"...I knew your ability was good, but I didn't know you could pick up on such minute details."
"Huh? Special Grade 2? I got it right~"
Narke smiled brightly as he pulled out the chair next to me and sat down.
'Got it right'?
I let out a hollow laugh and asked.
"You guessed?"
"Not completely. I inferred from several clues. I can't believe I was right. I guess I'm starting to understand you a bit now, Lucas."
It seems the longer he knows someone, the better his ability works.
Well, I suppose that makes sense. A person's thoughts and behavior patterns don't change that easily.
No wonder it felt like he was picking up on incredibly fine details for a Level 2 ability.
Just then, a gust of wind from warp magic swept through the front hall.
"Lucas."
Leo's voice called out.
Perhaps because I'd unintentionally skipped training again today, my shoulders instinctively hunched up.
'...'
Why am I like this?
Facing this magic fanatic somehow made me feel guilty for no reason... I really shouldn't.
I straightened my thoughts and lifted my head. Leo, who met my eyes, gestured toward the outside.
"Let's go. For your core treatment."
"Did I say I was going today?"
"No, but you don't have anything else to do anyway. You can't train because of the medicine you have to take."
He knows me well. At least he has some common sense.
Narke, who had been listening, spoke up.
"Can I come too? I'm curious."
"Well... fine."
Leo thought for a moment, then wrote down the warp coordinates on a piece of paper and handed it to Narke. Narke smiled and took it.
"Thanks~"
"Sure. Well, come over right away then. Let's meet at the hospital."
* * *
The treatment was grueling.
As with anything involving the core, a constant shockwave washed over me, just like during the core examination.
'This really isn't any different from giving an electric shock to the heart...'
It seemed to take a lot of effort for the caster of the healing magic too, as the doctor wiped sweat from his brow and exhaled.
"Phew... The damage is quite severe, so one session won't be enough. Still, a significant portion of the minor fissures should be filled now. Let's stop here for today and continue the treatment next time."
"How many more times will I need to come?"
"At least five more times. By the way, isn't the mask uncomfortable? It must be hot, you should take it off for a bit."
"No, it's fine."
The doctor laughed heartily at that.
"Hohoho! I was curious, what a shame."
"..."
So he wanted me to take it off out of curiosity....
A hollow laugh escaped me.
"Well, I'll be going now. Rest a bit before you leave."
"Yes, thank you."
I smiled and bid him farewell. As soon as the door closed, I closed my eyes and leaned back comfortably into the cushion.
For some reason, less than ten seconds later, the door burst open again.
"Hey there~"
From the rakish greeting that made me wonder just how old he was, to the double-tapping sound of crutches with each step, I didn't even need to open my eyes to know who had entered.
Elias exhaled heavily as he laboriously sat down in the chair next to me.
"Phew... So you're here too, Your Grace? Narke as well. I was getting bored, glad you came."
Narke beamed and greeted him.
"Elias, you were at the hospital too. It's nice to see you here."
"Right~? Where'd that rabbit go?"
"Haha, I couldn't bring it to the hospital, so I left it in my room."
So Elias had learned of Fye's existence by now. Of course, he didn't know it could talk.
Narke tried his best not to reveal that the animal could understand and converse, for Fye's own safety. So far, I was still the only one who properly knew.
Originally, like Leo, Elias and I didn't have any particular connection outside of the group, so there was no real reason to tell him anyway.
Elias closed his mouth with a look of disappointment.
"I see. I miss seeing it, what a shame."
"Elias! I told you not to walk!"
Leo, who had been in the next room, followed Elias in and scolded him.
"Can't help it. I have a lot to do with Nikolaus."
"Things to do?"
"After causing that ruckus, sitting still makes me antsy. Right? Let's go find something else to hunt down. Explain that plan you mentioned before."
"Haha..."
I guess I unleashed the protagonist onto the world a bit early. He should be acting like this around next year.
Anyway, it's not that big a difference, so it shouldn't be a major problem.
"I can't go for that right now because I have something to handle first. I'll explain after this is done."
"What is it this time? You're not going to cause another scene like before, are you?"
Leo, seemingly in a hurry, let the vulgarity slip without softening it.
"I won't... This is something I plan to handle alone, so don't worry. I'm thinking of moving together with Duke Elias after that."
"What is it that you're going to do alone, Your Grace?"
I took out a letter from my pocket and handed it over.
[Federal Council Member of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, Werner Strauch]
It was a letter sent from the Federal Council to my office in Bavaria.
Leo frowned as he took the letter.
"The Federal Council? Don't tell me..."
Elias glanced at the letter in Leo's hand and tossed out a remark.
"He really came looking for you himself."
"That's right."
I nodded.
"Since he came to me directly like this, I have to go deal with it."
* * *
"I never thought I'd live to invite three classmates at once..."
We were now in Leo's room for a strategy meeting.
Elias looked around in admiration, his gaze sweeping the room.
"This room is practically a whole floor! Nice!"
"You've been coming here every week since you were a kid, why are you acting like it's your first time?!"
"Ah, don't say that~"
Elias chuckled and plopped down at the table in the middle of the room. Then he gestured toward the door at the end of the hallway.
"For your information, that's the bedroom, guys. Go sleep if you're tired. This mansion has fifty rooms, but the owner will probably sleep somewhere else."
"Just ignore him."
Leo seemed to have given up, smiling as he took a seat.
Narke smiled and propped his chin on his hand.
"Haha, you guys are really close~ I couldn't really tell in the classroom."
"Yeah. Wait, you couldn't tell in the classroom?!"
"Lower your voice, Elias. And..."
Leo let out a sigh mixed with a laugh and then looked at me.
"This isn't the time for that. There's no risk of anyone listening here, so speak freely. Why do you intend to handle the Pleroma in the parliament alone?"
"Right, first of all..."
Let me take this mask off.
Seeing that all the curtains were drawn, I took off the mask and placed it on the desk. Cool air settled on my skin.
Now I can breathe a little easier.
"Whoa."
Elias whistled as he scanned my face. Narke also burst out laughing simultaneously with Elias's reaction.
"Wow, really..."
"What."
I had expected something like this, but the question slipped out naturally.
In response to my question, Elias gestured.
"You know this is the first time you've properly taken off your mask in front of us since changing your color, right? Seeing your hair color too, I really thought you were Adrian Ascanian."
"..."
I sent Leo a look demanding a rebuttal, but he just shrugged his shoulders.
We do share some genes, so it can't be helped.
More than that, with this many people, there's no gap for the sound to fade.
Narke is watching silently as usual, but Elias talks so much it probably feels that way.
I waved my hand at Elias's playful, persistent gaze.
"Enough, let's talk business. It's getting late."
"Right. Explain why you intend to face that guy alone. That's why we gathered."
Leo pressed once more.
I unfolded the letter and pushed it toward Leo.
"Did you check what it says?"
"It says he has a request for me regarding the Pleroma. That he needs my divine power."
"Right. The reason I'm going alone is simple. He only made the request to me. In that situation, could I bring you, or Narke, or Elias?"
"..."
Leo understood the meaning and let out a deep sigh.
"Even if I brought someone, he would find a way to create a situation where it's just him and me. I'm the sole target, and the moment another mage gets involved here, it's clear his side would lose."
"Honestly, it was obvious from the start. From the moment you put on the hat of the initial informant, Lucas becoming a target was a foregone conclusion."
Elias said, gradually showing a serious attitude.
Then he leaned forward from where he had been reclining against the backrest.
"Well, I don't want to stop you from doing what you intend, but honestly, even so, sending you alone doesn't look that good to me."
"Why do you think that?"
I asked with a smile.
Even if I state my opinion, I should first hear what these guys are thinking.
"It's obvious. As you said before, even hiding thoroughly would be insufficient, but now that you've been exposed nationwide and your missions have been hampered, the Pleroma side wouldn't look favorably on the guy who was in charge of the insect experiment. His position must have become very difficult."
"Right."
"That guy must hold a great grudge against you, the initial informant, so he'll have no qualms about bringing you down. Want to hear my scenario?"
I nodded silently.
Elias spread two fingers as before.
"You get lured there and become part of the Pleroma, or you die in front of the Pleroma members. Of course, both are like crossing an irreversible river, right? Especially the former; in terms of treatment, you'd be better off dead."
"That's true."
That's probably exactly what would happen.
Depending on the severity of the punishment the spy receives, the level of retaliation against me would vary, but for now, anticipating and preparing for those two scenarios is the safest.
Just as I was about to open my mouth, Leo asked calmly.
"If that's true, why are you going?"
"Right. There's a reason I have to go. First, you understand that sending someone else instead of me would be useless."
"I might be of use?"
Elias tossed out lightly.
That's true.
The people he would hold a grudge against are me, who first brought the insect problem to light, and next, Elias.
If Elias, who is as much a topic of conversation as I am, goes in my place, the guy might be satisfied enough and lure Elias to the Pleroma's base to use him as a tool for restoring honor and making a comeback.
But...
'I can't let that happen.'
Of course, I don't think the protagonist would just die obediently.
But there's no need to expose someone who's only eighteen in Korean age to the danger I should face. Moreover, since I need to raise my impression points anyway, it's not bad for me to go.
Of course, the protagonist toward the end was older than my original self... but anyway, the present is what matters.
"No. Your leg isn't healed yet."
"Ah, if I'd known this would happen, I should have just eaten that boar as soon as I saw it... Looking back now, it's so unfair!"
Elias said something absurd and clutched his head.
"Anyway, aside from me and Elias, the other two going before that guy would be pretty meaningless no matter what. Moving on to the next point, there's one reason we have to deal with him directly."
Narke, as if he had already read my thoughts, nodded gently with a soft smile.
"We have no way to put him away immediately. Should we report him? 'Werner Strauch is Pleroma, arrest him immediately'? Well, what would they believe me on? I can't present any evidence that he's Pleroma."
Leo, who had been listening with his arms crossed and a dissatisfied expression, slowly nodded.
"Right, you still haven't told even us how you found out. I just accepted it because you're not the type to talk nonsense."
"But now it's definitely believable enough. Lucas got a letter from that person he mentioned."
Elias picked up the letter and waved it.
"Right, he proved it himself, in a way. Even so, that's evidence only we know about; it's not enough to make a formal investigation request."
Leo continued.
"If the Bavarian royal family requests an investigation from the Imperial family, there's a possibility it might actually be undertaken, but even then, the outcome is uncertain."
I nodded at his words.
"Right. What if he left absolutely no evidence in his office or mansion? That would be the end of it."
"Wow, that's really thrilling. Getting branded a liar by the Imperial family~"
Elias giggled.
Narke stared at Elias as if fascinated, perhaps finding it strange for a member of the Imperial family to say such a thing.
Leo clasped his hands together and spoke seriously.
"So now, that's the reason you're talking about a frontal assault. We can't use public authority until we directly catch evidence."
"Correct."
The Imperial family doesn't particularly want to antagonize the states that make up the Empire.
At this time, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, where Werner Strauch serves as a Federal Councilor, is a Grand Duchy.
From the Imperial family's perspective, they have no reason to arrest a Federal Councilor of a Grand Duchy based solely on the claim of a Bavarian mage who can't present any evidence.
If I could present something, it might be different, but I can't.
So...
"If we can't initiate an investigation, and even if we could, the chance of success is low... then we just have to induce Werner Strauch to admit he's Pleroma with his own mouth."
To do that, we need to wait for the moment he reveals his true self.
And that moment will come when he faces me, the object of his grudge.
* * *
I touched my ear. A transparent artifact was hooked over my earlobe.
"This thing would fly off if I get hit once."
"You have to block it before that happens!"
Leo turned around with an incredulous expression.
"If we could have tested it one more time, it would have been much more stable."
"We didn't have time to make more. We should be grateful it's capable of transmission at all."
Since a regular technology recorder might not work in a situation involving magic, we decided to borrow sensory transfer magic instead.
We applied a magic formula to an empty artifact to create a temporary effect. Adding a function to cut and restart transmission with each touch made the formula ten times more complex, causing some trouble due to conflicts.
Still, surprisingly, unlike during testing, once hooked over the earlobe, the effect was clear, so we could finish preparations quickly.
I truly felt that the saying about maximizing artifact performance by making it as close to the body as possible wasn't for nothing.
Of course, depending on the environment he creates, a situation might arise where the artifact doesn't work.
In other words, since both situations could occur, we simply employed both regular and magical technology.
I finished my preparations and straightened my clothes.
It was almost time to move, so I brought it up with Leo one last time.
"Let's go over it one more time. If there's content the investigators shouldn't hear, I'll tap the artifact connected to my arm once. Then it will cut off. Remember, you can also cut it off from your side."
"Got it. I also adjusted it with them to have about a 30-second delay, so don't worry too much about controlling it. We'll handle blocking and reconnecting."
'Them' refers to the Bavarian Investigation Bureau.
Once they confirm the situation is escalating, the matter will be transferred to the Imperial Investigation Bureau from that point.
I nodded and tapped the recorder connected behind my robe brooch.
"The recorder doesn't have real-time transmission technology anyway, so I'll just leave it running."
"Right, do that. We'll keep that and can release it after deleting personal information."
Looking at the clock, it was already 3 PM.
It was about time to go.
"I'm off."
I input the coordinates of the location written in the letter into the warp formula and flicked my hand.
The main building of the Federal Council assembly hall appeared before my eyes.
As expected, the person I had familiarized myself with through prior investigation was at that location.
I approached the person standing with his back turned in the distance and called his name.
"Councilor Werner Strauch."
—-----------
T/N:
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