Would the people eager to sacrifice someone famous miss the chance to exploit Nicolaus's life?
'I might want to manipulate them, but I refuse to be their propaganda tool.'
If the novel's scenario remained true, the culprits behind this act were a small faction within the Catacombs.
I wouldn't let that faction's actions play into the emperor's hands.
Just then, Elias smirked and tilted his head.
"Nicolaus only~?"
"Yeah. Let's create one more identity."
"Ha… of course."
Leo let out a deep sigh.
"You'll obviously wait until your treatment is finished before starting."
"Of course. I can't even leave until I'm fully healed, so why are we even talking about it?"
Leo smiled faintly, shrugging as I remained silent with an awkward grin.
"Well, your plans are always worth hearing out. Your goals are our goals too, so go ahead and share."
Good. This was the attitude I needed.
Without Leo, it would be tough to gather the information I needed. Besides, it wasn't like Leo would lift the warp restrictions for me anytime soon.
I clasped my hands together and looked at them both.
"Before we talk, there's something you need to read. Leo, we're going to warp to my quarters, so can you disable the alarms for a moment?"
"What's the point? I'll fetch it for you instead—just tell me what you need."
Leo smiled, his firmness clear even in this casual reply.
If he was willing to bring it himself, that saved me the trouble.
"There's a letter from His Majesty on my bed. Bring that."
Leo disappeared and reappeared in no time, holding the letter.
As Leo began reading, his expression gradually hardened.
"They've found a commoner mage?"
"..."
Elias turned to me with a similarly grim expression.
He already knew what kind of conversation I'd had with the emperor, so he understood the situation immediately.
Leo, looking perplexed, waited for an explanation. Elias finally spoke.
"Uncle plans to use the Catacombs to boost his approval ratings."
"What?"
"If he frames the Catacombs as Pleroma and wipes them out, most commoners will cheer, thinking the emperor is protecting them from Pleroma. Meanwhile, the nobles will be glad to see 'commoner mages' eradicated. It's a strategy that earns favor across all social classes."
"..."
So that's why they're hunting down commoner mages like rats.
Leo stared at the letter, his face unreadable.
Elias's tone turned icy. "They're dead by now. Without even a grave to their name."
A heavy silence lingered in the room.
Finally, Leo spoke quietly. "Alright. If showing us this letter is tied to your plan, tell me what we need to do."
"Marianne Baum. Can you find her?"
She was the Catacombs mage who collaborated with Elias well into the later parts of the novel.
Marianne had spent decades risking capture to rescue commoner mages, earning widespread respect within the Catacombs. Her reputation allowed her to conduct post-verification rather than pre-verification of those she rescued.
'Of course, it's less about calculations and more about the fact that she's the only Catacombs mage whose whereabouts I know.'
In the novel, she was the one who brought Elias to the Catacombs. Using her again would stabilize the progression of events.
"Nationality?"
"Not certain, but probably Bavarian. At the very least, she operates here."
"Hmm… alright. Who is she?"
"A Catacombs mage."
For a moment, both Leo and Elias froze.
"You know someone from the Catacombs?"
"…Wow. Wonder if she'll survive much longer."
Leo cast a sidelong glance at Elias.
"…Bavaria doesn't execute commoner mages. Their inspections are mostly just formalities."
"True enough."
But that's only "mostly."
In most of the Empire, barring Bavaria and a few other states, the government faithfully enforces zero-tolerance execution policies.
"It's not confirmed that she's from the Catacombs. I'll need to verify the information I've received first."
In the novel, Elias stumbled across her while wandering around in rags. Since I couldn't reveal my source, it was better to frame this as preliminary fact-checking.
"Fine. What's next after that?"
"We make contact, of course."
Elias, regaining his composure, let out a hearty laugh.
"Come to think of it, we were talking about Robert Müller, but now we're discussing the Catacombs. Luca, do you think this incident was their doing?"
"Yes. I think this situation has two layers of deception."
Leo stared at me intently, so I continued.
"Leo, your theory is this: all the evidence points to the overzealous fan, Robert Müller, but even that was orchestrated by Pleroma. Makes sense—Pleroma has no reason to attack me otherwise."
"Exactly."
"But what if there's another group that stands to gain from attacking me?"
Elias chuckled, intrigued.
"You think the Catacombs would benefit from attacking you? Don't tell me you're already buying into Uncle's rhetoric."
"Of course not. But Leo already said it—if Pleroma killed me outright, they'd only provoke widespread anger."
"True."
"That's what they're aiming for. If Nicolaus dies during such a heightened issue, public resentment toward Pleroma will peak."
I handed Müller's letter to Leo and added, "In other words, they could easily rally the populace into anti-Pleroma sentiment."
"..."
"As for what comes after, I can't guess from the current clues. But for now, we can't rule out the possibility that this was the Catacombs' doing."
Elias clapped his hands.
"Well, this is getting complicated. So the Catacombs, also being Pleroma's enemies, might've done this to strengthen anti-Pleroma sentiment? It doesn't make sense at first glance."
His tone turned more serious as he stroked his chin.
"But it's not impossible. Before they're Pleroma's enemies, they're commoners. And as commoners with magical abilities, the Catacombs are far more persecuted than non-magic commoners."
"By us," I noted.
"Exactly. And Nicolaus Ernst, the crown prince's personal aide, is a noble among nobles. An ally, but not really an ally…. Ah, this is the best kind of intrigue."
Elias muttered with a crooked grin, reminiscent of the first time we met. His sense of enjoyment always gravitated toward the peculiar.
Leo, now serious, turned to me.
"Luca, if you think this has two layers, could we be overestimating our opponent?"
"Perhaps. We can't dismiss the possibility that this is just Pleroma."
There was no way to definitively rule out the presence of Pleroma agents within the Catacombs.
"…But you still think the Catacombs are the prime suspects, don't you? Honestly, I still lean toward Pleroma, but if you need to go to the Catacombs…."
Leo stared at the floor for a long moment before continuing.
"Let's do it. I'll help."
"Wow, such trust! I like that attitude," Elias quipped, laughing. Then he addressed me directly.
"Alright, Luca, I agree with your theory. But if you're infiltrating the Catacombs, I want to know what you plan to do there first."
"We cut out the rot before it spreads—before they turn you or any other prominent anti-Pleroma figures into their sacrifices."
"Of course. And after that?"
Elias tapped the back of my hand as if playing a keyboard, a mischievous smile still on his face. It was clear he was concerned about how I'd answer.
Even a small misstep could end up aiding the emperor.
I returned his smile with a gentle one of my own and replied, "I intend to claim the Catacombs, Eli."
***
On the third day after I first discussed my plan with Leo—on Christmas itself, when my treatment had concluded—Leo returned with the information I'd asked for.
According to his findings, Marianne Baum was the head director and producer of a mid-sized theater troupe in Munich.
'Now that I think about it, this was briefly mentioned in the novel.'
This was convenient. Since she wasn't hiding in seclusion, I'd have ample opportunity to approach her.
That evening, I removed the bandages from my hands and headed to the theater to find Marianne Baum.
'I don't know if I'll find her right away, but…'
Slow and steady wins the race.
"…Ah, it feels so empty," came a muttered complaint from beside me.
I turned my head to see Narce glancing at Elias.
Even after arriving at the theater, Elias kept fiddling with his neck.
I gestured toward the scarf he still had wrapped tightly around himself, even indoors.
"You're already bundled up in a scarf."
"Yeah, but it still feels weird after chopping it all off~ But seriously, don't I look amazing? Gosh, I'm just too handsome."
"I'm glad you think so," I replied with a laugh.
Elias, who had been growing out his hair to his shoulders, had recently cut it short, similar to Leo's length.
Though one might expect him to be hesitant about such a change, Elias didn't seem to mind—likely because he could regrow his hair instantly using divine power if he wanted to.
I'd brought him along as a contingency, unsure how things would play out. If anyone recognized him, it'd complicate matters, so I even cast a perception distortion spell to make his appearance less noticeable.
Elias leaned in and whispered, "You're just… Felix Weitzel, right?"
Close enough.
My hair was red again this time. Blonde was out of the question since it'd make me look too much like my brother. That left only brown or red as my natural choices.
It didn't matter much, though. Felix Weitzel's only known relationship wasn't in play here.
"This time, no glasses. My eyes are a darker color too."
"Well, fair enough! Looks way better."
The performance soon began.
It was Faust, running four times longer than the last production I'd seen.
Narce used divine power to send me a mental message.
—"Hmm, the person you're looking for isn't here. She didn't even come out to greet anyone."
—"Really? Then we'll check backstage after the show."
After about three hours, the house lights came back on.
Exchanging a glance with my companions, I quietly left my seat.
The real work was just beginning.
I exited through the back door of the building, scanning the open space beyond.
Far across the way, in front of a building opposite the theater, someone was smoking and pacing around.
Narce messaged me again.
—"Start with that person."
—"What kind of person are they?"
—"A guess, but they should at least be in a position to connect you to Marianne."
Fair enough.
The first step was spending enough time within the troupe to let them sense that I, a commoner, possessed magic. To achieve this, I needed to express my willingness to take any role—even a menial one.
With a troupe of this size, they'd likely dismiss the idea as absurd. That was fine.
'The trick is to start with something even more absurd.'
I approached the person Narce had pointed out and greeted him.
"Good evening."
He stared at me, his expression caught between curiosity and uncertainty.
"Pardon me, but who are you?"
"Dietrich Granach. I was deeply moved by tonight's performance."
"Oh, thank you. But…?"
"I want to join this troupe as an actor right away."
"…Huh? What?!"
Behind me, Elias whispered to Narce, "Can we really do this?"
Narce chuckled softly.
It was amusing to hear Elias, of all people, question my approach. His reaction was entirely natural, though; becoming an actor required years of apprenticeship at any respectable troupe.
Asking to start as a menial worker wasn't feasible either. Most troupes didn't hire dedicated staff for menial tasks—they used aspiring actors as unpaid apprentices for that.
'That's why going bold from the start won't hurt.'
Being turned down for offering to clean would be more likely, given they already had plenty of unpaid apprentices eager to do the work.
As expected, the man gave me a once-over with a bemused look, as if deciding whether to take me seriously.
Then, his expression shifted to one of complete bafflement.
"…Where are you from, exactly?"
"Prussia."
"No, I mean, which troupe?"
"…I'm not with any troupe."
For a moment, he looked utterly flabbergasted.
***
I had expected to be dismissed as a lunatic and kicked out, but thankfully, that didn't happen.
Instead, he brought me inside and began bombarding me with questions.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-three."
"What do you do?"
"I work for the Baron of Degenberg."
Before coming here, I'd asked the king for a family name that would match my story. This was the one he'd suggested.
"And what should I call you?"
"Call me Jonas."
"Jonas, how many actors are in this troupe?"
"Hmm… I'm not exactly sure. I don't handle the actors directly, but including apprentices, maybe around fifty."
"That's more than I expected."
"The industry is growing. More people are inspired by rising stars and want to join."
It was a good situation for the troupe. They could promise opportunities that might never come while exploiting eager apprentices for free.
"So, I'll start as an apprentice?"
"Exactly."
"What do apprentices typically do?"
"Obviously, they act."
"..."
Sure, that's the official story.
But in reality, things were a bit different, weren't they?
"As an apprentice, you don't immediately take the stage. Even if you're training to act, it takes years to start performing. So what kind of work do apprentices usually do in the meantime…?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. Speak of the devil, here comes someone!"
I turned to follow his gaze.