Chapter 563

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wasn’t very far away. I rode in a carriage with two officials to the ministry building. Along the way, I opened the window to feel the breeze, taking in the lush green trees lining the streets and the lively people out enjoying the spring weather.

Once we got out of the carriage, the officials escorted me to the top floor, where the Minister of Foreign Affairs had his office.

“Good to see you again. Did you get some good rest?”

The Minister asked in a friendly tone, wearing a broad, beaming smile as if he’d been seeing me every day for the past few days. Naturally, I couldn’t help wondering what had gotten into him. I hid my confusion and replied, “Of course.”

“What kind of tea would you like?”

“I will have whatever Your Excellency is having.”

“Hahaha!”

“…?”

I gave him an uncertain smile and rested my hands on my knees. The Minister seemed to be in a much better mood than when I’d seen him a few days ago. He looked pleased with himself—so much so that he seemed ready to whistle at any moment.

His secretary brought in the tea. Curiously, instead of cookies, he served us round sweets that looked like yōkan. The Minister gestured for me to drink, so I picked up the steaming Baroque-style teacup and took a sip. Looking thoroughly pleased with himself, he pointed at the cup with a triumphant smile.

“This tea was imported from China through Britain. It is a premium variety presented to the imperial family of the Qing Empire. I hear they have been drinking it for centuries, even before the change of dynasties.”

“…….”

I lowered the cup before I’d finished drinking and smiled. I knew perfectly well that Europeans had long traded Asian goods at exorbitant prices and liked to show them off on important occasions. Chinese tea leaves, in particular, were renowned for their quality and had become immensely popular throughout Europe. That much wasn’t very different from the history I knew.

I had no idea how he’d managed to get his hands on tea supplied to the imperial family, but that only made me wonder why this European was showing me such unusual goodwill—and why he was telling me all this. However…

I had no idea. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with a satisfactory answer. I nodded and replied with a slightly playful tone.

“I am honored, Your Excellency. It really does have a wonderful flavor.”

“Indeed. I received it yesterday, and I knew I had to serve you some.”

The Minister waved a hand before clasping his hands together.

“The reason I have called you here is that, as you have probably already heard, France has sent us its first overture of genuine intent. I would like to discuss it with you.”

“I heard about it on the way here. They are coming to our Empire, aren’t they?”

“That is right. You must be wondering why I have summoned you here.”

“To be honest, I am, Your Excellency.”

“At the state council meeting with His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince, I was impressed by how thoroughly you addressed His Excellency Alvensleben’s concerns, one by one. It is not that I don’t understand Lord Alvensleben’s position, but he does tend to be excessively cautious.”

I blinked, letting that serve as my answer. The Minister of Foreign Affairs tilted his head from side to side, deep in thought, before speaking.

“His Majesty might be receptive to such an argument. But in reality, that isn’t the case. As Lord Askanien said, France is in a position where it will eventually have no choice but to make a gesture toward peace, and they know it. So, before they do, they will try to change the situation in their favor.”

Terminus Eukairia’s original plan had been to kill two birds with one stone without lifting a finger. They intended to make the German Empire an indefensible terrorist state and weaken Pleroma’s stronghold in the process. That would put Pleroma in a precarious position as well. They must have been confident they could overcome the chaos and defeat Germany, which had occupied their territory, both militarily and politically. At least, that was what they thought before Pleroma was cut in half.

But now that things had taken an unexpected turn, they, too, had reached the point where they needed to revise their plans. Terminus Eukairia had to reassess Bavaria’s military and political strength, which had launched an all-out assault on the terrorist organization contrary to their expectations. They also had to gauge how the other European countries viewed this shift in the balance of power and devise a new strategy. And with Germany’s current state beyond their ability to assess using the information at their disposal, they could no longer afford to make careless assumptions about their chances of victory. Under the circumstances, they would eventually have to make a gesture toward peace. The moment they did, the European countries that had been swayed by France’s claims would quickly return to the status quo, following the leading power’s declaration that it was giving up.

But France wouldn’t want to throw away an opportunity it had worked so hard to seize, nor did it want peace. So, with a future full of uncertainties ahead, it had decided to put everything on hold until it could find some way to seize the initiative.

What was it putting on hold? Every diplomatic move directed at Germany.

Lord Alvensleben, the Imperial Diplomatic Privy Councilor, had overlooked this. He had failed to put everything in its proper place: the long term and the short term, reality and theory, underhanded schemes and conventional diplomacy. Still, his argument wasn’t completely incomprehensible. It was reasonable enough to consider that possibility, at least once. The emperor hadn’t appointed someone utterly incompetent to the position of Imperial Diplomatic Privy Councilor, after all.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs enthusiastically repeated an argument similar to the one I’d made three days earlier.

“Given that their eventual surrender is all but inevitable, buying France time now would be tantamount to giving them permission to wreak havoc between their present hostility and their eventual capitulation.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs thought the same way I did. Then again, it wasn’t surprising that someone like him would reach the same conclusion, provided they had even a little sense.

There was something I’d been curious about from the beginning, though. The Minister of Foreign Affairs seemed rather pleased with himself right now…

I had a few ideas as to why. Having a diplomatic branch within the Emperor’s advisory council must have felt like a threat to the positions of government ministers. The Imperial Court and the government were two different things. The more the Imperial Court established institutions resembling those of the government, the more uneasy the government was bound to become. The two were supposed to operate independently, but what if the Emperor kept interfering whenever a government department made a decision, overturning it based on advice from the Privy Councilor?

The Emperor… had he ever done anything properly? He probably acted something like this: whenever the Minister of Foreign Affairs made a request or proposal, the Emperor would put on a genial face and launch into a long-winded explanation that sounded perfectly logical, only to end it with some variation of ‘No.’ Germans generally preferred to speak plainly, so it would have been better if he’d just gotten to the point. But the Emperor wasn’t that sort of person.

In other words… The Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was constantly getting knocked down by the Emperor, and the Imperial Diplomatic Privy Councilor, the Emperor’s intellectual companion, had been rivals from the start. So that day, the Minister of Foreign Affairs had been sitting through yet another meeting full of people he couldn’t stand, watching one of those insufferable people run his mouth, when some ridiculously young upstart had suddenly refuted the Imperial Diplomatic Privy Councilor’s arguments. From the Minister of Foreign Affairs’s perspective, it must have been quite entertaining.

Ah, I looked down at the tea brewed from Chinese tea leaves. It had been a long time since I’d tasted something so satisfying that its clean, mellow sweetness made my mouth water. Perhaps this kindness was his way of getting back at a rival he despised… No, ‘perhaps’ wasn’t the right word. That had to be it.

I nearly laughed at the petty rivalry between these middle-aged politicians. I briefly found myself in danger of giving myself away, but quickly managed to clear my throat and compose myself.

“That is right, Your Excellency. I am glad that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and I see eye to eye.”

“Hahaha. There is no need to be so pleased. We still have some way to go, in fact. Lord Askanien merely stated the obvious.”

“Is that so?”

I supposed he was right. Everyone in that room probably knew which countries dominated German trade and which side came out ahead when comparing the benefits of trading with France. But it wasn’t as if I knew every detail of the Prussian government, and those basic arguments had been the only means of making my case available to me. Besides, I was still a student, and this wasn’t even my field. It probably hadn’t seemed all that strange.

“Still, it was an insight worthy of Lord Askanien. Your remarkable way of thinking has led me to believe that, if properly cultivated, you could have a promising future in foreign affairs.”

Ah.

My lips parted, then pressed firmly shut. So he wanted to bring me into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’s business. I’d gained an ally in the Prussian government. I already had allies among the professors and Mecklenburg in the Prussian political arena, and now I had one in the government as well.

“That is very kind of you to say, Your Excellency. You flatter me.”

“Lord Askanien, I called you here to ask you this and to hear your perspective on the situation, given how quickly and clearly you see things. Why do you think France wants to visit our country?”

Of course, a politician needed more than ability of his own. He also needed a good eye for people and the ability to put them in the right positions. Quick and clear perspective. The word quick reminded me of the professors’ assessment of me. The minister was using me as an adviser to reduce the time and effort required to make decisions.

But back to the question. What was the reason? Why did France want to come here?

Were they going to tell us to end the boycott before it dragged on long enough to hurt their industries? Or were they trying to restore the French people’s image?

Get real. There was no need to ask anyone for advice. France was acting recklessly, and its intentions were practically laid bare in everything it did.

“They are coming to find fault with Germany.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs listened intently and nodded, inviting me to continue.

“They will investigate our system for dealing with Pleroma, the technology we possess, the personnel and intelligence at our disposal, and whether we are a safe country capable of preventing terrorism.”

“Precisely. I hear they even intend to assemble an inspection team of leading scholars from neighboring countries. They will undoubtedly look for flaws in our system. As you have already pointed out, they intend to create obstacles before sending a peace signal. We need to strengthen Prussia’s system as much as possible before their visit. Here, let me show you the documents I received from the Ministry of the Interior. Tell me what you think needs improvement and what we should show them. Of course, I have already reviewed everything myself, and I am only consulting you as a final step. Don’t feel too much pressure. I would simply like to hear your perspective.”

The reason we couldn’t refuse was that doing so would give France an excuse to make even louder demands. Our only option was to find a roundabout way to appear to accommodate their request without actually giving them what they wanted. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clearly intended to do just that. I watched as the minister took out the documents, then spoke.

“Of course, Your Excellency. But there is something you are overlooking.”

“Hmm?”

“Their real objective isn’t to verify our security. They intend to use ‘security inspections’ as a pretext to investigate Germany from top to bottom and leave with whatever information they can uncover.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs slowly lowered the hand he’d extended toward the bookshelf and turned to face me. He studied me with keen interest, ready to listen to what I had to say in earnest.

“The important thing isn’t to make sure they find nothing to criticize. Whether they find fault with us or not is a secondary concern.”

“Why is that?”

“Because they are coming here to assess Germany’s current state and capabilities, first and foremost. They intend to steal our internal information and use it to put the finishing touches on their plans, which they have had to revise considerably in light of how things have turned out. Once they have finished inspecting Prussia, they will undoubtedly ask to visit Bavaria as well, even though there is no need to assess Bavaria’s security situation under the present circumstances. In other words, they want to determine whether Germany is a country they can take on and defeat. The moment they reach that conclusion, they will return home and loudly proclaim across Europe that Germany is incapable of dealing with terrorism and that all of Europe is entitled to demand reparations from us.”

“…….”

“No matter how well-developed our system may be.”

Even if we showed them a well-established system, they would still claim we owed reparations. When? Once they’d gathered information from us and decided their plans were complete—in other words, once they believed they had a chance of winning a fight against us.

They might still launch an attack even if our military was formidable. For instance, what if they discovered that we lacked some form of magical technology they’d expected us to possess after the Pleroma half-destruction incident? They might have a plan that would allow them to use that one discovery to offset all our other advantages. Since they weren’t an ordinary French imperial institution but an organization under the control of Terminus Eukairia, we couldn’t afford to overlook any possibility.

In short, we would be taking a considerable risk by allowing the delegation to visit, since we had no way of knowing which areas Terminus Eukairia’s plans were targeting.

“They don’t care how ‘safe’ our country is. What matters to them is whether we are a country they can take on and defeat. That is what they are coming here to find out.”

“Of course, we intended to keep them away from sensitive information to prevent any problems. That is why I hadn’t considered things to this extent, but…”

They had considered that possibility, too. It was only natural for the delegation to assess the state of the Empire before returning home. But they had assumed it wouldn’t be much of a problem, since they could simply keep the delegation away from classified facilities. In other words, they had understood France’s intentions just a hair differently from me. And that tiny difference in understanding would ultimately make a world of difference.

Unlike the Imperial Diplomatic Privy Councilor, the Minister of Foreign Affairs began writing something on his memo board. Looking satisfied, as though he knew he had made the right choice, he asked, “That is a good point. You are right, Lord Askanien. The fact that they intend to steal information is important, of course, but the real concern is… that they might assess our current situation and still refuse to make a gesture of peace. Is that what you mean? In that case…?”

Two days passed.

As soon as the Minister of Foreign Affairs reached its decision, France swiftly assembled a delegation of experts from various fields. Today was the day they would arrive. Representatives from countries across Europe—including Britain, the Netherlands, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Belgium, and Switzerland—would be coming as well.

“I hear rumors have already spread that you are an adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

The one who told me this was Mecklenburg. When we met again after several days apart, he merely glanced at me and behaved as he usually did, no longer looking as anxious as before.

Several captains and vice captains from different units of the Imperial Mage Association were gathered outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building. I was the only representative from the 101st Unit. Leonard wasn’t here because he was supposed to represent Bavaria, whereas Mecklenburg had come despite being the heir to a grand duchy.

Why was that? It came down to whether a state was friendly toward Prussia. Members of ruling houses from states that were somewhat dependent on or friendly with Prussia could attend the German Empire’s welcoming ceremony, hosted by Prussia, as representatives of the Imperial Mage Association. Bavaria, however, had declined to do so of its own accord. It considered the occasion beneath its status. Rather than appear as a representative of the Imperial Mage Association, Bavaria’s representative ought to appear on behalf of the state itself. They would probably make an appearance later, at a more official occasion.

I stood three rows away from the building where the diplomatic portal had been installed and muttered, “Already?”

“As you know, walls have ears.”

Mecklenburg said this as he reinforced the soundproofing spell around us.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has… practically won the lottery. If they only knew that you were actually…”

He seemed to want to say, Who would have guessed you were Sir Nikolaus Ernst? But Mecklenburg pursed his lips, apparently unable to think of anything else to say, and changed the subject.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you wear that uniform before.”

“Have you not?”

I was wearing the same uniform as Mecklenburg. It wasn’t the one worn by the 101st Unit or the 98th. It was a formal uniform used by the Association as a whole for special occasions, with a blue-gray base reminiscent of the colors Prussia had favored in the past and prominent black velvet accents on the Waffenrock¹. I also wore a velvet cape in the same color, which made the outfit a little too warm for spring. I considered casually pushing the heavy silver epaulettes back, but decided to leave them where they were and simply checked the time, waiting for the French delegation to arrive. We still had another ten minutes to wait. On a whim, I asked Mecklenburg, “What do you think of the French people who are about to arrive?”

“Do you think I’d like them?”

Mecklenburg replied with a click of his tongue.

“I encountered people from Académie Puissance during the Pentathlon. They were ruder than I expected.”

“Can’t say you’re any better.”

“What?!”

His shout hurt my ears, and I winced, raising a finger to my lips to signal him to keep his voice down. Mecklenburg still looked thoroughly shocked.

“Senior, you’ve gotten far too comfortable around me.”

“That’s not it! How can you compare me to the French and say I’m worse than they are? Are you even German? Even if you dislike me… or, well, have your issues with me, there are some comparisons you can make and others you can’t.”

“That’s so typical.”

“What is?”

“I was just thinking how terrible the relationship between Germany and France really is.”

“Terrible doesn’t even begin to cover it. Just look at how they’re trying to bring Germany down. It’s obvious how much they regard us as enemies. After Germany has done nothing but take one-sided beatings lately, do you think we’d be happy to see the French?”

Coming from the Germany that had proclaimed the establishment of its empire in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, that was a bit rich. Still, he wasn’t wrong. There was hardly any hope of France and Germany ever becoming friends. Germany hated France even more than Britain, its age-old rival of centuries. The Germans disliked the French just as much in return. These days, if you went to a tavern, you could easily hear people calling the French frog-eaters.

I glanced around at the other mages and let Mecklenburg’s rapid-fire complaints go in one ear and out the other before trying to calm him down.

“I understand, so please calm down.”

“I’m already calm. The amphibian gourmets will be here any minute. How could I possibly not be calm?”

“…….”

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them wide and parted my lips, trying to keep my expression from twisting beyond control. It wasn’t funny, but the truth was, Mecklenburg hadn’t been joking when he said that. It was a noble’s way of talking around things at excessive length: Froschfresser, or ‘frog-eater,’ might look long in Korean, but it was shorter than Amphibien-Feinschmecker, or ‘amphibian gourmet.’ And hearing it spoken in the slow, smooth cadence of the northern accent, by an upper-class noble who was clearly making every effort to sound refined, left me at a loss for words. I kept my eyes half-lidded and stretched my lips into a thin line for a while before speaking quietly.

“Senior, this is childish. Letting ourselves get dragged into a squabble between two sides fighting over their own interests.”

“Were you asleep in class? They were the ones who suffered the losses, after all.”

Mecklenburg gave me a crooked smile, looking rather pleased with himself.

He was referring to the fact that Germany had won the Franco-Prussian War. I was gradually running out of things to say about his patriotism. When Mecklenburg saw my expression grow increasingly unimpressed, he scolded me.

“It’s not something you can simply dismiss as childish. Didn’t our own government take advantage of those sentiments, too?”

He meant the boycott articles. He had a point.

It was just that I personally didn’t think much of it. But someone born and raised as a German in this country might well react that way. It might seem childish, but for people of this era, who were willing to stake their lives on their country, it was a genuine matter of pride. Even in the 21st century, there had been plenty of nationalistic rivalries, even if they were less intense… If France’s rival in the 21st century was Britain, then now it was Germany. I sighed and shrugged.

Still, it wasn’t something to dismiss as merely childish. It was something to criticize. Just because the government had steered public sentiment for political purposes didn’t mean it had given people permission to hurl such blatant insults. Just as Mecklenburg was making a fool of himself, the French had come up with their own bizarre nickname for Germans, calling them things like pickled cabbage. There was absolutely nothing positive about this whole phenomenon.

At any rate, after all this fuss from Mecklenburg, I probably wouldn’t have to ask him what he thought of the French again… Better yet, I should avoid asking Germans that question altogether.

Ding—

The sound of a bell rang out in the distance. As the hour struck, a commotion arose inside the building, and the enormous wooden doors were soon thrown open by the guards. Between the stone eagle statues flanking the entrance, people in formal dress emerged in two orderly columns. They were the French delegation, who had arrived through the portal installed inside the building.

The person at the head of the delegation greeted the Minister of Foreign Affairs with a handshake. Before the introductions with the government officials had even finished, Mecklenburg and I were called forward from the Association’s line. Apparently, as members of ruling houses, we were considered a priority.

“His Royal Highness Albert Mecklenburg of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg, and His Highness Lukas Askanien of the Duchy of Anhalt. And this is Gaston Lévy, France’s Minister of Magic.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs introduced us to the French delegation, making small gestures with his hand as he did so. Mecklenburg shook the French Minister of Magic’s hand with a reassuring smile, as though he’d already forgotten his earlier remarks about those amphibian gourmets.

When the French Minister of Magic released Mecklenburg’s hand and turned toward me, I held mine out as well. However…

The minister flinched almost reflexively. He briefly grasped my fingers before letting go. I glanced at my outstretched hand, then looked at his face. He was doing his best to avoid looking at the hand I’d offered, all while maintaining his smile.

“…….”

Well, would you look at that. I tilted my head slightly and studied the minister. When someone was making their displeasure this obvious, getting worked up over every little thing was an amateur’s mistake. I raised an eyebrow and was about to speak when…

Something caught the corner of my eye. I almost couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and turned to look. It was a subtle change, but Mecklenburg’s smooth, affable smile had stiffened in an instant. His expression had turned cold almost reflexively. There was no mistaking it, his ‘patriotism’ switch had just flipped on.

Translator Note

1. A Waffenrock is a loose outer garment worn by knights and soldiers over their armor to display coat-of-arms or allegiance colors. ↩︎