Published at 10th of December 2025 4:44 pm

Chapter 307

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Elías rolled his eyes and then slammed his fist onto the desk.

"What?! Are you going to rip out your heart if I ask you to?!"

"That would be a bit much."

"Aww~ I'm so touched!"

"I said that would be a bit much."

Elías ignored my words, jumped up, and collapsed onto the table, hugging me. I could see the pieces tumbling over. The game, which we had painstakingly set up, was over with this. Since there was a possibility that Elías would capture my pawn en passant—though it was a simple mistake, in my current situation it wasn't a common, nonsensical mistake, so Elías was seriously contemplating if I had deliberately sacrificed the pawn to exploit his weakness—I didn't want to rack my brain any further and didn't stop him. Instead, I was more concerned about the ceramic pieces that had fallen to the floor and quickly pushed Elías away. While I picked up the pieces, Elías casually stepped on the desk, leaped, and sat on the back of my sofa.

"I'm touched, but I would feel bad for you if you did everything I told you to."

"I'm not being swayed by your will, I'm merely reflecting your will."

"Wow~ I can't believe you're agonizing over the Order of the Black Eagle like this. It's an honor, considering it's the Empire's greatest decoration…."

Elías paused before saying,

"There's no need to agonize over it."

I couldn't feel any playfulness in his eyes now. When I looked up at Elías without saying anything, he spoke with an expression that asked if I had forgotten.

"There's no reason for you to ask me either. That's a medal you should have received long ago. Originally, you, not Adrian Askanian, would have been the heir to the Ducal title."

"......."

I didn't answer and shifted my gaze to the mess of a chessboard.

"Every decoration your elder brother received was originally yours. You're only now receiving what should have been yours, through your own efforts. Even if Adelbert—not that slick person impersonating the biblical Abraham, but Adelbert—was sitting there... well, he likes you, so he might have given it to you sooner. Anyway, it's a decoration that must be given to you, even if a neighborhood grandpa was sitting on the throne. Because those are the things the heir of a ruling family should receive. I know that you earned back your position through effort, so why should I stop you from receiving that glorious token?"

I held my breath briefly at Elías's words. I was quite surprised by his calling it a 'glorious token'. This meant that it was something that should have naturally happened, irrespective of anyone's preferences, and not something bestowed by Abraham's goodwill.

Elías unfolded my jacket, which was hanging on the armrest of the sofa, and tossed it over my shoulder, saying,

"Take it. Take it and come back with one more ribbon on your uniform. The black and white look so cool."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

Since Elías was pretending not to care, I only smiled. On the contrary, this situation where I thanked him was probably putting pressure on him. Instead of pressuring him further, I slightly changed the topic.

"Did you also receive the Order of the Black Eagle?"

"I did, but.... Hmmm. Unlike you, it means nothing to me; I just received it because I'm a Hohenzollern."

"Show me."

"I don't even wear the ribbon for it."

"......."

That was typical of Elías. When I just laughed, Elías chuckled too.

Then he patted my shoulder and spoke again.

"Remember what I said before? I'm going to create a separate knight order just for you."

"Hmm?"

"The Black Eagle is not the highest decoration Hohenzollern can give you, Luka. Soon, that will drop to second place."

Elías leaned his face close to mine and spoke, emphasizing each word. I briefly thought about his meaning and then opened my mouth. If Leo had been here, Elías would have had his mouth covered by now. Even though it had been explained enough, Elías explained in more detail.

"When you chop off the head and become king, you have to lower the rank of one thing the predecessor did!"

"......."

He didn't have to, but, well, yes... Thinking about history, it had happened frequently. For better or for worse. I laughed and replied,

"I'll look forward to it."

"Good. But you won't just be looking forward to it; you'll have to move with me from now on."

"Sure, sure."

"More importantly, Luka."

"Yes."

"Do you remember where the game ended earlier?"

"......."

"Set it up again. We have to finish the match!"

Was this why he didn't care about the pieces falling over and just moved around? He was using my memory for strange purposes.

Anyway, I set the pieces up again to the position from earlier. Sure enough, Elías captured my pawn, and I was quickly checkmated by Elías. It didn't matter. It wasn't a game I was trying to win, and it was the same when we played poker; I always preferred Elías to win.

"......."

As soon as I was checked, Elías looked at me, rapidly blinking his eyes with a face that was holding back laughter.

"You must have known you'd be checked the moment the pawn was captured en passant~? The flow wasn't good."

He was asking why I didn't give up earlier.

I shrugged at him and knocked my King over. I went through all that just to show him this. As expected, Elías grinned, delighted for some reason. With a reaction like this, how could I just let it pass without showing him?

"You don't do this for just anyone, do you?"

"It's just that you won with your own skill."

"Ah~ Playing chess with Luka is fun, but…."

"But what?"

Elías rested his chin on his hand and mumbled.

"You have to be my comrade. What's the point if I beat you?"

How could one be a comrade in chess? I thought he was just talking nonsense as usual, but from the playful words that followed, I understood his meaning.

"There's someone else I want to checkmate. Every time I win like this, it makes me look forward to the future."

Just like that, yesterday, we kept playing games as Elías wanted until he wore himself out. Of course, as always, I was the one who wore out first.

"You look tired."

Abraham's empty voice sharply pierced my eardrum. My mind was dragged back to the present day.

She spoke to me even at this event as she had to Nicolaus. It seemed no one else heard her words, as if a sound-proofing Spell was cast. Currently, reporters from the Imperial Newspaper had entered the ball room to photograph the award ceremony, and the Emperor's Chief Aide was reading the declaration to confer the Order of the Black Eagle upon me.

[His Excellency Lukas von Anhalt, as a Mage of Anhalt, a staunch ally of Prussia, has greatly contributed to the peace and security of our Prussia and the German Empire....]

"I am not tired."

I answered her within the sound-proofing Spell.

If I were tired, it wasn't because I had played along with Elías all night, but because of the debt and guilt I felt toward Elías. On the contrary, Abraham was smiling with satisfaction because of that. The golden eyes looking down at me from the podium were irritating.

'The more I get to know her, the more off-putting she is.'

However, this was not the time to contemplate Abraham's irritating nature. The Emperor's Chief Aide paused, then spoke in a more solemn voice.

[Our Imperial Family is clearly aware of the stigma cast upon Lukas von Anhalt over the past decade, and hereby officially declares, in the name of Hohenzollern, that it is untrue as of this moment.]

"......."

As I fixed my gaze on Abraham's eyes, she smiled faintly.

It was an excessively direct declaration, one I had never heard at an award ceremony before. Everything about this event had passed through Abraham's hands. It was an act carried out to win my favor and to create a tool to check Adrian Askanian. Unlike before, the Pleroma label that had followed me until now was now officially denied by the Imperial Family.

'I wonder what Adrian Askanian is thinking upon hearing this right now.'

[Therefore, our Hohenzollern, on behalf of the 1.9 million people of this continent whom Lukas von Anhalt saved last February, confers the Grand Cross of the Order of the Black Eagle upon Lukas von Anhalt to express our boundless gratitude.]

Abraham's sound-proofing Spell was broken. Her voice resonated heavily.

"Does Lukas von Anhalt swear to become a member of the Order of the Black Eagle and pledge loyalty to the Kingdom of Prussia?"

Abraham's eyes had never burned so brightly. I felt an illusion that Magic Power was swirling in her iris. I didn't want to know what Elías's expression was like at this moment. I wondered if I should have connected my core to Elías as well. I answered those eyes.

"I swear."

I knelt before her. Abraham's Magic Power, shining like the sun, brushed past my cheek and settled upon my shoulder.

"From this moment, Lukas von Anhalt is a member of the Order of the Black Eagle, and Prussia confers the Grand Cross of the Order of the Black Eagle."

Regardless of my personal feelings, it was a decoration received from the Empire's highest authority. In terms of being a member of a ruling family, the place I stood was no different from Adrian Askanian's.

Not long after the sound of a sword being sheathed, Abraham's cool hand touched my garment. I could see the texture of her iris muscles shifting with the movement of her pupil. Her eyes were not directed at my garment but at my eyes, and though outwardly aloof, she was persistently reading me beneath the surface. As she pinned the cross-shaped decoration onto me, she said,

"The Empire's most famous Pleroma has now become the Empire's most anticipated Mage."

"I know. I've finally come to where I belong."

I answered that way on purpose. Abraham wasn't bothered at all by the statement, which was enough to sound absurd.

"I think so too."

"......."

"Are you satisfied?"

The answer to this question was set for everyone: for Abraham, for me, and for my friends.

I smiled and replied,

"How could I be? I must go to the end of the board."

***

"Ah~"

Narce laughed and raised an eyebrow. He held a Pai in his hand and rubbed his forehead.

I returned to the mansion immediately after receiving the medal. Although I wasn't obligated to find the remaining parure, personally, the theft incident was not fully resolved. Narce would agree. Therefore, there was no time to linger there. Abraham would be dumbfounded if she heard that expression.

'But here I am, playing games....'

I suppressed a sigh as I looked at the chessboard placed in front of me again. I wondered if Narce hadn't read my mind this time, as he sighed with a laugh.

"Oh no.... How can you let a pawn capture you…."

"Since I got promoted, I should say I was captured by a Queen. More importantly, why didn't you use Insight?"

"It's not fun~"

Narce stood up, swept up the pieces, and then sorted and set them up again.

He wanted to play another game? But since I hadn't had much time to rest with my friends recently, I suppressed the urge to complain.

"Surprisingly, you prioritize fun."

"Well, there's no meaning in living without fun."

It was a comment I had not expected to hear from Narce at all. This was something Elías was more likely to say.

"In that case, give up your seat now."

Elías, who had been watching Narce and me play chess with a sulky face, said. I shook my head and got up from my seat. Elías's eyes widened, perhaps thinking I wanted to play with him and not Narce.

"Now is not the time for that."

"Then what is?"

Even as he said that, Elías made me sit back down and then sat next to Narce. I looked at the chessboard, which had started again, and said,

"Have you thought about who erased d'Orléans' memory?"

"His family must have erased it. That parure you explained, d'Orléans' ancestor knew it was an artifact, right? The whole family must be in on it."

I had briefly explained the information I knew about Charles d'Orléans to Elías and my friends yesterday after the meeting. Elías moved a piece and said,

"The French Imperial Family is politically vulnerable right now. Napoleon and Bourbon supporters are still in that country. It's especially true because it's the country with the strongest civilian class power in Europe."

The whole family must have known about the existence of the artifact... that was a good idea.

That was also an important question, but what I wanted to know now was who developed the memory-erasing technique. Also, where did the Holy Nail go? No Pleroma memory-erasing Spell was cast on Charles d'Orléans, and the same was true for the relic.

'If they stole the relic, they should have erased that memory too.'

I had specifically asked about the relic, hadn't I? He answered about the relic without any hesitation, and Narce, who was in charge of the relic theft case, had heard the Q&A right next to me and looked into his eyes but did not say that he seemed to be the culprit. Didn't he still just sit in the room, as if there was no clue?

"Wow~ That's accurate. It's not him. As you guessed, the d'Orléans family or some organization must have possessed the technique to neutralize security Spells... and the people in that organization committed both theft incidents using the same technique."

"......."

"Sorry. I was curious why you suddenly asked that question earlier, so I read your mind a little."

"It's fine. Anyway, as you said, this incident is not Charles d'Orléans' solitary crime. There must be a mastermind who put Charles d'Orléans forward as the operative leader, but…."

"It's surprising that there's no Pleroma behind it for once. I'm telling you, the d'Orléans guys did this 100%! You said that technique is theirs!"

"Isn't there something that bothers you?"

"What is it?"

"...Never mind. Anyway, that was a good idea."

This time, I firmly cleared the chessboard and moved to find some stationery.

"I need to send a letter to Marianne Baum right now."

And once the reply came, I would go straight to Bavaria.

"What? Now?"

My information about Archduke Maria von Österreich-Este was incomplete.

Let's think from the beginning. The real Maria died in 1888. Considering that there was a club in reality that 'moved up a plan that was only planned for a few years,' it could be assumed that the club's founding and Maria's death were not far apart.

'The real Maria must have died not long after founding the Hermetische Gesellschaft.'

I asked to confirm while putting on my jacket.

"Guys. Do you know when the Hermetische Gesellschaft was founded?"

"It's been ten years. They say it's too old and prestigious to let novices like us in."

Elías said sarcastically. Narce, who had been resting his chin on his hand and just laughing at that, shook his head.

"They're trying not to let us in because of Pleroma. After talking with us for a while, they suspected we might be Mages from Pleroma. Suspecting us of being spies from other clubs is also for the same reason. Our Magic Power might have been too great."

I slowly turned around at his words.

"Pleroma. Are they targeting that club?"

"Yes, it seems there have been some precedents of them trying to infiltrate the club."

"The Hermetische Gesellschaft is a relic trading club."

"They might be able to obtain good items. Or perhaps they might find a method of resurrection in the spiritualism performed in the elite gathering inside it.... Isn't their 'resurrection' in the realm of sorcery, not Magic Studies with a formula? Haha."

"Then, Narce. Do you think a Magic Formula that is considered an occult fantasy is feasible?"

"It would be difficult, but not impossible. As you know, magic is Logos, and if the occult happened to approach the Logos, it would be entirely possible. But they haven't achieved anything so far, have they~?"

"Right. If they had developed even one groundbreaking formula there, they wouldn't be operating as a secret club like this. If they created a usable Magic Formula, they wouldn't have to work until they died, so there's no way they'd just let it be, purely out of a love for the occult."

When Elías agreed, Narce replied with an ambiguous smile.

"But I even doubt if the astral projection was truly successful, haha."

"What?! No!"

As I thought before, the technique Maria developed was not being used even in the Hermetische Gesellschaft. I nodded and began writing the letter to Marianne Baum.

"You guys think those people don't know anything. Even so, Pleroma keeps hovering around there. Why would Pleroma try to infiltrate that place?"

Just to get one relic?

Why? Numerous ideas that could arise from this question churned in my mind.

Elías firmly stated his opinion to my question.

"They poke around everywhere, don't they? You said Pleroma isn't related to this incident."

Elías didn't say that without thinking. He knew I had applied all sorts of decryption methods to a simple anagram cipher. He was saying it because he knew my nature of trying to delve complicatedly into everything.

"Thank you for the good opinion."

It was also important to think simply. I finished preparing to leave and returned to the room. Just in time, a carrier pigeon landed on the open windowsill. As my hand touched the bird's leg while picking up the letter, the Magic Power that was dissolving into the pigeon's body disappeared.

I opened the letter with an unfamiliar store logo on it and mumbled,

"The reply is here. I should go."

***

"I thought we were meeting in private."

"It is private."

I said, pointing to the thin navy jacket I was wearing. Marianne Baum merely looked at me indifferently.

"Other than wearing plain clothes, our entire conversation topic is related to some theft incident, isn't it? I wouldn't have brought up such a topic unless the French stealing the jewel was not just an ordinary theft."

'Just an ordinary theft'. That's how it was known to the public, who had no idea why France would steal another country's jewel.

I wasn't saying the weight of the incident was light. The air here was filled with fear that a war might break out. The faces of the numerous people sitting in this café were full of tension.

France argued that they had no reason to steal the jewel—it wasn't like they lacked money or resources—and even more so when it was a jewel with the history of another country's Royal Family.

In Austria, rumors spread that France, which secretly invaded another country's palace and took their treasure, intended to infringe upon Austria's sovereignty. In other words, they thought France was testing the waters to see if they could invade and colonize them. Setting aside how they could colonize that great power, it was a perfectly understandable reaction from Austria's perspective.

To return to the main point, the Austria-Hungary Investigation Bureau didn't even know that the parure was an artifact.

Our Investigation Bureau also wouldn't know, except for Abraham, and I wasn't certain that Abraham knew either. Since I didn't know what secondary problems would arise if this fact became known, I hadn't revealed that the parure was an artifact containing lost technology.

'It's a situation where someone might have figured it out even without being told.'

So, there was no need to add fuel to the fire. I thought so and replied,

"There is no reason for an ordinary theft. Anyway... didn't I clearly mention in the letter that I needed some help with the task I was recently assigned?"

Marianne Baum ignored the words that followed as if he hadn't heard them and replied,

"I thought the aftermath of the Pentalon was finally fading, but you're still busy. Why don't you come home for a visit."

"The Catacombs have become my home, then."

"Come before I kick you out of the house."

"I will do so…."

"So, you asked if I knew the Spell that erases memory when Divine Power enters the body."

Marianne Baum narrowed his eyes and asked. It was the topic I had just brought up.

"Yes. Do you know a lot about it?"

"Know a lot about it? That's the Magic Formula we created. To be precise, it's a Spell that activates when Magic structured with the mechanism of mental manipulation magic, specifically from Divine Power, enters the body. If it reacted simply to all Divine Power, you would have forgotten your memory just from purification or covenant magic. What you just mentioned was 'Divine Power', not mental manipulation magic, wasn't it?"

"It's uncertain, but it's not important enough to classify so specifically. The operating principles of the two Spells are the same anyway. Is there any way this Spell could have been leaked?"

"......."

Marianne Baum stared at me intently and lowered his voice.

"Is it because of that parure you mentioned earlier? The one the French Imperial Family allegedly stole."

"Yes."

The smile was gradually disappearing from his face. The use of the Catacombs' unique Magic Formula externally was an impossible event. He then took out a fountain pen with blue ink and quickly scribbled an equation on a napkin.

"I'm trusting you because you're Lukas. Was this Spell cast on that French thief?"

"It was."

Marianne Baum's face hardened.

"It couldn't have been leaked. Even people in the Catacombs don't know this formula unless they are authorized. Unless someone among the leadership betrayed us again, like before…."

"That's what I'm trying to find out now. Professor Baum, please investigate the Catacombs leadership with someone you trust. I intend to contact someone outside who has information about this incident."

I read the equation. It was abstract. Magic Studies mostly explained magic with mathematical models, but even after solving, reassembling, and graphing this equation, it didn't take the familiar form of the numerous formulas I had learned in Magic Studies. It just looked like any arbitrary equation that had been scribbled down. Even while his expression was souring, Marianne Baum kindly explained it to me.

"For your information, it's not that you don't know because you haven't studied. The form is like this because we had to create a new magic that doesn't exist in the world."

"That's a relief. Did you ever borrow the power of external scholars or occult Magic Studies when creating this?"

"We never borrowed the power of occult Magic Studies. Could it be that Pleroma took this technique? We never even handed over this material even when those guys infiltrated our diocese."

In conclusion, if neither Pleroma nor the Catacombs gave this technique to d'Orléans... where did the d'Orléans family or the mastermind behind them obtain such an advanced technique?

As soon as he said that, I shook my head to reassure Marianne Baum.

"It's too early to say the technique was leaked. There is a possibility that they developed it independently. And based on the results of the Investigation Bureau's interrogation, it was not Pleroma."

"Not Pleroma? If it's not those guys, who else would be crazy enough to use such a technique for theft?"

"I would like to know that myself."

As they knew, it wasn't a simple jewel theft; it was a 'technology' theft that occurred in the process of preparing to aim higher. Those who already possessed skills and abilities that surpassed the Magic Studies community were aiming for the unique ability replication technique, and they succeeded.

I felt Marianne Baum's confused gaze and said,

"It might be better if only Pleroma possessed such a technique, rather than someone else."

Why?

Because the shrimp's back breaks suddenly in the whale's fight.

I swallowed those words and checked my watch. It was time to find a clue to verify my guess.

***

"If you didn't come with an appointment, I can't let you in. I believe I told you that yesterday."

A New Human chamberlain smiled ambiguously, looking at me. Before I could even open my mouth, he abruptly closed the door. Having entered through the barred gate, he looked alternately at Leo and me and said,

"...I truly apologize to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and your party, but if you come again, I will not respond to you next time."

Today was the second day I had come to meet Emanuel Wittelsbach. And, naturally, I had been rejected both times.

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