't ignore it.
Rubbing my fingers together to prepare for the warp, I focused on the coordinates.
The frigid winter wind swept under my mask as I arrived on the rooftop of a building not far from our dormitory.
"…This is the reported location. Huh."
Leo, who had arrived earlier, turned to look at me with raised eyebrows.
He clearly wanted to know why I was here, but now wasn't the time for explanations.
The location was correct, but there was nothing on the rooftop.
"Here! This is the place!"
People were shouting from below. I could see early responders securing the entrance to the building.
Unsure if the report was legitimate, I extended my wand, lengthening it to staff size, and struck it against the ground.
Boom!
In situations like this, I had to do everything I could before the golden hour passed.
The clean rooftop suddenly revealed a long trail of blood, as if a hidden layer had been peeled away.
[Lord Ernst, reinforcements are en route.]
I listened to the Bureau's notification as I set up a barrier around the building and positioned myself to cover Leo.
When I opened the door to retreat, Leo groaned.
"Damn it."
Halfway down the stairs to the fourth floor, a bloodied figure lay sprawled.
"…They're in bad shape. I'll get them to the hospital."
"Understood."
Since I didn't know the hospital's warp coordinates, Leo, familiar with Bavaria's locations, had to handle it.
Soon, another notification arrived:
[Reinforcements have arrived.]
"Control the warp point and search the first and second floors," I instructed briefly before descending to the fourth floor.
Boom!
I slammed my staff forward, sending waves of white light rippling through the corridor.
Holding my breath, I observed the flow of Divine Power, but nothing reflected back from any living being.
The third floor was no different.
[The first and second floors are clear.]
They had already fled.
A sense of unease crept up my spine.
'Let's get out of here.'
The main entrance would likely be crowded.
Thinking this, I headed for the back exit, but there were even more people gathered there than before.
The air was thick with excitement, the crowd whipped into a frenzy.
While such a scene was manageable for me, it clearly wasn't for them.
'This won't do.'
Turning to an investigator nearby, I said, "We need crowd control here. Contact the Bureau and lift the warp restrictions."
"Understood."
As I surveyed the area, I couldn't shake the odd feeling.
Despite the brazen attack, they had let this unfold so easily?
During the festival, people like Oswald had been targeted without witnesses or memories.
'This isn't their usual method.'
If someone attacked in this area, they had to know that contacting Leo was inevitable.
With Nicolaus always by the Crown Prince's side, it ensured both of us would respond.
The timing suggested their target wasn't civilians—it was either Leo or me.
'I need to return now.'
Just as that thought crossed my mind, something flew past my face.
Boom!
"…!"
"Ahh!"
"What the hell?!"
A fist-sized rock struck my barrier, clattering to the ground.
At the same time, screams erupted behind me, and I heard the sound of the defensive line breaking.
A stranger's arm yanked me backward with unnerving strength, their wrinkled hand clutching an old letter.
And then—
Thud—!
Something bright entered my vision briefly before disappearing.
I quickly turned and grabbed the old man's shoulder to push him away, but a Bureau mage restrained him with a spell first.
"Sir, you can't do this…!"
The investigator's face went pale, his gaze darting between the man's robe and my face.
"..."
Reaching for my side, I felt warm liquid pour forth.
The moment I realized what it was, the screams around me grew distant.
'Well, damn. Not this again….'
No, this wasn't the time for such thoughts.
Whether this was a retaliation from Pleroma or a scheme by the sender of those letters, it didn't matter. Both were targets for elimination.
'Thanks for the attack.'
They might have prepared well, but they wouldn't achieve their goal.
Clenching my jaw, I summoned the reset window with all my strength.
"Take me back to before this."