Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: The False Bishop
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“Yes?”
“I sent him to my room. Why so surprised? He’s the one I’ve been looking for all this time.”
“Weren’t you outside Osnabrück?”
“I came back briefly because I had something to say. I’ll head out again in an hour.”
I approached him with the most obnoxious grin I could muster, just like Ainsidel would.
“I’ll only ask what I need to and send you on your way, so go back.”
“Yes, understood.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t suspect a thing.
As I brushed past him, I whipped around and shot mana straight into his neck.
Thud—
His mouth fell open in an instant.
The mana hit true—he collapsed without even a scream.
With a bishop’s face on him, those sharing his vision couldn’t object to this.
Still, I needed to wrap it up fast.
Feeling my core take damage, I stepped out into the hall.
Someone was walking toward me from the opposite end of the corridor.
“Your Excellency.”
“......”
Someone lifted their robe hood slightly and met my eyes.
It was Lichtofen.
“We managed to escape thanks to Farnese’s divine power, but we don’t have much time.”
‘...You kept your promise.’
The request to bring Narke to the catacombs. Once this was over, I’d have to go thank Marian Baum in person.
I nodded silently.
Even if it was fake sensations, I didn’t want to hear Ainsidel’s voice coming out of my mouth.
Lichtofen smiled and led the way.
“We just need to check everywhere that smells like paper.”
Narke must have relayed my intent perfectly.
I left the building and followed Lichtofen’s lead.
The alleys we entered were all narrow, looking like anything but proper paths, but as long as we arrived, I could overlook that.
Before long, I came face-to-face with a building modeled exactly after part of the University of Göttingen in Lower Saxony.
Lichtofen cast a soundproofing spell.
“I actually came and went earlier, but it’s still amazing. First time in the Pleroma side, though—it’s just like the catacombs.”
“It is similar. Except for the total lack of originality.”
“Exactly~ Copying it outright and bringing it here.”
Thanks to our attire, the guard at the door unquestioningly undid the lock and stepped back.
Lichtofen gave him a light nod.
The archives inside were quiet.
Looking up from the central hall, which was empty all the way to the top floor, I saw bookshelves stacked across multiple levels.
Then, footsteps echoed from behind.
Leo was approaching me, dressed in the local priestly robes.
He grimaced at my face, then composed himself and spoke.
“There are no conscious Pleroma users here now. Handle it freely.”
“Thanks.”
I’d wondered why no Pleroma users who might be using the archives were around.
Leo must have knocked them all out.
Lichtofen watched me count the floors from the hall and asked.
“You’re not planning to blow the whole place up, are you? Finding a double-space spell in this vast area feels daunting.”
“Wiping it all out would be declaring open war.”
Personally, I wanted to raze it...
But that would be like advertising for them to come catch us right now.
Scaling up is good. But scaling too far without handling the aftermath is poison.
“Good thing I know better. So, do you have a plan?”
“No need to worry.”
Leo answered for me as he handed me a wand.
He seemed calm now, addressing Lichtofen with formal speech again.
Still...
‘...First time hearing “no need to worry” from this guy’s mouth.’
He was starting to earn a bit of trust.
As I stared silently into space, Leo opened his clutch and handed me a vial.
I pushed open the familiar Wittelsbach-brand vial and downed the elixir.
My core’s stability returned quickly. It wouldn’t dismantle the curse spells hanging in the air, but it would replenish my stamina a bit more.
I twirled Leo’s wand lightly to get the feel of it.
“Ready to start?”
“Yeah.”
At my response, Leo cast a soundproofing spell over the entire building.
I transformed Leo’s wand into a staff and slammed it into the floor.
—Seek, and you shall find!
A blinding white light filled my vision, then faded quickly.
Before anyone could speak, I said swiftly.
“Catacombs, double-space magic.”
In that instant, the lingering divine power in the air reacted, making one corner of the top floor sparkle.
Lichtofen shook his head, unable to tear his eyes away.
“...Wow. No need to worry indeed. I forgot you’re a mage who can wield divine power.”
“Let’s go.”
Before I finished speaking, something wolf-sized bounded up the stairs.
“...?!”
Leo gaped at the sight, then exchanged glances with me. I could say my expression matched his.
At a loss for words in sheer absurdity, Lichtofen emerged from the archive room, waving a bundle of white papers from the railing.
“......”
* * *
“It’s my unique ability. I can change my form to hide my body.”
“I see.”
We listened to Lichtofen’s explanation as we left the building.
I heard a mutter from the side about how it somehow smelled like a dog.
“It’s also why Lichtofen adopted me.”
“You’re not a new human?”
“Technically, yes. But... if you all were made based on the latest standard model, I’m stuck in my grandparents’ generation body. Born into a now-fallen house.”
Meaning no money to update the tech.
Since his house fell, a relatively wealthier mage family—Lichtofen—adopted him.
“Does that ability relate to why you entered the catacombs?”
“Yes, exactly.”
It seemed like sensitive territory, so I didn’t pry, but he continued on his own.
“I came here to get the technique to remove my ability. As you know, it’s not exactly something you advertise.”
“A bit, yeah.”
The ability itself isn’t the issue—it’s that others would see its bearer as a monster or inferior.
“Haha... Hearing you say that makes me want to defend myself. But it’s true. Even after my name got on the noble list, the teacher... no, the Chairman didn’t kick me out because he judged the ability would keep my mouth shut.”
He was talking about Eberhardt.
The earlier conversation, the “teacher” title—it seemed they knew each other personally.
“The Chairman knew.”
“Yes. He uses those grating words every time, but he’s kept my secret for over ten years now.”
“Good for you.”
“Yeah. Come to think of it, it’s not a great ability to flaunt, but thanks to it, I could stay here. Looking back, it doesn’t seem all that bad.”
Lichtofen smiled as he said it.
Over ten years meant he’d spent his childhood here, and from his tone, the catacombs felt more like home than the surface.
Anyway, now it all clicked.
How he’d recognized me as Dietrich Granah just from entering the tavern.
There’d already been a dog by Elias’s side before that. He’d spotted me and Elias before even stepping inside.
“So you can borrow senses like smell or hearing whenever needed.”
“Exactly~ That’s how I rose to this position in the catacombs as a noble.”
Come to think of it...
“Then Leo knew from the start too.”
“Yeah. You smelled like student council junior.”
Useful ability.
Not the time to dwell on it now, though. Plenty of time to ask about Lichtofen back at school.
I turned to Leo.
“Where’s Narke?”
“He’s calculating how much divine power to use. Any mana but Vitriol gets hit by those curse spells.”
Finishing his words, Leo raised an eyebrow and nodded toward the back.
Like Leo and Lichtofen, Narke approached us with his robe hood pulled low. Spotting me, Narke said in a surprised voice.
“Wow, that face... It’s new.”
“Perfect timing.”
“Huh?”
“There are clerics in the building used for offices and quarters here. They’ll all vanish soon. Find the documents transferred with divine power then.”
“Hmm, got it. Where’s the office?”
“I’ll go with you.”
At Narke’s question, Lichtofen stepped beside him. Then he looked at me.
“By the way, curious what you plan to do here. Can you erase all the transferred space magic tech? Not everyone’s here right now.”
“That’s why we gather them. See you later.”
I waved lightly.
Narke could read my thoughts with insight, and since he wasn’t stopping me, no major flaws in the plan.
With Leo in the lead, I headed to the cathedral.
Erasing documents is easy.
Erasing info in people’s heads? Hard.
Not because of divine power—the issue is not knowing exactly who holds the info, and gathering them in one place.
Leo led the way casually, as if he’d gotten directions from Lichtofen earlier.
He cast a soundproofing spell and said.
“Lucas. That face right now... it’s the bishop’s?”
“Yeah.”
“...I don’t know how you learned the bishop’s face, but you know? You’re safe because the guy isn’t here and you wore his guise, but someone’s probably in constant contact with the bishop. We need all the clerics rushing here before they verify the facts.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Earlier, I’d asked that attendant, “Can your master assemble everyone in the Osnabrück diocese?” And he’d said yes.
With this appearance, summoning them wouldn’t be an issue.
Only the speed of the summons mattered.
I had a way to call them immediately.
‘Was thinking of scamming them by saying I’d double the Vitriol distribution.’
They’d come running.
But without knowing the bishop’s usual speech, it’d be risky.
They might ask the bishop directly beforehand, “What’s the big idea?” So better to stick to facts over lies.
No one guarded the cathedral doors.
Must be mass for the laypeople.
As I stood before them, Leo naturally stepped ahead and flung the doors open.
‘Almost opened them myself.’
I schooled my expression and looked forward.
Countless people sat in the pews.
The same place where Strauch had injected me with Vitriol before.
Being back here brought those memories and sensations rushing back as if they’d just happened.
A priest at the altar droned on, then looked up.
“...Huh!”
“B-Bishop?”
It didn’t take long for shock to spread across his face.
I walked forward silently, plastering Ainsidel’s obnoxious expression on my face.
“Mass ends here today.”
“Your Excellency, is there some business...?”
Unlikely the tech reached laypeople, even if clerics knew.
But since I’d handle them anyway, their presence didn’t matter.
“We need to assemble all clerics in our diocese. Any gone to other dioceses?”
“N-No. Now that Your Excellency is back, to my knowledge...”
“Hm, good. Got it.”
I waved dismissively and raised my voice.
“Nikolaus Ernst has escaped.”
“What?!”
Shock rippled through even the pews in an instant.
They hadn’t even known Nikolaus had been here, it seemed.
Leo beside me let out a small scoff.
I spoke slowly to the gaping priest.
“We need a countermeasures meeting. Tell the deacons to assemble here immediately.”
I’d said I took him to my room, so blame for the escape fell on the bishop.
But letting a hard-caught enemy slip wasn’t trivial. Given the gravity, they’d gather here.
One key point here.
The bishop was currently outside Osnabrück.
To avoid drawing him in, word couldn’t spread to other dioceses.
‘The double-space magic hasn’t left Osnabrück, so the bishop’s clearly competing on performance.’
Time to exploit that.
I spoke quietly to the pale priest moving his hands frantically.
“If word gets to other dioceses... you’d better prepare for life in the diocese to become impossible.”
“Y-Yes!”
He nodded vigorously. Soon, he opened something like a portal in the air and shouted.
“His Excellency the Bishop has issued a full assembly order! Nikolaus Ernst has escaped!”
At the same time, similar shouts echoed outside the cathedral.
But the outside voices were muffled. Tuned to be heard only by clerics in the diocese, not laypeople.
‘So this is how they broadcast.’
Got it.
In that moment, strangers warped in one after another.
Some even held pens, mid-task.
“Your Excellency, Nikolaus Ernst escaped?!”
“We’ll talk once everyone’s assembled.”
No one questioned my calm demeanor.
The concept was solid.
Less than a minute later, dozens more clerics warped in.
“E-Everyone’s here now! Your Excellency, what happened?!”
“Hey! Silence spell the laypeople and send them out!”
“No.”
I barked the halt loudly.
Laypeople rising from seats and clerics trying to evict them stared at me wide-eyed.
I dumped the elixir Leo handed me down my throat in one go.
From the spreading warmth, this was far stronger than the previous one.
“Your Excellency?”
Someone asked in bewilderment.
Bewildering, sure. Calling a countermeasures meeting just to chug elixir.
I switched Leo’s wand to a staff and slammed it into the floor.
Kwaaaang—!
White light surged along the floor in an instant.
Shock flashed across countless faces.
—Enter through the narrow gate.
I kept pouring in divine power and opened my mouth.
To erase keywords from memory nonstop, the core pain didn’t even register.
—The gate that leads to destruction is wide, and the road broad, so many enter through it...
With each phrase, the shocked expressions on seated faces faded.
—The gate that leads to life is narrow, and the road hard, so few find it.
Blood scented my breath.
Finally, to confirm my spell hit everyone, I pulled another incantation.
—Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.
Thud—!
The standing priests collapsed to the floor.
Now, only Leo and I remained upright.
Leo, casting healing magic on me, gazed at the silent space and said.
“...It’s done.”
“No, one more.”
There was the one who’d gone outside the diocese.
The one whose appearance I’d borrowed.
“The diocesan bishop is out there. Let’s wait and see when he shows.”