Chapter 306

The word set written on the paper, why would he have needed it? It was because he had to supplement the memories he had lost. However, even if he tried to recall the set of words and feign normalcy, there were flaws.

‘He wouldn’t have expected anyone to ask about his ancestors, so it makes sense that he didn’t prepare for that.’

I wouldn’t consider him careless. I wouldn’t have prepared for that much either.

“Why go to the trouble of erasing his memory?”

Narce mumbled with a laugh.

He wasn’t asking because he didn’t know, but because he was dumbfounded. I agreed. To have my reasoning proven correct in this manner—by the fact that his memory was erased—was so unexpected that I could only manage a hollow laugh.

Now, the problem lay elsewhere. Just then, Narce brought it up.

“Ultimately… even if this person is the thief, he doesn’t know where the sapphire parure is now. He wouldn’t even be aware that he stole the sapphire parure.”

“That’s right.”

“Haha…. So, he knew the parure was an artifact containing a certain ability, and he handed the item over to a location other than his home. What should we do?”

Narce was also considering the artifact theory. Narce smiled, looking into his eyes.

“If we ask him, he won’t know at all….”

He wouldn’t know if we asked him. It was certainly a problem. As for turning back time to prevent the incident itself, all checkpoints had already been updated, so I couldn’t return to a time before that day. Even if it were saved before then, what would I do first? If I went alone and told the French Royal Family that their family’s parure was about to be stolen… I could envision a future where they would willingly let it be stolen and then send me to jail.

“Narce. Do you think this person mobilized a Divine Power Mage within the family?”

“Hmm, I was just about to say that myself… I don’t recall any memory of a Divine Power Mage directly erasing his memory.”

As I just stared at him, Narce explained in more detail.

“Even if his memory was erased, the Mage who did it usually remains in front of the person. They generally go through a procedure to confirm whether it was properly erased.”

That was usually the case. When mobilizing a Mage hired by one’s own family, it was done according to the standard procedure. For example, a Mage who erased or modified a memory might indirectly ask the employer, ‘I didn’t quite catch that, what did you just say?’ That was one of the procedures. Typically, Mages’ Divine Power wasn’t that strong, so they went through such a process.

“Of course, they don’t let the person know the memory was erased, but since there’s no way to prevent the memory from being stored proactively, at the very least, the time spent interacting with the Divine Power Mage cannot be hidden. The time spent erasing a memory is usually disguised as a purification ritual or a Catholic Mass… or, if it’s truly confidential, it can be disguised as a first meeting, but there are no recent memories that raise any suspicion.”

“Hmm.”

If it were truly confidential, shouldn’t there be no ‘suspicious’ memories at all, I wondered…

“Because I know how to find out.”

Yes, that must be what he meant. This kind of technique wasn’t taught anywhere. I didn’t know if it was something he had been doing in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, or what kind of process he had been through all this time to know it so well.

“Still, given the circumstances, it makes no sense if his memory wasn’t erased, so it’s strange that I can’t find any clues in his mind.”

Narce stroked his chin, muttered to himself, and then looked at me. A member of the Royal Family not knowing the name of his own ancestor when Divine Power wasn’t used to erase his memory… It was impossible unless his head was made of stone. Furthermore, Charles d’Orléans wasn’t particularly known for being foolish or dissolute; he was a member of the Royal Family who was respected by the public for being sincere, though he had a straitlaced side.

Now, it was a dead end. His memory wasn’t erased with Divine Power, and he hadn’t gone astray since childhood, so why didn’t he know what he should naturally know? I felt like there was no answer, but….

One possibility flashed through my mind.

There was a technique I had already known about three weeks ago in the Catacombs, and months before that.

Narce seemed to have reached the same conclusion as me. Narce raised an eyebrow.

Knock-knock—

The aide and translator for d’Orléans entered the room without being invited to enter. It meant that they had given us enough time for verification. Narce also didn’t delay any further and withdrew his Divine Power.

“…….”

As the Cognitive Distortion Magic was no longer maintained, Charles d’Orléans began to regain control of his body. Quickly coming to his senses, he adjusted his twisted glasses and spoke.

“…It’s over. Did I answer that I stole the jewel?”

“You did not answer that way.”

“Then, the German Empire’s suspicion must be resolved by this.”

“…….”

“Please convey that well. I would appreciate it if you would also convey this result to the Austria-Hungary Investigation Bureau.”

He stood up from his seat, smiled crookedly, and extended his hand to Narce.

He was intending to leave now. Instead of shaking hands, Narce glanced at me, and I opened my mouth at the same time.

“Please wait a moment.”

Charles d’Orléans scanned me and then shook his head.

“I don’t have any more time to be here, Sir Askanian. And….”

He scanned me up and down more seriously than before and said,

“I was impressed watching the competition you showed at the Pentalon previously. It would have been better if we had met and greeted each other in a better setting, but I’m glad to meet the young master of Askanian even today.”

Never mind the rest….

He said he ‘watched’…. It wasn’t incorrect, but he could have expressed it more indirectly and ordinarily. I got the feeling earlier from the way he handled his gaze, but there was an intention embedded here too. It didn’t have any profoundly deep meaning. It simply meant that he had no intention of respecting me or the German Empire. Furthermore, he was probably thinking why I had followed along when the person he had business with was a Divine Power Mage. He was strongly expressing that I shouldn’t detain him, but I had no intention of letting him go.

“It’s not over yet.”

“What more do you intend to do?”

“It’s an activity to reinforce His Highness’s innocence. It is not a dangerous activity, so could you spare some time for a moment?”

“You don’t trust me even after going this far?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

There was no point in talking at length at a time like this. I stared intently at him, feigning an appropriate look. He sat back down with a slightly annoyed expression. Narce drew his Wand.

“I’m not sure what to say that will make him slip up. However….”

I started that way and spoke in French.

“Could you please remember the words I just spoke and recite them? First, I heard that artifacts that replicate unique abilities are being actively researched in occult social gatherings. Second, do you know where the Trier Cathedral relic went?”

“…Hmm?”

D’Orléans frowned. The moment Narce gathered Divine Power at the tip of his Wand, a fleeting surprise flashed across d’Orléans’ eyes. Unfortunately, it was too late.

—Enter through the narrow gate.

As soon as the Divine Power emerged from the tip of the Wand, d’Orléans’ neck drooped limply.

Narce remained still without asking any questions. The translator and the aide looked at him curiously, as he gave no commands. Since he had not executed any additional Spells, either outwardly or inwardly, no Divine Power flowed from Narce’s body now.

Narce quickly put away his Wand and released the Cognitive Distortion Magic.

“…….”

“If you weren’t going to do anything, why did you cast the Spell? As I said before, we don’t have time.”

D’Orléans’ aide scolded us. However, d’Orléans’ face, having regained consciousness, was pale. He slowly adjusted his glasses and stared into the air, utterly white. I observed him and asked,

“Do you know what I just said?”

“…….”

“What is your purpose?! If you’re just going to say such nonsense, why….”

“Your Highness d’Orléans.”

I interrupted the aide’s words. D’Orléans, who had been staring at me with terrifying eyes, answered with an expression that seemed to ask why I was asking such an obvious question.

“You mentioned the relic.”

“That’s right. That was the second thing. What was the first?”

“…….”

A heavy silence fell, where not even a breath could be heard.

“It seems you don’t remember. It was something I said a minute ago.”

As Charles didn’t answer and only glared at me after a long wait, the aide and translator looked at Charles with bewildered eyes. Although they hadn’t heard a precise explanation, they must have sensed that the situation was taking an ominous turn.

I looked at Charles’s aide and asked,

“What was the first thing I said?”

“…You said that artifacts related to unique abilities are being researched among occult enthusiasts.”

“Good. You would certainly remember that much.”

When I raised an eyebrow, looking at the translator, Charles shouted,

“Stop!”

“…….”

He widened his eyes and said in a sharp voice,

“I never said I would answer.”

Narce looked into his eyes with an expression that naturally expected that and said with Divine Power.

—”He completely forgot the first thing you said. He doesn’t remember anything.”

Yes, so he wouldn’t have anything to say. Was this something a person who had asked to use Divine Power to clear up an unfair misunderstanding just moments ago would say?

“The two of you should learn how to act more cautiously.”

He gave us that piece of unsolicited advice, abruptly stood up, and left the room. The translator and the aide followed him.

It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t be able to leave the country anyway.

Narce’s yellow eyes persistently tracked his eyes. As soon as he left, I tapped my ear to contact the Investigation Bureau.

“I have something to say to His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince regarding the interview with His Highness d’Orléans.”

The Investigation Bureau quickly connected me to the Crown Prince. No voice was heard through the artifact.

[…….]

“Please contact Österreich-Este and d’Orléans immediately.”

[Reason?]

“His Highness Charles d’Orléans has a Spell cast on him that erases specific memories when Divine Power is injected.”

To be precise, a memory-erasing Spell that reacts to a specific condition and a specific word was cast on him. A small laugh, tinged with satisfaction, was heard. I immediately cut off the communication.

***

Things proceeded swiftly after that.

There was fierce opposition from the d’Orléans family and France, but the Austria-Hungary Investigation Bureau, which was in the country, quickly followed the guided questioning method I provided, almost snatching the opportunity.

The fact that a memory-erasing Spell related to a specific topic was cast on Charles d’Orléans was officially verified, but the problem was….

‘I wonder how everyone will handle the aftermath now.’

Since it involved the Royal Families of various countries, this issue was bound to turn into a muddy fight. The French Imperial Family would not stay silent about the unauthorized investigation of a French Royal Family member by Austria, and Austria-Hungary was already protesting strongly about why a Spell was cast that made the memory of the sapphire parure disappear specifically when Divine Power was injected. Soon, the French Imperial Family would counter, ‘We erased it because we expected you to frame him as the culprit.’ Even now, they are superficially covering up Charles d’Orléans’ Spell as ‘a Spell set up to guard against those who try to steal French intelligence.’

The only thing left was to find exactly where the parure was transferred to, but until a new order came down to me, this was the domain of the Investigation Bureau.

So, in conclusion, was this the work of Pleroma?

“I didn’t get that feeling when I met him in person. Isn’t that strange?”

Narce, who was sitting in the waiting room chair, answered my question. Fortunately, this time it was an answer received after I had asked the question out loud.

I thought so too. The Austria-Hungary Investigation Bureau also experimented with the topic of Pleroma, and the memory was not deleted when Divine Power was used after the word Pleroma was mentioned.

Even this was sufficient to conclude that there was no connection to Pleroma.

And, I could try to deduce it in another way.

The interrogation method I used earlier was this: I had previously mentioned that there was a technique I had known about three weeks ago at the Pentalon, and months before that.

First, the people used as the trigger for the curse Spell at the Pentalon immediately lost their memory after being used for the plot. Narce had explained that the terrorists had pre-set a Divine Power Magic Formula in their bodies to erase memory, so the formula would activate when a command was heard.

It was a special technique previously unknown, but through this, we learned that even mental manipulation magic via Divine Power could be remotely controlled. This was not the method used on Charles d’Orléans this time, so it was only meaningful in that it made me recall the idea of remote or long-distance mental manipulation again.

Second, a few months ago, Nicolaus Ernst had received a letter from the Emperor. The route I put a higher probability on this time was this one.

‘As you are also aware, the moment Divine Power or drugs are mobilized, they forget everything about the Catacombs.’

This was the phrase the Emperor had sent. In the Catacombs, there was a Spell set up to make people forget about the Catacombs the instant a certain amount of Divine Power entered their bodies, to prevent the disclosure of the Catacombs’ location or members through Divine Power interrogation. Since this man was a noble, his Spell could not be considered identical to the Catacombs’ Spell, but I personally verified yesterday that he used a Spell that was extremely similar in function.

Based on this, I placed a higher probability on Charles d’Orléans not being Pleroma.

Why?

‘Pleroma doesn’t possess such a sophisticated technique….’

If they possessed such a technique? Then the Federal Committee Pleroma members, whose lives were collateralized to me, wouldn’t have to worry about exploding and dying. The reason they adhered to crude and flawed secrecy techniques was not due to some philosophy of their own, but because they didn’t possess the Catacombs’ survival-specialized technique.

If Pleroma had possessed that technique, why did they choose the method of making them explode and die, when the opportunity to use high-level personnel like Federal Committee members as spies was rare? Why did they have to adhere to a highly damaging and irrational method, and if the method of making the members explode and die was a more rational choice even with the memory-erasing technique, would the cost of hiring a new spy with the same utility really be smaller than the utility gained by not using the memory-erasing technique?

The fact that the culprit isn’t Pleroma doesn’t mean that the logic so far collapses. Perhaps I had focused too much on Pleroma. I had firmly believed that since so many incidents had been Pleroma’s work, this one would be too.

Regardless of the truth, Abraham was making very effective use of this incident, just as I had initially thought.

[Is there ‘Pleroma’ in the French d’Orléans Imperial Family?]

[French Royal Family member Charles d’Orléans, who demanded ‘Pentalon compensation’, suspected of Pleroma]

[Österreich-Este Parure thief revealed to be French Royal Family member]

There were articles like the very last one, but for the most part, they were aggressively attacking France and Pleroma, linking the two. They didn’t have evidence that Pleroma was involved, but then again, there was no clear evidence that the Pentalon was the work of Pleroma either, and the Imperial news agencies were claiming that even if it was truly the work of Pleroma, the Empire was also a victim.

‘This lot and that lot….’

There’s a limit to what you can pretend not to see.

In any incident, whether it is true or false is not important; the public always seeks only sensationalism. This was a quote that Abraham himself had uttered. He was faithfully following his own words.

“Stop looking at the newspaper.”

As I fixed my eyes on the newspaper and continued my various thoughts, Elias snatched the newspaper away from me.

“It’s about time for you to go. Get going.”

“…….”

“I told you everything yesterday~ Why are you acting like this now?”

I hesitated, looking at Elias, and only went out of the waiting room after Elias hit my back. The Hohenzollern Guard Corps followed closely beside me.

As I walked down the corridor, following the Guard Corps, the familiar ball room of the Berlin Stadtschloss quickly unfolded.

[His Excellency Lukas von Anhalt has arrived.]

Certainly, the process of going to the ball room was new at first, but after experiencing it three or four times, I was now accustomed to it. Dignitaries of Hohenzollern and Prussia were seated on both sides of the ball room. I briefly nodded to Adelbert, who wanted to acknowledge me, and stood in front of the podium.

As I stood, listening to the Prussian national anthem, a very familiar phrase was quickly heard.

[Her Imperial Highness Elisabeth von Preußen has arrived.]

Why was this one coming out here again?

That’s right. I had come here to receive the Empire’s highest decoration.

***

At this time yesterday, I had returned from the interview and was at the Wittelsbach’s Berlin mansion. This was not my room but the reception room, and Elias was sitting in front of me with a chessboard unfolded.

“Why are we doing this here today?”

“Treat me as a guest.”

“…….”

Instead of just playing in the bedroom like normal, Elias kept changing locations to play games with me. A few days ago, it was the library, and before that, we played a game with a small table spread out in the hallway where the Wittelsbach portraits were hung. The feeling of having about a dozen spectators even though it was just the two of us was quite a new experience. At this rate, he might suggest taking a table to the stable to play poker. Because I used the large mansion alone, it always ended up like this.

“Where are we going to play next?”

“Should we go to the stable?”

“…….”

I looked at him dumbfounded and then shook my head.

“There’s a piano room at the end of the hallway that Leo used. Go there.”

“Oh~ I hate the music room. I hate it the most in the world.”

To hate it the most….

But, thinking about it, Elias had never done anything related to music in the novel either.

“Why do you hate it?”

I asked casually, but Elias didn’t answer and focused on playing chess. If he didn’t want to talk, fine. I had another topic I had to discuss with him anyway.

“Eli.”

After a long time, I said, tapping the tip of my glove aimlessly. Elias, who was contemplating the movement of a chess piece, answered without soul.

“Yeah?”

“Your cousin, you know.”

Only then did Elias’s bright blue eyes turn to me. I didn’t delay any further and immediately said,

“He’s planning to give me the Order of the Black Eagle.”

Clang—

A ceramic piece rolled off the desk and fell to the floor. I observed Elias’s expression, picked up the pawn he had dropped, and handed it to him.

Elias opened his mouth. He slowly shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe it, and then blurted out,

“Take it.”

“Huh?”

“You have to take it. Are you not going to take it if I tell you not to?”

Elias’s eyes narrowed. It had been a long time since I had seen him frown at me. I was still unsure what he meant by it. Regardless of his reaction, I gave the answer I had intended.

“Yes.”

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