At that moment, the surrounding images vanished.
The unfamiliar voices, which sounded like they were speaking in Korean, also disappeared.
Richthofen clicked his tongue and spoke.
"Such a shame. I wanted to find out where that was."
"How can you describe a place you don't know?"
"..."
Elias and Leo stared at me with confused expressions.
Still, they didn't seem to believe that place actually existed in reality.
It was better that way.
I wasn't sure if my friends would accept the truth or if they'd treat me the same after knowing it.
Especially Leo. Our relationship was rooted in Luca's magic.
If Leo were to find out that "Luca" wasn't truly Luca...
'No.'
There was no need to imagine such things.
Even if it meant biting my tongue and leaving this world, I wouldn't reveal it myself. I'd come too far to let everything collapse now.
"Well, that's fine. As long as there's a conclusion, it doesn't matter how we get there. They'll answer eventually, won't they? Champagne without the fizz isn't champagne, after all."
A roundabout way of saying that it's pretty strong. Admittedly, it's starting to hit me.
Unlike my original self, Luca wasn't accustomed to drinking.
"Let's get this over with."
"This is a solo act. Confident, aren't you?"
"When did I say I wasn't?"
Whatever it is, I need to move this along so it'll be his turn next. As I snapped back, he smiled and tapped the table.
The strong lighting stung my eyes, making me squint reflexively.
It didn't take long to adjust to the light.
Cameras and various sound equipment were scattered around the area.
'...Hah.'
It was obvious whose memory this was.
With a 25% chance, I'd expected this to come up again eventually, but no matter how many times I faced it, I couldn't get used to it.
"Unintentional, but how coincidental. So, anyone have a question?"
Elias and Leo turned to me. To be honest, I didn't even have the energy to interpret their expressions anymore.
"Doesn't seem like it. Mr. Askanian, how does this connect to maintaining safety from Pleroma?"
"Not exactly a subtle indirect question, is it?"
Elias and Richthofen's voices merged into a muffled hum around my ears.
Then, someone nudged my shoe.
Leo glanced at me, faintly smiled, and turned back to Richthofen.
'...Right.'
I needed to pull myself together.
I'd underestimated this trivial game, never expecting it to target my psyche. To win, I had to regain my composure.
"While the criteria might be vague, at least it's not something like 'What did you feel when you caught Strauch?' So, it should be fine."
Honestly, I could just say, "There's no connection," and be done with it.
In reality, there was no link between Nicolaus Ernst and me as far as I knew.
But this was no different from poker.
If I were to answer honestly every time...
'Then, the moment I drink, I'd be admitting to the question.'
On the other hand, lying could lead to unforeseeable consequences.
Both sides had something to gain from each other, so leaving it up to mutual trust wasn't likely.
So, my method was simple: Keep drinking until my luck turns around.
I downed the alcohol in my glass and said, "Pass."
He nodded without hesitation and slammed his wand on the table.
The scene shifted to an unfamiliar place—a small bridge covered in dirty mud.
Thin children, who seemed no older than elementary schoolers, were sitting nearby.
The air reeked of decay.
'...Elias's memory?'
But Elias was merely watching Richthofen.
"Oh, it's my turn now. Any questions?"
Elias hesitated for a moment before looking at me.
'Where are you from?' It's a curious question, sure.
But its importance is trivial.
I nodded subtly at Elias and spoke to Richthofen.
"Why are you stalling?"
"Isn't this more fun? Better than just admitting defeat."
He downed his drink in one go. The scene vanished again.
I chuckled lightly.
"Shameless liar."
"..."
Clearly, they'd set up a system where speaking what they believed to be a lie resulted in a penalty.
If it were true, he wouldn't have needed to drink just now.
For the first time, Richthofen seemed unsettled. His eyes flitted briefly before returning to us.
"Sir Nicolaus, is it Narce Farnese? Mr. Askanian never gives straight answers."
He snapped his fingers lightly.
"...!"
Elias's eyes widened, and he clutched his neck as strength drained from his body.
Elias collapsed sideways.
Crash!
His chair hit the floor first.
I caught him with magic before he hit the ground, but his figure quickly vanished from my magic's grasp.
"What the—!"
Clatter!
Leo threw his glass and grabbed Richthofen by the collar.
Narce's face in the illusion twisted into a grimace.
It was the most impulsive act I'd seen from Leo so far.
"You...!"
"Honestly, he seems more like Nicolaus. Protecting your partner so fiercely..."
Richthofen shook his head with a smirk.
"I told you, attacks won't work. This kind of dual-space magic doesn't exist outside the Catacombs, does it?"
"What are you playing at?"
Blue magic sparked from Leo's hands.
Richthofen shrugged.
"Frankly, Elias Hohenzollern's identity is clear. There's no need to keep him around."
He glanced between Leo and me.
"You two don't seem desperate enough. Time to change the situation. Got any last words?"
Should I ask if Robert Müller is above you?
No, that's too obvious.
I need to think of something more significant.
"State your orders clearly. No vague nonsense like 'find out who Nicolaus Ernst is.'"
"..."
He smirked at me, then spoke after a long pause.
"Capture Nicolaus alive. Kill the other two. Does that answer your question?"
"..."
So Nicolaus is the target.
Now, he's using Elias's life as leverage to force me to reveal Nicolaus's identity.
['...I'm starting to see it now.']
The plan, the gaps, and Richthofen's strategy—everything is falling into place.
I even understand why he proposed this game to buy time.
['His plan is surprisingly solid.']
It's almost hard to believe things are going so smoothly.
Leo could tell what Richthofen was thinking.
It was obvious.
Offering two choices without providing any real information was essentially telling them not to pick the other option.
Who would willingly choose a game with no information, especially when past experiences suggested that doing so might lead to even greater danger?
But on the flip side, it meant that Richthofen had a clear advantage in this game.
So, even with the risk involved...
"...Let's switch, Lucas. You're not in the right state for this."
Lucas rolled his eyes up to look at Leo, then glanced toward the empty air where Richthofen's voice had been coming from and murmured softly.
"Let's just continue this one."
"What the—! Are you serious?"
Lucas lifted the hand that had been holding his forehead and slowly curled his lips into a smirk.
"No need to take on new risks. And as far as I can tell, I'm speaking perfectly fine right now."
"..."
Leo furrowed his brow silently.
It was true.
Even drunk, some people could still speak coherently, even if their thoughts weren't straight.
Lucas might not be fully capable of making clear judgments.
'But...'
Every time Lucas had made decisions like this before, he'd had a reason.
Because of that, Leo couldn't bring himself to argue further.
Lucas continued speaking.
"At least let me choose my drink. After all, if I'm keeping up with this game, the least you can do is let me drink something I like."
[Go ahead.]
"Whiskey sour, if you can make that. Brandy sour works too."
[Everything's prepared for you. Order whatever you want.]
"Not a fan of lime, though, so leave it out. And don't skip the garnish—make sure it's presented properly."
Lucas added some unnecessary requests.
'Definitely drunk...'
Leo stifled a laugh.
Asking for a sour cocktail without lime just meant he wanted it with lemon instead. He could've just asked for lemon in the first place.
Surely, there wasn't some deeper meaning behind this.
Before long, two whiskey sours were placed on the table, each garnished with a lemon slice.
Richthofen didn't bother saying anything. The process was self-explanatory, and there was no need for him to add further commentary.
"Lucas."
"Sorry, but no."
Leo hadn't even finished speaking.
He bit his lip in frustration.
"...I really can't back down on this."
"I get it. No matter what tricks they pulled, my memory is what will come up in the drug you took, right?"
"Yeah, exactly. That's why—"
"I won't be hurt by it. Don't you trust me?"
"...No."
Lucas waited silently for Leo to continue.
Even Leo knew how terrible that response was in this situation.
"...To be exact, it's not that I don't trust you. It's people in general."
"Go on."
"People don't know how they'll react until they experience something firsthand. Even if you try to treat me the same, seeing my past might change your feelings. Leaving the past in the past and reliving it in the present are two completely different things."
"..."
"I'm sorry. I don't want to grow apart from you."
Lucas stared at Leo for a moment before shrugging.
"I won't let that happen. I already knew everything about you before we became friends. Don't you realize that?"
Lucas smiled exaggeratedly, furrowing his brow in mock exasperation.
"You do think we're friends, don't you? It's not just me imagining things, right?"
"...Of course...! What are you even saying now?"
"Then trust me."
"..."
"Trust me, and I'll show you that trusting someone isn't always a bad thing."
Leo looked at Lucas, who was grinning confidently.
Where was that confidence coming from?
Judging by his words, Lucas clearly knew which memory would surface—probably one from the previous year.
Still, it might just be the alcohol talking. Maybe he needed a jolt to snap out of it, the kind Elias would deliver with a firm slap.
But for some reason, Leo couldn't bring himself to act.
"Thanks."
Lucas, noticing Leo's expression, smiled faintly and picked up his glass.
He removed the lemon garnish, studied it briefly, then popped it into his mouth in one swift motion.
Then, he pushed his glass away, letting it fall to the floor.
Crash—
"...!"
"Sorry. I'll explain everything later in person, not like this."
Leo was speechless, his jaw dropping in shock.
"Hey, what did you just eat—"
"It's just a lemon. Perfectly edible."
"Yeah, I know that, but!"
Seeing Lucas casually eat a raw lemon made Leo question his sanity even more.
Lucas silently removed another lemon slice from his glass and inspected it.
"Ever eaten a lemon before?"
"Of course I have."
Suddenly, it felt as if a refreshing breeze had swept through, clearing the air in an instant.
The sensation was so fleeting that Leo couldn't tell if it was real or just his imagination.
Lucas abruptly held the lemon slice up to Leo's face.
"Try it. It's good."
"...Didn't you just touch that?"
"Oh, come on. It's clean."
"No, logically, there'd be germs on it."
"..."
Lucas shot Leo a bewildered look, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing, and Leo instinctively averted his gaze.
"Fine, I'll eat it... but why?"
"To soften the blow. Eat it, then take a sip. I'll drink mine right after, too."
What the hell is he thinking?
For a moment, Leo considered knocking some sense into Lucas to sober him up.
But what was the point of reasoning with someone drunk?
Soon, Lucas would read Leo's memory, and the alcohol would wear off. Afterward, he wouldn't be in a position to tease Leo so easily.
Though it didn't make much sense, there wasn't any compelling reason to refuse.
For the first time in his life, Leo bit into the lemon garnish and swallowed a sip of the cocktail.
***
Drip—
The sound of raindrops echoed faintly.
At the far end of the public training grounds, water from the previous day's rain was dripping through an unrepaired section of the roof.
"I want to go back to the dorms."
"This damned school never gives us a break."
The voices of his friends reached him.
Just like a year ago, he sat in the middle of the tiered seating, listening to their pointless chatter.
'Lucas...!'
He wanted to turn his head, but his body wouldn't obey.
It was as if his body wasn't his own anymore.
A small commotion started behind him.
"Did you really eat a rat?"
"No way... but if he did, holy shit..."
Finally, his head turned, following the others.
A short, automatic question slipped from his lips.
"What is it?"