“…….”

What?

This bastard isn’t the type to welcome someone with a smile like this right now, is he?

However, I quickly realized which ‘Eli’ he was talking about.

“Adel. It’s been a while.”

The person who opened the door and entered called his name with a smile.

Just like the unfamiliar voice I heard earlier, it was a face I’d never seen before.

‘…Right.’

The person called ‘Eli’ in the Imperial Palace couldn’t possibly be Elias.

The person with shining lemon-colored hair like Adelbert sat on the sofa in front of the window.

Elisabeth Hohenzollern.

She is the only ‘Eli’ accepted in the Imperial Family and, according to the line of succession, the person who will become the next emperor.

‘…So this is my first time meeting the Crown Prince.’

To think I’d meet her in this state.

As I looked down at her, the corners of my mouth turned up unconsciously.

It’s no coincidence that she’s called Eli. Elisabeth isn’t her first name, but one of her middle names.

I know why she uses a middle name like a first name, and why she insists on using the nickname Eli. The more I learn, the more disgusting a person she is, but…

Now isn’t the time to mix personal feelings.

I relaxed and surrendered my body to Adelbert’s memory.

“I only stopped by briefly, so I thought I might have to leave without seeing you. I’m glad Your Highness made time.”

This bastard also uses extremely formal titles and honorifics with his family…

More importantly, Adelbert’s hands started sweating and his body began to stiffen.

The Crown Prince shook her head as if asking why he was being so formal and said,

“Call me like you did before. Besides, you rarely come back from school, so I have to see you when you’re here. Come, sit next to me.”

The Crown Prince patted the spot next to her.

“Aren’t you busy?”

“Haha, don’t worry about that, I manage my own schedule.”

Yeah, you punk. She probably came because she made time, right? So damn polite between family members.

I suppressed those thoughts and sat down next to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince draped her arm over the back of the sofa and leaned in. She looked at me and asked,

“So, is Elias doing well?”

Asking about his cousin right off the bat?

Knowing how much the owner of this body respects the Crown Prince, hearing this makes the situation incredibly awkward.

Sure enough, his facial muscles instantly stiffened. I struggled to maintain a smile and averted my gaze.

“I haven’t heard any news, so I don’t know either.”

“I see. I wonder if he’s made any proper friends after transferring to Class 2.”

“He must have made friends.”

Before I could be surprised by the sullen words that came out due to Adelbert’s will, the Crown Prince burst out laughing.

Is she teasing me?

Anyway, I know the timing.

Judging by the talk of transferring to Class 2, this must be the first semester of the second year. For Adelbert, it would be the first semester of his first year.

“Then, what about you, Adel?”

For a moment, I was speechless.

Since Adelbert couldn’t say anything to this question, I spoke my own mind instead.

“I’ve been doing well.”

“Really?”

“Of course, I’ve been well. What about… Eli?”

Finally, the words came out according to Adelbert’s will.

He trailed off, perhaps finding it awkward to match the nickname with the formal speech. But judging by how it didn’t sound unfamiliar, he seemed to speak like this often.

“Me… hmm, lately, His Majesty has been busy with Pleroma matters, so I’ve been spending my time hectically helping with state affairs.”

“Ah, I see. That’s amazing. Isn’t it difficult?”

“Not at all. After learning a bit, I found it’s something I can handle well enough. I’m just grateful for His Majesty’s consideration.”

“His Majesty might have appropriately divided the work, but still, it’s the task of running a country. It’s all thanks to Your Highness’s competence.”

Give me a break…

…I thought, but Adelbert was already excited.

“It gives me strength when you always support me like this. Thank you.”

“…! I’m truly happy to hear I was of help.”

‘What a piece of work.’

I’m starting to get a feel for how Adelbert’s relationships work.

His relationships are likely divided only into ‘people he respects’ and ‘just people.’ There’s no middle ground.

I can understand why Elias kept him alive. A bastard born with this level of loyalty is the best if tamed well.

The problem is, because of that, he doesn’t easily come over [to my side]. After raising his Favorability by 5 points initially, he hasn’t given me a single point since.

Just then, the Crown Prince, who had been smiling gratefully, called his name softly.

“Adel.”

“Yes.”

“You were being honest, right?”

“……”

“Always be honest.”

“I was already being honest?”

That was me just now.

Because Adelbert, for some reason, was suddenly terrified and couldn’t say anything.

The Crown Prince stared intently into my eyes, then grinned.

“Right. If that’s the case, then that’s a relief.”

She stood up and said her farewell.

“I should get going now. See you at lunch in 30 minutes.”

“Yes.”

A bright smile formed according to Adelbert’s will.

Even during that brief conversation, I was thoroughly fed up and shook my head.

This kid is really something else…

My head was throbbing, and I clutched it. Seeing the Crown Prince standing at the door, I opened my mouth.

“Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know where my Wand is?”

The Crown Prince turned to look at me with a momentarily bewildered expression.

“…Your Wand?”

“Yes. I don’t have it on me.”

It doesn’t seem like the right time, but in Adelbert’s memories, who else would provoke him besides the Crown Prince?

If I need to ‘send him off’ at any time, I should at least have a Wand.

“You always keep that organized in your drawer, don’t you?”

How kind.

I opened the drawer the Crown Prince was looking at, checked inside, and looked up.

“Hmm, I must be scatterbrained. Thank you.”

“Alright. Rest a bit if you’re tired.”

“I will.”

The bitch quickly left the room.

I found the wand holster in the corner of the drawer, strapped it to my waist, and took out the Wand.

When I twirled it lightly, golden Magic Power flared out in an unfamiliar way.

‘Good.’

But it would have been better if this were Luca’s body. Not being able to use Divine Power is quite disappointing.

Just in case, I tried replicating the method I used to draw out Divine Power while twirling the Wand, and in that moment, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

A pure white light gathered at the tip of the Wand, then suddenly spread out into the air.

“…?!”

Could Adelbert use Divine Power too?

No way.

His status window didn’t have a Divine Power entry.

‘…I’ll have to ask Narce about this later.’

That is, if I survive Adelbert’s *Vitriol* without getting caught up in it.

Actually, it’s not over just because I’m not shocked.

Even if I don’t succumb to *Vitriol*, if Adelbert does, I don’t know what will happen to my consciousness trapped inside him.

After finishing my preparations, I sat waiting for the time to pass when I sensed someone outside the door.

*Knock, knock—*

[Your Highness.]

I raised an eyebrow at the voice I heard.

It was the voice of someone who shouldn’t be here.

It was quite absurd.

[May I come in?]

‘…I never visited him personally like this?’

That voice was mine.

To be precise, the voice of Nicolaus Ernst.

‘Heh…’

Do I have to ‘send myself off’ with my own hands?

I need to figure out what’s going on. Especially what that Nicolaus Ernst is babbling about.

“Come in.”

Nicolaus entered the room, wearing a mask and a black robe.

His blue eyes from behind the mask stared at me piercingly.

I felt a slight tension, like just before a meeting with a respected professor.

Seeing Nicolaus, Adelbert smiled like before.

Experiencing firsthand how Adelbert thought of me (Nicolaus) was slightly touching.

Of course, if given the chance not to experience it, I wouldn’t have.

“Your Highness. Have you been well?”

“Of course.”

I gestured towards the sofa and said,

“Sit down.”

Nicolaus nodded and took a seat.

He looked at the numerous books piled on the side table and said,

“It seems these are books you’ve been reading recently.”

“Yes.”

Curious about how Adelbert would reply, I pulled back my own will.

Adelbert smiled and spoke carefully.

“What you said before, Sir, remained in my memory. I’m trying to read books from various fields.”

“Hmm, there are three books just on the Franco-Prussian War.”

“Yes.”

“As it’s relatively recent, biases based on vested interests are quite prominent. If you want to encounter diverse perspectives on diplomacy or war, you should read books dealing with much older events.”

I think he’s right, but…

‘What do you mean, “should read”?’

Do you think I’d advise someone else on what books to read? And who would say something with such impure thoughts to a Prussian prince?

But it seems Adelbert expected me (Nicolaus) to talk like this.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

I should add this to the list of nonsense Nicolaus would never say.

I’ll have to make good use of this.

Anyway, it’s about time I figured out why things are happening that weren’t in the past.

I immediately brought it up.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Hmm.”

Nicolaus clasped his hands together and continued.

“The letters Your Highness sent me, I’ve read them all. It turns out Your Highness received poor results on the 1-1 exam.”

‘Letters.’

This is something from the second semester.

If someone else had appeared, I might have wondered whether Adelbert had visited home a few days ago or not, but no.

Now I’m starting to get it.

At the same time, my body suddenly stiffened.

It wasn’t me, but Adelbert’s reaction. I suppressed his response and answered calmly.

“That’s right. So you know?”

“I heard from His Majesty the Emperor what grade you received. Your Highness, glossing over things with lies or hiding them is a sin.”

“……”

I looked at Nicolaus’s face and smiled.

Despite the inappropriate smile for the situation, Nicolaus spoke to me with unwavering eyes.

“Especially towards those who trust you, you mustn’t do such things.”

The moment I opened my mouth to refute him, the scene changed.

Nicolaus disappeared, and I was having lunch with the Crown Prince.

Dim, yellow lighting illuminated the table.

“So, are you still doing well?”

“……”

I stopped fiddling with my fork, something I hadn’t realized I was doing, and looked at her.

I suspected it when Nicolaus appeared, but now I know for sure.

Seeing this kind of progression, this isn’t a memory.

“Still doing well. We talked 30 minutes ago.”

It’s a dream.

Usually, things that jump around frantically and nonsensically like this are dreams, aren’t they?

I’m currently inside a dream created by Pleroma to manipulate people’s psyches.

‘There’s more than just one or two things to record when I get back.’

How could I experience something like this right after Pleroma developed a new drug?

This is unfortunate for Pleroma. Those bastards probably intended to use this method for a long, long time.

Why?

Because anyone who enters like this would be shocked, succumb to *Vitriol*, and die, so they couldn’t get out and spread the word. They’d just die one after another.

As long as I’m here, conversing calmly, their plan can be considered half-ruined.

Secrecy is vital for this, so as soon as I get out, I just need to spread reports nationwide.

‘Of course, to get out…’

I have to wake up from this crazy dream.

‘Has it been about a minute in reality now?’

Because the scene changed right after Nicolaus. At most, it’s been less than 5 minutes.

Seeing the 1-1 exam story come up, I’m starting to see where Pleroma’s play is heading.

It means the time has come to conclude this dream.

“I always wish for you to be well. I care about your happiness more than anyone else.”

“Thank you. The same goes for me.”

“You were always brilliant.”

“……”

“You always perfectly mastered books I couldn’t even start at your age. I remember His Majesty went through quite some trouble finding more advanced tutors for you. Perhaps you should be the one to become emperor.”

“That’s preposterous.”

“Your brilliance is a joy to His Majesty and the subjects of the Empire. I always said that. The fact that the child who could replace me is more brilliant than anyone else has always been a comfort to me.”

She always said that?

Then she’s about to mix lies into this.

I suppressed my indifference and focused on controlling the balance of power with Adelbert.

“I mean that I relied on you and trusted you more than anyone else. Understand?”

“……”

“So, Adel. Why did you do that to me?”

“What are you saying I did?”

“Is it true you received a 3+?”

My hand trembled.

‘Hmm.’

I can feel Adelbert starting to react.

Whether Adelbert succumbs to *Vitriol* or not, and my own life, will depend on my response from now on.

I pushed aside Adelbert’s ego and forced strength into my hand.

And looking her straight in the eye, I said,

“Yes.”

“……”

“It just so happened that I got a 3+.”

“Adel. I told you to always be honest.”

“I answered honestly.”

I chewed vaguely on some mashed potatoes and replied dismissively.

At those words, the Crown Prince narrowed her eyes.

“What a disappointment.”

“Really? Earlier, I improvised a bit because I was afraid you’d react like this.”

As I spoke with wide-open eyes and a smile, Adelbert’s will tried to force my expression into a frown.

It felt like I could hear Adelbert’s voice.

[No. If I talk like this…]

I erased the thought before the sentence could finish.

What do you mean, no?

He was thinking he absolutely had to apologize somehow right now, but since the 3+ isn’t *that* bitch’s grade, there’s no need to.

“I understand you’re dissatisfied with my grade. I’m not too pleased with it myself. So, I’ll try harder.”

“Adel.”

[No! Stop!]

So this is how it works.

The drug Pleroma mixes into the river water even contains emotion amplifiers.

I just hadn’t seen it directly before, but everyone else must have gone through this process internally before succumbing to *Vitriol*.

‘Seeing it firsthand is novel.’

Although, being in a position where I could get caught up in Adelbert’s *Vitriol* and die at any moment, it’s not exactly a situation to be thinking calmly.

With my hand that was gradually losing strength, I grabbed the wine glass and barely managed to take a sip.

“You’re the worst. Do you still not realize you’ve smeared mud on His Majesty’s face and mine? Even from my brief observation, you were so focused on reducing time that you just recklessly thrust your Wand out like a child throwing punches.”

‘Wow, provoking him like this, it’s impossible not to trigger *Vitriol*.’

Apart from the admiration, my breath caught in my throat.

That must be exactly what Adelbert considers his own fatal mistake. Hearing it from the mouth of someone he respects would naturally be shocking.

“I’m truly disappointed. I’ve never felt such emotion in my entire life.”

*Clang—*

Due to Adelbert’s ego, a chill ran through my body. He must have been so shocked that strength drained from my limbs, and I dropped the fork.

My vision is gradually darkening.

Seeing that magic power, which was clearly *Vitriol*, I quietly opened my mouth.

“You’re disappointed. But…”

I said to the Crown Prince who was staring at me with cold eyes.

I couldn’t hide my smile.

“The first-year exams weren’t even broadcasted. When did you watch it?”

[Stop!]

*Kwaang—!*

I distributed Magic Power to my legs, stamped down on the floor to anchor myself, pulled out my Wand, and aimed it at the Crown Prince. I felt a resistance in my arm on a completely different level than before.

Looking down at my arm, which was trembling violently from the clash, I said.

“Adelbert.”

[…….]

“Listen carefully. Does this seem like your older sister? The first-year exams aren’t broadcasted, so how would that bitch know about it?”

For a moment, the resistance gripping my body faltered.

He’s understanding now.

The moment I opened my mouth to persuade him further, *Vitriol* surged from the Crown Prince and flew towards my neck.

‘That’s right.’

Gotta kill the person speaking the truth. It seems programmed to this extent. Without hesitation, I flicked my wrist.

*Kwaaaaang! Kwajik—*

The golden Magic Power, flying along the path of the *Vitriol*, pierced through it.

Logically, is this something the Crown Prince would do? It just adds to the sense of disconnect.

And if this is the pattern, can’t I just handle it like I did when beating down Pleroma?

‘Good.’

I’ve got the hang of it.

It’s about time we both got out of here alive.

I spoke again to Adelbert, who must be in turmoil.

“Adelbert. Do you still not realize that all of this is just you talking to yourself?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep