Published at 5th of December 2025 10:32 am

Chapter 126

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What?

What do you mean, professor?

Everyone sat in stunned silence, staring at the professor. Leo was the first to regain his composure and ask.

A draft order has been issued for magic academy students in the capital, aged 15 to 25.

As the students remained dumbfounded, the professor elaborated.

This may come as a shock, but considering that all of you are from prominent noble families, this decision was made accordingly. Of course, since it is not a total conscription, only volunteers who meet the eligibility criteria will be assigned to the Brandenburg Defense Forces.

Right.

When situations like this arise, its always the nobility thats expected to take action first.

I sometimes forget this isnt the 21st century, but moments like this make it all too clear.

Hmm.

The idea of drafting teenagers into service was unsettling, but I was probably the only one in this room who felt that way.

I should definitely keep my distance from this.

Good thing I only took an advisory role in the Imperial committee.

If things went south, I could drop it and leave without hesitation.

As I scribbled notes in my notebook, I suddenly felt a familiar sensation in my nose.

I had experienced it enough times now to recognize it without even checking.

Did I overuse my Divine Power again?

As I rummaged through my bag for something to wipe my nose, the student sitting next to mePhilipgasped and jerked his chair backward as if he had just run into Pleroma itself.

Ugh, wha! Ahh!!

I punched him in the mouth before he could finish yelling.

But it was too late. The professor and several students were already looking our way.

Pleroma were known for drinking blood, not for using their own. But given the heightened paranoia, it was no surprise that Philip had panicked.

Given the situation, I cant blame him.

Nicolauss Impression Score continued to rise, while Lucas Score was gradually dropping due to the increasing suspicion surrounding me.

At this point, I wouldnt be surprised if even this was part of my brothers grand plan.

The professor raised an eyebrow as he noticed me standing up suddenly.

Student, why are you covering your mouth?

I was drooling. I dozed off for a moment.

Hmm?

Ill go wash up.

Elias snickered behind me.

By the time I returned from the restroom, the professor was still talking about the draft order.

His voice was solemn.

Pleromas terrorist acts have reached unprecedented levels. Citizens now rely entirely on holy water provided by the government for drinking and sanitation. If not for the protective barriers, we would even have to worry about the air we breathe.

Has Pleroma ever done something this extreme before? No. They would not darenot unless they believed the Empire to be weak.

The professors voice grew increasingly heated, and his hatred for Pleroma was reflected in the students hardened expressions.

His Majesty, Emperor Friedrich, has declared that this crisis will be resolved within one year. He has requested your assistance in subduing the rampaging victims.

Several students nodded resolutely.

They were likely shocked by the sudden announcement, but few would outright refuse.

After all, nobles are raised with the belief that it is their duty to serve their people in times of crisis.

And when the Emperor himself asks for your help, loyalty is practically guaranteed.

The Emperor probably sees himself as owing a debt to Bavaria.

Even though he had appointed me, I was still fundamentally a Bavarian official.

And the citizens saw my successes as Bavarias successes.

So this is his way of reasserting Imperial authority.

The Imperial Second Academy is located in Prussia, but it educates noble students from various ruling families across multiple nations.

By rallying them under his command, the Emperor wanted to prove that he still had the ability to unite future rulers under the Empires banner.

Not to the Imperial citizens, but to the other noble houses that were subject to conscription.

If other nations challenged Imperial leadership, the entire balance of power within the Empire could shift.

In the end, it was a move that secured public trust while protecting Imperial influence.

He really doesnt want to lose to Bavaria.

I rested my chin on my hand, smirking as I listened.

This is not as serious as it may sound, the professor continued. While the Imperial Family is preparing for a full-scale war against Pleroma alongside Lord Ernst, this draft order is solely for the suppression of rampaging victims.

So they were officially designating victims as rampagers now.

But

Since when am I preparing for war with them?

Where was this coming from?

This is hilarious.

I leaned back in my chair, silently laughing.

This is why disguises are always useful.

The actual person they were talking about was sitting right here, and no one had a clue.

It was probably just a rhetorical statement, but it gave me a clear picture of the Emperors vision for the future.

I almost want to let him keep talking.

Just as I was licking my lips in amusement, Leo scoffed and spoke up.

You make it sound like Lord Ernst is planning something radical.

Wouldnt you already know about it? the professor asked.

No such plan exists, Leo said firmly. Acting recklessly would endanger the Imperial citizens. Lord Ernst prioritizes their safety above all else. Making misleading statements like this benefits no one.

Elias, who had been smirking the whole time, suddenly gaped in shock.

For a brief moment, his expression flickered with delighted amusement, as if he had found something new to tease me about.

I felt the same way.

If he were unaware that I was here, that would be one thing. But he knowsand hes still saying this with a straight face?

That was so Leo.

The professor nodded in confusion before quickly shifting the topic.

There may have been a misunderstanding. My apologies. The Ministry of Educations Inspector will begin visiting conscription-eligible schools at 3 PM today. The Imperial Second Academys Magic Department is under particular scrutiny due to His Majestys high expectations. Conduct yourselves accordingly.

The rest of the lecture was spent going over procedural guidelines.

Once class was dismissed, I was packing my bag when a heavy arm draped over my shoulder.

Theyre probably not rejecting anyone. This is just to make sure everything looks clean on paper.

Elias.

Thankfully, he had cast a Soundproofing Spell.

He nodded toward the hallway.

Leo wants to talk. Lets meet up for a bit.

***

Yeah.

Theres no way Im getting rejected.

This whole screening process was just a formality to avoid criticism.

So theyre afraid of backlash.

Even without these extra steps, people wouldnt have protestd much.

The mage societys youth is vastly different from non-mages.

A nobles age is often perceived as ten years older than a commoners of the same number.

Its why children from ruling families are already involved in politics by their late teenssociety sees them as closer to young adults than teenagers.

They dont even fully consider late teens as youths here.

On top of that, a naturally gifted teenage mage is often far more valuable than an average 40-50-year-old working mage.

Prussia is huge, right? Theyre running out of people to recruit, so now theyre taking students? At this point, they should just hand over half their land to Bavaria.

Elias scoffed, smirking.

Right now, Elias and Narce were in my room.

But the one who had called us hereLeostill hadnt shown up.

While waiting, I focused on extracting Divine Power for the research lab, casually watching Pai move stones across the room.

So thats how it moves them.

Pai stood on two legs, waving its front paws to manipulate the Divine Power.

Then, when it got tired, it would drop back down on all fours, only to stand back up and try again.

Elias, watching, burst into laughter.

Wait, you go through this much trouble to make them, and then clean them up every time?

I dont have much choice.

Your blood is ice-cold, man.

How else am I supposed to study?

Hey, bunny, just come to my room from now on. I dont study, so I wont clean anything up~!

Leo would definitely call that a terrible thing to brag about.

Pais ears flattened against its head.

Elias, oblivious, turned to me and said,

Still, its crazy that it can use Divine Power. I guess animals from the Papal State are just different.

Haha, its a secret, but only Pai can do this.

Narce answered casually.

At first, we had tried to keep it hidden.

But now, Narce must have felt comfortable enough to talk openly.

Right then, Leo warped into the room.

Youre all here.

He is a man who prioritizes the safety of Imperial citizens above all else

Are you mocking me?

Leo smacked Elias on the back before sitting down.

Then, turning to me, he asked,

Did you ever say you were working with the Emperor?

No. I agreed to be Vice Chairman of the Advisory Committee, but I never said Id go to war with him.

Yeah So its just his own ambition.

So why are you late~?

Elias sprawled across my bed, stretching lazily.

I had to speak with His Majesty.

About what?

Im going to properly learn medical magic.

?!

Elias shot up from the bed, eyes wide in shock.

You? Learning medical magic?

Narce, who hadnt used Insight yet, simply looked confused.

But internally, I had the same reaction as Elias.

In the novel, Leo never pursued medical magic because he feared that the King would stop him from training in combat magic if he showed talent in it.

Not to mention, he had a bit of a rebellious streak back then.

Leo just shrugged like it was nothing.

It just makes sense. Given the situation, learning anything extra can only help.

Youre not Leo.

What do you mean Im not?!

Lucas has been sitting here draining Divine Power for days. If hes pushing himself, why shouldnt I?

Finally, Elias sighed and backed off.

His Majesty must have loved that idea. Hes probably throwing lessons at you already.

Oh, absolutely.

Leo smiled faintly and handed us some papers.

Enough talk. Look at this.

It was the flyer and exam consent form for the draft order.

Apparently, the term draft order had caused some concern, so now they were calling it simply a Student Military Corps Recruitment.

Elias skimmed the document and frowned.

The Magic Department has 100 students in a year, but theyre only selecting 18? And why the hell does the exam last a whole month? Theyll have us dying before we even enlist.

They said safety is a priorityprobably just covering their asses.

Leo rested his chin on his hand before asking,

Youre all joining, right? Everyone except Lucas.

Of course. Basically, every student is going to sign up.

Elias nodded without hesitation.

The Emperors order made it seem like people had a choice, but in reality, they didnt.

If they refused, nobles would be accused of failing their duty to set an example.

At the same time, publicly serving under the Emperor would boost their influence.

Honestly, the Emperor probably wasnt thrilled about Elias participating, since it would only help him gain public support.

Narce agreed as well.

My origins make this tricky but the Papal State will definitely push me to join.

Yeah, I figured. My mother told me to sign up, too.

Leo turned to me.

So, what do you think?

What can I do?

Leo seemed worried about students facing real dangers.

But there was no way to openly oppose the draft.

In this society, class ranks above age.

The moment the headline becomes Noble students refuse to fight, the entire argument is lost.

I can already see how the headlines will look.

If I couldnt stop it, then I needed to make it safer.

Ill use the Advisory Committee to restrict students to only fighting lower-grade victims. If I cant cancel the plan, Ill at least limit their risks.

Yeah. Thats a good plan.

Leo nodded.

Satisfied, he handed out the consent forms to Elias and Narce.

Elias scribbled his signature without hesitation and handed it back.

Youre class rep, right? Submit these for us.

Youre so casual about dumping this on me.

Leo scoffed but collected the forms anyway.

I watched for a moment before speaking.

Leo, do you have any extra consent forms?

Hm? Why?

Give me one. Im signing up.

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