Chapter 442

Really? At a time like this, of all times.

And if this was the future Pleroma was aiming for, then we had to act immediately. Unless we stopped Pleroma’s war against us—stopped the madness of this German cult—or, in other words, stopped the massacres of Italian nobles, Germany would end up turning Italy into an enemy. If that happens, our relationship with the Papal States will obviously be in danger too.

The political map I had drawn last night was vividly shifting before my eyes. I bit the inside of my lip.

It wasn’t hard to guess why Adrian Askanien was here, in front of me, at this exact moment, on a day when the international situation had become this tense. It was the best choice. If Germany wanted to prevent the damage suffered by Italy and the Papal States from turning into hostility toward Germany and demands for reparations, and if it wanted to stop this crisis from escalating into uncontrollable diplomatic outrage, then this was the right thing to do.

“At 1:00 AM this morning, Deputy Minister Adrian Askanien of the Ministry of Magic will depart for the Papal States. We thought it only proper to arrange an opportunity for you, his younger brother, to see him personally before he leaves.”

“…….”

The Crown Prince’s low voice reached my ears. Adrian Askanien said nothing. He simply smiled at me.

I didn’t have to fake a look of loss. Even though I had expected him to return to Italy, to the Papal States, the moment nobles began dying in Italy had made Adrian Askanien’s departure almost a certainty—ninety-nine percent, at least. And yet I still couldn’t believe it.

‘Adrian Askanien is leaving the Empire.’

He was going back to Italy?

This should have been something to celebrate. For so long, I had thought the problem was simple: Adrian Askanien would kill me. And because of that, what I needed to do to survive had always been clear. But Adrian Askanien no longer intended to kill me. And because the Change Probability was tied to this person who had no intention of killing me, my desperate race for survival suddenly lost both its direction and its destination.

I had to keep moving forward somehow. But now—how? In what direction? Was raising my Reputation score and exposing the true identity of the ‘Venerable’ still a viable plan? The greatest variable standing before me gave away nothing about what he was thinking. Even the System couldn’t determine his objective, so I couldn’t help but wonder: What if raising my Reputation temporarily benefited both me and Adrian Askanien, but ultimately worked against me in the long run?

As long as there was no variable until the end of Dawn, the System would allow me to continue growing at an accelerated rate. But what if that growth, after some inevitable turning point caused by the accumulation of variables, was merely a headlong rush toward an isolated, inescapable dead end where my only possible fate was to live toward my own death?

That made the fact that Adrian Askanien genuinely accepted my social success anything but reassuring. It meant one thing—he was a collection of the unpredictable. My chances of dying might not have increased, but they had not gone down in the slightest, either.

I remembered the time when he had stood casually in the headquarters’ arena and delivered just a single greeting, radiating a confidence that was neither lacking nor excessive, but so perfectly measured that it never became overbearing. I remembered the strange, almost fanatical atmosphere in the headquarters that day, and the determined looks in everyone’s eyes. I had watched him turn even that small crowd into a part of himself.

So now that Adrian Askanien could immediately get involved in Imperial politics, it was not a good sign for me, regardless of whether he lowered the Change Probability or not.

But…

“Congratulations on the success of the Austria-Hungary intelligence operation, Luka.”

But not now.

A warm scent drew closer. Adrian Askanien smiled gently and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“You have no idea how happy and relieved I was when I heard that you had returned safely after succeeding. I knew you could do it.”

“…….”

“And yet, you always manage to surprise me.”

He did not say enough to resolve my doubts. The Crown Prince was watching us. My thoughts kept rolling farther and farther away like a ball dropped down a hill, unable to stop.

Even if I did not need Adrian Askanien, the Empire did. The person who had taken a hopelessly rotten government and brought it back into working order in a single day was now returning to Italy on the very first day the biological war on the continent had truly begun.

The government simply did not function properly without him. From my perspective, it was hardly perfect even with him, but at the very least, he had thoroughly prevented the kind of rash, needlessly aggressive statecraft seen in Prussia under Wilhelm II in A.D. history.

I had no idea how Adrian Askanien had managed to put that rotten government back on its feet, but I could not deny that under his hand, it had been racing toward victory as though his touch were the Midas touch. And from this moment on, that would be gone.

Adrian Askanien led me to a chair with a face completely free of negative emotion. Then he turned toward the Crown Prince and said,  “Your Highness.”

It was clear what he meant. The Crown Prince gave a small nod, granting us permission to speak freely, and took his seat. A piano stood to one side of the spacious, gold-toned reception room, played by an elderly pianist who appeared to be an Old Human. Scherzo No. 2.

I took a seat where I could see both Adrian Askanien and the Crown Prince in profile. Adrian looked at me with an unmistakable air of contentment, while the Crown Prince watched him. Slowly, the Crown Prince turned his head toward me.

“I have heard the full account of how you recovered the Atropos in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. You began with no clues and ultimately contributed to preserving peace on the continent. It reminded me greatly of Deputy Minister Askanien.”

“I am honored that Your Highness sees my brother in me. I assume that is thanks to the favorable opinion Your Highness has of me.”

“You are very modest.”

As the Crown Prince, Abraham’s formal way of speaking did not mean his manner was equally serious. Even now, he seemed to be enjoying the emotional tension created by the three of us. In other words, he was carefully studying every part of my face.

I could tell that Abraham also wanted to see Adrian Askanien’s reaction. His words just now were a show of support toward me, and also a sign that he could put pressure on the Duchy of Anhalt if necessary. When his lemon-colored eyes closed once and opened again, they were fixed on Adrian Askanien.

“As Deputy Minister Askanien said, if you had not obtained information about the Atropos in Italy, none of us would be safe today. We Hohenzollerns are always deeply grateful for the contributions of the two Askanier.”

“It was because His Majesty and Your Highness have always laid the foundations for the administration of the state that the Empire was able to respond in time.”

At the calm, refined voice, I looked at Adrian Askanien. He wore a sage-like smile as he gazed into the Crown Prince’s eyes.

“It has been a long time since I last had the opportunity to see Your Highness. I would have liked to have had more opportunities to discuss state affairs with you, but I can only apologize for having to leave Germany so suddenly.”

“…….”

It was the kind of way of speaking where you had to look for the meaning behind the words, as was common among nobles. The reason I had been watching him was that his first remark had felt somewhat ambiguous despite the dignified tone in which he delivered it. And when he spoke a second time just now, I became certain of it. When dealing with people other than me, he used the same refined and elegant euphemisms as other nobles, yet at the same time, there was something distinctly different about him. Even when you looked for the meaning hidden beneath his words, they were never reproachful or sarcastic like the polished words that usually came from noble mouths. He was simply showing the other person where he stood, as though indulging them in whatever little game they wanted to play.

Just as I knew what Abraham was trying to do because I knew exactly what lay behind the Crown Prince’s façade, Adrian Askanien had already seen through him as well. The fact that he was speaking to the Crown Prince did not make him lower himself. Nor did he become guarded or sharp around him. He simply presented himself as he always did—calm, generous, and strong.

My stomach churned. This confirmed it. Around me, he had become endlessly gentler. Perhaps he was the same way with people he could truly call friends, but there was no way for me to know that.

The Crown Prince answered with the same peaceful smile as before, as though he had heard nothing unusual in Adrian’s words.

“There is no need to apologize. Is this not all for Germany?”

‘…For Germany, huh.’

He was, after all, going to Italy for Germany. With Pleroma’s influence gradually spreading across the continent and causing trouble, the Emperor could not afford to lose a country with divine power users that Germany needed as an ally. So he had sent a high-ranking official—the Deputy Minister of Magic himself—to Italy to safeguard its security. In doing so, Germany had preserved its relations with the international community, particularly its goodwill and diplomatic ties with the Papal States, despite being the country where Pleroma had emerged. This time would be no different. But once Adrian left, there would be no one left to rein in the reckless politics unfolding on German soil.

‘But does that mean they can simply send someone else in Adrian Askanien’s place?’

That was impossible. With four Italian nobles already dead, doing so now would be like fanning the flames of a house already on fire. It would be far better to delay his return.

As I had known from the beginning, Adrian Askanien was highly respected abroad as well, recognized throughout the continent for his abilities. If Germany suddenly recalled him and the 89th Unit and sent another mage in their place, Italy would have every reason to accuse Germany of caring only about its own national interests rather than showing the slightest remorse over the deaths of its nobles. And it would be fortunate if the accusations only stopped there. Abraham, having thoroughly enjoyed watching my expression, gave Adrian Askanien a faint smile and said,  “Well then, you should take a proper moment to say your farewells.”

Adrian Askanien smiled at the Crown Prince and then turned to me.

“It’s a shame I wasn’t able to spend much time with you after coming here, and now I’m leaving before even a week has passed. There was still so much I wanted to teach you.”

No soundproofing spell was cast. For the first time, I felt my breath catch beneath Adrian Askanien’s calm, composed gaze as he looked directly at me again. Even so, I answered.

“I didn’t expect you to leave this soon.”

“Neither did I. But time doesn’t seem willing to wait for us. Rather than dwelling on it, wouldn’t it be better to tell each other what we’re feeling?”

Adrian Askanien spoke gently, his eyes narrowing into a soft smile.

“I was truly happy to see how much you’ve grown, Luka.”

“…….”

I knew. No matter what turmoil I went through, the Change Probability hadn’t dropped in the slightest. So he really was happy. At least he had no reason to bite his nails over things having gone wrong. The Crown Prince’s lips curved faintly as he watched me. Adrian Askanien continued, paying no mind to my silence, warmth still lingering in his eyes.

“It was a meaningful time for me. I don’t know when we’ll see each other again, but it probably won’t be too long now. So…”

I didn’t know whether he meant August, or after we had finished the extended mission in its entirety. Yes, August wasn’t that far away. Though with every day bringing a new crisis, I didn’t even know whether I would still be alive by then.

But if it was before that, then if I imagined the day we would meet again, all I could see was a sky stained crimson with blood. He must have thought the same. If we met again before his mission was over, it could only mean Germany had already suffered catastrophic losses. For circumstances to become dire enough that he would suspend the mission of protecting the Papal States and return to Germany, the Papal States would have to remain relatively unscathed while Germany bore the brunt of Pleroma’s attacks.

“I suppose it’s time for me to go. We aren’t parting forever, so what would be the point in leaving ourselves sad?”

Adrian Askanien rose from his seat. As he stood, the attendant beside him picked up his luggage. Another attendant took his coat and helped him put it on. When it was time to receive his luggage, Adrian Askanien stopped where he stood and opened his arms just enough.

“May I hold you one last time?”

“…….”

His face wore the same peaceful smile as always, utterly unconcerned by anything around him. Neither his duties protecting the Papal States, nor the relentless demands of Prussia, nor the tremendous burden of German-Papal diplomacy resting on his shoulders had left so much as a crack in his composure. There was a peace about him that seemed strong enough to withstand even the end of the world. And every time I remembered that the key capable of shattering that unshakable peace was his own younger brother, my stomach twisted. That proposition should have been impossible. And if it wasn’t, there could only be one reason: he wanted to kill me himself.

Now that I knew that wasn’t true, I had no way of settling the turmoil in my stomach. Slowly, I turned my face forward. I pushed myself up from the sofa by its armrest and slipped out between the table and chairs until I stood before him.

The smile on his face, with his hands held out toward me, softened into something almost innocent. His hand came to rest against my shoulder blade, and warmth spread through the cold coat I had only just put on.

“With a mage as capable as you in the Empire, I can finally put my mind at ease.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

I suppressed my core and kept my voice as steady as ever.

And it was true. I felt the same way. Even if I couldn’t stop the government from making a mess of things, his departure for Italy meant he could interfere with Pleroma’s plan to turn the entire continent against Germany. He still had an important role to play in dealing with the Atropos terror spreading across the continent. Perhaps it was better for him to go abroad and keep Pleroma in check long enough to buy us time than to remain in the government.

As I continued along that train of thought, a quiet voice drifted beside my ear. I could hear his heartbeat.

“You can do everything I can do, too, Luka.”

I slowly raised my lowered gaze to meet his eyes. The attendants were watching me, but that didn’t matter. Adrian Askanien withdrew his arm, lightly resting his hand just below my shoulder before stepping back. He smiled—the same smile I’d once seen in Luka’s childhood memories.

“You’ll do just fine. So, carry on my share for me.”

“…….”

My share. That was a little shocking to hear. I could see interest flicker across the Crown Prince’s face.

It still felt as though Adrian Askanien’s arm was pressing against my ribs. I looked at that face, so much like my own, and smiled.

“Of course, I will, brother.”

“What’s on the agenda today~?!”

Ulrike grinned brightly as he grabbed our shoulders.

At six in the morning, I was in the living room of the residence with Narke. No one had called for us today, so we were either in our rooms or wandering around the living room. I caught Ulrike’s hand as it hung loosely over my right shoulder and answered.

“Not much, unless the seniors order us to do some training or something…”

“Ah~ This is so nice. Then how about the seven of us…! …No, the six of us play a board game for once?”

“Haha. You guys can actually take the day off, but I have to go out. You guys play among yourselves.”

Narke picked up the suitcase beside the sofa and gave an awkward smile. Ulrike’s mouth fell open, clearly not expecting that. Narke couldn’t stay at the residence and had to go to the government offices alone. Specifically, the Ministry of Magic.

Even though he was a Special Management Grade divine power mage from the Papal See, the fact that he was in Prussia meant they were calling him in as well. They weren’t even trying to develop a drug like Bavaria was; they were simply calling him in first. Narke probably wouldn’t be able to come back and see us all day.

“Then let’s do it with five! I actually have a five-player game.”

“Then play that, and afterward, let’s do one thing together.”

Ulrike raised an eyebrow at that. He seemed surprised, since I had never been the one to suggest doing something together before. I felt a little bad, but I wasn’t talking about playing games. I smiled at him, then turned serious.

“Luise, tonight we’re going to Bavaria to meet the person who stole the holy relics. We need to have a strategy meeting together first.”