Chapter 502

“Say something that actually makes sense.”

I narrowed my eyes and twisted the corner of my mouth as I said it. Part of me simply didn’t want to believe what I was hearing, but honestly, it really didn’t make any sense.

“It doesn’t, does it? But it does. At the very least, I can shorten the recovery period by quite a bit.”

“Why do you need to be treated right away in the first place? Because you think there’s going to be a war?”

“Yes. I can’t fight at my full strength like this.”

“…Leo. You don’t need to fight at your full strength. You don’t need to go to the front lines, either. And if there’s another investigation that needs to be done, the three of us went this time too, didn’t we?”

Leo moved his lips as if he had a lot he wanted to say. Then he gathered his thoughts and said only one thing.

“Won’t you help me?”

“I need to hear why you think your arm has to be fixed right away before I can help.”

Leo thought for a moment, then nodded and stood up.

“Let’s talk in the room.”

We returned to the room and took our seats again. Once Leo seemed satisfied that we were all ready, he spoke.

“First, what did we think was going to happen? We thought that once the Papal See learned the whole story, relations between the Papal See and Germany would only get worse, not better.”

“Yeah.”

“The Papal See can be considered an indirect victim of the Atropos incident, so naturally, they wouldn’t have much goodwill toward Germany, where Pleroma—the ones who developed Atropos—is based. Ever since Pentathlon, and even before that, there have been frequent arguments that Germany should compensate the international community for the damage caused by Pleroma, right? Atropos is the decisive blow that can act as a catalyst for all of that. I thought the Papal See would use it to attack Germany as well. And we also thought that even if we received aid from the Papal See, we shouldn’t become dependent on it. If we can’t protect our own lives and can only maintain the status quo with help from a foreign power, can we really call ourselves a healthy, self-sufficient nation? And yet Prussia is wary of the Papal See without even looking for another way to deal with this besides accepting its help.”

I nodded. Beneath several layers of soundproofing spells, Leo spoke quietly.

“The Papal See already knows a great deal about Atropos. They never explicitly said they knew, but I couldn’t help getting that impression from every conversation we had.”

“Hmm…”

I tapped my chin and exhaled.

“And yet, things turned out to be the exact opposite. The Papal See said that we needed to step up our efforts to prevent the coming disaster, and asked whether they could install a portal connecting Bavaria’s royal palace to the Papal See on a semi-permanent basis. It was their way of saying that they would use Bavaria as their main route for sending aid to Germany from now on, and that they would help us reach the Papal See immediately whenever we were in trouble. At least, that’s how the Secretariat of State explained it.”

Elias’s mouth fell open, his brow furrowing. I bit my lip as well.

“…But that’s difficult from the standpoint of sovereignty. In the age of magic, why do you think countries don’t keep permanent portals open between one another? They expected us to refuse, too, and because it was such a serious proposal, they repeatedly made it clear that they had no intention of pressuring us. There were other proposals as well. For example, the Papal See suggested that, in preparation for Atropos, we should isolate mages who knew the coordinate-system formulas of each country and erase their memories. Mages who had traveled abroad would have had to memorize those formulas when they received their permits. Or we could replace the coordinate systems altogether. But replacing them would cost an astronomical amount of money, and erasing people’s memories would require just as much manpower and money. On top of that, since it would be done to people, it was bound to provoke tremendous opposition. So we had to reject most of their proposals. That part wasn’t particularly difficult.”

Elias’s expression grew increasingly complicated. Leo’s tone was not much different from usual, yet there was a firmness to it.

“Does the Papal See really have the right to advise Bavaria on its internal affairs? That was obvious to everyone, so neither side had any reason to feel awkward or agonize over it. But there is one thing that concerns me: the Catacombs mages. Ever since the cooperation during the Pentathlon, it’s already been a problem that Catacombs’ magical technology has been flowing into the Papal See. And now, they’ve even offered to help those mages obtain citizenship in the Papal States. For their safety, it would probably be better for them to become citizens of the Papal States, where commoner mages aren’t discriminated against. But not all of them necessarily want to leave Germany, so we need to ask the Catacombs directly what they think.”

Elias asked quietly, “What if Prussia uses that as an excuse to attack Bavaria?”

“We’re not going to just let that happen. Even if it immediately raises suspicions, the Vatican intends to make it clear that this is the Vatican’s decision. If Prussia deliberately traces the matter back to its source and takes a hard line against us, then we won’t be able to recognize Prussia as the leader of the alliance.”

Bavaria’s efforts to at least maintain the appearance of following the central government’s orders despite disagreeing with them are part of diplomacy. It is a diplomatic courtesy extended to Prussia, whose position is threatened by Bavaria: You don’t need to be afraid of us. We have no intention of openly rebelling against your wishes.

Prussia does the same. They know perfectly well that Bavaria is lukewarm toward central policy, merely going through the motions while independently making many decisions on its own. Yet they don’t get overly angry because they have no desire to redraw the hierarchy within the union.

Why do they swallow all their grievances against someone whose values run contrary to their own, and keep taking a step back from each other?

Because neither of them wants another war.

But if Prussia takes a hardline stance in the middle of this razor-thin balance of tensions, Bavaria will have no reason to continue putting up with Prussia’s unilateral decisions, either. In other words, Prussia wouldn’t recklessly provoke Bavaria unless it wanted to see Germany torn apart. And the same goes for Bavaria.

That was where the Papal See, which wanted to see Germany divided, entered the picture.

They had no reason to do anything that would benefit Prussia, so they would not betray Bavaria on the international stage. Bavaria also wasn’t powerful enough to join hands with the other Catholic states in Germany and bring Prussia down. In this situation, Bavaria had power of its own as well. What mattered was how it chose to wield it.

“All right. By now, you should understand what the Papal See is after and just how determined they are. While Atropos, which kills only mages, turns Germany into the enemy of Europe, the Papal See intends to weaken Prussia without lifting a finger by driving a wedge between the German states. At the same time, they can bring Bavaria under papal authority.”

Leo looked around at his friends and continued.

“And if Germany comes under threat from other countries, it’ll be a physical and economic threat from rulers who have joined forces under the pretext of wiping out Pleroma. They could cut off supplies coming into Germany or invade German territory. Since Pleroma has created a drug that can kill only mages—and targets mostly the nobility and royalty—that’s entirely possible. Rather than helplessly dying to Atropos, those rulers would have every reason to band together and take a share of German territory for themselves.”

“In other words, war.”

“Exactly. They could even claim that the German government is supporting Pleroma. If things spiral in the direction I described, the German government intends to publicize the Stadelheim Prison incident as an act of Pleroma. They’ll claim that Germany is also a victim of Pleroma.”

“Publicize it?”

“‘Advertise’ is a fitting choice of words. The federal government will shamelessly go around telling everyone that they failed to keep Pleroma under control. They’ll advertise their own incompetence, believing that if they tell other countries, ‘Can’t you see how badly we’ve been beaten too?’ they can stop them from making a move against us. Whether it’s true or not.”

Leo stared into empty space with an impassive expression, his eyes wide open.

“All right. Then let’s go back to the beginning. We need to consider our objective and the cause of the problem. My objective is to prevent war. More importantly, I want Bavaria to avoid suffering the consequences of war without losing its power.”

Leo’s choice of words was cold and clear. If Elias had been sitting in his place, he probably wouldn’t have gotten past ‘more importantly.’ I don’t completely agree with Elias’s self-critical statement that he isn’t suited to be a ruler, but I do agree with his insight that someone like Leo, whose head moves before his heart, is better suited to sit on a throne.

Leo spoke in an even, uninflected tone, as though he were standing behind a podium at a press conference, suppressing every unnecessary gesture.

“And the cause of all these problems is our failure to suppress Pleroma. The international community is demanding reparations from Germany because the federal government failed to stop Pleroma. The Papal See says it will pull Bavaria out of this mess, but Bavaria has no intention of falling under another country’s sphere of influence. Then the conclusion is obvious. To achieve our objective, Bavaria needs to secure the international community’s protection without relying on the Papal See.”

“Right.”

“We don’t need to win anyone over completely. It’s already common knowledge that Bavaria doesn’t have good relations with Prussia, and every country in Europe knows that we want independence. The first ‘Germany’ to suffer will be Prussia. So we need to make sure the efforts and achievements of ‘Germany’ are recognized, both to minimize the damage to Bavaria and, ultimately, to prevent other countries from forming an alliance against ‘Germany.’ At the same time, we must avoid provoking Prussia. Come on. You know what I’m going to say now, don’t you?”

Leo looked around at all of us and finished speaking. None of the three of us was unaware of what he was about to do.

Leo said exactly what I had expected.

“We’re going to eliminate Pleroma from Bavaria. We can’t stop at Munich-Freising. While I’m on leave from the Command, I’m going to gather every highly skilled combat specialist Bavaria has and finish this.”

We’ll form a team made up entirely of Bavarian mages and go in. If things work out, we might even join forces with Baden. Since Leo and I will be among those personnel, that’s why he says he needs to fix his arm right away. Let’s put the other problems aside for now and ask this first.

“What about negotiations with Pleroma?”

Leo tilted his head at my dry question.

“What do you think?”

“The negotiations are already over. The moment they put Germany on the brink of war, our strategy of pursuing peace with Pleroma was finished. Not that I ever trusted them in the first place.”

I answered without hesitation before continuing.

“But what matters is what happens after we openly break off negotiations. Pleroma has no shame. They’ll claim they were faithfully keeping their side of the agreement and that we were the ones who broke it first.”

“Hmm, yes. But the Papal See has already said that we’re heading into a different phase. If we can believe this absurd story they’ve told us… they won’t stop. I don’t completely believe what they’re saying, but as you put it, from the moment they put Germany on the brink of war, it no longer matters whether we sit back and wait to be attacked or strike them first.”

“Fine. Then what are you going to do about your relationship with Prussia? Prussia won’t want Pleroma eliminated from Bavaria. It would mean losing some of their influence. But if we share the plan with Prussia, they’ll bring in personnel from the Command and have us draw up an entry operation like before.”

They weren’t the sort to let Bavaria take all the credit. Besides, the other Pleroma dioceses wouldn’t be using the same method as Munich-Freising. That part… finding out what they were doing would be my job as Nikolaus Ernst. I could enter an Extra Chapter beforehand and study the other Pleroma dioceses like I had before, but I wasn’t exactly eager to risk being the first one to die inside one of them.

Still, if it was decided that we would strike Pleroma using only Bavarian personnel, I would definitely search for a Pleroma diocese in an Extra Chapter before going in. A lot would change, but studying them beforehand was the closest thing I had to a solution—and an answer.

Leo answered without hesitation when I asked what he intended to do about his relationship with Prussia.

“Leave that strategy to me.”

“…….”

“So, do you understand now why I’m so set on getting my arm fixed immediately?”

I fell into thought, the sea glowing blue in the light of the rising morning sun on my right. Then I stood up and grabbed Leo by the back of his neck.

“You’re coming with me. You guys, wait here for a minute.”

I went into the small room attached to the suite and closed the door. There was a terrace here too, with a view of the sea, so I had to cast a soundproofing spell. Then I sat down at the table and clasped my hands together. Leo took the seat across from me.

“Leo. Listen.”

“Yeah.”

“Even if I can heal myself, you can’t. If you could fix something like that just by pumping mana into it, then why would anyone spend a month or two waiting for a broken bone to set? Of course, if that method could be put into practical use, I’d probably just wait anyway.”

After going through it myself, I knew it wasn’t something anyone would want to experience. My ears and core still felt numb. Just thinking back to that day made me feel like I was about to swing my fist, so I had to keep my hands clenched tightly. Even so, Leo spoke firmly.

“I have to.”

“As the Crown Prince, you have the choice not to go to the front lines no matter what danger befalls this country. Of course, I know royalty in the traditional sense is different from royalty in the age of magic. You people—or rather, we—are more powerful than most mages, and in a mage society where our numbers are already so small, every individual’s strength is desperately needed. I know the outcome of a battle could depend on whether you take part or not. That’s why you’re trying to attack Pleroma yourself, even though you’re the next king. Right?”

“That’s right. You understand.”

“What are you planning to do, then? There’s practically no way to fix your arm. Divine power might help keep your muscles from being damaged and allow mana to flow properly through the bone, so it could greatly aid the healing process, but that isn’t the same as a complete healing spell. Your only options are to ask me to turn back time to before you broke your arm, or train yourself to carry out every attack with your left arm and block other people’s attacks with it. And you want to send yourself against Pleroma in a state this incomplete?”

Leo laughed.

Even I felt awkward after saying all that, so I pressed my lips together. So this was the position Leo had been in every time—exactly where I was now.

I let his laughter serve as my answer and sighed. Better to back down a little.

“…So there really is a way to treat it?”

“Yeah. That’s why I told you. Would I have brought it up if I didn’t have a solution? First, I’ll use divine power to define the affected area, then inject the modified vitriol I’ve developed into the local area and introduce a fresh supply of my concentrated mana. I mixed my mother’s healing mana, which is the most similar in composition to mine, with a calcium preservative. It just needs to be injected directly into the muscle around the injured area. Then I’ll use divine power to remove the vitriol. That will draw out the modified vitriol that’s seeped into the bone and allow the new mana to settle in. Otherwise, the mana will simply flow through the body, so we need to replace the mana in the bone and muscle all at once. After that, I’ll need regular calcium supplements…”

“…You wanted me to help with the injections? Are you kidding me?! Go to your hospital and have them do it!”

“That… isn’t possible. I came up with this based on your particular constitution after remembering how successful the treatment for your hearing was. I’m sorry if it made you uncomfortable.”

“That’s not what I mean. You developed this?”

“Yeah. Is that a problem?”

“You apologize and then have the nerve to say that… No, it’s not that I’m uncomfortable, but is this even safe?”

“I’ve already done a simple trial.”

“What?”

“But I developed it entirely on my own, from beginning to end, so it isn’t an approved treatment. The risks aren’t particularly high, but it hasn’t been approved yet.”

“So it is unauthorized.”

“I’ll have to stay in bed for about a day. Fortunately, my arm isn’t completely shattered, so this method will work.”

“Hey! What if something goes wrong?! How can you just try something like this?!”

Despite my outburst, Leo remained calm. With an expression that seemed to say he understood, he answered quietly.

“Lukas. I’m probably the one who worried about that the most. Why would I go through with it if there were no chance of getting better? I’m not Elias.”

“If Elias heard you say that, he’d be tearing your hair out by now.”

“Why…?”

“Never mind.”

“Hmm… I understand how you feel, but modified vitriol is vitriol with its aggressive properties removed. It has neither fluidity nor diffusivity, so it won’t spread throughout the body. You don’t need to worry.”

“You’re like a walking textbook. Seriously…”

“I developed it myself. If I don’t convince you somehow, who will?”

Right. Leo was even more obsessed with safety than I was. He wasn’t the sort of person who would create a faulty method and put himself in serious danger just to accomplish his goal. He was always thorough in his calculations, and he knew better than anyone that sacrificing his arm would be a poor choice in the long run. Elias might do something like that, but if Leo was saying this, then he must have some magical medicine basis I didn’t know about for guaranteeing that it was safe.

“Does His Majesty know?”

“Of course he does. Where do you think I got His Majesty’s healing mana to put into it? Besides, if I’d done this entirely on my own, I wouldn’t have been able to make it stable.”

“…I don’t even know what to say.”

“He actually seemed rather pleased.”

Of course His Majesty would be pleased. He wanted Leo to devote himself to magical medicine, after all. Though I suspected Leo was misunderstanding the reason. His Majesty wasn’t exactly happy that Leo was planning to administer some shady homemade treatment. He was happy that Leo had taken an interest in magical medicine in the first place.

I pressed my fingers against my brow and the corners of my eyes and muttered, “It’s just strange seeing you act like this… stepping outside the rules.”

“That depends on where you draw the line. I have to protect Bavaria. If that means developing and administering treatment myself, then I can do it. That’s all.”

Leo said it calmly as he looked at me. When I gave him no real answer, he nodded toward me and returned to his room. He came back with his bag and pulled out a medicine box.

It was a first-aid medicine kit. He pushed it toward me, and inside were the medicines he had made himself. I picked up one of the vials. There was nothing particularly unusual about its appearance.

“Why did you bring this too?”

“Because I figured you’d refuse, of course. I thought maybe talking about it here in Italy would make you a little easier to convince.”

Leo pointed toward the sea behind us with a hint of playfulness. Was he trying to use the fact that we were in a tourist destination to his advantage? As if I’d had any time to enjoy the place. We’d been through one exhausting ordeal after another. What good was Italy supposed to do?

I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief and squeezed my eyes shut. Then I took a deep breath and asked, “Does it hurt when you get the injection?”

“It probably does. Why?”

“No… I was wondering if I’d get a little revenge out of it.”

Leo burst out laughing at that.

Who knew why he was laughing so hard? Though I suppose even he had to realize that the makeshift treatment room where he’d treated my ears had turned into a scene of inhuman violence. His face had still looked so saintly even though the treatment had practically drained the soul out of him.

Leo checked his watch, then asked quietly, “We have two hours before the portal closes.”

“Do we?”

“Want to try it? I think it might convince you that it’s safe.”

“Why do it here? What, will you jump into the sea if it hurts? There isn’t even another doctor here, you idiot.”

“What are you talking about? I just happen to have enough for one dose right now. And, honestly…”

“Honestly?”

Leo hesitated, propping his chin on his hand as he looked away. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke in an uncertain voice.

“I’m a little scared too. I want to do it when I’m ready.”