Published at 5th of December 2025 8:13 pm

Chapter 220

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Shouldnt you rest?

An unexpected response.

I raised an eyebrow, looking at the speaker.

It was Narce.

Leos not doing it, so now Narce is?

I can feel how much my friends have changed since we first met.

Skeptical and stability-driven Leo now fully trusts me, just as I trust the promises weve made. Its not just about artifacts anymore.

Narce, who seems indifferent on the surface, laughing and watching others do whatever, is now trying to stop me.

Seeing these new sides of people I know as relationships evolve is more interesting than I expected.

As I grinned, Narce furrowed his brows, giving an awkward smile. You overdid it today. Gotta clean off that egg. Its all over your hair and face.

Oh, obviously. But not now.

I brushed egg white off Narces glove. I want to wrap this up fast. Help me?

Narce gave a faint smile and took my hand.

When I opened my eyes, I was at the militia dormitory.

I entered the white building, heading to the third-year floor.

I knocked on a random door.

Who oh.

A third-year stepped back upon seeing me.

His gaze naturally slid from my crooked hat to my eyes and shoulders.

Id usually shrug off such scrutiny, but now it made my stomach churn. Hello, Senior.

I tried to sound polite, but my soulless voice mustve shown, as he looked at me, startled again. Uh, yeah whats up?

Can I borrow some paper and a pen?

Paper?

The third-year was thrown by my random request. But as I stared, he quickly grabbed a palm-sized notepad and a fountain pen from inside.

I scribbled a note and handed it to him. Please.

He glanced at the notes surface, nodded, and I headed to the third-year lounge. Other third-years in the hall, seeing my expression and clothes, stepped aside, flustered.

I know they avoided me because my face looked off and, like most students and citizens, theyre not used to the imperial uniform. Its not the hopeless Pleroma stare from early second-year semester but, ironically, the opposite.

Still, it grated my nerves.

Probably because of that culprit who wont let me catch them. Thats why Im hyper-aware of everything yet struggling to focus.

I opened the lounge door.

Thankfully, it was empty.

Feeling free from my senses, I sat on the sofa, staring out the window. A crow glided, wings spread.

The birds call from outside scraped at my nerves.

How long had it passed?

Closing my eyes, I waited, and soon no sound reached me.

I could tell my seat wasnt the same as before.

Creak

Someone in a black robe, face covered, entered.

Egg smell.

You can tell?

Smells fishyhow could I not?

I came to meet this person.

The only mage I know with transformation abilities and part of a group with space magic surpassing Pleromas.

Richthofen lowered the cloth covering his face and removed his robes hood, sitting down.

The note I gave the third-year asked Richthofen to use space magic and come to the lounge.

Since the culprit keeps dodging to avoid jail, Ill use every resource Ive got.

Your clothes arent yours either. I thought I walked into the wrong place, he said.

Youve got a hell of a nose.

Im a dog.

Whats with the dog thing

This guys got a self-deprecating sense of humor. Are all Catacombs folks this unfunny? I gave him a deadpan look.

Haha, that stare stings a bit.

Just take the hit.

He smiled at my blunt reply.

Now youre acting more like yourself. Whats with that face? Something happen?

Got hit with an egg.

Oh? Shouldve been there to see it.

I lost my words and just smiled, making him laugh.

Unlike earlier, I double-checked the subtle shift in the airs Magic Power. Richthofens space magic enveloped the room. No matter how much the culprit wants to watch or eavesdrop, they cant here.

No time for chit-chatI got to the point. The eggs whatever. Ive got a problem.

A problem? Looks like it. Not many in this country hate you enough to throw eggs.

You think so? Thats surprising.

Being a bit annoyings different from hating enough to act on it.

Guess my self-image and others differ.

My status windows Impression scores been rising, and my survival probability jumped 15% in a month, so things arent like before.

Next month, Im aiming for a 30% boost. If I think of this effort as for that, my fist doesnt itch as much.

Ive got a stalker.

What?

Richthofen froze, then gave an ambiguous look, unsure if he was amused or disbelieving. A stalker for a New Human

Shocking, right?

Not a stalkermaybe an assassin? Imperial mages often face assassination risks.

Knew hed say that.

I pulled out the egg-turned-note from my pocket and set it on the table.

Richthofen grimaced at the stench. Ugh

Dont dogs like food smells?

Im human.

Cant keep up with you. Just read it.

He nodded, picking up an unopened note. I was thinking, itd be nice if those pink eyes were inherited. Your Magic Powers pink, so maybe its possible? If my eye colors inherited, Id scrap it and keep synthesizing till pink eyes come up.

Richthofen froze, then tossed the note like hed touched something vile. Yup, thats something. What is this?

Told you, a stalker.

Uncharacteristically, he studied my face. With his usual lazy smile, he said, Unique color, huh. People want to be one-of-a-kind. Separately, watch out for Magic Power theft.

Unique way to comfort. Anyway, Ive got a favor. Can you turn into a dog?

Silence fell again.

I didnt have the energy for polite buildup, so my flat tone mustve hit hard.

Turn into a dog?

I know its rude, but Im asking.

Hmm

Richthofen laughed, as if hearing something absurd, and scanned me. Why?

Gotta do it, right? How do I know you wont blow up your core if I dont?

No plans for that.

He kept up that sly smile, so I snapped my fingers.

Richthofen flinched, grimacing.

He let out a hollow laugh and stood. Kinda feels bad.

Cant help that youre that kind of guy.

Hes the type who acts only when forced.

In the Catacombs, despite being able to undo the vigilante leaders near-curse vision-sharing magic, he complied. He led a revolt when he felt things going wrong, but he tends to act under external pressure.

Cant handle the gap between his true self and whats expected.

In this case, he knows he *should* hate his animal transformation ability, but his current self doesnt, creating a disconnect. Thats why he brought up my core, and my denial slowed him down.

Even if he dislikes it, its part of him. He knows he cant live hating the self hes created, yet hes trapped.

What can I do?

Just give him what he wants.

Out of the blue, huh? Your stalker got the same ability?

Something like that. A New Human who transformed into an Old Human. Might have other special abilities too. Cant tell you everything now.

Richthofens eyes widened. Transformation?

Yeah.

Im not the only one.

After a long silence, he muttered, Theyre lucky. A human-type transformer.

Thats how hed take it.

I waited without saying more.

Lost in thought, Richthofen said, Human-types a bit different from me. That okay?

Fine. Probably not that different.

He stomped once. Between closing and opening his eyes, a black dog the size of a wolf stood before me.

No matter how you look at it, its a wolf, not a dog. As it approached, I instinctively leaned back. The dogteasing me?jumped.

Crash! Thud

I knocked over a wooden side table, standing.

For some reason, the dog seemed to be laughing.

I asked, exasperated, Whatre you doing, Senior?

At that, the dog turned back into a human, flopping down in front of me. Didnt know you were scared of dogs.

Im not.

Its a wolfhow do you not flinch?

Felt like another world for a second. My instincts screamed to bolt.

Richthofen picked up black dog fur from the floor, blew it away, and asked, So, good enough?

Ive got questions. Your Magic Power doesnt feel strong when transformed.

I can control it. Like we control it as humans. I can lower it to be indistinguishable from a real animal.

Got it.

I gave a vague reply and asked, Magic Power consumption?

Not much. Varies by person, but if the Investigation Bureau cant catch them, they probably dont burn much Magic Power transforming, like me.

Figures. Impressive. Do that in front of Elias often.

Haha, trying to get me hated?

He knows?

Elias, who pet and played with him thinking he was a dog, nearly gagged that day. One more time, and their relationship might actually break. Or maybe not.

Inherited?

Nope. If it was, Id either be proud or have found a fix by now.

I nodded, thinking.

Then, snapping my fingers, I asked, If organ layouts differ between forms, hows transformation possible? Why does your uniform disappear and reappear?

How should I know? But a magic professor in the Catacombs once gave a possible explanation. Its like swapping with a being in another world with a synchronized core of the same components. Say this worlds A-world, and theres a Magic Power-only B-world we cant know or reach. They coexist, but we only perceive A-world.

Right.

Like not perceiving higher dimensions in a 3D world.

Next to theological claims of divine power, its a fairly accepted theory.

When I turn into a dog, my body goes to B-world, invisible to us, and a dog from B-world comes to A-world. So, the dogs body doesnt have Max Richthofens genes. Core and consciousness stay, though. Thats why Im tied to the dog, feeling its senses in this world. Uniform question solved, right?

Aha If the cores key, cant you take just part of the dog? Your nose suggests its possible.

Why take parts?

As a dog, youve got useful abilities. Like, if you need to identify someone by scent as a human, cant you just take the dogs olfactory cells instead of fully transforming?

He shook his head. With enough training, you could isolate abilities. But thats insanely grueling training.

Fair. Still, its an amazing ability. Almost invincible. As you said, if you get fatally injured as a dog and revert, your human bodys unscathed, right?

Yup. The dog and I are separate entities. Your stalker, being human-type, can use two human bodies. Maybe more.

Two bodies.

Basically possessing another body from B-world.

What a great ability. Attacks mean nothing.

As their enemy, its laughable.

Weaknesses?

Dog weaknesses? Same as any dog. Or humans, for that matter.

What about losing the ability or getting stuck mid-transformation?

I asked pointedly, and his expression shifted.

Oh~

Richthofen laughed, amused yet wary. If I tell you, whats in it for me?

Leak to the Imperial Times that Im Nicolaus.

He stared, smiling silently.

After collecting his thoughts, he said, Ill take that as a no-deal. If Magic Powers depleted mid-transformation, you cant revert until its restored. Think of the principle I explained.

Experience?

Yeah.

How? Natural Magic Power depletions rare. His lifes a spectacle.

Still, a valuable answer. Rare info that sparks multiple possibilities.

Thats why you hoard resources. Though an ally, if wed sent Richthofen to another world for spiking our drinks, I wouldnt have this now. Reckless retaliations for amateurs.

I grinned, relieved. Thanks. That helped.

Good. No more questions?

Nope.

If you meet them, can you let me meet them too?

Unexpected, but I get the intent.

Hes hoping to learn how to remove the ability.

For someone who joined the Catacombs as a noble and lived there over a decade to erase his ability, its worth interrogating.

Ill try.

Thanks. Im off.

Richthofen stood, then clapped as if remembering something. Oh, you know your teams mission changed?

What?

Eszett. Starting tomorrow, youre handling Grade 9 berserkers like us.

News to me.

I raised an eyebrow, and he gave a hollow laugh.

***

Broke a record right after getting berserker duty.

They did ten cases today? Not since yesterday?

Crazy

The next day.

At the militia command center, Ulrike and I trudged in, drenched in sweat. Other team students, clutching random papers, were chattering but shut up when they saw us.

Crazys right.

Grade 9 berserkers arent tough.

So we paired up, made three teams, and rushed out at every report.

Still, handling three or four cases each in a day was insane.

Today, for favorability, I teamed with Ulrike. She tried pairing me with Leo, but I refused for once.

And luckily, Ulrike gave me 2 more favorability points in the process.

Sticking together longs the best.

Crises build closeness. We both love using magic, so doing what we enjoy boosts our mood. Ulrikes sharp combat sense helped us finish smoothly too.

Problem is, Im still at 7 points.

Need 5 more.

Itd be nice if Heike gave me some, but she hasnt.

Gotta hang out with her separately.

Before opening the meeting room door where our team was, I held out my hand to Ulrike. Good work today.

You too. Man, we did real work today.

Grunt works still work so she didnt like what we did before?

I chuckled at her typical remark. She gave my hand a quick tap.

Isnt that what Yulia does to you a lot?

Oh, its catching.

Haha! Yeah, its great if we all get closer.

Ulrike laughed, opening the door.

We were the last to finish, and the team was all there.

Unlike yesterdays Baden talk, Leo, ever the pro politician, regained his cool. Meaning he stared at us coldly without a greeting.

Elias jumped up, rushing me. Whyre you so late!

We were the last dispatched. Hello, Professor.

I greeted our homeroom professor, who was here post-ceremony.

He chuckled, accepting the greeting, and explained tomorrows schedule.

For the next month, well handle Grade 89 berserkers across Berlin and Brandenburg.

But for the opening ceremony, well return to Pentalons main stadium for one day.

They still plan to use us for PR. No other special plans.

Now only my new plan remains.

Unlike yesterday, when I overlooked the culprits brains, Ill refine it with lessons from failure and Richthofens info.

If theyre scheming to avoid jail, Ill outsmart them.

Its just a matter of timing.

To minimize damage, should I wait until just before Pentalon, or act once materials are ready?

But that was pointless worrying, underestimating their madness.

At 4 a.m. that day.

[Plans changed. Were back to the main stadium starting today. Or, precisely, the Grand Hotel and Imperial Central Hospital.]

Over the artifact, I heard Leos voice, staring at a pink note.

Elias and Narce, awake with me at the estate, froze.

[Sorry. Because of me, youre stuck with berserker duty I picked a way to get you back. Youll have easier work now.]

[Again, really sorry. I mean it. I didnt want to put you through tough jobs. Id love to apologize in person, but thats not possible, right?]

That way to get me back was something no one would normally consider.

I pushed the note aside, reading the article beneath.

[Alexanderplatz Grand Hotel: 18 Overseas Athletes Berserk, Dead9 in ICU]

Id love to apologize in person, but thats not possible, right?

Who says its not possible? At this point, Ill make them apologize in person.

Leos connection cut off. Elias and Narce shut their artifacts completely.

Leo contacted me privately now. His voice came through my ear.

[Lucas.]

Yeah.

Why he reached out to me alone was obvious. No one else would remember this time anyway, but he was thorough.

Buy me some time. Get the drug I used early December. Check the ledger.

[Got it.]

Good.

Elias and Narce, noticing I was still connected to Leo, looked at me curiously.

Opening the retry window, I said, See you later.

Share