Chapter 528

“I’ve already been briefed on the basics. Let us begin at once.”

I handed the documents I had brought to the secretary. The secretary began distributing them to everyone seated at the table. Even so, there were not many people directly participating in the strategy meeting, leaving five representatives from the Kingdom of Bavaria and four from the Catacombs.

Once I judged that they had finished giving the documents a quick look, I began to speak.

“Today, at six in the evening on Easter Sunday, all of Pleroma is scheduled to assemble. At six, they will make a major announcement to the German Empire and throughout Europe. Please refer to the documents for the details. What is written there is everything we know. We will also be referring to the Pleroma dioceses in Bavaria as the four northern dioceses and three southern dioceses, so I would appreciate it if you would check that section as well.”

I continued speaking as I listened to the sound of pages turning.

“They may already be assembling even now, while the Easter Vigil Mass is being held, but since we have yet to establish a proper strategy, we should target six in the evening, when everyone is certain to be gathered. There is a gap between the daytime Mass and six in the evening, which actually gives us some flexibility once the Mass is over and before six. For instance, priests or bishops may leave their posts to prepare for the major announcement at six.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

An officer answered matter-of-factly. I continued from where I had left off before his response.

“Let me repeat exactly what our informant told us. ‘From tonight, the 14th, until tomorrow afternoon, the 15th, they will devote their time to worshipping Christ, and once the Easter Mass ends in the evening, they plan to cause a stir around the world with Pleroma’s new discovery. At six, all of Pleroma’s followers will gather in the churches and the squares outside, just as they do during the Easter Vigil.’”

Did Ulrike remember all the information exactly as it had been given to him? Perhaps some of it had changed slightly. Perhaps he had forgotten Einsiedel’s statements just before he urged him to get to the point because he considered them unimportant, or some other trivial things Einsiedel had said while Ulrike was occupied with something he considered more important. Even so, Ulrike had told us everything he remembered, and I trusted him.

I did not expect him to take on the excessive burden of unconsciously deciding what was important and what was not. In fact, I thought Ulrike showed a slight tendency toward bias in that regard. Even I could not remember what someone said when I was so absorbed in other thoughts that I was barely aware of the person standing in front of me. How could I remember something I had not even registered as speech in the first place? It merely entered my mind as a murmur, like background noise, and nothing more.

Ulrike had never received the kind of special training that would allow him to take in and reproduce every piece of information, nor was he likely to receive such training anytime soon. So what he could do now was more than enough.

And as far as his memory was concerned, Ulrike was capable of relaying what he had heard without error. I briefly wondered how my friend was faring on his own, then returned to the strategy and continued.

“By now, you must have realized the moment you heard this what information we need to make use of.”

As expected, everyone either looked resolute, as though they understood what I meant, or wore an unreadable expression that was neither one thing nor the other. The only ones who remained composed, giving nothing away about what they were thinking, were Leo and Chairman Antje Dracher.

I gauged how much time remained until the operation began and spoke.

“The important point is that Pleroma intends to ‘announce the news throughout the German Empire and across Europe.’ We don’t know how they intend to do it. But we can narrow down the methods they are likely to use. They plan to ‘cause a stir around the world this evening.’ Doesn’t that tell you what they are likely to do?”

“Yes. Quite easily.”

“Good. Just as they did during the Pentathlon, they will use a means capable of exerting influence across the entire country. How would they install screens in France or Britain? They don’t need to. We already have mana-powered newspapers spread throughout the world.”

Every country, even the Qing Empire and the Korean Empire on the other side of the world, including their state-run newspaper companies, has the latest edition of the Imperial Dailies published in Germany. Our Imperial Dailies have agreements in place to receive newspapers from fifty-six countries in real time, while those fifty-eight countries can likewise receive the latest edition of the Imperial Dailies. If the German Imperial Dailies put out breaking news at 6:10, it would be no trouble at all for fifty-six countries around the world to pull their evening editions and print special bulletins with nothing but a headline within five minutes. European countries exchange not only the Imperial Dailies but even yellow papers like das rote, so even if the Imperial Dailies chose not to report Pleroma’s plans out of concern for the citizens’ safety and right to know, it would make little difference.

“If they can exert influence over Germany, they can exert influence over the entire world. Their declaration that they intend to cause a stir around the world this evening is entirely realistic. So how could they make that a reality? First, they use the newspapers. Second, they possess the technology to provide Germany with visual devices, such as screens suspended in midair, and they use them. The second possibility goes without saying, so let us set it aside. But since we cannot be certain that they possess such technology, let us assume for now that they will only use the first method. In that case, Pleroma will either have planted spies inside the newspaper companies, or they will have placed Atropos there. They could also make use of the newspaper companies’ mailboxes. Compared to planting spies, secretly infiltrating the buildings and placing Atropos there is far more likely. Therefore, the most likely possibility is that they will manipulate the minds of newspaper company employees shortly before six. There is an equally strong possibility that they will send recordings of their speech to the mailboxes to be used as broadcast material.”

One of the officers, apparently puzzled, tapped his document with his pen before asking, “Why do you think it will be just before six? Isn’t that too safe an assumption? And conversely, isn’t targeting the ‘employees’ taking things too far? If they truly regard this announcement as a major event, then they must be prepared to risk war. Wouldn’t that be somewhat at odds with their objective?”

“First, let me make it clear that I only consider it the most likely possibility. I am also keeping other possibilities in mind. If they use Atropos too early, it will be easier to notice. If you observe someone for a long time, you are bound to notice when a colleague starts behaving differently or speaking in a slightly unfamiliar way. Then, secondly, as I said earlier, if they manipulate everyone’s minds, there would be no way for anyone to notice. But Pleroma has to gather at six, so they cannot afford to waste manpower. A puppet show naturally requires someone to control the puppets. If they cannot reduce the number of people controlling the puppets, then the obvious way forward is to reduce the amount of time they have to keep hold of them. And as I said earlier, if they can send sources to newspaper companies through their mailboxes and pull the same stunt across the country, then the news will naturally be reported even if every employee is in their right mind. Therefore, under the assumption that Atropos will be used, we must clearly understand that its use is intended not only for mind control, but for mass murder as well. There is no reason for such killings to stop at newspaper companies. That concludes what I have to say on this subject. Since we cannot rule out the possibility of terrorism involving Atropos, we will station divine power mages near newspaper companies. As for the remaining divine power mages, deploy them throughout the cities without holding back. A public square would be the best choice, but there is a risk of being spotted while keeping watch, so have them conceal themselves in tall buildings such as bell towers and send their divine power down from above. That should also somewhat offset the weaknesses of individual divine power mages.”

I tried not to overstep the officers’ respective positions as much as possible, but when it came to strategy involving divine power or points that absolutely had to be carried out during the operation, I could not stay silent.

The two Catacombs committee chairpersons, Marian Baum, and their chairman listened with a degree of observation in their eyes. To us, this was an extremely serious matter, but they seemed to regard it as an opportunity to assess how we thought. I had no intention of viewing that attitude negatively. They needed to judge us to determine how capable we were and whether we were worth cooperating with in the future. Above all, if they needed information to do their best once the operation began, then they had every right to hear as much as they needed to know.

“But there aren’t many divine power mages.”

The officer’s words pulled me out of my thoughts. At the same time, I became aware of a pair of eyes fixed intently on my face. Without meeting the Crown Prince’s gaze, I looked at the officer instead.

“The divine power mages of the Kingdom of Bavaria alone won’t be nearly enough, Your Excellency Ernst.”

“I know. That’s why I prepared in advance. We have an antidote to Atropos.”

The officers’ faces showed surprise at the unexpected news, along with a hint of doubt. Their brows furrowed, and their lips parted as if to speak. Perhaps it was equally shocking news to her, because the Catacombs’ Chairman Antje Dracher tilted her head in confusion and slowly said, “An antidote? Even Prussia has been unable to develop one.”

They hadn’t been unable to. They simply hadn’t bothered. They were a step behind.

Prussia had tried to deal with the problem by relying on mages from the Papal See. Once the Catholic mages stopped Atropos, what then? If Catholic influence grew within the Protestant state of Prussia, what extraordinary method would they come up with to crush it back down?

Just like the Prussia of the past where I had lived, they already had a history of persecuting Catholics. They had even placed the secret police on them, just as they had done with the Catacombs. Chairman Antje Dracher spoke.

“I understand that it has been less than two weeks since you learned of Atropos. When did you come to possess an antidote?”

I beg your pardon, but while Your Majesty’s order is certainly reasonable, we cannot stop at merely dividing our divine power into small portions and distributing it.

When Atropos was first discovered, I had said this to the King at the Bavarian State Council. There was far too little divine power, and there were limits to how much we could rely on outside assistance. If the Papal See were to cut off its support, the continent itself could fall. I also said that while the Papal See was certainly an ally of Bavaria, entrusting it with too much power could have serious consequences for the sovereignty and very existence of the state.

The Papal See had told Bavaria to betray Prussia and join hands with them. It was an expression of their desire to return to the days when they wielded great influence over Europe.

So, as soon as we discovered Atropos, I asked them to develop an antidote that would use as little divine power as possible, or none at all. And thanks to the research being pushed forward with everything we had, it was completed.

At the time, both the King and even Elias had worried that perhaps it would be better to simply use divine power instead. Looking back now, I feel differently. If we had not done it then, I have no idea what would have happened to us now.

“It was completed as of yesterday. We began development as soon as we learned of Atropos and had reached a rough level of completion several days ago, but it took time to pass Phase II clinical trials. Given how little time we had to prepare, I cannot say that its safety is particularly high. Still, it cannot compare to being contaminated by Atropos and having one’s life held hostage. Its effectiveness is also still quite limited. We cannot improve its performance overnight, so for now, we intend to make up for its limitations through sheer numbers.”

I could sense a subtle change in the expressions around the table. After all, this meant that we could focus entirely on wiping out the dioceses.

Mages like me, who possessed divine power, could not focus solely on the Pleroma world. But most mages, who did not possess divine power, could now devote themselves entirely to fighting within the Pleroma world.

A confidence grounded in solid reasoning began to fill the room. Their intuition and judgment were fluid and quick, unlike their stern, rigidly composed bodies. Even so, as seasoned soldiers and politicians, they did not let their guard down. The movements of their necks and arms made that clear.

Seeing their reactions, I could feel it myself.

This time was different.

The time had come for us to achieve a true victory.

One of the officers spoke.

“Our chances of victory are quite high.”

“To think Bavaria can now develop an antidote to a weapon created by Pleroma of the Empire. It is an honor to be among the first to hear such momentous news.”

I merely raised the corners of my lips in response and looked ahead again.

“This operation will be a strategic battle worth fighting. We have been given the opportunity to strike first, and our opponent is distracted by something else. That alone gives us plenty to work with.”

“Your intelligence network is impressive.”

It was Chairman Janina Schweitzer, who had remained silent until now.

I had seen Chairman Antje Dracher’s face in a portrait when I visited the Catacombs, so I knew what she looked like, but Schweitzer was a first meeting for me. Still, her clothes and eyes made her identity obvious.

Schweitzer continued, “I’m curious who you managed to recruit to obtain information of this caliber. And, in truth, whose achievement was it to bring this information here—in other words, who managed to recruit such a good enemy?”

I could tell even without the document I had seen earlier.

This woman hid her thoughts, yet at the same time seemed intent on revealing them as plainly as possible. Janina Schweitzer was certainly not favorably disposed toward Bavaria.

I needed to be careful with my answer.

Restoring the Catacombs’ rights was one thing. Handing them a sword and telling them to use it against us was another. Leo would have thought the same.

“It was the achievement of the Kingdom of Bavaria.”

As I said that, I thought back to what I had just witnessed.

If my throat felt tight every time I called my friend by his shortened nickname, that feeling probably wasn’t my imagination. Ever since I returned from the Extra Chapter, Leonard was no longer the Leonard I had known. Not in the slightest.

It might have been my imagination, since he had done or said nothing particularly unusual, but it felt as though, in less than half a day, he had stripped everything down to its very foundations and remade himself before taking his seat here. Yet I thought I understood what state he was in now. I had known for a long time that, whenever he truly wanted to, he was capable of fulfilling his duties perfectly.

As far as I could tell, his current state was closer to the Leonard Wittelsbach from the time when Elias had just entered his twenties and left childhood behind, when Leonard had become conscious of the immense power he wielded across the vast territory of the German Empire and the tremendous sense of duty that came with it.

He knew that he was stronger than Elias. Even if his friend had not been a member of the Imperial Family persecuted by the Emperor, Leonard had long known that, as a direct Wittelsbach, he held more power than Elias, who was of a collateral branch.

And Elias did not understand that fact until he came of age.

Because knowing and understanding were different things.

Had everything simply accelerated by two or three years? Everything was moving faster now.

If so, there was one thing that worried me about the two of them.

I answered in a low, weighty voice, as though nothing at all were lodged in my heart like a stone.

“If we did not have the resources and military strength of a kingdom behind us, this information would never have reached our hands.”

Janina Schweitzer nodded. She wore an expression that suggested she had not expected much from me in the first place. It was similar to the assessment directed at Nikolaus Ernst, rather than the judgment reserved for Lukas Askanien.

When she did not continue, I turned my attention forward again and said,

“I’ve already explained where an Atropos terrorist attack is most likely to occur and what could serve as its starting point, so let us return to the main subject. They will begin gathering at least thirty minutes beforehand.”

The basis was simple: the information that they ‘planned to cause a stir around the world in the evening,’ and that ‘at six o’clock, all Pleroma followers would gather in churches and the squares outside, just as they do during the Easter Vigil.’

“Therefore, we will begin assembling at 4:30, an hour before that. Between 2:00, when the daytime Mass ends, and 4:30, we will select only the personnel necessary to determine the spatial coordinates for movement in each diocese. Once they have done that and returned, we will begin the main operation. Pleroma will have tightened security for Easter as well, so infiltrating unnoticed during the Easter Vigil will be difficult. The same goes for the period from the Easter Vigil until the morning Mass. However, once the daytime Mass is completely over and the people disperse, the clergy will be rushing about in preparation for the 6:00 announcement. This will be the most chaotic period, and we cannot afford to miss it. Our strategy should be established before dawn if possible, approved by His Majesty the King in the morning, and finalized no later than 2:00. After that, we should run simulations in Mimesis until 4:00.”

Everyone in the room expressed their agreement. An alert arrived through the artifact at my ear.

— [Your Excellency Ernst, production of all the inhalation-type artifacts you requested has been completed.]

Good. Mass production of the artifacts I had commissioned was complete. From now on, we also had to accelerate production of the Atropos treatment, while the types of artifacts that had yet to finish production had to be produced quickly enough to match the number of units we would be deploying.

Now, all that mattered was whether I could actually implement the three techniques I had learned by 4:30.

When I had sought permission to learn them, I had deliberately chosen only techniques that could not be replaced, so that we could use techniques belonging to the Catacombs or the Kingdom of Bavaria instead of Maria’s. Grand Duke Maria had readily offered to teach me the techniques when I confessed that I wanted to reduce innocent casualties in the future. But just because I had received Grand Duke Maria’s permission did not mean I could afford to take it lightly. He was favorably disposed toward me because he regarded me as a fellow scholar of magic, and I had no intention of taking advantage of that goodwill in the slightest. I was the one who knew that there was a world in which he had died and was no longer there. Because of that, I had to hold myself to a stricter standard than even the standard Maria himself would use when deciding whether to grant permission.

There were three techniques I had chosen and learned. The first was Grand Duke Maria’s attempt to use an entropy-astral combination to make the increase in entropy visible—an idea so novel that I could not help wondering how he had even thought of treating ‘entropy’ as though it were a particle and making it visible. The second was the cigarette Emanuel had used on me. The third was the complex application of the first technique.

Now, all that remained was me.

I had to be strong. I had to be thorough and give it everything I had, so that I could protect myself from anyone, and so that the intentions and goodwill they had placed in me would not be rendered meaningless. So that no member of Pleroma could bring me down.

I lightly rested a hand on the table and said, “Given the current state of international affairs, we don’t have time to make every possible preparation. Despite the uncertainty, we have all gathered here. But we are stronger with two than with one, and stronger with three than with two. So, eighteen hours from now, we will win.”

If it can’t be done, then we’ll make it happen.

This was different from the Munich-Freising annihilation operation at the Headquarters. This time, we could directly mobilize as many Royal Army mages as we needed. We had an incomparable ally in the Catacombs, and we also had the support of the Baden army. So it was worth being hopeful. Everything was coming together.

I turned the pages of the documents with mana and said, “First, the southern three dioceses are a lower priority. If we strike them first, word will reach Brandenburg. However, the northern four dioceses in Bavaria were established as part of the Bavaria Overthrow Committee to prepare for an attack by the Bavarian government.”

Then.

What strategy should a commander devise at a time like this?

I looked at the officers and the Catacombs leadership. The answers had already been distilled into their experience, judgment, and years of experience.

In the northern four Bavarian dioceses, mage forces were sometimes incorporated into legions made up of non-mages, while at other times they formed legions of their own. Of course, with the mage population being so extremely small, there was no reason to expect their numbers to match those of Old Humans.

At the legion level, there was first the 4th Bavarian Royal Legion. Like the 1st Bavarian Royal Legion, the traditional non-mage legion, it was stationed in Munich.

The 1st and 4th Bavarian Royal Legions were both stationed in Munich, the 2nd Bavarian Royal Legion in Würzburg, and the 3rd Bavarian Royal Legion in Nuremberg. In addition, the 5th Bavarian Royal Legion had been established relatively recently in Regensburg. One of its divisions was made up of mages, while the other three were non-mages.

The stations mentioned so far were the locations of the headquarters. Their subordinate units were also scattered throughout Bavaria. In any city of reasonable size, it was harder to find a place without them than one with them.

The answer was clear.

We couldn’t enter from the south, and if we wanted detailed information on the southern dioceses, we had to enter the northern Bamberg-Eichstätt Diocese. But that area was thoroughly prepared for an attack by the Kingdom of Bavaria against Pleroma.

Then which unit should we deploy first? The Munich legion? Or Würzburg, Nuremberg, or Regensburg?

All wrong.

We would deploy the Baden army first.

Any military movement taking place on Bavarian soil would be caught by Pleroma’s surveillance network unless it was concealed behind the royal palace’s ironclad security, as it was now.

It was a simple problem, and the time to act had not yet come. It was 2:10 PM. I planned to enter the Bamberg–Eichstätt Diocese and find out in advance where the spatial transfer artifacts were located and what spaces they connected to. Because of the time difference, this was something I could not do in the Extra Chapter.

I lit my cigarette, drew in a breath, and said, “What do you think about the fact that I’m supposed to protect you, yet I can’t?”

There was no answer.

“Do you think it was the right choice?”

Silence.

I stood there in silence with him beneath the sunlight. Leonard, who was adjusting the equipment strapped to his body, answered casually.

“When it comes to something I believe in, I never regret a decision once I’ve made it.”

Of course you don’t.

He had come with me to find the locations of the spatial magic artifacts. With the main operation still ahead of us, this moment was more important than any other. We absolutely could not be discovered, and just as importantly, we could not afford to take any casualties. The fate of the main operation at 4:30 would depend on how this preliminary deployment went.

I smiled silently and held out my cigarette to Leonard. The sound of water flowing beneath Bamberg City Hall was clear in the air. Leonard looked at me. I spoke to him directly.

“Have a smoke, Your Highness.”

Leo accepted it without a word and brought it to his lips. I half-turned as I searched for the lever that would take us into the Archdiocese of Bamberg and said, “Once we move into Pleroma’s world, we’ll be able to detect changes in entropy.”