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The Holy Roman Empire used an Airship to evacuate the Pope to Vienna.

The media in the Holy Roman Empire and its allied (satellite) states reported this as the “Escape to Vienna,” while the media in the Entente powers, including France and England, referred to it as the,

Vienna Captivity.

Immediately after the escape to Vienna.

I arranged a secret meeting with the Pope at St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

The Gothic-style cathedral exuded a majestic atmosphere.

If the word ‘sacred’ were to manifest in this world, would it look like this?

‘Although that sacredness will soon be tainted by worldly affairs.’

Still… I thought, considering it as a struggle to survive, wouldn’t this much be forgivable?

“God, please forgive my sins.”

After shaking off some of the remaining guilt with a prayer, I stepped inside the cathedral.

The chapel’s interior was deserted. No, ‘chilly’ would be a more fitting description.

Normally, it would be bustling with people, but today it was strictly controlled by guards.

I approached the Pope, who was praying at the front of the chapel, and sat next to him.

“Your Holiness the Pope.”

“Your Majesty the Emperor.”

We exchanged brief greetings before getting to the point.

“Your Holiness, I have a few requests to make.”

“We know Sister Yulia’s faithfulness better than anyone. Please, speak freely.”

Faithfulness… Could there be anyone further from faithfulness than I am?

No, perhaps I am closer to faithfulness than an atheist. I do believe in the existence of God, after all. Although my perception of that direction is mostly negative.

“Please recognize the Protestants within the Holy Roman Empire as brothers separated from the Catholic Church.”

Currently, Protestants make up more than half of the population within the Holy Roman Empire. However, the Vienna Captivity, bringing the Pope into the Empire, could instill anxiety in Protestants, making them wonder, ‘Are they going to declare Catholicism as the state religion?’

“…May I ask why?”

“Of course. Now is not the time for brothers and sisters to be divided and fighting, but to unite as one.”

The Empire has many enemies. There are currently a total of five active fronts.

“The world is full of barbarians disguised as Christians.”

I stared at the statue of Jesus and uttered a lie without blinking an eye.

“To fight against those barbarians and reclaim the Eternal City, all subjects must unite under the cross.”

“…”

I instilled a strong motivation in his mind: ‘to reclaim Rome.’

He seemed to contemplate for a moment before opening his mouth.

“I understand. We will recognize the Protestants as brothers separated from our Catholic Church.”

With this, the Holy Roman Empire, especially the Burgundy region, mainly populated by non-Germanic Dutch people, would be less likely to worry about separating and becoming independent as in the Thirty Years’ War.

“And… please excommunicate the leaders of the barbarians.”

“I will.”

An immediate answer. It seemed he was already eager to excommunicate the leaders of the enemy nations, even without my request.

Indeed. They are the Allied nations that virtually encouraged the destruction of the Papal States. It’s only natural that he would harbor ill feelings towards them.

“Finally… please declare a Crusade.”

Declaring a Crusade wouldn’t have much practical significance.

All nations have already entered a total war system, and all able-bodied men are enlisting in the military and charging towards machine guns.

This is merely a symbolic act.

It is merely a symbolic act, but at the same time,

‘It’s a good way to demoralize the enemy and boost our own morale.’

Employing every possible means. That is the virtue one must possess to survive in this barbaric age.

“…I understand. Since many things will be changing… I suppose we must prepare to convene a council.”

Clear agreement. The corners of my lips curled up into a smirk.

“Thank you, brother.”

“This is nothing.”

I stood up and walked out of the chapel.

“I look forward to working with you in the future, Your Majesty.”

“The feeling is mutual. I look forward to it as well.”

There are endless ways to politically exploit the Pope.

The Vienna Captivity came as a great shock to the Allied nations.

The head of the Catholic Church had effectively sided with the Empire.

As I said, the influence of the Pope in the Catholic world is beyond imagination.

With the Pope siding with the Empire instead of the Allied nations, the sense of betrayal felt by the Catholic believers in the Allied nations was indescribable.

The Cardinals of the Allied nations tried to quell public opinion by claiming that His Holiness the Pope had been kidnapped against his will…

But the seeds of distrust in the Church had already been planted in their hearts.

Of course, it was not as shocking as the impact the Vienna Captivity had on the Savoy-Two Sicilies. The shock that Italians received from this incident could be summarized by a saying that was circulating among the citizens of the Savoy Kingdom at the time.

“We have gained Rome, but we have not gained the laurel wreath.”

It was truly a victory that only left scars.

What good is gaining Rome when we have lost the heart of the Catholic world, the Pope?

Eventually, people even began to criticize the incompetence of the Air Force.

“What was the Air Force doing while the Airship was coming to Rome?!”

The Air Force was also frustrated. Even if they had detected the Airship coming, what could they have done to stop it? The only weapon that fighter planes could carry in this era was a pistol.

The Savoy royal family hastily moved the capital to Rome and declared the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy to try to calm the turbulent public sentiment, but…

“So what… We don’t have the Catholic idol, the Pope…”

It had already reached a point where public sentiment could not be calmed by the establishment of the Kingdom of Italy.

Meanwhile, the Vienna Captivity also caused a small controversy within the Holy Roman Empire.

Is the Emperor trying to abandon Protestantism?

Are we reverting to the time before the Treaty of Westphalia?

Such thoughts began to emerge in the northern regions with relatively large Protestant populations, especially in the Netherlands.

However, this controversy was quickly quelled because the captain of the Airship that was deployed to rescue the Pope, Captain Reinhardt, was a Protestant from the Grand Duchy of Burgundy.

To be precise, he was an atheist from the Netherlands, but he was instantly transformed into a devout Protestant by the Emperor’s orders.

“Look! Reinhardt, a young man from the Netherlands and a Protestant, went out of his way to save the Pope, didn’t he?!”

“If we serve under the double-headed eagle, we are all brothers!”

Captain Reinhardt suddenly became a symbol of imperial unity.

He filled the front page of newspapers, appeared on Navy Air Force recruitment posters, and even…

“So, you are Captain Reinhardt?”

“Yes! That’s right!”

“You have done a truly wonderful job. Our Empire will not forget your dedication.”

He was even summoned by the Emperor himself and awarded a medal.

“I, I, I am honored!?!?”

Originally, his dream was to live peacefully in a rural village with his wife, farming after the war ended. He had no desire for advancement…

Reinhardt wanted to cry.

Of course, there were also some Protestants and Catholics who opposed this propaganda.

“Am I the same as those heretics who turned their backs on His Holiness the Pope?!”

“Don’t treat me the same as those indulgence scammers.”

But these were only a very small number of religious fanatics close to being insane.

“Please come with me for a moment.”

“Who, who are you? Do you know who I am… Aaaagh!!”

Even they were dragged away somewhere not long after.

There was a very minor hiccup, but the Holy Roman Empire was steadfast.

Meanwhile, the public’s interest in the Air Force increased dramatically due to the Vienna Captivity incident.

“I heard they went all the way to Rome in an instant without getting caught by the Savoyards?”

“That’s right. They rescued His Holiness the Pope with an Airship…”

Thanks to the Airship provided by Count Zeppelin, the Pope was safely rescued.

Even in the middle of the night, without being detected by the Savoyards!

‘Aircraft are the future.’

A miraculous weapon that can fly leisurely to the capital of an enemy nation without being affected by terrain.

Today, the Empire’s subjects witnessed its potential.

Even among the generals of the Imperial Army, there were opinions that more investment should be made in aircraft.

And I rode on that atmosphere and began to act.

‘Crown Prince August certainly had quite an interest in aircraft…’

In my past life, he was not only directly involved in the development of various aircraft, but he was also so interested in aircraft that he created his own ‘Hanover Aircraft Manufacturing Company.’

So much so that the Empire’s subjects associated Count Zeppelin with Airships and Crown Prince August with airplanes.

“Hmm…”

He never betrayed me once in my past life… It wouldn’t be bad to give him a ‘small gift’ as a reward for that. Of course, he wouldn’t remember it.

I immediately picked up the receiver.

The Crown Prince of Hanover.

August von Hanover.

He walked through the corridors of the Imperial Palace.

‘The Emperor has summoned me.’

Why would he call me?

That thought crossed his mind for a moment.

In his memory, she was a person who extremely favored efficiency. He thought that perhaps she was displeased with the fact that he had obtained the position of commander of the Army Aviation Corps thanks to his title alone.

But he soon concluded that this was not the case.

Although many people misunderstand, even after the ‘Great Unification,’ the Holy Roman Empire still takes on a form similar to a collection of imperial states.

Of course, most of the territories are owned by the Habsburg family, but independent states such as Hanover, Brandenburg, and Saxony still exist within the Holy Roman Empire.

Although the Emperor’s electorates have permanently lost their right to elect the Emperor since the Great Unification, it is still impossible to completely ignore their opinions.

‘Then… is it something related to the Army Aviation Corps?’

He had recently been appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Imperial Army Aviation Corps. Of course, it was a position he was able to obtain thanks to his title as the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Hanover.

‘Since the public’s interest in aircraft has been increasing recently… perhaps he called me to allocate a budget for aircraft development.’

And his prediction was half correct.

“Your Highness August von Hanover. Please take on the role of chairman of the Aviation Association.”

“…Did I hear you correctly?”