I arrived at the Imperial Palace three hours after receiving the summons.

This time, there was no need to wait in a reception room.

The moment I stepped inside the palace, the Emperor’s attendants immediately escorted me to his office.

“Your Majesty, His Excellency Nicolaus Ernst has arrived.”

The attendants opened the doors and stepped aside.

Seated with his back to the sunlight streaming into the room, the Emperor lifted his head.

“Ah, you’ve come.”

“It is an honor to see you, Your Majesty.”

I greeted him with my usual formalities and a smile. The Emperor gestured to the seat before him.

“I heard that you have been appointed as a Special Minister of Bavaria. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Since this wasn’t a place where humility was particularly valued, I simply nodded in acknowledgment.

“Well then, do you have any idea why I summoned you today?”

“I assumed it was regarding yesterday’s possession incident.”

“That’s correct.”

Unlike before, his face held no trace of a smile.

“As we approach the end of the day, victims continue to appear throughout the Empire without pause. The initial five hundred victims have now surpassed a thousand.”

“Yes.”

“Given that Bavaria has placed you in charge of the countermeasures, you must have some knowledge of the situation.”

Pleroma’s involvement in this disaster had not yet been made public.

Unlike demons—whose existence is often considered the realm of superstition—Pleroma is a tangible and undeniable threat to everyone.

Revealing their role too soon would only escalate the crisis, potentially increasing the number of victims before an effective response system could be established.

Of course, Pleroma itself would eventually claim responsibility once it suited them. But with time working against us, there was no need to risk additional complications by discussing it with the Emperor prematurely.

As I remained silent, he seemed to understand my hesitation and elaborated.

“I am not asking you to disclose everything here. I recognize the weight of your new position. However….”

His eyes grew more serious.

“I wish to propose something to you.”

“Please, speak, Your Majesty.”

“As Emperor, I cannot simply stand by in this situation. Before tomorrow arrives, I intend to establish a Countermeasure Committee, merging relevant departments from the Ministry of Magic and the Ministry of Security.”

“……”

“I understand that you are already burdened with responsibilities. However, I do not know of anyone more capable than you. Will you serve as its chairman?”

I stared at him for a moment.

This was an offer to take a position far higher than the one Bavaria had given me.

‘Sounds appealing.’

Being offered more authority and prestige is always a tempting prospect.

But I had absolutely no reason to accept.

“I must decline, Your Majesty.”

“……”

“The position is too great a burden for me. I deeply appreciate Your Majesty’s trust, but I have prior commitments that I cannot abandon. I ask for your understanding.”

If this were Bavaria—where I had full support—I might have considered it.

But in an environment where many awaited my downfall, taking on such a high-profile responsibility would be reckless.

The moment the crisis appeared to be under control, or the slightest flaw was found in my actions, I could be dismissed in disgrace.

The nature of the situation hadn’t changed from what happened in the Catacombs.

‘Still, an opportunity is an opportunity.’

Especially since Adrian Askanian is now working within the Imperial Government. I had no intention of letting this chance slip by completely.

“That is unfortunate. I would have liked to work alongside you. If only I had acted a little faster than Bavaria.”

His tone remained warm and amicable.

I looked at him and smiled faintly.

“I cannot serve as chairman, but what if I were to act as an advisor, Your Majesty?”

With this role, I could monitor the Imperial Government’s actions and step in if they started making foolish decisions.

The Emperor gazed at me in silence for a moment before speaking.

“Are you certain? Your workload will only increase. Even serving as an advisor may become a burden.”

“If I can apply what I have learned in Bavaria to aid Prussia, then there will not be many additional tasks. And if it ensures the safety of the Empire, then it would be my honor.”

At last, a gentle smile formed on the Emperor’s face.

“Very well. Rather than placing you under the government, I shall establish a Royal Advisory Committee. As per protocol, I will serve as its chairman, and I would like you to take the position of Vice Chairman. Would that be acceptable?”

I looked into his eyes.

Surprisingly, he was reducing my responsibilities while ensuring that my contributions were recognized.

With the Emperor as the chairman, any failures or issues would primarily fall upon him rather than the advisory committee.

As a negotiation tactic, this was quite reasonable.

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

***

[Royal Magical Security Advisory Committee Established… Emperor Friedrich: “A Command Center for Handling Possession Incidents”]

[Emperor Friedrich Appoints Nicolaus Ernst as Vice Chairman of the Advisory Committee]

I read through the various newspapers reporting on the matter.

The Emperor had drafted the official agreement with me and immediately informed the Imperial Gazette, prompting other newspapers nationwide to follow suit.

‘He went as far as to call it a command center.’

I chuckled.

It was called an advisory committee, but in reality…

More interestingly, the Emperor fully acknowledged my information and ideas as my own.

No, rather than merely acknowledging them, he was openly showcasing me.

‘It’s surprising, but also inevitable.’

If he had tried to subtly claim my work as his own, I would have had no reason to lend my name to the Imperial Family.

Instead, he had no intention of slighting me.

He believed that I would successfully resolve the crisis in Bavaria while simultaneously recognizing that Prussia lacked the capability to do the same.

‘Even if his approach is calculated, he is still placing his trust in me….’

Now, I need to prove that trust is well-placed.

So far, I had implemented two countermeasures.

Before heading to the Imperial Palace, I had reviewed a national briefing with certain restrictions applied.

[From 12:00 PM today, the Countermeasure Bureau has deployed monitoring teams and established purification barriers at 100-meter intervals along all rivers and streams within the territory. While decontamination efforts have been completed, we urge the public to avoid approaching bodies of water for the time being.]

However, this measure was only a preventative step—a way to minimize future incidents.

The real challenge was determining how to handle those already affected and those who would be affected in the future.

We needed a way to subdue and treat those driven mad by the drug.

‘I already discussed a treatment method with Leo….’

That was already in motion.

Now, I needed to determine how to achieve maximum suppression efficiency with minimal resources.

With far too few mages available and new cases being reported every ten minutes, finding the most effective team-based approach was essential.

Which is why I was personally heading into the field, responding to every reported case.

‘I need to see firsthand how many people are required per operation.’

Leo and I had deployed together this time. From atop a building, he peered down at the street below.

“That one looks worse than we expected.”

“They did say this was the strongest case of the afternoon.”

Leo glanced at me and subtly counted down with his fingers.

The moment he reached the last count, I teleported directly to the victim’s location.

He quietly spoke.

“So, I hear you’ve been appointed Vice Chairman of the Royal Advisory Committee?”

“Yes.”

It wasn’t exactly the best time for casual conversation, but if not now, when?

I had left so much in Leo’s hands for the development of the treatment drug that we barely had time to talk.

As he shattered a protective barrier, Leo continued,

“Well, good for you. You picked up three new titles today.”

“Yeah.”

“Your older brother knows that you can use magic, right? That’s why he’s been forcing those potions on you….”

Boom!

A surge of Vitriol slammed into the magical barrier I had conjured with my staff.

Bracing myself against the impact, I reinforced my stance while blocking the possessed victim’s attack.

Above us, Leo’s blue magic tore through the sky. Though dawn was breaking, the clouds remained a dull, oppressive gray—until his magic forced them apart, letting streaks of blue in.

Whoosh—Boom!

As he was pushed back, Leo dug his heel into the ground, unleashing another burst of mana to stabilize himself. His voice remained steady as he continued,

“Hearing that your brother now ‘supports’ you living normally instead of forcing you to take those potions… Honestly, that’s way more suspicious than him drugging you in the first place.”

Earlier at dawn, both Leo and Elias had persistently questioned me about my brother. So, I had given them a brief update.

“My guess? He knows you’ve gotten close to me. If you were truly recovering while still taking those potions, you’d need another kind of elixir to counteract their effects. And where would you get that from? You haven’t even touched the money in your bank account.”

“Yeah. He probably thinks that if he makes a move too soon, it’ll escalate things further… so instead, he assumes I’ve secretly built my own network of support.”

There are people aiding me.

That would be the most logical explanation my brother could come up with.

Leo waved his wand, directing his magic toward the rampaging victim.

“Well, even so, I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”

“Why?”

“Just look at your new titles. The answer’s obvious.”

Leo grinned, clearly pleased.

He wasn’t wrong.

Nicolaus’s Impression Score had shot up from 7.6 to 7.9 in just half a day.

With two separate governments appointing me, the effect seemed to compound, boosting trust even further.

“A Special Minister, huh? No matter how you look at it, it’s a solid position. It might not carry as much weight as a full Imperial Minister, but stacking all three of your roles together puts you at least on par with Askanian.”

“You sound more excited than I am.”

“I didn’t go through all this trouble for you to end up getting killed by Askanian. Not to mention, even if they wanted you dead now, Bavaria wouldn’t stand by and let it happen. You’re too valuable.”

Well, as long as I remained useful, Bavaria certainly wouldn’t let me die.

That worked just fine for me.

I focused my attention back on subduing the rampaging victim.

After some time, with the target fully restrained, I aimed my wand at his Core.

The victim thrashed violently, twisting his limbs unnaturally—just like a person truly possessed. No matter how many times I saw it, it was disturbing.

[Aaaagh! Aghhh!]

―Thus saith the Lord, I shall go forth, and I shall give you peace!

[Guh…!]

The black smoke pouring from the victim’s body dissipated, and his limbs went limp.

Leo wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“That took us an entire hour. Trying to prevent collateral damage doubled the time.”

“Hmm.”

At this rate, we needed additional support staff just to maintain the protective barriers.

I jotted down notes in my notebook, systematically eliminating inefficient options.

Watching me, Leo said,

“Once you’re done with that, let’s head to the research lab, Lucas.”

“Why?”

“I need you to test the drug you mentioned. I finished making it.”

***

I spent two full days refining the response system.

Fortunately, the academy had declared disaster leave until yesterday, meaning I could wrap everything up before classes resumed.

‘Titles are just fancy words until you actually do the work.’

Now that the response system was complete, I needed to figure out the logistics of execution. Additionally, I had to negotiate with the Imperial Family to integrate Bavaria’s framework into their operations.

But the biggest issue remained—the production of the treatment drug.

Since it required my Divine Power, I had to endure continuous extraction sessions at the research lab, all while receiving healing magic to keep myself from collapsing.

‘And I have to go through that all over again today…’

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Still, the results had been overwhelmingly successful.

First, my Impression Score surpassed 8.0.

[Nicolaus Ernst: “Over 100 Emergency Treatment Centers Established in Bavaria… Immediate Preventative Medication Required for Any Symptoms”]

[Nicolaus Ernst: “New Victim Ranking System Reduces Processing Time by Threefold”]

Rather than the Bavarian Countermeasure Bureau, the newspapers kept emphasizing my name.

Maybe it was because it was easier to credit an individual working across both Bavaria and the Empire, or maybe using my name just sold more papers.

Second, I had expected public panic to increase when we revealed that Pleroma was behind the attacks.

However, Bavaria’s rapid distribution of emergency relief supplies and medication across the Empire had reassured the public.

Despite the escalating crisis, the number of reported incidents remained stable.

I half-listened to the lecture while scribbling additional notes.

As the class was nearing its end, the professor set down the chalk and addressed us.

“Well, that concludes today’s lesson. There will be a visit from the Ministry of Education’s Inspector later today.”

The atmosphere in the classroom was as bleak as the world outside.

An inspector?

Given the current situation, it was doubtful that the school would bother enforcing disciplinary measures over student behavior.

Most of my classmates seemed to share the same sentiment, as there was barely any reaction.

However, what the professor said next was far more shocking.

“This hasn’t been officially announced yet, but the Imperial Family has issued a draft order.”

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