Chapter 262

‘…What.’

Leo couldn’t believe what he had seen.

He felt his blood run cold.

The sound of a knife stabbing into human flesh and then being pulled out was surprisingly dull. Lukas’s eyes widened. It was the first time he had seen him so shocked in person. 

Leo’s gaze, which had been directed at Lukas’s face, soon dropped to his neck.

Not the entire carotid artery had been cut. Maybe a little more than 1/5. Or perhaps more than that. But if it had been cut more than this, blood should have gushed out like a stream. 

At least in theory. Since it hadn’t happened yet, there was a chance of survival.

The thought didn’t last long. When he came to his senses, Leo was already gritting his teeth and thrusting his wand forward.

Kwaang—!

The archbishop’s blue mana collided with Leo’s sky-blue mana.

The new human’s body had already transformed back into an old human. The saying that it was like looking in a mirror wasn’t a lie. That must be the archbishop Lukas had seen all along.

“Come out!”

Beyond the veil where light rose and it was hard to see, the archbishop smiled, ignoring Leo’s shout, and turned his head toward Lukas. The two were conversing. No, it was closer to the archbishop’s one-sided speech.

‘What the hell….’

Kwa-kwa-kwang— Kwaang—!

Leo and the other mages’ attacks collided with his veil and scattered.

How could someone come up with the idea of stabbing a person’s neck and using that mana to escape? Certainly, it was worthy of being evaluated as adept in crises, but it was tricky because he freely came up with and used unprecedented methods. We had too little information about him. In such cases, it was natural to aim for the next opportunity.

Due to the shock, light flashed and it was hard to see, but the back of the altar was about 50m away.

‘About five steps forward.’

Just as he calculated that and was about to stomp his foot, Leo fell into shock once again.

“…?!”

Lukas must not have been in his right mind either. Leo couldn’t understand what he had just seen. The only guess left was that Lukas had almost done to Yulia what he had done in that situation.

However, the confusion was brief. From the time they had spent together, he could quickly grasp what he intended.

‘No.’

He understood his goal well, but in a situation where excessive bleeding was expected, he shouldn’t move any more. Using magic here, or something like that….

—…In the one who gives ability… it is.

“Stop! Lukas!”

The moment he shouted angrily, the archbishop’s body shook violently. He was seen collapsing to the floor starting from his knees.

Subjugation magic. It sounded faint, but like that. The archbishop’s reaction now was also a familiar scene that Leo had often seen in himself.

Perhaps because Lukas couldn’t focus on control, a tearing shock hit Leo’s core as well.

Kwaaaang—! Dulkeong—

A sound like pouring rain occurred. The archbishop’s blue veil shattered into pieces.

Leo, who had moved up to them, covered his front with his arm. By the time he blocked the veil, the spot where the archbishop and Lukas had been was empty.

Leo immediately looked up at the ceiling.

Deudeudeuk—… Ku-gung— Chwang—….

The place where the sun had been started shaking as if it were made of illusions.

‘…….’

Leo’s face hardened stiffly. From the timing, this space was clearly being maintained in real-time by receiving the archbishop’s mana.

And, just now, Lukas must have caused a problem in the archbishop’s core.

‘…You won’t let him go like this.’

He didn’t know how far he would go to win, but in this situation, the determination to grab the enemy’s ankle and make him unable to recover, at least to push back his return time significantly, was clearly felt.

The problem was….

If the archbishop’s core was damaged, this spatial magic would soon collapse. The archbishop would try to recover his mana to avoid death.

“All personnel join Baden!”

“Move!”

At Leo’s shout, his temporary aide shouted toward the mages. Leo grabbed the collar of the brainwashed archbishop subordinate standing beside him. Before coming here, he had captured the one who had been monitoring us under the archbishop’s orders, and Narce had tampered with his brain. When Leo dragged him like throwing him onto the blood-soaked altar, the subordinate under brainwashing magic made a dying sound and then warped to the coordinates presumed to be where his master had just moved.

Kung—

The subordinate fell flat on the floor.

Cold water touched his eyes and cheeks. Leo opened his eyes, which he had squeezed shut due to the wind. A blizzard raged, and the world was entirely white.

Blood flowed at his feet. The blood was melting the snow as if devouring it. Leo thrust his staff forward without hesitation.

Kwaang—….

The explosive sound was muffled in his ears.

Leo walked toward where the snow had cleared. Finding the point where the blood started wasn’t difficult. A familiar person was collapsed there. He didn’t even think to check if he was still alive or dead. While indiscriminately casting healing magic on his neck, he looked at the spot next to where Lukas had fallen.

There was a trace of another person having collapsed, and in that spot, something like blood, vitriol, was pooled.

Deudeudeuk—… Ppajik—

At the sound of something shaking, Leo looked up at the sky.

This coordinate was also the end. A flock of crows circled overhead.

The sky was collapsing.

*  *  *

Whether the archbishop and I, both of us, were dead or not.

That was certainly unclear. I had neutralized his defensive magic, half-subjugated him, half-destroyed his core, and in the process, my core had also been damaged.

However, one thing was certain.

I knew that this additional game between me and him had no choice but to become a zero-sum game—for us, a positive-sum game.

I wouldn’t bother thinking about why. Right now, even breathing was burdensome, and because my face temperature had risen sharply from being stabbed, I just felt like sleeping.

[Ending in the snowfield is romantic, isn’t it.]

Was I seeing reality right now?

I had my cheek on the snow melted by blood and was breathing slowly. In front of me, the similarly collapsed archbishop was visible. He hadn’t closed his eyes even once, which was eerie.

[It was quite good. My choice of warp point was excellent. Actually, it was a place I made to take you if you liked winter, but to use it like this. It was the coordinate system with the most mana stored among what I had.]

Was I now stabbed and lying here in a place made to come with me? All the romance could go to hell.

As I thought that, the archbishop slightly furrowed his brows and smiled.

[That’s too much. After doing that to my core….]

“You’re not dead, are you? You’ll be alive, right?”

Even though I hadn’t opened my mouth, my words came out naturally. It was as smooth as before being stabbed. In reality, only wind sounds would come from my mouth now.

The archbishop, who was lying with one side of his head on the floor like me, said quietly.

[What do you mean dead? This is just your dream. Of course, I’ll be alive.]

I slowly closed and opened my eyes. Drowsiness kept making me close them. My words came out smoothly regardless.

“Seeing that what you’ve said so far doesn’t match up, I must be crazy.”

[You’re not particularly crazy. The hypothesis you’re thinking might be correct. This is unexpectedly a game where no one loses….]

“…….”

[The problem is that for me, a certain amount of gain and a certain amount of loss coexist, resulting in a total of 0, but unlike me, you might have gained something. Or is it neither gain nor loss for you? Are you planning to buy time and turn this 0 state into a gain? Anyway….]

He smiled bitterly.

[Your Iphigenia who acts creates comedy in this way.]

“…….”

[I wish it were a comedy for me too.]

Beep—

“Stop pretending to be pitiful.”

My cold voice sounded alien.

Hot blood flowed down to my stomach, soaking my clothes. Blood shouldn’t flow this far. Even if it was a situation where I couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality, for that, I was conversing with him far too normally. Perhaps I was thinking that because I was crazy.

“To you, this end isn’t a loss. If it were a loss, you wouldn’t have entrusted yourself to me in the first place. Isn’t that right?”

My mouth spewed words on its own. It felt like my subconscious was making me speak. I retraced my thoughts once more, but I also couldn’t understand what my words meant or what this conversation was about. Oxygen was lacking.

[Ha….]

He let out a hollow laugh and extended his hand. The platinum blonde hair draped over his arm fluttered in the wind. A corpse-like cold hand cupped my cheek.

[We know each other too well. You also could have just been rescued by your colleagues obediently, but since you deliberately grabbed me, you didn’t think this was a loss either. Right?]

Ah.

Why I grabbed him. This, at least, I could answer clearly even in this hazy situation where I couldn’t distinguish dream from reality. Because even while my blood vessels were tearing, I had desperately held onto this one thing in my brain.

He would go into seclusion.

However, he wouldn’t retire.

It might sound like nonsense. But he had the ability to do that. Like Abraham, he could switch bodies—though strictly speaking, that was different—but would he just live in seclusion?

He would infiltrate other dioceses to observe the situation, manipulate public opinion within Pleroma, and return to Freiburg when the timing was right for him to seize victory. At that time, he couldn’t be stopped.

Why?

His return would presuppose that he had seized the leadership.

In the previous timeline, the Pleroma leadership officially announced their position to the imperial government. Why? Because Pleroma truly cared about the safety of the imperial subjects? Such an unrealistic motive didn’t exist.

The Pleroma leadership lacked the ability to stop the diocese that caused this Pentalon terror alone, and only then realized that Freiburg was a diocese powerful enough to threaten the leadership’s safety, so they tried to form a temporary alliance with the imperial government. We already saw the terror, so we know, but for Pleroma to try to join hands with the imperial government—even considering it was a choice in a panic situation—made the level even clearer.

The person in front of me now was the one who plunged the Pleroma leadership into anxiety. To such a him, with just a little effort, he had the ability to completely seize the leadership. At least, I assessed his potential that way.

Then, I had to prevent him from becoming stronger any further. At least buy time. That’s why I half-destroyed his core, knowing I would be counterattacked.

Beep—

[By now, your people are probably ransacking my diocese like catching rats? Seeing that they infiltrated here, it seems they diverted all my subordinates I attached to your colleagues to other places.]

“You know well. And you probably moved all the data to a place only you know, in preparation for being ransacked by the leadership.”

At my words said with a smile, the archbishop replied with a laugh.

[Of course. But you plan to interrogate my clergy and steal the technology anyway, right?]

“Please call it spolia opima if possible.”

[Ah, spoils of war! Hahahaha! I’m glad you remember my writing too.]

He closed his eyes and moved his lips.

[I should have installed devices in people’s heads if I knew this…. What’s the difference from the archive being ransacked.]

“Indeed. You probably didn’t expect that I would really see through your plan and drive you this far.”

Beep—

The archbishop just laughed at my words. The winter wind brushed past my right eye area.

[Rather than the leadership tampering with my subordinates’ brains, it’s better that it’s you, so this is also good for everyone. Yes, if it’s to be used, it should be by you, not handed over to scum like that leadership.]

“Hm.”

Beep—

I slightly furrowed my brows at the buzzer sound that started to speed up gradually.

The archbishop seemed to notice the sound too. His eyes went to the gliding flock of crows and then came to me.

[You know well that our game isn’t over yet. Isn’t it too lukewarm to decide who wins or loses in this game before it becomes a zero-sum game? So….]

“You’re using words that don’t exist in this era.”

[Wake up.]

Strength entered the archbishop’s hand. In his soft smile, his blue eyes gleamed.

[They’re looking for you in the strange world.]

Hwaak—

Light poured into the world that had been dark because my field of vision had been extremely narrowed until just now. An unfamiliar doctor’s face entered it.

“Are you conscious?”

*  *  *

It didn’t feel real.

I thought while looking at the Berlin scenery outside the window. It was the view from that hospital room on the top floor of the Imperial Central Hospital where I had previously been confined by the crown prince and Leo.

The world was moving with vitality as before Pentalon. For me, the last memory of Berlin I had was dominated by the Pentalon stadium, so the traces of curse magic shining everywhere and the sight of people engulfed in frenzied enthusiasm without knowing the situation still remained in my mind.

Just the absence of that mind-numbing scene was shocking to me. In a good way.

Today was about the 3rd day in this place’s time since moving from the Pentalon main stadium to the archbishop’s mansion.

It was also the day I would be discharged.

Right after waking up for the first time, I immediately asked for the imperial newspaper, but of course, I was refused. I admitted it wasn’t a good choice. And after that, I slept for another two days. In the end, up to this moment, I didn’t know how the outside was turning.

‘Hm.’

Baden and Bavaria would have rescued me, but being in Prussia suggested that the situation had become quite complicated.

‘Of course, this much could be seen as Bavaria’s strategy.’

While I was thinking other things, the attending physician assigned by the imperial family said to me with a gentle face without losing patience.

“The artery and skin have been sutured. But since it was treated with magic potion, if you move vigorously or use magic intensely, the structure of the mana fixed in place could change. It’s best not to train for the next week.”

“I understand.”

“Now, you’ll receive a detailed examination at the Bavaria National Medical Center, so you can hear the rest there. And, there’s something you need to decide right now.”

When I looked at the doctor silently, he continued.

“There are visit requests from the Prussia and Anhalt governments. Which government would you like to meet first? Both governments have been waiting for Your Excellency to fully regain consciousness.”

“Can I decide that?”

“Of course.”

“I find it difficult to accept both governments’ requests right now.”

At my answer, perplexity appeared on the doctor’s face.

It was natural. Both were probably on Prussia’s side by now, so setting aside Anhalt, Prussia would be trying to minimize the government’s mistakes, so they wouldn’t like this situation where they couldn’t quickly record my testimony in a way favorable to them.

But politically or personally, I had no desire to meet them right now.

I maintained a suitable expressionless face and replied.

“You said I need to receive a detailed examination, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll go to Bavaria first.”

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