How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 112

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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 (112)

“….”

“What, didn’t you know this much even after coming all the way here?”

“Taking subordinates as hostages….”

Ainsiedel stared at me blankly, muttering, then burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha! Good.”

The moment I closed my eyes and opened them, I felt pain in my cheek.

He had instantly warped in front of me and grabbed my cheek with one hand.

“You need at least this much spirit to be worth watching for long. Don’t you think?”

I swatted his hand away and answered.

“Well. I have no intention of being watched for long.”

“Mm, no. You will be watched for long. I quite like you, Count.”

Again, the same words as always.

He stared intently at my face and muttered.

“I don’t know how you found out about me, but for someone as busy as you, Count, to personally wait for me—I can’t help but be moved. With that much effort, you must have prepared various gifts too. Like capturing all my subordinates….”

He looked around the empty cathedral and grabbed my shoulder.

“And the fact that you’re here alone. You must definitely have a plan for me.”

“Yes, of course.”

I answered with a smile.

He laughed heartily again, then stomped his foot hard.

Instantly, the surrounding scenery turned completely white.

“….”

“Do you think just anyone can rise to the position of bishop, Count?”

His form wasn’t visible.

I felt someone grab my collar. At the same time, the Antagonist’s form finally appeared.

“Bern must have been excessively weak. He was certainly a bit weak to be elevated to bishop rank.”

“Indeed he was.”

“Hahaha! So you and I can communicate like this, Count. But he had a good head on his shoulders. Just a little more and he would have succeeded in mass-producing those ridiculous mosquitoes. Living as a spy, he might have even risen to the position of Empire’s chancellor someday….”

Crash—!

A pitch-black attack struck right below my eyes. However, I felt no impact whatsoever. Ainsiedel muttered while looking at my expressionless face.

“It doesn’t work at all. I like it. If the one who killed Bern wasn’t at least this much, I would have been disappointed.”

It’s natural that his attacks don’t work on me. After all, I’m also using dual-space magic.

It breaks under impacts exceeding the threshold, but if I let the mana flow out before that, I can easily block the strike.

The downside is that I also can’t use magic beyond the threshold.

Of course, since I came to have a conversation with him today, it’s the optimal defensive measure.

Ainsiedel, who had been looking around with a thoughtful smile, tilted his head side to side and said.

“Then… let’s exclude magic. I know well what method you used, Count. It’s a magic that’s caught my fancy recently.”

Ainsiedel’s foot slipped between my feet, then he pushed my shoulder while strongly kicking my ankle.

Crash—!

“….”

“Both you and I, Count, the method we used has an important blind spot. The fact that we can touch each other. I’m confident in my fists too, so that should be fine, right?”

Of course he’d be confident. With physical strength higher than even Elias’s, how could he not be confident.

And people become careless the moment they gain confidence.

When I smiled, he stopped moving.

He suddenly opened his eyes wide and jerked his head up.

Crash—!

With a thunderous sound, the pure white spatial magic he had deployed disappeared. Now the surroundings became half-dark again, with only the light coming from outside and the candles on the wall illuminating this place.

In the distance, from the cathedral entrance, Narke, who had struck down diagonally with her staff, smiled and said to me.

“You picked the wrong opponent, Nicolaus.”

Ainsiedel, who had been standing with a surprised face, quickly regained his composure and muttered.

“…How did you break through and enter? I only have business with Nicolaus.”

“Well. If we’re talking about that, I have business with you.”

Narke continued with an inscrutable smile.

“I came to make a deal.”

“As I said again, I have no intention of doing anything with you, whoever you are.”

“I do though, what a pity.”

Since I’d always seen her answering casually with things like ‘haha, I see~’ and laughing, it had been a while since I realized she could be serious while still mixing in smiles like this.

Ainsiedel looked Narke up and down carefully, then muttered regretfully.

“Both you and Nicolaus feel similar, so why did you boringly use Nicolaus as bait?”

Well, since he shows particular interest only in me, who dealt with Werner Strauch, I’m suitable as someone to keep him in place.

But I have no intention of saying that. He’d wonder since when I knew about him.

Narke also aimed her staff at him without answering.

“Step aside.”

“Hm? I haven’t done anything yet. Are you worried Nicolaus can’t get up because of me? How about trying to trust your comrade.”

“Haha, you’re not a logical person.”

Crash—!

The moment Ainsiedel lightly flicked his hand, Narke’s divine power scattered the vitriol that came at me.

Seeing movements that felt almost cheerful, I could tell Narke wasn’t using even half her power.

Ainsiedel raised his eyebrows. Light briefly flickered in his eyes that had been half-closed as if sleepy.

“Well now, this one didn’t cast that magic. It would have been better if Count Nicolaus had come out with his true skills rather than you….”

He withdrew the vitriol and spoke.

Now his face showed gentleness.

“I understand. You two want something from me, right?”

“Mm, now we can communicate.”

“Even so, two Nicolaus… no, there’s one more? Three is too many. Besides, I don’t enjoy violence. I’d like to treat you as well as possible if I can.”

Ainsiedel tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders. Meanwhile, I shot out just enough mana to not break the spatial magic and kicked off the floor to stand up.

“That’s a long way to say you lack confidence.”

“Since facing you alone, Count, seems to be wrong already, what choice do I have other than cooperating with you here.”

He walked to the end of the cathedral with a sly smile and sat on the dais.

“Tell me. What did you want that made you blow this place up like this.”

I answered his words dryly.

“Memory.”

“Memory…?”

“I need to erase your memory.”

He frowned and then smirked.

“That won’t do. If I lose Bern’s memories like this, will you take responsibility?”

“Nothing to worry about. What I want is just the past week’s memories.”

“One week?”

He rolled his eyes and fell into thought. He seemed to be trying to figure out what we wanted.

During that time, I looked at Narke.

One week or whatever, is this someone who must be killed here and now. I needed to hear the answer to this.

‘…His stats are problematic for disposal.’

He’s a bishop. That means he’s someone in the Catacombs Leadership.

Just from the subtle mana I could feel, I could tell he was incomparable to anyone I’d met so far.

Of course, with a good plan, it wouldn’t be impossible to deal with him, but what bothers me is that if we could kill him now, or if we had to kill him, Narke would have come on strong first.

Narke, whose eyes met mine, also seemed to understand my thoughts and shook her head.

It must mean either the timing isn’t right yet, or trying to kill him might cause us losses instead.

That makes sense, since he could deploy spatial magic to inform other dioceses’ Pleroma of the situation.

Given his behavior of monopolizing dual-space magic, the possibility is slim, but it’s different when pushed to the brink of death.

Ainsiedel stroked his chin and muttered.

“You want to erase my week’s worth of memories. Then I’ll forget the memory of Count welcoming me so grandly today. And Osnabrück forming good relations with the Catacombs. But if I lose my memories, what benefit do I gain?”

“I don’t think you’re in a position to weigh and calculate like that.”

At my sneer, he raised his eyebrows in surprise, then smiled brightly.

“I never knew Count had such a personality.”

“….”

“Count is right. You just gave me a gift. Honestly, I don’t care whether my subordinates live or die… But if they all disappear at once, my position within the order would become quite interesting.”

“That’s a situation I’d really like to see.”

“Since Count has caught my weakness, I have no choice but to accept it.”

He stuck his hand in his pocket and nodded at me. Then he smiled while looking at Narke too.

It seemed he was agreeing to have his memory erased.

“….”

Narke didn’t raise her wand and just stared at him.

And I was the same.

Ainsiedel asked with a smile.

“Won’t you do it? I even released the dual space magic.”

“If you’re going to play tricks, why don’t you just stop.”

“How accurate. Goodness, being so suspicious…”

Crash―!

When he stomped his foot once, something fell in front of us.

It was a person.

A child who looked old enough to enter elementary school was looking around pale and terrified, unable to even stand properly.

Ainsiedel spoke in an emotionless tone.

“Blood I collected today. I was troubled because I had to drink and dispose of it today anyway, so this works out well.”

“….”

“Try erasing it. As far as I know, you need to adjust the intensity of magic according to the person… If you use divine power to erase my memory, will this friend’s head be fine from the shock? I wonder if it might be irreparably damaged.”

‘So he’s made a connection.’

Like with me and that guy’s servant earlier.

As I drew my wand, Narke swiftly tilted her staff toward us from far away.

At that moment, Ainsiedel’s vitriol struck the floor. The child couldn’t even make a sound and grimaced while covering his front with his arms.

Crash!

The blue barrier I cast blocked around the child. Before the roar from the barrier hitting the ground subsided, the sharp impact sound of vitriol hitting the barrier’s magic power struck fiercely. The air outside the barrier also turned black.

I hadn’t experienced many attacks that were hard to block with barriers, but he truly wasn’t a bishop for nothing. The force of the attack hitting the barrier was extraordinary.

I kept my wand aimed at the barrier while continuously flowing magic power and shook my head.

“That won’t work.”

Finding my words amusing, Ainsiedel, who was sitting crookedly on the dais, burst into laughter again.

“Hahaha! What won’t work, I…”

―Unless Yahweh guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain!

Confusion appeared in Ainsiedel’s eyes. For a moment his eyes went half-blank. Then he straightened his swaying body. Ainsiedel, who immediately came to his senses, burst into laughter with surprised eyes.

“…Haha… Ha! So you didn’t mean to protect this friend more, but to put me to sleep? …Yes, Count truly doesn’t disappoint me.”

Every time he spoke, I could simultaneously smell an alien blood scent and feel magic power. That guy definitely bit his tongue to block my sleep magic earlier.

Then there’s one thing I need to confirm.

I smiled and signaled to Narke with my eyes.

Crash―!

Narke’s golden magic power completely scattered all the vitriol that had filled the air around the child in dense concentration.

The child inside my barrier was just terrified, not even holding his hand to his mouth.

If Ainsiedel and the child were truly connected, the pain from Ainsiedel biting his tongue should have been felt by the child too by now.

In other words, contrary to Ainsiedel’s words, he and the child weren’t connected at all.

I chuckled seeing that.

“I thought so.”

“…Ah, to figure it out this way.”

Ainsiedel whistled and flicked the wand he was holding in his hand that gripped the dais. At the same time, Narke chanted a spell.

―You are protected by Yahweh’s power through faith!

Crash―!

The impact sound was brief.

The guy’s vitriol flying toward the child scattered in my divine power. As if warped, the child disappeared completely. Narke had definitely transferred him to Richthofen with space magic.

Why did Ainsiedel just let me and Narke’s interference be. This brief and easy defense of ours meant one thing.

‘He didn’t release the dual space magic.’

Ainsiedel is also being careful not to break his dual space magic. The statement that he “released the dual space magic” was probably false from the beginning.

Though I don’t know him well, judging by his nature, he’s not someone who would keep confronting us. From now on, I have no choice but to watch for timing.

“….”

Ainsiedel looked expressionlessly toward where Narke was.

“No matter how I think about it, this method isn’t fun.”

He completely came down from the dais and stepped on the ground with both feet. The spot where he stood turned black, and a sudden roar shook our ears.

Craaaash―!! Crash― Bang―!

He didn’t stomp the ground hard with his foot, nor did he change his wand to a staff and strike the floor. It was just the sound of vitriol in the air hitting surrounding objects that was this loud.

Narke gripped her staff with both hands and blocked the vitriol. Vibrations from the collision continued from that side.

‘To think he’d go all out right after I thought about watching for timing.’

Crash—!

The space turned completely black as the guy’s vitriol struck me. I put weight on my heels to maintain balance.

‘At this level, I’d need to release the dual space magic too to have a chance of winning.’

But I need to wait for a more certain victory.

Given the situation, Leo must have joined in too as blue magic power kept sparking from somewhere.

Though Ainsiedel seemed to be exerting himself to avoid being pushed back, seeing him face three people, the saying “do you think just anyone becomes a bishop” really wasn’t bluffing.

Perhaps worried I might arbitrarily erase memories, the air kept darkening. Now only silhouettes could be distinguished.

Ainsiedel’s leisurely voice was heard.

“If I raise my power just a little more here, you’re planning to send all your subordinates, right?”

“Of course.”

Narke, who had been blocking vitriol while holding her staff horizontally, smiled and continued.

“Should I send one person per minute for you to come to your senses?”

“Haha, scary words. At this rate we’re just wasting time, so let me make one request.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Hand over Nicolaus to me.”

Even amid the impact sounds, Narke’s laughter could be heard. Soon his smooth voice followed.

“Should I do that?”

I let out a hollow laugh.

I’m curious about Leo’s reaction. He’ll probably be dumbfounded, though I don’t know for sure.

Of course, I was briefly like that too.

Suddenly, the vitriol cleared.

Narke, who had been smiling as if amused, aimed her staff at Ainsiedel.

―Enter through the narrow gate.

Even at Narke’s words, the guy showed no change.

Since the process of releasing dual space magic once and deploying it again is complex, he must have thickly applied a physical barrier to deflect it now.

Ainsiedel burst into laughter and asked.

“Selling out a comrade? Do you have some plan?”

“No. I didn’t even know what kind of person you were, so how could I have made a plan?”

“Good. Now it feels like we can communicate. But still… to believe, there should be something, shouldn’t there?”

The moment he rubbed his fingers together, white light flowed out.

“…!”

Though it didn’t have the transparent feeling like Narke’s or mine, this was clearly divine power to anyone who saw it.

‘Certainly when I met Strauchi, he said that being Pleroma doesn’t mean you can’t use divine power.’

To think I’d witness that evidence right before my eyes.

“….”

Narke simply smiled as she watched the scene.

“If Nicolaus wins, you’ll obediently listen. But if he loses…. Give me your corpse today, right now.”

What the hell did she just say?

I instantly grew serious, but Narke was still smiling.

“It’s not like it won’t work. But why?”

“Your abilities look good. So, will you do it? You know what method I’ll use, right?”

“How could I not know.”

Narke tapped near her heart with her wand and shouted toward Ainsiedel.

―Cut the foreskin. This shall be the sign of the covenant between you and me!

This was the covenant magic Narke used. The ‘certain method’ Ainsiedel had just mentioned using would also be this magic. They would have needed assurance that they’d both keep their promises.

The surroundings turned white again.

Now only Ainsiedel and I remained in the space.

“A neat person. More than that, your companion seems to trust the Count a lot?”

I wouldn’t know about that, I just felt fortunate that a friend like Narke was on our side. The moment I quickly turned my head from where Narke had been toward the Antagonist, I saw his face right in front of my nose.

Thwack― Thud―!

He kicked me violently once again. The speed at which he moved his body was extraordinary.

It seemed he intended to put his words about being confident in his fists into action. To realize so quickly that no matter how much vitriol he poured out, he couldn’t break my magic—unlike his lack of common sense, his situational judgment seemed decent enough.

“I also released the dual space magic, so shouldn’t the Count give me some opportunity?”

“….”

“Release your magic. Release it, get up, and attack me properly.”

I looked up at his face without any particular expression. Ainsiedel smiled slightly and said.

“Can’t you even grant this much of a request? Are you afraid that person will die if you listen?”

“No.”

“No?”

Ainsiedel smiled and lightly kicked my left hand with his foot. Then, a heavy weight began to press down on my fingers.

“…!”

Extreme pain struck one of my fingers.

The moment I grimaced, he opened his mouth.

“Like this….”

“….”

“I’m directly breaking your finger.”

Of course, that might be possible right now. But it wasn’t real.

Once the space magic was released, everything would return to its original state.

I gritted my teeth and examined his face.

“How can you not release it even once?”

He was now so busy laughing that he wasn’t even properly observing his surroundings.

He seemed so focused on his goal of capturing Nicolaus, forgetting about subordinates and everything else.

In other words, he wasn’t even watching what I was doing.

‘The formula I received from Narke earlier….’

Good.

It was still in my memory.

Of course, since that formula was still in my memory, Narke must have trusted me and sent me here.

“It doesn’t hurt? The confidence that you can blow away someone like me anytime, just like Bern?”

At that moment, the white hair scattered over my body disappeared. Simultaneously, my height decreased and my skin tone became slightly darker.

His eyes widened greatly. His lips parted involuntarily. So many emotions flashed through those eyes that I couldn’t even guess what kind of shock he was feeling.

‘Of course you’d react that way.’

Since I had just transferred Werner Strauch’s appearance directly onto my body.

Crash―!

I half-raised my upper body and grabbed his knee. Using all my strength, I knocked him down and struck his eye with my still-intact arm.

“Ugh!”

Bewilderment filled the eyes of the Antagonist who groaned, squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them.

That bewilderment quickly turned to killing intent, but it was already too late.

I wrapped one hand around Ainsiedel’s hair, then without giving him any chance to move further, immediately slammed his forehead into the ground.

And, exhaling, I spoke quietly.

―Enter through the narrow entrance.

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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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