‘Little punks.’

Anyway, it was hard to live as a Pleroma—even though I wasn’t.

Instead of going up to the Neues Museum, we walked straight along Unter den Linden street.

After passing the wide park in front of the Altes Museum, Lustgarten, the Berliner Dom appeared. It was a building with a light gray body and three blue domes, the exterior lavishly decorated in Neo-Baroque style. I pointed to that building and said.

“This is the largest Protestant church in our country. If you’re Protestant believers, it would be good to tour it at least once.”

“Oh… A Protestant church? It looks just like a Catholic chapel.”

“It started as a Catholic chapel. Currently, it’s also used as the tomb of the Hohenzollern imperial family, but since permission for viewing has been granted to you, feel free to tour without burden.”

While the other three high school students approached the building, Antoine Gramont was still by our side. He smiled from behind and said.

“I passed by without thinking, but this side is Lustgarten.”

“That’s right.”

“I learned it was used as a parade ground during Napoleon’s occupation of Berlin. Is that correct?”

“…….”

Why bring up the history of overturning another country’s park here, as if it’s something to boast about?

The moment the air was about to freeze, he waved his hand.

“It’s not said with any special meaning. In fact, didn’t we lose to Prussia afterward? Rather, it’s a painful place for us.”

“You know well.”

“If I made you uncomfortable, I’m sorry. I just wanted to confirm if it has a clear history of military use. I heard that recently the Imperial First Academy conducted magic training there too.”

It was obvious what story would come out.

He tapped his waist where the wand was and asked.

“I didn’t get an answer earlier. May I request once?”

At those words, I burst into laughter, then composed my expression.

“I should have said it precisely, but I didn’t.”

I stepped one step closer and pressed the open button of his wand holster to close it.

“…….”

“I’m here to protect Your Excellency, not to spar with Your Excellency. I know well how passionate and outstanding the people who entered Academy Puissance are, so I understand why Your Excellency wants a spar like this. If I weren’t affiliated with the imperial family, I would have accepted, but now it’s difficult.”

Unexpectedly, Gramont was clean. He nodded with a regretful smile on his face.

“I understand. I seem to have been rude, I’m ashamed.”

“No, no need for that.”

We now silently wandered the park waiting for the three students who entered the church.

I knew how vicious kids who were top in one field could be.

Not all were like that, but some who grew up a bit extremely had been steeped in competition logic from childhood, enjoying trampling others and being sensitive to attacks on their position.

Here, being attacked didn’t mean literally receiving a direct attack from someone, but a superior competitor appearing and the surrounding attention moving away from themselves.

It wasn’t the intended result, but I too had been in such groups at work or school, so I knew. Being the high school division top and his attitude so far showed he was that type. That childish attitude of wanting to confirm strength by facing me came from such impatience.

‘Is he really as great as the stories that are frequently mentioned? In my view, he’s just a Pleroma the German imperial family appointed thoughtlessly, so why is there an atmosphere of revering that Pleroma even in our France.’

He probably had such thoughts.

Moreover, since the adults from the same academy looked down on the German imperial family, if he himself defeated me, it would be an opportunity to prove how foolish the German imperial family was and add fuel to insulting the imperial family.

Even if not a real Pleroma, the title of defeating the peer top mage from an enemy country was quite sweet.

The reason he was similar to Philip was here. Both were obsessed with hierarchy.

‘As for me, well, whether they do or not, the time to live like that has passed, so they just look cute….’

Not really cute, just funny. It seemed every group had at least one slightly twisted guy like this.

Anyway, if it had been Luca facing this situation instead of me, it would have been quite annoying. After dealing with the ignoring guys at school, now even foreign guys were acting up.

The words that I would have sparred if not for Eszett weren’t empty. But now, I needed to be cautious in actions. Since they came as precious guests of the nation, I was relatively in the weaker position.

After that, we moved to the museum with the three students who came out of the church.

It was impossible to check all of Berlin’s sights in a short time, so we had to just check around Unter den Linden street and return.

At 6 PM, with return an hour away, we stopped by the guest room on the top floor of the banquet hall to pick up luggage, then warped to Brandenburg where the VIP lodging was.

Since a barrier was installed at Tis Hotel in Brandenburg, we had to warp to a place about 1km away and walk.

With Heike’s help, I moved to the warp point first, then welcomed them coming after. I laid a thin barrier and space magic so their figures weren’t visible.

After walking about 10 minutes.

When we were halfway, Gramont, who had been conversing with his friends, asked as if to include me in the conversation.

“How many berserkers occur per day here on average?”

“Hm, recently it’s decreased a bit, so about thirty cases in Berlin.”

“Combining Brandenburg would be tremendous.”

“The land is wide, but Brandenburg has low population and isn’t that dense, so the damage isn’t as great as you think.”

“So total how many cases occur?”

Gramont was persistent. It was obvious it would be annoying, so I answered without expression.

“You seem curious about a lot? Combining Brandenburg and Berlin, nearly sixty cases occur per day.”

“Oh, that’s amazing….”

“…….”

I almost laughed but composed my expression.

‘He’s doing this on purpose.’

Was he trying to scratch me by bringing up the fact that the empire failed in Pleroma control? Even if not to induce a spar with me, as I thought earlier, to them, I was clearly just ‘a symbol of the empire’s laxity.’

He glanced at me with eyes trying to find my sore spot.

The reason he bothered to talk to me and ask this and that was to find a topic I felt inferior about or a conversation topic I didn’t like. If he couldn’t spar, his psychology of wanting to win by scratching this way was clearly revealed.

Even Heike seemed to feel something odd, as her expression was subtle compared to other times.

“It must be very tiring processing berserker reports every time.”

“Well. It’s doable.”

“You’re really amazing. Our high school division hasn’t been deployed to missions yet, and since there are no berserkers in our France yet, I don’t understand Askanian’s feelings well.”

“You’re lucky. I hope it continues like that.”

At those words, the high school students smiled and exchanged glances among themselves.

Gramont smiled and said.

“Will it continue? We’ll soon be in charge of rooting out Pleroma infiltrated into our empire. Ah, right now I lack experience compared to Lucas Askanian, but by then, Askanian and I will understand each other!”

“Hm, congratulations. You’re to take on an important duty.”

“Is that so? Come to think of it, Vice Minister Adrian Askanian is doing similar work.”

‘Oh dear….’

I held back laughter and licked the inside of my lips with my tongue.

His inner thoughts were too obvious, now it was pitiful. Someone shut his mouth.

He clearly considered processing berserker reports lower than Pleroma rooting work. He was revealing that he and Adrian Askanian would be doing work of similar level.

Even abroad, Adrian Askanian was quite recognized as a mage. And as his younger brother, I couldn’t help but be seen as someone who modeled after Adrian Askanian.

‘We’ve been doing that rooting work like crazy since last year.’

Since he didn’t know I was Nicolaus, it couldn’t be helped.

More than that, it seemed good to stop making dark history. Even if it wasn’t dark history I was making, it was inevitable to feel sorry watching someone else’s flailing.

If signs of him continuing to make dark history showed, I should tell him to get spar permission from headquarters, then I’d face him.

The moment I showed only a smile instead of answering, one side of the view where I had installed space magic rippled.

“…….”

I grabbed the wand.

It wasn’t a distortion only I saw, as my eyes immediately met Heike’s.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep