Published at 5th of December 2025 7:33 am

Chapter 98

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Golden magic flowed from Marianne Baums fingertips.

This was it. I had succeeded in gaining her trust.

Suppressing the smile that wanted to surface, I relied on the acting skills she had ironically described as perfect for one-on-one swindling.

Marianne noticed my expression and chuckled as she waved her hand.

Still in disbelief?

Youre not planning to deny being a mage now, are you?

I shook my head.

With my blood already spilled, there was no way to deny it, nor any reason to.

No, its just a bit surprising.

Its not common to see oldbloods using magic. Have you not met any other mages?

I have. But I never expected to meet someone like you.

Marianne nodded as if she understood.

Of course. Were all isolated.

She suddenly stood and poured another bucket of water over me.

Splash!

The icy chill seeped into my bones, making me shiver.

A bit of warning would be appreciated.

Youre lucky to have water at all. If you wander around like this, the secret police will get you.

She draped her coat over my bloodied clothes.

Come now, lets have a proper talk.

***

You said you know other mages?

Yes.

I replied while seated in front of a crackling fireplace.

Leo couldnt join me due to his public profile, but Elias and Narce might be able to accompany me despite the risks.

Even if the Catacombs werent affiliated with Pleroma, I couldnt let my guard down.

If they discovered that I was a newblood mage, I might not leave alive.

Then again, I havent felt safe since the moment I got stabbed.

Just because this was Robert Muellers base didnt mean Id capture him as soon as I entered.

Finding clues would require going deeper, and I couldnt do that without allies.

As I stared into the fire, Marianne silently sat beside me, her piercing gaze fixed on me.

Which school did you graduate from?

I graduated from a gymnasium in Hanover.

I recited the details of my fabricated credentials.

Ah, I suspected as much from your accent. Youre Prussian, arent you?

Yes. Im here on business.

What did your parents do for a living?

They were in trade during their lifetimes.

Ah, I see. My apologies for asking.

She must have already known.

No doubt shed done a background check over the past few days. She wouldnt have revealed herself as a mage otherwise.

As I continued staring at the flames, she spoke again.

Mr. Granach, how much do you know about the Catacombs?

All I know is that its a collective of commoner mages.

Marianne smirked.

So, not much at all.

Thats normal. If you knew anything, that would mean the nobles and even the Emperor know, too.

She continued.

As I said, the Catacombs are a gathering of commoners. Recently, its grown to include around 200,000 mages.

I cant even imagine that. Do they all live there full-time?

Some do. But others, like me, maintain lives on the surface and only visit occasionally.

How does one enter?

This was the most critical question.

Like Pleroma, the method of entering the Catacombs wasnt publicly known.

Do you want to go there?

I do. Knowing there are others like me, Id like to see it for myself.

Once you enter, youll have to register your name for life. Are you okay with that? It means not only will this harsh surface world track you, but so will another.

Her words carried a chilling weight.

Still, Elias had taken the same risk in the novel.

If I wanted to stop Robert Muellers plans and ally with the Catacombs before the Emperor obliterated them, this was a gamble I had to take.

Im fine with that.

Good.

Marianne grinned.

Speaking of which, I met someone like you yesterday. Youre around the same age. When you get to the Catacombs, you should get along well.

Yesterday? What a coincidence.

Indeed. I found some beggar lying face-down in the snow and flipped him over, only to sense magic in his pulse.

A beggar?

Yes.

Could it be?

Marianne clapped her hands, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Well, lets head out, shall we?

***

We stepped outside and climbed to the roof in silence. Snow continued to fall from the sky.

What are you doing?

Marianne opened her pocket watch, using a small mirror attached to it to reflect the sky.

Snow quickly accumulated on the mirror.

Preparing to go to the Catacombs. The sunrise will make for quite the view.

Why would reflecting the sky lead to the Catacombs?

Brushing off the snow, she grinned mischievously.

Ready?

I nodded.

Marianne grabbed my wrist and tapped the mirrors surface with her ring.

In an instant, the world seemed to flip.

!

Light seeped through my closed eyelids.

As balance returned, I cautiously opened my eyes to a sight I couldnt have anticipated.

This is the Catacombs.

We stood in a space surrounded entirely by glass.

Below us were clouds instead of ground, and in the distance, the sun was rising.

Light refracted off the glass, creating a soft, shimmering glow.

I turned, taking in both the pitch-black expanse behind us and the brightening horizon ahead.

I thought the Catacombs were underground burial chambers.

Even if it was just a name, this was clearly not underground.

If this much was known, it should have been mentioned in the novel. Perhaps Elias had been too disoriented during his visit to describe it.

That reaction is by design. When we first started calling ourselves the Catacombs, we intended it to mislead.

So even the name was a ploy to keep people searching underground.

Clever.

I liked it.

Marianne raised her voice, addressing the empty air.

What is right is wrong, and what is wrong is right!

The scenery shifted again.

Though the clouds overhead remained, we were now standing in a massive plaza.

A system to filter out outsiders once more.

From there, Marianne led me to the Catacombs security bureau.

The architecture mirrored our world exactly, making it unclear if it was based on something or entirely original.

The only difference was the glass walls, with clouds hovering just below eye level beyond them.

After having a vial of blood drawn at the bureau for identification, Marianne patted my shoulder.

Now that youre registered, if you have no plans, take your time exploring until six. Surface life is becoming increasingly restrictive, so you might find it harder to stay there in the future.

In other words, establish roots here.

Her support for commoner mages was evident.

I shold finish my business here quickly and leave.

Though I felt a bit guilty using her goodwill, coming here had been unavoidable.

Instead of replying, I asked a question based on what I remembered from the novel.

Do you often bring commoner mages to the Catacombs?

Yes, its a regular part of my life.

Isnt it dangerous?

Of course its dangerous, Marianne said, her tone grave. The risk of being discovered on the surface is high, and bringing the wrong person into this place could jeopardize my position here.

She must have noticed my silent gaze because she continued without prompting.

Last week alone, five mages were killed in Prussia. Did you know that?

I couldnt answer.

Marianne interpreted my silence and carried on.

Thats right, you probably wouldnt. Were so insignificant that our deaths dont even make the news.

Indeed, stories like that wouldnt appear in the papers.

To prevent even a hint of sympathy, such facts were deliberately excluded.

If the bourgeois commoners began seeing commoner mages as victims of massacres rather than just mages, it could spark unintended backlash.

The sun rises equally for everyone, but they believe only some deserve to stand beneath it. How could I not bring people like you here?

No matter how burdensome it may be, someone has to remind the world that we have the right to live. Someone once did the same for me. Now, its my turn to repay that debt.

So youve brought us to a place where we can see a higher sun.

Haha, thats one way to put it.

He chuckled lightly before adding, But theres another reason. The Catacombs need to grow stronger.

Stronger?

The Emperor must be terrified. After all, the consequences of centuries of persecution could fall upon him or one of his descendants at any time.

It would fall on him. Elias would bring him down with the help of the Catacombs.

Thats why hes so eager to snuff us out as quickly as possible. But we wont just lie down and die. The Catacombs need every hand we can get right now.

Then Ill do my best when the time comes.

Haha, lets hope it doesnt come to that.

I replied with a quiet smile.

At that moment, Marianne stopped abruptly.

Ah, theres someone I wanted to introduce you to.

Pardon?

She waved enthusiastically toward the distance.

Karl!

A young man accompanied by a wolf-sized dog was wandering nearby. Upon spotting us, he shouted loudly enough to make ears ring and sprinted over.

Teacher!

!

I knew this person well.

The black-haired Elias ran toward us, grinning ear to ear as he shook his head in mock disbelief.

Wow, youre really messed up this time.

What a way to introduce yourself.

Marianne scolded him gently.

I was too stunned to speak, pressing a hand to my neck as I closed my eyes.

So.

That beggar I heard about yesterday was him?

I couldnt help but laugh dryly.

Beggar? What beggar?

I didnt say that out loud yet.

Whats your name?

Dietrich Granach.

Huh, not exactly a beggars name. Interesting.

I told you Im not a beggar!

Elias chuckled, slinging an arm over my shoulder.

I shot him a look, silently asking what he thought he was doing in front of someone else.

Marianne, however, seemed utterly unbothered.

Hes quite personable, isnt he? Anyway, I need to visit my family. Feel free to call me if you want to leave.

Got it! Take your time!

Marianne seemed to have already figured out how to deal with Eliasby ignoring him entirely. She disappeared without another word.

She took his antics as mere friendliness remarkable.

Taking advantage of the arm over my shoulder, I pressed my right hand firmly onto Eliass head.

You little

Whoa, is this the first time youve ever cursed at me? Refreshing.

Stop joking. When did you even get here?

Yesterday. Couldnt leave you here alone, could I?

Pretending to care, no doubt.

He must have found out about someone in the Catacombs and decided to infiltrate early. The beggar act was probably his brilliant plan to get Mariannes attention.

Unbelievable. Meanwhile, I thought my nose was going to break.

Dont feel bad. It wouldnt have worked for you. Youre too well-groomed to pass as a beggar.

Says the guy whos pretending otherwise.

Alright, Dietrich, Elias teased, I bet youre shocked this place feels more like a city than you expected. But dont just sit around admiring the buildings.

Of course not.

Now that I was inside the Catacombs and Marianne was gone, it was time to investigate.

Elias wandered around the city with me, eventually leading us into a small tavern.

Two Weisswursts and beers, please!

Coming right up!

Did we come here to eat?

Theres a plan, Elias said, giving the owner a few whispered instructions before guiding me to the most secluded table in the back.

Even after casting a soundproofing spell, he lowered his voice further.

Your main targets still Robert Mueller, right? To stop our dear uncles lunacy and deal with the guy who almost put a hole in your stomach?

Exactly. Thats why Im here.

Good. So, yesterday, I checked out some of the radical anti-Pleroma groups in the area. If Muellers extreme enough to try killing you to hurt Pleroma, hes probably involved with them.

Hmm.

Not a bad approach. I nodded for him to continue.

But heres the thing they dont know him. Not a single one. I checked out three different groups, and they all reacted the same. If anything, they seemed like theyd kill Mueller on sight.

Really?

Yeah. These people would throw themselves off a cliff if you asked. Theyre scary loyal.

So Mueller wasnt with the anti-Pleroma radicals.

It wasnt a dead end, but it was disappointing.

Though I couldnt rule out all possibilities, Eliass assessment suggested this avenue was a waste of time.

Then our next step is clear.

Oh? Whats that?

Elias folded his arms and grinned, clearly curious.

Lets approach Pleromas faction in the Catacombs.

The lower ranks of Pleroma wouldnt take issue with an attempt on my life. Unlike the leadership, they had no need to consider the broader implications.

To them, Robert Mueller was likely a hero, and they might have gathered more information on him.

Eliass grin widened in satisfaction.

Of course. I knew youd suggest that. Im starting to get a sense of how you think.

He flipped over a receipt lying on the table, revealing rows of the same phrase written repeatedly:

In the beginning was the Logos.

It was a line from the Gospel of John in the New Testamentand from Faust.

I couldnt help but laugh.

Impressive. Howd you even find this?

People here love their codes. Fortunatey for us.

Is this a meeting location?

No, well have to move again. But as long as we have blood, we can access it.

Elias flipped the receipt back over and muttered, Lets wait until they show up.

I nodded and raised my beer mug.

Just then, a group of figures in black robes entered the tavern.

They handed a certificate to the owner and announced, Were with the Catacombs Militia.

While I watched without much thought, a familiar face caught my eye.

!

It was someone Id played poker with during the festivala mage from the Imperial Second Academy.

Elias noticed my reaction, his expression hardening as he glanced over.

The Imperial Second Academy only admits nobles. So why are they with the militia?

The robed figures scanned the room and spoke to the tavern owner.

Weve received a report of newblood mages here. May we conduct a search?

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