How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 194

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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 (194)

“Ah, His Highness the Crown Prince said he would move the items collected here to the Imperial Palace.”

“No, let’s follow regulations.”

At my firm words, the Police Officer looked at the surrounding officers with a troubled expression.

“His Highness said that since the Prosecution had previously concluded the investigation of Primrose Pass once, he would move it to the Imperial Palace and form a dedicated investigation team.”

‘Oh my.’

This bastard is amusing. A dedicated investigation team?

He’s going to take full advantage of his position where he can benefit.

I stopped walking and looked straight at the Police Officer.

“Do you have that much to say?”

“Pardon?”

“I asked if you have that much to say.”

The Police Officer who understood my meaning quickly answered.

“No, I don’t.”

“The Prosecution’s safety investigation is complete. You must know that Prosecutor General Erich Rib and Detective Chief Manager Christina Heringen were dismissed due to this case. The investigation of cases may employ external personnel when necessary, but the only place where the original investigation materials can be stored is the Prosecution and the Investigation Bureau under the Prosecution. Send them to the Prosecution according to regulations.”

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

The Crown Prince cannot reveal to the Emperor that he is Abraham—even if he did, he wouldn’t be punished, but unnecessary risks would arise such as the Emperor being more likely to transfer the Crown Prince position to Adelbert—so he cannot use the Emperor’s power to lead this case in his favor. He can only arrange things with his own power.

On the other hand, I have the Emperor backing me, who is already troubled by not only Pleroma but now Abraham appearing as well.

The Emperor doesn’t want his approval ratings to drop further, and doesn’t want to create unnecessary noise before the Pentalon International Competition.

‘That’s why I immediately hit the Imperial Newspaper with it.’

Although they receive a lot of pressure from the Imperial Court, they’re basically a media company so they’re blinded by scoops.

If it had gone through the Emperor’s confirmation, the topic about Abraham would never have been reported, but I pressured them saying I’d hand this over to foreign media if they didn’t report it in real time immediately, and got the front page right away. It was even easier because the Pleroma Legislator who would appear in the interview was a faithful pro-Emperor faction member.

Public concern had already exploded over this ability to remotely control other people’s minds, the first such ability to appear in history.

In a situation where no one else could provide information about Abraham or ensure safety, the Emperor was semi-forcibly compelled to take my hand.

Now, in this investigation, the Crown Prince and I are in equal positions.

‘To fight against the Empire’s second-in-command, I need to make at least this much preparation.’

I organized my thoughts and spoke.

“Out of a total of 23 establishments, 17 were subjected to search and seizure. I understand the investigation of the remaining ordinary taverns is complete.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Arrest warrants have been issued for all employees. Since commands were given directly to their brains, I understand there wasn’t much physical evidence obtainable from this location. Now, except for the five Investigators inside here, we’ll set up a barrier around the entire street, so let’s wrap up here and start with employee interrogations first.”

“Yes, understood. If you’re planning to proceed from today, should I prepare starting with the area with the worst crimes? As you’ve been reported, evidence was found in Building 4 that some children brought through human trafficking were used in business operations while others were handed over to Pleroma.”

“Hmm…”

Primrose Pass consists of a total of 6 buildings according to business nature and location, and each building has about 100 employees.

Naturally, there are limits to interrogating all of this in one day, so it’s right to proceed in divisions. But I need to be more careful about the criteria for division.

“Let’s not divide by severity of crimes. All 23 establishments, three people each at manager level or above from each establishment. We’ll finish everything by dawn today, so we’ll exclude prostitution personnel who were working on the front lines and the owners listed on business registration forms from interrogation.”

“Yes. I’ll prepare as you’ve instructed.”

The Police Officer scribbled my words in his notebook while muttering.

Why am I moving so urgently?

The Crown Prince will spirit them away the moment they’re detained and arrive at the Prosecution.

Perhaps he might have interfered from now, but since it could be revealed that the Crown Prince ordered witnesses related to this case to be spirited away, he’ll probably say he’ll investigate with Royal Mages as soon as they arrive at the Prosecution. This side is much more rational.

So, I can’t leisurely break them down in order of business illegality. I must absolutely turn the managers and above first in order of importance.

Regardless of business type, the managers would have received Abraham’s revelations.

And I can’t end it there.

“Relay this too. Today’s investigation content will be transmitted to each country’s government Investigation Bureau.”

“What?!”

The Police Officer turned his head sharply with visible surprise.

“Sir, this matter is handled by the Prussian Investigation Bureau and Prussian Prosecution, so sharing investigation content with other countries…”

“Sharing is?”

“…could be a security problem…”

No, that’s wrong.

There’s one reason for not sharing. Because if you monopolize information, there’s a lot you can extort in exchange for it.

Even if they’re different countries, now that they’re bound under the name of Empire, these guys shouldn’t display selfishness like this.

Of course, there’s a more important reason.

I answered expressionlessly.

“You said it’s a security problem? There are no restrictions. Since this isn’t just Prussia’s problem but a matter concerning the safety of the Empire’s citizens, we need to share it in advance so we can cooperate with each country’s government to handle it if problems arise in the future. Am I wrong?”

Because it’s not over after cleaning up.

The Crown Prince is fully capable of manipulating testimony or removing materials.

I need to cut off the sprouts.

The Police Officer looked troubled for a moment, then obediently answered.

“What you’ve said is correct, sir. I’ll follow your orders.”

“Good.”

Saying that, I walked while listening to reports about today’s investigation content.

Around 6:30, I felt a weak electric current through my core. Leo’s mana was running wild above my core.

‘I’ve lived long enough to see someone contact me like this.’

I tapped the artifact to switch to Leo’s line.

Before the dial tone could ring properly once, it connected immediately.

“Your Highness.”

[…Count Ernst.]

When I used honorifics, Leo immediately realized who I was being.

[You’re not in your right mind.]

“What’s that all of a sudden?”

I said that, but I know why he’s reacting this way.

Because I half-skipped School.

‘Saying I’m not in my right mind for skipping School.’

Truly a model student.

Of course, this isn’t the entire reason.

Leo had told me at School earlier to meet when training ended, but I finished the third training session around 2 o’clock and escaped School with Narke’s help. Leo’s team, being led by two model students, trained properly until 6 o’clock, so I could escape to the Imperial Palace without being caught.

If I hadn’t done that and waited, I would have had to enter the Manor, and once inside, there would be no way to leave without his consent, so skipping School early was safer.

‘When would I preserve evidence if I leisurely stayed around?’

I need to quickly remove the Crown Prince from the scene and handle the remaining work.

If I had stayed at School until 6 o’clock and just left, I would have just been running around trying to get investigation team leader qualifications. What a waste of time that would be.

I smiled and said.

“Don’t stress too much. Your Highness cannot stop me. If you want to stop me, you’d better develop the flexibility to skip classes sometimes.”

As soon as I said that, intense pain struck my heart. As I bent my upper body forward, the Police Officer who had been walking in step with me looked at me with a panicked face.

“Sir? Are you alright?”

“…”

[You said you’d come find me after training ended, but I didn’t know you’d go straight to Primrose Pass. When I finished training and looked, there were reports that you had taken the joint investigation team leader position. You left before roll call with the excuse of being sick – did Narke help you escape?]

“Yes.”

[Sigh…]

This guy really hates unexpected events.

When I met the Crown Prince yesterday, he had been continuously recording my core’s flow, so he advised me to bring someone with me when meeting the Crown Prince from now on. The reason Leo told me to stay at School because he’d come find me after training was because of that.

Of course, promises exist to be kept, but I never answered his request.

Meaning I never promised.

‘…I’m sorry for acting childish…’

But work needs to be finished quickly.

Leo would want me to receive some healing magic, plan together, and then move with a properly scheduled agenda, but since my current opponent is formidable, if I moved that ‘normally’ and leisurely, I might not be able to obtain what I should obtain.

As if reading such thoughts, Leo said calmly.

[The situation has already tilted in your favor, sir. Don’t be too hasty.]

“That’s when you should finish quickly. I’ll wrap up everything related to School by dawn tomorrow.”

[…]

“You must have received word, but there will be a classified meeting about this incident at dawn tomorrow. If Your Highness wishes to come, please do. There’s at least one seat available.”

[Have you forgotten which organization you belong to? It’s not a matter of coming if you wish, but going because you must.]

Leo hung up without even hearing my response.

‘I was going to tell him to bring Adelbert along.’

Well, he’ll figure it out on his own.

Just as I was thinking that and taking a step, someone called out to me from behind.

“I didn’t expect you to keep our appointment in this manner.”

The quiet voice I had heard yesterday.

A voice as empty as its owner, flowing with an appropriate rhythm.

My surroundings, which I hadn’t paid much attention to while talking with Leo, now came into view. Everyone around me was standing at attention, looking in my direction.

The police officer beside me straightened his body and saluted.

“Crown Prince.”

I turned around to confirm his face.

He was looking at me with a calm, unperturbed expression.

“I clearly said yesterday that we should meet at this time today.”

“I never imagined it would be like this.”

He tilted his head and smiled. His lemon-colored hair gleamed in the reflection of the sunset.

“Crown Prince seemed too busy to handle the investigation chief position alone, so I had no choice. How busy must you have been to plan moving all the evidence collected for the investigation to the Imperial Palace and forming a dedicated investigation team? I’ll handle everything properly from the beginning according to regulations.”

“Haha…”

The Crown Prince let out a genuine laugh as if amused, and brought his head closer to mine.

I could see his golden irises burning with a reddish glow.

“Indeed, you’re the only one who thinks of me.”

“…”

I glanced at him and turned my gaze away. The investigators scattered throughout the street were still looking at him.

The words “go make some friends” almost came to the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t be so obviously irritated.

“It’s an honor.”

“Good.”

He lightly patted my shoulder encouragingly.

“Work hard. I’m also looking forward to the meeting you’ve prepared.”

After saying that and giving a brief greeting, he passed us with the attendants he had brought along.

Seeing how it ended without much conversation, it seems he doesn’t intend to do anything particular to me in such a crowded place.

Of course, his words about looking forward to the meeting weren’t something I could just brush off.

Looking forward to it, he says. So am I.

I left the scene while mulling over his words.

* * *

At 3 AM the next day, I left my interrogation room provided by the prosecution and moved to the council chamber where the classified meeting would be held.

However, despite being called a meeting, since I was the only one who would speak today, the space where I stood resembled a small auditorium.

“Let’s begin.”

The Emperor’s aide, who had been setting up magic in the council chamber, drew attention as 3 AM arrived.

I walked to the front space and looked at the seats. In the center sat the Emperor and Crown Prince along with the House of Hohenzollern, while the Prussian Prosecution, Investigation Bureau, and Police investigators sat on the right side.

The left side had incomparably fewer people, all of whom were from the Kingdom of Bavaria.

As I scanned the seats to see which politicians I knew had come, my eyes met Leo’s, who was wearing Bavarian royal ceremonial dress. Perhaps because I had broken our promise—though we never actually made one, it was morally implied—Leo’s light blue eyes held a rather improper gleam in the darkness.

I turned my head away from his protesting gaze and looked at the others while thinking.

‘Bavaria is naturally inserting itself into Prussian affairs.’

This is why the Emperor views me unfavorably, and this is why Bavaria welcomes my existence.

Prussia and Bavaria, which had been equal nations, developed a subtle hierarchy when Prussia formed the Empire, and Bavaria believes they should be the leader of the Empire instead of the rootless Hohenzollerns and should regain their former prestige. While this is now just the opinion of some extremists, considering that Bavarian citizens generally have a competitive consciousness toward Prussia, the tendency is inevitable.

Anyway, what’s important now isn’t regional sentiment.

I naturally sat down, resting my chin on my hand, and looked at the Crown Prince who was waiting for me to speak.

While the Abraham case was released to the public, this incident where royalty was attacked at a school supported by the Imperial Court cannot be announced to the public, so there’s no opportunity to prove the professors’ innocence.

For that purpose, I proposed this meeting to the Emperor along with the investigation chief position. Since this is an opportunity that didn’t originally exist, there’s no time to waste on other thoughts.

I organized the materials I had brought and stood in front of the podium.

Then, I uttered the words that investigators typically say when the government makes announcements.

“First, I swear as a loyal subject of the Empire and guardian of justice that I will speak only the truth in this meeting.”

Now it was time to ceremonially recite praises for the Empire and Imperial Court, but I had no desire to embellish my words, nor any intention to do so. This wasn’t a situation for pleasantries.

I opened my mouth immediately.

“Regarding the suspects Professor Johannes Rohn of Imperial 2nd Education Institute and one other, I strongly argue that since the perpetrator has been clearly confirmed to be someone other than the suspects, the prosecution should acknowledge its inability to indict them and issue a non-prosecution decision.”

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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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