"...What?"
"Huh?"
Leo and Elias simultaneously wiped the smiles from their faces and stared at me, dumbfounded. Now that I looked, Narke was also wide-eyed with his mouth hanging open.
'Did I say that before using Insight...?'
"Whaaaaaaaaaat?!"
Elias tried to jump up, but Leo grabbed him, forcing him back into his seat as he shouted.
"Why would you drink that?!"
"What on earth are you talking about, Lucas?"
"Exactly what I said."
"You do know what effect it has, right?"
Leo asked, emphasizing each word.
"Do you think I'd drink it without knowing?"
"Right now, the statement 'I'll try loving Pleroma' makes zero rational sense to me. But fine, knowing you, you'd definitely do that to figure out Gedda Asman's plan."
"Exactly right."
I looked at my friends and continued.
"Gedda Asman can enter Pleroma's world anytime, so casting magic on his body is too risky. But casting it on me poses no problem. Since he said he can read emotions, I'll make him think he has me in the palm of his hand to lower his guard. That'll make things easier."
"...Your self-sacrificing spirit has always been top-notch."
Leo sneered, squinting one eye.
As always, his first reaction to anything that seems absurd is outright rejection. Honestly, if I were in his place and heard someone say this, I'd probably react the same way.
Anyway, for me, it's not just about simple opposition. I need the reason *why* he opposes.
"If you're going to object, I'd like you to pinpoint exactly which part of the plan is the problem."
"You've been secluded for the last ten years, so maybe you lack experience, but do you really think you can make him betray and kill Pleroma just because you fall in love with him? Are you confident you won't end up helping his plan?"
I am.
He probably thinks Lucas has no experience, but I've never been so reckless as to forget what I must do.
Seeing my expression, Leo went on.
"Yeah, you'd say you are. Everyone says that. And then they all come back missing a screw or two."
That... from what I've observed of others so far, it's definitely true.
From a third-party perspective, a lot of things are utterly incomprehensible.
When I realized the cliché nonsense of friends getting drunk over love problems and calling at dawn actually happens in real life, I could only laugh in disbelief.
I've tried to understand it my whole life and have never succeeded once.
But now, this personality trait of mine is coming in handy.
I can confidently say I'll be able to maintain my guard far more strictly than others.
"There's an antidote, so what's the problem? I'll just take it when the job is done."
"The problem is that everyone tries not to take it~"
Elias laughed, propping his chin on his hand.
Leo agreed.
"Right. That kind of emotion is an addiction too. You might not know it at first, but if you keep taking the drug, you'll habitually drive yourself into that emotion and that situation."
An addiction.
A new perspective.
So he's saying that even if you try to give the antidote to those who've drunk the potion, they avoid it... I'm curious how potent the stuff they drank was.
"Okay, that seems somewhat true. Still, no need to worry. I have you guys."
"Us?"
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"If I refuse to take it, you'll hold me down and force me to. I'm counting on you."
Leo frowned, looking displeased, then stroked his chin and nodded.
"Hmm... The three of us should be enough to handle it."
"..."
Come to think of it, this guy is worse than me.
It's not like it's a brain-removing drug. No matter how much you lose your reason, why are you planning to subdue me with three people...?
From the way he's talking, he seems to think magic will be involved, not just a physical struggle. If it were just a physical fight, Lucas couldn't beat any of the three of us here in the first place.
Then Elias grinned and said.
"Hey, but this could be fun. We always see you with a stone face in class. I'm curious how you'll react."
"Me too."
"You guys will have to go there yourselves to see..."
Leo muttered, burying his face in his hands. Then he looked at me.
"Fine, I'll get it."
"Thanks."
"But, promise me."
When I stared at him, Leo said with a serious face.
"I'm talking about the one-in-a-million chance things go wrong. No matter what method we use to keep you from turning against us, know that it's not because we hate you."
"What method is that?"
"You probably don't want to hear it, Lucas."
Narke said with a laugh.
"..."
If he's saying that, I probably really don't want to hear it.
* * *
Leo's reaction is perfectly understandable.
Betraying comrades and siding with the enemy because you're swept up in love?
It's ridiculous, but not a possibility that can be completely ignored.
'They don't need to worry that much. I have no intention of switching to Pleroma's side.'
From a magical ability standpoint, the moment I defect to the enemy, I'd become a huge headache, so I'd look like even more of a problem.
"Wow, the packaging is fancy."
Even though it's a weekend afternoon, we gathered upon hearing the package had arrived.
Elias admired the dark wooden box lined with gold trim.
Leo, still looking uneasy, opened the box's lock.
Inside were ten vials containing a yellow liquid.
Leo took out the leftmost vial and handed it to me.
"Here. Try it once. It's the weakest potion, so the antidote should work easily."
The method is simple. Just drink it and look into someone's eyes.
Who should I test it on?
After a brief consideration, I opened my mouth.
"I'm going to see the professor. Let's meet back here in five minutes."
"What? I'm coming too!"
Elias shouted.
I warped straight to the dorm, grabbed a textbook, and headed out.
Elias, who had arrived who-knows-when, once again levitated his crutch with magic and slung his arm over my shoulder.
"We're going together, Luca. Are you trying to watch this fun stuff alone?"
"Use your crutch properly. You need to recover quickly."
"Yeah, but..."
I found the homeroom professor's research lab and knocked.
Elias snickered.
"This is your type? A 60-year-old is a bit much, even so..."
"No."
I answered before Elias could even finish.
This is purely a test.
Using a student as a subject isn't feasible—I don't have a suitable friend to call over right now. Using a stranger isn't good either; if I just grab someone, there won't be enough time to administer the potion and confirm the effect. So, I chose the most appropriate target for the current situation.
Especially since it's someone who makes you feel sleepy just by looking at them, so confirming the effect should be easy.
I feel sorry for the professor in many ways, but I'll administer the antidote in five minutes, so it shouldn't escalate into a big problem.
"Come in."
"Professor, I have a question."
"The student behind you?"
"Ah, I just came along to listen."
Elias answered with a sly grin.
He clearly doesn't look like he's here to study, but the professor took it in stride and gestured to my book.
"Let's see."
I handed the book to the professor and asked.
"We learned that differentiating the total utility of magic gives the marginal utility. I'd like to hear the calculation process one more time."
As the professor looked at the book, I tipped the potion I was holding in my hand into my mouth and swallowed. No change yet.
"That's right. This part gets easier to understand the more you hear it. Now, look, there's a part here labeled delta X. You remember that delta means the amount of change, right?"
"Yes, I know."
The professor was still pointing at the textbook, not looking at me.
Elias was silently laughing behind me, watching the situation.
"Let's look at the utility function. The horizontal axis is magic, the vertical axis is utility. Marginal utility is the increase in utility when magic consumption is increased by one unit. Now, let's say we increase consumption by delta X here. Then, on the graph, there's also an increase on the vertical axis. That's delta U."
Then, the professor looked up and met my eyes.
"You know this much, right?"
* * *
Surprisingly, there was no change at all.
'At least I understood the content well.'
Well, of course, since I just heard the explanation. Studying really does have better effects the more you repeat it.
When I returned to the meeting spot, Leo, who had been waiting with Narke, immediately asked.
"How did it go?"
"Same as usual."
"Wow, how are you really so unaffected~"
Elias laughed, warping in after me.
Leo nodded and took out the third vial from the left.
"Can't be helped, it varies from person to person. That's why we test. For you... I had a feeling level 1 wouldn't work."
"You can tell just by looking?"
"Your personality doesn't change."
Leo handed me the vial.
After that, through trial and error, we learned that I needed to start from level 5 to feel any human-like fondness.
"Are you a machine or something?"
"What nonsense..."
I chuckled lightly at Elias's nonsense and put the level 6 vial in my pocket.
Given that it goes up to level 10, level 5 starting to have a slight effect is probably just the average level.
Finally, I put on my glasses and looked in the mirror, completing the appearance formula I had recorded earlier in my mind.
Soon, my hair became softly wavy and turned red. The freckles I had created to disperse attention also reappeared on my skin.
Then, Elias pointed to my clothes pocket.
"Don't you need to test that? It seems weak for you."
"No, since he can read emotions, I need to be careful. It's better to increase the level step by step rather than jumping ahead suddenly."
Narke, who had been silently watching the whole time, shook his head.
"Lucas, wait a minute. Level 6 or 7 doesn't matter, but let's change your clothes now. Change your glasses to a clean pair too."
* * *
Since I hadn't taken the potion yet and had no emotions, I wasn't conscious of the fact that people usually pay at least a little attention to their appearance when going to see someone they're fond of.
I had been too focused on the function of the disguise.
That's why I got called a machine by Elias again, which felt a bit unfair. I wouldn't be doing this if I had emotions in the first place; I'm resorting to the potion precisely because I don't.
Above all...
'He's just an enemy I need to deal with.'
It's even harder for good feelings to arise in a natural state.
I had sent a letter to Gedda Asman in advance to set up an appointment.
I rang the doorbell, cleared my throat, and brought the glove to my mouth, drinking the level 6 potion.
'No one else should appear.'
There was still no change, but I had already experienced that the effect manifests the moment you look into someone's eyes.
Still, I brought the antidote just in case, so there shouldn't be a problem.
As I tried not to let my gaze wander, the door opened.
"You're here."
Fortunately, the person who appeared before me was Gedda Asman.
Asman smiled and opened the door wide.
"..."
"Mr. Baichel?"
"...Ah, yes. I'm pleased to see you again. Thank you for making time."
"Not at all. Come in."
Level 6 is a bit strong.
To feel this way toward someone who isn't even a consideration... the technology really is good.
Once Gedda was out of sight, I looked around.
First, the first floor was as bleak as before, though I can't speak for the less-frequented second and third floors.
No, one new thing had appeared. In the room visible across the hallway, a framed diploma bearing Gedda Asman's name was hung.
'It seems Abin Asman changed his name when he was reborn.'
Next to it hung a diploma with the name Eric Asman.
Pleroma must have prepared it. To ensure no issues arise from any reports, they'd need to fabricate a new 25-year life history aligned with the latest timeline.
It means they intend to use them properly.
'Let's stop sightseeing here.'
Looking too closely will only raise suspicion.
As I turned my gaze back to the unremarkable sofa inside, Gedda Asman set down tea and asked.
"Your friend from last time didn't come."
"He has other business."
I answered with a gentle smile.
Gedda was looking at me with a meaningful smile.
"Is that so? Really?"
"...Well, what do you think?"
I tilted my head, smiling along with him.
Judging by that expression and words, the other party clearly knows my state. He's figured out I'm not here for the media business.
'Faster than I thought.'
I hadn't planned to reveal it this quickly. Even if he figured it out using his ability, I thought he'd pretend not to know.
Anyway, Leo was off by a mile.
Unlike the slight heat rising to my face due to the manipulated chemical reaction, my reason was still functioning perfectly fine.
Of course, if we raise it to level 10... I'm a bit less confident.
Fortunately, Gedda just laughed and then reiterated the purpose of my visit.
"Let's start the interview. We agreed to finish by 7, right? We only have 40 minutes left."
"That's right."
Good topic change.
From now on, I'll use the emotions he knows I'm feeling as a shield to extract the information Pleroma provided.
To obtain Pleroma's actual plan going forward, I first need to get close to Gedda Asman.
For that, I need to know what kind of person he is.
So, I spent a long time asking Gedda Asman questions that were practically a background check.
At 6:58, Gedda asked.
"Well, is that all the questions?"
"No."
Gedda looked at me with wide eyes as if to ask what else there was.
"Are you free from now on?"
Damn it all... To have to say this to someone I never even considered... Thoughts like that and a deep sense of reality hit me, but the potion's effect was excellent.
Soon, all self-loathing flew away, and only my heart rate sped up.
'It can be used for this purpose too.'
I should remember that.
Gedda Asman burst out laughing and asked again.
"From now? You clearly said the interview was until 7."
"I did. But I've changed my mind."
"It's not about the media business, is it?"
"Of course not."
At my words, Gedda smiled faintly and tilted his head without answering.
"You said you came up to the capital a week ago. There's a theater about a 30-minute carriage ride from here. Do you know it?"
"I see. I should go sometime."
Gedda smiled, a brazen grin lifting the corners of his mouth.
He kept his eyes on me the whole time, watching my reactions.
Suppressing the urge to pack up and go back to the dorm, I smiled and asked.
"No. Schiller's play is starting in an hour. If it's alright with you, would you give me the chance to accompany you?"
* * *
I returned to the dorm close to midnight that day.
Then, led by Fai, who had been camped out in my room, I warped back to the meeting spot. As expected, my friends were gathered and waiting.
"You kept Fai awake at this hour just to call me?"
"Right! You need to take the antidote!"
That was it.
I downed the transparent liquid Leo handed over in one gulp.
"So, how did it go?"
"How did what go? It's just the beginning."
"Did you set up the next meeting?"
I took off my glasses, pressing my eyes, and answered.
"I did. Why do you ask?"
"Wow, even with the freckles and glasses covering you up, Adrian Ascanian's brother is still something else~."
"Does it feel good when you praise the Emperor?"
"Ah, come on."
Elias laughed and shook his head.
I slumped into the chair as if melting, having exhausted all my energy for the day.
The potion effect was one thing, but being in front of Pleroma made it impossible to let my guard down.
'Anyway, he'll probably just think I was nervous, so it's fine.'
"We agreed to meet again tomorrow. I'll take level 7 tomorrow."
"Looks like you turned into a machine again..."
"No."
I let out a hollow laugh and continued.
"I need to pick up the pace a bit. I have to become Pleroma too, after all."
"Huh?"
—-----------
T/N:
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