Published at 5th of December 2025 8:11 pm

Chapter 214

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Heike, a target deemed impossible to conquer, had never willingly raised her favorability toward me.

So how?

Hey.

Come on, whats this contradiction?

If shes supposed to be unconquerable, why the hell is she giving me favorability?

[]

The status window appeared before me, but no text was displayed.

Then, a memory of something Id heard before flashed through my mind.

[I think youre a great teammate but that might just be my stubbornness wanting to get closer to you, not necessarily my true impression. Of course, even that desire to get closer might stem from some preference for you, or maybe its just my obsession with wanting to make a friend for once.]

Those were Heike Ainsidels words to me.

Back then, I thought to myself:

Whether her emotional detachment directly ties to not giving favorability, I dont know, but if shes the type who barely feels emotions, it could definitely have an effect. Some people are generous with favorability, others arent. So, doesnt that mean theres a chance it could rise? Though, thats questionable in itself. Is it normal to track the favorability of an unconquerable target? If favorability cant be raised, doesnt that make them unconquerable? Or is it because theres no ending that theyre unconquerable?

Now I get it.

Heikes favorability could rise of her own accord.

So, why should she be unconquerable?

First, this damn system isnt omnipotent.

If shes truly unconquerable, the system shouldve prevented her favorability from rising. So why didnt it?

It can rewind time, it can boost others favorability by six points, so why?

Fuck. I cant even ask Narce about this

Second, it gave me a warning but allowed me a high degree of freedom.

Then why not just slap a giant villain label on her?

Is it a lack of capability, or the result of granting me free will?

If I had to pick the rational option right now, its probably the systems lack of capability.

But more importantly, theres something else I need to address.

Wha?!

Narce, grabbed by the shoulders, let out a flustered laugh.

I dragged him to a secluded spot, cast a soundproofing spell, and muttered, What did you say to her? Whats this about?

I just said, Lucas wants to get closer to you!

Thats not all, is it? Come on, what did you do to make her look like shes at an amusement park for the first time?

To others, Heikes face might still seem stoic, but having spent the last month with her, we knew better.

That was a rare expression for Heike, whose eyes usually held no thoughts at all.

Even though it wasnt a smile, just a blank face, there was this strange sense of anticipation in her eyes.

As I leaned closer, Narce backed away, waving his hands to block me.

No, no, really~! I swear I only said one thing. I used a bit of Insight, you know? To figure out what would make Heike happiest. That way, we could have a smoother conversation~ Honestly, its not like were telling Heike pleasant stories.

Thats the thing Heike likes most?

Yup. Well, I mean, out of things involving you.

Oh, alright then. Thats a relief.

If her happiest goal in life was to get close to me above everything else, Id be looking into exorcism rituals right now. But theres no basis for that.

I let go of him and stepped back. Narce, as if to soothe me, explained, Its really just that she wants to be proper friends~ Like she said before, shes always wanted to make a real friend. She has no intention of selling info or harming us.

I stared at him, and he tilted his head, looking a bit drunk and playful.

Your abilities seem to have grown a lot.

Narce looked away silently, then, deciding it was fine to share, quietly answered, Theyll shrink back on their own.

Shrink? Why?

If I want to keep living here, thats what has to happen.

Narce said something chilling and smiled.

I know its rude to pry when he doesnt offer, but I have a ton of questions.

An asterisk on favorability means a trait is applied.

But what does an asterisk on a trait, like Foresight (Lv.2)*, mean?

Could it mean another trait is affecting Insight and Foresight?

I know hes hiding a lot from me. Theres plenty to be suspicious about. But since he hasnt told me, and hes not harming me, I havent asked.

Yet today, hes oddly kind to me.

Narce. Are you drunk?

Nope~ I cant drink till Im wasted. Anyway if youve got questions, ask now. Its just a slight boost, but it might be more accurate than last time.

The urge to ask about the status window surged.

Should I ask and rewind time?

Id have to tell Leo I rewound because I was bored.

Thats a lame excuse.

And just in case, I should avoid asking Narce sensitive questions like this.

Predict my future.

Nice! But Heikes waiting. Wanna hear it later in my room?

I nodded.

When we stepped outside, Heike, puzzled by our sudden disappearance, looked between us.

Sorry! Lucas was just super shy

I covered his mouth with one hand, smiling as I explained, Its not like that. I just thought your reaction wasnt like usual, Heike, so I wondered if Narce passed on something I said earlier. Turns out he did. Um was it too much?

No.

Heike answered in her robotic voice.

But her eyes were sparkling.

Is she that desperate to make friends?

My conscience pricked at me.

The words I need to say to her arent exactly pleasant.

Narce pushed us toward the banquet halls upper floor.

Come on, lets go.

The lounge for new guests was even larger and more elaborate than the room Elias used earlier.

For all the chaos Elias caused with his flamboyant personality, it didnt seem like he secured much influence. Still, thanks to that, he avoided being purged and managed to turn everyone into Gunter clones, which was a notable advantage. So, Elias probably accepted this level of unfairness.

Come to think of it, its about time for Elias to go independent.

Theres no need for him to stay in the imperial palace, is there?

The emperor kept him there to monitor and control him, so in the novel, he left the palace as soon as he gained enough support.

Of course, unlike the novel, things have escalated before graduation, and hes already entered the imperial family, so things might change.

Narce, surprised by the different vibe from the earlier room, was looking around like me.

Hmm. The imperial familys got a lot of money.

Yep.

Heike replied curtly.

She was holding a glass of liquor like before, but thankfully, it didnt seem enchanted with a refill spell.

After finishing her drink, she smacked her lips regretfully and set the glass on the table.

Hey, guys. Is it okay for just us to be here? Shouldnt we invite other friends?

Heike spoke flatly, but the anticipation and flush on her face remained.

She clearl wanted to get closer to more friends.

Narce, whod been silent, used Divine Power to speak to me privately.

My conscience hurts

Mine too.

Wed already confirmed she genuinely wanted to get close to us, so today, we just needed to verify one thing.

But asking outright would feel like an interrogation, so Id ease the mood first.

I shook the ice cream cup Adelbert gave me earlier.

Whered this ice cream come from? Theres no freezer here.

Remember the ice cream booth the administration department ran at the festival? The cooling mage who did that made it again.

Oh, got it. Im surprised they got permission.

That first-year underclassman approved it~

Oh

Adelbert approved it, huh?

Thats kind of ridiculous. The first sons over there scheming to scam Pleroma, while the seconds just thinking about eating ice cream.

Not that I have much reason to feel conflicted. They dont have to be alike.

Over the past two weeks, digging through books and possibilities with GregorioAbrahamled me to conclude that the crown prince is no longer Adelberts family. To be precise

Nice.

As I followed that thought, half-listening to Narce and Heikes quiet conversation, an unexpected comment caught my ear.

Heike, now holding an empty glass again, stared at its bottom and muttered, I wanted to be on the same team as you guys but there was no sign of that happening. I never imagined the team size would increase.

Got it.

Were thrilled to be on the same team as you, Heike~ Who knew an extra person would feel this reassuring?

At Narces words, Heike, whod only been blinking, belatedly realized she should smile and did so.

Its weird that my wish came true.

She sure says a lot of cheesy stuff.

To say in front of us that being on our team was her wish? I could see Narce silently racking his brain.

I decided to steer toward the main question.

You said making friends was a first for you, Heike.

Yeah.

Was it because you didnt have the chance? I couldnt make friends since I didnt attend the Third Academy. I was wondering if your situation was similar.

Sorry if that was rude.

Me too.

I waited, and she slowly continued, I was always following my uncle around, so I didnt have much time to get close to friends. And Im not exactly sociable.

She knows, huh

Unlike me, Narce focused on her earlier words, leaning in.

It didnt seem like you and your uncle got along, but you followed him? That mustve been tough. I get it, since I dont get along with my family elders either.

The Farnese elders?

Yeah, exactly. Was there a reason you followed your uncle?

It felt like a natural interrogation. As expected, Heike hesitated.

Oh, was that too personal? Thisll be over by 6 a.m., so how about a board game at the dorm then?

Sounds good. You coming, Lucas?

Sorry, Im too tired. Ill sleep a bit.

Got it.

Heike nodded as if to say, do what you want.

I chatted with them until the atmosphere relaxed.

But I couldnt keep stalling.

Ill ask once more and if she doesnt answer, Ill use cognitive distortion magic.

Then Ill rewind time.

Other spells are one thing, but cognitive distortion magic is too much to use on a friend. I cant leave any trace of it, no matter what.

Even if she wont remember, making it as if it never happened is the least I can do.

I waited for a lull in the conversation and abruptly asked, Heike. This might be sudden, but about your unique ability.

Her blank expression subtly stiffened.

Have you used it on people often?

Heike just stared at the table.

As Narce and I shared the feeling of sitting on pins and needles, she nodded.

Often?

Yeah.

It didnt seem like you enjoyed using it on people.

Youre right. So you dont have to worry. Because of that incident before, you might not trust me, but

I shook my head, giving my most innocent smile.

No, thats already settled. I trust you. But why do you have so much experience using it if you dont like it?

Prying like this feels overwhelming.

Heike, too, was rolling her eyes like shed done something wrong.

After a long pause, she said in a small voice, My uncle made money with my ability.

I immediately understood why she didnt want to be around her uncle.

Its a similar case to Narce.

Narce gave me a look. It seemed true.

Before doing any business, hed take me along and make me touch the land and people. So when I was young, a lot of innocent people got hurt because of the ones tied to my uncle.

You told him exactly what you read.

At Narces concerned tone, Heike nodded.

You said you didnt get along. Once I realized my ability was causing problems, I stopped telling him everything I read. Hes not an idiot, so he probably knew I was lying. Hes my uncle, but I wont sugarcoat it. Hes not a good person.

Lost in thought, Heike looked at me and said, Im sorry about last time. I guess I was influenced by my uncle. So what I mean is I wont use my ability to get close to people anymore. No matter what, I dont want to. Especially not on our team.

She seemed to interpret my question as, Are you going to use your ability on me this time?

Anyway, I got a clear answer on this topic.

No need to resort to cognitive distortion magic to verify it.

Narce nodded at me, signaling Heikes resolve was genuine.

Plenty of people say one thing and act in their own interest, but Heike, scarred by bad childhood memories, seemed to have no such intentions.

This is why dialogue matters.

Looking into her honest eyes, I said with concern, Come to think of it, you used your ability a lot in this exam. It mustve been tough, given you dont have good memories of it.

It was okay since I only had to touch the ground. There was no one like my uncle, and it was during an exam.

Heike gave a faint smile, fidgeting with her ear.

Several artifacts were pierced there.

After the exam, my ability felt a bit looser, so I got these artifacts fitted. So dont worry.

Oh, really.

Narce looked at Heike with a sympathetic expression.

I said earlier my family elders and I dont get along, right? Its actually for the same reason as you.

Really?

Yeah. They always made me work to extract Divine Power and they tend to do whatever suits their tastes.

Heike didnt respond, lost in thought, then slowly nodded.

It must be common in our society, regardless of country. Im not the only one.

Yep, its common~ Defiance is common, kin-slaying is common, and using kids not even ten to fatten up the family is common.

I gave a meaningless smile, listening to Narce.

Yeah, its common. Didnt Marco Schreiber say New Humans usually only have one child? Theres a reason for that.

p>

So many people with family issues.

Thats unfortunate.

New Humans are more calculating than Old Humans. Even in the Old Human era, there were all sorts of wild political schemes and assassinations, but New Humans are, if anything, worse.

Old Human succession was mostly based on love, but New Human succession stems from a desire to gain power through Magic Power enhancement. Birth is solely about securing the highest quality Magic Power and optimizing ratios, with a drop of blood and a standard model stripped of most elements deemed inferior by New Human society.

Thats why Lucas only has Georg Askanian as a parent, and if you had to name a second, itd be the one contributing the second-largest Magic Power share in Georgs contract.

Raised on a different path from Old Humans, New Humans have different values. I hadnt noticed much difference since I was mostly at a school for kids, focused on studying, but in New Human society, the older the age group, the stronger the every-man-for-himself vibe, and meaningful human emotions fade.

A society that sees humans as tools for achieving goals cant function normally. Naturally, Heike couldnt feel attached to a family that treated her as a tool.

Though, if were talking normality, could I really call the world I lived in fully normal?

Narce looked at Heike, sitting across from him, and said, Still, most people dont live like us. I guess we just got unlucky. Its nice to meet someone like you, Heike, whos in a similar situation.

Me too.

Ugh, the moods too heavy! We should talk about something fun. Heike, what do you want to do after graduation?

Narce chuckled, playing it off.

Maybe its his experience confidently playing Mephisto, but hes good at acting.

I want to live with my mom.

Oh?

I dont know if shell treat me like my uncle, but Im curious.

Got it.

Narce listened with a piercing expression, as if seeing through her.

Worth remembering.

Its not exactly a fun topic, asking what she wants to do after graduation.

As we all fell silent, Heike, whod been quiet too, opened and closed her mouth before mustering the courage to speak.

This is kinda random, but, um, I shouldve said earlier. If its a mission or a situation where my abilitys needed, let me know. Im part of the team now.

Not you guys. Us.

At my words, Heike nodded.

Right.

Her excited smile made me smile back.

Narce clapped and pulled out his wand.

Alright~ One last thing, Heike!

Eh?

In Him who gives me strength, I can do all things.

In that moment, Heike clutched her chest, eyes wide.

I didnt cast it.

Id only shared the improved formula with Narce.

Narce laughed and apologized, Sorry.

Huh? What?

Heike whipped her head between me and Narce, as if checking whod explain.

Though he cast it casually, Narce, perhaps not entirely guilt-free, let his eyes wander before smiling.

I tend to cast this spell on all my new friends.

What a way to spin it.

Heike, with some common sense, raised an eyebrow slightly.

Why?

Its my way of marking my friends. Honestly, Im only satisfied when all my friends are tied to me~

Youre really weird.

Heike replied in her usual flat tone.

Whos the weird one here? Ive never seen someone react so calmly to this.

Then Im not the only one you cast it on. You did it to all our teammates?

Huh? Gotta collect them all. I already cast it on Lucas right next to you.

When?

But the effect was clear.

Heikes eyes suddenly lit up.

She really sees it as a badge of close friendship.

I can *never* tell her the spells called Subjugation.

I also cant say I only cast it on people with something off about them, except for Leo, who was a special case.

Oh, and its a secret. Dont tell the other friends!

At that, Heike asked in a more forceful voice, Why? Ill convince Kleist. You said you need to collect them.

No, no, no! Its only fun if I collect them myself~

Youre really weird.

Ill say it again, shes the weird one.

The vibe felt like we were all going crazy, so I was about to change the topic to regain some sanity when a surge of Divine Power hit from behind.

Se il Signore non custodisce la citta, invano veglia chi la custodisce.

!

Heike passed out instantly.

I jumped up and caught her.

Unless Yahweh keeps the city, the watchmans wakefulness is in vain.

Thats the spell she used.

Italian

I let out a hollow laugh. Casting it in her native tongue so I wouldnt understand.

Narce, smiling as usual, supported Heikes back.

Oh, really sorry But theres no sense of a connection being cut~ You felt it too, right, Lucas?

Yeah.

Theres no link between Heike and anyone else.

If there was, her Magic Power wouldve moved differently when she lost consciousness.

Its clean. But she mustve unconsciously picked up some info. Thats why she got the artifacts.

Did she touch our stuff?

Hmm, probably read something without realizing. With the Subjugation spell on, wed know instantly if someone attacked her Anyway, this should be fine.

Narce smiled at me.

No regrets, no matter the outcome. Lets do our best.

I stared into his yellow eyes and nodded.

Yeah.

The air felt like something was about to explode, so I forced a playful grin and changed the topic.

Oh, almost forgot. Hows my future? Since youre using your ability, do it for me too.

Sure

Narce, looking down at me, trailed off.

As the silence grew unsettling, he smiled and said, Well do our best with that too.

***

Heike thought shed passed out from drinking too much.

As we descended the stairs, she muttered in a sullen voice, Should I quit drinking?

Dont people usually stop on their own after something like that?

Drink more~

Narce, despite being a cleric, laughed like he didnt care if people drank themselves silly.

By the way

I cast a soundproofing spell and pressed Narce for the answer I hadnt heard earlier.

Narce. What the hell was that about?

Later, seriously, come to my room and well talk. Its gonna be a long one. Its not just about you

Narce gave an awkward smile, caught between laughing and discomfort.

I know Level 2 is still a flawed ability, but hearing such an ominous prophecy from a boosted ability?

Ugh I shouldnt have asked about my future.

No.

I need to know to stay sharp.

But weve had some breathing room lately, right? Right?!

Thats how its supposed to be, isnt it?

Yeah

Narce laughed sheepishly.

Just then, Ulrike, whod been waiting, came running over.

Guys!

She looked oddly cheerful.

Before I could ask what happened, she shoved a crumpled piece of paper at us.

[Year 1, Team 1 - Grade 9 Berserker Handling]

[Year 1, Team 2 - Grade 9 Berserker Handling]

[Year 1, Team 3 - Grade 9 Berserker Handling]

[Year 2, Team 1 (Eszett) - Pentalon Main Stadium Checkpoint]

[Year 2, Team 2 - Grade 9 Berserker Handling]

[Year 2, Team 3 - Grade 9 Berserker Handling]

[Year 3, Team 1 - Grade 9 Berserker Handling]

[Year 3, Team 2 - Grade 9 Berserker Handling]

[Year 3, Team 3 - Grade 9 Berserker Handling]

Were the only ones doing *that*!

***

At the same time, in Lower Saxony.

On the third floor of a house in Lower Saxony, in a space practically a darkroom, someone ran their hand over countless photos and pushpins on the wall. Their gaze shifted to a map of Berlin.

The mage stood still for a while before moving a red string from one pushpin to another.

He began humming a song in Low German.

Knock on my door and turn the handle Father thinks, its just the wind. Mother thinks, its just the wind. Father

Beep

The mage tapped an artifact by his ear.

A voice came through immediately.

[Schedules out.]

thinks, its just the wind. Mother thinks, its just the wind.

[You sing that cheerful song like a damn criminal. Its uncanny.]

The schedule.

[Pentalon Main Stadium Checkpoint.]

Hahahahaha!

The mage scribbled something on the paper and stabbed a pushpin through it.

The first missions *this*? They must want to parade us as the empires poster boys.

[Dont kid yourself. Every mage would kill for a high-profile first mission like this. Especially since its basically a month of slacking off.]

Nice. Starting tomorrow?

[Tomorrow. Now Oh!]

The other person, about to hang up, shouted urgently.

[You hearing me?]

What.

[Dont bring that Askanian photo. Youre done if you do.]

The mage, silently staring at the photos and map on the wall, shrugged.

Fine.

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