Lelouch's attitude was entirely sincere. He invited Duke Rupprecht to ask whatever questions he had, promising to answer every single one without reserve.
The Duke, however, was not a rash man. He took a few minutes to carefully read through the confidential letter handed to him by his younger brother, Major General Karl.
Captain Immelmann's plane still needed refueling anyway, so a few extra minutes made no difference.
Only after reading the letter did Duke Rupprecht wave his hand to dismiss his attendants. Then, with great solemnity, he posed what he considered to be the most crucial question.
"You told Karl that if, after this operation, we definitively confirm that the Empire's naval radio codes have indeed been broken by the Britannians, we must on no account make a fuss. Instead, we must continue pretending we know nothing, guarding this secret until we encounter an opportunity profitable enough to detonate it for a massive gain.
"However, don't you think that will be exceedingly difficult to achieve? Karl might not understand how fractured the factions inside the Admiralty are, or how viciously they fight among themselves, but I do. Even the intelligence operations originate from multiple departments, each acting entirely on its own.
"The moment someone uncovers this secret, they will inevitably scramble to claim the credit and beg for rewards. When that happens, within a few days at the fastest, or a few months at the slowest, the Britannians are bound to learn the truth..."
The Duke saw at a glance that the secrecy Lelouch was counting on would very likely turn into a classic "tragedy of the commons."
In departments where everyone constantly watched what was in the pot while eating what was in their own bowls, a bird in the hand was always worth more than ten in the bush.
Why would anyone be willing to sit on the credit and wait patiently to score a massive payoff later, when a scheme that maximized the Empire's benefits failed to maximize the benefits of their own small clique?Fortunately, Lelouch had already thought this through deeply while aboard the plane.
After all, he had transmigrated from an era of full-throttle market competition—an age where people resorted to any means necessary. He had long anticipated the inherent selfishness of human nature.
The exact scenario the Duke feared was just like those mushroom pickers in A Bite of China—how could they possibly wait for matsutake mushrooms to mature to their most valuable state before picking them? If they waited, someone else would just swipe them first.
Therefore, to counter this tragedy of the commons, they first had to become utterly selfish themselves!
Lelouch hesitated for a final second, gritted his teeth, and resolved to offer a pledge of loyalty.
"Your Highness is truly farsighted, seeing right to the heart of the disease at a single glance—and that is precisely why we must keep the Admiralty itself in the dark! From now on, in all our intelligence cooperation with the navy, we will establish private contact solely with Rear Admiral Hipper of the Bavarian Faction. We will share intelligence with him and him alone!
"Your Highness, I have no desire to foment factionalism within the navy. But I have always felt that the Prossen Junker Officer Corps is far too amateurish—far too incompetent—in the field of intelligence. We can only place our trust in our own people from the Kingdom of Bavaria—
"Furthermore, as you well know, I am a foreigner. I am an Orio citizen. I came to Demania to enlist out of loyalty to the Demanian nation, not to swear loyalty to the Emperor, nor to bow to those northerners from Prossen.
"Back when the Demania Empire was first founded, Prossen championed the so-called Lesser Demania solution purely for the sake of their own kingdom's interests. Their goal was to exclude the Orio Emperor from the Demania Empire so that the men of the Prossen Kingdom could usurp the throne. That was, in truth, an outright betrayal of our traditions dating back to the Holy Roman Empire!
"Yet your own Kingdom of Bavaria, along with the other three states of southern Demania, have historically been far closer to the Orio royal family and share the same faith. Before 1870, your ancestors were steadfast supporters of the Greater Demania solution.
"That is precisely why I traveled here to join the 6th Army. I would rather pledge my allegiance exclusively to you. Because I am an Orio man, and the Demania Empire in my heart is also the Greater Demania solution! It is an empire that unites the Demanian people of the Oreo Empire under one single banner!
"As for the war before us, it has already bogged down into a war of attrition. A swift victory is no longer possible. The grueling consumption of a protracted war will deliver a violent shock to every nation ruled by a monarch, forcing many countries into inevitable reforms in the future.
"The Oreo Empire's combat strength is far too weak, and the internal friction among its various ethnicities is far too severe. Whether it can even hold out until the end of this war is anyone's guess. Who can say if this great war isn't an opportunity for the entire Demanian nation to shuffle the deck and be reborn from the ashes?
"Under these conditions, climbing up from within the system might prove far more effective than seizing power through military force. As the vital bridge connecting Orio and Prossen, the Kingdom of Bavaria is perfectly positioned to maneuver between both sides to its advantage. Perhaps it can even achieve far more for the country and the nation..."
"Enough! Say no more! I understand. If that is how it is to be, this secret might well be preserved for a long time—and more secrets to come can be safeguarded in exactly the same way..."
Duke Rupprecht did not dare listen any further and quickly cut the young man off.
Did this youngster have no sense of boundaries when he spoke?
Even if it was the dead of night, and they were standing out on the tarmac of a field airfield with all attendants dismissed so no sixth ear could hear a whisper...
Was this the sort of talk a mere lieutenant should ever utter?
Fortunately, the Duke knew nothing of Eastern history, or he certainly would have drawn comparisons to Yao Guangxiao repeatedly dancing on the edge of treason before Zhu Di, inciting the prince to add white to his royal title and claim the crown.
Even so, in the Duke's view, though Lelouch bordered on fanaticism, his motives were undeniably well-intentioned. He was clearly doing this so the entire ethnic nation could stand united under one banner and inside one country.
As a nobleman of the four southern states, the Duke also felt far greater agreement with the Greater Demania solution than the Lesser Demania solution.
After all, the ancestors of the Kingdom of Bavaria had been granted their lands by the earliest Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick Barbarossa himself. The two sides shared over seven hundred years of amity.
Anyone who had played the Barbarossa campaign in Age of Empires II knew that Barbarossa ultimately crushed his arch-rival Henry the Lion and bestowed Henry's territories upon his own loyal follower, giving rise to the House of Wittelsbach that ruled the Kingdom of Bavaria. That happened back in 1180—a full 734 years ago.
Lelouch's speech today served as a thorough pledge of loyalty, making the Duke realize they were comrades who shared the same ideals.
Such a righteous and visionary patriot naturally deserved to be entrusted with heavy responsibilities!
As for whether Lelouch harbored personal ambitions of his own, the Duke hardly gave it a thought. The young man's status was simply too low; serving as his vanguard pawn was already a great privilege for him.
And so, having administered a firm warning, the Duke decided it was time to hand out a sweet reward:
"Though your words today crossed the line, I will not punish you, considering your youth and lack of restraint. Your strategy itself remains useful. Take this confidential letter and seek out Hipper.
"Also, here is my personal signet seal. You may carry it with you for now, just in case there are details the letter fails to clarify and Hipper doubts your word."
"Thank you for your trust." Lelouch accepted the secret letter and the seal with both hands.
"Work hard. If you truly manage to render great service this time, I will grant you another promotion." Before turning to leave, the Duke patted Lelouch firmly on the shoulder by way of encouragement.
Nearby, Captain Immelmann's aircraft had already been fully refueled and undergone all necessary maintenance checks. Lelouch boarded the plane once more, heading straight toward Wilhelmshaven.
...
"To think the Duke actually holds you in such high regard. Brother, are you really just a lieutenant? Don't tell me you've got powerful backers up above?"
Bored by the long night flight, Immelmann couldn't stop himself from chatting with Lelouch scarcely half an hour after takeoff.
"I'm just a foreigner; what kind of backers could I possibly have above me? It's simply that His Highness the Duke and General Karl treat their subordinates with respect and appoint people solely on merit," Lelouch replied immaculately, his phrasing perfectly measured.
"There are actually generals that meritocratic? Fine, I'll assume you're telling the truth." Immelmann didn't bother pressing any further and quickly shifted the conversation elsewhere.
He proudly patted a heavy utility belt he had just strapped over his uniform and showed it off to Lelouch. "You suggested installing seatbelts on the planes and carrying weapons to shoot at enemy reconnaissance aircraft.
"Just now, while we were refueling, my hands were itching, so I had the airfield crew fetch me a utility belt and two C96 pistols. If we run into any enemy scouts in a bit, I'll pull right up next to them and fire a few shots, and you'll be in charge of reloading for me."
As Immelmann spoke, he drew one of the handguns and waved it around.
Looking closely, Lelouch recognized it immediately as the iconic Mauser C96 broomhandle pistol—the twenty-round automatic variant he had seen so often in later eras' war films.
In a rush where installing machine guns was impossible and the aircraft lacked the load capacity anyway, grabbing a few high-capacity handguns really wasn't a bad idea.
Even so, Lelouch felt compelled to pour a little cold water on his enthusiasm. "The idea is fine, but in the pitch black of night, you wouldn't see an enemy plane even if one was out here. Besides, how could Britannian aircraft possibly have the range to fly all the way out here? Just treat this trip as a practice run for armed flight."
Immelmann knew Lelouch was speaking the undeniable truth, leaving him slightly disappointed.
The two chatted idly as they flew on for over two hours, and Wilhelmshaven soon came into view ahead of them.
In this era, aerial bombardment did not exist, so military ports enforced no wartime blackout regulations at night. The airplane had more than enough ground illumination to make its landing.
However, just as Immelmann was scanning the ground to prepare for descent, he spotted something amiss and yelled out in shock toward the rear seat, "Hey! Look over there! It's a Britannian BE2!"
Lelouch stared in the direction his pilot pointed, yet he saw absolutely nothing. "Where? I don't see a damn thing! Are you sure you can even identify the model?"
Immelmann snapped back, "Nonsense! Our Taube wings and tail surfaces sweep backward like kites. Only the Britannian BE2 has rounded wingtips. Don't ever underestimate the eyesight of an elite pilot!"
Lelouch shut his mouth. Every profession had its master, and if Immelmann was destined to become an ace pilot, his eyesight was undoubtedly far sharper than his own.
Immelmann had managed to spot it only because they were nearing the military port, where the brilliant lights below faintly illuminated the underside of the enemy plane's wings. Had they been flying over pitch-black, unlit wilderness, it would have been completely invisible.
The opposing aircraft clearly hadn't noticed them—or perhaps it had noticed them and simply didn't care. Aerial combat simply did not exist yet in this era, so spotting another plane was no cause for alarm.
Taking his sweet time, Immelmann banked the aircraft and closed the distance. Only when he drew very close did he see clearly that the plane was actually painted with the flight club emblem of the Kingdom of the Netherlands rather than the insignia of the Britannian military.
Lelouch saw it too, and sudden understanding dawned in his heart: No wonder it managed to fly all the way out here! It hadn't taken off from the Britannian mainland at all, but from a neutral country!