'Chance of survival?'
________________________
[ Dawn777
―774 days 0 hours 1 minute 19 seconds until the final ending 'Chapter X. Death'
- Chance of change: 0.3% (+0.1%p)
]
_____________________________
It went up by 0.1%p.
'That means you're on the right track.'
That's a good thing.
I won't bother to come forward and answer for the time being, but I've learned that I don't need to act like I'm backwards in society like I do at home.
I can't live like the original Lucus forever.
In order to succeed in overthrowing the throne and increase the credibility of my words and actions, I must not maintain my current social position.
If I want to catch up with my brother, who is highly respected not only in the empire but also in the surrounding countries, I too must move quickly.
Of course, my brother won't just sit by and tolerate my changes forever.
One day, my brother will either send a watchman or come find me himself.
Well, wouldn't it be a good idea to improve my skills and lay the foundation for clearing up my false rumors before then?
• * *
The first day of class ended smoothly.
Fortunately, the practical class was also an orientation class, so there was no need to use magic.
I thought it would be better to postpone my magical training until the potion wore off, so I went to the library on Friday evening and over the weekend. I focused solely on studying divine powers to raise my skill score even a little, and the weekend passed by in the blink of an eye.
Finally, Monday arrived and the first magic practice class began.
"Hello, everyone. Did you have a good weekend? Today we're going to practice some simple attack magic."
The professor called all the students to the training ground and turned on the loudspeaker magic to guide them. After the boring introduction, the professor called the students one by one and had them use the magic.
'They're all pretty good.'
Perhaps because it was the best magical education institution in the empire, the students' skills were impressive.
And then… when it was Leon's turn, I took back my generous assessment.
'… The main character's friend isn't something just anyone can do.'
In the novel, it is clearly stated that Leon is not the most powerful among the main characters, but when he is with the other students, he stands out so much that it is funny.
It's completely different from being an extra who dies at the hands of an older brother at the age of twenty. If I was going to go in anyway, I should have gone in with someone like that.
Even while I was thinking useless thoughts, the students' names kept being called, and splendid magic kept flashing before my eyes.
Harshly, the magic practice classes did not allow anyone to be excluded unless they were completely absent.
'Luka came out without doing anything during that time.'
Meanwhile, that guy named Leon was only looking at Lucus. If I remember correctly, Leon would give Lucus a pitiful look every hour. Lucus must have thought about dropping out every hour.
Then, the professor called a familiar name.
"Next, Lucus Astain!"
• * *
"I'm surprised. Isn't this the first time you've walked around like that, acting like a human?"
Friday, the first day of the new semester.
A student entered the training grounds used by the Department of Magic and spoke excitedly.
It was a word without a subject, but it was obvious who it was referring to. The other students who were sitting on the floor resting reacted strongly and chimed in.
"Oh, I really thought I fainted."
"I just saw his face for the first time today. How can it be that I've only just seen his face now when he's been at school for so long?"
"You didn't go to school properly."
"What are you talking about, XX."
The students burst into laughter among themselves.
Regardless of what his friends said, one student brought up Lucus' story again.
"But he seemed like a completely different person. Doesn't it seem like he didn't just cut his hair?"
"What's surprising? You must have spent the two months of vacation at home relearning how to walk. Even how to open your eyes."
"Ahaha! I guess you're going to live a proper life now. I was really surprised by what you said in class."
The student who had been sitting with a gloomy face the whole time, not joining in on the students' conversation, shook his head.
"Well, it's no use pretending to be normal now that the kid who got chewed out at school is here."
At those words, the laughter that had been running through the conversation without a moment's pause disappeared.
There were always stories blaming Lucus, so that wasn't the reason.
After a long silence, one student opened his mouth with a playful expression on his face, as if trying to lighten the mood.
"Isn't that really just a rumor? No matter what, that's a bit…."
"Why are you being so carefree? If he's been living like a beggar all his life and now he's doing fine, then he's going to shamelessly drink blood like the other Pleroma guys, why are you having such a stupid conversation?"
"No… Honestly, this kid is tied up in school, so why would he do that so openly? If he did, the royal family would come after him."
"So has the royal family ever been successful so far? Why does everyone avoid him? It's because they think he's a real member of the Pleroma."
"...."
The aftermath didn't matter.
Has the royal family ever been successful?
The other students exchanged glances, frozen in place at the words that could easily have turned into disrespect.
Then one student came forward and waved his hand.
"No, guys. This isn't what we're talking about. You need to calm down."
"Yeah, you go out and get some fresh air. We were just wondering how long he was going to keep living like that."
The student crumpled his face and shouted.
"No, why are you so complacent? If you keep doing this…!"
"That's nonsense."
The students raised their heads at the cold voice coming from above.
Leon, who had been silently listening to his friends' conversation, answered with a cold face.
"Just because your appearance changes doesn't mean your essence will change. What do you mean you can't even use magic?"
It wasn't something Leon, who never talked about other people's stories, would say.
Still, his friends weren't surprised at all.
Even Leon, who always tried to smooth over the situation with a smile, had always criticized Lucus, so there was no reason to feel strange now.
One of the students burst into laughter.
"Haha, that's true. How is it that you can't even do the basics? It seems like you can't even cast magic."
"Even if you know how to do it, everyone here knows that you're a donation student anyway, so what good will it do if you show off some X-like magical skills?"
"Didn't you say that you can't use magic because you can't drink blood?"
"All of those Pleroma guys know how to use magic properly without drinking blood. No matter what the process is, that guy can't even use magic in the end, so why did he come here?"
Even though the training session had been scheduled for a long time, the students' conversation still did not stray from Lucus' gossip.
Leon had already ignored the students' words and was lost in his own thoughts.
• * *
'… Still, I don't know.'
Leon, who had been staring into space, ignoring his friends' chatter, shook his head.
'Just because the appearance changes doesn't mean the essence changes.'
Although he said that, Lucus did not have any magical abilities at all.
I still clearly remember the splendid magic I saw 10 years ago.
The Askaniens are one of the most magical families in the Empire, and unlike other families, they are characterized by their use of bright and flashy magic.
But the magic I saw wasn't just a typical magic that contained properties passed down through family lines.
Anyone who has seen his magic even once will never forget that moment.
Even though I had no talent for magic, I started studying magic in earnest and came this far after seeing Lucus' magic.
The time when he turned into the person he is today was around the time when rumors of him entering the Pleroma spread throughout the empire.
I don't know much about it since it happened before he entered here, but I heard that he stopped using magic around that time.
'It's pathetic.'
If it were me, I would use magic like crazy.
So that such insulting and seditious rumors don't reach my ears.
In this harsh magic supremacist society, magical ability is a more powerful force than anything else.
Why are you acting like you're the only one who deserves death when you have such a splendid and powerful magic that can make anyone shut their mouths?
If I were you, I would never live that way, even if I really was the Pleroma.
Thinking about it made me angry.
Was the magic I saw an illusion?
At this point, that's the only possibility that comes to mind. Or maybe that bastard is the biggest idiot in the empire and doesn't do anything.
'still.'
When Lucus saw him during the day, everything was different than usual.
It's not just that I think this way because I cut my hair. Everything changed, from the way I look in the eyes to the way I walk and the way I treat people. I started to actively participate in class. It's like I became a completely different person.
Maybe he's changed his mind now.
'Maybe… I can see you again.'
Leon shook his head at the sudden sense of anticipation.
No, you shouldn't expect it.
How disappointed I was the first time I came here and saw the way that guy lived.
But even so, strength entered the hand holding the wand. No matter how hard I tried to kill him, the hope that something might happen did not disappear.
• * ***
It was Monday, the first magic class.
"That's perfect, Leon. Next!"
When my turn was over, Leon returned to his seat.
The friends sitting around me couldn't help but praise me.
"Hey, that's cool. I think it's gotten stronger than last year."
"I see."
The sound that was on my lips did not reach my ears.
Anyway, he is just flattering the family.
They've been like that since they were little.
Leon's gaze naturally turned to Lucus.
Sitting far away from the other students was the same as usual, but something felt different.
If I had been terrified before, now I felt nothing.
I was honestly surprised that he could be so calm during magic class.
'It's definitely changed.'
Leon wasn't the only one who thought so.
Everyone was shocked by the change, so Lucus' story was the only thing they heard around them.
"Is it his turn soon?"
"Uh. After the third time? Oh, now I only need to do it twice."
The students who had calculated their turns argued among themselves about whether Lucus should use magic or not.
'Don't expect anything.'
Leon clenched his teeth.
Even if that guy changes, how much would it change?
You may not intend to use magic.
Maybe it really is because I joined that group, just like the rumors say, that I couldn't drink blood and so I have no magic left.
If that's the case, then I have nothing more to say.
I let out a deep sigh.
"Next! Lucus Askanien!"
Leon suddenly raised his head.
While I was lost in thought, it was already his turn.
The bastard walked forward with a rather normal gait, unlike his usual manner.
"Get started."
Lucus raised the wand to his chest at the professor's dry words.
'…what?'
Leon looked at Lucus with a furrowed brow.
The professor, who had been looking at him without much thought, also raised his eyebrows as if he was curious. It was unexpected for a student who should have been standing still with his head down for a while to be holding a wand.
Even from where the students were waiting, the sound of them taking short breaths could be heard.
Dismissed!
At that moment, a red light flashed from the tip of the wand.
And then it died down right away.
"…!"
"uh!"
"what?!"
Students' cries could be heard from all over.
The classroom was shocked by the small amount of magic that was used, even though it was not at all the kind of magic a wizard who would soon become an adult would use. Several students stood up from their seats.
"Did he just use magic?!"
"What, how did you do that? Wasn't it supposed to be unusable?"
Leon, who had been frozen with his eyes wide open, slowly got up from the classroom that had become a mess.
'This can't be happening.'
You didn't see things wrong.
The emotions of that day came flooding back again.
The moment that led him to the path of magic despite not even being born into a proper wizarding family was replayed in his memory.
However, the excitement was short-lived.
The bastard shook the hand holding the wand slightly, then stood still without doing anything else and lowered his head.