“Are you going to write another letter?”

“I have to.”

There were still things left unsaid.

Since these letters would serve as evidence, it was better to include everything clearly and explicitly, down to the smallest details.

Leo checked the time on his watch and spoke.

“We should start getting ready to leave soon. Let’s finish coating your last letter, and then we’ll head out.”

“Where are you going?”

Narce answered on behalf of Leo.

“We’re going to talk to Eric Asman.”

“Hmm?”

“Elias and Leo have been visiting him since yesterday. They’ve already started talking about investments.”

I was planning to suggest that we start making moves on that front, but it seems they’ve already begun.

Well, these two aren’t the type to just sit around doing nothing.

After all, Elias was the one who dealt with the situation at the Heiligenzi Orphanage from start to finish.

At that moment, Narce took a vial from a cabinet and spoke with a determined expression.

“Let’s do this, Elias.”

“Oh, sure.”

Elias chuckled and sat back down.

‘What are they about to do that’s making them so serious?’

Narce swallowed hard and pulled out his wand.

He lightly tapped both of Elias’s shoulders with the wand, and Elias’s face rapidly began to age.

Elias grabbed the mirror that had been lying on the desk and examined his reflection.

“…!”

“It’s perfect. Thanks, Narce.”

Narce weakly smiled and collapsed onto the sofa in the corner.

Elias’s voice had deepened into a rich, resonant tone that made him look and sound like a middle-aged man.

“…What the heck?”

“I fast-forwarded about 40 years. Remember when I went to the council before? My crutches made me stand out, and too many people recognized me, so a simple disguise wasn’t going to cut it. How do I look?”

Narce, now drinking his second bottle of Wittelsbach Elixir, replied with a grin.

‘Impressive.’

This isn’t a common magic technique, and there’s a reason why it’s not widely used.

Not many people can do it.

Even someone like Narce has to keep drinking elixirs to maintain this spell, so it’s not something just anyone can use on a whim.

As for Leo, his disguise didn’t require such drastic changes, as Narce was able to alter his appearance with a flick of his wand.

Once again, I was left speechless.

“…”

“…Can someone shut Lucas’s mouth?”

Leo, looking a bit embarrassed, gestured toward me. I shook my head, noticing his now long, dark brown hair.

“…There’s no way anyone will recognize you.”

“I didn’t realize how much changing just a few aspects of someone’s appearance could transform their whole look. I customized both of their appearances, and it was pretty fun.”

Narce laughed as he drank another elixir.

Sure, if you change ivory-colored hair to black and stretch it out as if it had been growing for three years, the impression changes dramatically. Darkening the eyebrows made Leo’s features more defined, and he even started wearing glasses, probably just to be extra cautious.

Both Leo and Elias often appeared in the media, so there was always the risk of being recognized. But with these changes… no one would ever recognize them.

‘These guys are thorough, I like it.’

Now I could focus solely on Gerda Asman.

At that moment, Elias, who had now properly dressed, handed me an artifact imbued with sensory transfer magic.

“We’re heading out. Keep writing your letter and listen carefully!”

* * *

[About the investment—don’t worry about us. We’re not expecting anything in return, so just go all out. What’s 50,000 pell? We can provide even more if needed.]

About an hour later, Elias had moved Eric Asman to a bar. It sounded like they had rented a private room, as the noise levels had significantly decreased.

‘Did he really give him 50,000 pell already…?’

That’s 50 million won thrown around like it’s nothing—typical of royalty.

He claims he doesn’t have money, but I suspect he’s been saving up for moments like these.

Meanwhile, I had exchanged several letters with Gerda and was now working on the final one.

After another hour of half-listening to their conversation, Elias finally began asking the questions that mattered.

[So, actually… do you know anything about that side of things?]

[Huh? That side?]

Eric Asman, already drunk, started to slur his words.

[You know, the blessings… well, this isn’t really the place to talk about it~ but we all know what I mean, right?]

[Ah, but we’re not supposed to talk about that… sorry.]

[Oh, come on. The truth is, I’m pretty desperate right now. My health isn’t great, and I have a lot of mouths to feed. I might have saved up some money, but who knows what the future holds…. You get what I’m saying?]

At this point, Elias seemed to have lost patience and ordered more drinks, forcing them down Eric Asman’s throat.

There was a loud thud, followed by the clattering of dishes.

It sounded like he had slammed his head on the table. Just how much did he drink to end up like that…?

‘I’m never drinking with this guy.’

I’m terrified that I might end up the same way.

Elias whispered.

[So, it’s just you and your sister? No one else has been… you know, brought into that side of things this time?]

[Just let me… ah, let me sleep a bit. I really just need five minutes, and I’ll be good to go.]

[You want to die?]

[Huh?]

[…Never mind. Listen, I’m in a hurry here. So, is it just the two of you?]

[I don’t know. But it’s better if there aren’t more… I mean, there shouldn’t be more. Because… you know, to get the Vitriol, you need to cut down on the competition.]

Eric Asman giggled to himself.

‘This guy is relatively useless.’

Compared to Gerda Asman’s meticulousness and caution, this guy would be useless to the Pleroma side.

Then again, to someone blinded by greed, a 50 million won investment would make the investor seem like the most benevolent person in the world, so it’s understandable that his guard fell so quickly.

[How do you get that? Just give me a little hint.]

[You just… fulfill your mission. We’re like subcontractors… there’s nothing set in stone, but you know the people who were already there, right? If you get in their good graces, you’ll get it. You know what I mean?]

He was a bit sloppy in his explanation, but at least I could cross-check it with what Gerda Asman had told me.

[So, how do you get your mission? I want to receive it too.]

[You just… well, it’s been in my head since I was born, so I don’t really know. Hehe….]

[You idiot!]

[Stay calm.]

I could feel Leo gritting his teeth through the artifact.

Elias, after snapping at Eric, now soothed him with a gentle voice.

[Well, thanks for the info. Honestly, without you… you’re a real lifesaver.]

[Oh, I didn’t do anything.]

[But about today’s conversation….]

BANG―!

[Let’s just forget it ever happened.]

“……”

Right, this is who he’s always been….

It seems Elias slammed Eric Asman’s head into something—probably the wall. Given that there was no scream or groan, he must have passed out instantly.

Elias spoke in a satisfied tone.

[Brain damage is the quickest way to induce memory loss.]

[Pretty sure you’ve already chemically damaged his brain. How much did you make him drink?]

[How much did you drink?]

[One glass.]

[Boring~ should I order more?]

I half-listened to their conversation while mulling things over.

‘So, their mission has been in their head since birth… Gerda Asman wasn’t lying after all.’

And I learned another key piece of information.

They can’t use Vitriol.

‘Now I understand why Gerda Asman is trying to move so quickly.’

The “people who were already there,” meaning the ones who had been abducting people in Heiligenzi all this time, are the middle managers.

Until they catch the eye of those middle managers, they can’t use Vitriol.

Even if they can read emotions, it’s useless without the ability to use Vitriol—making them only half as effective.

‘And when asked if there were more people who became Pleroma this time, he said he didn’t know.’

Pleroma wouldn’t have limited their operations to just Heiligenzi.

So, to find out how far their influence has spread in gathering people… my connection with Gerda Asman can’t end here.

I have to use Gerda Asman to infiltrate deeper into the Pleroma organization.

Elias may have called him a fool, but Eric Asman turned out to be a valuable source of information.

It’s time to meet that middle manager.

From there, my abilities should be enough to handle the situation.

* * *

On the appointed day, I visited Gerda Asman’s house.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

Gerda raised an eyebrow, wondering what I meant, so I smiled and continued.

“Waiting for your letter made me forget all about being sick.”

“Oh.”

She smiled as she sipped her tea.

She must have found it amusing. She’d likely been reading my emotions while we were talking.

There’s no way I could love this kidnapper fanatic with a clear mind, so I had taken the 10th level potion.

I had asked Leo if he could increase it any further, but he refused, saying that while it was possible, there was a reason such a potent potion wasn’t sold.

‘At any rate, this is effective enough.’

I could still manage my anger well enough not to ruin things.

I engaged in some small talk before steering the conversation to the main point.

“Shall we get started?”

“Oh, sure.”

The current time was 3 AM.

It was a time when everyone was fast asleep.

Eric Asman was once again being held by Elias and Leo today, so there was no worry about someone interrupting.

“In fact, we’ve found another child in the meantime. He will likely be transported along with the one we previously secured together.”

“Is that so?”

I followed Gerda up to the top floor.

She stopped at the door at the end of the hallway, gripping her pendant as she turned the handle.

The sight that greeted me made me question my eyes.

A cold winter wind blew in.

High ceilings, arched vaults, stained glass windows… even the religious symbols in the distance made it clear where we were.

“A cathedral.”

“Yes. It’s a storage room I use now.”

It’s likely a cathedral in our world as well, but like Strauch’s place, it’s on a different coordinate plane.

I ignored the thoughts of trespassing or whatever and asked the important question first.

“We were just at your house… it’s amazing. Do you use magic to transport the children here?”

“Well, you can use teleportation magic on target curses from anywhere. But… I know you’ve been wanting to see this place for the past few days.”

“Were you thinking of me? That makes me happy.”

As I smiled down at her, Gerda stared at me silently for a moment before turning her head away.

“……”

What’s with the sudden change?

Gerda Asman

Favorability +8.5*

‘8.5?’

It was definitely 7.5 before, so why did it go up so quickly?

Even after thinking about it, I couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason. Was it the atmosphere of the place? The trivial ink gift and letters? Or perhaps the effects of the 10th level potion?

As the conversation dwindled, Gerda spoke up.

“Actually, there’s another reason why we need to move at this time. There’s a celebration planned tonight to commemorate my first success.”

They even do celebrations… these guys really must be desperate for people. They seem eager to boost productivity by any means.

I must have missed the timing to respond, as Gerda looked at me and asked.

“So, would you like to come with me?”

“Of course. It would be an honor.”

If the original novel followed its course, Eric Asman would have gone instead. But this…

‘This is good.’

If it’s a place where I can meet other Pleroma, there’s a lot I can gain.

As I kept staring at her, Gerda shrugged.

“Shall we begin the summoning?”

We descended to the basement through the sacristy.

Entering a chamber with an altar, I leaned against the wall and watched the ritual.

‘She uses her own blood.’

I’ll have to ask about the mechanics later.

Gerda clasped her pendant again and began to speak.

―”You shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

It’s from Genesis.

But at the same time, it’s also a line from Faust.

One thing that struck me was that this was the devil’s line.

As soon as she finished speaking, Gerda smiled and turned around.

“Simple, right? By now, they should have arrived.”

* * *

After asking me to wait, Gerda went upstairs to finish some preparations and then called me back to the first floor.

Where there should have been pews, rows of marble boxes lay like tombs. As I approached, I saw that they contained pale, lifeless children, lying in rigid postures.

Gerda stood before them, rubbing her chin as she looked down at one of the children.

“This one seems like they have potential. I think I might raise them personally.”

“Really?”

“I see talent. With proper training, they could even reach first-generation status. Hmm, the one next to them will be sent up as a blood material.”

Did I just hear what I think I heard?

In any case, this is what they mean by “potential” on the Pleroma side.

“You can tell just by looking? That’s impressive. Why didn’t you use this outside?”

“If we could detect this outside, Pleroma would have conquered the empire long ago. It’s hard to discern suitability outside the Pleroma territory. I think it’s because the air is different….”

Strauch had also mentioned something about not getting addicted to the air. These guys sure like using the air as a component.

I wonder how I’ll fare.

Since I’m in the world of Pleroma now, it wouldn’t hurt to know what kind of value I have to them.

‘Maybe I can use my suitability to manipulate other Pleroma.’

“What about me?”

“……”

Gerda’s eyes gleamed with a look that said she’d rather not find out.

‘So I’m perfectly suited…’

It makes sense, given my magical power.

As if to confirm my suspicion, Gerda grabbed my hand and lifted it.

“…Should we skip the party?”

“It’s a celebration of your achievement; we have to go.”

Do you think I’d miss this opportunity?

I smiled and shook my head.

Gerda nodded slightly and continued.

“When this is over, I’ll make you a first-generation.”

“……”

“In exchange, promise me this. No matter what another Pleroma tells you, don’t listen to them if they offer you the same deal.”

I learned something new.

There’s competition for achieving these “missions.”

And I’m currently classified as high-potential talent here.

‘This is working out well.’

I smiled and turned Gerda’s hand over, placing mine on top.

“Do you think I’d listen to anyone else?”

* * *

I will listen.

That’s what I came here to do.

I leaned against the wall, surveying the banquet hall as music played.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep