Chapter 262
Chapter 262
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 262
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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‘…What.’
Leo couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
A chill ran through him.
The sound of a knife plunging into flesh and pulling out was surprisingly dull. Lucas’s eyes widened. It was the first time Leo had seen him so shocked. Leo’s gaze, fixed on Lucas’s face, quickly dropped to his neck.
The carotid artery wasn’t fully severed. Maybe a bit more than one-fifth? Or even more? But if it had been cut deeper, blood would have sprayed out like a fountain. At least that’s what theory said. Since it hadn’t yet, there was still a chance of survival.
The thought didn’t last long. By the time Leo snapped out of it, he was already gritting his teeth and thrusting out his wand.
Boom—!
The archbishop’s blue mana clashed with Leo’s sky-blue mana.
The new humanity’s body had already reverted to old humanity. It wasn’t a lie that it felt like looking in a mirror. That must be the archbishop as Lucas had always known him.
“Come out!”
Beyond the blinding curtain of light, the archbishop ignored Leo’s shout, smiling as he turned his head toward Lucas. The two were talking. Or rather, it was more like the archbishop’s one-sided monologue.
‘What the….’
Boom—boom—!
Leo and the other wizards’ attacks collided with his barrier and scattered.
How could anyone think of stabbing a person’s neck to use that mana for escape? He was certainly adept in crises, worthy of his reputation, but his unprecedented methods made him tricky. They had too little information on him. In such cases, it was obviously best to retreat and fight another day.
The shock made lights flash, obscuring the view, but the cathedral was about fifty meters behind them.
‘Five steps forward.’
He calculated and was about to kick off when Leo froze in shock once more.
“…?!”
Lucas clearly wasn’t in his right mind either. Leo couldn’t comprehend what he had just witnessed. The only conclusion left was that Lucas had tried to do to the archbishop what he’d nearly done to Julia in that yard.
But the panic was brief. From the time that had passed, he quickly grasped Lucas’s intent.
‘No.’
He understood the goal, but with excessive bleeding expected, more movement was dangerous. Casting magic here, or doing that…
—…in the one who grants ability… it dwells.
“Stop it! Lucas!”
As Leo bellowed, the archbishop’s body jerked. He could be seen collapsing to the floor from the knees down.
Subjugation magic. Faint, but that’s what it sounded like. The archbishop’s reaction was all too familiar—one Leo had seen often in himself.
Perhaps because Lucas couldn’t control it properly, a tearing shock hit Leo’s core as well.
Kablooey—! Jolt—
Rain poured down. The archbishop’s blue barrier shattered into pieces.
Leo, who had advanced right up to them, shielded his face with his arm. By the time he blocked the barrier, the spot where the archbishop and Lucas had been was empty.
Leo immediately looked up at the ceiling.
Rumble—… thud—crash—….
The place they’d been standing began to shake as if it had been an illusion.
‘…….’
Leo’s face hardened. Judging by the timing, this space was clearly maintained by the archbishop’s mana in real time.
And just now, Lucas had damaged the archbishop’s core.
‘…Not letting us go that easily, huh.’
He didn’t know how far the man would go to win, but even in this situation, his resolve to cripple the enemy—delaying his return by a long shot—was palpable.
The problem was…
With the archbishop’s core damaged, this space magic would collapse soon. The archbishop would try to recover his mana to avoid death.
“Everyone, converge on Baden!”
“Move!”
At Leo’s shout, his temporary aide yelled at the wizards. Leo grabbed the collar of the brainwashed subordinate archbishop who stood nearby. Before coming here, they’d captured this one—who’d been monitoring them on the archbishop’s orders—and Narke had rewired his brain. Leo dragged him like throwing trash onto the blood-soaked cathedral floor. The brainwashed subordinate let out a dying groan and warped to the coordinates he assumed his master had gone to.
Thud—
The subordinate flopped face-down on the ground.
Cold water hit his eyes and cheeks. Leo opened his eyes, which he’d squeezed shut against the wind. A blizzard raged, turning the world entirely white.
Bloody water flowed to his feet. The blood was melting the snow like acid. Without hesitation, Leo thrust out his staff.
Boom—….
The whoosh of air was muffled in his ears.
Leo walked toward where the snow had cleared. Finding the blood’s starting point was easy. A familiar person lay collapsed there. He didn’t even think to check if they were alive or dead. Blindly casting healing magic on the neck, he looked beside where Lucas had fallen.
There were traces of another person having collapsed there, and even that spot was pooled with blood-like vitriol.
Rumble—… crack—
At the sound of something shaking, Leo looked up at the sky.
This coordinate was the end too. Crows circled overhead.
The sky was crumbling down.
* * *
Was the archbishop and I both dead, or neither of us?
That much was impossible to know for sure. I’d neutralized his defensive magic and half-subjugated him, half-destroyed his core, and in the process, damaged my own core too.
But one thing was certain.
I knew this had become an additional game between him and me—a zero-sum game, or rather a positive-sum game among zero-sum ones.
I won’t bother thinking why. Right now, even breathing is a struggle, and with my face stabbed by the knife driving up my body temperature there, all I want is sleep.
[To meet your end in the snowy wasteland—how romantic.]
Am I seeing reality right now?
I’m lying cheek-down on snow melted by blood, breathing slowly. Ahead of me lies the archbishop, collapsed just like me. He never closed his eyes once, which was eerie.
[It was splendid. My warp point choice was spot-on. Truth be told, if you liked winter, I made it to bring you here. Who knew we’d use it like this? It was the coordinate with the most stored mana I had.]
He made a place to come with me, and now I’m here stabbed? Romance is dead.
At the thought, the archbishop’s brows furrowed slightly as he smiled.
[That’s too much. After what you did to my core….]
“You’re not dead. You’ll live, won’t you?”
My words came out naturally, even without opening my mouth. Smooth as before the stabbing. In reality, only wind whistled from my mouth right now.
The archbishop, lying with one side of his head on the ground like me, said quietly.
[Dead? What are you talking about? This is just your dream. Of course I’m alive.]
I slowly closed and opened my eyes. Drowsiness kept pulling them shut. My words flowed smoothly regardless.
“Seeing your words don’t add up so far, I must be going mad.”
[Not really mad. Your hypothesis might be right. Surprisingly, it’s a game where no one loses….]
“…….”
[The issue is that for me, a certain gain and loss balance to zero. But unlike me, you might’ve gained something. Or maybe it’s neither gain nor loss for you? Planning to buy time and turn this zero into profit? Anyway….]
He smiled bitterly.
[The Iphigenia you’re playing creates comedy like this.]
“…….”
[I hope it’s comedy for me too.]
Beep—
“Spare me the pitiful act.”
My cold voice sounded alien.
Hot blood flowed down to my stomach, soaking my clothes. It shouldn’t have reached this far. Dream or reality aside, I was conversing with him far too normally. Maybe I was mad, and that’s why.
“This end isn’t a loss for you. If it were, you wouldn’t have entrusted yourself to me from the start. Right?”
My mouth spoke on its own. Like my subconscious was commanding it. I replayed the thought, but I couldn’t grasp what my words meant or what this conversation even was. Oxygen was scarce.
[Ha….]
He let out a hollow laugh and reached out his hand. His platinum blond hair on his arm fluttered in the wind. His corpse-cold hand cupped my cheek.
[We know each other too well. You could’ve just waited quietly for your comrades to rescue you, but you grabbed me on purpose, so you don’t see this as a loss. Do you?]
Ah.
Why did I grab him? Even in this hazy state where dream blurred with reality, I could answer that clearly. Because amid my veins tearing, I’d desperately clung to that one thought in my brain.
He would go into hiding.
But he wouldn’t retire.
Sounds ridiculous, right? But he had the ability. Like Abraham swapping bodies—though technically different—would he just hide away?
He’d infiltrate another diocese, gauge the situation, manipulate internal Pleroma opinion, and return to Freiburg when the timing favored him. By then, we wouldn’t be able to stop him.
Why?
Because his return presupposes he’s seized control of the leadership.
In the previous timeline, Pleroma’s leadership formally announced their stance to the Imperial government. Why? Out of real concern for Imperial citizens? No such unrealistic motive exists.
Pleroma’s leadership realized they couldn’t handle the diocese behind this Pentaron terror alone, and that Freiburg was a diocese powerful enough to threaten the leadership’s safety. That’s why they sought a temporary alliance with the Imperial government. We’d seen the terror, but knowing Pleroma would ally with the Imperials to that degree—even considering panic—made its severity sink in deeper.
The man before me now had plunged Pleroma’s leadership into fear. With just a little push, he could fully seize it. At least, that’s how I assessed his potential.
So, I had to prevent him from growing stronger any further. At least buy time. Even knowing he’d counterattack, I half-destroyed his core for this reason.
Beep—
[By now, your people are probably ransacking my diocese like rats. Seeing you infiltrated this far, looks like you shook off all my subordinates I’d attached to your comrades elsewhere.]
“You know it well. And you’d have moved all documents to a place only you know, preparing for the leadership to search you.”
At my smiling remark, the archbishop laughed and replied.
[Of course. But even with my preparations, you plan to interrogate my clergy and steal the techniques, right?]
“Might as well call it spolia opima.”
[Ah, spoils of war! Hahaha! You even remember my writing. Nice.]
He closed his eyes and mouthed.
[Should’ve implanted devices in people’s heads too…. No different from them raiding my archives.]
“Exactly. You never dreamed I’d see through your plans and corner you like this.”
Beep—
The archbishop just laughed at my words. Winter wind brushed past my right eye.
[Better they mess with my subordinates’ brains than the leadership, so it’s good for everyone. Yes, if they’re to be used, you use them—not trash like the leadership.]
“Hm.”
Beep—
I frowned slightly at the accelerating beeps.
The archbishop seemed aware of it too. His eyes flicked to the gliding crows, then back to me.
[You know our game isn’t over yet. Deciding the winner before it turns zero-sum is too lukewarm, right? So….]
“Using words from a time not yet here.”
[Get up.]
Strength entered the archbishop’s hand. His blue eyes gleamed amid his soft smile.
[They’re looking for you in this strange world.]
Whoosh—
Light poured into the world, where my narrowed vision had made everything dark until moments ago. A doctor’s unfamiliar face appeared within it.
“Are you conscious?”
* * *
No sense of reality.
Gazing at the Berlin scenery outside the window, I thought. It was the view from the top floor room of the Imperial Central Hospital, where I’d been confined by the crown prince and Leo before.
The world moved with vigor, as if Pentaron had never happened. My last memory of Berlin was dominated by the stadium, so traces of glowing curses everywhere and crowds swept in fanatic frenzy still lingered in my mind.
The mere absence of that dizzying madness was shocking to me. In a good way.
Today marked about three days since moving from the archbishop’s mansion at Pentaron’s main stadium, by local time.
It was also my discharge day.
Upon first waking, I’d demanded the Imperial Newspaper right away, but naturally got shot down. I admit it wasn’t a great choice. And after that, I slept two more days. So until this moment, I knew nothing of the outside world.
‘Hm.’
Baden and Bavaria must have rescued me, yet I was in Prussia—signs of a tangled situation.
‘Of course, this could be seen as Bavaria’s strategy.’
While I pondered, the imperial physician assigned to me said calmly with a gentle face, patient as ever.
“The artery and skin are sutured. But since it was treated with magic potions, intense movement or heavy magic use could alter the fixed mana structure. Avoid training for a week.”
“Understood.”
“You’ll get a detailed checkup at Bavaria National Medical Center now, so they’ll explain the rest. Also, you need to decide something right away.”
As I looked at him silently, he continued.
“Prussia and Anhalt governments have requested visits. Which to see first? Both have been waiting for Your Excellency to fully regain consciousness.”
“Can I decide?”
“Of course.”
“Neither request is feasible right now.”
Trouble crossed the doctor’s face at my answer.
Naturally. Both were likely siding with Prussia by now, so set Anhalt aside. Prussia would want to minimize government faults and record my testimony favorably as soon as possible—they wouldn’t like this delay.
But politically or personally, I had no desire to see them now.
Keeping a neutral expression, I replied.
“You said I need a detailed checkup.”
“Yes.”
“I’ll go to Bavaria first.”