Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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“…A deal?”
Leo asked.
“Luca, are you thinking of negotiating with Pleroma? Those guys don’t even speak the same language.”
“Yeah. They don’t.”
The ones I planned to deal with weren’t Pleroma.
You only negotiate with people who have a sense of reason. What kind of deal could you strike with those who poison rivers?
To make a deal work, I’d have to offer them compensation that matched or exceeded the losses from giving up their actions.
So…
“Crime can’t be negotiated with. I’m not dealing with Pleroma—I’m dealing with the Emperor.”
If I timed the release of information just right, I could massively boost Bayern’s influence while pushing Nikolaus’s approval rating to 8 points—no, even higher, solidifying it perfectly.
Elias’s position would benefit the same way.
“Of course, that’s one thing…”
Even in the novel, Pleroma had caused major incidents before, and the imperial family had nearly botched their chance, almost driving the entire empire’s subjects to death.
I couldn’t just let that happen.
At the mention of the Emperor, Elias’s eyes grew slightly more serious.
“What exactly are you planning to offer?”
I snapped my fingers, casting a soundproofing spell over the space.
“To minimize civilian casualties, we need to roll out a ton of countermeasures right away. Since we’re doing it anyway, why not use this as a chance to weaken the imperial family’s influence?”
All three sets of eyes locked onto me in an instant.
This issue wouldn’t wrap up quickly.
They’d found their most effective method yet among everything they’d tried so far. If water didn’t work, they’d poison the soil or the air next.
The severity of the problem meant complex solutions, but that was exactly why Bayern could expand its influence dramatically.
Leo, still watching me, spoke up.
“You’re going to trade countermeasures to reduce the imperial family’s influence.”
“Yeah. I’m going to trade the system with the imperial family. Bayern’s already gotten a lot of imperial support from this incident. They’re probably playing the good guys up front while plotting their next big move behind the scenes.”
Elias swallowed hard.
Leo’s eyes flashed with understanding, then quickly returned to their usual calm.
“…Simple.”
“Yeah. It’s simple, but there’s a huge difference between moving with an imperial deal in mind and not. We can’t just blurt out all the info at once like some reckless hero.”
“What about the subjects’ safety?”
“Not sharing info doesn’t mean we’re abandoning them.”
Sending weaponsmiths after getting paid was different from dumping blueprints and principles all over the market.
“If we make the info a public good, control goes to everyone equally. But if we reveal a solution exists while keeping the key resources and personnel ourselves, control stays with us. Of course, we can’t chase profits in a crisis like this.”
“…If we hold the key resources and personnel…”
Leo repeated my words, staring into space as he sank into thought.
He seemed to be calculating how to handle each element.
“Make the imperial family owe Bayern for the empire’s safety, Leo.”
That would become the power to put Elias on the throne and solidify my foundation.
Leo responded with a soft smile instead of words.
‘Solid reaction.’
It was a proposal that only brought them gains, so of course.
I gave a light smile.
“Then, we need to secure the resources for the deal first.”
We were short on tech and info too.
But with everyone else convinced this was the devil’s work—except us—we had plenty of time to build our advantage.
“Leo, what’s the soonest I can see His Majesty the King?”
“Anytime.”
It was midnight now.
Given the national disaster, he seemed ready to make time whenever.
‘Perfect.’
To gain the upper hand in a deal with the imperial family, I needed Bayern’s cooperation first.
* * *
[Mass Hysteria Called the Devil: Is the Empire Really Okay Like This?]
[Victims Appearing Intermittently Across the Empire from Midnight to 6 AM… Cause Still ‘Unknown’]
[Daniel Neumann, Munich Archbishop: “It’s Clearly Satan’s Approach… We Must Be Vigilant”]
[[Bayern] 207 Victims Counted by 6 AM]
[Symptoms Identical to Bovine Madness… Papal See: “We Won’t Spare Support”]
‘What a mess.’
I set the newspaper down and stood, heading upstairs to the conference room with Narke.
Thirty minutes ago, I’d sent word that I had something to report to His Majesty.
I’d expected a one-on-one with the King at first, but he’d insisted on including cabinet ministers and representatives from both houses of parliament, summoning me to the government building.
‘Fine by me.’
Just in case any politicians were Pleroma sympathizers, I’d brought Narke along.
The attendant who’d come up with us opened the door and announced,
“Nikolaus Ernst, Your Excellency, and Bishop Michael Schultz, Your Excellency, have arrived.”
Unlike the brightly lit hallway, the conference room was dim—likely to project magical documents without interference from full lighting.
Nearly thirty Bayern government ministers from each department and representatives from both parliamentary houses sat there with grim, shadowed faces.
As I took my seat, the King entered right on cue.
“His Majesty the King has arrived.”
The King scanned the assembly, then looked at me and spoke.
“Everyone’s here. I’ve called you all because there’s something urgent we need to know. If no one minds, let’s get started.”
“Understood.”
I stood again and projected my materials.
“Straight to it. From twelve hours ago until now, I’ve reviewed every article on this incident. Most reports pinned it on the devil. From what I saw on-site, their symptoms did look demonic.”
The room nodded, waiting for me to continue.
I paused, gazing at the materials I’d projected, then turned to the ministers.
“If that were true, I wouldn’t be here. This isn’t the devil’s doing.”
“…The victims’ symptoms match bovine madness perfectly. Not the devil?”
One minister asked, and another calmly replied,
“We’re short on time. Let’s hear him out first.”
“Thank you. Recently, I infiltrated Pleroma and secured their documents and drugs. I believe Your Majesty was briefed by the Crown Prince.”
“Yes.”
The King confirmed it.
Without his backing, I couldn’t prove my materials’ credibility—a perfect response.
I nodded and returned to the topic.
“Everyone. Do you know the same issue happened in Baden-Baden a week ago?”
“…The same issue?”
“The Papal See requested my holy power support for an exorcism assist. I noticed something: every victim had drunk or touched the hot spring water.”
Some ministers furrowed their brows.
It matched today’s pattern of victims clustering near ‘riversides’—no surprise.
“You’re saying they poisoned the water?”
“Yes. Vitriol-based drugs were detected in the local hot spring water.”
The room erupted in murmurs.
One minister gripped his desk and asked,
“So, what’s the status there now?”
“They pulled out after spotting me. No drug traces in the spring water since.”
As the picture sharpened, the ministers’ faces hardened further.
“Why do this? Revenge?”
I projected the document we’d read with my friends earlier.
“‘Vitriol unsuitable for subjects as it vaporizes without forming a core.’ When the drug enters the body and causes what we saw, it marks someone incompatible with vitriol. They were experimenting like this to find suitable subjects and build their forces.”
Silence fell.
Too much info at once for them—it was understandable.
But we didn’t have time for a step-by-step breakdown.
“You’ve known about this for a while…?”
“A week ago. It seemed off for demons, so I cross-analyzed with Pleroma’s docs.”
More silence.
Just as I wondered if I should ask why no one was speaking, the King finally broke it.
“No need to see more. Bayern hasn’t been abandoned by God.”
“……”
Not abandoned by God. A few ministers nodded faintly.
The heavy worry that had clouded their faces shifted to a mix of resolve, relief, and fatigue.
The King rose slowly, looking at me.
“Thank you. Thanks to your diligence, Bayern can shed the stigma of being evil’s land.”
He turned to the ministers and representatives.
“Now we know the culprits. All that’s left is responding to Pleroma. I expect Ernst’s insight here will let us swiftly counter their threats to survival.”
“…….”
“Thus, I appoint Ernst as head of the Magical Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters. Any objections?”
“None.”
Voices rose from all around, firm and without hesitation.
Their expressions showed no opposition to the King.
Unlike other regions, this was a place friendly to Nikolaus from the start—I was reminded anew.
“Ernst, take charge of the headquarters from today.”
“…….”
“Headquarters under each department are typically led by minister-level figures, so you’ll need a concurrent appointment as special minister.”
The King said it casually.
I smiled, meeting his eyes.
‘Minister, huh.’
I’d said Bayern’s cooperation was key to gaining leverage against the imperial family.
We had to reveal a solution existed while ensuring Bayern held the key resources and personnel.
Nikolaus being a Bayern army mage was ambiguous. Nationality didn’t bar Prussian government roles.
So it needed weight fitting the crisis.
And he’d called everyone here before even hearing what I had to say—to seat me as minister without fuss.
He’d planned to claim all of Nikolaus’s ideas and strategies for Bayern from the outset.
‘Nice.’
Aligned goals made things smooth.
“So, what’s your answer?”
Smiling confidently like Leo, I met the King’s gaze with my own smile.
“I won’t betray Your Majesty’s trust.”
* * *
[Nikolaus Ernst Appointed Head of Bayern Magical Disaster Countermeasures]
[Nikolaus Ernst Named Bayern Government Special Minister]
By morning, similar headlines blanketed newspapers everywhere.
With the position secured, it was time to build the structure.
I set the paper down and stood.
Knock knock—
Someone rapped on my office door right then.
“Come in,” I said simply. A familiar face entered with a servant.
“Your Excellency Ernst, I’ve come with urgent news.”
‘Hm.’
Seeing him made me chuckle.
He looked tense, as if under strict orders to bring me to his master.
‘Quick mover.’
The Emperor’s herald from before stood before me again.