Chapter 182
Chapter 182
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 182
Chapter Title: Gregorio Revealed
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“How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family (182)”
“I thought the Primrose Pass investigation was being handled solely by the Brandenburg Investigation Bureau and the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. I never dreamed Bavaria would be collaborating too. You must be thrilled to have scooped a story that even Prussia couldn’t catch.”
“…….”
I stayed silent, holding back a laugh.
Earlier, before arriving at Primrose Pass, I’d stopped by Bavaria.
The metal card the chairman held was the ID I’d forged then.
Of course, it was fake.
‘As if I’m with some investigation bureau.’
Maybe if I were Bavaria’s special minister or head of the countermeasures team.
Still, the event I’d staged to drive a wedge between the chairman and Pleroma had worked perfectly. I was grateful for that.
Now our interests aligned.
He’d gained a pretext to refuse handing me over to Pleroma, along with crucial information that held my life in his hands. In return, I’d bought myself time and opportunity to delve deeper.
Of course, I already had the clue to rescue the professor.
But there was one final problem.
I could claim the professor’s innocence by revealing the chairman’s existence and abilities, but I couldn’t prove it definitively or punish the chairman.
Setting that reason aside for now, my goal was to extract as much information about him as possible. Something I could piece together later, one way or another.
‘It’ll be exhausting, but…’
I could endure it.
And even excluding that last issue, there was this immediate one.
The conditions for revelation weren’t just one.
If mere conversational consent were the only requirement, this man would have conquered the world long ago. There had to be something more.
“I’d normally comply with Pleroma’s reeducation requests, but I can’t tolerate a slippery eel like you in my territory. Especially since the reeducation clearly didn’t take.”
So he called the revelation process ‘reeducation.’ I’d heard the term from Asman too.
“Let’s make a deal. If we find common ground, I’ll send you back to His Excellency. But if not, you’ll answer to me.”
“By whose authority?”
“Wouldn’t ‘whose fault is it’ be more accurate? If you’d prepared more thoroughly, this wouldn’t have happened. Consider it me resolving your mistake as I see fit.”
He sat across from me, meeting my gaze, his tone probing.
“You want to go home, don’t you?”
“Where to.”
“Home, of course. Don’t you want to sip warm tea with your loving family and rest comfortably?”
Instead of answering, I stared at him blankly.
That instant, pain throbbed in my head.
He grabbed my hair, yanking my face to meet his eyes.
“You’re the first person I’ve met who doesn’t want to go home in a situation like this.”
“…….”
I just smiled at him calmly.
I’d never said I didn’t want to go home.
‘So he can tell if I agree or not, even without a verbal answer.’
He’d used his ability after asking, but it hadn’t worked.
A useful power.
Staring into his transparent eyes, I twisted my lips.
“You seem awfully emotional, Chairman. Upset that your trump card failed, losing control of your temper?”
“…….”
The chairman fell silent, his face kindly.
Then he smiled with such benevolence it was hard to believe he’d just struck my solar plexus with his full weight.
“How’s life in the investigation bureau treating you?”
“Not bad.”
“I understand. Nothing’s as exhausting as organizational life.”
“It’s not the organization that’s exhausting.”
It might sound like wordplay, but I meant it.
He knew I wasn’t joking—his power wouldn’t have worked otherwise.
“I see. I’m not much different. Though…”
He glanced around, stroking his chin.
“I belong to several groups, so I have multiple duties each day. Lately, my plans keep going awry, eating up most of my time with work. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll just drift off to sleep permanently.”
“…….”
“What do you think? Can you understand my feelings?”
I just smiled.
His intent was obvious.
‘He suspects me.’
Whether I was Nikolaus or not.
Since Nikolaus hid his face, it was reasonable to suspect his true identity handled other tasks. And someone who’d infiltrated this far to find him? Fair game for suspicion.
The chairman peered into my eyes for a long while, then clicked his tongue and shook his head, expression unchanged.
“…….”
It wouldn’t work.
I’d never judged my own workload, but if anything, my impression was the opposite of what he’d described.
The chairman spoke softly.
“You called it a trump card earlier. It wasn’t.”
“Then what was it?”
“Think carefully. True or false, your thuggish nature makes you ideal as the star of my new venture.”
He leaned in, whispering.
“I could toss you straight into that old human paradise right now.”
“Hahaha….”
“Something you’ve never even imagined, so it must be a shock. I get it.”
As I merely twisted my lips instead of replying, he shook his head with a surprised laugh.
Not afraid—so his power failed again.
It wouldn’t go his way anyway, and even if it did, I was a master at enduring.
“Shall we build some rapport? If you’re not scared, I’ll just have to make you scared.”
The chairman lightly tapped the floor twice with his cane.
Boom—!
A thunderous crash shook the door as if it might fall off its hinges. People in black robes entered the room.
If you’re not afraid, I’ll make you afraid.
I could see exactly where this was headed.
Reflexively, I curled my lips and clenched my fists tight.
* * *
Drip—
“…….”
Drip—
‘The wages of sin is death….’
“…eternal life in the Lord. Romans 6, right?”
“…….”
“A verse at the heart of Pleroma. Feeling more lucid now?”
I felt water dripping from my hair onto my face as I slowly lifted my eyelids.
Water covered my eyes too, blurring the world.
The familiar blood scent assaulted my nose anew.
“I heard you lost consciousness, so I came to wake you myself.”
I closed my eyes again.
Sleepiness washed over me.
The dim lighting in this new room was perfect for dozing, no matter what he said.
“You must be in a lot of pain. How agonizing it must be. By now, you must want to go home….”
A warm, concerned voice lingered in my ears.
One eardrum had burst; sounds from that side echoed distantly.
He lifted my head, peering into my eyes. Fortunately, even in this state, the hair covering my vision was bright gold. My irises were probably still the matching color.
After staring at me with worry, he finally laughed in disbelief, shaking his head.
“…Amazing. You really don’t want to go home?”
“…….”
“Impregnable. No desire to go home, no reaction to being thrown to the old humans, no urge to quit even under torture…. Special torture training? I can’t tell if Bavaria’s bureau trains detectives or special agents.”
Wrong.
I wasn’t with the bureau at all.
Half-drifting into sleep, I thought.
“Even special agents are new humans raised in pampered luxury….”
His words came in fragmented bursts.
“If the situation wasn’t enough, experience more.”
After that, no sounds reached me.
I realized he’d left only when someone grabbed my hand, placing it on the chair arm with a hammer in view.
* * *
I didn’t know how much time had passed.
Someone yanked my head back.
Splash—
Cold air flooded my lungs down to my core. My head throbbed like it might split.
I gasped, coughing up water repeatedly.
A voice boomed distortedly from above. I could barely make out the words now.
[You didn’t utter a word through all that, but dunking you finally opened your mouth.]
“Cough…. Hack.”
[You want to stop here, right? I understand.]
“…….”
[I’ll send you back as you wish. That’s what you wanted?]
Still catching my breath, I let out a laugh.
My split lips made it unclear if it showed.
One thing was certain: he’d failed again. Even 24 more hours here wouldn’t change my mind.
Realizing his strategy had backfired, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.
[This is pathological.]
Who’d said that to me?
It didn’t take long to recall.
Strauch had.
I agreed. From what Leo had said days ago, he probably did too.
[Do you realize your survival instincts aren’t functioning? Did the bureau already train you to this level? Or is your memory so poor you’ll forget it all? Or do you think you can’t go back anyway, so you’ve abandoned everything…?]
I heard him pull something from his clothes.
[Why don’t you tell me. You must know why you’re so numb.]
He stroked my arm for a while, found a vein, and plunged the needle in.
A faint blood scent wafted.
“…What….”
[What for? To drink, obviously.]
But instead of drinking, he injected it into another vial.
In my fatigued state, the blood smell churned my stomach.
[I already drank one vial, but needing more is bizarre. I’ve only encountered this twice in my life. The other was quite the eccentric.]
‘…Good.’
One more revelation condition confirmed.
Earlier, the chairman had called the space magic creation ‘the Primrose Pass as I perceived it.’
In the catacombs, he’d converted my thoughts and memories into space magic visuals—but only after dosing me.
No drug this time, yet he pulled images from my mind with space magic?
Drink blood to gain authority over the target.
That had to be the closest to the truth.
‘A power beyond even Pleroma’s.’
Pleroma proper.
Pleroma drank blood to replenish mana and baptize, but stopped there. This guy went further, controlling those whose blood he drank.
No wonder he felt too valuable to be bound to the church.
Accepting Vitriol only to plan a new denomination? Pleroma would never allow it.
[Bad things piling up make you numb to them, so let’s talk calmly again. You seem interested in blood.]
“…….”
[I admire Pleroma’s intricate resurrection theology and Vitriol powers, but one thing bothers me. Do you know how they claim resurrection works?]
As if.
With even baptism and blessing methods secret, they’d never reveal the core tech for truly reviving corpses.
[No idea, right? 99% of Pleroma doesn’t either. They just repeat that the blood of the covenant redeems their children from death. Do they really have the blood of the progenitor? Or do they use some corrupt medium for resurrection, then dress it up with biblical blood motifs for legitimacy?]
With that, he switched topics abruptly.
[Magic relies on human cognition. The meaning and sanctity in spells borrow divine power fully. In that sense, ever heard a magic spell mentioning blood?]
No.
The magic department never registers blood-related verses, no matter how central to scripture, as official incantations.
[Exactly. Because no one can cast spells with blood incantations. But unlike them, I consume blood to draw near others’ lives. The power Pleroma truly lacks.]
He smiled, genuinely pleased.
Right.
Surpassing Pleroma by wielding blood made him fit to be pontiff. Of course, I’d have to eliminate him.
He flicked his wand, pulling a chair from the corner to sit before me.
[You’re not Buddhist. Quoting Romans 6:23 reflexively even half-conscious… I’m touched by your loyalty.]
“…….”
[Perfect. If you know He atoned for our sins yet converted anyway, then only eternal hellish punishment awaits….]
“Do it.”
My voice, unused for so long, grated harshly on my throat.
After a long silence, he replied.
[I apologize. Religion must have struck a nerve. I thought we were close, but agreement vanishes at crucial moments.]
So consent had types.
Deeper topics required deeper consent to activate his power.
Like most magic, conditions varied by the target’s level.
It didn’t work well on me, so he needed more.
He leaned in to meet my eyes.
[To you, I’m someone to judge. Why? If you’re set on judging the world, shouldn’t you enact justice? Old humans’ evil nature and ignorance can’t coexist with new humans’ truth. Justice belongs solely to us wise new humans.]
“Do new humans seem so different? Don’t you realize everything you’re saying reeks of the old human evil you despise?”
[Evil ones have always been judged, and old humans still dwell in Sodom. I’ll save them before they perish. My venture benefits all: peripheral pleasures for old humans, eternal rule for new humans. That’s my religion, my business.]
When I didn’t reply, he laughed and stood.
[No agreement, as expected. More talk is pointless. See you later.]
“No.”
He halted, turning at my word.
“Your name is Abraham, right?”
[Of course.]
“No.”
Squeezing every ounce of strength, I lifted my head to meet his eyes squarely.
He stared back just as intently.
“You’re Gregorio.”
The chairman stood frozen, mouth slightly agape.
[…Hahaha! Who told you? You keep exceeding expectations. That’s a name only Pleroma knows. So, are you a Pleroma spy here to kill me…?]
Laughing heartily, he approached.
[Or… are you really Nikolaus?]
As I started to sneer, my eyes widened.
My core lightened, just a fraction.
I hadn’t even noticed the pressure until it eased.
[…….]
The chairman looked up at the empty air.
He’d sensed it too.
But his expression remained serene. Looking down at me gently, he said.
[Did you prepare this? Go ahead, attack.]
It wasn’t my doing. I had no idea what was happening.
‘Anyway….’
An opportunity.
Though for an opportunity, he gazed down awfully calmly.
I knew why he was confident.
‘Mental strength -6.0, and +8.0.’
Marco Schreiber had -6.0 mental strength. Yet now he possessed +8.0.
The difference in other stats was stark enough to call him another person.
What did that mean?
The one controlling his brain now had +8.0 mental strength.
Not Marco Schreiber…
‘Gregorio’s mental strength.’
That was the reason I couldn’t prove innocence definitively or punish the chairman.
He stood before me using another’s body.
[Think you can attack your way out? Since it’s come to this, a secret: ]
Approaching again, he leaned to whisper in my ear.
[This isn’t my body.]
That’s why he hadn’t drunk my blood earlier, just stored it. He’d inject it into his real body later.
Rewind time and pin it on Marco? Gregorio would abandon that body forever.
Then he’d use another to operate from Primrose Pass and build his church.
The true culprit escapes, another’s flesh punished.
‘Hopeless on every level.’
Threaten Marco all I want; the chairman just slips out.
So in the next timeline, I had to prove the professor’s innocence while meeting the ‘real’ chairman.
And what to check then? Marco Schreiber’s title.
‘Chairman.’
Even his status window called Marco Schreiber ‘Chairman.’
My title evolved from ‘??? Hunter’ to the bland ‘Lord Nikolaus’ because that’s how people saw me.
Meaning many already accepted Marco Schreiber as chairman. He used that body for all public activities.
And as I’d learned from Strauch, I could use a bit of magic in their null-magic air.
Always at the cost of my life force, with clear limits as ever.
‘Opportunities….’
Small spells frequently: safely five times.
Large ones: one or two. More, and I’d black out.
Especially now, battered as I was, consumption would be worse.
[Even if you’re Nikolaus and brainwash me, the body’s owner can’t respond.]
He smiled kindly.
[Attacking won’t faze me either. Sorry to ruin your setup.]
—Therefore….
As I quietly spoke, the chairman tilted his head.
Boom—!
I shattered the chair, thrusting my hand out.
My broken fingers wouldn’t flex, but mana compensated.
Thud—!
Through blurred vision, I confirmed him. Mana aim held true. Detonating it to topple him sent agony through my core.
Anyway, no need for apologies.
Kaboom— Crash—!
I threw up a barrier against incoming Vitriol, crushing him with mana. Groping the floor, my hand found the water used on me.
—Go forth…
“What the….”
—…and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age!
The chairman’s ever-calm face twisted.
Bewilderment flashed— he couldn’t comprehend my actions.
‘Can’t be helped.’
I’d just baptized him.
In the next timeline, I needed to prove innocence and meet the real chairman.
To reach his flesh, I had to encounter this one again—which meant getting baptized by Ludovica and dragged here anew.
‘How insane to repeat this.’
No way.
Legitimate baptism traces persisted through rewinds.
The chairman using Marco’s body would notice anomalies in his favorite vessel’s mind next timeline.
Now, I could meet Marco Schreiber without this ordeal.
Casting in null-magic air tore at my core. The barrier shattered; pitch-black Vitriol loomed.
‘Retry….’
I had to.
This wouldn’t do. Feeling consciousness fade, I bit my tongue hard.
Boom—!
[…Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.]
My ears rang. Light flooded my vision.
A familiar voice.
Ivory hair appeared in the blur. Recognizing the impossible face, my eyes widened.
“…Lucas!”
Leo gripped my shoulder.
“Rewind!”