Leonard Wittelsbach.
The guy who had the biggest hand in the protagonist's eventual victory. He was deeply entangled in Luca's story, too.
Born into a family famous for generations of magical medicine, Leo succeeded in turning his older brother's poison into a core-enhancing elixir.
The ingredients were surprisingly simple. But since I couldn't rely on family help to get them, I'd need to build connections within the academy.
'Same age as the protagonist. And Luca.'
I wrote down everything I remembered about Leo beneath his name.
By the time I'd filled a notebook, I checked the clock. Still over half a day before departure.
'Time to look for the next target.'
Just setting appropriate targets had already ticked off a third of the proposal. Anything even remotely helpful to me now had a good chance of passing.
'Could use some points.'
Boosting my physique or impression scores right before leaving wasn't smart. Better to test the technical skills I could access before departure.
I left my room to find the library, getting a feel for the mansion's layout along the way.
The moment I stepped out, the murmuring conversations and soft laughter in the hall cut off. Servants carrying out their tasks froze mid-stride, plastering themselves against the walls.
The ostracization Luca faced in the novel had arrived, right on schedule.
'Feels different in person.'
Didn't bother me much. They were avoiding Luca, not the real me.
I enjoyed the novel experience, replaying the plot in my head.
This wasn't servants currying favor with Father or my brother. If it were just that, they wouldn't go this far.
And my brother was such a skilled actor most of them never doubted his fraternal devotion.
The reason Luca was shunned was the rumor my brother had spent years carefully crafting.
He'd spent a long time seeding whispers that I was connected to the Pleroma.
The Pleroma was a cult that believed you could achieve immortality by drinking the blood of others to absorb their mana. Most members were people who'd died long ago and were supposedly reborn about a decade back, claiming divine selection allowed their resurrection.
'That alone just makes them nutjobs.'
The Pleroma expanded their ranks by killing people and trying to resurrect them. Most attempts failed, leaving corpses. But on rare occasions, a body would revive, its consciousness gone. These revived husks and the Pleroma members sustained their bodies by absorbing mana from others. To minimize the direct damage of mana absorption, they consumed blood infused with mana. A thoroughly unpleasant bunch.
My brother had meticulously crafted everything from minor scandals to outright murders, letting people's imaginations run wild about my sanity. He'd finally succeeded in spreading the scandal without dirtying his own hands.
The fabricated lie spread across the nation in an instant. My brother put on the performance of his life, protecting Luca from the imperial investigators and press that descended on the estate.
That was nearly ten years ago now.
For a decade, he'd layered falsehood upon falsehood, sending his younger brother's reputation to the grave. He never forgot to burnish his own saintly image in the process.
The result? He'd fooled everyone. Father, the public, even Luca himself. The servants were no exception.
'Works for me.'
If they're going to avoid me this openly, I'll take it. Didn't mean they wouldn't notice what I did, but it beat having them interfere in every little thing.
Every servant I passed in the halls and on the stairs reacted the same. Some even let out a frightened, defensive sneer.
The strange, floating sensation of being an isolated anomaly didn't fade. Luca's memories merged with mine, making their attitudes feel more vivid. But unlike Luca, I felt no anxiety.
'So what?'
Want me to vanish on the spot? Don't they know this just makes me want to shove my face in theirs even more?
But I had to swallow my temper for now. It wasn't time to mess with them yet.
After wandering the mansion until my stamina was nearly spent, I finally stepped into the first-floor library.
I browsed the shelves, pulling out history books and texts on magic.
*Ding!*
**Chapter 1 Special Reward**
**Turn your knowledge into skill! Perfectly internalize the knowledge you are currently acquiring. (0/1)**
'Huh?'
They give these out too?
I'd been taking it easy, but the situation itself wasn't something to take lightly.
I thought fast.
'That "1" is suspicious.'
Meant one chance.
I scanned the pile of books on the desk.
Couldn't waste this on something like history. I could memorize that on my own.
I needed a field where knowledge and results were strongly divorced. Something that required immense practice.
I pushed the history books aside and lined up the magic texts.
*Introduction to Foundational Magical Theory.*
Useless. I could study the basics myself.
*50 Combat Spells for Practical Use.*
Tempting. But I could probably find something better. I'd learn that at the academy anyway.
I shoved all the books to one side of the desk and went to the shelf where the magic texts had been.
*Change Your Life With This — Easy Everyday Magical Pharmacology.*
Knowing this probably wouldn't change anything.
*Absolutely Forbidden! Taboo Curses You Must Never Use.*
I already had rumors linking me to a blood-drinking cult. Did I really need to reinforce that? Besides, if this book passed imperial censorship and was sitting in this house, it couldn't contain real curse magic. A pop-science book at best.
'Let me think.'
I could learn regular magic on my own.
I needed something hard for me to learn. A field with an 'astronomical' opportunity cost in time and effort.
Then the answer was obvious.
I moved to a different section immediately.
Flipping through books one by one, I finally found something usable.
*Research on Divine Power as Authority.*
It detailed special magic utilizing divine power.
Divine power was mana that had been processed. Fundamentally, not much different from raw mana. But because it was 'processed,' divine power users could handle both divine power and raw mana skillfully, while those who only used raw mana struggled immensely with divine power.
'Originally, only clergy needed divine power…'
But I needed it now.
Especially for this.
My eyes went to the section on mental manipulation magic.
I needed to learn how to seal people's lips by manipulating their minds, just in case.
This kind of magic placed a huge strain on the caster's stamina and mental strength, and had many restrictions. Even if I learned it, I couldn't use it on my brother…
'But I can delay news of my changes reaching his ears.'
In short, it widened my range of action.
Above all, learning divine power would let me master not just mental manipulation, but various special magics derived from divine power.
I opened the book and crammed all the knowledge on divine power into my head.
I still had to achieve acquisition myself. Since I didn't understand it yet, I started with rote memorization.
*Ding!*
**Chapter 1 Special Reward**
**Turn your knowledge into skill! Perfectly internalize the knowledge you are currently acquiring. (1/1)**
The 'Divine Power' trait has been added!
'Done.'
So just memorizing it counted as success.
I let out a breath and smiled.
* * *
I spent the night in the library, rising from my seat when I heard the faint bell signaling the servants' waking hour. The clock said it was almost time to leave for the academy.
"Young Master."
Right on time, the servant from yesterday came to the library to fetch me.
Lost in thought, I followed the guiding servant.
I knew the school was some distance away. Figured it would take three or four days.
Probably couldn't use spatial movement tools. Those worked on a mage's core.
Luca was born a mage, but kindly enough, my brother's weekly poison shattered his core, so he effectively couldn't do anything only a mages could. We'd likely take a carriage.
Passing through numerous corridors and gardens, we exited the outermost part of my building. A carriage was indeed waiting.
'Called it.'
Not even surprising anymore.
I gestured toward the carriage and asked, "How many days to the capital usually?"
"Ah, I… it took me just under three days. I haven't been here long, so I haven't heard about your case, Young Master."
Three days is three days. What's this 'my case' nonsense?
I didn't expect the servant assigned to me to be sharp, so I just climbed into the carriage without a reply.
"I'll see you next break, Young Master. Take care on your journey."
The servant who guided me here gave his farewell.
Recalling Luca's timid personality, I just gave a slight nod.
There should be more servants attending me, but aside from the one who brought me here, not a single person came to see me off.
If my brother's servants had done this when he left, they'd all have been fired.
'Well, they'll all be replaced by the time I'm back anyway. Doesn't matter.'
I slammed the carriage window shut and leaned back into the plush seat.
The next day, I understood why he'd mentioned 'my case.'
The carriage bearing the family crest passed through other territories without a single inspection, arriving at the capital's doorstep in a single day.
'The family name sure speeds things up.'
I closed the divine power book I'd brought from the library and looked out the window.
A curved boulevard in the distance was already packed with carriages. It was the start of term, and with an inspection point ahead, the traffic was worse than ever.
'Gonna be stuck here a while.'
I opened the book again.
I looked up after skimming the final chapter, and another astonishing sight unfolded.
The carriages that hadn't yet reached the fork in the road all swerved in perfect unison into the other lane, as if by prior agreement. The recently congested road cleared in an instant.
Then, a shrill cry came from a carriage passing beside us.
"Eek…!"
A child who'd been sightseeing out the window looked my way, then slammed their carriage window shut.
The question 'why?' flashed through my mind, followed immediately by a rational suspicion.
'Are they… avoiding me?'
The suddenly clearing road began to make sense.
The Ascania family, a mage household, had no reason to use a carriage. They could use warp magic.
So who was riding in this thing?
Me, obviously.
"...Hahahaha!"
Knowing the full picture, I laughed.
Not because I was upset. It was a laugh of sheer absurdity.
'They go this far?'
This is a bit much. Even if I were the monster they thought, I wasn't about to leap from the carriage and blow up the road to hold a resurrection rite. Was this necessary?
'....'
Actually, from their perspective, it probably seemed within the realm of possibility.
I quickly erased the thought and maintained my composure.
I'd known Luca was a national pariah, but experiencing that narrative firsthand outside the house was on a different level than the few servants at home.
'Looking forward to it.'
The moment I drag my brother down to my former place and rise higher than where he stands now—what will become of them? How will my brother react to our completely reversed positions?
I closed the window and opened the book.
'Hmm.'
I'd now memorized all the magical formulae and additional information on divine power here.
Since I had nothing else to do and had arrived early, I held no great regret toward them.
*Ding!*
**Getting the hang of it? Keep it up!**
**'Proposal: Life is What You Make It! Find something you need to do.' 2/3 Achieved!**
A new notification appeared.
I'd guessed I'd succeed after reaching the library and getting the special reward, so I wasn't surprised.
But its appearance now was noteworthy.
'It showed up right after I mastered the content here.'
Maybe it meant a change had occurred beyond just the trait from the reward.
'Status.'
**Lucas René Ascania**
**Title: The Empire's Greatest Fool**
**Physique: -5**
**Mental Strength: -10**
**Mana: ?**
**Skill: +0.002 (+0.002)**
**Impression: -10**
**Luck: -9.998 (+0.002)**
**Traits: Dawn 777, Divine Power**
My skill had risen, if minutely. So minutely it was astounding.
'…Well, I expected that.'
Given how fitting the mental strength and impression scores were, each category seemed to be out of 10… They wouldn't just give a free point for reading one book.
I accepted it quickly and dismissed the window.
The rise in luck was more surprising. It seemed possible to interact with other stats.
"We've arrived."
The coachman opened the carriage door.
In the distance was a building that looked unmistakably like a school. Students in uniforms milled about the plaza.
I grabbed my bag, got out, and scanned the surrounding shops.
'Now I have something to do.'
A bit sudden, but this would probably achieve the final item of this 'Proposal.'
I needed a haircut. Now.
I raised a hand and ruffled my hair.
Hair stiff with wax clumped together and fell, covering my eyes and ears. How long had it been since it was last cut? I had no idea.
Unless Father summoned me, even the servants assigned to me avoided contact… The last cut was probably the day before I met Father for enrollment.
'The more the servants avoid me, the more I need to make a statement, but… whatever.'
Fine. Luca grew up unable to help it. What could I do?
I'd been in the library until it was time to leave anyway, so in the end, I had no room to talk.
But if I kept looking like this, I wouldn't make any companions or connections. I needed to fix my appearance.
'The problem is I don't know where to get it cut.'
I stood still, looking around.
From the moment the family carriage came into view, the people filling the plaza began glancing my way and slipping off. Now, noticeably fewer people were around—only three or four in sight.
One student in uniform spotted me, halted, then quickly changed direction and vanished into an alley.
'Hmm.'
As always, I didn't particularly resent it.
Didn't feel bad, either.
They were avoiding Luca, not me.
Still… right now, it felt a bit irritating. Let's just say it's only for this time.
I lengthened my stride and entered the alley. I grabbed the shoulder of someone in a uniform.
"Excuse me."
"Eek!"
The owner of the shoulder jumped, then slowly turned his head. His reaction suggested he already knew who had grabbed him.
I relaxed my expression as much as possible and smiled gently.
The other person seemed unable to believe the situation, his mouth just hanging open. His voice was a forced whisper when he finally answered.
"Wh-why…?"
"I have a question."
—-----------
T/N:
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