The professor flashed a confident smile, surveying the audience.

The presentation hall fell silent in an instant, as if doused with cold water. Everyone stared at the professor, mouths agape, too stunned to think of closing them.

Beep—

The shutter sound of a mana-powered camera echoed.

As the flash began to burst once more, the audience, as if time had only just resumed, shouted in flustered astonishment.

“…Huh?!”

“The Imperial Court?”

The collective outcry converged into a loud vibration that stung my ears, causing a faint pain that made me wince.

Confusion consumed my mind entirely.

‘What?’

The Imperial Court? They weren’t the only ones bewildered.

While everyone else slaves away preparing to land a job at the Imperial Court after university graduation, all we have to show for ourselves is a year-and-a-half high school record, and now they’re saying they’ll transfer *us* to the Imperial Court?

Of course, it’s a good thing. An unparalleled opportunity, really.

For me, it’s something I could take or leave, and it comes with headaches like my brother and the Crown Prince, but in terms of prestige, it’s undeniably the best opportunity.

But that’s not what matters right now.

“…….”

My eyes met Leo’s.

‘Something’s up.’

From Heike Ainsidel making it onto Team 1 despite her lackluster skills to the school suddenly deciding to place us in the Imperial Court, there’s more than one suspicious detail.

In the post-magic era, there have been fewer than five cases of minors entering the Imperial Court.

One of them was my brother, who joined at the unprecedented age of 13, and that title of early entry played a significant role in building his current fame and status. Everything went smoothly for him after securing that title.

That’s how valuable such a credential is. And now, the school is trying to send seven high schoolers to the Imperial Court all at once.

‘I can understand Yulia.’

She could hold her own against active-duty mages right now. Narce, Elias, and Leo are no different.

It’s rare for children of ruling families to attend the same school year, so it’s possible they want to gather students from various nations and raise them under Imperial control. None of those four have any reason to wait until university graduation, given their skills.

But Ulrike and Heike?

They’re a completely different story.

For the notoriously strict Imperial Court to go to such lengths to include us?

And February 10th is tomorrow.

‘They’re not even giving us time to investigate before shipping us off to the Imperial Court.’

There’s no room for negotiation. Their resolve is firm, and there’s no space for our opinions to matter.

“…The Imperial Court?”

Elias, dazed, whispered without bothering to recast his soundproofing spell.

At that moment, Leo’s mana thickened in the air, making it hard to breathe. Filling the air with mana without consent isn’t exactly polite, but it was necessary now.

Even Yulia glanced at Elias before turning her gaze forward again.

[This is an unprecedented achievement and honor for our Imperial Second Academy. His Majesty Emperor Friedrich was deeply moved by the dedication of our underage student mages, who prioritize the Empire’s safety and give their all. He was greatly impressed by the skills of our students, who stand toe-to-toe with active-duty mages. Our representative team, Eszett, will officially transfer to the Imperial Court starting the 10th. Accordingly, from Monday the 12th, they will begin their first public activities through an inauguration ceremony at the Imperial Palace. We hope this will be an opportunity to showcase the exceptional abilities and passion of Imperial Second Academy students to the world.]

The professor’s confident voice concluded. He turned halfway toward us, spreading his hands.

[Please give a big round of applause for the Imperial Second Academy representative team.]

Scattered applause began to rise, quickly growing loud enough to make the ground beneath me tremble. The deafening cheers and clapping, unlike anything I’d heard since arriving here, left my head reeling.

“…Wow.”

A dazed, disbelieving voice came from the end. It was Ulrike’s exclamation.

“Did I hear that right…?”

“I should’ve fucking dropped out of this shitty school ages ago.”

Elias’s venomous voice cut through Ulrike’s awe.

Even amid the roaring noise that threatened to drown everything out, I could hear him clearly.

Now, Elias’s murderous mana began to overpower Leo’s. Heike, standing at the far end, clutched her mouth and staggered. Even the professor, standing far ahead, sensed the shift and looked at us with a startled expression.

As Leo reached out toward Elias, I spoke.

“Eli.”

Elias slowly turned his head.

Seeing his face sent a chill down my spine. Despite the murderous intent, his expression was eerily calm, the dissonance making it all the more unsettling.

He had every reason to act this way.

He’d spent his life trying to escape the Emperor’s shadow, refusing to set foot in the Imperial Mage Union until the latter half of the novel.

“I don’t want to bow under the Emperor’s pride,” he’d always said.

As usual, that wasn’t the only reason.

Magic is the foundation of power.

The more mana is subordinated under the Emperor, the stronger the Imperial authority it symbolizes.

Powerful mages willingly crawling to the Imperial Court—that’s the picture the Emperor and the Imperial Family want.

Elias wanted to shatter that. He dreamed of a society where mages could wield their abilities independently, without needing the Emperor’s recognition, and he aimed to weaken Imperial authority by making it a reality.

To have that opportunity ripped away at an unexpected moment.

In a situation where everyone else is rejoicing, he could never feel the same.

Looking into his blazing blue eyes, I spoke clearly.

“Let’s do this right.”

It’s already come to this, so let’s see it through to the end.

His eyes flickered once.

He understood the weight of my words. The changed glint in his eyes held neither his usual humor nor the earlier malice—just a chilling obsession and conviction.

That’s enough.

He had a tenacity that made the uncertain seem certain.

Even if things don’t flow like last time, he’ll win again. An baseless confidence surged, and I turned forward.

Elias, like Leo and Yulia, now stared ahead expressionlessly.

After that, there were no issues.

We stood on the stage as the order shifted to the Acting Headmaster’s award ceremony, speech, and closing remarks. Only then could we step down.

“Move.”

As we exited to the backstage waiting room, a staff member gestured to us.

The brief closing remarks ended, and the professor-emcee returned to the stage.

I glanced at him and closed the waiting room door.

[With this, we conclude the Imperial Second Academy Militia Final Presentation. Thank you to everyone who attended.]

The professor’s voice echoed loudly.

The month-long selection process was finally over.

***

“*Is this real?*”

Ulrike muttered.

The 55 successful candidates of the Imperial Second Academy Militia were gathered in front of the new dormitory they’d use, guided by school staff before the 11 p.m. roll call.

‘It’s… 10 o’clock now.’

We can take a quick look and head back.

Ulrike gazed up at the pristine white building in awe.

“The new dorm is huge. But isn’t it kinda tucked away in the back?”

“It wasn’t built for us to use.”

Leo answered.

Exactly.

Since the militia system didn’t exist before, they cleared out an unused building to make a new dorm. Its proximity to the First Academy’s militia dorm, just beyond the barrier, likely influenced the choice.

“Haha, it’s a bit far, but the air’s fresh and nice~”

Narce laughed, looking at the river and forest beyond the school’s barrier.

Then he turned and asked.

“Lucas, you’re still living off-campus, right?”

“Probably.”

“Lucky~ We’re still stuck with two to a room.”

“But it’s better than four.”

“True.”

Narce nodded with a grin.

As students began heading upstairs under staff guidance, I slipped away from the group and headed to the lounge.

The moment I pushed the lounge door shut, a loud thud rang out.

‘Hm?’

“Lucas…”

“What the—?”

Elias was right behind me, practically glued to my back. Despite bumping into the door, he followed me in without complaint.

It was obvious why he was acting like this.

I flopped onto the lounge sofa and asked.

“You okay?”

“…….”

Thud—

Elias, who’d sat down with a bored expression, slammed his face onto the table.

“Ughhh…”

“What?”

Instead of answering, Elias turned his head 90 degrees, still pressed against the table. The eerie sight made me shake my head.

‘Guess I’ll check the Probability of Change.’

“I’m saying,” he started, his voice low and heavy, cutting through my thoughts.

“I’ve been trying my whole life not to live under Friedrich Hohenzollern’s name.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not my uncle’s vassal or his student. I’m not a mage he can just toy with.”

“Of course not.”

I understood why he’d followed me and was acting like this.

Maybe because we’re in similar positions, he tends to open up to me more about these things.

If he feels comfortable with me, I’m grateful.

Propping my chin, I looked down at him and asked.

“So, what I said earlier—still stand by it?”

“No way.”

The reply came instantly.

“I’m not quitting.”

Elias slowly sat up.

He clasped his hands together, interlocking his fingers slightly, and spoke thoughtfully.

“Running away isn’t my style. But I can turn a crisis into an opportunity.”

“Hm, that’s good.”

Elias sat in silence for a while, then suddenly looked at me and grinned.

The usual mischief was creeping back into his expression.

“Let’s break through from the inside.”

I smiled back.

That’s the way.

We don’t know what the school and the Imperial Court are scheming. They might use our Imperial affiliation to pin some new false charge on us and punish us legally.

Or maybe it’s just a pure calculation to gather four ruling-family heirs and a divine-powered mage all at once. That’s impure enough as it is.

“Hey~ Now that it’s come to this, let’s suck up all the funding we can. Raid the Hohenzollern vault and the national treasury to support Bavaria.”

“Bavaria?”

“The Empire’s biggest rival to Prussia, isn’t it~?”

Elias roughly swept back his white hair, smirking.

“Being part of the Imperial Court—honestly, aside from that, it’s pretty fun. Now I can work with you, get closer to Leo and Yulia, and maybe even bond with Narce.”

“What about Ulrike and Heike?”

“…Well~ I’ll get along with them too, I guess. And legally skipping school after morning roll call? Man~ The team name’s kinda lame, but it’s worth a shot, right?”

Elias grinned cheekily.

“Yeah. You think the team name’s lame too?”

“It’s like ABCD or something—how could it not be lame~? Wait… Oh no.”

“What?”

“Now the school’s gonna name the next team ABCD.”

“…….”

If the team name’s ABCD… I’m just not joining.

But it seemed plausible enough that I couldn’t even retort.

As I sat there with dead eyes, lost in thought, the door creaked open cautiously.

Narce poked his head in, eyes sparkling as he scanned the lounge.

“Hey, guys~”

“You’re early.”

“Yeah, the other team kids are all checking out the dorms. Our team’s still poking around a bit. The staff said they had something to say, so Leo’s stuck there.”

“Perfect timing, Narce. What’s the school scheming?! Read it!”

“That’s your first question? Haha, you seem way calmer than earlier, so I’m relieved~”

Narce sat beside me and started chatting with Elias about trivial stuff.

As their conversation kicked off, I sank into the chair and closed my eyes.

Then, a sudden thought made me open them again.

‘I was gonna check survival probability earlier.’

I try not to check too often since I want to see the point increases at a glance, but now’s the time to satisfy my curiosity.

The last time I checked in early January, my survival probability was 30.3%.

A month has passed since then, with the militia selection and Abraham’s events. About six and a half months remain until my brother’s full return.

What’s it at now?

With a strange tension, I opened the Dawn777 trait window.

Dawn777

— Time until final ending ‘Chapter X. Death’: 605 days, 13 hours, 57 minutes, 13 seconds

— Probability of Change: 45.9% (+15.6%p)

45.9%.

I stared at it silently, suppressing a burst of laughter and settling for a faint smile.

‘Nice.’

A 15% jump in just a month. Considering it took four months to reach 30%, this is a massive increase.

It may take a long time to ignite, but once it catches, the fire can blaze explosively.

‘Honestly, I thought it’d be even higher.’

Nicolaus is well-prepared, and so is Lucas.

Given the completeness of my identity, the probability should’ve hit 50%—no, realistically, 80% or more.

But Chapter X, ‘Death,’ could stem from multiple causes.

Ainsidel, Abraham, and other Pleromas building their forces like a network—they’ve likely dragged my survival probability down to 45%.

Still, with such a sharp rise, the number itself isn’t what matters now. It’s the trend.

Despite facing formidable enemies and being overwhelmingly outnumbered, my survival probability is graphing upward.

‘There’s a chance.’

The path I’ve walked hasn’t been wrong. If I keep going, I can maintain the momentum I’ve secured.

‘…Feels like tightrope walking.’

Confirming the dangers lurking around me made my pulse race. For some reason, the rising tension curled my lips into a grin.

Should I raise Retry?

‘No, with only about 10 points, it’s too risky.’

Better to save up for now.

Then, Elias waved a hand in front of my face.

“Lucas, smiling to himself~ What’s on your mind?”

“Glad I don’t have to deal with a two-person dorm.”

“Ugh… I was gonna tease you, but that’s actually enviable.”

I chuckled and checked my wristwatch.

“It’s 10:50. Let’s head back.”

As we stepped outside, our teammates waiting for us waved.

Narce, nodding to them, grabbed my arm and warped us to the classroom.

“…Oh.”

The Class 2 students, already there and chatting, fell silent when they saw us.

Just as the quiet grew awkward, Oswald leaned back and clapped.

“Hey, Class 2’s Team 1 is here~”

Sensing the students’ uncertainty about how to react after the intense presentation, Leo—surprisingly—smiled despite Oswald’s boisterous tone.

That eased the tension, and the students started laughing and talking to Leo.

“Five from Class 2? That’s insane.”

“Class 1’s gotta be stinging, huh?”

The students teased with expressions that would’ve pissed off Class 1 if they’d seen.

No one seemed bitter about being outranked by us. They’d likely expected it.

‘There’s no reason for the mood to be bad.’

If anyone should be upset, it’s Class 1. Only two passed, and one’s a mystery pick.

As I chuckled and pulled out a chair to sit, a familiar notification sound rang, and something appeared before my eyes.

Ding—!

< Chapter 6. Do Right and Fear No One >

[Proposal 2: Gain +10,000 Favorability within the deadline (0/10,000) (167 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds)] Route 1 — < +30.0 Points > Route 2 — < Proposal 3 >

Huh?

“…….”

“Lucas, what’s up~?”

Narce, following behind, tapped my shoulder and moved to his seat.

I forgot what I was doing.

And I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

‘Ugh, did the exam drain me that much?’

I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

[Proposal 2: Gain +10,000 Favorability within the deadline (0/10,000) (167 hours, 59 minutes, 52 seconds)]

‘Yeah, I’ve lost it.’

I’ll head back to the mansion and bury myself in healing herbs after this.

Feeling oddly refreshed, I dismissed the window and sat down.

Then the same window popped up again.

“Hey.”

I clutched my head, lowered it, and called out to Philip beside me.

For some reason, the guy sitting far away from me again responded in a timid voice, somehow knowing I was calling him.

“What?”

“How many zeros in ten thousand?”

“Ten thousand? Why ask when you know…? Four.”

“No, it’s not?”

In the noisy classroom, a silence fell just between us.

Philip, now with a grave expression for a different reason, scrutinized me.

“…What… what’s wrong with you?”

“…….”

My denial of reality failed in 10 seconds.

A hollow laugh escaped.

‘…Alright, I can do this.’

Yeah, 10,000 points in a week—totally doable.

What’s stopping me?

I slowly lifted my head from my hands.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep