Published at 5th of December 2025 8:11 pm

Chapter 216

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Elias shook his head vigorously at my words.

Report it! Dont tell me youre embarrassed to say some glove-obsessed mage stole your gloves?

Nah. Hes the crazy one, not me. Of course we report it. Im just saying we dont need to confront Narce in person.

Then what? Why keep an eye on it? Didnt Narce tell you to stay clear of people?

This morning, Narce and I shared our conversation with the team.

Stuff like this needs to be reported quick, not kept between us.

First, the crimes too minor to lock him up. With Narces Foresight, wed want a deep investigation, but others dont know that. Claiming this incident warrants a full probe or arrest wont easily fly.

In short, its a whats the big deal situation.

If the guys just got a glove fetish, fine, but if, as Narce says, hes a culprit aiming to wreck Pentalon, this alone wont stop him.

Yeah, not likely. Honestly, a glove thief isnt something theyd chase hard. Mention Narces Foresight, and the imperial folks might drag him in to grill him for more info.

Exactly.

Even if caught, hed be out quick.

Its not assault or stealing jewelrygloves? He could claim he took them by mistake.

So, we either find a solid reason to push for a deeper investigation or use Cognitive Distortion Magic to extract info.

Problem is my safety

Second, you guys are here. Six of us, on guard thanks to Foresight. Before we knew, maybe, but now? I think we can flip this.

Too late to avoid entanglement.

These petty inspections are just a prelude. Were stuck here till the opening ceremony.

The imperial family didnt clear out an active mage team to place us here for inspectionsthey want us on display for the worlds mage teams at the opening. Narce said so, and we agree.

.

Eliass eyes went wide, staring at me.

Then he blinked like crazy.

Shit.

Mistake.

Elias grabbed my shoulders, spinning me around.

Then he dropped his head, making a sound no human should.

Urrrgh

What the hells that noise?

Emotion!

Right

He wasnt like this at first, but now, after getting close, this is all I see.

Out of words, I laughed, pushing him off.

Reporting went smoothly.

They didnt brush off even minor issues, investigating thoroughly.

Alex Muller wasnt the cafeterias new manager, and the cafeteria hadnt changed managers.

We handed over his ID details, so Alex Mullers barred from here.

Guessing its pointless

The Royal Investigation Bureau and police promised thorough checks for terror risks, so thats enough for now.

And, shockingly, I didnt run into anyone that day.

***

You, wanting to train again?

That evening, I trained with Tsheringen for the first time in ages.

Tsheringen, smiling, swapped his sword for a wand.

Since tearing through Primrose Path and prepping for the third round, we hadnt had time, so our weekend training fizzled out.

Why train with Tsheringen now?

Gotta finish the suggestion

His vibes like Leos, so I tested if hed like what Leo does.

Not as training-obsessed as Leo.

Still, he seems to enjoy magic generally.

Tsheringen continued.

Sparring after so long feels great. Your skills improved.

You too.

Clean.

Unlike Leo, who drills till youre blind, Tsheringen trains with courtesy.

Leos style boosted my skills, so Im good with it.

Tsheringen raised an eyebrow, grinning.

Oh, me too? Glad you think so.

Exhausted from the day, he slumped into a chair.

I sat nearby, and he brought up a light topic.

People shook hands a ton today. Felt like fifty times. You, Lucas?

Seven, maybe.

Silence hit.

Tsheringen seemed to register my reputation. But he laughed instead of panicking.

Good~ Youll shake hands with me daily, so dont burn out.

Daily?

Yup.

He held out his hand. I tapped it lightly. He grabbed and shook it, a satisfied smile spreading.

Grabbing a water bottle, he muttered,

Us, teammates? Didnt imagine it last semester. Drink?

Im good. And back then, it made sense.

He chuckled, sipping water.

Our new teams shifting how we see friendships. Before, he was just a changed classmatetop student. Now, hes a friend till graduation.

Perfect timing to leverage.

Yulia.

Hm?

Lets train often. Ive learned a lot from you.

Ding!

[Favorability +1]

!

Yulia Tsheringen

Favorability +5 [Conquerable (Stage 3/5)]

Last check was +3; he gave 1 then and another now.

Tsheringen smiled at me.

Cool. Call me anytime you want to train.

Thanks.

No clue what triggered it, but good call. Ill pick up his precise, slightly different style from Leoswelcome addition.

Issue is, Ive been avoiding Leos training to seem distant What to say?

Easy.

Dont say anything.

Leos still my training partner. Prep stamina, he wont care.

Whats he gonna do? Im pulling double shifts.

After the chat, I headed to Narces room, mulling.

Got 1 Favorability, now to revisit todays events.

What a fucking nutcase.

All-day thought.

I grilled Narce earlier, but he only said todays incident was the guys real goal.

Was it to collect something from my gloves? He said no future showed that.

So, the only reason left, as Narce found gross, is some twisted obsession

No way thats the real goal.

A handshake and glove theft threatening Pentalon?

To prevent that, Im not just reportingIm planning to catch and interrogate him. But logically, this escalating to ruin Pentalon seems unlikely.

Back in my room with Narces help, I jotted down Alex Mullers name, appearance, and actions, listed ten possibilities, and crashed at midnight.

Or tried to.

What the hell.

Thirty minutes into sleep, I felt someone grab my hand and woke. The room, dimly lit by a lamp, was now bright.

Huh? Youre here fast.

My room, but Eliass voice?

Sitting up, I locked eyes with Eszett teammates staring down. The vibe resembled Narces dorm, but items suggested Leos room.

What?

Celebrating surviving day one~

Yulia, seen three hours ago, pointed at a liquor bottle, grinning.

Since your dorms different, Lucas, we missed you, so we asked the class rep to drag you.

Ulrike, wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, handed me a glass.

Class rep? Leo?

I looked. Leo, annoyed, sat on the bed.

Good acting, at least.

Just one drink each. Were out at 5 AM, so no getting drunk. Especially you, Elias, got it?

Yulias warning made Elias shrug.

So many here love boze, why just me?

Haha, felt you needed an extra warning.

I was dumbfounded.

Seriously

This why they dragged me? Theyre still hyped.

No time to mingle at work, so Ill grab some Favorability.

Taking the glass, I sat by Ulrike.

Like drinking?

Yup. You?

I clinked glasses, answering.

Me too. Lets drink often.

Unexpected~ You dont look like a drinker.

Really? Nah, I like drinking with you guys.

Man, youre so different from last year.

I didnt reply.

Just thought, if Luca returns, Ill help him adjust to what Ive built.

Speaking of, Elias called you Luca? Ill use that!

Sure

Noooo!

Elias, chatting with Yulia, yelled, cutting in.

How he heard, no clue, but arguings a hassle. I gave a dry laugh.

No go.

Fine. Other names? My full names Ulrike Luise Margarete. Used Luise as a kid.

Long name.

Everyone heres got one, so no surprise.

Me too.

Status windows Lucas Rene Askanian isnt the official Luca. Full names Lucas Karl Friedrich Leopold Askanianancestors names, I think.

No nicknames. Why? Want to use one?

Yeah, its special~

Hm

Elias kept eyeing us, so no full name.

Nothing nickname-worthy. How about I call you Luise?

.

Ding!

[Favorability +1]

Seriously?

Wanting to get closer did it?

Among Eszett, Ulrikes Favorability is low after Heike, so she gives points easier.

Check her Favorability.

Ulrike Kleist

Favorability +3 [Conquerable (Stage 2/5)]

Now 3, so it was 2. Decent, not high.

Seems fine, Luise.

Wow, been years? Only hometown friends use it. Feels close, nice.

Ulrikes catchier, but if she likes this, fine.

Closer bonds are better.

After 20 minutes chatting, Ulrike tilted her head.

Lucas, you and Leo dont get along.

Hm? Why?

Just, were teammates now.

Not bad. Dont worry.

Really?

She nodded vaguely.

Time to leave, Ulrike tossed off the blanket, stood, and bickered softly with Leo, shooing teammates out.

Pushing Leo, she said,

Go! Get out!

Hm? Narce?

Before I could ask, Leo sighed, warping me.

Back in my room, I couldnt hide my confusion.

What?

Ulrike thinks were enemies.

Oh, so get closer

I nodded.

Fair.

Also, forgot to give you this earlier.

Leo pulled a letter from his robe.

Letters to Lucas Askanian, not Nicolaus, go to the militia dorm.

You said Alex Muller was looking for you.

Leo pointed at a pink envelope.

Irene Muller.

Another Muller.

[So jealous. Hows it feel to have the worlds eyes on you? Dont care about us ant-like crowds? Or proud of yourself? You know your Pleroma-like traits are seen as cool now? A Pleroma-born swearing loyalty to the Emperor for justicehow dramatic. So, what do you think of us? Nothing? Thatd suck. Cocky? Annoying too. Im one of your cheering crowd, so I think that.]

Head spinning. Deja vu.

How many question marks?

Jealousy or support?

Never got letters like this, even in reality.

.

Seniors say these come sometimes. They meant threats, but yours seems like a fan letter hiding something. You saw a weird sign yesterday.

Seniorsupper Imperial Mage Association ranks.

Why me?

Yeah. Looks fine, but be careful. Right?

Yup.

Ill have the Kingdom Investigation Bureau trace her. Your core

Leo snapped, boosting my cores magic. His unnoticed magic felt stronger.

Ill keep it like this.

Warn me first Thanks.

I saw him off.

See you.

My mind was elsewhere.

Another Muller.

After Robert Muller stabbed me pre-Catacombs, now Alex, Irene.

Whats this mean?

Didnt need to think long.

Best to catch them myself.

***

Morning, we warped to Pentalon stadiums main street, like yesterday.

Guess theyre looping the promo video.

Openings close.

Friends looked up at a huge artifact.

Its light formed a video of nations mages passing by.

My focus was on the crowd, not the screen.

Across the street, the Pentalon grounds had more people than yesterday.

Here for the video?

All eyes were on it.

As I started to move, a familiar flag flashed.

Oh.

Korean Empire.

A mage in a durumagi, holding a staff, stood center.

[Yeokchikcheonsanggongjungjiha, soyuilchejakjejangnan]

Commanding heavens, void, and underworld, remove all obstacles.

Subtitles in German appeared, not synced with the video.

[Bulseonsimjagaeraehogwe cheongasoseolgajibeobeum.]

Unrighteous, kneel! Hear the law I proclaim.

The mage chanted, slamming the staff. Light poured into the stadium. Black-and-white, unclear if Divine Power.

A fluent German-speaking mage followed.

[This is an ancient demon-subduing mantra from our land. The Korean Empire team wishes peace to the German Empire and Pentalon.]

Buddhist chants in a Christian nationfresh.

More cultural than religious.

The Empire, Papal State, East Asiaall tie historic elements to magic for cultural clout.

Bet East Asias three nations fight over who handles Buddhist texts authentically.

But

.

Feels new.

Wanna meet them. To them, Im just a foreigner, so no big deal.

Lost in thought, the video shifted to West Asia.

Standing still, Elias turned.

Luca~?

Coming.

I caught up, and he shuddered.

Gotta check everything. With all these people, if something pops

I smiled, walking forward.

But something was off.

The crowd glancing at us grew. Four ruling family members draw eyes, but

Not here for the video.

They heard were working here, came to gawk at royals.

Leo noticed too, calling security.

I walked, barrier up with teammates.

Leo smiled at citizens wanting handshakesbarriers and yesterdays ban prevented it.

[Knocking my door, turning the handle]

A calm, serene song hit my ears.

Yesterdays voice? No, new.

Teammates exchanged looks.

A voice cutting through this noise?

Amplified magic, intentional.

Teammates drew wands to strengthen the barrier.

BoomCrash!

Screams!

What?!

As they channeled magic, a reverse surge hit.

I raised my arm to block barrier shards.

Or tried.

!

Someone grabbed my hand.

Shock then confusion.

Not yesterdays New Human hand size. Maybe a petite Old Human woman?

Squelch

Something wet clamped my hand.

No, their glove was soaked, like pulled from water.

What?

I yanked to see their face, but the hand vanished.

Warped? The voice lingered.

[Father thinks, just the wind. Mother thinks, just the wind. Father thinks, merely wind. Mother thinks, merely wind.]

Folk song.

Low German folk song, not local, but I knew it.

Dat du min Leevsten bust, That you are my dearest.

I laughed dryly.

Narce was right.

Glove theft wasnt deep.

But dropping hints means more plans. Narces Foresight too.

Luca!

You okay? Your hand?

Barrier broken, the crowd backed off. Security mages, called by Leo, stood nearby.

I glanced, thinking.

Hold on.

Old Human hand, using amplified magic?

Not Catacombsthey dont flaunt Old Human traits with magic.

So, likely a New Human

This bastard.

Hard to catch.

But I grinned.

These types are the most thrilling to nab.

Share