How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 113

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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 (113)

Honestly, it’s not something I should be doing.

I didn’t feel like imitating the appearance of the dead. No, could such light words express everything?

But I don’t regret it.

‘A bishop is definitely different.’

Surprisingly, the Antagonist was still holding onto his consciousness, albeit weakly. If these kinds of people are bishops, then Strauchi really did have significantly inferior abilities.

Then, the Antagonist opened his mouth with difficulty. Once again, there was the smell of blood.

“…Count must go higher.”

Whether he didn’t want to lose Strauchi’s memories, the Antagonist desperately tried to push away my manipulation magic.

“You figured out well that I was trying to erase everything while I was at it.”

“Hahaha…”

Of course, thanks to that, his next memory is defenseless. I pressed my forehead firmly and continuously recalled the memories I wanted to erase.

‘Let me think quickly.’

Now that I have the upper hand, how should I deal with this guy?

First, cast subjugation magic.

But subjugation magic is based on connection. If I connect with someone who’s rampaging to get revenge, it would only benefit him.

Second, attack his core right now.

‘This is somewhat appealing.’

But my intuition doesn’t feel good about it.

I need to think more deeply.

To attack his core, I’d have to pull that much power from my mental magic.

While it’s true that the Antagonist can’t overcome my magic, if he has strong enough mental power to create a delay of over 30 seconds like this, there’s a possibility he could reset everything to square one when I reduce my power.

In that case, I just need to inflict damage in a different way.

“Who’s responsible for the Clergy of Osnabrück losing their memories?”

“It would be Count’s doing, regrettably.”

“No.”

Ainsiedel’s unfocused pupils slowly turned toward me.

“The facts should be made clear. Who from the outside could possibly invade this place? Even Nicolaus would find that difficult, so logically it would be the work of a diocese that doesn’t get along well with you. The Pleroma Diocese, which would suffer losses if dual-space magic were shared.”

“…Hahaha…! This is making me fear what happens after I wake up…”

Even as his eyes were closing, the Antagonist burst into laughter.

He’s quick to grasp the situation.

It’s similar to the method Narke used earlier. I was surprised for a moment then, but if I induce internal conflict, it could definitely damage both the Antagonist’s honor and Pleroma’s strength.

I twisted the corners of my mouth and pushed my divine power forward. Then I slowly continued speaking.

—Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it…

“Good… Rise so high that no one can dare covet it. So that when we meet next time, you can prove to me that Bern didn’t die a dog’s death.”

The Antagonist muttered with a cracking voice. Now that he was cornered to the end, his breathing gradually slowed.

I didn’t answer and pushed my magical power forward.

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

As the focus completely disappeared from his eyes, the spatial magic he had deployed scattered.

‘He lasted long.’

Perhaps because I forced an attack with Luca’s low mental power, my vision spins.

I should keep this in mind when meeting bishop-level Pleroma in the future.

Now what spread before my eyes was that scenery I had last seen when I put the clergy to sleep.

I could see Richthofen outside the cathedral, having returned at some point, restoring the spatial magic.

And…

Leo and Narke were looking down at me.

“You succeeded.”

Narke extended her hand to me.

When I grasped that hand, divine power flowed over gently.

I felt the depleted strength slowly filling up. My fingers, which had felt pain as if they might break, were now fine.

I immediately stood up from my position.

“Yes, it’s over.”

It’s over. I just need to plant the same false memories I implanted in Ainsiedel into the small fry here as well.

I recited the same command I had used earlier and struck my staff on the ground, letting divine power flow.

Having used up all my mental power, my vision went black for a moment.

“…”

I really need to raise my stats quickly or this won’t work.

As I was thinking that, Leo placed his wand on my shoulder and activated healing magic.

[Beloved, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.]

“Ah, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

I waited quietly for the healing magic to take effect, then nodded to Richthofen.

“Let’s go. Please guide us.”

Richthofen nodded and tapped near his ear.

Then he led us to that cathedral that had appeared when we first fell into this Pleroma world.

“Mr. Ascanien.”

“Yes.”

“From now on, it would be good to wear a mask.”

It seems there will be others there as soon as we arrive.

I recited a transformation spell to create a mask.

Once preparations were complete, he stood in the middle of the empty cathedral and struck the floor with his staff.

Crash—!

The moment I squinted at the golden magical power, the Catacombs Council appeared.

Unlike before, the area around the table was surrounded by people wearing black robes.

“You’ve come.”

Eberhardt, who was sitting alone at his seat, snapped his fingers.

Instantly, the magical power that had been faintly felt around us disappeared cleanly.

It seemed he had been connecting Richthofen between Pleroma’s world and the Catacombs all this time.

As soon as Richthofen saw him, he raised his wand.

“…”

“The Catacombs cannot stand by and watch you join hands with Pleroma.”

Eberhardt was silently looking at his wine glass.

“I know what the Chairman’s concerns and goals are. I also know well that your intentions don’t align with Pleroma’s. But you are not the absolute monarch of the Catacombs.”

“…”

“You should have boldly persuaded the people of the Catacombs before making such a decision.”

“There wouldn’t be many people who would easily accept a plan to take Vitriol.”

“No, you should have done it anyway. The position you occupy is that kind of position. Don’t you still understand that if you lack confidence to persuade the masses, it was a job you shouldn’t have chosen?”

How surprising that such words come from a noble’s mouth.

Though it was a short time, from what I’ve observed so far, while Richthofen was accustomed to noble life, he wasn’t someone who favored nobles.

Eberhardt didn’t answer and slowly nodded. No emotion could be felt from his face. He was just calm, as if he had expected this.

Strength entered Richthofen’s voice.

“We don’t want a leader who decides matters of dignity and life through his own arbitrary judgment.”

His firm voice echoed through the council chamber.

Eberhardt didn’t answer. Instead, he lifted his glass and took a sip of wine.

Then he pushed the glass aside and, supporting the desk with his elbow, extended both hands.

“…”

Richthofen’s mouth clamped shut tightly.

Two Self-defense Force Members standing beside the chairman put restraints on his hands.

Only silence lingered.

Even though the head of the Catacombs had accepted his dismissal from the chairmanship himself, no one opened their mouth.

‘Of course.’

If Eberhardt had truly been Pleroma’s spy trying to sell out the Catacombs, this kind of reaction wouldn’t have emerged.

His methods were terribly wrong, but I couldn’t help but know that his intention to ‘stand against the Empire that seeks to massacre commoner mages’ was the same as all of theirs.

Richthofen also silently lowered his wand and remained quiet for a long time.

Then he looked at me and spoke.

“Count Nicolaus.”

“….”

He must mean for me to decide Robert Mueller’s punishment.

After all, he and the vigilante captain had tried to kill me.

But if I take him to the surface like this and have him punished according to surface laws….

It would be like sprinkling ash on cooked rice.

I quietly opened my mouth.

“If I separate you as part of the Catacombs and hand you over to the Emperor, you would die.”

“….”

“But I cannot do that. It would satisfy the Emperor’s desire to drive the Catacombs into being an evil group like Pleroma.”

Eberhardt listened to my words without reaction.

“Your decision was a shortsighted mistake.”

“….”

“But that would be from my position as a third party. I’m not the one whose survival is threatened, and unlike you, I’m in a position where I can observe all of this from a step back. Even if Pleroma grows stronger, the future years ahead probably weren’t an important factor for you who had to save the organization immediately.”

I continued speaking while looking at Eberhardt, who still sat with a calm expression.

“So, I understand why you tried to kill me. I have no intention of handing you over to the surface. You’ll be punished according to the laws here.”

As soon as I said I understood, Narke and Leo’s gazes turned to me.

Eberhardt finally nodded his head.

Even so, no words of apology came from him.

It was for the best. That too would be what he intended.

“From this time forward, the position of Chairman of the Catacombs’ Parliament will be filled by Vice Chairman Anton Dracher according to the law. Take him away.”

At Richthofen’s words, several vigilante corps members grabbed Eberhardt’s arms and warped away.

He instructed the remaining vigilante corps members to return to the plaza and looked back at us.

“It’s about time I withdrew. At this rate, I’ll end up being eliminated too.”

His expression still wasn’t good, but seeing him slip in a joke even in this situation put my mind somewhat at ease.

Leo asked a question.

“Has Elias awakened?”

“Of course. The reason my subordinates were here was precisely because of His Highness Elias. No, I should say thanks to him.”

“Thanks to him?”

“After His Highness collapsed, the Defense Force put Marian Baum forward. They must have thought she would be angry at you. But… you had already told Teacher Baum everything.”

“That’s right.”

“The teacher said she brought you all here knowing everything. Even though it was clearly wrong to anyone who looked.”

“….”

“Well, after that, the vigilante corps members bled to show the vitriol as evidence. There was already chaos from when the captain was subdued by our corps members, but the situation gradually became more serious.”

That would be the case.

The perception of Pleroma wouldn’t be any different between the Catacombs and the surface.

“So, what about now?”

“After His Highness Elias awakened and persuaded the Defense Force, both the remaining vigilante corps and the Defense Force all turned their backs on the captain and the chairman.”

He persuaded the Defense Force?

I can’t imagine it since it’s a scene that wasn’t in the novel.

I should have seen something like this directly.

I suppressed such thoughts and asked about his well-being.

“That’s fortunate. Is his condition alright?”

“No need to worry. He’s the same as usual.”

As we left the parliament building, Richthofen took us and warped to the plaza.

“…!”

In the middle of the plaza, the same spatial magic that Richthofen had deployed was spread out. The image of an empty council chamber was visible.

I looked at that giant projection and let out a hollow laugh.

“Don’t tell me again….”

“That’s right. Everything we said was transmitted here. Was there any content that shouldn’t have been? I think your words about forgiving the chairman were something that should be conveyed, not hidden.”

He keeps transmitting without even saying anything.

Of course, it’s something to be grateful for.

It’s good for me since I don’t have to repeat what I already said.

I quickly looked around the plaza.

There was no one speaking, nor anything being broadcast through spatial magic, but people were orderly present in the plaza. They seemed to think it would be good to be here to hear news immediately.

Richthofen looked at the platform and asked me.

“You have something to say at the end, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

There are still mountains of things to resolve, but we can’t stay here any longer.

After all, we only came here to catch Pleroma and Robert Mueller.

I have no intention of interfering in their problems, so I’ll just wrap things up at the end and return immediately.

I went up to the platform where Elias was standing.

Given the setting, Elias didn’t act playfully but bowed silently to me and stepped back.

Suddenly, the crowd’s attention focused on me and my image appeared in the spatial magic.

“….”

Who took care of connecting this?

I never said I would give a speech, but everything was already prepared for it.

I cast amplification magic and opened my mouth.

“Good evening, I am Nicolaus Ernst.”

“….”

I looked at the plaza, quiet as a mouse, and calmly continued speaking.

“I know this is not a situation for greetings. I also know well that I, as a noble, should not be here. I will leave this place immediately after finishing my words.”

I lightly activated my divine power and opened my mouth again.

“I want to apologize and make a promise to you all regarding what happened today. I know that the moment we nobles set foot here, for whatever reason, the world where you can breathe freely became a danger zone. I deeply apologize for infringing upon the freedom and rights you should rightfully enjoy, both on the surface and here.”

“….”

“First, we who entered here today will not interfere in the Catacombs’ politics in any way going forward.”

I have no intention of violating their independence in any way.

“Second, we came here under His Majesty the Emperor’s command to ‘check the Catacombs’ movements since they’re suspected of connection to Pleroma,’ and we came here to disobey his command. As such, we will not inform him of what happened today under any circumstances.”

Perhaps because I said we came to disobey, small stirrings began to show among them who had been quiet.

“You may think that us nobles getting involved in the Catacombs’ problems means taking away your initiative. Surely the vigilante captain spoke to His Highness Elias with that meaning as well.”

I must not let them think they owe a debt to us nobles. It wouldn’t help their identity or our future relationship with them.

“Today we severed the connection with Pleroma, nullified the contract, and removed all the technology that had been transferred. But this would have been impossible without your will. We cannot claim the results you achieved as our accomplishment.”

I looked at the quiet crowd and calmly continued speaking.

“Also, this situation of being deprived of life on the surface is not a problem you should bear. It’s a problem sown by the Empire’s nobles and cultivated by the Empire’s nobles. This isn’t about infringing on the Catacombs’ autonomy, but about clarifying where responsibility lies.”

“….”

“So… I’ll say this shamelessly. If you must join hands with someone to oppose His Majesty the Emperor, please join hands with us, not Pleroma.”

Still, the plaza remained quiet.

I could see blank expressions flashing across several faces that came into view.

Actually, these weren’t words that could cause a big reaction.

It would be enough if they just don’t consider us enemies.

“Now that I’ve spoken, I think it might sound like fabricated words.”

I rolled my wand to extend it into a staff and struck it down on the ground.

Kwaaaaang―!

Though it was already night here, the surroundings suddenly brightened as if the sun had risen.

“I promise you. This resolve I spoke of today will not change until the day I draw my last breath.”

It’s a conditional clause of covenant magic.

If I break it, the covenant magic infused in me will drain my life force, but that won’t happen.

As long as I’m a modern person rather than a noble of this era, I cannot form attachments to nobles who massacre people through systems for the sake of power.

I recalled a biblical verse in Latin and spoke.

―I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.

A strong wind caused by divine power made the surprised voices in the plaza grow faint.

Biblical spells in the Imperial language are a representative form of discrimination against commoner mages. Long ago, even before the death penalty was applied to commoner mages, the Imperial Government strictly prohibited commoners from possessing Imperial language scriptures. So Imperial language spells were not appropriate words to speak in this place.

Unlike other divine magic, this time the light didn’t just illuminate the surroundings but climbed up my body. I felt the divine power I had unleashed constricting my core as I continued speaking.

―In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!

The moment I finished speaking and lifted my staff from the ground, the final burst of light obscured my vision.

Pure white text appeared before my eyes.

Ding―!

Chapter 5 Guide

New Support Base.

Check your survival probability.

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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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