Published at 6th of December 2025 6:53 am

Chapter 298

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Why are you just standing there blankly.

Lukas chuckled and raised an eyebrow. The uniquely carefree smile of his, which I usually found subtly disagreeable, gave me no particular impression today. No, to be precise, that casualness made my tension completely melt away.

As I staggered toward him, the servants supported me with surprised eyes. I squeezed out my non-existent voice and spoke to the servants.

Could you please go back inside?

Normally, I would have smiled and made a polite gesture, but I couldn't now. I acted almost like I was throwing a tantrum, knowing I shouldn't behave this way to anyone at my age, and moved away from the servants, practically pushing Lukas along.

Aren't you going to cast it?

Instead of going so far, just cast a sound-dampening spell, Leo.

The words scattered in my head. I walked distractedly, searching for an empty space, and only stopped when I reached the shade of a tree in front of the lake, quite a distance from the building. Lukas stared down at this spot as if reminiscing about something, then raised his head. My eyes, which had been darting around with my hands like a person who touched their earlobe and then forgot what they were supposed to do, met his. Lukas, aware of my confusion, waited patiently for me to speak.

The wind brushed past my face. As if letting my voice be carried away by the wind, I managed to draw out the voice that wouldn't come and barely opened my mouth.

How did you do it? I with you

came back together. It's not my delusion, right.

Right, it's real. About six hours ago, wasn't it?

Lukas muttered, looking up at the sky. The sunlight filtering through the gaps in the trees settled on his face.

The sun was setting just a moment ago. The sunlight feels nice.

This is impossible.

It's possible.

Lukas spoke in a definitive tone, yet with his usual expression, and lightly stomped his foot.

Kwaang

A light that burst from under his feet poured down along the willow trunk and dyed the green grass on the ground white. Then, even the surface of the water was completely covered in light, creating the illusion of being lost in a dream. The wind created by his Divine Power lightly brushed against my face.

If this place, created by Lukas's Divine Power, had to be someone's dream, was it my dream? Now that the selfish wish I had endlessly hoped for, even after gaining the privilege of reading the vanished time, had come true, what else could this be if not my dream?

As my eyes were captivated by nature that seemed to belong to another world, Lukas snapped his fingers. With a crackling sound, red Magic Power enveloped his hand and flared up. A crimson flame, impossible to create even if one tried, sparked before my eyes, and a cool, yet exceptionally chilling Magic Power seeped into my veins. He looked around the garden, which seemed as if the sun had descended upon it, and spoke.

Have you ever imagined this?

No.

Right. Then what is this place that surpasses your imagination, if not reality?

The constantly flowing Divine Power rustled my hair. In this place where the leaves of plants fluttered, Lukas was smiling playfully. He mixed red Magic Power into the air and then changed the color of his eyes with Divine Power. His magic quickly turned yellow, and then took on the same color as mine. He created a rainbow in the sky and said,

Ah, I should be teasing you at a time like this. What kind of person am I in your imagination? What does the me inside you not do?

You do everything. Whatever you do, it's all real.

I poured out the words that had been only in my mind, without even realizing it. Lukas raised an eyebrow and asked.

So, you're saying I do everything you imagine. That the me in your imagination is the me in reality?

Perhaps

The friend before my eyes was making my imagination, everything I had only ever watched, into reality. He made all impossible things possible.

At my mumble, Lukas let out a disbelieving chuckle. In that moment, a pain struck my forehead.

Paak

Snap out of it.

! What are you doing?!

I pressed the spot where Lukas's magic had struck and grimaced. Lukas rubbed his forearm and spoke as if he was fed up.

In what context are you saying that I feel a serious sense of crisis. At this rate, you'll be using R=VD as your unique ability.

What crisis?

It feels like I'll either be dragged along into your process of getting a Ph.D. in magic studies, or I'll end up donating ten years' worth of my Magic Power to your research.

Why are you so specific? I'm not getting a Ph.D., and I won't ask you to donate. And what's R=VD?

It's a thing.

Lukas said it gave him the creeps, but he didn't seem to be in a bad mood as he smiled and looked around. Then he continued on the topic of what I said earlier.

So, if I were to jump into the lake right now, you wouldn't doubt your eyes?

I would doubt them. But you're the kind of person who could do that in reality too.

This is awkward. Then what if I said I've truly fallen in love with the owner of this ring right now?

Lukas tapped the metal inside his left glove. He was talking about the Archbishop of Freiburg's sapphire ring. My mind went blank thinking about his track record, but I took a deep breath at Lukas's remark and tried to speak calmly.

If you said that, you must have your reasons. And you already have you forgotten what you showed me that day? It was a relief the other friends didn't see. I won't be any more shocked than that.

Hmm.

Lukas blatantly feigned ignorance. As I let out a dry laugh, he checked my complexion. From his expression, I could tell he had noticed that I had finally relaxed and found my sense of reality. Before Lukas could get to the main topic, I spoke quietly.

You're very considerate.

When was I ever considerate?

You're right. My mistake.

Lukas looked at me as if I were a madman, then opened his mouth. As expected, the answer to what I had asked earlier came.

You asked how I did it. The artifact you're wearing right now is an artifact that contains another person's unique ability.

And I put my ability into that jewel you're wearing.

He put his ability to turn back time.

As expected, I heard something unbelievable. There was no way an artifact that contained another's unique ability existed in this world.

An artifact that imitates a unique ability is theoretically possible. For example, say there's an ability to control wind. We can use a tool layered with multiple magic formulas that activate at once to use magic like a mage with an air-type ability.

But he was saying it contained the unique ability itself.

What did these words imply?

A unique ability is not just about creating fire, making water, or moving air. An ability like Abraham's, which allows him to control someone indefinitely just by drinking their blood once and obtaining their consent, is also a nique ability. How on earth could one create that by layering magic formulas?

There is a limit to the unique abilities that can be imitated, and Lukas's regression ability and Abraham's control ability were prime examples of those inimitable abilities. The ability that manifested in Lukas this timethe ability to amplify the Magic Power in another's blood and convert it into his ownwas also the same.

Right now, Lukas was saying that he could store a transcendent ability, unknown to anyone, in a tool. There was no way such a technology could be ordinary. It was a major development that would mark a milestone in magic studies, and a technology that could push the world to any extreme depending on who held control over it.

Separate from my joy at sharing Lukas's ability, a chill ran down my spine at the thought that a technology as dangerous as Abraham's or Lukas's transcendent abilities existed.

At the same time, a guess about Lukas's condition crossed my mind.

Then because of this, don't tell me

Don't tell you what.

Lukas was still nonchalant. I checked his Magic Power and asked.

What happened to your core.

Well, the backlash during creation was quite severe. If someone lacking in skill were to carelessly imitate it, they'd be completely done for. It's a relief there's a penalty, right?

So Lukas had also been concerned about the technology falling into someone else's hands. But this wasn't the time to discuss that, was it?

That means your core is now destroyed again. From what I can feel, that's not all. What exactly happened?

Yeah, there were some problems. Don't you know who I am? I just need to recover.

Those words, which felt almost arrogant, were of course said to reassure me. As I stood there, at a loss for words, Lukas changed the subject and pointed to my ear.

I was worried it might fail if it was just on the skin, so I purposely made it an earring. Even so, you don't meet the conditions, so you can't turn back time yourself, but in any case, for you to be caught up in my ability, it has to work properly. If you don't like it, cut off some of your arm flesh and put it in there.

What? Who lives like that these days?

You said you didn't want to get another piercing.

Lukas's playful words pricked me for a moment. I turned my head and spoke with difficulty.

I said that when I didn't know. This I didn't know this was what you were thinking.

Since Lukas was about to seize another chance to tease me, I cleared my throat and changed the subject.

Where did you find out about this technology? And what do you mean, I don't meet the conditions?

I'll tell you about the conditions later. It's less that I found out somewhere and more that I found out while investigating this case. This technology is the key clue to solving the jewel theft case.

The question I had earlier was partially answered. It was something I had been curious about since before meeting Lukas this morning. I had been a little surprised when he said he would listen to my story after spending half the day investigating the jewel theft case, but now Lukas was saying it was truly related to the case. Another question arose as to where on earth he had investigated to get such a clue.

Lukas, lost in thought, looked elsewhere and spoke.

It was a technology whose existence I had always suspected. Haven't you ever thought about it? That there was a hole in the facts we've been casually overlooking. How does Pleroma give people revelations even in places where Abraham isn't present? How did they manage that ideological education, which is no different from brainwashing? Don't tell me Abraham single-handedly dealt with those hundreds of thousands of Pleroma members all this time? He'd be a perfect candidate to die from overwork.

Lukas snickered sarcastically.

Abraham can directly manipulate people's bodies, but that's not an accurate understanding. She just sends telepathy and implants those commands deep inside another's mind. Even without making someone's body move, Abraham can inject dogmatic ideas into their heads that way. This is why Abraham was one of the key figures in Pleroma. This is also why Pleroma was wary of Abraham founding a religion.

Right. Ludovika said she was going to entrust your ideological education to Abraham.

Correct. But what I'm saying is, how on earth could that Chairman drink the blood of at least tens of thousands of people, how could he meticulously go through the consent process with every single one of them, and how could he inject dogmatic ideas into the brains of that many humans? At this point, even two bodies would physically be insufficient. Ah, is that why she does her duties as Crown Prince so shittily?

She wasn't doing them shittily. She just wasn't the type to advertise her own achievements. However, Elisabeth Hohenzollern's interests clearly lay in something other than politics, which was why she sometimes received the harsh criticism of being a forgettable royal in gatherings of anti-emperor politicians. As the next in line to the throne, expectations for her were that much higher.

I asked Lukas.

Does that mean Pleroma already knew about this technology?

It's ambiguous. If they already knew about such a transcendent technology, why haven't they developed more than they have now? Putting aside the fact that it's a technology that could swallow the Empire whole, why did they gather such excellent mages with unique abilities and not operate under a centralized system, instead allocating them to respective dioceses and giving them as much authority as they have now? If they had this technology, instead of letting individual mages like the Archbishop of Freiburg or Abraham gain power, Pleroma's original leadership could have thoroughly used those capable mages as their own subordinates. The organizational chart of Pleroma itself would have been structured differently.

Right, if the technology had existed since the organization's foundation was laid, it would have been like that.

Lukas nodded at my words.

If they acquired the technology after the system was firmly established, the organizational chart might not have changed, but in this case, it's highly likely that most dioceses are unaware of the technology. The leadership would monopolize the technology and produce the artifacts themselves to distribute to the dioceses. Or there's a possibility that the two hypotheses I mentioned earlier are completely wrong. What if it's not that they have the production technology, but that there's a person with the unique ability to replicate unique abilities? To have made it possible to give that to others is still an amazing feat, but

Lukas rattled on as if pouring it all out, then bit his lip for a moment.

What's wrong?

No. Just have a few things to think about. My head's a mess.

You're always like that. If you keep thinking like that, you'll come up with a unique ability to replicate a unique ability and give it to others Putting aside the low probabilities, you're saying there's a technology in the world that can copy a unique ability and store it in an artifact, right?

Lukas shrugged at my words. But he didn't deny it.

Putting the Pleroma stry aside, I now completely understood why Lukas said he had found a clue to the jewel theft case.

To confirm my guess, I looked at Lukas and said.

You think the Archduke of Austria-Este acquired that technology and imbued the sapphire parure with some ability.

Right. Someone who knew about it must have stolen the parure to use that unique ability. And to be precise, the Archduke didn't acquire the technology. The person who developed the technology *is* that Archduke.

How on earth did you find this out?

I looked into the Archduke's records. The Hermetische Gesellschaft we went to with Narce the other day was a club that Archduke created, and as you can tell from the fact that he developed the technology, that Archduke is almost an expert in artifact creation.

Lukas said so and stroked his chin.

Now, what I need to ask the Archduke of Austria-Este when I meet him is this. What ability did he put in the parure?

For it to be stolen, it must not be an ordinary ability.

Right. I'll just have to ask what ability was put in the parure and who might know about it.

I felt my tension drain away, and a dry laugh escaped me. It was a happy thing to have found such a clue, but the surprise was greater. I smiled with an ambiguous expression and said,

To think it would end so smoothly. I investigated until yesterday but couldn't find any clues. It was the same for the Investigation Bureau.

No, there's still something that bothers me. The Archduke said he had no idea why the parure was stolen, didn't he?

He was right. On the assumption that he imbued the parure with a unique ability and turned it into an artifact, if he truly wanted to find it, he should have at least mentioned the technology.

If the technology was more precious than the jewels and he didn't want it to spread, the rational choice would have been not to request investigative cooperation for the parure theft in the first place.

There must be a story we don't yet know.

Either way, how on earth did he find out about a technology that enemies would covet

I suppressed that question and said to Lukas.

We can find out by going and talking to him in person. We're going to meet him tomorrow, right?

Yeah.

Lukas answered curtly and patted my shoulder.

Alright, go. Go and do some preemptive control of the victims.

And you?

I'm going to the hospital, then I have to draw up some questions for the Archduke.

I had a hunch. Seeing his relaxed and carefree expression, he had no intention of preparing with me, nor of taking me with him. Lukas smiled and pointed to his ear.

Be careful not to lose the artifact.

***

One more clinger has appeared.

Actually, he might have been stuck to me from the beginning.

Why are you following me?

I asked Leo, who was walking behind me. His calm reply came back.

I'm the representative here, why can't I come?

Right. He's the leader.

We were now on our way to meet the Archduke of Austria-Este. If we had no information, it would be difficult as we'd have no way to lead the questioning, but now we knew that he had dabbled in the occult and was the inventor of this dangerous technology. I planned to question the Archduke, who had memories of the past 12 years, focusing on that point.

Narce, who was walking beside me, matching my pace, stared at us and laughed.

Leo, you got a new piercing on the inside of your ear.

Yes.

Are you satisfied?

!

Haha~

Narce playfully lifted the brim of his uniform cap slightly and smiled, raising his eyebrows. He was making it obvious he had used his ability. I held back my laughter and thought.

As long as he's satisfied, that's what matters.

Leo's face had gone cold, but anyway, it was convenient to know his inner thoughts when Narce read them like this. It wasn't often that Narce read the inner thoughts of a friend other than me, so it always felt new.

Leo bit out his words, pressing them firmly.

Don't use your ability, Narce. You have to think about your health.

Haha. I'm probably as healthy as you are right now.

From his expression, it wasn't a remark meant to provoke, it was really the truth. Narce had already recovered and was as sturdy as usual. It was already past the first week of March, so it was about time he had recovered.

We soon arrived at the appointed building and entered the reception room prepared by the imperial family. A New Human with a familiar face, yet a very different atmosphere, rose from his seat. Leo took off his hat and spoke.

It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness, the Archduke of Austria-Este. I am Leonard Wittelsbach.

A pleasure. We've met from time to time. I am truly grateful that Your Highness the Crown Prince is handling the theft of our family's heirloom.

The Archduke said with a smile. He was smiling, but his face was full of worry, perhaps because he had lost the parure.

What is this.

Had his atmosphere changed in 12 years? His features were also strangely a little different, but his atmosphere in particular made him seem like a different person. My friends might not know, but having seen him 12 years ago myself, I couldn't shake the strange feeling.

However, his clothes and hairstyle were just as old-fashioned. Overall, it was ambiguous. I shook the hand the Archduke extended to me and spoke.

I am Lukas Askanian.

I have heard a lot about you. A pleasure to meet you.

You are Archduke Leopold von Osterreich-Este.

Yes. I do not use that name often, so please feel free to call me Maria.

Maria von Osterreich-Este.

The same name was written on the status window, but the numbers written below it were quite different from the stats I remembered.

Well, this is

This has become troublesome. I smiled and let go of his hand.

As Leo sat down and opened the file folder he had brought, the Archduke clasped his hands and prepared to listen to us. Leo looked the Archduke in the eye and spoke.

First, we have been briefed on the components of the sapphire parure and the circumstances of that day.

Then what should I tell you? Is it possible to find it at all?

Our Empire intends to do its best. First, were there any other magic formulas on the parure?

As Leo asked the question from the investigation records, a hint of doubt crept into the Archduke's smile.

Of course, there was an anti-theft magic formula on it. It was an item kept in our mansion's museum, after all.

Besides that, was there anything else?

No. What other magic should normally be placed on a parure?

The Archduke asked, narrowing his eyes. Narce gave Leo and me a slight glance. He was signaling that there was nothing unusual.

I gestured to Leo to ask for his leave and asked a different question instead of the one I had prepared.

There is no magic that must be placed on a parure, but I am asking because we need even the most trivial information. Are you by any chance a member of any clubs?

Perhaps because it was a rather randm question, the Archduke rolled his eyes before shaking his head.

Everyone knows that I manage the parure of the House of Austria-Este, but there is no reason for club members to steal it.

Instead of answering, I just stared at him. The Archduke understood my meaning and replied with a subtle expression.

I am a member of a riding club located in Vienna. Why on earth are you?

Is there nothing else? For example

I stroked my chin and looked down at my notes, then looked at the Archduke and asked.

A Hermeticism society, perhaps.

! Could it be that people from such a place stole the parure!

No. We have compiled a list of clubs that hold auctions in our Empire to investigate whether the item might have been put up for auction. I was simply going to recite them in the order they were written.

If that's the case, I'm relieved I was surprised, thinking you had found a clue in such a place.

The Archduke shook his head as if he had heard something he shouldn't have. When I raised my eyebrows and smiled as if to ask why, the Archduke followed my expression, raising the corners of his mouth and squinting his eyes.

If occult maniacs stole my parure, that would be the worst-case scenario. We wouldn't know what they would do with a family heirloom, would we? As a Christian, I cannot tolerate such a thing.

I suppose so.

Narce nodded and answered in my stead. Then he glanced at me, signaling that his words were true.

Of course, they were. In addition to my earlier doubt, I was now certain.

This was a different person.

New Human siblings born to a mage who does not crave success often have similar compositions and ratios. If the first one was made reasonably well, the next one would be produced similarly. In such cases, New Human siblings look much more alike than Old Human siblings. To an Old Human, they would look just like twins.

This must have been such a case.

I intended to ask everything I was curious about here today, but first, the need to reschedule the appointment arose.

I ignored the questions written in the notebook I had brought and asked.

Very well. In that case who owned the sapphire parure before you?

It has always been in our family. It should have been in the report. This parure was made with jewels that have come into our family over hundreds of years.

The Archduke answered with a face that wondered why I was asking such an obvious thing.

I mean personally. Right now, Archduke Maria, you are the one managing the item, are you not? Who managed it before you?

Hmm. Is that important? The management method isn't different, so that won't be of much help

It is important. Since we are so short on clues, I would like to make an appointment with that person as well.

I could feel Leo's gaze on me. Narce calmly just looked at the Archduke's eyes.

There is an older brother with the same name as me, Maria von Osterreich-Este

The Archduke hesitated for a moment as if bringing up a topic he didn't want to talk about, then continued.

It has been some time since he passed away. I have been managing the parure since then. Is it a matter that requires speaking with the previous owner?

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