novelraw Chapter 260
Chapter 260
Chapter 260
“Haa…”
Contrary to my expectations, the Archbishop rolled his eyes as if exasperated and let out a deep sigh.
“What made you so dissatisfied with me, huh?”
……
“Was it disappointing that I met you in another body without explaining it?”
‘Another body.’ He’s finally speaking the truth.
He’s a habitual liar. When we watched the play together, he explained his ability by saying he could ‘change faces.’ But at that time, based on the information I had, I was certain his ability was transformation.
Instead, while acknowledging his transformation ability, he plans to dodge the core reason for this mess.
Why? Because he doesn’t know how much I know, so he can’t outright deny it, but admitting it risks me just fishing for information.Lu Barre’s face now fully mirrored the Archbishop’s expression.
“Or is it because I appeared by your side in this form? Since you prefer Old Humans, it’s understandable… it could be that.”
“No problem there. The issue is your mindset.”
“Really? Then we’re on the same wavelength. You’re not an ordinary person either.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Considering everything I’ve planned has fallen apart, isn’t it obvious?”
“You have a lot of confidence in your abilities.”
“Of course. So, is it my turn to defend myself now?”
Struggling to breathe under the pressure of my hand, he inhaled deeply and spoke slowly.
“Don’t be too disappointed. To be precise, until this moment, this person wasn’t entirely me. The me you met was in the Archbishop’s body.”
……
“Especially this body was even more detached from me. Because you smashed the artifact, the memories came rushing in, but originally, it was practically a different self. So, does that clear things up?”
“No. So, ‘Lu Barre’ isn’t really you?”
“What do you think?”
Lu Barre asked with a sly smile.
I shook my head and laughed.
“It’s obviously just one of your bodies. What’s there to ask?”
“You know well. So, will you let me go now? I don’t want to stay in this body in front of you. Honestly, it’s embarrassing.”
“Then transform right here in front of me.”
He looked at me silently.
He can’t transform, can he? If he has the same transformation mechanism as Richthofen, that’s certain.
Back then, he explained his ability like this:
Transformation is the ability to swap with a being that has a synchronized core of the same components in real-time.
Let’s say the world we’re in is World A, and a world of pure Magic Power, which we can neither know nor access, is World B. They coexist, but we only perceive World A.
When transforming into a dog, Richthofen’s body in World A moves to World B, becoming invisible to us, while the dog in World B moves to World A. Strictly speaking, the dog’s body doesn’t carry Max Richthofen’s genes. It’s a completely different body swapped across worlds via a synchronized core.
Back then, with the stalker’s elimination in mind, I asked him:
‘What happens if you can’t use your ability, or if you transform but can’t return?’
Richthofen answered, ‘If your Magic Power is depleted after transforming, you can’t return.’
Depletion. Fighting until depletion isn’t bad. But does it have to be that way? Is there a specific reason it must be?
Wouldn’t it suffice to simply block his Magic Power from being used?
I moved my left hand, making the sound of clashing metal, and brushed his face.
“I told you before. I want to know every moment of you. I’d like to see you transform at least once.”
“…You’re good at pleasing and infuriating people at the same time. That’s what makes it fun, though…”
Fortunately, he correctly interpreted my words as a challenge to ‘try it if you can.’
“Since it’s come to this, shall we hear your story? How did you figure out Lu Scheller’s identity?”
Figuring out Lu Barre’s identity wasn’t difficult. There were many clues.
First, the ‘Suggestion.’ Second, a +10 Favorability. Third, a baseless name not of his own making—Lou: a shortened form of Louise or Louis. Using abbreviations as proper names is extremely rare among nobles in this era. Fourth, a Mental Strength of +4 [+9], clearly enhanced by an artifact. Fifth, his need to verify love. Sixth, the fact that ‘Lu Barre’ and the Archbishop were never in the same space at the same time. Seventh, his free access to the basement and the master’s room. Eighth, ‘fugitive,’ Low German, ‘Barre.’
When would I have time to explain all this to him? I have plenty of time, but it’s not a topic I care about, and my mouth would hurt.
So my answer was this:
“You’re awfully relaxed, asking all that.”
“I need to know where I went wrong to succeed next time.”
“There won’t be a next time.”
“True. Honestly, I’m at a loss for what to do.”
I checked the slowly ticking stopwatch in the status window. All I can do now is stall until help arrives. With the distortion, I’ll have to wait a long time here.
Looking down at him, I spoke slowly.
“You asked if I was disappointed because you appeared in another face and didn’t tell me the truth.”
……
“I wasn’t disappointed about that at all. After all, if it’s you, you’d have needed to appear before me as ‘Lu Scheller.’”
“Oh! You expected it to some extent, huh? Interesting. What’s your basis?”
“You must’ve had a lot of questions for me. Like how far I’d go to fulfill your requests… how much I love you. But if you asked as the Archbishop, you wouldn’t get honest answers from me.”
The Archbishop listened silently. I looked down at his face, half-obscured by the table, with only one eye visible, and continued.
“So you used a third party to get honest answers from me. Whether I could become Pleroma like you, whether I could give you blood to drink, whether I could fulfill any of your requests without hesitation…”
……
“Whether I love you enough to resist the temptation to escape.”
“Ah~ Spot on.”
He burst into laughter. I don’t know what’s so funny about this situation.
I continued.
“So when I said I had more to ask about my last conversation with ‘Lu Scheller,’ you had no choice but to grant my request. Even if it came during a ceremony to pledge love—especially because of that. The words you spoke through Lu’s body were meant to verify my love.”
“Really…”
“If you resented my lies… that’s unfortunate.”
The Archbishop slowly closed his eyes.
“As expected, you’re Nicolaus.”
Boom—!
“…!”
My head jolted as it hit something. Lu Barre kicked my leg and stood, now looming over me. He habitually brushed his ear with one hand, then raised an eyebrow, probably mistaking that his hair was down as it was in the Archbishop’s body. Regardless, he laughed as if even that was amusing. Smiling with squinted eyes, he spoke rapidly.
“Resent? No way. I’m sorry for deceiving you. I wanted to live happily with you. You know? I gave everything for you. I’m not asking for repayment, but… I finally got you after giving my all, and I just wanted to hear your true feelings, even just once.”
……
“Would that ruin things between us? If so, I’m truly sorry, but you just said you weren’t disappointed by it. I’m glad. We really are on the same wavelength.”
Hearing such words in a New Human’s form and voice makes my stomach churn a bit more. Fine, I’ll admit some bias based on appearance. Maybe I do prefer Old Humans. Or rather, it’s closer to familiarity. If I lived as a New Human for 20 more years, I might think like them, but I’m an Old Human here for less than a year.
“Can’t we keep going? I won’t do anything you dislike anymore…”
Lu Barre’s left hand covered my cheek.
“If you release this, I’ll return to the form I showed you earlier. Wouldn’t that be better?”
“I’ve never understood this. Why do you love me? Why?”
“Hm? I love you because I love you. Is there a reason for love?”
“I think there is. At least, there has to be a cause.”
“That’s a subtle distinction.”
There must be a cause for falling in love. How could there not be? I don’t believe it’s possible. Maybe that’s why Elias calls me a machine. Even so, I think it’s worth examining the primary cause of this phenomenon.
“Think carefully. Why do you act so crazy about me? Sure, you’re crazy, but why is that directed at me?”
“Is that important? Isn’t the fact that we love each other right now what matters?”
“It’s important because it’s the answer to why you held 600,000 lives hostage to play a terror game with me.”
……
Lu Barre tilted his head with a smile.
“You’re being overly sensitive right now.”
……
Since I brought up this topic again without backing down, he must’ve decided he can’t retreat anymore. Unlike earlier when he avoided answering, he’s now set on a course.
“It’s true I can move between multiple bodies. It’s not unlimited, but yes, the attendant Lu you saw was me. But… holding 600,000 lives hostage to play a terror game with you?”
He now wore a troubled expression. His face drew closer to mine.
“Even for me, that’s too much. I lost a lot to save you. I’m not demanding repayment, as I said, but I don’t want to hear this kind of talk.”
……
“Got it?”
“Hoo…”
Instead of answering, I stared into his brown eyes.
He took my restrained hand and pulled a rose from my boutonniere, holding it out.
“Let’s go kill Ainsidel.”
……
“Ainsidel may try to take you away, but what can I do? If you don’t trust me that much, it’d be easier to just go together.”
“You’re impressive in many ways. Stop it.”
“Stop…? I don’t know what you’re thinking now, but it’s not a lie that I know Ainsidel’s location.”
“No, it’s not a lie.”
At my cold response, he stopped moving and looked down at me.
“Ainsidel is with the Pleroma leadership right now, isn’t he? Am I wrong?”
……
“You seem pretty shaken. Earlier, and even before, you kept misjudging how much I know… and now you’ve decided to just call the Bishop of Osnabrück ‘Ainsidel’?”
Lu Barre raised an eyebrow. The corner of his mouth slowly curled up.
“…Ha, hahahaha…!”
“When you talked about ‘Heike Ainsidel’ and the ‘Bishop of Osnabrück,’ you said, ‘At least their surname and unique ability prove they’re related.’ Why would you say that to me without even introducing the Bishop’s surname, assuming I know it? Just the other day, you naturally referred to the Bishop of Osnabrück as ‘Ainsidel.’ Same now. Why? Because I know the Bishop’s surname. Because you know I know. You said you met me after Eszett, so that’s curious.”
……
“It’s not easy to pretend you don’t know something you do. Once or twice, maybe, but lies don’t last long. You knew I, as Nicolaus, infiltrated the Catacombs, then Osnabrück, and attacked the Bishop, Ainsidel.”
“Haha…”
“How can you pretend not to know that? Up to this point, I’ve proven you knew about my connection to Osnabrück since early January.”
“Well, fine. But what does this have to do with terrorism? You know, living with multiple faces makes acting a daily routine. It was just a mistake in the process. At least ‘I,’ as the Archbishop, only saw you after you joined Eszett.”
His voice was gentle. He didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.
And why would he? I haven’t even touched the core yet.
“You’re protecting me from Ainsidel and the Pleroma leadership. And now, the leadership announced they’ll use me as bait to lure Ainsidel. So you’ve been holding back the leadership and trying to personally eliminate Ainsidel to stop their reach toward me.”
“Yes.”
“What a funny story. It’s not me being chased by Ainsidel and the Pleroma leadership—it’s you.”
“…Me?”
He smiled and continued.
“How long are you going to slander me? I keep listening because I love you, but honestly, it’s not pleasant.”
“You don’t have any other choice but to listen right now.”
I tapped the metal binding my wrist against the table and said,
“You could baptize me right now or break the space magic, so why are you sitting still? Because you can’t use magic, you’re waiting quietly.”
“Not wrong. Alright, let’s talk about something else. Your voice is nice to hear.”
Thankfully, I’m used to hearing this kind of crazy talk, so I have some immunity. His words and actions didn’t match. His words were relaxed, but instead of casually touching my face as usual, he looked down at me with a slightly stiff smile.
I met his chilling eyes and spoke.
“You’re a truly brilliant person. I don’t want to praise you, but I can’t help but acknowledge this. You’re the most exceptional strategist I’ve seen in this world.”
……
“Before Pentalon, you had two goals. First, to win my heart. Second, to eliminate Ainsidel.”
“Why would I need to…”
“Good question. Why did you need to eliminate Ainsidel? Just because of rivalry between dioceses? That’s not enough.”
I cupped his cheek with my hand and continued.
“Because Ainsidel was trying to kill you, you had no choice but to stop him.”
……
“The Freiburg Archdiocese is the one that contaminated the empire’s land, rivers, and air with berserk potions. The diocese that brought the nation to the brink of emergency, Pleroma’s unparalleled hero. Right? The berserk potions used across all Pleroma dioceses are your invention, aren’t they?”
“You know. That’s pleasing.”
The Archbishop answered calmly.
I had previously discussed this with Congressman Alexander Kluger, asking if the contaminated mosquitoes in Mepen were Freiburg’s doing. Because it was the first attempt to use contaminated Magic Power to make people go berserk. The contaminated mosquitoes were the starting point of the current nationwide berserk crisis, with the same principle and purpose.
At the time, the congressman said, ‘It’s highly likely the two dioceses closely shared their technologies. They must’ve shared the profits too,’ and that ‘it’s clear the two dioceses were in a cooperative relationship.’
He was wrong.
“The reason Ainsidel tried to kill you stems from this. You stole Congressman Werner Strauß’s technology to develop the berserk potion, didn’t you?”
I smiled, but he couldn’t. His eyes widened slightly, then a cold smile spread across his face.
I took his silence as a willingness to hear more and continued.
“So how could a diocese in the southernmost part of the empire steal technology developed by the deputy bishop of the northernmost diocese? Who is the ‘fugitive’ Lu Barre wanted by? The surname ‘Barre’ you hid from me is an Osnabrück noble family, and the Low German you habitually spoke is also Osnabrück’s German.”
“‘Barre’? I never said that… Your ability is impressive.”
Ignoring the Archbishop’s meaningful smile, I continued.
“Lu Barre is currently wanted by the Osnabrück diocese. Long ago, you used the body of ‘Lu Barre,’ an Osnabrück noble, to approach Pleroma in Osnabrück, and without arousing suspicion, you were eventually ordained as a cleric. With your exceptional abilities, you must’ve risen quickly. Now, you know what I’m going to say.”
‘Lu Barre’ worked as a cleric there, siphoning Osnabrück’s technology to Freiburg.
This is the answer.
I had thought about this before at the Pentalon main stadium:
[You’ll realize there are several blind spots in the logic so far. If you delve deeply, those blind spots completely flip the issue. When learning a subject for the first time, to avoid overwhelming beginners, we assume the impossible to create the simplest model to build fundamentals. Similarly, I must think simply here to later grasp the layers of strategy clearly.]
Now, the most critical blind spot is resolved.
If I erased Ainsidel’s memories and destroyed Osnabrück’s double-space magic data, how were double-space magic and its applied form—reverse double-space magic—used in the terror attack?
Did Ainsidel have some miraculous memory technique?
No.
I looked at the Archbishop, who was chuckling, and said,
“Before I destroyed Osnabrück’s data, ‘Lu Barre’ backed up all the data obtained from spying in Osnabrück to your diocese. The Bishop of Osnabrück forgot those memories forever, but you could still use the double-space magic technology.”
……
“And as the Archbishop, you used the ‘contaminated mosquito’ research data stolen from Osnabrück to perfect the berserk potion, which you first deployed in the Baden-Baden hot springs under Freiburg’s jurisdiction. The experiment was a success, and afterward, you rose to the top of Pleroma. At least recently.”
“Huh… Hahaha…”
“Even if everyone applauded your achievement, the original creator couldn’t. They must’ve realized your achievement wasn’t your idea but theirs. Ainsidel of Osnabrück figured out your berserk potion was based on Werner Strauß’s idea from Mepen’s research, and from then on, he’s been pursuing you.”
The Archbishop’s breathing grew strangely rapid. The corner of his mouth slowly curled upward.
“Unfortunately, Ainsidel is someone who stops at nothing for his diocese’s achievements and is obsessively devoted to his friend Werner Strauß. You, like me… wouldn’t have known that far. You were lucky to have an Osnabrück noble’s body to use for spying, but the information you gained turned out to be blood-related.”
……
“It must’ve been a headache.”
He didn’t refute. He just kept giggling like a madman.
“So why did you cause the terror? Honestly, I was impressed here. If you hadn’t held 600,000 lives hostage, I could’ve genuinely enjoyed this strategic game with you.”
……
“You must’ve been disappointed that I wasn’t grateful even after you saved me. According to your plan, I should’ve been moved to tears by your sacrifice and devotion to protect me from the enemy… Isn’t it standard for a princess to fall for the prince on a white horse?”
I took the rose from his hand and set it down.
He didn’t resist. His attention was on what I’d say next.
“Your initial scenario was to make ‘Lukas Askanian’ mistake Ainsidel as the mastermind behind the Pentalon terror, then save Lukas Askanian from mortal danger. This would achieve two effects. First, you’d win Lukas Askanian’s favor. Second, Lukas Askanian would try to eliminate Ainsidel, the supposed terrorist and avenger of Werner Strauß. In other words, you’d gain Lukas Askanian as an ally.”
“Hahaha…”
“Of course, because I ‘publicly’ shouted the answer, the second effect was completely ruined. The white phosphorus match wasn’t sent by you.”
At that, the Archbishop’s eyes glinted.
He met me in the basement near Brandenburg’s Tiss Hotel when the contaminated rats were found, asking if I’d seen ‘a strange code.’ Meaning, a code other than the anagram he sent.
“‘Tell it to everyone,’ that white phosphorus code was sent to me by Ainsidel, who caught onto your scheme. You sensed something off from Ainsidel and came to me, didn’t you? Am I wrong?”
……
“In fact, the dismantling spell ‘Osnabrück diocese is looking for you’ didn’t need to be heard by everyone. It wasn’t really a dismantling spell. It was just a warp magic spell to capture me. Adding the dismantling technique was Ainsidel’s doing. The lifting of the 600,000 curse wasn’t part of your plan.”
“You know well… You know so well it’s astonishing.”
The Archbishop burst into laughter and said.
Why wasn’t it part of the plan?
Because if 600,000 people died, I’d go with the Archbishop, posing as a virtuous citizen, to eliminate Ainsidel.
“Ainsidel is using me too. By sending me the code ‘Tell it to everyone,’ he made all of Pleroma’s dioceses focus on you. You had no intention of advertising this disobedience, which could lead to at least diocesan expulsion or, at worst, loss of authority, to the leadership.”
……
“With one plan, you could achieve two goals at once. It’s a shame such a brilliant strategist isn’t an ally.”
He was now almost panting. He looked like he was in a near-panic state. On closer thought, it seemed he was reacting this way because he was completely consumed by his emotions, unable to control them.
“Since you came this far knowing everything, if you feel betrayed… I’m sorry?”
“Ah… Right. Hahahahaha!”
He threw his head back, laughing, then dropped it. Lu Barre’s black hair fell over his eyes.
“As expected. As expected, you… Feeling betrayed and sad? No. This is how it should be…”
He grabbed my shoulder with one hand. The pain from my shoulder made my face grimace.
He kept chuckling and swaying. Then he slowly raised his head.
I saw his chillingly gleaming eyes.
Surprisingly, the emotion I read in him was ecstasy.
“…Perfect. This is the you I know.”