Chapter 237
Chapter 237
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 237
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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To put it bluntly.
The Security Bureau Chief's proposal wasn't even worth considering.
Proving just how pathetic it was would take up the entire duration of this meeting and then some.
But the fact that the Security Bureau Chief had just spouted nonsense as seriously as if he'd woken up from a nap was no longer relevant.
A new problem had arisen.
"……."
The Minister of Magic and countless other mages turned their gazes toward me. An air of bewilderment flowed through the room.
I was the lowest of the low in this gathering. I was only here because I'd witnessed the scene firsthand; I didn't have any special authority. Even Leo Major was here in his capacity as the Bavarian Crown Prince, not as Captain of Eschet.
I set down the fountain pen I'd been holding onto the report and looked at him.
The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes with a faint smile. Without taking his gaze off me, he took a light drag from the cigarette he held, then exhaled. The light from the magic screen illuminated the smoke drifting from the tip of his cigarette. In the frozen space where time seemed to have stopped, only the cigarette smoke moved.
"I…"
You're not in a position to debate the Security Bureau Chief's proposal to His Highness, so please reconsider your judgment—that's what I'd intended to say, but my words were cut off from the start.
The Crown Prince had exercised that irritating insight of his to interrupt me.
"It's fine, speak freely. I'm simply curious about what our rookie official, who discovered the initial terror site, thinks of this terrorist situation."
"……."
My eyes instinctively darted around.
A flicker of wariness passed through the Minister of Magic's eyes. Leo looked at me with a slightly flustered expression…
And the King of Bavaria, seated beside the Crown Prince, regarded me with dry eyes. There was no reason for him, as the successor to Anhalt rather than a royal retainer like Nikolaus, to protect me.
No, more precisely…
'Defending me would be a net loss in his calculations.'
He was the only one here who could chime in on the Crown Prince's actions. Suppose he said something like, "With the opening just 72 hours away, now's not the time to solicit opinions from the lowest rung." That would rein in the Crown Prince. Any other defense was impossible at this point.
In that scenario, the Crown Prince would gain an opportunity to diminish Bavaria's influence over me.
How?
'From my position, fully aware of the evaluations that brought Lucas Ascanien here, it's only right to hear his judgment at least once.'
That single statement would create all the openings.
That's why this seemingly absurd claim was feasible.
The professors had ranked me first in the third exam of the Academic Corps because of my situational judgment.
And the Crown Prince had recruited me—and Eschet—into the imperial service precisely for that reason. Because I was a mage he'd personally pushed for, and because he held the highest position here, there was room for his stubbornness to be tolerated.
If my judgment proved correct, the King's foresight in checking the Crown Prince would be diminished. Conversely, with Lucas Ascanien's political foundation still nonexistent, the Crown Prince's attention to my judgment would allow him to exert influence over me in imperial politics.
The King of Bavaria, eager to maintain absolute superiority over Nikolaus, wouldn't want to yield ground on me, his core. The King's choice to observe was the optimal one.
Now the problem was me.
What answer should I give in this situation?
'But thinking about it is pointless anyway.'
The moment the Crown Prince delegated the validation of a high official's proposal to a subordinate, the Security Bureau Chief's pride was already shattered. Whether I agreed or disagreed, having a low-rank official scrutinize a senior bureaucrat's proposal was overstepping.
I'd be criticized either way.
Suppressing the urge to snatch the Crown Prince's cigarette and smoke it myself, I thought.
'Is this "ride the right wave from now on" or something?'
He's asking which of us bureaucrats he should side with.
I stared into his golden eyes, gleaming sharply even in the dim light.
Even without saying it, he undoubtedly shared my thoughts. He must find the Security Bureau Chief's demand pathetic.
Assuming the Crown Prince wouldn't betray me, let's draw conclusions for each option.
Agreeing with the Security Bureau Chief would turn this into a paradise for fools. What's the point of saying it? I'd become the biggest fool, applauding foolish logic out of fear of repercussions. I'd gain neither the imperial family's support nor that of the bureaucrats in imperial agencies or the government.
Disagreeing would naturally forfeit the bureaucrats' support as well. However, it would create a clear link for the Crown Prince to take my hand and pull me in. It would mean debuting in politics aligned with the Elizabeth von Hohenzollern line.
If things went south on the Crown Prince's judgment, it could even structure blame to fall on me.
What if I refuse to answer? As thought earlier, the moment he assigned validation to me, I've already become a thorn in the bureaucrats' sides.
The Security Bureau Chief has likely already ordered a background check on me the instant he leaves, preparing to oust me. Incompetents who can't compete on merit lash out in ways beyond imagination.
'I get it.'
I'd made up my mind on what to do.
'Get out no matter what.'
If the Crown Prince supports me, will the pro-imperial politicians accept me? They might smile slickly on the surface, but these veterans who've rolled through decades of politics, seeing every ugly sight, won't easily embrace a newbie parachuted in at the junior level.
Moreover, it'd mean handing my political life to the Crown Prince. If he elevates my status by holding my hand, the moment he lets go, I'd be torn apart by those lurking like piranhas, waiting for their chance.
In summary:
No matter what I say here—or if I say nothing—there's a high chance I'll end up in the thick of political strife. But in this situation, it's better not to answer.
"Your Highness. I'm still not ready to speak in this setting. Moreover, I cannot presume to add my opinion to the proposal Your Highness has received from the Security Bureau Chief. I would prefer to report my views directly to Your Highness after the meeting."
The Crown Prince replied with a subtle smile.
"Meeting me in person to tell me sounds quite enjoyable. However, we need to outline the big picture in this session today, so there won't be time for a separate second meeting."
"……."
Rejection.
I couldn't back down further here.
That left me no choice but to bear the risk and state my opinion.
'I'll need to secure another political backing after the meeting.'
Backing for Lucas Ascanien, that is. I couldn't let him grab me by the collar so easily.
As I thought that and opened my mouth to speak, an unexpected, matter-of-fact voice rang out.
"Crown Prince, Your Highness."
It was Leo. He looked at the Crown Prince with no emotion on his face.
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow, as if encountering an intriguing development.
"My apologies for interjecting when I'm not the party involved. I request you postpone the opportunity for him to present his opinion to Your Highness. Vice-Captain Ascanien's condition is currently poor."
"Condition?"
"We found him collapsed behind the premises ten minutes before the meeting. A brief examination suggests extreme tension and fatigue."
"……."
The Crown Prince nodded slowly.
"Very well. I'd like to thank you for kindly explaining the situation. I'm curious whether his claiming he was fine—when I asked if his condition was poor—was due to loyalty or inadequate self-assessment."
He looked back and forth between Leo and me with gentle eyes as he spoke.
"It's only proper not to burden a patient, but I must ask for a slight indulgence from Crown Prince of Bavaria and Vice-Captain Ascanien."
As expected.
He had no intention of ending this situation.
The Crown Prince now turned to the Security Bureau Chief and said,
"War with rats—a fine phrase. The culprit that once ravaged this continent long ago now threatens our empire's safety once more. The difference is that what was plague back then has returned as frenzy now."
The Security Bureau Chief struggled to relax his stiff face as he replied.
"Yes."
"You claim the Russian-made bombs are a kind of feint."
"…That's correct. They'll use the moment we focus manpower and attention on the bombs to release the rats they've planted throughout the capital and the empire."
The Crown Prince, who had been lounging slightly with an expressionless face while smoking his cigarette, chuckled and exhaled smoke. Tension rippled through the room. With a smiling face, he shook his head and straightened his posture.
What followed made us doubt our ears.
"From this moment until the closing of Pentalon, I hereby transfer the Prussian security jurisdiction of the Security Bureau to the Ministry of Magic."
Everyone's eyes widened. Ignoring the reaction, the Crown Prince continued in a leisurely voice.
"We'll do it democratically with a show of hands. The distinguished guests from the federal states may observe comfortably. Starting from deputy minister level and above in the imperial government, if you disagree with transferring the Prussian security jurisdiction of the imperial Security Bureau to the Ministry of Magic, raise your hand. Failure to raise your hand will be taken as assent."
Discussing this topic with a public show of hands is democratic?
No one moved. Everyone stiffened, breathing shallowly while avoiding the Crown Prince's gaze. The Minister of Magic maintained his initial dignified expression, but the color was draining from his face.
"Everyone agrees."
The Crown Prince said slowly, surveying the room.
"But in this setting, the Minister of Magic's opinion matters most. Do you consent to temporarily transferring the Security Bureau's jurisdiction to the Ministry of Magic until after Pentalon? Even if you disagree, there will be no repercussions."
"…Your Highness, please reconsider…"
"Reconsider what?"
"……."
"Transferring the Security Bureau's jurisdiction? Or granting that authority to the Ministry of Magic?"
I met the Crown Prince's eyes.
Not for nothing is he Abraham. He was making full use of the crown prince position he'd seized.
'His leading skills are no joke.'
He'd given one chance to respond but, receiving none, now cornered him completely.
If the Minister asked to reconsider the former, it would be overreach.
Asking to reconsider the latter would be foolishness. If the Crown Prince intended to suspend the Security Bureau anyway, the Ministry of Magic upholding loyalty alone meant nothing. The Security Bureau belonged to the imperial family, the Ministry to the government; there were no ties beyond personal friendship between the heads.
The Minister dragged out his words in a low voice.
"I will follow Crown Prince Your Highness's will."
"There seems to be a misunderstanding. I've never begged anyone to follow my will. I asked for your own."
The Crown Prince's voice was utterly gentle, and so was the smile on his face. Yet everyone knew those words rang false and that speaking one's true mind here would spell the end.
The only response left for the Minister of Magic was, "My will aligns with Crown Prince Your Highness's."
The Crown Prince had been seeking a target to share the weight of sacrificing one person, and the Minister of Magic was it.
As the Minister of Magic's lips twitched and he swallowed hard, the Security Bureau Chief urgently spoke up.
"Your Highness. I—I was merely reporting the situation and suggesting a direction forward… Ah, no, if there's any error in my proposal or reasoning, I'll correct it immediately. Just tell me…"
"Tell you? Are you speaking to me?"
The Security Bureau Chief flailed his hands in a daze before realizing it was improper and regaining his composure. Cold sweat beaded on his temples—far beyond ordinary tension.
It was only natural. Did he think he could return to his post after Pentalon? If the Crown Prince truly stripped his authority, replacing the Security Bureau Chief was a foregone conclusion. No need to bluntly say "don't come back tomorrow," nor would any noble say it. This was the dismissal declaration.
"It seems we've reached a conclusion. The Ministry of Magic…"
"Ah, Excellency Ascanien!"
The Security Bureau Chief turned to me and cried out desperately.
Even with his words interrupted, a gentle smile graced the Crown Prince's face.
"……."
I stared blankly at the Crown Prince, expressionless.
The Crown Prince lifted the corner of his mouth softly, as if to say the burden-free environment was now set.
He was Abraham, he was the chairman of Primrose Pass. It was astonishing how little guilt showed on his face. His somewhat faded image was reviving right here through his actions.
Even though I wasn't looking at the Security Bureau Chief, he urgently addressed me in a trembling voice.
"I'd like to hear your opinion, Excellency. I'll revise the proposal— the proposal—according to what you say… again…"
Now the Security Bureau Chief owed me one. He could no longer prepare to bury me upon returning.
The Crown Prince had shown me—through completely toying with the "imperial" Security Bureau—his resolve not to betray me here, a signal that our wills aligned, and that he could sacrifice his own subordinate for me. He'd demonstrated it to everyone.
To create a natural opening for me to speak.
The risks now imposed on me were drastically reduced from the start.
Setting aside how nauseating this temporary alliance was…
"……."
I'd never asked for such an opportunity, but it was better than the Crown Prince listening to the Security Bureau Chief's drivel under the pretext of "it's impossible to prevent incidents at Pentalon, so better dump all blame on him"—rather than ignoring it outright.
Honestly, with Pentalon potentially failing, it was a good setup for distributing blame.
I cast an amplification spell and opened my mouth.
"What I say from now on is merely my personal view."
"Th-that's what we want to hear, so please speak freely without concern."
"The Security Bureau Chief stated that the Russian-made bombs are a feint, saying, 'They'll use the moment we focus manpower and attention on the bombs to release the rats they've planted throughout the capital and the empire.'"
The Security Bureau Chief nodded.
"But if it was meant as a feint, it shouldn't have been in the same location."
"Th-that…"
"Of course, I understand you raised this concern lest our government's attention be split between bombs and rats. However, I believe we need to consider an even greater danger now."
"A greater danger…?"
"What if that basement was prepared precisely to mislead us from the original plan?"
Silence followed.
It was natural, with no evidence yet.
"In my estimation, committing the majority of available manpower to investigating the rats is exactly what Pleroma desires. It would give them the leeway to prepare and execute their true plan."
At those words, the Security Bureau Deputy Minister seated near me asked, arms crossed.
"The true plan?"
"We have no way of knowing their true plan yet."
"Did you reach that conclusion because of the white phosphorus matches left there? The alphabet underneath indicates production factory and line classifications. A for Factory 1 Line 1, B for Factory 1 Line 2, and so on. Since two matches already delivered to Imperial Education Academy 2 were involved, I understand mistaking it for code, but… isn't it a bit premature? Common sense suggests it's more likely a warning of arson or bomb placement."
This was from the report distributed today.
The matches were produced so long ago that neither I nor Haike had known. But that point was irrelevant.
The alphabets were still codes.
"First, let's set aside the white phosphorus matches. As noted in this report, the two frenzy victims were the managers of that mixed-use building. They received a resident complaint about a foul odor a few days prior, opened an unused basement storage, and were bitten by rats. After being bitten, they went outside to find tools to kill the rats, and thirty minutes later, contaminated vitriol spread through their bodies, causing frenzy."
I flipped through the report to the next page.
"The results of divine power examination on that resident—to check if they maliciously lured the managers to the basement—are here. They were innocent. The issue is that divine power checks on all subjects in that street came back clean."
"More an absence of issue than…"
As an objection arose from somewhere, the Crown Prince extended a hand to silence it.
I glanced at them and continued.
"This basement is located 500 meters from Tiss Hotel. No residents in the vicinity used it, so the occupier was an outsider. Why choose a storage spot right near the VIP lodgings—one that could be easily opened with a duplicate key, without special locks…? That's my greatest question. If the cages accidentally opened, rats could spread, and frenzy incidents like today's could occur—right in front of the hotel, no less."
People, who had been listening silently as they caught on, began narrowing their eyes and nodding slightly.
"The imperial government is currently preserving the site, lying in wait for the perpetrator. With all due respect, that effort will be futile. The perpetrator didn't let us stumble upon the site by chance—they wanted us to find it."
"……."
"Additionally, that plan sheet with only the center dampened was suspiciously convenient. So was the single white phosphorus match dropped conspicuously on the ground floor—to lead us to the basement."
As the white phosphorus matches came up again, the Security Bureau Deputy Minister made a face suppressing a hollow laugh.
I understood.
If the alphabets on the matches we found were just manufacturing line markings, then as he said, common sense dictated interpreting them as arson or bomb warnings.
But there was a decisive problem.
"How many matches have been reported to the police up to now, including today's discovery?"
"Hm… I believe eleven."
"Good. Then you remember the match with the hole—the one where the cut end was sliced again."
"Yes."
"Did you check the total number of holes?"