In an instant, the entire hall fell silent, as if frozen.
"What did you say?"
"…I can't accept this. Didn't you say he wasn't even baptized?!"
Narce maintained his gentle smile as he responded.
"It's His Holiness's decree. Sir Nicolaus Ernst has fulfilled all four requirements."
"Is His Holiness truly guaranteeing this?"
"Surely His Holiness has simply granted him baptism now… He clearly didn't meet the qualifications before!"
The priest who had cited various councils to try and block the ordination raised his voice.
Narce feigned a look of curiosity.
"Are you suggesting, Father Romani, that you question the infallibility of His Holiness?"
"…That's not what I meant…!"
"The Pope is divinely protected from error in matters of faith and belief, as was affirmed by the Vatican Council. Since you brought it up yourself, I trust you understand this well, Father Romani."
Just then, the same carrier pigeon from earlier landed on the windowsill.
Narce untied the paper from its leg, read it, and then smiled at the speechless priests and bishops.
"With this, the review sanctioned by the Papal State has concluded. It was a pleasure seeing you all after so long. Let's talk again another time."
***
―"When you say 'live faithfully in service'... what exactly do you mean?"
I looked at the empty confessional booth as I asked.
―"I would like you to participate directly in the Church's decisions regarding Divine Power and security as an official advisor."
The Pope's advisory body.
He was asking me to become a cardinal.
I couldn't see him, but it was clear he was waiting for my answer.
―"It's an honor, Your Holiness."
―"Very well. Forty minutes from now, when the clock strikes midnight on the 11th, you, Sir Ernst, will be officially appointed to the College of Cardinals. As one of the pillars of the Church, I trust you will fulfill your responsibilities."
—"I will."
At that moment, a papal wand appeared out of thin air.
It was the same type of wand I'd seen Narce use before, one that only clergy of the Papal State could wield.
The Pope's gentle voice echoed again.
—"Go ahead and take it."
I took the wand cautiously. It felt natural in my hand, as though it had belonged to me from the beginning.
When I rotated it, to my surprise, it transformed into the Askanian wand I'd used before.
―"You'll receive a proper one at the appointment ceremony. This one isn't yet fully functional."
―"…I didn't realize. It looked perfect enough already."
―"Then you'll be in for another surprise at the ceremony."
The Pope's voice held a trace of laughter.
―"Sir, your appointment as a cardinal will also be publicly announced at the ceremony, not before. We'll schedule it once you're ready."
―"Understood."
'…Interesting.'
Could the Pope read my thoughts?
In truth, I was hoping the announcement would be delayed as long as possible.
The less information about Nicolaus that reached my brother, the better.
If my identity were revealed, he would certainly launch every possible attack. But if he found out I was a cardinal, he might hide his true colors and switch to defense.
'That won't do.'
I'd rather he attacks freely in areas where I can outmaneuver him. That way, I can familiarize myself with his patterns.
―"Congratulations in advance, Cardinal Ernst. Welcome to the Roman Papal State. Until we meet again."
With those words, a gust of wind rushed into the confessional booth.
***
"Your Eminence, please, if you would just let me explain…!"
Bang!
Without hesitation, Narce shoved the priest aside and shut the door to the underground passage.
Judging by his constant smile, it seemed he had no particular attachment to leaving the place he'd grown up.
"A gag order has been issued regarding the cardinal appointment. Despite their protests, no one will dare speak about it until the ceremony."
"I see."
"Oh, by the way, did you know that your appointment won't be announced until later?"
"Yes, I was informed."
Narce was positively giddy, chattering away as we walked down the passage.
As we neared the portal, I turned to him and asked,
"Come to think of it, you said my identity needs to be concealed, but aren't you a secret cardinal yourself?"
"No, I am."
"…For a secret cardinal, you don't exactly keep it subtle, do you?"
"Well, usually, secret cardinals are stationed overseas, but I've always been here in the Vatican, so it's harder to hide my identity. That's why everyone has received the gag order… and it seems they're following it well enough."
"We've arrived, Your Eminence."
The priest guiding us stopped in front of the blocked passage.
After a brief farewell, we stood before the portal.
Narce took a step back and chuckled as I stood there, staring at the brick wall.
"Need a hand?"
"No…"
It was easier this time, given that it was my second attempt.
As we warped back to Leo's estate, the distant sound of a bell rang from the clock tower.
The portal would now be fully closed.
Narce used Divine Power to communicate with me.
―"This works out well for Bavaria too. His Majesty the King will be thrilled~"
―"As long as he's willing to wait until the announcement, I'm sure he will."
―"You can tell your friends and the royal family now if you like. And for that position, it'll be worth the wait, even if it's a year."
―"True. Thanks. This makes me feel a bit more secure."
―"What are friends for? Haha, I suppose it's similar to the gift Leo gave? Elias kept going on about Leo."
It seemed Elias had mentioned Leo's "gift" to Narce as well.
The fact is, I had indeed gained a great safety measure in the form of my new position.
―"Yes."
―"I'm glad. You have one more layer of protection now."
―"..."
I gave a wry smile as I opened the door to go downstairs.
―"Enough with the Divine Power."
―"Hahaha, alright."
Back in the room, I found Elias and Leo waiting.
Elias, half-sprawled in a chair, grinned as he stood up.
"Oh, we just got here ourselves. So, Luca, are you back as an honorary priest~?"
Seeing Elias walking without crutches was refreshing.
Noting that Elias's eye level seemed a bit higher than usual, I shook my head.
"No."
"Hm?"
"What?"
Elias and Leo reacted simultaneously.
"There's no way you didn't get accepted. That's ridiculous! So… should we get something good to eat before heading to school?"
He sounded just like any other student his age, and it made me laugh.
"What do you feel like eating?"
"How about Château Latour? It'd go perfectly with lamb."
"Hey!"
Leo immediately snapped at the mention of wine.
Though legally allowed, students typically didn't drink often.
"Why~? You drink at receptions anyway."
"That's different. And you want to drink when we have to be at school in seven hours?"
Watching them bicker, I finally spoke up.
"Guys."
"Yeah?"
"Sorry for not telling you sooner, but I don't think we'll need to go out drinking."
"Why?"
"I was appointed as a deacon cardinal, not a priest."
Elias froze in place. Leo also looked taken aback.
"…What?"
Elias gaped, astonished, his mouth hanging open as he slapped his hands together in silent exclamation.
"…Now we really do need to drink!"
"…!"
"Haha, clergy aren't supposed to get drunk~"
Narce stepped in to stop Elias, as Leo seemed on the verge of a blood pressure spike.
"…Congratulations, Lucas. I suppose I'll have to address you as Your Eminence Cardinal in formal settings now."
Leo turned away from Elias and gave me a congratulatory smile.
"Thank you. But it's not official yet. It has to stay a secret until the ceremony."
"You're having a separate ceremony? Makes sense, there wasn't enough time tonight."
"Agh, I want to tell everyone! You've managed to accomplish something even Adrian Askanian couldn't in twenty-four years!"
Elias shook his head, clapping his hands in excitement, then paused to ask,
"By the way, will you be able to make it to school tomorrow?"
"I have to go. Leaving right after the announcement would only make them suspicious."
It's just this week left anyway before the break.
Since I'm staying at school over winter vacation, I can get proper treatment then.
"Really? Good to know. His Majesty the King actually told us a bit about you."
About what?
As I looked at him curiously, Elias grinned and continued.
"He mentioned something about changing Lucas Askanian's image. You know, that."
***
After making various plans, we finally returned to the dorms at two in the morning.
Though I had slept in this bed just last night, it now felt strangely unfamiliar, as if I hadn't touched it in a month.
'Technically, I haven't laid in a bed for over four days.'
Eighteen hours in the real world equaled four days and twelve hours in Pleroma's realm.
I burrowed into the thick blankets and closed my eyes. There was no time to waste—recovering quickly would require some good sleep.
How much time passed, I wasn't sure.
'....'
Rustle—
I threw back the covers and sat up.
'I can't sleep.'
From Asman's encounter to the cardinal appointment, too many things had happened in such a short period for me to simply drift off.
And…
Of course, not everyone made it out of this ordeal alive.
Although Gerda Asman hadn't sent the captured people up to higher command, others hadn't shown such mercy.
'Only four hours passed… but I thought I'd already moved past it after coming back from the Vatican.'
I'd been mistaken.
Everything I'd done so far had been aimed at preventing future problems or at situations where I was the only one at risk.
Although I had stopped this incident early on, the regions where the plan had been in action for a month or two had already suffered many casualties.
It wasn't my fault, yet I couldn't shake the feeling of unease.
Unless the emperor and the Imperial Chancellor are replaced, these issues will never change.
'I should stop dwelling on things I can't fix. At the very least, I need two hours of sleep.'
After all, it takes energy to make changes.
Thinking a bit of fresh air might help, I headed up to the rooftop.
"Lucas!"
At some point, Pai had landed on my shoulder.
"You're still up?"
"Yup! Narce told me to check up on you."
"Narce isn't sleeping either?"
"Nope. Said he has things to think about, so he's been hanging out with me~"
"Got it."
I sat down on a rooftop chair and closed my eyes.
As the wind whipped through my hair…
Whoosh—
'It does clear my head.'
Breathing was becoming difficult enough for my mind to go blank.
Pai shivered and burrowed into the pocket of my robe.
"S-so cold!"
"Same."
As I headed back downstairs, I noticed someone coming down the opposite hallway.
It was Narce.
"Can't sleep, Lucas?"
"Seems like you can't either."
"Yeah, that's about right. I'm heading to Leo's training hall—want to join?"
I nodded, and we warped over to Leo's training hall.
"…Huh? What's this?"
Leo and Elias, who were sitting in the hall, looked dumbfounded at our sudden appearance.
"Haha, came to hang out with you~"
"How did you even know we were here?"
"Hasn't he had that ability for years?"
At my words, Leo nodded reluctantly.
"Okay, Narce, sure, but why aren't you sleeping, Lucas? You need to recover."
"It's not that I didn't sleep—I just couldn't. Besides, aren't you both the same?"
I sat down with them.
Elias, pleased to see everyone gathering around, chuckled as he replied.
"True. Is it because of Asman, Lucas?"
I didn't particularly want to dwell on that, but yes, that was partly true.
"…That, and…"
"And?"
"Reading too much in today's news."
"Yeah, I get it. I feel the same. What's the Imperial family doing, anyway? That's what I'm wondering."
I figured we might be thinking along the same lines.
Even Leo had no response this time.
Whenever Elias spoke out, Leo usually intervened solely to keep his friend safe. But they both thought the same thing.
Elias's gaze grew somber.
"The Pleroma members I met this time had already… sent all the people they captured. There was no one left to save. They'd drained every drop of blood in a single day."
"..."
"You know what people are saying about us? Calling us 'heroes of the century' and whatnot."
Elias let out a small laugh, shrugging his shoulders.
"Those ridiculous titles just show how society's failing at even the basics. The Imperial family exists to prevent things like this. And yet…"
In the novel, Elias could be as serious as anyone when he needed to be, but seeing him talk so seriously without a single curse word was a new side of him.
Leo looked at him with a complex expression.
Elias exhaled deeply and, with a calm face, said,
"…Never mind. There's no use diving too deeply into it. There's only one way forward now."
"What's that?"
"The only thing left… is to smash my dear uncle's head."
"What are you talking about?!"
"Hahaha! Count me in, Elias."
"Aren't you a foreigner? Since when did you consider this your country?"
"As long as we're united in spirit, that's all that matters~"
Knowing what's to come, I couldn't help but laugh along. Because, in truth, it would happen.
'And, from this point on, the Emperor won't sit idly by.'
After Heiligenzi, the Emperor would wait for the right moment to eliminate Elias.
Sure, as Elias's support grew, so did public pressure for the Emperor to abdicate, but he wasn't an idiot. He initially played the part of a caring uncle perfectly.
And since I'd sided with Elias, I'd end up a target of the Emperor's as well.
But it doesn't matter. The protagonist always makes it through.
As long as I stay ahead of any threats not in the novel's plot.
Elias's laughter slowly faded.
"I'm serious. I'm going to knock that crown right off his head."
"..."
"You think those people didn't have the same thoughts? At the end of their lives, did they wonder, 'What is my ruler, my country, doing?' I bet they did."
We all looked at Elias in silence.
His voice was gaining strength.
"I won't let anyone feel that way. Not if I can help it."
"..."
"I'll do better. I'll try my hardest until my dying breath, unlike my uncle."
"…Elias, that's not something you can be certain of until you're there yourself. I'm not saying you'll turn out like Emperor Friedrich, but it's impossible to know without being in that position."
"Oh, look at this—study all you want, but it's just making you overthink!"
Leo narrowed his eyes at Elias.
"If I can't rule well, then I need to be on the throne, at the very least, to place someone better than myself in that position."
"..."
With a grin, Elias clapped Leo on the back.
"For example, someone like you, Leo. Ah, if only you were a Hohenzollern! I'd make Bavaria the leader of the Empire in a heartbeat~"
"Don't even joke about it. Unless you want to be executed."
Leo glared as he cut him off.
For once, it looked like Leo was taking things seriously, until Elias's usual nonsense reared its head again.
Watching Elias smirk, I spoke quietly.
"I'm not worried. I think you'll do well, if it's you."
Elias's eyes widened, and he broke into a bright smile.
"Ah, see? Only Luca supports me right away! Learn from him, Leo!"
"What should I learn? I'm the only one here keeping you grounded."
"Haha, that's true."
Elias leaned back, nearly lying down, and turned to me.
"Oh, right. Actually, I just got word, and I was planning to tell you in the morning, but since you're here now, it's perfect timing."
"Really? What's going on?"
Elias paused, pursing his lips, then shrugged.
"The Emperor wants to see you, Luca."