‘What the hell is this guy planning?’

That was the thought flashing through Lucas’s mind.

The overly slick grin, dripping with mischief, only deepened his suspicion.

“…Since when did you care about that? Don’t play by my standards—just do it. I’ll take whatever you dish out.”

“Alright~ Blindfold back on. Knowing Narce is at city hall and not coming for us is… well, really getting on my nerves.”

Elias grabbed the cloth, yanked it loose, and retied it snugly.

“Luca, know what I’m gonna do?”

“How would I? Just spit it out already.”

“No big deal.”

Elias shot up from his seat and briefly vanished.

When his footsteps returned, Oswald’s startled voice cut in.

“What’s that? Is there berserk potion in there…?”

“Oswald.”

Elias’s lowered voice, sharp with a shut-up vibe, cut him off.

A cold water bottle was pressed into Lucas’s hand. Lucas, with a what-the-hell expression, shrugged.

“What’s this?”

“Luca. You trust me~?”

“…?”

The out-of-nowhere question made Lucas narrow his brow slightly.

No clue what’s going on, but is he telling me to drink this?

Then why did Oswald mention berserk potion? Is it some sketchy-looking water?

Head aching, Lucas pressed his forehead and gripped the bottle like he was about to smash it.

“No?”

Sniffle…

“This bastard… Elias, you’re crying out loud? Let me see your face.”

Yulia waved her hand at Lucas’s harsh tone.

“Elias, can you tell us what’s going on? Lucas must be freaking out. If you explain, we’ll help convince him.”

Lucas’s expression softened a bit.

Finally, a voice of reason after a while.

Unlike Leo or Elias, who could star in a novel with their eccentricities, sometimes a grounded, sensible friend like Yulia was a relief.

This thought came after enduring ten minutes of Leo’s murderous competitive streak. It’s definitely because of that.

Lucas felt Elias’s magic shift toward Yulia. Then Yulia, as if realizing something, said,

“Oh, I get it.”

“What’s that, Yulia?”

“Hm, how about this?”

Yulia took the bottle from Lucas’s hand.

The sound of drinking water rang loud in Lucas’s ears.

“…Hm.”

Yulia handed the bottle back.

Now it was much lighter than before.

“There, I drank some too, so it’s less off-putting, right?”

“No explanation?”

“Haha, I can’t explain everything, so I drank it myself. Let’s check the effects together.”

“…Effects…?”

Catching the gist, Lucas let out a hollow laugh.

At the same time, Elias watched Lucas, anxiously tapping the table.

Can’t let Lucas think too much here. He’s always avoiding losses, but today, he needs to take a hit for our big win.

Lucas probably knows, which is why he’s stayed back all day—though not just staying back, since he found a way to counter Narce’s power, so he’s already scored points. But if he calculates everything now, it’ll all go to shit.

‘Should I just snatch it and pour it down his throat?’

As Elias eyed Lucas, contemplating a move that’d get him disowned, Lucas chugged the bottle in one go.

The teammates, watching anxiously without context, widened their eyes.

“What, he drank it? Yulia did too—what’s the plan?!”

“Yo, Elias, what’s in there? Tell us something.”

“…Oh.”

At Elias’s awe, Lucas set the bottle on the table and said,

“I trust you. Happy?”

“…….”

Elias, staring dumbfounded without closing his mouth, burst out laughing. He plopped beside Lucas, slinging an arm around his shoulder as usual.

“Man~ Our Luca’s so decisive~”

“Since when am I ‘ours’?”

Maybe it’s the pile of unknowns, but despite his slightly snappy tone, Elias leaned in, unfazed.

“More importantly, Luca.”

“What.”

“Let’s go on a fountain tour.”

* * *

“Guys, great work so far.”

Leo clapped, drawing the team’s attention.

Among the students staring blankly at Leo, Ulrike and Josefine, whose artifacts broke early and left them sidelined, looked especially grim.

If their artifacts had stayed connected, they could’ve answered Leo and Narce’s calls for support, maybe even outpacing Team 3 to win. They were beating themselves up over it.

Reading their thoughts, Leo reassured them,

“It’s been a shitshow for a while. Don’t sulk over the point we lost—focus on the one left.”

“Yeah, guys~ It’s nobody’s fault. Blaming ourselves only hurts us, so let’s resolve to nail it from here!”

At that, Josefine, head bowed, muttered,

“Nobody’s fault? We got taken out early and just dragged you down.”

“Nah~ If we’re pointing fingers, I was too focused on Lucas to use my power on Yulia or Auguste. If I had, I could’ve gone straight for the city hall coordinates. Same for Leo. He was doing great until Elias said that… oof?”

Narce rolled his eyes, looking up at Leo, who’d covered his mouth.

Leo, with a disgusted expression, sighed deeply and said to the team,

“…Point is, one point’s left, so now’s the real deal. Use past mistakes as stepping stones.”

The students, far more determined than before, nodded.

Ulrike, taking a new artifact from Leo and putting it on, asked,

“But, Narce, your head okay?”

“Haha, nope~”

Every time Lucas blindfolded, useless info flooded Narce’s mind.

Like the wind blowing from the northwest, something brushing his cheek, or Oswald’s magic constantly surging at him from behind.

Hundreds of these bits hit per minute, making his head spin.

Earlier, reading hundreds of building names and warp coordinates nearly broke him.

‘Maybe it’s better now~’

Lucas is probably resting.

They said city hall, so they’re likely strategizing there.

Thinking that, Narce activated his ability again, only to hear a frantic shout beside him.

“You okay? Narce, your nose is bleeding!”

“Huh? For real.”

Narce grabbed something from his clutch to wipe the blood roughly.

One more use, and this happens.

‘Can’t even use it freely anymore.’

No time to dawdle. Pass out, and he might get ejected from Mimesis.

“Gotta wrap this up quick~ Let’s go. First berserker was a vagrant, second victim was a city hall clerk. The last one’s probably tied to them too~”

“Right.”

“Both were at the same place, and the most likely theory… they consumed something together.”

That sparked puzzled questions from the team.

“What’d they drink? The clerk stole the vagrant’s water?”

“…Why not just drink their own at city hall…”

“Same thought. Consuming something together feels thin on evidence. But it’s not off the list entirely~ Heike, any other clues there?”

“…No. Could be I missed something, but nothing for now.”

“Hmm…”

The students fell quiet.

Leo grabbed a stack of newspapers from the chair.

“Knew it’d come to this, so I grabbed every paper from a newsstand on the way. Check them.”

After flipping through, the team shook their heads.

Ulrike, chin propped, muttered,

“Nothing relevant. I’ll read it all. Benzend Co. unveils third-gen magic-powered car, gymnasium teacher qualifications tightened, 8-24-year-old New Humans’ mandatory military training expanded to 100 hours annually, Corporate Alliance demands Old Humans’ employable age lowered from 13 to 9…”

“Anything related?”

“Pentalon. City Aesthetics Department article. Illegal dumping fines up to five times higher, 1,000 plainclothes environmental officers deployed in Berlin, low-income residents earning under 1 million pel annually encouraged to relocate to capital’s poorhouses, aging sewer pipe replacement, Berlin fountain and drinking station water quality checks, high-contamination-risk street vendors forcibly removed by next month’s 19th, liquor and tobacco taxes for citizens raised 50% until Pentalon ends…”

The string of seemingly useless news darkened the students’ faces. Then, Leo tapped the table, narrowing his brow.

“Some useless stuff here too… Street vendors?”

“Yeah. They’re removing cheap food stalls by the 19th due to complaints about Pleroma contamination risks.”

“Got it. Makes sense. Pleroma could disguise as vendors during Pentalon, selling cheap food laced with contaminants.”

Leo replied, lost in thought. Ulrike’s eyes grew serious.

“…Wait, aren’t street vendors perfect for vagrants? Street food’s way cheaper, quality aside. Plus, the government acknowledges Pleroma contamination risks.”

The students’ eyes met.

Still murky, but clues were emerging.

Another student raised a hand, drawing attention, and said,

“Guys, consider poorhouses too. City Aesthetics Department’s rounding up vagrants. They could’ve met at a relief kitchen set up by a poorhouse. Heard they’ve been opening temporary feeding stations recently.”

“Not bad.”

Then, Heike, listening quietly, spoke with a glint in her eyes.

“…Environmental officers? What if Pleroma posed as one and contacted both? Officer management’s under City Aesthetics, and they’d directly encounter vagrants.”

Leo leaned back, taking a deep breath, mentally sorting prior info.

“Alright, possible. But without related clues, it’s not a strong hunch. Hold it until we find more.”

As he finished, another student, scanning the paper, looked at the team and said,

“Then, aging pipe replacement… Vagrants aren’t pipe technicians. Liquor taxes… Any chance they bought tainted booze from a black market?”

“Those seem unlikely. Next was the fountain article, right? Fountains feel promising, what do you think?”

“Same. This round’s looking winnable!”

It really was.

All plausible theories.

Connections between the vagrant and the City Aesthetics clerk were piling up.

Now, just verify evidence for the theories.

“Yeah, worth considering. Next…”

“Uh, hold on.”

Narce clutched his head.

All five pairs of eyes around the table turned to him.

“Lucas is… drinking something.”

“Drinking? During the exam?”

“Yeah. Elias just made him chug it.”

Elias?

Made him?

Leo raised an eyebrow. Those two words shouldn’t go together. A bad feeling crawled up his spine.

“What’d he drink?”

“Lucas doesn’t know. Thinks it’s just water. Ugh, he’s grossed out.”

“Water’s water—what’s ‘just water’?”

“…….”

Narce didn’t answer Leo’s question for a long time.

Finally, pale-faced, Narce let out a hollow laugh and managed to speak.

“Fountain… water…”

“…….”

Silence fell.

No one processed it right away.

Leo, quicker than the others, shouted,

“…What?!”

“What the hell, Narce? You’re saying Lucas is drinking fountain water? You read that right?”

Ulrike asked, dumbfounded.

Narce didn’t answer, just clutched his head. Heike Ainsidel, face darkening, asked,

“…Narce, so they’re drinking it to check if fountain water caused the berserk?”

“…Probably? At least, that’s Elias’s intent.”

“Lucas alone?”

“Maybe with Yulia…”

The other teammates, completely floored, shook their heads.

“What are those guys? Their thinking is fucking wild. This isn’t just crazy—it’s next-level.”

“Team 3’s nothing but lunatics…”

“Should’ve known when they said they’d blindfold for the exam…”

Narce, suppressing nausea, forced a smile and spoke.

“Guys, wanna think a bit more?”

“About what?”

“We don’t have info on the second berserker or victim. We need that to pick from the possibilities we discussed.”

The students nodded.

“Team 3 has that info. So, what do we do now?”

“Meet Team 3.”

“Right. Since they’re hitting fountains to prove one of our theories…”

Narce flashed a bright smile at the team.

His teammates, anticipating his next words, slowly curled their lips.

“Might as well grab Team 3’s info while we’re at it. What do you think, Leo?”

“…Not bad. But we can’t obsess over it like before.”

“Sweet! Then, Lucas and one other. Be nice to nab them.”

“One other? Isn’t Lucas enough?”

“Can’t use mental magic on Lucas.”

The students gaped, nodding, assuming Lucas’s high level made magic ineffective.

It’s true it’s tough, but that’s not why Narce avoids mental magic on Lucas.

‘He got really messed up when hit with mental magic.’

Exam or not, enemy or not, he’s a friend first.

If I didn’t know, fine, but I can’t stoop to exploiting a friend’s trauma for a win.

With the goal set, the students rose, energized.

“Alright. Where are they now?”

“Three blocks below Alexanderplatz, at a park. But, guys.”

“Hold on.”

Narce and Leo spoke simultaneously.

Narce met Leo’s eyes.

They were about to say the same thing. Narce, reading it, nodded for Leo to go first. Leo acknowledged with a glance and said,

“We never knew where Team 3 was going. They didn’t share any info with Lucas.”

“Right.”

“But this time, we know where they are and what they’re drinking. Why feed Lucas something now? For the first and second points, Team 3 would’ve given it to someone else. Doesn’t that seem off?”

“…Yeah.”

The students, just now realizing, looked at Leo and Narce with complex expressions. To their silent question, Narce confirmed,

“Yup. They didn’t let us know for nothing. It’s Elias’s trap. Their goal’s obviously to lure us. What’s the lure for, you think?”

Narce muttered, chin propped.

“If we stay sharp, it’s not a bad move. With no info on the second berserker and our theories hard to verify, we don’t have many options.”

“So?”

“Let’s follow them.”

* * *

At the same time, three Team 3 members stood before a park fountain.

“Are you fucking kidding?”

Lucas’s hand instinctively went to the back of his head.

Elias swatted it away.

“No, Luca. Don’t take off the blindfold or puke~”

“You think I can keep it down?!”

“Hah…”

A deep sigh from Yulia came beside him.

She was feeling the same as Lucas.

Lucas, sensing something rising inside, muttered,

“…Elias. You said ‘any method’s fine,’ right? This is your method?”

“Kinda! Not the whole thing yet.”

“Right… But no matter how you spin it, there’s no way you’d pull something this insane. I’m thinking this isn’t fountain water…”

“Whoa, stop! No thinking~”

Elias clamped Lucas’s mouth shut. Even through the blindfold, Lucas’s furrowed brow was visible. Elias, unfazed, laughed and said,

“Let’s recite coordinates again. Start from A~”

“…….”

“You’re memorizing, right? How far are you? Nah, don’t answer. I bet you’re at D, so it’s probably safe to talk. Listen up, Luca.”

Elias lowered his voice.

“You can’t think at all. Leo’s always said you and I think alike, and I kinda agree. If you think even for a second, you’ll figure out my plan. So, even if your stomach’s churning, bear it. Imagine soaking sauerkraut in cola instead. Narce’ll be so grossed out, he won’t peek again.”

“Elias, you got a grudge against me or what? Get to the point.”

“Keep memorizing coordinates. First, Team 1’s looking for this info. The victim Oswald and Florian found was a City Aesthetics clerk, same as the berserker. Haven’t heard their info yet, right?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ll run through it quick. Forties, New Human, navy checkered jacket, deodorant smell, gum wrapper, business card, fountain pen, finger-sized perfume bottle, five folded fine notices, palm-sized notebook. It was raining, so the jacket was soaked where he collapsed. Notebook was empty, fines weren’t issued to anyone yet. American fountain pen, dark navy ink, pale pink perfume—probably don’t need that much detail, right?”

Lucas didn’t answer. He was still reciting coordinates.

“Now, second. Luca, you nailed Faust and Rosalind’s acting. Especially Rosalind—blew me away. So different from you, yet you spoke like the real deal~”

“…….”

Elias’s voice grew more serious.

“Luca, from now on, when you meet Team 1, say and do things you’d *never* do.”

* * *

“Memorizing coordinates again~”

“Uh, Narce…”

As Narce turned off his Insight and stood, Josefine, with him, turned with a worried look.

“Your eyes are all bloodshot. You okay?”

“Call it burst capillaries, be precise…”

Narce gave a hollow laugh, slowly blinking.

Now he was getting drowsy.

‘Can’t let that happen.’

Narce slapped his cheek and touched his artifact.

“Ulrike, Hilde. You there?”

[Yup.]

“Leo, Heike?”

[We’re here too.]

No big deal.

We predicted Team 3’s path and arrived at their likely destinations. Two teams to other fountains, one to a drinking station.

Split into three, so one’s bound to hit.

The goal’s to nab a Team 3 member, but they probably won’t let us.

‘Elias lured us here on purpose.’

He’s got a plan.

Gotta figure it out and play along.

Avoiding it’s not our strategy—engaging is the key.

Thinking that, Narce hid behind a tree, holding his breath.

Soon, two people warped to the fountain.

“Elias and Lucas.”

Josefine whispered.

Yup.

As expected, Elias and Lucas hit another fountain.

Checking every fountain to find which water caused the berserk, it seems.

“Narce, what’s the move? Close combat to warp them out’s best, right?”

“…….”

Narce put a finger to his lips, turning toward the fountain.

His breath smelled metallic. Blood trickled down his throat.

But the effect was clear.

“Hahaha… It’s an illusion. Fake.”

“What?!”

“Let’s go. No need to face an illusion. Staying’s a waste of time.”

As he said it, the illusion vanished.

Someone confirmed it was fake, so the ability couldn’t hold. Narce smiled, tapping his ear.

“Ulrike, Hilde.”

[Yeah?]

“Auguste’s tracking our movements. Might be there. Like before, they could be planning to stall us. Shake them and move past.”

[Lucas and Elias are right here. Those are fake?]

“Yup. Fake.”

[…They’re not disappearing.]

That’s just suspicion.

Narce, using his ability, knows they’re fake, but the others without Insight are stuck at doubt.

[Guess we’ll just bail. No point engaging and wasting time. We’re heading to the poorhouse to investigate.]

[Yeah, Leo and Heike, get out quick too. This is just to scatter our focus! They’re stalling us to hunt clues themselves, like before.]

At the same time, Leo and Heike, overhearing, watched Lucas and Elias by the fountain beyond the trees.

“Fake, huh.”

“Leo, no trace of the berserkers meeting in this space.”

Heike, reading the land’s memories, stood and said,

“Narce and the team make sense. Like you said, Elias feeding Lucas’s brain the fountain idea has a purpose. They’re stalling us from finding clues. Since it’s fake, let’s move on.”

“Yeah, we should hit the next coordinates. But…”

Leo took a deep breath.

February’s cold winter air filled his lungs.

His sense of smell isn’t exceptional, but years surrounded by plants gave him an edge in park searches.

Wet soil smell, then pine and juniper.

And…

Cedarwood.

Too rich for this small park.

“Might as well try. Heike, mark Lucas.”

“What? That’s playing into Team 3’s plan…!”

Boom—!

Blinding sky-blue magic erupted in the air.

Elias, now wielding a staff instead of a wand, raised it to block Leo’s attack.

“Too obvious~ You can’t attack like that, Leo!”

Leo didn’t react much, just kept swinging his wand.

No special spells or techniques.

Having already won with reckless barrages, he knew facing Elias with Lucas didn’t need extra effort.

The issue was Lucas after.

Boom—! Bang!

In the deafening roar shaking his body, Leo muttered, watching Elias and Lucas.

“Auguste’s no ordinary ability user. Too damn identical, honestly can’t tell.”

“What’s that, Leo?”

Heike shouted.

Leo didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped out from the tree and charged at Elias. Blue magic surged at him. Despite the roar and flash from hitting the barrier, Leo ignored it, rushing only at Elias.

Clang—!

“Whoa, in a hurry. Lame~”

Elias blocked Leo’s sword, grinning.

In the distance, Lucas faced off with Heike. Leo, glancing behind Elias, locked eyes with him again and said,

“That matter?”

“It doesn’t?”

Leo gave a faint smile, shaking his head.

“I didn’t set up Space Magic this time, Elias.”

“So~? Our Leo’s been slacking on focus since earlier.”

“Disappointing. You could escape right now, so why face me?”

The blue eyes beyond the sword wavered.

The force on the sword grew unsteady.

Leo’s gaze shifted past Elias’s shoulder.

Heike, with Leo’s unique ability, had already subdued Lucas.

“Why? Why’s Elias, so unlike you, wasting time here?”

“Dunno~”

“Because you’re a calculated construct. Not the real thing, thinking fluidly with the situation…”

Scrape—

Leo smiled at Elias again.

“But a fake, stuck here by orders. Wrong? Honestly, this one’s sloppy, Auguste.”

In that moment, the Elias before him vanished.

Leo felt the lingering magic in the air dissipate, steadying himself.

As Narce said, it’s fake.

‘Called it sloppy…’

It’s not sloppy.

Elias’s so-called directional bluffing isn’t bluffing.

I’ll admit, what I just said was the real bluff.

Auguste’s ability is precise, with no gaps. Unlike when I spotted Lucas’s authenticity alone, Narce’s tip was huge this time.

But, regardless…

One thing’s certain: it’s the opposite.

Elias was fake, but Lucas is real.

Why?

Leo caught his breath, pressed down the grass sprouting from brick cracks with magic, and approached Heike and Lucas.

The cedarwood smell from earlier grew closer. Mixed with other herbal scents—Lucas’s signature when in his true identity. Lucas acts like it’s a hassle, but with hypersensory types like Oswald and Philip at school, he can’t skip it.

Anyway, Auguste wouldn’t know that proof, and that proof—that this Lucas is the real Lucas—is right before me.

Leo tilted his head, crouched beside the sprawled Lucas, and knelt on one knee.

“Lucas.”

“…….”

No answer.

Leo lightly tugged the strap behind his head.

The annoying defense tool that’d plagued our team since the exam started came off with one gesture. A disbelieving laugh slipped out.

Then, pink eyes, tinged with amusement, met Leo’s gaze.

Was it funny because a friend’s face popped up, absurd because it worked, or smug because it went as planned? No clue.

But one thing was clear.

‘This isn’t a coincidence.’

I’m standing on a well-crafted game board, and so is Lucas.

Right now, when we need Team 3’s info for the final point, why am I so perfectly timed to face Lucas?

“Wanna tell me why you stayed behind alone? There’s gotta be…”

“…….”

“A reason.”

Leo flashed a polite smile to hide his calculations, looking down at his friend. Lucas’s lips slowly curled upward.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep