Published at 6th of December 2025 6:54 am

Chapter 301

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Maria is, in a word, a dreamer.

Emanuel spoke with a troubled expression, unlike before.

Archduke Maria, saying he needed to share the information about the treasure chest with them, went to Austria to retrieve the data he had organized. The border between Bavaria and Austria is contiguous, so it won't take long for him to return. He should be back here tomorrow.

I'm not saying that the world Maria desires is wrong. My aspirations are the same as his, but he and I are decisively different in terms of execution and the path to obtaining ideas.

So you have the same aspirations but a different way of thinking.

Correct. Still, I really like Maria as a person. That's why I've been helping him until now.

Emanuel took a sip from his coffee cup with the hand holding his cigarette and stared at its surface for a long time. Then his words followed.

Did you know? Actually, the reason I said I wanted to get closer to you, Sir Everett, was because I wanted to make a friend for Maria who could accept him. Of course, you and I also got along well before that.

I know.

I wanted to accommodate Maria's wishes somehow. But this time

Emanuel let out a long sigh and exhaled cigarette smoke.

No one spoke. This time, I suppressed the desire to genuinely snatch Emanuel's cigarette and smoke it, and asked what I had been curious about from before.

I have a question from the start.

What is it?

How can we exert influence there in an out-of-body state? How can we bring the soul that was in the astral plane to the material plane of the past when the physical body is not there? I thought we were just going to observe normally, but how are you planning to intervene?

Emanuel smiled ambiguously and shrugged.

That's a mystery to me too. That's why he's making an absurd claim. Maria must have gotten something wrong. I want to help Maria somehow, but I'm starting to feel a sense of crisis. He's talking even more strangely.

So.

Please stop him. We can't go any deeper than this.

In a word, Emanuel is now suspecting that Maria von Osterreich-Este is showing signs of psychosis. I agree with Emanuel, but I can't stop him.

Why?

The parure is involved. I can't.

There's a possibility that this incident is connected here.

His occult mania side might be due to his personal taste, but in a sense, it was truly for the sake of the Old Humans. That heart of his, trying to enable even Old Humans to use magic by attempting an out-of-body experience for the greater good, is truly I may not understand the out-of-body experience part, but at least his aspirations and goals are upright. I had a feeling he was that kind of person. At the same time, I also knew that in a way, he was, to put it nicely, an artistic person.

Still, I had never speculated that his family heirloom might have been mobilized for such an out-of-body activity, but now I have to bet a high probability on that speculation.

Hmm right. I think I'm going crazy.

I thought, what kind of crazy person would apply a new technology to their family heirloom, but if it was used in this process

I just hope this is my speculation and not the truth. If not, I have no choice but to calm my mind by thinking that there are truly diverse people in the world.

I organized my thoughts and opened my mouth.

I don't really think he will find the treasure chest. I also wish for the future that His Highness Archduke Maria imagines, but I am not a person with the same imagination as him.

But His Highness Archduke Maria will not bend his will. Not until he does it himself.

Emanuel's serious eyes turned to me. I continued, looking into his eyes.

I heard about His Highness Maria's will this time. This is what I think. If you want to prevent His Highness Maria from becoming too engrossed in the occult, the priority is to find another way to divert his interests rather than blindly stopping him. If we can find a way to increase the welfare of many without delving into the occult, he will not delve too deeply into it like today.

Hmm.

So I will help until this matter is finished. In the meantime, Your Highness, please find a more realistic and practical method.

I spoke at length, but I have to watch this matter unfold to confirm if the parure is really mobilized here. I don't want to have an out-of-body experience either. I prefer my real physical body over souls or whatever. If I were to leave my body and wander around in an astral state, I feel like I'd genuinely become a snail that has lost its shell. I'd feel like I was about to die.

Emanuel just puffed away at his cigarette, then nodded his head agreeably with a look that said he couldn't help it. He smiled and looked at me.

Right. I understand. In the meantime, as you said, I'll have to find a good way to divert Maria's attention.

***

We have a strategy.

We?

I took the cigarette for a spiritual experience that Archduke Maria offered me and retorted. The Archduke, as expected, arrived the next day, and as soon as he arrived, he talked about his out-of-body experience plan.

Frankly, there are many problems with recreating Rococo attire. They don't make it anymore, even if you ask them to. Besides, the dresses of that era are the epitome of decoration. To be honest, I thought the aesthetic sense was quite poor.

So, he's planning to actually go to the Old Human era and naturally blend in among the French female aristocrats of the Old Humans. The retort, 'What kind of nonsense are you talking about?' rose to the tip of my tongue, but it was already too late. I should have said it when he suggested the out-of-body experience, no, actually, when he talked about the golden treasure chest.

Of course, if I had, I wouldn't have gotten this close to the Archduke, who was pretending not to be interested in the occult.

Is that so So you don't really want to wear it?

That's right. So we're going with the concept of time travelers from the future.

This is strange. What am I hearing.

I shook my head and slapped my cheek. Archduke Maria looked at me strangely and then continued.

Wouldn't they understand if we explain that everyone becomes tall and well-built in the future? And it's not a lie. The average height of Old Humans is also continuously increasing compared to people of the past.

Then we can just go wearing the suits we're wearing now, right? You can say this is the attire of women from the future. It's half-true, and if they don't believe it, what are they going to do.

I thought about that too, but there's a problem. That is, Old Humans are sensitive to gender. Divine beings living eternally in an Edenic world do not need to reproduce, so there is no reason for their genders to be distinguished, but Old Humans, who are thoroughly bound by the material world, unlike us, have a characteristic of out-grouping life forms with slightly different appearances by placing significant meaning on sex chromosomes. For example, when they see a human, they first identify them as 'male' or 'female' rather than 'human' like us, butyou don't have to worry about the reliability. I learned all of this while minoring in Old Human studies at the University of Vienna.

I know it well, so you don't have to explain it to me

What's with the worry about reliability

As soon as the spiritual topic came up, his knack for lecturing on the occult is coming out again.

The Archduke clapped his hands with a look that said it was a good thing.

I'm glad you know it well! As you know, if we go in this state, we might be mistaken for male Old Humans. Technically, we're a mixed type, but who's going to look closely at that? Crucially, since our height is taller than most Old Humans, we're likely to be mistaken for unusually tall male Old Humans at a glance. At this rate, they won't let us into the club.

I'm sorry, but while you might be mistaken, I'm not a mistake, I'm actually a male.

But you're a New Human.

That's true

I realized that this conversation was getting strangely mismatched between us. I don't want to talk about this topic anymore. The Archduke, unfazed by my resigned tone, explained enthusiastically.

So, we'll pass off our innate elements as being from the future, but we need to match the general appearance so they can feel a sense of kinship. If we present something completely new that deviates from that era, people will feel a sense of rejection. We have to mix the new with the old so that people can gradually accept it without feeling rejected. In that sense, if we just match the attire, our tall stature and slightly ambiguous Old Human appearance can be a good tool to emphasize the mystery of future humans. In other words, we can win the favor of occult maniacs at once.

I'm not sure if it will be favor, but you've calculated a lot.

Isn't it a calculation that comes out as soon as you look at it? It's more difficult to explain this obvious thing. Now! We can do it! Now

Archduke Maria, as if preparing for something more serious, opened the clothes carrier he had brought. I hurriedly waved my hand.

Wait a minute. I still have something I'm curious about. I understand observing the material world in an astral state. But how can we interact with them?

There's no reason why it should be impossible. You know Goethe's works well. It's complicated to explain, but to put it briefly, Mephistopheles can be seen as a being from the astral plane. But he speaks with the human Faust and even makes a contract, doesn't he? Sometimes he reveals himself to everyone, and sometimes only to Faust.

That's because he's a demon not a stray spirit like us. And that's just a work of fiction.

I'm clearly alive, but it feels strange to be called a stray spirit.

And, in fact, Goethe's works, unlike our understanding, are divinely revered by some philosophers and literary figures, and so is Goethe. Since I grew up in a country across the sea, I think of Goethe as 'the most famous writer in 18th-19th century Germany', but it's a little different for them. If you were to pick five things that people of this country, this era, 'can use as a beacon instead of Christ', Goethe would surely be among them, following enlightenment elements like science and reason.

Archduke Maria spoke with an utmost serious face.

Goethe is a person who knows the spiritual world. He captured the process of the spiritual world and the material world interacting in his works, he did not create the process itself. The devil is in our lives, so we must always be careful, doesn't Christianity teach so? It is common for a spiritual being from the astral plane to influence the material plane.

I see

Let's not talk anymore. It seems like another lecture on occultism is about to begin, starting from the interaction between the astral plane and the material plane, and going all the way to Satanismof course, the Archduke extremely dislikes Satanism.

Of course, since we are not powerful spirits, we cannot transfer the appearance of our material bodies to the era the astral body is traveling to. Just as you pointed out, Sir Everett. But, what if we can project the appearance of our material bodies onto the astral body with an artifact and make it visible to the people of the material plane?

So our bodies aren't going to the past, but we're going to keep our bodies here and become visible ghosts, is that what you mean?

That's it! It's more correct to say that we've sent our spirits from the future.

I was at a loss for words for a moment. Then, I pressed my throbbing head with one hand and said.

If we have to become ghosts I can't emotionally empathize with why we have to, since we're living people, but I understand that Your Highness the Archduke has a method. Then I will accompany Your Highness the Archduke as his escort.

! Then you can't join the club.

A look of shock appeared on the Archduke's face. It seemed he felt daunted by the prospect of having to earn the right to enter the club on his own. My head hurts. He seems to know that it's not normal for a foreigner and a spirit from the future to mix with the people of that era. Of course, I'm still not even sure if he has actually been to the old French royal court.

It's enough for Your Highness the Archduke to join alone. Please remember well and tell me.

Oh no

It's driving me crazy just becoming a ghostin fact, this is the biggest problem. A ghost?and now he's telling me to wear unfamiliar clothes? Can't he at least leave me with one familiar thing, humanly speaking?

The Archduke asked, as if he were about to grab onto the hem of my clothes.

Is there any part of this plan that you don't like?

The attire is not very familiar.

Ah! Right. I am the same. It must be the same for all New Humans. So, if we wear it for a few days in advance, won't we get used to it?

So that's how you're going to be. Actually, I don't really like new things. The mental burden is great.

Ah

The Archduke's eyes widened in surprise, and then his shoulders slumped.

Then I guess there's no choice. I'm sorry if my words have been a burden to you until now.

No, it's not something you should say like that. I really want to be of help to Your Highness the Archduke, I'm the one who's sorry.

I just need to know if the parure is mobilized for this activity, as I suspect, and if so, whether he casts a spell on the parure or just uses it as an accessory to announce his noble status. If the Archduke really uses important magic on the parure as I predict, then who knows that the parure is an artifact.

In my opinion, he will probably make it into an artifact that overlays the appearance of the material world, as he said earlier. Since ordinary artifacts have the appearance of normal jewels when viewed by non-mages and don't look like artifacts at all, the question of 'who knows that the parure is an artifact' depends on how the Archduke manages the artifact after this incident. If the Archduke lets someone touch the parure, I must suspect that person.

In other words, there's no need for me to follow him all the way. Besides, non-mages can't detect the Magic Power inside an artifact. Aren't all the old people he's going to met now non-mages?

With a slightly more at-ease mind, I asked the Archduke.

But how are you going to convince them that we are from the future. You seem confident about entering the club, are you thinking of using magic? It seems you can use magic even as an astral body?

Precisely.

The Archduke's eyes became vivid, as if he had never been discouraged, and he snapped his fingers.

I do plan on appearing before them as if by warping, but that alone, while it may surprise the club members, is not enough to be fully accepted. People like us will demand additional occult proof. And unfortunately, you cannot cast magic as an astral body.

What? That's a problem from the start.

We meet the spiritual conditions to use magic, but we don't possess as much Magic Power as our physical bodies. Only the dimension of unamplified 'emotion' remains. So how should we prove that we are from the future?

He gave me an expectant look, then opened the carrier and took out a box that was on the floor. I froze at what I saw in that moment.

On a black velvet cloth lay brilliant blue jewels. The object that was stolen in our world and whose whereabouts were unknown, the jewelry set I had only seen in the photos of the investigation records, is right before my eyes.

However, I had expected this much. The problem was the words that came from the Archduke next.

I'm going to use this. There's no other way to prove I'm a nobleman besides my attire. I plan to wear this parure to announce my status, and since I'm going to use an artifact anyway, it's better to turn the jewel itself into an artifact, wouldn't you say?

I'm going to cast the unique ability replication magic formula I told you about before on this jewel. If I store various unique abilities with this and show them there, I can let them know that I am a mage even if I can't directly emit Magic Power.

Hmm.

Right. So that's how he's planning to enter the club. He's making good use of the opportunity in a limited environment.

If things are going to go this way, I need to change the thought I had earlier.

I looked into the Archduke's eyes and smiled.

I'll just go with you.

! You mean you'll enter the club with me.

Yes.

I'm glad to have someone to go with, but why the sudden change of heart?

Why, you ask?

Because the possibility that the thief is not from our Empire has arisen.

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