*Ding—!*
'Route 1 — < Chapter 2 >' has begun.
**「 Chapter 2. Help Yourself, and the Gods Will Help You (2) 」**
< Chapter 2. Help Yourself, and the Gods Will Help You (2) >
**Proposal:** Make 'Leonard Wittelsbach' your ally. (0/1) (167 hours 59 minutes 58 seconds)
* Route 1 ― < Chapter 3. Undefined (1) >
* Route 2 ― < Death >
'…Death.'
167 hours, 59 minutes. One week.
They just casually drop this insane quest like it's nothing.
My breath hitched for a second.
'No.'
Even with a one-week deadline, the odds are still there. Being in the same class as Leo, I actually have no doubt I can pull this off.
I tore my gaze from Leo's icy blue eyes and sat down.
* * *
"Good morning, students. Did you all have a pleasant break?"
On the first day of the new semester, the professor placed the attendance sheet on the lectern and greeted us with forced cheer.
The students' response was lukewarm at best.
The professor ignored it completely and launched into the course introduction.
"As you know from last year, this class covers the history of magic."
A low-pressure subject right from the start. I liked that.
I leaned back in my chair and let my mind go blank as the professor droned on.
Leo's favorability, which I'd checked when our eyes met earlier, was -8.
Higher than most students here, who hovered around -10, but still a negative number. Not exactly promising.
To turn Leo into an ally within 168 hours—one week—I'd need to accelerate my original plan.
I scribbled aimlessly in my notebook for a while, then checked the clock. An hour had passed with no sign of the lecture ending.
"…and this is the very cornerstone that allows us to forge the future by understanding the past. We can confront the microcosm of our own selves and proactively pioneer our lives…"
"…"
Was it okay to talk like this for a full hour, even in a high school setting?
I lifted my eyes from the notebook and scanned the room. Most students were already zoning out or doing other things.
*Clap!*
The professor clapped his hands, drawing scattered attention.
"Now, everyone. Focus. I'll pose one final question. There is a council that decided, targeting those in whom magical power has manifested, to have them participate once a year in a Holy Communion ceremony. What was it? I'll give a perfect attitude score for the semester to any student who answers correctly."
"He's at it again… We haven't even properly studied this yet. How are we supposed to know?"
"What does he expect?"
The students seated in front of me whispered, their voices barely audible.
That level of audacity… It was the kind of attitude that only came from looking down on a teacher.
'Reminds me of my own high school days.'
Once you decided a teacher was a joke, that was it.
I listened to the professor with a touch of pity.
"It won't be on the exam. However, one should know this much to be considered a student of our proud Empire's Second Academy of Education. It's not heavily covered in the textbook, but it's a pivotal event for understanding the origins of modern divine power. Does no one know?"
Silence, of course.
I skimmed the action routes I'd scribbled in my notebook, lost in thought.
First period of the first day, second year.
Not a bad time to start the plan for this proposal and decide my future course of action.
'Shall I test the waters?'
Should I really keep up the act here at school like I did at home?
I'd already shown un-Lucas-like behavior to that one student who gave me directions, but that was just to one person. I could still change course now.
Besides, the professor's question was about a story from those tedious divine power texts I'd memorized ad nauseam on the way here.
Knowing the answer now made this a decent opportunity to use.
'Nothing popping up?'
I called up the quest window just in case.
No new proposals besides the one about making Leo an ally.
It pops up for all sorts of useless things, but when I actually need it…
'Fine.'
It's just once anyway.
I'd read in yesterday's paper that the royal mage organization my brother belonged to had departed for the Papal States.
It would take at least a year for my brother's business there to conclude, and with inter-kingdom warp magic prohibited, he'd have to return by carriage or train to the Empire's border at the very least.
Under those circumstances, it would be difficult for him to return home solely for the purpose of locking me back in the basement.
'More importantly… *He* was the one who told me to raise my grades first.'
If I'm so scared of him that I'm doing what he says, is he really going to pick a fight over that?
Answering a question in class might earn some scrutiny, but it's not enough to provoke direct action.
And that's assuming the news even reaches him.
In the novel, my brother didn't assign a watcher to Lucas. That made sense, just looking at my state right after possession. What could a person that broken, mentally and physically, possibly do on their own initiative?
So, me answering once in class isn't going to immediately reach my brother's ears.
I listened to the professor's discontent with a slight smile.
"No one? This connects directly to what I discussed earlier. I'm sure we briefly covered this last year as well…"
"…"
"Very well. Please commit it to memory from now on."
"The Seventh Council of Lateran."
Silence fell over the lecture hall.
The students packed into the room turned their bodies toward me, staring with unmistakable bewilderment.
The professor, who clearly hadn't expected me to answer at all, was left speechless.
No one seemed capable of breaking this awkward atmosphere. I opened my mouth with a gentle smile to diffuse the tension.
"Was I wrong?"
"Student?"
"Yes."
"…Is that the student's answer?"
I tilted my head, my expression asking what the problem was.
"Yes."
"…You are not incorrect. The Seventh Council of Lateran is correct. I believe you were often absent last year due to illness… You remember this?"
I ended the exchange with a smile instead of a reply.
As I met the countless gazes fixed on me, the students hastily looked away, as if my eyes held some contagion.
The important one isn't any of them.
I looked toward where Leo was.
Instead of the cold expression from before, Leo was looking back at me with a face full of confusion.
At that moment, a new window appeared before my eyes.
*Ding—!*
**Chapter 2 Special Reward**
**Hint:** Check your survival probability!
—-----------
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