Chapter 338

I did not know what kind of opportunity it was.

‘It is no different from usual.’

It felt like my blood was about to turn into alcohol. I kept drinking until it reached that point. The small lights inside the dark bar blurred in my vision. Elias smacked his lips as he drank, then pulled out a cheap liquor bottle about half the size of his palm from his jacket.

“If you drink rum and then whiskey, the whiskey you usually drink suddenly tastes twice as good. You have to periodically adjust the flavors that go into your mouth. That is how you can enjoy gastronomy, and also stop complaining uselessly about the world. Nobles get soaked in inertia, do not even feel grateful for whatever they eat, take it for granted, and do nothing but complain….”

“Yeah. That side of them does exist, I think.”

I slowly nodded, feeling my brain and eyes heat up with alcohol. I was not even sure what I was saying. As I mulled over it, I noticed a problem. I realized belatedly that I had spoken with my twenty-first-century modern self mindset and smacked my lips too late. Fortunately, since I was with Elias, it would not be a big issue that I, a noble, had criticized nobles.

“Gastronomy starts from gratitude. If your mindset is rotten from the start, then no matter what you eat, it is nothing more than a collection of nutrients, right?”

Right…. After that, Elias’s gastronomic theory poured out endlessly. Eating often felt like a burden to me, so I usually stuck to familiar foods, and I did not have much interest in gastronomy. Still, I liked hearing what Eli was thinking about in his life. It was always like that. Ever since I read him. I tried to engrave that information properly into my mind, nodding mechanically.

“But there is a problem that the places we usually stay do not stock rum like this, so I always carry it around like this. I will give you some too!”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks. I am going to the restroom for a bit….”

“Me too!”

‘No, stop following me already….’

I wanted to give my ears a brief rest, but that was not happening. Elias chattered nonstop the entire time, from going to the restroom to coming back to our seats.

“And you?”

“…….”

At some point, I had lost the thread of the conversation to drowsiness. What had we been talking about? Gastronomy, then briefly Ulrike and the Class 1 friends, then some pointless talk about bias in the school library’s collection, then a suggestion to go to a casino, then some serious nonsense about blowing up the command headquarters, and then… I could not keep track at all. Pressing my eyes hard with my hand, I replied,

“I am the same as you. …Probably. Even if I am not, you will be able to persuade me soon.”

“Hahaha! Luka is drunk~”

“That seems to be the case.”

“No, no! It is no fun if you admit it like that. Usually at this point everyone goes, ‘I should get going now~,’ and leaves me behind.”

“If you do not leave at this point, you cannot walk home on your own two feet.”

“Even though it is the dorm? Even though it is the next room over? Even though I am lonely?!”

“Still. What does that last part matter….”

“Today it does not matter because you are here, Luka~ You are going to play with me until dawn~”

Elias threw an arm around my shoulders and swayed his body from side to side like a lunatic. I really could not get a read on this guy. The combination of his shining eyes and the confident curve of his lips looked like it would boast tremendous rudeness, and recalling now, it actually did to some extent, but the way he spoke when he was with his friends was not quite like that. Other friends, especially the Imperial Second Academy Class 1 students, would be dumbfounded if they saw him like this. Of course, I knew that rudeness was a defense mechanism. His delinquent act was intentionally performed, but the recklessness and temper that made up a large part of it were manifestations of a lifetime of defensive psychology and his innate disposition. He could not be defined by just one thing. As I had thought before.

‘…I wonder how Elias would have grown up in a world without Friedrich Hohenzollern.’

Still, I doubted he would have been particularly gentle. As I smiled at that thought, Elias shoved his face close to mine.

“Want to go to a casino?”

“If we go in this state, we will lose everything. My brain is not working at all.”

“I feel like you would never lose….”

“Hey, guys.”

Hearing someone call from behind, I slowly turned around. Elias, who was not yet drunk, stood up and clapped his hands.

“Narce~”

“Uh, Lukas, your clothes….”

Narce, who had lightly hugged Elias, looked down at me and trailed off. Elias patted my short jacket and said,

“I gave him my clothes. Looks good, right?”

“Mm~ It does.”

After blurting out that childish line to him in the corridor, I had stopped by Elias’s room. At that time, Elias said he needed to organize his carrier, turned everything upside down, and started handing his clothes to me. Elias’s clothes were not my taste, but just in case, I went along with it. Of course, as you can tell from the fact that I was still drunk here, my favorability did not go up.

I even picked an artifact. Elias insisted that silver suited me better than gemstones, so I did that. Even if Leo, with his by-the-book tendency of prioritizing prior consultation, came up here immediately, I would have nothing to say.

“I thought you did not like Lukas wearing clothes like that. Honestly, you do not like it that much either, do you?”

At Narce’s words, Elias stayed silent for a long while, then smiled.

“It is my clothes, so it is fine. And more importantly, he is going to take them off soon anyway~”

“Change again? Fashion shows are a pain now….”

“Change into what! Obviously, now we go get grilled! We cannot keep drinking here forever~”

“Ah, that is what it is. I am not going. Have fun.”

“Huh?”

“I am not getting into the bath. I will be in the lounge while you go, so let’s meet again then.”

“What?! Why are you not going in?”

I debated how to deflect, but since Narce was there, I thought it was better not to lie and answered honestly.

“I do not like showing skin.”

“…….”

At the truth I had carefully decided to speak, both Elias and Narce froze. Elias rolled his eyes with his mouth open, then raised his eyebrows.

“Um, you go in wearing pants, Luka.”

“I know.”

At that answer, Narce let out a short laugh, lightly covered her mouth with her hand, and turned her head. Elias grabbed my shoulder as he was being led and shouted,

“You know and still do not want to?! Then how did you pull off that Primro, no, that Italian American act?! Even I cannot imitate that look….”

“Did you forget what you did at school this year? I can still vividly see the disciplinary committee that day.”

“Haha~”

Back in Jeremiah’s time, going around looking unkempt and uncivilized had only been possible because it was an act. During acting, there was nothing I could not do. What mattered now was that no situation and no person was demanding acting from me. Elias tilted his eyebrows and asked,

“But it is just the seven of us anyway. We rented the entire hot spring building, so no one else is coming! Would that not be okay…?”

“What does that have to do with anything. I do not like exposing skin even when I am alone.”

“So you are not going in…? Really?”

“Yeah.”

At my firm answer, Elias’s shoulders slumped.

“Ah, that is a shame…. I was just thinking about getting grilled with you while drinking alcohol….”

“What are you grilling so much. I know it is a natural hot spring, but is it that hot?”

“I do not know. It is not fun going in alone. Narce, want to go with me and drink later?”

“Mm, I cannot drink until I am drunk, but….”

Narce glanced at me, then smiled gently.

“If I burn it off with Divine Power, I guess we can keep drinking together. Sure.”

“…….”

Snap,

I grabbed Elias’s arm as he tried to stand up. Elias spoke with a puzzled voice.

“Why? Luka.”

Holding onto his arm, I rolled my eyes.

“…Wait. Just wait a moment.”

***

“Are you really okay~? You said you did not want to.”

“I said I am okay.”

At my dry mutter to Elias’s question, Narce laughed lightly. There was no one coming or going in this massive Renaissance-style building. The Tsheringen family had temporarily rented the hot spring building. In other words, unlike the banquet hall and bar we had been in earlier, only the seven of Eschet came and went here. If other people had been around, I might have given up on sticking with Elias.

Narce seemed to know that I was trying to get closer to Elias. Judging by his expression, the line about ‘continuing to drink together’ had clearly been said on purpose. But since Narce was someone who could really play with Elias until the next morning, I could not let Elias go there. I only had about half a day left now, and I needed to settle things with Elias one-on-one.

‘…Did Elias also deliberately latch onto Narce?’

Did he know everything? That doubt suddenly crossed my mind. Elias’s humming, more excited than usual, sounded suspicious. But the doubt did not last long.

I came to the hot spring entrance and faced a major problem. There were two entrances leading to the baths, and both connected to the same space. Remembering that this was classified as a bathhouse rather than a modern spa or swimming pool, I hesitated, then realized I had seen correctly and grabbed my forehead.

“…It is mixed bathing?! No matter how you look at it, is this sane in the nineteenth century?”

“Why? Mixed bathing? Is that an Old Human term?”

“…….”

Elias kept asking, as if he did not even understand what I was talking about. Right, the concept itself did not exist. At this point, it was oddly pointless for New Humans to fuss over it.

“…You are definitely wearing pants when you go in, right? I know, but since this is Germany, I feel like I need to hear it again.”

“Of course~ You do not usually go in wearing nothing anyway. I do not know about commoners, but we are a bit different. Thinking about meeting here and then going back into the parliament or government office or command headquarters to work together… um. I do not know why, but I suddenly want to punch something. No, I suddenly thought of my uncle and got really pissed….”

Narce lightly covered his mouth, turned his head, and tried to pull something out of his jacket.

“Do not worry~ Of course, even in the seventeenth century, people went in wearing pants. Want to see a hot spring guidebook?”

Right, anyway, there was no need to strictly distinguish places among New Humans. Accepting that, I went into the changing room.

“You really came all the way in wearing a robe…. I am fine just like this.”

“You should wear one too.”

“Yeah. I am wearing one too, Lukas.”

Narce smiled lightly and pointed to his own clothes.

I entered the hot spring wearing the bathing shorts and robe Elias had prepared. It seemed like a good choice. However, upon seeing that, Elias immediately looked deflated.

“Guys, do you think it makes sense to only soak your feet?”

“It is good for blood circulation in the legs. Let’s just drink now.”

“AAAAH! Luka, the problem is not the clothes, you just hate water, right! It is understandable to hate it, but still!”

“I am fine as long as you do not splash water on me from above or dunk me.”

“Oh, you are fine? Then why are you wearing a robe! Narce, you too!”

Elias caused a ruckus in the water, splashing us thoroughly, then dove under. There was no rule against diving, but to dive immediately without staying still was impressive. Ignoring him, I clinked glasses with Narce and drank first.

Then, from far away, there was a sound of someone swallowing water. Something shot up from under the water and shouted,

“Kuhk… g-guys!”

“What the, you startled me.”

Ulrike emerged from a pool that was separated somewhere along the edge, staggering and waving her arms.

“I accidentally swallowed water. And it is not just that, the temperature here is perfect for diving. If you are going to dive, come do it here!”

She was diving too? Their behavior was oddly identical…. Swallowing that thought, I asked,

“Where is Heike?”

“She is probably drinking. I was bored since Heike was not around, so this is good timing. Anyone want to eat some snacks outside? Judging by the robes, it looks like you are not planning to go in anyway.”

“Mm, go with me.”

Narce glanced over Elias and me, then stood up. I looked at the two friends passing by me and felt cold sweat break out. As expected, Narce had roughly caught on to my goal. When the two friends left, Elias scanned the empty, wide hall and grinned. That smile felt ominous, and just as I tried to avoid him, Elias went back under the water. Seeing that, I laughed.

“Your face is going to cook.”

“I protected it with Magic Power.”

Elias said as he rested his arm on the marble edge of the pool. He tilted his head and examined my artifact.

“The artifact earring suits you well.”

“Does it.”

“Yeah. My clothes suited you too. Still, it is better for you to dress like yourself~”

Elias, who had been leaning against the marble, stared at my face, then shifted the topic back to the artifact.

“Can you change the other side too?”

I shrugged. Since earlier, Elias had been excited by the fact that I was playing with him all day and was trying to change everything about me from head to toe according to his wishes. In other words, that was all ‘playing together’ amounted to. Nobles tended not to play in very physically active ways, but in this aspect, it felt fresh to realize again that he was indeed a nineteenth-century noble teenager. At the same time, I recalled that although Elias was a noble, he had not been able to treat others as he pleased, so I followed his demands without complaint. Even so, Elias did not give me favorability.

“You do not like it?”

When I did not answer, Elias asked with a serious face. It was a simple question, just asking whether I liked it or not. But seeing Elias of all people make that kind of ordinary expression left me at a loss for words. After rolling my eyes for a moment, I answered seriously.

“No? It is cool. Looking at it again, it has that sense of balance, I guess. Anyway, there is something to it.”

“…Sense of balance…?”

“I do not know, me neither. I like it. Trust me.”

“Oh! I should trust you~”

Elias laughed mischievously, tilted his head, and asked,

“If I give it to you, will you wear it around? Or it might be fine to pierce one more above.”

“…….”

Pierce one more? If I said okay, would my favorability go up? But I did not want to draw blood again here. I would try it five minutes before the suggestion ended.

“Later. I will think about it.”

“Oh~ You will think about it. What an honor.”

Elias grinned, then downed his drink.

“Luka, are you still drunk?”

“After drinking that much, do you think I sobered up? I am still drinking because of you.”

“Mm~ Right.”

WHOOSH,

At the moment Elias finished speaking, the sound of rushing wind brushed past my ears. The water that had been up to my calves surged upward. Only then did I realize Elias had infused Magic Power and pulled my legs. A heavy splash rang out as something hit the surface.

“…!”

The moment I squeezed my eyes shut, something pressed against my back. Elias laughed heartily.

“Hahaha~”

I slowly exhaled, looking at the barrier spread behind my head that blocked the water. The robe, heavy with water, weighed down on my shoulders, but more than that, I felt relief that water had not poured over my face. The reason he had done this, despite being strong enough to throw me properly, was because he already knew everything I had been through. I was grateful for that, but….

I tried to grab the front of Elias’s clothes as he grinned above me, then realized he was not wearing any and swung my fist instead.

“AAH!”

“…Are you kidding me?! I am soaked. When am I supposed to dry this!”

“Ah~ Too bad, Luka.”

As Elias said that, his mouth slowly curved into a rounder shape. Even in the darkened face backlit by the lights, his eyes shone brightly.

“There is no helping it now. Right?”

I escaped Elias’s water play thirty minutes later. After dealing with Elias for a long time, I was completely drained. I barely managed to get out of the pool and collapsed onto the floor.

‘Ah….’

High schoolers were exhausting to deal with. This was not just a matter of Health, but more of Mental Strength. Of course, even if I imagined Elias at thirty, he would probably act the same, which made me feel briefly overwhelmed. As I let out a hollow laugh, I opened my eyes at the sound of Elias coming out of the pool.

“I am hungry.”

“So what.”

“That is cold~”

Giggling to himself, Elias looked toward the outdoor pools attached around the building.

“Want to go outside? It looks breezy and cool there. We can dry our robes there.”

I glanced down at my soaked robe once and nodded.

When we went outside, my gaze was captured by the dim night sky heading toward dawn. The vast sky, studded with countless stars, spread out above our heads. Below that cliff, I could see the moonlit city of Karlsruhe. Thanks to the Romanticism trend, this place, decorated in the style of a Greek temple, filled my heart just by being seen. I sat with my feet in the warm water and let the spring breeze wash over me.

“Eli.”

“Yeah?”

“Before coming here, do you remember the conversation Leo and I had in the hospital room?”

“Huh? What? The artifact?”

“The one after that.”

Asking Elias what he wanted was not the correct answer. That was my duty to find out. From now on, I would think about what Elias needed, and this question was the first one asked for that purpose.

The conversation with Leo in the hospital room had been based on time. In particular, I needed to know what Elias had thought when he heard Leo say, ‘You never waste time, so this time too, you found the best world within the worst.’ Elias closed his eyes tightly, stroked his chin, and thought for a long while.

“Mm…. Since you always act rationally, I understand all your challenges that look reckless. Honestly, it stings a bit inside, but I will not say anything~ That is how Leo made a huge show of it.”

“What?”

He translated it like that? Yes, essentially, it was correct. Skipping the surface elements and going straight to the essence was impressive. Of course, I had read almost all of that long novel containing over a decade of his life, so I knew how quick-witted and intelligent he was. It was not surprising that he did not take Leo’s words at face value and instead voiced the essence first. Still, hearing him suddenly speak so straightforwardly after making odd laughing noises and grinning was a bit startling. He quickly realized where I had paused and shrugged as he explained.

“Leo is very…. How should I put it, poetic. Whenever he opens his mouth, he talks like Patroclus. You always have to think about what he really means one more time.”

I had never thought of Patroclus as the epitome of a poetic figure, but I understood what kind of impression he had of Leo.

That was enough for this topic. Now I needed to ask the second question. I slowly nodded and brought it up in a way that was not burdensome.

“Eli, there is something I want to ask.”

“Yeah?”

“Earlier, at the banquet hall, what were you about to say?”

Elias immediately understood what I was asking. It was about, ‘Is it because you feel more comfortable since you are in the same situation as me?’

“Ah, that? It is embarrassing to say~”

Brat…. I knew that was not it. Smiling at Elias’s act, I slowly opened my mouth.

“What if I were not in the same situation as you?”

“…….”

Elias stayed still, then spoke.

“We are in the same situation though. You are about to get killed by your older brother, remember. Not me or Leo. Just you.”

“That is true right now.”

“…Hmm, that is a difficult question. If we were not in the same situation, we probably would not have become close. If you had tried to get close to me no matter what, Luka, it would be different, but first, I would not have taken your hand.”

Elias continued, tapping his fingers on the marble warmed by heat.

“Then, if we assume you, without your older brother, tried to get close to me…. Even if it took quite a long time, in the end, I would have become close to you like now. What are you asking, Luka. I am not playing with you all this time because you are an unfortunate friend in the same situation.”

“…….”

“Were you thinking about something like that? I could feel that you were being very considerate of me today.”

Once again, I did not answer. I simply smiled and watched the ripples on the water that he and I were creating. Along with the waves moving at regular intervals, Elias’s voice came through.

“You asked whether I was playing with you because I felt more comfortable since we were in the same situation. No, I am not clinging to that reason anymore, Luka. The reason I enjoy being with you every time is because you always give me new memories. You keep overlaying a new future so there is no room for bad memories to seep in. You make that possible.”

I quietly looked down at him. Light was reflected in his blue eyes as he gazed at the night sky. His calm voice was partially buried by the sound of the wind.

“That moment when we danced earlier might be nothing more than a trivial instant that gets erased from your memory amid your eventful days, but not for me. You have probably heard my reputation in political circles at least once, so you can guess. I have never had good memories of banquet halls since childhood, and even more so of standing alone at the center of them. Every time, all that came back to me was unbearable humiliation. And then suddenly, you asked me to dance there.”

Elias chuckled and continued quietly.

“That was the first time I ever felt that kind of joy in the middle of a banquet hall.”

“…….”

“Yes, things like that are what make me grow fond of you. It is not just because our situations are the same. The time when environments and memories I could not choose felt like they would bind me forever has passed.”

He continued in a calm voice.

“I will surely feel, in the life ahead, that memories from my childhood try to control my actions, and sometimes I will move according to them. That has now become a part of me, something I cannot separate even if I try. Even painful memories are mine. But just as you are clearing away the shadow of death your older brother cast over you, I am also becoming free from things I could not control. You have always shown me that this is possible.”

“I did?”

I forced my voice out of a throat that would not cooperate. Elias nodded and said,

“You always have. You might think you have only saved the citizens through the countless incidents you have gone through, but no. You gave me a future.”

It was heavy. I could not say anything.

In the hundreds of eyes that look upon a single incident, there are hundreds of impressions. I struggled for my own survival, and that became a meteor that eventually settled in hundreds, tens of thousands, millions of eyes, each with a different meaning. Therefore, the one who should hear these words was not me, but Elias. I knew clearly that the one who gave Elias his future was none other than Elias himself.

“So, to put it another way, you are like a pioneer walking one step ahead of me through the desert. I can move forward on my own, but the sense of desolation dominates my chest. Yet in that situation, there are footprints left one step ahead of me.”

“…….”

“Do you understand? I am with your present, not your past, Luka.”

I smiled in silence. A brilliance that still held its breath had already melted into this persecuted high schooler. He had always been the master of his own life. The Eternal Protagonist stood before me. At this rate, it felt like he was the one taking my favorability. If he could see the numbers, by now….

“That is my line.”

I pulled up a memory I had buried deep below, now separated like it belonged to someone else yet still clearly a part of me. Elias lifted his head at my words. Looking into those sincere blue eyes, I said,

“If I said that I am alive up to now because I knew you, what would you think?”

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