How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 116

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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 (116)

“Ah, his expression is still funny even thinking about it again. He’s so expressive that it’s fun to tease him.”

On the way back to the dormitory, Elias said with a giggle.

Adelbert was just flustered, but when it became clear that the manager would definitely pass me through the interview immediately, he regained his composure and said he welcomed it.

The fact that someone who knew me as Nicolaus could dislike Luca… it’s actually natural, but seeing it firsthand was refreshing.

“Stop teasing Younger Brother. How did things go after that bridge incident?”

“He sent another apology letter during Christmas. Other than that, we haven’t met.”

But did he just go there out of nowhere to mock him and come back?

That’s so like Elias.

When we warped from the dormitory back to Leo’s Training Ground, this time I could see that even Narke was there. Fai, perched on his shoulder, waved her front paw at me.

Leo stood crookedly with his wand and smiled.

“When exactly did my training ground become a meeting place?”

“Elias will definitely want to play with you, and Lucas was originally supposed to train with you anyway~”

Narke said with a nonchalant smile.

“So, what is it? Don’t tell me you’re going to take him away right now like Elias.”

“…”

I laughed.

How firm.

I can picture the future I’ll have to endure.

Since I haven’t been able to train properly since finals, he’ll definitely push me like crazy from now on.

“That’s not it~ Lucas. I have something to tell you about Papacy work.”

“What is it? Do we need to move somewhere else?”

“No. There’s a job assigned to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith this time. It’s difficult for me to handle alone… could you help me if it sounds okay after hearing about it?”

This is the first time I’ve heard this guy ask for something.

“What kind of work?”

“Exorcism.”

“…”

“Oh~ I want to do that too.”

Me doing exorcism?

It suddenly hit me that what I was reading was a fantasy novel.

But thinking back, even in reality, I often heard talk among religious people about demons actually existing.

“Have you heard about exorcist priests?”

“They’re people who beat up demons~”

Elias, who was whistling as if it sounded fun, chimed in.

“Right. This time the Roman Diocese asked if people from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith could take on that work. I’ve been receiving exorcism education regularly.”

“Oh, wait. I’ve heard that name before. Narke, are you affiliated with them~?”

“Yes.”

Narke smiled shyly. Elias was now clapping as if impressed.

‘He’s not just affiliated, he’s the minister there…’

As expected, no matter how I look at it, magical power is supreme in this world.

Of course, it’s not strange since his stats are good.

Didn’t the Undersecretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with level 9 discernment not judge me as a religious person?

On the other hand, Narke noticed I was an atheist even with just level 2 insight.

“Is the activity area domestic?”

“Yes. The Imperial Church requested it from the Papacy.”

“What’s the method? I’ve never learned how to perform exorcisms.”

“Ah, it’s okay. As long as you can use divine power properly, the method isn’t that difficult.”

Narke’s eyes sparkled mysteriously.

Anyway, there’s no reason to refuse Narke’s request.

“Alright, I’ll help.”

“Great, that’s good~ Then I’ll tell Cardinal Nicolaus that he’ll also participate in this work. It’ll probably be recorded as your first official duty.”

Hmm, so it’s come to this again.

Since returning to the Empire, I haven’t really felt the reality of becoming a cardinal, but hearing this makes it hit home.

“And, Lucas. Can you stay up all night?”

“Why?”

“I was thinking we could leave at dawn today.”

“Dawn? That soon?”

“I want to do some preliminary investigation. Could either Leo or Elias come with us…”

“Me me me me me! I want to go!”

When Elias jumped up from his seat and shouted loudly, Leo covered his ear on Elias’s side.

“…How old are you exactly?”

“I turned 18 a few days ago~ I’m still older than Leo who’s still 17!”

“Just a few months…”

“Just? I probably learned to talk before you did.”

“Even so, you’re still shorter than me.”

“I’ll grow taller this year~”

Elias answered leisurely with a confident face.

I should probably not mention that even ten years later, he’ll still be slightly shorter than Leo.

‘Come to think of it, Luca has already turned 18 too.’

It’s been a little over two months.

I didn’t really notice it much since it was during a hectic time when I had just fallen into this place. It was even more so because by the Education Department’s school age system, I’m still 17.

Narke listened to their conversation with a smile, then asked Leo.

“What about you, Leo? Can you come?”

“I’ll go. But we can’t use divine power, is that okay?”

“Right now we’re just going to investigate~”

Leo thought for a moment then nodded.

“Alright, there’s nothing to review anyway since it’s the beginning of the semester. I’ll go.”

“Ah, that’s a relief~ It’s nice that we can all go together.”

“But I’m not sure if Lucas will be okay.”

Leo looked at me and stroked his chin as if calculating something.

Leo’s words sounded somehow ominous.

* * *

“…”

“What should we do~ Luca can’t go.”

Elias said, patting my back.

After training for four hours straight from 8 o’clock without a single break, I no longer had the strength to stand.

I’m actually lying face down on the floor right now.

In fact, I had already finished preparing to go, but once I had changed into all my clothes, the tension seemed to release and I ended up lying on the floor.

‘Thank goodness the people in this country aren’t the type to enter bedrooms wearing shoes.’

Whether he was trying to comfort me or not, Elias casually spoke to the back of my head.

“Ah, but you lasted really long for four hours~ When I was little and fought with Leo, I’d be flat on the ground in 3 minutes.”

I know well that you only collapsed in 3 minutes when you were just being lazy.

Leo, who had come to my room to travel with us, ignored the nonsense and suggested to me.

“Should we do it with three people next time? The balance might be a bit off, but Elias’s attack style would be good to learn too.”

“…”

I reflexively let out a hollow laugh first.

If he wanted to teach me Elias’s attack style in the first place, couldn’t he just do it with just Elias and me?

Then Elias made an expression as if he realized something, then grabbed my shoulder firmly.

“Should we?! I want to try fighting with Luca too! Try attacking with divine power.”

“No… no, later.”

I don’t want to hear any more training talk today.

‘Come to think of it, it’s been almost 3 weeks since I last checked my stats.’

Should I take a look?

Lucas Rene Ascanien

Title: Count Nicolaus

Stamina: +3.0 (+0.5) [+6.0]

Mental Power: +1.5 (+0.6)

Mana: ?

Skill: +4.4 (+0.3) [+7.4]

Reputation: -9.6 (+0.3) [-3] [+7.69523261]

Luck: +3.3 (+1.05)

Traits: Dawn777, Divine Power, Charm (Lv.2), Retry (Lv.1)

‘Oh.’

My school reputation score jumped from -6.8 to -3.

More than that, my final stamina score is 6?

“Should we get going now?”

“You suddenly seem energetic? What happened?”

Elias clapped his hands and laughed.

When I suddenly stood up from my seat and extended my hand, Narke, who had been sitting quietly watching, took my hand. At that moment, a strong wind hit my face.

* * *

“Were you here to have fun?”

I let out a hollow laugh looking at the dining table set at this late hour.

I guess this is why they wanted us all to come together.

The place we came to was one of the Empire’s representative resort areas.

Since it’s a region requested by the Papacy, we didn’t come here purely for fun, but they probably wanted to drag us along since we happened to be going to a resort.

Narke brought out wine from somewhere and answered.

“Actually, the official dispatch period is this weekend. Since it’s still Monday, today we’re just resting while getting familiar with this area~”

“I see. Then don’t just ask for help, ask us to come along.”

“Ah, Lucas, I really need to work together with you. It’s too much for me alone.”

Narke smiled sheepishly.

If this guy finds it too much to handle alone, I have no idea what kind of situation is unfolding.

“The reason I brought you today… I actually remembered that you haven’t been able to rest properly. It would be unfair to just take exams and work during the entire 2-week vacation.”

That’s true.

I deliberately applied for the exam because I didn’t want to go home, but they didn’t have such desperate incentives, so it’s understandable they’d feel disappointed.

Then Elias mumbled and said.

“Right~ People need to have some fun and relax! Ah, if it weren’t for the risk of failing, I would have just skipped. I thought I was going to die worrying about getting caught with leftover curse magic.”

“Finish eating before you talk.”

Leo said quietly from the side.

Anyway, it seems worth bringing Elias along.

He was already shoveling food into his stomach like crazy with a smiling face.

“Ah~ It’s really delicious.”

“You already had dinner, is it okay to eat that much?”

“That was completely digested within two hours after eating~”

Narke, who had been eating moderately while listening to their conversation, shook the wine bottle and asked.

“Want to drink? I’ll only give you one glass each since you can’t get drunk.”

“Ah, really… I’ve wanted a friend who knows about stuff like this for a long time.”

“I’ll pass. You guys drink.”

Leo, who clearly had the Catacombs memory as a shock, grimaced and refused. Meanwhile, Elias, who had quickly poured wine into his glass, gulped down the alcohol.

“Is it because of the Catacombs alcohol~? That stopped being alcohol the moment the drug touched it. No, champagne was never alcohol to begin with. It’s just carbonated water.”

“…What’s not alcohol?! That’s probably just not your taste.”

The two began debating about champagne.

I watched them, then looked out the window.

This was a noble manor far from the village, and accordingly, only forests and mountains were visible around us.

According to what I heard from Narke, the local noble requested help saying ‘people are occasionally becoming possessed by demons.’ Since there are no mages who use divine power in this diocese, the contact reached all the way to the Papacy.

‘If such rumors spread in a resort area, the commercial revenue here would be seriously damaged.’

This place is called the summer capital of the continent, frequently visited by nobles from various countries during vacation season.

Of course, right now it’s the middle of winter and there are no tourists since the main facility, the hot springs, is under renovation.

However, the local noble said they would open part of the hot spring building while we’re here, so looking at that, the renovation will probably be finished soon.

While continuing these various thoughts, my friends’ conversation topic had now reached the local hot springs.

“Hey, we came all the way to Baden-Baden, wouldn’t it be disappointing not to soak? Let’s go.”

“Right after eating? Being exposed to high temperatures immediately after a meal isn’t good.”

“Ah, as expected of a doctor’s family…”

“…Even when I’m being considerate, what are you saying…”

So, Leo, who was concerned about health, stayed in the manor’s guest room until the end.

Actually, everyone seemed concerned as no one set foot in the hot springs. Instead, Elias and Narke went outside saying they would do some investigation first.

I lay on the bed, closed my eyes, and fell into thought.

‘…Demons don’t really feel real to me.’

No matter how much the Church shouts that demons actually exist, many people think of them like childhood bedtime monsters.

Even some clergy do.

Honestly, I thought so too, but since I’ve become part of the Papacy, even if it’s an honorary position, I need to take it seriously.

‘I should build up some experience as a Cardinal too.’

It’s not exactly pure intentions, but regardless of intentions, if I don’t take my assigned work seriously, success is out of the question.

I looked through the local newspaper to see if there was any useful information, but there was even less information than what I’d heard from Narke. It seemed like they were trying to prevent rumors from spreading outside.

‘There’s not much to do.’

It feels awkward when given time to rest.

I opened the exorcism ritual book that Narke had left for me.

After drilling exorcism methods and precautions into my head for a while, I closed the book to rest briefly.

It was supposed to be rest, but when I closed my eyes, thoughts about the relationship between the Imperial Family and Nicolaus kept coming to mind.

“Leo.”

“Yeah?”

“The alcohol you analyzed for drugs before, what did you say the results were?”

“Ah, didn’t I tell you in detail? I don’t know what ingredients it was made with or how it was mixed. It was probably made with ingredients that have never entered the Empire.”

This reminds me of Adrian Ascanien.

The Crown Prince’s hostility toward Elias definitely wasn’t this blatant before.

‘I never thought the eldest son would be the one to trip me up, not Adelbert Hohenzollern.’

He must have been impatient.

Unlike in the novel, since someone is on Elias’s side, it’s understandable his attitude would change.

That also means not only Elias but I could become his target of attack.

As my reputation score approaches 8 points, Nicolaus’s position is becoming increasingly solid.

So now what I need to consider isn’t public opinion.

Now that the Crown Prince and Emperor’s wariness has increased compared to the novel, if I reveal that I am Nicolaus Ernst, one problem could arise.

‘Adrian Ascanien and the Emperor could join forces.’

Initially, I created the existence of Nicolaus Ernst to deceive Adrian Ascanien’s eyes. Thanks to that, even though I’ve been running around throughout the entire Empire, I’ve survived without being assassinated until now.

If I reveal my identity now, Nicolaus and Lucas will be absorbed into each other without major problems.

However, there’s a problem here: there are now three people just waiting for grounds to bring down Nicolaus.

‘Certainly ‘Lucas Ascanien’ would be good prey for bringing down Nicolaus.’

For the public, truth doesn’t lie in facts. Sensational article titles that are repeatedly hammered into their ears and eyes become truth to them.

Whether I’m Pleroma or not, the Emperor could frame me as Pleroma to bring down Nicolaus.

But if I’m going to eat, I’ll eat properly – I have no intention of becoming prey for such bastards.

Since I happen to have the Cardinal position, to prevent Pleroma accusations, I think it would be best to properly develop this side too.

Considering my position within the Papacy, I should at least properly carry out the tasks I’m given.

‘In the end, it comes back to exorcism.’

Since there’s no information I can get from documents right now… should I even resort to necromancy to serve as bait?

‘No, that’s a bit much.’

Is there anything worth getting excommunicated over…?

Maybe it’s because I’ve only been facing troublesome things like Pleroma and the Catacombs, but my thoughts are naturally going to extremes.

I have no choice but to wait for dawn and go to the residential area to gather information.

Just then, Leo suddenly came into view.

“Lucas.”

“You startled me.”

“I called you several times but you didn’t hear. If you’re sleepy, go to sleep.”

“No. What is it?”

“When it hits 6 o’clock, let’s go out and interview some residents. Even if it’s a demon, it doesn’t really hit home… but still, the situation must be serious for them to have called you guys, so we should try to resolve it.”

“Do you happen to read my thoughts?”

“Are you drunk?”

I shook my head and got up.

“No, let’s go later.”

But has this become a habit now? He’s taking the initiative like this even though it’s not his own business.

I’m fine with it.

Thud—

Suddenly, the bed shook.

Fai, who had followed us here and was sleeping on the pillow, suddenly lifted his head.

I looked up at Leo wondering what it was, but Leo was also looking down at his feet with a confused expression.

Kwaaaaang—!

[Aaaaaaaah!]

“…”

Goosebumps ran up my spine.

My eyes met Leo’s.

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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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