Chapter 91 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Runner-Up and the Captured Watcher
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[With that, the semifinal exam is concluded. We will now announce the teams advancing to the finals.]
And just like that, we breezed through from the round of sixteen to the quarterfinals and then the semifinals.
Well, truth be told, the round of sixteen had jacked up the difficulty and gave us a bit of trouble...
But in the end, we'd climbed higher than our original goal.
"Semi...finals..."
"...We actually made it to the semifinals? Our target was just the round of sixteen, right?"
"Yeah? We've been here for a while now~"
Narke chuckled casually to himself, hands shoved in his pockets.
I had no idea if he'd used his ability earlier to predict the tournament outcome or if this was just his usual laid-back personality.
As I pondered that, Narke slung an arm around my shoulder.
"Not the time to be sizing me up, y'know?"
"Huh?"
"You're the chillest one here. Facing off against the empire's top potion school and you didn't show a lick of tension~"
From the quarterfinals onward, our opponents had all been from the Bavarian Academy of Magical Pharmaceutics.
Even Leo, who'd been steady up to that point, started showing visible signs of nerves from the quarterfinals on.
"Wh-whoa!"
"Woooaaah—!"
Cheers erupted from where our school's students were gathered.
Looking up at the display board, our school's name was shining brightly.
'Made it to the finals, huh.'
Satisfying.
That perfectionist wouldn't sit idly by with unknown info floating around, so he was definitely watching this right now.
Which meant my goal of moving against my brother's plans was already achieved.
Sure, technically poking our heads into the round of sixteen had already done that.
As I gazed at the board with a slight smirk tugging at my lips, a Class 1-A student slapped my back.
"Hey, didn't know you were this cool under pressure~ Must be nice!"
"I was about to bawl my eyes out thinking you weren't coming earlier..."
"What the hell, that's gross..."
Leo recoiled at the description.
I answered the Class 1-A student's comment with a smile.
'No reason to tense up.'
You have to know going in which matchups you can win and which ones are still up in the air, or you'll just end up disappointed.
There are fields where raw memorization wins out, and ones where it doesn't.
For a team that crammed last-minute like us to beat the empire's top school—and their best students, no less—in the highest-level differentiators? Near impossible in reality.
'Though we did make the finals...'
All I could call it was good luck.
We'd only lost by 0.5 points to the other team.
Another thirty minutes ticked by, and we finally stepped away from the tables.
[With that, the final exam is concluded.]
"Phew..."
Even Leo had this dazed, out-of-body look, tension finally easing.
Our team had locked in an award the moment we advanced to the finals, repping Prussia Imperial Academy No. 2.
At this point, the outcome barely mattered, but the nerves were unavoidable anyway.
[We will now announce the scores by team.]
[Prussia Imperial Academy No. 2 Year 2 Representative Team: Experiment Score, 28.5 points.]
[Bavarian Academy of Magical Pharmaceutics Year 2 Team 1: Experiment Score, 29 points.]
[With bonus points of 10 each... the winning team is Bavarian Academy of Magical Pharmaceutics Year 2 Team 1!]
'Hm.'
I'd figured on a two-point gap, but just 0.5?
We did better than expected.
'The worrying part, though...'
I might be the only one satisfied with this.
Runner-up was a massive stroke of luck, but the people involved never see it that way.
I tore my eyes from the board and looked at my teammates.
"Good work, everyone~!"
"Whoa, it's really over!"
Fortunately, no one seemed bummed about second place.
Hoping for first after a week's prep would've been a bit greedy anyway.
Our school's students exchanged light greetings with the other team.
Leo, lost in sentiment, murmured while staring at the school name on the board.
"First time in this tournament someone's from out of town taking a podium spot."
"His Majesty'll be proud. It's a Prussian school, but it's basically you getting the award."
"Hmm. The real point of expanding the tournament was something else, so I doubt he'll even think about my side while basking in that success."
"No way. It's your parents."
"Yeah, they'll be happy enough."
Leo, for once acting like a normal student, grinned as he replied.
[Award ceremony in 10 minutes. All participants, please proceed to the waiting room.]
As we turned to head to the waiting room, someone who looked like staff hurried over.
"Lucas. Narke."
"Yes."
"Come with me for a sec."
* * *
"If you keep this up, we can't help you. You've got ten thousand people stuck right now because of you, teacher—so let's wrap this quick."
"..."
"Sigh..."
The investigator shook his head.
The stadium and labs here were under lockdown.
Because the person Narke reported was clamming up tight.
There really had been someone outside our team's lab surveilling me, and they'd bolted the second they spotted Narke.
"You said the door locked right as you arrived?"
"Yes."
"And this person confirmed Lucas was trapped inside?"
The investigator eyed Narke.
"Yes. There was a locking spell on the handle. The lab manager confirmed it too."
"Right. We've got testimony piling up, but if you just sit there silent, this blows up bigger. Papers'll be screaming 'ten thousand locked in' before you know it."
"..."
"I don't know what you know, teacher, but the guy you locked up isn't just some noble—he's Duke Anhalt's son. Ascanien hears about this, they won't stay quiet."
No dice on talking sense, so now they're name-dropping families.
Only I knew Ascanien would yawn at the news, which darkened the guy's face across from us.
"...It wasn't me who..."
"Yeah, yeah, sure it wasn't you, teacher?"
"..."
The conversation stalled.
The investigator's face was turning ashen.
If this kept up, they'd have to seal the building even after today's event wrapped.
Turning a quiet fix into an international noble house hostage crisis? I'd be conflicted too.
I didn't have insight powers, but from the look on his face, he was gearing up to requisition a divine power warrant on the spot. Not that it'd help—even if issued, no investigators could use it anyway.
'Not a problem for me if it escalates...'
The issue was Bavaria's position.
No matter how much of a non-entity Luka was treated as, he still held a spot you couldn't ignore.
If this blew up as "foreign ruling family member detained in heart of Bavarian capital," Bavaria would be the ones in hot water.
'Low odds this guy's the mastermind anyway. Bro's behind it, so probably a couple middlemen like before.'
Maybe he was scared of saying the wrong thing and getting threatened by the ringleader. In that case, someone more trustworthy than an investigator might loosen his tongue.
Someone who could protect his identity, say.
The Investigation Bureau was tops for protection on paper, but public perception? Everyone distrusted them by default.
'...Go with the crowd-pleaser... Feels like Nikolaus might get him talking. Worth a shot?'
Right then, Narke perked up.
"Oh, that could work."
"Huh?"
"..."
Dude's casually reading my mind now?
Narke signaled the investigator for a private word among us three.
The guy caught on, told another to watch the suspect, and we moved to the back room, locking the door.
"Thanks. Got something I wanna ask. Isn't Sir Ernst with the bureau?"
"Sir Ernst... You mean Sir Nikolaus? Nah, he's Kingdom Army. This is Bavarian federal."
"How about letting him handle the interrogation? Issue a divine power warrant, and he could do it."
"Huh? He's not even bureau..."
The investigator tilted his head, looking troubled.
"Against regs?"
"No... Casual questioning's fine, but doesn't he need to guard Crown Prince?"
Not against rules, but calling in the crown prince's non-bureau guard? Awkward...
Narke and I exchanged glances.
* * *
Just needed permission.
That was the answer, so we bolted back to the waiting room.
Investigator said he'd contact them, but since we were getting Leo's okay first, no need.
'Can't have them reaching out.'
I'm Nikolaus—can't be in the same spot as "myself."
I came running precisely to slip away.
Leo stood as soon as he saw us.
"You're back? Who was it?"
"Haven't pinned 'em yet. Leo, heading to the bureau."
"Now?"
Leo shrugged, face saying he thought we'd already been.
—*Borrow Nikolaus a bit.*
"Oh, him. Do what you need."
I nodded and turned, but Leo called out.
"Lucas."
"Yeah?"
"Just in case—say you got permission going forward. I'll play it off like I heard through channels."
"Got it. Thanks."
"Anything else I can do?"
"You already did. Heading out."
Leo looked puzzled a sec, then got it and nodded.
I prepped quick and warped to the bureau.
Knock knock—
Door opened almost immediately.
The investigator from before greeted warmly.
"Ah, first time meeting. Thanks for rushing over on short notice, Sir Ernst."
Awkward, since we'd just seen each other.
I cleared my modulated throat-voice.
"Heard from His Highness it could blow up. Where to?"
"This way."
He led me to the room, continuing.
"Won't talk. Only thing out of him so far is his name—and that was ten minutes ago, after we mentioned penalties."
He handed me a file.
"Records?"
"Yes, based on testimony. Uh, one thing..."
"Go ahead."
"Turns out he's magicked against divine power use. Would've warned you sooner—found out while getting the warrant from the prosecutor."
"...Where?"
"Jugular artery. No clue how to dispel yet. Kingdom doesn't have many divine mages, as you know."
They went all out.
Incapacitated him as a human shield against interrogation.
"So... no issue making him talk without divine power?"
"Looks that way so far. But he still won't budge—frustrating."
"Got it. Thanks."
I opened the heavy iron door and stepped in.
The guy from before sat with his head bowed.
"Good day, Mr. Jürgen Eder."
He flicked his eyes at me, then ducked back down.
No divine power? No problem.
Plenty of info right in front of me—solve it gently with words.
'First, one check.'
Jürgen Beck
Favorability +6
'Hm.'
Never gets less weird seeing it, but someone pulling shady crap like this still views Nikolaus pretty positively.
Anyway...
Scratch that.
"...No, you're Jürgen Beck, right?"
"...!"
He jolted visibly, head snapping up.
I eyed his fine clothes and glinting watch chain, speaking softly.
"That reaction basically proves your surname isn't Eder... What do you think?"
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