The journalists took note of the responses.
Another journalist directed a question at Leo.
"The Papal State has conveyed their intention to support the Empire with Divine Power regarding the issues caused by heretics. A close friend of the Crown Prince, who helped purify Bavaria at dawn on the 7th, is currently receiving offers from various parts of the Empire. Is Bavaria planning to scout him first?"
"We have sent a request, but nothing has been decided yet."
They were referring to Narce.
Even though he's a foreigner, this is not the time to be picky, so he must have received numerous offers as well.
At that moment, a journalist raised their hand.
"An impertinent question, but... Sir Nicholas doesn't remove his mask even in official settings. Can you tell us the reason?"
I shook my head and replied.
"It's difficult to answer that question."
"Have you known the Crown Prince for a long time? You mentioned coming from the Papal State, what did Sir Nicholas do there...?"
"We will only answer questions related to the topic at hand."
Leo's aide, who was sitting beside him, intercepted that question.
Several journalists looked at me with disappointed faces but, knowing it wouldn't work, they started asking questions relevant to the press conference.
'...Hmmm.'
This issue needs consideration soon.
As more people recognize Nicholas, curiosity about the person behind the mask is bound to grow.
Answering their questions directly and listening to Leo's responses, time flew by.
"The scheduled time is up, so we will conclude the press conference. We thank the representatives of the people and the journalists for their participation."
Leo and I left the conference hall behind the aides who were wrapping up the event.
Leo, who had been walking silently for a while, dismissed the security mages following him and entered a room used for warping.
"…It's over."
Leo muttered as he collapsed onto the sofa as if melting away.
"Well done."
"Whatever, let's go pick up Elias now."
"Have you received word?"
"They've finished proving it was a male mosquito. Once you arrive, your magic restriction will be fully lifted."
"That's good to hear."
I extended my arm in front of Leo for the warp.
Just as the first time I saw it, Leo looked at the magic crime restraint with a rather uneasy gaze.
"…It really looks like a criminal's."
"Let's not put it into words."
"I'm sorry for that. I really shouldn't have sent you two together."
"It's fine. I got what I wanted."
"If you achieve what you want twice, you're done for..."
Leo chuckled bitterly and infused it with magic. As soon as the guarantor's magic touched it, the bracelet's restriction on my magic was lifted.
I felt the blood that had been blocked surging forcefully to my fingertips.
Without hesitation, I snapped my fingers and activated the warp magic.
* * *
After resolving all issues with my magic restraint, we entered the isolation room for serious criminal mages.
We were there to meet Elias.
Although Elias's actions were not serious crimes, his magic couldn't be controlled by conventional means, so he was moved here.
"Whoo~"
Elias, who had become considerably haggard, waved from the bed as if it were his own home.
Looking at his face, it seemed he had been putting on a brave front, but it had taken a toll.
Elias quickly got up and gestured at Leo's uniform.
"What's with the outfit? That's totally royal."
"Do clothes catch your eye right now?"
"Of course not. And... Nicholas is here too."
Elias's playful expression gradually disappeared as he looked at me.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble, I just didn't think it through."
"No, it's fine."
Thanks to you, I gained 3 points in nationwide favorability in a day.
...I can't say that.
I sat in the chair next to him and answered.
"No need to apologize. It's not like I wasn't prepared."
"What?"
"I'm the one who judged you could handle it perfectly, and I'm the one who recommended you for this job. I didn't ignore the team's objections and ask you to take this position without expecting something like this."
When I set Elias as the main petitioner, the team had objections.
It's only natural. Suggesting sending one of the school's biggest troublemakers to the court and parliament isn't something easily accepted.
Elias looked at me silently for a while and then burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! This is the first time I've heard such an answer. You're saying you expected me to cause trouble and still gave me the job."
"It would be trouble with a purpose. Your final choice amplified the reaction beyond our expectations. Look."
I handed Elias the newspapers I had bought near the conference hall.
Elias, who carefully read the heavily censored newspapers, laughed again.
"…This isn't a misreport, right? They really accepted the demands?"
"They had no choice. Despite media control, protests are breaking out everywhere."
Leo said.
Elias, with a flushed face, started flipping through the newspapers more quickly.
"Yeah, it seems so. Seeing everything redacted, it looks like we succeeded big time. My and Nicholas's supporters have also grown significantly. Hey, my uncle must be nervous~"
"Do you consider this a success in messing with the royal family?"
"Of course. It's far beyond my expectations."
Elias giggled at my words.
He returned the newspapers to me and said.
"Thanks. If I hadn't followed your plan, I would have just grabbed a career in the Imperial Gazette and resorted to blackmail. I wouldn't have thought about broadcasting… Now I see, you know how to raise the stakes. Nationwide, it's thrilling to think about."
"…Were you really planning to blackmail?"
Leo asked, his face a mix of curiosity and incredulity.
"Of course."
Leo, with a complicated smile, spoke.
"Elias."
"Yeah, what."
"…You're better at this than I thought."
"...."
"...."
I chuckled at Leo's awkward expression.
It was the same expression he had the first day I made him a comrade.
Elias exchanged a bewildered look with me and asked Leo.
"What... what happened to you?"
"Even when I compliment you, you complain?!"
"No, it's just surprising that you recognize my skills now."
Leo replied with a faint smile.
"Yeah, you did well. Although Bavaria might be okay, the rest could have been a lot more dangerous. It's understandable that people are reacting like this to you and Nicholas."
"Right~? How about it, don't I seem more level-headed than my uncle or the Federation Committee?"
"Yeah."
Elias widened his eyes in disbelief.
"What?"
"I said yes."
"...."
Elias's jaw dropped in shock.
Witnessing this situation firsthand...
It seems things are moving faster than I expected. I almost mirrored Elias's expression but managed to keep my face neutral.
"You should be scolding me for disrespect or something right now."
"It's the truth. Everyone in the nation probably thinks the same as I do."
"Lu... Nicholas."
Elias called me with a serious face.
"What."
"What's... what's wrong with him? Has he changed?"
"He's the same."
"Are you kidding...! Never mind."
Elias grabbed Leo firmly as he tried to turn away.
"No, thank you. I was just surprised because it's the first time you've said something like that."
"Ugh…"
"Good to know. It seems Leo is willing to join us without complaints from now on."
Elias grinned and turned his head sharply towards me.
"We can't miss this opportunity. What's next? Surely, you're not stopping here, right?"
"Of course not."
There are countless ways to increase my impression score.
Anyway, I can't stop at just 5 points; I have to keep moving until I reach 9 points.
Leo, sensing something ominous, asked.
"You don't mean to cause another mess like this, do you?"
"Don't worry. This time, I don't intend to get involved in politics."
I looked at Elias and Leo in turn as I continued.
"And, before that, I have something to tell you. I've found Pleroma."
"What?"
Leo and Elias's faces grew serious.
"More precisely, I've identified the most likely candidates. There are two. One in the Neutral faction and the other in the Anti-Barrier faction."
Surprisingly, there was no significant change among the Pro-Barrier faction. This means no one there harbored strong resentment towards me.
"Two? There are two possible Pleromas?"
"Both could be Pleroma, or only one might be."
"So, who exactly are these candidates?"
"Werner Strauch, a Mecklenburg-Schwerin congressman, and Hermann Liebentrop, a Prussian congressman. One from the Neutral faction and one from the Anti-Barrier faction."
Werner Strauch's favorability score is -5.
Although it's not the worst score on a scale that goes to -10, it's the lowest among the Neutral faction.
Even lower than the Anti-Barrier faction, who generally fluctuated between -3 and -4.
Based on past interviews where he said he would follow the people's will, he was the most Pro-Barrier among the Neutral faction.
If he really held such a stance, he wouldn't have a reason to dislike me.
And, he quietly left the meeting midway.
I couldn't determine his final favorability, but it's suspicious enough to consider him. It's possible he left because he couldn't contain his frustration when things didn't go his way.
'If he's really Pleroma, he wouldn't want to do anything to leave a trail.'
There's no reason for him to suddenly oppose me and Elias after maintaining his stance all this time.
Second, Hermann Liebentrop had the lowest favorability among those present.
His initial score was -6, and even after applying traits, it remained at -5.
Without the traits, it would have been -8.
He might have just genuinely disliked our stance, but it's still uncertain.
"So, the question is, who is Pleroma? That's the problem."
"Right. Do you have a method? Maybe we can just go and hit them and see what happens…."
Leo looked at Elias with disdain for his joking suggestion.
Anyway, the method to find out is simple.
I spoke slowly, lost in thought.
"If I hadn't reported this issue, Pleroma would have greatly benefited, so they'll likely discipline whoever failed. And the one in charge will harbor immense anger towards me."
"Right."
Leo nodded.
"What would they do to regain their honor or position?"
"They would have to achieve a success equivalent to this failure."
"Exactly. So, they will have no choice but to come after me or Elias."
Elias mentioned knowing how to raise the stakes.
Therefore, our value has also increased. The same goes for Pleroma.
"If they eliminate us, who have gained nationwide support through this, they can prevent further damage from us and show that Pleroma won't just sit back. It's the fastest way to achieve a result and deliver a massive impact to the public."
"Our deaths would become their propaganda tool?"
"Exactly."
Elias laughed as if he found it amusing.
I continued speaking.
"No matter the timing, they'll contact us to offset their losses. And the one who contacts us will be the Pleroma who was hurt by this incident."
* * *
The next morning, it was Monday, and I returned to school.
The intense events at the council made it feel like a long time, even though I only rested for two days over the weekend.
I wouldn't get an immediate contact from the spy, so I had a few days to investigate.
I placed my bag at my seat in the special class and opened a Divine Power book.
'The second class students aren't here.'
Only the four first class students were present.
I can understand why the second class students are absent.
I exchanged a glance with a first class student I had spoken with before and took my seat.
As soon as I sat down, the students resumed their conversation.
"I thought it was a lie that he filed a lawsuit, but it turned out to be true. I saw it just before the Imperial Gazette closed yesterday. Did you see it?"
"Who didn't see it? They ran out of papers within five minutes of starting and had to refill."
"I thought I was hallucinating. I was like, 'Is something wrong with my head?' But everyone was saying the same thing."
"Right. It's shocking that he could say something like that. Ah, if only I had stayed in the first class... Who were the ones who pushed him to the second class?"
The first class students in the special class whispered and laughed among themselves.
"Be quiet and study!"
The supervising professor shouted through an open window from the hallway, silencing the conversations.
Even after leaving the special class and entering the classroom, the situation was the same.
Elias was mentioned everywhere in the school.
Well, he was already a topic of conversation.
But now, instead of being famous for causing trouble, he was praised for his bold actions, and his image in the school changed accordingly.
They might grow up to be like those congressmen, but for now, they seemed to support Elias's sense of justice.
Elias's seat was already crowded with students, and the same went for Leo and Narce.
Leo had his own reasons, and Narce was drawing attention due to the mage selection issue.
'It's quite noisy.'
As I listened, I occasionally heard my name come up.
Previously, they said I was as much a co-conspirator with Elias.
So, the attention on Elias naturally spilled over to Nicholas as well.
But whether inside or outside school, the interest in Nicholas had a different focus compared to Elias.
"Why doesn't Sir Nicholas take off his mask? Leo, have you seen his face?"
Leo just smiled and skillfully evaded the question.
While Elias drew interest for his actions, Nicholas drew attention for what might be behind his mask.
The questions I faced during the Bavarian press conference reflected a common curiosity among the people.
'As long as I'm moving around suspiciously, it's unavoidable.'
I would react the same way.
If someone wore a mask while hunting, I might think it's a quirk, but wearing it to the council meeting was bound to attract attention.
"Elias, how did you meet Sir Nicholas?"
"Leo introduced me. I'm sleepy now, so let me sleep properly~"
"Wait a minute. Elias, is this true?"
A student handed Elias a magazine with an obviously indecent cover.
Elias, who had been ignoring their chatter while napping, chuckled and read the cover text.
"What's this, a special issue on Nicholas Ernst?"
"It came out from Dasrote this morning. Is what's written here true?"
Dasrote is one of the Empire's leading yellow journalism outlets.
'....'
What do they know to publish a special issue about me?
I have no expectations for accurate content. I'm just curious about what nonsense they've written.
Elias glanced at me briefly and then opened the magazine with a smile.
"Let's see... Information obtained from Bavaria and eyewitness testimonies. Hey, Leo! You need to manage the information better."
"What does it say?"
Leo asked.
It's probably just nonsense.
Even so, I couldn't easily shift my attention away.
Naturally. Who wouldn't be curious if someone published a book about them?
"I don't know. Let's read it now. So, 77 years old... huh?"