How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 114

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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 (114)

December 31st, even at the end of the year, the Imperial Palace was quiet.

The Chancellor, who had been drinking tea with the Emperor, carefully opened his mouth.

“Your Majesty, I heard that you asked Count Nicolaus to investigate the movements of the Catacombs.”

“That’s right.”

The Chancellor looked at the Emperor with anxious eyes.

Meanwhile, the Emperor was looking out the window without any emotion.

Then, knowing that the Chancellor was waiting for his words, he opened his mouth.

“We can’t even get a sense of where the Catacombs are. Even though they’ve been in the Empire for a long time.”

“…So, did you order Count Nicolaus to find out the route to enter the Catacombs?”

From the Chancellor’s perspective, this matter was not something to simply overlook.

Although the Emperor wouldn’t view Nicolaus favorably, with the issue involving Duke Elias entangled, he might pull him to his side at any time.

“I didn’t order him, I requested cooperation. If it’s Count Nicolaus, he’ll surely be able to obtain clues about the Catacombs.”

“Your Majesty, I don’t mean to diminish Your Majesty’s intentions, but…”

When the Emperor nodded while looking into his eyes, the Chancellor continued.

“It might give Count Nicolaus and His Highness Elias an opportunity to join hands with the Catacombs. Since both of them don’t yet have a solid political position and their proclaimed ideology differs from mainstream politics, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to join hands with the Catacombs, which share similar characteristics.”

“That’s right. There are certainly problems. For instance, the variable that Count Nicolaus might not report to us even after approaching the Catacombs.”

The Chancellor nodded in agreement and made a serious expression.

Meanwhile, no disturbance could be found on the Emperor’s face.

“Count Nicolaus will probably handle this situation smoothly. Since he’s someone who raised his approval rating by creating an image of being on the side of the lowly despite being a noble, apart from his personal ideology, he can’t easily touch the Catacombs, and if that happens, we won’t be able to find evidence that the Catacombs are connected to Pleroma.”

“Then what do you intend to do, Your Majesty? Count Nicolaus might use Your Majesty’s command as an excuse to expand his influence.”

“There’s no need to be impatient.”

The Emperor smiled benevolently while looking out the window.

“It’s true that the Catacombs are within my interests. But at the same time, so is Count Nicolaus.”

“…”

“Count Nicolaus doesn’t investigate the Catacombs… Then we can just wait for the next opportunity. We have plenty of time. But if he brings useful information about the Catacombs, we just need to express our gratitude to him.”

“…That would be the case, Your Majesty.”

If they could drive the Catacombs into Pleroma and eliminate them as originally planned, they could satisfy both the commoner and noble classes.

Moreover, they could get their hands on both the magical power of the commoners in the Catacombs and the magic spells they developed.

But since it’s obvious that won’t happen, isn’t that why he’s asking this?

“At the same time, we’ll be able to examine the law more closely. We’ll have to execute Nicolaus Ernst for treason.”

“…”

Despite the chilling words, the tension instantly drained from the Chancellor’s face.

“If he brings any information related to the Catacombs, he shouldn’t just report the information, but should properly inform me of all the commoner mages he learned about in the process. Since commoner mages are illegal by their very existence.”

“…If we do well, we might even learn the method to enter the Catacombs.”

“That’s right.”

‘Hehe, this is… if Nicolaus reports back claiming to follow His Majesty’s orders, it would rather become a self-defeating move.’

From the beginning, the Emperor intended to drive Nicolaus into treason.

As the Emperor said, Nicolaus might cleverly erase important information and slip out of the situation like an eel.

But even so, there would still be a source from which he obtained that information.

There’s no way Nicolaus, who gained popularity by standing beside the lowly, could carelessly sell out Catacomb mages.

There was no need to worry. Now the Chancellor perfectly understood the Emperor’s intentions.

Whichever choice Nicolaus makes, there would only be benefits for us and no losses.

As the future became clear, the Chancellor’s mind became at ease.

* * *

Survival possibility.

When I last checked, it was 25.3%.

Dawn777

— Until final ending ‘Chapter X. Death’: 651 days 19 hours 00 minutes 15 seconds

— Change possibility: 30.3% (+5%p)

5%p went up at once.

It feels like yesterday when it was slowly rising from the 10% range, but it’s already reached the 30% range.

After dealing with the negative stats, honestly, I didn’t feel much excitement about the number changes.

Because regardless of what the survival possibility is, the option of dying obediently doesn’t exist for me.

‘But…’

I had never felt such an indescribable feeling as this time.

It wasn’t simply because the survival possibility went up.

Even though I couldn’t feel any particular reaction on the surface, it seemed to be because I received numerical confirmation that the Catacombs’ hearts had moved.

However, there was one thing that remained on my mind.

I still haven’t met Marian Baum.

‘…I wanted to apologize in person.’

I thought about visiting the theater, but in a situation where I don’t know his thoughts, it didn’t seem proper.

Regardless of him helping us for the greater cause, the fact that we deceived him doesn’t change.

At that moment, the Imperial Servant standing beside me opened his mouth.

“Please enter.”

I raised my head.

‘…I’ll think about it later.’

I came to the Imperial Palace to give the Emperor information about the Catacombs.

And after today, the Emperor will withdraw his hands from the Catacombs.

To make that happen, I must be faithful to this moment right now.

I entered the room and said.

“It’s an honor to see you again, Your Majesty.”

* * *

At Nicolaus’s greeting, the Emperor smiled gently.

“I’m pleased to see you from the first day of the new year. You can’t imagine how surprised I was when I heard about the accident. Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes, it wasn’t a serious wound. Thank you for your concern.”

Nicolaus answered lightly as if it was nothing.

“I don’t know how to express my gratitude to you for not forgetting my request even in such difficult circumstances.”

“How could I forget the words Your Majesty gave me?”

“Haha, I hoped you wouldn’t feel burdened, but it seems you did.”

“That’s not the case. When I looked at it from the perspective Your Majesty suggested, things unfolded in a new direction. Thanks to that, it became a meaningful time.”

Does he mean that visiting the Catacombs was a meaningful time?

‘Really now.’

The Emperor smiled and drank his tea.

To say such things without even knowing how things will turn out.

If I were Nicolaus, I would have already grasped the situation and reported that ‘I couldn’t find a way to enter the Catacombs,’ but this fellow came to meet me directly, determined to give me useful information.

‘Didn’t I even prepare an escape route for him?’

There was a good excuse that ‘the Imperial Court captured five commoner mages but gained nothing,’ so why didn’t he use that?

‘Is he loyal, or foolish…’

Of course, I have no regrets about Nicolaus. Now the pitiful one is my beloved nephew.

“I’m glad you felt that way. So, wasn’t it difficult going to the Catacombs?”

“…To the Catacombs?”

At the seemingly genuine questioning tone, the Emperor paused and looked at him.

Even through Nicolaus’s mask, doubt could be felt.

‘…Hmm?’

He didn’t go directly, but met Catacomb mages and obtained information?

The Emperor thought so while looking at Nicolaus.

Nicolaus slightly gestured instead of answering and pushed a paper toward the Emperor.

“Please check this first, Your Majesty. This is the material I found this time.”

“Yes, let’s see…”

[Prussian Government-Saxon Government Pleroma December Precautions]

The Emperor’s face hardened.

“…This is…”

“There are Pleroma in both countries. Names aren’t written, but… for something this significant, I thought Your Majesty should definitely know, so I brought it.”

“…”

There are Pleroma in the Prussian government?

Previously, Legislator Werner Strauch was from a foreign government, not the Prussian government.

Even while thinking this, his mind quickly turned to thoughts about Nicolaus.

Did he present this information out of pure concern?

‘There aren’t many mages in the Empire who can use mental magic.’

Since there are few mages who can freely use divine power, Nicolaus would inevitably be tasked with ideological verification of the Prussian government.

‘My ostensible goal is cooperation with Count Nicolaus, so I’ve certainly already achieved that goal.’

However, there’s the biggest problem.

The Emperor himself has little room to intervene.

If he announces that problems have arisen in the Kingdom of Prussia, not some other nation, the possibility of him benefiting from public opinion is slim.

‘I might be criticized for how I could have been unaware until now.’

Moreover, wouldn’t it look like a Bavarian mage uncovered information that no one in Prussia knew, and then asking that Bavarian mage to solve it?

The Emperor felt a subtle headache as he carefully read through the document.

Pleroma aside, he needed to think of ways to minimize the damage.

‘At least the Kingdom of Saxony is in the same situation.’

Since it could affect areas outside Prussia, he would at least have the dignity to speak boldly to Saxony.

However, the ‘kingdoms’ basically couldn’t be seen as completely on Prussia’s side.

Due to entangled historical issues from previous generations, the Kingdom of Saxony would value the achievements of Nicolaus, a Bavarian mage, more highly than the Emperor.

So…

‘In the end, it will only serve to raise Nicolaus’s approval rating once more.’

No, that’s what will happen.

Fifty years of political experience was telling him so.

The Emperor looked into Nicolaus’s blue eyes and fell into thought.

“I thought this when dealing with Legislator Strauchi too, but Pleroma are everywhere. You should take action, Your Majesty.”

“…Indeed. To think such problems existed – if you hadn’t discovered this, it could have become a major issue.”

This isn’t something that can be handled lightly or brushed aside.

At this rate, I’ll need to be wary of what government officials who come to see me say for the time being.

The only option is to identify and eliminate them as quickly as possible.

‘This has become troublesome.’

Still, there’s definitely a way to seize the initiative. I need to figure out what that is.

The Emperor, who had been lost in thought, slowly opened his eyes.

‘I should raise the issue targeting the entire nation.’

Seeing that the Pleroma side ‘specifically’ mentioned country names, there’s no way Pleroma only exist in these two countries.

Rather than conducting inspections because information was obtained, if he hides the information and conducts inspections first, then discovers Pleroma, he could package the benefits Nicolaus would gain as his own thoroughness.

He’d need to ensure Nicolaus, the information provider, doesn’t speak up, but that much could be resolved through good dialogue between them.

The Emperor felt much more at ease as he pondered. Nicolaus abruptly interrupted his thoughts.

“Your Majesty, will you proceed with inspections of Prussia and the Kingdom of Saxony?”

“I have a bit more to think about, but regarding those two, we’ll certainly have to do so.”

The Emperor answered calmly while maintaining his smile.

Then Nicolaus continued.

“I see. I don’t know what Your Majesty’s intentions might be, but I think it would be good to examine other countries’ governments as well for safety. If you would just give permission, I’ll help with inspections throughout the entire Empire.”

“…”

The satire that a servant’s virtue is to keep quiet so as not to outshine their master is, when you think about it, not without reason. There are those who, without any sense, unknowingly take all the credit.

‘I heard he’s not that old, but as expected, he doesn’t understand worldly wisdom.’

Fortunately, since this is a private meeting with just the two of them, there’s no problem at all.

The Emperor smiled and nodded.

“Of course we should do so. Pleroma can’t only exist in Saxony and Prussia. By the way, I’m pleased that you’re offering to help.”

“I can’t just sit still after hearing there are Pleroma. Well then…”

Nicolaus pushed a piece of paper in front of the Emperor.

The smile momentarily disappeared from the Emperor’s face as he read the contents with a calm expression.

[…It is determined that Pleroma exist in the governments of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Kingdom of Saxony.

For safety, we plan to request His Majesty Emperor Friedrich to inspect politicians throughout the entire Empire.

Please grant permission for the use of divine power outside Bavaria for the month of January.]

A proposal sent to the King of Bavaria.

Below the incident details and proposal content was the signature of the King of Bavaria.

“If Your Majesty would just sign, I’ll move immediately.”

“…”

“As you know, since I belong to the Bavarian Royal Army, I had to receive permission from His Majesty the King. Please understand that I couldn’t ask Your Majesty’s intentions first in order to move quickly. If Your Majesty doesn’t wish to inspect the entire Empire, I’ll destroy this proposal right now.”

The Emperor had to suppress his laughter.

It wasn’t laughter from disrespecting his opponent.

It was simply laughter from being dumbfounded.

Was this intentional behavior? It must be.

Anywhere in the country, receiving permission for mana use is just a formality.

‘Seeking permission for power isn’t the real intention.’

He probably wanted to leave the proposal content as evidence.

Though it’s not obvious now, such evidence shows its true value when I try to attack him.

It would serve as material to prove that what was advertised as the Emperor’s achievement was actually a joint accomplishment.

‘Even so, it’s meaningless without controlling the media, which is unfortunate.’

Still, when you think about it, there’s no problem.

This one thing doesn’t make the benefits I’ll gain disappear.

It’s just saying that since records have been kept, let’s each take our fair share of benefits.

“Of course we should do it.”

The Emperor signed both papers with a smiling face and handed one to the servant standing nearby.

Perhaps because nothing was going according to plan, fatigue was gradually setting in.

Instead of such miscellaneous talk, it was time to hear about the original plan.

“Now then, Count.”

“Please speak, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor clasped his hands together and spoke gently.

“Surely you contacted me saying you had urgent matters to discuss since your investigation of the Catacombs was complete?”

“That’s correct.”

“Yes. Now I’d like to discuss the information obtained from the Catacombs as well.”

“Understood. I should have started with this story.”

Nicolaus presented the final paper to the Emperor.

The Emperor’s lips curved up smoothly.

Whatever the case, the Emperor only needed to catch one piece of evidence that Nicolaus had made contact with the Catacombs. That would be more useful information than methods to enter the Catacombs or the fact that there were Pleroma in politics.

The Emperor now put on a deliberately serious expression and slowly read the text.

[Catacombs Utilization Plan Resolution — Expected Effects]

* Ensuring stability through the Catacombs’ spatial magic technology

* If the Catacombs’ 200,000 citizens are absorbed as-is, Pleroma’s population is predicted to reach 400,000 in 5 years

** Due to the Catacombs’ characteristic of having 200,000 people who are all mages, the expected annual mana income is estimated to be more than three times the current year’s income.

** If the Empire’s mana growth rate in 5 years is the same as the current growth rate, it’s estimated that the entire Empire’s territory could be used as Pleroma’s domain.

“…”

The Emperor’s face hardened.

There were three reasons why it had to.

First, Pleroma was considering war.

But that was fine for now. Everyone makes grandiose plans, after all.

The real problem right now was…

“As Your Majesty can see, the Catacombs are scheduled to be utilized as Pleroma’s tool. If Your Majesty hadn’t pointed out the problem first, what would have happened…”

The Emperor waved his hand dismissively.

Nicolaus stopped speaking as if asking what was wrong.

The Emperor grabbed his throbbing head and barely managed to open his mouth.

“…This is an official document from Pleroma.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

There seemed to be a subtle hint of amusement at the end of Nicolaus’s words.

“Count, weren’t you investigating the Catacombs?”

“Of course I was. Your Majesty said that if there was a relationship between the Catacombs and Pleroma, it would create a huge problem.”

“…”

“I agreed with that assessment. But… as Your Majesty also mentioned, it was difficult to uncover information that even the Imperial Court couldn’t obtain. I was beginning to wonder if Catacomb mages even wandered around on the surface.”

No way…

The Emperor’s lips hardened.

Nicolaus smiled gently and continued speaking.

“If there was a relationship between the two, Pleroma would surely have records as well. So I infiltrated Pleroma, Your Majesty.”

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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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