Chapter 354
Chapter 354
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 354
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble House
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The bishop with the amplification ability must have slipped out to escort the space ability bishop, because I could hear the sounds of our comrades' pursuit filtering through the artifact. I shut down all of the artifact's transmission and reception functions and twisted my lips into a smirk.
Kaang—
The sound of mana flowing along the blade shoving away the lump of mud scraped sharply against my ears. Even with my eyes closed, it felt like my pink mana was sparking right in front of me.
"Oh."
"Oh?! Now's not the time to be impressed...."
His words scattered in my ears. I could sense the flow of air. The vitriol that touched the sword didn't vanish immediately but spread out in fine droplets like water. The tip was undoubtedly honed to a razor edge.
The moment I swung the sword tip from below upward to unfurl a curtain, something thudded into the entire barrier with a grinding sound, followed by the crack of fissures forming. A curtain was fragile. Yeah, that was a given fact. Like this...!
Kwaang—!
Not against these scattered, minor attacks, but against massive strikes exceeding a certain intensity. I swung the sword once more, and mana formed another curtain, shoving aside the previous one that had shattered into fragments. With my vision blocked, Mecklenburg's startled gasp was vivid enough to send chills down my spine.
"You must have seen the footage from the academy exam, but you're taking too long to recover."
"Were you the one fighting back then? You were just making strategies!"
Annoying.... Staring at that bishop's face and losing his mind was worse than keeping his eyes fixed on me and picking fights.
"My strategies must have left an impression. It's an honor that you remember me, Senior."
"......"
"You're happy to hear that in a situation like this?"
"No!"
"True, compared to now, that time was far safer."
But opening my eyes now would only make things more dangerous.
Kaang—!
The sharp sound of batting away vitriol flying toward my throat. Some splashed vitriol had melted part of my body barrier. Honestly, remnants of that bishop's ability still lingered. I desperately wanted to see his face right now. My impatience kept my mouth shut tight as I gnawed on my lower lip. Neither the stealth ability bishop charging at me nor the vitriol slashing in from all directions was enough to suppress my impulse, and only the conviction I'd held firm until now—that I had to end this here—served as my sole brake.
Something lunged at me from the front, then instantly shifted to my left. No, things were coming from the left and straight ahead too. I dropped low and kicked off the ground with my left foot. Spinning a full turn, my downward slash clearly tore into the hem of someone's clothes cloaked in stealth magic. Vitriol coated the sword tip.
Chwaak—
I heard the opponent landing somewhere. I wished they'd closed in more, but they quickly pulled out of range.
Pathetic. Even when they'd targeted Elias's team first and belatedly switched to us, I'd known they were quick with cost-benefit calculations—full of confidence but no pride.
'Well, not the time to get prideful.'
Even amid this, Mecklenburg's sword blocked attacks aimed at my back. I could hear him breathing raggedly, groaning in pain. His body wouldn't obey him as he wanted, which must have been frustrating. Anyway, I hadn't been bluffing when I'd told Mecklenburg to see how long he could hold out. Even I, hearing only mechanical noises from Elias, was helpless against this mental affinity unique ability—how much worse for the others, this senior included. I fully understood how desperately Mecklenburg, with his eyes free, was supporting me.
When we'd first encountered them, I hadn't been fixated on one bishop, so the ability wasn't always active—it was something he turned on and off himself. From the looks of it, the duration wasn't long. He'd pulled out his ultimate trump card. Which meant....
Whoosh—
"Huh...."
They'd do anything to secure my vision. The moment I arched my back against the incoming rush of air, vitriol blazed past just above my nose bridge. Letting out a breath close to a hollow laugh, I snapped my torso forward and entrusted my sword to the air currents. No matter how pathetic they were, having once unleashed their ability, they'd seize this chance now, so we shared the same goal, each holding the other's weaknesses. The more desperately we fought, the more they'd throw everything they had. I muttered to Mecklenburg like it was nothing.
"If we splashed water on them... it wouldn't do much, would it."
"In that state, tossing them in a river wouldn't faze them. And at this point, how do you plan to get any liquid?!"
In that state.
Got it. Just then, Pléroma's voice from earlier faintly reached my mana-heightened, sensitive ears.
[O spirit of the earth, you draw nearer to me.]
If I hadn't been relying entirely on hearing, it would have slipped by as a mumble.
'The stealth bishop? ...No. The mental affinity one keeps using spells in this manner.'
Something felt off. This passage was from before the spell they'd chanted earlier, uttered by another figure. What they were reciting now were Faust's lines, but earlier they'd chanted the spirit's rebuke of Faust. Used alone, it might not stand out, but deliberately going backward—pulling Faust's lines right before the spirit's harsh scolding as a spell—was suspicious.
'If it were completely unrelated content, it wouldn't have raised flags....'
Thanks for chanting adjacent spells and giving me a clue. I didn't know all of Pléroma's spells or what magic each linked to, but this gave me one. Letting out a light chuckle, I switched my sword to a staff and whispered.
"My power rises higher. [If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you!]"
[My power rises higher, clearer, and I ripple like newly pressed wine!]
Kwaaaang—!
The vitriol enhanced with amplification spell formulas clashed against my mana under the same effect.
"...!"
Mecklenburg sucked in a breath as I perfectly countered the following Pléroma chant.
"You... you're not even Pléroma. How do you know what attack is coming...."
"You know well enough, Senior."
If they resorted to this, it meant what they chanted now wasn't magic relying on context. Their world's registered spell formulas might ignore context from the start, or they chose to. At least for this part's passages, they intended to manifest the imagery from the words themselves, not the context—and considering the passage linking to that man's ability, the final imagery was obvious.
'The next passage... relentlessly crashing in.'
[Clouds gather above my head! The moon dims its light, and the lanterns go out!]
'Oh.'
Kwagwagwang—!
A transformation spell.... Annoying. It skipped a line. The spell tied to the passage seemed different in nature. Tremors from the impact swept my body, disrupting my senses. I pushed back the vitriol lump plunging from above with two layers of curtains and slammed it down toward their position. Someone kicked off the ground, and mana splashed onto the vitriol, corroding with a hiss. The bishop's vitriol slowly spread through the air, making it hard to breathe.
"The vitriol's choking the air...."
"Why not use it here?"
Mecklenburg asked quietly. What "it"? Divine power, obviously. I replied softly.
"If I unleashed that and melted this vitriol dome, they'd all see, wouldn't they?"
"...Isn't that admitting you're here."
Sharp as ever. Like before, no help from anyone? If I used everything I had, I didn't need to risk unnecessary danger or reveal my hand in the heart of enemy territory. Conscious of the mana around my core, I snapped my fingers.
"Senior, could you find the ley lines under this ground? With streams nearby, it can't be dry land."
"Even if we find them, defying gravity and piercing this thick earth is...!"
Kwoong—
Vitriol surged from the ground, shooting up toward the dome's ceiling. Mecklenburg immediately shattered my soundproofing spell and stomped. We were rats in a trap. Vitriol battered our surroundings wildly.
"Make it gush from the earth? Would I command such a thing?"
[Fog swirls around, red rays target and flicker about my head—from the vaulted ceiling descends terror overwhelming me!]
Pléroma chant. An unfamiliar red light locked onto my forehead. Even eyes closed, the light was intense enough to notice immediately.
"I'll wear down their formation, so collapse it, Senior."
"No time to find water paths now! They're targeting you...!"
"Have I ever not been the target?! Hurry!"
Was this guy getting attached too? I bellowed and kicked off in the opposite direction. My heart lurched. Fitting for a mental affinity unique ability bishop. As the chant described, fear stiffened my legs. A guided slashing spell trailed precisely toward my head. The moment I stopped to smash my staff down, it would pierce me.
[The Lord of Hosts shall punish them with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, whirlwind and tempest and devouring fire.]
I put force into my feet and kicked the ground again. Red mana from below filled this massive dome in my mind's eye.
[The multitude of nations that attack Ariel, Ariel and her defenses—they who distress her shall become like a dream, a vision of the night!]
Kwaaaang—!
I'd held it back anticipating exhaustion, and sure enough. Their vitriol was repelled from me, but they were unscathed. The bishop slammed his staff down, chanting.
[The tempests of life's relentless waves bravely endured—]
Using it now confirmed it was defensive. His voice grew louder, impossible to miss even without full focus. Chants starting soft and building shared a pattern: when desperate, they affirmed imagery to themselves with louder voices.
[Grief twisting the eyes and ecstatic flashes borne—harmonizing with charging storms, unshaken even by shipwreck!]
Kwagwang— Kwagwagwang—!
"Excellency Albertina Hoenzollern has eliminated the amplification ability bishop! Four left!"
Mecklenburg shouted. My lips curved up. Vitriol corroding my body barrier flowed over my clothes. I reinforced the barrier and opened my mouth.
[As we also have forgiven our debtors, forgive us our debts.]
[The one I summoned—]
My words cut off the opponent's chant.
O spirit I summoned, reveal yourself near me. This spell should have followed, and I could predict the magic it created.
After an illusion of vitriol battering my whole body, the veil over my vision lifted, dyeing everything scarlet. Dizziness like the ground flipping followed. Hallucination. My heart pounded wildly, but it wasn't real... His passage clearly signaled it was hallucination, not reality. Now! At Mecklenburg's full-throated shout, I slammed my staff into the empty air below the inverted ground.
Kwaaaaang—
[And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.]
Kwarururuk—! Kwaaaang—!
Comforting darkness blanketed my vision again. My balance shook, a plummeting heart sensation sweeping my body. No way it was real, so I gritted my teeth and steadied myself on the barrier. Ripping off the blindfold, I saw the ground collapsed beneath the red-and-yellow translucent barrier. Plant stems tightly coiled around my heaving chest. Fast. I'd called earlier, and it came this quick. Gratefully, these familiar stems kept pushing into the pit below, blocking the bishops from emerging.
"Your coordination's spot on."
Turning at the familiar voice, the vitriol dome had already dissolved, and Mecklenburg's space magic was broken. Leo Hindenburg was here with Leo Wittelsbach. Mecklenburg, panting, dropped his wand toward the ground, and a dam-bursting chill filled the pit with water.
Kwaduduk—
Vitriol surged over the water but halted after about a minute. Nausea rose, relief from the threat melting my body. I reactivated all artifact functions and announced.
"Alert to all: two down, two remain."
[Commander, located the last two bishops. Sending coordinates.]
Good work. With over forty outside, it was worth searching. Inhaling the clean air beyond the vitriol dome, I said.
"98th A-Class Mecklenburg. And the divine power mage—we now have eight with us. We'll move there and cast space magic simultaneously. High escape chance since one's a space mage, but worth trying."
Right after, panicked shouts came through.
[Escape! They're escaping! One keeps casting warp magic!]
"......"
I clutched my head, exhaled long, and nodded.
"Wittelsbach, search duty."
"Yes."
Leo slammed his staff into the ground again.
"Not around here—they've moved to the outskirts.... Hold on."
Noticing something, Leo tilted his head. Then new humans and old humans in bishop robes appeared before us. Before we could react, Mecklenburg flicked his wand.
Kwaang—!
"Oof!"
"......"
Frowning at the surprise, the vitriol barrier bishops quickly tossed their wands to the ground and raised their hands.
"Calm down. Calm down. We're outnumbered anyway. No intention of attacking you."
"......"
I tilted my head, tightening my grip on the wand aimed at them. Earlier report: 'one keeps casting warp magic.' That one wasn't the space mage. The other had been conserving power.
Hearing their voices via comms, several of our mage teams pursuing other bishops warped here en masse.
[Commander. The one talking now was casting warp magic to escape.]
Someone who'd arrived whispered into their artifact. Got it. The bishops scanned the dozens of wands trained on them and forced hollow laughs.
"What a terrifying sight. We came to meet Sir Ascanien, who seems in charge. Could we make a temporary space for just three of us to talk?"
"Speak here."
The bishop turned a troubled gaze our way, licked his lips, and slowly continued, clenching and unclenching tense fists.
"I have a family."
"So do I."
"Ah, yes.... Of course. But you see, I have a child not even ten yet. Giving them eternal life is my goal. You might not want to hear Pléroma nonsense. But...."
"You're verbose. Get to the point."
"Could you give me a moment? I know better than anyone how terrifying it is to lose family early. I don't want to give my beloved child—the one I want to grant eternal life—parents' deaths. So...."
The bishop rambled frustratingly slowly. I glanced around, ignoring him. No Narke here. Plenty of other divine power mages, though.
"If you let me go, I won't hold anyone accountable for this."
"With the diocese in this state, how could we not...?"
Someone spoke up, so I raised my hand to silence them.
"This'll drag the conversation out forever."
Time to think. Actually, attacking Munich-Freising as retaliation for the Brandenburg diocese raid wasn't my top choice. Regardless of reasons later, I'd suggested hitting elsewhere during strategy, but command and the palace rejected it.
'You stubborn bastards.'
But I knew why they picked Munich-Freising—priorities varied by stakeholders—and most couldn't override, so here we were.
So what now? For what's done, uproot it thoroughly.
As I finished thinking, the bishop nodded.
"Yes. I understand. You can't trust me? Naturally.... I don't want this misunderstanding either. If you permit, I'd submit to interrogation by that papal mage there."
"......"
He'd request interrogation first. The moment he spoke, the bishop's eyes widened, and he rushed.
"Ah! Should've said this first... I was too nervous, my mistake. What I truly want to say is: if you and His Majesty permit, I want to return to the Kingdom of Bavaria. I'd be grateful if you took me there."
Some mages exchanged glances. The bishop's voice trembled heavily, sincerity oozing more than words. Impressive acting. While I tuned him out, he pressed on.
"Better to stay alive. Plus, I'd grown sick of Pléroma leadership orders. If you have restraints, use them on me. I know I look dangerous enough."
"......"
"Anyone have restraints? I don't want more misunderstandings. You've proven your strength, I just want to go to Bavaria. Don't want my intentions doubted—anything similar?"
He stood rooted, nodding at us urgently—bring restraints quick.
"What now."
Leo's dry mutter. I glanced at colleagues buying his words, then fixed on the babbling front bishop and the pale one behind, swallowing hard. His gaze lingered on our bleeding mages. My gut twisted. I knew exactly when that reaction came.
"Wittelsbach, handing you temporary site command for about a minute."
"...?!"
Kwaaaang—!
Blink. I'd kicked off and grabbed the collar of the bishop behind the still-rambling front one. Shouts from behind.
"Crazy?!"
"Ascanien!"
No choice. Only way now.
Dropping the wand was symbolic. With hands intact, they could still cast. They'd been stalling to recover stamina.... Anyone approaching would get blood-drained by the space bishop behind. Then rebuild warp to Pléroma with restored stamina. Leo's orders boomed via artifact. Attacks converged, the shocked bishop's mouth gaped. Air currents shifted again. Realizing he'd warp-grabbed me away, he mouthed a spell formula as I sensed it.
"...!"
Unknown agony exploded from his grip. Skin, eyes, nose, mouth—all senses disintegrating. Yes, come on. Perfect for the spell I'd planned.... Consciousness blurred. Hope flickered on the bishop's pale face. His gaze went to blood streaming down my face. Meanwhile, artifact reported another bishop slain. I squeezed out a roar.
[If one member suffers, all suffer with it; if one is honored, all rejoice with it!]
"...! Graaaah!"
His face twisted. I saw it crumple like mine. This spell shared my pain with him.
[You are the body of Christ, each part of it!]
Even moving my tongue hurt. Clutching fading reason, I chanted a reflexive spell.
[Now we see a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.]
"Aaaaagh! Guh!"
[Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known!]
My body burned away. Heat robbed my senses. Unlike the bishop, no further disintegration hit me, but seeped magic kept vision hazy. Maybe not vision—other senses? Unknowable. But I couldn't let go here.
"You mad...! Aaaaagh!"
Drop—
Silence fell. No sounds. Maybe fluids dripped from eyes and mouth. Strength drained from the mage I'd pinned by the heart; his arm went limp. Quiet.
I stood. Vision reeled; I slammed my staff into the grass and leaned. Over. My hearing failed—not true silence. No vibrations through the ground. Surroundings melted, this vast plain transforming. With the unique ability caster dead, the space followed its master. Pitch-black night, the archive garden sprawled everywhere. I slowly raised my head. Moonlight illuminated the garden; stone buildings and statues invisible before gleamed.
Faint vibrations, light—91st Class Representative mage and comrades warped in from elsewhere. Pale-faced Representative propped me up against my staff, said something; seeing no reaction, slowly gaped. Realizing, she stepped back, signaling with hands.
"......"
I stared blankly at her hands, lips twitching up slightly. Still deaf, couldn't hear my vocal cords. No issue. Operation success—what I needed to convey for return clearance was one thing. Engraving the rehearsed words, I moved my tongue.
"Saint Corbinian has sided with the Empire."