Battlefield Priest's Diary

Chapter 58 I Really Don't Know Divine Magic (2)

"Shouldn't it be His Majesty who summoned me for questioning?"

Upon hearing this, the head maid was immediately speechless.

It was only then that she realized she had fallen into a trap of preconceived notions, labeling the other person as a conman, forgetting that he was there on official business.

Taking a deep breath and adjusting her emotions, the head maid slightly raised her chin.

"In that case, please come with me. In His Majesty's presence, please refrain from any impolite behavior."

She thought the other party was just putting on an act, saving their "skills" for when they met the Queen, but the reality was quite different from what she expected.

"You mean you can't predict the future?" Alexandra covered her mouth with her hand in the bedroom, making no attempt to hide the disappointment in her eyes.

“Your Majesty, those are merely reasonable speculations made on the battlefield using available information,” the priest in black replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"The soldier who came back from the dead?"

"I myself have some knowledge of medicine."

"Holy water?"

"This is the one I prepared according to the requirements of the Battlefield Prayer Book, but it's no different from others."

After speaking, Qin Hao bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, I am very sorry to have disappointed you."

This decision was made by Qin Hao based on later generations' understanding of the Tsar and Tsarina.

Although the couple were superstitious and believed in mysticism, they could not maintain a consistent attitude. They frequently invoked spirits but did not heed the prophecies or revelations they received.

For example, Nicholas II was summoned by different "prophets" on several occasions to call upon the spirit of his assassinated grandfather, Alexander II, and received so-called warnings.

One of them was—don't go to war with Germany.

But what was the result? This indecisive emperor, even though I was summoned by the spirits and heard the revelation, still did what he always did, and even banished those spirit mediums not long afterward.

In all the history he knew, apart from Rasputin, no other psychic had ever earned the true trust of these two.

Similarly, Qin Hao didn't think he could succeed by using the same methods. After all, he was a fake priest, and the Tsar and his wife, who had "seen and experienced" the mystical arts, might not be fooled by his previous approach.

Instead of that, why not try a different approach? After all, he has his own trump cards even without relying on mystery…

Sure enough, as he bowed again and prepared to leave, someone called out to him.

"Father Pugin, please wait a moment!"

Qin Hao slowly turned around, a smile returning to his face.

A thin, pale-faced man with a faint scar on his eyebrow stepped forward—Nicholas II, the last emperor of Russia.

“I have read these battle reports. Although there are certainly exaggerations, I believe you are not incompetent.” Nicholas II approached the priest in black.

"Your trust makes me feel uneasy." Qin Hao bowed slightly and made the sign of the cross.

"You previously said that battlefield prophecies are obtained through information analysis, is that correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

“Very well then, let’s see if we can glean anything from the two of us?” Nicholas II gestured to himself and his wife beside him. The priest in black smiled slightly, and instead of declining as before, stepped forward. “Excuse my intrusion.”

He first looked at the Empress and said softly, "Your Majesty the Empress must be anxious about something lately, and probably hasn't had a good night's sleep in a long time, is that right?"

"Amazing, how did you know?" Alexandra covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes showing surprise.

"Some information will be conveyed to me through your eyes. Also, I smell calming spices," Qin Hao said with a mysterious smile.

In fact, what he just said was nonsense. This empress lived in contradictions all her life. Her family, husband, and son were the source of her anxiety at all times. Historical records show that she suffered from severe neurasthenia and insomnia was a common occurrence.

"Then the next one is His Majesty, you... well, it seems I'm not suited to speak here... Alright, please stop that thing, it won't do you any good." The priest in black lowered his head and spoke very cryptically.

As a result, His Majesty the Emperor's face froze. Since last year, he had been injecting morphine almost every day due to severe migraines, and he quickly became addicted. However, only the Empress and the imperial physicians knew about this, and even Anna, the head maid, was unaware of it.

"Is this also your deduction?" Nicholas II asked sternly.

“Your Majesty, as I have said, I have some medical knowledge.” The priest in black lowered his head.

A brief silence fell over the room as the head maid watched the black-haired priest prepare to call for the guards at any moment.

The next second, the Tsar nodded slightly and stood up. "I will consider your suggestion."

"That's enough for today, Anna. Take the priest to rest."

"Father, I hope we can discuss other topics again," Nicholas II said as he was leaving.

As it turned out, His Majesty was not just talking; in the following days, he summoned the black-haired priest for talks, and the sessions seemed to be getting longer.

“He may not perform miracles, but he is certainly a learned man,” Nicholas II told his wife.

However, the impression that "Father Putin does not perform miracles" changed in a very short time.

One evening, Qin Hao met a waiter on the porch.

"Father Putin, Grand Prince Nikolayevich has returned and wishes to see you," the other party reported respectfully.

"Where?"

"Please come this way." The other person led the way, and after walking through several alleys, they arrived at a secluded courtyard.

"The Duke is inside. Please go in yourself. I still have something to report." The waiter bowed slightly, appearing very polite, though his expression was somewhat stiff.

Qin Hao observed the departing figure for a moment, then decided to push open the door and enter.

Philippe Vashad, a Frenchman observing from a distance with binoculars, sneered, "Look, he's gone in. Let's wait and see."

"Philip, will there be any problems? After all, those are all..." The short man, Papis, asked hesitantly.

“What does this have to do with us? The Grand Duke and His Majesty did summon him.” Philip spread his hands innocently. “It’s just a terrible tragedy. Some careless servant forgot to close the cage and carelessly gave the noble priest the wrong address.”

"Your Majesty will soon see how this so-called knowledgeable fellow is fleeing in such a sorry state. I sincerely pray that he is not too badly injured, because it would be even more difficult if he lost his life in front of Your Majesty."

The Frenchman laughed loudly, his eyes gleaming with an eerie light.

From a distant courtyard, fierce barking erupted!

(End of this chapter)