Anyway, this wasn’t particularly new info to me.

It meant Pleroma saved a fake Messiah—like all cults, a 100% human who couldn’t possibly be the Messiah—and now hoped for a spirit to indwell while performing necromancy.

Or, they might be likening a powerful new face who can save the order to the Lord of the new era.

But why not new? They’re a group that brings corpses and resurrects them. They always do that stuff.

The problematic part was that hundreds of thousands of Pleromas sincerely believed such shallow interpretations and acted on them. Too many had bled because of it.

I just thought I must end their bizarre acts someday.

“Who gave such a prophecy?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Only silence followed.

Yeah, you have to tell me later. Though it’ll be days from now.

Uninterested in what I was thinking, he stared piercingly at me and said.

“I wish I looked like you too.”

“What time is it? If we’re just going to talk nonsense, I’ll go back.”

“Hmm, it’s still 12 outside.”

Only that much?

Anyway, staying until 5 would mean another 5 days here. Knowing how their time flows now felt creepy.

Of course, he’d been unusual since firmly saying he’d send me back first.

Just then, as if reading my mind, he said.

“I’ll send you back if you want to go. I don’t want to tire you on the first day. And… Whenever you can spare just an hour, we can spend a day here together.”

“It’s not 5 yet?”

“It’s fine. Instead, as I said earlier, grant one request.”

I nodded, meaning say it. He pulled a finger-sized vial from my jacket pocket.

What to do was clear.

“You’re telling me to drink without saying what potion it is?”

“It’s an enhancer.”

“…….”

Literally, a drug to drink with a magic potion to heighten its effects. Used in the magic potion experiment competition before too.

Since I didn’t seem fully fallen for him, he clearly aimed to strengthen the effects of the potion I drank.

Anyway, I came here intending to absorb all of him, and if a dangerous result came, I could turn back time, so it wasn’t a burdensome request.

However, since he knew my personality, to act calculating, I needed to defy his will once.

“I don’t particularly want to drink it. How can I trust it’s safe?”

“If I deceived you, I’ll never appear before you again.”

He said with serious eyes.

It seemed he was using the effect of the covenant magic potion he drank earlier.

Finding his vow not to appear before me a big price in his view was dumbfounding, but since the answer didn’t matter, I swallowed the potion without hesitation.

There was no rejection.

Instead, my breathing quickened a bit. The sound of the metal cap touching the glass bottle rang loudly.

His hand touched my cheek. The second facing his blue eyes felt like a minute.

After holding my face and observing my expression for a while, he smiled brightly.

“…Good effect.”

“…….”

“Your face color is your eye color. Now you seem a bit like me.”

“Do you have to say that out loud?”

Then he laughed lightly and pulled something from a small bag he held.

Similar to what I got from Tsheringen and Leo, it was a small box wrapped in velvet. He opened the lid and offered it to me.

“Will you accept it?”

“…….”

Confirming what it was, I felt my vision darken. Even the enhancer couldn’t cover this.

‘What the hell has this bastard prepared up to?’

What he offered was an artifact. Precisely, a ring.

He got caught in my trap without expecting to meet me today, so normally, he shouldn’t have had time to prepare this.

This only meant he’d been preparing for this moment long ago, immersed in low-probability delusions.

He must have firmly believed he’d meet me someday. Why? Where did such baseless confidence come from?

“I hope you think of me even when I’m not there.”

He said with eyes wide open and a smile. Moonlight illuminated his clean face.

I stared at him silently for a while.

‘Should I just attack again.’

Though heat circled my eyes, I could kill such feelings thinking of my future.

But I couldn’t act rashly.

If this made him think he had more advantage, if it fully reassured him… It wasn’t bad.

“You’re not the only one wearing it, right.”

He pondered briefly, then nodded vigorously. He removed his lace-trimmed velvet glove and showed his hand.

Seeing the same design ring, goosebumps rose on my arms.

“Hoo….”

“Why~”

“Why?”

Perhaps my answer was eerie, he just smiled awkwardly with an ‘oops’ face.

I stared down at that artifact, then pulled the ring and roughly put it on the finger he likely calculated.

The size fit perfectly, wondering when he measured, giving more chills. Of course, the potion effects neutralized those chills, so I could avoid not enduring and launching a preemptive strike on him.

I tried to sigh but looked at his face. Contrary to expecting a bright smile, he had an unreadable smile, just staring at my hand. His face held madness I’d never seen. He slowly raised his head and smiled. Then pulled out a wand and lightly touched the ring.

“Back home, can you promise not to drink the antidote?”

“Why?”

“I know well that you without the drug extremely hate me. So please.”

“…….”

He had some sense.

I’d been showing dislike all along, but if he came out like this, no need to resist more. The emotions from the drug were the part he thought his only winning hand.

I answered expressionlessly.

“Okay.”

He smiled softly and flowed mana with the wand.

Instantly, my skin stung like cut by a knife.

“…!”

The mana inside began interfering with the mana in my hand.

It operated on a similar mechanism to Leo’s artifact. While the mana in Leo’s artifact connected to my core in the body—probably because he made it taking my mana—, this artifact didn’t connect to the core.

In that sense, it’d be much easier to dismantle. The problem was….

I pulled off the ring.

The letters engraved inside the ring remained on my finger.

[Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt]

Written reversed like in a mirror, but readable.

Probably, the ring’s mana would detect and react to the antidote’s mana here….

Incidentally, meaning don’t remove it. Anyone seeing would ask why letters on the finger.

‘Rather, such things should be on a spot with more mana flow.’

A finger? Better to embed in arm skin like old mages for better effect.

A good example of obsessing over symbolism and missing essence. Thanks.

I muttered while looking at the ring embedded with what seemed aquamarine gem.

“Now you can’t steal gloves.”

“…!”

He widened his eyes, looking at me with an expression like he got an idea.

Perhaps thinking if he steals gloves, I’d advertise the ring.

What to do wearing this without an engagement? If I weren’t a student, straight to Dasrothe front page.

I said seriously, straight-faced.

“Are you kidding? I might just throw it away.”

“Ah~ Right! Got it. I’ll remember.”

For some reason, he kept smiling brightly beside me, fidgeting with the glove ends, unable to keep hands still.

After that, neither spoke.

I didn’t open my mouth due to reality hitting, and he probably achieved a lifelong wish. I was filming a crime drama, but he was filming romance alone.

Thinking to break the silence now, he, with flushed face, kept moving his lips, looked at me, and said.

“I’ll send you back now.”

“Okay. Good thinking.”

“I said I’d send at five, a bit regrettable but…. As promised.”

He stood and extended his hand to me.

I took his hand out of courtesy and stood.

“Thanks for today.”

“…….”

“See you tomorrow.”

The moment he smiled brightly and greeted, the scenery before my eyes changed.

The Old Human who’d been by my side disappeared, and I was in front of the Wittelsbach mansion’s main gate.

The mana felt in the air was familiar, so this was truly our world.

“…….”

I was back.

How many times had I returned intact without turning time, unchanged from before leaving? Not like a neighborhood stroll, but after meeting a Pleroma bishop?

‘…Though the downside is having to take the drug next time we meet.’

Since I brought it up first, I was prepared. Rather, since I got permission, it could be seen as good.

I opened the door, entered, passed the garden, and quickly walked to the mansion building entrance. No, toward the end, I was almost running.

Dating a Pleroma bishop in the heart of enemy territory hadn’t been comfortable. Excluding the regret of not seeing him, the way home felt unusually more comfortable than other times.

I’d braced for a lot, but except for the mana stamped on my finger skin, I was completely fine. This, I could ask Leo if it could be removed with Wittelsbach tech.

If not, after doing drugs with that stalker, turn time back to today.

Before I opened the mansion’s first entrance, the door burst open.

Friends who hadn’t changed clothes until this hour appeared.

Narce saw me and took a deep breath.

“You’re back.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep