Chapter 308

“…Excuse us.”

Leo said, letting out a deep sigh.

Even though Leo’s status was higher than Emanuel’s, he couldn’t just override the will of a family elder unless it was a family that had utterly abandoned manners. Leo grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back, saying,

“Let’s go. I don’t know how you found out about His Highness Emanuel’s residence… but you know we won’t get an answer this way.”

“I didn’t come here simply to talk. You go in first.”

“Lukas….”

It could probably be translated as ‘Please just go…’. I was sorry, but I couldn’t do that.

I sent Leo away, found a café overlooking the mansion, killed a few more hours there, and returned to Berlin only at three in the morning. To my delight, Elías was sitting in my room.

Elías, who was drinking something from my cup, tapped the table in front of him as soon as he saw me.

“What do you think France is doing today?”

“Denying it?”

“Yeah. They keep saying why on earth would they steal Austria’s jewel when they have no reason to.”

Probably. In this matter, it wouldn’t be strange if war broke out immediately. Although the assassination of Archduke Österreich-Este—the Sarajevo incident—which was the fuse for World War I in our history, and the current theft of the Österreich-Este relic by a foreign Imperial Family (not just a petty thief) were definitely different incidents, it was inevitable that they looked overlapping because the victim who took the hit was the same and the opposing camps were similar.

Furthermore, the fact that the German Empire of our world promised to support the Austria-Hungary Empire, which had decided on war, both materially and morally, also overlapped, albeit faintly. As a person from the 21st century, I couldn’t be unaware of the outcome of World War I. Doesn’t the whole world clearly know what Germany, whose national pride was trampled upon as a result, did afterwards?

The only thing left was for the Austrian side to step back saying they were mistaken, or for France to admit that all circumstances of their incident pointed to Charles d’Orléans as the culprit, but neither would do so.

Fortunately, unlike our history, the German Imperial Family and government were officially not taking anyone’s side, but the German media was framing France for Pleroma.

“In this situation, our country’s fake Abraham is only scratching France…. The atmosphere is unusual. What if a war really breaks out at this rate?”

Elías rolled up the newspaper and put it down on the table as he spoke.

“And we are just taking Vitriol showers again today. At this rate, it looks like we’ll be taking three showers a day.”

He grumbled as he wiped the pitch-black slime from the tips of his hair with his glove. He said that, but since Vitriol actually caused a berserk state if it touched the skin for a long time, only his outer garment was ruined.

Elías asked me.

“And you? Were you rejected again today?”

“It’s only the second day. What do you mean ‘again today’?”

“He won’t meet you. He’s very firm when he wants to be.”

I suppose so. Emanuel Wittelsbach didn’t reply to my messages.

‘Should I call it hopeful that he doesn’t return them at least?’

Even so, I couldn’t verify if he was reading them or not….

It seemed he wanted to completely stop caring about Österreich-Este. After all, the parure was a family item, and since he disliked that family, he had no intention of cooperating. Although the administrator had changed, he probably didn’t want to think any further about anything that reminded him of Maria.

It was the same with Leo’s contact. Leo had asked His Majesty the King, but he sent a refusal reply even to the King’s contact.

Even so, there was no other way. There was only one thing I had to do.

***

“Coming here like this is enough for now.”

“A person for whom it is enough wouldn’t usually be doing this. You are really… amazing.”

Leo said, looking at my dark blond hair and brown eyes.

“Thanks.”

I swept my hair back roughly with my hand and gazed into the distance. It was night, so the world was dark. Nevertheless, Emanuel’s mansion was clearly visible. I could also see the spot where Maria had climbed over the wall.

“By the way, why don’t you come as Nicolaus?”

“Absolutely not right now. That would be less safe for everyone.”

“…….”

He probably wondered why it wouldn’t be safe when it should be safer if Nicolaus came. Leo let out a short sigh with a face that said he didn’t understand.

“Hey, is it obvious that I’m me right now?”

“To me, you are you… I’m already used to your face, so do you think I wouldn’t know just because you changed a color?”

I suppose that would be true. I snapped my fingers. At that moment, Leo’s eyes widened, and he tilted his head slightly as if he couldn’t believe it.

“You changed your face.”

“Yeah.”

“…Is it an illusion? You look similar to me. It feels like your hair and eye color have become brighter too.”

I hadn’t changed my hair or eye color again, but to others, it would appear changed. To me, my hair would still be dark blond and my eyes still brown, but to those affected by the Cognitive Distortion Magic, it would be bright blond.

As it was high-level magic, maintaining it wasn’t easy—it would have been less draining on Magic Power and the formula would have been easier to just change the color—but this was the best option for now. Anyway, to avoid being treated as Georg’s son within the Extra Chapter and to change my Magic Power color, I had used it frequently, so it didn’t take as much effort as the first time.

“Because I referenced your face. From now on, let’s say I’m something like your cousin. It’s safer to disguise myself to this extent.”

“Do I look like this?”

“Is that important? Even I don’t know what I just drew.”

Even after that, we continued to stand around the back gate of this house. When the lights in the mansion went out, Leo, who was hidden by the Cognitive Distortion Magic, tapped my shoulder.

“It’s 12 o’clock. Let’s go back.”

“…….”

“The atmosphere has worsened rapidly, so Uncle doesn’t even have time to be out. A budget bill to temporarily increase military spending has been proposed in the Bavarian Kingdom Parliament.”

“If they really increase it, it will contribute to this pre-war atmosphere. France and Austria have intelligence agencies too.”

“Right. That’s why, instead of increasing it right now, they are holding other budget bills pending. They intend to watch the situation until the day after tomorrow, when there is a trilateral meeting with France and Austria.”

It was novel for Germany to take on the role of mediator in this world. Usually, it was a situation where they were beaten up by Pleroma and had to accept mediation from other countries.

I shook my head and muttered.

“If we had the d’Orléans family technique, we could just slip in. We could break in right now, but then the alarm would go off and you and I would go to jail. At least you would get leniency, but the fact that you’d be handcuffed and taken for investigation wouldn’t change.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen you talk so long about something obvious.”

Leo burst into laughter as if dumbfounded, then shook his head. Soon, he spoke seriously.

“Let’s go back. There’s nothing to be gained by waiting like this.”

“…….”

I exhaled once and pushed Leo’s back.

“You go first.”

There was something bothering me. There was definitely an answer I had to hear from Emanuel, but beyond that.

Like that, I stayed in the café in the building overlooking part of Emanuel’s mansion all through the dawn. Grateful that they were open even at this hour, I continued to stuff tasteless bread into my mouth.

At some point, the clerk started walking around with a bundle of papers.

“Would you like to buy a newspaper?”

“Is it out already?”

“Of course.”

Already 6 o’clock; it was time to go back.

I handed a coin to the clerk and took the newspaper. Other than the stories about France and Austria, there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy.

‘Of course, that is the craziest story.’

I put all the articles about the international situation into my head, left Bavaria, and returned to Berlin.

“Guys, let’s do our best with the Vitriol shower today too.”

Elías said seriously, with Leo and me by his side. Then he looked at me and mumbled.

“Did this guy not sleep a wink? His complexion is….”

“Lukas. Don’t go today. Uncle is the type of person who wouldn’t care at all even if you waited outside.”

“He did seem that way.”

The Emanuel I had experienced firsthand was that kind of human too. But that wasn’t the problem. Did I look like I was just waiting in front of Emanuel’s house for him to come out?

If they thought that, they were wrong.

I had to ensure that what I feared did not come to pass.

The next day, just like yesterday dawn, I looked down at the location of his mansion from the café. And, as soon as I returned to the Imperial Second Academy, I faced Leo, whose face had turned white.

“Lukas.”

Leo, who was talking with Elías, turned around as soon as he saw me. I frowned upon seeing his complexion.

“What is it? You look out of it.”

“Did you just come from Bavaria?”

“Yeah.”

“We have to go back to Bavaria right now. Pack your clothes and come out.”

“What?”

“His Highness Emanuel has disappeared.”

***

Because my heart was aching like crazy, I could tell that the bewilderment Leo was feeling right now was not at a normal level. He couldn’t even control his own Magic Power right now.

“He said he wanted to be alone since yesterday evening, so no one entered His Highness’s room. At least, that’s what I was told… that it should be so. Since I was in Baden at that time, I didn’t hear it directly, but….”

“Come out! Quickly!”

“…….”

Medical personnel passed quickly behind the first reporter. Servants, limp like corpses, were being carried away on stretchers. As it was a disappearance case involving a Royal Family member, dozens of investigators had come to examine the scene. Numerous people were making the view chaotic.

Having come here as Nicolaus, I was now in charge of Emanuel’s disappearance case with Leo.

“Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

An investigator greeted Leo and then offered me a handshake.

“Greetings, I am Robert Holzmann, Chief Investigator of the Munich Investigation Bureau. I will briefly explain the case, so please follow me.”

The investigator, who took Leo and me inside, swept the floor with a gloved hand and said,

“As you both are well aware, according to the investigation so far, this is the work of Pleroma, no matter who looks at it. As a result of contacting the Prussian Investigation Bureau, the sleeping agent remaining on the floor here is identical to the one used during the Grand Hotel terror attack. Furthermore, fine traces of Vitriol are also on the floor.”

“…….”

“Among today’s victims, the only person missing is His Highness Emanuel Wittelsbach. However, the problem is….”

The investigator lowered his voice and spoke with a concerned face.

“There are traces that His Highness Emanuel walked out on his own. On the other hand, there are no traces of anyone entering from the outside.”

Leo, who was listening to the explanation, asked.

” around what time did the crime occur?”

“A servant named Katrin Schulz, who had briefly gone to her hometown, arrived at this mansion at 6:30 this morning. You spoke with her earlier. We still lack clues to give a definite answer, but we estimate it happened between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. today.”

Leo nodded with a cold face and led me into an empty room. As investigators passing outside discovered Leo and hurriedly greeted him, he locked the door and cast a sound-proofing Spell.

“Lukas.”

“I watched all day, but no one came in or out throughout the dawn.”

“…….”

When I preemptively answered, Leo stood blankly and then wiped his face with his hand.

“The reason you kept coming here recently was surely not….”

I didn’t come simply because I wanted to meet him. Yes, to answer honestly, I came to prevent something like this. In the end, the only thing I gained was that the crime occurred even though no one approached Emanuel’s mansion throughout the dawn….

That alone was an important clue. I looked around and asked.

“Do you want to get more information and go back?”

“No.”

Leo’s answer was firm.

He probably judged that there was no more information to be gained here. My thought was the same. I opened the Retry window and said,

“Turn back, to 12 hours ago.”

***

I looked out the window.

It was the café in Bavaria where I had been at dawn.

Leo’s Magic Power was running wild, making my heart ache like crazy. It was certain that Leo had come along too.

The shock he was feeling must be extraordinary, as his hand kept trying to go up to his heart. I wanted to tell him to stop running wild, but since I must be causing just as much nuisance to Leo’s core, I couldn’t do that.

I felt like my mind was going blank. I took a deep breath, cast a sound-proofing Spell, and called the Investigation Bureau.

[This is the Bavaria Munich Investigation Bureau. Please speak.]

“This is Nicolaus Ernst. Vitriol terrorism is suspected at His Highness Emanuel Wittelsbach’s residence. There is a risk of the culprit fleeing, so please send reconnaissance agents. I will enter the mansion with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

It was an absurd statement. If I spouted something like this in Prussia, they would have sent a swarm of Mages to the house blindly, never mind reconnaissance. However, this place was different.

Perhaps thinking it wasn’t a matter to decide alone, the answer that they understood came only after about three minutes. Having heard the reply, I turned on the communication, kept it open in case instructions arose, and went down from the café.

“Uh.”

As soon as I went to the first floor, I ran into Leo, who had come all this way without even tidying his hair. No matter how shocked he was, he knew well what he shouldn’t do. It was fortunate he hadn’t stormed into the main gate of Emanuel’s mansion. Instead, Leo tried to call my name as soon as he saw me.

“Lu…!”

I covered his mouth and pointed to the communication artifact hanging on my ear. Only then did Leo nod.

“…Sir Ernst.”

“Let’s go.”

It didn’t take long to get to the perimeter of the mansion without making a sound. Mages from the Investigation Bureau would probably be here too. I created a mask with Magic Power and wore it, then held my breath with Leo and checked the presence around us.

“Your Highness. I understand that plants are not detected by barriers, is that correct?”

Leo looked at me and nodded slightly.

“Please send some stems into the mansion.”

“…….”

Leo looked at me with a face asking what crazy nonsense I was talking about, but realizing I wasn’t saying something meaningless, he quickly sat on the ground and placed his hands on it.

He listened quietly, tapped the ground once with his finger, and plant stems grew from the earth, cut through the darkness-settled lawn, and advanced into the distance. The wind quickly shook the grass, concealing their traces.

Leo’s face, which had been in a state of confusion for a while, hardened at some point. He spoke quietly.

“The Magic Power in the plant stems is draining away.”

“…….”

Why would that happen suddenly?

It was because those poisoned by Vitriol sucked up the Magic Power in the air.

4:20 AM. This was the start of this crime. I immediately relayed the situation to the Investigation Bureau, changed my Wand to a Staff, and struck down.

Boom—! Crash—!

The moment the barrier shattered into pieces, the sky around the building repeatedly turned red and then went out. It was alarm magic. Leo seemed greatly flustered that I had broken a Royal Family’s barrier in one blow, but I didn’t have time to explain right now that I hadn’t used sorcery for it and that I had been capable of it from the start.

I ran into the building with him. As numerous barriers and security Spells installed in the house were absorbed into my body and pulled Magic Power sharply, Leo pulled me, who had faltered, and infused Magic Power into me to keep me running. Since I had been granted permission to pass freely through barriers in the Extra Chapter 12 years ago, I didn’t know the barriers were operating this complicatedly.

‘Still, I can’t stop.’

Bang—!

I stomped my foot at a curve to regain my balance and ran into the building lobby.

All the servants were lying on the floor. I exchanged glances with Leo. As expected, this was no different from what we had experienced at the Grand Hotel in Alexanderplatz before the Pentalon.

Crash—! Bang—!!

I swung my Staff, smashing the windows on both sides of the corridor, and flowed Divine Power into the corridor. I wanted to infuse Divine Power just in case, but for now, leaving it like this was the best option. The Mages I had contacted at the Investigation Bureau would take them. The core problem factor was elsewhere right now. I ran to Emanuel’s private room with Leo.

If he wasn’t here, I had to turn back time again.

Bang—

Well, there was no need to turn back time.

If there was a problem… it was that Emanuel was looking out the window in this situation where Vitriol Magic Power was vibrating in the room. I saw another piece of stationery I hadn’t sent and a fallen teacup on his bed.

“Your Highness.”

Emanuel turned his head toward me.

The same face as 12 years ago. Although I didn’t think the 41-year-old Emanuel would be vastly different from the past, facing the face that looked like I had just seen it yesterday made his appearance from the Extra Chapter churn in my mind. My mouth felt bitter as if Maria should be by his side right now.

But there was no time to be sentimental.

“Stay still.”

“…….”

He looked fine, but this too was a Berserker. Unlike the Berserkers below Grade 8 I had faced so far, he had reason.

“I don’t recall saying I would let you in.”

“I know. More importantly, you know who I am.”

Emanuel smiled lightly. He must have known through his Connoisseur’s Eye.

The moment I carefully flowed Magic Power into the Staff in case words didn’t get through, Vitriol struck before my eyes.

Boom—!!

Leo, who had changed his Wand to a Staff, struck away the Vitriol. The bookshelf fell over, making the room seem to rumble. Emanuel spoke in a cool voice.

“What is the reason for going this far over a mere jewel matter?”

“…….”

“Of course, it would be diplomatically important. France stealing Austria’s relic… surprising.”

“It has gone beyond the level of an important matter.”

“I know. Wars always start like this. The jewel has now surpassed the value of a mere jewel, and now the public, captivated by the national value implied by the stolen sapphire of the Holy Roman Empire, will claim that they must kill the opponent. How often have we seen the foolish act of killing millions because of mere religion, property, and pride?”

“Your emotions have become intense.”

“That’s not the answer I wanted.”

Emanuel smiled with the same face as 12 years ago. Leo’s face was full of confusion. It couldn’t be helped. A Berserker maintaining intelligence was outwardly no different from a Pleroma. I calmly gave the answer he wanted.

“Your Highness Emanuel was a close friend of Archduke Beatrix von Österreich-Este. I risked rudeness and came to see you because there is a possibility that Pleroma might resurrect Archduke Maria’s corpse.”

Emanuel stared at me with a soulless smile. Soon, an answer came from him.

“That won’t happen.”

“…….”

It wouldn’t. Because Archduke Maria von Österreich-Este’s coffin was empty. I knew that much from investigation. They said that due to the accident, the body was unrecognizable, leaving no corpse to be placed in the coffin. At least officially.

The problem was what Magic Formulas Maria had developed from immediately after the founding of the Hermetische Gesellschaft until right before his death, and….

Whether Emanuel possessed the already deceased Maria’s Magic Power and genes, whether the technology he created remained with Emanuel, and most decisively, whether Maria had turned into a Pleroma.

And right now, I had to prevent Emanuel from going completely berserk.

“If the conversation is over, please leave.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

As soon as I brought that up, my vision turned pitch black.

Rumble—

A wind made of Vitriol blocked the front. Leo’s Magic Power split through it, and I purified the Vitriol with Divine Power to secure vision for a moment, but….

In fact, there was no need.

Crash—!

The door fell off and rolled on the floor. The window had long since been blown away.

I could hear Leo gritting his teeth and chanting all sorts of Magic Spells.

This was the kind of talent Pleroma was looking for. A person with such high Vitriol compatibility becomes a Pleroma, and to find such talents, Pleroma had been lacing rivers, land, and air with drugs all this time. Screams of the Investigation Bureau Mages who followed could be heard. Naturally, they wouldn’t be a match. If he came out like this, it would actually take a long time to deal with him because they were there.

I didn’t know what Grade of Berserker this would be, but fortunately, I had a method I could use.

‘Three, two…. one.’

I released the power from the Staff I had struck into the floor.

Bang—!! Crack—

“Ugh…!”

Severe pain was felt in my head. Emanuel’s Vitriol was strangling my neck. I heard Leo’s flustered voice, realizing the situation even though he shouldn’t be able to see. The Vitriol pushed hard as if it would break my neck bone soon. I grabbed the Vitriol strangling my neck with both hands and stomped my foot hard. The Vitriol quickly crushed my leg, but it was too late.

“…!”

Bang—!

Something pulled sharply. I slammed Emanuel, who was swept up in my binding magic, onto the floor, turned my body, and struck Emanuel’s core with my other hand. The light of Divine Power pierced my eyes for a moment and then quickly disappeared.

My vision turned off.

The front, which was already black, now became completely dark.

***

I opened my eyes in a bed.

“…….”

There was no foreign sensation felt on my left ring finger. Bright eyelashes like a Wittelsbach obscured my vision every time I moved my eyes. I removed the cigarette that had been placed in my mouth without my knowing and exhaled smoke.

A cigarette with a strange taste. I knew what this was. It was an item I used often there, so I even knew how to make it now. An unknown gas clung to the mucous membrane of my throat and went down to my lungs. Unlike regular tobacco, the Magic Power constituting the gas was penetrating the entire body beyond the mucous membrane. It was just like an elixir made into gas.

“It feels like my mind is separating.”

A strange voice came out of my mouth. As I closed my eyes and opened them once, the face of a New Human with shining eyes came into view. Maria was looking down at me, smiling.

“Yes. That is the basics of astral projection.”

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