"Hmm, I see~ It also says here that you're estimated to be in your late twenties to early thirties. Now I understand why you're so calm, Lucas."
Narce softly smiled as he flipped through another booklet. Leo, who had been pressing his forehead with dead eyes, lifted his eyelids and quietly asked me.
"I remember you telling me before that there's no need to stop the yellow press… but after seeing today's article, you're not still thinking of using them, are you?"
"I am."
"Sigh…"
Leo pressed his eyes with both hands.
It's amazing how someone who acts like they'll die if they don't follow the rules can be close friends with Elias.
Well, he does have some similarities with Elias.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to push his way into obtaining a fake citizen identity in Wittelsbach.
At that moment, Narce, who had been staring at me, spoke up.
"Lucas."
"Yes?"
"It might be tiring… but I think you can handle it. Hang in there."
Did he use his foresight ability?
It probably means that the overall flow isn't bad.
"Thanks."
"Hey, the article here says you have social anxiety and don't meet people. If they're going to report on the same person, shouldn't they at least get their stories straight?"
Elias chuckled again.
I smiled back at him.
"If they go with that angle, it's good for me."
"You seem relaxed. Are you enjoying the feeling of the entire nation being made fools of, except for us?"
"Well, I can't say there isn't some of that. In terms of figuring out the truth and the public's trust, they've already lost."
To deduce anything, the information has to be consistent.
This fight is one they're destined to lose since Nicolaus isn't a real person but was created only in the second half of this year.
"Trust~ That's a good one. It's already over."
"Yeah. Those who get interested will look for more tabloids that mention my story."
"If it were me, I'd scrape up every last copy from the newsstand. Honestly, after dealing with the barrier suitability issue, I was going to look into where this Nicolaus came from."
"..."
Suddenly, I felt a chill.
I nodded as calmly as possible.
"…Right. I see. But if every report tells a different story, what can you do?"
"It's annoying. So, what's the truth? Ah, forget it. It's my fault for trying to find out here… right?"
Elias shrugged.
Yeah.
Even without the attitude of "I'll find out no matter what," it's the same.
If every report tells a different story, it's a chance to realize that what you're reading isn't reliable information but just gossip.
Of course, even if they do get their stories straight, it's still beneficial.
When only incorrect information is circulating, what harm is there in aligning the stories?
Either way, it's just amusing and helpful.
At that moment, Leo frowned at the increased false information.
"Wait. Speaking of which… how did the social anxiety story come up?"
"They got an interview with someone who claimed to be Nicolaus's friend from childhood. Lucas, did you read it?"
"Yes."
It was an interview with someone from the Papal State.
He claimed that he had a friend named Nicolaus when he was young.
Nicolaus had often done inexplicable magical things since childhood, then one day disappeared and hasn't been seen since.
There are cases where a mage is born from non-mages, without inheriting magic through genetics.
He probably thought Nicolaus was one of those cases.
Of course, he isn't me, but it's an incredibly detailed and convenient scenario.
Leo, looking incredulous, asked with a downward turn of his lips.
"What, someone who was friends with Nicolaus?"
"Yes."
"…There are plenty of people named Nicolaus in the world, so what…."
Leo muttered skeptically.
I agree.
But from the perspective of the yellow press, such fact-checking isn't important.
If it's specific enough and interesting, people will easily believe it. The public not scrutinizing the truth of the articles also plays a part.
'Should I confirm again at this point?'
First, the suggestion.
Chapter 4. Constant Dripping Wears Away a Stone (2) Suggestion 3: [Impression] Score 5 Defense (?/N) (152 hours 17 minutes 53 seconds)
* Route 1 — Chapter 5. Good Things Take Time (1)
* Route 2 — Chapter 5. Do Not Praise the Day Before Evening Comes
Defend the score of 5.
It means to prevent it from falling into the 4-point range.
In a way, it's a precarious statement.
Rounding to the third decimal place, it's exactly 5 points.
Even rounding to the fourth decimal place, it's 5.002 points.
But there is hope.
When the saying "it's getting harder to raise the score" means, for example, this:
To go from stage 1 to stage 2, you only needed 10,000,000, but to go from stage 2 to stage 3, you need 100,000. Even if the value goes down, it doesn't easily fall to the stage. Lucas Rene Askanian Impression: -9.9 (+0.1) [+5.0015129]
'The last digit dropped from 15131 to 15129.'
But this can be seen as oscillating in place.
With a national media outlet like Dasrothe attacking me, just as the live broadcast raised it by 3 points, it could also drop by 1 point increments.
While it's true that their reports benefit me, I'm not letting my guard down, so let's thoroughly calculate again.
"What time did today's Dasrothe come out?"
"Six in the morning."
Leo answered in a low voice.
The publication times for the newspaper are 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sales increase around these times.
Now, at 11:50 p.m., today's impression score changes have already been experienced.
There must have been constant rises and falls….
Due to the live broadcast and the Bavarian press conference, the upward trend has been maintained so far.
'The real challenge starts tomorrow.' Dasrothe is a daily newspaper.
From the point when they seriously report that I've been walking on seven legs, my impression score will start to decline little by little.
Considering the number of people who take yellow press seriously, it's possible to drive someone to death.
Depending on the credibility of the content, it might not just decrease slightly but sharply.
"Leo, when are you going to make the threat?"
"I'm planning to convene a meeting tomorrow evening."
Leo replied, massaging his temples and closing his eyes, seemingly stressed by all the headaches.
"Alright. Thanks in advance."
"I'd do it earlier if I could… If it becomes unbearable, let me know. I'll go back to Bavaria tomorrow morning and inform Mother."
"Oh ho, so you can skip school like that~"
Elias laughed from the side.
"…! Do you think I'm skipping to have fun like you?!"
"Huh…? This time, I was just jealous?! What kind of behavior have I shown that you immediately take it this way~?"
Well… it can't be helped.
I thought the same as Leo.
"And I wasn't playing around! I was out exploring."
"Exploring for three whole months?!"
I shook my head, cutting off Elias and Leo's argument.
"It's fine. That amount of time is enough."
By tomorrow evening… the insane rumors about me being involved with seven different people will have spread.
The most important thing is whether this turns into a long-term issue or not.
By the day after tomorrow, the stories about me will start to die down. Even if they don't disappear entirely, at least the excessively sensational stories will be gone.
At this point, it's necessary to review each of their decisions.
Wasn't the timing of releasing my story a bit off?
Why did they release it when my approval rating was rising?
'Idiots.'
The best time to release a scandal would be when I'm seen as a saint by everyone, to maximize the impact.
Why didn't they patiently wait until I reached my peak?
I leaned back in my chair, tapping the pen on the paper.
Watching the ink seep in cleared my thoughts.
It's obvious.
Their goal is to boost their immediate sales with sensational headlines and photos.
If their goal was to socially bury Nicolaus, they wouldn't have released something as trivial as '37 Reasons He Wears a Mask'.
With the explosive interest due to the live broadcast, now is the perfect time to increase sales.
'They'll probably scratch the surface now to milk it for what it's worth, and if my approval rating rises again later… they'll drop another major scandal to boost sales twice.'
Sorry, but by then, I'll be a student again, and they won't be able to report such things anymore.
Anyway, their motive is clear.
Since there's no lobby pushing to drive Nicolaus to the edge, this fight is manageable.
I just need to enjoy the mudslinging and prevent my impression score from dropping into the 4-point range.
* * *
"Lucas, what are you reading?!"
At 3 PM, Pie climbed onto my shoulder and looked down at the booklet I was holding.
"Trash."
"How do you read trash? Isn't that a magazine?"
"No. From now on, it's trash."
I threw the booklet into the incinerator behind the school and headed straight to the dormitory.
'Status window.' Lucas Rene Askanian Impression: -9.9 [+5.0008931]
From 15129 to 8931.
The 10,000 range has collapsed.
The reason is obvious.
There are people who believe Dasrothe's ridiculous report.
Do they really think I have time to meet seven people?
Or do they just find it entertaining and believe it for fun?
'Losing 6000 is still manageable.'
The report was more meticulous than I thought.
Yesterday's Dasrothe cover was typical yellow journalism, but today's issue had my photo on the cover.
It was a close-up of me taken through a window at a charity event, cropped to show my eyes clearly.
The editing, angle, and mask's curvature made me look like a villain. It's impressive how they managed to pick such a photo for the cover.
Alongside it were three or four fake interviews.
It's a method they frequently use, regardless of the controversy.
And the most shocking part was the fabricated photos.
They dressed someone with a similar build to me as Nicolaus and staged plausible situations.
'They put a lot of effort into this.'
Judging by the score change, the results weren't as good as the effort put in.
If they had gotten the reaction they wanted, my impression score would have dropped to the 4-point range, if not the 3-point range.
Of course, it's not negligible. If I leave it as it is, it will drop to the 4-point range before midnight.
Still…
'About three hours left.'
In three hours, the decline will end.
Let's see how much it drops by then.
I changed clothes and warped to the Bavarian border, obtained permission, and moved to the investigation bureau's building.
Since I met the chamberlain and took my medicine today, I had a legitimate reason to skip school.
It was around 3:30 PM.
I found the office I was looking for, and an investigator recognized me and greeted me.
"You're here."
"Yes, can you tell me how far the investigation has progressed?"
"We've just finished everything."
He pulled out the papers from the typewriter and bundled them together.
"There were no Bavarians. All were Prussians, commoners, and those with poor economic conditions. None of the four people mobilized had much contact with the outside world. And, of course, there were no mages."
"I see."
"Here, take a look and let us know if more investigation is needed."
"Alright."
I took the file he handed me.
[Analysis Results of Dasrothe Issues 11-14]
Yesterday, I contacted Bavaria and requested an investigation on today's Dasrothe publication.
To devote an entire issue to the story about me walking on seven legs, they needed clear evidence to capture people's interest.
But since there's no such evidence, they had to create it themselves.
And indeed, fake interviews and photos were published.
Turning the page, I saw the photo from Dasrothe. Greta Velter.
The person claiming to be my lover.
Well, technically, she didn't make the claim.
The interviews were all written by Dasrothe, and this person probably just provided the photo.
Next to it were details about her residence, occupation, workplace, and family relationships.
From what I know, the novel's setting was a time when investigations couldn't be conducted so quickly… It feels like this world, intertwined with magic, has developed at least half a century faster in this regard.
'Fast and convenient. In the real world, in the past, it would've been impossible to find this.'
I closed the file and placed it in the envelope he handed me.
"This is sufficient. Thank you."
"No problem. Where will you go next?"
I recalled the residence of the person on the first page and replied.
"I'll start with Schlau."
"Then I'll inform the Crown Prince that you moved to Schlau Province at 3:50 PM."
"Okay."
I greeted him briefly and left, heading back to school.
I needed to bring Narce.
* * *
"Is Greta Velter here?"
I arrived with Narce to find the person I supposedly had a long-term relationship with, unbeknownst to me.
Narce, wearing a suspicious white mask, seemed to be enjoying the situation, continuously smirking.
I couldn't see his expression due to the mask, but his breathing, mixed with laughter, gave it away.
'This guy… doesn't seem entirely normal.'
Well, high school students about to take entrance exams are all like this, I suppose.
At least, that was my generalization based on my high school years.
Anyway, the reason I brought Narce was that I needed his insight ability today.
I'm going to make the person in the photo tell the truth and then take them to the investigation agency to testify.
For that, I need someone to verify the facts.
Although it feels a bit like exploiting him… Narce had mentioned wanting to visit restricted areas while concealing his identity, so I brought him without much guilt.
Since Leo went to Bavaria today, it was easier to take Narce, who hadn't decided on a purification contract yet, on a business-related trip.
He's actually here, but it's for the sake of appearances.
At that moment, the wooden door rattled.
Creak—
"Who is it…?"
Someone opened the door and widened their eyes upon seeing us.
The person from the Dasrothe photo, looking both bewildered and excited, raised their voice.
"Oh, Sir Nicolaus? Is it really you?!"