Chapter 538

Just then, another subordinate turned toward Oettingen and hurriedly spoke.

“Your Excellency, Sir Ernst is asking about the operation in the ‘capital.’ The operation there hasn’t begun yet. May I give him the route he should take?”

Nothing that had happened in Nuremberg had made it through to the press. The reporters who happened to be in Nuremberg might try to spread the news, but thanks to the temporary overhaul of Bavaria’s coordinate system, they could no longer warp back to their workplaces. The mail system had also been shut down so that nothing could be sent from the Nuremberg area to anywhere else.

Information control was a basic part of warfare.

Then did Pleroma know that something unusual had happened to the dioceses in Bavaria?

They had ordered the dioceses to be isolated and wiped out within three minutes so that Pleroma’s leadership would not learn what was happening in Bavaria. They had also taken away the tables they could use to send requests for reinforcements and blocked their movements.

The simplest way to confirm this was to ask the volunteer Narke Farnese. He said the ‘capital’ was exactly the same as it had been at 6:05.

In other words, Pleroma’s leadership knew nothing about what had happened in Bavaria.

When Narke Farnese checked whether the Pleroma forces from the three southern dioceses had perhaps tried to return to their original locations in Bavaria, he said they were still stationed at their respective dioceses connected to the capital.

That meant the three southern dioceses had installed new spatial magic in the Brandenburg region and placed the levers leading there in the ‘capital,’ just like the other dioceses. Since they were already in their new homes, they had no reason to return to their original strongholds in Bavaria today.

It was almost too easy.

Those monocles that Sir Ernst had requested to be developed had truly been invaluable in turning this operation into a victory.

No Pleroma member had ever expected an outsider to find the lever leading from a diocesan cathedral to the bishop’s office. No—they had never even imagined that an outsider could know such a lever existed.

Every ordinary person they brought into Pleroma’s world became a member of Pleroma, so there was no way information like that could leak out.

He had no idea how Sir Nikolaus Ernst had slowly uncovered all this valuable information, but today’s operation had been made possible because he had completely shattered Pleroma’s natural and deeply rooted assumption that such things were beyond the reach of outsiders.

And now, even after finishing his own mission, Sir Nikolaus Ernst was saying that he would enter the capital himself for the safety of Bavaria and the continent.

“I’ll inform him myself.”

Oettingen moved a pin on the strategy table and ran his finger along the side of the communication artifact.

“Lieutenant Colonel Ernst, can you hear me?”

— [I can hear you.]

For a moment, Oettingen felt a chill run down the back of his neck, and the corners of his mouth twitched downward.

Nikolaus Ernst’s voice was different from what he was used to hearing. Yet it would not be right to say that it sounded like someone else. It was more like the sound of wind coming from within something that was astonishingly empty, something that should have been there but was not.

Oettingen had expected him to be pleased at achieving something no one else in Bavaria had managed to accomplish. But Ernst had never been anything but composed.

It felt like only yesterday that, when he first enlisted in the Bavarian army, Oettingen had assumed he was merely putting his name down on a suitable list of officers, as any powerful noble mage would. Now, the middle-aged mage felt a deep trust in the hero of Bavaria, a person whose origins he could not even begin to fathom—wherever he had cultivated such abilities before coming to serve Bavaria.

And it was more than trust.

The very existence of Nikolaus Ernst had become an ark for Oettingen, for the mages in this strategy room, for the people of Bavaria, and now, beyond them, for the people of the continent.

Feeling as though he were becoming one with everyone around him, Oettingen spoke gently.

“Proceed to temporary coordinate system 133:289:480. There are several levers we have prepared there. Pull the third lever, and you will be transported to the ‘capital.’ You should know this capital well, since Your Excellency has personally been there. Once there, enter the building that leads to the Diocese of Regensburg. The building that leads to the Brandenburg region where the Diocese of Regensburg is based is located at the three o’clock position from the square. Do not bring the entire unit. Join up with the Catacombs mage alone.”

At five o’clock, Nikolaus Ernst had explained that buildings resembling consulates for each diocese were scattered throughout the ‘capital,’ with a lever for transportation in each one. This was how they could travel from the ‘capital’ to the three southern dioceses. Narke Farnese and the 4th Corps, who had already been dispatched to the ‘capital,’ had first located and reported the buildings that led to the three southern dioceses.

Nikolaus Ernst gave a brief acknowledgment.

His voice sounded like the wind again.

Oettingen found himself puzzled by it once more, if only for a moment.

In any case, everyone currently waiting in the capital was disguised as clergy, with cognitive distortion magic placed over their faces through the power of the volunteer Narke Farnese. The people currently at the scene in Nuremberg were not disguised as clergy, so they could not be taken along.

The square of Pleroma that they arbitrarily call the ‘capital’ lies outside Bavaria, which means they cannot rely on any support from Bavaria there. So rather than trying to fight the Dioceses of Regensburg, Passau, and Augsburg head-on, their goal should be to sweep them away in one blow and withdraw. Instead of attacking the bishops first, the priority is to round up and send away as many of the believers and clergy there as possible. They all know that. Even so, if an opportunity presents itself, the best course is to strike immediately and eliminate them.

Then several voices overlapped.

— [Your Majesty, this is the 2nd Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment reporting. At 6:22 PM on April 15, we have killed the Bishop of Eichstätt.]

It was the Crown Prince.

While the operation to kill the Bishop of Würzburg, which had deployed one hundred and fifty men, was still ongoing, he had succeeded in killing the Bishop of Eichstätt just one minute after Nikolaus Ernst.

And he had done it with barely thirty men.

He did not possess divine power on the level of Nikolaus Ernst, nor did he have as many mages accompanying him, yet he had managed to eliminate a bishop in nearly the same amount of time. It was astonishing.

Just as Oettingen’s face began to brighten, a calm, heavy voice came through.

— [Inform me of Nikolaus Ernst’s location.]

Somewhat surprisingly, there was no follow-up report that the operation was complete.

Why did he want Nikolaus Ernst’s location? Did he intend to join him?

The Crown Prince’s assigned operation was over now, yet it seemed he intended to continue attacking Pleroma for as long as his strength held out. He must have wanted to annihilate all seven dioceses by whatever means necessary.

For the sake of every Bavarian, and for the safety of the continent.

Oettingen answered courteously.

“Your Highness, I am pleased to report that we have successfully completed the operation to kill the Bishops of Bamberg and Eichstätt. The acting commander of the 10th Infantry Brigade is currently moving to the Diocese of Regensburg through the ‘capital.’”

There was a brief silence.

Then nothing but static.

“Your Highness?”

— [Very well. I am going to the Diocese of Augsburg.]

“Will you not join Acting Brigade Commander Ernst?”

— [I know where we should meet.]

“Wait. If you intend to meet Sir Ernst during the operation, you should report it to us—”

The line had already gone silent.

Oettingen clicked his tongue. Moving the artifact pin on the strategy table, he reported the situation to His Majesty.

One of the subordinates seated beside Oettingen spoke with an exhilarated expression.

“We’ve just succeeded in killing the Bishop of Würzburg, Your Excellency! The Bamberg ecclesiastical province has now been completely annihilated. This is the first complete destruction of an entire ecclesiastical province in history!”

Oettingen’s mouth finally stretched into a broad smile. He laughed with confidence, raised his hand, and gave a loud round of applause.

The attack on the ‘capital’ was extremely important, but it was not their primary objective. The greatest goal of Operation Maria was to annihilate the four northern dioceses of Bavaria—in other words, the Bamberg ecclesiastical district.

Their first priority had been to wipe out the Pleroma forces entrenched in Bavaria. That meant they had already made it more than halfway.

Before the operation against the capital could begin, they finally had a moment to catch their breath. One of Oettingen’s subordinates, the person assigned to report on Nikolaus Ernst’s status, spoke up.

“Your Excellency, I honestly don’t understand how Sir Nikolaus Ernst managed to do this.”

The subordinate was clearly baffled, yet he was grinning from ear to ear, unable to contain his joy.

Everyone in the strategy room had been focused on the Archdiocese of Bamberg and Nikolaus Ernst, the two key elements of this operation. The atmosphere here had gradually become more resolute, as though everyone had been swept up in the glory of their homeland.

Oettingen tilted his head, asking what he meant.

“The Archbishop of Bamberg was using his Special Ability to disrupt the 10th Infantry Brigade and western Nuremberg. People were simply walking out on their own to go kill themselves. Sir Ernst’s divine power had been continually flowing through the area, which helped lessen its effects, but we remained locked in a stalemate.”

Come to think of it, that was true.

The fact that the brigade currently led by Sir Ernst was still in northwestern Nuremberg was proof enough. Forty-odd people struggling against a single individual hardly seemed like a favorable exchange, but against a Pleroma bishop who wielded vitriol, the kingdom’s mages using mana had to fight at roughly that ratio if they wanted even a chance of winning.

In cases like the Diocese of Speyer and the Diocese of Würzburg, they had deployed more than a hundred mages against a single bishop, making it virtually impossible for them not to kill their target.

They had needed to overwhelm the bishops with sheer numbers because time was of the essence. But in this case, deploying too many mages could actually become inefficient, which made strategy all the more important.

The King was directing that strategy, but Nikolaus Ernst deserved a great deal of the credit as well.

If a well-designed plan and more than a hundred mages could kill a bishop quickly, then killing one with only forty-odd mages in such a short period of time had to be extraordinarily difficult.

No matter how much they had trusted a giant like Nikolaus Ernst and distributed their forces accordingly, and no matter that such a great figure had personally entered the battlefield and seized victory…

The subordinate tried to keep his excitement in check and speak calmly.

“But not long after the announcement ended, His Excellency ignored the entire plan, found the Archbishop’s location on his own, and eliminated him. He couldn’t even communicate with his own men. It was as though he couldn’t hear a single sound from us or from the Archbishop of Bamberg. And yet he still won. Of course, he was inside the bishop’s spatial magic for a brief moment, but Sir Ernst got out in less than a minute. How was that even possible? He himself said that we couldn’t easily overcome the Archbishop of Bamberg’s Special Ability.”

Even after watching the whole thing, I still can’t figure out how exactly he managed to win. The subordinate finished speaking in awe.

What was there to ask? Oettingen answered solemnly.

“It was simply something that was difficult for us but very easy for him.”

Amazingly, he accomplished with such ease what they could not do at all.

How could someone of such ability have simply fallen into Bavaria’s lap? How could they have been so fortunate? And how had His Highness the Crown Prince been the first to recognize such a person and bring him to Bavaria?

All Oettingen wanted was for him to defeat Pleroma and ensure that they would never again utter such blasphemous nonsense.

The disgust and fear he had felt upon hearing the utterly shocking idea that the child who drank blood was the Anointed One vanished as though it had been washed away whenever he thought of Nikolaus Ernst.

It felt as though his vast divine power, which embraced countless forms of good and sternly kept countless evils in check, had taken root throughout Bavaria.

Otherwise, how could Oettingen and his men have regained such complete composure?

“There’s no need to say anything more. It’s Sir Nikolaus Ernst, after all.”

Oettingen turned to the Kingdom Army mages seated around him and spoke proudly.

“We have no reason to envy Prussia for having Adrian Askanien. Prussia feared its own homegrown talent becoming too powerful and sent Adrian Askanien abroad. But Bavaria will never let go of a talent once we have him, nor will we leave such a valuable asset idle as Prussia did. His Majesty the King, His Highness the Crown Prince, and Sir Nikolaus Ernst are the perfect king-and-prime minister combination. They are the very people who can make Bavaria a better place to live than anywhere else, and a country more honorable, peaceful, and prosperous than any other.”

Just then, Nikolaus Ernst’s voice came through.

— [Are all personnel assigned to the operation to eliminate the three southern dioceses currently in the buildings leading to their respective dioceses?]

Everyone is in the capital? Of course they are… Oettingen looked at the situation feed coming through the mirror artifact mounted on Nikolaus Ernst’s shoulder.

Nikolaus Ernst was walking around with a high-ranking Pleroma cleric—or someone presumed to be one—rendered unconscious, his hand gripping the back of their neck.

What was he planning to do while making himself that conspicuous?

Oettingen felt a sense of unease. Then, remembering the report he had received around 6:05, he answered.

“Yes, that’s right. Have you arrived at the Diocese of Regensburg?”

— [Rothenburg–Stuttgart. All dioceses, begin the operation.]

KABOOM—

Oettingen’s eyes widened at the deafening blast.

The moment he understood what was happening, he shouted across the strategy room.

“Everyone in the ‘capital,’ begin the operation—!”

The same order was hurriedly relayed throughout the room.

Oettingen immediately contacted Catacombs headquarters.

“The attack on the capital has begun. His Excellency Nikolaus Ernst has launched a surprise attack on the Diocese of Rothenburg–Stuttgart in the Kingdom of Württemberg. The Catacombs mage Neumann should have sent them to the Catacombs–Bavaria Middle Realm, so deal with them immediately!”

The Catacombs–Bavaria Middle Realm was a type of Catacombs—a powerful, sturdy spatial magic like their own dwelling, with a coordinate system that allowed Bavarian mages to enter and leave.

The Catacombs mages had been sending Pleroma members there one group at a time throughout the operation. Moving Pleroma members from this space to another or fighting them there was the Royal Army’s responsibility, but it was much safer when a powerful divine power mage like His Excellency Nikolaus Ernst was present, since he could put all the Pleroma members to sleep before sending them through.

The problem arose in areas where they had to rely more heavily on the Catacombs mages’ spatial magic because the divine power mage assigned to them was weaker. So far, however, there had been no major problems.

His Majesty the King had assigned everyone wisely, taking their individual strengths into account.

This attack on the capital was different from the operation that had annihilated the four northern dioceses of Bavaria. They would not destroy every coordinate system connected to those dioceses.

The objective was to seize and eliminate as many people as possible in the shortest time.

The reason was simple: if even a few people remained behind in each diocese’s cathedral or square and realized what was happening, they could report it to other dioceses and the Pleroma leadership.

Therefore, this operation had a five-minute window.

“His Excellency Nikolaus Ernst has put the Dioceses of Köln and Trier to sleep in succession!”

“He’s moved to the Diocese of Erfurt!”

The mages shouted as they identified his location from the cathedrals shown in the footage.

Without making a single report, His Excellency Nikolaus Ernst grabbed the hand of the dazed high-ranking Pleroma cleric and urged him to use warp magic.

And so he moved on, leading only the Catacombs battle mages.

KABOOOM—… CLANG—!

The sound of a staff striking down without an incantation rang out, followed by the clash of swords.

Oettingen’s eyes widened, and he turned toward the status board displaying the live footage. Several bishops and monsignors had not been put to sleep by Nikolaus Ernst’s divine power. Their vitriol tore through the air, only to go out abruptly.

The Pleroma members were dropping easily at his hands, as though none of them could refuse his demands. Some died. Others simply collapsed unconscious.

How?

Only then did Oettingen begin to feel afraid as he watched this impossible scene unfold.

Nikolaus Ernst’s hollow voice replayed in his mind.

Right now, Nikolaus Ernst was charging forward as though he had been optimized for nothing but wiping out his opponents, his eyes fixed solely on that goal.

Only then did Oettingen realize it.

No matter how capable Nikolaus Ernst was, there was no way he could deal with variables this easily.

Something was wrong…

No. He was worrying too much.

From beginning to end, the key to today’s operation had been ‘surprise,’ and there was nothing like a surprise attack. With their intelligence and new technology added to the equation, they had no choice but to be caught completely off guard.

Sir Nikolaus Ernst had simply been able to put everyone to sleep through the surprise attack. Since he had conserved his strength that way, of course he would have an easier time dealing with unexpected variables.

And who was he dealing with here? Sir Ernst, of all people!

He must have used the spell without reciting the incantation. Somehow, he had managed it.

Sir Ernst was racing toward victory, and they could not stop him.

The fear and concern Oettingen felt toward Nikolaus Ernst quickly turned into a sense that victory was within reach.

Oettingen swallowed.

“Wait. Is there even enough room in the Middle Realm?!”

“We’re moving them as quickly as possible on our end. But that’s where the problem comes in, Your Excellency. The interrogation rooms in Bavaria. We never planned to attack dioceses outside Bavaria, so they’re going to exceed our capacity soon. What should we do?!”

“The schools! Put them in the schools. Tell them to temporarily stop bringing people out of the Middle Realm until we can obtain the temporary warp coordinates for the schools that are closed today!”

The schools were closed today for Easter.

It would be unfortunate for any children who happened to be inside one of the schools despite the closure, but every other location was even more problematic precisely because it was a holiday. There were people who still worked on Easter, and they could not use sleeping drugs out in the fields.

Oettingen immediately shouted, “Sleeping drugs! Once they’ve been gathered into the schools, immediately disperse the mana-based sleeping drug Sir Ernst created. If we’re out of stock, use narcotics to put them to sleep!”

They cannot let this opportunity slip away.

They cannot let this moment pass, not when Sir Nikolaus Ernst is sweeping away every Pleroma-affiliated person across the entire region. War with Pleroma has already been declared. Therefore, inflicting the greatest possible damage whenever the opportunity arises is both in the national interest and essential to their security.

Even if they do not go as far as their archives, removing every person from the place where they stand is no different from tearing out the roots. It means cutting off the life of a diocese.

Trier. Münster. Limburg.

Nikolaus Ernst sends the cathedral and the square outside it away together as one.

It takes him less than thirty seconds to deal with a diocese.

He throws down an artifact containing a sleeping drug, prepares a sleep spell, puts the clergy inside the cathedral to sleep first, then deals with the square outside.

The view transmitted through Nikolaus Ernst’s mirror is swift yet restrained. Like a machine, he turns only toward where he needs to be and performs only the actions he needs to perform.

He does not recite an incantation unless he is facing someone his magic cannot affect.

Oettingen felt an inexplicable fear and a sense of something deeply alien, yet at the same time, he could feel his heartbeat growing faster.

As he watched this impossible spectacle unfold, it became harder and harder to remember that this was real.

In other words, right now, their Kingdom of Bavaria was—

Even as his breathing quickened and his vision began to blur white, reports continued to pour into the strategy room.

“The Diocese of Magdeburg has been isolated!”

“This time, it’s the Diocese of Fulda, Your Excellency!”

— […Reporting. At 6:29 PM on April 15, we have successfully annihilated the Diocese of Regensburg…]

Now reports were also coming in from the three southern dioceses.

If a diocese had been completely annihilated, that meant they had destroyed the coordinate systems themselves, including the archives, residential areas, and other locations.

Without even knowing where he was or what he was doing, Oettingen frantically drove artifact pins into the map according to whatever reports reached him.

Then, suddenly, a low, chilling voice pierced his ears.

— [We will return after finishing the Archdiocese of Paderborn.]

Oettingen raised his head.

Everyone watching the status board had their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open, all of them staring at Oettingen.

Slowly, Oettingen looked down at his own hands.

The red dots that had initially illuminated only the territory of Bavaria were now shining across Germany.

Dots scattered indiscriminately across east and west, south and north, burned like flames where they had been placed.

Tick.

He heard the sound of the minute hand moving, heavy and impossibly heavy.

6:30 PM.

By then, they had destroyed seven dioceses in Bavaria and eleven more outside Bavaria.