"Congratulations, Luca."
As time rewound, I found myself once again facing the exact moment I had just experienced.
The same expression of joy in Adrian's eyes as he observed my magic.
Then and now, at no point could I see a single trace of murderous intent.
If anyone here should have pursued acting, it was him.
"I'm deeply moved that you think this way, Brother."
If he wanted to disguise his intent to kill me as family affection, then I should respond in kind.
I forced out words I didn't mean.
"What you've described still feels like an unimaginable fortune to me. I would be satisfied simply knowing I won't tarnish your name."
"What do you mean? I've never once thought that you've sullied my name."
Adrian briefly furrowed his brow before softening his expression into one of apparent concern.
"You must have carried a heavier burden than I realized. But you don't need to anymore. Even if we can't change your nature, as long as your behavior improves, people won't dismiss you so easily."
"Even if we can't change your nature," huh…
So he still had no intention of clearing the Pleroma stigma.
I see.
That means he already has a plan regarding that.
I simply stared at him, and Adrian smiled gently as he continued.
"Even if it's difficult, I'll always be here to help you, Luca."
"Hearing you say that is more reassuring than anything."
How ridiculous, coming from the man plotting to ruin me more meticulously than ever before.
But as always, I smiled and answered as if I believed him.
I spent hours talking with him and was only able to return to my room late at night.
"Lucas!"
Pai, who had been nestled under the blankets, leapt onto my shoulder.
Before my body gave out completely, I collapsed onto the bed.
Pai, seemingly puzzled by the fact that I didn't even bother changing my clothes before closing my eyes, placed a paw on my eyelid.
"Why~? What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
I could finally rest.
Just thinking about my brother's strategy had drained my energy.
I was about to shut my eyes when I suddenly remembered the letter Pai had brought.
Lately, Pai had been warping between school and here to deliver updates, which had made things much more manageable.
I ran a hand over my desk, and a previously invisible envelope appeared.
…More bite marks again…
The top of the envelope was visibly creased. Pai must have carried it in its mouth.
Leaning back against the bed, I opened the envelope.
[To Lucas,
You'll do great.]
Straight to the point, huh?
Did Narce predict that I'd be meeting Adrian today?
Since Narce constantly used his ability on me, he was probably starting to get a general feel for things even without seeing me.
…He's not reading my mind remotely, is he?
…No, that's absurd.
I shook off the thought and flipped the page.
On the back were letters from Leo and Elias.
They sound much calmer than before.
When I had first arrived in Anhalt, their letters had been filled with heavy topics.
Now, Elias' letters were mostly about how we should get wasted when I got back.
It seemed Narce had reassured them enough to ease their worries.
After finishing my friends' letters, I opened the document detailing Narce's investigation.
If I want to develop Nicolaus, I need to start moving the moment I return.
That's why I had asked for this report.
All I wanted was to get back as soon as possible and solidify my foundation.
If I were being honest…
There was also an element of competitiveness to it.
Adrian had remained completely composed even after witnessing my Divine Power.
Of course. As long as he kills me before the world finds out, there's no problem.
He only remained calm when he was certain he could win.
I was curious to see how he would react when he realized that ability had already been revealed.
With that thought, I continued reading Narce's report.
[…
For the first two days, the water samples we collected showed traces of substances.
But starting from the day you left for home, there were no reactions whatsoever.]
Since two priests wielding Divine Power had arrived, they must have started being more cautious.
They couldn't keep contaminating the water without risking exposure.
But—
"Substances?"
We hadn't previously identified any tools capable of detecting drug traces in the water.
[And I figured you'd ask how I knew about the drug traces.]
"..."
[Lichtthofen gave me a sample of the drug you and the others took in the catacombs.
Technically, it's not pure Vitriol—rather, it's a drug that synthesizes Vitriol inside the body.
We analyzed it and compared it to the water samples.]
I see.
They had already gotten this far while I was away.
That was good.
I turned the page with a sense of satisfaction.
[One last thing—I have a suggestion.
The Pleroma faction is obviously trying to avoid our movements.
Of course, that's not the only reason they withdrew, but it's clear that having priests on-site makes them wary.
So—want to disguise yourself again~?
P.S. Let me know if there's anything specific you need to investigate regarding the contamination. I need your input.]
He really loves pretending to be a civilian, huh…
If I hadn't taken him to Heiligen, he probably would've been sulking about it forever.
Disguising ourselves wasn't a bad choice.
After all, cutting off an opponent's access to information was the key to gaining an advantage.
But I don't need to go undercover here.
He wanted my opinion.
Everything he said made sense, but there was one more point worth considering.
I tore out a page from my notebook and picked up a pen.
[You said you compared the samples.
Did you find any other substances?]
—"Pai."
"Hm?"
—"Can you deliver this?"
"Of course!"
Pai grabbed the strip of paper in its mouth and disappeared in an instant.
Not even a minute later, a reply arrived.
I unfolded the pale-colored paper Narce had sent.
[Nope, nothing else.
By the way, you seem exhausted. Pushing yourself too hard?]
I had only written a few words, yet he picked up on it.
I suppose it's true—the better you know someone, the easier it is to use Insight on them.
But more importantly…
There was nothing else.
That was a problem.
Lichtthofen had said that Vitriol had to be consumed alongside memory drugs to destabilize magic.
But then… why did the contamination affect only certain people?
I had too much to write.
Since Narce was already using his ability on me, it would be better to summarize it in a single, clear statement.
I lifted my pen again and scrawled out a response.
[Then we need to find out why only some people were affected under the same conditions.]
The moment I placed the final period, Pai, who had been watching me write with sparkling eyes, suddenly piped up.
"Wanna send it?!"
—"Yeah. Thanks."
I guess Pai really enjoys running errands.
Anyway, Narce said there was nothing in the hot spring water except the Vitriol capsule components.
Lichtthofen had said that Vitriol had to be consumed alongside a memory drug for the contamination to take effect.
So how did some people suffer from the effects after taking only the Vitriol drug?
Of course, the memory drug is used to destabilize magic. That means as long as magic is disrupted in some way, Vitriol can invade the core—even without the memory drug.
At this point, I needed to consider the fact that most of the victims in that area were non-mages.
Since they lacked cores, it was possible that even the Vitriol drug alone was enough to affect them.
But then—
Why did only five people fall victim to contamination when a public water source is used by hundreds every day?
That meant non-mages weren't automatically vulnerable just because they took the drug.
There had to be another condition triggering the problem.
The most likely factor was emotion.
I'd need to verify it, but perhaps those affected had experienced extreme emotional agitation after drinking the contaminated hot spring water.
At that moment, Pai warped onto my chest with a reply in its mouth.
I took the paper and unfolded it.
[Damn, I didn't even think of that. Thanks.]
He caught on quickly.
Then, I felt another, longer sheet of paper behind it.
[By the way, this is going to take some time, so let's talk in person tomorrow. I'll be waiting.]
Tomorrow?
He's not planning to come all the way to Anhalt, is he?
I doubt he'd casually throw out a death wish like that.
Even so, I sent a reply—only to receive nothing but a doodle of a smiling face in return.
[^_^]
"..."
***
So that's what he meant.
The moment morning arrived, I immediately understood Narce's words.
On the first floor of the estate, servants were dressing Adrian in a coat, gathering his belongings, and standing by his side.
The chamberlain looked reluctant.
"You're still not fully recovered. Leaving now is…"
"I cannot ignore His Majesty's summons."
"I understand, but, young master, your injuries are severe. Would it not be better to at least meet him on the final day of your recuperation?"
"This appointment has already been confirmed. Besides, I had intended to meet His Majesty as soon as I was well enough. I'm merely moving the schedule forward by two days, so there's no need for concern."
Adrian offered the chamberlain a gentle smile before turning to me.
"Luca."
"Yes?"
"I'll always be cheering for you."
I responded with nothing more than a faint smile, ending the conversation there.
After escorting him to the entrance and watching his carriage depart, I turned back toward the estate.
"Well then, I suppose I should prepare to leave as well."
"Oh? You're heading back too, young master?"
"Wasn't I called here by my brother? Now that he's gone, there's no reason for me to stay."
"But shouldn't you at least see His Grace the Duke before leaving?"
"Would he even meet me?"
"..."
The chamberlain failed to respond.
I shrugged, smirking.
"It would only be a nuisance to force an audience. I'll just prepare for my return to school."
There was no point in meeting him.
Even if I tried, he wouldn't even open the door.
That was why Luca had always come and gone from home without formal greetings.
Back then, it was actually the chamberlain who had advised against them, fearing that a simple greeting might end in unnecessary punishment.
But now that I had changed, he seemed intent on making me observe the formalities.
It would only delay my return to school.
The mere fact that I had managed a greeting at the imperial banquet felt like a miracle.
At the time, I had thought I barely met the bare minimum of etiquette.
But now that I had seen how life in this household truly functioned, I realized that was actually a significant effort.
With that, the chamberlain and I boarded the train and arrived back at school.
"Then, I'll take my leave."
The chamberlain handed me my bag.
"Yes, thank you."
"Your next scheduled dose is on Moray, so I'll see you then, young master."
I gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment before turning away and heading into the school.
Since classes were still in session, the campus was nearly empty.
There are about five hours left until lessons end.
And yet…
I felt oddly cold.
Even in January, this place wasn't as frigid as a Korean winter, but for some reason, the chill felt unusually sharp.
I walked quickly and reached the dormitory.
Just like yesterday, I set down my bag and sat on my bed.
This is it.
I'm finally back.
…Just a few days ago, I thought I'd never return.
Having braced myself for forced expulsion, stepping back onto school grounds carried a different weight.
The tension that had gripped my entire body seemed to ease just by being here.
"Wow~"
Pai leapt out of my bag, marveling at the small pile of stones it had built before leaving.
Since I usually cleaned them up after a few days, Pai seemed fascinated that they had remained untouched this time.
…Now I feel bad for tidying them up.
But really, how was I supposed to not clean them when they were stacked in the middle of my desk?
I would continue clearing them away.
With that thought, I closed my eyes.
By the time I opened them again, it was already night.
Something was resting on my forehead.
Despite the weight, it felt oddly refreshing—almost like Divine Power.
…What is this?
I tapped the object on my forehead.
With a sharp shriek, Pai jolted awake.
"UWAH!"
"…Why are you so startled? Sorry. But why were you sleeping here?"
"I was cooling you down! You were hot!"
"Hm?"
Curious, I touched my own skin.
There was a faint heat.
I hadn't noticed while I was in the estate, but apparently, unexpectedly meeting my brother had taken a toll on me.
To be fair, it was a constant state of tension.
Even though I had no intention of dying, standing before the man who would kill me and calculating his every possible move was exhausting.
…If it were my original body, I wouldn't have caught a cold this easily.
In Luca's body, this was already the second time I had fallen ill this winter.
With a Health stat of 3, my physical endurance was actually above average by Imperial standards.
But immunity seemed to be an entirely different issue.
I channeled Divine Power into Pai.
"Thanks. I feel much better now."
I wasn't about to let a cold slow me down.
I opened my drawer, found some medicine, and downed it in one go.
Since it was a magical potion, the effects spread through my body almost immediately.
"…Nice."
Refreshing.
Since I was supposed to discuss those two lingering questions with Narce, I should head out and get started.
"Narce is still on campus, right?"
"He's in Baden-Baden right now!"
"…Why? Didn't he say he'd be waiting for me?"
"Ehh~ Someone called for him during the day. Wanna go now?"
Did another possessed person show up?
I turned my head—
And finally noticed the newspaper sitting on my desk.
[A Mysterious Procession of the Possessed… A 'Black Smoke' Advisory Issued Across the Empire]
…Interesting.