Immortal's Ascending Path-32
Episode-32. The Meyer Clan.
The summer breeze stirred above the ramparts, where the shadows of night were thick. Roberta trembled as if mistaking it for a winter wind. Her eyes trembled even more.
As the orange light of the torch illuminated her face, it revealed an expression of bewilderment. And her slightly parted lips swallowed a breath.
She mulled over Ulrich's words. Pantheon? Cormilius? They were trying to hand over the throne of Osnover to Ulrich?
'Is the Pantheon at civil war?'
The background of the incident, what was the Osnover civil war?
It was a civil war that had lasted for 32 years. When the crown prince died of an illness, a dispute arose among his siblings vying for the throne, which soon escalated into a struggle for all the people of Osnover.
As a result of the blood-soaked struggle, the direct line of the royal family was annihilated, and the prominent nobles also died out. The most fertile land in this country, the western breadbasket, became the poorest region.
It was a civil war that had continued until just five years ago. It lasted until four years before Roberta was appointed to Ditmarsken, and Ulrich brought it to a close. He found peace by quelling the civil war.
'Why is the story flowing like this?'
But the story was strange.
It was too different from the ending she originally knew.
In the beginning, it was said that Ulrich handed over the throne to an adopted son. He, who had quelled the civil war, did not ascend the throne himself, but instead installed his adopted son as the king. It was history that all the people of this country knew as common sense, and she believed it to be so.
However, just a day ago, the first secret history intervened. Ulrich revealed that he had first offered the throne to Count Wilhelm Meyer, but he refused, so his adopted son Richard received it instead.
And another secret history painted over the story. It was that the Pantheon had tempted and deceived Wilhelm so that he would refuse the throne, and the throne of Osnover would return to Ulrich.
"Could it be that the Pantheon started the civil war?"
"It had nothing to do with them at the start. It was a problem unique to this country."
Ulrich shook his head.
"The Pantheon reached out in the middle and adjusted it to their liking."
"······To put Ulrich on the throne."
"Yes, they pruned the branches so that no one but me could receive the throne. And they induced the remaining candidates to gather in one place and be dealt with at once."
How did the civil war end?
In the last year of the 32 years, a neighboring country intervened. They put forward a puppet who was embarrassing to even call a member of the Osnover royal family, and they provided soldiers under the guise of mercenaries.
The puppet conquered Osnover. After a long, drawn-out civil war, the country, which no longer had the strength to fight, succumbed. The coronation was just around the corner. No one doubted it.
However, the puppet turned his horse's head to the poorest land in Osnover, or even in the world, and was defeated.
'They said that no one knew why he attacked Ditmarsken. If the Pantheon intervened and used the puppet... that explains the reason.'
The puppet had Osnover in his hands, and no one else could claim the throne. The person who defeated him would naturally inherit his position.
"I knew that the Pantheon had such intentions. It was a little late, but there was someone who confessed to me. Even if the name of the Pantheon is one, the thoughts within it are many."
Like Alonso, Ulrich muttered to himself.
"Therefore, I conveyed my intentions early on and tried to stop them, but."
There were no further words. There was no need to say it. The result speaks for itself. The Pantheon or the Cormilius family ignored it. Regardless of Ulrich's intentions, in order to achieve their purpose.
In this situation, what should Ulrich have done?
I guessed that he wouldn't have just watched with a blank expression, but I also guessed that he wouldn't have been able to come forward openly. Wouldn't directly stepping in to prevent the conspiracy be playing into the hands of the Pantheon?
"The civil war grew uncontrollably. The Pantheon did not give up their stubbornness, and its influence took deep root. I had to make a choice. To abandon my name and leave, or to remain with my name."
Ulrich, he remained. He revealed his name as the master of Ditmarsken. He was merely gossiped about as an old man who had lived for hundreds of years, and no one cared about the master of the remote region, who quelled the civil war.
At that moment, all the people of Osnover would have wanted him to sit on the throne. 32 years of civil war, it was the time it took for a child to become an adult. There would have been many people who grew up without knowing peace their entire lives.
"The Pantheon didn't give me any leeway. As if they had been waiting, they handed me the crown. Because they knew the ending, it was something that the dwarves had made in advance. And it was modeled after the crown worn by the emperor."
Roberta swallowed her breath.
The crown worn by the emperor, the imperial crown, refers to the crown worn by the current emperor, but also refers to the crown worn by the first emperor. Both were made at different times, but the shapes were the same. This was because they were made the same as a symbol of continuity even when the dynasty changed.
Since the rise of the Third Empire, the Yokaster Dynasty, the imperial crown has been bestowed by the Pope. The imperial candidates had to visit the Pantheon, kneel before the Pope, and receive the imperial crown while reaffirming the Pope's authority.
"That is—"
The Pantheon handed Ulrich a crown modeled after the imperial crown. What would that mean? Although it was not announced, and the real imperial crown belonged to the emperor of the empire, the meaning was clear.
"That's right. It's as you suspect."
"But... you refused, didn't you?"
"I sent it to Wilhelm."
Ulrich stated calmly, as if it were nothing.
"I have taught many children in Ditmarsken. Each and every one of them is a wonderful child. Wilhelm was the best of them. He had the qualifications to wear the crown in my place. But he was captivated by a momentary temptation."
Ulrich said that Wilhelm wanted his master to sit on a golden throne instead of the cold stone floor of the remote region.
"It wasn't just Wilhelm who was captivated. Rather, it would be faster to count the children who weren't captivated. And Richard was among them."
That's how the adopted son Richard opened the era of the New King of Osnover.
Richard of Ditmarsken ascended the throne without anything. Except for his adoptive father's surname, he really had nothing, so Ulrich personally melted down the imperial crown to make a crown, and took several measures to ensure that the Hilderson clan would support him.
"The reason why Wilhelm didn't want to attend the wedding may have been because he didn't get along with Richard. But he seems to be feeling even more regret than that."
What would come to mind when he saw his adopted son wearing the crown made by his master? Wouldn't he be reminded that the crown he should have worn had been passed on to someone else, and that the reason was his own fault?
"Yes. The count seems to be very heartbroken."
"Wilhelm has an immature side even after growing so old."
Ulrich shook his head as if he was troubled.
"Were you also very disappointed, Ulrich?"
"It would be a lie if I said I wasn't. But that's all."
"You're so calm. I think I would have been quite angry if I were you."
"I personally performed the Infant Sacrament for Wilhelm. That child's father was just as stubborn."
He pretended to hold a baby in his arms with both hands.
He said that Wilhelm's father ran to Ditmarsken with his baby, who had just turned one year old and had a body capable of containing mana. And he asked Ulrich to perform the Infant Sacrament.
"He lingered around me more than his father. As all the children I taught do, even though blood isn't mixed, he's like a child to me. If only his temperament had been a little more relaxed, Wilhelm would be by my side, and his older brother Bernhardt would have inherited the title of Count Meyer."
How could he be angry with such a child, he said.
"And this isn't the first time I've had this experience."
That's probably true. He is a person who has used many names in a long time. He would have experienced all kinds of people: those who held him back, those who pulled him to a higher place, and so on.
"I'm not surprised. It's a trivial matter that doesn't even require forgiveness for me."
"Still, wouldn't it be better to tell him for sure?"
Instead of answering, Ulrich faced Roberta.
"Because it doesn't seem like the count thinks that way. If you really think it's nothing, don't just gloss over it as if there's no problem, but say a word or two appropriately."
Roberta cited the example of when Ulrich had a conversation with Wilhelm, saying something like, don't you know me? She said that even if the other person knows your inner thoughts, receiving forgiveness in words is completely different from guessing.
"I forgot. Yes, you're right."
Then Ulrich stroked his chin as he pondered for a moment.
"Hilde said something similar. That I'm cold-hearted, of course it was a joke, but it's not entirely wrong. When I understand the other person based on my standards, I miss the most basic things."
He tapped his temple with his index finger.
"Thank you for the advice."
At those words, Roberta flinched.
"Ah, yes... I'm glad if it was helpful."
Although her expression or tone didn't change at all, she was quite surprised because she didn't expect to hear such words. She gave an awkward smile and cleared her throat.
After that, the two walked along the ramparts. Ulrich admired the night view of the city of Witten, talked about what it was like in the old days and what it is like now, and then went down the stairs.
"······."
Roberta remained on the ramparts. She looked down at Ulrich's back and thought about the story they had first shared.
"The imperial crown, you said."
The Pantheon handed the imperial crown to Ulrich.
He refused, and because he melted the crown, there were very few people who knew the truth. However, just because the truth is hidden doesn't mean that the truth is a lie.
Handing the imperial crown to Ulrich meant more than just making him emperor. Because his surname is not the Third Empire, Yokaster. Because he is Ulrich of Ditmarsken, if he embraces the imperial throne, the dynasty will change.
Also, the change of dynasty also means that an era has ended.
"What on earth are they thinking······."
Why did they do that? She had no idea.
It was a completely different problem from ousting an emperor who was not satisfactory. No matter how much the Pantheon was, they could not overturn the empire. If it were possible, the Pantheon would have combined with the empire.
Above all, the change of era was always accompanied by unavoidable circumstances. The ends of the first and second empires were unwanted endings. No one tried to destroy the empire. They only rose up after the empire collapsed.
The Pantheon knows this. But they still tried. Why on earth did they do that? What made them make such a bold choice? Perhaps the reason why the emperor was at odds with the Pantheon was because he knew the secret history.
"...I should send a letter to Alonso."
Diocesan Alonso, the person she regards as a father, the high-ranking Priest of the Pantheon, may know the answer to the question. However, she was not sure if he would readily tell her.
Roberta took a long breath, feeling a headache from the unsolved mystery. She looked at the night view beyond the ramparts. The city created by the child of Ulrich, the person who might have become emperor, was bright.
#
"I will follow as soon as possible."
Early in the morning, Count Wilhelm Meyer came to the lord's residence to see them off. Ulrich, Roberta, and Fritz mounted their saddles and received their greetings.
He wanted to come out further, but Ulrich refused. He was hiding himself under the name Armin, but it would be meaningless if Wilhelm was by his side. Due to the banquet the day before, there were already people whispering about Ulrich's identity.
"Prepare for the worst."
"Do you think things will get out of hand?"
"As I said, I'll have to go and see. I may be wrong."
But it's never bad to be careful, Ulrich added.
"I understand."
Ulrich pulled the reins and turned his horse's head.
"Wilhelm."
"Yes, Ulrich."
"There's nothing to worry about."
Wilhelm looked up at Ulrich without saying a word.
"A name is just a name. Even if I put down the name Ulrich, I will not disappear. I don't change either. You know that too, don't you? I don't leave to a place where you can't find me, like the adults in the heavens."
"······."
"The world is wide but also narrow. As long as we live on this land, connections are not easily broken. Even Udebo eventually found me, didn't she? Think back once again to how I treated her children and how her children treat me."
And the three left. Wilhelm watched them leave through the inner gate. He stayed in his place even after they were out of sight. After a long, long time, he put his hand into his pocket and took out a cigarette.
It was a gift sent from the deep forest of Kuiania in the far east. Ulrich didn't say it, but Wilhelm knew the meaning behind the gift. It was a memory.
Just as Hilde left the name and land of Ditmarsken so that Ulrich would not forget her, the connection from the distant land sent a catalyst to awaken memories.
Even if you try to recall it but can't, even if you forget it so much that you can't even try to recall it, the past claims itself as clearly as if you were suddenly placed in that moment, that is memory.
Thus, they are telling the eternal person.
Just as we remember you, please remember us too.