“What?”

Melvin froze with his mouth open.

Narce and Leo, who already knew my story, became even more serious.

Let’s verify something here.

When I first came to school, this guy was one of the students whose favorability I checked. At that time, it wasn’t surprising to see a score of -10.

Since what I’m saying now isn’t easy to accept, I need to see if the persuasion characteristic is being applied.

Melvin Klochner

Favorability: -8

Title: The Epitome of Diligence

Health: +4

Mental Power: -1.5

Magic Power: +4.5

Skill: +4.5

Impression: +5

Luck: +1

Trait: Trust (Lv.3)

‘Good.’

Even though there was nothing that could have changed his favorability, it increased by 2 points from -10 to -8. The newly appeared asterisk also suggests that the trait is being applied.

It’s likely that persuasion is working fine.

I leaned toward Melvin and asked in a firm voice.

“Melvin, what was I like according to your knowledge? Wasn’t I the guy who always had messy hair covering his face, unable to answer any questions properly, and just mumbling? Always walking around powerlessly and hiding in the dormitory all day?”

“What? You know yourself pretty well.”

Ignoring Leo’s comment, I waited for Melvin’s response.

“Y-yeah, that’s how you were… and you couldn’t use magic at all.”

“Right, and now?”

“…You’re like a different person in many ways.”

“And what do you think caused that change?”

I stared intently into Melvin’s eyes with a faint smile.

Melvin, at a loss for words, blinked and muttered with a troubled expression.

“S-so you’re saying you’ve been acting for the past year? Is that right?”

“Well, it’s complicated. But…”

I quickly continued.

“The reason I revealed my changes in the second year is simple. It’s time to start executing my plan.”

“……”

Other students attended the three training institutes equivalent to elementary and middle school, but this place is the first for Luca.

There are no records to judge me except for the past year.

It would be troublesome if they knew that I’ve lived like I did last year since I was very young, but that’s not the case, so it’s doable.

Melvin, still with a confused look, nodded his head.

“…Yeah, I don’t know the details, but I guess you’re saying you lived that way on purpose. You said the Pleroma rumor was a baseless story you made up. It’s related to how you acted last year, right?”

I waited silently for Melvin to continue speaking. There was no need to answer as he was already thinking about what to say next, mouth opening and closing repeatedly.

“It’s true that you’ve changed like a different person. Honestly, I never thought you’d be able to respond to professors so calmly. I didn’t think you could raise your grades enough to join the special class, and I didn’t expect you to stand up to Phillip after he hit you and not back down to his group. Mentally, I mean.”

Phillip… the guy who hit me last month.

I nodded, listening to Melvin.

“Everyone thinks the same as me. Whenever friends talk about you, they always wonder how you changed so drastically. If what you’re saying is true… everything makes sense.”

I listened to Melvin’s words without reacting.

Melvin, furrowing his brow and glancing around nervously, finally looked at me with hesitation.

“But there’s still something I don’t understand. Why did you spread the Pleroma rumor? There’s no benefit to it. I don’t get it at all…”

At those words, I smiled.

Now for the main point.

“Melvin, I am going to eliminate Pleroma from this world.”

“U-uhh… Yeah. That’s a good idea… So?”

“You know as well as I do, the imperial family hasn’t been able to properly deal with Pleroma for the past 12 years. Their unpredictable movements and irregular behavior times play a part. The special magic they use is the same. To figure all this out, you need to catch the essence that no one else can grasp.”

I paused to give him time to process before continuing.

“I will maintain this act and contact Pleroma, Melvin.”

Melvin’s eyes widened.

He looked like he was doubting what he heard.

Leo, who had been standing quietly behind Melvin, spoke in a low voice.

“As I mentioned earlier, this is why Lucas is here.”

The fact that it was Leo who said this brought another shock to Melvin’s face. He looked back and forth between me and Leo, then dropped his gaze, seemingly needing time to think. Until now, he was overwhelmed by the unbelievable stories, but now he needed time to organize his thoughts.

After a long silence, I spoke.

“I guess I should explain why the imperial family hasn’t captured me. The imperial family officially declared long ago that I’m not Pleroma. Do you remember?”

“Yeah, I heard about it when I was a kid.”

“Then why do you think I’m Pleroma? Why don’t you accept the imperial announcement? It’s not just you, it’s the entire nation. Why is that?”

Melvin tilted his head, unable to find words.

I gave him a long time to think before speaking again.

“Shall I rephrase the question? Pleroma consists of two main groups. The first generation, and the second generation. Which one do you think I’m considered part of?”

The first generation refers to the naturally occurring original Pleroma, while the second generation consists of resurrected corpses and devout followers of Pleroma’s doctrine.

Melvin answered without hesitation.

“First generation.”

“Right. The imperial family verified that I am alive and not in agreement with Pleroma’s doctrine. I don’t qualify as a second-generation member. But people avoid me because they think I possess the qualities of the first generation. To be precise, because such rumors have spread. Correct?”

“Yes.”

“But if the imperial family had discovered such qualities in me, they would have captured me regardless of my beliefs. So why am I still here and not detained?”

The reality is that this, too, was glossed over by the family’s own investigation and their pact with the imperial family.

However, people are not aware of this.

“That’s because your core grade is… the lowest. Wait a minute! You’re saying you’ll infiltrate Pleroma when you can’t even use magic?!”

“When did I ever say I couldn’t use magic?”

“What?”

Melvin stared at me with a blank face.

Bang―!

I took out my wand and lightly tapped the desk, causing a gust of wind to blow. The magic activation spread a bright white light, dazzling our eyes.

“Ugh!”

Melvin shielded his face with both arms against the fierce wind.

Then, with his mouth agape, he slowly lifted his head.

“…What was that? What just happened?”

He looked at the white light swirling around him and then at my eyes.

“The activation range… No, wait a minute. Why… why is it white?”

“Why do you think?”

“This, this is divine power, isn’t it?! No way, Narce, you…?”

“Um, it’s not me.”

Narce shook both hands. Leo, in an indifferent tone, chimed in.

“Lucas can use divine power too, Melvin. Hard to believe, but true.”

Melvin, once again, looked like his soul had left his body, his mouth opening and closing wordlessly.

“So, what do you think? Don’t you think we have a chance? I joined because I thought we did.”

Narce, resting her chin on her hand, smiled and flicked the white light around her. Then, she looked at me and nodded towards Melvin, winking.

It was a signal that we were done.

***

Ding―!

< Chapter 3. Constant dripping wears away a stone (1) >

Proposal 3: Life is Bold! Recruit 10 team members. (10/10) (1 hour 07 minutes 18 seconds)

* Route 1 ― < Chapter 4. Constant dripping wears away a stone (2) >

* Route 2 ― < Chapter 4. Don’t Put Off Till Tomorrow What You Can Do Today >

One hour.

I succeeded with an hour to spare.

I sighed with relief and touched my forehead. Leo, noticing my bowed head, asked,

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing….”

Even with my eyes closed, the white light flashed in my vision.

Congratulations!

Proposal 3: ‘Life is Bold! Recruit 10 team members.’ Successful!

‘Chapter 3. Constant dripping wears away a stone (1)’ Completed!

‘Route 1 ― < Chapter 4. Constant dripping wears away a stone (2) >’ Confirmed.

I dismissed the window and shook my head.

Anyway, it’s done successfully without any problems.

Each chapter seems to give a special reward, so I’m satisfied to move on to the next chapter.

‘I wish I knew how to level up my traits soon.’

As I persuaded the seven people this time, I felt that some parts were made easier by the 20% increase in persuasiveness. If I can level up, conversations will go faster in the future.

Thanks to the trait effect, the favorability of all seven reached positive numbers.

The latest favorability check on Melvin was +1.

Of course, even without the trait, it’s -1, which is a dramatic change considering the initial -10.

Not only Melvin but the other six students also had similar numbers. Like with Leo, once misunderstandings about me were cleared up, the favorability soared close to zero.

“Lucas, hello…!”

Melvin awkwardly smiled as he entered the room.

I smiled back and waved lightly.

“Hello.”

“Today is the start, right?”

“Yeah.”

At my answer, Melvin sat down and pulled out materials with sparkling eyes.

As the promised time approached, the students I had persuaded came in and took their seats.

“Hello, Lucas. Ah, I still can’t believe it. Who knew you had such plans, Lucas.”

“Exactly.”

I responded to the students’ chatter with a smile and fell into thought.

This meeting would produce better results than my initial plan. It shouldn’t just end as a school club.

I know how Pleroma will move over the next ten years.

Even if not in detail, I know what major events will occur and how the protagonist will resolve them. Writing down everything I remembered in a notebook early on helped.

‘Of course, I have to consider that the story might change.’

So I analyzed the existing movements of Pleroma.

When the story changes, I need to understand which parts of the original pattern were altered and which remained to derive a new outcome.

The statement that I could connect any ending if I knew the beginning wasn’t just boasting. Nothing leaves a deeper impression on people than a person misunderstood as Pleroma eliminating Pleroma.

Simply using divine power and claiming not to be Pleroma while acting like an ordinary person isn’t enough. Gradual and leisurely changes should occur behind the scenes, not in the public eye. If my brother has time to devise another scenario that matches my changes, it’s over.

The method that shocks the public in an instant is the most certain way to make my brother unable to lay a hand on me.

Therefore, I must also be earnest in this matter. I can’t find a better weapon than this.

I spread a map on the desk and started the discussion.

“Thank you all for making time. Let’s get started.”

***

The next morning, I woke up early to bring my things to the special class before the morning assembly.

I hadn’t been able to attend the special class because of fulfilling the proposal. If I continue to be absent, I might get a warning, so I needed to be there at least in the morning.

Clunk―

“Oh.”

I froze as I opened the door.

A student stood in front of my room. Startled as the door opened before they could knock, they took a step back and cleared their throat.

“I came to deliver a letter.”

The student lifted a basket of letters and picked out the top one. The letter, sealed with the Papal State’s insignia, was handed to me.

I flipped the letter over immediately. At the top left, in neat handwriting that looked freshly written, was a glowing dark green script.

Adrian Askanian.

It was a letter from my brother.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep