Chapter 184
Chapter 184
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: The Berlin Mansion
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He didn't get a reply, but he read my expression and gave a feeble smile anyway.
"You thought I wouldn't notice? Even at school, you walk everywhere while everyone else warps, and whenever you need to warp somewhere, you send us away and only take Narke with you. How could I not figure it out? Narke must have been helping you with your warps. You were warping around without issue right up until three days ago—why the sudden change?"
"......"
"There's no way you'd develop a trauma about warping out of nowhere. It probably started right after you fell into that trap. It wasn't just sensing odd currents at the door—you actually got trapped inside, went through... something, and now you don't want to warp alone."
I sank into thought for a moment before speaking up.
"Why you?"
If anyone had to know about whatever made me different from others, it should have been Narke, not Leo.
Yet in a situation where even his insight wasn't working, how had Leo figured out something not even Narke knew?
Leo fell silent at my words, then let out a faint chuckle.
"That hurts."
"...Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
"Why I know when your other friends don't? No idea there either. I'm just as confused right now. While I've been with you, info from other timelines has been flooding in, and I don't have the mental bandwidth to process it. Still, if I think of similar cases I know..."
Leo stroked his chin as he spoke.
"Lucas, I've got a talent for magical medicine."
"...? Yeah..."
"...No, it's not me bragging... Hear me out to the end."
Leo cleared his throat and continued.
"Having a talent for magical medicine means low mana aggression. Most mana has aggression as a base trait, so it causes noticeable changes just from touching another person's mana. But not me. I've got a constitution that's completely unsuited for combat magic. Unless I focus, my mana doesn't fully attack—instead, it half-seeps into the opponent's mana."
I knew that.
It was a power somewhat like divine power, but in the novel, it was the ability Leo had cursed his whole life.
"But that's only halfway there. I said 'half' seeps in. No matter how suited my constitution is for magical medicine, without pouring in effort, my healing magic still partially attacks the target. Lucas, have you ever seen me use healing magic on someone else?"
I thought about it.
"...Come to think of it... no."
"Exactly. I never planned to use it on people until my skills were perfect. The first time was in the catacombs, backing you up. But even then, you didn't feel any rejection from my imperfect healing magic. Right?"
He was right. Without waiting for my answer, Leo kept going, already knowing.
"And that was before I'd formally studied magical medicine. Even now, with training, it doesn't fully work on the person with the closest mana nature to mine—my mother. So how could my mana produce an effect like divine power on you?"
"...Yeah. There has to be a reason."
"I don't know what it is, but I think it's connected to this. The fact that I can sense your ability, which even Narke's powers can't touch, and that my healing magic works perfectly on you when it attacks even my own mother... There has to be a link."
Leo pondered for a bit before speaking.
"Lucas. How old were you when we first met?"
"...Hm. Six. Technically seven, since it'd passed my birthday. You were six."
If we're splitting hairs, that wasn't me...
Strictly speaking, I first met him last year.
"That's right?"
"Yeah. So when else would we have met before that? Maybe a glimpse, but you exchanged with Prussia and Baden from childhood—never much with Anhalt."
"...Fair enough. No need to know, then. Just checking."
After that, the conversation naturally died out. No one picked it back up.
Only the crackle of the fireplace filled the room.
Soon enough, Leo seemed to remember something and grinned, making a threat that wasn't quite a threat.
"Lucas. No more time rewinds from here on out."
"...Got it..."
Guess he's talking about the promise.
Since it came up, I asked about something that had been bugging me.
"Leo. You remember our whole conversation from earlier?"
"Yeah."
"......"
So he remembered not just the talk, but everything he saw too.
I shouldn't have let him see it firsthand. I'd left a bad memory in a kid who wasn't even fully grown yet. Even I flinched every time I looked at my hands, the scene from before overlapping. No way he wasn't shocked seeing that blood-soaked room, even if it was someone else's experience.
Before he could dwell deeper, I changed the subject.
"Speaking of, what time is it now?"
"Just past midnight."
"...Hold up. This isn't the school dorms. What about lights-out? How are you here?"
"I got permission to check on you for yours. Narke knows divine power, so he got it too."
"...?"
Leo smiled softly, like he did with his school friends.
"Lucas."
"......"
"You're commuting to this building from now on."
Here? Commuting?
The campus was two neighborhoods big, packed with fancy dorms—why commute?
And now I noticed: the room was pure Bavarian style. Everything was navy with lion motifs. No way he expected me to train back and forth from Bavaria?
"...Where the hell is this place... A sixteen-hour round trip daily? If you're gonna say it, spit it all out at once."
"Berlin. I had some land set aside. It was a manor the Bavarian royals used when visiting the capital... The school was uneasy about putting you back in the dorms after what happened, so they were looking to offload responsibility."
"And you took it?"
"Had to. Class rep and all."
"......"
That damn class rep title had been milked for ages.
He looked so innocently kind that hitting him felt wrong, and it seemed like a decision he'd thought through, so complaining was tough.
"You can't walk your way here. Narke and I will warp you morning and night, so don't sweat commuting."
"Can't walk out? Why do you keep deciding for me..."
"If you're walking, the dorms are safer. Seven barrier layers, only three people total including staff. The space itself is way safer than school—good deal, right?"
Who made you my warden?
But he had a point. Now that I was outside school grounds, walking anywhere was riskier. Unless I wanted Anhalt's second son's accident news crushing Bavaria... caution was key.
I just smiled back at him. Leo spoke flatly, like he'd expected it.
"So, you promised to keep it."
"......"
"Truth be told... I prepped ahead. Figured you wouldn't stick to it that well? Never thought you'd go this far, though."
Even as he said it, my scoff made him shrug.
"Oh, by the way—the school dorms are all four-to-a-room now. Singles are hard to monitor if issues pop up... and easy targets for crime."
"...!"
Not even pairs—four?
Four people per room? Was that for real?
That changed things.
"Thanks."
"No big deal."
Leo grinned back.
I let out a dry laugh and leaned against the bed headboard.
"Still, going this far? Anhalt's got places in Berlin too—why drag in Bavaria? I get you're abusing—no, leveraging—your class rep status, but you're not Nikolaus. Helping out Lucas so openly is a bit much."
"......"
Leo flashed a meaningful smile and looked away.
I gave up on the chat and shook my head.
Whatever.
Monopolizing a whole building? Suited me fine. If it'd been Elias or Narke pulling this, maybe sketchy—but Leo had reasons.
'Or does he? Nah?'
Second handshake fiasco?
I stopped there and cleared my mind.
Still, this was tidy. When I'd asked what happened if I broke the promise and he countered with "What do you think?", it was odd—but good.
"Lucas. You asked what'd happen if you broke it."
"......"
Not over?
Leo picked up a small box from the stack of papers and stood.
That smile felt eerie for some reason.
"Come out for a sec."
* * *
"You're seriously telling me His Majesty didn't chew you out?"
I muttered as I stepped into the greenhouse on the estate grounds, looking around.
Moonlight filtered through the transparent glass ceiling, bathing the plants in soft, dim glows. The contrast of light and shadow felt like a serene painting. The faint trickle of water from somewhere only deepened the stillness.
Time itself seemed paused.
'How do you run a space like this solo?'
"It's in my name."
"......"
Every damn time, words failed me.
Right. Only child of the king—could own buildings already... Second strongest nation in the empire; no way the crown prince had nothing.
'Jealous, though. Lucas still doesn't.'
Lucas's name was basically mine now, but yeah, a bit envious.
Nikolaus's earnings were all funneled back into Bavaria's coffers—no personal properties. Seeing this, though? Once Pleroma's madness ended and budgets eased, time to snag a Berlin manor.
'Buy this one?'
Doubt it. Royals used it—no selling that.
Leo walked familiarly deeper into the greenhouse and spoke.
"Probably still get an earful. But if I say I borrowed it for Nikolaus, Mother won't mind. His Majesty likes him more than his own kid."
Was he... sniping that I hogged his mom's love?
Not quite, but His Majesty did go out of his way for me. Hence handing over the special minister and task force head roles.
Nikolaus's position solidifying beyond Bavaria into the empire? Largely His Majesty's influence.
Leo stopped somewhere and shot mana at the ceiling.
An artifact up there converted it to light. Now a white wooden table and chairs came into view.
Leo sat and said,
"Feel your core lighter since arriving?"
"Yeah."
"All these plants? Made with our house's mana."
Magical medicine needed vitality, and Wittelsbach mana and unique abilities mostly tied to life force.
Or so it was said. Leo could freely draw and restore plant vitality too.
"Even so, not everything's got life-force uniques. Your stake here must be huge."
"Yeah. Anyway... As a space infused with Wittelsbach magic, if we're looking to heal, this beats that bedroom. I needed this place's vitality too—that's why we're here."
Got it. I leaned back and inhaled deeply.
My pulse, racing since the rewind, finally slowed.
Comfortable.
Real rest like this? Long overdue. Tomorrow, yank the homeroom prof from prosecution; third exam soon too—who knew the next break? Savor this.
One hitch: what stunt he'd pull for commuting and broken-promise penalties.
'If it's ridiculous... Can't just go along, promise or not.'
Though matching the dorm-to-commute shock? Tough. Escaping four-to-a-room was a win, but absurd stayed absurd—tolerance building.
Prepped mentally, I spoke.
"Why here? This vitality isn't just for chilling, is it?"
"Hm, spot on as always, Lucas."
Leo smiled faintly and relaxed.
"Back in the catacombs, you cast magic on Lichtofen senior and the assembly chair's cores."
"...Yeah."
Knew it instantly.
Enslavement magic talk.
Mine was modified, so no such name.
But names didn't matter. It overlaid my mana on their cores, letting me attack anytime.
He'd seen their reactions—knew the effects.
In short, this guy wanted to bind my core with mana. Didn't trust me staying put.
I smiled and lowered my voice.
"Good student vibes? Asking permission first? Pro tip: threat magic needs surprise, Leo."
"Haha..."
"And it only works with divine power. How you planning that? Just trust me. I'm not hunting trouble."
Leo tilted his head at that.
"I've trusted you since last year, Lucas."
"......"
"Yeah. Only divine power works—mana scatters easy. Lower rank casting it? Pointless."
He knew his stuff.
But his nonchalance had backing.
Arms crossed, observing—then he opened the box and shoved it my way.
"You said how, without divine power."
"......"
"With your consent? Possible."
I froze at the box.
Silence stretched.
Leo smiled—that special one for school friends.
"Lucas, wanna pierce your ears?"
"......"
I pinched my brow.
Catching my drift, he kept the soft tone, pointing to my wrists and neck.
"Probably the only one school-wide still using those artifacts. Time to move to your original spot."
Yeah.
Thought the same when first here.
Early mages sliced skin for chip artifacts, suturing back over. Insane—my take: very—but artifacts worked best near blood, so understandable.
Mages being human sought less gross methods maximizing effect.
'Greedy bastards.'
Ears it was.
Thousands of years worldwide using for jewelry—less taboo than implant surgery.
Even Leo had pierced ears with artifacts; no need explaining the culture. As he said, I was the only one still clock-necklace-ing it.
First time here, considered piercing—too obvious for bro spotting. Settled for necklace and watch.
'Hence dragging me here for full effect.'
Realizing that, the greenhouse wiped my fatigue clean. No exhaustion escape.
Mind set, I looked up.
"So this accesses my core?"
"Yeah."
I picked up the box with one hand, eyeing the artifact. Other hand to wand at my belt.
Artifact bonanza. Julia gave one yesterday too—date-wise. Baptism in prior timeline destroyed it, but rewind kept it safe over my heart.
Still, 'threat magic needs surprise' stood. Sorry, but I'd have pierced sleeping-me.
I closed the lid, slid it back.
"Nice craft."
Then yanked wand with right hand, shouting.
—Within the one who grants me power, I can do all things!
"...?!"
Leo froze in shock, then clutched his core in horror.
I gazed down at him—mouth agape, shoulders hunched from sudden attack—and chuckled lightly.
"That's how it's done. Got it? Not by asking permission."