I moved to Adelbert’s room, where I had been nodding along to his excited chatter for an hour now.

‘…Might as well just call him Melvin 2.’

Come to think of it, I wouldn’t be surprised if this celebration was organized because he insisted on it.

Like how Melvin had once schemed to invite Nicolaus as a lecturer just to meet him.

At least Melvin is my friend. Adelbert, on the other hand, is nothing more than a steadfast adversary who consistently backed Elias and obstructed me at every turn.

Adelbert excelled in many areas, was more charismatic than the crown prince, and had a large following due to his sociable nature.

‘To think I’d meet someone like him in such a childlike state….’

“I could never act as gracefully as you, Sir. Do you have any books you often keep by your side? I’d like to develop the same values you have.”

“If you read widely, you’ll naturally form your own values, Your Highness.”

When you’re thrown into a foreign land and on the brink of dying in someone else’s body, reading is about the last thing on your mind.

Though that’s the truth, I couldn’t exactly say it like that.

Apparently, my explanation fell short, as the prince continued looking at me with sparkling eyes.

“…It’s not that reading the books I recommend will make you like me. If you have values you truly believe in, you’ll find them in whatever you read. And along the way, you might even discover new perspectives. This isn’t the time to cling to just one book.”

“I see…!”

‘Don’t have an epiphany over something like this….’

Suppressing the urge to look away, I nodded.

‘While I’m at it, let’s check my status window.’

Adelbert Hohenzollern Favorability: +10 Title: — Health: +5 Mental Power: +1 Magic Power: +8 Skill: +2 Impression: +7 Luck: +8 Trait: Charm (Lv.1)

Favorability? Are you kidding me?

But come to think of it, this was similar to what happened with Pai. Younger people seem to be more inclined to shower me with favorability points.

The prince, noticing my hesitation, took out a fancy-looking wine from a display case.

“Sir Ernst, would you care to join me? This was actually a gift from the Crown Prince for me to enjoy alone, but I thought you might like it.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass. I’ve already had quite a bit earlier.”

In truth, I’d barely had a sip earlier, but I wasn’t about to drink with a 15-year-old who seemed to be looking for career advice.

The prince fidgeted awkwardly before returning to his seat.

“…Sir Ernst.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Would you consider being my sparring instructor?”

“……”

So that’s why he wanted to share a drink. Using wine gifted by the Crown Prince, no less.

‘And who am I supposed to teach?’

My skill score had just barely crossed into the mid-4 range.

Sure, mentoring or light sparring between seniors and juniors would be fine.

Adelbert’s skill score was 2.

A two-point difference isn’t insurmountable.

But I doubted that’s all he wanted.

“If it’s truly your wish, Your Highness, I’d like to fulfill it. However, my schedule doesn’t allow for much free time.”

“I see.”

Adelbert couldn’t hide his disappointment and slumped his shoulders.

When he ends up in prison a decade from now, he certainly won’t be this pitiful. The difference between his current self and the image I knew was almost jarring.

“When I have time, I’ll arrange a session with Duke Elias. Now that his injury has healed, he should be able to train soon.”

His face darkened slightly.

“Right. He’s fully recovered. But the Duke…”

“His abilities are beyond doubt. I’m better suited for special magic than combat magic, so he would be a more fitting teacher for you.”

Adelbert pressed his lips into a thin line, gazing into the distance with a troubled expression.

“Do you dislike Duke Elias?”

“……”

I had thought he knew how to sugarcoat his words, but apparently not. He must really hate him.

Given how staunchly he opposed Elias, even when Elias gained the upper hand, it made sense. Adelbert had remained loyal to the Crown Prince until the bitter end, knowing full well his defeat was inevitable.

“I don’t like him.”

“Why?”

“He has no sense of decorum. He’s openly rude, arrogant, and relies solely on his magic.”

Elias may not have been the most modest person, but that’s mostly because his training had been delayed due to his leg injury.

‘But isn’t the one relying solely on magic you, not Elias?’

With a Magic Power of +8 and a Skill score of only +2, it was clear he’d focused on brute-force attacks and defenses without any real effort.

Adelbert furrowed his brows as he continued.

“Moreover, the Duke is… too frivolous. He tarnishes the royal family’s name with his indulgent behavior.”

“Frivolous…? Duke Elias and I have carried out all our activities together. Are you suggesting my actions are also indulgent?”

“That’s not…”

He shook his head.

“I misspoke. I wasn’t trying to disparage you, Sir Ernst.”

Still, he didn’t apologize for what he said about Elias.

I nodded and rose from my seat.

“It’s fine, Your Highness. It’s getting late, so I should take my leave.”

Perhaps he wasn’t in the mood for more conversation, as he escorted me to the door.

“Of course. I enjoyed our conversation today, Sir Ernst. I hope we can talk again soon.”

***

When I returned to my quarters, Elias was sprawled across my bed as if it were his own.

“Quite the popular one, aren’t you, Sir Ernst?”

I cast a soundproofing spell around us.

“You pulled this same stunt back in the detention center, too. Impressive.”

“What’s this? Never heard you talk like that before. Feeling tipsy?” Elias laughed as he rolled onto his side and patted the bed.

“Not drunk. Now move, Elias.”

“Round two?”

“……”

“People were pretty wasted tonight. Even the kid you were talking to seemed a bit over the limit.”

“He did seem that way.”

To keep someone up chatting for an hour into the early morning, even with respect, there had to be some loss of inhibition.

“Any idea why the Crown Prince didn’t show up?”

“Surely he’s sweating blood trying to grow that meager bit of magic power. There’s no way he’d have time to go gallivanting around.”

“Hmm.”

Compared to Elias, the Crown Prince’s magic power is indeed minuscule.

Maybe it’s comments like these that made Adelbert dislike him. Adelbert genuinely revered the Crown Prince—his devotion far exceeded the enthusiasm he showed for Nicolaus.

“Oh, I’m grabbing more wine. Wait here!”

True to his word, Elias teleported back to his residence and returned with a bottle of wine.

While I merely sipped to wet my throat, Elias guzzled it down like a madman.

At some point, he asked me how my conversation with the Emperor went. I recounted the events in detail, and when I mentioned the Catacomb incident, he drank even faster.

“How is it that you’re not drunk after all that?”

“It runs in the family. Ah, Leo should have been here too.”

Leo had already returned to Bavaria.

Before the Magical Potion Experimentation Tournament, he wanted to check for any regional issues back home.

And soon, it would be time for us to leave as well.

“It’s 4 a.m. We should get going soon.”

“Oh, right. You’re leaving at 8 a.m.?”

“Yeah.”

For the next week, we’d be in Bavaria for the tournament.

“Alright, I’ll head downstairs for a moment. Left something in the cloakroom.”

“Go ahead.”

I relaxed on the bed with a book on magical potions, flipping through its pages.

Twenty minutes passed, and Elias hadn’t returned.

‘Why isn’t he back yet?’

Feeling uneasy, I focused my magic-enhanced hearing.

Loud voices echoed from the stairs below.

The late-night bustle was livelier than before, with more people going up and down the stairs than during the main event. Still, I couldn’t pick out Elias’s voice.

‘Better to go check myself.’

The moment I stepped into the hallway, an unfamiliar sound rang out.

Boom! Crash!

“Ahhhhh!”

“…!”

It was Elias’s voice.

I sprinted down two flights of stairs to find a crowd gathered. Some were just emerging from their rooms, while others ran in from the banquet hall.

“Are you alright?!”

“Quick, help him up!”

Adelbert had also fallen and was being helped to his feet by someone.

Next to him, Elias was curled up, clutching his leg and suppressing screams.

It was the same leg that had only recently been unwrapped from its bandages.

‘…This can’t be happening.’

The chill down my spine intensified.

The physician had warned that if he injured that leg again, he might never walk properly.

“Fetch a doctor!”

“Your Highness, don’t move!”

Elias was gritting his teeth, his trembling hand clutching the leg.

‘…I need to rewind.’

[Ding!]

Retry Lv. 1

• Return to the most recent checkpoint in Chapter 5.
• Cost: 2.0 points per use.
• Points to next level: 2.0.

Points Available: 8.0 Luck for next point: +0.25

I opened my mouth to command the system to rewind time, but stopped.

‘…Wait.’

If I rewound now, this entire scene would disappear.

First, I needed to understand what had happened.

“What’s going on here?!”

“That man pushed him! It was him!”

“No, it wasn’t me! I wouldn’t dare harm members of the royal family…!”

“What do you mean it wasn’t you? I saw it too!”

The voices around me blurred into noise.

‘The timing is too perfect.’

Just as Elias’s leg had barely healed, this incident occurred.

And falling down the stairs? Injuring from the knee to the ankle is hardly typical.

‘Normally, it’d be the head or the back. Maybe the wrists or tailbone at most.’

This was deliberate.

Shoving someone in a way that precisely targeted the knee or ankle was no accident. The attacker must have used their body weight to crush the leg against the edge of the stairs.

It was meant to ensure Elias could never use that leg again.

The person who had fallen alongside Elias had likely done so on purpose to exert additional force.

I glanced at the pale-faced prince gasping for air, piecing everything together.

‘The real question is, who did it?’

If I rewound time to prevent the accident, Elias could be saved, but the culprit would remain free.

Without an incident, I’d have no evidence to accuse anyone. Trying to explain what hadn’t happened would only make me sound insane.

If I failed here, the culprit would just wait for another opportunity.

‘I need to rewind, but this time, I’ll be ready to catch the culprit.’

Fixing my gaze on the man now being accused, I reopened the retry screen.

“Rewind to just before this moment.”

The warm glow of yellow lights and vintage wallpaper greeted me.

Moments ago, I had been standing at the stairs; now, I was back in my room, reading the magical potion book.

“…!”

Leaping to my feet, I dashed to the staircase and looked down.

The slow-moving crowd of drunken nobles and politicians descended the steps, chatting lazily.

“We don’t know when another opportunity like this will come.”

“Haha, the star of the banquet isn’t even here.”

“Still, it was good to discuss next year’s security budget with His Excellency. Increasing mage deployments seems prudent….”

Scanning the crowd, I finally spotted Elias. He was coming up the stairs and had just noticed Adelbert among the group. His expression darkened.

“Hey, what’s with that face? Drank too much already?”

“……”

“Even if I try to stay out of it, it’s hard not to say something. You’ve still got years before you’re legal—pace yourself.”

“Your Highness.”

A noble spotted Adelbert and bowed in greeting.

Another noble behind him did the same. Adelbert gave them a polite nod, and they shuffled away.

At that moment, a noble standing above Adelbert staggered unnaturally, as if pulled backward.

Elias froze, his eyes widening in shock.

“…Huh?”

“Ahh?! Catch him!”

“No!”

Thud—

I shoved the drunken noble aside and grabbed Adelbert’s collar as he started to fall.

With my free hand, I flicked my wand to cushion Elias mid-fall with magic.

“…!”

Adelbert’s face contorted in unadulterated shock.

Gripping his collar, I spoke quietly.

“That won’t do, Your Highness. That won’t do at all.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep