"…What?"
"What do you mean, professor?"
Everyone sat in stunned silence, staring at the professor. Leo was the first to regain his composure and ask.
"A draft order has been issued for magic academy students in the capital, aged 15 to 25."
As the students remained dumbfounded, the professor elaborated.
"This may come as a shock, but considering that all of you are from prominent noble families, this decision was made accordingly. Of course, since it is not a total conscription, only volunteers who meet the eligibility criteria will be assigned to the Brandenburg Defense Forces."
Right.
When situations like this arise, it's always the nobility that's expected to take action first.
I sometimes forget this isn't the 21st century, but moments like this make it all too clear.
'Hmm.'
The idea of drafting teenagers into service was unsettling, but I was probably the only one in this room who felt that way.
'I should definitely keep my distance from this.'
Good thing I only took an advisory role in the Imperial committee.
If things went south, I could drop it and leave without hesitation.
As I scribbled notes in my notebook, I suddenly felt a familiar sensation in my nose.
I had experienced it enough times now to recognize it without even checking.
'Did I overuse my Divine Power again?'
As I rummaged through my bag for something to wipe my nose, the student sitting next to me—Philip—gasped and jerked his chair backward as if he had just run into Pleroma itself.
"Ugh, wha—! Ahh!!"
I punched him in the mouth before he could finish yelling.
But it was too late. The professor and several students were already looking our way.
Pleroma were known for drinking blood, not for using their own. But given the heightened paranoia, it was no surprise that Philip had panicked.
'Given the situation, I can't blame him.'
Nicolaus's Impression Score continued to rise, while Luca's Score was gradually dropping due to the increasing suspicion surrounding me.
At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if even this was part of my brother's grand plan.
The professor raised an eyebrow as he noticed me standing up suddenly.
"Student, why are you covering your mouth?"
"I was drooling. I dozed off for a moment."
"Hmm?"
"I'll go wash up."
Elias snickered behind me.
By the time I returned from the restroom, the professor was still talking about the draft order.
His voice was solemn.
"Pleroma's terrorist acts have reached unprecedented levels. Citizens now rely entirely on holy water provided by the government for drinking and sanitation. If not for the protective barriers, we would even have to worry about the air we breathe."
"..."
"Has Pleroma ever done something this extreme before? No. They would not dare—not unless they believed the Empire to be weak."
The professor's voice grew increasingly heated, and his hatred for Pleroma was reflected in the students' hardened expressions.
"His Majesty, Emperor Friedrich, has declared that this crisis will be resolved within one year. He has requested your assistance in subduing the rampaging victims."
Several students nodded resolutely.
They were likely shocked by the sudden announcement, but few would outright refuse.
After all, nobles are raised with the belief that it is their duty to serve their people in times of crisis.
'And when the Emperor himself asks for your help, loyalty is practically guaranteed.'
The Emperor probably sees himself as owing a debt to Bavaria.
Even though he had appointed me, I was still fundamentally a Bavarian official.
And the citizens saw my successes as Bavaria's successes.
'So this is his way of reasserting Imperial authority.'
The Imperial Second Academy is located in Prussia, but it educates noble students from various ruling families across multiple nations.
By rallying them under his command, the Emperor wanted to prove that he still had the ability to unite future rulers under the Empire's banner.
Not to the Imperial citizens, but to the other noble houses that were subject to conscription.
If other nations challenged Imperial leadership, the entire balance of power within the Empire could shift.
In the end, it was a move that secured public trust while protecting Imperial influence.
'He really doesn't want to lose to Bavaria.'
I rested my chin on my hand, smirking as I listened.
"This is not as serious as it may sound," the professor continued. "While the Imperial Family is preparing for a full-scale war against Pleroma alongside Lord Ernst, this draft order is solely for the suppression of rampaging victims."
So they were officially designating victims as rampagers now.
But…
'Since when am I "preparing for war" with them?'
Where was this coming from?
'This is hilarious.'
I leaned back in my chair, silently laughing.
This is why disguises are always useful.
The actual person they were talking about was sitting right here, and no one had a clue.
It was probably just a rhetorical statement, but it gave me a clear picture of the Emperor's vision for the future.
'I almost want to let him keep talking.'
Just as I was licking my lips in amusement, Leo scoffed and spoke up.
"You make it sound like Lord Ernst is planning something radical."
"Wouldn't you already know about it?" the professor asked.
"No such plan exists," Leo said firmly. "Acting recklessly would endanger the Imperial citizens. Lord Ernst prioritizes their safety above all else. Making misleading statements like this benefits no one."
Elias, who had been smirking the whole time, suddenly gaped in shock.
For a brief moment, his expression flickered with delighted amusement, as if he had found something new to tease me about.
I felt the same way.
'…If he were unaware that I was here, that would be one thing. But he knows—and he's still saying this with a straight face?'
That was so Leo.
The professor nodded in confusion before quickly shifting the topic.
"There may have been a misunderstanding. My apologies. The Ministry of Education's Inspector will begin visiting conscription-eligible schools at 3 PM today. The Imperial Second Academy's Magic Department is under particular scrutiny due to His Majesty's high expectations. Conduct yourselves accordingly."
The rest of the lecture was spent going over procedural guidelines.
Once class was dismissed, I was packing my bag when a heavy arm draped over my shoulder.
"They're probably not rejecting anyone. This is just to make sure everything looks clean on paper."
"Elias."
Thankfully, he had cast a Soundproofing Spell.
He nodded toward the hallway.
"Leo wants to talk. Let's meet up for a bit."
***
Yeah.
There's no way I'm getting rejected.
This whole screening process was just a formality to avoid criticism.
'So they're afraid of backlash.'
Even without these extra steps, people wouldn't have protested much.
The mage society's youth is vastly different from non-mages.
A noble's age is often perceived as ten years older than a commoner's of the same number.
It's why children from ruling families are already involved in politics by their late teens—society sees them as closer to young adults than teenagers.
'They don't even fully consider late teens as youths here….'
On top of that, a naturally gifted teenage mage is often far more valuable than an average 40-50-year-old working mage.
"Prussia is huge, right? They're running out of people to recruit, so now they're taking students? At this point, they should just hand over half their land to Bavaria."
Elias scoffed, smirking.
Right now, Elias and Narce were in my room.
But the one who had called us here—Leo—still hadn't shown up.
While waiting, I focused on extracting Divine Power for the research lab, casually watching Pai move stones across the room.
'So that's how it moves them.'
Pai stood on two legs, waving its front paws to manipulate the Divine Power.
Then, when it got tired, it would drop back down on all fours, only to stand back up and try again.
Elias, watching, burst into laughter.
"Wait, you go through this much trouble to make them, and then clean them up every time?"
"I don't have much choice."
"Your blood is ice-cold, man…."
"How else am I supposed to study?"
"Hey, bunny, just come to my room from now on. I don't study, so I won't clean anything up~!"
Leo would definitely call that a terrible thing to brag about.
Pai's ears flattened against its head.
Elias, oblivious, turned to me and said,
"Still, it's crazy that it can use Divine Power. I guess animals from the Papal State are just different."
"Haha, it's a secret, but… only Pai can do this."
Narce answered casually.
At first, we had tried to keep it hidden.
But now, Narce must have felt comfortable enough to talk openly.
Right then, Leo warped into the room.
"You're all here."
"'He is a man who prioritizes the safety of Imperial citizens above all else…'"
"Are you mocking me?"
Leo smacked Elias on the back before sitting down.
Then, turning to me, he asked,
"Did you ever say you were working with the Emperor?"
"No. I agreed to be Vice Chairman of the Advisory Committee, but I never said I'd go to war with him."
"Yeah… So it's just his own ambition."
"So why are you late~?"
Elias sprawled across my bed, stretching lazily.
"I had to speak with His Majesty."
"About what?"
"I'm going to properly learn medical magic."
"…?!"
Elias shot up from the bed, eyes wide in shock.
"You? Learning medical magic?"
Narce, who hadn't used Insight yet, simply looked confused.
But internally, I had the same reaction as Elias.
In the novel, Leo never pursued medical magic because he feared that the King would stop him from training in combat magic if he showed talent in it.
Not to mention, he had a bit of a rebellious streak back then.
Leo just shrugged like it was nothing.
"It just makes sense. Given the situation, learning anything extra can only help."
"You're not Leo."
"…What do you mean I'm not?!"
"Lucas has been sitting here draining Divine Power for days. If he's pushing himself, why shouldn't I?"
Finally, Elias sighed and backed off.
"…His Majesty must have loved that idea. He's probably throwing lessons at you already."
"Oh, absolutely."
Leo smiled faintly and handed us some papers.
"Enough talk. Look at this."
It was the flyer and exam consent form for the draft order.
Apparently, the term 'draft order' had caused some concern, so now they were calling it simply a 'Student Military Corps Recruitment'.
Elias skimmed the document and frowned.
"The Magic Department has 100 students in a year, but they're only selecting 18? And why the hell does the exam last a whole month? They'll have us dying before we even enlist."
"They said safety is a priority—probably just covering their asses."
Leo rested his chin on his hand before asking,
"You're all joining, right? Everyone except Lucas."
"Of course. Basically, every student is going to sign up."
Elias nodded without hesitation.
The Emperor's order made it seem like people had a choice, but in reality, they didn't.
If they refused, nobles would be accused of failing their duty to set an example.
At the same time, publicly serving under the Emperor would boost their influence.
Honestly, the Emperor probably wasn't thrilled about Elias participating, since it would only help him gain public support.
Narce agreed as well.
"My origins make this tricky… but the Papal State will definitely push me to join."
"Yeah, I figured. My mother told me to sign up, too."
Leo turned to me.
"So, what do you think?"
"What can I do?"
Leo seemed worried about students facing real dangers.
But there was no way to openly oppose the draft.
In this society, class ranks above age.
The moment the headline becomes 'Noble students refuse to fight', the entire argument is lost.
'I can already see how the headlines will look.'
If I couldn't stop it, then I needed to make it safer.
"I'll use the Advisory Committee to restrict students to only fighting lower-grade victims. If I can't cancel the plan, I'll at least limit their risks."
"…Yeah. That's a good plan."
Leo nodded.
Satisfied, he handed out the consent forms to Elias and Narce.
Elias scribbled his signature without hesitation and handed it back.
"You're class rep, right? Submit these for us."
"You're so casual about dumping this on me…."
Leo scoffed but collected the forms anyway.
I watched for a moment before speaking.
"Leo, do you have any extra consent forms?"
"Hm? Why?"
"Give me one. I'm signing up."