No matter how I look at it, it’s an ability that should be kept close at one’s side.
At this moment, there was a need to once again examine the two routes of the Status window.
Unlike the proposal, ‘Make Leonard Wittelsbach your companion,’ where a route leading to death appeared if the mission was not completed within a week, this time there was no death result in either of the two routes.
What this implied was two things.
First, even if I didn’t make Narke a companion, I wouldn’t feel his absence as strongly as in Leo’s case.
This doesn’t mean that Narke is incompetent, but rather that Leo can already provide help across a fairly wide range.
‘Still, the more horses you have, the better.’
So when I decided not to fall out with him, the survival probability rose by 1%p.
We weren’t even close yet, and it was just a single decision.
Second, and this point is the most important.
Considering that he’s a character who didn’t appear in the original work, I need to think about the possible negative influence he could have on me.
However, there’s no chance that Narke would deal me fatal damage. If he were someone who could kill me by holding my weakness, or someone with a connection to my older brother, the system would have thrown one of the two routes into a death route. The survival probability wouldn’t have gone up in the first place.
There is only one conclusion.
There’s no need to worry.
I just need to make this guy my companion. Slowly.
I smiled and answered Narke.
“Thanks, that clears up my curiosity.”
“Really? That’s a relief. I was nervous~”
Narke joked around and grinned.
Then, little by little, his expression began to twist. Narke fiddled with the green ring on his left hand and grabbed his head.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. It’ll get better if I wait a bit.”
“I’m sorry. It’s because of my question, right? I’ll bring you some medicine.”
“No, that’s not it. It’s because I kept using my ability too much. Wow, at this level I won’t be able to use it for at least two weeks.”
Either way, same thing.
But… he’s saying this out loud? He has no intention of hiding his ability.
Just then, Narke brought it up himself.
“Ah, I trust you won’t go around telling other people carelessly. You know what I mean, right?”
“There’s no reason to tell anyone.”
Narke nodded in satisfaction, then rubbed his chin.
“Hmm, normally people don’t know about my ability at all. You received a similar authority too. No matter how much I think about it, it’s fascinating.”
Rather than authority… I found out through the Status window, but there’s no need to correct him.
I handed Narke the medicine I kept stocked in the room and sent him back to the dormitory with Pai in his arms.
And so, the last weekday of September arrived—the day of the end-of-month evaluation.
It’s an exam given to departments where practical skills are important, like the Magic Department. The difficulty of the exam is determined according to each person’s magic rank, but thanks to consecutively missing the rank tests, I ended up submitting a substitute report instead.
‘I can’t get found out during the end-of-month evaluation.’
Last year’s Luka ranked 9th grade in the 9-grade system, dead last.
But if my current self were to have my rank measured… the outcome is obvious.
Today, the school was strangely excited with the students’ busy movements.
It was the first end-of-month exam of the new school year, and also because there were few chances to go outside the school.
I arrived near the back gate and got on the carriage I was directed to.
“Magic Department, Group 2, depart!”
An employee’s voice amplification magic rang through the line of waiting carriages.
Students who could use teleportation magic moved to the off-campus test site using teleportation magic, and students who failed the teleportation magic safety test traveled by school carriage.
There were three people from our class riding the carriage.
Me, who was deemed unqualified before even taking the exam due to having the lowest core rank; Narke, who was advised to travel directly for safety reasons due to his foreigner status; and Leo.
If animals are included… Pai was also tucked in Narke’s arms.
“So.”
Leo tapped the window lightly with his wand, casting magic so that no sound would leak out, and asked,
“So Narke knows about your situation too.”
“Yeah, I told him three days ago.”
And this guy, despite being deemed fit in the safety test, was deliberately riding the carriage. As class president, he refused teleportation magic and came here to escort the exchange student and the maladjusted student from the same class, so it probably made sense to the professors.
“Oh, so you know too, Leo.”
Narke nodded as if he had expected that. At his oddly calm tone, Leo smiled with an expression that looked like he might grab someone by the nape of the neck at any moment.
I could predict, after considering various factors, that Narke wouldn’t harm me—but Leo couldn’t.
He was probably thinking how I could trust a newly met exchange student enough to tell information that my life depended on.
Still, judging by how he was managing his expression, he seemed to be keeping proper manners as a classmate.
Leo nodded as if trying to convince himself.
“Yeah, it was about time to start widening the circle.”
Leo tapped the handle next to his seat with his finger, lost in thought.
“The fact that you told him about something life-threatening directly means that Lukas has confidence in you.”
“Mm… yeah. That’s true.”
Narke answered after a slight pause. Sensing something odd in that phrasing, Leo raised an eyebrow.
***
After listening to Narke’s explanation for quite some time, Leo pressed firmly between his brows.
“Your innate ability is insight… and foresight?”
Leo held back a sigh as he thought.
‘So that’s why his reaction was like that—it wasn’t something Lukas said ‘directly’.’
If the caster harbors even a little ill intent, it’s an ability that can be used in an extremely dangerous way. Perhaps sensing that thought, Narke hurriedly explained.
“I know what you might be thinking. I’ll make one thing clear first—I have no intention of harming anyone. You might not understand, but from the start, my innate ability wasn’t something I wanted to tell anyone about.”
Why tell me something you don’t want to reveal… that question is meaningless.
From Narke’s perspective, he wouldn’t want to be seen as someone who could murder a friend. On top of that, Narke is a friend who came as an exchange student from a seminary. He can’t help but be even more sensitive about such matters.
Leo nodded.
“Alright, you don’t have to tell me any more. Sorry for digging into it.”
“No, it’s a natural thought. Honestly, it is a dangerous situation.”
At that moment, the carriage came to a stop. The coachman got down from his seat and shouted,
“We’ve arrived.”
***
Leo still doesn’t fully trust Narke, but at the same time, he doesn’t seem to completely distrust him either.
I observed the students’ movements during the end-of-month evaluation and watched Narke and Leo, who had finished their turns, talk for a long time.
Then, at the edge of my vision, I caught sight of three or four people.
I couldn’t see them clearly, but they seemed to be talking while looking this way. When I stood up from my seat, they immediately left.
‘…Hmm.’
That feeling is strange.
I moved to the outskirts of the area designated as the test site. Now that I was closer, it was clearer. In the residential alleyway visible in the distance, several people were staring at me.
Pai braced himself on my shoulder, stood up, and asked,
“Are those people looking at me?!”
“I wish they were.”
At that moment, Narke whistled and called Pai over.
After a while, Pai returned and climbed back onto my shoulder.
“It’s not me…. They’re talking about how Lukas changed. Not just now, but since the start of second year~? What was it again.”
“Mm, I see.”
I’m starting to understand the situation.
Some of the stories circulating at school must have slowly spread to nearby shops, and then beyond. That’s only natural. And those people are probably talking about those stories right now.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
If it did matter, I wouldn’t have decided to take the midterm exam in the first place.
I looked around and stopped my gaze on one shop.
‘Should I read a newspaper?’
Instead of word-of-mouth, I should check whether official media outlets are talking about me.
I’d already finished writing the substitute report, and there was nothing else to do until returning to school. I bought a newspaper and a magazine from the stand and went back to the carriage.
Leo, who returned looking tired after being surrounded by friends, frowned when he saw the newspapers inside the carriage.
“What are you doing?”
“Trend analysis.”
I don’t have time to read all of this one by one.
I spread the books and newspapers out in a pile and placed my wand on top. Then I chose one of the spells I had memorized and spoke it aloud.
—Seek, and you shall find.
The tip of the wand glowed white.
Before the light faded, I spoke the word I wanted to find.
“Askanian.”
My hand moved on its own. After flipping through three or four pages, a piece of text stood out immediately. I circled the article.
“…When did you even learn something like this?”
“In class.”
“Now I’m curious what your midterm exam score will be.”
I brushed off Leo’s dry laugh and continued reading the article.
It was a short piece linking the changes of Pleroma and myself. I flipped back to the front page to check the title.
‘It’s a local newspaper.’
Its circulation is limited to this city alone.
Accessibility is low, and accordingly, the number of readers is small.
Still, it’s something I need to know—that my story is spreading from these local outlets.
I picked up a newspaper from a much larger media company and used the same magic.
Unlike before, it was clean.
Of course it would be.
To turn a student suspected of being Pleroma living a proper school life into an article would be… excessive.
If it hadn’t been long since the rumors about Pleroma started, maybe—but it’s not like someone who went crazy just yesterday or the day before. It’s hard to devote column space to every single change.
So rather, the side I should be paying attention to is the opposite.
Just then, Leo folded the newspaper he’d been reading, set it down, and shook his head.
“Lukas. If I were your older brother, I don’t think I’d be reading proper newspapers like this.”
Leo picked up a thin magazine that had been lying at the very bottom.
“I’d look at yellow journalism instead.”
Right. The problem is gossip magazines.
They don’t care about means or ends. Just opening one, it’s filled with photos and illustrations that make you frown—far removed from culture or current affairs.
Of course, exaggeration, distortion, and fake news run rampant, so their credibility is low.
But at the same time, they’re optimal for introducing issues people are interested in but that mainstream media finds inappropriate to cover.
Leo skimmed through the gossip magazine and asked,
“What are you going to do, want me to block it?”
“No need.”
That would just be wasting effort in pointless places.
It’s illegal to carelessly spread photos or information of students enrolled in an imperially accredited school. And even yellow journalism can’t ignore the power of noble families. In other words, they’re forced to keep to a certain line.
As I read the gossip magazine Leo handed me, I said,
“I didn’t look into this to block it. Rather, I shouldn’t block it.”
“What? Why.”
“I need to know through which channels my older brother gets my information so I can interfere with what reaches him. Right?”
At that, Leo stared at me silently, then slowly opened his mouth.
“When I look at you closely… it feels like you’ve changed as a person.”
“…….”
This is why sharp guys are such a pain….
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Kind of late to notice.”
“Yeah. It is a late thing to say. Right, you’ve been like this ever since you became a second-year. You’re not wrong.”
I took a breath. For some reason, I feel sorry toward the original Luka.
I quickly opened my mouth to change the subject.
“Actually….”
“But before that, let’s clarify one thing.”
What now.
I smiled and waited for him to continue.
“I get that you plan to exploit that someday. But… if you leave it as it is, people will notice your changes. Look, even now your story is circulating in a local newspaper.”
So that’s what this was about.
Feeling my heartbeat settle into a steady rhythm, I replied calmly.
“I was just about to talk about that.”
“What now… do you have another plan?”
“Yes.”
This is when being sharp is actually convenient.
I leaned my upper body toward Leo and clasped my hands together.
“But it’s something I’ll carry out after the midterm exam, not now.”
***
Three weeks passed.
Between physical training and magic practice, I was busy nonstop, focusing on strengthening my foundation, and time flew by.
Lukas René Askanian
Title: Hunter of ???
Health: +0.9 [+3.9]
Mental strength: -3.2
Magical power: ?
Skill: +2.15 [+5.15]
Impression: -10
Luck: -0.9
Trait: Dawn777, Holy Power, Charm (Lv.1)
Compared to the initial state filled with -5 and -10, the Status window has improved a lot.
During that time, there were no special schedules aside from the September end-of-month evaluation.
But now, an important schedule is approaching.
Tomorrow is the midterm exam.
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