How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 335

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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 (335)

 

Kwang—!

 

What was that last night from the first timeline that I remember?

 

“Leo.”

 

I clearly remember the door that I had properly closed and locked being blown away by magic. A voice so cracked that even pronouncing those three syllables seemed difficult echoes in my ears. That day was a peaceful day, just one day before the strategy test, and it was the day when Lucas, who never came looking for me after our final daily greetings, rarely burst into my room.

 

“Leo.”

 

Lucas stood holding the door and repeatedly called my name, just as I had once done to him. I should have asked what was wrong at this hour, but seeing his expression, I could only freeze in place. I creakily turned my head and took out the handkerchief I always carried with me as I approached him. The moment I saw his eyes, fragments of what he had experienced flowed into me. Memories of the next day that I shouldn’t have, information about events that shouldn’t have happened crashed down and embedded themselves somewhere. Even though I was clearly here, there had been a time when I sat in front of him, bleeding. The only memory that came to me more clearly was just one—the last moment he had met with me. The emotions I felt seeing Lucas who had come looking for me at the end swept through my entire body. That event that had already happened in some world would soon become my future. My head felt numb and I couldn’t say anything. How much time had passed? Something that sounded as distant as someone else’s voice squeezed out of my mouth.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

There was no answer. I waited, but Lucas spent a long time moving his lips while looking at the air. As if there were answers there, no, like someone who had left something somewhere, his eyes looking at the air were persistent even though they held no more hope. He finally spoke quietly in a hoarse voice without meeting my eyes.

 

“I’m glad you’re alive.”

 

In his memory, I hadn’t died. However, I would have had to spend the rest of my life in Pleroma after losing consciousness, and since I would refuse that, I would die soon enough, so it was natural for him to regard me as dead in the future. But hearing that it was fortunate I was alive when I was the one hearing it made my head feel cold without realizing it. It was absurd. In the memories I had read, Lucas was dying. The incomplete scenes transmitted by sensory organs that could no longer function properly proved that.

 

“That’s what I should be saying, Lucas.”

 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come back together. I’m telling you in advance because I’ll only be going back with you from now on.”

 

“…”

 

I tried to continue speaking but he beat me to it. My heart sank at those words about only going back with me from now on. Right, if Lucas doesn’t attempt his best, the conclusion for my existence is fixed to just one ending—being tortured to death by Pleroma’s hands. Even if the me from that already finished timeline couldn’t be helped, if Lucas hadn’t turned back time in that situation, a me surviving in other timelines wouldn’t exist. Lucas said there was a high possibility that when he turns back time, the previous time would stop as is. He didn’t tell me what basis he had for saying that, but if the previous time really stops immediately when Lucas turns back time, then yes, even in this case, turning back time would naturally be the best choice. I knew that fact too. Lucas apologized of his own accord, but this wasn’t something to blame Lucas for at all, and rather, I owed him my future.

 

However, separate from that painful fact, it was unreasonable that Lucas had to bear all the burden alone. Right now, he was essentially claiming he would take back my artifact.

 

“Why are you deciding that alone? You can think about it after preparing sufficiently like we’ve always done.”

 

“Your answer will always be the same anyway.”

 

“…”

 

Lucas, who had been observing my expression, smiled faintly and spoke in a whisper with a completely drained voice.

 

“This time I turned back time hastily to bring your memories. Even if I can’t preserve memories after the kidnapping, I should at least preserve the time I spent with you after entering this place. After that, I need to go back further while it hasn’t been updated yet and still remains. Only twenty-two times.”

 

What hadn’t been updated and what was only twenty-two times? I wanted to ask, but Lucas seemed to have no time to spare. He seemed to have let slip words he hadn’t intended to say to me.

 

“First, I’m going to cancel the test. It was nice meeting you again, let’s talk in detail next time.”

 

“Lucas, wait!”

 

I got up from my seat to grab his arm, but Lucas warped and escaped from that spot. He warped, where to? I couldn’t believe what I saw and felt like I’d been hit in the head with a hammer.

 

“…”

 

Right. I could understand. The fact that he had seen me and our dead senior with his own eyes and still walked here intact was already miraculous, so I understood that he had shown the maximum consideration he could display in this situation. He was thinking only of saving me, himself, and Albert Mecklenburg right now, so it wasn’t unreasonable that he wanted to move quickly to devise countermeasures.

 

When I opened my eyes the next day, our strategy test had been cancelled. Hearing the notice of indefinite postponement, we stopped by the dormitory again just before deployment. And we fell into the Intermediate Realm.

 

Lucas turned back time before even experiencing everything. Since it wasn’t during the test this time, I was dragged away while wearing the artifact he gave me, so even after turning back time, the memories of the kidnapping remained. I remember the brief conversation I had with him just before starting the meeting with friends. Lucas leaned against the outer wall of the meeting room, cast a soundproofing spell, and spoke while looking at the air.

 

“The mages will go missing today. If stopping the test was wrong, let’s go back to the beginning.”

 

“…”

 

“First, right. Senior Albertina Hohenzollern didn’t fall together with you, Leo.”

 

“…Right. Because you and Senior Mecklenburg interfered with the Intermediate Realm magic, I was able to fall to a strange place together. I fell alone in the middle of enemy territory.”

 

“The memories?”

 

His interest was entirely focused on my memories. Looking down at those cold eyes that had noticeably become tinged with hostility in just one day, I turned my head.

 

“Of course, since you cut it off, it didn’t go to the end. I fought against seven Monsignors of Brandenburg, heard them request support, and then the information was cut off.”

 

“Amazing. You fought seven Monsignors single-handedly?”

 

Well, because I had made full preparations after your regression. Lucas smiled with his eyes even with a face that couldn’t laugh. He was gentle when dealing with me even in this situation. There were such peaceful moments intermittently afterward too. Like a few drops of whiskey left inside a flask, that much peace was allowed to us. With a hair-trigger bomb in front of us, we had no choice but to run forward knowing we would die and have to start again. No, Lucas did that and I could only watch. That made me feel powerless throughout.

 

It was a failure. The mage disappearance incident erupted again, and there was nothing we could prevent. This time we decided to take the test again. Just before the test, Lucas extended his hand to me with no expression. What he was demanding was clear. When I answered with silence instead, Lucas looked into my eyes and slowly opened his mouth.

 

“Right, we decided to be together. But this isn’t it.”

 

“…”

 

“I might not have said this if you had died honorably in battle. But this wasn’t that. What I saw wasn’t like that. Leo, I’m not saying you must always be healthy or that I’ll only be with you when you’re like that, but…”

 

The end of his composed voice trembled slightly. However, his eyes were utterly resolute.

 

“There’s no need to experience unnecessary fatigue.”

 

“Then what about you.”

 

“…”

 

“You seeing death countless times and pushing yourself to the extreme until your senses stop functioning—is that not important because you can just turn back time anyway?”

 

I know. This is unreasonable. Knowing that, I still said such things. At my cold voice, Lucas smiled faintly and answered.

 

“You know better than anyone that it’s not such a simple matter. I have to turn back time no matter what I do. Not only will someone definitely die in a few days, but if we leave this as Pleroma’s victory, I can’t even imagine how uncontrollably chaotic things will become afterward. I can only choose one of four: living in a world without Senior Mecklenburg or you, barely surviving while everyone is irreversibly sick, dying alone, or turning back time, and in a situation with only these kinds of choices, I’ll always turn back time no matter what happens.”

 

“…”

 

“Look, Leo. Being able to change the future by turning back time is the most hopeful choice for me. But not for you. My remaining best choice is your worst choice.”

 

Lucas’s voice now unexpectedly contained laughter. Yet he still spoke with a voice whose end trembled slightly.

 

“You have the right not to remember.”

 

“I won’t exercise that right. You want me to leave you alone in that time? Until now…”

 

“Right. I need to see you living with the same eyes as today, looking straight at the world even the day after the test. That’s my happiness. Can you accept and move on if I say this much?”

 

I didn’t answer. Lucas, who had spoken rapidly while looking straight at me, now lowered his gaze and spoke as if talking to himself.

 

“The end doesn’t happen all at once.”

 

“…”

 

“It happens over a long time. Everything becomes a cornerstone toward the end, from trivial fatigue that you didn’t even know was a fuse to unforgettable memories. Everything ends afterward, in an equally trivial moment. You were just waiting to see the sun but it rained this morning, you had a trivial argument, plans that were nothing but everything went awry, some memory suddenly came to mind…”

 

I unconsciously moved my lips. I intuited that he was talking about something else. Precisely incomplete, floating words didn’t connect with what came before and wandered around decomposed in various places. Lucas was no longer looking at me.

 

“Even if you think you’re okay, that’s something you don’t know until you reach the end of the road. What you experience isn’t simply momentary pain but something that wears down the soul. Why should you have to experience such things?”

 

“…”

 

“If you could not remember, if there was such an opportunity, I hoped that opportunity would be given. I’m not thinking you’ll want what I wanted, but I just hope you won’t come to think the same thoughts as me. I hope you’ll be even a little less tired.”

 

I silently looked at Lucas like that. He seemed to be talking about someone else’s story and also seemed to be talking about his own story. Lucas was blankly spaced out as if possessed by something, then when the 5-minute warning before the test start sounded, he returned his usual eyes and shifted his gaze to me.

 

“I won’t respect your opinion. Give me the artifact. If you don’t, I’ll use divine power to knock you out.”

 

“…How ridiculous. You’re saying that on purpose.”

 

Not respecting my opinion—that was a statement with no credibility at all to hear from him, if not from other friends. He was the person who respected me more than anyone else at the Imperial 2nd Education Institute. Lucas looked at me silently for a long time. Only after several minutes passed did he barely open his mouth.

 

“Right.”

 

Shall I speak honestly?

 

At those words, I momentarily lost confidence in looking at his face. Now he wouldn’t hide his sincerity within the consideration called joking. I wanted that and at the same time lacked the courage to face it. Even so, I didn’t avoid Lucas’s eyes as always. For the first time in my life, I saw his eyes soaked in despair.

 

“I want you not to remember. Please.”

 

* * *

 

I wasn’t someone who could go against his will after seeing such eyes from my friend. His way and my way were different at this moment, but it was clear that he was projecting himself onto me, was afraid of something, and was concerned for my safety.

 

I was chosen again this time…

 

And at the same time, I would not be chosen again.

 

After that, Lucas acted like a madman. He moved from place to place frantically without time to see his face, and whenever he dealt with Albert Mecklenburg, he always stared at him intently. Until Albert Mecklenburg turned his head first with an uncomfortable expression. He continued to turn back time, and turned, and turned again. On the fifth day of failure, after reading his memories of having one arm blown off and extracting information from Brandenburg, I thought I couldn’t leave him alone anymore. And coincidentally, from the moment I decided not to hand over the earring to him, he disappeared from my sight. Right, for the week just before this, he had intentionally avoided me. He took leave with lame excuses and arbitrarily skipped every deployment. Twenty-two times, I repeated in my head the words he had blurted out when he was frantic, and each time my blood dried up.

 

Kuwong—

 

—Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.

 

Divine power released the tension that had stiffened my entire body. A vague belief that rest would soon come dominated my mind. The hazy consciousness receded and what was in front of my eyes began to appear clearly.

 

“These eyes are hard to see.”

 

Nicolaus’s blue eyes flash as they receive the light of divine power burning from below. Those lips were finally curved gently with liberation and satisfaction. Now there was no desire in those eyes. As soon as I saw those irises that were particularly bright inside, the dozen times he had turned back flashed through my mind like film in a projector closing with a sharp sound. Twenty-two times, seventeen times… For some reason, I felt my consciousness becoming distant and let out a faint laugh. He had spent days and nights in this place. The opportunity for recovery he mentioned would now be exhausted. I could see his neck and shirt soaked in blood. He had looked like this for all the past several days, and today was the same. There wasn’t a single intact place. I wanted to ask what would make blood flow from his ears, whether he could hear sounds. Lucas untied and threw away the cloth that had been placed in my mouth and tied behind my head. My tongue, which had been pressed down, had already stiffened long ago and wouldn’t move as I wanted. No, I thought so, but my mouth moved on its own and spat out crooked words.

 

“Satisfied?”

 

“…”

 

Lucas was momentarily surprised and opened his mouth silently. His gaze was fixed on my eyes. Soon he smiled with a bitter face.

 

“Why are you crying? It’s a happy day.”

 

“Well, I’m angry at myself.”

 

If I had been a little stronger, this wouldn’t have happened. But there’s no way that would be possible against dozens or hundreds of Pleroma without divine power. Without magic close to God, magic with purifying properties that interferes with soul-mind. To compensate for insufficient magical power and aggression, all I have is technique and effort. I know how useless and irrational it is to blame myself for things that don’t change. I clearly know, but having to watch my friend suffer because of that was hell. When my inadequacy was a problem limited only to me as an individual, it no longer gave me any frustration, but the fact that my friend suffered countless times because of it—nothing else but only that tormented me.

 

Even if I had received the artifact from him and lived through all that time together, the fact that Lucas had to turn back time this much and experience all those deaths doesn’t change. So this wasn’t a matter of the artifact anymore. The desire to question him about why he did that definitely stirred, but that was secondary.

 

Lucas, who had been looking down at me with surprised eyes, answered quietly.

 

“Me too.”

 

“…”

 

“But the side that caused this mess is the other side, so why should we feel guilty? Anyway, we ultimately succeeded in creating this world. That’s all we need to think about now.”

 

Lucas smiled peacefully. And he pointed to my hands tied behind my back.

 

“Should I remove the restraints?”

 

“Otherwise you’ll leave without removing them?”

 

“I’m wondering what to do since my wrist that you made sleepy still hurts.”

 

“…”

 

That’s nonsense. Attacks received in Mimesis disappear as they are. When I narrowed my eyes with that meaning, Lucas laughed as if he understood and searched the clothes of the fallen Pleroma. He lightly threw something like a magnet upward and approached.

 

“Other Pleroma also carried this in their jacket inner pockets before, the methods are similar. You came to rescue me then, remember?”

 

“December last year, I think.”

 

“I figured. The situation’s reversed from back then… I always had to hear this, so I wanted to say it once myself.”

 

What are you talking about? I looked up at him with my eyes still narrowed.

 

Clang—

 

The sound of restraints falling echoed. Lucas cleared his throat and said with a mischievous smile.

 

“Let’s go back.”

 

* * *

 

“A present for Luca~!”

 

As I lay on the infirmary bed just blinking my eyes, Elias tore a newspaper in half and threw it into the air. Gray paper fluttered around before falling onto the bed and floor. I bolted upright, snatching the paper that was about to fall on my face.

 

“What the hell are you doing?”

 

“It flies better when you tear it.”

 

“Are you kidding me…”

 

After finishing the procedures, I had slept for a full day, and now it was 12 hours after that. Everything had been wrapped up. I pieced the newspaper together and read the text.

 

[199 Priests of Pleroma Archdiocese of Brandenburg Captured Alive]

 

[Pleroma Archdiocese of Brandenburg-Hamburg Archdiocese-Moelitz Diocese: 2 Bishops Killed, 13 Captured Alive… Disposition Under Discussion]

 

[German Empire Special Operations Command Annihates Archdiocese of Brandenburg]

 

“Annihilates? They’re calling it that?”

 

“Hahahaha!”

 

At my lukewarm reaction, Elias crossed his arms, sat down, and burst into laughter. I read the entire front page of the newspaper, unnecessarily decorated as if we’d won some great battle, then lay back down.

 

It was really over. The time I’d spent there now felt like a lie. Even the smell of blood felt distant now. All my friends except me were walking around energetically without being hospitalized, and just looking at Elias now was proof enough. Narke had been called away when the portal opened regarding the missing castle matter and hadn’t returned yet.

 

Now the problem was Leo. After I woke up, he had looked at my face silently, then left without even greeting me and hadn’t come back. I wasn’t unaware of the reason. The moment he saw me, he would have read all the time I’d experienced. I already knew well that I couldn’t hide the time I’d been through from him even if I tried. Moreover… in this timeline, I had avoided him the entire time, so even if he had memories of the previous timeline, he had every right to be angry. I felt my chest tighten as I asked.

 

“Eli. Where’s Leo?”

 

“There’s actually a day when you ask where Leo is. Pay attention to me right in front of you too~”

 

“I am paying attention. By cleaning up the newspaper.”

 

“Ah~ this shouldn’t go in this direction.”

 

Elias chuckled lightly, then moved closer to me and said seriously.

 

“Luca, listen carefully. Leo said he’s pissed off and won’t come.”

 

Creak—

 

“What are you talking about.”

 

That wasn’t what I said. I turned my head toward the open door. Leo, who had said that and entered, didn’t greet me even though our eyes met. He was unusually wearing a short-sleeved shirt, with bandages wrapped around his forearm as if he’d been injured. He approached with a calmer face than usual, sat down, and said quietly.

 

“How are you? How do you feel?”

 

“…”

 

I bit my lip slightly.

 

‘This is already overwhelming.’

 

To be honest, I’m suffocating. At that rescue site, he couldn’t have rattled off all his thoughts and feelings, but now was different. It was definitely time for him to question me about everything. I opened my mouth to say something, closed it, then opened it again.

 

“You hurt your arm.”

 

“Huh? Oh, yeah.”

 

Leo answered blandly and smiled faintly. Neither he nor Elias said anything more, so I was about to give up on speaking too, but then I felt like this atmosphere would freeze beyond control, so I looked Leo over from head to toe, trying to find an appropriate topic to divert attention.

 

“Um, where’s the artifact from your ear?”

 

“Which one.”

 

“The one I gave you.”

 

“…Oh~”

 

Elias exclaimed with strangely narrowed eyes. Leo didn’t answer. Instead, he just shrugged his shoulders with his arms crossed and stared at me intently.

 

“…”

 

For some reason, I instinctively felt a strange uneasiness. I slowly reached out my hand, knowing full well that I was thinking crazy thoughts. Leo moved along as I turned his head. There really was only a pierced mark in his ear, no artifact. I grabbed his collar to check if he was wearing a necklace or something. Of course there wasn’t one.

 

My thoughts began jumping in other directions. I only now realized that Leo wearing a short-sleeved shirt unsuitable for the season, and beyond that, him entering here wearing only a shirt when he always made sure to wear a jacket, was quite strange behavior. Surely not, it couldn’t be, but surely…

 

Grab—

 

I grabbed the bandage on his forearm. Only then did Leo chuckle and say.

 

“It hurts.”

 

The impossible had happened. I stared blankly at his face and shook my head.

 

“…You’re really crazy.”

 

“More than you?”

 

“I…”

 

“How many times did you do it.”

 

I was completely speechless. A hollow laugh escaped through my lips. I could feel Elias, who didn’t understand what he meant, finally looking at Leo with a puzzled expression. Only then did Leo smile with his characteristic bitter grin and say.

 

“There’s no way to back out now, is there? Unless you cut my arm with a knife.”

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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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