Chapter 526

Janina Schweitzer gave Chairman Dracher a signal, and Antje Dracher nodded before raising her hand, palm open as though taking an oath.

“We request a ten-minute recess.”

“Granted. We will reconvene in ten minutes.”

After those words, not even the slightest sound came from the Crown Prince’s side of the table. The seats occupied by the Royal Family and the Catacombs were obscured from one another by a wall of pitch-black mana.

It wasn’t over. It was only beginning.

For Janina Schweitzer, this was merely the point at which they could finally begin on equal footing.

She had spent all this time wary of the hereditary successor to the throne because of his influence, while looking down on his abilities. Now she had to determine whether this heir apparent had truly made use of his seventeen years and fulfilled his duties—or, put another way, whether, if the monarchy and his family were suddenly erased from history, he would still have the ability to be elected under a representative democracy, even if only as the lesser alternative. Had he cultivated the qualifications of a politician well enough to govern without falling short in his duties while still maintaining his rule?

Only after judging that could Janina Schweitzer finally be prepared to treat the Crown Prince as both a politician and a future ruler.

Everything up to this point had merely been groundwork.

Even so, one thing had to be made clear: unless they could enter the Crown Prince’s mind and come back out again, there was no way to know what he truly thought—and they did not dwell on it.

The first reason they could not know was simple. He would never compromise the dignity of the Kingdom of Bavaria in a place like this.

What did that mean?

Whatever the Crown Prince might think in private—even if he felt affection for the Catacombs as comrades of his time, rebelled against his own privileged position, and supported, pitied, or felt responsible for them—he would not turn his government into something Janina Schweitzer could easily manipulate.

Nor would he allow it to become one.

Therefore, so long as the Crown Prince was here not as some soft-hearted student but as Bavaria’s representative, they, as the negotiating party, could never know his true feelings, no matter what.

If the Crown Prince had passionately proclaimed his own ethics and moral convictions as a well-intentioned young man determined—as Sir Marian Baum had argued—to settle the rights that had been left unresolved, Janina Schweitzer would not have considered him worth negotiating with if he were merely a fool who confused personal feelings with responsibility.

What if they could know?

If she could know that, then there would be no need to hesitate. The Catacombs would immediately devour Bavaria and begin preparations to establish an oligarchy. At least, that was what Janina Schweitzer intended to do.

She felt no sense of solidarity with the non-mage commoners. On the contrary, precisely because she recognized the people’s intelligence and power, she regarded them as major accomplices, comparable to the pro-Prussian state itself. To Janina Schweitzer, the non-mage commoners who had aided and abetted the massacre were not a factor worth considering.

Each individual among the 98 percent of non-mage commoners was powerless, but together, through their overwhelming numbers, they could have stopped the German government. Yet they had not. Instead, intoxicated by national growth or simply immersed in thoughtlessness, they had supported a Germany led by Prussia, and as a result, had continued to enable the massacre of the Catacombs to this day.

Schweitzer knew that such thoughts and conclusions were themselves deserving of condemnation. At the same time, she believed that if the citizens had been awake enough to condemn her so fiercely, then the non-mage commoners who remained indifferent to the issues at hand should have been strongly condemned long before things reached this point. Civil society should have stopped Prussia’s despotic tyranny hiding behind the guise of constitutional government.

As Friedrich II of Prussia, the enlightened monarch, had said, a monarch was the foremost servant of the state. No matter how hegemonic Prussia was, it understood the importance of the people well enough to lay down its ‘absolutism,’ at least on the surface, and bow before them.

If the citizens had united and taken action, things would not have reached the extreme they had today.

Had that happened, Janina Schweitzer would not have had to watch her fellow citizens be justly executed in accordance with the spirit of the Constitution, nor would she have had to be driven from German soil.

Therefore, whether an oligarchy was desirable or not meant little to Janina Schweitzer, who cared only about the liberation of the Catacombs. Although Schweitzer believed that the logic of power ultimately drove people toward ruin, she also believed it was partly justified when used to eliminate the oppressed under a state of oppression. Something could be wrong in the long term and still be right as a beginning.

In Janina Schweitzer’s view, that was precisely the role of a politician and a ruler.

Now and in the future, they must work for the prosperity and strength of the country they belong to above all else, so that unjust deaths and discrimination can be prevented. When it is time to expand, they must expand without hesitation. When it is time to lie low, they must lie low without hesitation. When it is time to retreat, they must retreat without hesitation. When they must reveal themselves, they must reveal themselves. When they must remain hidden, they must remain hidden.

That was why, if Bavaria proved to be a weak and soft state, Janina Schweitzer would swallow it whole and reshape it for the sake of the Catacombs.

And for the same reason, Leonard Wittelsbach was respecting the Catacombs here while refusing to tolerate any disrespect toward himself.

Janina Schweitzer had begun to enjoy this game of chess with the politician across from her.

Then how could they allow the negotiations to proceed without knowing Leonard Wittelsbach’s true feelings? That was precisely the point: in a political negotiation, it was impossible to know someone’s true feelings in the first place. What could be learned from the Crown Prince’s preparations was Bavaria’s position toward the outside world, and in politics, that outward position was what mattered.

At the most extreme, it was no different from Janina Schweitzer, who was even prepared to establish an oligarchy, suppressing her own intentions and taking part in moderate, peaceful negotiations in a measured manner. Now that they had confirmed that they recognized each other as political equals, the next step was necessary.

Ten people meant ten different sets of values, and ten different standards by which to judge things. If Leonard had won over Janina Schweitzer, there was no way he had failed to win over the others as well. But at the very least, the Crown Prince still had to meet Schweitzer’s next expectation.

Schweitzer was waiting for him to prove himself.

“How do you find it?”

Chairman Dracher looked around the Catacombs leadership with a solemn yet graceful smile. They were somewhat dazed, their eyes and cheeks filled with hope, partly intoxicated by the potential and explosive force of the powerful slogan Leonard had presented: that they would become members of the Sixth Coalition and write a Trachenberg Plan together—a metaphor no intellectual of their time could possibly fail to understand.

Janina Schweitzer was not particularly pleased with the state of mind her fellow Catacombs leaders were in, but this reaction was clear evidence of how suitable Leonard Wittelsbach had been as a leader.

Above all, those who needed to be logical did not use metaphors. But those who needed to captivate above all else did.

Janina Schweitzer knew this well. She decided that she needed to keep the Catacombs leadership from becoming too intoxicated by such powerful language, yet she found the scene interesting in its own way.

The meeting that had begun with such intense disregard and contempt was now moving toward an acknowledgment that perhaps this rising politician was worth taking by the hand, at least once.

“I believe it is worth resuming.”

Chairman Dracher spoke first, breaking the silence.

The gazes of the other leaders then shifted to Janina Schweitzer. They wanted to hear the decisions of their two leaders, and they were fully prepared to follow them.

What else could the answer be?

Janina Schweitzer nodded.

“I agree. But does anyone here oppose resuming the meeting?”

Not one of the chairpersons of the various standing committees spoke.

Janina Schweitzer did not think they had failed to anticipate what would come next. Even so, as their leader, she made the point clear to them once more.

“Now it is time to begin drafting the actual terms of our agreement. We will discuss how much assistance we can provide, how we can protect our unique technology, and how much influence we can exercise over each operation.”

The chairman of the Catacombs Defense Committee spoke in surprise.

“Are you saying that, ultimately, you intend to negotiate operational command of the operation to eliminate Pleroma?”

Janina Schweitzer looked at them as though the question were obvious.

“That is our right. Just as His Highness said he had ‘summoned the generals to demonstrate the protocol of the Trachenberg Plan in person,’ we have earned the right to participate in operational meetings at the level of the Kingdom Army’s generals. And in my judgment, that is only proper. However, we have no intention of simply falling in line without any pride of our own. Once the agreement is signed, it also means fully revealing our identities. And just because we are resuming the meeting now does not mean we have to sign the agreement, so do not let yourselves be swayed. Let each department make its own judgment and give its opinion.”

After a brief pause, the replies came through under soundproofing magic.

“No objections.”

“We wish to resume.”

Chairman Dracher met Janina Schweitzer’s eyes and communicated with her through a brief exchange of glances.

“Good. Unanimous, then.”

Leonard Wittelsbach stood at attention, staring straight ahead. The moment the black barrier went up, he moved his head in response to the signal.

In a place where he could not so much as blink or lower his gaze, he could not afford to act carelessly. It was not difficult for the Crown Prince. And yet, he found himself newly aware of this composure so deeply ingrained in his body, as though seeing it for the first time.

The attempt itself suddenly became something unexpected. Everything began moving as it had originally been meant to.

Leonard, who had been staring at the dust beneath the armored carriage and the grass stained with blood, turned his head forward, carrying that image with him.

Chairman Janina Schweitzer now resembled the seasoned politicians he had faced in the Bavarian Senate. The difference was that the Catacombs were not treating the Crown Prince with the deference due to his position. Instead, they were judging whether he was someone capable of standing against them as an equal.

The Crown Prince could not help but realize that this was, in effect, functioning less like domestic politics and more like foreign affairs. And yet it was still domestic politics. He understood that he was caught in a greater turmoil than ever before.

In an evaluation that had begun at negative infinity, Leonard Wittelsbach knew that he had finally reached zero.

And he neither resented nor welcomed this strange sensation he had felt in the air around him. He did not swallow nervously, let out a tense sigh, furrow his brow, or rejoice in relief.

Likewise, maintaining his composure was not difficult. And because of that, the Crown Prince felt an unexpected emotion.

Then that unexpected emotion itself became something unexpected.

He was simply aware of one thing: that he would be used for Bavaria, and that he could do his best to fulfill that purpose.

The officers of the Kingdom Army, who served both as the Crown Prince’s retainers and as Colonel Wittelsbach’s superiors, waited for his orders. The Crown Prince, a colonel who stood in a position where he was expected to receive orders from them, was reminded at every moment that his birthright placed him above them in authority. And it had to end there.

The Crown Prince’s adjutant, who had been standing behind them, carefully approached and spoke.

“His Excellency Minister without Portfolio Nikolaus Ernst has returned. He is scheduled to have an audience with His Majesty before proceeding to the Kingdom Army barracks.”

The Crown Prince nodded. Then he asked for the information he needed most at that moment.

“What about Baden?”

“They have not contacted us separately yet. I will instruct the Intelligence Bureau to assess their movements and submit a report.”

The Crown Prince acknowledged this with a glance, dismissed his adjutant, and turned to the officers.

“From this point on, the Catacombs will discuss the composition of the forces for this operation. Whether they will be incorporated into the Bavarian Army or whether we will form an allied force. I expect this to be a matter that will sharply divide opinions even within the Catacombs.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Both options have considerations for either side, but the Catacombs will prefer forming an allied force rather than being incorporated into the Bavarian Army. And from Bavaria’s standpoint, our decisive position is that it makes no difference.”

First, from Bavaria’s perspective, incorporating the Catacombs into the Bavarian Army would give us strong control over them and strengthen our ability to stand against Prussia, but we would also face a greater risk of information leakage than if we formed an allied force. If they join an allied force instead, the possibility of the Catacombs breaking away becomes greater. At the same time, this could become an opportunity for the Catacombs to turn this situation into a foundation for establishing an independent national status. In the short term, on a personal level, that would be welcome. Politically, however, in the long term, it is unlikely to lead anywhere positive.

From the Catacombs’ perspective, being incorporated into the Bavarian Army would raise the issue of their autonomy, but it would give them an advantage in gaining access to information held by the Bavarian Army. However, independence offers them a greater advantage, so they are naturally inclined to consider an allied-force structure.

The problem here is the possibility of the Catacombs breaking away—in other words, the possibility of changing alliances. Where does that possibility originate?

Before discussing its roots, there are two reasons why the possibility of defection must be considered significant. First, they are by no means weak in terms of their capabilities. On the contrary, they are powerful. Therefore, there is a considerable possibility that outside forces could try to win them over.

Second, the Catacombs had joined hands with Pleroma before. It had been almost entirely the result of Chairman Eberhardt’s unilateral decision, but the situation was no different now. Chairman Janina Schweitzer, who held a position similar to Chairman Eberhardt’s, had taken one of the two co-chair positions. Even setting that aside, it was common for any group to abandon an existing partner and cooperate with another when a more advantageous partner appeared. It was true that their interests had to be guaranteed to prevent them from defecting, but there still had to be a line that could not be crossed.

Protecting the Catacombs’ human rights was something to be accomplished after breaking Prussia’s influence, so it was not a consideration for now. That was something that would be achieved during King Hildegard’s reign, regardless of how things turned out. Until Hildegard Wittelsbach abdicated the throne in favor of his Crown Prince, the Crown Prince had sworn to accomplish this goal before his accession. He had to. But when negotiating with the Catacombs as a political force now, their strength had to be taken into account.

“The greatest problem here is the Grand Duchy of Baden, which may potentially join the same coalition.”

At the Crown Prince’s words, the officers slowly nodded. There were those who disagreed with the Crown Prince and argued that the Catacombs should be incorporated into the Bavarian Army, but fundamentally, they opposed the coalition because they were concerned about a Baden–Catacombs alliance. Leonard continued, weighing the possibilities.

“The Papal See is not part of Germany and has shown ambitions of absorbing the Catacombs, so it ranks low from the Catacombs’ perspective. The Grand Duchy of Baden, however, is a federation within the same German Empire and currently follows an anti-Prussian, pro-Bavarian line. It cannot match the Kingdom of Bavaria in any field, but it is still a power with considerable economic and military strength of its own.”

At present, the Grand Duchy of Baden was not closely connected to the operation to eliminate Pleroma. The Crown Prince had explained the outline of the operation to Hereditary Grand Duke Julia Zähringen, and it had only been sent to Baden a couple of hours ago.

From Bavaria’s perspective, the Grand Duchy of Baden was a good partner to join forces with. Its only Pleroma diocese, the Archdiocese of Freiburg, had already been annihilated, leaving relatively few remnants of Pleroma, so Bavaria could make use of Baden’s strength. If a Pleroma diocese had remained in its territory, however, Baden would have begun eliminating individual dioceses as soon as it obtained the information, creating the possibility that the initiative in the operation would shift to them.

But Baden had no Pleroma left to eliminate, so it had no card to play in order to seize the initiative. Ultimately, Baden had only one choice. By cooperating with Bavaria’s operation to eliminate Pleroma, it could secure an influential position at a pivotal moment when German hegemony was being reestablished. And Baden would not miss the opportunity. It would reach out to the Catacombs, who were in a similar position in terms of power, strengthen its own national power through them, and prepare to stand against Bavaria.

“We will prevent a shift in the balance of power caused by an alliance between two forces with great potential for growth.”

The Crown Prince met the eyes of his officers and spoke slowly and without hesitation.

“Whether the Catacombs are incorporated into the Bavarian Army or join as part of an allied force, we will ultimately need to come into conflict with the Grand Duchy of Baden. Therefore, there is no need to request Baden’s support for this operation. I have given Julia Zähringen permission to contact his homeland, so if they determine that Bavaria has a strong chance of prevailing in the international situation surrounding Pleroma and Prussia, they will contact us first.”

The officers briefly lowered their heads in agreement before raising them again. The Crown Prince then finished his instructions.

“And here, let us propose the formation of an allied force with the Catacombs, while making sure to address the issue of the balance of power.”

Translator Note

Today, October 18, is our dear Luka and Luise’s birthday! 🎂🎉 Happy birthday to them!!

I couldn’t let this special day pass without celebrating them, so I’ve prepared ten bonus chapters as a little gift for everyone! I hope you enjoy the bonus chapters, and please join me in wishing Luka and Luise a very happy birthday! They deserve all the love in the world! 🥹🩷