How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 254

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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 (254)

 

“I heard you’re looking for someone.”

 

My voice spreads to the very ends of this vast arena.

 

The host’s smiling face hardened with confusion. After a moment of silence, puzzled reactions began trickling out from the audience one by one. People’s widened eyes couldn’t hide their bewilderment.

 

In the distance, I can see Elias’s dark expression. Though he’s too far to see clearly, he seems to be frowning.

 

‘I know why he’s acting like that…’

 

He asked me earlier to tell him the answer. He said he’d rather memorize the answer himself.

 

But that’s impossible. I have to memorize the answer.

 

Why must it be so?

 

It’s simple. Let’s not go deep and just think about the surface.

 

You’ll clearly realize that there were several blind spots in the logic up until now. If we go deeper, this problem gets turned 180 degrees by those blind spots. Just like when first learning a subject, to avoid making it complex for beginners, we assume the possible to be impossible and create the simplest model to build fundamentals – here too, I must first think simply to clearly grasp the strategic layers later.

 

The four clues I thought of earlier all clearly point to Ainsiedel. Though there were troubling blind spots, ‘primarily’ Ainsiedel is the person who killed Werner Strauch and harbors extreme ill feelings toward me for dealing a massive blow to the Diocese of Osnabrück.

 

‘If he just recovers his memory, he will prioritize killing me above all else.’ From my position, the foundation for such reasoning is established.

 

We know that two of the five anagram codes appeared following my route – at the bouquet and Ainsiedel Manor. Considering that, what the opponent intends is so blatant it’s honestly laughable.

 

The three phrases written in the Catacombs are merely tools to superficially give me choices. ‘I showed the code to over 100 people, so anyone among them can come and speak’ – in other words, externally it’s disguised as not being a crime targeting me.

 

However, as the party involved, I would know that the phrase written in the ‘Catacombs’ is not unrelated to me, so I have no choice but to act here. Naturally, this means everything up to this moment of voluntarily seeking him out becomes entirely my voluntary decision. The puzzle setter aimed for exactly this. Therefore, I ignore the third book code in this reasoning.

 

Maintaining the initial conditions and reaching a conclusion, the reason I must memorize the answer becomes clear.

 

I am the target of that code.

 

As I told Leo, the magic formula attached to the ‘answer’ is presumably a new curse targeting me.

 

The puzzle setter wanted me. If they did this because I was the goal, shouldn’t I accommodate that?

 

I looked around the quiet spectator seats and was conscious of the amplification magic the host had cast. I don’t know whether I smiled or not. But one thing I knew for certain.

 

There was no time left now.

 

“I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully.”

 

“Once…”

 

“The Diocese of Osnabrück is looking for you!”

 

Kwaaaaang—!!

 

“…Urgh…!”

 

As soon as I recited the spell, black smoke struck.

 

No, it was closer to a storm. Due to the wind and smoke, I couldn’t see people’s hands or faces.

 

My breath was completely cut off.

 

This sudden reaction from merely speaking words validates that my hypothesis was correct. The ‘answer’ I found was a trigger that summoned another magic.

 

“You must keep your promise.”

 

I can’t end it here. I need to confirm whether the curse has been lifted from the people before leaving.

 

Beeeep—

 

At my quietly uttered words, a tearing sound came from the artifact at my ear.

 

It’s a signal from Leo.

 

We agreed that Leo would send a signal when I couldn’t directly verify whether the curse was dispelled like now.

 

Two short interrupted sounds mean failure.

 

One long continuous sound means success.

 

‘…Finally.’

 

It’s over.

 

I want to be more joyful. Of course, I knew well there was no time for that. The world and my senses are becoming separated. Everything became floating as I couldn’t tell where my five senses were receiving sensations from. Despite having foreseen this entire process, I feel severe bewilderment at the changes that occurred in an instant. The process of separating senses and finally detaching consciousness from me strikes like the shock of falling into the Intermediate Realm.

 

I raised my arm to block the black storm. I thought I did. I thought my feet were still touching the floor.

 

[What are you doing.]

 

But my arm was being held by someone else, and though my vision was still dark, there was a person in front of me. Someone looks at me with terrifying eyes. Blue eyes filled with killing intent burned in the darkness. We weren’t stepping on the floor. We, I was truly in the Intermediate Realm. I don’t know whether I’m properly recognizing what I’m thinking, whether I’m thinking anything according to the flow of consciousness, or whether I haven’t reached that point yet, but that’s what I thought.

 

[What are you doing, this!]

 

A familiar Human shouted angrily. Again, my gaze went far down. No, it might have gone up. My equilibrium gave no information about whether I was standing upright or flipped upside down. I had no ability to interpret the information my optic nerves conveyed. I was always like this in the Intermediate Realm under warp magic. There was nothing strange about it now.

 

The person in front of me spoke with a trembling voice. His face was completely distorted.

 

[Do you even know where you were about to go? Did you do this knowing?]

 

“…”

 

The voice gradually scattered.

 

This was the last memory from that detestable Pentalon Main Stadium.

 

* * *

 

The process of the body shutting down consciousness is never pleasant, no matter how many times you experience it.

 

Why?

 

Usually when consciousness fades, the hospital frantically tries to wake me up. For me, wanting rest, it’s quite an exhausting affair. Though I understood why they wake me, as the person involved, I just want to sleep comfortably for now. When I fall asleep, pain disappears and peace comes, but from the moment they tap my shoulder, pain invades my entire body again. The despair that comes when my completely extinguished mind is dragged out by being caught by the flesh makes me think I’d rather die briefly.

 

Anyway, sleeping doesn’t kill me. This wasn’t a speculative claim. It was based on experience. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s not a wild theory.

 

Why?

 

It actually is a wild theory. If there’s a reason to wake me, why wake me if sleeping makes me healthier? You can’t extend the general principle from being lucky enough to wake up healthy.

 

Fine.

 

My consciousness gradually becomes clearer.

 

It’s time to stop the question game I mainly use to determine whether I’m sane or not.

 

Crackle— Pop—

 

Before opening my eyes, I faintly heard the sound of sparks. A down comforter pressed down on my body.

 

“…”

 

I’m alive.

 

Still.

 

I closed and opened my eyes once or twice. Soon I could half-grasp where I was.

 

Bang—!

 

The bed rang because I kicked while getting up.

 

What I saw before my eyes was a room with an unfamiliar yet somehow familiar atmosphere I’d visited once or twice.

 

Jugendstil—widely known to 21st-century Koreans as Art Nouveau—style silk wallpaper and furniture catch the eye. Though it was a design hard to see in the homes of nobles who prefer retro elements like Neo-Baroque, the room’s size and the land visible beyond the window showed this was a grand manor. It was certainly a mansion built by a wealthy bourgeois or at least copied from one.

 

At this point, someone comes to mind who looked like my friend’s ancestor yet didn’t act like nobility, while still sitting in a high position.

 

“You may sleep more.”

 

While I sat up halfway and stared blankly at the wall, an unfamiliar voice came from the right.

 

At the end of the room, a tall young man who appeared to be a servant was looking at me. Since he looked about my or Luca’s age, it was extremely difficult to distinguish whether he was New Human or Human. Of course, there was no particular reason to distinguish.

 

I reflexively touched my ear. Fortunately, the Wittelsbach artifact was still there, but the spot where the communication artifact should be was empty. The servant spoke in a dry voice.

 

“We took that. We’ll return it later.”

 

“…”

 

Return what. I know you won’t.

 

I lowered my hand and asked him.

 

“Where is this?”

 

I feel déjà vu.

 

It’s eerie. Being captured by an enemy yet receiving good treatment – I had this experience before when I met Ainsiedel in Osnabrück.

 

Of course, the person I’ll meet again this time probably doesn’t consider himself my enemy.

 

The servant folded his mana palette, put it inside his jacket, closed the window, and said to me expressionlessly.

 

“It seems you have no intention of sleeping more. I’ve informed Master that Your Excellency has awakened. He’ll come soon.”

 

He doesn’t answer my question.

 

Even so, there was no problem.

 

I’m already guessing where this is. I met the house owner in the Intermediate Realm.

 

“By Master, do you mean the owner of this ring?”

 

When I gestured toward the sapphire ring on my left hand, the servant nodded. Now I see he was quite a rigid person compared to the human he serves.

 

He told me to rest in a slightly tired voice and left the room.

 

Not long after the servant left, I heard the sound of a door falling off.

 

Kwang—!

 

Someone opened the door loudly and rushed in.

 

“…”

 

The platinum-haired Human I’d seen a couple times before stood there with a dazed expression.

 

The emotion contained in that expression was quite uncomfortable, so my gaze naturally moved elsewhere. Though hidden by clothes, his shoulder and right arm looked unnaturally thick, as if bandaged.

 

“We meet again.”

 

I greeted him briefly.

 

Meeting him at this time fell into one of the two possibilities I had considered in advance, so it wasn’t particularly surprising.

 

Why was I in his house?

 

It was because of what he had said when he last met me.

 

Antagonist had truly realized his resolve to protect me. At least, in some sense.

 

The Archbishop didn’t open his mouth until another Servant in the Hallway carefully closed the door. Only after a long while did he speak quietly.

 

“You are truly reckless.”

 

“…”

 

“At least give me an answer.”

 

“I did my best to prevent a massacre, but the response I’m hearing is disappointing?”

 

At my nonchalant answer, the Archbishop shrugged with a speechless expression.

 

He was reacting as if he had common sense. I was the one left speechless because I didn’t want to receive such an incredulous reaction from someone like him.

 

The Archbishop spoke in an ominous voice.

 

“…I told you that could kill you.”

 

“You mean the white phosphorus code. Don’t use pronouns and speak properly.”

 

“You said you’d let me know if you found it. Was that an excuse to get out of the situation? Don’t you trust my warning? Because I gave you a hard time at first?”

 

“…”

 

Like when he had gotten angry at me in the Opera Theater at the beginning, he continued speaking while raising his voice.

 

“Were you planning a frontal assault? You already knew what magic was cast on that spell. You already knew the Diocese of Osnabrück intended to take you!”

 

I had no particular intention of answering, so I just looked at him.

 

The Archbishop shook his head and widened his eyes.

 

“You seem to underestimate Pleroma too much. A frontal assault against a Diocese? That’s impossible.”

 

“You have to try to know.”

 

I answered as soon as he finished speaking.

 

He closed his mouth and just looked down at me. Now I noticed his hands were trembling. After a long while, he walked over unsteadily and collapsed onto the bed.

 

“…If I hadn’t come in time. Then what were you going to do…”

 

“…”

 

What’s with all this fuss. I could tell he saw me as someone without any plan.

 

Instead of being sarcastic like that, I looked at his profile as he stared into Midair.

 

I should have taken medicine once more before coming. Fatigue was interfering with my acting.

 

Of course, judging by his behavior so far, this guy would soon give me some anyway, so there was no need to do that.

 

“…As I said before, Pleroma has withdrawn from this Penthalon.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Separately from that, I said there are other dioceses obsessed with Penthalon. Among them are places targeting strong Mages like you.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Do you remember me saying I was blocking such dioceses?”

 

“I remember.”

 

As my answers continued to be nonchalant, his voice lowered.

 

“So just in case, I told you not to decode anything, and even if you read something, don’t follow it. I said to always move according to your instincts…”

 

“My instincts told me not to let this terrorism slide.”

 

“…”

 

The Archbishop grimaced.

 

To think he was someone who could act out such normal emotions so well. I had only thought of him as completely insane. I was impressed looking at his eyes filled with deep shock and confusion.

 

However, there was no need to act out such normal reactions to this extent. Rather than nitpicking like this, it would be better for me if he came out like his usual self with a screw loose somewhere.

 

The deaths of 600,000 people, and 1 person whose chances of not dying were much higher.

 

If I could use the latter to prevent the former, it wouldn’t be a bad exchange. I didn’t want to receive much rebuttal.

 

“If you didn’t want me to go this far, why didn’t you just stop the terrorism yourself. You seem to have sufficient ability to do so.”

 

“If I could have stopped it alone, the Leadership would have already done so.”

 

The Archbishop spoke in a cold voice.

 

It was a meaningless topic to discuss further. I changed the subject.

 

“More importantly, you never had time to even watch over me, so how did you find me this time?”

 

“The Imperial Newspaper is everywhere. Who in This country didn’t watch your match? Of course, I only discovered it in passing…”

 

He stopped mid-sentence and moved his lips, then spoke in a subdued voice.

 

“Now I see that’s not what’s important. Are you upset that I wasn’t chasing after you this time either?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“…”

 

He whipped his head around. His eyes had grown wide.

 

‘Upset? Would I be upset?’

 

It was the complete opposite.

 

But I couldn’t say that. Not yet.

 

Whatever the case, since Antagonist had rescued me, he wouldn’t try to let me go easily. Then, even for escape, I had to maintain my attitude so far. I had no intention of carelessly abandoning my original attitude and creating unnecessary trouble.

 

I asked him as he looked at me with wide eyes.

 

“Is that not allowed? I clearly remember saying this before.”

 

“At first you wanted me not to follow you around.”

 

“At first… that’s right. I did.”

 

I answered with an appropriate smile. His blue irises wavered. Soon madness began to seep into his face, making me want to just push Antagonist away and run out recklessly, but he quickly erased the inexplicable madness and composed his expression.

 

“…I’m sorry for not coming quickly. I spoke so confidently about protecting you.”

 

“No, if you had come earlier, I would have resented you instead.”

 

Because I wouldn’t have been able to cast the dismantling spell.

 

Antagonist, like someone without common sense, didn’t understand my meaning at once. Of course, Antagonist wasn’t lacking in intelligence—rather, his mental agility was very irritating to me—so he knew that if he had come earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to cast the dismantling spell and 600,000 would have died. That wasn’t what he didn’t understand.

 

His eyes said, ‘What does 600,000 people dying have to do with you that you’d even resent me?’ Of course, this too was closer to not being able to empathize despite knowing theoretically, rather than truly not knowing what it had to do with anything.

 

“Never mind that, what about your shoulder?”

 

When I gestured toward his shoulder and spoke, his eyes widened. He seemed not to have expected me to notice even that. He looked at me with surprised eyes and said.

 

“I was attacked a bit.”

 

“I know that. How did it happen?”

 

“…It happened in the process of stealing the warp magic that was attached to the sentence you mentioned.”

 

“The wound area is large, so it must hurt.”

 

“No. I treated it quickly, so it’s fine.”

 

“Really? Then that’s fortunate.”

 

As I spoke, I felt my stamina gradually running out. When I leaned against the bed’s backrest, he brought up a topic I might be curious about.

 

“…The Pleroma Leadership was turned upside down by this incident. No one knew that Diocese had such technological capability.”

 

Hmm, he wasn’t lying.

 

I had actually seen the Leadership get turned upside down in the previous timeline.

 

I thought he would tell me more about Pleroma’s reaction and his own judgment, but he changed the subject.

 

“Is there something you want to do? After you recover your stamina, let’s rest in our coordinate system and relieve some tension.”

 

“No. I can’t stay here continuously.”

 

“Is time the problem? Don’t worry. I deliberately came to a place with time distortion phenomena. One day here is two hours outside.”

 

“Two hours. Before, one day was one hour outside.”

 

“That’s right. But This manor is in a different coordinate system from that place.”

 

When I just stared at him, he continued the explanation on his own.

 

“It collapsed.”

 

“…”

 

“I mean the coordinate system where we first met and wandered around. Did you like that place? Unfortunately, we can’t go there anymore.”

 

It collapsed.

 

I knew it would.

 

Previously, when Riechthofen was caught by me in the Catacombs, he had shown pride in their technology while lamenting that Catacombs technology would fall into Pleroma’s hands. That’s when I learned that Catacombs had applied pressure to the Pleroma coordinate system.

 

‘Good effect.’

 

As expected, when it comes to technology, it’s Catacombs.

 

I had suspected it since the time axis distortion became serious, but they finally succeeded in completely collapsing it. Of course, these Pleroma guys weren’t easy either, as they persistently kept creating new ones even when their coordinate systems were destroyed.

 

Anyway, I needed to remember that one day equals 2 hours.

 

As I slowly nodded, the Archbishop elaborated.

 

“You probably didn’t realize this was a different coordinate system because it looks exactly like the manor you visited before. This is a place we copied long ago. We’ll move to another coordinate system when the time distortion becomes more severe.”

 

“….”

 

“It was good to meet you again in good health. I’ll come back when you’ve recovered.”

 

The Archbishop smiled as he spoke and stood up from his seat without hesitation. I grabbed him and spoke as if incredulous.

 

“Where are you going? We just met.”

 

“The Leadership has issued a warrant for the Bishop of Osnabrück. I should go help with something, shouldn’t I?”

 

“I thought you’d stay with me longer. You’re leaving more readily than I expected.”

 

At my words, he pointed to the sapphire ring on his finger. It was the same ring he had given me.

 

I let out a hollow laugh. So, he doesn’t need to be as obsessed with fish he’s already caught as he was initially? Of course, if he’s going to use that logic, it’s not bad, but….

 

The problem is that he can’t just leave like this. At the very least, he should give me some useful information before going.

 

“‘I’ll come back’? You’re thinking wrongly. I need to return now.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I’m currently missing from the Empire’s perspective, aren’t I?”

 

The Archbishop rolled his eyes as if troubled.

 

“…It’s ambiguous right now. Wait until the Leadership apprehends that person and recovers his authority. Then I’ll send you back.”

 

I quietly looked up at him. As if understanding that my expression meant the explanation was insufficient, he continued.

 

“Whether it’s the world outside Pleroma or anywhere else, leaving this coordinate system is suicidal. Right now, you’re also a top priority acquisition target from the Leadership’s perspective.”

 

“Attack Osnabrück to obtain technology, and take me that Osnabrück found as well? You’re saying that’s the Leadership’s current plan.”

 

“That’s right. Since things have already happened, they’ll definitely do that. No one knows yet that I intercepted the magic to save you. If someone finds out….”

 

He took my hand and held it.

 

“Then I won’t be able to protect you either.”

 

“….”

 

“Moreover, that Bishop of Osnabrück is someone who escalated the incident to this extent knowing this terrorism goes against the Leadership’s will. If you go out now, there’s no telling what might happen to you with their technological capabilities.”

 

“‘Happen to me’? I could just go find them directly myself. As you said earlier.”

 

The Archbishop tilted his head with a cold expression.

 

“You’re determined to die.”

 

“You said we have plenty of time.”

 

I continued, ignoring his words.

 

“Then, during that time, we can make a plan to deal with the Diocese of Osnabrück.”

 

“I saved your life. Are you going to make my efforts go to waste?”

 

“Do I look like someone who dies easily to you? I’m grateful you helped me, but I would have survived anyway.”

 

The Archbishop’s face hardened. Naturally, he wouldn’t be pleased. But right now, I don’t need to worry about that.

 

For now, I need to be more assertive. This entire conversation will serve as information for any potential situations.

 

I continued speaking without concern.

 

“At this rate, I can’t even go to other coordinate systems, and I’ll never get to see what it’s like to travel around. You say I might get captured if I go down to our world too. Do you think the Leadership or you can catch someone you haven’t been able to catch so far in such a short time?”

 

“And you….”

 

Before he could argue against my words, I moved my face closer to his and spoke.

 

“In the end, don’t we have to keep going in circles within this coordinate system until we catch the Bishop of Osnabrück? Even calling it a coordinate system, there probably aren’t any proper facilities besides this manor.”

 

My words didn’t seem wrong. Instead of arguing, the Archbishop made an ambiguous expression.

 

“Before, you said you had thought of things you wanted to try with me in the future. It seems you don’t have much you want to do with me?”

 

“….”

 

“It’s beneficial for both of us to catch the Bishop of Osnabrück quickly.”

 

I never once thought I’d enter the same field as Pleroma.

 

Probably he never thought such a situation would arise with Nicolaus either.

 

I looked into the Archbishop’s eyes and spoke.

 

“Then wouldn’t it be fine to try coordinating our efforts at least once?”

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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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