Published at 6th of December 2025 6:40 am

Chapter 258

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Leo scanned the room. Everyone was waiting for him to continue.

First, regarding Hohenzollern joining hands with Askanian, we should actively encourage it. Prussia currently needs allies. Bavaria has been sharing information with Prussia and striving to maintain friendly relations, but given the power dynamics between the two nations, its difficult for Prussia to easily align with Bavaria.

Accepting Bavarias help would diminish Prussias influence. Its a matter that could threaten their position as the empires hegemon.

This incident was resolved through the cooperation of Lukas Askanian and Bavaria. Thus, if leveraged well, Bavaria could gain an opportunity to rise to a position equal to Prussia. As a Catholic nation backed by the Papal State, Bavaria might even surpass that.

However, the anticipated backlash from Prussia in that process would cause significant damage to the empire. The notion of equal standing is, after all, a hollow promise. Such peace can never last. Weve already witnessed centuries of power struggles between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. If there are two hegemons, one will inevitably crush the other to rise higher, or be crushed and fall under the others interference. There cannot be two suns in one sky. That is the nature of power.

In that process, Prussia will bare its teeth desperately to avoid falling. In the worst-case scenario, they likely have mutual destruction with Bavaria in mind.

If we dont want to provoke a radical shift in power that brings bloodshed and unrest, we must give Prussia a chance to recover.

Hm.

At Leos words, the King rubbed his chin, lost in thought. It wasnt in objection, but the topic required further explanation.

Prussia claims to follow enlightened absolutism, but to maintain a unified empire, theyve been enforcing strong internal suppression, and their subjects patience is reaching its limit.

Though the press under their control hasnt reported on the suppression, instead branding some subjects as malicious groupsdesignating reform-seeking subjects as criminals was highly effective in deceiving the majorityeverything has an end.

The citizens of our era, who have stepped onto the path of enlightenment, are not the subjects of old.

Theyve endured as much as they could. Absolute monarchy is destined to collapse, and Bavaria can seize power without hastily taking on risks for short-term gains.

Everyone understood where Leos words were leading. Though there were slight differences of opinion, in a situation involving continental issues like this, minimizing risk was the best choice, and there was no disagreement on that. The ministers nodded.

Leo took a deep breath and thought.

What conclusion Hohenzollern reached regarding the possibility of collapse is unknown.

Wittelsbachs conclusion is this: We will give them some opportunities, but we will prevent them from overreaching.

Now its Bavarias turn to persuade Wittelsbachs stance.

Leo met the eyes of everyone seated and spoke, not glancing at the materials for some time.

The main actors in resolving this terror attack can be divided into two: Lukas Askanian and the Bavaria government-Papal State alliance. As you know, our Bavaria, with the Papal States help, supplied Prussia with double-space magic dismantling techniques and purification magic.

At the scene, I went to the Minister of Magic with the Catacombs double-space magic dismantling technique.

The Catacombs mages were temporarily incorporated into the Bavarian royal family.

Since we couldnt lead royal mages to infiltrate Berlin and Brandenburg, we needed Prussias permission from there.

In that process, we didnt disclose the source of the technology, but now that the incident is over and the unrest has subsided, Prussia will question Bavarias technology.

This is why the Papal States name was brought up.

We could never reveal that the source of the double-space magic dismantling technique was the Catacombs.

If we did, the Catacombs would be annihilated, and Bavaria wouldnt be safe either, having allied with what Friedrich Hohenzollern designated as a cleanup target.

In this regard, Lukas, I, and ultimately the Catacombs leadership decided to join hands with the Papal State. We laundered the source of the double-space magic dismantling technique and its reverse as coming from Papal State scholars, not the Catacombs.

Of course, that means the Catacombs interests are infringed upon.

Thus, we and the Catacombs leadership found several believers among their mages who were part of the Munich-Freising Archdiocese. The Catacombs leadership selected one who was actually a cleric in Munich-Freising as their representative, and we immediately contacted the Papal State.

The scenario was set up like this:

The Catacombs discovered that their new technology was leaked to Pleroma. We dont know when that magic might be used, but if it threatens peoples safety, we must share the dismantling technique with the state. However, there are two problems: If we disguise ourselves as imperial mages, the Catacombs proprietary technology could be stolen, and if we reveal our affiliation with the Catacombs, we cannot survive.

The fact that double-space magic could cause significant damage if misused was proven by its nature as a space magic that is nearly invulnerable unless countered by magic exceeding its threshold.

Of course, without seeing the magic directly, its hard to grasp. Thus, Narce was instrumental in persuading the Papal State of the necessity of this proposal.

As a result, the Papal State secretly ordained the scholar sent by the Catacombs as a cardinal. They framed this consideration as a means to overcome transnational crises and resist Prussias unjust oppression of commoner mages.

The fact that we resolved a problem Prussia couldnt handle is reason enough for Prussia to be wary of us. Prussia will try to prevent Bavaria from gaining more support from the empires subjects. Ultimately, the time has come for a third party, not Bavaria or the Papal State, to emerge as Prussias ally.

Leo continued.

Conveniently, the one who ended this terror attack is Lukas Askanian. The younger brother of Adrian Askanian, the Vice Minister of Magic, and a mage personally selected by the imperial family. Anhalt, a pro-Prussia and nominally Protestant state, is an ideal partner for Hohenzollern to align with.

Hm.

If they join hands, the imperial government will likely announce this: Anhalt is loyal to Prussia, and Lukas Askanian is a loyal subject of Hohenzollern. Hohenzollern fully trusted Lukas Askanian to resolve the issues facing Pentalon, and in response to this unexpected terror attack, they actively accepted his demands and resolved the terror with Anhalt.

Theres some falsehood, but its good enough. After all, from the plague rat incident to the magic lantern terror, the empire relied on Lukass power to reach this point. In fact, the governmentthe Crown Princetrusted Lukas and made a place for him in meetings he wouldnt normally be allowed to attend.

Since its based on truth, Wittelsbach can tolerate this much.

On the other hand, if Prussia joins hands with Lukas Askanian.

To be precise, if Prussia forcibly takes Lukas Askanians hand by leveraging Adrian Askanian or Georg Askanians power.

Theyll announce this: Lukas Askanian cooperated with the imperial governmnt to achieve results, meaning the government didnt summon a choir to deceive the public without a plan. Instead, their cooperation with Lukas Askanian was prearranged, and they deliberately misled the public to calm them until he was ready.

I cant tell the people here that Lukas is Nicolaus.

Thus, I cant say we cant simply hand over Lukass achievements to them. Lukas Askanians achievements are closer to the imperial familys, so few here would agree with me.

But this much needs to be conveyed.

We must not let Lukas Askanian be co-opted. If that happens, the imperial family will gain a card to attack Bavaria. We had Lukas Askanian as a solution. So how did Bavaria, coming in late, manage to dismantle double-space magic and reverse double-space magic to resolve the terror? Does it mean Bavaria foresaw the terror and prepared a solution in advance? Then why didnt they inform our government of a way to resolve the terror beforehand?

The officials nodded with reluctant expressions, not directed at Leo but because his words were highly plausible.

Leo continued at a steady pace.

Even if Bavaria knew a terror attack would occur and didnt disclose it to weaken Prussias influence they secured the technology to stop it and show off. Now, despite working for the empires peace, Bavaria will be branded as terrorists.

The King listened calmly. Some officials faces hardened. They had likely suspected this before coming to the meeting, so it wasnt far-fetched. This made the atmosphere even sharper.

Thus, the fact that Lukas Askanian directly requested help from Bavaria and the Papal State to resolve this incident cannot be conceded to the imperial governments lies.

Very well.

At the Kings words, Leo gave a nod of gratitude and said,

Hohenzollern has already contacted Adrian Askanian in the Papal State, requesting Askanians cooperation. Soon, Hohenzollern will issue an official statement with Anhalt. Our Bavaria must preemptively reveal our cooperative relationship with Lukas Askanian. That is all.

How do you plan to reveal it?

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom asked.

What Im about to say is still at the verbal agreement stage. I ask that the ministers review it from here.

Yes, go ahead.

The ministers replied briefly.

To prevent Lukas being exposed as Nicolaus, we must make it seem that we borrowed the power of Eszett, not Leonard Wittelsbach.

Our kingdom and the Grand Duchy of Baden will directly rescue Lukas Askanian.

***

Im back!

The Archbishop spread his arms in front of me.

Its now the seventh day since Ive been staying here. The fifth day since I started acting according to my resolve.

I knew what he wanted by now. I lightly hugged his shoulders. The Archbishop smiled and asked,

Did you rest well?

Of course.

My resolve to play along with him remains. Ive been gradually increasing the intensity of my acting each day.

Today, I held the hug a bit longer than usual, and the Archbishop raised his eyebrows and said,

You took that medicine, didnt you?

No, I didnt.

I didnt, and its making my stomach churn.

Now I realize that the emotion-manipulating drug had the effect of keeping my mental state calm. Acting like this without it Of course, acting is done sober, but I feel something rising in my throat.

As the Archbishop handed his hat and muffler to the servant, he asked me,

Did you talk to the staff today?

No. Who would I talk to?

Oh, you mustve been bored all day.

The Archbishop slightly furrowed his brow as he spoke.

My response was actingwhen is anything not acting these days?but in truth, there was no time for conversation. The servants were busy working, and the attendant, Lu Barre, was constantly absent.

The Archbishop hadnt been here for even five minutes, yet for some reason, he was in a rush. He led me to the room wed been using as a strategy room and said,

Okay, I have something to tell you today, so lets quickly go over the information. Then

Wait a second.

Yes?

How many hours will you stay this time?

It mustve been an unfamiliar question from me because the Archbishop tilted his head and answered,

Well, three hours?

Three hours? Thats too short.

The Archbishops eyes wavered. He quickly composed himself and smiled.

Wow, I never thought Id hear that from you. But I have to go soon.

Cant you stay longer? What do you need to investigate this time?

What?

The Archbishop looked up at me with surprised eyes. He was subtly smiling, but the surprise seemed stronger.

He must be thinking, *We need to find a way to kill the Bishop of Osnabruck as soon as possible, so whats this about?* As expected, he looked like he was wondering if Id changed my resolve.

Then, with a face of realization, he said,

Oh, its already been a week since youve been here. How many days was I gone this time?

You didnt come for two days.

Wow, I thought it was less than three hours

Less than that?

The coordinate system must be collapsing further. Its probably down to about an hour and a half instead of two hours now. Ill order them to reinforce it so it doesnt collapse within an hour.

Then he stared at me and muttered,

By the way, leaving you alone doesnt seem like such a bad idea.

What?

Nothing. You must be bored being alone.

I nodded with a look that said, *Why ask the obvious?* and said,

Stay a bit longer. Even if you stay here for twelve hours, its only thirty minutes outside.

Should I?

The moment he answered, I gave a faint smile, took his hand, and said,

Its not a big deal, but theres something I wanted to do with you when you came.

Whats that?

Lets take a walk.

***

It works well. Time was the answer.

What?

I pretended not to hear the Archbishops muttering and turned around. Walking a step behind me by the lakesidehis choicethe Archbishop shrugged and smiled.

What did you do while I was gone?

Read books?

Thats all?

What else would I do?

This time, I answered not with acting but just as my personality dictated, and he laughed without caring at all.

Shall we eat after the walk? I just ate, so Im not hungry, but you must need breakfast by now.

Sure, sounds good.

After that, neither of us said much.

I quietly asked,

You know, I dont even know your name.

And I dont know exactly what position you hold in Pleroma.

Tell me now.

He didnt answer.

Why am I suddenly asking this? Well, why do I keep playing along with him?

Because its time to put an end to this. I cant stay here forever.

To get back to the point, though I saw his name in the status window, hes never told me his name directly. Whether he was hesitating over whether to give his real name or the name of his vessel, or if theres another reason, I dont know.

Heslowly opened his mouth.

I found where the Bishop of Osnabruck is.

I turned around the moment he said it.

Seeing my expression, he laughed.

Why so surprised? With my abilities, what dont I know?

Theres plenty.

Haha.

He laughed it off and looked at me, saying,

You waited a long time. Now you can be free. Soon, well be able to move more freely in your world or Pleromas world.

I looked at him without answering, waiting for his next words.

Three hours from now, Ill attack the Bishop of Osnabruck with other Pleroma members.

Alone?

Yes.

Let me come with you.

You know thats not possible.

Of course.

Strategically speaking, Id only hold my allies back.

I deliberately asked in a subdued voice,

Youre sure youll come back?

Ill make sure to come back.

Despite my crumpled expression, he wasnt fazed at all. Instead, he spoke calmly.

This might sound sudden, but I need to say this. The day after tomorrow, before I leave, Im planning to hold an engagement ceremony.

I pointed to myself. As expected, he nodded.

Yeah, its me. Who else would it be?

Having finished my usual reality denial, I silently held up the ring.

It was a gesture asking why hes doing this when he already prepared a gift. Even if Im acting like I like him, I think its only human to be curious about this.

He understood my question perfectly, laughed, and answered,

I want to be more certain.

You said something similar before. I havent taken the antidote since then, just as you said.

Right. Then let me put it this way.

He was holding one of my hands and now pulled the other to hold it too.

A gentle smile spread across his face.

Ill keep living until this land turns to cosmic dust. Ill watch countless nations rise and fall, countless people return to the earth, and from that earth, the next generation rise, and the next after that. In that time, many things might fade.

His eyes turned not to me but behind me. He was looking at the dim dawn sky and its breeze. The sound of the reeds swaying was like the sound of waves.

You know? Even when everything loses meaning, when nothing remains inside me, even when relentless exhaustion overtakes me time and again, theres a memory I cant forget.

The Archbishops eyes were now on me.

I want to fill my memories with you. Until history repeats dozens of times and the world finally meets its end, I want to remember you.

His face was flushed. His grip on my hands tightened slightly.

And you?

***

No way.

Elias clutched his head and shouted at Leo.

Its been twelve hours! Isnt that already a big problem?

Both he and Narce were back in Berlin now.

Everyone knew the big problem meant death. Except for Elias, the other two knew the answer, but the atmosphere kept them from speaking.

Then Leo looked out the window and answered quietly,

Hes not dead.

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