In Luca's memory, the man standing before him was the long-time steward of the Askanian family, always by his father and brother's side.
Not being a mage, his face had aged naturally, with prominent deep wrinkles.
"Hello."
"I hardly recognized you, you've changed so much since I last saw you. It's good to see the brightness you had as a child returning."
Saying that to me wouldn't change anything.
I glanced at the box in his hand and replied, "You remember me as a child?"
"Yes, you had this sharp look in your eyes. It pained me to see you struggle so much with your constitution as you grew up."
I didn't bother to respond.
He nodded as if understanding and looked around slowly.
"Actually, I should have come to your dormitory, but as external visitors aren't allowed inside the school, I had no choice but to meet you here. May I escort you to a nearby teahouse?"
"Yes, let's go."
The steward smiled broadly and gestured for me to follow. I matched his pace as we walked.
We circled around the school's outer perimeter until we were near the back gate. Then he led me through a winding alley.
After a long climb that left us slightly breathless, we finally stopped in front of a small door.
The door was barely wide enough for one person to pass through, but inside it opened up into a triangular space.
Through the open windows, one could see the river and the surrounding forest of the capital.
"I used to visit this place often when I was your age. It looks the same."
"You're an alumnus here."
"Yes, I attended with your father. Though I only graduated from Imperial Academy No. 2."
I smiled back as he ordered tea and asked about my well-being.
"Are you feeling better? You were in poor health for quite some time."
"I can't say I'm fully recovered."
"Still..."
He looked into my eyes with concern.
I raised my eyebrows and replied, "But I can manage my studies."
"Ah, yes. I received word from the school last week. You ranked within the top ten of your class. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
"Your brother was very pleased. The Duke was surprised as well."
"I see."
At that moment, the server placed teacups and spoons in front of us.
During the brief pause, I brought up the main topic.
"What brings you here today?"
"There is a request for you to take your medicine directly every three days."
"..."
Every three days.
That's excessive.
He placed the black wooden box on the table.
"From your brother?"
"Of course."
He opened the clasp and handed me a diamond-shaped vial.
"Please take it with your tea. I heard the next dose is due the day after tomorrow."
I looked down at the tea in front of me.
The rich scent of Earl Grey milk tea wafted up, and beside it was a jar of sugar cubes.
As I accepted the poison vial, he opened the sugar jar and used tongs to place a few cubes in my cup.
This had always been the routine. A clear scene in Luca's memory.
I mumbled as I handled the diamond-shaped vial.
"It's not a request."
He nodded, understanding my meaning.
"It's an order."
He quickly added, as if to explain the violence of the word.
"Since Adrian is working with the imperial family, he gets news about Pleroma quickly. He says the current situation is unsettling."
I waited in silence, prompting him to continue.
"There's a rumor, though not yet reported, that Pleroma is developing biochemical weapons in the northern empire."
I almost laughed.
I bit the inside of my lip to suppress my expression.
That information was relayed this quickly?
I didn't expect any parliament members to seriously consider it yet.
"Though you share Pleroma's constitution, the Askanian family knows you mean no harm. But outsiders think differently. With Pleroma's crimes becoming more severe, your safety could also be at risk."
In short, they want to protect me from the dangers associated with Pleroma's traits.
Insisting on administering the medicine personally shows how paranoid and perfectionist my brother has become.
"Adrian is also worried about that, so he sent me here. Taking two vials a week alone must be mentally taxing."
So now I really have to drink two vials a week.
'…Sigh.'
They intend to kill me slowly but faster.
My core has gotten stronger since that day in the basement, so I can endure more than before, but...
'He's insane.'
"My brother is very meticulous."
"Indeed."
He smiled gently and gestured as if offering something.
Naturally, if I forcefully leave or refuse here, it would be the end.
It would be a quick and easy way to die.
I removed the cap from the poison vial with a flick of my finger and poured the liquid into the tea.
The black liquid sank heavily into the pale grey surface. I stirred it lightly with the teaspoon and brought the cup to my lips as casually as possible.
Thanks to the dilution in the milk tea, my throat didn't burn immediately, but it didn't take long for the sting to spread from my tongue to my esophagus.
I felt a sharp pain radiate through my stomach.
It felt like all the blood in my body was being sucked downward to avoid the poison. My vision turned bright red, then black, and I couldn't see even with my eyes open.
A curse nearly escaped my lips.
I smiled and put the cup down.
"You've become quite composed."
I nodded silently.
"You used to cry a lot as a child. You said it tasted awful."
"Did I?"
According to Luca's memory, it wasn't just as a child.
Later on, it wasn't the taste but the sense of despair that caused it. He wouldn't know that and didn't need to.
I just smiled, and he wrinkled his eyes in a smile.
"You used to avoid looking people in the eye, but you've improved."
"I couldn't disgrace my brother's name, so I tried hard. Sometimes people said bad things about him because of me."
I couldn't help but cough.
But he didn't care at all.
In Luca's memory, coughing almost to the point of vomiting after taking the medicine was routine.
Considering those memories and my experience a month ago, the poison should affect me more strongly now, but it's clear my health has improved as I can endure it.
"I see. Students are quite young…"
He shook his head, eyebrows furrowed.
"My brother is the reason I'm alive today. I didn't want to disgrace his name even if I couldn't live a normal life."
"So that's why you tried so hard. It's admirable. I'm sure the Duke and your brother are proud."
"It's still challenging. The Duke feels like family, so it reminds me of home, and it's comforting. It seems my efforts are paying off."
"I'm glad you're feeling comfortable," I replied with a smile and checked my watch.
"It's almost time for the next class. I should be going."
"Of course. I'll escort you to the front gate."
We left the teahouse and walked through the winding alleys back to the school's front gate.
"I've informed the school about the class you missed, so you don't have to worry."
"Thank you."
"I'll see you in three days, Young Master."
I nodded and entered the school.
In this cold weather, I started sweating. Maybe I was already sweating before.
I quickly headed to the nearest building and leaned against the wall.
The tension released, and what I should have felt earlier hit me now.
It wasn't unbearable personally, but my focus and gait might look odd to others.
Should I cleanse myself here?
No, I need to learn specific spells for self-cleansing, and this isn't a minor issue.
Besides, using magic outside the dormitory carries risks.
"..."
While resting on the back step of the building, something scurried up my neck.
A familiar furball.
"Lucas! Narce said to come to you."
"Mm."
I tried to answer sincerely but failed.
Fortunately, Pie didn't mind my poor response.
Pie, holding a root in his mouth, brought it to me.
"Eat this!"
"...Didn't you bring this yourself?"
"Narce said if you say that, it means you need it. And it's clean!"
Narce predicts even this? It's amusing.
As I took the root from Pie, my fingers felt a chill as if dipped in holy water.
The sensation wasn't bad, so I chewed and swallowed it.
"…!"
The pain in my throat disappeared quickly.
I still felt weak, but I could walk. Pie examined my face closely.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay."
Do animals smile? It seemed like Pie was smiling.
Seeing Pie on the verge of chatting, I laughed.
"Narke used to give this to people often in the Papal State! I helped a lot."
"I see."
"Let's go!"
"Sure."
I dusted myself off and headed to the classroom.
Some faces showed they wanted to know why I was called out. They were all friends from our group.
Unfortunately, I couldn't tell them anything.
I signaled my thanks to Narce and collected my notes to head to the infirmary.
"Skipping classes is always nice."
Though I hadn't planned to skip like this, I wouldn't miss this chance to lie down and organize my thoughts.
The more prescription records I have, the happier my brother will be, so it's a win-win.
In summary, my brother wants me dead quickly.
Giving me more medicine without knowing I use magic means he just wants me to die sooner.
He immediately acted upon hearing about Pleroma's new experiment, showing he's still haunted by the midterm results.
He probably never expected me to improve my grades, so it must have been a huge shock.
Telling me to improve my grades was just a way to make me feel more frustrated and confirm my helplessness.
But I jumped from the bottom of the class to the top ten with one word, making me a bigger thorn in his side.
"He's desperate."
Even as fear and trembling took over, making my skin pale, I smirked.
No matter how he tries to kill me slowly, my plan won't change.
*Ding!*
**〈 Chapter 4. Constant Dripping Wears Away a Stone (2) 〉**
**Quest 2: Achieve an [Impression] score of 5 (0/1) (167 hours 59 minutes 55 seconds)**
* Route 1 — 〈 Special Reward for Chapter 4 〉
* Route 2 — 〈 Chapter 5. Do Not Praise the Day Before Evening Comes 〉
***
On strategy meeting day, a student nervously bit their nails and asked,
"What are we going to do now, Lucas? The parliament is stonewalling us. Do you have a plan?"
"I have a plan."
"…."
The response wasn't from me.
Elias spoke with a sly smile.
"Go to the media."
"The media?"
"Oh."
"Why didn't we think of that before?"
In the novel, the parliament responded like an answering machine, and Elias turned to the media.
But the fact that the Security Bureau's barriers, nearly ten of them, were failing?
It's clearly the imperial family's fault.
'And the media isn't friendly to the imperial family.'
Without magical support from the government, the media couldn't operate.
Elias's tip would be ignored.
"Wait a minute, I don't think the media will be any different from the Security Bureau or parliament."
"Yeah, I think the same."
"Me too."
"?"
The students looked at Elias, puzzled.
"Important people don't understand polite requests. But if their careers are on the line?"
"Their careers?"
"If you threaten the media directors' careers, they'll have no choice but to report it. Don't worry, guys. It'll definitely get out."
Elias blackmailed the media directors into running the story.
It worked.
The main article in the Empire Times and numerous other outlets triggered public outrage, pushing the parliament to pass the agenda hastily.
The strengthened barriers restrained Pleroma, but also mobilized government mages, resulting in a blow to Pleroma.
But reputation-wise?
"That seems dangerous, Eli."
"…Yeah? What do you think?"
Elias reclined in his chair, smiling as if eager to hear my thoughts.
In the novel, Elias made the empire safer and curbed Pleroma's rampage, but he didn't get the recognition he deserved.
The collaboration between the media and the imperial family ensured Elias's efforts remained unknown.
Following the same method would make me an enemy of both the imperial family and the media.
And that can't happen.