Chapter 340

“Leo. Why did you call me?”

I wrung out the water dripping from my robe and hurried after him. In the empty, silent building, the sound of falling droplets rang loudly. Leo crossed the hall past the changing rooms without turning back and replied casually.

“I distinctly called for Lord Ernst, you know.”

“…….”

I was left speechless, my mouth falling open. I’m going to play with Luka, you go play with Nikolaus, that was Elias’s line, wasn’t it? And now the fallout lands on me? What a childish bastard…. I brushed the black bangs hanging in front of my eyes aside, glanced down at my thoroughly soaked shower robe that possessed not a shred of dignity, and let out a hollow laugh. Facing Nikolaus like this, yeah, sure, that tracks….

“Understood. But, Your Highness.”

Tilting my head, I stared at the neat back of his head.

“You’re being careless with soundproofing magic.”

“…….”

“I’m not sure whether it’s appropriate for me to address you with your title in such a wide building while dressed like this. What if your friends were to walk in and hear?”

“My friends, you say.”

Even though I’d basically asked if he planned to keep acting without any precautions, Leo didn’t care. He answered with a faint smile in his tone. Something about that response hit an unexpected nerve, and my temples throbbed. Why was he fixating on the phrase my friends? If only I could crack his skull open and see what was going on inside his head, I couldn’t read him at all.

One thing, however, was crystal clear to me. I wanted to hit his core.

But as his nominal adjutant, bodyguard, and a minister of the Kingdom of Bayern, I couldn’t exactly decide that beating the crown prince was acceptable. Honestly, Luka and this guy were both scions of ruling houses and treated like princes wherever they went, so it was all the same. Still, despite us being equals, I’d already ended up on the lower end of the hierarchy, and that made me feel oddly sorry for Luka. As always.

Ah, right. I should’ve drowned him earlier.

When I’d been in the outdoor baths with Eli, the landscaping plants had been an issue, but from the inner baths to the hall, I’d had plenty of chances. I should’ve just thrown him back into the water. Why did I miss that opportunity? As I glared at his neatly pomaded hair, I finally became aware that we’d passed the changing rooms and stopped him. By now, I’d taken it upon myself to cast soundproofing magic.

“Ah, please wait a moment. This sounds like it’ll take a while, so I’ll go change first.”

“Just go as you are. I don’t have much to say.”

“I’m cold.”

At my flat reply, Leo crossed his arms with an annoyed look and flicked his chin. I turned around immediately.

It wasn’t really that I was cold. Walking around in nothing but a robe while being addressed as Lord Ernst just felt… off. As a member of a civilized society, it was only proper to maintain appropriate distance for the place and occasion. With that thought, I opened the door to the changing room, and ran straight into someone.

Ulrike stood there, hand on the doorknob, eyes wide.

“…Luise.”

My heart nearly leapt out of my mouth. No, since when, and how much had she heard? Even at the brink of everything being exposed, Leo, in some kind of deranged calm, looked at Ulrike with the same indifferent expression as before. Maybe she’d only been standing there since after I cast the soundproofing spell.

Only Ulrike looked awkward, glancing back and forth between us before deciding to demand an explanation from Leo. She pulled a face and stared at him.

“Uh, Leo. Why is Lukas calling you Your Highness…?”

Ah. There it went. Any shred of hope was cleanly severed. So she’d heard everything from before the soundproofing. Leo’s blue eyes flicked indifferently from me to her. His lips started to part slowly, and I cut him off.

“…We’re playing. Probably.”

“Huh?”

“We’re just playing. You know? This bastard’s really into being a prince, so he likes, !”

Leo snapped his fingers, having caught the sarcasm in my tone. I ducked instinctively. Even though it only half-connected, the way he twisted my core made my lungs sting. I bent double, baring my teeth at him. Fortunately, Ulrike seemed to have no particular thoughts about the irrational sight of me folding in half at a finger snap. Instead, she clapped her hands with an impressed look.

“Wow. You’re playing? You two?”

“Yeah. Really.”

“I’m relieved you’re trying to get along. Let’s keep things peaceful like this and not fight during missions, okay?”

“We’ve never fought to begin with, Luise.”

“Oh, right~ I’ll get going then! Come back down later! Everyone’s heading over there now!”

“Sure. See you later.”

As soon as Ulrike left, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Leo, who’d been watching us the entire time with a placid expression, spoke quietly.

“From the looks of it, Lord Ernst himself seems to be the one most eager to keep his distance from me.”

“That’s not true. What are you talking ab, ”

“I’ll give you one minute. Go and change.”

I stared at him, dumbfounded. One minute? Change clothes in one minute? More importantly, how long was this farce going to continue? If I were wearing a mask, slipping into Sie and honorifics would’ve felt natural, but not like this. This was too much like… school. There was no rigid honorific system like in Korea, so hearing it wasn’t unbearable, but the distance created by Sie was very real.

Honestly, it wasn’t hard to guess why he kept using it. I was still stuck squarely in the middle of Leo and Elias’s childish rivalry. His attitude was also a declaration that he wouldn’t accept any objections. If I just kept my mouth shut and followed him, he’d probably drop the formal address soon enough. But when had keeping quiet ever been easy? Stubbornness had to be met with greater stubbornness, or so I believed. Leo smiled and checked his watch.

“Fifty seconds.”

“You’re joking.”

He tilted his head slightly. Muttering curses under my breath, I dashed into the changing room, sweeping everything out of the locker and roughly pulling on a shirt.

What if I just disobey once?

I was curious what would happen. Sure, there’d be discipline befitting our employment relationship, but just how far would he really go?

What else? He’d just lecture me.

Even so, I finished changing within fifty seconds and went back out. I really didn’t know what he might do, and it wasn’t worth the risk. Leo narrowed his eyes at my sloppy appearance. I draped my jacket over my arm and tucked my shirt into my trousers.

“The clothes…?”

He frowned at the black velvet jacket and gray argyle vest in my arm. Elias’s? I nodded, fastening Elias’s, unnecessarily ornate, belt. I hadn’t wanted to borrow his clothes, but at the time I’d thought it might help raise affinity, so I’d indulged him. Either way, unless I went back to the Tsheringen palace, this was all I had left. Leo pointed back at the changing room, looking utterly sick of it.

“Go back in.”

“Why, you bastard.”

“Come to think of it, Kleist will probably drag you back to the baths later.”

“So I’ll change then. Are you training a dog?”

Leo smiled as if asking whether he really had to repeat himself and pointed again. I smiled back. Then, seeing his usual expression, a realization struck me, one uncomfortably close to the truth. He knew perfectly well he was being pointlessly stubborn. In other words, this was an order issued purely for his own amusement. Leo wasn’t the type to abuse authority anywhere and everywhere. If anything, he’d sooner renounce his royal status. So this situation was only possible because the one being subjected to this childish order was his friend.

You’ve got to be kidding. …Ah. Right. It’s a joke.

So Lord Ernst wasn’t your subject just because he was your friend? Being on the receiving end of a friend’s abuse of power, playing with royals was exhausting. He’d probably be a benevolent ruler to the people, but to me… I raised the corner of my mouth and sneered.

“If I refuse? Just so you know, even if I’m paid by Bayern, you don’t have the authority to dictate what I wear.”

“Not quite. Unless you want to receive disciplinary action twice, you’d better go in.”

“…….”

Twice? So one was already scheduled? You insane bastard. I took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to flick his forehead. Three punishments would be too much. This whole mess because of Elias’s clothes, unbelievable. The more I thought about it, the more childish Elias and this guy seemed. Which was probably why they’d be friends for life….

I shook my head and turned back.

I changed into a fresh robe and came out. Much better. I even took the opportunity to smack Leo’s core once in the changing room. As a result, when I came back out, he was glaring at me irritably. I followed him into an empty dining room upstairs. Since we hadn’t allowed the chefs in yet, it was completely deserted. In the dim light of dawn filtering in, Leo set a book down on the table and asked lightly,

“Lukas. Want some tea?”

“If you’re making it, Your Highness, then sure.”

I leaned back into the chair. Leo nodded. About five minutes later, he returned with chamomile tea and set it in front of me.

“What were you talking about with Elias earlier?”

There was no hint of playfulness left in his voice or expression. I stared at him and answered,

“There was nothing said as Nikolaus.”

My reply caught him off guard; Leo paused for a moment.

“Should I tell you what I discussed with him as a friend? Is that a royal command?”

“…….”

For some reason, Leo’s lips twisted into a cold, mocking smile, and I fell silent. That was the face he made when he was hurt, and when he refused to lose. After a moment of silence, I met his gaze squarely.

“I told Elias something I’d wanted to say for a long time. I didn’t tell him everything, though.”

“…….”

“I know you don’t want me opening my heart under orders. So I’ll tell you someday too. Just not now.”

Still leaning back with his arms crossed, Leo listened. His reply was unexpected, he nodded cleanly.

“Alright. I get it. I’ll wait.”

“…That’s not like you.”

“If that’s what you want.”

“Who wants it? Lukas, or Nikolaus?”

“You. As a person.”

I hesitated, then nodded.

“Thanks.”

Leo smiled faintly and went back to reading his book. Did he really call me here just to read? Probably not. I waited anyway. Outside the window, I could see the view of Karlsruhe and the slightly brighter dawn sky. It was still more dark than light; the blue air of early morning made even reading letters feel tiring. I watched the quiet city and cloudless sky, then turned my gaze back to Leo reading Principia.

“Must be hard to read. Why don’t you get to the point already? So, why did you call me here?”

“Can’t I? You’re my friend too.”

“Out of boredom? Really?”

I smiled, feeling my fist clench. Leo shrugged, closed the book, and handed me an envelope he’d brought with him. Breaking the red seal, I saw a stiff sheet of paper inside. The eagle emblem at the top center and the large blackletter text made my breath catch.

“Order of Entry: Pleroma Munich–Freising Archdiocese.”

“…….”

“Operations begin immediately after your leave ends.”

We’d just finished dealing with the Brandenburg Archdiocese, and now Munich? This time, we weren’t even being dragged in, we were supposed to enter proactively. Seeing my expression harden, Leo picked up a newspaper and looked straight at me.

“I understand. I objected too… but this is why headquarters said they’d form a new A-class-only team. We had no veto.”

“…Figures. You don’t need to waste energy explaining.”

When, in another timeline, I’d insisted on hitting Brandenburg first, they hadn’t dismissed it as a rookie’s nonsense. They’d dragged me along and investigated. This was why. Headquarters had planned to strike Pleroma at the end of the month, Brandenburg first. We’d been hit hard during the selection exam for the new team’s strategist before we even moved. And… while battered, we’d won. Or thought we had. Having already handled Brandenburg, I hadn’t expected them to target somewhere else. It seemed Munich–Freising had been chosen as the alternative.

“…We can’t just sit around. I get that.”

I pressed my fingers to my temple and closed my eyes. Hearing the paper slide toward me, I slowly opened them and picked up the newspaper.

“Yesterday’s front page,” Leo said, pointing. “Germany agreed to mediate the upcoming Austro-Hungarian–French talks at the end of the month. France suddenly rejected German mediation and brought Britain and Belgium into it.”

“…….”

A familiar pattern, slightly altered. Same region, similar period, it made sense.

“…Belgium, out of nowhere. Desperate, considering they’re eyeing its independence. Russia wasn’t pulled in?”

“Russia’s testing the waters too. With the Pleroma issue on our hands, Germany can’t pour everything into international politics. So we have to secure the Vatican’s cooperation now. That’s why the Empire is moving on Munich–Freising, as part of a joint operation with the Holy See.”

“So you’re pulling the Vatican inside Germany to expand its influence.”

“Exactly. The Empire’s taking a step back to form an alliance. They’re deliberately removing Pleroma in Catholic Bayern to give the Vatican a foothold domestically. So… positively speaking, this is good for Bayern.”

“Only if it succeeds.”

Leo nodded at my blunt reply. He was only trying to see it positively; he didn’t truly think it was good.

Let’s break it down. As long as the Vatican has the capacity and goodwill, the Empire can always secure one-off cooperation. But what matters here isn’t just temporary help, it’s a political alliance. Prussia believes it can strengthen ties with the Vatican through Catholic Bayern, while Bayern, acting as a bridge, stands to double its influence within Germany. Given the circumstances, Prussia must trust that Bayern won’t cause chaos, and indeed, it won’t. Politically, it’s clearly advantageous for Bayern.

If the Munich–Freising operation and the destruction of Pleroma succeed.

If it fails, Bayern will bear part of the responsibility. Even if the operation is directed by imperial headquarters, it takes place within Bayern and relies on its support. Stirring up the Pleroma hive in southern Germany for nothing would be disastrous. I traced the lettering on the eagle-emblazoned order with my finger.

“Seems it’s time for Nikolaus Ernst to repay Bayern by succeeding. If we fail, not just Eschet’s safety, but Bayern’s itself is finished.”

“Hey. Don’t burden yourself.”

“It’s success or death.”

At my stark words, Leo’s gaze went distant for an instant. Seeing the disordered fear flood his irises, my breath caught. Silence stretched between us. For a moment, I wondered if the desolation on his face mirrored my own. I couldn’t see what expression I wore, so I spoke.

“We can do this. This time, we’re not being dragged in blindly. We have time to prepare. Let’s handle it properly.”

“…….”

“And we even have the Vatican’s divine casters.”

Only then did Leo force a polite smile.

What I’d said earlier was, in truth, obvious. From the moment we were selected by the imperial family, our outcomes had always been success or death. Everyone knew it. It was drilled into us everywhere. But this wasn’t the time to voice that truth, knowing what he’d read, what I’d experienced.

…I should stop complaining about him using formal address.

Playing around while he kept it formal was almost happier. I tightened the loosened belt of my robe and changed the subject.

“That’s enough of that. What was the disciplinary action? Just talk, right?”

“…….”

Leo stared at me, then lifted the corner of his mouth. After a long stare-down, I changed topics again.

“…Forget it. You really not going into the baths? You’ll be playing with everyone again later.”

“With my arm like this? How could I?”

“Nonsense. You could just wrap it in mana. You’re just lazy.”

“Hm.”

Leo shrugged and jerked his chin at me.

“And you? Why were you wearing a robe while playing in the water?”

“Just because.”

“That’s not an answer. I need to know to adjust.”

“Adjust what? Like you have to adjust to me.”

“More than you think.”

He rested his chin on his hand, waiting. I stared back blankly. He muttered that he’d ask Elias instead and turned away. Did he really need to go that far? I waved my hand and answered simply.

“It’s nothing. I don’t like showing skin.”

“Oh.”

Leo let out an involuntary sound and fell into thought, then scratched his chin with a puzzled expression, cycling through a dozen gestures before nodding.

What’s that supposed to mean? That it doesn’t suit me?

“Kind of sorry. Should’ve just told you to wear Elias’s clothes.”

“Yeah. So keep your jokes reasonable, and don’t avert your eyes. That’s worse.”

“You never let anything go.”

Leo laughed lightly, clasped his hands, and leaned toward me.

“Lukas, later, ”

“There is no later.”

I turned at the voice behind me. Elias stood at the dining room entrance, waving. Leo’s lips twisted the moment he saw him. Elias shrugged and grinned.

“Let’s go down! Time to play!”

***

I had no idea how the day passed.

The moment we got into the baths, Henike calmly informed me that her skin was cooked, she really was bright red, to my horror. Elias, Narke, and Tsheringen teamed up and finally managed to dump Leo into the pool. I went in shortly after. We must’ve gone through more than ten bottles of whiskey and wine. Like that, I barely escaped after being tormented by drink and hot springs with my friends until morning and collapsed face-first into bed. I thought I’d slept all day in the guest room Tsheringen had prepared…

“…!”

I swung my fist and shot upright. Cold wind against my cheek made every hair on my body stand on end.

“Wooooah!”

“You’re awake!”

“What, what are you doing?!”

We were outside. I threw off the thick blanket around me and stood up. We were on a highland field I didn’t recognize, with six friends gathered around. Tsheringen smiled.

“We have to go back to Munich in the morning, right? I wanted to show you something before we leave.”

Tsheringen lay down in the grass. I followed her gaze upward.

“Leo, Elias, and I came here all the time when we were little. You can see the sky well, right?”

The sky was overflowing with stars. Below, a nameless stream flowed; when I held my breath, the faint sound of water filled my ears. It was a perfect scene to lose oneself in, though Ulrike and Henike were ignoring the stars and water, busy rummaging through the clover field.

Sitting beside Tsheringen, Leo spoke quietly.

“Being here brings back memories. I wish you’d come with us back then too.”

“…….”

I knew immediately who he meant. It was like Leo to say that. Luka’s inability to mingle with peers from ruling families had been because of Adrian Askanien. I quickly checked Henike and Ulrike’s faces. Thankfully, they were too focused on clovers to notice.

“Ah, I’m hungry. We used to pick wild strawberries here, are there any now? Hey, Bavarian! You should’ve brought Schneeballen at least!”

“What are you talking about?”

Leo opened his book, shutting out Elias’s nonsense. Elias stretched out lazily.

“Ah~ I still remember getting a nosebleed after Leo blasted me with magic here.”

“What?”

“He threw me into a tree. I was hospitalized for a week.”

“It was an accident during sparring. I apologized a hundred times after that.”

Leo snapped back, ears covered. Ulrike finally looked up, dazed.

“Leo makes mistakes too? I thought he was a total model student.”

Whatever that meant, Leo seemed to let it slide. Tsheringen, stars reflected in her eyes, murmured,

“Once we go back, who knows when we’ll all come again. I wish things could stay peaceful for a while.”

Everyone knew that wouldn’t happen. Even Tsheringen did.

“Want to make a wish? That this operation succeeds.”

At Narke’s light remark, Tsheringen smiled. At that moment, Ulrike cut in with a ghost-seeing expression.

“Whoa! I found one! Aaaah!”

And so, at dawn, we boarded the train and returned to Bayern. Heading back to Munich instead of Brandenburg or Berlin almost felt like going home, Nikolaus did have a residence there, after all, so I was in decent spirits. The others seemed to feel the same, like the tail end of a trip. Despite the upcoming operation into the Pleroma diocese, there was no need to ruin the end of a journey with worries about the future.

I flipped the clover Ulrike had given me back and forth when she suddenly leapt in the train corridor.

“Whoa, you made it a bookmark?”

“Yeah. Leo made it.”

“What? You two are really trying hard for the team.”

“No, actually, ”

Before I could finish, she spotted Tsheringen and vanished. Right. What more was there to say?

We arrived at Munich Hauptbahnhof and disembarked. The transfer was quick. As soon as we entered the Munich Residenz, we met familiar faces.

“…….”

My friends saluted the moment they saw 98th Class Team A. They’d come all the way from Brandenburg for this operation. Seeing me, Mecklenburg’s gentle expression twisted into a forced smile. Having seen more of his expressions by now, I knew exactly what it meant. I glanced at my wary teammates and extended my hand to him.

“Meeting again in Bayern, Senior.”

“…….”

“Let’s work well together this time too.”

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