How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 268
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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 (268)
“Why are you naturally coming here?”
Leo walked to the window and answered stiffly.
“There are only three compartment cars.”
“I guess the other two are already in chaos.”
“Yeah.”
The antagonist’s soul was already worn out too.
He waved his hand dismissively at the hip flask I had opened and opened a small ventilation window. He seemed sick and tired of the smell of alcohol by now. He glanced at my book and asked.
“What are you reading?”
“Thus Spoke Zarathustra.”
“Hmm.”
Leo seemed to have no intention of bothering me further, cleanly ignoring the screams coming from the adjacent room and taking out his own book to start reading.
Then, as I was about to take out my eye mask thinking I’d get some sleep, he suddenly spoke up.
“Did you get married?”
“…”
I checked the name of the book he was holding. It was The Wealth of Nations. His gaze was still on his book.
I concluded that I had misheard and just went to sleep. Or rather, I tried to.
“I’m asking you.”
“Would I have? Ah, this bastard… I’m going to sleep, so don’t wake me up.”
He gestured toward the ring hidden under my glove and said.
“You said you’d wear it for just one week and then remove it.”
“…”
I understand why he’s acting like this. The last scene he witnessed was enough to make him suspicious of his colleague, which I can accept. I would also suspect whether my colleague had joined forces with the enemy.
We still hadn’t had a proper conversation about the techniques and information I discovered in the Archbishop’s Domain, his whereabouts, and so on. It hadn’t even been 12 hours since I woke up and came to Bavaria, and during that time I had been attending government official interviews and knighthood ceremonies, so I barely had time to be with my friends. It was about time for this conversation to come up.
“What you saw at the end wasn’t a wedding but an engagement ceremony, and the situation ended before the ceremony was completed. Everything was part of my plan, so you don’t need to worry about anything. And…”
I removed the ring from my finger and showed him my bare hand.
“I can take it off. But I can’t throw it away.”
The same goes for erasing the letters written on my finger.
The plan has changed. This is the Archbishop’s last remaining magic power left with me, so it has preservation value. Of course, if I explain it this briefly, my intentions could easily be misunderstood.
“You know the situation isn’t completely ruined. Until we see the end, we can’t carelessly dispose of the resources we have left.”
“Hmm.”
Leo nodded while turning to the next page of his book.
“Then that’s fine. You haven’t done anything yet, right?”
“Of course not.”
He seems worried that I might have been caught up in Pleroma’s ritual. Does he think their marriage or engagement would be identical to a real human ceremony? The possibility of that from the Archbishop’s actions would be extremely low. He would try to magically bind me by giving me baptism or employing some unheard-of mystical ceremony.
Actually, I had expected at least a Pleroma-style baptism at the engagement ceremony, but fortunately it didn’t go that far. It couldn’t have, since I exposed Lu Bar’s identity before it ended.
Leo began speaking in a voice that sounded hollow, as if he was concentrating on something else.
“I’m sorry if it made you feel bad. The fact that you were able to make a name for yourself in the Empire in less than a year, and that person was able to quickly rise to an important position in Pleroma…”
Leo’s gaze was on his book, but his pupils weren’t following the letters. Thinking he didn’t need to pretend to read, he closed the cover and continued.
“I thought it was possible because you and that person had similar capabilities.”
“…”
“I’m talking about the way of thinking and insight that you and that person use when working through problems. I don’t have the ability to understand or break that person, but I’m confident that you do.”
This isn’t praise, it’s worry. Then I should give an answer that fits his intention.
“It would have been impossible for me alone.”
“…”
As Cheringen said, most of the core strategies were created by me, executed by me, and directed by me. But does that make this 100% my achievement?
No. That day, I concluded at the end that this game had concluded as a positive-sum game. If I had to do it alone, this fight would have become a chicken game. Only destruction would remain.
But since Leo is worried about me being in a position where I could perish together with the Archbishop, I should put it more gently.
“If you guys hadn’t helped me, I wouldn’t have even started this plan in the first place. Because I would have died.”
At those words, Leo looked at me silently and smiled.
“…Right. Thank you for trusting us and leaving it to us. Now we need to work hard so that the day comes when we can lead you to success without you having to use yourself as a means.”
“Thank you for saying that even though it’s already enough. But don’t feel burdened. You guys are already the best colleagues I could ask for.”
Leo just smiled and didn’t say more about that topic. Instead, he pointed to my ear.
“But why aren’t you wearing your earring?”
“Just because.”
Leo seemed to find my answer absurd as he chuckled and said.
“That’s funny… Just because?”
“Sorry, but I didn’t bring it?”
Even though I said that, Leo seemed to think nothing of it and replied lightly.
“It’ll close up. I’ve had mine pierced for over 10 years, but it still closes if I leave it out.”
“Really?”
Human recovery ability is truly amazing.
But…
‘Why is he so carefree?’
It’s puzzling. With his inflexible personality, he should be giving me a long lecture starting with why I left it behind.
I didn’t have time to check anything further. Just then, the sound of people stopping in front of this place came from outside.
Bang—!
Elias came into our room leading Cheringen, Ulrike, and Haike. Now I noticed that Aria on the G String was playing outside.
“Guys! Why are you being so boring, not playing board games or drinking!”
“Where’s Narke?”
“He’s passed out.”
That’s too bad. I heard that Narke wasn’t in good condition either from continuously using his abilities during the competition. These bastards must have made so much noise that he collapsed early.
“What were you talking about?”
“Nothing.”
Leo answered as if annoyed.
“Nothing?! How can that be! What were you guys talking about. Something like ‘Their level is too low, I don’t want to play with them’?”
“Are you feeling guilty by any chance?”
Leo gave a sharp response with a smile, but Cheringen ignored his words and butted in with the same proper smile as Leo.
“Right~ What kind of conversation were you having?”
“What’s it to you guys…”
“Let’s go to the restaurant car!”
Before Leo could finish speaking, Elias grinned and shouted. I was dumbfounded and chuckled as I asked.
“What are we going to do there?”
“Eat! What else do you do in a restaurant?”
“We just ate, how can more food go in?!”
“Don’t we need to eat five meals a day?”
“…”
‘What is he talking about…’
Both Leo and I, who tend to eat to survive, disagreed, but we had no choice. We were dragged out just like that.
The restaurant car was similar to the compartment car we had been in, but much more luxurious. The chandelier and wallpaper with complex patterns caught the eye. The thick Persian-style carpet and green velvet sofa that had been in the compartment car were here too.
Elias was already sitting at a round table covered with a white tablecloth, cutting his steak. He must have ordered food before barging into our car. The five meals seemed to apply only to Elias, as Cheringen sitting across from him was sipping juice.
I looked around and discovered a small orchestra at the far end. The Bach music I had heard earlier was being performed here.
I moved to the adjacent section, ordered alcohol from the bartender, and said.
“It’s Bach.”
“You recognized it. They’re playing for Your Excellency. This is the train to Anhalt, after all.”
The bartender answered with a smile.
It must be because Bach was once employed as a court musician in Anhalt. Since he was a musician I liked, it was comfortable to listen to.
Still, it’s unfortunate for my friends. I wonder if they’ll be able to endure it since only Bach music will continue to play in Anhalt too.
As I was drinking and opening the book I had been reading earlier, Elias shouted from beyond the open door of the gangway while chewing his food.
“Luca.”
“Finish eating before you talk.”
“There’s a library here. Since we’ve come this far, let’s explore the train!”
“Please finish eating first…”
“You’ll come with me if I finish eating, right?”
I can hear Elias’s fork clinking faster from here.
“Wow.”
Haike muttered while looking at him. It must look strange since he’s not just any nobleman but from a ruling family making fork-hitting-plate sounds.
I sighed and downed the brandy in my glass in one shot. Why did I have to do that? Because I knew Elias’s speed. Elias had already bounced over and was waiting behind me.
“Let’s go!”
Leo and I were dragged away by him—Leo went back into the compartment car but was caught and brought out—.
Thanks to Elias being obsessed with finding Leo, Cheringen, Haike, and Ulrike were pushed out of Elias’s attention. Seeing that they didn’t bother following us, I think they passed the baton to us.
‘I got caught up in this for nothing…’
They’re probably breathing sighs of relief right about now.
The library wasn’t far away and was a bit brighter than the dining car.
“Wow, this is totally my taste~”
Elias exclaimed as soon as he entered the library.
No wonder. The bookshelves were filled entirely with poetry collections and novels. Elias had always loved everything from novels to poetry.
Lacking energy, I half-reclined against the couch below and opened the book I had been reading. The cozy atmosphere of the library and the gentle yellow light from the baroque-style lamp were pleasant.
Only the sound of Elias noisily flipping through books, hidden far away in the stacks, consistently disturbed my concentration. His whistling and talking could be heard loudly.
“Oh, Pushkin is good. Though I’m a German who goes around with a big head wearing a hat, a cigar in my mouth, and a mud mug full of beer.”
He wasn’t being serious but sarcastic. Pushkin had once described Germans like that in his poetry.
And the fact that I was interpreting this meant I wasn’t concentrating on my book at all.
Leo scolded him.
“Keep it down a bit. This is a library.”
“But it’s just us here~! Yay~ It was my dream to shout in a library.”
“You can shout in your family’s library!”
“It’s not thrilling since it’s our house.”
“…”
I could hear Leo groaning. Elias was more than usually excited, bouncing around like a child and coming right up to me. Actually, this level could be considered more elated than usual, probably because he was on a trip.
“Luca, what are you doing?! Don’t tell me you’re reading a book here?!”
Isn’t it okay to read in a library? Common sense is shattered.
And I’d only been with Elias for less than half a day, but I felt like my eardrums were being punctured.
“Yeah, I’m going to read a book here. Get out.”
“What? No way. Just stopping by once is enough. Let’s go look around other places! There’s even a barbershop here…”
“How old are you. Go by yourself.”
“Are you tired?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmm…”
Elias chewed his lips and rolled his eyes. He crouched down in front of me and shouted.
“Then I won’t bother you anymore! Just follow me one last time.”
“What now. If you keep this up, I won’t give you any tutoring.”
“No, really! You won’t regret it.”
I glared at him. But Elias was stubborn. I briefly saw his shining eyes and couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“Fine. This is the last time.”
Elias nodded vigorously. Then he grabbed my hand and ran at almost flying speed.
“Hey! Give me a heads up before running! I need time to channel mana into my legs.”
“Luca’s good at magic so it’s fine~”
Elias grinned and ran for a while, then stopped in front of a thick wooden door.
The sound of wind was a bit louder. This seemed to be the last car.
“Close your eyes.”
“…”
I gave him a suspicious look, but Elias immediately covered my eyes. He grabbed my arm and flung the door open.
Whoooosh—
“…!”
The sound of wind hit me as cool air touched my entire body. I instinctively opened my eyes.
“Ta-da~”
Elias smiled and gestured.
I let out a light laugh at the scene spread before my eyes.
Far in the distance, I could see the moon and a lake. Dark blue coniferous forests were passing by the side of the train. We were passing through a forest.
Elias leaned against the wooden railing and waved at me to come quickly.
“…Wow.”
Even Leo, who had followed behind, briefly exclaimed in admiration.
The place Elias had brought us to was a observation car.
Actually, I don’t know what this is called in Korean. Anyway, this was an observation vehicle attached to the very back of the train.
“Cool, right?”
“It is. How did you know there was a place like this?”
As a new human, this would have been almost his first time on a train.
“I found it when you guys were holed up in your rooms~ You have to search everything first, don’t you think?”
“If he’d been born 400 years earlier, he would have discovered the New World…”
Elias seemed pleased with Leo’s muttering and shrugged his shoulders proudly. Leo had said it without much thought, but Elias was already lost in imagination, saying that if he had discovered the New World, he would have acted differently from the barbaric Spanish forces.
“I would hide the continent with a mana barrier so no one could come. I think that’s right.”
“Yeah. That’s like you.”
Leo replied with a laugh.
Meanwhile, I sat at the table inside the observation car and watched the scenery outside.
As time passed, Leo returned to the compartment car, and every time we stopped at a station, Haike, Cheringen, and Ulrike showed their faces here once or twice. Narke couldn’t come because she kept sleeping.
We stopped at Ingolstadt and Nuremberg, then passed through Bayreuth and Jena again. The dim city centers, the Danube River, streams, and castles owned by unknown nobles that I saw along the way caught my attention. I kept watching outside like that.
“Wow~ This is nice.”
Elias had stayed awake with me all the way to Jena, and he had bought a whole bottle of alcohol and kept pouring it down his throat.
“Ahh. Luca, why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I’m going to watch this.”
“Really? Me too.”
Elias drew pictures in the air with his wand. Shining blue mana scattered finely against the pitch-black night sky. It felt like being in a movie.
I tried to copy him, but gave up because it looked like sparks falling. Elias must have had the same impression because he looked at me and giggled. Then, I heard an unexpected question from him.
“Are you okay?”
“…”
I knew well what he was asking if I was okay about. Since he knew well what it meant for me to go home, he was surely worried.
Right. The fact that I was going to Anhalt with my own feet was keeping me from going to sleep.
Even so, that wasn’t a big problem. Since it was something I had to experience someday, I had actually been waiting for this moment all along.
I smiled and nodded.
When we arrived in Leipzig, it was 4 AM, and we were now approaching Dessau.
When the train departed from Leipzig station, my friends came out staggering, reeking of alcohol. Ulrike and Haike, who came out to the observation car and sat next to me, muttered with rotten faces.
“I’m dying…”
“The beds in the compartment cars here are so uncomfortable…”
“Of course they’re uncomfortable since you used chairs as beds.”
I replied with a laugh.
Just then, Cheringen and Leo followed behind them into the observation car. All seven of us had gathered here.
Narke had already woken up refreshingly when we arrived at Leipzig station and was drinking morning coffee with us. When our friends came in, Narke asked with a smile.
“This is our first time going to Lucas’s house. Right?”
“That’s right. It’s everyone’s first time, right?”
Ulrike said while looking around at the other friends.
Haike, who came out of the dining car holding a bottle of alcohol, nodded. Cheringen smiled with a smooth face as if he wasn’t tired at all and answered.
“I went there once before, but I don’t remember much, so it’s practically my first time.”
“Wow, you’ve been there? Then you’re the only one who…”
“Leo probably went then too. Right?”
Cheringen asked Leo, who was leaning against the wall. Leo nodded. Ulrike asked with a flustered expression.
“When did only you guys go?”
“During the celebration banquet for Deputy Minister Adrian Ascanien’s entry into the Imperial Court.”
Leo answered simply.
Even though Cheringen and Haike didn’t know the circumstances, the atmosphere almost froze for a moment. Fortunately, Ulrike asked energetically.
“That’s really long ago, isn’t it? Anyway, I’m excited. What should we do for fun when we get there?!”
“Well… we decided to drink alcohol. That alone will probably take up all our time.”
Ulrike couldn’t hide her confusion at my words. She didn’t seem to know yet that drinking time gets significantly longer when Elias joins in. Just drinking games alone would take up everything… Still, we probably won’t only do that. However, for now, I should say as little as possible to avoid crushing Elias’s expectations.
Thanks to my friends, I was able to spend the final moments on the train to Anhalt with a comfortable heart.
From Leipzig to Dessau station was quick. When the station building began to appear beyond the window, I gathered my luggage, put on my hat, and asked.
“Are you all ready?”
“Of course!”
Ulrike, who was standing close behind me, said energetically.
Soon I was escorted off the train by the conductor. When I looked up, I saw familiar flags and buildings.
Anhalt.
I had come to this place once again.
The head servant and several servants standing on the platform spotted me.
The head servant, whose eyes met mine, seemed lost in thought for some reason, opening his mouth slightly and remaining silent, then soon smiled gently and greeted me.
“Have you arrived, Your Excellency.”
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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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