Chapter 345
The person who should be in the Osnabrück Diocese is in the Munich-Freising Archdiocese? Why? Why are you, who should be in northern Germany, in the south? No matter how I looked at it, that face was the sa as the one I saw then. A hollow face with not a single bit of humanity, those features that were subtly familiar yet felt like sothing seen for the first ti in my life—how could I, or anyone else, forget them? Why do you, in 1891, look at and say I look familiar? Don't you et only in the autumn of 1897?
Ainsidel’s blue eyes weighed down on . Leaving behind countless questions that were becoming as faint as fog, my gaze passed over the mage's face to the shoulders, and from the shoulders down to the legs. The sensation of the boot heels that would be under that table rested on my fingers, and soon, an extre malice crushed my bones. My left fingers went numb, so I intentionally curled my hand.
“Brother?”
The priest turned back to . Feeling as if I were lifting my body out of water, I pulled up the corners of my mouth that remained firmly in place.
“Where should we sit?”
“Sit here.”
The priest pointed to an empty seat at the white table. Having noticed the anomaly in sohow, cklenburg grabbed my shoulder.
“What is wrong.”
“I just saw soone I know.”
“…What?!”
I felt it during the ti with Maria von Österreich-Este as well, but the system's ti-space settings were not random. The system wants to know sothing and, at the sa ti, wants not to know. So, it was ti to think. Bishop Ainsidel entered the Pleroma during this period seven years ago, and he was a preliminary believer of Munich-Freising before becoming the Bishop of Osnabrück. Why?
Even considering that the Pleroma is a heresy that shows rubber-band flexibility however they please, it is usually the priority and common to beco a believer in the diocese of the region where one lives. To reduce the problems derived from the ambiguity of the word Junker—which covers both regional and political anings and, in a narrow sense, refers to East Prussian landowning families—I now consider exactly where the main branch of the Ainsidel family is located. Their direct line exists in the Kingdom of Saxony, and as the ruling families and nobles of the pro-Prussian Duchy of Anhalt do, the activities of major Ainsidel individuals mostly take place in Prussia, so a direct residence also exists in Brandenburg. Furthermore, the collateral branches had already set up camp in Brandenburg long ago. Therefore, if a person from the Ainsidel family were to enter the Pleroma, it would be proper for them to enter the Dresden Diocese of the Kingdom of Saxony or the Brandenburg Archdiocese of the Kingdom of Prussia, not the Osnabrück Diocese in the northwest of the Empire or the Munich-Freising Archdiocese in the south. Incomprehensibly, this Bishop is active in a place with no ties, whether it be now, seven years ago, or seven years later. If he had only been active in Osnabrück, I would have let it go, but in another region as well.
‘Thinking about the fact that he is of the Junker class, no matter how I think about it, this person should belong to the Brandenburg Archdiocese….’
What is the reason he ca to the Munich-Freising Archdiocese instead of the Brandenburg Archdiocese? Let us retrace the information I knew about Munich-Freising. Before the Pleroma International Conference, the Federal Council mber from the Pleroma Brandenburg Archdiocese whom I had interrogated said that their diocese was in a competitive relationship with the Munich-Freising Archdiocese. Useful information ended at this point. I was severely lacking in knowledge regarding Munich-Freising.
“I am truly happy that new preliminary believers have co on a day when we are having an exceptionally important class. Please give a brief introduction.”
A grave voice ca from the priest standing before the platform. At the priest’s request, I stood up from my seat and greeted them with a smile.
“I am Emil Abel, from Austria-Hungary. This person who ca with is my servant, Clens Schmidt.”
“…!”
cklenburg snapped his head around at the unnegotiated servant role. However, despite cklenburg’s protest, no one in this place questioned it. I also turned my gaze back to Ainsidel.
“Good. Well then, let us begin right away. Yesterday, we explained for an hour about the voice of one calling in the wilderness. Shall we look from the part we finished yesterday? I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one coming after is more powerful than I…. Just who is this ‘one coming after ’? Do you all rember Malachi 3:1?”
Ainsidel stared at for a long ti and then turned his head. After that, he never looked at again.
“You said I look familiar. Have we t before?”
I could not just let him go like this. After the education ended and I sent cklenburg elsewhere, I spoke to that tall mage. He had a rather disheveled appearance, and the areas under his eyes were dark. Ainsidel looked at for a long while and answered briefly.
“I do not know.”
He passed by as if he were not interested.
I had no choice but to hesitate at his attitude. This person is different from the human I knew. That person is soone who packages malice close to murderous intent with a smile, not a person who lets everything flow away with such an expressionless face. Of course, it is possible that his reaction changed depending on the value of the person he was dealing with, but if that were the case, the conclusion is that even if my face is familiar, he does not know exactly who I am. He might have simply overlapped a person he knew onto . I shouted toward that white hair.
“What is your na? eting like this is a stroke of fate.”
At those words, Ainsidel stopped his steps and looked back at . His snow-white robe fluttered. He stared at intently and muttered.
“Ein.”
The sa answer as I heard at our first eting. The only difference was that this ti, there was no smile on him. I did not bother to question him further and nodded.
“I see. I am Emil Abel.”
“…….”
“Why did you co to Munich-Freising? I heard you are a Junker.”
Junkers are the military foundation of Prussia. They are essentially the pillars of Prussian militarism and conservatism. There is no reason for them to co to the liberal Bavaria.
“Then why did you, who should be in Austria-Hungary, co here?”
“This organization does not exist there.”
“Aha. I see.”
Ainsidel replied in a flat, soulless voice.
“Then what are you chasing that you ca all the way here? Moreover, your accent is very far from Austro-Bavarian, so I do not know why you say you ca from Austria-Hungary.”
“My place of origin is Berlin.”
“The sa situation, then.”
Ainsidel burst into laughter and shrugged his shoulders.
“What do you an?”
“It is the sa in that both you and I have passed through many places, so what are you curious about? How different do you think your circumstances and mine are?”
Listening to Ainsidel’s languid voice, I cannot shake the thought that it is as if hypnosis were lted into sound. While feeling as if I were being sucked into the transparent irises of his profile, he continued to speak.
“It is obvious what you ca here looking for. Eternal life…. I do not know why you buy and chase after misfortune.”
I felt it by instinct. I must answer carefully. I thought about the countless possibilities floating in my head and slowly spoke my words. It was a statent that contradicted the lie I had used earlier to enter this place.
“I have no intention of living forever. What aning would eternal life have in a world where everything has left and I am the only one remaining?”
Only then did Ainsidel raise his eyebrows, open his unfocused eyes wide, and chuckle as if it were interesting. For a mont, Elias flickered across that face, so I had to strive not to stiffen my expression. The laughter was brief, and Ainsidel turned around and disappeared.
“…….”
I tried to say sothing to him but slowly closed my mouth. The air entering my lungs and staying on my clothes was as chilly as if it were mixed with a uniquely strange magic power.
Good.
Holding him back any further was a aningless act. I found cklenburg and ca out to the world outside the Pleroma. There was no problem up to the point of coming out.
“Let go, already….”
I glared at the empty back alley and spoke crookedly. As soon as we returned outside, cklenburg tied both of my hands with magic power and pushed against the wall. Do they raise high schoolers as police at the Imperial Second Academy…. It clearly wasn't like that in my ti. Even though I tried to turn my head as much as possible, feeling the bricks scraping my cheek, I opened my mouth once more. At that mont, cklenburg coldly took the lead.
“What do you an by saying there was soone you knew there?”
“I am sorry, but please cast at least so sound insulation magic. Speaking here is….”
Sound insulation magic, my ass. There was no need to cast it. In fact, not casting it might be more beneficial. I spat out words I didn't an, but they were imdiately cut off as the force pushing my back grew stronger.
“Why do you know soone in a heresy in Munich? And just what have you been doing to be this proficient?”
“…….”
“Speak. No matter how I look at it, you were not soone doing this sort of thing for the first ti.”
“I suppose you are not thinking about catching and sending away anymore? Looking at your face, you were only thinking about handing over to the police.”
“Speak!”
“Fine. This is not my first ti doing this sort of thing, Albert. I ca to overturn the Munich-Freising Archdiocese.”
“…….”
At the bolt-from-the-blue statent, the magic power tying my hands weakened. I thrust my hands out strongly, shook off the magic power, and turned toward cklenburg. I stomped my foot hard to cast sound insulation magic and then calmly opened my mouth.
“The priests here, or the deacons, or the preliminary believers, whoever they are—they will soon inflict harm upon and the people I know.”
Upon you as well. I looked into the eyes of the Albert cklenburg of seven years ago and spoke straight. cklenburg blinked rapidly in confusion.
Seven years of ti would change the structure of Munich-Freising a lot, but that is why starting from the bottom right now is useful. Since the believers, deacons, and priests who are showing prominence now will at least rise to the position of Monsignor after seven years.
“I know well now that there is a limit to what I can change with my own power. This is sothing already scheduled. I ca to know how to deal with the Munich-Freising Diocese before they harm us, and I have to fight them now. This is as far as I can explain to you.”
“What are you talking about? These grave robbers harm us? …Right, it has been a frequent historical occurrence for such heresies to recruit believers and handle them as they please. I am not saying this is right, but to be honest, it is rare historically for them to even recklessly touch nobles. Where did you hear that information….”
“It is not at the level of grave robbers.”
“Of course it is not at that level! They have been continuously claiming for years things like bringing the dead back to life or becoming stronger by drinking blood. Among the nurous heresies existing in our country, they might be the most foul and apostate ones.”
Can it be explained only with the words foul and apostate? I burst into laughter at the continuous hollow words. Right, you would know it that way. Since the Pleroma remains at that level of status until the sumr of 1897, you are right. According to what I read, it should have been that way at least until 1907.
“Albert. I did not co here with just that much resolution. I do not know how it will sound to you, but my goal was the truth. I am going to fight here, and I have to return after finding a preventive asure.”
“…….”
cklenburg frowned and his lips trembled. It is clearly revealed that even though he thinks it is nonsense, he is feeling confusion. I opened the carrier that was rolling on the ground due to the wind cklenburg threw and took out an artifact. Among the nurous artifacts the system had put in, there was a portable portal generator, and like the ones at school, this was sothing that would not co off once put on. It might be illegal, but surviving and getting out is the priority. I slipped it onto the wrist of cklenburg, who stood there with his mouth open.
“I am sorry for dragging you all the way here. I am giving this to you, so if it becos dangerous, leave imdiately. I have already done sothing to the bathroom earlier, so with just this, you will imdiately move to the Munich train station.”
“Why are you giving this to ?”
“I do not want you to die. Even if you are a person whose sense of ethics is backward, fitting for our era, and who creates a catastrophe because you are twisted sowhere, I do not want you to die a dog's death due to a group's greed in a place like this.”
“…Just what have I done so wrong to you for you to speak this far…. I have to ask more accurately. Do you hate ? Then why are you doing this much for ?”
I have already seen too much of you. The fact that your existence is suitable for opposing Adrian Askanian is useless in this world. So, even if it is a short relationship in a world that will disappear once I open my eyes, a relationship where I cannot create any benefit in the long term, I could not say that I am fine with whatever happens to you.
There were no other words I could give him, but I did not even utter those words. I knew well how it would sound. Since cklenburg, who had been staring at for a long ti, nodded, I smirked and patted his shoulder.
“Do you believe my words? Are you going to stop reporting now~?”
“To be honest, I do not know. It is my first ti seeing a person who acts as irrationally as you, and I do not know how to handle soone like you. But….”
“But?”
“Do not copy my words! …Even so, I….”
cklenburg hesitated for a long while before looking elsewhere and speaking.
“I wonder why I felt relieved after hearing your words. I want to try believing that my guess is true.”
“…Wow.”
I was stunned for a mont and unknowingly muttered briefly. Since cklenburg glared at , I answered seriously.
“I was not joking. I did it because I was a bit surprised. Thanks.”
“Forget it. And this is what I have been wanting to say for a while, but who gave you permission to call a servant?!”
“Ah, that. I look forward to your help, Clens Schmidt.”
“Do you think that makes sense? In a situation where you should be my servant based on status, what are you doing?”
“We are friends.”
“What does that matter?! You can be friends with a servant originally!”
“It is not bad to try living with roles reversed once in a while. Ah, I will be under you for my whole life, so give a break just this once.”
cklenburg let out a hollow laugh and turned around.
“…It is my first ti seeing a human who acts like you in my life, so I am flustered. I do not know how to take it….”
“How unfortunate. There should have been a human acting like for that character of yours to be covered a bit….”
“What?”
“Nothing. Now I have to find a place to sleep.”
I thought while looking at the purple sky where the sun was setting. Ah, I want to invade the Crown Prince’s palace. I want to warp to the teacher’s room that Lukas Everett received. If I did that, it would be the end, though. I smiled and asked cklenburg, who was clearly debating whether to say sothing or not.
“Isn't there a lodging your family caught for you in your na? Your family even handled the inspection for you.”
“…!”
***
cklenburg caused a commotion for a while, saying that every single one of those called student council presidents is annoying out of the blue—seeing how he even dragged the student council president out there, he is a guy one can easily figure out—and then entered the best hotel in Munich.
And so, when it beca dawn the next day, we visited the factory owner’s house and moved to the education center. With this, it was day five. Four hours had passed outside the Extra Chapter.
‘It is already four hours.’
I am breaking into a bit of a cold sweat. I trust that the model student will have a model sleep.
Thinking that next ti I co to Bavaria, I should co without Leo knowing and stay at a hotel, I put all the education of that day into my mory and followed the priest in charge of education along with cklenburg. I had to hear the answer I couldn't get from Ainsidel.
“There are people from other regions among the believers here. In what cases do people usually co to a diocese in another region?”
“In what cases…. I do not know even that much. Actually, it is because I am from Freising.”
“Then what is the reason for accepting people from other regions?”
“Our sect's power is very small compared to Catholicism or Protestantism.”
“Well, there is no comparison.”
“…Ahem, anyway, that is why we tend to actively welco those who co. Furthermore, the more people there are with outstanding abilities and deep faith, the greater the help to the developnt of the diocese, so there is no reason to refuse.”
“I see. There is one thing I am curious about—for what reason is that Junker here?”
“He is such a person of few words that I do not know either. It also seems like he intentionally does not speak. We have already arrived. Let us go in and talk.”
The priest opened his office door and gestured with a kind face.
“Go in first.”
“…….”
Thanks for the consideration, so much it brings tears to my eyes. I stared at the priest’s face and then glared at the floor while smiling. The oiled ebony floor shook violently before my eyes. To say things had turned out this way ant that one of the nurous hypotheses I had established was clearly the correct answer, but that was not sothing to spend ti thinking about at this mont. The mont I took a step forward, the mory of that day ended there.
I opened my eyes in the darkness. Soone was tightly blocking my windpipe, so I was forced to wake up.
‘Again….’
Just how many tis has it been that I was moved in this way with cklenburg. Whether I expected it or not, I secretly hoped that such an experience would end on that day. This ti I am with the 18-year-old cklenburg instead of the 25-year-old cklenburg, but I was fed up with this situation. The large hand pressing down on my nose and mouth fell away. Along with the air rushing in frantically, the sll of blood pierced into my nose.
White hair ca into view even in the darkness. I heard the groan of soone that was hard to listen to. The sll of blood was gradually becoming thicker. Ainsidel muttered as if letting out a sigh.
“It is so-so… not bad.”
“…….”
He must have drunk cklenburg’s blood. Why didn't that guy use the artifact to move? I curled my fingers and felt the thing hanging on my wrist. It is a typical Pleroma magic power restraint device. To think they used this model seven years ago—these guys have established their system since a truly long ti ago.
“For what reason did you enter this place?”
The sound of sothing hitting the floor was heard. Having slowly adjusted to the darkness, I slowly turned my head and checked cklenburg. Fortunately, excluding the skin on his wrists, there were no noticeably injured areas. As I maintained non-responsiveness, a moderate answer was heard.
“You won't speak. I would have been disappointed if you had.”
Ainsidel let out a smile with an unknown aning. Right on cue, the sound of a door opening ca from behind, and two people walked in. They lanted and spoke quietly.
“Brother Ainsidel, your ability is indeed outstanding. It is fortunate that we were able to catch these wicked spies early.”
“…….”
“What would have happened if we had accepted them as believers….”
Ainsidel narrowed his eyes and pulled his mouth up smoothly. After listening to the priest’s speech that continued for a long ti, he took a long breath and raised his head. Only then did the priests stop their words and look at Ainsidel.
BOOM—!
“—For the Son of Man is going to co in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”
Along with a chillingly soulless voice, white light pierced into my retinas. Following the sound of hurriedly taking out wands, two impact sounds were heard. I see cklenburg’s mouth falling open.
“Get up.”
In the midst of the world’s colors repeatedly looking red and then blue due to the sudden light, a gloved hand was thrust before . Ainsidel wore the sa smile as the one I had seen in Osnabrück.
“Since you said you would overturn this diocese.”
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