How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 161
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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 (161)
Even with my questioning gaze, Elias didn’t back down.
“Narke should come too!”
‘He’s really bringing everyone along.’
“Hmm… that friend seems a bit uncomfortable around me.”
“Hey~ it’d be a bit awkward if it’s just me and you, right? I should act like I’m friendly with all the friends who made it to the third round.”
“Ah, that makes sense~”
“Hey guys. What are you deciding without asking the homeowner’s opinion?”
Just then, a student from Elias’s team shouted from far away.
“Hey, Elias! Come in now!”
“Luca! Please take care of me~”
Elias jumped up from his seat.
I grabbed his arm.
“Huh?”
“Wait. If we’re going together, I have one favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
I whispered to him and pushed him toward the training ground.
‘It’ll be good if we all go together.’
Since Elias and Narke are wary of Ainsiedel, if there’s something we need to find out, it’ll be easier to steer the conversation in that direction.
Elias had only been in the Catacombs, so he hadn’t seen Ainsiedel directly, but he heard our stories and knows what kind of person he is.
Just then, I saw Class 1’s Ainsiedel walking in from the end of the hallway.
‘Why is he back so quickly?’
Didn’t he just leave?
Just as I thought he might have been rejected, Ainsiedel said with a smile.
“Lucas. He said it’s fine. At first he said no, but when I said you were coming, he said it was okay.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
I tried my best to give a gentle smile as I spoke.
“But, Haike. Can I bring Elias? He says he wants to see you.”
“Elias…?”
“Ah, if it’s uncomfortable, that’s fine. You know… how things turned out.”
“Mm, I know. It’s fine if he comes along. I like that friend too.”
I just tried to gloss over it vaguely, but this guy knows too.
More than that…
“Why Elias?”
“Just because.”
When he answers like that, it becomes awkward to ask more.
At least I understand his reaction to Elias well.
“Can I come too?”
Narke suddenly asked.
Ainsiedel just looked at him silently, then nodded.
His expression is hard to read, but I can tell he’s not pleased.
“Hmm… If you want to come, you can. We’re on the same team anyway. Is that okay with you, Lucas?”
“I’m fine with it too, since we’re on the same team.”
Narke started saying things he didn’t mean with a smiling face.
“Ah, am I intruding where I shouldn’t be~? Sorry.”
“No. It’s good to have many friends. It’s more fun that way.”
Ainsiedel said with a faint smile.
“Then let’s get ready to go. We should be back tomorrow morning, right?”
* * *
‘Of course he assumes we’ll stay overnight.’
It seems that way since it’s already almost 6 PM.
We warped to the edge of the Ainsiedel Estate, then took a carriage sent by their family to travel to the manor.
Elias, who came without any luggage, wearing his uniform over his pajamas, smiled and patted his knees.
“Wow~ This will be fun! Who would have thought I’d get to visit the ‘Ainsiedel’ house~”
“…”
I could immediately tell which Ainsiedel Elias was referring to.
Class 1’s Ainsiedel raised his eyebrows, seemingly puzzled by the word choice.
“He’s always been like that.”
Ainsiedel nodded as if he understood.
The village edge and the manor weren’t very far apart.
After riding the carriage for about 10 minutes, we arrived at the manor.
In the distance, I could see a servant and a nobleman from the manor spotting us and approaching.
More than that, what caught my eye was a piece of paper lying on the ground. It seemed Class 1’s Ainsiedel noticed it too.
“What’s this? This wasn’t here earlier.”
Class 1’s Ainsiedel used magic to pull it over and flip it.
[Auszurichtendes Cookies Diebs]
[Auszurichtendes Cookies Diebs]
[Auszurichtendes Cookies Diebs]
“What is… oh.”
As soon as he flipped it, we could see sentences typed across the entire page.
Elias looked at the writing on the letter and raised his head.
Ainsiedel also turned to look at me.
“Strange sentence. Isn’t this what you were looking for?”
“…”
‘Arranging Cookies Thief.’
This is another nonsensical sentence.
And “Cookies” is even in English.
‘First “Audience” and now… who would have thought “Cookies” would appear again. It really seems like someone who’s more comfortable using English.’
“…I didn’t expect to see this here.”
“Do you need this?”
“Yeah. I’m collecting strange sentences.”
“Then take it.”
With that, Ainsiedel handed me the paper.
He didn’t seem to think this strange sentence was particularly problematic.
‘Well, of course.’
I would have just passed it by too if it hadn’t appeared in the Catacombs.
More than that, what kind of warning is this supposed to be?
A thief who arranges cookies? Arranging cookie thieves?
‘Does this mean a thief will break in soon?’
I’m not sure if it’s okay to interpret it this simply…
“Luca.”
Elias stuck close to my side and muttered.
“Does this appear everywhere you go~?”
“Probably not.”
Didn’t it appear in the Catacombs even though I never set foot there?
If Marian Baum hadn’t brought it to me, I wouldn’t have even known it was written there.
However, it would be different if it’s something that ‘was, is, or will be’ connected to me.
Of course, there’s something else to consider. If it’s not written on a wall like in the Catacombs, there’s no reason to report it. As Ainsiedel just did, most people would just read it briefly and throw it away.
So there might be several others who received strange sentences unrelated to me.
“Elias. Have you ever received something like this?”
“…I might have just thrown it away without knowing what it was. But I’ve never had any paper that obviously smelled strange like that come into my hands.”
While we were talking, a servant who appeared to be the caretaker approached from the distance.
“You’ve arrived. You must be the young master’s friends. I’ll escort you inside.”
Several servants approached and took our hats and bags.
The caretaker whispered, unable to hide his confusion.
“But, young master. You clearly said one person….”
“Ah…. That’s how it turned out.”
Then, the nobleman standing beside him greeted us.
“Nice to meet you. You must be Haike’s friends. I am Heinrich Ainsiedel.”
Is this person the uncle?
He certainly resembled Haike.
His hair color and eye color were exactly the same, which made me think so.
“It’s our first time meeting.”
“Yes. Duke Elias and the young Farnese have come together as well. I only now learned that Haike had made such distinguished friends. If I had known earlier that such friends were coming, I could have prepared a grander reception. I’m embarrassed.”
Distinguished….
I’m reminded again that there’s a hierarchy even among nobility.
Families that govern nations and families that manage estates within them are bound to be different.
It wasn’t very comfortable.
Elias seemed to have the same thought and roughly changed the subject.
“Not at all! But I’m hungry~”
“We’ve prepared a meal. Please come in and eat.”
He smiled at the two of them and looked at me.
“Please rest comfortably during your stay.”
“Thank you.”
I gave a brief greeting.
If we talked longer, it would just turn into talk about my or Elias’s family affairs.
―”That person has no unique ability at all.”
Narke muttered using divine power.
After that, we had a meal with Heike Einsiedel’s uncle.
As expected, Heinrich Ainsiedel asked about the family elders throughout the meal.
“I never thought the day would come when I’d meet Prince of Anhalt directly. How is Duke Georg doing? The last time I saw him was three years ago.”
“He’s become much busier because of Pleroma, but he’s as healthy as before.”
I’m not sure if you can call a human with that mentality healthy.
“I see. I understand those hardships well. Please give him my regards.”
“I will.”
Heinrich Ainsiedel now looked at Elias and asked.
“How is Elias’s father doing? I haven’t seen him since he stepped down from his legislator position.”
“He’s doing well. Were you acquainted with my father?”
“Of course. Since he stepped down from his legislator position 15 years ago, it’s understandable that Your Grace wouldn’t know.”
“I see~ What does Count Ainsiedel do these days?”
“I’m focusing on village management. My alma mater offered me a professor position and I’m considering it, but I’m not sure how that will turn out.”
“Wow~ Being a professor sounds cool. But do you have a family graveyard here?”
“Cough….”
I almost spat out what I was eating.
‘He says it like this?’
Narke also seemed quite flustered.
Of course, this was something I had instructed him to say.
If Bishop Ainsiedel was a person from this family, there are two possibilities.
First, Pleroma took the corpse and resurrected it.
Second, Ainsiedel entered Pleroma on his own.
In the first case, the grave robbing incident would have happened within 10 years from now. Since Pleroma was created about 10 years ago.
‘I meant for Haike to probe about it, but I didn’t expect him to ask the family head so directly….’
But that’s Elias for you.
It’s certainly out of the blue, but because it’s him saying it, it doesn’t seem too strange.
Heinrich Ainsiedel seemed slightly flustered by the strange topic and tilted his head.
“…Family graveyard…?”
“The Einsiedel Family communal graveyard.”
“Of course we have one.”
“How’s the security? I heard everyone’s been strengthening security lately because of Pleroma. My father worries a lot about graves. He’s been thinking about how to make them safer.”
Elias said naturally while alternately looking at his plate and his face.
Meanwhile, Narke’s eyes were fixed on Heinrich Ainsiedel.
If someone had taken bones from the graves, it would show in his reaction.
Like slightly frowning, or smacking his lips before starting to speak.
If Pleroma had properly ransacked them, he couldn’t hide it completely.
“We’ve set up multiple layers of barriers. I’m also thinking of building a structure along the outer perimeter of the graveyard. Many people do that these days~”
“….”
Elias nodded.
―”Nothing in particular.”
That would mean there’s nothing to read.
From my perspective, I couldn’t sense any disturbance from him either.
“I should suggest that to father.”
“That’s a good idea. With such a thoughtful son, Duke’s father must be truly pleased.”
“I don’t know about pleased, but his blood pressure seems to have risen recently….”
“…Ahem….”
“Why… Never mind. But can I see the Einsiedel Family family photos?”
“….”
I almost choked again and cleared my throat. Narke was now just laughing and watching.
‘This guy can have proper conversations but is doing this on purpose.’
But it’s a good attitude.
I looked at Haike just in case.
He also had a somewhat incredulous expression, but I could feel he was watching this situation with interest.
“Family photos…?”
“Yes. Seeing Haike and his father made me curious. Haike is really handsome.”
That much?
Anyway, if Ainsiedel was someone who entered Pleroma on his own, he would have been living in this family at most 10 years ago, so there should be at least one photo remaining. Photography technology has been around for quite a while.
Even if Pleroma killed Ainsiedel and took the body before it could be buried, it would remain in photos.
“There’s nothing wrong with that. Your Grace is quite curious.”
“Thank you! I’ll look at them with Haike later!”
“Please do.”
‘He gets this so easily?’
I’m glad I brought him along.
After that, fortunately Elias took over all the conversation, so I didn’t need to talk with the family head.
After finishing the meal, we could finally go to where Heike Einsiedel was staying.
Before going up the stairs, Elias saw cookies being baked in the kitchen and his eyes sparkled.
“I want to eat cookies!”
“Hey, you bastard….”
“…Aha~!”
Elias shook his head and quickly stepped back.
He saw that sentence about cookies and smoothly moved on.
Heike Einsiedel had already cleanly erased that sentence from his mind and spoke indifferently.
“If you want to eat, go ahead. I’m grilling because you guys are coming.”
“Really? No~ Haike, eat a lot.”
“It’s delicious.”
Haike said that and led us to the room, carrying a thick album.
He set the album down on the table and said.
“Here, you can look around. But are you going to look at this right away?”
“Huh? Then what should we do?”
I hit Elias’s mouth and said with a laugh.
“Haike, is there something you want to do? Let’s do that first.”
Fortunately, Haike’s eyes began to light up.
“Let’s drink first.”
* * *
‘He drank yesterday and now he’s drinking again…’
A glass or two of wine during a meal would be one thing.
I let out a hollow laugh watching his beer glass being continuously refilled.
Since Haike began expounding his own philosophy that games should be played while drinking, I just accepted it.
“Fold.”
“Again?”
“My hand sucks…”
Elias threw down his cards, slumping over the table.
Then he stepped out of the game and opened the album.
After carefully examining the photos, he closed the album and pushed it toward Haike.
“I looked well~ Everyone looks like you!”
“…”
I exchanged glances with Elias.
He shook his head slightly.
Haike, already seeming intoxicated, began talking about other things.
“Uncle usually hardly receives any guests. Today is strange.”
“Why?”
“Because it interferes with his work.”
Ainsiedel quickly came to his senses and added an explanation.
“Ah, I don’t mean you guys are a bother.”
“I know~ Your uncle must have always said that.”
Ainsiedel smiled at Elias’s words.
Then he said quietly.
“It’s fun.”
“We haven’t really done anything proper yet…?”
At my words, Haike tilted his head.
“We drank and played card games.”
“Ah, right~ It’s fun! Do you play games often?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t have anyone to play with.”
Silence fell.
He actually said that out loud…? Usually in situations like this, wouldn’t you try not to say it?
It seems like it’s because he’s drunk.
Elias looked around and clapped his hands.
“Now you can play with us! Right?”
“Yeah.”
Ainsiedel answered with a light smile.
Like that, we continued playing games until midnight.
That also meant we continued naturally pouring alcohol until midnight.
“It’s late. I’m going to sleep now.”
Antagonist got up from his seat with a face that wasn’t drunk at all.
Far from being tired, he looked even more pleased.
“You can sleep in the adjacent room. The servants should have prepared it.”
“Got it.”
I dragged Elias outside.
Elias, who immediately understood what I wanted, cast a soundproofing spell and said.
“There’s no one with light-colored hair. Narke was watching from the front the whole time, and she says there’s no one who looks like that.”
None?
Since photography was invented, taking photos became popular even among commoners, so there’s no way a wealthy Junker wouldn’t have taken photos.
Even if he personally didn’t like it, there should be at least one documentary ID photo remaining.
‘…Hmm…’
Separate from being unattackable, this is strange in its own way.
But since it was already too late to investigate further, I organized everything and went into my room.
When I came out after washing, Elias suddenly popped out of his room, cast a soundproofing spell, and shouted.
“Don’t sleep! Primrose has something to say.”
“Got it.”
I shouldn’t be sleeping right now either.
They’re definitely blood relatives, but there’s no such person in this house?
And I looked at Heinrich Ainsiedel’s status window earlier. In his affection window, the phrase ‘attackable’ was written normally.
Even within the same family, there must be a clear reason why only Haike cannot be attacked.
And thinking about how that strange sentence was also here, it’s even more impossible to sleep.
I thought about that as I turned off the lights and lay down on the bed.
‘I’ll just close my eyes and stay awake.’
About an hour passed like that when I heard something rustling outside the door.
‘Why are they coming so late?’
I thought they’d come in about 30 minutes.
I thought that far and lifted my head.
‘…No.’
Someone is continuously pacing back and forth in front.
I checked the watch I had left on the side table and lay back down.
About 10 more minutes passed after that when the doorknob began to turn.
Click— Creak—
“…”
Someone approached right next to the bed.
I could feel a chilling presence getting closer to my hand.
I immediately sat up and grabbed his clothes. He flinched in surprise and stepped back.
“…!”
“Haike.”
“…”
“Why?”
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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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