Chapter 361
Chapter 361
"......"
I'd anticipated they would try to bind me to themselves by whatever means necessary, and sure enough. It was almost astonishing.
What's more, they knew. That I was the core of the command. They knew perfectly well that the core of every Pleroma annihilation operation was me, and no one else.
'...This is dangerous.'
For my own safety, and for the Empire's.
Of course, it was no longer the time to keep my existence and activities tightly concealed. Even if I were suspected of being Nicolaus. If I'd absolutely had to hide, I wouldn't have come this far—I'd have deliberately failed exams and lived without drawing notice. High risk, high return was now the baseline. If you sought renown, you had to shoulder commensurate risk, and their current interest in me was merely one such risk. Above all, even if I hadn't been so actively engaged, they would have been watching me constantly anyway, given the Pleroma label attached to me.
If there was anyone who would covet my social success first, it was Pleroma. Not by anyone's will or intent, but because they stood to reap a boost from me.
But unfortunately, I'm not a Pleroma. Even if I can drink blood to heal damaged parts and become stronger than anyone, I'm not the same as them. Our essences are different. I opened my mouth in a resolute voice.