The identities of the perpetrators have not yet been released, but given the complex geopolitical situation in Bosnia, the likelihood of Serbian nationalist involvement is extremely high. This attempted assassination is very likely to trigger an international crisis...
"This is a huge mess."
The gentleman snapped his head around, looking toward the voice that had suddenly sounded beside him.
Someone was leaning over, peeking at the newspaper in his hands.
"What?"
"If the finger is pointed at Serbia, will Austria tolerate it?"
"Of course not."
France itself had lived in an era of emperors not long ago. Even if it was only an attempt, two heirs nearly lost their lives; no empire in the world could act as if nothing had happened. A nation that could tolerate such a thing would no longer be worthy of being called an empire.
"Then do you think the Russian Empire will tolerate it?"
"Russia? Don't be ridiculous. That's also a country with a Tsar."
"That sounds like a solid reason, but the world is unpredictable. Once Russia moves, the German Empire will move too. At that point, I'm afraid we in France won't be able to stay out of it either."
"Oh, come on, this is a war with a clear cause. Even if a fight really breaks out, we in France have no reason to join."
An alliance didn't mean accompanying them into every single battle. Even allied nations needed a justification for war. Unless the Russian Empire's own soil was invaded. If Serbia brought trouble upon itself and Russia intervened, dragging France down with them would be too much of a stretch.
"I'm just joking. Is it possible that Austria, Russia, Germany, France, and Britain will all start fighting? Hahaha!"
The man beside him laughed out loud, but the laughter quickly died down. Even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, that was a desperate future.
...
As soon as news of Karl and the others reached Vienna, the Emperor became extremely anxious, sending repeated urgings for them to return immediately.
However, Franz Ferdinand, who had shielded Karl in his arms during the explosion and taken the full force of the impact, was not in a state to travel immediately.
He would likely have to remain in Sarajevo for continued treatment and would only return to Vienna once he had recovered to a certain extent. After all, this was the central city of Bosnia, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire maintained its best military hospital there.
"Setting aside the body, one side of his face will likely be left with a large scar."
"That's not so bad. No one in the imperial family ever dared to challenge me to a duel, so I never had the chance to get a scar."
Sure enough, Franz Ferdinand was a typical 20th Century man, the type who viewed scars as medals of honor.
Speaking of which, whether now or decades later, if a man didn't have a scar or two on his face, it would be hard to hear passersby whisper in awe—My god, that man is so handsome.
Of course, those who dared to challenge a member of the imperial family—and the heir to the throne at that—to a duel were still few and far between, even in this era that worshipped honor and martial prowess. Most people would likely bow and apologize before the duel even began, wishing they could bury their foreheads into the ground.
In short, with Franz Ferdinand unable to move, Karl had to leave first.
Vienna was pressing so hard that even if Karl returned alone, he would have to talk until his lips were raw, like a confession in a Parisian cathedral.
"Since I'm incapacitated, you'll have to speak well on my behalf."
Franz Ferdinand grinned and waved goodbye to Karl, as if he were going on a casual visit rather than appearing before the Emperor.
The thought of facing the Emperor alone made Karl's chest feel tight.
Standing to the side, Sophie looked at Franz Ferdinand's carefree attitude and sighed softly.
"Your Highness, we will go to sea through the port and return to Vienna via the Adriatic Sea."
The attempted assassination of the two heirs to the throne had already thrown all of Vienna into a panic; the navy was urgently deployed to the Adriatic Sea, and the coast was heavily guarded. After all, that sea was the Austro-Hungarian Empire's only outlet to the Mediterranean Sea and the lifeblood of the empire's maritime power.
Since the fleet couldn't remain anchored waiting forever, it was decided that Karl would use an active-duty warship for his return to Vienna.
Traveling south from Sarajevo, they arrived at the Port of Metković and took a yacht down the Neretva River to the sea. Where the river met the salt water, the view suddenly opened up, and the deep blue Adriatic Sea stretched out before them.
And in the middle of that sea stood an overwhelming presence.
A giant of steel.
The Austro-Hungarian Empire War Navy, the first ship of the vienna-class, the SMS Vienna.
In 1910, when Britain built the Orion-class battleships, they proposed the concept of the'super-dreadnought' to describe a new type of warship that surpassed the original dreadnought concept. The vienna-class was the first true super-dreadnought in the War Navy (replacing the Ersatz Monarch-class battleships).
A brand-new warship that had only recently been launched, the steel still held the residual warmth of the shipyard. Without a doubt, this was the ultimate crystallization of spending money like water.
Franz Ferdinand had always advocated for naval expansion, and with the Emperor's support, the Austro-Hungarian War Navy had seen unprecedented, leap-frog development. This empire, originally regarded as a land power, was finally beginning to stand tall on the sea.
But even with the support of the empire's number one and number two figures, time was still an unavoidable cost. They weren't using magic to build warships.
In the original history, these plans had remained on paper; that they could become reality ahead of schedule now was naturally due to Karl's push.
Compared to France and the German Empire, the overall time invested by the Austro-Hungarian Empire was perhaps shorter.
Setting aside technical accumulation and proficiency, the number of stages that could slow down progress was enough to make one's skin crawl.
And where Karl could truly exert influence was precisely in the processes before construction began.
Just raising funds often took years to calculate. Karl had been continuously involved since the construction of the Tegetthoff-class battleships, forcibly compressing the timeline to get the ships launched earlier.
Furthermore, his relationships with military-industrial enterprises were deep. Building a warship wasn't just about welding a hull; artillery, armor, power systems—all sorts of military supplies were layered on.
As someone with a keen interest in weapon improvement and who also served as the commander of the Imperial Guard, Karl dealt with them frequently. Many problems that would have stalled were often smoothly resolved due to Karl's credit and endorsement.
Of course, even so, they still couldn't catch up to Britain. That was an entity that was almost like an otherworldly creature in the naval field. It was enough for the Austro-Hungarian Empire to be able to stride proudly in the Mediterranean.
With the commissioning of this warship, the Austro-Hungarian Empire already held a steady upper hand against the Italian and French navies.
Once the sister ships currently under construction also joined the fleet, Italy, which viewed the Austro-Hungarian Empire as a hypothetical enemy, would find it impossible to catch up in a short amount of time.