Chapter 480

“Ah…”

Narke let out a long sigh, shifting his gaze around us. Then he turned around with a perfectly calm expression, as though he hadn’t heard a word of my suggestion to choose between Caetani and Savelli. I quickly followed after him, still holding on to Elias, who had once again gotten distracted by something and was trying to wander away from us.

Instead of taking the main streets, Narke led us through narrow alleys winding between residential buildings, heading toward some place we knew nothing about by a route we didn’t understand.

Narke glanced back at us and asked, this time in German—which wasn’t particularly strange, considering there were plenty of people around the Vatican who spoke German fluently.

“Brother, do you like ice cream?”

“No.”

“I do.”

Elias cut in, and Narke gave a slight nod before telling me almost as if he were giving me an instruction, “Apparently he does. Eat some anyway.”

“Why…”

Then why did he even bother asking?

Narke entered an ice cream shop beneath a green sign that read Sicilia. He went in so quickly that I couldn’t make out any more Italian on the sign, and ordered in yet another Italian accent, different from the one he had used earlier.

After a while, the owner handed us cups of ice cream. I wasn’t in the mood to stimulate my sense of taste, so even though I knew I had to eat it, I deliberately put it off, poking around at the ice cream with the little wooden spoon. Looking at it more closely, I realized it had the texture of gelato. That made me a little more willing to eat it.

For now, I sat at a sunlit table between the shop and the street and said, “Thank you, Father.”

“You’re welcome.”

― “But seriously, did we come here to hunt down a traitor or go sightseeing?”

Narke pretended not to hear me, forcing down the corner of his mouth that was trying to curl upward. Elias nodded with an expression that seemed to say, Why would you even ask that? We weren’t supposed to nod or make eye contact at random if we wanted to keep our divine power conversation from being noticed, yet Elias reacted to our conversation without a care. I stopped him with a stern look.

Anyway, I’d once again been reminded that we had someone in front of us who had apparently come here to sightsee, so I muttered, half resigned, “Father and Brother certainly know how to enjoy life.”

― “Your accent isn’t bad.”

Every time I said something, the topic changed. It was making my head spin. I merely smiled at Narke’s compliment and quietly focused on eating my gelato.

Narke hadn’t come here to take a break. He had deliberately forced himself to slow down, pushing past his impatience and faint reluctance to make room for some leisure.

Elias shoveled down his chocolate gelato, finishing it in just three bites, then rummaged through my pocket. He was clearly looking for the sprig of grass he had put in there earlier, but apparently the thick newspaper, folded into quarters, caught his interest. Without asking permission, he pulled it out and unfolded it. He spread out the pale yellow paper with a satisfied curl of his lips, then, just as I had earlier, read the article about Eugène Lamour and furrowed his brow.

“What’s with this guy?”

“I was wondering the same thing.”

There was a lot packed into Elias’s question. Had Eugène Lamour really done something wrong and been caught in the act? Or had he simply fallen into the hands of the press and public, who were eager to dig up something sensational even if what he had done wasn’t particularly problematic? And if he had committed a crime, would he actually receive the punishment he deserved through the judgment of the public, or would he instead be thrown to people who indulged their own desires under the pretense of setting right what was wrong?

I could make a fairly confident guess about what Elias was thinking because I had already read his thoughts about sensationalist headlines. Things might have been different in this era, but he had still been subjected to the press’s subtle attacks for some time, and his expression now made it clear that he wasn’t enjoying the article. According to the article, they weren’t going to reveal the tip immediately, but would do so soon. Their obvious hope of sending circulation numbers skyrocketing only made it worse.

That was enough of that unwelcome front page. I took the newspaper away and cleared it out of sight before speaking to Narke.

“So, let’s not change the subject. Are you short on sugar?”

“Haha. We have to be thorough with our preparations.”

Narke laughed as he put another spoonful into his mouth. I was certain of it now. He knew perfectly well that we needed to steal the seal, and he intended to do it soon. After thinking for a moment, his eyes shifting as he considered something, he continued.

“Decide where you’d like to go for missionary work. If you study with that country in mind, it’ll certainly be useful.”

I looked at Narke. He must have known what question was forming in my mind. But I soon understood why he had brought it up, even without him explaining.

“Where would you recommend, Father?”

“If you’re confident in your ability to learn languages, wouldn’t Asia be a good choice? It isn’t part of the Christian cultural sphere, after all. I heard from a friend that there is a Jesuit priest who was lucky enough to survive the Corte Savella, and apparently he joined up with the French missionaries in Vietnam.”

“Ah…”

I rolled my eyes and gave a vague nod. I knew nothing about Vietnam, and judging by what I remembered of Korea’s history around this period, it didn’t seem like an ideal place for missionary work. But the East in this world and this era had developed differently from the one I had lived in, so Korea, too, was not particularly hostile toward foreign powers. I needed to make sure I didn’t arouse any unnecessary suspicion here. After thinking for a moment, I played along.

“As you know, Father, missionary work in the East has to be carried out differently from the way those innocent fairy tales from long ago would have you believe. They have already built highly organized civilizations over thousands of years, so there isn’t much room left for Christianity to establish itself anew. The teachings of Buddha and Confucius, rather than those of Christ, already form the worldview of their governments and people. So wouldn’t missionary work in the East be rather difficult for new brothers like us?”

“Exactly. Everyone expects far too much from us. We’re not Matteo Ricci¹, so we don’t know the first thing about it… But what’s this?”

Elias, who had been shamelessly playing along, leaned toward us and whispered. I cupped my hand around Elias’s ear and whispered back.

“We’re going to steal a seal from either the Savelli or the Caetani. Narke says the Savelli will be harder to break into.”

“Is that what all that was about?”

The ‘survived the Corte Savella’ part referred to the Savelli family’s jurisdiction over the Papal courts. Narke had criticized them earlier for using that privilege to amass a fortune. He was telling us what advantages and difficulties we would face if we chose to rob the Savelli.

I couldn’t trust Elias to keep his behavior under control if we communicated through divine power, and using a soundproofing spell here would only arouse the curiosity of any New Humans who might be in the shop or on the street. He had probably decided that talking about something as mundane as missionary work as priests would be the best way to keep everyone’s attention elsewhere. In Rome, we had to avoid standing out as much as possible. We couldn’t avoid using illusions to fool the mages, but if we wanted to stay in Rome for long, we had to minimize how often we did so.

“It’s basically a code. Using a soundproofing spell here would look suspicious. Don’t focus on my answers. Listen to Narke.”

“Still, what a relief. I thought you two were talking pretty damn weird.”

“Right…”

He had always been wary of the way missionary work could become entangled with expansionist policies, so he wasn’t particularly fond of going on missions to countries outside the Christian cultural sphere. Just as Elias had said, we happened to be speaking not in our usual manner, but from the perspective of the average person here. In other words, our cover was working.

Elias was deep in thought, his face saying, Why the hell do we have to steal a seal in the first place? But he didn’t seem to have any particular qualms about stealing one from someone else’s house. Once I played along, Narke answered seriously.

“Certainly, it will be difficult. However, accepting the civilization and culture that have developed in Asia would be beneficial to your own growth.”

“Sounds like there’s a deep connection, then?”

The Papal See and the Savelli family. And the Savelli family and the Orsini family. Narke looked me in the eye as he answered.

“Indeed. There have often been attempts by our philosophers to combine the ideas that the East has cultivated over thousands of years with Christianity, have there not? If done properly, it could certainly have a significant influence.”

“Hmm…”

It was a little difficult to make sense of, but putting together what Narke had said earlier with the code he was giving me now, the Savelli were more closely connected to the Papal See than the Caetani. Provoking the Orsini through the Savelli would be much more effective. However, it would be difficult.

Elias snapped his fingers and asked, “Aside from Asia, where else would you recommend?”

“If you speak Spanish, going to South America wouldn’t be a bad choice. The environment there has become somewhat similar due to colonial rule, so you would find it familiar enough to live there.”

At that, Elias leaned toward me and whispered in my ear, “Where’s that supposed to be?”

“Caetani.”

Narke continued speaking at the same time as I answered.

“Personally, however, I would rather not go on a mission to South America. At a time when our intentions—seeking nothing but missionary work, without any ulterior motive—could be mistaken for imperialist expansion, is there really any reason for us to take on that burden ourselves?”

It was a little strange for him to say something like that while making such lackadaisical remarks from the perspective of ordinary European priests. If he was going to say this, he should have brought it up earlier. This wasn’t really about South America. It was about Narke’s personal history with the Caetani. A subtle tension settled over the table.

Elias stared at Narke before nodding and saying, “To be honest, the accommodations are the most important thing to me. We need to go somewhere that can provide us with a comfortable place to sleep.”

“And why would that be important for missionary work?”

“You need to sleep well if you want to see it through successfully. There’s something else, too. We need to go somewhere we won’t run into any diplomatic envoys. I don’t like becoming famous.”

Presumably, Elias had two requirements: a place that would be easy to break into, and somewhere there wouldn’t be anyone likely to recognize him. He was still a student, after all, so his face wasn’t plastered across the newspapers at every opportunity. As long as we avoided diplomats who had personally encountered Elias in Germany, we had a decent chance. Narke seemed to have a lot on his mind, because he let out a long breath.

“Hoo…”

I was the last to put down my gelato spoon. We left the shop and started walking. I had no idea where we were headed this time. The Roman morning was unbearably hot. Hotter than Germany. That much was certain.

It was also clear that Narke was still in the same state he’d been in since we arrived in Italy. He hadn’t once properly made small talk. I followed behind him as he walked with a serious look on his face and asked, “Seems like the gelato didn’t cheer you up?”

― “Your Italian sounds nice.”

― “If you’re still worrying about it, let’s go get some espresso.”

― “Espresso.”

Narke repeated my word, a clear laugh escaping him for the first time in a while. I didn’t sense any mockery in it, but I still snapped back, wondering what else I was supposed to call espresso if not espresso.

― “Then what am I supposed to call it?”

― “No, no. That wasn’t wrong… But you’d better say caffè if you don’t want anyone to suspect you’re a foreigner.”

― “Good thing you told me now. Thanks. Let’s just go get some coffee.”

― “Shall we?”

Narke didn’t look like he actually intended to. He walked on, looking beyond the sunlight drifting in front of us, the trees scattering it, and the wind that came and went—toward a world I knew nothing about. Again. Even as the wind slipped through the hems of our clothes, the fact that he didn’t so much as blink drew me into the quiet turmoil unfolding somewhere in his universe. It was only much later, as we passed beneath the shade of a sparsely populated grove of olive trees, that he spoke.

― “The Caetani residence is straight ahead from here. Neither one is exactly an easy building to sneak into… If I had to choose, though, there are probably more members of the Savelli family who have already met Elias. The Savelli have started focusing more on public affairs with this generation. The Caetani, on the other hand, have focused on their internal plans, much like the Farnese.”

― “The Savelli seal would definitely make it easier to provoke the Orsini. Still, we’ve made our choice. We’re going with the Caetani.”

That was what Elias wanted, too. He wanted somewhere that was easy to break into and where no one would recognize him.

― “Then, Narke.”

― “Yeah.”

― “Where is he?”

Narke immediately knew who I meant. Without the slightest hesitation, he calmly sent the answer into my mind.

― “Gabriele Caetani isn’t in Rome. He transferred his registration to the Caetani of Pisa, so there’s no reason for him to be with the Roman Caetani. The Caetani of Pisa live in the Two Sicilies instead of Pisa, so he should be there as well.”

I hadn’t expected him to be in Rome anyway. I already knew that Gabriele Caetani had participated in the Pentathlon as a member of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. But the way Narke said he had ‘transferred his registration to the Caetani of Pisa’ made it sound as though he had originally been born into the Roman Caetani, only to deliberately change branches of the family and his nationality later.

― “I’m not sure the Caetani of Pisa and the Roman Caetani are actually related by blood.”

Narke spoke as if he had read my thoughts.

― “Even so, the Caetani of Pisa want the reputation of the Roman Caetani. And they want the benefits that come with it.”

“…….”

The Caetani of Pisa and the Roman Caetani weren’t related by blood? How could that be if they were branches of the same family? Were they simply two unrelated families that happened to share the same name? Was uncovering family secrets another perk of Insight? Narke hadn’t given me any clear answers about Italy. And even after seeing his expression, I didn’t want to keep pressing him. I needed to change the subject.

― “So, have you thought about how we’re going to get into the Caetani residence?”

― “I can’t go in with this face. The important members of the Caetani and Savelli families both know what I look like. I’ll have to use illusion magic no matter what, so I need to delay the point when I’m brought in.”

― “Then…”

― “You and Elias will have to do the work.”

How? I didn’t even have a plan. The moment I thought that, Narke laughed.

― “This is ridiculous.”

― “Haha.”

I discreetly moved my arms and fitted the restraints Narke had given me onto my limbs. It was about time I started controlling my mana perfectly enough to get past the barrier. I wondered if it was really all right to use a special item that only the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith could use to commit a crime, but since the prefect had given it to me, it should be fine. At least, that was what I had to tell myself.

And so, with absolutely no plan whatsoever, we arrived at the Caetani residence. And once we got there, we came up with one.

After passing Capitoline Hill and taking a turn, the Caetani residence came into view. Other mansions stood a short distance away to the north and east, facing the Caetani residence. There was no garden outside the mansion, while other residences stood directly against it to the south and west. According to Narke, there was a courtyard beyond the facade, and an arcade at the rear entrance that could also be used to enter the inner courtyard. The first floor contained a gallery, three halls, a chapel, guest rooms, a dining room, and two spare rooms. There was even an observatory on the roof. Not merely a laboratory, but an observatory—such a facility could only exist in a household with a serious interest in science. In front of the building was a small window leading down to the basement. I kept glancing between it and Elias warily.

Narke handed me an astronomy journal published by the society based in this residence, then quietly chatted with Elias. I quickly skimmed through the journal and closed it. This was hardly the time to be reading it.

“Those eaves are quite impressive, Father.”

Elias raised an eyebrow and pointed toward the mansion’s eaves in his deliberately casual tone. He prowled around in front of the residence like a lion stalking its prey.

Every time Elias singled out some part of the mansion, my heart started pounding. And I thought I had good reason. A little below the rooftop, the wall had eaves wide enough for a person to walk along. I quickly checked the entrances to the residences on the south and west sides of the building. Knowing Elias, he might suggest jumping from the neighboring rooftop onto the roof of the Caetani residence. He might even suggest starting in the neighboring basement and digging a tunnel. Elias spent quite some time studying the building before leading us into an alley.

“Father, Brother.”

“Yes?”

“We’re going into the house next door.”

I grabbed the back of my neck at the scenario I had just imagined. Damn it… He was going to either jump across the rooftops or dig a tunnel from the basement.

“Just kidding.”

Elias gave me a sly grin when he saw my expression. Narke tilted his head toward Elias with a smile. I stared at him half-lidded, relieved yet utterly dumbfounded, when Elias snapped his fingers. Then he snatched the journal from my hands.

“Why are you taking that?”

“I assume this is your plan, Brother. By now, I’ve come to know your particular habit of favoring safety while still being willing to take excessive risks at just the right moments.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. Elias’s sharp eyes gleamed as he continued.

“If an astronomical journal is being published, then naturally there must be an astronomical society here… And if there’s a society, that means professors and scholars must be coming and going from this mansion. We’re well-versed in astronomy ourselves, so wouldn’t it be nice to pay them a visit?”

It was an unexpected suggestion. Elias could actually use such a perfectly ordinary method? I met Narke’s eyes. He, too, was wearing a satisfied smile. I snatched the journal back from Elias and opened it to the back.

“All right. Then we can go visit the scholars whose addresses are listed here and—”

“No!”

What now? I narrowed my eyes and pulled my head back. Elias cupped a hand around my ear and whispered, “Luka. Tell me the planets starting with Mercury.”

“What? In order? Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune?”

“Good. Perfect.”

Perfect? A thought suddenly struck me. I grabbed Elias by the arm and shouted, “What’s perfect about that? Wait!”

I was too late. Before I could stop him, Elias hurried to the door and pounded his fist against the enormous iron gate.

“Is anyone home—!”

Translator Note

1. Matteo Ricci was an Italian Jesuit who served in the court of Ming dynasty China and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China missions. ↩︎