Leo's eyes trembled as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"…What on earth?"
"So, promise me first."
Even without a promise, Leo wasn't the type to spread someone else's story. After all, he'd been by my side for over ten years.
Still, it was important to understand the weight of what he was about to hear.
Leo looked at me suspiciously, then let out a deep sigh.
"I promise. In the name of God."
"You don't have to bring God into this, but fine. I'll explain briefly, so listen carefully."
Leo nodded with a determined expression.
"I was born with the strongest magical power in our family, and my brother wants to inherit our father's title and become the head of the family."
"…Is that it?"
Despite his words, Leo seemed to have grasped the gravity of the situation as his face darkened.
I nodded.
"You know that the right of succession is usually given to the one with the strongest magic, right? You can guess how things have played out from there."
"…You're saying you can't use magic because of your brother?"
"Yeah, if I use it, I die."
"Would your brother really come to kill you?"
Leo asked, not understanding the severity of the situation. But knowing the future where I'd be killed by my brother's hand, I could only smile bitterly.
I took a crystal bottle out of my bag, which I had brought from the dormitory at dawn, and held it up to Leo's eyes.
"What do you think this medicine is?"
Leo squinted as he took the bottle and held it up to the light.
"Medicine? What was extracted to make it glow like this? It looks like ink."
"It's the medicine my brother sends me every month. It's made from ingredients that have never been officially distributed in the empire, so you wouldn't know."
Why would the medicine sent by my brother, who wants to become the head of the family, be made from substances that have never been officially distributed in the empire?
Seeing the ominous combination, Leo furrowed his brows.
"No way…."
"That's right. When I drink this, my core gets completely blocked, and if I try to use magic, it shocks me."
"Wait a minute, even if he's your brother, how can he do that? A mage dies if their magic doesn't circulate. How does he expect you to survive if he blocks it?"
"What do you think? My brother wants me dead as soon as possible. Giving me this medicine is proof enough that he wants me dead."
Leo's face turned pale with shock.
A look of disbelief, as if he had never imagined such a thing.
Leo, who had always grown up in a warm and harmonious family, wouldn't understand.
Leo, who had been making a confused expression all this time, slowly opened the bottle and sniffed it.
"When did you start drinking this?"
"I think I was ten."
"That's during your growth period. The most important time for a mage, and this…."
"...."
Leo ground his teeth, looking more upset than I was.
I let out a helpless laugh.
It seemed he found my lack of growth in magic to be the most severe issue.
I wondered how powerful the magic he'd seen me use as a child was to make him react this way.
"Wasn't there a way to avoid drinking it? What about your father…?"
"When I was twelve, I skipped it for a week. Then I suddenly passed out, and when I woke up, my brother said I had killed a wolf. After that, it was obvious."
"What happened?"
"Every time I showed reluctance to drink it, I was locked in a room. They didn't even give me food. It was under my brother and father's orders."
That's how I remembered it.
Leo clasped his head, hearing the absurd situation.
"…I'm sorry to ask this in such a situation, but did you really kill the wolf?"
"I have no memory of it. I have no recollection after losing consciousness."
"It might be presumptuous to suggest, but is there a chance your brother lied? Honestly, how could a young kid like you catch and eat a wolf, even with magic? It wouldn't be hard to fake a scene like that."
"It's possible."
"Then the rumors about you being a vampire, and the ones about you being involved with Pleroma… those could also have been spread by your brother."
"Yeah."
Leo buried his face in his hands.
After a long sigh, he looked up with a haggard face.
"This is crazy. This should be reported to the Imperial Investigation Team immediately."
"You're not going to report it."
"Yeah, we shouldn't act hastily yet. Your brother must have prepared for such an event."
"You know well."
Indeed, the protagonist's friend was different.
It was convenient to talk to him.
"What should we do from here…? You want to get away from your brother, right? You've definitely changed. This time… well, you fixed your appearance, and seeing you use magic, it seems you've stopped taking the medicine. Honestly, this is the first time we've had such an uninterrupted conversation."
"Of course. I want to live."
"Is controlling your power because you were afraid your brother would notice? Is that right?"
"Yeah. But that's over now. If I continue, my brother will get suspicious."
"…And here I was, not knowing anything, saying all sorts of things to you…."
Leo once again buried his face in his hands, reflecting on the past.
As he dug through his memories, he recalled all the times he had pressured Luka during their first year.
At the time, he hadn't known the circumstances, so it couldn't be helped, but now, he felt a mix of guilt and regret.
'I just… wanted him to use magic properly.'
He didn't want to acknowledge that the person he had admired all his life, the one who had changed his future, was being trampled on by others.
He thought Luka had given up too easily in the face of adversity.
He believed Luka was acting weak despite having the power to turn public opinion around.
Belatedly, his face flushed.
He had judged another person's life too easily.
He had turned school into a place of suffering for a friend who was already tormented by family issues.
Even if he wasn't the only one who had made things difficult for Luka, he had certainly influenced the atmosphere.
Leo, unable to meet Luka's eyes, apologized.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know you had such circumstances, and I…."
"I want to hear exactly what you're sorry for."
"…For treating you carelessly all last year without knowing, for suddenly calling you out yesterday to fight, for everything."
I slowly sifted through Luka's memories.
Leo had certainly played a significant role in making Luka's school life more desolate.
No one can truly enjoy school life if they're hated by a popular student.
'Of course, even if Leo hadn't shown his disdain, Luka would have had the same image here….'
I let out a bitter laugh at the unfortunate reality.
By openly despising Luka, Leo had only added fuel to the fire.
But that fire had already been burning brightly from the first day of school.
'Still, it's not like he wasn't hurt at all.'
As I watched Leo, he lowered his head.
"I'm sorry. It's late, but I'll help you with anything I can."
"Well, can we delay the forgiveness for later?"
I am not Luka. It wasn't me who lived a life full of caution; it was Luka.
If I ever leave this body, Luka will have to live on his own.
So, at the very least, I wanted to leave this decision for Luka to make himself.
Leo nodded at my words.
"Of course. You don't have to forgive me. I didn't apologize to burden you. I just felt bad for showing my dislike when you must have had your reasons for living that way."
I quietly watched Leo as he rambled on.
In fact, this moment should have come ten years later, during the process of dealing with his brother.
Thanks to changing the flow, Luka could hear a sincere apology while he was still alive.
Right now, there might be a whirlwind of emotions, but it's better for Leo to get it off his chest while his friend is alive rather than apologizing to a grave.
More importantly, it was clear that Leo wasn't a bad seed since he felt guilty for his actions despite going along with the school's sentiment.
I carefully scrutinized Leo's face.
He seemed to be stuck in a slump for a long time.
Should I lighten the mood now?
"Alright. How could you have known if I didn't tell you?"
"I mean, even without telling me, there must be a reason someone lives like that, but I put my emotions first…."
"…I get it, man. I'm telling you to stop thinking about it."
Ever since he started throwing out words without thinking yesterday, I realized that this guy often doesn't know what he's saying.
Suppressing the urge to hit him, I nodded.
Even after giving him some time to think, Leo's face remained ashen.
'This won't do.'
If he keeps dwelling on it like this, it's not just him; even I'll be in trouble.
I didn't want to bring this up, but I had no choice.
"Don't blame yourself too much for this. Honestly, you just wanted to see me use proper magic, didn't you? Right?"
Leo looked slightly puzzled at my words but nodded.
"…To some extent. It annoyed me to see you just accept others' disdain when you could use magic. I saw your magic when you were young. I thought that kind of magic could solve everything…."
"That's not what I remember."
"Huh?"
"I remember you saying, 'I've been looking forward to this day, to see it again…'"
"Did I?"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
'He really wasn't in his right mind then.'
"Maybe I misspoke. It wasn't to that extent…."
"No, you said you started magic because of me."
"What?"
Only silence followed.
Leo, who couldn't close his mouth, spoke in a flustered tone.
"Wait. Who… who told you that…?"
"…If you're that shocked, you could've just denied it right away."
Seeing his shocking reaction made me laugh and feel pity at the same time.
Denying it would have been meaningless anyway.
I couldn't say I read it in a book, so I spoke calmly.
"You told me right before you passed out yesterday. Was I not supposed to know?"
At those words, all the color drained from Leo's face.
He tried to respond as normally as possible, shaking his head.
"No, it's fine. You can know. Just don't tell anyone else."
"I won't. By the way, I'm honored. You started magic because of me."
Luka should know about this.
I wondered how the real Luka would have reacted to this.
As I chuckled at the thought, Leo, misunderstanding my laughter, snapped back, his face red with anger.
"Aren't you going to class? And to be precise, it wasn't because of you but because of your magic. I didn't even remember your face. I just remembered your name."
I wanted to ask where my magic came from if not from me, but I let it go.
"Alright, got it. Let's put that aside for now. I have two favors to ask. I need your help."
"What's with the number? Just tell me."
Leo answered gruffly.
I ignored his tone, focusing on the fact that he was willing to help me actively.
"I need a specific medicine. Can you get it for me?"
"Is it available in the Empire?"
"Yes."
I took a note out of my pocket and handed it to him.
I couldn't remember the exact name of the medicine from the novel, so I had searched through books whenever I had the chance. I finally found a familiar name in a herbal medicine book.
Leo nodded after reading the note.
"It's common, so I can get it within a week. I'll inform my family. What's the second thing?"
"Spar with me daily."
"What?"
Leo's face lit up instantly.
He quickly composed himself, but it was too late.
I couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"…Haha…."
"…Are you mocking me? I just never found a suitable partner. Got it?"
"Do you think we're on the same level? Don't make excuses. So, will you do it?"
Leo averted his eyes and shut his mouth.
Honestly, even as a compliment, we weren't on the same level. I had extraordinary magical power but not exceptional skills.
Leo recalled his memories from the previous year.
Training with the person who set him on this path.
It was something he had been hoping for since he heard the rumors about me entering this academy.
'Or perhaps, I had hoped for this ever since I saw Luka's magic ten years ago.'
From that day, I had worked hard to become someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.
So, this wasn't really a favor from me but one I wanted to ask of him.
Leo nodded.
"Of course."
Ding—!
At Leo's answer, white text flashed before my eyes.
Congratulations!
'Proposal: Make 'Leonard Wittelsbach' your ally.' Successful!
'Chapter 2. Help yourself, God will help you (2)' completed!
'Route 1 — Confirmed for 〈Chapter 3. Constant dripping wears away a stone (1)〉.'
「Chapter 3. Constant dripping wears away a stone (1)」
'Hmm.'
Good, I'm satisfied.
It seems the foundation has been laid.
This proposal seemed quite important. I wonder if anything has changed.
I called up the status window.