How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 193

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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 (193)

“I had hoped our first meeting would be in a more formal and wholesome setting.”

He laughed as if amused and tapped the table with his fingertips. The sound of his metal bracelet hitting it rang out rhythmically.

“What sits before me is some scoundrel priest, far from dignified and someone who solves problems in the worst ways I’ve never seen or heard of. I know firsthand that Nicolaus’s abilities continue to reach new heights without knowing limits, but honestly, I didn’t expect you’d resort to such methods.”

“Whatever you say, that wasn’t my plan.”

“Do you think there’s a human who lives according to plan? Your distinctive trait is utilizing variables as opportunities when they arise. Ah, now I see this is the key.”

He flicked his finger. Then he whispered as if luring me in.

“You could rise this far because you went through risks others wouldn’t take. You’ve never been able to adapt among those ordinary people’s waves your whole life. Am I wrong? Since your dimension is one level higher than others, you and those ordinary people cannot mix and never have mixed.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Be honest. Have you ever understood the ridiculous movements of that crowd?”

When I didn’t answer, he pulled up the corner of his mouth in a smirk.

“…We have more in common than expected. So, who knows your true identity? Your superior, whoever your aide might be, would naturally know since they never leave your side, and His Majesty the King of Bavaria would know too.”

He smiled with his eyes crinkled.

“What an honor. I’ve become one of the people who knows who you are. I would have preferred to be the first, but that couldn’t have been possible.”

I can guess what story will come out.

It’s what I expected.

He not only knows that I’m Nicolaus but also…

“Deputy Minister Adrian Ascanien of the Magic Department must have very complicated feelings.”

He even knows I’m Lucas Ascanien.

Of course he would. If he didn’t know, that would be disappointing in its own way.

“A 20-year masterpiece has gained self-awareness and is smashing all the boards, and even knowing this, it’s already too late to do anything about it. What Adrian Ascanien knows is just the tip of the iceberg. If he knew his younger brother had already become the Empire’s saint… that would be worth seeing. Now I’m really curious what they’re preparing on that side.”

“You’re curious about all sorts of things.”

“Of course, His Excellency Deputy Minister Adrian Ascanien will be able to inherit his ducal title safely and continue his success. If you attack me, I’m thinking of sending Nicolaus Ernst after all.”

“…”

“With this much, the scales should be tilted to similar weights.”

I shook my head with a sneer.

“Your bluffing is impressive. Your Highness won’t attack me.”

“I’d like to hear the reason why.”

“With Adrian Ascanien’s approval rating far exceeding Your Highness’s right now, how could you do such a thing?”

“…”

“I mean, how could you give him such a good opportunity? Your Highness is in a position where you should be grateful and accept it if Nicolaus, if I interfere with Adrian Ascanien’s inheritance of the ducal title.”

I spoke mockingly with a sneer.

Perhaps sensing the current of my mana, he raised his eyebrows in surprise and smiled slightly.

“Those people want Adrian Ascanien to become emperor more than Elizabeth Hohenzollern becoming empress. Though it’s just lip service for now, Adrian Ascanien is a mage who knows how to consider non-mages’ lives and throws himself directly into danger for the people. In such a situation, it doesn’t seem like Your Highness would take the high-risk action of just fattening Adrian Ascanien’s belly.”

The Adrian Ascanien that people in this country see is close to a true reformer from above, the only nobleman who truly thinks of commoners.

It’s a path Adrian Ascanien deliberately chose to gain support.

“Your choice of words is somewhat surprising.”

“Please be specific about whether you’re surprised by ‘people’ or by ‘just lip service.'”

“Both. The Empire’s 100 million population are faithful subjects who obey the Hohenzollern imperial family. There are no Germans in this world who aren’t servants of Hohenzollern. The term ‘subjects’ rather than people or citizens is most appropriate. You probably judged that under the thought that the Empire’s political system has absolutist tendencies, the term ‘citizens’ also means people of the Second Empire subordinated to the imperial family, so it cannot escape submissive meaning. That’s why you’re saying ‘just people’ – neither Hohenzollern’s people nor the Second Empire’s people.”

“You understand well.”

“Hahaha…”

He shook his head. His yellow eyes filled with interest sparkled.

Along with the sound of rain, a whisper came softly.

“That’s treason, Count.”

“…”

“Nothing else but this is treason. Telling me that Adrian Ascanien’s approval rating is much higher isn’t the problem. Your liberating 100 million people is the most decisive and grave treason.”

That would be right. Not surprising.

After staring intently at me for a while with a smile, he opened his mouth.

“…As Crown Prince, I can say this. But fundamentally, the root of my thoughts isn’t different from yours.”

He muttered as if chewing on something, lost in thought.

“I like it.”

“…”

“Humans should be human. We know what happens when human basic identity is established as someone’s subject or a member of a state. Humans don’t live for themselves but for the collective, internalize the collective’s ideology and values as their own, and ultimately die as consumables for the illusion called collective. But what do you think would happen if we took away that belonging from humans? Would utopia unfold now?”

It wasn’t difficult to know what words would come from him.

His argument aligns with some of my thoughts.

“No. We still have ethnicity, race, women and men, new generation and old generation, bourgeoisie and working class remaining.”

He looked at me with warm eyes and said.

“Your attempt is futile. Humans cannot escape classification. Finding a group one can depend on is the basic principle of human life, and the savage sense of security from destroying out-groups acts as instinct and drives humans.”

“…”

“The Imperial Court, the Empire – these were granted by humans. Humans transferred to us the right to rule each of them to have comfortable groups, and we need to respond to their instincts.”

In the end, I cannot find common ground with him.

He and I start from the same thought, intersect several times, then create an unbridgeable distance in our conclusions.

From my position knowing the history after this era, his insights about the future are quite sharp and accurate, but he uses those insights to defend absolute monarchy.

As a leader guiding the masses, his insights should have been directed toward belief that humans can improve themselves, but they weren’t.

Just then, he quickly summarized his words as if he had no intention of talking at length like before.

“I didn’t come here today to have such discussions. Let’s stop here and return to the main point.”

“Let’s do that.”

“You said you didn’t come to kill me today. I’m the same. I have no intention of killing you, not just today but in the future.”

His arm was still the same. He tapped his still intact white wrist with his fingers and said.

“You probably know why.”

“Your Highness must have goals you haven’t told me about, and you need me to accomplish them.”

It’s not ‘you would need me.’ You need me.

According to what I’ve deduced so far, he must not kill me. His abilities need me. Considering the Antagonist’s insight, I shouldn’t be conscious of anything while speaking in front of him and shouldn’t tell him, but I can clarify this one thing first.

His purpose is to melt me in the furnace called Abraham.

“Mm, I like that your thoughts are always unexpected. Usually at times like this, people say ‘I’ve prepared a device to expose your identity if I’m killed, so you can’t kill me.’ Isn’t that the easiest thing to think of?”

“Doesn’t Your Highness also know why I don’t say that?”

When I asked with a smile, he also smiled with satisfaction.

“Of course. The moment you bring precise evidence and logic to reveal that Abraham is the Crown Prince, all the media outlets that promised to publish will simultaneously cut contact with you. The Emperor and Imperial Government will end the investigation into Abraham, find Abraham’s double and execute him, and you’ll enter the execution ground as the price for reporting falsehoods.”

“You understand well.”

“Even if I’m willing to be punished obediently, the environment surrounding me won’t punish me. Punishment is given to those who prioritize truth over structure. That’s why instead of putting me in front of cameras, you joined hands with Pleroma legislators to expose Abraham.”

The Crown Prince let out a long breath as if he’d finished something important and looked out the window. As raindrops hit the window hard, he spoke in a relaxed voice.

“Father. Now what we each want has become clear.”

His tone changed again.

I raised my eyebrows slightly at his eccentricity.

Of course, that also means he won’t treat me as Nicolaus.

“You’re sitting in this seat to collect my data and predict future behavioral directions, and soon to obtain information to kill me. Your goal isn’t the Crown Prince’s downfall but Abraham’s death.”

“How novel. Your Highness wouldn’t be much different.”

“That’s right.”

Something like a snake’s voice burrowed into my ear.

“Your knowledge is beyond my cognitive range. For me, how you baptized Marco Schreiber and how you nurtured his resistance through the Labyrinth are all mysteries. I know nothing about you, but I suspect you have abilities that cannot be accepted as common sense, like mine.”

For example, turning back time.

Or being able to see others’ Labyrinths.

It was accurate.

He fiddled with his bracelet and fitted it precisely back where the artery would be.

“Father Caetani. Let me make a proposal. Let’s get along well from now on.”

“…”

“Having approached this conversation, you already have preconceptions about me and will regard everything I say as wrong and reject it. Even if I say something that matches your values, you’ll somehow try to find errors in me and find reasons not to agree. Human cognition is like that. So we must proceed with this premise.”

The Crown Prince looked into my eyes and said.

“You are biased. I am objectively neither right nor wrong, and neither are you.”

I simply smiled.

He’s quite good at laying the groundwork.

He said this while slowly swirling his cold teacup.

“Priest, let me say this again. You may not want to agree, but we have so many similarities. We both have abilities that others cannot understand, we cannot comprehend those foolish masses, and we fundamentally know what the problem is. Even if I may not be the first person to see Nicolaus’s true nature, I could be the only person who truly understands your essence.”

His eyes gleamed even deeper in the darkness.

“What do you think, Priest?”

I snorted. When I didn’t answer, the Crown Prince smiled and asked.

“So, what’s your answer? Wasn’t this question also part of your plan?”

“You overestimate me too much.”

I deliberately said that. It was part of the plan.

How could it not be.

Since Abraham’s position isn’t that of a mere businessman or ordinary politician, but the Crown Prince of this Empire, killing him immediately is impossible.

Also, while I already have a method to kill him, it’s not in my hands. He’s bound to drag me in, so I just need to wait for that. He will fall by his own hand.

But the moment I say it was part of the plan, he’ll realize ten pieces of information about what I don’t know and what I do know.

I can’t give him information.

“You already know the answer. Let’s do as you wish.”

The Crown Prince nodded as if he expected this.

“Good. Let’s make a promise. No matter what happens, I won’t reveal that you are Nicolaus, and I won’t prepare to kill you. I’ll also refrain from acting as Abraham for the time being.”

His wrist remained steady.

I looked up at him and corrected his words with precise expression.

“It’s not that you ‘won’t act,’ but that you can’t, Your Highness. Go ahead and try if you want to.”

“Haha… That’s true. Thanks to you ending things so magnificently, Priest, it turned out that way.”

He concluded the conversation with appropriate laughter.

Checking the time, I pushed my teacup forward and said.

“It’s quite late now.”

He nodded and stood up, extending his hand to me. I ignored his hand and got up on my own. When we left the room and reached the library again, he grabbed my arm and said.

“I’ll warp.”

In the time it took to close and open my eyes once, we were standing in front of the investigation site from earlier. He turned toward me and smiled.

“I’m glad we could have a peaceful moment together, Count.”

“I’m glad you felt that way.”

“I’ll send a letter to your office soon, so please let me know when we can meet again. You’re not planning to never contact me again, are you?”

“No, let’s meet here tomorrow at this same place.”

At my answer without a moment’s hesitation, the Crown Prince looked at me with no change in expression and tilted his head slightly.

* * *

I adjusted my mask and read the newspaper in my hand. No, I listened to the sound flowing from the filter.

Legislator Alexander Kruger, who had drawn all public attention with Abraham’s announcement just two days ago, was broadcasting with that characteristic passionate tone I had seen yesterday.

[The content announced to the citizens is mostly facts uncovered through cooperation between Count Nicolaus Ernst and the Prussian Investigation Bureau, in addition to the basic knowledge I had investigated about Abraham. This Saturday, Count Ernst has agreed to appear directly on the Imperial Newspaper…]

The same street, the same time as yesterday.

This time, even though I approached near the police line, no one stopped me. A police officer spotted me and approached with quick steps, greeting me loudly.

“Have you arrived, Count Ernst?”

“Yes. We meet here again.”

“We last met at the Imperial Central Hospital. Congratulations on your appointment, Count.”

“Thank you.”

In yesterday’s newspaper, there was a story about the Crown Prince taking overall charge of the Abraham investigation. He volunteered to provoke me and call me to Primrose Pass.

Investigating himself? Does this even make sense?

I can’t give him a chance to destroy evidence.

I handed the investigation records to the police officer and said.

“I’ve reviewed all the investigation records from yesterday.”

“Ah, you were just appointed today but you’re quick. Then right now…?”

“We need to move immediately.”

So, I also brought the qualifications of investigation chief.

“There should be evidence items that Crown Prince collected yesterday. Move them all.”

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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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