How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 115

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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 (115)

The Emperor looked at Nicolaus without saying a word.

“You didn’t enter the Catacombs?”

“That’s correct. I apologize, but we couldn’t find a way to enter the Catacombs.”

‘….’

He’s slipping away exactly as I thought ‘I would have done this.’

The Emperor nodded his head.

‘I was careless.’

Honestly, what I’ve heard so far wasn’t even information related to the Catacombs, and while it’s a troublesome matter, it’s not really a major problem.

If Pleroma comes up during the investigation, it would create an opportunity to exert influence throughout the Empire. In that case, it would be beneficial anyway.

Also, many people thoroughly prepare to prevent situations that could harm them. There’s nothing special about Nicolaus doing the same.

‘But this….’

Where in the world would someone invade Pleroma just because they were told to monitor the Catacombs’ movements?

‘…This is giving me a headache…. It would have been fine if my real purpose was to monitor their movements, but that’s not the case, is it?’

He only investigated as I instructed, so there’s no way to catch him off guard here.

And what he discovered was a document showing Pleroma’s attempt to unilaterally absorb the Catacombs. A result completely contrary to what I had hoped for.

The Emperor now looked at Nicolaus with a smile.

Was this intentional?

Of course, there’s no way to know.

‘But at this point, it doesn’t matter whether it was intentional or not.’

The position the Imperial Court should take has become clear.

First, since hostility toward Pleroma is still much greater than hostility toward the Catacombs, if we touch the Catacombs in this state, the Imperial Court will be the losing side.

Next….

Nicolaus Ernst is still too valuable an opponent to turn into an enemy.

‘As long as he maintains proper boundaries, he’ll be beneficial.’

Just as he maintained boundaries with me now.

He’s someone to be wary of, but if I could make him completely my ally?

There would be no better person than this.

* * *

It’s a lie, yet he seems quite flustered.

Is there a door to enter Pleroma that’s openly available somewhere?

Isn’t Pleroma growing because they haven’t found that method yet? If both require a lot of effort, naturally I should go to the Catacombs.

But I had to be careful.

For people like the Emperor who unnecessarily overthink things, the most dangerous part is something that appears to reveal one’s true intentions.

I had to think about what the Emperor truly wanted to gain, beyond simply wanting to build achievements together with me.

‘If he could use me while also finding my weaknesses, that would be the best result for him.’

For the Emperor, the Catacombs are the optimal tool to catch two rabbits at once.

From the moment he demanded I contact those who are criminals by their very existence, I knew well that he was trying to drive me into a minefield.

So, I had no choice but to move in the opposite direction.

The Emperor maintained a gentle expression as he spoke to me.

“To think you went directly to Pleroma, I cannot help but praise your determination. So, did you suffer any harm during your visit?”

“I’m fine. However, since we entered with a small number of people, we couldn’t gather more information due to time constraints.”

“It must have been an urgent situation, so I can’t fault you for that reason. The information you’ve brought me now has been of great help.”

The Emperor continues to maintain his favorable attitude from the beginning.

Since there’s no one in the Empire who could casually say they’ve been to Pleroma, he won’t abandon this relationship, if only to obtain information in the future.

“I’m relieved you say that. Then, Your Majesty, how do you plan to handle this matter? Even if the Catacombs and Pleroma didn’t agree to join hands through consensus, as you said, if the power of these two organizations combines, it will create a major problem.”

The Emperor paused in thought, sipping his tea, then opened his mouth.

“Right now, you also haven’t found a way to enter the Catacombs. Since bringing the Catacombs’ population back to the Empire is realistically impossible, let’s set that aside for now. For the immediate future, we’ll need to frequently enter Pleroma as you did and immediately thwart their plans.”

So this is how he says he has no intention of helping.

As expected, politicians’ skill at speaking indirectly is admirable.

“Perhaps we could even use Pleroma as double agents. But this isn’t a matter for just us to discuss. Let’s send the materials you gave me to the Imperial Pleroma Research Institute. In this situation where Pleroma is trying to expand their influence and even induce war, hasty judgment would be poison.”

This is exactly what I wanted.

Now the problem regarding the Catacombs will be glossed over. Until he finds another case, he won’t have reason to touch the Catacombs.

So, I should accept his evasion appropriately at this point.

I nodded and answered gently.

“If that is Your Majesty’s will, I shall comply.”

* * *

Perhaps because the vacation was over, the school’s atmosphere was strangely awkward.

Of course, it was brief.

As class time approached, the school became noisy as usual.

The classroom only quieted down when the Professor who came to take attendance clapped his hands.

“You all must have seen the news reports, so you know that our Department of Magic’s second-year representative team won second place in the Bavaria Magic Potion Experiment Competition.”

‘It feels like almost a month has passed.’

Though it’s only been a little over a week.

The Professor continued while making eye contact with the students who participated in the competition.

“Three students from our class participated, right? Lucas Ascanien, Leonard Wittelsbach, and Narke Farnese. Congratulations.”

The sound of students’ applause could be heard.

I smiled without much thought and received the congratulations, then spent the rest of class time studying divine power as usual.

When dinner time came, Elias shook off his friends and sat next to me, casting a sound-blocking spell. Then he reached his arm toward me.

“…I’ll let the talking here slide, but don’t put your arm around my shoulders.”

“Ah~! This is totally a habit. But since you’re not wearing a mask and are in school uniform, it feels really unfamiliar.”

“Your hair being white again feels new to me too.”

“Haha, it’s not completely white though~”

Right, strictly speaking, it is platinum blonde.

Whatever it is, they’re similar enough that it doesn’t matter, I think.

“So, you didn’t earn his suspicion, right? You went there at dawn.”

“I probably did.”

“Oh~”

Elias giggled as if he found it amusing.

As long as I’m with Elias, I’ll inevitably earn suspicion from him. It’s just a matter of when.

“From the beginning, my goal was to take the Catacombs away from His Majesty the Emperor’s hands while simultaneously satisfying him. I achieved it, so there’s no problem.”

“Was he satisfied?”

“It may not be the direction he was hoping for, but he can’t help but be satisfied.”

If information about Pleroma had come from a country other than Prussia, he would have reported that document as is and then generously swept through the entire nation. It means he could move with his shoulders held higher than now.

Prussia being mentioned first would be somewhat concerning for him, but ultimately it’s not a major problem.

‘Well, I don’t know how he personally received it.’

Since subtle differences in words can change perception, he just needs to not report the official document from Pleroma that I brought. The result will be similar either way.

“His Majesty didn’t seem particularly displeased either.”

“How did you know? That guy is the type to stab you in the back with a smiling face.”

“He signed the documents I submitted.”

Since we prepared them together before going to the Imperial Palace, he would know well which documents I’m referring to.

“…You mean the divine power usage permit? Hmm… Well, Luca, you’re not a naive person, so you wouldn’t think he’s being favorable just because he signed one thing.”

“The Imperial Court also has mages who use divine power. Even though I brought information, His Majesty is in a position where he could exclude me from the front lines, so why did he choose to move together with me?”

“Hmm, it seems he still thinks openly joining hands with you is beneficial.”

Right.

Of his two goals, he can properly achieve one: the goal of establishing a publicly friendly relationship with Nicolaus Ernst, and the goal of sending me by connecting me with the Catacombs.

“Now the key will be how to move forward. That guy will continue trying to use you.”

“Right. So if you hear anything at home, let me know too, Eli.”

“Ah, of course I should~”

Then Leo glanced in our direction. Seeing him frown at Elias, it seems to mean we should finish our conversation and move away.

“Leo worries too much~”

“Haha… You’re probably too carefree when it comes to dealing with Pleroma.”

I rested my chin on my hand and looked around the classroom as I spoke.

Several students glanced at Elias sitting comfortably beside me.

Of course, there were more students who showed no interest at all. It was tremendous progress compared to the first semester.

“I should head to the dormitory now. You go eat dinner too.”

“Ah, right. Luca, you eat in your room. Can’t we at least eat together now~?”

Elias clicked his tongue regretfully. He clearly wanted to talk more about Uncle.

Well, there really wasn’t much point in keeping our distance at this point. Hyung must have seen my changes with his own eyes during the potion competition broadcast.

“It would be strange to suddenly change though.”

The moment I stood up from my seat, I spotted a familiar person at the back door.

Richthofen, who made eye contact with me, smiled and waved his hand.

Elias’s face twisted with displeasure.

Yesterday, when Elias learned that the dog he had been keeping was actually that person, he spent hours muttering curses with a serious expression.

He seemed shocked to discover that the dog he had been playing with was human.

‘I’d react the same way…’

“What do you want?”

Elias spoke sarcastically with a twisted mouth, but Richthofen didn’t mind at all and smiled while pointing at me.

“I’m not here for you, I came to see him.”

“Since when have you been watching?”

“I saw him occasionally during the competition. More importantly, Junior.”

Seeing him at school felt even stranger. Now it seemed like this person should only exist in the Catacombs.

Of course, that aside…

‘Why is he acting like he knows me here?’

I slightly furrowed my brow without answering. I noticed three 3rd year students following behind Richthofen.

Then, Richthofen opened his mouth with a smiling face.

“I heard you contributed greatly to the potion runner-up last time, Junior.”

“No, it was a result we all created together.”

“Is that so? But since that competition was broadcast, the rumors have already spread throughout the school~”

“What are you trying to say?”

He opened the file he had been carrying under his arm and held out a piece of paper.

“Would you like to join the potion club?”

* * *

As it turned out, the entire school was bustling with club-related activities.

The first week after the semester started was club recruitment season… something Luca couldn’t possibly remember.

‘I have no intention of joining anywhere, but it’s peaceful.’

Seeing them enthusiastically promoting to fill vacancies and students worrying about which club to join, it finally felt like there was time to breathe.

I had only been going to the Catacombs for three days, but so much had happened that it didn’t feel like just three days. The shock of being stabbed before that made it feel even longer.

I skimmed through the three flyers I had received so far while roughly shoving bread into my mouth.

‘Two are potion academic clubs, and the other one is the drama club.’

The drama club had been targeting me since the festival, holding onto me for quite a while.

‘Where did Pleroma go?’

Of course, only those who proposed recruiting me came with smiling faces, while the other members who followed behind couldn’t make eye contact with me… but anyway, their favorability wasn’t particularly low.

‘Time really is the answer.’

The past semester of struggling to escape the Pleroma image wasn’t in vain. They still fear me, but at least talking to me has become much freer than before.

I finished eating and moved to Leo’s training ground.

Ever since his leg healed, Elias had been here with us without fail.

Before starting training, I asked them both.

“What clubs are you guys in?”

“None right now… I was in the rugby club during the second semester last year, but I’m not doing it this year. Got to be careful with my leg~”

Leo, who had been listening quietly, asked.

“Why, are you planning to join one now?”

“No, I have no intention of joining. Just curious.”

“You should try joining one at least once~? The club hours are really short anyway, so it’s manageable.”

Elias chimed in.

It is short.

Due to the school’s nature, everyone prioritizes grades.

Non-academic clubs were persuading students by highlighting the advantage of having little practice time.

“So, which ones are you considering?”

“Potions, and the drama club.”

“Drama club?”

Elias tilted his head.

I found out why shortly after.

At Elias’s words to put training aside and follow him, I went to the school annex as he led.

And in front of the drama club, I encountered another familiar face.

“Ah, so you’re Senior Elias’s friend.”

I elbowed Elias, who was giggling while looking at Uncle’s son for some reason.

Adelbert offered a formal smile and extended his hand.

“I’m Adelbert Hohenzollern. You’re Senior Lucas Ascanien, right?”

‘Hmm.’

I immediately understood why Elias was laughing.

His voice was a tone lower and more subdued than what I had heard before.

When did he treat me like he was interviewing a respected figure…

‘So this is how he talks to people other than Nicolaus.’

Interesting.

His gaze was strangely rigid, probably due to the Pleroma perception.

Adelbert Hohenzollern

Favorability –5

‘He definitely knows me as Pleroma.’

Considering it was +10 when I met him as Nicolaus, this was a stark contrast.

Adelbert narrowed his eyes while looking at the silently laughing Elias.

“Why are you acting like that?”

“Hehehe!”

“Just ignore him.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Hey, don’t do something you’ll regret later.”

When Elias pointed at him while laughing, Adelbert raised his eyebrows as if asking what he meant.

Then, the drama club manager came out of the practice room and spotted us.

“Oh! Are you here to join? Should I give you an application?”

“What?!”

Adelbert exclaimed in a flustered voice, turning to look at the manager. He seemed not to have expected that I would receive an offer.

‘Hmm.’

What should I do?

Until now, there was no reason to do it.

But that doesn’t mean there’s any reason I shouldn’t do it either.

‘It would be good for gathering information.’

I thought it might be better to meet him as Nicolaus, but if Nicolaus were to arrange a meeting with Adelbert when there’s no banquet, the Emperor might order him to keep quiet or convey wrong information through Adelbert.

‘Besides, the Crown Prince is also a target to be wary of.’

There’s no way to hear news about the guy who had the audacity to drug his younger brother’s drink just to break Elias’s leg, even less than news about the Emperor.

Though it’s not the main reason, the reaction is quite interesting to watch too.

I smiled and said to the manager.

“Please give it to me, the application form.”

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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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