Chapter Text
Lukas, who has finished his training earlier than usual, is rushing to his room because of Elias's sudden request.
'Elias doesn’t seem to be in a good mood..'
***
When Lukas was training with Leonard, Elias had suddenly warped to the training ground with an unusual face.
Because of Elias’s sudden appearance, Lukas and Leonard stopped their spar as soon as they saw Elias. Usually, they would continue, but they had sensed that something was wrong with Elias, so they stopped.
'Did something happen to him?'
Lucas gave a stunned look to Leo.
'I don't know.'
Leo shrugged.
"Did something happen, Eli?"
Lucas asked with a concerned and worried face.
"Let's talk after school at the usual spot. Do come!! It’s important!!"
As Elias said that, he then warped to who knows where he's gone to now, leaving Lukas and Leo bewildered as to what just happened.
"What...just happened...?"
***
'It could be because of his uncle or either a pleroma pissed him off or something else entirely hm..'
"Luca."
As Lukas was about to enter his room, Narke appeared beside Lucas out of nowhere.
Lukas, who didn't notice Narke's presence, was spooked out with the sudden call.
"Sorry- didn't notice that you were beside me, Narke."
"It’s ok~"
Narke’s face with a big smile and full of gleam made Lucas shudder a bit.
"Did Elias tell you to come too?"
"Mhm~ he was so serious, it was so scary!"
'As if you're scared. You already know that he's going to show up to relay the message to meet up after school.'
"Why didn't you just warp to my room?"
"Good question! It just seems fun tagging along with you and walking together~"
Lukas, not knowing how to reply to that answer, decided to just enter the room.
As he entered the room, the room’s atmosphere was...well, very questionable..
It was too serious. It was even more serious than when we discussed about pleroma.
Lukas eyes met Leonard’s eyes.
'What's wrong with him?'
'As I said, I don’t know.'
'Why didn't you ask him?'
'I did ask, but he didn't answer.'
Narke chuckled as he watched Lukas and Leonard communicating with their eyes.
"Eli? What's wrong?"
Elias, who is sitting at Lukas's bed like it's his own bed and seems to be...smiling...?
"Hahahahaha!"
Elias sudden laughter makes Lukas and Leonard stunned.
"Eli...?"
"I have got a very veryy big big clue!!"
"A clue?"
'Is it a 'clue' related to pleroma?'
"Yes! Luka, we've been watching Pleroma moves these days, and they seem to be very anxious about something, right? And it even makes you feel restless to the point you might just outright infiltrate the pleroma base, right?"
"That's...right.."
Stunned by Elias's words, Lukas is left bewildered by what Elias just said and just outwardly admits it, and well, because of Elias’s last sentence, Leonard is glaring at him like crazy.
'I didn't actually intend to go - It was only an idea in mind-'
"Well! the great Elias has found a clue as to why the pleroma has been on high alert and become very anxious!"
Elias’s face, full of content and excitement, dropped a big bomb.
"It's because they've found a device two months ago, that seems to be very powerful to the point it makes the Pleroma higher-ups become extremely alert about this information."
"A device?"
Leonard was stunned by the bomb Elias dropped.
"Yes! Though this is as far as I've got, I do know that the device is currently near where we are right now."
"...what?"
"Are you saying it might be inside our school...?"
"Mhm, though I do not know whether the Pleroma is a student or a professor, but I do know that they're inside the school with the device."
'Since we've already rooted out the professors, it has got to be one of the students.'
"But..how did you acquire this information, Eli?"
"Oh, it’s through my meticulous acting and disguise! Knowing you're going to do something reckless, I decided to snoop around here and there and coincidentally got closer to a Pleroma that seems to be one of the higher-ups, then she started to trust me and spill the information out."
"Wait. How long have you been doing this?"
“Oh, only for a few months hehe"
'So that's why Elias has been frequently disappearing these past few months...'
"That's amazing, Eli~!"
Narke exclamation makes me realise I have forgotten that he's here-
"...did Narke help you with the disguise...?"
"Yup yup~"
'Should've expected that Narke knew it all along. I thought he saw the future but he actually knew about Elias’s plan since the start...'
'So that's why he's been smiling so much earlier...to see Leonard and my reaction to this information.'
"..This is absurd...that is very reckless Elias."
Leonard, who had been silent since earlier, says those words and smacks Elias's head.
"Ow!"
"I know you're strong Elias, but that's too reckless. especially since the pleroma you talked to is one of the higher-ups."
"But-!"
"No buts. You should've at least consulted this with me before snooping and talking to that pleroma...hah..."
"But I've already consulted this about this with Narke! And he said it was going to be okay. That's why I didn't consult with you leonard!"
Leonard sighed as he heard Elias whining, and he couldn't refute it because he knew Narke had a special ability to foresee the future.
"So? How exactly are we going to find out whose pleroma is?"
"I think I know who the pleroma might be.."
Lukas’s sudden exclamation makes Leonard stunned.
'That was fast...'
"..and that person is?"
"It's only a suspicion, but the most suspicious one so far is the 1st grade, swordmanship department Schneider."
'Schneider Wiebe, he's Leonard’s junior, who is usually seen together with his friend group most of the time and has a very peculiar personality..'
"And you're reasoning as to why Schneider is the pleroma?"
"He was frequently seen to be on high alert these days, though it started a few months ago. I didn't think much at first, but I didn't know it fit right into Elias’s date of when the pleroma discovered the device."
"But even if Schneider has the device, why would the higher-ups give such an important device to Schneider out of everyone?"
"Something must have happened at their base."
As Leonard and Lukas are discussing, Narke, who's silent, suddenly speaks up.
"Lucas. Someone's coming."
As those words were spoken, Leonard, Lukas, and Elias tensed up.
Knock knock.
"um...is Lukas here..?"
Lucas opens the door a little to hide Narke, Leonard, and Elias in his room.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you, but someone wants to meet you at the school garden."
"Who wants to meet me?"
"I don't know who exactly he is, but he seems to be from the swordmanship department...well, that's all i got to say, I'll take my leave now.."
"Ah, yes, thank you."
'Someone from the swordmanship department...is it perhaps Schneider?'
"Are you going to go?"
"Yes, the possibility of that person being Schneider is high."
"Well, if you're going, we're coming along."
"..yes?"
"Alright, let's go."
***
As they arrive at the garden, Schneider is seen standing there, waiting for someone.
'If someone else sees this, they might actually think that Schneider is going to confess.'
"Schneider Wiebe?"
Schneider, upon hearing Lucas’s voice and his name being called, promptly turned around with a very joyful face.
"Lucas! It's time! The lord has sent their will to me!"
"..yes?"
Leonard, Elias, and Narke, who had been observing from the sidelines, tensed up when Schneider spoke those words.
"Look! The lord has given me a will for you to become one of us!"
Schneider pulls out a device that seems to look like a peculiar compass with a unique design.
'...A compass?'
"...What do you mean by that, Schneider?"
"hahaha! No need to be confused, Lucas, this is all the will of the lord! Surrender your all to them! alongside with you're soul!"
As soon as those words are spoken, Schneider pushes a button on the compass and a light shines from the device.
Leonard, Elias, and Narke rush out of their hiding spot upon seeing that.
'Oh no! This is not good-'
"Lukas!"
"Luka!"
A bright light that came from the compass freezes Lucas in place, unable to move.
'shit- shit-!'
"Wait, don't come closer-!"
Before Lukas could warn them, they were already in the range of the compass 'lights'.
"What the"
"I can't move-!"
Leonard and Elias are struggling to move to get closer to Lucas, while Narke has a troubling face as if he hadn't expected this outcome at all.
"Hahahahaha! All is going to the will of the lord!"
'This crazy maniac-!'
***
"urgh..."
'My head hurts...'
Lucas, who has woken up, opens his eyes, and he's been greeted by a blur and a sparkly light.
"Don't open your eyes, your eyes are in a worse condition right now."
'...Who..?..Wait, no-! Are we at the Pleroma base-?!'
Just as he was about to rise up to be in defense position, he was quickly held down by the person in front of him.
"Do not worry, you're at His Highness's Morres quarters."
'...His Highness Morres? Who is that?...wait, this isn't the time...! Leonard, Elias, and Narke-!'
The person in front of Lukas, upon sensing Lucas’s anxiety, spoke carefully.
"Don't worry, your friends are safe and getting treated right now, so please stay put and refrain from opening your eyes."
"...ah.."
Lucas was about to ask who he is and where he is, but his throat hurts so much he can't say anything.
"For now, please rest more since you actually have a more serious injury than your friends."
The warm hands on his head are making him feel drowsy and sleepy.
'..ah..I can't fall asleep...I need to confirm their condition...'