Chapter 440

“It seems very likely that they used ticks.”

The doctor said this as he withdrew his hand from Mecklenburg’s neck. We were at Bavaria’s National Medical Center. The Chief of Staff had tried to send Mecklenburg to the Imperial Central Hospital, even going so far as to call someone to arrange it, but I had somehow managed to change our destination by having Mecklenburg speak on my behalf and bring him to Bavaria instead. Why?

Because I had to prepare countermeasures as Nikolaus Ernst. From this point on, I would be dragged around for witness statements at the scene, so the sooner I could get started, the better.

Once the doctor’s hand was gone, Mecklenburg put his shirt back on with a displeased look and got to his feet. Judging by the strange expression on his face, he seemed to want to disinfect wherever the doctor had touched him. I couldn’t understand how he could even find that unpleasant when the doctor had been wearing gloves and applying medicine. It was even harder to understand how someone like this had managed to take part in all sorts of operations without issue. The doctor continued while I stared at Mecklenburg in disbelief.

“Judging by the bite mark, it could have been a wingless horsefly or a mosquito. But if it had been a mosquito, it would have been difficult for it to latch onto someone, and if it had been a horsefly, you would have immediately noticed that you had been bitten. They’re all small, around 2 mm, but a horsefly’s mouthparts are incomparably harder and sharper than a tick’s.”

“I see.”

“As you know, ticks commonly parasitize animals such as cattle, so naturally they can attach themselves to stray dogs as well. But unless it’s livestock, it would be difficult for ticks to live on a dog under human care…”

“He was healthy before. Someone deliberately put them on him.”

The doctor opened and closed his mouth for a moment as though he had been caught off guard. Then, apparently realizing that I wouldn’t answer if he asked any more questions, he simply nodded.

I had already told him that someone with malicious intent had deliberately put the insects on Mecklenburg’s collar. He must have figured that digging too deeply into what was essentially a political act of terrorism wouldn’t be good for his own safety. In any case, every New Human in the country would soon hear about this “terrorism,” so there was no reason for me to explain any further.

“We’ll have to monitor his condition, but for now, there doesn’t appear to be anything seriously wrong with His Royal Highness Mecklenburg’s health. In severe cases, the skin can swell considerably, but fortunately, his skin is only slightly red. There’s no serious rash or swelling to worry about.”

There was some swelling, but apparently it wasn’t severe enough to be considered a threat to his life.

“Understood. Is the treatment finished?”

“Yes. Just keep applying the medicine regularly. The swelling may get worse after some time, so come back if that happens.”

“We’ll do that. And before we leave, could you give him an injection?”

I gestured toward Mecklenburg. He was buttoning his vest when he suddenly looked startled and protested.

“What…?!”

I gestured apologetically to the doctor and cast a soundproofing spell.

“I meant a vitamin shot. I need to stay here for another thirty minutes or so. Don’t go straight back just yet. You should rest a little and recover your strength.”

“…….”

“We need to figure out how a 2 mm tick managed to get Atropos into the bloodstream of a mage as powerful as you. We know ticks feed on blood, but how could the Atropos on such a tiny creature’s mouthparts possibly affect us—”

“Do you think catching a disease from a mosquito makes no sense? These insects spread diseases all the time. Why are you insisting that I need an IV when there’s nothing more to look into?”

Mecklenburg cut me off, but unlike usual, his voice was unusually calm. I answered just as calmly.

“That’s exactly why we need to find out whether Atropos can spread in the form of bacteria or viruses rather than simply as a drug. It’s a magical medicine, so the chances may be low, but shouldn’t we carefully determine what bizarre mechanism allowed it to affect you? Why are you nitpicking every little word, of all people? Is it because you want to finish quickly and go home?”

He should have exploded in anger at that, but Mecklenburg’s eyes merely wavered. After looking at me for a moment, he finally looked away.

“…….”

“Even if you go back to Prussia now, you won’t be able to return to your quarters. They’ll be dragging you around for statements all night. So if you don’t want the IV, at least take a shower or something. Either way, we need to buy about thirty minutes.”

“…Yes. Alright. I understand.”

Mecklenburg muttered without meeting my eyes. There was no mistaking why his attitude had changed yet again.

I was still standing there with black hair and pink eyes, but he knew perfectly well that for the next thirty minutes, I would be working as Bavaria’s Minister without Portfolio.

Of course, even when I had black hair and pink eyes, Mecklenburg would sometimes see me as Nikolaus Ernst. But apparently there was a difference between casually calling me “Sir Nikolaus” whenever it suited him and being made to realize that I was Nikolaus by Nikolaus himself when he wasn’t particularly willing to do so. The fact that I was now on my home turf and would be working independently of the Imperial Mage Association seemed to weigh on Mecklenburg. I had no idea why he was more nervous than I was, considering I was the one who had to make a presentation in front of all these high-ranking officials.

“I’ll be right back.”

“…….”

The moment I left the hospital room, I stamped my foot and warped away. I managed to steady myself and stand properly, and what came into view was my office—or rather, the living room of Leo’s room. Normally, I couldn’t warp directly into a place like this, but I’d already drawn and handed over my blood to make it possible to get in here in one go. I snapped my fingers, and mana gathered into the shape of a mask. After putting on a pitch-black mask and changing into equally black clothes, I headed for the Royal Conference Room.

Creeeeak—

“Minister without Portfolio Nikolaus Ernst has arrived.”

The attendant standing by the door announced my arrival in a loud voice. As soon as I entered, I bowed to the King in greeting and looked around at everyone seated in the conference room, which was frozen as if in the dead of winter.

The King, the ministers of each department, and the deputy ministers. The kingdom’s Prime Minister was absent. He had gone to Prussia to receive the information being released there and was probably rushing back and forth between Bavaria and Prussia all day. The news that Atropos was circulating in Passau, Bavaria, and that the Prussian mage stationed there had been poisoned was something Bavaria needed to know as well.

The King sat expressionlessly at the far end of the long table. I took the seat opposite him and addressed everyone.

“First, I would like to thank you all for rearranging your schedules on such short notice.”

“It is a pleasure to have you here, Minister Ernst.”

The Bavarian Minister of Magic spoke in a voice stiff with tension. I gave him a slight nod before opening the discussion on why I had come.

“Everyone here has already heard from the Imperial Government about the existence of Atropos. The Empire selected two mages and sent them to Austria-Hungary, and they returned this morning at 7:00 with news of a crisis threatening the continent. About half a day later, at 6:30 PM, the first domestic infection case appeared.”

“…….”

“According to the victim’s testimony, after undergoing purification and recovering enough clarity to speak, he encountered a stray dog wandering along Linzer Street in Passau sometime between 12:00 PM and 12:30 PM. Then, at around 4:30 PM, a dog of the same kind from Austria-Hungary entered the checkpoint through Weiner Street in Passau, in front of Achleiten. The victim described the dog as follows: ‘It looked well cared for and healthy, but there were clusters of parasites that live on animal skin attached around its ears, jaw, and belly. It had been healthy until recently, but it appeared to have fallen ill only a short while ago.’”

The high-ranking officials seated around the table stiffened almost imperceptibly. Their eyes shifted as though trying to deny the suspicions that had flashed through their minds, while their eyelids tightened with the same rigid tension that came over them whenever they heard shocking news. The King slowly set down his pen, laced his fingers together, and looked at me.

I had no choice but to make the same claim that had earned me a barrage of questions and stern threats of punishment from the Chief of Staff.

“This dog is the primary means by which Atropos was transported from Austria-Hungary into the German Empire. The perpetrators sent an animal onto German soil in place of a human, who could not cross the border.”

As expected, silence fell. The room filled with the stunned stillness that followed the revelation. Uneasy eyes moved between me and His Majesty.

The King asked in a clear voice, “You are saying a dog transmitted Atropos?”

“Yes. More precisely, the parasites placed on the dog by a human transmitted Atropos.”

Then, breaking through the oppressive silence, someone asked in a thin, trembling voice that carried its fear to everyone who heard it.

“But, Your Excellency, there is a river in Passau.”

“There were twelve Imperial mages stationed in the same area. Only four of them were contaminated. Not one of those four had directly touched the river water.”

“…….”

“The enemy’s target is New Humans. Contaminating the land and the river to poison such a limited number of New Humans would not be nearly as efficient as the Rampager outbreak we faced before. I am not saying we can assume they have abandoned the idea of contaminating the rivers and land. But they had every reason to seek a cheaper and more effective way to contaminate their limited number of targets—the New Humans. And that is exactly what they did.”

I steadied my breathing, paused for a moment, then continued.

“Namely, using living creatures as both a reservoir and a carrier for the substance.”

“Meppen’s mosquitoes have returned.”

The King’s firm voice settled over the room. He had struck the core of the matter. The ministers’ mouths tightened, their jaw muscles pulling downward. A chill from the glass covering the massive mahogany table seeped coldly into my fingers.

“That is correct, Your Majesty.”

“Things are going to get busy.”

The King’s eyes remained fixed on me.

It was a warning directed at me. Elias and I were the ones who had exposed the contaminated mosquitoes in Meppen, and if the Empire needed help again, the person they would turn to was not Elias, a Prussian, but me, a Bavarian.

Prussia was perfectly willing to take Bavaria’s talented people, but when it came to aid carried out in the name of the Kingdom of Bavaria, they refused it outright. It was only natural, especially when viewed through the lens of the German Empire from the world I had come from.

Elias was treated much better than he had been around this time last year, but even now, the New Humans did not regard him as their intellectual equal. Even though he had survived instead of being discarded. To them, he was still an inconvenient flaw proving that the New Humans’ physical, intellectual, and stability examinations could not guarantee a perfect human being. Ironically, that same flaw meant he could never pose a threat to the throne. The only people who knew Elias was rewriting Hamlet were us, the 101st.

So no matter how deeply Elias was involved in the Meppen incident, Prussia would never choose the true-born Prussian possessing imperial blood. Regardless of the barrier of nationality, this time they would choose me, whether I was Bavaria’s dog or anything else.

Considering how I had been left out of the several meetings held during the preparations for the Pentathlon—though, strictly speaking, there were more than five reasons why Nikolaus Ernst had no real obligation to attend the Empire’s political meetings—I could not be certain they would call for me this time either. But apparently the King thought differently. There was no harm in taking the hint.

“Using insects does lower the chances of success. But if they succeed even once, they can control the infected person and use them to infect other targets as well. Suppose someone pets a stray dog, and a tick clinging to its clothes bites their skin ten minutes later. From that moment on, the person is in the hands of whoever administered the drug. Therefore, Your Majesty…”

I continued, looking directly at the King.

“From this point on, mages must not travel alone. Avoid going outside whenever possible, strengthen the security of the warp-mail network, and keep the densely populated New Human districts under constant purification using Bavaria’s divine power mages.”

“Hmm. Fortunately, I have heard that there is a medicine that can be made with divine power. Minister of Finance, how much stored divine power do we have?”

“179 tons in total, Your Majesty. Only five tons are currently available for use.”

“…I see. Sir Schiller, have them develop a ready-to-use medicine with what we have available.”

The King spoke to his aide. I raised a hand and addressed him.

“However, Your Majesty. May I say something?”

“Go ahead.”

“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.”

That was how I had dealt with things until now, but it was no longer enough. This was the second time. The first had been the Rampager drug, which targeted everyone, Old Humans and New Humans alike, and even then, divine power had solved much of the problem. Now Atropos was forcing us to rely on divine power again. Even if Atropos affected fewer people than the Rampager drug had, our dependence on divine power had grown far too great. Developing a stock medicine made with divine power was practically the same as doing nothing. We could not keep going like this.

The King stared at me in silence, his expression unreadable. It was a signal for me to continue.

“The quantity of divine power is far too small. We can only rely on outside assistance to a certain extent. If the Papal See cuts off its support, the continent will fall as it is. It is true that the Papal States are an ally of Bavaria, but placing so much power in their hands could have serious consequences for the sovereignty and survival of our kingdom.”

“…….”

“As soon as we obtain Atropos, I ask that we begin developing an antidote that uses as little divine power as possible—or none at all.”

“It will be difficult.”

The King answered without hesitation.

He was right. It would be difficult. The King continued calmly.

“And this time, unlike when the Rampager drug was spreading throughout the Empire, we will need far less divine power. Even so, you are asking us to develop an antidote that does not use divine power…”

“…….”

It probably sounds like a difficult thing to ask. I understand. To people eagerly waiting for aid from the Papal See, being told, ‘Accept the Papal See’s assistance for now, but gradually reduce our dependence on it,’ is hardly going to sound reassuring. They could accuse me of thinking too far ahead when everything is already in chaos, and I could hardly blame them. But someone had to say it. If we fail to look ahead and only start thinking once a problem hits us, we will be finished anyway. History is full of the same mistake repeated over and over: looking at the world on a grand scale when we should have been looking at the details, and focusing on the details when we should have been looking at the bigger picture.

“However, I fully understand Minister Ernst’s concerns. He is not wrong.”

At the King’s words, the ministers turned their attention toward him.

I knew what the King was thinking. As a Catholic state, Bavaria had close ties with the Papal States. But it had not been long since the Papal States had begun hiding their claws as Evangelical Protestantism and Enlightenment thought spread. Just as the struggle between imperial authority and papal authority could not be left out of medieval German history, the same would hold true in the future. At any moment, they might seek to advance their own interests as a state, and from what I could see, they were already prepared to do so. Sending humanitarian aid to nations that could no longer function without divine power was the kind of thing that could easily become something else entirely.

The King looked directly at me and spoke to his aide.

“As soon as Atropos is found, tell them to begin developing a mana-based antidote.”

“So they’re going to develop a mana antidote.”

It had been two hours since I returned to Prussia. It was 9:00 PM.

In the meantime, I had given my statement, given it again, then gone to another department and given another statement. It was the height of inefficiency. I downed a potion used for recovering from fatigue and headed for the Command Headquarters with Elias.

Technically, I was still supposed to be inspecting people in Passau, but after the contamination of the 98th Unit, all the Association mages stationed at the border had been withdrawn. They had received purification from the government’s divine power mages and gathered at the Association building, while the mages belonging to the Command had returned separately to the Command.

“It sounds difficult. If divine power can deal with it, wouldn’t it be better to focus on that? There may not be many divine power mages, but we don’t have time.”

Elias spoke calmly under a soundproofing spell. After word spread throughout the Command that even one of our own mages had been exposed to Atropos, he had become calmer than ever. I answered just as calmly.

“We don’t have the time, so for now we’ll accept help from abroad. But we need to prepare for whatever diplomatic complications might come up.”

“Hmm… That’s true.”

“And in a way, it might actually be safer to stay cooped up inside the institute all day….”

“Hahaha! It really might be. As long as nobody comes out of there high on drugs.”

Elias burst into hearty laughter, then gradually settled down and continued, “Well, Sir Nikolaus will know what to do, I’m sure.”

“I still need your opinion, too. Always.”

“Oh~ What an honor.”

“…….”

I smiled as I watched him whistle. I meant it sincerely, though I wasn’t sure how much my words had really gotten through to him. Still, Elias had always been someone I needed when making decisions. Even when it was a problem I could solve on my own, having Elias agree with me always made the burden a little lighter.

I hurried through the bleak, subdued corridors of the headquarters and entered a meeting room I had never seen before. Everyone from the Headquarters was seated in a circle, including the representative of the 91st Unit, though none of them occupied the head seat. The Chief of Staff sat at the head, testing the voice amplification spell. I sat beside Narke and Elias and quietly waited for the briefing to begin.

“All right, first of all.”

Once everyone had arrived and there were no empty seats left, the Chief of Staff spoke. Fortunately, it seemed the Headquarters had been given the privilege of receiving and passing on news from abroad first. Whether that was actually fortunate or not, I couldn’t say.

“We have received the results of the investigation from Austria-Hungary. Marquis Torrigiani of Tuscany died at eleven this morning.”

“…….”

For a moment, my eyes met Narke’s. The Chief of Staff continued immediately.

“House Torrigiani owns a production plant for Acqua Panna. We have learned that Pleroma intended to use House Torrigiani to seize control of Austria-Hungary, but after that plan failed, they killed the marquis. The Italian authorities are currently protecting the heir to House Torrigiani.”

In less than a day, nobles were already dying.

“The border regions have currently been purified directly by fifty Hohenzollern divine power mages. However, unless we maintain continuous purification, we have no way of knowing when Atropos might enter our territory again. And if Atropos is brought into the cities by mages capable of free warping, the consequences would be difficult to contain. Therefore, until this situation is resolved, none of you are to leave the Headquarters unless accompanied by a divine power mage from the Papal See. Anyone who disobeys this order and leaves the grounds will face severe disciplinary action.”

‘Hmm…’

Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to stay out of the field as much as possible. Whenever we absolutely have to go out, I’ll just have to bring Mecklenburg along, like I did today. Unless I bought some time through him, there would be no way to leave.

That aside, judging by how quickly they’re putting us under lockdown, it seems they intend to handle things somehow on their own. With Adrian Askanien here as well, I suppose I can expect some proper politics.

At that moment, the Chief of Staff rubbed the area beside his ear with an uneasy expression, then responded with a quiet hum to whoever was speaking through the artifact. The gazes of dozens of mages in the room immediately turned toward him. The Chief of Staff’s mouth slowly fell open, and then he stood.

“Dismissed.”

Dismissed? The room immediately stirred. We hadn’t even been gathered for five minutes.

Bang—!

At that moment, someone came charging into the meeting room as though he intended to tear the door off its hinges. One of what appeared to be the aides came rushing in, panting, a sheet of paper clutched in his hand, and blurted out in rapid succession.

“Sir, the Papal See says they can’t send the number of mages they promised! The Austro-Hungarian Foreign Office also sent a telegram three minutes ago. They say most of the divine power mages registered with the Imperial Family are incapable of purifying Atropos. And furthermore—”

“I heard you. Enough!”

“—The heir of House Torrigiani died ten minutes ago, sir!”

The two voices overlapped. The aide, who apparently hadn’t even finished reading the paper, clamped his mouth shut at his superior’s shout. The Chief of Staff waved him off irritably and hurried out of the meeting room. I slowly raised my head and looked at Narke.

That made two members of House Torrigiani dead.

And that was a problem too. A serious one. The shadow of death was spreading across the continent. In Italy, the epicenter of Atropos, nobles were dying one after another. We had to protect the other nobles who might be connected to this, even if we didn’t know about them yet. Immediately.

But that was Italy’s responsibility. There was something else we needed to consider right now.

‘Most of the divine power mages are incapable of purifying Atropos?’

Then what about Narke and me?

There were currently ninety-four divine power mages registered in the Empire, one more than before. Of those, only twenty-four belonged to the Special Management Grade, meaning they could wield divine power above a certain level. The other seventy could not properly use mental manipulation magic, and the purity of their divine power was not particularly high either. We had already discussed this in front of the Emperor, and every Imperial mage knew these numbers.

Which meant we couldn’t actually rely on the ninety-four divine power mages we had already been worried were too few. We could rely only on the twenty-four Special Management Grade mages.

And that meant the survival of the Empire truly depended on the Papal See.

“Our Minister without Portfolio really has quite the foresight.”

Elias’s voice came through the soundproofing spell. A bead of cold sweat ran down my back, and the corner of my mouth twisted upward on its own.