"Hah, I swear, even just remembering that expression is hilarious.
"That kid is so straightforward, it makes teasing him way too fun."
On our way back to the dorms, Elias kept chuckling.
Adalbert had been too stunned at first.
But when he realized that the club president was probably going to accept me on the spot, he quickly recovered and even said he was looking forward to working together.
The fact that someone who admired Nicolaus could dislike Lucas…
It was obvious in theory.
But seeing it firsthand still felt odd.
"Stop teasing your little brother.
"So, what happened after the whole leg incident?"
"He wrote me another apology letter for Christmas.
"But other than that, we haven't met."
…And then he just showed up today to laugh in his face and leave?
Classic Elias.
When we warped to Leo's training ground, I spotted Narce already there.
Pai, perched on his shoulder, waved a little paw at me.
Leo stood there, slightly slouched, holding his wand with a crooked grin.
"…At what point did my training ground turn into a meeting spot?"
"Well, Elias is obviously here to bother you, and Lucas was already supposed to train with you~"
Narce said it so casually, as if it were obvious.
Leo sighed.
"So? What is it this time?
"If you're about to tell me to drop everything and leave, then no."
"..."
I laughed.
That was… firm.
I could already see how things were going to unfold.
Since I hadn't trained properly since finals, Leo was definitely going to push me to the limit.
But Narce shook his head.
"No, no, it's nothing urgent~
"Lucas, it's actually about Vatican business."
"What is it? Do we need to go somewhere?"
"Nah.
"The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith assigned me something, but it's too much to handle alone…
"So I wanted to ask if you'd be willing to help."
Narce… asking for a favor?
That was a first.
"…What kind of job?"
"Exorcism."
"..."
"Oooh~ Sounds fun."
I was supposed to perform an exorcism?
For some reason, it suddenly hit me that I was living in a fantasy novel.
But now that I thought about it, even in reality, religious people often talked about demons.
Narce tilted his head.
"Have you ever heard of exorcist priests?"
"They're the ones who beat up demons, right~?"
Elias, clearly intrigued, whistled.
"Pretty much.
"The Roman diocese specifically requested our help.
"I was already receiving exorcism training."
"Huh? Wait, I think I've heard of that before.
"Wait, Narce, are you actually part of that group~?"
"Yeah."
Narce laughed a little, almost shy about it.
Elias immediately clapped his hands.
'Not just part of it—he's the head minister.'
Once again, this world reminded me that magic was everything.
Of course, it wasn't that surprising.
Narce's stats were ridiculous.
The Vice Minister of the Congregation had a Level 9 Insight, and even he didn't recognize me as a believer.
Meanwhile, Narce, with just Level 2 Insight, had immediately figured out I was an atheist.
"…So where are you operating?"
"Here in the Empire.
"The Imperial Church made a request to the Vatican."
"And how does it work?
"I've never learned how to perform an exorcism."
"Oh, don't worry.
"As long as you can use divine power, the process itself isn't that hard."
His eyes sparkled.
I didn't really have a reason to turn him down.
"Alright. I'll help."
"Great~!
"I'll let them know Cardinal Nicolaus will be participating.
"This'll officially count as your first Vatican mission."
…Huh.
I still hadn't fully processed that I was actually a Cardinal now.
But hearing it phrased like that made it feel… real.
Narce grinned.
"Oh, and Lucas—
"Can you stay up all night?"
"…Why?"
"I was thinking we could head out at dawn."
"Dawn? That soon?"
"Yeah.
"I wanna do some preliminary scouting.
"Can either Leo or Elias join us…?"
"ME ME ME ME ME! I WANNA GO!"
Elias jumped up, yelling.
Leo simply covered his ears and sighed.
"…How old are you again?"
"I turned 18 a few days ago~
"So I'm still older than you, Leo—unlike someone who's still 17."
"…It's only a few months."
"Yeah, but I learned to talk first."
"You're still shorter than me."
"I'll grow taller this year~"
Elias declared, full of confidence.
…He was still shorter than Leo even ten years later.
No need to mention that, though.
'Now that I think about it… Lucas already turned 18 too.'
It had been about two months.
I was so busy when I first arrived that I hadn't registered it.
And since the Education Bureau still used the academic age, I was technically still 17.
Narce, watching their banter, turned to Leo.
"What about you?"
"I'll go.
"But we can't use divine power, you know.
"Will that be okay?"
"We're just scouting for now~"
Leo hesitated for a second, then nodded.
"Fine.
"It's still early in the semester, so I don't have much to review anyway."
"Great! I'm glad we can all go together~"
"…But will Lucas be okay?"
Leo stared at me, calculating something.
…For some reason, his tone sent a shiver down my spine.
***
"..."
"…Well, Lucas definitely isn't going anywhere."
Elias patted my back.
We had been training nonstop for four hours since 8 PM.
And now, I couldn't stand up.
In fact, I was flat on the floor.
I had actually gotten ready to leave—
But the moment I changed clothes, my body gave up.
Good thing people here don't wear shoes inside their bedrooms…
Elias chimed in from behind me.
"Hey, but four hours is a pretty long time~
"When I was a kid, I'd collapse in three minutes against Leo."
I sighed.
I knew for a fact that he had only collapsed in three minutes when he felt like it.
Leo ignored his nonsense and offered a suggestion.
"Next time, we should train as a trio.
"The balance is a little off, but learning Elias's combat style would be useful."
"..."
I laughed dryly.
If it was just about learning Elias's style, then wouldn't it be easier to just watch them spar?
Elias suddenly brightened.
"Oh, yeah! I wanna fight Lucas!
"Use divine power and attack me!"
"…No thanks.
"Maybe later."
I didn't want to hear another word about training tonight.
Wait… I haven't checked my stats in almost three weeks.
Might as well take a look.
[Lucas Rene Askanian]
Title: Sir Nicolaus
Health: +3.0 (+0.5) [+6.0] Mental Power: +1.5 (+0.6) Magic Power: ? Skill: +4.4 (+0.3) [+7.4] Impression: -9.6 (+0.3) [-3] [+7.69523261] Luck: +3.3 (+1.05)
Traits: Dawn 777, Divine Power, Charisma (Lv.2), Retry (Lv.1)
Oh.
School reputation score used to be -6.8.
But now it had shot up to -3.
More than that—my health stat was at 6?
"…Alright, let's go."
"Whoa, where'd this energy come from all of a sudden?
"What just happened?"
Elias clapped his hands, laughing.
I stood up in one swift motion and held out my hand.
Narce, who had been watching quietly, took it.
The moment he did—a strong gust of wind slammed against my face.
***
"…Did we come here for a vacation?"
I let out a dry laugh at the sight of the lavish dinner table.
So this was why he insisted we all come together.
We had arrived at one of the Empire's most famous resort towns.
Technically, we were here because of a request from the Vatican, not just for fun.
But… since we happened to be at a vacation spot, Narce clearly wanted an excuse to drag us along.
Narce, appearing suspiciously prepared, casually pulled out a bottle of wine and grinned.
"The official exorcism mission starts this weekend.
"It's still Monday, so today we're just getting familiar with the area~"
"…So basically, we're just relaxing."
"Exactly.
"Oh, and Lucas—I really do need your help for the actual mission.
"There's no way I can handle this alone."
Narce chuckled awkwardly.
If he was saying that, then just what the hell was going on here?
Narce poured himself a glass of wine and explained.
"To be honest… I brought you guys here because I realized we never really took a break.
"We only get two weeks of vacation, and we spent all of it taking exams or working.
"That's not fair, right?"
That was true.
I had taken the exams on purpose to avoid going home.
But Elias and Leo?
They weren't as desperate to stay away.
So they probably felt robbed.
Elias, stuffing his face, mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"Yeah~ A guy's gotta relax sometimes!
"If I wasn't worried about getting held back, I'd have skipped school too.
"Man, I was scared they'd find the curse marks still left in my body."
"Chew before you talk."
Leo muttered from across the table.
…At least Elias was enjoying himself.
The guy was shoveling food into his stomach like he'd been starving for days.
"Aahh~ This is amazing."
"You literally already ate dinner.
"You sure you should be eating that much?"
"Oh, I digested all of that two hours ago~"
Narce, watching this spectacle, swirled his wine bottle and asked,
"You guys wanna drink?
"I'll only pour one glass each, though—don't wanna get drunk."
Elias's eyes lit up.
"Oh, finally!
"I've been waiting for a friend who actually gets it."
"I'm good.
"You guys go ahead."
Leo, clearly still traumatized by his last experience with alcohol, declined with a grimace.
Meanwhile, Elias had already poured himself a full glass and chugged it down.
"…You still hung up about the Catacomb wine?
"That doesn't count.
"The moment those drugs hit, it wasn't alcohol anymore.
"Besides, Champagne isn't even real alcohol.
"It's just carbonated water."
"…What.
"The hell kind of logic is that?!
"It's just not your taste."
The two of them launched into a heated debate about Champagne.
Meanwhile, I glanced out the window.
This was a noble estate far from the nearest town.
All I could see was forest and mountains.
Narce had said that the lord of this land had requested the Vatican's help because people were becoming possessed.
There were no divine mages in the local diocese, so they had to send for the Vatican.
'If a rumor like that spreads, the businesses here are screwed.'
This place was called the Summer Capital of the continent.
Every year, nobles from all over came here to vacation.
But right now?
It was winter.
The main attraction, the hot springs, were under maintenance.
So there were no tourists.
Still, the local noble said he'd open part of the hot spring for us.
Which meant…
The repairs were probably almost done.
As I was thinking, I overheard my friends switch topics.
They were now discussing going to the hot springs.
"C'mon, we're in Baden-Baden.
"It'd be a crime not to go soak."
"Right after eating?
"You're not supposed to expose your body to high temperatures immediately after a meal."
"…Man, you're so from a doctor family."
"…I was just looking out for you."
In the end, no one went to the hot springs.
Instead, Elias and Narce left to do some early scouting.
I lay down on my bed, lost in thought.
'…Demons, huh.'
No matter how much the Church preached, most people treated demons like boogeymen.
Even some priests did.
I used to think the same.
But…
Now that I was a Cardinal—
Even if it was just an honorary title—
I should probably take this seriously.
'Might as well start building my track record.'
It wasn't exactly the noblest reason.
But whether or not my intentions were pure didn't matter.
As long as I took the job seriously, I would succeed.
I checked the local newspaper but found nothing useful.
It seemed like they were suppressing information to keep the rumors from spreading.
'Guess I'll have to ask around myself.'
Having free time felt weird.
I opened the exorcism ritual book Narce gave me.
I spent the next few hours drilling the ritual procedures into my brain.
After a while, I closed the book to rest—
Only to immediately start thinking about the Imperial Family again.
"…Leo."
"Hm?"
"What was the final report on that drugged wine I gave you?"
"Oh.
"I didn't tell you the details?
"We still don't know what it was made of.
"The ingredients don't exist in the Empire."
It reminded me of Adrian Askanian.
Prince Adrian's hostility toward Elias had never been this blatant before.
'So it's not Adalbert who's the problem—
'It's the first prince.'
He must've been desperate.
Unlike in the novel, Elias had someone backing him.
That was enough to change things.
And it meant that not just Elias—
I was now on his hit list too.
'If I reveal myself as Nicolaus, the Emperor and Adrian could join forces.'
I had created Nicolaus to deceive Adrian.
And that had kept me alive this long.
If I revealed the truth now, Nicolaus and Lucas would merge into one identity.
But…
There were three people just waiting for a chance to tear Nicolaus down.
I wasn't about to let them use me as their scapegoat.
'…Looks like I'll need to strengthen my position in the Vatican.'
To stop them from framing me, I needed to secure my Cardinal influence.
And that meant—
'This exorcism mission just became important.'
The only way to get answers was to start investigating.
"…Alright. Time to sleep."
Just then—
A loud bang shook my bed.
Pai, who had been curled up on my pillow, suddenly lifted its head.
I looked at Leo.
He looked just as confused.
And then—
BOOOOM—!
[AAAAAAHHHHH—!!]
A piercing scream echoed through the night.
I felt chills crawl up my spine.
Leo and I locked eyes.