How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 507

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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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“If you wish, it would be possible anytime. I’m always at home, you see.”

Always at home, I see. I smiled while suppressing the words that had risen to my throat. Ralph Huber checked his watch and stood up from his seat. With a bright smile on his face, he gestured for us to hurry along.

* * *

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Ulrich Wirth from America.”

Having come to the mansion led by Ralph Huber, I kissed the back of Sarah Hohenfelss’s hand.

Sarah Hohenfelss appeared to be a Human in her mid-thirties. There was no wedding ring on her finger. Was she still in love with Ralph Huber, who remained a Catholic clergyman? Did this mean she couldn’t give up despite knowing the vows he had made with God when he became a priest? That must be it. That’s why Ralph Huber of 1898 sits as Pleroma’s assistant priest… I had to struggle not to vomit everything I had eaten and drunk today from the faint scent of lotion wafting from Hohenfelss’s hand and arm.

Sarah Hohenfelss fundamentally looked like an intellectual. She was dressed more neatly than this strict Protestant American Pastor, and she gazed at the world with intelligent eyes while maintaining her dignity. Rather than bringing shame to her family name, she seemed to be the very embodiment of her lineage. If she aged as she was, the townspeople would deeply respect her—like the treatment commonly given to wealthy and wise elderly people in many villages.

“You’ve come from America, but your name is German.”

“Because I was born in Germany and crossed over to America.”

“That’s quite an intriguing background you mention. Since you’re someone my dear friend brought, Mr. Ulrich Wirth must surely be a good person too. So, I’m curious how our Catholic clergyman came to bring a pastor.”

Then Ralph Huber, who had been sitting with a satisfied expression throughout, placed his hand on my shoulder and answered.

“This person’s religious views are very similar to yours. I brought him because I thought you’d get along well.”

“Really? That’s quite a surprising story.”

Sarah Hohenfelss raised her eyebrows as if surprised by this unexpected fact. She invited us to the reception room and had a servant bring tea.

After that, I repeated the sermons I had given in the two cities, and by the time the story ended, I realized that Sarah Hohenfelss’s smile had never disappeared even once throughout the entire sermon. Sarah Hohenfelss gently lifted the corners of her mouth in admiration.

“Pastor’s views are very clear and timely. Thanks to their excellent appeal, I listened to the sermon without noticing the passage of time. It was a meaningful time.”

Excellent appeal—perhaps due to my charm trait and long acting experience. I welcome it. I won’t tell her that I’ve drawn countless people with this sermon. Even if there would be no problem telling her, I had to save my words to lead her in the direction I wanted.

“Having you regard it that way fills my heart completely. To think that Teacher Hohenfelss shares the same opinion as me—it’s amazing that such a like-minded sister exists in my homeland.”

“I like your words about being able to realize resurrection on earth. Science says resurrection on earth is impossible, but religion is a realm that cannot be approached through science. Also, now that magic has appeared and academic fields in magic are developing, with magic as science gradually building a sophisticated academic foundation, I think we can interpret the words of scripture with a sufficiently open mind.”

“That’s it, Teacher Hohenfelss. That’s exactly what I want to say. The resurrection that the Lord directly showed us will be right here with us.”

Then Sarah Hohenfelss lifted the corners of her mouth.

She dismissed everyone else and tried to speak with me alone, but I strongly insisted that at least Archduchess Maria should remain as my assistant, so the three of us ended up staying. Emmanuel wasn’t even there since we had dropped him off on the way to this mansion. With Ralph Huber gone, I tried to gradually change the subject.

“Hohenfelss—your ancestor must have been nobility.”

“That’s right. Strictly speaking, I am nobility too. I’m just not an Esper.”

I nodded as if surprised.

“That’s possible.”

“If you look carefully, you’ll find such cases. With such a large population, how could there be no such examples?”

“Of course that would be true. The Hohenfelss family—it must surely be a very distinguished lineage.”

At those words, Sarah Hohenfelss only smiled and didn’t answer. Anyone would understand that I meant for her to explain about her family. I smiled slightly.

What I saw when I opened her status window was ‘Erinnerungsverfälschung (False Memory)’. Having a unique ability despite being Human, she was either, first, a Human mage, or second, Pleroma. Circumstantially, the second possibility was much higher. Now it was time to open my status window.

My vision went dark as if the power had been cut.

When I opened my eyes, I was on a bed. The silk wallpaper of the Crown Prince’s palace came into view. Not much time could have passed, but upon returning, I missed my friend. It would have been fine even if he wasn’t five years old. This was because I knew that the peace of now, which wouldn’t return once the operation began, would slip away beneath my grasp like a handful of sand. Even so, from the desire to gather every single grain, I clearly wanted to find and grasp even this temporary peace. However, both he and I had to devote our hearts and souls to the operation from our respective positions, and neither of us intended to seek such meager peace. I sprang up from the ground, quickly donned Nicolaus Ernst’s ceremonial robes, and wrapped myself in a robe. After creating a mask with magic power, I left the Crown Prince’s palace, summoned my secretary, and headed to the Wittelsbach archives.

The guards standing in front of the archives confirmed the appearance of my secretary and me, then stepped aside with stamping feet. Knowing this was a time that required thoroughness, I manifested divine power from my hands to use as identification instead of an ID card, so as not to teach them complacency. That was also why I came personally instead of just sending my secretary. They quickly closed the door after I entered.

I changed my wand to a staff, struck it down, and chanted a spell.

—Seek, and you shall find.

“Hohenfelss.”

Every corner of the archives was covered in light. It seemed like it wasn’t such a small family, as it would take quite a while to examine everything. My secretary quickly waved his wand to collect the documents. While he organized the documents, I expressed my gratitude and began reading from the documents on the bookshelf within reach.

[…The Hohenfelss and Erenfels families, branches of the Raitenbuch family who were vassals of the Bishopric of Regensburg…]

[…The bloodline was severed and the family was extinguished in the early 15th century.]

[…Albrecht von Hohenfelss, a canon of Eichstätt Cathedral, and Ulrich von Hohenfelss, abbot of Spalt Monastery…]

A vassal family of the bishop. They had deep connections with Christianity from ancient times. The line was broken in the early 15th century. I covered it again, placed it on the table, and opened other materials.

[…On December 28, 1250, Konrad von Hohenfelss, head of the Hohenfelss family, attempted to assassinate Conrad IV of the Hohenstaufen dynasty on the orders of the Bishop of Regensburg, who was loyal to the Pope. When Conrad IV, who had been in continuous conflict with the Pope, came to stay at the monastery in Regensburg, the Bishop of Regensburg saw this as an opportunity to prove his loyalty to the Pope and instigated the assassination through his vassal Konrad von Hohenfelss. However, Konrad von Hohenfelss failed in this mission and fled. Although Conrad IV later destroyed Hohenfelss Castle, it was quickly rebuilt…]

Something to consider from the numerous Hohen clusters: to put it simply by condensing various examples, the name ‘Hohen (high)’ is attached to regions or buildings located on high ground. Since using place names as surnames is usually done by nobility—for example, Lucas von Anhalt, Leonard von Bayern—anyone hearing the name Hohenfelss would immediately recognize it as a noble surname, regardless of whether they knew if such a family actually existed.

One of my curiosities is this: With what confidence did Sarah Hohenfelss boldly claim to be a successor of the Hohenfelss family that had already ended in the 15th century, and how was this accepted by local society? Sarah Hohenfelss doesn’t even currently reside in Regensburg’s Hohenfelss or its vicinity, but is in Bamberg, which is much further north. Did Sarah Hohenfelss use her false memory unique ability on the Bamberg residents? Or is she from Württemberg’s Hohenfelss, making her a person from a still-existing family? As I thought when talking with Ralph Huber, there are two Hohenfelss families—Bavaria’s Hohenfelss disappeared, but Württemberg’s Hohenfelss remains.

I called my secretary.

“Count. Please check if there were any grave robbing incidents at the Württemberg Hohenfelss family.”

“Understood, Your Excellency.”

In the case of families with surviving lineages, they would be managed relatively easily. The reason we’re having difficulty finding materials now is that too much time has passed since Bavaria’s Hohenfelss was extinguished. I skimmed through all the other materials.

[In the 13th century, the Cistercian nunnery of Pielenhofen was established by the Hohenfelss family and other servants of the Bishop of Regensburg.]

[Similarly in the 13th century, Adelheid von Hohenfels and her husband established Seligenporten Nunnery in Eichstätt.]

[…In 1427, administrators of the Palatinate Wittelsbach family occupied the castle, and it was later destroyed by Bohemian Hussites. The castle was rebuilt again…]

[The Hohenfelss territory passed to Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, and …in 1804 the Hohenfelss administrative office was dissolved and the intact castle was sold for demolition.]

[When Bishop Bulping of Bamberg granted Vellinggries, Hemau, Amberg, and Nitenau as fiefs to Dukes Rudolf and Ludwig of the Palatinate Wittelsbach, people from the Erenfels family, commonly considered a brother family of the Hohenfelss family, attended as Wittelsbach vassals.]

[Albrecht von Hohenfelss was Bishop of the Eichstätt Diocese. However, when Berthold von Zollern was appointed as the new Bishop of Eichstätt in 1351, Albrecht I gave up his rights as bishop. He died in 1355 and was recorded as being buried in the Willibald choir stall of Eichstätt Cathedral, but his tombstone does not currently exist.]

This Berthold von Zollern with the familiar surname is indeed a distant ancestor of Elias. You might wonder why Zollern served as bishop of Eichstätt, which currently belongs to the Kingdom of Bavaria, but originally the Zollern family started from the current Duchy of Württemberg location—that is, the south.

Like this, whenever I opened articles and books containing stories of Hohenfelss, medieval terms like Palatinate Wittelsbach, Zollern, fiefs, and bishoprics were mixed throughout the documents. The only article not used with old terms was this one.

[Hohenfelss Castle is currently demolished and being used as a quarry.]

Just from the words used, one cannot help but be conscious that Bavaria’s Hohenfelss was a family that disappeared long ago. No matter how I looked at it, there was no basis for a Hohenfelss person to exist in 1886.

My secretary approached and said to me.

“Your Excellency. There was a cemetery vandalism incident at Württemberg’s Hohenfelss in 1889.”

“What about before 1886?”

“None.”

“Then, this time it might be difficult, but please find out if a person named Sarah Hohenfelss lived in Bavaria’s Hohenfelss.”

“Bavaria’s Hohenfelss is already…”

“It would be difficult, but please.”

“Understood.”

At his answer, I nodded and struck down my staff.

—Seek, and you shall find.

I spread divine power once more and spoke word by word. Bavaria, Regensburg, Pielenhofen, and Seligenporten.

I searched suspected areas to see if there were any cemetery robbing and vandalism incidents before early 1886, but there wasn’t a single case. Was it because the incidents in such small areas didn’t make the news? Both Pielenhofen and Seligenporten are located where you’d have to travel quite a distance to reach the city.

Or perhaps.

[…Albrecht I gave up his rights as bishop. He died in 1355 and was recorded as being buried in the Willibald choir stall of Eichstätt Cathedral, but his tombstone does not currently exist.]

After Albrecht von Hohenfelss’s death, too much time had passed and his remains disappeared, were transferred elsewhere, unofficially moved, or discarded. Or the records were wrong from the beginning.

If Sarah Hohenfelss was really a person from the 13th to 15th centuries, her body could have been moved to a place unknown to anyone, like Albrecht von Hohenfelss. Since it’s not a recently disappeared family but one that’s been gone for hundreds of years, it’s hard to believe the tomb would remain in place.

Then there’s a question at this point.

It was Pleroma who created those who rose from graves. Pleroma’s founding preacher would have accomplished such things. If people could naturally resurrect from graves, rumors that the dead could be resurrected should have circulated even before Pleroma, but resurrection of the flesh has always been considered absurd.

In 1886, Sarah Hohenfelss had been friends with Ralph Huber for at least 15 years. Didn’t Pleroma begin in 1885?

* * *

There are four possibilities.

First, Sarah Hohenfelss is just a living person and a Hohenfelss imposter. To believe this, I’d have to ignore the fact that the status window displayed her name as Sarah Hohenfelss exactly as it was.

Second, I had to bet on this possibility. As a mental-type ability user, Sarah Hohenfelss inserted false memories into the entire village. After resurrecting and meeting Father Ralph Huber, Sarah Hohenfelss, who fell for him, manipulated his mind to easily draw Ralph Huber into Pleroma. As if they had known each other since childhood. But then why would she insert such absurd memories like ‘proposing to a Catholic priest’? Wouldn’t implanting memories like ‘you have loved me all along’ be better for achieving her goal? Of course, even if memories were implanted, from Ralph Huber’s perspective, he would have confusingly thought that from today onward he felt no love for Sarah Hohenfelss at all, so it would likely remain in past tense, and for pretending long friendship, implanting intense events would be much easier and more effective in memory than implanting small, quiet daily memories.

But it’s still suspicious.

Third, actually Pleroma was active even before 1885. Even as I think about it, it’s absurd.

I’ll skip the fourth.

“You suddenly collapsed and we were quite startled. Are you alright?”

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw unfamiliar eyes acting worried. It was Sarah Hohenfelss. Archduchess Maria’s hand was hesitantly massaging my shoulder. I frowned, bolted upright, and acted.

“Oh my.”

“Your health doesn’t seem to be good.”

“No, it’s not that… I’ve been speaking continuously since morning after entering the country, so I must have unknowingly ended up like this. I’m usually healthy.”

“You don’t look it.”

“It would have been nice if I looked it, but that’s unfortunate. Still, there’s no need to call a doctor. My goodness, I’ve caused unnecessary worry.”

Now, let me think calmly.

What should I do? How should I extract information from Sarah Hohenfelss? How do the Bamberg Archdiocese where Sarah Hohenfelss serves as archbishop and the Eichstätt Diocese function as one diocese—is this from ‘when rising from the grave,’ or from before that? After confirming the Hohenfelss family’s brilliant influence, I can’t help but ask. Why didn’t Sarah Hohenfelss, a person from Regensburg, go to her place of origin? Was it because she hoped her beloved would be promoted in the Bamberg Archdiocese? So, isn’t there a way to gather all the information about these Bavaria regional Pleroma dioceses at once?

Sarah Hohenfelss said she only stays at home. If she’s not manipulating memories daily, that would be true, and if she really is someone who rose from a grave, she would want to stay home even more. The 13th-15th centuries when she lived were so different from now that she would feel as if she had fallen onto an alien planet. If Sarah Hohenfelss really only stays at home, then the lever to cross into Pleroma’s world is also in her house. Sarah Hohenfelss appears to always be at home because she stays in Pleroma’s world.

Therefore, I considered the method of luring Sarah Hohenfelss outside, then finding the lever in her mansion and crossing into Pleroma’s world with Maria. However, if this attempt were the end, I would do so, but I want to keep control of this world’s Pleroma in my hands too. For that, I must be cautious. If I recklessly cross into Pleroma’s world without consent, Sarah Hohenfelss would track me, and to avoid damage from that, if I eliminate or stop Sarah Hohenfelss, someone else would become Bamberg’s archbishop, so nothing would be resolved in the end.

Should I win Sarah Hohenfelss’s favor? I absolutely didn’t want to do that.

Therefore, my strategy was this. I dry-washed my face and waved my hand at Sarah Hohenfelss, who was pretending to worry about me.

“I’m really fine. Rather, I don’t have time for this—it’s not time to lie down because I’m tired, but I must fulfill my calling before returning.”

“No time?”

“I must report on evangelism results to the church in America, and I have commentary work I was writing.”

“You have many places to contact. Then, what do you mean by calling?”

“Through my sermons, I plant hope of resurrection and eternal life in many people. I tell them that we must not lose hope and move forward with firm faith. Our children of Christ must unite.”

I know that Pleroma is still in the early stages of their religious order. They are just beginning. Aren’t there elements I can exploit from this? There are gaps, aren’t there…

Sarah Hohenfelss, who had been sitting with an unreadable expression, spoke.

“In the beginning was the Logos.”

I must not reveal that she said the same thing to Ralph Huber. I’ll need to tamper with Ralph Huber’s memory.

I nodded as if I didn’t know.

“That’s right.”

Instead of saying “That’s right,” I should have remained silent and looked into her eyes with scanning eyes. That’s what I should have done if I were Pleroma. Sarah Hohenfelss, who noticed from my reaction that I wasn’t Pleroma, leaned forward.

“What is your next schedule?”

“I plan to preach in Nuremberg and Bayreuth.”

Sarah Hohenfelss nodded and thought for a moment, then gestured for us to wait and moved to another room. About twenty minutes later, she returned to the reception room and spoke to us.

“I have a favor to ask. There are people who need the pastor’s help right now.”

“Please tell me.”

I answered with a solemn face like Sarah Hohenfelss. She stood up from her seat and gestured to us. She went up to her room, had everyone hold hands, and moved the frame above the fireplace. The scenery changed.

Archduchess Maria’s eyes changed as she witnessed the spatial magic technology she had only heard about. Sarah Hohenfelss gestured. I looked around the scenery and asked.

“This place is…?”

“A cathedral.”

Sarah Hohenfelss stated the obvious. I know that too. Which cathedral would it be? It must be Bamberg Cathedral. I memorized the interior, planning to go back and look for it later.

Strangely, Sarah Hohenfelss had everyone hold hands again and approached behind the altar. Could there be another movement lever? Peculiarly, Pleroma had already occupied the cathedral’s spatial magic for themselves in 1886. How could they possess such amazing technology so early? I watched Sarah Hohenfelss’s actions with heightened senses. Her dignified movements seemed slow. Sarah Hohenfelss’s hand touched the golden candlestick.

As soon as she pushed the candlestick back slightly, the colors and light before our eyes completely changed. I looked up to confirm that we, who had been at the altar, were now at the entrance again, and unlike before, I noticed that countless people were sitting in the seats. Munich Cathedral. The very place we had already swept clean.

There was a lever to move from cathedral to cathedral. Seeing that it operated by moving objects near the altar, it was naturally made for the convenience of clergy. From priests to believers, everyone was looking at us. Sarah Hohenfelss pointed to the front of the altar.

“The people here want to hear your sermon, Pastor.”

I showed reluctance and stepped back. While doing so, I whispered at a volume only Sarah Hohenfelss and Archduchess Maria could hear.

“Why?”

“Because they want unity. Your words and expressions have a power that strongly attracts people. Our children of Christ want exactly that strength and firmness.”

It’s not that they want it, but because they need it. Cult religions always need preachers who can bewitch people with words, and such smooth talkers are the main contributors who grab the church’s revenue by the collar and lift it up. These types later rise to executive positions. From now on, I will serve Pleroma without knowing I’m in Pleroma’s world, and they have no plan to forcibly make me Pleroma immediately—because they know many people in America are already waiting for my contact. Those who rise from graves are isolated, but those who don’t must be careful. As I pretended to be flustered, Sarah Hohenfelss asked.

“It seemed like you wanted to preach, didn’t you?”

“No, I want to preach, but this is the problem. Would it be acceptable for a pastor to preach in a Catholic church? They won’t welcome it!”

Welcome it my ass. Just then, Sarah Hohenfelss smiled and said exactly what I was thinking.

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

Of course not. You’re not Catholics but heretics. I made a confused face while touching my lips. But inside, I wasn’t confused.

Success. Now I could truly begin.

* * *

Leonard Wittelsbach often clashed.

Between the duties of an absolute monarch and the values of liberalism, he agonized. He had only one duty, and to fulfill that duty, he had to do things contrary to the values that touched his heart. His close friend from Prussia, who threw himself into the values of liberalism and social security, agonized over questions that Leonard Wittelsbach pondered fiercely but could not center on. Conversely, Leonard Wittelsbach agonized over types of questions that his close friend, one of countless collateral royals who didn’t bear the monarch’s duties, had never experienced. Now was exactly that moment.

“Your Highness the Prince.”

The elderly advisors who entered the conference room politely greeted and sat down. Leonard Wittelsbach did not shake hands with them. When with friends, he often shook hands with everyone. Not today. His position did not allow handshakes. In any direction.

Leonard Wittelsbach remained silent before his staff who shared every move with him, as he was about to launch a major operation. The oldest among the staff who had been waiting for his words spoke up.

“You said you would meet directly with the Catacombs, Your Highness.”

“That’s correct.”

Leonard Wittelsbach now answered.

“Do you mean to go to war with Prussia?”

Even during the Penthalon incident, they had mobilized Catacombs personnel. However, at that time, they diverted them through the Papal States, officially making it appear as meeting with Papal States personnel. Also, except for unofficial strategy meetings with Marian Baum, they did not directly face Catacombs officials. That was the way to protect the Catacombs mages from Prussia, which would investigate.

Now Leonard Wittelsbach said he would directly confront the Catacombs. By doing so, he shocked his advisors. An advisor said.

“The method is to communicate through Catacombs mages who have moved to the Papal States or overseas as before, Your Highness. I dare to say this.”

“The Catacombs said they would no longer put forward Marian Baum alone as a diplomat. This is a letter I received from Count Marian Baum five minutes ago.”

Having Marian Baum alone continue to communicate with the outside was also a high-risk matter from their perspective. Marian Baum was not the chairman there, and even if he were chairman, they couldn’t let him independently handle so many important matters. The Catacombs’ decision was correct.

This itself was an answer to the advisor’s request. Not communicating through Marian Baum alone meant they wanted their leadership, administrative organization to negotiate with administrative organization. Despite receiving their opinion, contacting Catacombs personnel who had escaped to the Papal States would be an act of not respecting the Catacombs as an equal negotiating partner, destroying mutual trust.

The advisor, who was briefly troubled, said.

“So you’re saying you’ll receive several Catacombs leaders simultaneously? The Imperial Constitution defined human mages as illegal beings. Bavaria not following the Imperial Constitution would be sufficient to be interpreted as declaring war against all of Germany immediately. I also consider the unconstitutionality and immorality of the Imperial Constitution led by the Kingdom of Prussia very problematic, but war is another matter. If we gradually protest Prussia’s decision and restore the Catacombs issue to its original state, we can minimize bloodshed, but if you move boldly enough to risk war, hundreds or thousands of innocent lives will be lost.”

“And most decisively, the Catacombs leadership will not welcome Your Highness’s appearance.”

Leonard shifted his gaze toward where the voice came from. Another advisor sitting at the end of the table advised with a serious face.

“Even if Your Highness is friendly to them, they are never friendly to Your Highness. Judging that the Catacombs are on Bavaria’s side based solely on friendship with Count Marian Baum is impossible. Your Highness, the Catacombs are not enemies of the royal family, but the royal family is an enemy of the Catacombs.”

Leonard remained silent without expression, letting the advisor continue talking.

“This is said from the royal family’s security standpoint, but from the Catacombs’ perspective as well, meeting with Your Highness the Prince would likely be seen as a threat from the royal family, the state’s highest power. Therefore, for Your Highness not to threaten the Catacombs, you would have no choice but to treat them with a low posture, and the Kingdom of Bavaria will not tolerate that. Thinking from the Catacombs’ perspective, this meeting will benefit no one and only leave wounds. Please reconsider.”

Their opinions grew more intense and began to ripen. Leonard didn’t miss a single word of all that advice and drew a progress graph of this meeting. Another advisor spoke to the prince to solidify his argument.

“Your Highness has no intention of adhering to what is wrong like His Majesty the King. The reason Prussia has turned a blind eye until now, knowing that Bavaria has been acting independently, was to avoid unnecessary conflict with Bavaria. However, directly contacting Catacombs mages changes everything.”

At those words, Leonard smiled. Then he firmly opened his mouth.

“Enough.”

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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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