Chapter 49: Tell us, Professor Matthias!

The Rosenkreuz Society—a secret organization that had safeguarded the true path of magic since ancient times, rooting out heresy and dangerous sorcery—hid its headquarters within the building of a trading company in the imperial capital.

Currently, newly mobilized staff and a veteran instructor overseeing their orientation—Matthias von Ehrenberg—stood inside.

"Ah. First, let me express my condolences to all of you assembled here. You likely won’t live much longer. A shame, really. My deepest sympathies."

Matthias smirked faintly as he delivered those words.

"That said, you should at least try to survive. So, engrave what I’m about to say into your skulls. It might buy you a little more time—even if it’s just a second or two."

With that, Matthias began the orientation.

"First, you need to understand the threats we face."

As he spoke, he wrote on the blackboard: [Human] [Summoned Beings] [Familiars] [Divine Entities], drawing lines to separate them into distinct categories.

"Humans are our brethren—familiar to us. But even among them, threats lurk. Sorcerers. Not the mediocre dabblers you know, but those who worship forbidden magic."

Under the [Human] category, he scribbled "Sorcerers."

"Fortunately, most of them are insane. They don’t employ advanced tactics. But they compensate with dangerous magic—spells that turn men to ash in an instant, or summon the horrors I’ll explain later."

"However," Matthias continued, "they’re still human. Put a bullet through their skull, and they die. The real problem is those who’ve stopped being human—Witches and High Witches."

Between [Human] and [Summoned Beings], he wrote "Witches / High Witches."

"These freaks didn’t stop at dabbling in heresy—they warped their own flesh and souls. Enhanced bodies, twisted spirits, eternal life. They’ve already stepped halfway out of humanity’s category."

He tapped the words "Witch" and "High Witch" with his chalk.

"Witches can still be killed. But High Witches? Blow their heads off with a bullet, or even a cannon shell, and they won’t die. Killing them is a pain—but not impossible. I’ve done it a few times myself."

The Rosenkreuz staff in attendance wondered: Had Matthias slain them because he, too, knew forbidden arts?

"Next, Summoned Beings. These are creatures from other worlds. In their realm, they’re like maggots or fleas—but here, they’re abominations. That’s how dire otherworldly entities are."

Otherworlds—realms beyond Earth, alien dimensions incomprehensible to man. Even the smallest of their inhabitants posed a threat to humanity.

"The sorcerers, witches, and High Witches I mentioned earlier sometimes summon these things. In fact, that’s the only way we encounter them—Summoned Beings lack the means to cross over themselves. They’re strong enough to slaughter humans, but ultimately, they’re lowly creatures."

Matthias explained that no matter how grotesque, these beings were mere pests in their own worlds.

"Can they be killed? Technically, yes. But it’s easier to kill the summoner. Do that, and the creature either returns to its world or withers away—Earth’s environment is poison to them."

Summoned Beings depended on their masters to exist here. Eliminate the summoner, and the creature vanishes. And usually, the summoner is the weaker target.

"Now, Familiars. This is where things get bad."*

Matthias drew a skull next to [Familiars].

"Familiars are otherworldly beings infused with a Divine Entity’s blood—orders of magnitude stronger than Summoned Beings. Smarter, tougher, and far crueler. The worst part? They’re intelligent."

"Why’s that bad?" he continued. "They employ tactics. Wield advanced magic. And they understand how fragile humans are. Once they realize we’re no real threat, they’ll toy with us like cats with mice."

He shrugged.

"Can they be killed? Depends on which Divine Entity they serve. But unless you’re obscenely lucky, a mere human stands no chance. Not unless you’re ready to die trying."

"Familiars exist at the very edge of what humanity can handle."

Matthias paused, then moved on.

"Now, Divine Entities. You probably assume all heretical gods are hostile to mankind—but that’s not quite true. In fact, across our entire recorded history, we’ve never observed a Divine Entity that actively opposes humanity."

"Surprising, isn’t it?" he mused.

"But think about it. When a child crushes an anthill for fun, do the ants interpret it as a genocidal war? No. To these 'gods,' we’re just ants—if that. Beneath their notice. Why bother with hostility when we’re barely worth acknowledging?"

The scale was so vast, Matthias explained, that some Divine Entities might not even perceive humanity clearly.

"But don’t mistake that for harmlessness. We’re too insignificant for guilt, so they’ll warp us for amusement—drive us mad, sculpt us into blasphemous monsters. ‘Benevolent gods’ exist solely in human fairy tales."

He delivered the line with weary disdain.

"So, what do you do if you do meet a ‘hostile’ god?"

Matthias chuckled darkly.

"Pray to those fictional deities you invented. It’s all you can do."

Having finished the orientation, Matthias made his way through the Rosenkreuz Society headquarters toward a particular room.

"Beth. You've mobilized an unusually large batch of rookies, haven't you?"

It was Elizabeth's office. Without knocking, Matthias let himself in.

"Yes. The Witch Association's movements have become completely unpredictable. We assumed they'd react after the Order of the Starless Wisdom called a truce with us—after all, one of their allies betrayed them without warning."

"Allies? Doubt either side actually thought of it that way," Matthias scoffed. "They're just cults at the end of the day. They'll use each other when convenient, but playing nice? Not a chance."

"Perhaps. But we still expect the Witch Association to make a move soon."

"Sure, whatever. Do as you like."

Just as Matthias turned to leave—

"Matthias." Elizabeth's voice sharpened, driving the point home. "I understand you disagree with the Rosenkreuz Society's current policies—and that you despise Felix von Starkburg. But at least exercise some self-restraint, like an adult."

"I won't claim to be the model teacher either, given my... provisional position. But try to think and act like a functioning member of society."

"Yeah, yeah. But listen, Beth."

Matthias fished a cigarette from his breast pocket, smirking.

"That bastard’s definitely up to worse shit than I ever was."

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