Chapter 488

Everything went smoothly.

Matteo Orsini gave me a pocket watch, and I didn’t hesitate to take it. I hung its gleaming gold chain where it was clearly visible against my waistcoat. I wasn’t going to stay in this outfit, but I would be wearing it again, so I figured I might as well put it in my pocket ahead of time.

This time, I had brought it up in the middle of an ordinary conversation, so there was no need to erase his memory. I had only used divine power to keep him from thinking too deeply about my demand for my salary in advance, so he should at least remember that he had given me the pocket watch.

As for where I was staying now… I’d been given a room on the top floor of the Orsini residence. It was about as large as my room in Anhalt, which was frankly ridiculous. When he tried to call for a servant to clean up the room, I used divine power to make him keep his mouth shut and stay quiet. Then I patted Matteo Orsini on the shoulder once he came to his senses.

“Well, isn’t it about time you returned to the church? You found what that heirloom mentioned, and this seems like the perfect time to get to work.”

Instead of answering, Matteo Orsini turned to look at me. I put on a surprised expression, as if I had only just realized something.

“Don’t tell me I’m supposed to come with you?”

“Of course. You’re my secretary.”

Right. Of course that’s how he’d answer. Get a grip, you idiot. Do I still look like your secretary to you? But I couldn’t say that out loud. I quickly waved a hand, looking bored already.

“I thought so. Let’s take our time. It’s my first day, so let me unpack a little. I’ll need to pick up my luggage from the hotel where I was staying, won’t I?”

“…Ah, right. Your luggage.”

There you go. Now you remember. I snorted and snapped my fingers right in front of his eyes. Matteo Orsini flinched in surprise, his shoulders twitching as he blinked. I clicked my tongue and looked him straight in the face.

“Try thinking for once.”

That makes twice I’ve said that today. The first time, I meant that my friends and Gabriele should all put our heads together and think things through quickly. This time, I was saying it because it was painfully obvious that his mind was somewhere else.

Even though I hadn’t planted any goodwill toward me with divine power, Matteo Orsini nodded without looking offended in the slightest. This kid had only just come of age, and he was already this far gone. I honestly wondered if he could keep living the life of a proper clergyman until he died.

“Before that, have a seat.”

I led him into my room and sat him down at the table before taking a seat myself. I leaned back in my chair, crossed my arms, and gave a casual shake of my head.

“I’d like to see a little more of Rome. Could you tell me about some places worth visiting? Three, perhaps.”

“Hmm, the Colosseum…”

“I’ve been there.”

“Then… the Pantheon.”

“Been there too.”

“Circus Maximus.”

I waved a hand. After going back and forth like a game of ping-pong for a while, Matteo, clearly worn out, narrowed his eyes and asked, “Then… the Forum Romanum?”

“I’ve heard of it, but I haven’t been there yet.”

“Ah.”

Since he had already given me two recommendations, that made this the third. Matteo Orsini smiled, looking relieved. When he took hold of my hand, I pulled it free with a shake.

“You probably won’t find much to see there. It’s just a ruin.”

“Well, of course you’d say that. It’s practically your neighborhood, Father.”

“Haha. Clergy do tend to come and go there quite often. It’s hardly a place for entertainment. There aren’t any special events, either. It’s just huge enough to make your legs hurt.”

“Hmm.”

I smiled at that and asked, “Why do clergy go there so often? It’s just a ruin.”

“I can’t tell you, but they have some special business there. Tourists can walk around the ruins, but they won’t be able to enter the temples. So if you were hoping to see inside, you should give up on that.”

“Why are there so many things I can’t see? I wanted to look around the Papal See too, but apparently that’s off-limits as well.”

“If you work as my secretary, you’ll be going there often enough. Once the lockdown is lifted, I’ll show you around.”

Matteo said it gently. Apparently, after brainwashing me with divine power and making me his secretary—at least, that was the situation he believed in—he felt perfectly at ease. I was almost impressed by how little guilt he seemed to feel. I smiled just as gently.

“Then can all clergy enter? If it’s a place that isn’t open to the public, I’m starting to really want to graduate from a seminary.”

“Not all clergy can enter. It’s more that certain clergy members are granted special clearance.”

“Ah. It must be tiring for the guard, picking and choosing who gets in one by one.”

“A guard? Hahaha! There’s no such thing. It’s just something like a mana barrier that keeps people out.”

“Oh, is that so?”

I raised the corners of my mouth and narrowed my eyes. Matteo Orsini did the same. I had already tainted the keywords surrounding the Forum Romanum in case someone went digging through my mind. From here on, it should be safe to use divine power again.

Time was of the essence.

The reason I’d deliberately steered the conversation toward the Forum Romanum was because, no matter how I looked at it, there was something bothering me about Matteo arriving in front of the Theater of Marcellus at exactly the right time. He should have been at his post, whether he was praying in the cathedral or giving a sermon. So what did it mean that, by sheer coincidence, Matteo had also found his way to where Narke was at precisely the moment we arrived in front of the Orsini residence by the Theater of Marcellus? Had the ‘heirloom’ told him the exact time as well, or did it have another function?

The reason I was thinking about this now was simple. It was the heirloom that had led Matteo Orsini to Narke, and, in the literal sense of the word, it was an object shared by the Roman Senate. That meant other mages besides Matteo Orsini could potentially use information obtained through the heirloom to come after us and interfere with what we were doing.

Of course, there was no guarantee that the heirloom would always show them a prophecy concerning us. If that were the case, the members of the Senate would have been camped out at the checkpoint to welcome Narke the moment we set foot in Rome. Still, I had personally confirmed through Matteo that the heirloom could foresee the near future. That much was certain. I needed to nip this problem in the bud. If someone happened to discover what I was planning through the heirloom, it would put me in a rather difficult position.

The priest who had spilled everything after only a little leading was now in my arms. I carried the completely unconscious Matteo Orsini toward the Senate, along with the wooden club I’d picked up off the street.

‘There will already be plenty of clergy coming and going there anyway,’ he’d said. Good. Wasn’t that my job?

After changing into the clothes I’d brought with me, I stood before the ruins of the Forum Romanum. I could almost smell the sand of antiquity from here. What did it feel like to go from a priest’s secretary to a cardinal…? Not much, really. It was just a bit nerve-wracking. What I was about to do was hardly an ordinary task.

I tilted my head, tapped the artifact against my shoulder, and neatly cast a soundproofing spell before speaking to Narke.

“Can you hear me?”

Where could Narke be?

Places protected by security magic, like a mansion, might allow you to leave freely, but getting in was another matter. Even if you could enter, the usual practice was to use a designated warp point—and, of course, it was customary and polite to leave through a warp point as well, unless there was some special reason not to.

So even if Narke had gone somewhere else, he probably wouldn’t have warped into the Orsini residence. Unless he had somehow tricked the security and simply walked in.

My resolve to avoid using divine power as much as possible had been completely ruined thanks to Matteo Orsini. At this point, Narke would have to use his authority as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to cleanly alter Matteo Orsini’s memories. Honestly, since I was going to use it anyway, Narke might as well use divine power too. It might seem like smashing a window with your fist just because there happens to be a crack in it, but when you need to get something done, isn’t it best to use whatever ability you have where it’s actually needed?

Even while I was rationalizing my use of divine power, Narke gave me no answer. Fair enough. I spoke again.

“You probably know what I’m about to do. You’re already reading me, after all.”

— […….]

“Can you at least tell me if it’s okay? I can’t just go ahead and do something without knowing anything.”

Still no answer. Or maybe going ahead without knowing anything really was the right thing to do. Just like Gabriele Caetani had said.

I infused my arm with mana and picked Matteo up with one arm. With my other hand, I opened the hip flask Elias had put in the bag. I took a sip of whiskey, then poured the rest into Matteo Orsini’s mouth. He made a choking sound as the liquid caught against his breath, but after I tilted his head back a little, he swallowed it without trouble. Even in his sleep, he was apparently trying not to die. He would remain asleep until I infused him with divine power.

Holding Matteo Orsini properly in my arms—I’d brought him along to use as a keycard—I stood in front of the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina.

According to Matteo Orsini’s testimony, there was a ‘family heirloom’ inside this building. And, surprisingly enough, he had a piece of it in his possession as well. More precisely, it was a miniature version of the heirloom, or perhaps a fragment of it.

That answered the question of how he had arrived at the park at exactly the right time. To put it simply, he had used two heirlooms. He had stopped by the temple in the morning, and afterward, he had used the fragment of the heirloom he possessed from time to time. That fragment was now in my hand.

Most of the important members of the Senate probably possessed heirlooms like this. And the control tower for those heirlooms was located here, at the Senate’s headquarters. As for why such an important object wasn’t under the Papal See, I assumed it was because doing so might infringe upon the Senate’s authority.

Naturally, and the real Roman Senate was probably the same, being a member didn’t mean they spent every waking hour sitting in a meeting room. The fake Roman Senate of this era took it a step further. Everyone had their own occupations, so they weren’t exactly camping out in the Forum Romanum. Besides, most of the place was ruins, with very few buildings still intact, so there wasn’t even anywhere to camp out in. That worked out nicely for me. I got to do a little sightseeing.

I took another step forward, only to let out a hollow laugh at the powerful mana spilling out from the temple entrance. Transparent streams of mana, like the tongues of snakes, were shooting out from the doorway as though they were about to swallow anyone standing in front of it. An ordinary mage wouldn’t even be able to approach, and even someone skilled would surely think twice before ignoring such a vicious warning and trying to force the door open.

I cast a soundproofing spell again and tapped the artifact by my ear.

“Eli. Are you done securing the warp point?”

— [Of course~! When are you coming?!]

“Wait a bit. What about you, Narke? It’d be nice if you could stay in the theater building.”

The Theater of Marcellus residence was practically defenseless, after all.

There was no answer. As if he wasn’t allowed to speak, or as if he simply hadn’t heard us, Narke gave us no response. Though, I suppose his silence itself was a response. Elias already knew Narke wasn’t answering us, but he still asked playfully.

— [Narke. Can I do this? Would you understand if I just said ‘this’?]

“What are you going to do?”

— [It’s pretty obvious we’re not getting out of here quietly. Let’s blow something up real good and head home.]

I frowned and shook my head as though Elias were standing right in front of me.

“No. Stop. I can handle it from here. Come out and, if you can get your hands on some servant’s clothes from there, put them on. And did you cover all the watches? Make sure they’re hidden naturally.”

— [Of course I did…]

“This isn’t the time to get discouraged.”

— [I’m not discouraged. Just tell me whenever. I brought some silk cords soaked in soybean oil, so give me somewhere to use them. I’ve also got some clay lumps that explode when you throw them.]

I thought my head was going to start hurting, so I only half-listened to him. And I couldn’t waste any more time. Even now, there would probably be someone seeing a prophecy, just like Matteo had earlier. It wouldn’t necessarily be about us, but…

I shoved Matteo inside as if throwing him in. It was pitch-black inside. There was a second floor, but it was built close to the top of the temple, with a large opening in the center that allowed me to look all the way up at the ceiling. In practice, it was more like a railing running all the way around the opening. It seemed to have been added sometime relatively recently, judging by how much brighter the materials were than the rest. There was a single light hanging from the high ceiling in the center. Like a pinlight, it illuminated the glass tube at the center.

Using Matteo Orsini as a shield, I pushed forward until I reached the glass tube. Inside was a statue of an angel painted a subtle bronze color. The little angel gazing up at the sky was embracing a round tower made of curved arches. I admired the delicately carved wings. As expected of the birthplace of the Renaissance. Anyone could tell that this was the heirloom.

I didn’t know how it was supposed to be used, but it was obviously an artifact. If I let some mana flow into it, I’d find out soon enough.

I was about to send my divine power into it, but something about that felt wrong, so instead I held out Matteo Orsini’s pocket watch, which contained his divine power. Since I couldn’t simply spill out the divine power sitting inside the artifact, I infused my own divine power into the artifact to give it a push. Matteo’s divine power reached the glass tube.

Before long, it entered the bottom of the tower and shot upward. Once it reached the top of the tower, the divine power was converted into mana and formed a shape I couldn’t decipher. I took the fragment of Matteo’s heirloom out of my pocket. Mana was flowing through the fragment as well.

Seeing this, it seemed that no matter where the divine power was inputted, the user’s prophecy was transmitted and displayed accordingly. With that thought, I threw Matteo Orsini to the floor and tightened my grip on the wooden club.

KRAAASH—! CLANG—!

— [What was that sound?! Luka?!]

“I’m fine.”

I severed the connection to the artifact. The aftermath of the wind brushing past my face sent my cape fluttering. A delighted smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. The thick glass tube had shattered, its pieces flying through the air. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gotten to swing a club like this.

I smashed the glass and swung the club once more at the statue inside. The marble statue broke far too easily—like I was striking a loaf of stale bread—and flew toward the other side. It hit the wall and shattered into pieces, then fell to the floor. I dragged the pieces over and ground them into powder.

When I pulled Matteo’s fragment out of my pocket, I saw to my surprise that it had cracked as well.

Good.

I’m sure this has caused quite a commotion all across Rome by now. It’s a shame I won’t get to see the looks on the Senate members’ faces. With the job done, I smiled and smoothed my hair back. The Senate would be rushing here soon, so it was time to change clothes, return to the Orsini residence, and raid the communication post and the head of the family’s room…

I raised my head at a presence that hadn’t been there before. Someone was now standing on the second-floor railing.

“You’re the one breaking it.”

Narke’s voice echoed through the temple.

Had he just warped here? Or had he used some other method? I was glad to see him again without anything having gone wrong, but this hardly seemed like the time to show it. As I quietly looked up at him, Narke continued.

“Even I never thought of breaking it.”

I had a feeling that when he said he had never thought of breaking it, he didn’t simply mean that he had resigned himself to it or obeyed without question. Rather, he had never felt the need to break it in the first place. Was what I had picked up from his tone actually the truth? Was this a decent insight?

Narke spoke calmly, lost in his memories.

“Gabriele once tried to break the statue with a club like the one you’re holding. He gave up because he couldn’t.”

Why?

“He managed to break the glass, but he couldn’t break what was inside. How about you, Lukas? Does it break easily?”

I knew perfectly well that when he said he couldn’t break it, he didn’t mean that he had simply failed to. I stayed silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Yeah. It breaks pretty easily.”

Narke smiled. Pointing at the marble that had been smashed into powder, he said calmly, “This is the Pythia of Delphi. Gabriele and I came up with that name for it when we were young.”