Chapter 386

Abraham wore a gentle smile and tapped his fingertips against the table.

“My offer to tell you what I know of the Messenger of the Covenant was, from beginning to end, nothing more than a courtesy on my part. Whether you make such a drastic decision, and whether you truly intend to carry it out, is something I have no means of knowing.”

Just as expected. The answer had been decided the moment he dismissed my resolve as nothing more than a bluff. Ignoring the steady rhythm of his gloved fingertip against the table, I kept my eyes fixed on his yellow irises.

“Then allow me to return the sentiment. The only reason I gave you advance notice of my intentions was as a courtesy.”

“A courtesy? In what sense?”

He murmured the question almost to himself. Watching the dull light trapped beneath his irises, where shadow and sunlight met, I answered with the same quiet composure.

“A courtesy in that I afforded you the opportunity to become someone more to my liking.”

“To become someone more to your liking… Were you aware of the thoughts such words stir in me, you would be utterly aghast.”

“At this stage, there is nothing left for me to be aghast at. I have never underestimated you, so what cause would I have to be surprised?”

“How gratifying. Then tell me—if I were to honour my promise, upon what grounds are you so certain that you would honour yours?”

“If you remain incapable of trusting me even now, then do not. I had thought we had come this far sustained by trust alone. Was I mistaken?”

“Hahahahaha!”

Abraham burst into hearty laughter before speaking again, his tone as gentle as ever.

“Sustained by trust alone… Indeed. Father Jeremiah Caetani—how he lured away a Pleroma Monsignor and brought ten years of my work to ruin…”

His voice slithered like a serpent’s, slow and savoring nothing but the pleasure of the moment.

“I had quite forgotten. I can only thank you for reminding me.”

“…….”

Trying to hold a conversation with someone who treated I am grateful you reminded me in such a manner was enough to make my head throb. And on top of that, I’d just confirmed once again that he knew I was Jeremiah Caetani. For a brief moment, I didn’t know what to make of it. Still, while I’d certainly come here prepared for Ludovica Schneider, I hadn’t come prepared for Abraham. Even so, before this particular breed of madman, I had nothing to be ashamed of.

“I cannot hand him over.”

Abraham lightly ran one gloved finger over another. He removed his glove and opened a white porcelain cigarette case.

“Even if I did, there is no chance you would manage him properly. Besides, he is already perfectly content within the burrow he has made for himself. Even were I inclined to hand him over to you, I could not. Instead, how about this?”

Abraham rang the bell on the table, summoning a servant. He offered out cigar, and the servant clipped the tip, lit it, and placed it between Abraham’s lips. Meanwhile, Abraham opened the black box on the right side of his desk and slipped on the bracelet both of us had become all too familiar with. Looking at his truth-verifying artifact, I quietly asked, “How?”

“I shall arrange for you to meet him. Once will suffice—for the time being. He is not the sort of man who continues to provide answers merely because one continues to seek them.”

“…….”

“That said, I should like to attach one condition of my own. It is nothing that would bring you any harm. Would you be willing to indulge me?”

As if to demonstrate his willingness to align with my preferences, he departed from his usual demeanor and kindly consulted my wishes. Though I hardly expected he actually cared to hear them. Before I could even reply, he preempted me.

“I am certain you have drunk my blood.”

Thunk.

The smell of blood. No—the mana came first. Raw, unfiltered mana brushed against my skin, stronger than any I’d ever felt before. The bracelet pierced Abraham’s wrist. Taking out a handkerchief, he wiped away the blood as he spoke.

“False. I have no knowledge of what became of the blood I gave you. I possess neither the right, the means, nor the slightest clue to discover it. Therefore, I would ask you to understand that everything I am about to say is spoken without any ulterior motive.”

He tilted his wrist, and blood ran across his pale palm. I was sick of the sight of it by now. The overwhelming mana radiating from him stirred nothing but revulsion, and the corners of my mouth nearly stiffened. Nearly.

Whether I liked it or not, I’d become skilled at hiding my expressions. So I met his gaze with the same eyes and the same impassive face as before, silently asking, What exactly are you expecting me to do?

“Drink it, and I shall grant Your Excellency an audience with Daniel.”

“…….”

The honorific he used told me he was addressing me as Ernst, not Askanien. It was almost laughable.

Sitting before me was someone who would delight in seeing Nikolaus Ernst become Pleroma. That didn’t mean he actually wanted me to become one. After founding his own cult, he’d all but declared war on Pleroma, and he revered the ability to manipulate blood as “the most perfect power of all.” My initial assumptions and Abraham’s actual reaction were bound to differ.

Even so, the sheer contrast between Nikolaus Ernst and Nikolaus Ernst turned Pleroma was more than enough to amuse someone like him.

I looked at the bead of blood clinging to his fingertip and forced a faint smile.

“Why would I?”

“You demanded the impossible of me. Am I not to be granted even this one request? Surely a person may drink blood at least once in his lifetime. I understand your concerns, but I have no intention of harming you through this request.”

“This is precisely why people ought not lose themselves in their own little worlds. I fear you may one day misspeak during a public address and declare that the German Empire could only prosper if every citizen drank blood. That would certainly be a spectacle worth witnessing.”

As if to prove my point, he ignored the jab entirely and continued in the dreamy tone of someone speaking only to himself.

“Then, would you rather give me your blood?”

“…….”

“No. No, that will not do. You know as well as I what I could accomplish with your blood. I cannot very well make such a request of you. Nor do I intend to.”

He just kept insisting I consume something no sane person would ever touch. What kind of deranged world had I ended up in, where magic revolved around blood? Swallowing the wave of nausea—and the urge to spit—I spoke.

“I have never understood why you have been so insistent on making me drink blood.”

Abraham paused before answering. More accurately, he was deciding which excuse to use to conceal the truth. The delight creeping onto his face made that much obvious.

“You speak like one of the Old Humans. Naturally, the blood of the Old Humans contains no mana. Drinking it serves no purpose beyond inefficient nourishment or the gratification of one’s palate. But that is not the case for the New Humans, is it?”

“The New Humans are still human. It is only natural—and common sense—that people do not drink the blood of other people.”

“It is not the blood that matters. It is the mana. You continue to miss the essence of the matter.”

“That is precisely what I am asking. Why are you so intent on making me consume mana? Which of us is truly the one avoiding the issue?”

“Is it not amusing?”

Amusing my foot you lunatic… It felt as though we were living in entirely different worlds. I decided there was no point wasting any more energy trying to reason with him.

“It pains me, as one of Your Highness’s subjects, to hear the Crown Prince utter such nonsense. Though, perhaps, it is only to be expected of someone who must have realized that assigning Ismailov to me had been a mistake, yet chose to stand by and watch regardless.”

“So you do understand that it was not my decision.”

“Choosing to stand by is a decision in itself.”

He let out a hearty laugh at my sharp tone.

“Would you not have wished to act as well? A formidable weapon such as Mikhail Ismailov, a Pleroma, appears before you, yet you are denied even the opportunity to stop him. I cannot begin to imagine the helplessness that must have caused you.”

“Your ability to feign consideration is truly remarkable.”

Glancing at the grandfather clock in the cabinet, he smiled with feigned regret.

“Pleasant though this conversation has been, I am occupied with preparations for the summit and cannot spare any more time. Even so, regardless of whether it ultimately yields any worthwhile results, your decision to seek information from Daniel rather than from me may well have been the wiser one. Now then, to return to the matter at hand: if you drink my blood here and now, I shall arrange for you to meet Daniel.”

If I had to name the most blood-obsessed person I’d ever met, Abraham would win without contest. I’d realized he was abnormal the moment he started preaching that blood magic was the most perfect form of magic in existence, but no matter how many times I saw him, I still couldn’t make sense of him.

Letting my growing disgust show plainly across my face, I spoke.

“You seem unable to tell who is truly indulging in idle chatter.”

“So, you no longer require an audience with Daniel? In that case, allow me to ease your mind, if only out of consideration for your dear friend. Tell me—when is your friend expected to regain consciousness?”

“…….”

“Judging by the reaction of your friend from the Papal See, I imagine you have already surmised as much. No one knows. And what, pray, would asking Daniel accomplish?”

Rustle—

The papers resting on Abraham’s desk fluttered from a wind stirred by mana. The curtains behind his chair billowed, and the chandelier overhead rattled loudly. Glancing up at it, he calmly placed a hand over the stack of documents to keep them from scattering.

“There is every possibility that he will never awaken. Settle your mana and compose yourself.”

“Do not speak such nonsense.”

“Nonsense? I have done nothing but answer you with the utmost sincerity.”

“You ought to know that nothing extinguishes possibility more thoroughly than entrusting the future to prophecy.”

“Then you, in turn, ought to know that this world is replete with things no amount of resolve can bring to pass.”

“Do I truly appear to be seeking Daniel merely to inquire about the future?”

“Whatever the reason may be, surely each of us can indulge the other’s unreasonable request, just this once.”

“Very well.”

I agreed far more readily than before, making Abraham arch a brow. I smiled back without bothering to hide my contempt.

“If I find Daniel’s answers satisfactory, and if you agree to one further condition of mine, then I shall gladly do as Your Imperial Highness requests.”

“Ah.”

Even with the emphasis on Your Imperial Highness, Abraham remained more interested in putting on a performance than in whatever leverage I was trying to apply. He widened his eyes in exaggerated surprise. I regarded the theatrical expression without emotion. After studying my face for a moment, he dropped the act and smiled.

“I do not even know what this additional condition entails… and I cannot help but wonder whether, even after satisfying it to the best of my ability, you might simply declare yourself dissatisfied regardless.”

“…….”

Whoooosh—

A freezing wind swept across my face. The office I’d been sitting in vanished, replaced by a bleak park devoid of a single soul. Abraham caught me before I could stumble backward and murmured, “Even so, I should say this is a compromise worth accepting. I have no desire to provoke your ire any further.”

He gently nudged my back forward and continued, “Once your conversation has concluded, you will return of your own accord.”

Perhaps this park was forever trapped in night.

“Well, well. Look who it is.”

As I walked between the rows of dead streetlamps, a familiar voice reached my ears.

“A welcome face, isn’t it? You’ve become a little more Rosalind than before, haven’t you?”

I struck my staff against the ground, sending crimson light spilling outward. A beggar sprawled along the lakeshore raised an arm to shield his eyes before sitting up. I wanted to greet him with a smile, but nothing about this moment made me want to smile. Instead, I quietly sat beside him.

“What do you mean by saying I’ve become more Rosalind?”

“Finding out who you really are is a joyful thing.”

“So joyful it makes you want to sigh, truly.”

“Isn’t it? Even if a kobold gnawed away half your brain, it’d still be cause for celebration. After all, now you’d know a kobold had eaten half your brain.”

“Do you know what happened to me?”

“Lent is a season of purification.”

“…….”

Lent. Ash Wednesday. He was talking about the day my abilities awakened. As expected, he knew what state I was in.

“Why did such a thing happen to me?”

“Because it had to. Hearing you say that reminds me of a certain cry. Though you’re not quite facing that kind of ordeal yet.”

“Who knows about this? Why are there others who know?”

At that, the veins in his neck bulged. Like an actor taking center stage, he suddenly shouted, “Yet now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God! Abraham did not do this!”

“…….”

You’re too loud. Pressing both hands against my ears, I narrowed my eyes. Daniel, his face flushed as if drunk, flailed both arms with theatrical fervor.

“After dealing with the Pharisees¹, now you get people who insist they aren’t Pharisees. Then after dealing with them, you get people who insist they aren’t the people who insist they aren’t Pharisees. It never ends! So now your task is to learn the difference between the Pharisees and those who claim not to be Pharisees. Then learn the difference between those and the ones who claim not to be the ones who claim not to be Pharisees.”

“…….”

I nodded. Compared to before, I could accept his words with a more open mind. They were difficult to understand, yes—but every one of those layers of metaphor was a clue.

“Those who liken themselves to the vine wear pious faces, yet plant fig trees in front of their own homes². In the end, even they know it—that those who claim to be the vine appear misguided in the eyes of others. Ironically, the fig tree has become their way of proving their innocence.”

“I hadn’t even asked about that yet, and you’re already being generous with the answers.”

“The reason they don’t plant vines is simple. They love anything that looks even a little more… suffering-esque. The New Covenant, just like the one before it, must have suffering.”

“Hmm. I don’t see how it’s connected, but… are they deliberately making Pleroma’s prophet suffer?”

“No. They’re intoxicated by the feeling that they themselves are the ones suffering.”

I already knew that much. Cults were all the same. I silently watched the scenery by the lake shift beneath the moonlight, the stars, and the wind. Daniel, who had been sitting in silence beside me, spoke.

“Fakes everywhere.”

“Fakes?”

“Especially around you. Be careful of the shaggy dog that comes sniffing around.”

“Does that have something to do with my ability?”

“You already know the answer. Why ask?”

“Because I’d like to hear you confirm it. What do you think of the Seven Stars and the Seven Golden Lampstands?”

“I dislike stories that are so crude… and so distasteful.”

That wasn’t what I had asked. I wasn’t interested in his preferences. Pressing him further wouldn’t get me an answer, and there was always the chance he’d throw me out if I annoyed him. Better to move on.

“Do you know Heike Einsiedel?”

“A tragic case.”

“How can I save him?”

Daniel’s eyes widened. He jerked his head to one side, then shook it rapidly with a look of genuine horror.

“That’s a terrible question.”

“Why…?”

“I cannot answer that! If I did, I’d become a false prophet. No—instead, I should be asking, ‘When will You save that poor soul?’”

Tilting his head from side to side, he lowered his voice.

“So it’s not fate. It depends on my choice?”

“Whether he lives or dies, your friend’s life is like a coin suspended in midair. Why don’t you try blowing on it?”

I hadn’t expected anything so straightforward in the first place. Letting out a quiet sigh, I looked away before asking calmly, “Then tell me what I should do.”

“You’ve grown desperate.”

“I’m touching the leg of an elephant with my eyes closed³. I don’t even have the information I need.”

“I know. The world has always been like that for you.”

“What connection is there between Heike Einsiedel and Ismailov?”

“None.”

“…….”

“You don’t believe me. But there truly isn’t one. They barely know each other. If you insist on calling it a connection, it’s only the one you’ve already inferred. I know what you’re about to ask next: ‘Then what exactly did I infer?’ Or perhaps, ‘If they have nothing to do with each other, why did this happen?’ I’d like to know that myself.”

“…You’re quite the mind reader. Then why did they collapse at the same time? And is it really safe for me to stay with Ismailov?”

“Haven’t you already concluded that you have no choice?”

“…….”

“As for why they collapsed at the same time… it’s nowhere near as simple as your friends think. He drank blood and replenished his mana to survive? Ridiculous. The Russian was simply stronger? No. That’s not it. I’ve given you quite a bit already. You should be able to sketch at least the elephant’s knee now, even with your eyes closed. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Haha.”

Sketch the elephant’s knee, my foot. Every word he said would have to be committed to memory the moment I returned, then picked apart for who knew how long.

“Anything else you’re curious about?”

“You’re much more cooperative than before. I have plenty of questions. It’s your patience I’m worried about.”

“I’ll stay as long as my strength allows. You’re not Elise, after all. Though before that… something about you has just come to me.”

Daniel let out a strange sound, lowered his head, and pressed a hand to his forehead.

Something about me? If it belonged to the realm of prophecy, then I had no choice but to listen. I silently watched him as he spoke again, his voice barely above a whisper.

“You see, I’m no god, no saint, no great ascetic. But if this woefully inadequate old fool were to offer you one piece of advice, it would be this.”

Slowly, he raised his head. His gaze lingered somewhere beyond me.

“After leaving home, Gautama Siddhartha⁴ sought out teachers. His first teacher taught that through severe asceticism one could ultimately ascend to the heavenly realms. But Siddhartha wasn’t searching for the sweet rewards of the afterlife—he wanted to know how to escape the cycle of rebirth. So he left that teacher and sought another.”

“…….”

“But that teacher was fixated on the idea of an eternal self, and the one after him wasn’t much different. So Siddhartha left them as well. Time passed. The Buddha gained countless disciples, and eventually the day came for him to leave this world. Do you know what he told the disciple who grieved before his parinirvana⁵?”

Meeting his eyes, I answered quietly.

“Be a lamp unto yourself, let the Dharma be your lamp.”

“Ah, yes! You know it well. In fact, you’ll come to understand it better than I ever could. Make yourself your own island, your own refuge. Let the Dharma be your island, your refuge. Just as the Buddha told Ānanda⁶, just as he told all his disciples, there is no need to despair because the Buddha has departed from this world. Whatever hardship comes, you must trust the truth—and trust yourself. No one should become the refuge upon which you stake your entire life. Whatever anyone says, you must stand on your own.”

It was sound advice. But…

Compared to his talk of Caesarea being just ahead, or telling me I had to become Rosalind, this felt less like prophecy and more like reflection—like something taken from a memoir.

I looked at him, unable to hide my confusion. As if he had read my thoughts, Daniel spoke.

“If I’d intended to preach the Dharma to you, I wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place. What’s important comes after that. There are people who want you to stand on your own. Do you think they possess the same boundless compassion the Buddha had for Ānanda? If that were true, it would be a blessing.”

He turned his gaze forward again.

“You must beware of those who want you to stand on your own. You may believe you know who they are—but don’t be so certain. Trust no one. Be wary even of me. In fact, for your own sake, you’re better off being wary of everyone.”

Rattle— Slam—!

I slammed my staff against the floor, using it like a cane. I managed to keep my footing, though only just.

“E-Excellency Ernst? Why are you in His Highness’s—”

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, seated in Abraham’s office, looked up at me in astonishment. Across from him, Abraham casually gestured toward the door.

“Would you excuse us?”

“…Pardon?”

“I shall send for you again shortly.”

The deputy minister glanced between me and Abraham, clearly bewildered, before reluctantly taking his leave. The moment the door clicked shut, Abraham looked up at me with a smile.

“Was your audience satisfactory? You were gone for quite some time.”

If I told him it was, I’d only be taking one step closer to the future where I drank a human prophet’s blood. The thought alone left a bitter taste in my mouth. Still, I’d learned plenty—broad truths, fundamental truths. Now it was time to supplement those vague, prophetic riddles with something more concrete.

And the first step was sitting right in front of me.

I reached across his desk, opened the box resting there, and tossed him the bracelet. Abraham glanced at the artifact that had pierced his wrist only moments ago, one eyebrow lifting.

“What are you waiting for? Put it on. It is your turn now.”

“As I told you before, I do not have the leisure to spend so much time in conversation. The Deputy Minister is still waiting outside—”

“Then make the time. This is the other condition I spoke of.”

“…….”

Abraham stroked his chin for a moment before speaking.

“So merely telling you everything I know about Sir Ismailov was not enough. You even sought out Daniel. It would seem you intend to catch both rabbits after all.”

“If that is unacceptable, then let us consider our earlier conversation never to have taken place.”

Abraham slipped on the bracelet, then flicked a finger, using mana to nudge the chair beside me into place. Folding his hands together, he smiled.

“I never said it was unacceptable. You are rather impatient. Please, sit.”

Translator Note

1. Pharisees were a Jewish religious sect in the time of Jesus. In the New Testament, they are often portrayed as hypocrites who emphasize outward piety over sincere faith, making “Pharisee” a common metaphor for religious hypocrisy. ↩︎
2. The “vine” and the “fig tree” are recurring biblical symbols. The vine is closely associated with Christ, most notably in John 15:1–5 (“I am the true vine”), and can symbolize divine authority, spiritual life, or God’s people. The fig tree likewise appears throughout the Bible with varying meanings—among them righteousness, peace, prosperity, or judgment (e.g., the barren fig tree cursed by Jesus in the Gospels). ↩︎
3. The idiom alludes to the parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant, found in several South Asian religious traditions. Each blind man touches only one part of the elephant and mistakes it for the whole, illustrating how limited information can lead to incomplete or mistaken conclusions. ↩︎
4. Gautama Siddhartha (the Buddha) was the founder of Buddhism. Buddhist tradition holds that after renouncing worldly life, he studied under several teachers and practiced extreme asceticism before rejecting both in favor of the Middle Way, through which he attained enlightenment and taught the path to liberation from the cycle of rebirth. ↩︎
5. Parinirvana (Sanskrit: parinirvāṇa) refers to the Buddha’s final passing after death. Unlike nirvana, which denotes enlightenment attained during life, parinirvana marks the complete liberation from the cycle of rebirth (saṃsāra) upon the death of one who has already achieved enlightenment. ↩︎
6. Ānanda was the Buddha’s cousin and personal attendant, remembered as one of his foremost disciples. ↩︎