Chapter 406

Flap.

I’d returned to Narke’s room and was reading the reply he had received from the Papal See. Pie was nowhere to be seen—probably still in my room. Meanwhile, Simone Savelli was confined to his quarters alone after Narke had assigned a Trier priest to keep him from heading to the postal office.

[Are you saying someone within the Papal See misused a holy relic for an impious purpose? In the Vatican?]

[Why would it have to be a holy relic? There isn’t a single person in the Vatican with reason to steal even the holy relic kept in Germany.]

[The Papal See has already completed a full investigation of everyone and everything that entered Vatican at the time. Every person, every parcel, every letter—from a private note to a tourist from the East. So how can you claim the culprit is within the Papal See, Cardinal Farnese? You know better than anyone that no one there is in a position to orchestrate such a crime. This is a place where strict divine power interrogations are conducted daily. Of all places, it is the one where such a crime should be impossible.]

“Looks like the letters are pouring in.”

Narke, who had stepped out for a moment, set a basket of letters on the desk. A messenger boy had dropped it off while he was gone. I slipped the letter I’d been reading back into its envelope and pushed it toward him. After unfolding the last page I’d been reading, Narke slowly nodded.

“Hm… They’re not wrong. The Papal See finished its investigation at the beginning of the month, and the chances of anyone covering something up are incredibly slim. They questioned people so thoroughly they could’ve burned holes into their heads with divine power. If someone had an unusual Special Ability, they’d have devised an entirely new method of interrogation just for that person.”

He said something chilling with a perfectly pleasant smile. In any case, Narke agreed with the Papal See’s response. I couldn’t say I disagreed with it either. If I’d been in a place like the Vatican, where entertaining the wrong thoughts could get you purged within a day, I’d have insisted there couldn’t possibly be a traitor there as well. Wearing a faint smile, I quietly spoke to Narke as he sorted through the envelopes.

“I’m worried my theory might end up dragging your reputation down too. Sorry.”

“No, it’s fine. This is exactly the kind of reaction we were hoping for. I wanted it too.”

Narke knew my real objective was to stir up the Papal See. Had it been only my claim, the people in the Papal See probably wouldn’t have reacted this strongly. But because Narke publicly shared my opinion, things had become just as Savelli had predicted—a complete uproar. The mountain of letters overflowing from the basket was proof enough of the turmoil brewing in the Vatican. Smiling, Narke rubbed his chin before speaking calmly.

“Besides, if someone really had covered it up—if the problem had truly originated inside the Papal See and come to light that early—they never would’ve put me in charge of this case. Anyone would’ve done the same.”

“True.”

“Lord Savelli isn’t wrong. Just as every government and royal family keeps an eye out for spies and traitors, the Vatican does too. It’s a place steeped in divine power, so schemes and tricks are much harder to pull off. That makes it far less vulnerable than most places… but they’re still careful. Everyone’s on edge. That’s how sensitive the people there are to the idea of a traitor.”

“Which means we can use that to narrow down our suspects.”

Narke chuckled, shaking his head.

“Haha… Lukas, you really turn every word into a clue.”

“I’m just glad they’re taking this so seriously. As it happens, I received a letter too.”

“A letter? From whom?”

“His Highness Emanuel Wittelsbach.”

Elias, who had been sprawled across the bed, shot upright. The next moment, he bounded over to me.

“Me! Let me read it!”

We were all going to read it anyway. That argument wasn’t enough to stop Elias—he was far too much of a brat. After a brief scuffle, he cleared his throat, unfolded the letter, and began reading.

“To His Highness Emanuel Wittelsbach. Greetings, Your Highness Emanuel Wittelsbach, Duke of Bavaria. This is Ptolemaios, Chairman of the Hermetische Gesellschaft. …Seriously? Is that supposed to be a fake name?”

Elias suddenly barked out the last line. I waved him off with a sigh.

“Leave your commentary out of it and read what’s actually written.”

“Yessir. We are well aware of how occupied Your Highness, the Duke of Bavaria, must be with official affairs. This is also the first time Your Highness has ever received correspondence from the Hermetische Gesellschaft. As for myself, this is my first time writing directly to a member of the royal family, so I cannot help but feel— Ah, from here to the next line it’s all the same old flattery. I’ll skip it. A relic recently came into our possession through the auction house, and in my judgment, it appears to be an artifact of great significance to Christianity. I have heard that Your Highness is highly knowledgeable in this field. With that in mind, I write in the hope that you might appraise its value and origins. It would be an honor beyond words if you would lend your expertise for the advancement of the Hermetische Gesellschaft and the study of relics.”

“A relic? But why write to His Highness Emanuel Wittelsbach?”

“Luka, no side comments either~ However, Your Highness should be aware of one thing. Strangely enough, this item never came through an auction. Somehow, when we opened the storage room the morning before yesterday, it was simply sitting in the middle of the room.”

“…….”

“At first we assumed someone had misplaced it or stored a personal belonging there. But after questioning every member, we concluded that it belonged to no one. We even considered the possibility that someone had successfully performed a summoning ritual. Even now, however, we have no explanation for how the relic appeared out of thin air. As an organization devoted to the occult, we naturally find such possibilities fascinating. Still, should Your Highness agree to examine the relic, I felt you ought to know these circumstances beforehand. I have also enclosed photographs.”

Elias lowered the letter, stretched his mouth into a wide grin, and shrugged. Waving the photograph of the rosary, he declared, “The spontaneous generation theory of relics.”

“Whoa~ Though instead of getting excited from an occult perspective, shouldn’t they report it to the police? What if someone stole it and dumped it there? Hahaha.”

“Hmm…”

Everyone offered their own reactions. Resting my elbows on the desk, I closed my eyes and spoke.

“So, here’s what we know. First, a Christian relic ended up at the Hermetische Gesellschaft. Second, does His Highness Emanuel Wittelsbach actually know anything about relic appraisal? Third, the letter reached His Highness this evening.”

“Why’s the second one a question?”

“Realizing there’s a question to ask is valuable information too.”

“Luka, aren’t you deliberately ignoring the part where the Christian relic just poof appeared in the warehouse the day before yesterday? Sounds like confirmation bias to me.”

“Cut me some slack. Bias can be useful sometimes, too. It’s called formulating a hypothesis.”

Resting my chin on one hand with my eyes closed, I tapped my cheek with a finger. Judging from the grumbling coming from both Narke and Elias, they knew I was talking nonsense. I ignored them anyway and continued.

“That’s not the important part. I gave them a little poke, and they actually answered back. What do you think?”

“Where are you goooing—!”

“…….”

I stopped in the middle of the street and looked up at the building in disbelief. Savelli was practically hanging out of a window, shouting down at me. Narke, who had been about to head into the entrance leading to Savelli’s quarters, glanced back at me and shook his head. I hurried upstairs to his floor and caught Savelli just as he threw his door open.

“What are you doing? It’s midnight. Please go to bed.”

“I can’t sleep without Cardinal Farnese around.”

“How did you survive the past six months…? Did someone knock you unconscious every night?”

“At least tell me where you’re going. I’m so tense I can’t sleep. I even told you that highly classified information about Austria-Hungary planning to annex… no, grant independence to Bosnia.”

“…….”

“His Eminence is, after all, a cardinal of the Vatican.”

I looked at Savelli. Sweeping his bangs back, he spoke in a low voice.

“I’m not trying to dismiss that. But Your Eminence has been stationed in Germany all this time, so it might not feel quite real to you. The mages of the Papal See are all exceptionally perceptive. As you know, those two sentences you sent today were more than enough to warn us that there may be a Brutus among us. And in that comparison, Caesar would be His Holiness the Pope.”

“…….”

“The existence of a Brutus who would start a civil war in the name of saving the Vatican would shake the Papal See to its very foundation. So… I’d like to apologize in advance.”

I looked at him quietly before speaking.

“I suppose I should ask what you’re apologizing for first. But in that case, let me say in advance that it’s alright. I understand. I may have left too much unexplained, and I don’t think I gave enough thought to your position, Lord Savelli. To you, that place is practically home.”

Savelli looked like he wanted to say something, but I gave him a faint smile and continued before he could.

“I’m heading to Berlin. A holy relic has turned up at an artifact trading society there. An acquaintance who knows I’ve been investigating holy relics informed me about it, so I’m on my way there now.”

“…A holy relic? At an artifact trading society in Berlin?”

“It’s only believed to be one for now. They say it suddenly appeared the morning before yesterday. No one knows where it came from, and there wasn’t any plausible explanation for how it got there. It was simply sitting in the middle of the storeroom… almost as if it had been summoned.”

Savelli’s eyes widened. His mouth fell open before he broke into the same broad grin he’d worn when we first met. He let out a soft laugh, then drew a sharp breath. Another holy relic. He was clearly hung up on that point as well. I watched him for a moment before lowering my gaze to the tiled floor.

“Earlier, I said I don’t think I gave enough thought to your feelings, Lord Savelli.”

“Yes.”

“We’ve only known each other for a short while, and I have no intention of leaving you with a burden on your conscience. So… would you lend me your ear? Now that the situation has changed, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Savelli stared at me in silence. Then he leaned in, bringing his ear close. I snapped my fingers, casting a soundproofing spell.

I arrived at a grand mansion in Berlin. Its owner was clearly someone of enormous wealth. The reception room I was shown into was nearly the size of a ballroom, with gilded furniture and columns. A three-tier chandelier—something rarely seen even in noble estates—hung from the center of the ceiling. I gave the room a quick glance before greeting the person who had been waiting inside.

“Your Highness, Duke Emanuel Wittelsbach.”

“Sir Ernst.”

Emanuel rose from his seat with a smile. Though we weren’t particularly close, he’d taken to smiling every time he saw me. It wasn’t surprising, considering he was one of the few people who knew Nikolaus Ernst was actually Lukas Askanien. He gestured toward the door.

“I accepted it, just as you advised. They said the chairman will be here shortly.”

“I see. Though I’m surprised His Highness Crown Prince Leonard didn’t come. I thought he would.”

“I thought so too, so I specifically told him not to. Even then, I expected him to ignore me and show up anyway, but he must have been busy. He agreed almost immediately.”

Unexpected. Then again, he’d already been neglecting his work enough just drinking tea with me. Better for both of us to focus on our own responsibilities.

“Very well. Let’s settle this quickly and head back.”

Emanuel’s smile suddenly turned playful.

“You don’t seem very eager to spend time with me~ What have you been hiding back home?”

“…Not at all. That’s not what I meant.”

I let out an awkward laugh and hurried to explain myself. It probably shouldn’t have surprised me that the side of him I’d seen in the Extra Chapter was still there, but it had been a while. Unlike back then, though, the teasing didn’t last long. As if nothing had happened, his expression settled back into its usual faint smile. If I weren’t here, that smile would probably disappear altogether. Emanuel was in his forties now. His face hadn’t aged a day, but that didn’t mean he was still the same Emanuel who’d been in his twenties.

We sat in silence for more than ten minutes. Emanuel Wittelsbach was the first to break it. Taking out his pocket watch, he muttered, “So much for finishing quickly and sending you on your way. Sir Ernst must be disappointed.”

“Not at all… Though I didn’t expect them to keep Your Highness waiting this long. I will step outside and inquire.”

“No need. Let’s take it easy. Here.”

Emanuel held out a cigarette. I hesitated for a moment before answering honestly, “I do not smoke.”

“Oh? I thought you did.”

Of course he did. I was the one who’d told him to accept it like a true Bavarian before. I sat back down and answered, “If you wish me to, I will.”

“The idea of quitting smoking is fascinating in itself… but if you’ve already quit once, wouldn’t picking it up again just make you want it more? I’d rather not be responsible for that.”

“I’m not the type to get addicted.”

“You can quit that easily? Lucky you. I can’t.”

He lit the cigarette, then shook his head.

“Come to think of it, your age is another issue. I will smoke by myself.”

He made a gesture as if lifting a mask to his face. Though if he smoked, I’d still be breathing the smoke anyway. I wasn’t sure what difference he thought it made, but I let it go with a simple, Go right ahead.

I sat quietly, trying my best to ignore Emanuel’s cigarette smoke before finally giving up and speaking.

“Your Highness.”

“Yes?”

“Are you actually an expert in relic appraisal? This is the first I have heard of it.”

“To be honest, it’s the first I’ve heard of it as well. That’s why I asked Sir Ernst to look into the letter.”

“I see. It is ridiculous, but at least that clears things up.”

Five minutes later, ‘Ptolemaios’ finally rushed into the drawing room. A rather bourgeois-looking Old Human elderly entered with a secretary who appeared to be a New Human. Both greeted us as soon as they stepped inside.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness, Duke Emanuel Wittelsbach of Bavaria. And Your Excellency Sir Nikolaus Ernst. I sincerely apologize for asking you to come all this way, only to keep you waiting.”

Emanuel offered his hand first. The chairman froze, staring at it in shock as though wondering whether someone like him was even allowed to shake a royal’s hand, and several awkward moments slipped by before Emanuel finally asked, “Did something happen?”

“Well… we sent another letter to Your Highness’s office, but it seems we were too late.”

The chairman lowered his gaze as he spoke. Pulling out a handkerchief, he wiped the cold sweat from his neck before continuing cautiously.

“To have troubled Your Highness, the Duke of Bavaria, only to say this… I truly don’t know how to apologize, but I am afraid we will have to cancel today’s appraisal. My deepest apologies.”

“What? What happened?”

“The relic has disappeared.”

I narrowed my eyes. The relic disappeared?

“What do you mean by that? Please explain.”

“…We moved the Christian relic from the storage room to my office the day before yesterday. My secretary and I are always there, and today I remained in my office the entire time after sending the letter to Your Highness, waiting for a reply. But this evening… the relic that had still been in my office safe just two hours ago vanished. I checked the safe every hour. And yet, even though there was definitely no intruder…”

The chairman trailed off and lowered his head.

Though Emanuel knew little about the theft cases, he seemed to sense something was amiss and looked at me. I met his gaze for a moment before closing my eyes.

“Very well.”

When I opened them again, everyone was staring at me. I turned to Emanuel.

“Your Highness Duke Emanuel Wittelsbach, could I borrow a little of your time?”

“Of course.”

“I have a few questions for Chairman Ptolemaios. First, do you have any extra photographs of the relic?”

“Certainly.”

He gestured to his secretary, who handed me one of the folders he had been carrying. It contained far more photographs than the ones enclosed with Emanuel’s letter, along with a list of names—apparently scholars the chairman had also intended to ask for an appraisal.

“Thank you. My next question. In your letter, you wrote that His Highness Duke Emanuel possesses a considerable knack for relic appraisal. Why did you think that? His Highness has never been involved in relic appraisal.”

“…Pardon?”

The chairman stared at us in surprise, his mouth hanging open. His expression plainly asked, What are you talking about? Frankly, Emanuel and I felt much the same.

Dabbing the cold sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, the chairman hurriedly explained, “B-But… the letter mentioned things that no one could have known unless they had been there when the Society was founded. It said His Highness Duke Emanuel worked alongside the founder to create an artifact that would allow Old Humans to use magic. Hardly anyone—even those who were with the Society before it became a proper auction organization—knows that research materials for Old Human magic existed in those early days. So… I naturally assumed His Highness had examined countless relics himself during that process…”

“…….”

What is he talking about? That had been Maria Österreich-Este’s work alone. Emanuel had certainly helped him every step of the way, and in the end, he’d even gathered every last scrap of research—whether it mattered or not—and burned it all. So he wasn’t completely unrelated to it… but the facts had clearly been twisted ever so slightly.

Rather than press the silent Emanuel, I picked out one detail from the chairman’s explanation.

“A letter? What letter are you referring to?”

“Oh, I received a letter addressed to me. It was about His Highness Emanuel. It is quite old—apparently it had been misplaced for years before turning up only recently. It said that His Highness Duke Emanuel Wittelsbach of Bavaria had played a major role in founding our Hermetische Gesellschaft and possessed extensive knowledge of relic appraisal.”

“…….”

A letter sent long ago, only to be found now? And it happened to talk about Emanuel Wittelsbach… I rubbed my lips and curled one corner of my mouth before smoothing my expression again.

“So you remembered a letter that old. Then why did you choose to ask only His Highness Emanuel Wittelsbach, instead of any of the other scholars, to appraise the relic?”

The chairman had been listening calmly, but something in my question seemed to strike a nerve. His face drained of color as he hurriedly replied.

“N-no—please, I hope there is no misunderstanding… I may be an Old Human, but I hold no ill will toward the royal family. I never intended to cause any trouble for His Highness Emanuel Wittelsbach! I simply hoped I might hear more about the founder of our society… I sent the letter without ever expecting His Highness would actually come. If you find any of this suspicious, you are welcome to search the premises immediately.”

He spread his arms wide. As an Old Human from the 21st century—even if I happened to be in a New Human’s body now—the situation was giving me a headache. I held back a sigh.

“May I see the original letter?”

“Of course.”

The chairman pulled a cream-colored envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket. It had clearly been white once, but years of age had stained it yellow. The edges were slightly frayed, shedding tiny flecks of paper. Emanuel narrowed his eyes at the sorry state of the letter and let out a dry laugh.

I accepted it and drew a slow breath. No trace of chemicals. An old envelope with nothing written on the outside. The red sealing wax had long since lost its hold. An official-looking German government seal was stamped into it. I carefully slid the letter out. The paper inside was just as yellowed, with insect damage scattered across it.

I silently thanked the fact that I wore gloves around the clock before letting out a quiet sigh.

“Where exactly did you find this…?”

“Ah… Yesterday, I had one of the servants reorganize the bookshelves. That is where it turned up.”

The contents were worth remembering. Just as he had said, the two-page letter was filled with an elaborate fabrication about Emanuel. The sender identified himself only as X. On the final page was the address of Emanuel’s secretariat.

[Maximilien Kahr

6 Ludwigstr

München, Deutsches Kaiserreich]

“That is my secretary’s name.”

Emanuel, who had been reading over my shoulder, casually added.

“I see.”

I already knew that. I answered absently and looked back at the address.

‘Maximilien Kahr. 6 Ludwigstr… Building No. 6 on Ludwig Street.’

Reading the line beneath it aloud, I said, “Interesting. Munich, and the German Empire. Well, I suppose these are international age. But instead of Empire allemand, German Empire, Duitse Keizerrijk, or Impero tedesco… they chose Deutsches Kaiserreich.”

Emanuel kept smiling, though one eyebrow arched slightly. He was probably wondering what was so significant about that right now. Across from us, the chairman of the Hermetische Gesellschaft looked equally puzzled. Without taking my eyes off the address, I continued. “They wrote ‘German Empire’ in German. That is remarkably thorough. But… 6 Ludwigstr?”

The chairman quickly nodded.

“Yes. Ludwigstr. 6, indeed.”

“Indeed. Yet what is written here clearly reads 6 Ludwigstr.”

The chairman still looked confused. Emanuel, however, was different. Resting a finger against his chin, he slowly parted his lips. In Germany, house numbers are written after the street name. Just as the chairman said, it should be written Ludwigstr. 6. There are only a handful of countries that write it the other way around.

“The writer wasn’t German. They must be either English or French.”