How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 286

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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 (286)

 

“Can you hear me? Try to wake up!”

 

Someone is slapping my cheeks repeatedly. Not only does it feel bad, but it’s also absurd. I grabbed that hand and bolted upright.

 

“Oh!”

 

A Human student was delighted when I got up.

 

“Wow, thank goodness. I thought you were dead. Are you okay?”

 

“…You thought I was dead?”

 

I suppressed my irritation and rubbed my cheek with my hand. Forget about dying or whatever, the cheek this person slapped to wake me up hurts more right now.

 

“You weren’t breathing, you know?”

 

“Me? Why…?”

 

“I don’t know either! So I did some chest compressions like this and you woke up right away? Shouldn’t you go to the Hospital?”

 

“…Hmm, I see. Thank you.”

 

Something’s strange. I was completely healthy just a moment ago and I’m still full of energy now. It doesn’t seem like I was lying down because of a real problem, and if I had to guess… it seems like I appeared unconscious when I left this world and came back in.

 

“By any chance, how long was I lying down?”

 

“It wasn’t very long, I think? I just heard the sound of someone collapsing so I came to check and found you like that.”

 

Did the space magic break when I collapsed? That would make sense since my mana would have been withdrawn.

 

More importantly, he said I woke up right after the chest compressions earlier.

 

While I was outside the extra chapter, time didn’t continue flowing but stayed stopped, and when I came back in, it started flowing again. That’s certain.

 

While I was lost in thought, the Student got up from his spot.

 

“I can go now, right? You should go to the Hospital!”

 

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

 

I’m completely fine so I don’t need to go to the Hospital. I sent him away and cast space magic again in the Alley to open the trait window.

 

‘First, let’s upgrade the trait.’

 

If 1 minute passes here, doesn’t 1 minute pass there too? I need to be careful since time flows while I’ve disappeared from that spot. It’s unlikely since it’s bedtime, but if Leo or Elias barge in, explaining myself from that point would be hopeless. What would I say about where I warped to again?

 

Time Lag Lv. 1

 

― Current time [Extra Chapter:Chapter 7] [1:1]

 

― Next time [2:1]

 

― 1.0 EC point until next level

 

Before, when I first woke up and drank Leo’s blood, I said a point window appeared for me. I didn’t have the presence of mind to check such things at the time and dismissed it, but now it’s time to use it.

 

‘Let me check my points.’

 

EC point: 1.0

 

After seeing the double-digit points I worked my bones off to collect in Chapter 7, seeing a point window with only 1 point makes me laugh bitterly. I spent the points on the time lag trait.

 

Time Lag Lv. 2

 

― Current time [Extra Chapter:Chapter 7] [2:1]

 

― Next time [10:1]

 

― 2.0 EC point until next level

 

‘…Oh.’

 

Next time it seems 10 minutes here will become 1 minute outside, so quickly collecting 2 points will be key. I need to develop this place anyway since I’ll use it later when I need something.

 

‘Well, I came here to use it now anyway.’

 

I have an action plan.

 

The problem is that due to the time lag, it seems difficult to do much today, and whether I can really obtain meaningful results here. Still, it’s better to be doing something than resting.

 

I brought up the proposal windows I had received.

 

Proposal 1. Find a job.

 

― Reward: EC point +1

 

Proposal 2. Find a host

 

― Reward: EC point +3

 

Okay. I can get at least 1 point.

 

I said I had an idea about Proposal 1 before.

 

What kind of job should I get here?

 

Let me think carefully. How did I start? There’s only one place I can go.

 

I took out the newspaper I bought at the Newsstand before and opened the job listings section.

 

[Manor cleaning staff wanted]

 

[Seeking experienced stable maintenance manager]

 

[Seeking fishing boat crew member – high salary guaranteed]

 

[Industrial vocational School temporary (2nd semester) teacher wanted: Ages 22-55, vocational School graduates welcome]

 

[Berlin 2nd Street General Hospital recruiting nurses/nursing assistants]

 

Various options. The problem is that I have no certifications, no experience, and not even time to spare. Even if time stops here, it’s still flowing outside, so I don’t have leisure. To get important information, I need to choose a job where I can obtain a lot of information too.

 

Then it would be good to work somewhere I can get information about Hyung or the stolen items this time, or any trivial information – in other words, somewhere I can get information about the ruling family.

 

That means there’s no business on this page. What I had my eye on before wasn’t this side.

 

I turned the paper to the previous page. I can see text written in the promotional section.

 

[Kingdom of Bavaria] [National Mage Combat Magic Competition]

 

I will participate in this.

 

This start is also Bavaria. This time too, I’ll owe Bavaria some debt.

 

‘The problem is that it’s held exactly today, March 20th, this evening.’

 

Naturally, the participant list is already set. But isn’t the date quite coincidental? Why is Bavaria holding such a competition on the very day I fell into this world?

 

Yes, it’s rationalization.

 

However, I must go there. Strictly speaking, the competition isn’t important – getting noticed by the King is what matters. I need to get into the King’s eyes by doing something crazy if necessary, and the sooner the better.

 

Honestly, like Leo, I also have an aversion to unreasonable things, but such competitions are usually held once a year, so if I miss this opportunity, I’ll have to work as Prussia’s servant in this world too. I could get information, but there’s a high chance of getting caught up in political strife here too, so it’s not a good choice.

 

‘I couldn’t even enter the government Building used by combat-type Mages in the first place…’

 

How can I go when everything shows up as restricted areas because of Georg Ascanien and Adrian Ascanien? If I can’t go to Prussia and have to get a job in another country, going to Bavaria, Prussia’s competitor, is better than getting a job in a small country.

 

And there’s one more reason it has to be Bavaria. I recalled the newspaper article I read last before coming here.

 

In a few days, the King of Bavaria’s birthday celebration will be held. The Österreichische family is the Archduke family of the Austria-Hungary Empire. And the Austria-Hungary Empire is a country attached to the southeast of the German Empire and also borders Bavaria. In other words, there’s a possibility I’ll see Archduke Este at the King of Bavaria’s birthday event. Of course, even if I meet the Österreichische Archduke, what would I do – catch the culprit? But if Pleroma stole the relics for magical/spiritual reasons as I hypothesized… would there be any reason to steal jewels for no reason? Is there a possibility that those jewels, family, or people are connected to Pleroma in some way?

 

‘…Of course… it’s excessive speculation.’

 

I think so too. Even if there really is a connection, there’s no guarantee it would be from this time period. Since there’s no way to confirm the already stolen relics and jewels in reality, the only good point is that I can directly see with my own eyes whether there were elements in the stolen goods from this era, before they were stolen, that could attract Pleroma’s interest.

 

Honestly speaking, the hypothesis that Pleroma had financial difficulties and stole jewels to make money is much more realistic and makes sense. Then they would have taken the Langobard Iron Crown instead, but why didn’t they take that? Actually, there’s no end to such reasoning. Maybe it was just easier to hit the Sapphire Peruer?

 

So rather than having the mindset of catching the culprit right away, I’m approaching this with the mindset of saving sleep time and building up the world I need to develop anyway. Of course, to that extent, I don’t plan to encroach on daytime hours.

 

‘It’s good if something comes out, and if not, so be it.’

 

Since it seems to be an ability that arose in response to Hyung’s attack, I should work on building my foundation in this world whenever I have time.

 

Well, now it’s time to act.

 

I looked up at the sky, took a long deep breath, and closed my eyes.

 

“Whoa. Are you okay?”

 

When I staggered because I warped with my eyes closed, Someone supported my back and helped me stand. I warped to the Bavaria checkpoint location I remembered. I thanked him and got in line at the checkpoint. Bavaria was quite thorough even in this period. There’s already a Mage warp checkpoint here that doesn’t exist in Berlin. I quickly went inside and presented my passport.

 

“You came from America yesterday.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Did you come for the competition?”

 

How should I answer this? It’s not some neighborhood store but a checkpoint asking, so I need to answer well. If I came for the competition, they might ask me to show something to prove it.

 

I spoke without changing my expression.

 

“Competition? Many people must have come here for that, I suppose?”

 

“Yes. We’re controlling the roads so we have to guide you directly. If you’re participating, please show your confirmation certificate.”

 

“You guide us directly?”

 

“Those coming from outside Bavaria must warp with us to get to Prater Island.”

 

Prater Island is where the competition is held.

 

There’s already a difficulty. Yes, I knew this would happen.

 

‘What if I gradually leak divine power to subtly manipulate this person’s mind and make the situation favorable to me?’

 

No. Even if I go that route, I don’t have a real participation certificate, so difficulties will continue. Deceiving is one thing for one or two people, but with hundreds, it’s easy to get caught.

 

I smiled and shook my head.

 

“I see. No. I’m going around exploring theaters.”

 

“You came to see plays. But are you by any chance an actor?”

 

“Yes… no.”

 

I’m getting déjà vu. Something similar definitely happened to me in Munich 12 years later.

 

“Is it because your hair is unusually long? Haha. I was mistaken.”

 

“I see.”

 

“You may proceed now. Have a pleasant trip.”

 

I received my suitcase from another inspector and warped to Munich. The Isar River flowing through Munich was visible right in front of me. If I follow that upstream, there should be Prater Island where the competition is being held.

 

From what I knew when I briefly handled Bavaria’s administrative duties as Nicolaus, the venue for Bavaria’s combat mage competitions changes every year. I’ve only seen records of competitions held on small islands floating on rivers like this one, but I’ve never actually witnessed it, so being here at this recorded time feels fresh.

 

‘It’s right in front of me, but I can’t go.’

 

Actually, I don’t want to barge in on the day of and throw a tantrum demanding to participate. Leo would find it extremely suspicious if he heard, but anyway, I also prefer doing things properly, and whining to make impossible things possible doesn’t suit my temperament. But if I just go back like this, I’ll have no choice but to get a job as a secretary to a Prussian Federal Legislator, and then there’d be no reason for me to be here at this time. Rather than that, it would be better to somehow gather points, max out the time difference level, then take a train to Vatican and knock on the Papacy’s door.

 

Since I have a backup plan, I’m trying to choose the most reasonable method among the unreasonable ones.

 

‘First, persuading the organizing committee well, that’s the priority.’

 

Thanks to Nicolaus’s experience, I know well which government department handles competition operations. It might have changed in 12 years, but the King is still the same and there hasn’t been any major cabinet reform, so it’s worth trying.

 

I took a deep breath and flicked my finger toward the warp coordinates I remembered. Except for slight nausea, this time was also successful.

 

I smiled with satisfaction and looked toward the lobby.

 

‘Getting inside the government building is the problem.’

 

They won’t let in people who aren’t officials.

 

It’s unfortunate that I have to resort to unconventional methods already, but at least here I have no choice but to implement the idea I had earlier.

 

I naturally dragged my suitcase and entered the government building. I saw a caretaker approaching me.

 

“Where do you work, sir? You have an unfamiliar face. And what’s with that suitcase?”

 

‘—Enter through the narrow gate.’

 

I slowly released divine power so subtly that no one could notice. It’s difficult to cast magic reliably by only reciting incantations internally, but this time I’m not planning to knock anyone down, so it’s fine.

 

The caretaker, whose eyes remained focused, frowned and rubbed his head, then waited for my answer.

 

“Sir?”

 

“I’m a secretary from the Bavaria Parliament Chairman’s office. I’m new here, so you probably haven’t seen me. The Chairman asked me to come get the budget proposal from the Minister.”

 

“Such things…”

 

“That’s right. Usually they’re sent by warp mail. Actually… there’s a bit more that the Chairman asked me to deliver.”

 

I gestured toward the suitcase as I continued speaking.

 

“I came through proper channels, so you don’t need to worry. Here’s my business card, please take a look.”

 

I don’t have any business card. When would I have made such a thing? I smiled and held out my passport. The caretaker examined my passport carefully. He read the words he was reading again and again, then looked at me. I tilted my head as if asking why he was doing that.

 

“There shouldn’t be anything strange. It says Bavaria Parliament… and next to the name it should say Administrative Secretary, isn’t that enough proof yet?”

 

This itself is another incantation. The mental image he’s forming should be changing to match my intention. The caretaker looked at me expressionlessly, blinked a couple of times, then smiled the exact same smile as me.

 

“No problem. You’re Mr. Everett. Please go in.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

I smiled as I took back the passport he was holding. Even though I was taking back the business card, he didn’t find it particularly strange and showed no reaction.

 

When there are many people, it would be discovered quickly so I can’t use it, but when there’s one person at a time like this, it’s good magic to use.

 

I walked a few steps and turned around.

 

“Oh, which floor is the mage competition organizing committee on?”

 

“4th floor. Didn’t you say you were going to meet the Minister earlier?”

 

“I need to stop by after that.”

 

“Ah, yes. Go to the left end of the 4th floor. You’ll see it right away.”

 

It’s exactly as I know. I answered with a smile and climbed the stairs.

 

‘I hope there aren’t many people when I get upstairs.’

 

If there are many, I’ll have no choice but to get a job as a Prussian Legislator’s aide… since I need to gather points to go to the Papacy.

 

I stood in front of the room at the left end of the 4th floor with self-deprecation. Whether everyone had moved to Prater Island because of this competition, there wasn’t a single person around, only silence lingered. When I pushed mana to my ears, the sounds became a bit clearer.

 

[Creak— Creak—]

 

I can hear the sound of a chair backrest moving. That sound soon stopped.

 

‘He noticed.’

 

That there’s someone in front. He must be quite skilled. I prepared a smile in advance and knocked on the door.

 

Knock knock—

 

[Come in.]

 

I immediately opened the door and entered.

 

“Ah.”

 

The other person’s eyes widened upon seeing my face. Though he knew someone was there, he seemed surprised that it wasn’t the person he expected.

 

Bright blonde hair and familiar sky-blue eyes. Plus familiar facial features. A young person resembling the King was staring at me with his mouth open. I kept an appropriate distance and greeted him first.

 

“Good day, I’m Lukas Everett.”

 

“Emanuel Wittelsbach.”

 

He smiled broadly as if he had never been flustered, stood up from his seat, and offered a handshake. I uttered the words everyone usually says out of courtesy when acknowledging royal dignity.

 

“As expected, you’re royalty. I apologize for not being more formal.”

 

“Not at all. Right now I’m just a civil servant working for the government. More than that, you don’t seem to be just any nobleman either?”

 

He said that and returned to sit in his seat. Then, before I could say anything, he clasped his hands together, tilted his head slightly, and said:

 

“You resemble someone I know, and your mana level seems extraordinary. If not, never mind. ID.”

 

He extended his hand toward me with the same smiling face.

 

I smiled and remained silent. Just like that? I feel a bit sorry for thinking this when I came up here using tricks, but he’s difficult to follow. I haven’t even cast mind manipulation magic yet, but instead of kicking me out, he’s asking for ID? Does he know what I’m capable of?

 

Maybe he’s doing this to report me. I prepared to cast mind manipulation magic immediately if necessary and held out my passport. He read my ID for a while, then looked at my hair.

 

“Won’t your hair fluttering around interfere with the competition?”

 

“…”

 

“You came because you want to participate in the competition, didn’t you? Haha. Did I speak too suddenly?”

 

He took out a palm-sized piece of paper from his drawer, copied the personal information written on my passport exactly, tore off half, and held it out to me. A yellow note with warp coordinates flew to me belatedly.

 

“If you want to put your name in a withdrawn participant’s spot, you need to go right now. If it goes well, please mention my name to His Highness.”

 

“…”

 

Emanuel gestured for me to leave quickly while smiling. At the same time, the door behind me opened wide as if blown by wind. I finally opened his status window to check.

 

Emanuel Wittelsbach

 

Favorability +2* [Romance available (Stage 1/5)]

 

Title: ―

 

Stamina: +6.0

 

Mental Power: +6.0

 

Mana: +5.0

 

Skill: +7.0

 

Impression: +8.0

 

Luck: +5.0

 

Trait: Discerning Eye (Lv. 3)

 

Discerning Eye.

 

I focused on that trait, then looked at his eyes again. He was just smiling and leaning back in his chair. When I stared at him, he only tilted his head and raised his eyebrows as if asking why.

 

“…I’ll do that. Thank you.”

 

I gave a brief thanks and left.

 

Creak— Click—

 

I stopped in the hallway and looked at the warp coordinates he had written. Laughter burst out.

 

‘Ah, this…’

 

This is extraordinary.

 

There’s no reason to just issue a participation permit. Why did he do that?

 

That guy figured out that I manipulated the caretaker’s brain through divine power to get here. Actually, someone as sharp as him would naturally know. What other case would there be for an unfamiliar stranger to enter a space only accessible to officials?

 

I was a bit surprised to meet an Elias-type Wittelsbach after only seeing calm Wittelsbachs like the King and Leo, but anyway, he also used social etiquette. Suddenly bringing up hair was his way of comparing the passport issue date with the passport photo and revealing that ‘I noticed you’re a mage who uses divine power.’ He seemed to be trying to reassure me that way, but it was too sudden to be reassuring.

 

Anyway, mages who use divine power are few in this kingdom, only about ten. The reason he said ‘if it goes well, mention my name to the King’ is because of this.

 

‘What if I commit some magical crime?’

 

Elias-type people are unpredictable and difficult to deal with. That smiling face isn’t because he’s genuinely cheerful and positive, but because there’s calculation behind that smile.

 

It might mean he trusts Bavaria’s response capability that much, but the answer was in his trait. It was the ability I saw in the Undersecretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It seems highly likely he identified my nature with Discerning Eye.

 

Even so, I can’t let my guard down. I’ll wait and see for now, but if surveillance is attached here or substantial problems arise, I’ll turn back time. Since this is a different world, turning back time here shouldn’t affect the real Leo.

 

I moved to the warp coordinates he gave me. It was the organizing committee office set up at the venue. When I presented the paper that royal wrote, registration went smoothly.

 

Of course, that royal wasn’t someone who handled participation applications, so he didn’t give me a proper participation certificate, but just wrote a note asking to squeeze me into a withdrawn participant’s spot and stamped it with his seal before sending it.

 

Thanks to that, I could feel the organizing committee employees looking at me with eyes wondering what this guy was about. They’d naturally be curious about what connections someone who barged in late with a royal seal had.

 

“How many people have withdrawn?”

 

“Five so far. With your arrival, sir, there are four empty spots.”

 

“I see.”

 

I checked my watch.

 

It had taken two hours to get this far. Outside, only one hour would have passed by now.

 

“There, that’s done. Wait here and when your name is called, you can go out.”

 

I checked the paper the employee showed me.

 

Dead last among the 20 teams. It seemed they had rearranged things to fill in the spots left by those who had withdrawn.

 

“How long does one match usually take?”

 

“At first, you should expect about 10 minutes. It gets longer as it goes on.”

 

“…”

 

I stroked my chin and nodded. This was absurd. Could I get hired today—earn points—and return? Of course, if I wanted to move up the King’s birthday celebration even a little by outside standards, I needed to start now.

 

And so, about 3 hours passed. From far away, I heard the sound of amplification magic calling my name.

 

[Franz Renbach, Lukas Everett.]

 

I entered the arena. The arena, such as it was, only had a few Magic Department civil servants and judges at the far end. I knew this wasn’t the kind of match that royalty would come to watch, but I could see people in Royal Guard uniforms standing around the upper viewing area.

 

It didn’t matter. It would be nice if real royalty were there, but it didn’t matter if they weren’t.

 

‘Let’s finish this quickly and go.’

 

My interest was only in the end time anyway. It would be a disaster if someone entered my room while I was gone. I was getting more nervous by the minute.

 

Soon, I heard the buzzer sound I’d heard countless times from outside.

 

Beep—

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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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