How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 294

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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 (294)

 

“So. Why did you tell me to stay here?”

 

“….”

 

There was no answer.

 

Whether he was pretending not to hear me or had nothing particular to say, Leonard just slept.

 

‘At this rate, won’t I catch his cold too.’

 

Even thinking that, I wasn’t too worried. It’s a child’s cold, so I probably already have immunity to it. When I channeled divine power into Leonard’s bed, only then did he open his eyes again. As expected, to wake up a magic fanatic, you have to use magic.

 

“Should I bring His Majesty the King?”

 

He spoke well enough when kicking Emmanuel out, but now he won’t open his mouth. When he shook his head, I continued channeling divine power into him with a resigned feeling.

 

“Why did you catch a cold?”

 

“….”

 

“Did you study too much? It’s quite a demanding schedule for a five-year-old. Or was it training?”

 

At the last words, Leonard quickly shook his head.

 

Training must be fun for him. Excluding combat magic, this kid takes three subjects for an hour each per day, and while I think this is a schedule he has to endure since he was born a prince… the content of what he’s learning isn’t that easy, so it would be understandable if it’s difficult. According to the lesson content he tells me, this kid has already almost finished what others learn when they go to elementary school at this age. I’m not sure since I don’t know the secondary education curriculum of this place, but I got the feeling he’s doing even more than that.

 

As I was feeling slightly sorry for him, Leonard called me quietly.

 

“Teacher.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I’m hungry.”

 

“….”

 

What am I supposed to do about that…

 

I feel like I’m at school. It reminds me of kids pestering their teacher to buy them snacks.

 

“Then I’ll go tell the kitchen now.”

 

“Mmm.”

 

It wasn’t the answer he wanted, so Leonard grabbed my arm.

 

I want to go back and ask. Why was this kid like this when he was five? I listened well to my parents when I was five. I channeled divine power generously into Leonard and said.

 

“Well then… have some divine power.”

 

“That’s not food.”

 

“The feeling is roughly similar. It makes you stronger.”

 

“I see.”

 

Leonard agreed more obediently than expected, whether he thought I was talking nonsense and decided to let it go, or because he was tired. Meanwhile, I called a servant to order a meal and changed the wet towel.

 

‘Is this really my schedule for today.’

 

I came as a combat magic teacher, not to babysit. But it wouldn’t be right as a human being to ignore the request and just go off to do only what I want, so spending a day like this is the right thing to do.

 

I brought a sofa over to the side and read books about holy relics and the occult, and after a while Leonard regained his energy, got up, and watched me. I asked if he wanted me to read him a fairy tale, but he wasn’t at the intellectual level for that, so I only got an answer saying it was fine.

 

Five hours of being in the infirmary. Looking at Leonard’s condition, I said.

 

“Shall we go out?”

 

“Pardon?”

 

I pointed outside the window. Leonard brightened up and called the doctor to ask if he could go out. Fortunately, the doctor said that since it was April and the weather was fine, he would allow going outside as long as we didn’t leave the Prince’s Palace garden. I dressed Leonard in winter clothes by myself and took him to the garden lawn with a small artificial lake, where we lay down.

 

‘This is comfortable.’

 

Leonard also seemed to prefer breathing the outside air rather than staying inside, sitting next to me with a brighter complexion than before.

 

He fiddled with my wand and asked.

 

“Teacher. How much can you do with divine power?”

 

“Almost everything.”

 

“Then can you manipulate my mind too?”

 

“Yes.”

 

At those words, Leonard’s eyes widened.

 

“Then have you done it?”

 

“…No. Is there something to be dragged away for?”

 

“Then when do you use mind manipulation magic? Do you use it during combat too?”

 

“You can use it, but during combat the opponent is also concentrating all their nerves on defense, so it often gets blocked. The magical power flowing through the opponent’s body tries to repel the divine power.”

 

“…! So it’s not omnipotent.”

 

“Of course. If I could do anything, I would have already conquered the world.”

 

Seventeen-year-old Leo naturally knows what this five-year-old doesn’t.

 

Leonard burst into laughter and then fell into thought by himself. Then he asked in a smaller voice than before.

 

“Teacher, are you close with my uncle?”

 

“I suppose… I’m not sure.”

 

“Then what’s the reason you haven’t been at the Prince’s Palace lately?”

 

“….”

 

Ah…

 

Now I understand the reason he had no energy. Just as I suspected. I tilted my head and smiled.

 

“I should have played with you more.”

 

That wasn’t an answer either, so Leonard’s expression hardened.

 

It didn’t take long to realize that the phrase ‘played with you’ was the problem. Even though he’s a child, I shouldn’t have treated him like a child, and thanks to that, the atmosphere feels chilly. The moment I opened my mouth to correct my earlier words, Leonard beat me to it.

 

“If I had been born in 1863, I would have become friends with you, wouldn’t I, Teacher?”

 

I want to tell him we’re already friends.

 

I understand his feelings well. When you’re young, there are times when you want your preferred teacher to watch only you and praise only you. Since the whole world still revolves around yourself, that’s natural. It’s not just with teachers either. Isn’t this the age when you think you want close friends to play with you more often? When your head gets bigger, such tendencies clearly decrease, but it’s unreasonable to expect such mature behavior yet. I have memories of acting the same way toward my acting teacher when I was around that age.

 

‘Separate from being grateful that he thinks well of me…’

 

This is interesting…

 

I can’t help but laugh. Even if I told seventeen-year-old Leo this story, he probably wouldn’t understand.

 

“Teacher.”

 

“Please speak.”

 

“Will you remain my teacher until I become an adult?”

 

I can’t lie.

 

I didn’t answer and looked down at him. Leonard looked at me, then turned his gaze to the ground.

 

“I’ve been studying about the era of the Five Good Emperors recently. I finished reading the Meditations with my philosophy teacher.”

 

“I see. You’re doing interesting studies.”

 

“Do you know Fronto?”

 

He’s the teacher of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, who is famous to us as the author of ‘Meditations’. Meditations is the same as the Meditations. I nodded.

 

“Of course.”

 

“Fronto and Emperor Marcus were close friends, weren’t they? ‘How can I call you by any other word than my dearest friend.’ These are words Marcus Aurelius said to his teacher Fronto. The two were close friends despite being nearly twenty years apart in age, and aren’t you and I also nearly twenty years apart, Teacher?”

 

“Dearest friend.”

 

He’s saying he’s dissatisfied with this situation where I have to ‘play with him’ because he’s young, and he wants to become close with me like his uncle.

 

Even without saying that, he’s already my closest friend in this world. If we’re only counting living people, he might be the closest person in my entire life. I don’t want to think about this topic anymore. When I closed my eyes, Leonard began reciting what he had learned as usual.

 

“I like the conversations Fronto and Marcus Aurelius had. Not only did Marcus Aurelius cherish Fronto, but Fronto also cherished Marcus.”

 

“Mm, you mean things like ‘Farewell, my lord, most sweet, most missed, my best reason for living.’ That’s a phrase Fronto wrote at the end of letters to Marcus Aurelius. Or ‘who am no lover, but I can discern your beauty as well as anyone else, aye, far more accurately, I might say, even than your lover’?”

 

“…Teacher, you can speak English too?”

 

“I came from the United States…”

 

“Ah.”

 

Though I didn’t learn it in America. I’m just remembering what I read in the original text. Before coming to this world, my favorite book was the Meditations. I read it until it was worn out and memorized everything accordingly. After memorizing every single letter of the Meditations, I looked up correspondence between Marcus Aurelius and his teachers, but most weren’t translated into Korean, so I had to find and read books in English or German. Sometimes that was more comfortable for me, and translating it into Korean was more difficult, so I remember it in English.

 

Leonard seemed to have completely forgotten the fact—lie—that I came from America, nodding with a tremendously shocked face. Even so, his words were quite calm.

 

“…Right. Things like that.”

 

“Mm, good. I’m not a classical language teacher, but let me explain… This doesn’t mean it’s not sincere, but this is a rhetorical convention of the Roman era. If you ask your Latin or Greek teacher, they’ll explain it to you. It’s problematic to take such rhetorical conventions literally with our era’s knowledge. Even if it’s a sentence written with perfect sincerity… if I were Fronto, I would become a teacher watching a student who moves contrary to my intentions.”

 

I can see Leonard’s mouth opening in shock. It’s fun to tease him. I meant it to create a good teacher-student relationship, not with the intention of becoming a student who moves contrary to intentions, so naturally he would react that way. Looking at his expression, I smiled and continued.

 

“Fronto, who was a Latin rhetoric teacher, wanted his student not to be misled by philosophy and to focus entirely on rhetoric and oratory, and during a time when Greek literature was popular, he thoroughly insisted on Latin and gave punishment whenever his student used Greek. But what is Marcus Aurelius ultimately famous to us as? In what language was his greatest work, the Meditations, written?”

 

“….”

 

Ah, this is fun.

 

Leonard’s face turned pale.

 

Marcus Aurelius is famous as a Stoic philosopher both in our era and in the 19th century. His teacher Fronto hoped his student wouldn’t be misled by philosophy, but that student ultimately became a philosopher, and he hoped his student would focus on rhetoric, but that student writes in the first book of the Meditations that it was fortunate he ‘had no talent for rhetoric and didn’t fall into it.’ Fronto wanted his student to know the beauty of Latin and fall into it, and of course that student may have known the beauty of Latin, but nevertheless, the diary that sincerely contained his inner thoughts in his later years was written in Greek.

 

The two maintained a good teacher-student relationship even after their directions diverged, but primarily, Marcus Aurelius did not age as his teacher hoped.

 

At the same time, I was amazed by Leonard’s memory, which was unlike a child’s. Showing such a reaction means Leonard knows all the answers to my questions, but no matter how frantically he studies imperial studies, it’s difficult for someone who has lived only 70 months to remember everything heard in class. As expected, those destined for greatness are different from the sprout.

 

“Still, the fact that Fronto cherished Marcus doesn’t change. The emperor would have been a precious student to him.”

 

“What about you, Teacher?”

 

Leonard said with a slightly anxious expression.

 

Me?

 

I’ve teased him enough, so maybe I should give him a proper response now.

 

“Your Highness surely knows well that Latin was the primary language of Rome in the 2nd century AD. Although Greek was used as the language of the Eastern Roman Empire and Greek gradually flourished due to the popularity of Greek literature, nevertheless, Latin was still used in the administration, law, military, politics, and aristocratic society of the Roman Empire. As I mentioned earlier, Fronto was a teacher of Latin rhetoric.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations in Koine Greek in his later years.”

 

“…”

 

I observed whether Leonard was understanding what I was saying. He was just staring up at me blankly.

 

“So, Teacher, what you’re saying is… in an era when Latin was the standard, Emperor Marcus, who studied under a master passionate about Latin, wrote his diary in Greek because he hated his teacher?”

 

His summarizing ability is excellent, but I can’t say that’s correct. That would be a leap in logic.

 

I shook my head and said with a gentle smile.

 

“What do you think I’m going to say?”

 

“…I’m not sure.”

 

“I want to make Your Highness write your own Meditations in Latin.”

 

Leonard looked up at me with his mouth agape. Then, after a long while, he spoke.

 

“‘Meditations.'”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Are you planning to leave your influence on the countless thoughts that cross my mind?”

 

Now he understands exactly. It’s good that my conversation flows smoothly with him. Rather, I don’t really have occasions to have such conversations with the current Leo. Being able to excitedly ramble about various things is only possible right after learning something; once time passes, that knowledge itself becomes merely natural to me, so such occasions don’t arise.

 

“I don’t mean to make my ghost cling to Your Highness for life.”

 

“I already understood that. You’re saying you’ll be a better teacher and friend than Marcus Aurelius’s Fronto.”

 

Well… I went to the trouble of speaking indirectly, but to have it stated so simply and directly feels quite strange. I answered with a smile.

 

“Does my confidence displease you?”

 

“Not at all.”

 

Yes, good.

 

Now that I’ve made my intentions clear, he shouldn’t get sulky when I leave, right?

 

And separately from that, this situation is absurdly amusing. To become the childhood teacher of a friend I met as an adult – I’m having an experience here that no one else could have. My words apply to every Leonard I know, but the Leo I met as a friend would look at me like ‘who do you think you are’ if I said such things. Because we’re equal friends without this strange mental hierarchy like now. So it would be good to enjoy this time and tease him to my heart’s content.

 

“I didn’t catch a cold from playing with Uncle, did I?”

 

“No.”

 

Perhaps realizing I was testing him playfully, Leonard answered firmly. But the kid had been sickly from that very day, so what do you mean no. I shrugged and continued what I was saying earlier.

 

“You’re consistent. I said I would make Your Highness write your Meditations in Latin, but actually, first of all…”

 

“Yes.”

 

Leonard was waiting for my answer with sparkling eyes.

 

I hesitated for a moment, looked at those eyes, then turned my head away.

 

“I’ll tell you later.”

 

“What? Why?”

 

“Just because.”

 

Leonard briefly gave me that questioning look that 17-year-old Leo often showed me. Indeed, kids don’t like it when you stop mid-sentence either.

 

It was too heavy a topic to discuss now, and I didn’t want to burden this Leonard with heavy stories.

 

So I spent the entire day playing with Leonard and was held captive until the next day. Of course, since it would be a waste of time to just sit around doing nothing, today being the second day, I got Leonard’s permission and called the Duke to the Prince’s Palace. As Emmanuel had said, seeing the Duke’s artifacts was the way to gather information about him.

 

The Duke, carrying a box-like bag, came to the garden of the Prince’s Palace and greeted Leonard. Emmanuel was absent due to yesterday’s aftermath.

 

“I greet His Highness Prince Leonard Wittelsbach.”

 

“It’s good to see you again.”

 

“I heard you were unwell – is it alright for you to come out like this?”

 

“Yes, it’s fine.”

 

Fine, my foot.

 

Actually, Leonard should rest more. I tried to come out alone and talk with the Duke while he slept, but he wouldn’t leave my side.

 

As we settled on the grass like yesterday, the Duke immediately opened his box as if he’d been waiting and said.

 

“I brought artifacts. I’m also interested in making artifacts in my own way. Lord Everett also said he was interested in my work.”

 

Since Leo was present, he spoke indirectly, but ‘my own way’ refers to the occult.

 

“I already heard from Lord Emmanuel. You made an artifact that sends the image reflected in one mirror to another mirror.”

 

“That’s right! That was last year’s masterpiece.”

 

“Then do you have a masterpiece this year too…?”

 

“Yes.”

 

He’s an amazing person in many ways. He nodded firmly and continued.

 

“To talk about the masterpiece I’m going to make, I can’t avoid discussing this. Where did you hear about that lion duke’s treasure chest that Count Everett mentioned before?”

 

“It was a story I picked up in the United States. It might be a rumor, but I’d like to search for it once.”

 

“I’m curious how that story made it all the way to America. That’s actually a story only Emmanuel and I knew.”

 

“…”

 

Right, that story never made it to America. I heard that story 12 years later at the Hermetic Society.

 

Chills ran down my spine. The Hermetic Society is indeed this person’s work. As I didn’t answer, the Duke continued.

 

“It’s not a rumor. That French nobleman was someone who could use magic from the 14th century, and he used spatial magic to hide a chest containing his magic books. I’m thinking of making an artifact that can find metal hidden by spatial magic. That will be this year’s masterpiece.”

 

“That’s amazing.”

 

“It’s still just a concept though. Haha. The ‘finding’ magic formula only works with divine power, which is really troublesome. With Count Everett’s help, I think I could make it.”

 

“Hmm. Yes. If there’s something I can do to help, I will.”

 

Artifacts are made by overlapping magic formulas. If you don’t know the magic formulas or don’t have the materials that go into them, you can’t make artifacts.

 

However, divine power has characteristics similar to unique abilities, so it’s almost impossible to contain in artifacts. I don’t know if it’s possible, but since he spoke confidently, I just accepted.

 

Leonard, who had been sitting quietly listening, asked.

 

“Is there perhaps an artifact that lets someone use another person’s mana?”

 

“Hmm, such a magic formula… That would have to be a very high-level item. Since there’s no magic formula for using someone else’s magic. Instead, storing mana and allowing the use of only that stored amount is a function possible with any basic artifact. That’s the principle of artifacts.”

 

The Duke continued while observing Leo’s expression.

 

“Perhaps Your Highness means not that, but an artifact that would allow using someone else’s mana as if it were your own, as if you’d transplanted someone else’s core entirely? No such item exists yet.”

 

“I see.”

 

Leonard answered with a calm expression. Within that calmness, disappointment he couldn’t quite hide showed through. The Duke read this and smiled.

 

“It might not be what Your Highness wants, but there is this kind of magic. Do you know what my unique ability is?”

 

“What is it?”

 

“Like Your Highness, I have the ability to manipulate natural elements as my unique ability. Like this, I can create a little water from anywhere.”

 

The Duke drew his finger through the air. Following that direction, water droplets formed and floated in midair. The Duke tilted his head and asked.

 

“Would there be an artifact in this world that creates water?”

 

“…No. There’s no such magic formula, is there?”

 

“Actually, there are similar things. A magic formula for creating water is in the realm of unique abilities, so unfortunately none have existed in this world yet, but if you overlap various magic formulas – applying storage magic and object warp magic to a place where water exists, then adding stabilization magic – you can create an artifact that makes it look like water is being created in midair.”

 

“I see.”

 

Leonard answered with a forced smile, looking like he wondered why this obvious story was being told. My impression so far has been somewhat similar. The Duke observed our expressions and picked up a fallen branch from the ground.

 

“It’s not over yet. I have something to show you. Now, look at this branch.”

 

He held the thin branch and used it as a wand to draw a hexagram magic circle on the ground. This time, strange sentences resembling Latin were also written inside it. He carefully placed the branch in the center of the hexagram, then stood before it and raised both arms. His solemn voice could be heard.

 

“O Sun. O Moon. O Wind.”

 

“…”

 

I struck my thigh hard with the tip of my wand. Fortunately, I got through the first hurdle naturally. Leonard was still staring up at the Duke blankly, not yet grasping what this was about.

 

“O spirits around us. I feel your grace with my own body. Please permit me to return my power to this natural object.”

 

‘It was relatively okay except for the spirit nonsense.’

 

I’m just grateful I didn’t have to strike my thigh again. While I was relieved, light suddenly burst forth from the hexagram.

 

‘Hmm.’

 

Don’t tell me he’s trying to make an artifact right now. This is an unbelievable sight to call an artifact synthesis process. I don’t know what artifact he’s trying to make, but he hasn’t properly prepared the magic formulas to be applied to it either. While I was half-believing, half-doubting, he held out the branch to Leonard.

 

“Here, try stirring it.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Leonard lifted the branch upward with a tense expression. Then water droplets formed in midair following its path. Leonard’s eyes widened.

 

“…Oh!”

 

“Success! This is the magic formula I developed! Do you see what this is? Count Everett, with this I…”

 

The excited voices of Leonard and the Duke scattered at my ears. My vision blurred everywhere except where those water droplets were.

 

“….”

 

Got it.

 

Two thoughts flashed through my mind. First, about that story I haven’t heard the answer to yet but am already guessing about. Second….

 

“Wait a moment.”

 

I need to go back right away.

 

I shot up from my seat and headed toward the Prince’s Palace building. Finding a deserted spot to sit, I opened the Extra Chapter.

 

‘Let’s go back.’

 

As soon as I thought that, everything went black like a power outage, then light quickly returned.

 

My room. If there was anything different from about 2 weeks ago….

 

The magic lamps in the room were on, and I was lying on top of some kind of vegetation. As I instinctively bolted upright from an uneasy feeling, something pressed down hard on my back.

 

“…?!”

 

A plant crawled up my arm and wrapped around another plant that was on the bedspread. Before I could properly grasp the situation, plant stems covered my arms and coiled around my wrists. Even trying to use magic was problematic since blood wasn’t circulating properly.

 

Plant stems were pressing tightly against the bones above my neck, but I lifted my head as high as possible to avoid being completely pinned down. For now, there were no signs of people and indeed no one else was in the room.

 

‘What kind of plant is this…. A trap?’

 

I guess I didn’t need to teach him after all. He’s using this peaceful ability quite well as a lethal weapon. Now that I look at it, the room had completely become a botanical garden.

 

“Whoa.”

 

At that moment, I heard Elias’s flustered voice from behind.

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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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