“Are you really okay with this?”

After the early morning meeting ended, Leo asked while discarding the leftover tea.

Narce, who had been reclining in his chair and amusing himself, glanced at both me and Leo, and asked,

“What’s the matter? Did something happen?”

“Lucas has a watchdog now.”

At those words, Narce’s expression turned serious. He set his chair down properly and raised an eyebrow.

“What? Already? How did you find out?”

“He went to the post office and asked if a letter from his brother might have been lost. What did you say, again?”

Leo looked at me for the answer. I took the last sip of my now-cold tea and replied.

“I simply asked if it was supposed to come to me.”

“Where do you come up with these tricks….”

Leo shook his head as he brewed a fresh pot of tea and sat down.

It wasn’t a particularly clever trick, but since Leo prefers to follow the rules to the letter, it was a question he’d never think to ask. I just nodded.

Unlike Leo, Narce seemed to find the approach amusing and started laughing.

“Haha! That’s a really quick and easy method. So, did you find out who it was?”

“No, I need to investigate that now. I didn’t ask since they wouldn’t tell me anyway.”

“Want me to find out?”

“No need. To figure that out, I’d have to check each person individually.”

Level 2 Insight isn’t all-powerful.

It can only be used within the opponent’s perception range and can’t uncover unknown events or delve deeply. Additionally, it’s not an area spell but an individual-targeted spell, so identifying the watchdog would require meeting each person face-to-face.

If the ability had no limitations, I might ask for help, but since it consumes mental strength and causes headaches, it’s not worth it.

Narce nodded slowly, seemingly understanding.

“True, that would be tough. Should we warp Pai into the post office?”

“What would sending Pai do?”

Leo asked with a snort of laughter.

“He’s smart, even if he can’t read well.”

“What?”

“He can speak. I’m telling you because it’s you, Leo.”

Leo looked at me with a bewildered expression, as if questioning my sanity.

I almost called Narce crazy but just smiled and replied.

“Pai wouldn’t be able to retrieve the records from the drawers and find the right page. But thanks for the concern, I’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, sending Pai would be tricky.”

“……”

Leo wore an indescribable expression as the conversation continued about Pai.

After pondering for a while, Narce clapped his hands.

“Ah! Why not use mind manipulation magic?”

“It’s best to avoid using magic when possible. It’s better to minimize its use until it’s absolutely necessary.”

Leo chimed in with a chuckle.

“This means you have a way to find out without using magic.”

I nodded.

“Exactly.”

* * *

It’s simple.

Just live a straight life without giving them any leverage.

Get up in the morning, diligently attend the special class, go to lectures, have meals in my room, go back out for more lectures, and eat in my room again without coming out.

‘Skipping evening self-study in the special class with Leo is a bit concerning…’

I appealed to the fact that I was unwell and made it mandatory to attend only once a week.

Leo, since becoming a second-year student, has consistently gone to the training ground, so it wouldn’t raise too many suspicions if we both missed the same sessions occasionally.

For the organization’s bi-daily meetings, I could just warp as usual.

As long as I stick to this, no information will leak out.

The problem lies with the people who approach me.

I scribbled in my notebook while half-listening to the magic potion class. The professor, dressed in a gown, looked at the students and asked,

“Who knows the connection between the Wittelsbach family and medicine before magic was discovered? Excluding Leonard.”

The students laughed along with Leo. The professor paused and then looked at me.

“Let’s hear from the only student who got a perfect score on the written exam, Lucas Askanian.”

I put down my pen, stood up, and answered with a smile.

“There was no significant connection before the advent of magic.”

“Correct. I bring this up because today we’ll study a potion developed by the Wittelsbach family. It’s the first potion developed after the advent of magic, revolutionizing magic medicine and potion history….”

Situations like this, where I need to speak up, are problematic.

It’s the time when my changes are most noticeable.

‘Since midterms, I’ve been called on more often.’

It’s not just in the magic potion class.

Similar occurrences have been happening in all seven subjects where I scored perfectly.

Additionally, Leo mentioned that students have been approaching me out of curiosity.

The student who greeted me in the special class yesterday was likely one of them. Who knows how many more will come? And the watchdog will be watching me during those times.

But I can’t keep up my first-year Lucas act every moment just because of one person watching. That would ruin my image again.

My brother has probably noticed my changes through yellow journalism or local newspapers.

Being well-groomed, talking normally with others, and so on.

So, there’s no need to revert to my first-year act, but it’s not ideal for news of my changes to be constantly impressed upon my brother’s mind either.

‘I need to check this out today.’

I closed my notebook and focused on the class.

* * *

I collected the students’ notebooks and left the classroom. Even after the midterms, their notes needed to be collected. They have to maintain this level for the finals anyway.

I left the dormitory after dinner and walked weakly toward the library.

Occasionally, I stopped to turn my head and check my surroundings. Since it was only seven o’clock, there were still many people on the street.

Students glanced at me curiously as they saw me standing still, looking around, and then disappeared.

After reading in the library for a long time, I hurriedly left about an hour before midnight.

As expected, by this time, there were only a few people around. I quickly scanned my surroundings and started walking briskly from the main entrance of the library to the back door, then ran straight toward the path leading to the third educational building.

When I was out of breath, I stopped to catch it, leaning on my knees, then ran with all my might again.

I paused and looked back.

There was no one on the street.

I checked my surroundings and noticed my shoelace had come undone, tangled with the other foot. I sat down in the alley and tied my shoelaces. I also untied and retied the lace on the other shoe. It was time to create some delays.

I stood up, stepping on a small stone on the ground and taking a step.

Because it was nighttime, or maybe because there were no people, even trivial sounds seemed loud. Perfect for alerting someone to my location.

Around the corner, there was a park at the edge of the school. I widened my stride and quickly turned in that direction. Then, as soon as the park came into view, I swiftly turned back the way I had come.

Bang―!

“Argh!”

“Well… It’s surprising how easily you got caught. It’s almost tear-jerking. Honestly, I didn’t expect to be caught at this stage.”

I pressed the pursuer against the wall and strengthened my grip.

A person I had never seen before shook his head in confusion.

“W-What the…!”

“You even used a silencing spell. Well done.”

“Let go!”

He twisted his arm. I pushed him against the wall again and quietly asked.

“Who are you?”

“Who, who are you talking about…?!”

“I’m asking who sent you to move so foolishly?”

This guy wasn’t the one who received my brother’s letter.

The person who received my brother’s letter had instructed this student.

My brother isn’t someone who operates this sloppily.

Although I arbitrarily used the term ‘watchdog,’ my brother’s letter probably didn’t include a single sentence about surveillance. How could he risk betrayal by making such a bold move?

The letter to the recipient, like the one I received, would be full of warm words of concern for his younger brother. Among them, there might be a request to occasionally relay my well-being, considering his worry about my health.

Given that I find my brother intimidating, it wouldn’t be strange for someone to ask about my well-being. My brother would have mentioned this to the recipient. The logic was sound.

The recipient misunderstood the intent.

They mistook a simple request to convey my well-being as a covert order to monitor me.

Of course, part of it is true.

But there’s a reason my brother didn’t explicitly mention surveillance. If someone intended to dissect his words, they should have considered that.

‘This time, my brother made a mistake.’

He chose the wrong person, revealing everything.

‘Time to consider what my brother wants.’

He needs to know this:

Why have my grades and behavior changed?

Am I changing to live more independently, or is there another reason?

He needs to know the exact reason.

If it’s the former, then the system my brother has built for 20 years could eventually collapse, so he must prepare immediately.

Therefore, he’s considering the first possibility.

But if he blatantly assigns a watchdog, it confirms his malice towards me, assuming the first possibility.

In the end, the recipient chose the foolish path despite thinking.

The student shook his head vigorously and shouted.

“Assigned? No! No one ordered me…!”

“What do you mean no one?”

Someone my brother can trust, someone who knows both my brother and me well enough to be trusted with my well-being.

A student doesn’t fit well into this overlap. If one part fits, the other part doesn’t quite match.

I stared into his eyes and said.

“It’s a professor, right? One of the professors from the second educational institute told you to watch me, didn’t they? Am I wrong?”

I smiled and tightened my grip on his shoulder. His face turned pale.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep