How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 142

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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 (142)

“….”

What did he say?

This guy isn’t someone who would smile and welcome me like this.

However, I quickly realized which ‘Eli’ he was referring to.

“Adel. It’s been a while.”

The person who opened the door and entered called out the name with a smile.

Like the unfamiliar voice I heard earlier, this was a face I was seeing for the first time.

‘…Right.’

There’s no way the person called ‘Eli’ in the Imperial Palace could be Elias.

Someone with shining lemon-colored hair like Adelbert sat on the sofa by the window.

Elizabeth Hohenzollern.

He was the only ‘Eli’ accepted in the Imperial Court and the person who would become the next Emperor according to the line of succession.

‘…This is my first time meeting the Crown Prince.’

I never thought I’d meet him in this state.

While looking down at him, the corners of my mouth unconsciously rose.

It wasn’t a coincidence that he was called Eli. Elizabeth wasn’t his first name but one of his middle names.

I knew why he used his middle name like a first name, why he deliberately used the nickname Eli. The more I knew about him, the more disgusting he became, but…

Now wasn’t the time to mix in personal feelings.

I relaxed and entrusted my body to Adelbert’s memories.

“I thought I would have to leave without seeing you since this was just a brief visit. I’m delighted that Your Highness made time.”

This guy also uses extreme honorifics and formal speech with family…

More than that, Adelbert’s hands began to sweat and his body started to stiffen.

The Crown Prince shook his head as if asking why he was being so formal and said,

“Call me like you did earlier. Besides, you rarely come back from school, so I should meet you when you’re here. Come, sit next to me.”

The Crown Prince patted the spot next to him.

“Aren’t you busy?”

“Haha, I’m managing that myself, so don’t worry.”

Right, of course. He obviously came because he had time. Such formality between family members.

I suppressed such thoughts and sat next to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince put his arm over the sofa and leaned in as he sat. He looked at me and asked,

“So, how is Elias doing?”

Asking about my cousin’s well-being right off the bat?

Hearing this while knowing how much the body’s owner respected the Crown Prince made me very conscious.

As expected, my facial muscles stiffened in an instant. I tried to maintain a smile while turning my gaze away.

“I don’t know since I haven’t heard any news.”

“I see. I wonder if he’s made proper friends after transferring to Class 2.”

“I’m sure he has.”

Before I could be flustered by the spiteful words that came out through Adelbert’s will, the Crown Prince burst into laughter.

Are you teasing me?

Anyway, I understood the timing.

Since he was talking about the Class 2 transfer, this was during the first semester of second year. For Adelbert, it would be the first semester of first year.

“Then, what about you, Adel?”

I was momentarily speechless.

Since Adelbert couldn’t say anything to this question, I spoke according to my own will instead.

“I’ve been doing well.”

“Really?”

“Of course I’ve been doing well. How about Eli…?”

Only now did words come out according to Adelbert’s will.

He seemed to find it awkward to match the nickname with honorifics, so he dragged out his words. But since it didn’t sound unfamiliar, he seemed to often speak this way.

“I… hmm, recently His Majesty has been busy with Pleroma matters, so I’ve been spending time frantically helping with state affairs.”

“Ah, I see. That’s impressive. Isn’t it difficult?”

“Not at all. After learning a bit, I found it was work I could do well enough. I can only be grateful for His Majesty’s arrangements.”

“His Majesty may have appropriately divided the work, but even so, it’s the business of running a country. It’s all thanks to Your Highness being capable.”

Cut it out…

I wanted to say that, but Adelbert was already excited.

“Your constant support like this gives me strength. Thank you.”

“…! I’m truly happy to have been of help.”

‘What a performance.’

Now I was getting a sense of what Adelbert’s human relationships were like.

His relationships would only be divided into ‘people I respect’ and ‘just people.’ There was no middle ground.

I could understand why Elias kept him alive. Someone born with this level of loyalty would be the best if properly tamed.

The problem was that he wouldn’t easily come over because of that. After raising his favorability by 5 points initially, he hadn’t given me a single point since.

Then, the Crown Prince, who had been smiling gratefully, called out my name quietly.

“Adel.”

“Yes.”

“You were telling the truth, right?”

“….”

“Always be honest.”

“I’m already being honest though?”

That was me speaking just now.

Adelbert was suddenly struck with fear for some reason and couldn’t say anything.

The Crown Prince stared into my eyes and grinned.

“Right. Then that’s fortunate.”

He stood up and said goodbye.

“I’ll be going now. See you at lunch in 30 minutes.”

“Yes.”

A bright smile formed according to Adelbert’s will.

Even during that brief conversation, I was thoroughly disgusted and shook my head.

This guy really isn’t ordinary…

I was holding my head feeling annoyed when I looked at the Crown Prince standing at the door and opened my mouth.

“Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know where my wand is?”

The Crown Prince looked back at me with a momentarily bewildered expression.

“…Your wand?”

“Yes. I don’t have it.”

Though now might not be the right time, besides the Crown Prince, who else would there be in Adelbert’s memories to scratch at him?

To send him away anytime, I should at least have a wand.

“You always organize and put it in your drawer, don’t you.”

How kind.

I opened the drawer the Crown Prince was looking at, checked it, and raised my head.

“Hmm, my mind’s been scattered. Thank you.”

“Right. If you’re tired, get some rest.”

“I will.”

He quickly left the room.

I found the wand holster in the corner of the drawer, fastened it around my waist, and took out the wand.

When I spun it lightly, golden mana shot out in an unfamiliar way.

‘Good.’

But it would have been better if this were Luca’s body. It was quite disappointing that I couldn’t use divine power.

Just in case, the moment I tried to recreate the method of drawing out divine power while rotating the wand, I doubted my eyes.

A pure white light gathered at the tip of the wand and then spread out into the air.

“…?!”

Could Adelbert also use divine power?

That couldn’t be.

There was no divine power stat in his status window.

‘…I’ll have to ask Narke about this later.’

That is, if I survive and get out without being caught up in Adelbert’s rampage.

Actually, it’s not over just because I don’t get shocked.

Even if I don’t go berserk, if Adelbert does, there’s no telling what might happen now that his mind is trapped inside.

As I finished my preparations and sat waiting for the time to come, I heard movement outside the door.

Knock knock—

[Your Highness.]

I raised my eyebrows at the voice I heard.

It was the voice of someone who shouldn’t be here.

It was quite absurd.

[May I come in?]

‘…He’s never visited me personally like this before?’

That voice was mine.

More precisely, Nicolaus Ernst’s voice.

‘Huh….’

Do I have to send myself away with my own hands?

I need to figure out what’s going on. Especially what that Nicolaus Ernst is babbling about.

“Please come in.”

Nicolaus entered the room wearing a mask and draped in a black robe.

Blue eyes from inside the mask stared at me piercingly.

I felt a slight tension, like just before meeting with a respected professor.

When Adelbert saw Nicolaus, he smiled like before.

Experiencing firsthand how Adelbert thought of me was slightly moving.

Of course, if I had been given the chance not to experience it, I wouldn’t have.

“Your Highness. Have you been well?”

“Of course.”

I gestured toward the sofa and said.

“Please sit.”

Nicolaus nodded in greeting and took a seat.

He looked at the numerous books stacked on the side table and said.

“These must be books you’re reading recently.”

“Yes.”

Curious about how Adelbert would respond, I pulled back my will.

Adelbert smiled and said carefully.

“I remembered what you said before, Count. I’m trying to read books from various fields.”

“Hmm, three books about the Franco-Prussian War alone.”

“Yes.”

“Since it’s relatively recent, there’s significant bias depending on interests. If you want to encounter various perspectives on diplomacy or war, read books dealing with much older events.”

I think that’s correct, but….

‘What do you mean read this, read that.’

Do you think you should give advice on what others read? And who says such ideologically impure things to a Prussian prince?

But Adelbert seemed to think I would say this.

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

I should add this to the list of nonsense Nicolaus would never say.

I’ll have to make good use of it.

Anyway, I need to gradually figure out why something that never happened in the past is occurring.

I immediately spoke up.

“So, what brings you here?”

“Hmm.”

Nicolaus clasped his hands together and continued.

“I read all the letters Your Highness sent me. It turns out Your Highness received poor results on the 1-1 exam.”

‘Letters.’

This is from the second semester.

If someone else had appeared, I would have wondered whether Adelbert had been home a few days ago or not, but no.

Now I’m starting to get a sense of it.

At the same time, my body stiffened with a jolt.

It was Adelbert’s reaction, not mine. I suppressed his response and answered calmly.

“That’s right. You know about it?”

“I heard from Emperor what grades you received. Your Highness, lying or covering things up is sinful.”

“….”

I looked at Nicolaus’s face and smiled.

Despite the smile that didn’t fit the situation, Nicolaus spoke to me with unwavering eyes.

“Especially to those who trust you, you must never do such things.”

The moment I opened my mouth to object, the scene changed.

Nicolaus disappeared, and I was having lunch with the Crown Prince.

Dark, yellow lighting illuminated the table.

“So, are you still doing well?”

“….”

I stopped the fork work I didn’t know when I had started and looked at him.

I had suspected it since Nicolaus appeared, but now I know for certain.

Judging by this way of development, this isn’t a memory.

“I’m still doing well. We talked 30 minutes ago.”

It’s a dream.

Usually, things that transition this frantically and in such nonsensical ways are dreams, what else could they be?

I’m currently inside a dream created by Pleroma to manipulate people’s psychology.

‘There’s more than one or two things to record when I get back.’

How did Pleroma manage such an experience as soon as they developed the new drug?

This is bad news for Pleroma. Those bastards must have planned to use this method for a long, long time.

Why?

Because if people come in like this, they’ll all be shocked and die in a rampage, so there’s no way for them to go outside and tell others. They’ll just die one after another.

As long as I’m in here having a calm conversation, their plan is half-ruined.

Since this depends on secrecy for survival, I just need to spread the news nationwide as soon as I get out.

‘Of course, to get out….’

I need to wake up from this crazy dream.

‘About a minute has passed in reality now.’

Since the scene changed immediately because of Nicolaus. Even generously estimating, it’s within 5 minutes.

Seeing the 1-1 exam story come up, I’m starting to understand where Pleroma’s play is heading.

It means it’s time to wrap up this dream.

“I always want you to do well. I care for your happiness more than anyone else’s.”

“Thank you. I feel the same way.”

“You’ve always been brilliant.”

“….”

“You’ve always perfectly mastered books I couldn’t even start when I was your age. I remember Emperor had quite a hard time finding higher-level teachers for you. Perhaps you should be the one to become Emperor.”

“That’s absolutely not right.”

“Your intelligence is a joy to His Majesty and the Empire’s subjects. I’ve always said so. The fact that the child who could replace me is more intelligent than anyone else has always been a comfort to me.”

Always said so?

Then now he’s going to mix in lies.

I suppressed my indifference and focused on adjusting the power balance with Adelbert.

“I’m saying that I relied on you and trusted you more than anyone else. Do you understand?”

“….”

“How about it, Adel. Why did you do that to me?”

“What are you saying I did?”

“Is it true that you received a 3+?”

His hands trembled.

‘Hmm.’

I can gradually feel Adelbert reacting.

Whether Adelbert goes berserk or not, and my life too, will depend on how I respond from now on.

I pushed aside Adelbert’s ego and put strength into my hands.

And I looked straight at him and said.

“Yes.”

“….”

“Somehow a 3+ came out.”

“Adel. I told you to always be honest.”

“I answered honestly.”

I roughly chewed the mashed potatoes and answered halfheartedly.

At those words, the Crown Prince narrowed his eyes.

“I’m disappointed.”

“Really? I was worried you’d react like this earlier, so I used some quick thinking.”

When I opened my eyes wide and spoke with a smile, Adelbert’s will forcibly tried to contort his expression.

I seemed to hear Adelbert’s voice.

[No. If you say this….]

I erased the thought before the words finished.

What do you mean no.

He was thinking he needed to apologize somehow right now, but the 3+ wasn’t even that guy’s grade, so there was no need to do so.

“I understand you’re dissatisfied with my grades. I’m not too pleased with them either. So I’ll try to work harder.”

“Adel.”

[No! Stop!]

So this is how it works.

The drug that Pleroma puts in the river water even includes substances that amplify emotions.

I just haven’t seen it directly until now, but everyone must have gone through this process internally before going berserk.

‘It’s interesting to see it firsthand.’

Though this isn’t a situation to think so calmly when I’m in a position where I might get caught up in Adelbert’s rampage and die.

I grabbed the wine glass with my gradually weakening hand and barely managed to swallow a sip.

“This is the worst. Don’t you still realize that you’ve disgraced His Majesty’s and my face? Even from my brief observation, you were just desperately focused on reducing time, recklessly thrusting your wand like a child throwing punches.”

‘Wow, if you scratch like this, there’s no way he won’t go berserk.’

Apart from my admiration, I felt breathless.

That must be exactly what Adelbert thinks was his mistake. If he hears that from someone he respects, of course he’d be shocked.

“I’m really disappointed. I’ve never felt such emotion in my entire life.”

Clang—

My whole body turned cold because of Adelbert’s ego. He was so shocked that strength left my limbs, and I dropped my fork.

My vision was gradually darkening.

I looked at that magic power, which was clearly Vitriol, and quietly opened my mouth.

“You’re disappointed. But….”

I spoke to the Crown Prince who was looking at me with cold eyes.

I couldn’t hide my smile.

“The first-year exam wasn’t even broadcast, so when did you see it?”

[Stop!]

Crash—!

I distributed magic power to my legs and slammed them down on the floor to fix my strength. Then I drew my wand and aimed it at the Crown Prince. I felt resistance on my arm that was on a completely different level than before.

I looked down at my arm trembling madly from the collision and said.

“Adelbert.”

[….]

“Listen carefully. Does this seem like your hyung? The first-year exam isn’t broadcast, so how could that guy know about it.”

It’s probably noona, not hyung, but that’s not what’s important right now.

Suddenly the resistance on my body hesitated.

He’s understanding now.

The moment I opened my mouth to persuade him further, Vitriol that erupted from the Crown Prince flew toward my neck.

‘Right.’

The person speaking the truth must be killed. It seems this level of programming is in place. I moved my wrist without hesitation.

Crash! Crack—

Golden magic power that flew along Vitriol’s path pierced through and passed it.

Would the Crown Prince normally act like this? It only adds to the sense of disconnect.

And if it’s like this, couldn’t I just do it like when I beat up Pleroma.

‘Good.’

I got the hang of it.

It’s about time for both of us to get out alive.

I spoke again to Adelbert, who must be in confusion.

“Adelbert. Don’t you still realize that all of this is what you’re saying to yourself?”

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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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