In My Second Life, I Rule from the Shadows

Chapter 37: Nerian Hopenheim (2)

“……”

Carl was slightly surprised.

He had already expected that either Yuria or Laysis—who hadn’t found a partner—would come to him.

But he hadn’t anticipated that even Nerian would approach him.

‘Whom should I pair with?’

In that moment, Carl drifted into thought.

Since he was going to pair with these three anyway, winning was not his intention.

Letting them win and having a conversation would be a more beneficial long‑term strategy.

‘Yuria has the magic study and plenty of future contact opportunities.’

By contrast, Carl found himself quite curious about why Nerian had come to him.

Especially the Power of Ice was sufficient to capture Carl’s interest.

“……”

The gaze fixed on him seemed utterly convinced that his suggestion would be accepted.

With that in mind, Carl allowed himself a smile and first spoke toward Laysis.

“I’ll go with Laysis‑san who came first.”

“……”

Nerian, who had been reaching toward the crystal orb, froze in movement.

He had surely expected to be called first—and looked taken aback.

“Looking forward to it!”

“……Tch.”

Laysis showed a cheerful expression, while Yuria standing beside her puckered her lips.

“I came at the same time, too.”

“But even so, dueling a mage via magical power manipulation seems a bit….”

When Carl gave a wry smile, Yuria huffed but agreed and moved away.

No, as she tried to leave, Nerian suddenly reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

“You, duel with me.”

“……Huh?”

“We’re both unpaired anyway.”

“……”

Yuria’s eyes rolled around as if she hadn’t expected this.

“……Ah, no. I’d rather pair with another friend.”

“What do you mean? Did you have another friend besides Laysis?”

“Ugh……”

Yuria’s face twisted in distress as she felt cornered by the truth.

Honestly, she lacked confidence facing Nerian.

"He’s first-tier among the cadets—his swordsmanship is top-notch, and the magic talent granted by his power is phenomenal."

Even if Yuria followed the path of a mage, she couldn’t guarantee victory.

She had hoped to earn extra points somehow.

Squeeze.

The grip on Yuria’s shoulder tightened.

After Carl had already said no once, Nerian’s firm grip was a statement against a second refusal.

In the end, Yuria could only nod reluctantly.

“……Alright.”

“Mmm. Then I reserve second round.”

“Understood.”

Only after receiving Carl’s confirmation did she finally step away.

When only the two of them remained, Laysis offered a shy smile and spoke.

“How was your weekend? I wanted to invite you to a meal, but it seemed you weren’t in the dormitory.”

“I had an external engagement over the weekend, so I was away. That’s unfortunate.”

“Don’t you check the Archive? I sent a message but didn’t receive a reply.”

“Oh, I forgot—I’m not used to it.”

That wasn’t just a polite lie.

The Archive was a feature available at Bayern Academy.

This internal network had various functions to improve cadet convenience.

There was a messaging feature for cadets to communicate, and even a space to upload logs or journals.

Thud.

On impulse, Carl opened the Archive and checked—it revealed several messages.

‘Laysis wasn’t the only one.’

Not just Laysis—but other cadets had contacted him.

Recommendations for clubs, study groups, social gatherings, and even meal invitations like from Laysis.

Interestingly, Yuria had also sent a message.

When she approached earlier, perhaps conscious of others’ gazes, she hadn’t mentioned anything about it.

“Everyone seemed excited. It was the first time using something like the Archive.”

“…….That seems to be true. There are hundreds of posts.”

It had only been two weeks since the semester began, yet everybody was highly active.

As Carl skimmed the content, most posts seemed to feature photos or logs about meals, study, exercise, or other hobbies.

An intriguing point was that you could browse each cadet’s profile, and the post with Nerian’s personal photo had the highest views and reactions.

Among hundreds of posts, it claimed the most overwhelming buzz.

It seemed her real‑world popularity had carried over to the Archive.

‘There are a lot of interesting things.’

It seemed to be structured in a way that easily drew in cadets.

Was it meant to reduce the gap between each class and promote a sense of belonging and unity?

It was intriguing, as it was something unheard of in the Central Plains.

Srrrrk.

At that moment, the crystal orb floating in the air descended.

Both Carl and Laysis reached out their hands and stepped forward.

Saaah─.

Waves of red and blue intertwined and softly expanded each other’s domains.

As expected of the top ranks, they clearly understood that controlling the crystal orb’s magic required more attention to detail than raw firepower.

“……Come to think of it, I never properly thanked you. Thank you again.”

“As I said back then, that was your achievement, Miss Laysis.”

Carl gently brushed the air as he responded.

“There were many who could have moved at the time. But the only one who stood back up and swung a sword was you, Miss Laysis. That’s the end of it.”

“Is that so.”

A smile spread across Laysis’s lips.

The way she looked at Carl softened further, and warmth blossomed in her gaze.

“Did Instructor Prahan teach you sword forms?”

“Ah! It was truly amazing. It's hard to explain with words, but if you see it for yourself, you’ll be shocked. I never imagined he would pass on such level of sword forms to me.”

“You’ve piqued my curiosity, Miss Laysis.”

“I’m still lacking in my foundation, so we agreed I’d receive the full teaching after more training. Once I’ve completed it, I’ll show it to you first, Carl.”

“I’ll look forward to it.”

When Carl smiled while meeting her gaze, Laysis looked somewhat flustered and fiddled with the ends of her hair.

Tap.

As they exchanged words, the second practical session came to an end.

The match ended with a 7:3 victory for Laysis.

She gave a slight nod toward Carl and rose from her seat.

“……Ah, do you have time this evening, by any chance? I was thinking perhaps we could have a light meal together.”

“Understood.”

“Then I’ll contact you through the Archive later.”

Laysis left her seat with a smile.

And the one who filled the empty spot was none other than the long-awaited Nerian.

Unfortunately, he had drawn a tie with Yuria.

Due to the limited capacity of the crystal orb, there was a clear restriction on the amount of magic that could be used, making it impossible to determine a winner.

“Next is me.”

“Very well. I look forward to it.”

Carl nodded while inwardly smiling at how amusing the situation was.

With Laysis and now Nerian seeking him out, the attention directed at him intensified.

“……You seem close with Laysis.”

“We grew close during the entrance exam. I also had many conversations with Miss Yuria.”

“Which one is it?”

“Which one, meaning?”

“The one you're interested in, romantically.”

Carl let out a hollow chuckle.

So this was the kind of question the one sitting before him had in mind.

……No, on second thought, it was the kind of question that fit someone his age perfectly.

Perhaps he had overestimated Nerian.

‘Or maybe he has feelings for one of them.’

Since he mentioned Laysis, it was likely her.

In any case, Carl answered with a composed expression.

“They are both wonderful people, but I’m not particularly interested in romantic relationships at the moment.”

“Hmm.”

Whether he was satisfied with the answer, Nerian slightly curled his lips and nodded.

This time, perhaps because everyone had found a partner quickly, the orb descended a bit sooner than before.

Carl and Nerian infused it with magic and locked eyes.

“There’s something I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“What is your goal?”

“My goal, you ask?”

Following the first question, a second one came.

“You're the third son of your family, right? Inheriting a title would be difficult. Do you have another goal? Judging from your grades, a post in the imperial civil service would suit you.”

“……”

Carl manipulated his magic while probing Nerian’s intent.

‘Is he trying to test me?’

It was hard to guess the reason behind the question.

So he decided to give a textbook answer.

“I haven’t decided yet what I’ll do after graduating from the academy. I’m considering traveling or possibly graduate school depending on my interests.”

“Is that so. Do you plan to separate from your family?”

“Most likely, yes. When the eldest son inherits the family, the siblings splitting off is the proper course.”

But separation didn’t mean leaving the family entirely.

It simply meant relocating to a different territory within the same domain.

The direct bloodline would spread, increasing members, and as generations passed, they would become a collateral branch.

It was the typical method nobles used to expand their power.

It was also the fastest and easiest structure to increase influence within the territory.

‘Though with Brother Carius’s personality, I doubt he’d tell me to split off.’

That kind brother would probably suggest they live together in the mansion.

Brother Darius, on the other hand, would likely storm out in frustration.

“I see.”

“……?”

Seeing Nerian nodding in satisfaction, Carl tilted his head slightly.

Whatever it was, it seemed he had given an answer that pleased him.

‘Well, that’s a good thing regardless.’

Nerian Hopenheim was someone who needed to be prioritized among the cadets.

If he had taken the initiative to approach Carl out of interest, that wasn’t a bad sign.

‘Could he be considering me as a retainer?’

As Carl gazed at the crystal orb gradually turning blue, he seriously pondered the idea.

It was common for nobles to take in scions of other noble houses as their retainers.

Being born noble was proof enough of one's background, and their character and abilities were generally above average.

Naturally, many preferred that type.

Of course, Carl had no intention of becoming a servant under the Hopenheim household.

‘Nerian said he has two older brothers, didn’t he.’

Both had awakened the Power of Ice and were currently active and distinguished graduates of the academy.

Nerian was praised as one of the most gifted successors in history, but that didn’t mean he would easily inherit the title.

Especially within a family like Hopenheim that wielded such immense power, internal strife would be intense.

‘I see.’

Once his thoughts reached that point, Carl roughly understood Nerian’s actions.

‘He’s likely trying to build his own faction within the academy to stand against his brothers.’

The elder brothers had already graduated and were establishing their base as nobles.

Whereas Nerian had only just enrolled in the academy.

With the Duke of Hopenheim still in good health, he was likely taking his time gathering strength and preparing for the future.

‘So that’s the angle to approach him with.’

Soon, the third practical session ended.

The result was a 9:1 score.

An overwhelming victory for Nerian.

“Excellent technique.”

“You as well, Nerian.”

“Carlos, let’s see each other often from now on.”

“Please, just call me Carl.”

“……”

As he was about to rise, Nerian looked down at Carl.

“I usually don’t care about titles and such.”

He let out a slight chuckle as he spoke.

“Alright. I’ll make an exception for you, Carl.”

Then, as if their business was finished, he turned and walked away.