Published at 5th of December 2025 7:19 am

Chapter 48

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

I knew your abilities were impressive, but I didn't realize you could notice such fine details.

Huh? So you really are Level 2? I guessed right~

Narce sat down in the chair next to me with a bright smile.

Guessed right?

I chuckled in disbelief and asked, Did you guess?

Not completely. I made an educated guess based on various clues. It turns out I know you, Lucas, quite well now.

The longer you know someone, the better your ability works on them.

Of course, peoples thoughts and behavior patterns dont change easily.

No wonder he noticed such detailed things with just Level 2 abilities.

At that moment, a gust of wind from a warp spell blew through the entrance.

Lucas.

Leos voice called out.

I instinctively hunched my shoulders, possibly because I had unintentionally skipped training today.

.

Why am I reacting like this?

Dealing with this magic fanatic has made me feel unnecessarily guilty but there's no need for that.

I adjusted my thoughts and raised my head, meeting Leos gaze. He gestured outside with his head.

Lets go. Time for core treatment.

Did I say I was going today?

No, but you dont have anything else to do. You cant train anyway because you took the potion.

He knows me well. At least he has common sense.

Narce, listening to our conversation, spoke up.

Can I come too? Im curious.

Well okay.

Leo hesitated for a moment before writing down warp coordinates on a piece of paper and handing it to Narce, who accepted it with a smile.

Thanks~

No problem. Lets meet at the hospital.

***

The treatment was extremely tough.

Anything involving the core seems to be like this, with constant shocks similar to the core examination.

Its no different from giving an electric shock to the heart.

The caster of the treatment spell seemed to be struggling as well, as the doctor wiped sweat from his forehead and exhaled deeply.

Whew The damage is quite severe, so one session wont be enough. But weve managed to repair a significant part of the minor cracks. Lets stop here for today and continue next time.

How many more sessions will it take?

At least five more sessions. By the way, isnt the mask uncomfortable? It must be hot. You can take it off.

No, Im fine.

The doctor laughed heartily at that.

Hahaha! I was curious, but thats too bad.

.

He asked me to take it off because he was curious.

I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

Then Ill take my leave. You can rest for a bit before heading back.

Yes, thank you.

I smiled and greeted him. As soon as the door closed, I leaned back into the cushion and closed my eyes.

For some reason, less than 10 seconds later, the door swung open again.

Hey there~

I didnt need to open my eyes to know who it was, given the gruff greeting and the sound of crutches clattering with every step.

Elias sat down heavily in the chair next to me, exhaling.

Phew. Youre here too, Sir Nicolaus? And Narce. I was bored, so Im glad you came.

Narce greeted him with a bright smile.

Elias, you're here too. Its nice to see you here.

Right? Wheres that rabbit?

Haha, I couldnt bring him to the hospital, so I left him in my room.

So Elias also knows about Pai. Though he probably doesnt know it can talk.

Narce tries to keep the fact that Pai can understand and engage in conversations hidden as much as possible. So far, Im the only one who knows the full truth.

Given that, just like with Leo, theres no particular reason to tell Elias since they dont interact outside of our secret meetings.

Elias closed his mouth, seemingly disappointed.

I see. I wanted to see him.

Elias! I told you not to walk!

Leo, who had followed Elias into the room, scolded him.

No way. I have a lot to do with Nicolaus.

Do?

I got restless just sitting around after making a fuss. Dont you agree? Lets find something to hunt down. Explain that plan you mentioned earlier.

Haha.

I released the protagonist into the world a bit early. This kind of behavior wasnt supposed to happen until next year.

Still, its not a big problem since its not that far off.

I need to handle something first, so I cant go immediately. Ill explain once this is done.

What is it this time? Youre not going to cause trouble like you said earlier, right?

Leo, in his haste, didnt filter his language.

Im not. This time, I plan to go alone, so you dont need to worry. Ill consider moving with Duke Elias next.

What are you handling alone?

I pulled out a letter from my pocket and handed it to him.

[Werner Strauch, Mecklenburg-Schwerin Federal Council Member]

A letter from the Federal Council, addressed to my office in Bavaria.

Leo frowned as he took the letter.

The Federal Council? No way.

Elias glanced at the letter in Leos hand and chimed in.

He actually came to you.

Yes.

I nodded.

Since he came directly, I have to deal with it.

***

I never thought Id end up inviting three classmates to my room.

We were now in Leos room for a strategy meeting.

Elias looked around in awe.

Your room is almost an entire floor! Lucky you!

Youve been coming here every week since childhood! Why are you acting like its your first time?!

Oh, why did you have to say that~

Elias chuckled and plopped down in the middle of the table. He then pointed to a door at the end of the corridor.

By the way, thats the bedroom, guys. If you get sleepy, go ahead and sleep. This mansion has 50 rooms, but the owner probably sleeps elsewhere.

Just ignore him.

Leo, seemingly resigned, sat down with a smile.

Narce smiled and rested his chin on his hand.

Haha, you two are really close~ I didnt really notice in the classroom.

Yeah. Wait, you didnt notice in the classroom?!

Lower your voice, Elias. And.

Leo let out a sigh mixed with a laugh and looked at me.

This isnt the time for jokes. You can speak freely here since theres no risk of being overheard. Why are you handling the Plaroma case alone?

Well, first.

I should take off the mask.

Seeing that all the curtains were drawn, I took off the mask and placed it on the desk. The cool air touched my skin.

Finally, I could breathe easier.

Oh.

Elias whistled as he scanned my face. Narce also burst out laughing at Eliass reaction.

Wow, really.

"Why?"

I had a feeling this was coming, but I couldn't help but ask.

Elias gestured with his head.

"Do you realize this is the first time youve taken off your mask in frnt of us since you changed your appearance? Seeing your hair color too, you really look like Adrian Askanian."

"......"

I shot Leo a look, expecting him to contradict, but he just shrugged.

We share some genes, so its inevitable.

Besides, with more people around, there's never a moment of silence.

Narce remained mostly silent as usual, but Elias's chatter made it seem otherwise.

I waved my hand, brushing off Elias's teasing gaze.

"Enough of that, let's get to the point. It's getting late."

"Yeah, tell us why you plan to face him alone. That's what we gathered here to discuss."

Leo pushed again.

I unfolded the letter and slid it over to Leo.

"Did you check the contents?"

"He mentioned he has something to request regarding Pleroma and needs your Divine Power."

"Right. The reason I'm going alone is simple. He requested only me. Given the circumstances, could I take you, Narce, or Elias with me?"

"......"

Leo sighed deeply, understanding my point.

"Even if I did bring someone, he would find a way to isolate me. His target is me alone, and the moment another mage intervenes, he loses."

"It was obvious from the start. As the initial whistleblower, it was inevitable that you would become a target, Lucas."

Elias leaned forward, adopting a serious tone for once.

"Well, I don't want to stop you from doing what you plan, but honestly, sending you alone doesn't seem wise."

"Why do you think that?"

I asked with a smile, wanting to hear their thoughts first.

"It's obvious. As you said before, since the cover-up attempt has already gone public, the Pleroma group won't view the insect experimenter kindly. His position has surely become precarious."

"Exactly."

"He must harbor a deep grudge against you, the initial whistleblower. He won't hesitate to bring you down. Want to hear my scenario?"

I nodded silently.

Elias raised two fingers as he had before.

"Either you get dragged there and turned into a Pleroma, or you die in front of the Pleromas. Both outcomes are irreversible. Especially the former, where dying would probably be a better fate."

"You're right."

Thats indeed what could happen.

Depending on the severity of the spy's punishment, the degree of retaliation against me might vary, but its safest to prepare for those two scenarios.

Just as I was about to speak, Leo calmly asked.

"You agree, but you're still going?"

"Yes. I have a reason to go myself. First, sending anyone else wont help, right?"

"I might be useful."

Elias interjected lightly.

He had a point.

The person he would bear a grudge against next to me, the initial whistleblower, would be Elias.

If Elias, who is just as prominent as me, went instead, the spy could find satisfaction in capturing him and using him to restore his honor and position.

However

I cant let that happen.

I dont think the protagonist would just die easily.

But theres no need to burden an 18-year-old with the risks I should face. Besides, I need to raise my impression score anyway, so its not bad if I go.

Although the protagonist in the original story was older than I am now, the present is what matters.

"No. Your leg hasnt healed yet."

"Oh, if I knew this would happen, I would have eaten the boar as soon as I saw it. It feels so unfair now!"

Elias grabbed his head, speaking nonsense.

"Anyway, apart from me and Elias, it wouldn't mean much for anyone else to face him. Moving on, the reason we need to deal with him ourselves is simple."

Narce, already understanding my thoughts, nodded with a gentle smile.

"We dont have a way to imprison him immediately. Should we report and demand, 'Werner Strauch is a Pleroma, arrest him immediately'? On what grounds would they believe me? I cant present any evidence that he is a Pleroma."

Leo, listening with crossed arms and a dissatisfied look, slowly nodded.

"Exactly, you haven't told us how you found out either. We accepted it because you're not one to spout nonsense."

"At least now, we have more reason to believe. We got a letter from the person Lucas mentioned."

Elias shook the letter.

"Right, he proved it himself. Still, this evidence is only known among us, not enough to request an investigation."

Leo continued.

"If the Bavarian royal family requests an investigation from the Imperial family, they might actually start one, but the outcome is uncertain."

I nodded at his words.

"Yes. If he has thoroughly cleaned his office and home of any evidence, thats the end of it."

"Wow, that's really thrilling. Being labeled a liar against the Imperial family~"

Elias chuckled.

Narce seemed fascinated by the royal person talking so candidly, observing Elias intently.

Leo clasped his hands together seriously.

"So, because of this, you're saying you have to confront him directly. You can't use public power until you have concrete evidence."

"Exactly."

The Imperial family doesnt want to antagonize the countries that make up the empire.

At this moment, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, where Werner Strauch is a federal council member, is part of a grand duchy.

From the Imperial familys perspective, they have no reason to arrest a federal council member of a grand duchy based on a Bavarian mages unproven claims.

If I could present something concrete, it would be different, but I can't.

So.

"We can't lead an investigation, and even if we could, the success rate is low. We need to get Werner Strauch to admit hes a Pleroma himself."

To do that, we need to wait for the moment he reveals his true nature.

And that moment will come when he faces me, the person he holds a grudge against.

***

I adjusted the clear artifact hanging on my ear.

"If this gets hit, itll fly off."

"You need to prevent that!"

Leo turned away, looking exasperated.

"It would have been more stable if we had another chance to test it."

"We dont have time to make more. Be thankful it even works."

We couldnt use a regular recorder in magical environments, so we borrowed the transfer magic.

We inscribed a magic formula on a blank artifact to create a temporary effect. Adding the function to disconnect and reconnect the transmission every time its touched increased the formula tenfold, causing some difficulties.

Still, surprisingly, the effect was much more stable when worn on the ear than during tests, so we quickly finished preparations.

I felt firsthand why they say to maximize contact with the body to enhance the artifacts performance.

Of course, there could still be sitations where the artifact doesnt work depending on the environment he creates.

Thus, we prepared both regular and magical methods.

I finished adjusting my outfit.

It was almost time to move, so I turned to Leo for one last check.

"Let's go over it one more time. If theres anything the investigator shouldnt hear, Ill tap the artifact connected to my arm. Itll disconnect. You can also disconnect from your side if needed."

"I know. Ive set it to have about a 30-second delay, so dont worry too much about controlling it. Well handle the disconnection and reconnection."

He meant the Bavarian Investigation Bureau.

Once it escalates there, the Imperial Investigation Bureau will take over.

I nodded and tapped the recorder hidden behind my robe brooch.

"The recorder doesnt transmit in real-time anyway, so Ill leave it."

"Right. Well store it and release it after deleting any personal information."

It was already 3 PM.

Time to go.

"Im heading out."

I entered the coordinates from the letter into the warp formula and snapped my fingers.

The Federal Council's main building appeared before me.

As expected, the person I recognized from prior research stood in the location.

I approached the figure facing away and called out his name.

"Councilman Werner Strauch."

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