Marcel Kaufman greeted me with a smile.
"Feeling greedy, aren't you? Opportunities for such a rapid promotion don't come often."
"That's not it. Since you made the offer, I thought it better to come and tell you in person."
He looked at me silently.
"Before that, I have a question, if you don't mind."
"By all means."
"Is making me a priest something the other clergy in the diocese agree with?"
"Of course. No one can infringe upon that authority."
He smiled and squinted as if asking why I'd ask such a thing.
"Is it because I'm a priest? I'm different from Gerda Asman, who was just ordained. I've been here for over ten years."
"It's not about that. Then, does Gerda Asman also possess the same authority you hold?"
"Not yet. Why, did he say he'd make you a priest himself?"
"Not exactly, but..."
Before I could finish speaking, Kaufman smiled and clasped his hands together.
"If Mr. Baichel must become a priest, would you prefer to entrust that process to Gerda Asman?"
"...Yes. I apologize for coming all this way to say this, but for now, that is my preference."
I answered, putting on a serious expression.
"That wouldn't be a wise thought. For that to be possible, he'd need to receive the Vitriol, spend time making various contributions to our church... Do you really think you could remain a catechumen or layperson until then?"
"I'm sorry, but I came here today to personally decline. I should be going now."
"Still, you must have given it some thought, right? Leave it to me."
Just as I was about to rise from my seat, he spoke up.
"Think about it. Isn't it better to be with someone like me, who has a proven track record, rather than waiting for someone with no foundation who just became a Pleroma?"
You should be that foundation, you bastard. You made this new guy a Pleroma and you're already worried about being overtaken by your subordinate...
Seen in a good light, he's ambitious and greedy. Seen in a bad light, he's despicable and irresponsible. Not the kind of person I want to be entangled with in any relationship.
Then, the other party spoke again.
"If you need people, I can attach someone better than Gerda Asman to you. How about it?"
"If you're going to say such things, I should turn back here."
*Crash—!*
A sudden pain made me grab the back of my neck.
I must have bumped into the display cabinet behind me. The candlestick on top of it fell beside me.
*Clang—*
'...Almost got my head pierced.'
It wasn't surprising that force was used. It's obvious what methods a group with no common sense would use.
Kaufman rose from his seat and approached me.
"You waste a person's time like this and just leave?"
"No."
I pulled the thin silver bracelet from my right arm and put it in my pocket. Reaching inside my shirt, my hand found a type of necklace I don't usually wear.
Perhaps surprised by the unexpected answer, Kaufman raised his eyebrows. I answered simply.
"I came because I had something to ask."
"Didn't I answer you earlier? There's no need to turn back. Leave it to me."
"Of course, there's no need to turn back."
I broke the necklace, stood up, and swung the long candlestick that had fallen beside me instead of a wand.
*Crash—!*
"Agh!"
Kaufman crashed into the opposite wall and fell. He grabbed his head, jerked his body up, and shouted.
"What, a mage...! How here..."
He clearly seemed to have more to say, but there was no time to listen. I pressed hard on his forehead and spoke.
—Enter through the narrow gate.
I wondered if I should continue the incantation, but in an instant, his pupils went slack.
"Whew."
Definitely, a priest is easier than a bishop.
With Strauch, I had to recite the mind control spell to the end, but this bastard, despite being a Pleroma, was handled with just one line.
'It would have been simple with Gerda Asman too, but...'
As you can see, it's very noticeable.
If I meet another Pleroma in this state, it would be easily discovered that he's been brainwashed.
I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.
"Mr. Kaufman, I'd like to ask about recent personnel issues. Gerda Asman was selected as the personnel procurement manager for the Highligenzi region. Correct?"
He nodded with unfocused eyes.
"Besides Gerda Asman and Abin Asman, were there others slated to become Pleromas? Is there organized documentation?"
I smiled as I saw him nod again.
Yeah, of course. It's not just Highligenzi.
Now, this incident will also unfold completely differently from the novel's plot.
Just how far does it stretch?
I looked into his eyes and asked.
"Then, do you also have access to the documents?"
"..."
"Great. I'd like to put my name on that document too, how about it. It's the opportunity for me to become a Pleroma under you, as you wanted. Right?"
My head was starting to ache.
Mind control magic also takes a heavy toll on the caster.
I saw him nod more vigorously than before, even while brainwashed, and applied more force to my hand.
"Then, let's find the documents now."
At those words, Kaufman rose as if possessed and smashed a drawer, rummaging through it. Meanwhile, I asked a question to confirm.
"Now, one more question. Besides Highligenzi, how many more target regions are there within the Empire? Answer with a number."
"..."
He moved his mouth as if he'd forgotten how to speak, then finally moved his vocal cords as the paper in his hand fell to the floor.
"Forty-seven."
I got chills for a moment and almost lost my hold on the mind control magic.
The number exceeded my expectations, making me laugh incredulously.
Elias's choice to expose and execute the Asman siblings was correct in the short term but wrong in the long term.
It only kills the powerless Pleromas within the organization, and on top of that, it only gives the Pleroma leadership more incentive to move safely.
Of course, capturing all 47 regions now isn't a perfectly complete solution either, but to handle it perfectly, you'd have to annihilate the entire Pleroma, so it's not good to think about such low-probability things now.
'I need to think of the method that delivers the biggest blow among what's possible.'
I recited the rest of the incantation I hadn't finished earlier, erasing all his recent memories from his brain.
Then I drew on the floor the diagram Gerda had explained and drew blood with a knife, letting it drip onto the floor.
—You shall be like God, knowing good and evil.
As I said that and caught my breath, a familiar voice came from somewhere.
"Lucas!"
Wherever she arrived from, Fai jumped down onto my back.
Earlier, I had given Fai candy laced with a targeting curse.
'I might get an earful from Narce...'
Anyway, the summoning method was simplified so that even low-ranking Pleromas like Gerda Asman could use it easily.
A moment that makes the three hours I spent talking with Gerda to extract information not feel wasted.
I folded the paper and gave it to Fai.
"Here."
"What about Lucas?"
"I have things to handle. I'll follow shortly."
"Come quickly!"
Fai wagged her front paws, mumbling because of the document in her mouth.
Even though I didn't cast a return spell, perhaps Narce had already woken up and was intervening between the two worlds, as Fai disappeared right before my eyes.
I stood up and looked around.
By tomorrow, the Pleroma will know their plans have come to nothing. The Empire will be filled with anti-Pleroma sentiment, and perhaps the Pleroma will carry out retaliatory attacks again.
'I'll think about what comes after when the time comes.'
For now, I need to deal with Gerda Asman.
I don't intend to kill him.
Killing replaceable personnel at any time yields little real benefit.
And...
I picked up another piece of paper Kaufman had been holding and dropped.
[November Brandenburg Archdiocese District 1 (North) Execution Report]
The document I handed to Fai earlier was dated October 25th. But the day the two Asmans died in an accident was November 29th.
The carriage overturned by rainwater was no accident.
It wasn't a crime that started with murder, trying to make use of them after they died. It was a premeditated crime that began with murder.
Flipping through the paper, I found Gerda Asman's name.
The route the carriage frequently traveled, points where accidents often occurred over the past year, the lifestyle patterns of the Asmans in their sixties, ideological re-education direction...
"..."
I feel a twisting in my gut.
Perhaps because it's irreversible, no matter how much I try to erase reason with medicine, I can't forget the two of them in their sixties that I met.
If this hadn't happened, I would have forgotten them soon. But the reality that drags out innocent people even after death, dishonoring them so they can't rest in peace, constantly dredges them up.
I read the words written at the end of the paper again.
'Ideological re-education.'
Its meaning is obvious.
I'm not trying to defend the crimes Asman committed just because magic was involved. Also, I think his very existence is an insult to the Gerda Asman of his lifetime.
But if you ask whether Asman's choice was entirely his own, I don't think Gerda Asman was at the absolute center of evil at that point.
'...It's not too late yet.'
The kidnapped children have come here but are still in their sleeping state.
So, on the premise of returning the people, I have two choices to propose.
'Either admit you are a wrongly created being and close your eyes...'
Or pay for your sins even now and live as a person different from the original Gerda Asman.
'And.'
There was one more headache-inducing matter.
If Asman chooses the latter, he needs to sort out his emotions.
I felt inside my jacket pocket.
Along with the antidote, the bottle of the opposite-acting medicine I carried in case it didn't work came into my hand.
Now for the finish.
* * *
Returning to the cathedral, I found Gerda sitting in a suitable spot, waiting for me.
Unlike before, he had no expression, but judging by the atmosphere, he seemed to have sensed, if not the details, that I had done something contrary to his interests.
"..."
I knew he'd have roughly caught on.
My proposal isn't exactly good news either, so it's not bad if he's figured it out in advance.
Then Gerda quietly spoke.
"Did you kill Mr. Kaufman?"
"No."
I sat opposite him and answered.
"Why would you think that?"
"The connection was cut not long after you left."
"I see."
"He won't answer even if you ask now."
"Right. I didn't come to ask more questions either."
Feeling a stabbing pain somewhere in my heart due to the medicine's effect, I continued.
"I'm sorry to have to say this, but you need to make a decision now."
"What kind?"
"You are a result created by resurrecting the already dead Gerda Asman and turning back time."
"..."
"You know well that you are an existence that goes against the natural order. The original Gerda Asman who lived was not someone who handed children over to an unethical religious group like you."
Gerda just looked at me silently.
Seeing that expressionless face, I continued.
"Decide. Whether to send the Asman of his lifetime on his way as he was, or return to society, pay for your sins, and live. If you choose to remain with the Pleroma, I can tell you that you'll most likely be eliminated soon."
"You must be someone important in that other world, I see?"
"If you choose the latter, I'm saying I can help during the investigation process."
"Haha..."
Asman burst out laughing.
"Do you wish for me to choose death?"
"No."
If I had taken the antidote, my answer might have been different, but not now.
Although there was some pity, in truth, if the Pleroma's brainwashing is removed from him, he's someone who, in terms of calculation, is fine dead or alive.
Then Gerda nodded and brought up another topic.
"Let me ask this first. You used me, right?"
"..."
If I'm going to administer the medicine, it's better to concede on this issue.
The moment I tried to speak, my ears went muffled.
"...!"
It didn't take long to realize something was wrong.
Grabbing my head, my vision went black.
* * *
I practically convulsed as I jerked upright from my seat.
A memory I really didn't want to recall replayed in my head, and I had to wait patiently until that scene ended.
"You're awake."
Turn back, my ass...
I let out a hollow laugh and exhaled.
—-----------
T/N:
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