How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 265

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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 (265)

 

There was no need to ask further. I was dragged to the dressing room by the Duke and his servants.

 

The Duke stood guard in front of the dressing room door, worried I might escape. Meanwhile, other servants blocked my path and said.

 

“Your Excellency, please remove your robe.”

 

“Why should I do that?”

 

“Why indeed… You need to go out now. You cannot go out wearing those outer garments.”

 

Not content with suddenly dragging me here, they’re still saying incomprehensible things?

 

‘What country in the world treats state guests this way?’

 

This isn’t right. Something’s wrong.

 

Bavaria wouldn’t be a country that does such senseless things, would it? No, this would be Wittelsbach, but anyway, whether there or here, it’s a place with common sense. Since there’s a letter Leo wrote personally, it’s certain these people are from Wittelsbach.

 

Looking closely, they’re also looking at me like I’m crazy, which suggests the information held by both sides is somewhat different.

 

Just then, the servants looked troubled as they tried to appease me.

 

“Your Excellency, as we mentioned when you arrived, there isn’t much time. It will be over soon, so please cooperate.”

 

“Why is there no time? Whether I wear the Imperial robe or not, this is something His Highness the Prince approved. Are you saying this is a problem now? This is clothing His Highness the Prince also wears.”

 

“We apologize, but we have nothing to say. It was His Majesty the King’s order not to answer whatever Your Excellency asks. And it really is about to start now…”

 

“Well, I should know what this ‘start’ is before I can comply, shouldn’t I?”

 

“Don’t you know?”

 

“…?”

 

I was now so dumbfounded that I looked at them with a hollow laugh.

 

They were confused in their own way.

 

“Why don’t you know?”

 

“Duke, Adrian Ascanien says he doesn’t know the next schedule.”

 

“Of course he wouldn’t. Continue preparing.”

 

“What did you say?”

 

The last words were mine.

 

He’s so nonchalant knowing that I don’t know?

 

I looked at him with suspicious eyes and said to the servant reaching for my robe.

 

“I have an appointment with His Highness the Prince. I need to wait for him, so please leave me alone.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

The servant’s eyes widened with a deeply confused expression.

 

‘Pardon?’ This is maddening.

 

I’m sorry for breaking Leo’s request, but I have no choice but to mention the letter’s contents again. How can I not speak in this situation?

 

I spoke calmly to the bewildered servants looking at me.

 

“I heard His Highness the Prince is currently away on business. Right now I need to wait until his work is finished.”

 

“Pardon?”

 

“…”

 

This time I couldn’t hold back and grabbed my throat. This was a reflexive action. The Duke watched me and said apologetically.

 

“Your Excellency, as I mentioned earlier, we cannot disclose royal official duties. In fact, I too cannot fully understand the orders I received. I would like to explain everything to Your Excellency, but I must be absolutely loyal to His Majesty the King’s commands, so I cannot do so. Please forgive the rudeness. Rather than that…”

 

He looked at his watch and said seriously.

 

“30 minutes left.”

 

“I don’t know what has 30 minutes left, but that’s quite a bit remaining.”

 

“That’s not the case.”

 

‘Right, of course it wouldn’t be…’

 

I gave up trying to understand. What I’m thinking now is that regarding this incomprehensible situation—I have some sense of it but it’s uncertain—I only have questions about His Majesty the King.

 

He had tolerated my Nicolaus identity, didn’t forget his promise with me and set up the stage for participating in the magic potion experiment competition, was a monarch fitting Bavaria’s liberal tendencies, and had excellent political abilities, so he remained as a good impression to me. But experiencing this current situation, that evaluation is slightly shaking. He told them not to tell me anything? Why on earth?

 

The Duke put his pocket watch away and approached me.

 

“From now on, I will tell you what Your Excellency needs to do.”

 

“Please do.”

 

I shouldn’t have enjoyed the aide’s soul-departed smile so much earlier. What goes around comes around.

 

I knew my voice was soulless but didn’t particularly want to say more. I just trust that since they’re Bavarian people, they won’t harm me—though I’m not yet out under the Nicolaus name, still.

 

“Your Excellency will now enter the Antiquarium of Munich Residenz. Your Excellency need not touch doors or chairs. Everything will be handled by the guards or ushers, so Your Excellency need only stand naturally facing forward. For movement as well, the guards and I will position two in front of Your Excellency, one on each side, and two behind, so there’s no need to worry.”

 

“I see. If I ask why we’re going there, you won’t tell me, will you?”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

The Caretaker brought his hand near my chin with a serious expression.

 

“Your Excellency, please lift your head slightly. Gaze about 15 degrees downward. Good. Please maintain this until entry.”

 

“I’m getting a sense of this now, let me state my guess.”

 

“No. I cannot listen to it. I apologize.”

 

The Caretaker answered with a face that wasn’t sorry at all and gestured to the servants. He began guarding the dressing room entrance again.

 

The servants came to me and placed their hands on my robe brooch. I rolled my eyes at this incomprehensible situation, shrugged my shoulders, and said to the servants.

 

“Anyway, you’re saying I need to remove my robe.”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

“Then I’ll just do it myself.”

 

If this were Prussia I would have desperately tried to escape, but since it’s Bavaria I’m enduring it… Having heard something from the Duke, the servant now nodded without confusion.

 

“Yes, I understand. I just heard you would say that.”

 

“You know well. So I’m saying I’ll do it.”

 

“No. Please give me the honor of serving Your Excellency.”

 

“I’ll give it to you next time.”

 

Regardless of what I said, the servant answered my words with a smile and made me raise my left arm without warning. Having heard something, he was beaming with smiles. Now he seemed to be in cahoots with that Duke.

 

When another servant took away my Eschete robe, the servant in front of me draped a red sash over my right shoulder and tied it at the lower left. Then a servant handling miscellaneous tasks brought a dark blue robe and draped it over my shoulders. The Eschete robe had red velvet lining, but this robe was dark blue even to the lining. Rather than a robe that fastens normally at the chest, it had a clasp at the front of the right shoulder, and perhaps due to influence from Surrounding Countries, it was much more decorative than what’s commonly worn.

 

Knowing what situations such robes are used for, anxiety gradually crept in.

 

“This couldn’t be…”

 

“We’ll leave the clothes you’re wearing underneath as they are. It’s fine to just change the robe.”

 

The Duke interrupted my words with a gentle smile.

 

“How fortunate indeed.”

 

I looked at the Duke and stroked my chin.

 

For now, it would be better not to voice my guess. Considering that neither Anhalt, Bavaria, nor Leo gave me any hint whatsoever, it’s probably not as big a deal as I think. When the person who might give rice cake has no such thought, I might appear to be saying something absurd.

 

The Duke, having said there wasn’t much time earlier, approached with a notebook and began saying something out of the blue.

 

“Now I’ll briefly guide you through Your Excellency’s schedule. From now on, Your Excellency must carry out a schedule related to terrorism for the next 3 days. Tomorrow through the day after will be organized and shared by Anhalt, so you can hear about it from them, and the joint government of Bavaria and Baden has scheduled the final press conference with Your Excellency and meetings with each head of state for 3 days from now. It’s a decision made considering public opinion warfare, but the final decision rests with Your Excellency.”

 

A whole 3 days?

 

Of course, it is that big an incident. I haven’t checked ‘even a single’ newspaper yet, so I have no idea what overseas reactions or domestic public opinion are like, but it’s not something whose fervor will die down in just a few days.

 

Is it serious enough to require considering public opinion warfare?

 

Earlier Anhalt also asked me to do a press conference with them first because citizen anxiety was rising. I thought that was just due to anxiety about Pleroma Ascanien, but maybe it wasn’t.

 

“Understood. While we’re on the topic, could you give me a newspaper?”

 

“Hmm, that’s…”

 

“Yes. I understand.”

 

Oh right. How dare I read a newspaper.

 

The answer was obvious, so I cut off his words and looked around. Now the clock showed only 20 minutes remaining.

 

‘Hmm, shouldn’t I have waited until Leo’s work was finished?’

 

He told me not to share the letter’s contents, but that Duke seems to know the situation to some extent, and seeing how he brought me here without warning, Leo’s work must take a long time to finish. In the meantime, I might as well finish what I need to do.

 

20 minutes passed quickly.

 

“Let’s depart now, Your Excellency.”

 

“Yes.”

 

At the Duke’s words, I answered dryly and stood up.

 

We left this Annex and went through a Portal that moved to Munich Residenz, the main palace of the Wittelsbach royal family.

 

The Antiquarium was on the First Floor of the Residenz, but the place we moved to via Portal was some distance away to prepare for external attacks, so we walked for a full 10 minutes.

 

Munich Residenz was the largest palace in This country and a historic place, so it was interesting to see.

 

However, as the Duke had said earlier, I walked looking only ahead. Of course I would have done so even if the Duke hadn’t mentioned it. I had always done so for Luca’s honor.

 

The Duke stopped walking at some point. Then he turned toward me and said.

 

“Your Excellency. This is the Antiquarium.”

 

A magnificently decorated massive door stood firmly locked before him.

 

He took out a letter from his jacket with a much more serious expression than before and handed it to me.

 

“Before you go in, there’s a letter Your Excellency needs to check.”

 

Again?

 

I thought that and received the letter with an expressionless face, but this time was different.

 

For a moment, I couldn’t close my mouth.

 

“….”

 

[Lukas Karl Friedrich Leopold Prinz von Anhalt]

 

It was certainly a letter addressed to me, but the name notation was unusual.

 

Prinz is a title given to those born as legitimate heirs of ruling houses, so that was fine…

 

von Anhalt. The name was written according to traditional notation.

 

Currently, everyone omits the “von” between the name and region and uses the family name like a surname—Lucas Ascanien instead of Lucas von Anhalt—. This was the writing style from the pre-magic era, and it’s a name used very rarely in events among nobles who greatly value tradition and formality.

 

So, an event that requires using such a name means…

 

I opened the folded letter and froze in place. I couldn’t immediately understand what I was looking at. Even if I understood, I couldn’t easily believe it.

 

“…Ha.”

 

A hollow laugh escaped me without realizing it.

 

The Duke who had stopped in front of the door smiled gently and said to me.

 

“Would you be able to accept Bavaria’s honor?”

 

I looked at him and suppressed the bitter laugh that wanted to come out. This was why he had forcibly brought me here all this time.

 

Now I understand completely why this situation occurred.

 

Anyway, my answer had been decided long ago.

 

“Of course.”

 

I answered with a faint smile.

 

The Duke had the same expression as me.

 

He gestured to a servant who had been following at the back to put a feathered hat on me. Since the robe I was wearing was rather ornate, it didn’t look too strange.

 

When he gestured, the doors of the Antiquarium Hall slowly opened. The long hall was as splendid and majestic as befitted something built during the Renaissance era. Christian paintings were drawn on the arched walls and ceiling, and limestone sculptures related to ancient Greece and Rome lined both sides. Since it was time for the sun to set, the light pouring through the windows stretched long and illuminated the interior.

 

Bavarian government officials and Bavarian nobles sitting on both sides of the hall stood up. The collateral Wittelsbachs sitting near the altar did the same.

 

At the opposite end from where I stood, at the end of the hall, there was a low platform. In the middle section of the hall on both sides, an orchestra was positioned in two halves, and above and below them, people sat in two rows. Thanks to the people sitting on both sides of the hall, a corridor was naturally formed in the center. However, no one was on the platform.

 

The Duke pointed to the passage leading to the platform. Only the sound of our footsteps echoed in this quiet hall.

 

Standing on the right side below the platform and turning back toward the door, a solemn voice was heard from outside.

 

[The King’s representative has arrived.]

 

The King’s representative. From the moment those words were heard, it was obvious who would enter.

 

The person entering now wasn’t the King, but the Prince who had lied about having business with me and left first. According to the letter I just read, that would be the case.

 

Sure enough, when the door opened again, the first person I saw was someone I knew well.

 

Leo walked toward the platform accompanied by the Captain of the Guard and the Prime Minister, with no expression on his face just like me. Unlike usual, he was wearing a sword.

 

When he stepped onto the platform that was a span high and looked forward, the orchestra began playing the Bavarian national anthem. The majestic sound of brass instruments flowed out powerfully. He looked straight ahead with a relaxed face for the 1 minute and 30 seconds the anthem played, and when it ended, he lightly gestured to me.

 

When I moved in front of him, the Captain of the Guard and Prime Minister stood to the Prince’s right.

 

The Prime Minister began reciting the speech he was holding in a weighty voice.

 

“On February 21st, 1898, an unprecedented danger occurred to the unified German Empire. This was a crime by Pleroma that had tormented the Empire’s subjects for the past 13 years, a serious problem that threatened the lives of 600,000 subjects and foreigners. We, the Wittelsbach Royal House of Bavaria, express our sincere gratitude and deep respect to Prince Lucas von Anhalt, who showed courage and dedication in the face of an unprecedented threat to our people, our Empire, and our continent.”

 

I looked at the Prime Minister.

 

It might have sounded a bit out of the blue, but this was identical to what I had first guessed, and it corresponded with the contents written in that letter.

 

During this time, Leo’s gaze was directed at me. In fact, not just Leo, but everyone was looking at me.

 

“Prince Anhalt’s leadership and strategic insight, and his brave spirit of fulfilling a noble’s duty to his subjects, played an important role in preventing 600,000 casualties and damage to the Empire’s spirit. This announcement is our gratitude for the dedication shown by His Highness Prince Anhalt to protect the justice, peace, and freedom of our people and continent. Prince Anhalt showed the true meaning of heroism and gave hope and strong trust to all subjects of our great German land. According to royal tradition and norms, we bestow this letter of gratitude and ‘honor’ upon Lucas von Anhalt to pay respect for his precious dedication to our people and continent.”

 

The Prime Minister looked away from the speech he was holding. Now everyone else’s gaze turned to the Prince.

 

Now, as far as I know, words that would be somewhat bewildering from a modern person’s perspective would come out.

 

“Can Lucas von Anhalt swear to become a member of the Order of Saint Hubertus and pledge loyalty to the Kingdom of Bavaria and the monarch of Wittelsbach?”

 

“…?!”

 

I wasn’t surprised by the knighthood. Hubertus?

 

I unconsciously held my breath for a moment. I hadn’t expected this far. I could see Leo trying to suppress laughter after reading the bewilderment that flashed across my expressionless face. Thanks to that, I wanted to hit him once, which fortunately helped me regain my composure.

 

The Order of Saint Hubertus is Bavaria’s highest knighthood and decoration. There is no higher decoration than this.

 

There’s something I need to know.

 

This isn’t a real knighthood where you actually wield swords, nor is it one where your head gets cut off if you do something wrong to the monarch—though you could be diplomatically beheaded—. Fortunately, since the Commonwealth’s knighthood titles survived into modern times, modern people are familiar with what knight titles mean. This is an honorary position with meanings of respect and encouragement. Additionally, in this era, it’s part of diplomatic activities that show friendship between ruling houses and strengthen relationships.

 

I don’t know how many decorations Leo has, but as a Prince of a ruling house, he would have received decorations from numerous federations that make up the German Empire until now, and would have ‘honorarily’ added his name to numerous knighthoods like this. The same goes for Adrian Ascanien, Julia, and even Elias who lived as an outsider of Hohenzollern. Because they’re ruling houses.

 

But for Luca, for me who must live under his name, this is the first time.

 

Until now, no one in the Empire tried to give honor to Pleroma Ascanien, nor tried to show affection and respect.

 

His asking me to go to Bavaria twice over time meant ‘this’ kind of thing. Now I could fully understand why he had said those obvious words so solemnly.

 

“I swear.”

 

I answered in Luca’s voice.

 

The corners of Leo’s mouth rose gently. That ceremonial smile was conveying to me to move to the next step.

 

I knelt on my left knee and bowed my head. Leo brought the Wittelsbach sword to my left shoulder. He moved the sword to my right shoulder, then withdrew it from me. I slowly rose from my position and looked at him.

 

“From this moment, the Kingdom of Bavaria and the Royal House of Wittelsbach appoint Lucas von Anhalt as a knight of the Order of Saint Hubertus, and as proof, bestow the Royal Decoration of Saint Hubertus.”

 

Leo’s voice echoed through the Antiquarium Hall. The Bavarian national anthem playing softly finally reached my ears.

 

An officer handed the decoration case to Leo. Leo grabbed the left lapel of my robe, draped it over my left shoulder, and attached and fixed the golden sun decoration in badge form.

 

Taking another step back, Leo continued the Prime Minister’s speech that he hadn’t finished earlier.

 

“We hope that Prince Lucas von Anhalt’s courage and dedication will be forever engraved in the chronicles of our Empire and Kingdom’s history. This concludes the message from His Majesty King Hildegard II of Bavaria.”

 

He finished speaking and paused, then cast a sound-blocking spell and smiled.

 

“Congratulations on coming to Bavaria.”

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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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