Could there have been a better choice?
Had I, in the end, irrevocably closed off the path of redemption with my own hands?
Was there a more fundamental solution beyond simply erasing her memories?
'I could have used medication to dull her emotions.'
Even now, I could revive her memories and administer the drug if I wanted.
But I don't wish for her to suffer any more than this.
If Gerda Asman harbors resentment against me and expresses it with anger, I can accept it.
After all, from a personal standpoint, I have indeed wronged her. So I won't try to avoid my responsibility with excuses about necessity or justification.
But then what?
Am I to leave her to her resentment alone?
'No, of course not.'
When emotions filled with malice are directed at me, I'm not the only one who suffers.
People driven by their emotions inevitably harm themselves.
She'd be haunted by the unresolved past day and night, gnashing her teeth in hatred, recalling every detail of our first meeting, wondering how things might have turned out differently had she acted another way—reimagining countless alternate scenarios, burdening herself with guilt and hatred. I could clearly see such a future lying in wait for her.
'…Though after enduring such suffering, she may eventually find freedom.'
Was I supposed to watch as Gerda Asman struggled with the wounds I inflicted, waiting for her to grow enough to view the past with objectivity?
Some might say that this is the burden of my guilt, a price I should pay. But at the very least, I can't accept that.
Some wounds, even with effort and time, can be overcome. But others simply can't.
And there is no guarantee that those scars will lead to growth, nor that she won't live out her days steeped in mistrust, never able to believe in others until her last breath.
Some things remain deeply rooted in one's life, even if they seem overcome.
Even when one no longer dreams of that day, some things seep into the very fabric of one's being.
'If I can't change the past, but I can prevent her from enduring all this going forward…'
Naturally, I have no choice but to take this path.
"…Lucas, look at me."
When I stared blankly into space without reacting, Leo crouched down to meet my gaze, patting my shoulder.
"…!"
Leo finally stepped back only after checking my expression.
I forced myself to speak, though my voice barely came out.
"Do you have the antidote?"
"I brought it. What level?"
"Double-strength Level 10. Can it be made right now?"
Leo's face was overtaken with shock, his mouth slightly agape as he looked back and forth between me and Gerda.
"What happened?"
"…Excuse me, what's happening here exactly? Why are you here, and did we… do something wrong…?"
Gerda trailed off, examining both herself and me with a suspicious look.
Upon hearing this, Leo's face turned cold.
To an outsider, it would be outrageous to hear words like that from a criminal. But for me, seeing Gerda speaking so casually, with no trace of resentment toward me, truly made me realize that this was the end.
"It's nothing."
I forced out a faint voice from my dry throat.
"I'm sorry for everything."
"What…?"
This marks the end with Asman.
Now, it's my turn to process my emotions.
I'll have to try not to think of everything that's happened up to this point.
Clearing my throat, I called out to Leo.
"Leo."
"Speak."
"Later, could you relay some information on Divine Power to the Investigation Bureau?"
Leo nodded silently, as if he already understood the situation.
Gerda Asman's investigation would proceed based on documents I obtained, rather than her confession.
Having erased her memory, there's little she could say about her actions.
"What about the others? Did everything go according to plan?"
"You're asking about the plan in a situation like this?"
Leo responded while casting a healing spell on me.
"Elias will be here soon. We've located and deprogrammed the other Pleroma members in the surrounding areas, and Narce is on standby with other Papal State mages. We've completed everything you noted, so don't worry."
"Alright, thank you. What time is it now, in the real world?"
Leo, aware of the time difference between the worlds, answered without hesitation.
"I believe it's just about six in the evening."
I had arrived here at dawn.
I've been here quite a while. It felt like at least two days had passed.
But right now, that wasn't the important thing.
"The report must already be out. Is there any way for me to cross over now?"
"It'll be tight."
I figured as much. Then, I'll have to handle it myself.
I turned to Gerda immediately.
"Ms. Asman. There's still a choice left for you to make."
"A choice?"
"You remember that you're Pleroma, correct?"
Gerda's face hardened again.
"I know that Pleroma created me, but I…"
I know what she'll say.
With the brainwashing fully removed, there's no reason for her to feel loyal to Pleroma anymore.
"I understand what you're thinking, so don't worry about it. But, we don't have much time."
"…What do you mean by 'no time'?"
"Soon, your blessings will be revoked. So I'll ask again before it's too late. Do you want to live?"
"Of course! But wait—could you at least explain, even briefly, what's going on?"
"Lucas."
Leo, having received a message, tapped the artifact at his ear and called me.
I only knew of one reason for a message at this hour.
The moment I turned my attention back to Gerda, her face contorted in pain.
"Aaaargh!"
Gerda clutched her chest and collapsed to the ground. Her fingertips began to char and blacken.
I'd never seen anything quite like this before.
Of course, I'd never heard that one could revive Pleroma using Divine Power either.
'No idea if this will succeed…'
But if Narce had proceeded with my plan, then maybe it wasn't entirely impossible.
When I stopped by the Academy, I'd left notes detailing how to handle other Pleroma operatives like Gerda if they showed up.
After all, I had to consider the risk that innocents who had once been ordinary citizens until a month ago might be killed again at Pleroma's whim.
'Honestly, I thought the leadership would've recalled the blessings the moment Koffman was incapacitated, but they didn't.'
That Gerda Asman had been alive here for nearly four days only proved the lack of coordination between the leadership and the lower ranks.
Thus, the most likely time for a recall would be right when the news was published. Regardless of the disconnect, they would still read the papers.
I grabbed Gerda, who was writhing and screaming, and pressed hard over her heart.
―"And I say to you again, ask, and it will be given to you…."
"No, no… Aaaargh!"
For a moment, she seemed to relax, but then let out another blood-curdling scream.
As Leo's healing magic seeped into me, I continued to chant.
―"…for everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. If you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"
This was the end of the Divine Power spell. But the situation wasn't over yet.
Since it was still ongoing, I continued with another spell.
―"Therefore, if anyone is in Him, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new…."
At that moment, Gerda's body went limp.
Thinking she was dead, Leo frantically checked her pulse.
But I could tell right away that she wasn't dead.
'The Divine Power has taken hold.'
She'd hold out for at least half a day now.
I slowly withdrew my hand from Gerda's chest.
This was the last of my responsibilities.
Ironically, memories of the past started flashing before my eyes.
'…At first, I thought it would be over as soon as I secured the list from the orphanage.'
I'd thought it would be straightforward. Now, all I could do was laugh at my own naïveté.
"Lucas?"
Leo's voice sounded both startled and relieved as he looked up at me.
This long, grueling plan—at last, it was truly over.
With that thought, a wave of fatigue washed over me.
* * *
"Awake now?"
I turned my head toward the voice next to me.
Leo was standing there, looking down at me. Elias was also sitting in front of me, both of them dressed in unfamiliar uniforms.
It looked like I was in a room I'd seen before—possibly back in Bavaria.
"Why the delay? You sure slept in!"
Before I could even reply, Elias laughed and joked. Leo shot him a look as if asking if that was appropriate right now.
I simply smiled and, noticing the IV connected to my arm, asked,
"Blood transfusion?"
"Yes. You lost a lot, so we had no choice."
I hadn't realized I'd lost enough to require a transfusion, but given how long this mission had been, I must have.
As I fell into thought, Elias, likely trying to lighten the mood, slapped his shoulder with a grin.
"Look, Luca. I'm off the crutches now."
"Congratulations."
So it's finally that time.
Since it's December now, he should've gotten them removed.
Elias had been fairly quiet due to his treatments, but now I couldn't help but wonder what kind of mischief he'd be up to next.
"Just don't start running just because you can."
"Oh, come on, I won't run!"
Elias replied in a tone that didn't inspire much confidence.
Watching them behave as usual, I felt like I'd returned to normalcy after a long time.
"By the way, where's Narce?"
"He went back to the Papal State for a bit since the portal opened."
Since Divine Power was required to handle the blessing issue, I'd asked the Papal State to send a mage.
But… hearing the portal was active had me a bit worried about my brother over in the Papal State.
It's reasonable to worry about what excuse he might find to jump through and come here.
"So, when will the portal close?"
Elias, catching my drift, responded with a mischievous smile.
"Good timing, Luca. Leo has a little gift for you."
"What?"
Leo chuckled dryly.
Elias tore out a newspaper page and handed it to me.
"The Papal State is no longer a safe zone... 12 Pleroma-Controlled Areas Identified within the Papal State"
Below that, the article detailed that the Papal State, like the 48 affected areas of the Empire, had selected regions to manage manpower needs and was set to start implementing the Empire's model by the end of this month.
What the hell is this?
I hadn't discovered anything like this.
"This is…"
"After you sent the documents, we went up the chain through Eric Asman. I didn't even think of it, but Leo here managed to extract it through… persuasion."
I hadn't expected them to reach so high up, though in hindsight, they're not the type to sit quietly.
But more than anything…
Who's the one using threats now?
Laughing at that thought, I looked over at Leo, who gave me a questioning look in return.
After the attack on the Bavarian mages, there had been talk of pulling back external personnel, which raised the risk of internal deployments. But with traces of Pleroma now discovered in the Papal State, that risk had greatly diminished.
Especially since the movement had been conducted per a treaty between the two nations.
So… as long as Pleroma keeps spreading, my brother, responsible for the safety of the Papal State, won't be able to return to the Empire.
Looks like I'll have a bit more freedom in my movements now.
'Managed to tie my brother down good.'
I laughed, reading through each word of the article carefully.