“Yes, that would be correct.”
I answered with a smile.
“No matter how I think about it, the second week of January seems out of the blue. Perhaps after the Pleroma contamination incident occurred in the Empire, you conducted the unscheduled checkup for the first ti to examine the faculty mbers’ safety. Is that correct?”
“That’s right. Haha, you seem to know so much, why are you asking...? They said we should find out if the faculty’s Magic Power status was alright and if they had any health problems, as the professors must protect the school.”
“They said you should find out. Who said that?”
“The affiliated hospital of the Imperial Second Academy suggested it. That’s the Royal Central Hospital located in the northern part of the capital.”
Suggested it.
Of course.
“How long does it usually take for the checkup results to co out?”
“Even if it takes a long ti, the results usually co out within about 2 weeks. If it's just a Magic Power test, it takes about 3 days.”
“I see. How many vials of blood are drawn for the Magic Power test?”
“Usually just one syringe-full is drawn. That was the case this ti too. I know because I submitted mine.”
‘They must have been worried about arousing suspicion if they requested too much blood.’
Blood is deeply related not only to Magic Power but also to Pleroma, so it must have been necessary to be careful during a ti prone to suspicion like this. It's a fortunate situation.
He had a questioning expression, wondering why I kept asking such obvious questions.
It's an obvious situation, yet not obvious. I need to be certain.
“Then, when will the results of this checkup be available? There aren't that many faculty mbers here, is there a reason it should take 3 weeks?”
“Ah... Now that you ntion it, I haven't heard the reason for the delay. I should send a letter right away today.”
The Head of Office said with a slightly troubled face.
Leo and I exchanged glances.
Putting aside why they work like this...
What reason could there be for not being able to provide the results?
‘They can’t give it because they drank the blood that was supposed to be used for the test.’
Especially since professors are stronger than ordinary Mages, the Chairman would have had to drink the entire vial of blood drawn from them to safely enter their minds.
They could have at least forged last year's results and sent them.
I shook my head.
“No. You don't need to contact them.”
“Pardon?”
“I will be visiting that side soon anyway. Once I receive the answer, I will contact the school. Will that be alright?”
“Ah, yes. Then I would be grateful.”
“Thank you. That is all for what I ca to ask today. My schedule is tight, so I will finish up here and be on my way.”
I stood up.
And the mont he rose to see off, I drew my Wand and pointed it at him.
—Enter through the narrow gate.
“…!”
I used Magic Power to support the Head of Office’s body as he swayed, approached him, and whispered softly.
“…You must not contact the hospital. Do you understand?”
He nodded slowly, his eyes unfocused, head bowed towards the floor.
I smiled and released the magic.
“Good. Thank you.”
* * *
After leaving the Head of Office’s room, I cast Concealnt Magic and exited the school through the back gate.
Students were already out in the schoolyard, peering around, so I had no other choice.
Leo, who ca out to see off, opened his mouth with a smile.
“You certainly...”
“Certainly what?”
“You certainly know how to pull a fast one. Always have.”
“It’s not pulling a fast one, it was the most reasonable and common-sense thod available to that side. It wasn't relying on guesswork either.”
I said that and smiled.
Leo asked.
“Then how could Your Excellency be so certain it was that from the beginning? You didn't know there was a checkup in January, did you?”
“As Your Highness said, they have no way of obtaining blood. If they were to infiltrate the residences, they wouldn't need to give the professors the Revelation, and it's not sothing they could just pickpocket while passing by.”
“Hmm.”
“Obtaining blood without arousing suspicion and in a way that seems convincing... There just happens to be one way to make people draw and submit their own blood. Furthermore, a health-related disaster happened this month, creating coincidentally the optimal situation. Was there any reason to miss it?”
Leo nodded with satisfaction.
“Will you be coming back to school now?”
“No. I will be going to the Parliant.”
Leo looked at .
He must be wondering what I'll do next. I shook my head, reassuring him.
“You don’t need to co. We can et this evening, Your Highness.”
* * *
“Your Excellency Ernst. This is the material you requested. The Magic Power test results for Professor Johannes Ron and Professor Stefan Traut have not yet been released.”
I imdiately contacted the Emperor and mobilized the entire Investigation Bureau to thoroughly search the hospital.
I fluttered the docunts the detective handed , saw the blank entry for the Magic Power test, and snorted.
‘It’s surprising they didn’t even think of filling it in with last year’s test results.’
What does this imply?
A simple mistake?
Well, since it’s sothing done by people, if the person in charge was careless and lazy, one could think that.
But that’s insufficient. In any fight, the mont you underestimate your opponent, the situation turns against you. It’s like you've ignored all possible scenarios yourself.
‘The Chairman hasn’t yet created his own person within the hospital.’
This conclusion is far more rational.
If he had a subordinate with easy access to blood for a very long ti, he should have been able to give the Revelation to all high-ranking Mages in the capital's political and business circles by now.
Going around collecting consent signatures is easy compared to obtaining blood, so there would be no reason to delay it for so long.
In other words, from this, we can deduce that the Chairman created soone within the hospital who received the Revelation not long ago, and he hasn't been able to emotionally sway that person who received the Revelation.
If they were truly his 'subordinates,' they wouldn't have just left blanks for those two but would have manipulated the records more ticulously.
There could be several reasons for the sloppy handling of subsequent matters, but in this particular part, the possibility of it being calculated is small.
“Thank you. I will head upstairs now.”
“Yes.”
I motioned to Narce and Adelbert who had followed .
After I hinted to Adelbert that I was going to the Parliant for an interrogation and needed to do so secretive activities, he imdiately went to his father and pestered him to let him follow .
So now, instead of a Royal Divine Power Mage, Adelbert took that spot.
‘Since the afternoon training is also finished…’
Let’s take our ti.
First, let's review slowly.
The plan has changed.
When I t the Chairman in the previous tiline, I said I had to et him again ‘because I had no evidence to present to save the horoom professor, and also to prevent the Chairman from creating a religious group in Primrose Path and expanding his influence.’
The first reason is discarded.
I only need to go et him for the second reason.
When I was in that tiline, I didn’t realize it because I was numb to violence.
If I have to et him to obtain physical evidence, the situation becos overly complicated and disadvantageous to . It's not simply a matter of 'kill him and be done with it,' but 'don't kill him, first put him in front of a cara, and then make him confess.'
And... decisively.
‘I also have a promise with Leo.’
To avoid putting him in a dangerous situation, I must first avoid doing so myself.
So, now I've co here to find materials that can be used as that evidence.
No, to be precise...
I've co to create evidence.
“Your Highness the Prince.”
“Yes!”
I almost laughed at his voice, which was full of vigor, but cleared my throat instead.
“The sight you are about to witness will not be entirely proper.”
“It’s alright. I think it’s a great honor just to be able to see Your Excellency Ernst resolving matters related to !”
“Is that so…”
I elbowed Narce in the side, who was about to burst into laughter, and entered the Parliant building.
This was a place I had visited even in the shifted tiline.
Rembering the appointnt I had made with a mber of Parliant today, I went up to the top floor.
Narce, who had been silently following up the stairs, asked.
“By the way, yesterday you said I didn’t need to co, so why are we going to Parliant~?”
I told Narce that.
In the shifted tiline, I interrogated the MPs with him, but after rewinding ti, I told him, ‘Parliant is fine, we need to go to Primrose Path first.’
In reality, I've already obtained all the information I needed from these MPs. There's no additional information I need to get.
Knock—
“Excuse .”
When I opened the door, the person who had given information about Gregorio in the previous tiline was standing before .
“Your Excellency Nicolaus. It’s a pleasure to see you.”
Unlike the previous tiline where he was tearfully terrified, he approached with a cheerful face and attempted to shake hands. I lightly took his hand and drew out my Wand.
“It’s a pleasure.”
—Enter through the narrow gate.
“…!”
The MP’s eyes unfocused for a mont, then returned. He opened his mouth with a flustered look.
“Wait, Your Excellency…?! What are you suddenly…!”
—For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
As I recited that far, his eyes unfocused.
I held his head and looked around. Perhaps because my magic didn't take effect imdiately, Adelbert was looking at him with surprised eyes.
Narce, on the other hand, seed to have gotten the gist of things as before.
“I don’t plan to break a promise I’ve made once…”
I said that and imdiately snapped my fingers.
“You’ll have to indulge a bit.”
“…Gasp…! W-wait, wait! What are you…!”
The MP imdiately regained focus and clutched his chest, his eyes wide.
I leaned closer to his face, tilting my head.
“You must be quite flustered.”
“…!”
Feeling the instinctive fear lting in his eyes, I smiled.
He got it.
He knew that I knew where his weakness lay.
“Pleroma’s self-destruct chanism. It’s truly surprising, no matter how I look at it. Shall I cast it on you a bit more?”
“N-no, what did I ever do to you…!”
CRASH—!
I threw him onto the desk. I tied his hands behind his back and drew my Wand, throwing it to Narce.
Fortunately, he was in a state of shock and didn't regain his composure, allowing to do as I pleased.
Adelbert just stared at with his mouth agape.
‘I don’t usually interrogate like this.’
Even though he's seen it before, it will probably just create unnecessary prejudice. If it weren't for Pleroma, I wouldn't have treated him like a serious criminal right off the bat.
Narce continued to point the Wand at him from the side.
“Tell everything you know about Gregorio. This isn't what I plan to make you do, but let's start by listing it out.”
“Gr-Gregorio…?”
“You know who I an. The one who is defecting from Pleroma and trying to create a new religion. And you were assigned to monitor him.”
“…!”
His eyes shook wildly.
“I-I can't betray the organization, how could I know that…?”
“Betraying Pleroma... Well. Wouldn't that be much better than dissolving and dying right here?”
His face turned pale.
He was the one who confessed everything to in the previous tiline.
I saw his shallow loyalty and strong desire for life clearly. That desire was highly valuable.
Since I had no data on the tendencies of the person who dissolved and died, I decided to et this person this ti.
“I know how much you know about Gregorio, and I know what you can testify to. But you probably think my words are just empty threats and you don't trust , right? Let's try it out. —Through the narrow gate…”
“W-wait, wait! Wait!”
He twisted his body.
When I stopped speaking, he nodded instead of using his arms, as if trying to calm down. But judging by his complexion, he was the one who needed calming.
“Wait. Just a mont, Your Excellency… I'll die if you do that. I'll die…”
He was already whimpering and rambling incoherently. I grabbed his arm and flipped him over.
“You don’t want to die, do you? If you follow my words, you’ll die to Pleroma, and if you stay loyal to Pleroma, you’ll die to right now.”
The bastard nodded violently.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell you to defect from Pleroma.”
“Then…”
“Tell the organization this: The Chairman’s behavior was strange, so you used Nicolaus Ernst to put pressure on him… That’s what you tell them.”
“…!”
His eyes widened as he stared at .
From behind, I heard Narce let out a short breath. Adelbert was standing far away, mouth agape.
“mber of Parliant, do you know about Abraham?”
“A-Abraham…? No.”
“Good. You are just playing along with for a mont. Tell Pleroma that I first requested interviews with the MPs regarding Primrose Path and the Chairman.”
“…….”
“However, you recently detected evidence that Gregorio, under the pseudonym Abraham, is trying to attract the old humans of Primrose Path into his religious group. You accepted Nicolaus’s tily offer and by informing him about the Chairman, you could use his power to pressure the Chairman, and furthermore…”
I grabbed him by the lapels and brought my face close.
“Perhaps you might even find a clever way to kill Nicolaus Ernst or draw him into Pleroma… Who knows.”
“…….”
“You have two choices. First, convey the scenario I’ve proposed to Pleroma. I will ensure your life is preserved and you keep your position.”
I released his lapels and pressed my Wand against his face.
“Second, dissolve and die right here.”
He visibly flinched.
“mber of Parliant Alexander Kluger.”
“Yes, yes…”
“It would be a waste to die like this when you’re only in your 40s. You could naturally live for another 110 years. In fact, you probably borrowed Pleroma’s power because you wanted to live longer and beco stronger…”
At that remark, he took a deep breath, trying to hold back his tears.
I pretended not to hear it and whispered nonchalantly.
“Isn’t it too unfair to dissolve and die in a Parliant eting room that you don’t even know exists? It’s not like I’m going to kill all of Pleroma. If cooperation is possible, that's the priority. In that sense, I have even devised a plan like this for the mber of Parliant’s safety…”
“…….”
“You’re slow to answer. If the mber of Parliant doesn't wish to live, there's nothing I can do.”
—Enter through the narrow gate.
His eyes unfocused slightly, then returned. His heart was pounding so hard I could hear it from here. He shook his head wildly.
“N-no…! Stop!”
“No?”
“I-I'll do it. I'll do it. I'll do as you say, just stop with the Divine Power…”
“You've made a good decision. I look forward to working with you.”
I held out my hand. He stared at it blankly. Adelbert also looked alternately at and his hands tied behind his back, his face full of questions.
“Ah, my apologies. We can't shake hands.”
I pretended to ponder for a mont, then lightly embraced him.
“Let's greet this way. Let's work well together from now on, mber of Parliant Kluger.”
I placed my hand on his back, where his heart would be, and whispered near his ear.
—I can do all things through him who strengthens .
“…!”
He stared at , his mouth agape.
Feeling a sense of satisfaction, I stood up.
Now there are four people subservient to . I didn't really want to increase this number, but sohow it ended up happening.
Since he seed to be having trouble accepting the reality, I clapped my hands, just as I had done with Leo.
“Gasp…!”
He instantly bent forward.
‘It seems to hurt more than I thought.’
Well, it must feel like hitting the heart. I feel sorry for Leo. I even twisted it more severely for him, but he endured it well.
“Since your Core is bound not only to Pleroma but also to , it would be best not to betray . After all… I think a safety device would be good to have.”
If you only use the whip for too long, the motivation to work decreases.
I softened my voice.
“I promise. I won't tell anyone that you have a foot in both groups. However, if you go to Pleroma and tell them that I made this demand... you will be the only one who dies. From Pleroma's perspective, there's no reason to keep a hand that's already been revealed.”
“Yes, yes. I understand. Thank you. Thank you.”
Looking down at him, now shedding tears as the tension had broken, I spoke.
“Alright, from now on, there's sothing you need to do for .”
* * *
More than half of the preparations were complete.
No, in fact, it could be said that everything was finished.
Now only the matter I need to resolve remains.
“I wondered why you were looking for clerical attire all of a sudden.”
“I have to go find my son.”
Narce laughed at that.
The cloak draped over my cassock fluttered.
It had been several months since I was ordained, but I didn't wear clerical clothes often, so it still felt unfamiliar.
Narce, on the other hand, seed to fit the clothes perfectly, as if he were finally wearing the right attire. It wasn't cardinal's robes, but ordinary priest's clothes.
Narce, who was three steps ahead of , turned back and said.
“It suits you well too~”
“Right… Thanks. Stop reading my thoughts now.”
I looked at Narce's eyes, which had turned blue, and smiled. His eyes shone brightly even in the darkness.
Narce, who had been staring at , burst into laughter.
“Haha, it does suit you, but it feels unfamiliar. Wearing those clothes with that face. And in…”
I am that person too, clearly.
I smiled and raised my head. Jeremaiah's thin golden hair, parted and swept down, fluttered before my eyes.
Narce looked around this street and said.
“…a place like this. We'll probably be the first orthodox clergy to set foot in a place like this wearing clerical attire, Jeremaiah.”
That would be correct.
The place I needed to co to wearing clerical attire wasn't the school, but here, and the person who needed to wear the clerical attire wasn't Lucas or Nicolaus, but Jeremaiah Caetani.
“So what.”
I rolled the Wand between my fingers.
A phantom vision of stars scattered across the pitch-black path of Primrose Path appeared. A sunlight-like light flowed and the Wand transford into the Papal State's staff.
“Let’s begin.”
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