Published at 6th of December 2025 6:38 am

Chapter 251

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

"...Farnese."

"."

At Leo's murmur, Narce bit his lip.

"Is he your family?"

"No."

"Hmm."

Leo nodded.

It didn't take long for him to realize that something didn't add up.

"No?!"

"No, but yes. How on earth do I explain this...."

"."

Leo checked the pulse point below Narce's neck and then pressed his forehead with his hand. Narce, realizing what that action meant, shook his head.

"No~ I'm not crazy yet."

"I see. Then explain."

Narce stared at Gabriele Farnese's face on the screen. Leo's gaze also turned there.

He didn't resemble Narce. Although he walked around with an inscrutable smile of unfathomable depth, Narce was fundamentally soft and kind-looking. Gabriele Farnese was tall and thin, with sharp facial features. His eyes exuded a somewhat nervous atmosphere. He had black hair, which was particularly rare among mages, and was the same as Narce's.

Usually, the pigment fades and lightens due to the influence of magic, and for that reason, even in the East where black eyes and black hair are the absolute majority, mages have yellow or light brown irises and hair. It was the same here. In southern Germany, like Bavaria, darker hair was more common than blonde, and in fact, his own ancestors had black hair, but after the advent of magic, the pigment of his descendants continued to lighten, and by Leo's generation, it had changed so much that it was hard to see him as a Central European.

That being said, it was certainly not the case that all black-haired mages were special, but there were many cases of black hair among mages who were somehow different from others.

In that situation, the fact that this suspicious person's hair was black made even that seem suspicious.

'...Well, if I think about it, a guy like Florian Osterhagen also has black hair.'

Hair color is just hair color. Though the fact that it's the same color as Narce's is a bit concerning.

When Narce was silent, Leo turned over the newspaper he had placed face down and, pointing to Gabriele's hair with his hand, asked.

"You guys change your colors when you work. Why is this person's hair its original color?"

"Because he's not affiliated with the Holy See. He's affiliated with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. He's a noble from there."

A noble from there?

He was talking about his own family as if he were a complete stranger.

Leo ignored that point for now and asked the real questionable point.

"He uses that much Divine Power and is affiliated with a kingdom, not the Holy See? There's no reason for that."

Currently, in the Italian Federation, the Papal State holds the most powerful force. There is no reason not to enter the Holy See with that vast amount of Divine Power reminiscent of Narce.

"Yeah. More than that, I don't know what he's thinking, doing something like that again, no, I do know, but...."

Narce wiped his face with one hand and sighed.

"That person is not a Farnese, but a Caetani."

"."

Leo looked up at the ceiling, feeling like he wanted to clutch his neck.

Caetani?

That was....

"The surname you recommended to Lukas. Jeremiah Caetani."

"Yes."

At that time, Lukas needed elaborate identification evidence to counter Abraham's background check. Since the country was under Abraham's influence, he had to get a name from abroad.

Using the Farnese surname was the easiest, but since Narce was in the country, he couldn't use it. Instead, he borrowed the name of the Caetani family, who had been related to the Farnese by marriage a long time ago and still actively interacted with them to this day.

That's that....

Leo clutched the back of his neck and said.

"But this person is now using a fake family name in an international competition?! No, in the first place, you should be faking something you can fake!"

"."

Systematically, it wasn't impossible. But even if you could exploit a loophole in the system, people usually didn't do such things. Because they would be caught soon.

Narce, not very surprised, said with a dejected face.

"...It's complicated. My family and that person are not on good terms. In fact, it's more like he unilaterally dislikes me."

"Why?"

"...It's a very personal matter, so it's difficult to explain. I'm sorry. In fact, the elders of my family know that he sometimes impersonates a Farnese, but they let him be. After all, if you count in the Old Human way, he's about my cousin."

"You mean he's of similar stock to you?"

Narce was silent for a long time. He only answered in a low voice when Leo was about to give up on getting an answer.

"In some ways, you could say that."

"."

'In some ways' again?

No matter how much magic was mixed in, they were clearly different families, so there was no way they would just let this kind of indulgence slide.

'Do they owe him something?'

The Farnese family, to that Gabriele Caetani. It was suspicious that they didn't stop him even though he was doing something that would be troublesome for the Farnese.

Narce said to Leo with a complicated expression.

"Contact Lukas again, Leo. He's not a person you'd want to run into. That person will try to test Lukas. The fact that he finished the match in less than three minutes this time was also to meet Lukas as soon as possible. I'm sure of it."

"Test him?"

Narce answered with a hardened face, wiping his dry face.

"...He knows that I've become friends with Lukas."

***

"."

Gabriele Farnese.

I sat in the player's waiting room and looked at the screen. The player's match was so aggressive that it made me wonder where he had thrown his manners. And it wasn't very desirable either.

His final spell was a continuous recitation of the spell Narce had used to stop Auguste's unique ability before.

Magic that blocks the opponent's magic management. Seeing that it was a magic I didn't even know existed theoretically, even though I had memorized the Divine Power magic book whenever I had time, it must be a family-only magic or a magic used only by the Holy See. Considering the scale and risk, it was much more likely to be a Holy See magic formula.

From the moment the Qing player collapsed, the restriction magic cast by the Italian player had already taken effect on him. And yet, the fact that he continued to chant the spell until the end had impure intentions. It was highly likely that it was a spell uttered to express his own intentions, just like that French player or me.

So, when does the Holy See use this magic? Why does the Holy See use such a dangerous magic?

'It's obvious.'

Recalling that situation and the memory of the third exam, this must be a magic used to punish heretics and pagans, atheists and materialists, or any other violators of canon law.

The Qing mage was a pagan in the eyes of that Italian player. He belongs to an imperial family that believes in Tibetan Buddhism, and due to the Qing imperial family's policy of tolerancein reality, due to the imperial family's ambition to secure its influencethey use the Buddhist scriptures, the Tao Te Ching, and the Four Books and Five Classics as magic spells. The Tao Te Ching is mainly used because the images of Taoists and immortals match those of mages.

The player had done nothing wrong, and had just flown here with the Qing imperial family and participated in the match at the request of that imperial family, so there was no reason for him to be humiliated in front of people from all over the world just because he fought with pagan scriptures. That Qing player probably didn't understand the Italian spell, but the people of this continent did.

I didn't know there was someone in the Farnese family who had no manners or respect like that. In the first place, we knew almost nothing about Narce, so we didn't even know he had a brother.

'But they don't look alike at all?'

Moreover, surprisingly, while using Divine Power, he was holding the wand of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in Italy, not the wand of the Holy See. With that player's level of power, it would have been more likely for him to belong to the Holy See than anywhere else, so why was he holding the wand of another kingdom instead of that place? And yet, why was he chanting the magic formula of the Holy See?

Leo had said earlier, 'Narce wants you to forfeit.'

I think I know the reason. What was the meaning of him not showing respect to his opponent in the semifinals, unlike in the round of 8, and immediately using a magic that was no different from a dirty trick to block his opponent's magic? Why did he want to end it so quickly?

'I don't really want to think about it, but.'

Let's consider the variable that occurred from his perspective, that is, the reason why he suddenly changed his attitude in the semifinals, unlike in the round of 8. The most likely conclusion I can draw, using my intuition, is that he started acting like that after watching my match.

Then it means that he used a magic like a shortcut, even though he could have done it properly, to finish the match and face me even one minute sooner.

Perhaps if the Pentalon had been held about three times, that kind of special magic would have been treated as a foul and he would have been disqualified. I can guarantee that 100%. It's not that no one uses that kind of magic because they can't.

But now, there was no one in charge of the Pentalon who was properly in this place, and they couldn't even grasp what kind of magic he had used, so he was lucky not to have been disqualified.

I could have filed a protest, but....

I have no intention of filing a protest. For now, he must not be disqualified.

And I have no intention of forfeiting as Narce requested.

Just then, someone knocked on the door and entered the waiting room.

"It's time to move."

I looked at the hand of the staff member who had come to get me.

A cross was shining on his hand.

Currently, it was 50 minutes after the 600,000 people had been cursed. I couldn't let my guard down. Previously, the book code had come out about 40 minutes later, so this was a bit late, but it was too early to conclude that the terrorist had given up on executing the curse.

But now, it was the end.

Now, in just a little while, I could see the end.

I stretched my body for a moment and followed the staff out of the waiting room.

[Waaaaaah!]

The cheers of the people hit my ears. It sounded more like a sound from a storm than a human voice.

This time too, I came out before my opponent. As the cheers began to die down, the white door of the opposite entrance opened.

As the Italian mage I had seen through the screen earlier slowly walked out, cheers erupted again. Like me, he walked through the passage to the end of the circular stage. We stood there for 10 seconds, staring at each other.

An announcement was heard.

[3, 2, 1.]

[Begin.]

During the flag-bearer's ceremony, he raised his wand first. He turned his wand into a staff with one hand and opened his mouth.

Paul, an apostlesent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead....

'Hmm?'

This is....

Not a flag-bearer's ceremony.

He lightly raised his staff to the sky.

And all the brothers and sisters with me, To the churches in Galatia: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thud

As he lightly tapped the staff on the floor, a light spread across the floor. The white light and its afterimage sparkled and rushed forward, making it look like a snowstorm under the sunlight. The stage floor where the Divine Power had passed looked as if it had frozen over. It was quickly washed away by the organizing committee's purification, but for a moment, it felt like being in a fantasy.

Strangely, instead of a flag-bearer's ceremony, he offered a prayer for peace.

[Waaaaaah....]

Cheers from the audience were heard.

He smiled, looked at me, and greeted me in a low voice.

"It's good to see you, brother."

"."

I wondered what he was doing, but for now I just nodded slightly and performed the flag-bearer's ceremony.

And, while doing so, I opened the status window.

[Gabriele Caetani]

[Favorability -5] [Can be targeted]

Title:

Health: +7

Mental Strength: +8

Magic Power: +10

Skills: +6

Impression: 0

Luck: -2

Traits: Divine Power, Insight (Lv. 4)

Insight level 4?

Other than that, he's similar to Narce or.... worse than him.

And....

'I see why they don't look alike.'

Isn't that a name I've heard a lot somewhere?

It was the family name I used when creating Jeremiah Caetani's identity. It was also the surname Narce had recommended.

The reason Narce had recommended the Caetani surname to me was because it was a family within a range that could be covered if an identity problem arose.

That's not important.

What's important is that that person is an acquaintance of Narce.

'Hmm.'

As expected, the fact that the match time was shortened in the semifinals compared to the round of 8 is still a remarkable point. The fact that he called himself a Farnese was probably to let me know of his connection to him.

As if his dirty play in the previous match had gone somewhere, he waited patiently until my flag-bearer's ceremony was over.

As soon as I finished my last move, lowering the wand I had raised, his pristine white attacks came one after another.

Bang Bang! Boom!

I deflected his attacks by waving my wand.

The audience had already fallen silent. Unlike the semiinals where cheers and whistles were heard, this time I could feel everyone concentrating.

Gabriele Farnese, no, Gabriele Caetani, unleashed a barrage of attacks on me with a light flick of his wrist.

Just as I was starting to get bored, he opened his mouth in a quiet voice.

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.

"."

Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.

Bang!

He stomped his foot hard and thrust his wand.

Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous!

It was quiet. Nothing appeared. But....

Thud

[Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go.]

Booooom!

As I chanted a magic spell and slammed my staff on the floor, a roar of applause poured out from the audience along with a loud bang.

I already knew his methods well, having seen his previous match. The opponent hadn't attacked yet, but as soon as I put up a barrier, a loud bang was heard.

What could that mean?

It meant that his attack was coming at me, even though I couldn't see it.

"Hmm, be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go...."

The opponent burst out laughing and shook his head.

Then, he spoke briefly and rushed at me.

"For an atheist."

Clang!! Screech

I changed my wand to a sword and blocked him as he instantly appeared in front of me. The Divine Power flowing from his blade was cold. His gaze was the same. Except for the hint of interest and amusement.

For an atheist, he said.

'Is it because of his insight ability? He found out, surprisingly.'

More than that, what am I supposed to do about it?

What am I supposed to do about the government desperately using the Bible in magic spells to reduce the power of the Holy See? As long as the powerful have obtained magic, it was inevitable that magic would be associated with divinity. Some Old Human scholars even sarcastically said that 'the divine right of kings, which should have remained a folly of the old era, has been revived through magic'.

In any case, using scriptures in magic was a common phenomenon all over the world, and to explain the cause on this continent, it was because the influence of religion remained much stronger than in our 19th century, so the power struggle between religion and politics continued.

In the first place, even in our 19th century, Catholics and Protestants checked and competed with each other. The fact that the German Empire government of the 'world after magic' used Luther's German translation of the Bible for magic formulas was part of its activities to check the Holy See and the Catholic Church.

Many things had already changed in the world after magic, such as the interpretation of doctrine and the power structure, but even in the world after magic, the behavior of humans had not changed much.

Therefore, that author has no right to mock me for reciting a Bible verse without faith. In the first place, all of this is based on politics and ethnic strife, not faith.

He pulled his sword away from me and immediately charged it with Divine Power, swinging it upwards from below. I retreated from him and blocked the sword that was coming in from my right.

Clang! Clang!

And they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them.

The black eyes that were constantly following me stared at me for a long time, as if looking into my abyss. The sound of the blades was noisy.

Screech Sccrr

And they forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtaroth....

[Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.]

Pfft

The moment I finished speaking quietly, the Divine Power that had been swirling at the tip of his sword disappeared. The guy's eyes contorted slightly.

Of course. The magic formula I had recited was one that suppressed the opponent's attack. According to what I had figured out so far, the guy uses magic without revealing the trajectory of the magic. As such, he trusts himself and acts arrogantly. He's showing off by chanting the spell slowly, so don't I need to cut off his nonsense?

His eyes widened slightly, then returned to an expressionless state.

Whoosh Wham!

I retreated from the sword he swung and put a spell to my lips.

[Love never fails.]

His gaze went to the floor. The sword that had been relentlessly attacking me began to retreat. There was no visible attack. If he was going to make both magic and Divine Power transparent, then I was willing to respond by superimposing a couple of magic formulas.

The guy snapped his fingers. White Divine Power sparked from his fingertips. But that was it.

This is a magic that interferes with the opponent's magic management. It's a similar formula to the Divine Power magic formula the guy used earlier, but it mainly acts on the opponent's malice.

I sent magic power through my feet and continued the spell.

[But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away! For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.]

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Boom Bang Thwack!

He slammed his wand on the floor, destroying the magic I had sent under the stage, and, like me earlier, jumped to the side to avoid the attack.

His recovery is fast. He shook off the interference by chanting a recovery formula. He's definitely better than the player I met earlier.

'He's not a Divine Power user for nothing. If it doesn't work, then maybe....'

At that moment, he slammed his staff on the floor.

Booooom!

As I, the LORD, have spoken.

"...!"

The moment his words began, the sound echoed like thunder.

I reflexively clutched one of my ears.

Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them....

Gasp

The moment I tried to take my hand away from my ear, he appeared behind me, grabbed my hair, and chanted a spell into my ear.

So they are of no profit whatever to this people, declares the LORD.

Thud

Suddenly, the surroundings turned red. The audience seats disappeared, and all around turned to stone. I was standing alone in a high, rocky valley. A cliff was visible on one side. The sky was red, and the moon was tilted. A sandstorm was blowing, making it difficult to see ahead.

As a fellow Divine Power mage, I knew what this was.

'Illusion.'

The smell of blood stung my nose.

'Ah, this bastard too.'

He's not fundamentally diffeent. I don't know what he's doing this for, but....

It feels strongly like he's testing me. But whereas that French player earlier felt like he was trying to punish me, pushed by the mockery of the crowd, this one's purpose was closer to confirmation than punishment. At least, that's how I felt.

I don't know what he can gain by testing me. I don't know why an acquaintance of Narce would try to test me. And why at this time? Just because he met me, this one time?

I hear the sound of a trumpet. Blood and hail are falling from the red sky. I can't help but find this situation, where someone's blood is flowing down my cheek, truly disgusting.

But....

Unfortunately, because Divine Power flows through my body, and because my mind is not assimilated into the illusion, I cannot feel fear. Maybe it's because of the potion.

I felt the smell of blood filling my lungs and moved my arm. It wouldn't move. I stomped my foot hard.

Booooom!

[If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish!]

It was as if the dark magic of the world was being cleared from my feet, and in the blink of an eye after closing and opening them, the pristine white light of the magic lamp came into view.

[9.]

[8.]

The remnants of red magic scattered around. As expected, I was lying on the floor. I could see the opponent, who had lowered his body and retreated far away due to my attack.

[...Waaaaaah!]

The recreational shouts of the audience were heard, perhaps because I had overturned the tide of the battle.

As I pushed off the ground and stood up, the opponent, who was narrowing his eyes at me, thrust his wand and shouted.

Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain!

Clang!

Sleep magic. I tilted my head, lightly deflecting his magic. The sound of the opponent's Divine Power attack, which had been sharply honed, was strange.

There is one common characteristic of Divine Power magic: it doesn't work properly when the opponent is on guard.

It's unfortunate that he met an opponent with a bad matchup. He swung his wand at me and opened his mouth.

Whoever listens to you listens to me.

Bang! Thwack

'The same magic again.'

It's the magic he showed in the semifinals. He blocked the Qing mage's magic with this magic formula.

Every time I deflect the attacks he sends out, white Divine Power, its transparency broken, scatters like a snowstorm. The strong wind generated from his Divine Power messes up my eyes and hair.

If he insists on blocking my magic, I have no choice but to return the favor.

[Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.]

Whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me. The seventy-two returned with joy and said, Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.

His persistence is amazing. He's continuing this attempt to make my magic unusable.

I looked at the guy standing far away and, instead of slamming my staff down, I swung it wide.

[Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert!]

Booooom!!

Because my magic created a storm, I could see the people in the audience seats on his side leaning back in surprise.

He also covered his face with his arm and took my magic. He, who had been pushed to the edge of the stage, took a step back with his heel in the air and then glared at me. The moment he was about to open his mouth, I quietly opened mine again.

[For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.]

"...!"

The guy grabbed his arm.

I continued to thrust my wand at him. Even though my magic was rushing at him, he couldn't use any magic. He just ran like crazy, ducking and rolling on the ground.

How was this possible?

This bastard was so confident in his Divine Power that he had forgotten the basics.

What I had recited was a reflection magic formula. A defense against reflection magic. That was the most basic of basics.

'Of course, I didn't expect to be able to reflect Divine Power so easily.'

That was probably possible because I use Divine Power.

"...Ah, I see. Then...."

He took a deep breath and then, with his other hand, he hit the place where his core would be. Since he was only caught by his own magic, it should be easy to dispel. Thinking that, the moment I slammed my staff down hard to interfere with his movement, the guy opened his mouth.

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Once again, the world went dark. The moment I closed and opened my eyes, I was now in a desert with only sand. I had expected him to use mental magic frequently, but his ability to make full use of his specialty was amazing.

In any case....

I can't stay here any longer. 'Then...', he seems to have figured out how to deal with me.

Booooom!

I stomped my foot, immediately broke the illusion, and opened my eyes. Instantly, I heard his voice.

Enter through the narrow gate.

***

Elias's face contorted.

'What the....'

What kind of guy is that Farnese?

Lukas, who had quickly changed his wand to a staff and was standing holding it, staggered. Lukas's head was raised with difficulty, then fell down. That Gabriele or whatever, as if he didn't like that the magic didn't work right away, tilted his head and approached Lukas with his wand extended.

Enter through the narrow gate. I in you, and you in me....

"...!"

"That person, he's superimposing magic formulas in that way."

Yulia, who was standing next to him, muttered in a low voice. He's cutting and alternating between amplification magic and mind control magic.

For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. Ask whatever you wish!

Lukas's body staggered, his head bowed. He was still standing, so the magic hadn't completely taken effect, but he was not in good condition.

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

He, who had approached Lukas, grabbed Lukas's hair and lifted his head, just as he had done to the Qing mage, with a movement that showed no consideration for his opponent.

"Get out of the field."

He said so in clear German.

But Lukas, who had been standing using his staff as a cane, collapsed to the floor. Gabriele let go of his hair and let him fall.

Thud

Gabriele slowly looked around and said.

"Get up."

"."

"Why can't you get up?"

Lukas's quickened breathing was heard loudly through the microphone. Elias's fists clenched on their own. Yulia tapped Elias's shoulder to calm him down.

"De hoc speciale nihil est, cur ergo hunc hominem eligis? Quare?"

Gabriele tiltd his head and then, looking at the camera high above, said.

Latin. It was not a magic spell, but words spoken to someone.

[10.]

The countdown began.

Gabriele shook his head, knelt down on one knee, and sat next to Lukas. He leisurely looked around and then opened his mouth again.

Enter through the narrow gate.

"Why is he doing that again...!"

"Despicable."

Even Yulia agreed with Elias's opinion this time.

He must have interpreted Lukas not getting up as the magic not working.

In the first place, it wasn't a fair treatment to pit someone who could use Divine Power against another mage without any restrictions. The rules were incomplete, and the opponent was despicable. Gabriele continued in a dry voice.

For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction....

[...Beware of false prophets.]

"...!"

Elias's eyes widened.

It was faint, but it was definitely Lukas's voice.

Since magic began to spark from his hand, the countdown did not continue.

Gabriele looked down at him silently.

[...They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them... Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?]

For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.

Gabriele tilted his head and chanted the spell.

But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it!

[...On that day many will say to me... Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?]

Elias held his breath.

It was an extremely faint voice, but Gabriele's brow began to furrow. Even though he had recited the entire mind control magic formula, Lukas was still speaking. He looked relaxed, but his guard was rising, as I could see his shoulders slightly tense.

How?

Is it possible to resist with just the medicine he's taken so far? Even Elias couldn't know that. Lukas grabbed his hand, which was pressing on his forehead. He tried to pull his hand away, but it was already too late.

[Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!]

Booooom!

Once again, a red light struck. Elias narrowed his eyes, then regained his focus. Following Gabriele's scream, when he closed and opened his eyes again, Lukas was completely on his feet.

Lukas pressed his eyes with his hand. He looked at his opponent without expression and chanted a spell.

[What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside?]

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