The vice-chair furrowed his brows at the black box Elias had thrown to him.

“What is this?”

“It contains important materials I personally prepared.”

“…Materials? Be aware that any action threatening the safety of those present or disrupting the meeting will result in severe punishment. Can you assure us it’s safe?”

“Yes, I swear it.”

The vice-chair suspiciously eyed Elias and the box. He glanced at Elias once more before opening the lid.

“Wait…!”

Before I could finish my sentence, the color drained from the vice-chair’s face in an instant.

“Ugh, AAAAAAHHH!”

BANG―!

As he rose, he must have hit the desk with his leg, causing something to break.

Simultaneously, the other councilmen grasped the situation and jumped to their feet.

“What is this, mosquitoes?!”

“Get out! Quickly!”

The room descended into chaos.

Councilmen’s screams and the sound of chairs toppling over mixed into a cacophony of noise.

“Don’t push, please!”

“Get out! Get out!”

“How could you do something like this here…!”

The vice-chair’s voice echoed from outside the room.

Elias looked towards him and laughed.

“What have I done?”

“Do you even need to ask! Huh?!”

“I handed you a box containing two mosquitoes. That’s it. And they’re males, by the way.”

“That’s it? Is that all you have to say?!”

“Hold on, Vice-chair. Maybe….”

One councilman restrained him and spoke to another person.

A councilman near the doorway gestured to me, pointing at the mosquitoes and then my wand.

“…Sir Nikolaus, please purify them.”

I pulled out my wand and cast a purification spell.

Silence.

Nothing happened.

“…….”

“Could it be….”

“They’re ordinary mosquitoes.”

Elias put his hand next to his head, the one without the crutch, as he looked at the guards aiming their wands at him.

He then shrugged.

“The vice-chair explicitly stated there would be no problems. He also mentioned the Royal Family would prepare for any disaster beforehand. With such firm belief, where did the impure thought that these might be contaminated mosquitoes come from?”

“When you suddenly bring mosquitoes in, who wouldn’t be mistaken?!”

“So, do you think Pleroma will give a warning before they strike?”

“…….”

Of course, Pleroma wouldn’t. With Elias’s intention becoming clear, the meeting room fell silent again.

Someone, sensing the disadvantage, urgently signaled to the broadcast camera to cut the feed.

Elias, wearing a serious expression, addressed the councilmen.

“This is the material I’m presenting. Since you all acted so nonchalant, I assumed you wouldn’t be surprised by something of this caliber. You didn’t consider this an issue before, so why are you now so alarmed by mere mosquitoes?”

“Hey! Speak reasonably!”

“You’re the ones who’ve been speaking unreasonably until now! Despite the entire nation being at risk from killer mosquitoes, you all confidently claimed there were no problems. Yet here you are, running away from common mosquitoes you can find in any neighborhood. I’m impressed. As you leave, why don’t you also vacate your seats in the Senate?”

The councilmen pointed at Elias in rage, shouting profanities.

Amidst the chaos and the councilmen’s outbursts, I called up the status window.

Seeing a protagonist’s wild antics in reality is quite different from reading about them in a novel. In the story, even if they caused chaos, everything somehow got resolved, so I read without much thought. But being here, living and breathing in the scene, brings up all sorts of concerns.

However, the most crucial and essential outcome will be starkly different from my worries.

Elias Hohenzollern

Impression: +5.4 (+0.9)

5.4 points.

It was 4.5 just ten minutes ago.

In my experience, increasing the impression score by 0.1 in a week is quite difficult in a positive water aspect.

Yet now he’s managed to raise it by 0.9 in just ten minutes.

This indicates how fed up the citizens are with councilmen who only cry about budget shortages while disregarding their safety.

Most members of the Federal Council are either nobles or wealthy individuals.

Living in estates and mansions surrounded by multiple protective barriers, they’ve never suffered from contaminated magic and likely never will.

So it’s no wonder this issue doesn’t resonate with them.

To them, it’s just a waste of precious money.

Elias has effectively turned the situation of the citizens right back on them.

Ethical concerns aside, the primal satisfaction the citizens feel is reflected in Elias’s rising impression score.

Regardless of the legal repercussions, the outcome of this plan couldn’t have been more successful.

‘Although I was a bit taken aback… putting the protagonist here was a good choice.’

“After this commotion over ordinary mosquitoes, surely you’re not still thinking of arguing about the budget for dealing with contaminated mosquitoes that the citizens will face firsthand?”

Elias chuckled as if bored.

He looked at the broadcast camera and raised his eyebrows.

“Since it’s on my mind, let’s give a shout-out. Uncle, thank you as always. I know this aligns with your intentions.”

At the mention of the emperor’s intentions, the meeting room fell silent.

“…No, cut it off. Cut it off, quickly.”

The vice-chair, who had somehow returned to the room, looked twenty years older and mumbled while being supported by his aides.

The mages, who had been dismantling the broadcast spell under a councilman’s orders, quickly finished their incantations.

Elias stepped up to the camera and spoke clearly.

“I acknowledge that I chose the wrong method. I apologize for causing a disturbance, Your Majesty. Lord Nikolaus is blameless; I alone will bear the consequences.”

“Enough! Leave now! The vice-chair has ordered you to exit.”

“Just drag him out! Has the Imperial News not cut the feed yet?! Who’s still connected?!”

“I couldn’t convince them without presenting this material. I believe every citizen of our empire who watched this dialogue would agree. I trust His Majesty also understands my true intentions.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the broadcast spell was completely dismantled.

* * *

“We will resume after a five-minute break.”

Leo’s aide spoke, addressing the gathered journalists.

Currently, I am at the press conference where Bavaria’s official stance on insect contamination is being announced.

And the events in the parliament….

Despite the unimaginable chaos, it was a success.

[50,000 Citizens of Mepen and Osnabrück Express Support for Elias Hohenzollern and Nikolaus Ernst]

[Wave of Support for Duke Elias Grows in the Southern Empire, Despite Regional Rivalries]

[First ‘Dissolution of Parliament’ Rally in Imperial History Held… Public Disappointment in Broadcast Dialogue]

[Spontaneous Protests Erupt in 58 Regions Nationwide, Disbanded Within Two Hours on Prime Minister’s Recommendation]

No, not “despite the chaos,” but because of it, the response has been explosive.

Crackle―

The last article disappeared as if it had been censored while I was reading it.

Soon after, the third article was also cleanly erased.

‘This country is going to ruin.’

Regardless, it wasn’t just about gaining support.

[Emperor Friedrich Issues Administrative Order: “Weekly Purification of 21 Contaminated Zones Nationwide”]

[“Nephew Duke Elias, Caution Needed Due to Aggressive Behavior… But His Intentions are Commendable” – Interview with Emperor Friedrich (1)]

Our demands were also accepted.

The emperor, seeing the overwhelming public support for Elias, quickly shifted to a neutral stance, simultaneously scolding and praising Elias to appear as a model uncle.

His behavior is reminiscent of someone trying to portray an ideal role model for personal gain.

And then….

Ding―!

Chapter 4. Constant dripping wears away a stone (2)

Quest 2: Achieve an Impression Score of 5 (1/1) (47 hours 38 minutes 12 seconds) Route 1 — <Special Reward for Chapter 4> Route 2 — <Chapter 5: Don’t Praise the Day Before the Evening>

I succeeded in this quest as well.

Originally, I would have barely met the deadline after several planned events following the dialogue. But, just one speech fully raised my impression score to 5.

Ding—!

Congratulations!

Quest 2: Achieve an Impression Score of 5 is Successful!

Confirming Route 1 — <Special Reward for Chapter 4>.

‘Hmm.’

I think it would be better to open this later rather than now.

I don’t know what the reward will be or if it can be postponed, but if the hypothesis that the rewards and the status window are provided according to the situation is correct, there will be a more necessary time.

Whether because I wanted to defer it or because this system had always shared my thoughts, the window didn’t advance.

I’ll save it for later then.

Anyway…

Nikolaus’s impression score continues to rise at this moment.

Lucas Rene Askanian

Impression: -9.9 (+0.1) [+5.0000099]

Even in the blink of an eye, the numbers keep changing.

Lucas Rene Askanian

Impression: -9.9 (+0.1) [+5.0000105]

Elias originally had an impression score of 3, and Narce’s was a question mark.

Most students range between 1 and 5.

Considering that Leo’s impression score is +10, it’s likely that my older brother also has a perfect impression score.

Since Nikolaus is masked, there’s a limit to how much human favorability he can gain.

It might be tough to reach 10, but I need to aim for at least 8, ideally a stable 9, to ensure that when my identity is revealed, my brother’s schemes won’t easily sway me.

This choice was right in that regard.

To gain great benefits, you must take equivalent risks.

Of course, that means I must adapt to these circumstances.

I looked down at the handcuffs around my wrists under the conference table.

The shackles completely blocked the magic flow in my hands.

Though Elias caused the chaos, the citizens are positively viewing me as if I’m his ally. Hence, I was also arrested.

‘Damn…’

I could only laugh.

It went as expected. Although, this was one part I didn’t need to go according to plan.

Never in my life had I worn silver bracelets, yet here I am.

Not that I plan to blame Elias.

He made the best possible choice to elicit the maximum reaction, and knowing his potential, I entrusted him with the lead despite knowing he often caused more chaos than expected.

The success criteria for this task aren’t based on whether we were arrested.

This battle is a grand psychological war.

The chance of us ending up in jail is slim, but even if the state were to imprison us, we would ultimately win if the public supports us.

‘If I didn’t want to take risks, I should have stayed away from the protagonist.’

I judged that the benefits of staying with him outweighed the losses, and indeed, the impression score rose rapidly enough to achieve the quest two days early.

While my mental health might suffer, the plan’s efficiency and effectiveness far exceeded expectations.

“We will resume now.”

After the break during the conference, Leo returned to his seat.

I looked at the crowd filling the conference hall and the live broadcast equipment placed far away.

As soon as the broadcast ended, I was arrested along with Elias, but Leo vouched for me, allowing a temporary move to Bavaria.

This was to report on the contamination status in Bavaria, as scheduled.

However, since Elias’s investigation wasn’t over, my magic was restricted due to the risk of flight.

“As reported in writing on the day of the incident, by the early morning of November 3, all five restricted zones in the Kingdom of Bavaria were completely purified. We would like to reiterate that no contaminated insects were found in Bavaria’s restricted zones.”

Leo, seated at the long table in the conference hall, looked around the room with amplification magic activated.

“Our kingdom will recruit two mages capable of using divine power by the deadline set by the Empire and conduct weekly purification.”

“Has there been any discussion on which mages will take charge of Bavaria’s restricted zones?”

A question came from one side of the conference hall.

Although our demands were accepted, there was another surprising instruction from the Royal Family.

Due to a shortage of mages capable of using divine power, the Royal Family directed each kingdom and duchy within the Empire to find mages themselves to meet the purification quotas.

The Royal Family, being a kingdom within the Empire, naturally monopolized the mages registered in various regions.

‘Politics can be this short-sighted, huh?’

Of course, I don’t care how they do politics.

I’m rather grateful for their reckless actions.

“We are grateful that Sir Nikolaus here has agreed to take charge of Bavaria’s restricted zones since discovering the contamination issue. We extend our thanks once again.”

As soon as Leo finished speaking, the cameras flashed incessantly.

With this, I officially gained another title.

Another journalist spoke.

“Sir Nikolaus, we hear you’ve received offers from eight duchies and principalities within the Empire, correct? Especially from Hesse, promising double the pay?”

Naturally, various regions were desperate to find suitable mages.

As a result, countless contacts arrived at the Bavarian government to scout Nikolaus.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Then, why did you choose Bavaria over other nations?”

“I am a Bavarian citizen and a member of the Bavarian royal army. I will always be loyal to our kingdom.”

I voiced the answer they most wanted to hear.

As befitting a nation with pride as the second strongest in the Empire, a satisfied expression crossed the faces of several Bavarian journalists.

‘Shall I check again?’

Lucas Rene Askanian

Impression: -9.9 (+0.1) [+5.0000139]

Ten minutes ago, the last digits were 105, and now they are 139.

The growth rate is gradually slowing.

I pushed the window to one corner of my vision and spoke as the sound of camera shutters and flashes subsided.

“However, as a member of the Empire, I cannot ignore the struggles of fellow Imperial citizens. If there are regions that fail to recruit mages by the end of the preparation period recommended by the government, I am willing to participate in purification on other days as long as my divine power permits.”

At that moment, the corner of my vision flashed with rapidly changing white numbers.

Lucas Rene Askanian

Impression: -9.9 (+0.1) [+5.0005979]

From 139 to 5979.

The reason I’m grateful for the Royal Family and the Imperial government’s rotten statements and guidelines is precisely here.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep