How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 106

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magic Family (106)

“….”

The Captain’s eyes narrowed.

Elias glanced at him briefly.

‘That’s a reasonable reaction.’

Since my tone had changed.

Since he chose my origins as the point to attack me, I can’t let that continue.

‘I know I’m different, and I have no intention of hiding it.’

It’s a better method than insisting to the end that ‘I can understand you people.’

In that case, the attack would continue to deal effective damage, but if the person being attacked acknowledges their own nature, that attack rapidly loses value.

After all, not acknowledging it doesn’t mean there’s anyone who doesn’t know I’m a noble.

At that moment, the Captain glared at Elias.

‘…He’s been deliberately excluding everything aristocratic until now, but suddenly comes out like this?’

Could he be thinking of targeting the bourgeoisie?

That wouldn’t be bad outside, but there aren’t many bourgeoisie in the Catacombs.

Those with wealth openly avoid crackdowns by helping local minor nobles and getting their names listed as distant relatives.

Then Elias opened his mouth again.

“So I need to make one thing clear before we go on. I don’t intend to say I understand your lives just because I’ve lived a life rejected by the Emperor.”

“….”

“But my aspirations are the same as yours.”

At that moment, frustrated shouts came from the plaza.

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Just kill him now, why keep listening!”

Elias smiled as if he had expected this.

The Captain channeled mana into his hand, forcing him back down to the ground, and raised his voice.

“How surprising. Now that you’re famous as a hero who catches Pleroma, do you express having ‘the same aspirations’ just by harboring resentment against Pleroma?”

“….”

“Pleroma is evil to you people. But what’s the basis for that?”

“Isn’t it evil to kill innocent people at will for profit?”

“That’s exactly it. You people who kill innocent us and arbitrarily extract mana to store in the national treasury are the most fundamental evil to us. Pleroma might seem like your only enemy and the incarnation of evil to you, but not to us.”

‘Hmm.’

So he planned to counterattack like this from the beginning.

The politicians on the surface are more vicious than Pleroma, we don’t need to be swayed by the logic of good and evil they’ve instilled.

‘Not bad?’

It’s the nature of the masses to act as if they’ll go crazy unless they divide everything into two….

With this logic, Pleroma would slowly escape the standard of evil, and surface nobles would replace that position.

‘I heard Mueller was also anti-Pleroma in nature.’

It seems he’s set aside his own thoughts to break me down.

Yes, it should be at least this much.

Elias now felt a certain refreshment as he listened to the Captain’s words.

“You people fear being ambushed by 100,000 Pleroma whose whereabouts are unknown, but you have a system to catch those Pleroma, and 100 million subjects who mourn and rage on your behalf. Meanwhile, to us, all 100 million people of the Empire are no different from secret police.”

“….”

“So it’s natural that you people seem like greater evil than Pleroma to us. Can you still say we have the same aspirations?”

“No.”

The brief answer without hesitation spread throughout the entire plaza via amplification magic.

The plaza’s reaction was cut short by the unpredictable conversation.

Someone shouted angrily.

“Are you playing around! Stop with the word games and just kill him!”

Elias ignored that shout and put strength into his voice with an expressionless face.

“When did I say I shared aspirations with you because of Pleroma? I never said that eliminating Pleroma was my ultimate goal.”

“What other sentiment could we possibly share with you? In this situation, to be stubborn….”

“You’re mistaken. My enemy isn’t Pleroma, but His Majesty the Emperor and the Federal Committee.”

Elias cut off the Captain’s words. Now his voice carried a faint, cold smile.

“….”

The plaza fell silent as if cold water had been poured over it.

Countless wide-open eyes all turned toward Elias’s face.

Elias looked down at the plaza where not even breathing could be heard, then spoke to the Captain who was staring at him in bewilderment.

“Why so surprised? With so many people here wanting my death, wasn’t that exactly why you’re talking with me and killing time?”

Elias smiled and continued.

“You’re planning to hand me over to the Imperial Court. My Uncle, who only seeks opportunities to tear me down, will abolish hardline policies against the Catacombs and change his stance, so you can sell me out and become legally safe. Isn’t that right?”

“….”

“Don’t try to escape. I’m just repeating what your subordinate said to me.”

The plaza stirred.

This reaction didn’t come from thinking it was unethical or that Elias shouldn’t be handed over to the Imperial Court.

They still hadn’t grasped anything.

The Captain quickly raised his hand to quell the disturbance and raised his voice.

“You know well. The plan has changed. Elias Hohenzollern is Emperor Friedrich’s greatest political enemy, so handing him over to the Emperor serves the purpose of punishment far better than killing him and is a method that can ensure the Catacombs’ safety.”

The Captain said this while looking at Elias.

“You can’t get your bearings and keep bringing up other topics, which only makes things tiresome. We can’t waste time for long. Now it’s time for Teacher Marian Baum to testify about you.”

“…!”

Elias’s head snapped up instantly.

Bringing Baum was one problem, but now he could feel a different flow of mana than before.

The moment he sent out mana to deploy a barrier, the mages standing around simultaneously pointed their wands at Elias.

[Nunc est bibendum.]

“Kugh…!”

His vision turned black for a moment before returning.

Elias urgently pressed his heart. Red letters quickly wrote themselves across the skin of his hand and flashed.

Elias, who had been catching his breath, chuckled at the sight.

‘The spell being crude… that worked for now, and tired from bringing up other topics?’

No, there’s no way he’d be tired for such a reason.

He’s saying this because he noticed I’m trying to guide the crowd toward the ending I want.

Of course, this isn’t a red flag right now, so I can generously bear with it.

“I’ll give you 5 minutes, so apologize to the people of the Catacombs.”

Rather, he expected the situation would flow favorably for him.

‘My target isn’t Pleroma but His Majesty the Emperor and the Federal Committee’ – this statement temporarily stopped the backlash. The foundation for focusing on my words began to be laid.

Everyone thought Elias Hohenzollern would seek to gain public support and live comfortably like other noble mages, but they couldn’t have imagined he was plotting treason.

‘It’s good, but there’s one disappointing thing.’

My life’s greatest goal of taking my Uncle’s head hasn’t been advertised this much?

Anyway, that guy cast a curse spell while making excuses to stop my statement.

‘I guess he thought it would be somewhat wrong to just eliminate me outright.’

Thanks for the 5 minutes.

Elias struggled to get up and said.

“What is your goal? The same as other subjects – to live on the surface without threats to your lives?”

“Could it end with just that? We will definitely be compensated for the time we’ve lost.”

“Yes, that’s a good attitude. I’m the same way.”

The Captain raised his eyebrows.

“Do as you wish when this is over. It will certainly be very profitable. The Imperial Newspaper will overnight take down columns advocating mass slaughter and sympathize with the Catacombs, and Nicolaus and I will somehow become the most shameless people in the world.”

Elias chuckled and raised his head.

Sweat had formed on his hands.

“It’s true that my choices range from 5-pel gin to 500,000-pel wine. I don’t intend to deny that. If I know that all the privileges I enjoy are benefits made from everyone’s blood and sweat, would it make you feel better if I said I feel guilty about everything I’ve said so far?”

“How could that be? What meaning would there be if you say that while enjoying all that wealth?”

“Then, if I were immediately expelled from the Imperial Palace and had to live in the slums, would you feel a bit more at ease since our past and circumstances would be the same?”

“….”

Would that bring any comfort?

There are countless nobles that need to be dealt with. Just because one of them falls doesn’t evoke any particular sentiment.

“There wouldn’t be enough reason to let my guard down over that. The fundamental change is so far away that it’s like covering your eyes and crushing whatever’s within reach, then deluding yourself into thinking you’ve achieved justice.”

“….”

“It’s the same. Do you want to prostrate yourself before the Emperor who drove you underground, just to gain a few months of peace? Do you want to obtain momentary rest even while turning yourself into Pleroma, even while entrusting yourself to a method destined for destruction?”

The murmuring of the crowd no longer reached Elias’s ears. This wasn’t a situation where he could afford to listen to it.

“If that’s what you want, then do it. But I won’t.”

“You’re not someone who can dictate what the Catacombs should do. Whatever method we choose is beyond your scope of understanding….”

“I said I couldn’t understand you. The reverse is also true. I’m not going to say that you’re treating all lives that enjoy higher material wealth as wicked, but….”

Despite his face covered in cold sweat, Elias spoke with an unwavering voice.

“If you’re going to tell me not to even dream of understanding others, then you should know that you can’t utter a single definitive word about others either.”

“….”

The Captain looked down at Elias silently.

Words burst from Elias’s mouth like rapid gunfire.

“…I know how frustrating it is to face mortal danger because of something you were born with. I’ve been considered my uncle’s rival since a moment I can’t even remember, all because of my magical power. In a world where the person who should protect me tries to crush me to death, I’ve never once thought this world operates rationally. Can you really assert so definitively that I couldn’t understand the situation at all? Aren’t you in the same situation as me?”

I can’t tell for certain how the atmosphere in this plaza is developing.

Honestly, I don’t even know if I’m maintaining this damn tone properly.

Someone is definitely shouting from outside, but now I can’t hear anything. The curse magic seems to have invaded my core.

“My coming here while hiding my identity threatens your existence, not just my safety. I wasn’t unaware of that. Despite knowing that, there was only one reason I had no choice but to enter here.”

Mueller will soon become Pleroma.

Whether Luca reached the same conclusion or not, honestly it would be stranger if you couldn’t make that deduction after seeing the blood of those Vigilante Corps bastards.

Anyway, since there’s no time, I have no choice but to speak assuming I’m right.

“The Emperor is trying to deal with this place by linking it with Pleroma, and you’re still thinking of joining hands with Pleroma? What did you think Nicolaus and I came here to do? You never once considered that I might be on your side. I understand, but….”

This is really the end now.

Elias summoned his voice with all his remaining strength.

“I promise you. I didn’t come here to harm you. I came to stop the Emperor.”

At that moment, the self-defense force members standing on either side pointed their wands at the Captain.

Elias’s half-unfocused eyes widened.

Before he could grasp what was happening, the light in his vision disappeared.

* * *

“We succeeded.”

Richthofen, who had been deploying spatial magic in front of us, muttered.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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