How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 506

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“I am very pleased. To meet someone in Bamberg who thinks so seriously about death and resurrection.”

Having been invited immediately, I sat in Ralph Huber’s private office and spoke. Behind me were Emanuel and the Duke. I looked at Ralph Huber, who had brought tea and set it down in front of the three of us, and said.

“You seem to have great interest in death and resurrection as well, Father.”

So he must have fallen for Pleroma’s temptation. Ralph Huber, seated in his chair, nodded without hesitation.

“I am indeed very interested. I too, like you Pastor, feel that the current state of the world is wrong.”

“In what way?”

“Our era has become unstable. As the existing traditions and ethics that Christianity maintained have collapsed and science and reason have begun to dominate the continent, even the positive aspects that tradition possessed have begun to crumble. Europe now staggers without foundation, walking on brimstone.”

“I see.”

Ralph Huber seemed to have thought about this extensively, as he spoke fluently. Like me when I was preaching earlier, he continued with a face full of lamentation for the wrong world.

“Many people are mistaken. They believe that as humans have gained science and come to dominate the earth, they have become more progressive and rational beings, stepping toward a more perfect future.”

The Duke seemed to want to add something to this, as his hand twitched briefly, but remembering my request, he kept his mouth shut and listened earnestly.

“However, when everyone sees a new alternative to a problem, they either ignore or don’t think deeply about the problems with that alternative. People believed that by not believing in Christ, humans came to stand in the world on their own and escaped from the infantile Christian era of whining to God, and I shamefully thought the same during my seminary days.”

“So you thought that way, Father. What made you change your mind?”

“Because I gradually came to realize the reality of society. If science enriches our lives and makes everyone happy, why have the countless people suffering today increased rather than decreased compared to before the scientific revolution? Contrary to the rosy future we dreamed of, our era has not progressed desirably in harmony with science, but has come to live with science as a kind of religion. People have come to ‘worship’ science and reason instead of Christ. This is not healthy. They have merely changed the object of worship, and in the process, even the values of tradition have been seriously damaged.”

Wait… something’s strange here. The speaker and the content of his words don’t match. I opened the status window to confirm his name was Ralph Huber, and nodded for him to continue.

“I’m not just lamenting that they don’t enter into Christ. I lament because they are creating the evils of our time. Even worse, they don’t know they’re doing it, so they can’t recognize that wrongs are occurring and thus can’t remedy them. The virtue of the golden mean that Aristotle and Confucianism speak of is absent here.”

“You know Eastern philosophy as well.”

If he had decided to study broadly at university, it wouldn’t have been difficult for him to encounter such ideas.

I exchanged glances with Maria. Maria looked at me with eyes asking if this person was really wrong. While people could have different views, such opinions were common among various intellectuals from this era to the 21st century of the world I lived in, and were certainly not thoughts unique to Pleroma. So Ralph Huber was surprisingly speaking quite sensibly. From Maria’s perspective, and even from mine.

Ralph Huber spoke with concern.

“People believe it must be either this or that. If Christianity is wrong, then science must be our beacon, and if science is wrong, then Christianity must be our beacon. This either-or thinking is the product of pitiful ignorance from those who have neither the ability to think for themselves nor have ever tried. In reality, the evils that arise from ‘worshipping’ science are fundamentally no different from the evils that arose when Christianity dominated Europe. Pastor Ulrich Wirth seems to think similarly, and I’d like to discuss this.”

“Very well. But I am greatly surprised by your views and would like to hear more of what you have to say. Could you tell me what these evils are?”

“Espers discard people.”

At those blunt words, all three of us froze. No need to be tense. Ralph Huber doesn’t know we’re Espers. Since the majority of the population are Humans—naturally Ralph Huber was Human too—that would be the case. I nodded while suppressing my slightly racing heart. Ralph Huber repeated his words and continued.

“Espers discard people who don’t meet expectations. And Humans would do the same if given the opportunity. In fact, they’re already doing so. But they just don’t know they’re doing it. Unfortunately, since everyone is equally human, there is no absolute hope anywhere. When humanity first modified humans and created a new race, those new scientists—that is, mages—had expectations for the future. They believed a better future would be given to humanity. But did that happen? In my view, the lives of Espers are not much different from the lives of Humans. Far from improving, they are just as wicked and corrupt as we ordinary people.”

The Duke was clearly showing deep interest in his words. However, fortunately, he sat there without making any noticeable questions or reactions. We all wanted to hear more of what he had to say, and he spoke without being asked.

“We must already note that in the process of humanity abandoning God after the Enlightenment, they simultaneously abandoned traditional values as well. This was not something where only one could be chosen, but came as a package deal. Therefore, the most despairing thing is that the very existence of Espers doesn’t stop at functioning as a sign that our humanity has taken the wrong path.”

“Then what other problems are there?”

“Humans will become Espers in the future, and that itself will become ‘humanity.'”

I held my breath. Emanuel and the Duke also looked at each other. A bewildering shock flows through us.

Ralph Huber was speaking as if he had been to the 21st century. The birth of new humanity and new eugenics, the 21st century where those harbingers flicker from beyond the horizon. Genetic manipulation technology might someday enhance humans. There was no guarantee it wouldn’t. Therefore, from my perspective, this 19th century was not the past but the future. He didn’t agree with me on every point, but at least this time, he was thinking fundamentally the same as what I had thought about this world recently.

“Since the technology exists in the world and the foundation for developing that technology has been established, this change cannot be reversed. It’s only a matter of whether it comes in 100 years or 200 years. Hundreds of years from now, all humans will be Espers. Because people want their children who inherit their blood to also become more ‘advantaged’ than others. Right now, the monarchy doesn’t allow all of humanity to become Espers in order to monopolize power, but eventually when the monarchy falls, all humanity will be replaced by Espers. If there were no technology, it would take time, but since the technology exists and the whole world shares it, humans will not hesitate. What makes this possible is precisely the worship of science and reason. There is no longer any way to stop humanity’s misguided desires.”

The religious coloring in his words didn’t suit me well, but that wasn’t the problem now. I had come here thinking he was Pleroma, but he was saying something else entirely. To understand his intentions, I quietly nodded.

“Even this desire is being justified by economic logic. I don’t need to explain in more detail for you to understand, Pastor. Even though there have been cycles of corruption and reform, if the Christian worldview had fundamentally played the role of tradition in preventing such decline, now there is no such thing. If you think opposite to me, Pastor, you would need to provide profound grounds for why you think the masses wouldn’t choose methods to become more ‘advantaged’ than other humans in an era embedded with liberal-current capitalist values. Many people would speak about ethical problems like how that ‘advantage’ is calculated by such despairing and eugenic standards, but couldn’t even a 5-year-old walking down the street have such correct thoughts? No one is doing this because they don’t know the problem! The gap between ethics and reality leads humanity to decline. When people are actually given the opportunity to become more ‘advantaged’ than others for themselves or their families, they will abandon righteous words and do just that, and they actually have. Don’t the Espers that our humanity created in laboratories from magic, gaining magical power and technology, brazenly walk around in society?”

I could somewhat understand why Ralph Huber was impressed by my sermon. He was concerned about the very trend of science redefining humanity. As we sat frozen, Ralph Huber looked flustered for a moment and waved his hand.

“I think there might be a misunderstanding at this point. Of course, I don’t think you would report me to the police, Pastor, and even if you did, I have no intention of changing my opinions like a reed in the wind, but I must be clear about this. Some Human intellectuals say ‘Espers disguised as theology but actually armed with science are the root of all evil,’ but they’re wrong. There’s no such thing as ‘the root of all evil’! Everyone has contributed to creating evil, yet they criticize others as if it’s none of their business? Those who scientifically created Espers were none other than humanity itself, and that humanity is precisely the current humanity also called Humans. The reason was greed. Because of that very greed that has never once disappeared from human history. In other words, this is a problem of all humans.”

“Please continue speaking. I will not report you and have no intention of doing so.”

“Thank you. …However, having said this, hope also lies only with humans. But in the present, where we cannot contemplate the past like observing history, only sorrow remains with me. Many anti-humanitarian bourgeoisie don’t care at all whether workers sleep hanging from ropes, lose limbs one by one in factories, or have their jaws melt away. They only want to multiply the money that comes into their hands. This is the outcome of a society where traditional values and ethics like Christianity have collapsed. Even in the East, particularly in places like the Qing Dynasty, the profound values that thinkers there have built up over thousands of years are collapsing. As globalization is accelerated by magical power, the entire world is declining in the same way. Will this improve when the 20th century arrives? At this rate, whether a hundred or a thousand years pass, the bourgeoisie won’t care whether someone dies or not. They even twist the logic of science at will and use it as they please—the logic of survival of the fittest and natural selection. Not stopping there, people are wielding the power of medicine to prove the superiority of their race.”

I quietly responded to Ralph Huber’s lament.

“Like using intelligence tests to discriminate against their own citizens and selectively accept immigrants.”

“That’s really the worst.”

Ralph Huber widened his eyes and tilted his head with a face asking what on earth I was talking about. When I shook my head, he sighed.

“This is exactly what those who fanatically worship science as religion are like. Destroying all traditions in the name of emphasizing a scientific worldview, devaluing the spiritual cultivation of religion—all of this comes from fanatics who worship science as a new religion, the bourgeoisie support such fanatics, and uncritical people who haven’t developed the ability to think follow the bourgeoisie and fanatics. They think it’s okay for people without money to die. They never say so explicitly, but their deeply embedded danger sensors don’t respond to the suffering of those without money. That’s why I praised your views on science, Pastor. People shouldn’t lean toward this or that, but people are so enthusiastic about what has newly appeared instead of Christ that they can’t rationally weigh the pros and cons of everything. All of this is connected, but no one knows the reality. Therefore, the religious world is also seriously wrong now! We should not have allowed this second divine right theory that ‘magical power is God’s grace.’ It was possible because they distinguish what makes a better human without any qualms. They wear the mask of religion but have strayed far from Christ’s will!”

At the mention of the second divine right theory, I recalled what I had once said in front of Ishmailov, and what I had thought since coming here—perhaps fundamentally, what I had always thought since leaving infancy and gaining my own reason.

“There is no word as lamentable as Ancien Régime.”

“Exactly, Pastor. Your insight aligns with mine. For people living in this current era to call the past French imperial system ‘Ancien Régime’—the terminology reveals the thoughts of those who use it. People now commit sins that are the same in essence though different in form, throwing all that guilt onto the past and saying ‘we have already escaped from the troubles and decline of the past.’ But because we’re experiencing problems with the same essence while the appearance of events is different, we don’t realize the essence is the same, so truly, in this state, the situation will be the same even after a century passes. That the suffering people won’t decrease even after a century passes—I cannot believe it…”

Ralph Huber pressed his forehead as if he had a headache and closed his eyes. He spoke in that state.

“Only those who try not to go wrong even in the midst of a wrongly flowing current can change the times. But how distant a task that is. From afar, a hundred years of human affairs might be just an instant, but from our perspective living in the present, it’s not so. This one year is prolonged suffering. We cannot leave a starving person alone for a month. In that time, he would die. I cannot stand by and watch our suffering brothers and sisters.”

I slowly nodded.

Well now, something quite different from what I expected has unfolded… Still, I cannot let my guard down. Whether his views align with mine in some parts or not in others is not important. On the surface, we gathered here to discuss social problems, but my purpose is not there.

Just because he has long-held thoughts doesn’t mean he can’t be Pleroma. I leaned forward and asked.

“What do you plan to do instead of just watching the suffering?”

“I want to send as many people as possible into Christ’s embrace. Rather, because this is a time when science has gained power, unlike times when only religion was dominant, religion can play the role of moderation. We cannot stop the flow of science. If people can reflect on ethics through religion and restore community consciousness in order to use science beneficially rather than as a weapon, wouldn’t our society become much better?”

“Then what about death and resurrection?”

“It’s the same. Those who enter through the narrow gate and walk the narrow path can have eternal life. And entering through the narrow gate means living a good life, knowing how to care for and love others, and entering a world of respect and peace. If more people who have achieved such enlightenment increase, the world will naturally find stability.”

“But aren’t there many in the world who don’t enter through the narrow gate? Isn’t that why God led his son Christ to death?”

“That’s why my role as a clergyman is very important. All clergymen, that is.”

No, this isn’t the situation where such an answer should come. He gave an answer that was far too orthodox for a clergyman. I tilted my head and asked a more essential question.

“Aren’t you interested in realizing resurrection on earth?”

Ralph Huber smiled questioningly as if asking hadn’t he already answered that, and said.

“Entering through the narrow gate is precisely realizing resurrection on earth. The flesh does not determine a person’s life as materialists claim. It is a window that allows souls to communicate. Therefore, just as the Lord came to us and restored fellowship with us, the resurrection of the flesh means restoring love with people. We clergymen are doing the rewarding work of leading everyone through the narrow gate, and we must never forget such a calling.”

Not this time either. He thought too much in the way of a ‘clergyman’ and gave too orthodox an answer. I struggled to unmask him once more and said.

“We must not forget those who rose from the grave.”

“The grave? Yes, to restore fellowship, we must not forget those who have passed away either. We must treat everyone who lived before us with love.”

Not this time either! I shook my head, narrowed my eyes, and said.

“In the beginning was the Logos, wasn’t there?”

Then Ralph Huber looked puzzled at my sudden mention of such a topic, then nodded.

“That’s right. Now is indeed an era when we must restore the Logos.”

I exhaled and leaned back against the chair. Ralph Huber looked at Emanuel and me, wondering if he had said something wrong.

He’s giving irrelevant answers. Not just his words, but his non-verbal reactions including his expressions. “In the beginning was the Logos” is a biblical verse quoted by Faust, and in Pleroma’s world, it’s generally understood as their code. If he had talked about Logos, at least his eyes should have changed, or he should have asked if I knew too, or reacted in some way. If he were Pleroma, that is.

Did Pleroma establish their doctrine and preaching methods belatedly? That might be possible, but to seduce a Roman Catholic priest, they would have needed a sufficient system, and to gather believers in the first place, they would have needed their specific logic from the start, even if not as complex as in 1898. If they had simply tempted him with eternal life, could such a thoughtful priest have uncritically accepted such a preposterous claim? If he were blindly faithful enough for that, he should have already mentioned ‘I’ll teach you how to live eternally’ to me, who seems to share his views. Yet he’s only talking about devout matters of entering Christ’s embrace for eternal life. At this point…

I could roughly predict how things had unfolded.

I asked for permission to step away briefly, then grabbed Emanuel’s arm and went outside the room. Then I cast a soundproofing spell and said.

“This is not the time to stay here. We need to go to Nuremberg. Then to Regensburg, then to Augsburg. We’ll return to Bamberg afterward.”

“Are you saying you’ll tour the country with John Bunyan’s 【Pilgrim’s Progress】 and Jesus calls us?”

“Not Jesus calls us, but 【The Lord’s Calling: A Brief Essay on Death and Resurrection】.”

“You’re no ordinary person. Anyway, if you move around that quickly, won’t people find out you’re a mage?”

“If anyone asks, we’ll say we moved using simple portals used in America.”

“That’s illegal!”

“Since bail money is prepared, isn’t that settled? You’re surprisingly thorough about regulations.”

Emanuel tried to grab me in shock, but I avoided him and returned to my seat, saying to Ralph Huber.

“Father. It was a very pleasant conversation. Please write to anyone around you who might be interested in my story. I might leave Germany briefly within this week, so I’d like to meet as many comrades as possible before then.”

Ralph Huber was surprised and unfamiliar with my request to spread the word around, but answered happily.

“Around me? Yes. Of course. I too was glad to meet someone so full of faith. I’d very much like to see you again—could we meet and talk again before you return to America?”

“Of course, Father. It would be nothing short of a glorious honor.”

I extended my hand to bid him farewell. However, instead of taking my hand, Ralph Huber snapped his fingers.

“Ah, I have a friend who would like to hear your sermon.”

A friend. I cannot return without asking about this. Since there were already suspicious aspects if Ralph Huber wasn’t Pleroma yet at this time, I had said ‘please write to anyone around you who might be interested in my story.’

“You have a friend. What is your friend’s name?”

“Sarah Hohenfelss.”

Upon hearing that name, I had to make an effort not to close my eyes or furrow my brow. I asked, pretending not to know.

“Hohen. A noble then?”

I know the Hohenfelss family exists in both Württemberg and Bavaria’s Eichstätt… The Bavarian Hohenfelss disappeared hundreds of years ago.

“An old noble family. It’s a family that doesn’t exist now, and I don’t know how she maintains such a surname, but I heard she’s from a distant branch. Since she’s not actually nobility, she’s Human.”

“I’d like to hear more about Miss Sarah Hohenfelss.”

“An old friend. We grew up in the same neighborhood, and she was always devoted to religious life. Very devout.”

“More.”

I need to draw on information from 1898. According to the information Ainsiedel told Ulrike, the Archbishop of Bamberg Archdiocese has the name Sarah Hohenfelss. It must be the same person. I released divine power very faintly into the air and looked into Ralph Huber’s eyes.

“There must be more essential stories about Miss Sarah Hohenfelss. What comes to mind immediately when you think of that friend…”

Ralph Huber blinked his eyes a couple of times expressionlessly. Then he smiled gently.

“When we were young, that friend once proposed to me. Interesting, isn’t it?”

Emmanuel looked at me in confusion. Since one wouldn’t normally share such personal stories with someone they just met, Emmanuel realized I was using divine power. Ralph Huber, lost in thought, faithfully granted my request.

“Sarah is always a blissful friend filled with joy. That friend said that as long as one remains faithful to their beliefs, they can live peacefully for life within God. Just as you preached, Pastor.”

“Is that so?”

I stroked my chin while looking into Ralph Huber’s eyes.

“I’d like to hear more about that proposal story. It’s quite unique that a priest has a history of receiving proposals…”

“It’s exactly as I said. It was the day before I came of age, and she recited poetry under the rose vines. On a day when commoners were specially permitted to visit, we were able to enter the new palace behind this place… that is, the Neue Residenz, and we stopped by Rosengarten together. We were both excited because the roses were said to be in full bloom.”

“Pastor Wirth.”

Emmanuel widened his eyes and grabbed my arm. I folded his hand back and returned it. When Emmanuel interrupted his words and grabbed my arm, Priest Ralph Huber was momentarily flustered, then became lost in memories again and continued speaking.

“Since I always did my best to become a priest, I had no choice but to refuse, but having gone through all sorts of experiences because of that, we’ve now become the closest of friends. Yes. That friend is quite wealthy, so she might even be able to pay to hear your sermons, Pastor.”

I realized what Sarah Hohenfelss had done. I realized how he had shaped his friend’s life. I now knew the exact reason why Priest Ralph Huber in 1898 had obtained the position of auxiliary bishop without any special unique abilities. Because he had been with the diocese for a long time… A vivid sense of déjà vu washed over my entire body. I couldn’t say anything. I felt my head gradually beginning to ache. Ralph Huber, before having control of his life taken away, had been delighted to hear from the American pastor the same kind of theological talk his friend always used to share, and had called out to me. I swallowed, pressing down my Adam’s apple that seemed ready to push my tongue up and out. My esophagus felt like it was burning. When I touched the corner of my mouth, Ralph Huber asked with concern.

“Pastor. Are you alright?”

“Of course.”

No, I wasn’t alright. I wasn’t okay. He wasn’t okay either. Nobody was okay. I waved my hand and squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them. I smiled and said.

“I’d like to meet that person. When would it be possible to meet her?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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