How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 259

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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 (259)

 

What about me?

 

The light reflecting on the lake’s surface repeatedly stabbed at my eyes and disappeared with the waves. My vision flickering white made me feel as if I were in a dream. I had expected to hear such words from him and pressed forward. It was true. But I couldn’t help feeling my mind grow distant.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

I cannot accept it.

 

I deliberately looked into his eyes as I spoke.

 

“I can go along with your wishes for now. Like attending the engagement ceremony together. But I can’t promise that I’ll be with you for a long time.”

 

He might wonder what on earth I’m talking about.

 

But he didn’t question my words. With wavering eyes looking at me, he barely managed to open his mouth.

 

“…I see.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“No, I just need to try harder. It’s okay.”

 

Those words sent chills down my spine. I felt my stomach grow cold.

 

I barely managed to speak.

 

“…What exactly are you going to try harder at?”

 

“Winning your heart.”

 

“That’s what I mean. ‘How’ are you going to do it?”

 

“It’s a secret.”

 

He smiled brightly as if he hadn’t just been rejected by me. He had a talent for continuously sending my mind to the afterlife. He smiled gently and continued.

 

“So, you… can be with me right now. That intention is certain, right?”

 

“…For now, yes.”

 

“How nice it would be if one day here was one minute outside.”

 

“…”

 

“Then I could capture your heart more surely.”

 

I shook my head. Setting aside his creepy idea, I had to act.

 

“This is enough as it is.”

 

“It’s not enough. I haven’t captured all of your heart.”

 

“You said time is the answer. I think so too.”

 

“We don’t have much time. Once we kill the Bishop, you’ll go straight back down to the original world.”

 

“…”

 

“I wish we could just become one.”

 

I looked down at him silently. He was also looking at my hand, then slowly raised his head.

 

“We’ve dragged this out too long. Let’s go eat breakfast now.”

 

* * *

 

“The whole house is covered in flowers.”

 

“Isn’t it wonderful? You can’t imagine how much magical power went into this.”

 

Outside looked just like spring.

 

The inside of the house was also completely wallpapered with flowers, but outside was even more refreshing since the entire season had been changed.

 

He had decorated this manor like spring for the engagement ceremony. After eating breakfast and reading some books, I came out to find the world looking like this.

 

The Archbishop looked around and said.

 

“Actually, I don’t really like plants, but symbolic things are the best.”

 

“Well, do whatever you want.”

 

It’s not even my house.

 

I muttered without much thought.

 

“It’s peaceful.”

 

Right now, we’re in a small boat on the lake.

 

He closed the book he was reading and stared at me intently. Since I was also looking at him, an awkward silence followed. I was the first to speak.

 

“What?”

 

“Everything looks good on you, so I’m troubled about what to do. When you wear your hair down, it looks good and age-appropriate, and when you put it up, it looks neat and good.”

 

Suddenly?

 

He must be talking about how to do my hair for the engagement ceremony.

 

He really brings up topics out of nowhere.

 

“Then just leave it down. It’s better to have a similar atmosphere to yours.”

 

After saying that, I realized I had naturally treated him as someone Luca’s age and asked.

 

“Come to think of it, how old are you?”

 

“I’m similar to you~ You didn’t know because my clothing style is a bit old-fashioned?”

 

“…”

 

He pointed to the purple corsage on his hat and laughed.

 

Does he mean the ‘body’ he’s using now is around 18 years old?

 

What’s inside probably isn’t, right?

 

Of course, I was in the same situation, so I had nothing to say.

 

Rather, it’s fortunate that the Antagonist’s inner and outer ages are different. If he were really younger than Luca, I wouldn’t be doing this right now and would have had to become a teacher immediately.

 

Thinking about the possibility of double the reality check made my spine tingle again, so I changed the subject.

 

“I haven’t seen your servant for several days.”

 

“Ah, don’t worry about that person. They can’t return to where they originally lived, so they’re staying here.”

 

When I just looked around silently, he asked with a completely confused expression.

 

“This is the first time I’ve seen you talk about people from this place. Do you perhaps like that person? Wasn’t your preference for Old Humanity?”

 

“I wouldn’t call it a preference.”

 

So ‘Lu Bar’ was indeed New Humanity. His voice was quite melodious for an ordinary Human, so I thought he was either a former actor or New Humanity.

 

I pushed that thought aside for now and tilted my head with a smile.

 

“Shouldn’t I be the one who’s upset? If you like me, how am I supposed to accept you keeping another New Humanity here?”

 

“Ah.”

 

The Archbishop finally looked like he realized something.

 

He was more flustered than I expected.

 

He looked at a loss, then closed his book and said.

 

“I never thought you’d misunderstand it like that… I was just hiding a fugitive.”

 

“Hmm, I see.”

 

“I only love you.”

 

It was such a burdensome direct statement that I almost failed to manage my expression.

 

Then a mischievous light appeared in his eyes again.

 

“Even if it takes a long time, I hope I can be with you someday. Where I become you and you become me. How much longer would we have to spend together to love each other that much?”

 

“How poetic.”

 

It’s hot because of the sunlight reflecting off the water. The sunlight still stings my eyes, making my vision blur with light like a fantasy.

 

I wish this peace would last long.

 

I’m not saying this because I love him, but because I know what situation will come at the end. I know everything but want to cover my eyes and forget it all. No, I think this way because I know everything. Where in this world is there a person who knows a storm will sweep over them yet wishes for it to come?

 

However, I won’t turn away from what I must do.

 

I just think. If he had chosen a more normal way, this relationship would have a different form by now.

 

Of course, he’s not someone who could do that. We are water and oil. He and I have similar perspectives on the world in some aspects, but in most parts, we can never mix. There’s too great a distance between his ‘normal’ and my ‘normal’.

 

His opportunistic tendencies without a trace of shame, his extremely lacking ethical spirit, and his egoism that shows the limits of self-love are beyond my range of understanding. If I told him my analysis of him right now, he wouldn’t understand at all why I reached such conclusions.

 

“Come to think of it, you look quite tired.”

 

I said while looking at his smile.

 

After disappearing for two days and returning, he looked much more exhausted than before.

 

“Too many things happened in such a short time… It would take too long to heal.”

 

“You’re injured. How did it happen?”

 

“During reconnaissance.”

 

He answered like that and got up from his seat to approach me. The boat swayed violently.

 

“…?! No, why are you coming over?! Aren’t you balancing it?”

 

“It’s okay~ It won’t flip.”

 

He pressed down on one side of the boat with magic and sat next to me. While doing so, he muttered quietly.

 

“Falling in together might not be so bad either…”

 

“Is this water really clean?”

 

“Of course. But don’t you think your questioning points are a bit strange?”

 

“I don’t want to hear that from you.”

 

He laughed lightly and leaned against my shoulder.

 

“I hope this peace continues.”

 

“….”

 

“Even after attacking Ainsiedel…. I mean, even after we hold our engagement ceremony.”

 

It seems he still plans to hold the engagement ceremony even though I practically rejected him.

 

For him, countless disruptions must have occurred in his plans. Yet it’s admirable that he doesn’t give up despite all that.

 

“Just 3 hours from now. It would be nice if I could return without dying.”

 

“….”

 

I looked at his eyes gazing into the void. Even facing the possibility of death, his eyes remained calm. No matter what crazy behavior he showed me, he was indeed an Archbishop.

 

* * *

 

Time passed like that.

 

He exceeded my request to stay for 12 hours, spending almost two and a half days with me. Yes, two and a half days. The coordinate system was gradually collapsing. My one day was now one hour outside.

 

During that time, we recited poetry we weren’t particularly interested in, selected books to discuss, ate meals, went to the lake again, watched plays when bored… played poker, chess, danced to music, and asked questions about each other.

 

And now, I’m on the verge of engagement.

 

I’m currently in the room where I stayed, receiving grooming services from the servants.

 

It’s been a full two hours now. It’s not like cameras are rolling, so how can it take two hours to dress up a person? And all for just one person? I don’t know how to accept this inefficiency. It’s clearly a waste of resources.

 

Of course, they’re doing this hoping that one person will see and like it. I couldn’t stand it if only I were going through this, but since the other party is probably spending time resources just as lavishly as I am, I can bear with it.

 

“It’s finished.”

 

One servant said while retying the tie that had gotten twisted while dressing.

 

I picked up the wristwatch artifact and pendant artifact I had set aside while getting dressed. Thinking they didn’t match the atmosphere of the formal wear I was wearing, the servant in charge of my outfit opened his mouth with a disapproving look at my choice.

 

“Ah, the watch is….”

 

“I’ll wear it.”

 

Before, that is… before experiencing the cross terror incident and rewinding time, when I opened the belongings box at the hospital, it contained artifacts and elixirs commissioned to Wittelsbach. Along with Fai’s stone.

 

This wristwatch looks the same as the artifact I made right after coming to this world, but its properties changed when I commissioned Wittelsbach to remake it.

 

I spent about 500 million won modifying this. At the time, Leo told me how many new technologies were invented while modifying your artifacts, which alone shows how extensively it was rebuilt.

 

Of course, rather than new technologies being invented just now, it’s more like technologies that had remained raw and unrefined due to lack of use were finally polished. If that’s the same thing, then so be it.

 

Anyway, artifacts must always be carried on the body, so I can’t leave them behind.

 

When I stubbornly put the necklace inside my shirt and wore the wristwatch, the servant did the final adjustments.

 

Then, the bell announcing noon rang out from outside the window.

 

It’s the appointed time.

 

Once this event ends, the Archbishop will no longer be with me.

 

‘The end is right in front of me.’

 

It’s the end in every sense.

 

The servants’ faces hardened with tension. I’m the one going, so I don’t know why they’re the ones getting nervous.

 

When I stood in front of the door, the servant who had been waiting opened it for me.

 

“…..”

 

Space magic must have been cast again.

 

Where I was standing wasn’t the manor hallway. I heard the door closing behind me, but now there was no trace of a door anywhere.

 

A massive Renaissance-style cathedral spread out before me. Thanks to sunlight pouring through tall windows, the marble and limestone forming the interior appeared in a subtle ivory color. The angel-shaped sculptures and reliefs on the ceiling looked as if they were truly alive and descending from heaven. Nearby blue murals painted with ground lapis lazuli added to that vitality. The cathedral’s pipe organ was playing music by itself, pressing keys without a performer.

 

And….

 

“You look wonderful.”

 

A low voice reached me.

 

I looked toward the altar decorated with flowers in front of the crucifix. The Archbishop stood there wearing a royal blue ball gown.

 

I thought usually that person should enter after me, but this isn’t even a wedding, and I don’t know which country or era that knowledge applies to, so I didn’t bother pointing it out. What does it matter at this point?

 

He had definitely spent time on grooming like me. He was the most beautiful person I’d seen in this world so far.

 

Though it might be the drug’s effect.

 

He looked at me with a gentle face, his eyes shining.

 

I walked slowly toward him.

 

There was no priest here to bless us. Why would that be necessary when an Archbishop was here?

 

He turned toward me and continued speaking.

 

“…Even more than I thought.”

 

“You too.”

 

I answered while looking into his shining eyes.

 

He smiled the same way seeing my smile. The organ’s melody gently circled around my ears. Soon his calm voice echoed through the cathedral.

 

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”

 

“….”

 

“You said you still don’t know what position I hold within Pleroma.”

 

He took my hand and opened his mouth.

 

“I am a Bishop.”

 

“….”

 

“The Bishop of the Diocese of Freiburg in the south of this country. Did Count Nicolaus Ernst already know?”

 

Instead of answering that, I said something else.

 

“What if His Grace the Archbishop wants to get married?”

 

“Indeed.”

 

The Archbishop deflected my words with a playful smile and recited scripture again.

 

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

 

“….”

 

He said no more and looked at me. It was my turn. I smiled and recited another passage.

 

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”

 

“It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

 

The Archbishop immediately continued after my words.

 

“I respect your will. So today is more like my courtship than our promise.”

 

“….”

 

“I know you don’t like me that much yet. But I never thought you’d be easy, so for now, this much is enough for me.”

 

I quietly looked at him. I had nothing to say. This was almost entirely his solo presentation.

 

He stroked my hand with his finger and said.

 

“I’ll settle everything and come back.”

 

“….”

 

“Will you wait for me?”

 

I didn’t answer.

 

Because for me, this is not a beginning but an end, so I won’t be waiting.

 

Instead, I took his hand and kissed his ring.

 

He smiled with a face that showed whether he understood my meaning or not.

 

I lowered his hand and looked into his eyes. Silence continued. Soon he smiled at me and snapped his fingers. Something that hadn’t been in his hand appeared.

 

I looked at the ring case the same color as the dress he wore, then looked at his face.

 

There’s already a ring, so another one?

 

Before that question ended, he opened the lid and held it out to me.

 

I looked at the two shining sapphires and fell silent.

 

Earring artifacts.

 

“Change them with your own hands.”

 

Change them.

 

Yes, I knew he’d come out like this. When he insisted on having an engagement ceremony despite already giving me a ring, it wasn’t hard to guess that the Antagonist had planned something else. It wasn’t even hard to guess that there would be other means to give symbolic meaning.

 

Changing them isn’t difficult. He would think so on the surface too. After all, the person who gave me the artifacts I’m wearing is just a friend.

 

The problem isn’t whether a friend gave them or whatever. The point is that these are the only tools connecting me to the outside.

 

‘Of course, with this much time….’

 

I’ll trust in my friend’s abilities. To be my superior, he should have that level of speed and capability.

 

I smiled and asked.

 

“Did my artifact bother you?”

 

“I just want you to promise me one last thing. Can you come out of the old world for me?”

 

The old world.

 

To him, the Wittelsbach artifact is a connection to the world I used to live in. He must have recognized it. No, he didn’t just realize it now – he must have known all along.

 

I don’t know what function this artifact he’s offering me has. But the symbolism struck me powerfully.

 

“Do you know how I feel right now? Like I have a pomegranate right in front of me.”

 

“Ah, then I must be Hades. How cruel~”

 

I smiled and closed the lid of the box he was holding.

 

Then, I pulled out one of the artifacts attached to my ear.

 

I could feel the mana surrounding my heart growing thinner. This was the tool that had kept me from feeling fear despite being in the middle of enemy territory. Whether fear was finally setting in, my heart began beating rapidly. I put the artifact in my jacket and returned his hands holding the box back to his embrace.

 

“That’s enough for now.”

 

“….”

 

“Before I accept your gift, there’s someone I want to meet right now.”

 

His eyes were directed at my now clean ear. He slowly looked back into my eyes and spoke. His voice carried a hint of wariness.

 

“Who?”

 

“I want to meet Lu Sheller. Right now.”

 

“Why that person…?”

 

When I didn’t answer, he frowned, smiled, and shook his head.

 

“No. Why should a servant interfere at a moment like this?”

 

“There’s a conversation I had with that person last. I want to ask more about it.”

 

“….”

 

“Let me meet him. Otherwise, I can’t accept your gift.”

 

The Archbishop looked at me silently for a long time.

 

Then he nodded.

 

“Just for a moment. Exactly 5 minutes.”

 

“Good.”

 

I pulled his waist and hugged him.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“….”

 

He looked at me expressionlessly, then smiled faintly. I could read an indescribable emotion in his eyes.

 

Then he stomped his foot hard.

 

Crash—!

 

Now another space magic was unfolding around me.

 

I slowly looked around. It was a room with a similar atmosphere to the cathedral from before. A room with nothing but a table and a couple of chairs.

 

If I break this space magic, the cathedral will appear immediately.

 

Just as I was wondering if I should open the door and turned toward it, I heard a presence behind me.

 

“I heard you called for me.”

 

When I turned around, the servant I had seen a few days ago had warped in front of the table. He looked quite flustered. It seemed to be because I had suddenly called him out.

 

Looking at his face, I opened my mouth.

 

“I’ve been thinking.”

 

“What about?”

 

“Clearly the same person, yet ‘another me’ doesn’t know me while ‘yet another me’ does know me… I was really curious about the reason.”

 

As if this wasn’t what he expected to hear, a strange question arose on Lu Bar’s stiff face.

 

“What are you talking about? Didn’t you have something to say about our last conversation?”

 

Right. I have something to say about that too. But not now.

 

I continued what I was saying and approached Lu Bar closely.

 

“There must be something like a limiter switch. Somehow, there would have been a need to restrict information so that information obtained from each body wouldn’t automatically transfer to one soul. Especially for someone in a high position like your master, you’d have to make information exchange between bodies difficult to prepare for the possibility of information being stolen by divine power.”

 

“I don’t know what conversation you had with Master. This doesn’t seem like something you should be telling me.”

 

“The problem is that such technology doesn’t exist in this world.”

 

“….”

 

“It makes sense that it wouldn’t exist. People usually only have one body. How could you develop such a limiter artifact that prevents memories from transferring, or allows only selected information to transfer? Such thoughts were meaningless. After all, didn’t you accomplish everything by utilizing this abundant time resource?”

 

“Everything?”

 

Lu Bar frowned slightly. As I approached step by step, he kept backing away, so his body touched the table.

 

“Everything.”

 

I answered like that and grabbed his left hand.

 

Then, just as I had done with the Archbishop, I pulled his waist toward me.

 

The Antagonist was looking at me absurdly with eyes that said he was seeing a complete madman, but actually he looked more shocked than anything. He was gradually falling into panic.

 

I muttered to the New Humanity member whose eye level roughly matched mine.

 

“Now, the key is finding where it would be.”

 

Click— Crash—!

 

I pushed Lu Bar hard, slamming his head into the table.

 

“…! What are you saying…?!”

 

He looked back at me with a flustered face, then fell into shock when he confirmed that one of his hands wasn’t free. I looked at my wrist. My watch artifact had transformed into a mana restraint connecting Lu Bar’s and my wrists.

 

I felt like my heart was completely blocked. This was the most powerful restraint I’d ever used.

 

Anyway, Wittelsbach technology is good. Even that Archbishop couldn’t tell that my watch was this kind of artifact. Of course, I had ordered it that way from the beginning.

 

The Archbishop probably thought this was a mana organizing artifact I’d been using since the beginning of the semester.

 

“No, what the hell are you doing right now…!”

 

Lu Bar was damn strong. Of course, since he’s New Humanity. I first checked his ears. There was nothing. Maybe because it would be too conspicuous. Even though it was a place where everyone was doing it, he could have just used it. My hand moved to his wrist. Nothing here either. I couldn’t feel even the slightest mana.

 

Now there’s only one possibility left.

 

I grabbed the necklace string caught inside his collar and pulled hard.

 

Snap—

 

“…!”

 

I threw the broken necklace string to the floor.

 

Suddenly his body jolted. His eyes went blank for a moment then returned.

 

“This is it.”

 

“….”

 

“Right. Say it with your own mouth.”

 

I swept back the hair that had fallen over his forehead with my right hand and pressed his head to the floor. His black pupils turned toward me. His eyebrows furrowed and the corners of his mouth began to twist. I probably made the same expression as him. I put strength into the knee pressing him down and asked.

 

“Good. Do you recognize me now?”

 

“What delusion…”

 

I shook my head.

 

This wasn’t the answer I wanted. This answer shouldn’t be heard. It would make all my deduction work pointless.

 

I brought my face right up to his nose. My hair touched his forehead. The Antagonist’s breath reached me. Noon sunlight came through the shadows. The shape of his iris was clearly visible. I could see his pupils dilating. It wasn’t a familiar face I knew. Definitely not.

 

But the facial muscles of him with the limiter removed definitely moved like those of someone I knew…

 

And he was pouring emotions into my ears that he couldn’t possibly have unless he was that person.

 

The sound of heartbeats is loud. I pressed his heart pulsing under my palm.

 

“Sorry I can’t live up to your expectations. You like me this much but there’s nothing I can really give back.”

 

“Ha…”

 

Lu Bar turned his completely reddened face to the side and exhaled.

 

“…Hahaha… Hahahaha!”

 

Now he burst into laughter like a madman.

 

Then he exhaled and looked into midair.

 

“…I.”

 

“Yes, speak.”

 

“I definitely said I wanted to show you only my best side.”

 

“You did. It’s okay.”

 

At my words, his eyes moved to me. I looked at him and shook my head.

 

“Sorry to say this in this situation, but let’s consider the marriage promise void.”

 

Lu Bar’s eyes now carried the same authority as the Archbishop’s.

 

I spoke to those eyes that were shining as if they would devour me, to the soul within them.

 

“I don’t have a hobby of getting engaged to terrorists, you see.”

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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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