In My Second Life, I Rule from the Shadows

Chapter 55: Taking It On

“Well then, that’s it for the magician juniors. You two have recovered by now, right?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Ready to roll again!”

Maximilian and Gale saluted with perfect discipline.

Among the party, the two of them had received the most intensive training.

The vanguard position carried the greatest risk of all.

That was why they were being taught thoroughly, to make sure they didn’t get hurt from a single mistake.

“Argh! Ughhh!”

“Gah! Keugh!”

As screams once again filled the air, Yuria crossed her arms and watched the scene.

“…Um, Miss Yuria.”

“Hm?”

Pozers cautiously approached her.

“Would you like to go train over on the other side with us?”

It had taken some effort for him to say that.

Of course, Yuria had no intention of doing so and was about to refuse, but then she recalled what Laysis had said and chose her words carefully.

“Sorry. I want to do some meditation. If you want to adapt to real combat, you should be able to do it even in noisy places like this, right?”

“Ah, I see. Understood.”

Pozers nodded, a little disappointed, but didn’t press the issue.

He then left alone to begin his magic training.

Yuria plopped down on the ground, pretending to meditate, while her gaze drifted toward Darius.

‘They’re brothers, but while he looks a little like Carl, he also doesn’t.’

A mane of red hair like a lion’s, and a muscular build completely opposite of Carl’s lean frame.

There was only a three-year difference between them, yet the atmosphere they gave off was completely different.

If Carl got older here, would he end up like Darius?

“Phew.”

Having just finished a round of instruction, Darius leaned his greatsword against the wall and let out a breath.

As he quenched his thirst with a drink of water, he noticed Yuria staring intently at him.

“What is it, Junior Yuria?”

“…Ah, I just found it fascinating how you look like Carl, yet not at the same time.”

“Our brothers do have their own distinct traits.”

Darius laughed.

So she’d been thinking about Carl, huh.

“Carl resembles our brother Carius more than me. He was always such a frail kid growing up that I worried about him a lot, but after coming to Bayern, he’s brightened up. It’s good to see.”

“…He was frail? When he was young?”

“He suffered from a plague, you see. Grew slower than other kids his age. Honestly, I thought Carl might die back then. Even just a few months ago, I was worried he wouldn’t be able to enter Bayern.”

But Darius gave a wry smile, saying it had been needless worry.

“For him, Leipzig was a cage. Once he came out into the wider world, his complexion improved. Spending time with you all seems to have made him healthier, too. Though he’s still just as delicate.”

“…Hmm.”

Delicate?

Yuria tilted her head.

From the entrance exam until now, nothing about Carl had struck her as delicate.

Granted, compared to Nerian and the other top cadets he was lacking, but even without counting the written exam, his skills were enough to place him in the upper ranks.

‘Even back in Flick.’

The ease with which he killed people.

The decisiveness in risking his own life to save Laysis, and the cunning to act as bait to create an opening to defeat the enemy.

In real combat, he possessed abilities beyond the average cadet.

‘Is he hiding it?’

From the look of Darius, he seemed completely unaware of that side of Carl.

…Or maybe he was just an extreme little-brother-lover.

“If only Carl could be as sharp and reliable as you, Junior Yuria. If you have the time, I’d like you to take care of him too. He’s always been the type that needs a lot of attention.”

Yuria could only give an awkward smile at Darius’s laughing words.

While the cadets in the same party were training under Darius, Carl had been summoned by Professor Leblik after class and was now meeting him in the professor’s office.

“I’d like you to take on this next presentation, Cadet Carlos.”

“…Pardon?”

At the sudden statement, Carl tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

Professor Leblik not only taught History of the Empire, but also served as the advisor for the Ancient Ruins Exploration Club.

So when he’d been summoned, Carl thought it would just be to receive some praise. But now, he was being asked to give a presentation at an academic conference?

“When we achieve results related to ruin exploration, we often present them to the scholarly society. This latest discovery is quite a significant contribution to imperial history. Especially for topics related to ancient heroes, we sometimes borrow a venue in the Imperial Palace itself.”

“Yes, I know. But… isn’t the presentation usually handled by the club president?”

Senior Dane was alive and well—so why was the task being handed to him?

Professor Leblik sighed deeply before answering.

“It was at the president’s strong insistence. He said his legs would shake too much to present in the Imperial Palace’s hall. The other seniors also ran away from the task. You’re the only one left now, Cadet Carlos.”

Grab.

Professor Leblik took hold of Carl’s hand.

Then, with earnest eyes, he spoke.

“You really are the only one left, Cadet Carlos. And as I said, you came highly recommended by Cadet Dane himself. He said that if it’s you, you can handle it well.”

“…Ha.”

Carl let out a dry chuckle.

‘Well, that figures.’

Most club members had joined because they liked ruins or history.

They tended to be quiet types who didn’t enjoy stepping into the spotlight.

Under those circumstances, presenting in the Imperial Palace would feel overwhelming.

‘Even so, dumping it on a brand-new freshman—doesn’t seem very senior-like.’

Carl paused in thought.

The academic presentation itself wasn’t the problem.

It was just a matter of going to the conference hall and reading out something that was already prepared.

It was a rare chance to see the Imperial Palace with his own eyes, but the issue lay elsewhere.

‘It wouldn’t be strange if there’s an expert there who could see through my level.’

If one listed the most heavily guarded places in the Empire, the Imperial Palace would easily be in the top three.

Masters whose skills rivaled the peak realm would be commonplace there.

It wouldn’t be surprising if some of them had exceptional ability in reading another’s energy.

‘My current realm is peak perfection stage—equivalent to top-tier expert.’

Truthfully, if he wanted, he could step into the transcendent realm at any time.

The only reason he’d risen slowly was because he was focusing on the Primordial Unity Divine Art, the fusion of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art and Bright Heaven Divine Art.

If he advanced too rashly and hit a bottleneck with his cultivation art, that would be troublesome.

‘I’m not sure if this will be fine.’

During the entrance ceremony, he had nearly been exposed to one of the knights guarding the Emperor.

If he happened to encounter someone like that again, he couldn’t guarantee he would be able to conceal everything about himself.

“I understand for now. Then when will the conference presentation be?”

“Thank you. We’ll have to wait until the verification on the ruins is complete, so it will take at least a few months. If we’re quick, it could be near the end of the first semester, or during the vacation, and if delayed, after the start of the second semester.”

“That’s plenty of time.”

That was enough.

There was no reason to refuse a stage that had been prepared for him, and even at a glance there were plenty of merits to it.

Even in the worst case, if his level was exposed, it wouldn’t be a major problem.

What could they really hold against him for hiding his strength?

“Then I’ll let you know the progress later. Once again, thank you, Cadet Carlos.”

“It’s nothing. I’ll be going now.”

After finishing the conversation with Professor Leblik, Carl stepped outside the building.

Coming out into the open air after being in a stuffy place felt refreshing.

‘The seniors probably won’t be in the clubroom.’

Since they had shoved the presentation onto him, they’d be hiding for a while.

After a day or two, they’d probably approach him with a smile and try to gloss it over.

“This kind of clumsy side is also part of the academy life’s charm.”

It wasn’t a bad thing—if anything, it was like they’d given him the chance to stand out, so he decided to let it slide.

“Ah, Carl, here you are.”

“Miss Laysis.”

“I was going to ask if you wanted to train together after class, but you disappeared. Where did you go?”

“Ah, I was summoned by Professor Leblik. Something related to the club.”

“Something from the ruin exploration side?”

“Yes. They asked me to handle the conference presentation…”

Carl looked at the Laysis before him.

A foreign princess, beautiful in appearance, with nothing lacking in elegance or character.

If necessary, she was also a good person to draw attention toward.

“…Would you be willing to assist me, Miss Laysis? It’s my first time giving a presentation, so I’m feeling a lot of pressure.”

“A presentation?!”

Laysis’s eyes widened.

“You mean presenting the results of the ruin exploration, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Don’t the president or other seniors usually do that?”

“That’s exactly what I asked, but due to certain circumstances, it’s fallen to me.”

When Carl gave a wry smile, Laysis looked at him with bright, curious eyes.

“That just means you’re being trusted that much. From my perspective, it seems the club is pushing you forward.”

“Pushing me?”

“Yes. So you can’t run away from becoming the next club president. If you present at the conference, it’ll firmly establish you as a core member.”

“Hm.”

So that was another possible interpretation.

Carl chuckled lightly.

“So, could you help me?”

“Of course. I’ll do my best to help you.”

“Thank you. I was nervous since it’s a presentation in the Imperial Palace, but if you’re helping, Miss Laysis, I feel reassured.”

“…Wait, where did you say?”

Laysis’s eyes went wide.

“They’re borrowing a venue in the Imperial Palace. I heard that research related to ancient heroes is traditionally presented there.”

“The Imperial Palace?”

The expression of Laysis, who had been nodding pleasantly moments ago, hardened.

“…Then, that means nobles will be attending as well?”

“I would think so.”

Carl looked at her with a questioning expression.

She quickly averted her gaze and began backing away.

“I… I get so nervous in front of nobles that I can’t speak properly. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can…”

“Miss Laysis, you’re royalty yourself—what are you saying?”

“Well, it’s hard to explain in detail, but there are… circumstances. So appearing in official settings is somewhat burdensome for me…”

Grab.

Carl took Laysis’s hand.

It was the exact tactic he’d learned from Professor Leblik.

Holding both her hands tightly so she couldn’t escape, he met her eyes.

“I trust you won’t go back on your word after saying you’d help me.”

“…Ugh.”

Laysis froze.

Facing Carl so close up seemed to shock her into a mental standstill.

“I’d feel burdened doing it alone, but if you help me, Miss Laysis, I’ll feel reassured. I won’t give you any overly difficult role, so please help me.”

At his low, steady, persuasive tone, Laysis hesitated but instinctively nodded.

By the time she realized and came to her senses, Carl was smiling at her from right in front of her.

“Thank you. I knew you would help me, Miss Laysis.”

As Carl exhaled in relief, Laysis bit her lip tightly.

‘…Well, whatever.’

It was just a presentation at an academic conference—what could possibly happen?

Seeing Carl relying on her, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.