Chapter 408

“No.”

Wondering how I could be so calm, was he? I let out a quiet chuckle, nodded, and answered.

“I am not calm.”

I took another sip of wine and lowered my glass. My hand was trembling. Emanuel glanced at the wine sloshing inside the glass before looking up at me in surprise. I could feel his eyes darting over me, searching for something. Brushing my bangs back, I closed my eyes.

“…I accused the Papal See based on two pieces of evidence. And today, both of them were completely disproven… That’s what happened, isn’t it? I’m screwed.”

Emanuel rolled his eyes, shrugged, and placed a hand over my glove. Apparently unable to tell my temperature through it, he slipped his hand beneath my sleeve instead. His eyes widened.

“Wait… you’re serious?”

“…….”

I emptied the rest of my glass in one go, tipped it upside down to show it was empty, and let out a long breath. I could hear Emanuel swallow. Right. This was probably the first time he’d seen someone drink wine like that. He checked his own temperature with the back of his hand against his neck, then let out a disbelieving laugh.

“…Who exactly am I sitting here with, and what did I just hear…?”

“You are sitting with Sir Nikolaus Ernst, Your Highness. And what you just heard was that I’m screwed.”

“I don’t think anyone’s ever heard Sir Nikolaus whining before.”

“That is right. Your Highness is the first person in the world to witness it.”

“What an honor.”

I helped myself to his sherry, topped off my own glass, and kept drinking. Even though it wasn’t cream sherry, it was still far too sweet for my taste. My tongue tingled from the sweetness, but I kept talking anyway.

“…I am not calm. Not even a little. After getting the final nail in the coffin just now, even less so. Fine. Then I suppose I need to figure out how I am going to explain all this to everyone.”

“Hmm… The more I think about it, the more this feels like a dream. Maybe you’re not really Sir Nikolaus after all?”

“Are we still on that? Then at least help me figure out where I will live after everything falls apart.”

“Live here. I’ll clear out a couple of rooms. It’d be nice to have someone to talk to.”

“…….”

I paused mid-sip and stared at Emanuel.

How long had we even known each other? From what I could gather, he was the sort of person who kept everyone at arm’s length. He could greet you with a smile, yet never truly let you inside. And yet…

Maybe letting me tear through his Labyrinth first had blown a hole in that wall of his. Once it’d already been exposed, perhaps he’d simply thought, What’s the point of hiding it now? Thinking back to the Extra Chapter, when we were both in our twenties, we’d become surprisingly close in a short time. Maybe that was because, at our core, we were the same kind of person.

“I appreciate the offer, but I will pass. I prefer living alone.”

“You’ve certainly got a lot of conditions. Well, it hardly matters. You’ll have Anhalt Castle all to yourself eventually. What is there for me to worry about?”

I turned toward him. Leaning against the back of the sofa with one arm draped over it, he smiled.

“You and I will end up living completely different lives. You’ll rule the duchy, and the whole world will call you Your Grace.”

“What makes you so certain? My brother is still here.”

“You may hide behind an alias because you don’t want to stir up trouble, but you can’t cover the sky with the palm of your hand. What you are won’t stay hidden forever.”

“…….”

I answered with nothing more than a smile before changing the subject.

“So, the question now is what to do next. My first theory—that there was a traitor inside the Papal See who smuggled the True Cross through the Vatican—has fallen apart because of that missing rosary. And now that we have learned there are people outside the Papal See who know relics possess abilities, my second theory has become shaky as well.”

“Exactly. So what’s your next move, Sir Ernst? I’m already overwhelmed dealing with my own problems.”

The words came out almost automatically before Emanuel suddenly froze. He slowly tilted his head, his brows drawing together.

“Hmm, wait.”

“What is it?”

“That first theory doesn’t quite add up. If the culprit were in the Papal See, they’d have subjected every clergyman to a thorough investigation. Which means the only remaining possibility is…”

I simply smiled and waited. He narrowed his eyes, then slowly shook his head, the corners of his mouth curling upward.

“You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you?”

There is no need for Your Highness to worry. None at all.

That was all I had to say to Emanuel. After finishing my third glass of sherry, I left his residence and returned to Trier Cathedral. I had another appointment after lunch, but there was something I needed to take care of in Trier first.

At the post office, I took the two gold delivery receipts the priest behind the counter handed me and slowly turned them over between my fingers. Yesterday, when I’d come here with Narke, there had only been one. The priest spoke with a tense expression.

“Since Your Eminence gave permission, we sent it. Cardinal Farnese also dispatched a carrier pigeon. He said Lord Savelli would be permitted to send a message this one time.”

“…….”

Smiling, I handed the Vatican delivery receipt back to him. Then I began searching the cathedral for wherever Savelli might be.

“Peace be with you.”

“And also with you.”

After making sure my hair had indeed turned white again, I greeted a passing priest and continued on. Narke’s room, the dining hall, the courtyard. On my third try, I found Savelli. He was in the courtyard, getting ready to release several white pigeons into the sky.

“Lord Savelli.”

“Ah!”

The moment he spotted me, Simone Savelli lowered his hand and hurried over.

“So you’ve finally come. What on earth took you so long?”

“I should be asking you the same thing. You can bring pigeons through the barrier from outside, but you can’t send one out from inside with a letter attached. They’ll get caught by the barrier.”

“…Ha. Isn’t this all because Your Eminence hasn’t been showing up? What exactly did you write to me?! I’ve been buried in messages ever since!”

He shoved his face toward mine with a growl. There was humor in it, but he looked genuinely flustered. I pushed him back.

“It wasn’t from me. It must have been from Cardinal Farnese. I merely said that if His Eminence gave you a letter, you were allowed to send it. And you really did send it straight to the Vatican without hesitation. I just confirmed it at the post office.”

That was why I’d asked to borrow his ear yesterday. Savelli had wanted to report our situation to the Vatican. He understood that information was valuable, and whether the news was good or bad, he wanted to reduce the information gap by sending it back. So I simply gave him the opportunity to do exactly that. That was all.

Savelli let out a short laugh and rubbed at his brow.

“Phew… so it’s true. A lockdown order on the Papal See. From what I’ve heard, that’s what this is about.”

“Did it come as a shock? They have to investigate, after all.”

“What do they expect from clergymen who already live under half a lockdown? It’s pointless.”

“Do you think so?”

Savelli nodded. Then he jabbed a finger into my chest and lowered his voice.

“Whatever the reason, it still doesn’t feel real hearing Your Eminence tell me, of all people, that it’s fine to send letters to the Papal See. You must have a reason.”

“Why does everyone assume there’s always a reason behind everything I do…? At this rate, you’ll think even me drinking a glass of water has some grand purpose.”

“Doesn’t it? You’re Sir Nikolaus, aren’t you?”

“…….”

What kind of logic is that?

Still, true to being Narke’s playmate, he’d managed to grasp the important part. Of course there was a reason.

I wanted to verify whether my chosen hypothesis—was it the French Imperial Family or the Papal See?—was correct or not. To do that, I had to wait for a reaction. Whatever was written in the letter I received, its very existence was a reaction to the move I’d made. Until I saw that reaction—until I’d finished testing my hypothesis—I couldn’t send any additional information to the Papal See. And now a letter had arrived from the Hermetische Gesellschaft. That settled it.

Smiling, I nodded.

“Exactly. A new clue changed my line of reasoning. Otherwise, there would’ve been no reason to send anything to the Papal See. And I’m afraid I still can’t answer the Foreign Minister’s question.”

“I’d very much like to know what that clue is. If you weren’t Your Eminence, I’d drag it out of you through a narrow gate.”

“I’ll tell you one thing. From here on out, all we can do is wait.”

It was a race against time. Not even a week had passed since Heike collapsed, but fortunately, about ninety-five percent of what I needed to do was already finished. The only thing left was time itself. Until time handed me an opportunity, all I had to do was sit quietly beneath the persimmon tree with my mouth open and wait for the fruit to fall.

Simone Savelli frowned, clearly unable to make sense of what I’d said—and that was for the best, so I offered no further explanation. After a moment, he let out a bitter smile.

“So you’re certain the culprit is in the Papal See, then. In that case, there’s no need to raise a papal army, so I’ll be on my way. Looks like I’ll be spending another long train ride with a sore backside…”

“No? You should stay.”

“Why?”

Simone Savelli looked at me with an amused smile.

“Even that sounds like you’re plotting something. Why exactly should I stay? Don’t tell me you really do need a papal army.”

Without answering, I folded my arms and closed my eyes. Tilting my head back slightly, I drew in a slow, deep breath. With my eyes shut, the faint movement of mana I’d been sensing since earlier became much clearer. Still keeping them closed, I asked quietly, “Lord Savelli. Where did all the pigeons go? You haven’t taken them back to their cages yet.”

“Huh? Oh.”

Looking puzzled, Savelli glanced around. Behind where I stood—past the garden—was the clergy residence. I put two fingers to my lips and let out a sharp whistle. At once, what had sounded like distant rainfall rushed toward us, crashing over us like a wave.

Tweet!

Flap! Flap-flap!

“—?! H-Hey, wait!”

Savelli ducked instinctively, covering his head as a flock of pigeons burst overhead. I clicked my tongue with a laugh. Then, from somewhere above the building behind us, Elias’s voice rang out loud enough to shake the courtyard.

“N-No! Nikolaus! What are you doinggg?!”

“You’re one to talk.”

Why would you keep pigeons in your room? More importantly, how did you manage to hide that many without anyone noticing? Muttering to myself, I smiled at Simone Savelli and pointed toward the window where Elias’s room should be.

“Looks like that’s your problem now. Surely you weren’t planning to leave us with that mess?”

“Luise.”

After leaving Trier, I arrived at a hospital in Bavaria and lightly patted Ulrike’s back. He had been slumped over a table in the lounge beside Heike’s room. Ulrike slowly lifted his head. His face looked even more worn than it had a few days ago. He hadn’t been this bad when we met Ismailov. His complexion had turned dull and lifeless.

I handed him the potion I’d brought. He smiled faintly in thanks and drank it. I waited until he’d finished before speaking.

“You’ve been here this whole time? Why don’t you head home for a bit?”

“No.”

No?You’ve been doing nothing but going back and forth between the hospital for days. What do you mean “no”? He needed some rest. Without another word, I sat down beside him. After a long pause, Ulrike finally spoke.

“They still haven’t found any leads.”

“…….”

“Honestly, I feel like investigating it myself. What if nobody’s actually investigating it? Why is it taking this long…?”

“It’s a magic-related crime. I guess that makes it harder to find clues. Let’s give it a little more time.”

“I guess.”

Ulrike forced a weak smile before speaking again.

“It’s weird, isn’t it? We were in the same class since first year, but we weren’t close at all back then. If I greeted Heike first, he’d just… wave a hand at me. That was about it.”

He gave a little demonstration, lazily flicking his hand. Then he closed his eyes and muttered, “Honestly, at first I thought we’d never get along.”

“I’m not surprised.”

Their personalities couldn’t have been more different. One wouldn’t be satisfied unless he talked 24 hours a day, while the other could probably complete a 240-hour silence challenge without breaking a sweat. Even so, at their core, they were more alike than either of them realized. After joining the 101st Unit, they’d become much closer.

“We’re different, but we were in similar situations. You know? Out of everyone on the team, we understood each other the most. We were both in Class 1, our families were similar, and compared to you guys…”

Silence. I already knew what he was going to say next.

“Luise. Without you two, we never would’ve made it this far.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks. I know!”

Ulrike slung an arm over my shoulder, grinning as he chimed in with exaggerated enthusiasm. But it only lasted a moment.

“…Maybe that’s why. We haven’t actually been close for very long, but… this is harder than I thought.”

I lowered my gaze and said nothing. Ulrike was smiling, but I couldn’t find the right words. Meanwhile, he was sinking deeper and deeper into despair.

“What if… he really doesn’t come back?”

“…….”

Just hearing him say it made my heart sink. Without a word, I pulled a small box from inside my jacket and handed it to him. Looking puzzled, Ulrike took it and raised a brow as he lifted the lid. I watched him quietly before speaking.

“I brought the clover you gave me that day.”

“Oh.”

“You found it with Heike, didn’t you? You should keep it. I think it’d be better that way.”

Ulrike parted his lips, then smiled faintly. He silently turned the bookmark over in his hands a few times before speaking in a quiet voice.

“Thanks.”

“…….”

“Oh, right. Seeing this reminded me. I found something a couple of days ago. I was going to show you, but—huh?”

He frowned as he searched through his jacket pockets, then his face fell. Swallowing awkwardly, he muttered, “It’s gone. What the…”

“What was it?”

“A little wooden cross. I figured it belonged to either Heike or you, so I kept it. Ah, seriously… did I lose it again?”

“…….”

I rubbed my chin before smiling.

“I’d like to hear more about that. Think we could meet here again later?”

“Sure. But what brings you here? I heard you’ve been busy lately… with, uh… some kind of mission.”

“Oh, actually, I’m meeting someone from the Special Operations Command.”

“Huh?”

Ulrike’s eyes widened. He darted glances around before lowering his voice and firing off his questions.

“H-he’s not coming here too, is he? Who is it?”

“Senior Mecklenburg. He’ll probably stop by… Well, he’s our senior, after all. I think he’ll come by after we’re done talking.”

“Gaaah…”

Ulrike stared blankly, grabbed his cheeks, then dropped his forehead onto the table. He really hated dealing with the guy. I took the opportunity to shove the rest of his things into his bag and set it on the table.

“Come on. Pack up and go home before he gets here. You can come back tomorrow.”

“M-maybe I should… Heike would probably want that too.”

Somehow, I doubted Heike would care much. Unless it had something to do with drinking. Still, I nodded and patted Ulrike on the back.

“Yeah. You’re right. Go home and get at least a day’s rest. I’m heading out.”

“O-okay! See ya. I’d better make myself scarce.”

Ulrike hurriedly slung his bag over his shoulder and headed for the lounge door. Then, as though something had just occurred to him, he turned back.

“Lukas.”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks. For this.”

Holding up the clover, Ulrike gave me a broad grin. For just a moment, he looked like the Ulrike from a week ago. I smiled back and waved goodbye.

“We’ve decided to resume training.”

I had come to the very meeting I’d been thinking about earlier.

I sat in the lounge beside the hospital room assigned to me, quietly sipping tea. The surface of the tea in my cup tilted to one side before settling back into perfect stillness. It was the kind of silence that invited no conversation. Mecklenburg, who had been sitting in silence with me, pointed at my eyes with a doubtful look.

“…More importantly, your eyes look a little… violet.”

I glanced at my reflection in the window and shook my head.

“They’re pink.”

“You went out as Nikolaus Ernst, didn’t you?”

Hmm. I raised a brow and took another sip of tea. Seeing the question on my face, Mecklenburg narrowed his eyes.

“You look exhausted. Am I right?”

“You’re imagining it.”

From Emanuel to Trier, then Ulrike, and now Mecklenburg—seeing them one after another only made everything feel more real.

Everyone in the Extra Chapter was all truly living beings. They breathed and lived in ways I couldn’t fully understand, and the wind, the sky, and the water there could only continue forward because I existed within that world. I had never once taken it lightly, nor could I. Even so, the reason things felt so different now compared to when I was there was simple: the situation over there and the situation here were completely different.

Without Heike, being around the people from the Special Operations Command wasn’t exactly comfortable. Especially when, until not long ago, I’d spoken to him casually, while I was the only one who remembered that, and he only knew me as someone who addressed him with honorifics. Mecklenburg seemed to notice how little I was reacting. He shrugged and gestured toward my neck.

“I’m here to check on your condition today. Let’s see how the stitches are healing.”

“They’re not healed yet. That’s why I’m wearing a turtleneck.”

“Someone as strong as you is taking this long to recover?”

He kept asking questions even when I told him so. Without a word, I peeled back the dressing.

Mecklenburg immediately shut his eyes tight and leaned his head back, as if he’d seen enough. Honestly, even I had to admit it wasn’t a pleasant sight. Maybe it was because it’d been stitched up with thread, but even the skin around the wound had darkened into an ugly bruise. For a battle mage to flinch at nothing more than a stitched wound… maybe he would’ve been better off staying in one of the palace in Strelitz, admiring flowers all day.

Then again, considering he’d once shot someone without batting an eye—and smiled afterward—maybe that kind of squeamishness only showed up in certain situations.

In any case, I’d deliberately stopped receiving any treatment after the initial one. I avoided drinking potions whenever I could, too. The moment I recovered, I’d be expected to return to the Special Operations Command, so I needed to stall that recovery speed.

I pressed the dressing back against my skin before holding it in place with my shirt. Having apparently run out of things to say—or perhaps too stubborn to simply leave—Mecklenburg changed the subject.

“Have you read the reports on the summit?”

“I have.”

“For some reason, France has started picking fights with Germany as well as Austria-Hungary. No, they’ve already done it. They’ve opposed every proposal Germany has put forward, and now they’re even talking about raising tariffs on German manufactured goods.”

“Hmm.”

So he hadn’t completely changed the subject after all. He got straight to the point.

“Because of that, the Special Operations Command intends to resume training as soon as possible. That’s not the only reason, of course. We have to support Austria-Hungary. Think about why our Command was created in the first place. Think about why your unit was assigned to handle high-risk Rampagers.”

“…….”

“Just because we’ve entered a temporary ceasefire with Pleroma doesn’t mean we can lower our guard. Someone attacked a member of the Command from afar and nearly killed—”

“I’m not dead yet. I’m still recovering, so I’d appreciate it if you pushed 101st Unit’s training schedule back a little. If that’s all, you may leave.”

“…….”

Silence settled between us. Mecklenburg looked like he wanted to argue, but in the end, he changed his wording to suit my intentions.

“…Someone on this continent managed to leave a member of the Special Operations Command unconscious, and we still don’t have the slightest lead on who did it.”

I looked at him from the corner of my eye and gave a small nod. Right. Ironically enough, that part was already being handled by two cardinals investigating the theft of holy relics. I had no intention of telling him that, though.

“We need to be more vigilant than ever. With Pleroma’s attacks no longer an immediate concern, this is our chance. The A-Class members, in particular, will be going through much tougher training.”

“Is that so? Then I’d appreciate it if you could tell me the curriculum in advance.”

“What curriculum? This isn’t a school.”

“You know what I mean.”

“You do remember I was in the 98th Unit, don’t you?”

I narrowed my eyes before replying clearly.

“I do, Senior. If you happen to know what kind of training we’ll be undergoing, I’d appreciate any hints you can give.”

“I don’t. I have no idea either.”

Oh, for goodness’ sake, this bastard. Smiling, I slid my teacup forward.

“Then I’ll be going. You don’t have to worry about anyone getting complacent. When one of your teammates is hanging between life and death, it’s not exactly easy to let your guard down.”

Mecklenburg fell silent. Even after I’d made it clear I was leaving, he remained seated. I gestured toward the hospital room and stood. Then I heard him mutter, “I did everything I could.”

“…….”

“To keep you from being paired with sir Ismailov.”

I rolled my eyes, then nodded. So that’s what this was about. I swear, I can never figure this guy out. I answered offhandedly.

“You did.”

“…I’m sorry. Even if it wasn’t my fault.”

“If you know that, then you can stop apologizing. Come on, let’s go.”

Seriously, just leave already. I need to get back to Trier. Still smiling, I hauled him to his feet and practically shoved him down the corridor. He looked back at me with an expression that seemed to ask What’s gotten into him? before reluctantly walking away.

I left the lounge as well and stopped by my hospital room to collect the things I’d left behind. Just as I grabbed the doorknob to leave—

Bang!

“Haaah… Hah…”

“What now?”

I quickly tossed my bag farther into the room and frowned. It was Mecklenburg. Somehow, in the few moments he’d been gone, all the color had drained from his face. He grabbed my arm and shouted, “Come with me. Now. Do you have your uniform?”

“Yeah, well. I do.”

“Put it on and come out. Hurry! It’s been moved up—one hour from now!”

“What has?!”

“Ah, hurry! Just go!”

Bang!

Mecklenburg shoved me back into the room and slammed the door shut behind me. I stared at it, utterly dumbfounded, with nothing but questions swirling through my head.