How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 110

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

How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magic Family (110)

“Yes?”

“I sent him to my room. Why so surprised? He’s the one I’ve been looking for all this time.”

“Weren’t you outside Osnabrück?”

“I came back briefly because I had something to discuss. I’ll be leaving again in an hour.”

I approached him with the most irritating smile I could manage, just like Ainsiedel had done.

“I’ll just ask what I need to ask and send him back, so go.”

“Yes, understood.”

Surprisingly, he doesn’t suspect anything.

As I passed by his side, I quickly turned around and shot mana at his neck.

Thud—

His mouth fell open instantly.

The mana hit properly, and he collapsed without even being able to scream.

Since I had the Bishop’s face, those sharing vision wouldn’t be able to object to this action.

But I needed to finish this quickly.

I felt my core getting damaged as I stepped outside the door.

I could see someone walking from the other end of the hallway.

“Bishop.”

“…”

Someone slightly lifted their robe hood and made eye contact with me.

It was Richthofen.

“You succeeded in escaping with Farnese’s divine power, but you probably don’t have much time.”

‘…He granted my request.’

The request to bring Narke to the Catacombs. Once this is over, I should go personally greet Marian Baum.

I nodded silently.

Even though it was fake sensation, I didn’t want to hear Ainsiedel’s voice coming from my mouth.

Richthofen smiled and led me.

“We just need to search all the places that smell like paper.”

It seems Narke properly conveyed my intentions.

I left the building and followed the path Richthofen led.

Somehow all the alleys we entered were narrow and didn’t look like proper roads, but as long as we reached our destination, I could accept that without concern.

And before long, I faced a building that was an exact replica of part of the University of Göttingen in Lower Saxony.

Richthofen cast a soundproofing spell.

“Actually, I came here earlier, but seeing it again is still fascinating. This is my first time in Pleroma, and it really is similar to the Catacombs.”

“It is similar. Except for the complete lack of originality.”

“Right~ To think they copied it exactly and brought it here.”

Thanks to our attire, the guard standing at the door unlocked it without suspicion and stepped back.

Richthofen gave him a light nod.

The interior of the archives was quiet.

Looking up from the hall with its hollow center reaching to the top floor, I could see the library consisting of multiple levels.

Then, I heard footsteps from behind.

Leo, wearing the priest robes of this place, was approaching me.

Leo looked at my face with displeasure, then regained his composure and spoke.

“There are no conscious Pleroma here now. Handle it comfortably.”

“Thanks.”

I had wondered why there was no one else using the archives at the same time.

Leo must have knocked them all out.

Richthofen watched me counting the floors in the hall and asked.

“You’re not planning to blow everything up, are you? The thought of finding dimensional magic in this vast space seems a bit daunting.”

“Blowing everything up would be openly declaring war.”

Personally, I’d like to blow it all up…

But that would be like advertising for them to come catch us right now.

Scaling things up is good. But scaling up to a point where you can’t handle the aftermath is obviously poison.

“Fortunately not. So, do you have a method?”

“No need to worry.”

Leo answered instead and handed me a wand.

Now that he had calmed down, he was using formal speech with Richthofen again.

More than that…

‘…This is the first time I’ve heard this guy say there’s no need to worry.’

I’m gradually earning his trust.

As I silently stared into space, Leo opened his clutch and handed me a medicine bottle.

I pushed open the cap of the familiar Wittelsbach medicine bottle and drank the elixir.

The stability of my depleted core quickly returned. This wouldn’t be enough to dispel the curse magic in the air, but I could at least replenish my stamina a bit more.

I lightly spun Leo’s wand to get familiar with it in my hand.

“Are you going to start?”

“Yeah.”

At my answer, Leo cast soundproofing magic throughout the entire building.

I transformed Leo’s wand into a staff and struck the floor.

—Seek, and you shall find!

Brilliant white light obscured my vision, then quickly cleared.

I spoke quickly before anyone could open their mouth.

“Catacombs, dimensional magic.”

At that moment, the divine power remaining in the air reacted and a corner of the top floor sparkled.

Richthofen shook his head without taking his eyes off the scene.

“…Good grief… There really was no need to worry. I forgot you’re a mage who can use divine power.”

“Let’s go.”

Before the words were even finished, a wolf-sized dog ran up the stairs.

“…?!”

Leo watched the scene with his mouth agape, then exchanged glances with me. I could say my expression was probably the same as his.

As we stood speechless in bewilderment, Richthofen had already emerged from the archives room and was waving a bundle of white papers from the railing.

“…”

* * *

“It’s my unique ability. The power to hide my body by changing my appearance.”

“I see.”

We listened to Richthofen’s explanation as we exited the building.

I could hear someone muttering that he did seem dog-like.

“It’s also the reason Richthofen adopted me.”

“Aren’t you a New Human?”

“Technically, I am. But… if you were created based on the most recently developed standard model, I remain in a grandparents’ generation body. I was born into a family that has now fallen.”

So he’s saying they didn’t have money to update the technology.

Since his family had fallen, a relatively wealthier family adopted him as a mage.

“Is that ability related to you entering the Catacombs?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I didn’t press further since it seemed like it would be sensitive content, but he continued on his own.

“I came here to obtain technology to remove the ability. As you know, it’s a bit awkward to reveal to others, isn’t it?”

“It is a bit awkward.”

The ability itself isn’t the problem, but rather that others would view ability holders as objects of fear or as inferior beings.

“Haha… Since someone else said that, I feel like defending myself. But it’s true. Even knowing my name was listed among the nobility, the reason Teacher… no, the Chairman didn’t kick me out was because he judged that ability would be a tool to keep my mouth shut.”

He’s talking about Eberhardt.

From the earlier conversation and the way he called him teacher, they must have known each other personally.

“So the Chairman knew.”

“Yes. You always use words that grate on my nerves, but even after more than 10 years, you’ve kept the secret well.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Indeed. Come to think of it, even though it’s not exactly an ability worth revealing, thanks to it I was able to stay in this place, so looking back now, I don’t think of it as entirely bad.”

Richthofen said with a smile.

If it’s been more than 10 years, that means he’s been here since childhood, and indeed, listening to him speak, it feels like he regards the Catacombs as more familiar than the surface.

Anyway, now I understand clearly.

How he recognized me as Dietrich Granach just by entering the tavern.

There was already a dog by Elias’s side before that. He had recognized me and Elias even before entering the tavern.

“Come to think of it, you can also bring smell and hearing when needed.”

“That’s right~ That’s how I rose to this position with noble status in the Catacombs.”

Now that I think about it…

“Then you recognized Leo from the beginning too.”

“Yes. He had the scent of a student council junior.”

It’s a useful ability.

Of course, now isn’t the time to think about that. I can ask about Richthofen when we return to school.

I looked at Leo and asked.

“Where’s Narke?”

“She’s calculating what level of divine power to use. All mana other than vitriol gets caught by curse magic.”

Leo finished speaking and raised his eyebrows, gesturing behind us.

Narke, wearing a robe hood pulled low like Leo and Richthofen, was approaching us. Narke looked at me and said in a surprised voice.

“Wow, that face is… new.”

“Perfect timing.”

“Huh?”

“There should be clergy in the buildings used as offices and dormitories here, and soon all those bastards will disappear together. When that happens, use divine power to find the documents that were transferred.”

“Mm, okay. Where’s the office?”

“I’ll go with you.”

At Narke’s question, Richthofen went to her side. Then he looked at me and asked.

“But I’m curious what you’re planning to do here. Can you erase all the transferred spatial magic techniques? There must be people who didn’t come to this place.”

“That’s why we need to gather them. See you later.”

I waved my hand lightly.

Narke must have read my thoughts with insight, but since she’s not stopping me, there seems to be no major problem with the plan.

I walked toward the Cathedral with Leo leading the way.

Destroying documents is easy.

But erasing information from people’s minds is difficult.

It’s not that using divine power is the problem, but because I don’t know exactly who has the information, and it’s difficult to gather them all in one place.

Perhaps he had already received guidance from Richthofen, as Leo led the way without hesitation.

He cast a sound-blocking spell and said.

“Lucas. About your face right now… is that what the bishop here looks like?”

“Right.”

“…I don’t know how you found out about the bishop, but you know, right? You probably took on his appearance because he wouldn’t be here, but there will be someone who’s been in constant contact with the bishop. You need to make all the clergy rush here before they can confirm the facts.”

“Yeah, I know.”

When I asked that servant earlier if ‘your master could gather everyone belonging to the Diocese of Osnabrück,’ he said yes.

With this appearance, calling them won’t be a problem.

Only the speed of calling them matters.

There is a way to call them immediately.

‘I was thinking of trying the scam of doubling the vitriol distribution.’

They would come right away.

But it’s difficult to use without knowing what the bishop’s usual statements were like.

Since there’s a possibility they might directly ask the bishop ‘what the hell are you thinking’ before coming here, it would be much better to tell the truth rather than lies.

There was no one guarding the door in front of the Cathedral.

There must be a mass for lay people going on.

When I stood in front of it, Leo naturally stepped forward and opened the door wide.

‘I almost opened the door myself.’

I composed my expression and looked ahead.

Countless people were sitting in chairs.

This was the place where Strauchi had injected vitriol into me before.

Coming here again brought back the memories and sensations of that time as if I had just experienced them.

A priest standing in front of the altar was rattling off various words when he looked up.

“…Oh!”

“B-Bishop?”

It didn’t take long for shock to spread across his face.

I walked silently and put Ainsiedel’s unpleasant expression on my face.

“Let’s end today’s mass here.”

“Bishop, is there some business…?”

Even if not the clergy, the possibility that the technique spread to the believers is small.

But since I’m going to deal with it anyway, it doesn’t matter if they’re here.

“I need to gather all the clergy in our diocese. Are there any who have gone to other dioceses right now?”

“N-no. Since you’ve returned, Bishop, as far as I know, now…”

“Mm, yes. I understand.”

I waved my hand dismissively and raised my voice.

“Nicolaus Ernst has escaped.”

“What?!”

Instantly, even the congregation fell into shock.

It seemed they didn’t even know that Nicolaus had come here in the first place.

Leo standing beside me let out a small bitter laugh.

I spoke slowly to the priest who was standing with his mouth agape.

“We need to hold a strategy meeting. Tell everyone from deacons up to gather here immediately.”

Since I said I took him to my room, the responsibility for the escape lies with the bishop.

But letting an enemy we finally caught escape isn’t a trivial matter. Given the seriousness of the situation, they’ll gather here.

There’s one important point here.

Right now the bishop is outside Osnabrück.

To avoid drawing him in, word must not spread to other dioceses.

‘Looking at how the double spatial magic didn’t go outside Osnabrück, it’s clear the bishop is in performance competition.’

So I need to use this point.

I spoke quietly to the priest who was moving his hands quickly while pale.

“If word gets to other dioceses… you’ll have to prepare for difficulty living normally within the diocese from now on.”

“Y-yes, yes!”

The priest nodded vigorously. Soon he opened something like a portal in the air and shouted.

“His Excellency the Bishop has issued a general assembly order. Nicolaus Ernst has escaped!”

Simultaneously, similar voices echoed from outside the Cathedral.

But the sounds from outside weren’t clear. It seemed to be processed so that it would resonate within the diocese but only clergy, not believers, could hear it.

‘So this is how they broadcast.’

Good to know.

At that moment, people I’d never seen before instantly warped here.

Some even came holding pens in their hands, showing what they were doing before coming.

“Your Excellency, Nicolaus Ernst escaped?!”

“We’ll talk after everyone gathers.”

Even at my nonchalant words, no one criticized my attitude.

It seems I’ve got the concept right.

Less than a minute later, dozens of clergy warped to this location.

“Now, everyone’s here! Bishop, what happened here!”

“Hey! Cast silence magic on the laypeople and get them out immediately!”

“No.”

I shouted loudly to stop them.

The laypeople who were getting up from their seats and the clergy trying to escort them out stared at me with wide eyes.

I quickly downed the elixir that Leo handed me.

From the spreading sensation, what I received this time was much stronger medicine than what I had taken earlier.

“Bishop?”

Someone asked in a bewildered voice.

Of course they’d be bewildered. While saying we should hold a strategy meeting, I was just drinking elixirs.

I changed Leo’s wand into a staff and struck it down on the floor.

Kwaaaaang―!

In an instant, white light surged along the floor.

Shock appeared on the faces of countless people for a moment.

―Enter through the narrow gate.

I continued pouring in divine power as I opened my mouth.

Having to constantly think of keywords to erase from memory, I couldn’t even feel the pain in my core.

―For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it….

With each word I finished, the shocked expressions disappeared from the faces of those seated.

―But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

My breath smelled of blood.

Finally, I pulled out another spell to confirm whether my magic had worked on everyone.

―Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

Thud―!

At that moment, the priests who had been standing collapsed to the floor.

Now only Leo and I remained standing.

Leo, who had been using healing magic on me, looked at the space filled only with silence and said.

“…It’s over.”

“No, there’s one more.”

There’s the Antagonist who went outside the Diocese.

The one whose appearance I borrowed.

“The Bishop of the Diocese is outside. Let’s watch and see when he comes.”

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