Published at 5th of December 2025 8:01 pm

Chapter 192

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Why did it have to be her?

Its not complicated.

First, the yellow-eyed child I met in the Labyrinth. Thats Abraham.

Not someone under a revelation like Marco, but the real body.

Why did I conclude that?

Its not hard to figure out. That kid was drinking blood.

If it were someone like Marco, they wouldve had to draw blood and offer it to someone else.

Now, I have two clues about Abrahams appearance.

First, terrifyingly radiant yellow eyes.

Second, a height of about 145 cm at most. I can infer they were in their early teens ten years ago. Theyd be in their early twenties now.

The pool of Abraham candidates has narrowed to mages in their early twenties with yellow eyes. To identify which one is Abraham, I need to examine their actions.

Abraham gave revelations to professors, causing berserk potions to be planted in Adelbert and Eliass rooms. The warp magic set up in my room was also his doing.

The purpose of the warp magic was clear, so heres what to consider:

Why were Adelbert and Elias chosen as victims of the berserk incident?

Its time to bring up this unresolved issue from the past three weeks.

Eliass hypothesis was this:

When signs of interference with Primrose Paths operations appeared, they tried to frame me for Adelberts murder. After the raids began, they outright tried to kill me.

The latter is half-true, so lets set it aside.

The fatal flaw in the former, as Ive thought before, is that there was no reason to use berserk potions among countless murder methods. Even ignoring the lack of effort to fabricate evidence, like planting berserk potions in Eliass room, using berserk potions would likely point the murder charge toward me, perceived as a Pleroma, rather than Elias.

If Abraham wasnt seeking revenge for Primrose Path as Elias speculated, why did he target those two?

Adelberts emotional fluctuations were intense. He was the perfect target for the explosive effects of berserk potions.

So why wasnt Philip, or Gunter, a victim of the berserk incident? What about the students who failed the first and second selections?

They were all in emotionally vulnerable states, yet Abraham showed no interest in them.

Why, out of so many people, did it have to be Adelbert Hohenzollern and Elias Hohenzollern?

The answer is simple.

Because theyre Hohenzollerns.

Eliass mistake was viewing the two incidents linearly. It wasnt that Abraham failed to kill Adelbert and then targeted Elias.

The two incidents were parallel. Adelbert had to die, and Elias had to die.

However, theres no direct causality between the two incidents, but they share a common thread.

Both are royals at the Imperial Second Academy.

Thats a critical factor that cant be overlooked.

Now, I just need to find the common enemy of the royals, but theres a decisive problem.

Their political factions are polar opposites.

Theyre so far apart that finding a common enemy is difficult.

Theres one more clue here.

Previously, Adelbert, drunk, fell down the stairs and tried to crush Eliass leg. If that had succeeded, Adelbert wouldve been branded as a prince who drank so much he couldnt control himself and permanently crippled his relatives leg. For a lower noble, it might pass, but for someone from the Empires ruling family, it would be a massive stain, raising questions about his qualifications.

It would also end Eliass combat magic career.

Were almost there.

So, who gave Adelbert the spiked liquor back then?

You dont even need to get this far to easily guess Abrahams identity.

We know Abraham has yellow eyes and is in their early twenties. We also know Abraham considers the second and de facto third in line for the throne as enemies.

The sum of the clues points to one person.

Youre in a hurry.

A calm voice, neither shocked nor flustered.

Abrahamno, the Crown Princeturned fully to face me. Her radiant eyes shifted to meet mine directly.

And quick, too.

Whats in a hurry, and whats quick?

Figuring out who Abraham is was quick, and calling her Abraham to her face as the Crown Prince was hasty.

But thats just her judgment.

Since Your Highness couldnt resist putting out advertisements in the papers, I showed up early. It seems Your Highness isnt aware of your own impatience.

I said this, raising an eyebrow.

A face resembling Adelberts.

The face I saw in the Labyrinth was colored by Adelberts perspective, so its different from what I see now.

Only upon seeing her in person could I understand the evaluations people gave her. Unlike Adelbert, who shines with near-perfect brilliance, she seems to exist to be forgotten by the world, despite her intellectual aura and dignity.

Except for one thingthose unforgettable yellow eyes.

Those eyes gleamed intensely, as if ready to swallow the observer whole, whenever the world around her shifted slightly. Looking at them, it felt like her existence didnt belong to this world.

Our priest sure takes a long time observing a strangers face.

How many chances does one get to see the Crown Prince in a lifetime?

Ive been staring at her like shes a zoo monkey for a while now. Even with such blatantly rude gazes and responses, leaving no room for excuses, the Crown Prince maintained her initial expression.

She tilted her head briefly, then, as if recalling my earlier words, slowly opened her mouth.

You mentioned advertisements. I have a duty to reassure my subjects. If theyre trembling in fear because of Abraham

The Crown Prince smiled gently with a face resembling Adelberts.

I must strive for my subjects sake.

Since weve met again, lets introduce ourselves.

She extended her hand to me.

I am Elisabeth Hohenzollern.

As if someone turned down the volume, the worlds sounds fell silent. At some point, a soundproofing spell mustve been cast to keep our words from reaching outside, but when she offered her hand, everyone watching the investigation turned to look at us.

A superior proposing a casual greeting isnt something to ignore. I had no particular reason to refuse.

I lightly clasped her hand. I tried to pull away quickly, but the Crown Princes slender fingers pressed down on the edge of my hand.

Releasing the leather glove stiffened by the winter wind, I smiled.

Its an honor to meet you, Your Highness.

The feeling is mutual. To meet again the one who held such a grand funeral for metheres no greater joy.

Shes using my own phrasing.

As expected, shes the Chairman, no matter what anyone says. The Chairmans insight was hers, and even with a different shell, she never fails to impress.

A cold breeze scattered the soundproofing spell and passed between us. I laughed, feeling the wind.

Im glad youre satisfied. Destroying ten years was quite entertaining.

My death became your happiness.

Not just mine, but the happiness of countless Old Humans trapped in Primrose Path and those use by you, Your Highness.

The Crown Prince, still smiling, stared at me intently before turning her head.

Id love to continue this conversation, but this isnt the place. Its hard to have a deep discussion here, so lets move elsewhere.

She lightly snapped her fingers, pulling my arm with magic. The moment something devoid of warmth wrapped around my elbow, the space before me changed.

Well, well.

A murmur, as if shed witnessed something unexpected, came out of nowhere.

From a position where I couldnt see her face, she spoke with a faint laugh.

You must be quite timid. Not even five years old

Who couldve made you so averse to warping?

She probably wanted to provoke a hotheaded reaction, but she picked the wrong person. I responded nonchalantly.

Thats not for Your Highness to know.

At this point, you might as well drop the formalities.

Instead of engaging, I took a slow, deep breath to calm my heart rate and looked around.

The place shed brought me to was unfamiliar.

A library?

Faint moonlight streamed through tall windows, allowing me to make out objects faintly.

Curtains and decorations in a Berlin blue darker than Bavarias hung here and there. It didnt seem very large, so it was likely one of the imperial annexes.

But she didnt sit down and instead approached the door. Its a common tactic in noble housesshe mustve warped to an intermediate location to avoid tracking, not the final destination.

When she touched the library door, light flared on the navy-blue door hidden in the darkness. A wave of magic power rippled through the air.

I glanced at the chessboard-patterned tiles, barely touched by human steps, and walked forward. Like the floor, everything seemed brand new. The outside was probably just the imperial palace, but something about the windows view felt off.

You must be wondering where we are. The fifth floor of the Crown Princes Palace.

The Crown Prince, walking ahead, said softly.

The Crown Princes Palace is a three-story building with no fifth floor. It was an unhelpfully vague statement, but it was enough of a clue.

Quite an intricate setup.

She turned to meet my gaze and smiled.

Im only telling you, Father.

Id rather not know such state secrets. Ill pretend I didnt hear.

How cold.

If shes deliberately trying to get under my skin, she shouldve done better target analysis. Her approach is so absurd its almost irritating.

Of course, thats valuable information in itself.

The person before me is the Chairman, but at the same time, not quite the Chairman.

Its clear her personality shifts slightly depending on whether shes using Marco Schreibers body or her true form.

There wasnt a soul on this floor, and no one appeared until we reached the room after a long walk.

Only after the Crown Prince entered the room at the end of the corridor did someone knock and come in.

A servant brewed tea, set out snacks, and left.

The Crown Prince gestured.

Have some. I couldnt properly host you before, so this time, Ill do it right.

Nothings been added.

She took my cup and drank from it casually, then signaled the waiting servant. The servant pulled out a new cup and poured tea in front of me to demonstrate.

Even if theyre not entirely sane, well-socialized people know exactly what suspicions theyre raising.

Of course, even with this show, I have no intention of drinking. I ignored the tea and asked what I needed to know.

Lets hear why you called me here.

For the same reason as you.

The same reason?

She looked at me and asked,

Did you come to kill me, Father?

An easy question.

I answered without a moments hesitation.

No.

Of course not. At least not today. I thought you werent someone with such poor calculation, and Im pleased to see I was right.

I kept my mouth shut to let her talk as much as possible. I had no intention of carelessly giving her information.

You dont have much information on me, Father. What you know is still in the realm of inference. What you know for sure is that with the information you have now, you cant take down Abraham, and if you choose the easiest methodmurderyou and many others will be purged for generations for assassinating the Crown Prince.

Shes right.

Murder is the simplest but dumbest choice.

And theres a critical reason it cant end with killing her body.

As she said, its still in the realm of inference, but to me, its a certainty.

You came to declare war on me today. To tell me that if I make a wrong move, youll expose me as Abraham to the world. Since I could plan to discredit you in response, youll look for a way to kill me as quickly as possible. So, youll start tracking my movements.

The moonlight reflecting in her eyes shone like the sun. With an utterly serene expression, she asked with intense certainty matching her gaze,

Am I wrong?

Your Highness already knows the answer.

You know too, but my position isnt fundamentally different from yours. However, I can say its quite different from what you expect.

She snapped her fingers, grabbing something.

A metal ringno, a bracelet.

A tool used by the first mages to embed artifacts in the skin. I modified it for interrogations, and its quite effective.

She slipped it onto her right hand. As she turned the rectangular protrusion toward the inside of her wrist, she said,

I regret my wrongs and wish to undo everything.

Thud

I raised an eyebrow.

The smell of blood stung my nose.

She removed her glove and placed her hand on the table. Blood soaked her white sleeve and dripped onto the table. On closer inspection, it was flowing from the skin where the bracelet sat.

This is how it reacts. It judges truth through the flow of magic power, so it occasionally makes errors, but not often. If you think Im staging this, youre welcome to try it yourself.

A tool like this wouldnt be used by the Royal Investigation Bureau, would it?

I didnt hand it over. Even Pleromas dont know about it. If you were me, would you carelessly give this to others?

Right.

To Abraham, both the imperial family Im part of and the Pleromas are all competitors.

With the bracelet still on, she rested her hand on the table and said,

Let me be clear. I know you hold my social life in your hands. One word from you, and Im finished.

You met me as the Chairman just the day before yesterday, and yesterday, you visited His Majesty at the palace. I know what else youve prepared. Youve collected mundane yet decisive testimonies that support my identity as Abraham, from people who dont even realize theyre testifying about Abraham. I wont stop you.

She wont stop me.

Even though it sounds like a lie, her device didnt pierce her veins. The blood remained dried.

My eyes never once strayed from her, fixed solely on my target, yet the Crown Prince spoke with a pristine expression, devoid of any emotional waverng.

Lets make a deal. Kill me.

You know what kind of murder I mean. If you, not someone else, kill me as the Crown Prince, Ill gladly accept it.

The corner of my mouth twisted upward.

Her eyes, watching my face, were unreadable, perfectly calm. Yet, it was easy to discern what lay behind her words. I smiled softly and said,

A clear proposal. You speak as if youre looking out for me, but its not for my sake at all.

Id like to know why you think that.

If I do my utmost to kill you, you Fascinatingly, youll learn how to analyze your opponents patterns. Youll know how far I know, what I dont, how I think, and what attack methods I prefer.

Its not a proposal that disadvantages you. Since were both weighing our gains, youd do well not to act like youre doing me a favor.

Hahaha

The Crown Prince let out a light laugh.

As expected of you, Father. I didnt think the one who performed the baptism, entered the Labyrinth, and built a barrier around His Excellency Schreibers mental strength would be ordinary, but your thought process is truly exceptional.

I said you didnt have much information, but thats from now on. Up until now, youve uncovered too much. No, its hardly even uncoveringyou pieced together trivial details to find the answer. Thanks to that, we could meet like this without dragging things out, so I can only say thank you.

You flatter me. Im not being humble. Did Your Highness expect me to wander aimlessly in a state where every clue points to the answer?

Its easier to deal with ordinary people, isnt it?

A pity for you, then.

I said easier, not more entertaining.

The Crown Prince leisurely sipped her tea and looked out the window.

It was raining.

Father Jeremiah Caetani is affiliated with the Papal State, and until last year, he didnt exist in any records. He has an Italian maternal line and a Bavarian paternal line, with his entire family in America for the past 30 years just one line, a record created this year, was all I could find. You flew through Bavarias airport, the only one in the country untouched by Prussian hands, obtained a travelers visa, safely passed through Prussias quarantine office at the Bavarian border, waited there for half a day, and took a fully booked train to Berlin. All your accommodation records are there too. Aside from what I mentioned, I couldnt find a single anomaly.

She laughed and shook her head.

Oh, its so meticulously done. Do you know how much it cost to dig that up?

Her tone shifted.

Now it begins.

I thought as much, maintaining my earlier smile and staying silent.

All that talk in Dasrothe about being the Empires ugliest man feels laughable now. No, the fact that every media outlet has been calling you a national hero, practically a saint, is honestly the funniest part. In reality, youre someone who seduces Pleromas at Primrose Path to achieve your goalsand succeeds spectacularly in just three days.

To call you a scoundrel sniffing around brothels and casinos doesnt do you justice; your situational judgment and execution are beyond excessive. No matter what I imagine, its too much. In the end, among the people I know, only one has this level of judgment.

I kept my earlier expression, saying nothing.

The Crown Prince alone continued, her face shifting with intrigue.

Those yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Just one. Sir Nicolaus, meeting you like this feels refreshing.

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