Chapter 193
Chapter 193
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: A Pact with the Crown Prince
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“I had hoped our first meeting would be in a more formal and wholesome setting.”
He chuckled as if amused, tapping the table with his fingertips. The metallic bracelet clinked rhythmically against the surface with each touch.
“But sitting before me is some wastrel priest, far from respectable, who resolves matters in the most unheard-of, deplorable way. I know full well from personal experience that your abilities as Nikolaus know no bounds and keep reaching new heights, but honestly, I never imagined you’d go this far.”
“That was never my intention, no matter what you say.”
“Do you think anyone lives exactly according to plan? Your real talent is turning variables into opportunities. Ah, now I see—this is the key.”
He snapped his fingers. Then, as if tempting me, he whispered.
“You’ve climbed this high precisely because you took risks no one else would dare. You’ve never been able to adapt to the waves of the common herd your whole life, have you? Am I wrong? Your dimension is one layer higher than theirs, so you and those masses can never mix—nor have you ever.”
“I don’t see it that way.”
“Be honest. Have you ever truly understood the ridiculous movements of that crowd?”
When I didn’t answer, he smirked.
“…We have more in common than I thought. So, who knows your true face? Your superior, who never leaves your side and couldn’t possibly not know you’re his adjutant, must be aware. And His Majesty the King of Bavaria knows as well.”
He smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“What an honor. I’ve become one of the few who knows who you are. I wish I could’ve been the first, but that was never possible.”
I knew what was coming.
Just as I’d expected.
He didn’t just know I was Nikolaus…
“Adrian Ascanien, Vice Minister of Magic, must be in quite a complicated state of mind.”
He even knew I was Lucas Ascanien.
He had no choice but to know. It would be disappointing if he didn’t.
“A 20-year masterpiece has gained a will of its own and is smashing every board on the table, and even knowing that, it’s too late to intervene. And what Adrian Ascanien knows is just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine his reaction when he learns his little brother has become the Empire’s saint… It’ll be quite the sight. Now I’m curious what they’re preparing over there.”
“You’re curious about everything.”
“Of course, Vice Minister Adrian Ascanien will smoothly inherit the dukedom and go on to greater things. If you attack me, I’ll send Nikolaus Ernst after you.”
“…….”
“That should balance the scales nicely.”
I shook my head with a sneer.
“What bold bluster. You won’t attack me, Your Highness.”
“I’d like to hear why.”
“With Adrian Ascanien’s approval ratings far surpassing yours, how could you?”
“…….”
“How could you pass up such a golden opportunity? You’re in a position where if Nikolaus—or I—interferes with Adrian Ascanien’s succession to the dukedom, you’d have to gratefully accept it.”
I spat the words mockingly, chewing on them.
Sensing the flow of my mana, he raised an eyebrow in surprise and let out a small laugh.
“Those people prefer Adrian Ascanien as emperor over Elizabeth Hohenzollern. Even if it’s just talk, Adrian Ascanien is a mage who considers the lives of non-mages, throwing himself into danger for the common folk. In that situation, it doesn’t seem likely Your Highness would take the high-risk move of boosting Adrian Ascanien’s position.”
The Adrian Ascanien these people saw was close to a true reformer from above—the only noble who truly cared for the commoners.
It was the path Adrian Ascanien had deliberately chosen to gain support.
“Your choice of words is surprising.”
“Are you surprised by ‘the people,’ or by ‘just talk’? Be precise.”
“Both. The Empire’s 100 million souls are loyal subjects obedient to the Hohenzollern imperial family. There are no Germans in this world who are not the Hohenzollerns’ servants. ‘Subjects’—not citizens or people—is the most fitting term. You probably think the Empire’s political system has an absolute monarchical bent, so even ‘nationals’ implies second-class subjects subordinate to the imperial family, unable to escape subservience. That’s why you call them ‘just people’—neither the Hohenzollerns’ nor the Second Empire’s.”
“You know your stuff.”
“Hahaha….”
He shook his head. His yellow eyes gleamed with intense interest.
Amid the patter of rain came a low whisper.
“Treason, Excellency.”
“…….”
“Nothing else—this is treason. Telling me Adrian Ascanien’s support outstrips mine isn’t the issue. Freeing those 100 million souls? That’s the most decisive, gravest treason.”
As expected. No surprise there.
He stared at me with a lingering smile, then finally spoke.
“…As crown prince, I can say that. But at root, my thinking doesn’t differ from yours.”
He murmured as if chewing over his thoughts.
“I like it.”
“…….”
“Humans must be human. We know what happens when someone fixes a human’s core identity as their subject or a component of the state. They stop living for themselves and live for the group, internalizing its ideology and values as their own, ultimately dying as expendable cogs in the fiction of the collective. But what if we strip away that belonging? Does utopia unfold?”
I could easily guess what he’d say next.
His argument aligned partly with my own views.
“No. We still have nations, races, women and men, new and old generations, bourgeoisie and workers.”
He gazed at me warmly.
“Your attempt is futile, Excellency. Humans can’t escape classification. Finding a group to depend on is the basic principle of human life, and the barbaric security from annihilating out-groups drives us instinctively.”
“…….”
“The throne, the Empire—these are human constructs. Humans have ceded to us the right to rule them for the comfort of belonging, and we must indulge their instincts.”
In the end, we’d never find common ground.
We start from the same point, cross paths a few times, but diverge irrevocably at the conclusion.
From my perspective, knowing history after this era, his insights into the future are sharp and accurate—but he uses them to defend absolute monarchy.
As a leader guiding the masses, those insights should point to faith in human self-improvement, but they don’t.
Seeming not inclined to ramble as before, he wrapped up quickly.
“This isn’t why you came today. Let’s leave it there and return to the main point.”
“Agreed.”
“You said you didn’t come to kill me today. Nor did I. I have no intention of killing you—today or ever.”
His arm remained as it was. He tapped his still pristine white wrist and said.
“You know why.”
“You have goals you haven’t shared with me, and I’m necessary to achieve them.”
Not “might be”—I was necessary.
Based on my deductions so far, he couldn’t kill me. He needed my abilities. Considering the chairman’s insightfulness, I shouldn’t say anything conscious or revealing in his presence—but this one thing I could state clearly first.
His goal was to melt me in the furnace called Abraham.
“Hmm, your thinking always exceeds expectations—I like that. Normally, one would say, ‘If I’m killed, I’ve set up a reveal of your identity, so you can’t kill me.’ The most obvious line, isn’t it?”
“You know why I don’t say that, Your Highness.”
When I smiled and asked, he grinned in satisfaction.
“Of course. The moment you produce rigorous evidence and logic proving Abraham is the crown prince, every media outlet you’ve promised the scoop to will cut ties. The emperor and imperial government will close the Abraham investigation, hunt down the impersonator for execution, and you’ll end up in the execution yard for false reporting.”
“You know it well.”
“Even if I willingly accepted punishment, my surroundings wouldn’t allow it. Punishment falls on those who prioritize truth over structure. That’s why, instead of dragging me before cameras, you allied with Pleroma congressmen to expose Abraham.”
The crown prince exhaled deeply, as if finishing important business, and gazed out the window. Amid the rain lashing the glass, he spoke leisurely.
“Father. Now we both know what we want.”
His tone shifted again.
I raised an eyebrow slightly at his eccentricity.
It also signaled he wouldn’t treat me as Nikolaus anymore.
“You’re here to collect my data, predict my future moves, and gather intel to kill me soon. Your goal isn’t the crown prince’s downfall—it’s Abraham’s death.”
“How original. It’s not much different for Your Highness.”
“Exactly.”
A voice like a serpent’s slithered into my ear.
“Your knowledge exceeds my cognition. How you baptized Marco Schreiber, how you nurtured his resistance through the labyrinth—it’s all a mystery. I know nothing about you, but I’d guess you possess abilities as beyond common sense as mine.”
For example, turning back time.
Or viewing others’ labyrinths.
Spot on.
He fiddled with his bracelet, precisely aligning it over his artery again.
“Father Kaetani, let me make a proposal. Let’s get along from now on.”
“…….”
“Having approached this conversation, you already harbor biases against me, dismissing everything I say as wrong. Even if I align with your values, you’ll hunt for errors and refuse agreement. That’s human cognition. We must premise that.”
The crown prince met my eyes.
“You’re biased. I’m neither objectively right nor wrong—nor are you.”
I just smiled.
He’d laid the groundwork well.
Shaking his cold teacup slowly, he said.
“Father, I’ll say it again—you won’t agree, but we have so much in common. We both have abilities no one understands, can’t comprehend the dull masses, and grasp the essence of the problem. I may not be the first to see Nikolaus’s true face, but I can be the only one to understand your essence.”
His eyes gleamed deeper in the darkness.
“What do you think, Father?”
I scoffed. When I didn’t reply, the crown prince smiled and asked.
“So, your answer? Isn’t this part of your plan too?”
“You overestimate me.”
I said it deliberately. It was planned.
Of course it was.
With Abraham’s status not that of a mere businessman or politician but the Empire’s crown prince, killing him outright was impossible.
I already had a way to kill him, but it didn’t depend on my hands. He was bound to draw me in, so I just had to wait. He’d bring about his own downfall.
But admitting it was planned would let him glean ten pieces of intel on what I knew and didn’t.
I couldn’t give him that.
“You already know my answer. As you wish.”
The crown prince nodded as if he’d expected it.
“Very well. A promise, then. No matter what, I won’t reveal you’re Nikolaus or prepare to kill you. And for the time being, I won’t act as Abraham either.”
His wrist remained unchanged.
I looked up at him and corrected his words precisely.
“Not ‘won’t act’—you can’t, Your Highness. Try it if you dare.”
“Haha… True enough. Thanks to how spectacularly you wrapped things up, Father.”
He ended the conversation with a casual laugh.
Checking the time, I pushed my teacup forward.
“It’s quite late now.”
He nodded, stood, and offered his hand. Ignoring it, I rose on my own. As we left the room and reached the library, he grabbed my arm.
“Warp.”
In the blink of an eye, we were back at the investigation site from before. Turning to me, he smiled.
“I’m glad we shared this brief peaceful time, Excellency.”
“Happy to hear it.”
“I’ll send a letter to His Excellency’s office soon, so let me know a day we can meet again. His Excellency wouldn’t intend to leave it like this either.”
“No, let’s meet here tomorrow at this spot.”
At my immediate reply without hesitation, the crown prince tilted his head slightly, expression unchanging.
* * *
I adjusted my mask and read the newspaper in my hand. Or rather, listened to the voice filtering through.
After two days, Alexander Kluger—the congressman who’d monopolized attention with the Abraham reveal—was broadcasting in his signature passionate tone from yesterday.
[The information announced to you subjects consists mostly of basic facts I uncovered about Abraham, supplemented by findings from Excellency Nikolaus Ernst in cooperation with the Prussian Investigation Bureau. This Saturday in the Imperial Newspaper, Excellency Ernst will appear directly…]
Same street, same time as yesterday.
This time, even approaching the cordon, no one tried to stop me. A detective spotted me and hurried over with a loud greeting.
“You’re here, Excellency Ernst.”
“Indeed. Meeting here again.”
“Last time was at the Imperial Central Hospital. Congratulations on your appointment, Excellency.”
“Thank you.”
Yesterday’s paper mentioned the crown prince was overseeing the Abraham investigation. He’d volunteered to provoke me into summoning him via Primrose Pass.
Him investigating himself—what nonsense.
I couldn’t give him a chance to tamper with evidence.
Handing the investigation log to the detective, I said.
“I’ve reviewed all the records from yesterday’s investigation.”
“Ah, appointed today and already? Then right away…?”
“We move now.”
And so, I’d taken the lead investigator role too.
“There should be evidence gathered by His Highness the Crown Prince yesterday. Move it all.”