Chapter 286

“Can you hear me? Wake up!”

Someone was slapping my cheek. It was annoying, but more than that, it was baffling. I grabbed the hand and shot up.

“Oh!”

A New Human student rejoiced when I got up.

“Wow, thank goodness. I thought you were dead. Are you okay?”

“…You thought I was dead?”

I suppressed my irritation and rubbed my cheek. Dead or not, the cheek this person just slapped to wake me up hurt more.

“You weren’t breathing.”

“Me? Why…?”

“How would I know! So I did some compressions like this, and you woke right up. Shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”

“…Hmm, I see. Thank you.”

Something’s strange. I was perfectly healthy just a moment ago, and I’m full of energy even now. It doesn’t seem like I was lying down because of a real problem. To guess… it seems that when I leave and re-enter this world, it looks like I’ve fainted.

“How long was I lying here?”

“Probably not for long. I just heard a thud, so I came over and found you like that.”

Did the space magic break when I collapsed? My magic power would have been withdrawn, so that makes sense.

More importantly, he said I woke up right after he did chest compressions.

It’s clear that time doesn’t continue to flow while I’m outside the Extra Chapter, but stops and then starts again when I re-enter.

As I was lost in thought, the student stood up.

“I can go now, right? You should go to the hospital!”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

I’m perfectly fine, so I don’t need to go to the hospital. I sent him on his way and, back in the alley, cast space magic again and opened the traits window.

‘First, upgrade the trait.’

Isn’t it that one minute here is one minute outside? Besides, time flows while I’m gone from that spot, so I have to be careful. It’s time to sleep, so the chances are low, but if Leo or Elias barges in, explaining myself will be a nightmare. Am I going to say I warped somewhere again?

Time Lag Lv. 1

— Current Time [Extra Chapter:Chapter 7] [1:1]

— Next Time [2:1]

— 1.0 EC point until next level

Before, when I first woke up and drank Leo’s blood, a point window appeared, he said. I wasn’t in the right mind to check it then and just dismissed it, but now it’s time to use it.

‘Let’s check my points.’

EC point: 1.0

Seeing a point window with only 1 point after looking at the double-digit points I worked my butt off to collect in Chapter 7 made me let out a hollow laugh. I spent the point on the Time Lag trait.

Time Lag Lv. 2

— Current Time [Extra Chapter:Chapter 7] [2:1]

— Next Time [10:1]

— 2.0 EC point until next level

‘…Oh.’

It seems that next, 10 minutes here will be 1 minute outside. The key is to collect 2 points quickly. I’ll need to develop this place anyway to use it when I need something later.

‘Well, I did come here to use it now.’

I have a plan of action.

The only problems are that it seems difficult to do much today because of the time lag, and whether I can really get meaningful results here. Still, it’s better to be doing something than to be resting.

I brought up the suggestion windows I had received.

Suggestion 1. Find a job.

— Reward: EC point +1

Suggestion 2. Find the Host

— Reward: EC point +3

Okay. I can get 1 point for now.

I said I had an idea about Suggestion 1 before.

What kind of job should I get here?

Let’s think carefully. How did I start? There’s only one place I can go.

I took out the newspaper I bought from the kiosk before and opened the job search section.

[Hiring: Mansion Cleaner]

[Looking for experienced Stable Maintenance Manager]

[Seeking Crew for Fishing Boat, High Pay Guaranteed]

[Hiring: Industrial Vocational School Temporary (2nd Semester) Teacher: Vocational school graduates aged 22-55 welcome]

[Recruiting: Nurses/Nurse Aides for Berlin 2nd Street General Hospital]

There’s a variety. The problem is that I have no qualifications, no experience, and not even enough time. No matter how much time stops here, it’s still flowing outside, so I have no leeway. To get important information, I have to choose a job where I can get a lot of information.

Then it would be best to work in a place where I can get information, however trivial, about my brother or the stolen items, that is, a place where I can get information about the ruling family.

This means I have no business with this page. What I had my eye on before was not this.

I flipped the paper to the page before. I saw the text written in the advertisement section.

[Kingdom of Bavaria] [National Mages’ Combat Magic Competition]

I will participate in this.

This start is also Bavaria. This time, too, I’ll be in Bavaria’s debt.

‘The problem is that it’s held tonight, March 20th.’

Of course, the participant list is already set. But isn’t the date a coincidence? Why is there such a competition in Bavaria on the very day I fell into this world?

Right, it’s rationalization.

But I have to go there. Strictly speaking, the match isn’t important; what’s important is to make an impression on the king. I have to catch the king’s eye even if I have to do some crazy things, and the sooner the better.

Honestly, like Leo, I have an aversion to unconventional things, but this kind of competition is usually held once a year, so if I miss this opportunity, I’ll have to work as Prussia’s servant in this world too. I might get information, but there’s a high chance I’ll get caught up in political strife here too, so it’s not a good choice.

‘In the first place, I couldn’t even enter the government buildings used by combat-type mages….’

How can I go when they all show up as access-denied areas because of Georg Askanian and Adrian Askanian? If I have to get a job in another country because I can’t go to Prussia, it’s best to go to Bavaria, Prussia’s rival, rather than a small country.

And there’s one more reason why it has to be Bavaria. I recalled the newspaper article I had read last before coming here.

In a few days, the Bavarian King’s birthday celebration will be held. The House of Austria-Este is an archducal house of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. And the Austro-Hungarian Empire is a country right to the southeast of the German Empire and also borders Bavaria. This means there’s a possibility I’ll see the Archduke of Este at the Bavarian King’s birthday celebration. Of course, even if I meet the Archduke of Austria-Este, will I catch the culprit or what? But if, as my hypothesis goes, Pleroma stole the holy relics for magical/spiritual reasons… would they steal a jewel for no reason? Is there a possibility that the jewel, the family, or the person is connected to Pleroma in some way?

‘…Of course… it’s an excessive guess.’

I think so too. Even if there is a real connection, there’s no guarantee it would be so from this period. Since there’s no way to check the stolen holy relics and jewels in reality, it’s at least good that I can see with my own two eyes if the stolen items had any elements that would attract Pleroma’s attention in this era, before they are stolen.

To be honest, the hypothesis that Pleroma stole the jewels to make money because they were having financial difficulties is much more realistic and makes sense. Then they should have taken the Iron Crown of Lombardy, but why didn’t they? But if you start nitpicking like this, there’s no end to it. Isn’t it possible that it was just easier to steal the sapphire parure?

So, rather than being determined to catch the culprit right away, I’m approaching this with the mindset of cultivating a world that I have to cultivate anyway, by saving the time I would be sleeping. Of course, I have no intention of encroaching on my daytime hours.

‘It’s good if something comes out, and if not, so be it.’

In the first place, it seems to be an ability that arose in response to my brother’s attack, so I had to come in whenever I had time and work on my foundation in this world.

Then, it’s time to act.

I looked up at the sky, took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.

“Oh. Are you okay?”

As I stumbled from warping with my eyes closed, someone supported my back. I had warped to the location of the Bavarian checkpoint that I remembered. I thanked him and got in line for the checkpoint. Even at this time, Bavaria was quite thorough. There was already a mage warp checkpoint here, which was absent in Berlin. I quickly went inside and presented my passport.

“You came from America yesterday.”

“Yes.”

“Are you here for the competition?”

How should I answer? This isn’t some neighborhood supermarket; it’s a checkpoint, so I have to answer well. If I said I came for the competition, they might ask for something to prove it.

I said without changing my expression.

“A competition? I guess many people are coming here for that?”

“Yes. We are controlling the roads, so we have to guide you ourselves. If you are participating, please show your confirmation slip.”

“You’re guiding us yourselves?”

“Those coming from outside Bavaria must warp with us to move to Prater Island.”

Prater Island is where the competition is held.

There’s already an obstacle. Right, I knew it.

‘What if I subtly manipulate this person’s mind by letting out a little divine power and make the situation favorable for me?’

No. Even if I go that way, the obstacles will continue because I don’t have a real participation confirmation slip. It’s one thing to deceive one or two, but with hundreds, it’s easy to get caught.

I smiled and shook my head.

“I see. No, I’m not. I’m on a theater tour.”

“So you’re here to see a play. But are you an actor by any chance?”

“Yes… no.”

I’m getting a sense of déjà vu. Something similar happened to me in Munich 12 years later.

“Is it because my hair is unusually long? Haha. I was mistaken.”

“I see.”

“You can move on now. Enjoy your tour.”

I received my suitcase from another inspector and warped to Munich. The Isar River, which flows through Munich, is right in front of me. If I follow it up, I should find Prater Island where the competition is held.

When I was briefly in charge of Bavaria’s administrative affairs as Nicolaus, I learned that the venue for Bavaria’s combat-type mage competition changes every year. I had only seen in records that a competition was held on a small island in the middle of a river like this, but I had never seen it in person. It’s a new experience to be here at the time of that record.

‘It’s right in front of me, yet I can’t go.’

Actually, I don’t want to barge in on the day of and whine about participating. Leo would find it very suspicious, but anyway, I also prefer the standard way, and dragging on, asking for the impossible, doesn’t suit my personality. But if I go back like this, my only option is to get a job as a secretary to a member of the Prussian Federal Council, and if that happens, there’s no reason for me to be here at this time. In that case, it’s better to somehow collect points, raise the time lag level to the max, and then take a train to the Vatican and knock on the doors of the Papal State.

Since I have a second-best option, I’m trying to choose the most common-sense method among the unconventional ones.

‘First, persuade the operations committee well, that’s the priority.’

Thanks to my experience as Nicolaus, I know well which government ministry is in charge of managing the competition. It could have changed in 12 years, but the king is the same and there hasn’t been a major reform of the cabinet, so it’s worth a try.

I took a deep breath and snapped my fingers at the warp coordinates I remembered. Except for a slight nausea, it was a success this time too.

I smiled in satisfaction and looked towards the lobby.

‘The problem is getting inside the building.’

They won’t let in anyone who isn’t a staff member.

It’s a shame that unconventionality has to come out already, but here, I have no choice but to realize the thought I had earlier.

I naturally pulled my suitcase and entered the building. I saw a security guard approaching me.

“Sir, where do you work? I’ve never seen your face before. And what’s with that suitcase?”

‘—Enter through the narrow gate.’

I released my divine power slowly, so that no one would notice. It’s difficult to cast a spell reliably if I just chant it in my head, but this time I’m not trying to knock him out, so it’s fine.

The security guard, his focus still intact, frowned, touched his head, and then waited for my answer.

“Sir?”

“I’m a secretary in the office of the President of the Bavarian Parliament. I’m new, so you probably haven’t seen me. The President asked me to get the budget proposal from the Vice Minister.”

“That kind of thing is…”

“That’s right. It’s usually sent by warp mail. Actually… I have something more to deliver from the President.”

I gestured at my suitcase and continued.

“I came here legitimately, so you don’t have to worry. Here’s my business card, please take a look.”

I don’t have a business card. When would I have had one made? I smiled and held out my passport. The security guard scrutinized my passport. He read the words over and over, then looked at me. I tilted my head as if to ask what was wrong.

“There shouldn’t be anything strange. It says Bavarian Parliament… and it should say Administrative Secretary next to my name. Is that still not enough to prove it?”

This itself is another incantation. The image he is forming will be changing to be similar to my intention with this. The security guard looked at me without expression, blinked a couple of times, then gave the same smile as me.

“No. You must be Mr. Everett. Please go in.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled as I took my passport from him. He didn’t find it strange that I was taking back my “business card” and showed no particular reaction.

It’s a spell that can’t be used when there are many people because it would be quickly discovered, but it’s good to use when there’s only one person like this.

I walked a few steps and then turned back.

“Ah, which floor is the organizing committee for this magic competition on?”

“Fourth floor. Didn’t you say you were meeting the Vice Minister just now?”

“I have to stop by after I’m done.”

“Ah, yes. Go to the end of the left side on the fourth floor. You’ll see it right away.”

It’s the same information I know. I answered with a smile and went up the stairs.

‘I hope there aren’t many people when I go up.’

If there are, my only option is to get a job as an aide to a Prussian member of parliament…. Because I have to collect points to go to the Papal State.

I sighed to myself and stood in front of the room at the far left on the fourth floor. Perhaps because everyone had moved to Prater Island for the competition, there was only silence, not a single person. As I pushed magic power into my ears, the sound became a little clearer.

[Squeak— Squeak—]

I could hear the sound of a chair back moving. The sound soon stopped.

‘He noticed.’

That there’s someone in front. He must be pretty good. I put on a smile in advance and knocked on the door.

Knock knock—

[Come in.]

I opened the door and went straight in.

“Ah.”

The other person’s eyes widened when he saw my face. He knew there was someone there, but he seemed surprised that it wasn’t the person he expected.

Bright blond hair and familiar light blue eyes. And the familiar arrangement of facial features. A young New Human who resembled the king was looking at me with his mouth agape. I maintained a moderate distance and greeted him first.

“Greetings, I am Lukas Everett.”

“I am Emanuel Wittelsbach.”

He smiled as if he had never been flustered, got up from his seat, and offered a handshake. I said the words everyone says out of courtesy when saving face for a royal.

“As expected, you were royalty. I apologize for not being more formal.”

“Not at all. I’m just a civil servant working for the government right now. But, you don’t seem to be just a noble either, sir?”

He said that and went back to his seat. Then, before I could say anything, he clasped his hands, tilted his head slightly, and said.

“You resemble someone I know, and your magic power seems to be out of the ordinary. If not, then never mind. Your ID.”

He held out his hand to me with a smile on his face.

I smiled and remained silent. Out of the blue? It’s a bit apologetic for me, who came up here using a shortcut, to think this, but he’s a difficult person to follow. I haven’t even cast a mind-control spell yet, and instead of kicking me out, he’s asking for my ID? What does he think I’m going to do?

Maybe he’s doing this to report me. I prepared to cast a mind-control spell at a moment’s notice and held out my passport. He read my ID for a long time, then looked at my hair.

“Doesn’t your hair get in the way when you’re competing?”

“……”

“Didn’t you come to participate in the competition? Haha. Did I say that too suddenly?”

He took out a palm-sized piece of paper from a drawer, copied the personal information from my passport onto it, tore it in half, and handed it to me. A yellow note with a warp coordinate on it flew to me a moment later.

“You’ll have to go right now if you want to put your name in a withdrawn spot. If things go well, please tell His Majesty my name.”

“……”

Emanuel gestured for me to leave quickly, smiling. At the same time, the door behind me flew open as if a wind had blown. I opened his status window for the last time.

Emanuel Wittelsbach

Favorability +2 [Conquerable (Stage 1/5)]

Title: —

Health: +6.0

Mental Strength: +6.0

Magic Power: +5.0

Skills: +7.0

Impression: +8.0

Luck: +5.0

Trait: Connoisseur’s Eye (Lv. 3)

Connoisseur’s Eye.

I glanced at the trait, then looked back at his eyes. He was just smiling and leaning back in his chair. When I looked at him, he just tilted his head and raised his eyebrows as if to ask what was wrong.

“…I will. Thank you.”

I gave a brief thanks and came out.

Squeak— Tak—

I stopped in the hallway and looked at the warp coordinate he had written down. A laugh burst out.

‘Ah, this….’

He’s no ordinary person.

There’s no reason to just issue a participation permit. Why would he do that?

That person saw through the fact that I had manipulated the guard’s brain with divine power to get here. In fact, for someone as astute as him, it’s only natural that he would know. What kind of case would it be for a stranger, whose face he had never seen before, to enter a space that only authorized personnel can enter?

I was a bit surprised to meet a Wittelsbach of the Elias type after only seeing the calm Wittelsbachs like the king and Leo, but anyway, he also used the language of high society. The reason he brought up my hair out of the blue was to show that he had noticed I was a divine power-using mage after comparing the passport issuance date and the passport photo. He seemed to be trying to reassure me in that way, but it was too sudden, so I wasn’t reassured.

Anyway, there are only about ten mages who use divine power in this kingdom. This is why he said, ‘If things go well, tell the king my name.’

‘What if I commit a magic crime or something.’

People of the Elias type are unpredictable and difficult to deal with. That smiling face is probably not because he’s a genuinely bright and positive person, but a calculated smile.

It might also mean that he trusts Bavaria’s ability to handle things, but the answer was in the trait. It was an ability I had seen in the Vice-Minister of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It seems highly likely that he determined my nature with his Connoisseur’s Eye.

Even so, I can’t let my guard down. I’ll wait and see for now, but if I’m put under surveillance or a real problem arises, I’ll turn back time. This is a different world, so turning back time here won’t affect the real Leo.

I moved to the warp coordinate he had given me. It was the on-site operations committee office. When I showed them the paper the royal had written, the registration was a breeze.

Of course, that royal was not someone who handled participation applications, so he didn’t give me a proper participation certificate, but just wrote a note to put me in a withdrawn spot and stamped his own seal.

Thanks to that, I could feel the operations committee staff looking at me with a “what is this guy” look in their eyes. They must be curious about the connections of a person who gets in at the last minute with a royal seal.

“How many have withdrawn?”

“Five so far. Now that Your Excellency is here, there are four vacant spots.”

“I see.”

I checked the time.

It took two hours to get here. One hour must have passed outside.

“Alright, that’s it. You can wait and go out when your name is called.”

I checked the paper the staff showed me.

The very last of the 20 teams. It seems they had rearranged the list up to the withdrawn spots.

“How long does one match usually take?”

“You should plan on about 10 minutes at first. It takes longer as it goes on.”

“……”

I stroked my chin and nodded. A hollow laugh escaped me. Can I even get a job—get a point—and go back within today? Of course, if I want to move up the king’s birthday celebration even a little by the outside world’s standards, I have to start now.

And so, about 3 hours passed. I heard the sound of a amplifying magic calling my name from a distance.

[Franz Lenbach, Lukas Everett.]

I entered the arena. The arena was nothing more than a few Ministry of Magic officials and judges at the edge. I know it’s not a competition where even the royal family comes to watch, but I can see people in the royal guard uniforms standing around the upper spectator seats.

It doesn’t matter. It’s good if there are real royals, and it doesn’t matter if there aren’t.

‘Let’s finish this quickly and go.’

My interest was in the closing time anyway. If someone comes into my room at this rate, it’ll be a big problem. I’m getting more and more nervous.

Soon, the buzzer sound I had heard countless times outside rang.

Beep—

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep