Published at 5th of December 2025 7:21 am

Chapter 54

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Narce nodded after a long pause, still wearing a smile.

Yeah, youre right.

......

If its not a priest or a bishop, then that narrows things down quite a bit.

Watching the expressions of Leo and Elias change, Narce clapped his hands.

Well, the mood's gotten a little too gloomy here.

......

Lets take it slow. I never planned on keeping it a secret from you all anyway.

From us?

Leo asked, picking up on the curious part.

Yeah.

Narce nodded at Leos question.

However, he didnt go into any further detail on that matter.

Youre wondering why a mage from the Papal State would bother to hide his identity and attend the Imperial Second Academy, right?

Exactly.

The fact that hes affiliated with the Papal State isnt surprising given the divine power he uses.

Couldnt there be others around his age registered with the mages there?

There are plenty. Especially those of higher rank.

As times changed and the outflow of talent accelerated, the Papal State began appointing mages to the clergy at increasingly younger ages to secure divine power.

So, its not a problem that hes a mage of the Papal State at just seventeen years old.

But why someone who should be working there has come to the Empires high school and is hiding his identity remains a mystery.

Let me ask you one thing. You dont trust me, do you?

I trust you. But finding myself in an unexpected situation makes that trust feel a bit uncertain.

Leo replied, keeping his eyes fixed on Narces face.

Yeah, I get it. To be honest, I wasnt trying to deceive you. Its more like I was in a situation similar to Luca, where I couldnt reveal who I was.

Is it dangerous for you if you reveal it?

Elias asked.

Haha, not really. Compared to Lucas, my situation isnt that serious. I just promised not to reveal my identity as a condition for coming here.

While the situation of not being able to speak is similar, the danger seems different, and despite making a promise with the Papal State, it doesnt seem to have any enforceability.

I dont know you well yet, but honestly, I like you guys. You may not feel the same way about me.

...Hmm.

Well, its natural for him to like us on his own.

With his Insight ability, Narce can immediately discern the character of others, whether theyre trustworthy or not. But the opposite isnt true.

Ive figured out a disadvantage of Insight.

The person who can see into what isnt said can find common ground and form a sense of closeness with others, but the other person cant do the same.

If Narces words are true, theres already an asymmetry in the relationship.

Leo frowned at Narces words.

...Honestly, I cant say were that close, but weve only known each other for less than two months, and weve only really met at the club meetings, right? Considering that, I think weve gotten used to each other pretty quickly. Do we really need to decide how close we are already?

Perhaps because his classmate had suddenly brought up a negative topic, Leo spoke to him in the tone he used when handling class president duties. Elias, who had been listening with a blank expression, also chimed in.

Yeah, we havent had many interactions yet, so if you say that now, how are we supposed to get closer in the future? I like you too!

Haha, is that how you took it? I didnt mean to upset anyone, but I feel bad if I did.

Narce collected his thoughts and spoke again.

I should put it this way. It might be a bit burdensome for you, but I trust you more than other friends. That doesnt mean the trust is absolute, though.

Okay.

If I didnt trust you more than others, I would have refused the deployment order and stayed with you in the Investigation Bureau, right? I wouldnt have shown my face in a case thats drawing the attention of the entire nation, risking my identity.

Right. Im really grateful to you for that.

Leo, who had been listening to Narces words without any response, nodded as he spoke.

Its nothing, really. It was planned for one of us to be deployed from the start, right? Anyway, I took on this task because I believe you wont share my story with anyone else. Even if you do, I wouldnt blame you, but I want you to know this before hearing my story.

After a moment of contemplation, Narce spoke again.

I was ordained as a cardinal five years ago.

......

Despite expecting it, the atmosphere froze.

He definitely said he wasnt a bishop earlier.

I thought you needed to be a bishop to be ordained as a cardinal, but since he strongly denied being a bishop, it seems that the reality and system I knew are different here.

Given the issue of his identity, if he were going to hide, he should hide thoroughly, so why wear a bishops robe? It must be because the visible rank is important for diplomatic reasons.

Sending such a high-level asset but being mistaken for sending an ordinary mage would be a waste in many ways.

Elias broke the silence and asked.

A cardinal, not anything else? You were twelve years old back then, right?

Thats right. I was able to use divine power from a very young age.

Wow, youre just naturally gifted.

Narce laughed lightly and continued speaking.

To be honest, Im worried you might feel distant, but...youre not ordinary either, so it shouldnt matter, right?

Just speak comfortably. Were all just humans here.

Elias waved his hand.

The reason I came to the Imperial Second Academy...well, this is the biggest reason youre wary of me. I mentioned earlier that Ive been using divine power almost since I was born, right? They postponed my ordination to the latest possible age, but even before that, my life wasnt ordinary.

......

Hold on. I might have a guess as to why hes here.

I quietly asked the question.

How long did you attend the seminary?

About half a year before I was ordained. Technically, my name was only on the roster because of my age.

Why didnt you attend for long?

There are many reasons, but the adults judged that attending would interfere with my duties.

What kind of work did you do that kept you from attending school?

Elias threw out a question.

Haha, if I tell you exactly, Id be violating regulations...You know what drives this world, right?

Magic, from start to finish.

Right, thats it.

Narce nodded in agreement.

......

Everyone fell silent.

When I thought about the most plausible theory based on the heavily edited content, it sounded like he was providing divine power to maintain his family.

The way he kept saying it was difficult to reveal his identity, that he was in a similar situation to me, suggested that his very existence was classified.

It seemed like everyone was slowly starting to guess why Narce had come here.

Arent you getting too somber? Haha, it wasnt really hard for me! Maybe it would have been if Id been bor into a commoner family, but I wasnt. It wasnt like it was done haphazardly either, and honestly, I was spoiled and grew up without much maturity.

Well, of course, he had to be treated like a master given that the family's wealth, power, and future depended on him.

I quietly waited for him to continue.

I wanted to experience it at least once. At the magic school over there, there are many people who have heard of me. If Im going to live the same life at school, its much more comfortable to come to a place where no one knows me.

Im sorry if Ive been too harsh on you.

Leo apologized, pressing his forehead with a darkened expression.

No, I told you because I judged that I could share it with you guys in the first place.

I suddenly feel like trash for doubting you for a moment! Hahaha!

Elias burst into a hearty laugh.

Then he leaned back against his chair and muttered.

Well, even my uncle, who only thinks about exiling his nephew, didnt stop me from going to school.

Dont talk about that.

Dont worry too much, Leo. This is your house, after all.

.

Elias avoided Leos glaring eyes and brought up another topic.

Luckily, the festival is coming up soon~ Youve got a big role in the play too, so youll be able to enjoy school life properly before you go back.

Right.

Thats nice. I dont know if Ill be able to play because of my leg Wait, can you attend college in the Empire?

Hmm, as long as my affiliation isnt revealed, I think I can attend here.

Narce smiled softly.

At that, Elias eyes sparkled, and he clapped his hands.

Hey, lets clear our heads, guys~ Does anyone know what we were just talking about?

I wont talk about it anywhere.

.

I chuckled at Leos dry response.

In the classroom, someone would usually respond to Elias nonsense, but here, no one seems to have that personality. Its fortunate that Elias isnt fazed by any reaction.

Anyway.

Even if those two are joking around, Im not in a position to be playing around.

From what Ive heard, theres nothing strange.

Its true that someone his age can reach that position, and its true that hes qualified for it.

Its also true that many families extract magic power from their strongly born children to accumulate wealth.

However, if he really wanted to live a proper school life and had to come to the Empire as an exchange student, that story should have been in the novel.

But Ive never read a single word about Narces story.

His claim that he came here to live an ordinary life might be true. With that much power, its harder to live an ordinary life.

But theres no rule that says there can only be one cause for an event.

Theres another factor that has made him act differently than he did in the novel.

Its likely because of changes in the story that didnt exist during that time.

As far as I know, Im the only one.

But it wasnt a change that would have reached the Papal State. Ive only answered questions a couple of times and used magic quietly during classes.

Would they have been able to prepare for the exchange program in the two weeks it took for my news to reach them?

Looking at it this way, it seems that my change is not the cause of his coming here.

But I cant stop here.

I looked at him and opened the favorability window.

Narce Farnese

Favorability +7.

His favorability was at 7 from the first time I met him.

How could someone have such a high favorability score with a stranger?

A similar example is Pai, but its not surprising that Pai had a favorability score of 10 from the start.

Pai thought I saved him on the first day, and he found out we could communicate. It makes sense that the favorability score was high.

But why did Narce have a favorability score of 7 towards me?

Initially, I was too busy being wary of him because he was an unfamiliar character, so I didnt dwell on it long since having such a high favorability score meant he was unlikely to harm me.

While Leo and Narce were talking, Narce and I made eye contact, and he smiled.

I gave him a gentle smile and fell back into my thoughts.

But on this topic, its worth considering why his favorability score was higher than others.

***

After that, we talked back and forth between school stories and the Strauch story until after midnight before we finally fell asleep.

It would be difficult to get answers while were all together, so I cant find out about the true purpose of his exchange until I arrange a one-on-one meeting with Narce.

More importantly, theres something I need to focus on before investigating that.

On Sunday morning, I received a message from the King and went to meet him.

When I entered the room, the King dismissed all the attendants and greeted me simply.

We meet again.

Yes, Your Majesty. It is an honor to see you.

I gave a proper formal greeting and sat in the chair he indicated.

Since my identity has been revealed, it would be impolite to wear a mask in front of the King, so I took off the mask and placed it on my lap.

He stared at my face as intently as Elias did and then spoke.

Ive already taken care of the windows, so theres no need to worry.

Yes, thank you.

I assume he meant hed made it so no one could see inside.

Then the King spoke again.

The Strauch incident is a hot topic from the Empire to the Papal State. Did you read any newspapers while you were resting?

I did. It seems theres a strong reaction because its been a long time since a Pleroma of that rank has been exposed.

Indeed. Personally, I have high regard for your bravery.

He paused for a moment, lost in thought, then tilted his head and spoke again.

No, should I address you as the prince of the Duchy of Anhalt instead?

.

Again....

But despite his words, his face wasnt stiff.

On the contrary, he seemed to be waiting for my reaction with a relaxed expression and didnt seem to harbor any ill feelings.

In the novel, every time Leo spoke about him, it was often mentioned that he wasnt easy to deal with, and I think I understand why.

First, I need to say what I have to say.

I apologize for not telling you sooner. No matter how I explain, it doesnt absolve me, but I had no intention of deceiving Your Majesty.

Ive heard everything.

I know its an illegal act. I will accept the appropriate punishment.

Then I become an accomplice for stamping the fake identity card even though I knew about it.

He raised an eyebrow and faintly smiled.

Hmm.

I see. Fortunately, were on the same page.

Ive conveyed my position.

I stayed silent to show that I understood.

If I were to say that its not true or that its my fault, it would force him to speak again.

His intention was clear for anyone to see. If we were to follow the law, neither of us in this room had done anything right, so he wanted to stop the principed talk here.

As expected, he immediately brought up another topic.

I heard youre close friends with the Crown Prince. Are you getting along well with him?

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