No matter how I looked at it, his abilities were something I needed to keep close.

At this point, I needed to reconsider the two routes displayed on my status screen.

Unlike the suggestion ‘Make Leonard Wittelsbach your ally,’ where failing the mission within a week resulted in death, this time, neither of the two routes had a fatal outcome.

This suggests two things.

First, even if I don’t make Narce an ally, his absence wouldn’t be as significant as Leo’s. This isn’t to say that Narce is incompetent, but rather that Leo already provides a wide range of support.

‘Still, the more allies, the better.’

Thus, my survival probability increased by 1% when I decided not to alienate him.

Even though we weren’t close yet, and it was just a single decision.

Second, and most importantly, considering that Narce is a character not mentioned in the original story, I needed to consider any potential negative impact on me.

However, Narce wouldn’t pose a fatal threat to me. If he were someone who would grasp my weakness and try to kill me, or someone connected to my brother, the system would have indicated at least one death route. My survival probability wouldn’t have increased either.

The conclusion is clear.

There’s no need to worry.

I just need to make him my ally, slowly.

I smiled and responded to Narce’s words.

“Thanks, you’ve cleared up my questions.”

“Really? That’s a relief. I was nervous~”

Narce joked with a smile, but then his expression gradually twisted. He fiddled with the green ring on his left hand and clutched his head.

“You okay?”

“I’m fine. Just give it a moment, and I’ll be better.”

“Sorry. Is it because of my questions? Should I get you some medicine?”

“No, it’s because I overused my abilities. Wow, I won’t be able to use them for at least two weeks.”

Same difference.

But… he actually said it? No intention of hiding his abilities.

Narce spoke up again.

“Ah, I trust you won’t go around telling others. You know what I mean?”

“No reason to tell anyone.”

Narce nodded satisfactorily and stroked his chin.

“Hmm, usually people don’t know about my abilities at all. You’ve received similar powers to mine. The more I think about it, the more fascinating it is.”

It’s more like I figured it out through the status window, but I won’t bother correcting him.

I brought Narce some medicine I kept in my room and sent him and Pie back to the dormitory.

Thus, the last weekday of September, the day of the end-of-month evaluation, arrived.

This test is given to departments like the Department of Magic, where practical skills are crucial. The difficulty is determined according to each person’s magic level, but due to my repeated absences during the level test, I was assigned to write a substitute report.

‘I can’t afford to be found out during the end-of-month evaluation.’

Last year, Lucas ranked ninth out of nine levels, the lowest rank.

But if my current self were to be tested… the result would be obvious.

Today, the school was buzzing with the students’ busy movements.

It was the first end-of-month exam for the new school year and also because leaving the school grounds was rare.

I arrived at the back gate and got into the assigned carriage.

“Second section of the Magic Department, please depart!”

The staff’s amplified voice echoed through the carriage line.

Students who could use warp magic would warp to the off-campus test site, while those who failed the warp magic safety test took the school carriage.

There were three of us in the carriage from our class.

I, who was deemed unqualified due to the lowest core grade even before taking the test, Narce, who was recommended to travel directly for safety due to his foreign status, and Leo.

Including animals… Pie was also nestled in Narce’s arms.

“So.”

Leo tapped the window frame with his wand, casting a soundproofing spell, and asked.

“So now Narce knows your situation too.”

“Yeah, I told you that three days ago.”

And this guy, despite passing the safety test, insisted on taking the carriage. As the class president, he could justify accompanying the exchange student and the unqualified student, which likely convinced the professors.

“Oh, so you know too, Leo.”

Narce nodded as if he expected it, while Leo smiled with a look that suggested he might grab him by the neck.

Although I could predict that Narce wouldn’t harm me based on various factors, Leo couldn’t. He must be wondering why I trusted a newly met exchange student with life-and-death information.

Still, Leo seemed to be maintaining his composure out of courtesy as a fellow classmate.

Leo nodded, trying to accept it.

“Well, it’s time to expand the circle.”

Leo tapped the armrest of his seat with his finger, deep in thought.

“The fact that Lucas told you himself means he’s confident in you.”

“Um… yeah. That’s right.”

Narce answered after a brief pause. Leo raised an eyebrow, sensing something odd.

* * *

After listening to Narce’s explanation for a while, Leo pressed his brow.

“Unique ability… Insight and Foresight?”

Leo held back a sigh as he pondered.

‘So Lucas didn’t directly tell him, hence the response.’

It’s an ability that can be extremely dangerous if the user has even a slight ill intent. Noticing Leo’s thoughts, Narce quickly clarified.

“I understand your concerns. I assure you, I have no intention of harming anyone. You may not fully understand, but my unique abilities aren’t something I wanted to reveal either.”

Asking why he told me then… would be pointless.

From Narce’s perspective, he wouldn’t want to appear as someone who’d kill a friend. Especially since he’s a student from a seminary, he’d be more sensitive about such issues.

Leo nodded.

“Alright, you don’t have to tell me more. Sorry for prying.”

“No, it’s understandable. It’s true that the situation is dangerous.”

At that moment, the carriage stopped. The coachman dismounted and called out.

“We’ve arrived.”

* * *

Leo didn’t completely trust Narce yet, but he didn’t entirely distrust him either.

I observed the students during the end-of-month evaluation, watching Narce and Leo engage in a lengthy conversation after their turns.

Then, I noticed a group of three people.

Though it was hard to see clearly, it seemed they were talking while looking in my direction. As I stood up, they immediately left.

‘…Hmm.’

Something feels off.

I moved to the outskirts of the designated exam area. Upon closer inspection, it became more apparent. In the distant residential alley, several people were watching me.

Pie stood on my shoulder and asked,

“Are those people looking at me?!”

“I wish that were the case.”

At that moment, Narce whistled, summoning Pie back.

After a while, Pie returned and climbed onto my shoulder again.

“It’s not me… They’re talking about Lucas changing. They say it started at the beginning of the second year, not now~? What was it…”

“Hmm, I see.”

I was starting to understand the situation.

Some stories from school must have slowly spread to the shops around the school and beyond. It’s only natural. And those people were discussing that story now.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

If it did, I wouldn’t have even decided to take the midterms.

I looked around and stopped my gaze at a shop.

‘Maybe I should read the newspaper.’

Instead of relying on word of mouth, I wanted to check if any official media were talking about me.

Having already finished my substitute report, I had nothing else to do until returning to school. I bought a newspaper and a few magazines from the stand and returned to the carriage.

Leo, looking tired after being surrounded by friends, frowned at the sight of the newspapers.

“What are you doing?”

“Analyzing the trends.”

I didn’t have the time to read through each one.

I stacked the books and newspapers and placed my wand on top. Then, I chose one of the spells I had memorized.

“Seek, and you shall find.”

The tip of the wand glowed white.

Before the light faded, I spoke the word I was searching for.

“Askanian.”

My hand moved on its own. After flipping through a few pages, certain words stood out. I circled the article.

“…When did you learn to do that?”

“During class.”

“Now I’m curious about your midterm scores.”

I ignored Leo’s snicker and read the article.

It was a brief story tying my changes to Pleroma. I turned back to the front page to check the title.

‘It’s a local newspaper.’

Its distribution was limited to this city.

It had low accessibility and, thus, fewer readers.

Still, it was important to note that my story was spreading from such local sources.

I picked up a newspaper from a larger media outlet and used the same spell.

This time, nothing came up.

As expected.

It would be too much to report on a student suspected of being Pleroma living a proper school life.

If the rumor about me being Pleroma hadn’t been around for long, it might be different, but dedicating column space to a known rumor’s change is unlikely.

So, I should actually focus on the opposite.

Just then, Leo folded the newspaper and shook his head.

“Lucas. If I were your brother, I wouldn’t look at such standard newspapers.”

Leo picked up a thin magazine from the bottom of the pile.

“I’d rather look at yellow journalism.”

Right, the problem is the tabloids.

They are reckless. Just flipping through one reveals photos and illustrations far removed from civility and current events.

Of course, they have the disadvantage of being unreliable due to exaggerations, distortions, and fake news.

But they are perfect for introducing issues that people are interested in but not suitable for regular media.

Leo flipped through a tabloid and asked,

“What are you going to do? Should I stop them?”

“No need.”

That would be a waste of effort.

Publishing photos or information about students from a royal-certified school without permission is illegal. Even yellow journalism can’t ignore the power of noble families, so they must maintain certain boundaries.

I read the tabloid Leo handed me and said,

“I didn’t look into this to stop it. Actually, I mustn’t stop it.”

“What? Why?”

“I need to know where my brother could get information about me to mislead it. Don’t you agree?”

Leo stared at me silently before speaking slowly.

“When I look at you… it’s like you’re a different person.”

“……”

This is why quick-witted people are troublesome.

I raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. You’ve always been like this since the second year. That’s true.”

I took a deep breath. For some reason, I felt sorry for the original Lucas.

I quickly tried to change the subject.

“Actually…”

“But let’s clarify one thing here.”

Now what?

I smiled, waiting for him to continue.

“If you plan to use this information someday, that’s fine. But… leaving it as it is will make people notice your changes. Look, your story is already circulating in the local newspapers.”

This again.

I felt my heartbeat steady and calmly replied,

“I was just about to talk about that.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Yes.”

At times like this, being perceptive is helpful.

I leaned towards Leo and clasped my hands.

“But it’s something to execute after the midterms.”

* * *

Three weeks passed.

Time flew by as I busily focused on physical training, magic practice, and internal improvement.

Lucas Rene Askanian

Title: Hunter of ???

Health: +0.9 [+3.9]

Mental Strength: -3.2

Magic Power: ?

Skills: +2.15 [+5.15]

Impression: -10

Luck: -0.9

Traits: Dawn 777, Divine Power, Charm (Lv.1)

Considering the initial state filled with -5s and -10s, the status window has greatly improved.

Apart from the September end-of-month evaluation, there had been no significant events.

But now, an important event was approaching.

Tomorrow was the midterm exam.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep