Chapter 565

“I have been looking around for him, but I haven’t seen him. The two members of the ruling house are from the south, so they didn’t come. But that Junker and the seminarian are here, so you would think he might show up too, wouldn’t you?”

Heike, huh. I forced my stiff tongue to move.

Lafayette was studying the makeup of our association’s delegation with an unremarkable expression. Where he looked, Ulrike and Narke were standing. The members of the multinational team Ulrike had been leading were scattered throughout the banquet hall, but the team of mages, now with a few more Italians mixed in, still stood out around Narke. And, of course, no matter where you looked, Heike was nowhere to be found. He was a Junker, so you’d expect him to be here. The question was, why wasn’t he?

I didn’t appreciate the question. To explain what had happened to Heike, I’d have to go back to Einsiedel, the Bishop of Osnabrück. And if I traced the reasons behind Einsiedel’s actions back to their source, I’d eventually arrive at Pleroma. I was somewhere in that chain, too…

Einsiedel had joined forces with Terminus Eukairia to eliminate Pleroma. At the same time, he wanted to reduce his dependence on them, anticipating that Terminus Eukairia might eventually cross the line. No, before that, he’d used the tempering he’d obtained through his cooperation with Terminus Eukairia to put Heike to sleep.

I looked at Esperanza Lafayette, who was struggling to lift his long eyelashes. He was a mage from Académie Puissance, an academy run by Terminus Eukairia. Even though he had nothing to do with what had happened, everything connected to it left a bad taste in my mouth. If not quite making me wary, at least.

That was why my teammates never brought up Heike, the difficult situations they’d faced in the past, or their memories of all the hardships they’d endured. Everything was connected, reaching deep into the back of the mind. It left everyone silent.

There was no reason to stay frozen in place. I had no reason to dislike Esperanza Lafayette simply because he was unknowingly serving the interests of Terminus Eukairia’s France, and I didn’t dislike him. If I let every little discomfort stirred up by a question from a ‘French official’ show on my face, I’d be no different from Mecklenburg, who flew into a rage whenever he saw a French.

Lafayette believed that Académie Puissance had the Imperial Family’s and the government’s support. He had no idea that some cult had been feeding on the brains of his own imperial family.

I looked at Lafayette, who was smiling amiably, and returned his smile with one of my own. Then I changed the subject.

“At least I am here, aren’t I? It is good to see you.”

“Yes, it is good to see you. I know everything that has happened recently. It must have been quite a blow.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I haven’t taken it too hard. Pleroma’s actions have always defied common sense.”

“So the German subjects were merely being manipulated?”

Lafayette asked, the muscles around his eyes lifting slightly. He had easily caught the meaning behind my indirect remark. I answered with nothing but an upturned corner of my mouth, then asked in turn, “How about the top student of the high school division?”

“Hmm…”

Antonie Gramont. He was the one who’d wanted to test his skills against me during the Pentathlon.

Lafayette gave me an inscrutable smile, glanced around, and changed the subject.

“This Riesling is delicious. It is well known in France, too. Sekt must come in different grades, I imagine. This seems to be a high-quality wine.”

“Of course. We couldn’t afford to be careless when it came to entertaining our guests, could we?”

“Normally, I suppose champagne would be served here instead?”

“Indeed. You know your wines.”

Lafayette smiled so conventionally that it was impossible to tell whether he was displeased or not. He took another sip of Riesling for no particular reason, then spoke in a cheerful tone.

“I have seen firsthand how united the Germans can be. Still, this is a matter between governments. Why should private citizens get involved?”

He was talking about the boycott of French imports. Perhaps Lafayette was using this remark to sound me out, to see if I’d admit that the German government was, in fact, behind the boycott.

“A matter between governments, you say? That certainly explains why France is still an empire.”

I had no intention of giving him the answer he wanted, so I picked at the surface of his remark instead. Lafayette’s smile tightened.

In the history of the world I came from, the French took immense pride in having won their republic through the power of the people. Much as the British of this era prided themselves on having achieved democratic government without bloodshed while retaining a royal family that held no real power, preserving it as a tradition. There was no such achievement for France to boast about here.

In 1871, after France lost the Franco-Prussian War, the Second French Empire collapsed. As in the history I knew, a republican government briefly took its place. But after the suppression of the Paris Commune—a socialist self-governing body formed by the citizens of Paris—the Third Empire was established in place of the Third Republic. It was an outcome that had been foreseeable, given the groundwork laid by the de facto failure of the Ancien Régime more than a century earlier.

France had the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, a church that stood atop Montmartre, overlooking Paris. The statue of Jesus at the basilica bore the inscription GALLIA POENITENS—‘France repents.’ But what, exactly, was France repenting for?

It meant reflecting on France’s failure to remain faithful to God. The basilica embodied the Catholic view that the wounds inflicted by the defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and the civil conflict in Paris had stemmed from religious disloyalty. After France’s defeat in the war, the republican government—which included a large number of monarchists—came under suspicion from its own citizens, who wondered whether it had deliberately set out to destroy France. The government bowed its head and allowed Prussia to manipulate France as it pleased, then chose to suppress the protests of the people of Paris by force. With the victorious Prussia’s permission, the republican government and its provisional president lay low in Versailles, reorganized their troops, and crushed the Paris Commune. The very place where the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur now stood under construction was where the citizens of Paris had been slaughtered.

The Third Empire had risen in the gap between those events. The House of Orléans had regained the throne with the support of royalists within the republican government, yet it fiercely condemned that same government’s suppression of the Paris Commune, distancing itself from its predecessors. It claimed that the House of Orléans could fully embrace the democratic aspirations of the citizens who had died.

In a Paris left with nothing but wounds, a wave of repentance swept through the city. And atop Montmartre Hill, the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur was built bearing the words GALLIA POENITENS—‘France Repents’—as an act of mourning in a form the Paris Commune would never have wanted, and as proof of the bond between France and Catholicism.

Lafayette’s lips moved briskly as his previously stiff smile relaxed.

“That is quite a compliment. An empire is the most admirable form of government, after all. It is a powerful force that can unite a people and seize the future they desire.”

So this was France’s repentance. Blood that had never been fully washed away still flowed beneath the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. His words briefly transported me from Berlin to the hill of Montmartre.

In an age teeming with people like him, it was hard to expect anyone to say otherwise. Still, my distaste made me turn away from him. I couldn’t help feeling uneasy about Lafayette’s pride in his empire, but I knew that the French ‘Republic’ had also accelerated its imperialist expansion, so I had no expectations of it, either. The French Republic had competed fiercely with Britain under the banner of a supposed mission to civilize and modernize less developed tribes and nations. Despite opposition from some intellectuals and activists, most of the public had welcomed this expansion. In the face of the illusion of economic prosperity and national power, shame was a distant concern.

The magical society of this era held similar views. By this point, it was almost an inevitable cycle—but perhaps the problem lay not with any single country, but with the very conditions that had driven Europe toward imperialism. The foundations laid down over generations in our shared history were sprouting similar seeds even in this world, one that had branched off through magic.

I raised my pale green glass of Sekt and lightly clinked it against his as I cursed him under my breath.

“You are every bit the quintessential French grand aristocrat.”

“Thank you.”

“How are things at Académie Puissance?”

Whatever he said, I couldn’t very well end the conversation the moment we’d met. The people I’d been looking for while dealing with Mecklenburg were the students from Académie Puissance’s high school division. Why had I needed to find them…?

I’d think about that a little later. I asked him the same question I’d put to the French who’d mentioned eye color earlier. Lafayette led me to a window, leaned against the wall, and answered casually.

“What is there to tell? I have been busy writing my graduation thesis.”

“My goodness. Your country certainly places great emphasis on scholarship.”

“Indeed. That is France for you.”

Watching this guy, I couldn’t help thinking of Mecklenburg… I had to make a conscious effort not to let the tension in my eyes ease too much.

After thinking for a moment, Lafayette leaned in slightly and lowered his voice.

“To be honest, Académie Puissance is a sister institution of the Académie Française… that is, the prestigious academic body. That is why we have been given this assignment. I can’t deny that it is a bit of a hassle, though. All I have ever done up to this point is write short research papers for class.”

“You are quite honest.”

“One of the French people’s virtues.”

At a loss for words, I let out a hollow laugh and took a drink.

Going by popular stereotypes, Germans are considered the most honest and direct people in the 21st century. Just as there are similarities between 19th century Joseon aristocrats and 21st century South Koreans, there are also considerable differences. The same goes for 19th century German nobles and 21st century Germans, so that stereotype doesn’t quite hold true in this era. Still, thanks to what people in the future commonly believe, I couldn’t help finding this French’s claim novel.

I’d humored him, but the way he brought up France no matter what we talked about really reminded me of Mecklenburg’s patriotism. If that guy had been here, the two of them would’ve spent hours competing to sing their respective countries’ praises without even noticing the time passing.

“Then you must be quite busy with your studies. What brings you to Germany during such a busy period?”

“As you know, we are still minors, so technically, we could choose whether or not to come all this way… But that is just on paper. In practice, it is considered an obligation. We couldn’t very well refuse. Besides, I was curious to see what Germany was up to.”

Lafayette spoke in a fairly cheerful tone, wearing an expression that suggested he knew his words might be taken as an insult. Since they were indeed rather insulting, I narrowed my eyes and gave him a similarly teasing look.

Lafayette continued.

“Still, I understand why the French authorities made that decision. The number of socialists in France has been rising rapidly lately.”

“It is happening all over the world.”

“Ah, no. We absolutely cannot allow that. Not us.”

Lafayette snorted and shook his head. He’d said it expecting me to agree, but I merely folded my arms without a word.

Their particular aversion to socialism was rooted in historical fact. They wanted to prevent another Paris Commune from emerging and overthrowing the Imperial Family. Despite the socialists seeming to lack the power to do so, Terminus Eukairia remained wary of them. Terminus Eukairia had its hands full both at home and abroad.

That was useful information. The French delegation’s visit wasn’t just giving them information. It was giving me a valuable clue, too. I replied as though it were nothing out of the ordinary.

“So, with the socialists causing them so much trouble, they needed to show the public that their mages were doing something for France to appease their discontent. And they decided to send students? That is interesting.”

“What is so strange about that? If anything, it is a good thing. Isn’t the Imperial Mage Association doing the same? Why are you students the ones showing us around?”

“It is simply the German way of doing things for Germany. Germans are loyal to their country, young or old. Is there a problem with that?”

I wasn’t the one who said that. A dark figure had appeared beside me and spoke in a gentle, unhurried voice. I really needed to get out of this banquet hall. This wouldn’t do.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Mecklenburg.”

Lafayette greeted him with roughly the same warmth he’d shown when greeting me, but I immediately went on alert. I swallowed, nudged Mecklenburg behind me, and asked Lafayette one last question.

“By the way, where are the other students from the high school division?”

“They are probably in the same situation as the top student. I don’t think they have arrived yet.”

I wrapped up the conversation with a smile of thanks, then planted my heel firmly on the toe of Mecklenburg’s shoe. He let out an irritated “Ah!” I took him with me and headed back up the stairs.

“What did that French say? Was I too late getting here?”

“Now that I think about it, I’m glad you butted in and volunteered to take charge of my team, Senior.”

“What are you talking about? Just answer me.”

I checked my watch and muttered, “Keep leading the mages we brought with us from now on, Senior. If possible, take charge of the team Narke Farnese brought as well. And make sure you answer my calls promptly.”

I tapped the artifact by my ear a couple of times. Mecklenburg thought it over briefly, then scowled.

“What? Now I have to look after the Italians, too?”

“They should be more lovable than the French, at least.”

“Why even say something so obvious?”

“…….”

I’d just tossed out the remark without thinking. Thoroughly fed up, I clenched my teeth on one side and rolled my eyes. Mecklenburg cleared his throat and seemed about to correct himself, but I waved him off. It wasn’t worth listening to, so I continued.

“Senior, find out which teams and locations each student from the high school division of Académie Puissance has been assigned to. Also, check whether they’ve returned to the banquet hall or the dining room.”

“Why?”

Mecklenburg narrowed his eyes, looking increasingly suspicious. I glanced at him and answered bluntly.

“Because I need you to.”

Mecklenburg fell silent. He let out a quiet sigh and muttered, “I don’t even want to think about the French.”

Even so, he left the banquet hall.

After heading back down to the lower floor, I caught Narke’s attention while he was surrounded by Ulrike and several mages, then gestured toward the exit. Narke readily slipped away from the group and followed me. I intended to bring up the subject gradually while we walked through Berlin, so I hadn’t said anything yet, but he followed me out of the banquet hall without asking a single question.

“Narke.”

Just as I was about to speak, I spotted a familiar yet unfamiliar silhouette in the distance. The French student met my eyes and hesitated for a moment before biting his lip, his expression complicated.

“Lord Gramont.”

He looked much as he had when I’d last seen him a couple of months ago. If anything, he seemed a little thinner and more haggard. I approached the student and greeted him first.

“It is good to see you. What brings you here?”

“I am on my way into the banquet hall.”

Gramont answered rather curtly, without even returning my greeting. Then, as if he hadn’t finished what he wanted to say, he ran his tongue over his lips and muttered, “Um…”

“Yes?”

Gramont shook his head a couple of times, then pursed his lips and spoke in a barely audible voice.

“I am truly sorry about what happened recently. I am glad to see you looking well.”

I exchanged a brief glance with Narke before replying gently.

“You look well yourself, Lord Gramont. Have things been going smoothly for you?”

“Of course.”

Silence… Neither of us said another word. Feeling the chill settling between us, I gave a small nod. Gramont opened his mouth again.

“Um…”

“Take your time.”

“I am sorry about before. I have been thinking about it, you see.”

Gramont mumbled, looking at a point just beside my face. He kept sneaking glances at me to gauge my reaction, and when he noticed that we were rather surprised, he added, “I got quite a scolding when I returned, too.”

“You were scolded?”

I chuckled lightly as I said it, intending to put him at ease. Apparently, he didn’t take it that way. Gramont’s eyes widened before he furrowed his brows and snapped, “Yes. Why?”

“No, I…”

— “He was suspended for a while, then reinstated.”

Narke spoke to me using divine power. Grateful for the unexpected help, I gave him a quick look of thanks before answering Gramont.

“No, it is just that the adults seem to know quite a lot.”

“I suppose my emotions show too easily on my face. I am always being questioned about things.”

Gramont replied awkwardly, his earlier anger nowhere to be seen. I gave the rather inexperienced student a small nod.

“I am glad we can talk like this.”

“I am, too. Um, later…”

I waited, but he didn’t continue. I had no idea what he was trying to say, but his embarrassment came through loud and clear. I patiently kept silent. Then, a presence that no longer surprised me suddenly spoke up.

“Later what?”

You’re quick. I gave Mecklenburg, who had appeared behind me, a slight nudge. Gramont was startled by Mecklenburg’s piercing gaze—he must have wondered why he was looking at him like that, though Mecklenburg had been doing it all day—and grimaced before hastily backtracking.

“Later… Never mind.”

He gave a slight nod and hurried back into the banquet hall. Mecklenburg asked, his eyes wide with suspicion, “What?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’…? More importantly, you’re back rather quickly. Where is Académie Puissance headed next?”

“Lord Esperanza Lafayette, whom you spoke with earlier, is scheduled to visit the Berlin School of Magic. Lord Antonie Gramont, who just passed by, will be going to the Rampager Control Center with the research department staff…”

“Hmm. If I remember correctly, there’s a Social Democratic newspaper office near the control center.”

“You mean Vorwärts? It’s across the street from there. Are you going somewhere?”

Mecklenburg was finally asking about something important. I shrugged.

“That way.”

“Why?”

“Taking a walk. Make sure you answer your communications.”

“The Italians don’t seem to have much of a grudge against us.”

Narke and I wandered around Berlin, chatting as we went. We mostly talked about the foreigners’ attitudes. I nodded in agreement.

“I suppose not. The ones on our side were the same. The French, though…”

“They’re trying to learn whatever they can.”

Narke smiled and finished my sentence for me.

“Exactly.”

They wouldn’t be able to learn much in such a short stay. We’d already screened out the French students with unusual Special Abilities to keep them from entering Germany, and I’d checked the people who arrived today through their status windows, confirming that their consciences were still intact. But that was only to be expected. It wasn’t enough to let our guard down.

On the way to the Rampager Control Center, I slowly tapped my staff against the ground, letting my mana seep out. Watching me, Narke did the same. Seeing mana and divine power disperse in turn made me want to laugh. I chuckled, and Narke laughed, too.

Thankfully, Narke didn’t use Insight. Instead, he asked me, “Why did you come here?”

“Because this is where Gramont’s team is headed next.”

“Right. I heard that, too, Lukas.”

At Narke’s words, I smiled, letting the corners of my mouth droop, then stepped into the arcade along the street. As I sensed the mana around us, I offered another hint with a thoughtful hum.

“If you look at the schedule, the first half is basically over, but nothing’s happened yet.”

“Haha. Are we playing twenty questions~?”

“Yeah. And as it happens, there’s a Social Democratic newspaper office near the center.”

The Social Democrats were the Social Democratic Party. Narke hummed thoughtfully now, probably wondering what that had to do with anything. I spun around and warned him, “Don’t use Insight.”

“Hahaha. You caught me. But wouldn’t it defeat the purpose of bringing me along if I didn’t know what you were thinking? If you’re looking for something, having two people should be better than one, shouldn’t it?”

Narke lightly tapped his head with his index finger.

“Especially when we need to figure out whether what you’re looking for… is just a theory you’ve come up with or something that actually exists.”

“No, it exists. Probably.”

“Hmm.”

At my hesitant assertion, Narke raised one eyebrow and curled the corners of his mouth into a smile. He clapped his hands several times, focused his mind, and then walked past the residential building that housed the Social Democratic Party’s newspaper office. I cautiously tried pulling open the newspaper office’s front door, but it wouldn’t budge. With so many threats surrounding socialism, they apparently kept the building locked. It also looked a little shabby, as though it hadn’t been well maintained.

Narke made liberal use of his divine power as we walked down the street. I could see the Berliners passing by greeting him with delighted smiles. That was probably partly due to the impression his divine power gave off.

When we reached the Rampager Control Center, the guard at the entrance looked startled to see us arrive so unexpectedly. We told him we only wanted to have a quick look around before leaving, then went inside. Thanks to our uniforms, getting in wasn’t a problem. As I walked through the building, I leisurely examined the mana in everything around me—the doors, the doorknobs, the lamps above the doors, and even the air itself.

Narke tilted his head and looked at me, apparently having found nothing noteworthy on the way here.

“Lukas, did you find anything?”

“No.”

“Haha, what? I told you to let me in on it~”

Narke chuckled with an easygoing smile. I smiled back and tapped the floor idly with the tip of my staff.

“Well, it’s—”

I stopped and looked down at the floor. Judging by the dirt lodged between the tiles, it had been a while since anyone had cleaned the lobby. Every time I tapped the floor with my staff, I could hear the grit shifting beneath it. I narrowed my eyes and muttered, “It’s dirty.”

Narke let out a puzzled laugh at my sudden remark. I knelt on one knee, took off my glove, and sifted through the dirt between the tiles. Then I tapped the artifact by my ear. Mecklenburg answered shortly afterward.

— [I asked around.]

That wasn’t me speaking, either. Mecklenburg’s voice came through, sounding annoyed. Asked about what? His abrupt remark made me wrinkle my nose and furrow my brows. Mecklenburg continued on with something completely irrelevant.

— [He said he wanted to see you briefly before the banquet ended. Apparently, he has something to apologize to you for. Did that French say something ridiculous to you?]

Now wasn’t the time for this.

“Senior.”

I rubbed my fingers together. A red powder, finer than the dirt, seemed to dissolve between my fingerprints. This time, I lightly pressed the back of my hand against the dust. It disappeared almost immediately. Was it because the particles were so fine? No, that couldn’t be it. Staring at the spot where the powder—or rather, what looked like powder—had vanished without a trace, I said, “Please hurry. Call the Magical Crime Response Team.”