Chapter 274

“…….”

A familiar diamond-shaped bottle filled with dark blue liquid came into view. Elias raised his head and looked at me with panicked eyes.

“This is your….”

Yes. It was the medicine that had shattered my core. What more was there to say.

I picked up the note the length of a finger placed on top of the medicine bottle.

[For the future of my beloved little brother]

“…….”

For my future, this was necessary, was it. How long did he plan to use this logic? Didn’t it ever get boring?

Elias’s face hardened rigidly upon reading the phrase. I set the note down and unfolded the letter that Elias had checked first and set aside, reading it down.

[To my proud little brother. I write this letter upon hearing that you have returned.]

A neutral start.

[I have heard about everything that happened before. Hearing the news from the Empire, how shocking it must have been, and since I had been sending messages in every way possible from dawn onward, fearing something had happened to you, even as I write this letter to you now, the surprise has not faded and my hand trembles. Do you know how startled I was that you might die in vain from such an accident? I know I shouldn’t think this way, but for a moment, your recklessness seemed truly cruel.]

Because you had to die by my hand?

It was repulsive coming from someone who would be pleased if I disappeared on my own.

[But you did well.]

In the next line, dark green letters written with emphasis caught my eye.

[To think that the person who threw himself for 1.9 million subjects is my little brother—I am truly proud. You knew you could face death, yet you strove for the continent’s peace. Now the public will come to recognize your sincerity. As I said last time, it feels like you have finally reclaimed the life you should have had but couldn’t over the past years, and I am truly glad. That you can now reveal your true worth to the world still feels like a dream, and I can hardly believe it.]

“…….”

I turned to the next page of the letter.

[However, while I am glad, I have had some concerns about your recent public activities. As you might expect, first, the problem was people trying to drive a wedge between you and me using succession rights. People would try to tear at me when you were stable, and tear at you when I was stable. It pains my heart, but this is reality. Thus, I often had to soothe the press. It wasn’t difficult. I just had to officially express support for your new endeavors to the press. I can convey my stance to the press any number of times for my little brother’s sake. But the real problem was this.]

To the press, I just had to officially express support for your new endeavors. This part stuck in my eyes.

While reading the letter, Leo entered the room as well. But I had no leisure to acknowledge him.

[What if your temperament malfunctions by chance, repeating the events of your childhood at an unexpected time and place? Back then it was Anhalt, but now it is the Empire. I was afraid that a kind and upright child like you would be hurt again. I hope for your health, Luka. I send ahead the gift I had planned to give you upon returning to the Empire, along with the medicine. I hope my gift does not sour your mood.]

“…….”

I shook my head and turned to the next page of the letter. Only two neat lines were written.

[I look forward to seeing you recovered and healthy again. When you return to Berlin, will you contact me?]

I had never skipped replying to my brother’s letters. Even without him specifically mentioning to contact him upon returning to Berlin, I would do so.

‘Adrian Askanian-like, yet not like him.’

This was my conclusion.

There were stories Adrian Askanian would not mention written here.

Succession rights. At least on calculation, he was someone who would absolutely not bring up such a topic to me. That paragraph was too factual and specific to come naturally from him. Since it was somewhat sincere, it was even harder to hear from him. In other words, there was some calculation involved. The reason he had no choice but to say this.

There were other strange points as well. Attaching the request to reply, and cutting the train tickets to Italy without mentioning them, were suspicious, but to make an issue of these right now would be overly sensitive. These two actions likely had intent, but even if not, they made sense, meaning sufficient room to evade, so I would keep them in mind but first address the more important issue.

The biggest problem was this. Drinking the medicine meant I could no longer act as a mage. If he had said this and sent the medicine before taking the third exam, it would be understandable as meaning to take care of it myself, but now I was bound to the Imperial family, so I could not drink the medicine. Even if I wanted to drink it of my own will, blocking my magic power with my own hand, which would hinder the mission, was a contract violation. It was too far gone and too late to say such things. Yet Adrian Askanian said something so simplistic?

“…….”

It felt like insurance.

Insurance to attack me and elevate himself.

If I thought that way, was I being oversensitive? I read the letter once more. It was a warm letter that well revealed affection for his little brother. If the sender hadn’t been Adrian Askanian, I would have sincerely accepted the writer’s concern.

But Adrian Askanian was not the type to sit idly without weapons or insurance, saying things like ‘I’m glad my little brother returned.’ His next move would be melted into this.

‘For now, seal the items in here again.’

Since there were numerous possibilities, finding his planned next move would not be easy. As Leo said yesterday, judging it post-facto seemed fine.

Leo covered the box in my stead and said.

“I’ll entrust it for inspection as soon as we arrive in Bavaria.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

“You okay?”

“There’s no reason not to be. What could this alone do.”

I replied calmly, but it didn’t seem to reach Elias particularly.

“Hey~”

“Ah! Go away a bit.”

“Luka has four medals now~ How many Grand Crosses!”

Right now, Elias was clinging to my back shouting. Not following behind, but literally clinging.

Ulrike, who had been sitting on the sofa with Heike reading a magazine, looked at me and laughed as she asked.

“Wow… Isn’t it heavy? Why carry him around?”

“I’m not carrying; he’s clinging. What a leech….”

“Too much!”

“Then go away!”

“Ah~ Comfortable.”

What was comfortable? Since I wasn’t supporting Elias, he was putting tremendous strength into his legs right now.

After receiving the Grand Cross medals in the Saxon Union Duchy and the Duchy of Brunswick, we boarded the train to Bavaria. Elias had been doing this every time I boarded the train. He seemed to think my mood would be bad because of my brother’s gift and letter.

From behind—from ‘above’ might be more accurate—he grabbed my face and turned my head to the opposite side, saying.

“Come on, Luka. Let’s go. To drink.”

“I thought no drinking.”

“Canceled. I need to fill my blood with alcohol.”

I wanted to argue that he drank like that and would drink more, but knowing it would tire my mouth, I didn’t. My mental strength was precious. I moved with him attached.

“By the way, where’s Narce?”

“Still sleeping. His body’s not well, so no choice. Two of anything, please.”

Elias said while sitting at the table.

“Actually, it seems his health has been bad continuously since before the terror.”

“What? Why?”

“You didn’t notice because it didn’t show? He acts too well~ Anyway, theater club kids.”

“He’s not in theater club. And why bring up theater club suddenly?”

“There’s just that vibe. You guys have a bit of that.”

Elias said something strange, then took a sip from the glass after receiving the alcohol. Then he pushed the glass to me.

“He must have been stressed a lot. Narce knew someone was targeting Pentalon with us. He was always on guard, and now that the tension’s released, I guess.”

“…….”

I shook the glass that Elias had sipped from and passed, then quietly asked.

“How did you know his condition was bad from before?”

“No one told me. Don’t you know my observation skills~ If I say it’s off, it’s off!”

“Besides that.”

“I’m serious! In my view, it was subtly off a few days before the opening. Then he overused his ability at the opening too, so, well. It burst.”

“Hm….”

For now, I well knew that Narce’s fatigue was more severe than usual. During the third exam, he had used his ability for a long time like at the opening and spat blood then too, but he hadn’t been tired for this long afterward. Considering the difference in tension and ability usage intensity from then, and that while I had fully recovered, he was still tired on the fifth day since the opening ended, it seemed likely the previous events had influenced it.

‘Well, but… is it okay for him to be wandering like this. And this guy knew Narce’s health wasn’t great but still let him drink….’

Anyway, upon returning, I should request one more treatment from Bavaria. Perhaps because Elias was thinking of Narce in his own way, he said this.

“When we go, we’ll soak in Baden hot springs. Narce too.”

“What soaking…. You and Narce go.”

“Why?! Need a change of mood.”

“We’ve had enough until now.”

At my reply, Elias grabbed my face and examined it for a while, then grinned and patted my back.

“You really seem okay~”

“Yeah. I said I’m okay.”

As expected, he had been worried about my brother continuously. No matter what my brother did, I had these guys, so it was okay. It wasn’t empty words.

In that way, I wandered all day with Elias following me attached, and only upon arriving in Bavaria could I shake him off.

The friends, who had been sprawled in comfortable clothes on the train, hurriedly changed into formal attire 30 minutes before arriving in Bavaria and went outside.

After entering the Munich Residenz and going through a short reception before dinner, the king entered the banquet hall with the Grand Duke of Baden.

“His Majesty King Hildegard of Bavaria and Her Highness Grand Duchess Wilhelmine of Baden have arrived.”

At the servant’s voice, the gazes of the people in the banquet hall all turned to the entrance. The king spotted Leo and approached our side. He smiled at Leo and asked.

“Did you rest well?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. And Your Highness Grand Duchess of Baden. Thanks to both of you, we could stay comfortably.”

“Good.”

The king nodded and looked at me. Before he could say anything, I greeted first.

“It is an honor to meet you again here, Your Majesty.”

“Hm.”

The king nodded with a smile. Now I saw his expression resembled when Leo was playful. Meeting Nicolaus like this must feel new to him. The king looked at the medals on my jacket and said.

“It seems you received the crown prince’s gift well.”

At those words, Ulrike nearby looked at us with puzzled eyes.

The medals were given in the king’s name, and Leo had only acted as proxy while the king was away, so calling it the crown prince’s gift was problematic. At least to a third party. Ulrike probably wasn’t even sure if he was talking about the medals right now.

“Yes. I am also deeply grateful to Your Majesty.”

“It is all Your Excellency’s merit. Let’s dine together later.”

“Is it alright to eat dinner?”

I had heard there was the Ash Wednesday ceremony today. Fasting was the principle on the day of the ceremony. The king nodded slightly and replied.

“Since the chaos from the terror hasn’t been sorted yet, the Papal State has postponed all rites. We have returned now, so we have leeway, but the Papal State clergy haven’t gone back yet. There’s no need to strictly follow the date, but since we also postponed the rite by a day, we decided to match the Papal State’s schedule.”

“I see.”

Well, since it was a rite with strong symbolism, it would be better to do it on Sunday if postponing anyway. From the beginning, it hadn’t been possible to hold the rite on Wednesday schedule-wise. Since the King of Bavaria had been in Prussia when I received the medal in Bavaria, and could only return today, Thursday.

Matching the schedule like this seemed like a sign of goodwill toward the Papal State that helped with this terror. I wondered if such minor things could express goodwill, but considering the power struggle between the old and new churches in the Empire, it was sufficiently possible. Protestant Prussia was wary of Catholic states like Bavaria allying with the Papal State. In our history too, Prussia had implemented Catholic suppression policies, and among various reasons, one was to diminish the Papal State’s influence.

“Instead, we plan to attend Mass afterward. Will you join?”

“Yes, I will.”

As expected, deliberately postponing the Ash rite and attending weekday Mass made it close to diplomatic action.

Since meeting the king and joining his official schedule was already set for today anyway, there was no reason to refuse. The king now looked at Elias and said.

“It’s been a while here.”

“Haha~”

Elias responded to the question with an unmannered laugh. The king, already accustomed, said nothing to him and greeted the others.

We entered the dining hall almost immediately. In the spacious dining hall, waiters busily moved around holding trays with several raised glasses.

“Good we didn’t eat beforehand.”

Ulrike, who had been distracted by the fruit basket on the table, whispered next to me. It wasn’t intentional not to eat but because of the hangover she couldn’t, but anyway, I nodded.

Once everyone was seated, this time too the king and grand duke entered the dining hall a bit late. As soon as the king entered, all gazes turned there, and it quieted. The king, who came to our table, looked around with a smile.

“There are many welcome faces. Today, we gather here to honor those who protected our Empire and continent’s peace. I convey my sincere thanks to the Prussia support forces, the Bavaria-Baden allied forces, and the Papal State mages who came here for the Empire’s peace. And, as everyone knows, there is someone many here have been waiting for.”

The king said while looking at me.

“Your Excellency Lukas Askanian.”

“…….”

All gazes turned to me. I raised my glass and stood, first giving a short thanks for his call and said.

“Since it was not possible by my efforts alone, receiving such hospitality feels very awkward. Today’s safety was possible through the strength of everyone present. It is an honor to be with those who strove for peace. I convey my thanks for your efforts.”

I raised my glass slightly upward and said.

“For the continent’s peace.”

A chill ran down my spine midway through saying it, but there was no helping it. Anyway, since the king had passed the speaking rights to me, I had to go this far.

Government officials from various countries smiled and did the same as me. Only then could I sit again.

As soon as I sat, Elias naturally drank the wine in my glass and pushed it back to me. From earlier, Elias seemed intent on poison testing for me. I was briefly shocked, but the king pretended not to see. Since Elias didn’t do mad things once or twice, he probably thought it best not to say anything. Only Leo, sitting next to me, looked at Elias with an absurd face.

The dinner that started at 6 p.m. only ended at 8 p.m.

After passing non-fasting time, we moved immediately to the Theatiner Church near the Munich Residenz. It was the church mainly used by the royal family. The king’s aide sat next to the king, and in the row behind, me, Elias, Leo, and Narce sat. The other friends, all being Protestant, did not participate and were resting for a bit.

“But why are you here?”

Before the opening rite, I asked Elias, who had naturally sat next to me.

“Huh? Just.”

“What just? Isn’t your house Protestant?”

“That’s true. But it’s okay~ Won’t die. Father said it’s fine to go.”

Elias said while patting my shoulder. Narce seemed to have no particular thoughts no matter what anyone did, just smiling as usual, and Leo muttered with a resigned face.

“As long as he doesn’t sleep, it’s fortunate. If he sleeps like last time, I’ll kick him out.”

“Hey, I won’t sleep.”

‘They’ve all given up, I guess….’

In fact, Elias had done this occasionally in the novel too.

Since no press entered this far anyway, it wasn’t a big problem. There would be press outside when leaving later, but Elias could just warp out. And Elias was the type to shamelessly excuse it as broadening his horizons as a member of the Empire’s ruling family, since half the Empire was Protestant and half Catholic. Having read the novel where he was the protagonist and accumulated data, I could easily picture the excuse he would make.

During the Liturgy of the Word in full swing, as expected, Elias seemed to doze a bit. However, knowing it wasn’t proper, he was trying in his own way to keep his eyes wide. For a sleepy guy, this time like school class must be torment.

Then at some point, Elias’s eyes became clear, and it was when the Liturgy of the Eucharist began.

‘This isn’t to drink alcohol, is it.’

Here, both species of Holy Communion were practiced in all Masses. It wasn’t yet the time for both species in the 19th century, but in the era after magic, they had allowed both species to the faithful earlier than our world. Anyway, since the distributed wine wasn’t much, it wasn’t to drink alcohol—more often, they drank directly from the chalice rather than dipping the host in the Precious Blood—. It was a sorry suspicion toward Elias, but given his usual behavior, I thought it was sufficiently possible suspicion.

“Take this, all of you, and drink from it: this is the cup of my blood, the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me.”

The priest’s voice flowed slowly.

When my turn came, I stood before the deacon holding the chalice. The deacon opened his mouth.

“The Blood of Christ.”

“Amen.”

At school, they always did Protestant Lord’s Supper, so doing the Catholic rite like this felt a bit unfamiliar. The deacon handed me the chalice filled with wine.

After receiving my brother’s letter, Elias, whose wariness had risen, was still staring piercingly from behind. Suppressing a hollow laugh, I took the chalice and put it to my lips. Rather tasteless wine went down my throat. At that moment, something struck my heart fiercely.

“…!”

Wait. At the sudden anomaly, I widened my eyes. It felt like all the blood vessels in my body were clogging.

Clang—

The silver chalice in my hand fell to the floor and rolled. Red wine spread like blood on the white floor.

An incomprehensible sound came from my mouth. It felt like someone was squeezing my heart, no, now it felt like my throat, my breath was being blocked. Was it just a feeling? Was the feeling right? My vision turned black then bright like a tunnel, unable to see ahead. Instinctively, I clutched my tightly blocked throat.

Thud—

No leisure to keep balance. As I fell, an unpleasant chill clung to my skin. Panicked people surrounded me and shouted something, but nothing could be heard.

‘Blood….’

Blood smell. Even without blood, why? The sound of my heartbeat filled my ears.

The blood in my blood vessels was drying up entirely. Insufficient. At this rate, I would die. It might not matter if I died, but since it wasn’t me, I couldn’t die yet. I tried to prop myself on the ground and stand. The dull floor struck my head. I felt my heart pulling in the magic power of my whole body. Was my magic power this ridiculously low? No way.

It tasted salty. At the magic power reaching from outside, at the blood’s magic power from my mouth, my heart lurched. Whether teeth dug into flesh or not, blood began to flow more. As the blood smell mixed in my breath, my core throbbed. Something was wrong. A situation I had never felt once in my usual life. Exactly why? Suddenly, what had gone wrong? Was there some variable different from usual?

‘No way.’

No way.

The possibility that shouldn’t make sense brushed my mind. The face of someone I hoped for that possibility flashed in my brain. No way, it couldn’t be. However, the reason for requesting a reply, the reason for cutting train tickets to Italy, nothing else made sense. I understood the meaning of insurance. I understood why he had been holding his breath since January. No, from where was fact and where was fake. What should I believe. If this was strategy, the opponent had succeeded greatly by making the enemy doubt himself.

My insides were burning away.

This much magic power was insufficient. More, still far short. Someone put a hand to my mouth.

Thud—

Magic power from someone’s hand seeped into my breath. My core was being drawn to it.

A bit more.

I grabbed the hand of the one above me. With the sound of something breaking, someone’s scream was heard. No. It seemed that just before death, humans could exert strength they couldn’t otherwise wasn’t empty words. My vision shook violently, unable to identify anything, but my hand reached his core, his magic power. The worst possible scenario that could happen drew in my mind. No. This couldn’t be. The noise from clashing magic powers was loud. It seemed a scream was heard again.

‘No!’

Ding—

Chapter 6 Special Reward

Automatic Intervention Notice: Stopped

Thud—

The moment the white text appeared, my head hit somewhere. My heart lurched to a stop, and the world turned black. Only Wittelsbach’s magic power throbbed like my heart around my core, then that sensation faintly disappeared.

Just before losing consciousness, white light flashed.

Congratulations!

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