How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 3

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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 Noble Family (3)

‘Leonard Wittelsbach.’

The person who had the greatest influence on the protagonist’s victory, and was deeply involved in Luca’s story as well.

Born into a family that had made a name for itself in magical medicine for generations, Leo succeeds in turning his hyung’s poison into a core enhancement potion.

The ingredients are surprisingly simple, but since I can’t receive help from the family, I need to establish connections within the school to obtain the medicinal materials.

‘He’s the same age as both the protagonist and Luca.’

I wrote down the story about Leo that I remembered below that.

By the time I had filled up an entire notebook, I looked at the clock. There was still more than half a day left before departure.

‘Should I start looking for the next thing to do?’

Just by setting appropriate targets earlier, I had achieved 1/3 of my goal, so anything that could be even slightly helpful to me would likely pass generously.

‘It would be nice to raise my score a bit.’

Raising my physical strength or impression score right now wouldn’t be appropriate.

It would be better to test the skill categories I could approach before departure.

I came out of my room to look for the library, also to familiarize myself with the house layout.

Then the whispered conversations and small laughter that had been audible suddenly stopped. The servants who had been walking through the corridor with their work froze and pressed themselves against the walls.

The ostracism that Luca experienced in the novel came crashing down on me exactly as it was.

‘It’s quite novel experiencing it firsthand.’

I didn’t feel particularly bad about it.

They were avoiding Luca, not really avoiding me.

I enjoyed this fresh experience while recalling the novel’s content.

The servants weren’t showing this attitude because they were trying to curry favor with father or hyung. If it were just that level, there would be no reason to avoid a person.

And hyung was so skilled at acting that most people didn’t doubt his brotherly affection.

The reason Luca became a target of avoidance was because of rumors that hyung had been crafting for a long time.

Hyung had been creating rumors for a long time that I was connected to Pleroma.

Pleroma is a religious organization that believes they can maintain eternal life by absorbing others’ magical power through blood.

Most of the members are those who died long ago and were reincarnated about ten years ago, and they claim they were able to resurrect because they were chosen by god.

‘Up to this point, they’re just crazy people.’

Pleroma kills living people and then brings them back to life to expand their influence.

Most corpses fail to resurrect, but very rarely, there are corpses that come back to life with their consciousness blown away.

The corpses that come back to life this way and the Pleroma members absorb others’ magical power to maintain their bodies, and to reduce the damage caused by directly absorbing magical power, they consume blood mixed with magical power. They were a disgusting group in many ways.

Hyung had painstakingly created all sorts of incidents, from minor controversies to murder, to make people let their imagination run wild about my normalcy.

And finally, he succeeded in spreading scandals without dirtying his own mouth.

Once created, the lies spread across the entire nation in an instant, and hyung performed with all his heart while protecting Luca from the imperial investigators and media who stormed into the estate.

That was almost ten years ago now.

For ten years, hyung continuously layered lies and sent his younger brother’s image to the other world.

In the process, he didn’t forget to maintain his own good character.

As a result, he succeeded in deceiving everyone from father to the entire nation, and even Luca himself. The servants were no different.

‘This actually works out well.’

If they avoid me this openly, I welcome it.

That doesn’t mean they won’t care about whatever I do, but at least it’s much better than interfering in every single thing.

Even as I turned corners and passed stairs, the servants all showed the same reaction.

Among them were frightened sneers that flowed out as a defense mechanism.

The strange sensation of my existence floating and becoming isolated didn’t disappear.

Luca’s memories merged and the emotions he felt were revived, making the servants’ attitudes feel even more vivid.

However, unlike Luca, I didn’t feel impatient.

‘So what.’

Should I disappear right away or something?

Don’t they know that this makes me want to shamelessly stick my face right in front of them even more?

But right now I need to suppress my temper. It’s not time for me to toy with them as I please.

After wandering around the house for a while, when my stamina was about to be depleted, I stepped into the library on the first floor.

I walked around the library and pulled out history books and books about magic.

Ding―!

Chapter 1 Special Reward

Turn your knowledge into skill! Perfectly internalize the knowledge you acquire now. (0/1)

‘Hmm?’

They give this kind of thing too.

I had been thinking peacefully, but the situation itself wasn’t one where I should be peaceful.

I quickly turned my brain.

‘That number 1 bothers me.’

It means I have one chance.

I looked over the books stacked on the desk.

I can’t waste this opportunity on history books or something. I can just memorize those myself.

A field where knowledge and results tend to be separate, a field that requires countless practice would be suitable.

I put away the history books and laid out the magic books I had pulled out.

‘Introduction to Basic Magic Studies.’

Obviously this is useless too.

I can study the basics myself.

’50 Combat Spells Used in Practice.’

This is somewhat appealing.

But I should be able to find a better option than this. They teach that level at school anyway.

I pushed all the books to one corner of the desk and went to the bookshelf where the magic books had been placed.

‘Know This and Your Life Will Change ― Easy Study of Practical Magic Pharmacy.’

Even if you know it, there’s a high probability it won’t change.

‘Absolutely! Forbidden Curse Magic That Must Never Be Used.’

When there are already rumors that I belong to a religious organization that drinks human blood, is there a need to strengthen that?

And since this passed imperial censorship and is placed in this mansion, I can’t expect it to be proper curse magic. At best, it would be an educational book.

‘Let me think for a moment.’

I can learn regular magic myself.

I need to choose something that’s difficult for me to learn, a field where the opportunity cost of time and effort is ‘enormous.’

Then there’s only one answer.

I immediately moved to a different section.

After flipping through books one by one like that, I finally found a somewhat useful book.

‘Research on Divine Power as Authority.’

It contained special magic using divine power.

Divine power is a force created by processing magical power, and fundamentally isn’t very different from magical power.

However, since it’s a ‘processed’ form of magical power, divine power users can skillfully handle both divine power and magical power, but those who only use magical power have great difficulty handling divine power.

‘Originally, divine power is a force only needed by clergy, but….’

Right now I need it too.

Especially for this.

I focused on the mental manipulation magic in the table of contents.

For unforeseen circumstances, I needed to learn how to manipulate people’s minds to make them keep their mouths shut.

This kind of magic puts great strain on the caster’s physical and mental strength, and has various restrictions, so even if I learned it, I wouldn’t be able to use it on hyung, but….

‘I can delay news about my changes from reaching hyung’s ears.’

In other words, I can expand my range of action.

Most importantly, if I learn divine power, I can learn not only mental manipulation but also various special magics derived from divine power.

I opened the book and crammed all the knowledge about divine power into my head.

I had to handle the acquisition myself. Since I didn’t understand it, I tried memorizing it blindly first.

Ding―!

Chapter 1 Special Reward

Turn your knowledge into skill! Perfectly internalize the knowledge you acquire now. (1/1)

The ‘Divine Power’ trait has been added!

‘Perfect.’

Just memorizing it was enough for success.

I caught my breath and smiled.

* * *

After spending the entire night in the library, I heard the faint bell signaling the servants’ wake-up time and got up from my seat. Looking at the clock, it was about time to depart for school.

“Young master.”

Just then, the servant I had seen yesterday came to the library looking for me.

I followed behind the servant who was guiding the way, lost in thought.

I know there’s quite a distance to the school, so roughly three or four days should do it.

I probably won’t be able to use spatial movement tools. Those are items that work on a mage’s core.

Although Luca was born a mage, thanks to hyung’s poison kindly destroying his core every week, he practically can’t do anything that only mages can do. There’s a high probability I’ll be taking a carriage.

After passing through countless corridors and gardens to reach the outermost part of the building I was in, there really was a carriage standing there.

‘As expected.’

Nothing surprises me anymore.

I casually nodded toward the carriage and asked.

“How many days does it usually take to get to the capital?”

“Ah, for me… it took a little less than three days. I haven’t been here long, so I didn’t hear about your case, young master.”

Three days is three days, what’s this about my case being different.

Since I hadn’t expected the servant attending to me to be particularly sharp, I just got into the carriage without responding.

“I’ll see you next vacation, young master. Please take care of yourself.”

The servant who had guided me here bid farewell.

Recalling Luca’s shy personality, I just nodded slightly.

There must be more people attending to me, but aside from the servant who brought me here, there wasn’t a single person who came to see me off.

If hyung’s servants had acted like this when he left, they would have all been fired.

‘Well, they’ll all be replaced by the time I come back anyway, so it doesn’t matter.’

I slammed the carriage window shut and leaned back against the soft backrest.

And the next day, I understood why he had mentioned ‘your case.’

The carriage bearing the family crest passed through other estates without a single inspection and arrived at the outskirts of the capital in just one day.

‘The family name definitely makes things faster.’

I closed the divine power book I had brought from the library yesterday and looked out the window.

The curved main road in the distance was already packed with carriages. It was the start of the school term, and with checkpoints as well, it was even more congested.

‘This will take some time.’

I opened the book again.

The moment I looked up after skimming through the last page, another amazing sight unfolded.

The carriages that hadn’t yet passed the intersection all moved in unison as if they had coordinated, efficiently taking different routes, and the road that had been congested just moments ago was clearing up nicely.

Then, a shrill cry came from a carriage passing by.

“Ah…!”

A young child who had been looking out the window saw me and slammed shut the window inside the carriage.

Along with the question of why they were acting like that, a rational suspicion crossed my mind.

‘It seems like… they’re avoiding me right now?’

The road that was now clearing up began to make sense.

There’s no reason for the Ascanien, a mage family, to use a carriage. They could just use warp magic.

So who else could be riding here?

Obviously me.

“…Hahahaha!”

Once I understood everything, I burst into laughter.

I wasn’t laughing because I felt bad, but because it was so absurd.

‘They’re going this far?’

This is a bit too much. No matter what, it’s not like I’m going to suddenly get out of the carriage and blow up this road to perform a resurrection ritual, so is it really necessary to go this far?

‘…’

Thinking about it this way, from their perspective, it seems quite plausible.

I quickly dismissed the thought and maintained my composure.

Anyway, I already knew that Luca had become a target of avoidance for the entire nation, but experiencing that description firsthand outside the house was on a completely different level from what I had experienced with a few servants.

‘This is exciting.’

When I drag hyung down to my current position while simultaneously rising higher than where hyung is now, how will these people react?

How will hyung react to his completely reversed circumstances?

I closed the window and opened the book.

‘Hmm.’

I’ve now memorized all the magic formulas written here and all the additional information about divine power.

Since I happened to reach my destination early when I had nothing else to do, I have no major complaints about those people.

Ding―!

Are you getting the hang of it? Keep it up like this!

‘Suggestion: Life is up to you! Find something to do.’ 2/3 achieved!

A new notification appeared just then.

I wasn’t surprised since I had roughly anticipated success from when I arrived at the library and received the special reward.

Instead, the fact that this appeared now is worth noting.

‘This appeared right after I finished learning the contents here.’

Doesn’t this mean there were changes beyond the trait I received as a reward?

‘Status window.’

Lucas Rene Ascanien

Title: The Empire’s Greatest Fool

Stamina: -5

Mental Power: -10

Mana: ?

Skill: +0.002 (+0.002)

Impression: -10

Luck: -9.998 (+0.002)

Traits: Dawn777, Divine Power

My skill did increase, though minimally.

It was so minimal that it was surprising.

‘…Well, I expected as much.’

Given that the mental power and impression scores seem quite reasonable, it looks like each category has a 10-point maximum… I can’t expect to get 1 point for free just from reading one book.

I quickly accepted it and dismissed the window.

What was more surprising was that my luck stat had increased. It seemed like interaction between different categories was possible.

“We’ve arrived.”

The coachman opened the carriage door.

In the distance, there was a building that clearly looked like a school, and students in uniforms were walking around the plaza.

I grabbed my bag, got out of the carriage, and looked around at the surrounding shops.

‘Now I have something to do.’

It’s a bit sudden, but with this, I can probably achieve the last item of this ‘suggestion.’

I need to get my hair cut from now on.

I raised my hand and ran it through my hair.

The hair that had been slicked back with wax came down in clumps, covering my eyes and ears. At this length, I couldn’t even guess how long it had been since it was last cut.

Unless father summoned me, even the servants attending to me didn’t make contact with me… so the last time it was cut was probably before enrollment when I met father.

‘The more the servants avoid me, the more clearly I need to speak up, honestly…’

Whatever.

Luca had no choice but to grow up that way, so what could I do about it.

Anyway, I also just came out because time was up while I was in the library, so ultimately I have nothing to say.

Still, if I continue to go around looking like this, I won’t be able to gather any colleagues or anything else, so I need to organize my appearance to look normal.

‘The problem is I don’t know where to cut off the head.’

I stood still and looked around.

The people who had been filling the plaza since the family carriage came into view began to glance around nervously and slip away, and now there were noticeably fewer people, with only three or four visible.

Among them, a student in uniform spotted me, hesitated for a moment, then quickly changed direction and disappeared into an alley.

‘Hmm.’

As always, it’s not particularly annoying.

It doesn’t make me feel bad either.

They’re avoiding Luca, not me, aren’t they?

Still… anyway, right now it does seem a bit annoying. Let’s just say it’s like that this time.

I widened my stride and entered the alley. Then I grabbed the shoulder of someone in uniform.

“Excuse me.”

“Ahhh!”

The owner of the shoulder jumped, then slowly turned their face. From their reaction, they seemed to already know who had grabbed their shoulder.

I relaxed my expression as much as possible and smiled gently.

The other person just stood there with their mouth open, as if they couldn’t believe this situation, then answered in a crawling voice.

“Why, why…?”

“I’d like to ask you something.”

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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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