Published at 5th of December 2025 8:09 pm

Chapter 208

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

How many zeros in 10,000?

Four, obviously.

Why the fuck is it not?

Philip stared at Lucas like he was looking at a lunatic.

The Lucas before him strolled into the classroom with a blank face, as if nothing had happened today, only to freeze in front of his seat, slump down, and clutch his head.

And then he asks some bizarre question about how many zeros are in 10,000?

Even someone as clueless as me knows that.

But he says its not four?

Is he messing with me?

Or did something go haywire during the exam?

Maybe he burned through all his luck and wits today and snapped.

Philip shook his head, feeling the unease of facing a madman. Whatevers going on, its best to steer clear of Lucas.

Ha haha, ha

Lucas, slowly raising his head, started laughing like a crazy person. Philip, getting goosebumps, instinctively glanced at Florian beside him. Florian was also staring at Lucas, visibly startled.

Was no one else witnessing this freak show? Philip looked around, but it was just him and Florian.

Lucas muttered with his signature emotionless eyes.

Enough. Its worth a challenge

No idea what hes talking about, but it feels like something that shouldnt be challenged.

Fuck, I dont know whats going on, but hes talking to me, so Im screwed today.

We usually just pass notes silently, but sometimes he tries to talk like this. Sure, Lucas is a decent guyhe didnt tell anyone about my bet during the second trainingbut given what Ive done, things can get dicey.

So

Forget roll call, Im out.

Philips face darkened as he grabbed his bag and stood.

At that moment, something yanked his left arm hard.

Gah!

His reflexive yelp drew the students attention.

Lucas was looking up at him with clear eyes, the earlier madness gone.

Whats wrong, Philip?

Uh, nothing

Where you going? Sit. The professors coming soon.

.

Philip sat back down, unable to argue.

His usual indifferent tone carried an odd warmth. Something was definitely up. Philips guard shot to maximum.

Philip.

The low call made Philip flinch.

Lucas, staring at Philip who was avoiding eye contact, continued.

Youre still wary of me.

.

Philip was dumbfounded.

How could he not be?

The Empires top university ranked Lucas above Leonard as the exams top scorer. And the Imperial Court welcomed him with open arms.

From his expression and tone, Lucas seems to treat his current situation like a casual stroll to the Imperial Court, but its not that trivial.

Lucas is following in Adrian Askanians footsteps.

Adrian has a natural ability to lead others, even unconsciously.

I dont know how thats possible. All Ive heard from adults is that creating opportunities without being swayed by circumstances is the mark of a leader, and Adrian has that quality.

Watching the broadcast, I realizedhonestly, I dont get the rest, but the third exam for Teams 1-3 was driven by Lucas. I vaguely understood what the adults meant.

The mage the Emperor wants.

That pathetic guy at my feet is now a mage the Imperial Court has its eyes on.

Hes sitting next to me, but hes in a different world, and hell only drift further away.

How could I not feel the distance?

Everyone in the school probably feels the same unspoken gap. Toward Team 1, especially the top-ranked Askanian.

And hes asking if I feel distant? Isnt he proud of his achievements? Hes probably puffed up with confidence now, thinking his classmates look like idiots, and hes asking *this*?

Then, Lucas, whod been observing Philip without looking away, spoke abruptly.

If I made you uncomfortable Im not sorry, but its a bit absurd. Youve got a lot to feel guilty about, so I get why youre uneasy. I havent fully forgiven you, and I cant shake the thought that your past actions were pathetic. Even now, I think your character and self-esteem are the only things in this world that never change. But since were here, Id like to build a decent relationship while were face-to-face.

Huh? Say that again, slower.

Philip. Like I said before, well keep seeing each other until university. So

Did we agree to that?

Sure, Askanian unilaterally said he planned to once.

But the thought was brief. So what?

Whats this tight-lipped guy getting at with such a long wind-up? Theres definitely something.

He clearly said before he had no intention of forgiving me. Hes saying it again now, so maybe

Is it time for revenge?

Now that hes entered the Imperial Court, burying someone like me would be easy. Since well keep seeing each other, is it time to pay for my sins? Or stay here and play lackey?

Philips eyes trembled wildly.

Lucas, watching Philips expression and pausing, curled his lips into a smirk. A confident, relaxed smile Id never seen in our first year.

Congrats on Team 2.

***

Philips tense shoulders slumped as he stared at me.

His expression was like time had frozen. After a long pause, he nodded stiffly.

Tch, thanks. Whats the real point?

Whatre you talking about? You tired?

I burst out laughing and continued.

Were not on the same team, but lets do well as part of the Imperial Second Academy Militia.

.

Since well keep seeing each other, this kind of greetings fine, right?

Yeah, sure

Philip frowned briefly, then rolled his eyes and answered.

I nodded, signaling it was all good.

This guy just went through a whole mental saga.

I could read it in his face. It felt like Id become an Insight user.

If hed voiced that saga, Id have snapped, You think Im you? but thankfully, he didnt.

Then, Philip muttered in a small voice.

Me too I know its shameless, but lets get along.

Hm?

*Ding!*

[Favorability +2]

Easy.

Im getting the hang of this.

His favorability was 3 before, so now its 5.

Might as well use downtime in group settings to chip away at it.

Now for the real reason I called him.

I dismissed the proposal window, which had ticked up by 0.0002%, and smiled.

Philip. Youll keep things quiet on Team 2, right?

Whats that supposed to mean?

What do you mean, what?

I stared at him without explaining further, and Philips face paled again.

Hes definitely caught on to what Im implying.

Hed have to.

It was amusing watching his face change color. I placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled gently.

Im not worrying for nothing, am I? You, who did all sorts of crap to me as a sponsored student dragging down the schools reputation, wouldnt dare tarnish the Imperial Second Academys name now, would you?

O-Of course not.

Philip rolled his eyes and nodded.

I ptted his shoulder encouragingly.

This should lower the chances of Melvin getting bullied on the team. If Philip pulls anything, Ill submit the report I held back at the start of the semester and get his disciplinary hearing started.

Philip nodded vaguely, looking confused. Luckily, his favorability didnt drop. I could tell where I stood with him now.

CreakScreech

The front door opened, and I turned.

The chattering students shut their mouths and looked forward.

The subdued voices quickly grew loud again.

Professor!

Whoa?!

Some students couldnt hide their laughter and jumped up.

Our class professor, looking healthier than a week ago, smiled at the students.

Its been two weeks, hasnt it?

***

To me, it felt like just a week.

I knew hed be back, but seeing him in person felt even better. The students, spotting the professors face, greeted him with even louder voices.

Surprisingly, the moment he saw me, he gave me 2 favorability points.

Johannes Ron

Favorability +8 [Conquerable (Stage 4/5)]

So, its at 8 now.

Curious about the sudden reaction, I opened the Stage 4 window, but it only showed question marks.

Either the system cant read his thoughts, or Professor Ron himself doesnt know how he feels about me.

Interesting.

With that thought, I listened to a students question.

Do we have to attend school every day?

Well, probably morning roll call at least. And we need to earn minimum credits, so well have to come for some classes.

Got it. Man, thats so cool Im heading in for roll call soon. Congrats on joining the Imperial Court~

I waved with a smile.

The student I was talking to was someone Id chatted with once or twice in class.

Thanks for the 1 favorability point.

I learned this during the last favorability mission.

Just smiling and speaking warmly can earn points from classmates who had negative favorability.

Even indifferent students toss out 1 or 2 points like that.

Then, someone tapped my shoulder from behind.

Lucas!

Ulrike.

You got mobbed too? Its been over 30 minutes since roll call endedwhyre you still here~?

Ulrike stood there, looking slightly tired, bag slung over his shoulder. Like me, hed probably been held up by students congratulations.

Guess were all in the same boat. Lets head in.

Sure. By the way, Lucas.

Yeah?

Ulrike grinned.

Our first exam together was that magic potion contest, remember?

I do.

I thought itd be a one-off, but now were working together like thisits kinda surreal. Todays exam was really fun.

Same.

I didnt have much else to say, so I gave the best smile I could manage.

Ding!

Favorability +1

Unlike the windows info, Ulrike stared at me blankly. I waited for him to speak, then shrugged.

What?

No, Ive never seen you make that face before. You used to look dead all the time.

You remember the weirdest stuff.

Who wouldnt? You look better than I thought. Dont go smiling everywherehead in~

Alright. See you tomorrow.

I waved and watched Ulrikes back.

Man, just exchanging congrats gets me 1 point each.

So far, Ive collected 35 points.

It couldnt be easier.

If only I didnt have to gather 10,000

I let out a hollow laugh.

Itd be a lie to say its not daunting.

Im not about to let a 30-point opportunity slip away after a month.

Last time, it was 500 favorability for 25 points.

Now its 10,000 for 30.

Is the system trying to cut my nose off while Im watching? Is it a quit if you dont like it mindset? Or just not handing out points easily?

I was thrown off at first

But now its clear.

This demand isnt different from before.

The only difference is it focuses more on the masses than individuals.

Lucas Rene Askanians stage has now expanded to all of Berlin. The 10,000 points reflect that widened scope.

In the end, its saying to win over the unspecified masses.

If thats the case, Im already confident.

Shall we go?

I approached Narce, whod been waiting for me to finish talking.

Even as Narce grabbed my hand and warped, I closed my eyes and kept thinking.

Still, I cant underestimate it.

The 1,000 students at school and Berlins 20 million people are on different scales.

But fortunately, theres an opportunity.

Oh, right. Ill come by at 6 tomorrow. That cool?

Opening my eyes at Narces words, I realized we were already at the mansions entrance.

I nodded.

Yeah, thats fine.

Haha, we just took an exam, and now were prepping for the inauguration tomorrowkinda harsh.

Narce laughed, leading me into the mansion.

The Eszett inauguration is on Monday, the 12th. From the evening of the 12th to the morning of the 13th, a celebration for all Imperial Second Academy Militia participants will be held.

Perfect.

If the rules are the same as before, this favorability proposal only tracks changes from people I can easily access.

Someone in Baden reading an article about me and forming a good impression wouldnt count toward the 10,000.

So, I need to use the inauguration day to meet Berlins masses directly.

Whoa?

Narce, opening my rooms door, let out a surprised laugh.

Hey, theyre here~

Youre here?

Elias waved a liquor bottle in greeting.

A sigh-laden greeting followed. Leo sat far off, looking resigned, and the reason was obvious.

The table was lined with unfamiliar bottles of alcohol.

Whyre you guys 30 minutes late~?

30 minutes? Its only 11:30.

Exactly. Only 6 hours and 30 minutes left to drink.

.

We really had to stay up for 6 hours and 30 minutes.

It wasnt all drinking, despite Eliass intentions.

If theres time to drink, Id rather analyze the situation.

The system didnt throw this proposal out for fun. I cant be complacent just because its similar to before.

And at 6 a.m., I understood why I got this proposal.

[Lucas Rene Askanian, 2nd in line for Anhalt Duchy, enters Imperial Court]

[Imperial Second Academys Team Eszett to launch on the 10th]

[Pleroma as the Empires guardian? Berlin Anti-Pleroma League harshly criticizes Imperial Second Academy]

[Too much unconfirmed ideological vetting needed, Berlin Gymnasium Teachers Association expresses concern]

[Anhalt Education Union: Imperial Second Academys decision unacceptable]

Todays Imperial Newspaper and various local papers, bought in advance, were quickly inscribed with mana-written text.

Hm.

As expected.

The problem is, this means I might have to abandon this proposal.

As I silently scanned the papers, Elias, sprawled on te bed, noticed and snatched the paper from me.

Ugh~ Why are these people at it again? Didnt we see the same reaction before?

Haha, yeah

Narce, sitting beside Elias, read the paper with an awkward expression, glancing at my face.

No need for concern. I shook my head.

Its temporary.

Huh?

It wont last long. Like you said, Eli, its a topic theyve already burned through.

Elias, thinking I was being overly optimistic, shook his head.

Still, it wont die out on its own until the sparks snuffed, Lucas.

True.

So, how about trying a different approach?

I dont need to keep running around forever.

Winning favorability by being friendly is great.

But thats one thing. Do I always have to rely on my attitude?

If theres another tool, why not use it?

Id prepared a card for a day like this, one I hadnt played yet.

Before the inauguration prep, I grabbed my file of collected data and headed back to school.

It was my first time at the faculty residence.

Knock knock

Professor Stefan Traut.

Saturday morning, 9 a.m.

I knocked on Professor Trauts door.

Lucas Rene Askanian.

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