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Reborn as the Doomed Heir of a Mage Dynasty (Web Novel) - Chapter 203
Chapter 203
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
“…Reason, huh.”
I looked up at Leo’s face, letting out a laugh.
It’s so absurd, the laugh comes naturally.
What the hell? I’m losing it too.
The Elias beside me was a fake? Since when? Why am I caught by Leo here?
‘Elias, that bastard…’
Right. That novel’s protagonist was this kind of guy. I keep forgetting how his unhinged personality, the total opposite of mine, made me lose track of time reading back then. I’ve been soft on him because he’s the hero, and now he’s handed me to the enemy and bailed?
I get he couldn’t explain in this situation, but honestly…
‘I’m going insane. Matching this lunatic’s pace is fucking tough. Is this how Leo felt?’
I let out a long breath, burying my face in the moss covering the concrete.
“No reason…”
“You didn’t know the Elias next to you was an illusion either, huh?”
Right on cue, Leo brought up the same topic.
I didn’t, so the illusion didn’t vanish and was visible to everyone. Auguste said if even one person is certain her illusion is fake, she can’t maintain it.
There’s apparently a way to use multiple illusions in this case, but it’s a secret she didn’t share with us.
Anyway, I can guess when Elias did this and why. I just can’t think about it.
Crack—Shatter—!
A sudden noise made me wince.
My artifact broke, scratching my cheek as it fell to the ground.
“Why didn’t you warp?”
Why didn’t I warp? I snorted, mocking the ridiculous question.
“You know why, Class Rep. You destroyed my dorm and forgot?”
“Hm, you actually call me that.”
I just closed my eyes and stayed silent.
What’s with the genuine awe? This Bavaria? This guy’s as bad as Elias. With dozens of professors watching, isn’t it worth advertising we’re not exactly buddies? My ‘Class Rep’ was pure sarcasm.
I didn’t like being called that as a student, but seeing my jab doesn’t faze Leo, he’s a different breed.
I tried pulling off the vines covering my hand on the moss, only to realize the plants were tougher than expected.
Using magic’s risky with the numbers against me. Elias left me here for a reason, so going peacefully’s better.
“Pull these off.”
“…….”
“You deaf? I said pull them.”
Leo just tilted his head silently.
Recalling Elias’s advice, I spoke up.
“Leo, I need to get up, so can you clear the plants?”
“Reading a textbook?”
“…….”
Do things I’d never do, he said.
What’s Elias’s angle here?
This kind of request, I’d figure out in a second, but since I think I know, I have to empty my mind.
Heike, anxiously scanning the surroundings, tapped Leo’s shoulder.
“…Leo, it’s bait. Team 3 probably only showed illusions to Narce. For the rest of us, they mixed one real person with one illusion per spot. With lots of places to search and few people, they placed one real person per spot, but since one’s vulnerable to attack, they added an illusion companion. That means, like before, Team 3’s finding something elsewhere.”
“…….”
“There’s a reason they gave up a key player like Lucas.”
“That’s what she says. Thoughts?”
“First time seeing Heike talk this much. Pretty anxious, huh?”
The plants’ grip tightened.
I held my breath, feeling the vines on my shoulders snake down to the grass, wrapping tight.
The plants pulling toward the ground were stronger than expected. Done right, you could strangle someone with this. Nature-based abilities are damn near cheating.
Leo let out a disbelieving laugh, saying snidely,
“All this sarcasm’s gonna make us miss the exam, Lucas.”
“Tell me about it. So let go and leave. I’ll pretend I didn’t see.”
Leo glanced at the sky, exhaled, cleared his throat, and put a hand on my shoulder.
“Lucas, I know you’re worried about Team 3’s disadvantage, but this is tough for both of us. Seeing my classmate like this doesn’t feel good. I’d appreciate your cooperation.”
His tone reminded me of Yulia earlier, and I gaped.
‘Ah.’
Got it.
I figured out Elias’s intent.
“…Apotheke Aum Adler, 128:208:982. Atelier Goldner Schnitt, 127:507:392…”
I muttered warp coordinates quickly, thinking.
Elias’s ‘do things you’d never do’ was to max out Team 1’s guard.
“Guess you’re not cooperating. I can’t wait anymore.”
Leo’s words went in one ear and out the other. The pressure on my joints tightened, but that didn’t matter now.
If I act clueless and panicked, it’s obvious Team 3 threw me out as bait, and with such blatant bait, they’re more likely to let me go than grab me, like Heike just suggested chasing the others.
Paradoxically, acting like I’m in on Team 3’s plan and playing a role shifts Team 1’s guard differently. It creates the illusion that ‘if we can crack Lucas’s scheme, he’s worth using.’
It’s a way to inflate Team 1’s guard, luring them into overconfidence.
Sounds contradictory, but it’s not.
This trick—diverting focus and effort to the wrong place—is one I love, and Elias’s thinking aligns with mine here.
‘Since I realized, no choice.’
Gotta act my ass off.
Need to pick the perfect line to nail Elias’s goal in one shot.
Struggling to breathe, I said calmly,
“Leo.”
“What.”
“I’m trying to endure, but it hurts.”
A chilling silence fell.
Seconds later, Leo shot up like he’d seen a ghost, stumbling back three steps.
“What?”
“Why?”
Heike looked up at him.
Leo shook his head, muttering,
“He drank fountain water and already lost it? Gotta report Elias to the disciplinary committee. Shutting off Mimesis will fix it, right?”
“…….”
“…Crazy talk? No way. Lucas does look in pain. His fingers below the joints aren’t getting blood. Thought plants wouldn’t hit hard, but they can do damage.”
Heike, not knowing me long, analyzed dryly, unlike Leo’s reaction.
Leo’s face, already bad, got worse.
Of course.
I’ve never said that, not once in training.
Training? Never said it facing Strauch, Ainsidel, or Abraham either.
Even now, it’s not a plea to stop.
This is a stage, and I’m delivering lines for my role to win. That’s it.
No response from Leo raised Heike’s suspicion, and she turned to me.
“Saying it hurts is that shocking? Why? He looks in serious pain. Does Lucas not say stuff like that?”
“Haha… If it hurts, what else do you say? Heike, you saw my fingers. About to fall off.”
I pulled out the most charming voice, like when I was farming Favorability.
Heike stared, unblinking, eyes darting, then looked down at me.
“Yeah.”
“So, convince Leo…”
“But, now that I think about it, you were smiling earlier.”
“Huh?”
Heike stood.
She flicked her wand, casting a silencing spell, and approached Leo.
“Leo, there’s a plan. Lucas is scheming.”
Leo, turning from me, clutched his forehead and muttered,
“…I know. He’s acting.”
Heike glanced at Lucas, rubbing her chin.
“He’s trying to get you to loosen the vines. Planning to attack us while you adjust.”
“…….”
Heike kept thinking.
As expected, pitting the second exam’s two top scorers against each other is turning this into a strategy war. Gotta keep thinking.
I don’t fully get what Lucas is aiming for.
Same for Leo. We’re teammates, but he doesn’t share his thoughts.
So, I’ll say everything I’m thinking.
“Leo, I think Team 3 hasn’t found the answer yet. They sent Lucas to buy time with an attack. Since his thoughts go to Narce, keeping him with Team 3 is a waste, so they sent him to hit us.”
Narce, focusing his ability on Lucas from afar, is now constantly drowsy, especially when Lucas overloads with info.
Still, he’s a threat Team 3 can’t ignore.
“…Right, Heike.”
“Yeah?”
“Your logic’s clean. Thanks for the advice.”
Leo smiled politely.
Heike stared silently.
Even bad at reading emotions, she knew it wasn’t sincere.
Leo thinks my theory’s wrong and is considering more.
Meanwhile, Lucas just watched Heike and Leo talk from afar.
‘They’re chatting hard.’
I’m curious how Leo, so careful to avoid traps, will play this.
He saw through my act—will he take the bait or stick to his initial caution and leave?
‘Personally, I’d prefer he leaves.’
Elias needs to suffer a bit.
Then, Leo snapped his fingers, breaking the silencing spell. He came close and sat.
“Alright, Lucas. If you figured something out, it went to Narce.”
“Yeah… I really don’t know anything. Happy? Clear the plants.”
I smirked. Focusing on Jeremiah’s persona lately, that acting tone kept slipping out.
The grass around my fingers loosened, easing the pressure slightly.
Leo gestured.
“Heike, check the surroundings?”
“Sure.”
Leo turned back to me.
“Whatever Team 3’s plan is, doesn’t matter. We needed you, Askanian, and you got caught at the perfect time.”
“…….”
“Anyone can see our loss is staring us down. Right?”
Leo flashed his usual friend-smile, extending a hand.
Sunlight glowed behind his neck. Like time rewound, the grass began slithering back.
“I don’t care about losses. I’ll let Team 3 do whatever.”
I ignored his hand, sitting up on my own.
“Talking like I’ve got a choice.”
“But… you said it hurt earlier.”
He ignored my words, saying something random.
As I raised an eyebrow, something outside my vision shot in from all sides.
“…!”
Blood stopped flowing to my briefly freed fingers. The grass, returning, crushed my palms.
“Sorry, just bear it. We need insurance.”
He doesn’t look sorry at all.
Figures. He knew I was acting, so no reason to feel bad for a lie.
And, of course, I never had a choice.
The moment Elias threw me here, it was set.
‘Still, success.’
Leo chose to nibble the bait instead of staying wary.
He’s taking me to Team 1’s rendezvous park.
Lucas thought, face calm—though to Leo and Narce, he looked already annoyed—staring at his hand.
“Caught Lucas?!”
“No way, for real.”
A few students warped in.
Leo, controlling vines to bind Lucas’s hands, asked,
“Team 3?”
“Gone. Fountains must not be it. They left newspapers at city hall and vanished.”
“Let’s rule out fountains too.”
“…….”
Leo rubbed his chin.
That means Team 3’s either leaning on Lucas or scheming something else.
“Not everyone needs to be here. Gear up with spare artifacts for attacks. Heike, Josefine, Hildegard, stick together. Checked the relief center?”
“Went, but no evidence. Heike needs to read it.”
“Right. Professors might not have set a past for their meeting. Keep an open mind.”
“Got it. We’ll report in turns!”
Team 1’s trio warped out.
Now, only Lucas, Leo, Narce, and Ulrike remained.
Lucas, eyeing the green mass binding his arms, muttered,
“Could make a ghillie suit with this.”
“Huh?”
“It’s a thing.”
“Oh~ Camouflage.”
At Narce’s realization, Lucas looked grossed out.
Since that term doesn’t exist here, the other two just looked puzzled.
Ulrike, staring at Lucas, suddenly grinned playfully.
“Looks like you lived 50 years in a forest.”
“50 years gets you this?”
“I wanna try!”
Leo clutched his head, asking,
“What’s with the sudden urge? Asking for a camo suit?”
“No, didn’t we all think as kids? Grass growing over you’d be cool.”
“Guys~ I get focus is shot after nearly an hour, but we’re in an exam!”
Narce clapped, refocusing them.
“Didn’t catch the other Team 3 kids, but we got Lucas, so let’s buckle down and go hard.”
“Sweet. Now we can pull off our original plan.”
Ulrike propped her chin, lounging with a smile.
Exactly.
Intercept Lucas’s strategies to block Team 3’s path and score.
The conditions are set.
Narce stared at Lucas’s pink eyes, slightly sulky.
“What you looking at?”
“Haha, we’re buddies, but you’re off today~”
“Time to talk buddies? Stop using your ability. Your eyes are all red…”
Lucas clicked his tongue, turning away.
The bloodshot whites creeped him out. Everyone felt it.
Narce, startled, froze, then snapped his fingers.
“Ta-da~ Better now?”
With Divine Power disguise magic, his eyes looked normal. Lucas gave a ‘you kidding?’ look, and Narce laughed, changing the subject.
“Alright, not the point. We need to know what you know, Lucas. I’ll list our theories.”
“Listen up and think, Lucas~ Still can’t forget how you helped us at the potion competition.”
Ulrike winked.
Repaying a favor like this. Lucas gave a hollow laugh, shaking his head.
Narce slid a newspaper to him, saying,
“All based on today’s articles. First: 50% liquor tax spike led to buying tainted black-market booze, causing berserk. Second: Contact with tainted street vendor food caused berserk. Third: Pleroma, disguised as an environmental officer, met the clerk and vagrant. Fourth: The clerk raided a poorhouse to bust vagrants, where they met. Here, consider Pleroma posing as a poorhouse volunteer.”
“…….”
“Fifth: The clerk and vagrant, for various reasons like fountain or drinking station water quality checks or daily use, contacted fountain water and berserked.”
Narce set the paper down, looking at Lucas.
Lucas, face blank, lowered his head, lips moving. He’s likely weighing the possibilities, and Narce can read it if he wants.
No escape, so the expression’s natural.
Ulrike, pouring fuel, clapped with a grin.
“Alright, debunk from the first~”
Leo and Narce’s sharp gazes pinned Lucas.
Lucas sighed deeply, smiling at Ulrike.
“…Clueless about economics? Black markets don’t always mean cheaper than our market. A black market born from market price gripes means liquor quality drops below our market’s baseline. A clerk wouldn’t crawl into a black market over a 50% tax hike—not 550%—to buy shitty grain booze possibly laced with methanol.”
“Harsh~ Second?”
“Kidding me? A clerk eating at a vendor they’re busting? Sure, clerks are human, might grab something tasty despite the bust. But you think that’s worthy of the Imperial Second Academy’s final exam? Hah…”
Lucas’s exasperated sigh made Leo, unable to hold it, cover his mouth with a propped hand, turning away.
Ulrike, voice suddenly sad, spoke.
“…These are our team’s best theories… How’d your team do better?”
“Same as you, probably got similar stuff.”
Ulrike shriveled at Lucas’s deadpan tone.
“Hahaha, how about this, Lucas? Even without eating vendor food, it could be tainted for reasons we don’t know.”
“…This bullshit… Tempting me to sin.”
Lucas let out a light laugh.
“You know it’s not, Narce. Found evidence for that reason?”
Narce stayed silent, smiling.
‘That’s why.’
That’s why Lucas topped the last exam, why the school cranked this one’s difficulty to hell.
That’s why our team fought to rip off his blindfold.
We knew those theories were weak, so we listed them first.
But his thinking speed and precision always amaze.
Victory’s close. He won’t stop at our mediocre theories—he’ll find the clear answer.
‘Can’t stop here.’
“Your call, Lucas. No evidence. But what if Heike and Oswald missed something at the scene? Don’t fixate on eating. Baden-Baden’s case shows high contamination can berserk from touch.”
“…….”
Lucas glanced at Narce.
“There’s more~ Berserk from drinking or eating differs from skin-absorbed water. If a drug strong enough to berserk on contact was spread, others in the capital should’ve died. So, assume a potent source, not in a public place, that they somehow contacted.”
“Somehow?”
“Fell in the same water, got it on their hands. Too many possibilities.”
Ulrike, realizing something, said,
“A scuffle? If they fell in water, it’s less questionable. Not just touching but submerged, it’d get in their eyes, nose, mouth, explaining only three berserk cases. Stagnant water makes it even more plausible.”
Lucas, listening blankly, spoke.
“If they fell, the fine notice would’ve been wet or torn, stuck to the coat lining, but it wasn’t. The note’s ink was intact.”
“So, not submerged…?”
“But if the contact theory holds, stagnant water fits.”
Lucas gave Ulrike a faint smile.
She blinked, dazed.
No more jabs came, so Lucas wrapped up lightly.
“No evidence, no comment.”
“Got it. Then… Lucas.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow at Narce.
Narce grabbed his head, staring into his eyes. Lucas, catching on, grimaced and tried to pull away, but against three magic-wielding opponents, it was futile.
Narce grinned, reading the info.
“…Forties, New Human, navy checkered jacket, deodorant smell, gum wrapper, business card, fountain pen, finger-sized perfume bottle, five folded fine notices, palm-sized notebook.”
“…….”
“Nice, thanks. Thought you’d recite coordinates, but you’re looking out for your buddy’s health~”
“Think so too.”
Lucas brushed Narce off, grumbling.
Surprisingly, he was chill despite being read. Ulrike, observing, tilted her head.
‘Something up? …Nah, Narce would’ve caught it.’
“Haha, third theory?”
No answer came, so Leo tapped the table. The plants tightened on Lucas’s fingers.
Lucas shot a brief glare, shrugged, and spoke.
“Third and fourth can be lumped together. Same answer: no evidence, no comment. No proof they met Pleroma, so don’t obsess.”
“Alright, Lucas, since we found no special evidence from the second victim, those two theories are out~”
Fourth theory done.
Only the fifth remains.
The fountain and drinking station theory.
Victory’s almost here.
Leo tapped his artifact, saying something to the team, and the three who left returned.
Lucas eyed Leo and the students sharply. Narce, sensing he was scheming, tried his ability, but coordinates flooded in.
Lucas quickly reverted to his usual annoyed look.
Memorizing coordinates doesn’t block Narce’s ability, but with his stamina drained, he had to be cautious.
Narce, half-giving up, smiled and returned to the topic.
“Fifth? Elias made you drink fountain water to test it~? Haven’t finished it, right?”
Lucas closed his eyes, thinking.
As everyone awaited his answer, he quietly affirmed.
“Most likely. That’s why Elias did it.”
He nodded, as if understanding everything.
“We got it wrong. What I drank wasn’t fountain water.”
“Then?”
“Drinking water, dressed up as fountain water. Saw leaves floating and wondered, but he just tossed in random stuff. Why do it?”
Team 1 rolled their eyes, answering.
“…Dunno? Because of us?”
“Yeah, you. Hoo… Tired. Had to mess with the info you got.”
Lucas laughed lightly, like this was absurd, and looked at Team 1.
“To verify, start over. Heike, check every fountain and drinking station from the start. My bio-experiment was fake from the beginning.”
Heike nodded at the natural command.
Only after Leo’s gesture did she realize something was off.
“We haven’t heard your answer.”
“What answer? Needed my judgment, right? Take it.”
“Most likely doesn’t mean correct. What’s your answer to the exam question?”
“Precise.”
Lucas grinned slyly, continuing.
“Disappointing, guys. Only one theory?”
“Hahaha, Lucas, acting like you’ve got nothing when you don’t~?”
Narce clutched his head, laughing.
Lucas laughed along, saying,
“Not nothing—I’m not doing it.”
Blood poured from Narce’s nose. About to retort playfully, he nodded meekly as the evidence showed.
“Let’s go through it step-by-step, as you want. I’m starting now too.”
Lucas gazed into the air, tapping the ground with his shoe.
No one focused on his actions.
“Vagrant, City Aesthetics clerk… Fine, beautification, city hall. Tainted water… Contact, drinking. Hm…”
At that, Lucas glanced at Narce.
Narce, leisurely propping his chin, clearly using his ability.
Lucas looked away, saying to the students,
“Still disappointing. You obsessed over where the clerk lives and works but ignored where the vagrant lives and survives?”
“We did! Poorhouse soup kitchen.”
“Kidding…”
Lucas muttered, staring into space with a grossed-out look.
“Narce pulled the second victim’s info straight from my head, and you still got nothing? Unlike the first berserker’s limited info, the second had plenty. Why? Never thought about it?”
Unlike the stumped students, Narce and Leo’s faces grew serious.
“There’s a key overlap. Deodorant smell, finger-sized perfume bottle. Why needed? The fine-issuing spot’s so filthy it stinks?”
“…….”
The students narrowed their eyes, glancing at each other, lost at Lucas’s point.
Leo, brow furrowed, called softly,
“Narce.”
“Not yet.”
Lucas hadn’t concluded.
Lucas continued, as if entranced.
“Time to piece it together. The terrain was tough, especially open manholes. The newspaper you shoved at me had an aging sewer pipe replacement article—remember?”
“…So…?”
“Gotta repeat? Why ignore where the vagrant lives and survives?”
Lucas, as if to disrupt thought, laughed and continued.
“The disappointment’s on you too, Leo, Narce.”
“What?”
“You got cocky knowing too much. Good thing I wasn’t just memorizing coordinates for fun.”
Gotta thank them for the thinking time.
Everyone’s faces froze. Lucas’s magic pulsed in the air.
Narce and Leo’s eyes flicked to Lucas’s chest. Only Lucas could spark this reaction without doing anything…
Leo drew his wand as Lucas smirked mischievously.
“Should’ve bound my legs, Leo.”
“…!”
“See you.”
Boom—!!
Lucas stomped hard, and red magic surged.
A flash and shockwave hit everyone. Narce raised a barrier, leaping up.
Too late.
Snap—
The vines binding Lucas fell to the ground.
Only magic remained where the light cleared.
Team 1’s shocked faces hardened.
We got played.
No denying it now.
They knew it’d be exposed, dropped him in enemy territory to draw conclusions. Perfect for lowering our guard.
This was Elias’s plan.
Leo, teeth gritted, shot up, shouting,
“…Find the sewer coordinates fast!”
