How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 342

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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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To be honest, this is absolutely absurd. How could it not be?

 

“Hey! Lucas! Wait a minute!”

 

‘Stop chasing me, please!’

 

Abandon the oath. Abandon the school. This is why I decided on expulsion rather than withdrawal. I won’t go to submit a withdrawal form. I’ll just get myself kicked out. Even while running at full speed, the students following behind were shouting at the top of their lungs, calling my name.

 

“Lucas! Hey!”

 

“Do you even know me?! Since when have you been watching!”

 

“What?!”

 

Fine. They’ll understand, I suppose. I don’t know them and they don’t know me, but they know me. Whatever scheme the system has pulled, I can’t help but know this much.

 

“Lucas, wait! You’re the student council president, where are you trying to go right now? Without you, our school will…”

 

“Run perfectly fine. I’m confident it’ll run better than when I was here.”

 

“What did you say!”

 

I sighed at those words and turned around, pushing off the ground with my foot. The students who had been running like mad suddenly stopped in surprise. If it were me, I would have taken this opportunity to knock them down, but seeing that they didn’t, these kids are truly good-natured. I slowly nodded and spread my hands to reassure them.

 

“Trust what I’m saying. You can do well. You understand? You’ve been truly wonderful friends and excellent students to me.”

 

“So, so what?”

 

“Live well among yourselves. I’m leaving!”

 

As I kicked off the ground and bolted, sand dust flew backward.

 

“Lucas! No! Someone use magic to catch him!”

 

“How can we use it on him?! Would it even work?”

 

“Hey, Lucas! What about the aftermath, running away like this!”

 

“Ah, I don’t know either! Tell them to expel me!”

 

“You’re supposed to get a recommendation letter and go to Imperial 1st Education Institute! You need to go to university!”

 

“I’m not going!”

 

Shouting like that, as soon as I turned the corner, a dead end appeared before me. A wall. I channeled mana into my legs and leaped. I’d only done school wall-climbing three or four times during filming, never in real life, but now the system was making me do such things.

 

Thud—

 

I brushed off the sand in my hands and got up, hearing the panicked voices of students from beyond the wall. Only now did I confirm the scene spread before my eyes. Streets that were somewhat run-down yet much more bustling than old Anhalt, red roofs and bright blue sky. I could see the downtown of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

 

I’m sorry to those friends I’m seeing for the first time, but now that it’s come to this, I can’t stay in Strelitz.

 

‘Hmm, good.’

 

I escaped. I did escape, but…

 

The problem is, I don’t have much experience visiting north-central Germany, and I’ve never even been to the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. I took a deep breath and snapped my fingers, reciting the warp coordinates for Berlin. Strangely, I didn’t move.

 

‘Why not.’

 

Magic is working though?

 

Is this also the system’s scheme? Still, train stations all look pretty similar. I exhaled briefly and ran toward a building that looked like a train station. After sliding into it, I poured out words to the elderly ticket clerk sitting in front of the brick counter.

 

“Hello. Standing room is fine, so I’d like to get the fastest ticket available. What time does the fastest remaining train depart…”

 

“Oh, Student Lucas?”

 

“…”

 

Why do you know me? I had such an impudent thought while looking down at the grandfather I was seeing for the first time. The ticket clerk asked with a puzzled expression.

 

“What brings you here? Isn’t His Highness the Crown Prince coming to tour our country today?”

 

“He probably is. More importantly, could I know what time trains are still available? It’s urgent.”

 

“Hehe, why a train in this situation? More than that, the welcome speech you read to me yesterday still really sticks in my memory. Ah, sunset of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, like the sun’s grace that colors those vast wheat fields… I don’t know much about writing, but didn’t I say the atmosphere was too much like Musset? Musset in a welcome speech! You must have revised it by adding the Baltic Sea as I recommended, right?”

 

“…Did I do that yesterday… That romanticist probably wasn’t me.”

 

“Hehehe!”

 

“I’m being serious right now. So what’s the fastest train time?”

 

“Right. Let’s hurry to school!”

 

I smiled and nodded. Walking out normally like that, I ran at full speed again.

 

The Lucas of this world seems to be quite a sociable person. Student council president and also friendly with the train station ticket clerk? At this rate, he’ll know everyone in the neighborhood.

 

“Lucas?!”

 

‘Damn it…’

 

The moment I thought he’d know everyone in the neighborhood, a gentleman in parliamentary uniform burst out calling my name. You know me too? Oh, how wonderful. Just as I jumped to the side to avoid him, the gentleman used his cane as a staff and pushed me with mana.

 

“You need to go to school!”

 

“Who are you again.”

 

“What kind of talk is that to your father? There’s no time for games.”

 

“Wait a minute. You’re what?”

 

I now have three fathers, is that okay? At that moment, a hazy shadow rippled at my feet as if the sun had been blocked by a curtain, and mana struck my head. I swung my arm backward and released mana, but I was late by a hair’s breadth. The stone pavement rushed toward my face.

 

* * *

 

I touched my chin with a bandage on it. I got scraped when I fell to the ground. I must have been unconsciously pouting because ‘father’ slapped my mouth with his hand.

 

“What.”

 

“Why is this kid acting like this today? You absolutely must meet His Highness the Crown Prince today. Our Muller family has received much favor from the Mecklenburg-Strelitz ducal house, so you must definitely catch his eye.”

 

“Why should I.”

 

“Huh.”

 

That Crown Prince isn’t the guy I know, is he? Catch his eye? He should be the one catching my eye.

 

Having gained some composure to check, my eyes were blue. Also, I’m 18 years old, and today is the day when the guy called Crown Prince comes to experience the school in the region he rules. Strangely, while they dropped me at school, my bag was full of things needed for going to Bavaria. This time there was plenty of money, frighteningly so, and all sorts of artifacts and elixirs poured out from inside. As if telling me to definitely go to Munich-Freising.

 

‘Right. I understand well that you want me to preview Munich-Freising. But why did you drop me in northern Germany? I can’t even escape now.’

 

And lastly, my name is Lucas Muller. There’s no other information besides these things. I was holding my face when I asked.

 

“How old are you?”

 

“You don’t even know your father’s age? I turned 56 this year too.”

 

56 years old… He’s older than my human father. His apparent age is at most mid-to-late forties, but seeing there’s some difference, he’s definitely an esper. Since the emergence of espers, even 19th-century humans prefer to remove beards, so it’s hard to distinguish by that. Yet seeing the difference between apparent age and actual age is less than Ascanien father’s, his mana probably isn’t that good. I don’t know how old Albert Mecklenburg is, but the Lucas here has never properly met him before.

 

Good. I’ve concluded that the Muller family I currently belong to is probably lower nobility of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

 

“I’ll go to the bathroom for a moment.”

 

“Yes, you need to come back quickly.”

 

“Yes.”

 

I said that and calmly closed the door. And naturally, I ran at full speed again.

 

‘This damn system won’t allow warping?’

 

Fine, let’s see how far I can go. Running like hell will do the job.

 

So I ran like hell and had a chase for about 20 minutes before getting caught again. ‘Father’ grabbed my scruff and shook me.

 

“I can’t live because of you! Now His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived! I never expected that you, who used to listen well, would make things difficult for me like this today. Really, a child who knows how to respect adults and take responsibility for assigned tasks, why today of all days…”

 

“Hah…”

 

“Right, Lucas. Just pass through this door and he’s inside. Everyone’s waiting for you…!”

 

A high school student I’d never seen before acted extremely familiar with me. I stared at the old auditorium door covered in leather and sighed.

 

‘Berlin might be possible, but escaping from here won’t work.’

 

I might have known deep down. I just didn’t want to believe reality because of that thought, since I couldn’t waste time in a place like this. I need to go raid Munich-Freising as a test right now! Of course, not even 5 minutes have passed outside, but where do I have the mental leisure to be living school life right now?

 

Then the student handed me two files.

 

“Here, this is the oath and the speech you prepared.”

 

“That Musset speech, I suppose.”

 

“Musset? Uh, well…”

 

“Thanks for taking care of it. I’ll do well and come back.”

 

I smiled and tilted my head. It was better to comply while watching for opportunities. Taking a deep breath and opening the door, I saw numerous students sitting in their seats and several politicians sitting on the platform.

 

And a familiar face. I can see Albert Mecklenburg, looking somewhat young. The moment our eyes met, the smile disappeared from Albert Mecklenburg’s face. Understanding what that meant, I muttered curses inwardly and stood before him with a smile.

 

“Your Highness Crown Prince Albert Mecklenburg, it’s an honor to meet you.”

 

He quickly pulled up his tightly closed mouth, so I immediately turned around to face the students and spoke.

 

“Good morning. The weather is also bright to commemorate His Highness the Crown Prince’s visit to Mecklenburg-Strelitz National Magic School.”

 

The teachers chuckled at the jest. The students didn’t particularly laugh, which alone shows how boring this occasion is. Nevertheless, I maintained my smile and spoke loudly.

 

“First, let’s start with the oath.”

 

At my words, the students rose from their seats. There’s not even a moderating teacher, so I’ll just do it the way I’ve seen, heard, and spoken in the 21st century.

 

“Oath!”

 

At my shout, the students raised their hands. I scanned the words written in the oath and observed the students’ faces as I spoke.

 

“Student representative Lucas Muller and 103 others of Mecklenburg-Strelitz National Magic School solemnly swear to consistently devote ourselves to learning for the development of the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, and to have respect for all those who work for Mecklenburg-Strelitz. September 12, 1891, Student Representative Lucas Muller.”

 

Talking about respect and such… Why put even this kind of thing in an oath? I can definitely feel that senior from the ruling family personally traveled from Imperial 2nd Education Institute to this rural magic school and had such an oath written.

 

“Now, I suppose I should give a welcome speech. Probably. I’m grateful to have speaking rights before the principal.”

 

I glanced at my—the other Lucas’s—speech placed on the back page of the oath. It was full of sentimental phrases about sunset over wheat fields and such, so it didn’t take long to close the booklet. I looked around the audience and improvised.

 

“This is a monumental day. His Highness Crown Prince Albert Mecklenburg and administrative officials from the Grand Duchy’s Ministry of Internal Affairs have visited our Mecklenburg-Strelitz National Magic School. We all know well that this school operates smoothly thanks to the constant efforts of the Strelitz Ministry of Internal Affairs and our school’s teaching staff. Don’t we?”

 

A reasonable response came from the students, so I immediately continued speaking.

 

“Also, today we have the exceptional honor of a visit from His Highness the Crown Prince of Strelitz. His Highness Crown Prince Albert Mecklenburg has achieved excellent results at the Imperial 2nd Education Institute in Berlin and is famous for his noble character, always serving as a role model for us Mecklenburg-Strelitz students. Now that we have the opportunity to meet him directly, I believe you all share the same joy as I do. Please give a big round of applause for today’s distinguished guests.”

 

Thunderous applause filled the auditorium. Then a teacher glanced around and advised me.

 

“Well, today student Lucas Muller is scheduled to have a direct interview with His Highness the Crown Prince and take charge of guiding him around the school. For a week starting today.”

 

It seems they had prepared the welcome speech text in advance to bring this up. As I nodded halfheartedly, Mecklenburg spoke up from behind.

 

“I’m pleased to meet the student representative like this. I’ve heard of student Lucas Muller’s reputation even in Berlin. That you’re someone who brings honor to Mecklenburg-Strelitz.”

 

“Thank you for your words. It’s thanks to the generous support that the Strelitz Principality has provided for learning and magic. And, I have something to say.”

 

“Please speak.”

 

I turned my head to look at the faculty.

 

“I will be withdrawing from school starting today.”

 

“…”

 

The audience fell silent as if cold water had been poured over them. The eyes of teachers and students widened. Actually, their mouths did too. Even in this burdensome scene, there was only peace in my heart. Naturally, the purpose of declaring withdrawal wasn’t actually to withdraw. When I’m even serving as student representative and am supposedly a student who brings honor to this principality, would such a reckless claim work? Though it might sound like words thrown out randomly, since they were at least thoroughly calculated words, it was time to observe the situation.

 

“…Hahahaha!”

 

Albert Mecklenburg, who had been staring at me blankly, burst into cheerful laughter and spoke firmly.

 

“I refuse to allow it.”

 

* * *

 

I had to avoid the time spent facing Albert Mecklenburg. In the current situation, being caught by teachers and father rather than Albert Mecklenburg was the best route, and from my assessment, the only possibility for that route lay in declaring withdrawal. However, even that was only ‘possible,’ not ‘likely,’ so now it had gone wrong.

 

‘Hmm.’

 

These noble bastards, especially those from ruling families, should watch their mouths. They think their ‘refusal’ works everywhere. Though it did work, so I have nothing to say, but it’s perfect for raising them to be self-centered.

 

Either way, it seems I’ve fulfilled ‘father’s’ request. I caught Mecklenburg’s eye. Mecklenburg, sitting properly in the school reception room, smiled with his eyes when he saw me. I smiled the same way and greeted him.

 

“Senior, you’ve been constantly annoying from before.”

 

“Senior, you say.”

 

Mecklenburg crossed his arms and fell into thought, then smiled and said.

 

“Lucas, honestly speaking, I don’t like being called senior by someone my age. I don’t know what you’re thinking, but how about we drop the formalities and become friends from now on?”

 

Right, this pretending to be nice, it’s been a while. At least for me. He maintained a gentle smile and continued speaking.

 

“Are you worried about your earlier statement? You don’t need to worry much about such a minor commotion. No harm will come to the Muller family. I heard you’ve been having a hard time with academic stress. Actually, I sometimes want to quit school too, so we have this in common. Right?”

 

I only glanced at the seat he was pointing to and said.

 

“It’s quite curious how I managed to remove your mask. Sorry, but I need to go.”

 

“That won’t do.”

 

Mecklenburg put on a deliberately serious expression and continued.

 

“I said I came to check how the magic school in the country I’ll rule is operated. Wasn’t it arranged for you, as student representative, to take charge of the guidance? Moreover, you’re a student who’s received outstanding evaluations in our principality, so I need time to converse with a talent like you.”

 

“This is exactly why I said I’d withdraw, knowing I’d be held up like this.”

 

Because the time spent being held in this place would likely be longer than the time spent dealing with the withdrawal commotion.

 

“And I said I refuse to allow it.”

 

Mecklenburg leaned forward and spoke quietly.

 

“I’m really curious why you resemble my friend in Berlin.”

 

“…”

 

“Baron Müller doesn’t resemble you at all, and I haven’t heard of anyone in the Muller family who resembles Ascanien… When I found you strange somewhere, I asked the Interior Minister, and he said you were originally famous for resembling Ascanien. Is my memory wrong? Or am I the only one seeing the truth when everyone’s been collectively brainwashed since this morning?”

 

This must be the main point. This is why I said ‘the time spent being held in this place would be longer.’ Even though I predicted that the withdrawal declaration would cause a stir and take a certain amount of time, the reason I blatantly made the reckless withdrawal declaration was because of this. Earlier, he stiffened as soon as he saw me, and the reason was obvious. I looked into Mecklenburg’s eyes. Those eyes that see someone else overlapping with me, not me, are the same whether at 25 or 18. A desire to recover self-esteem from me subtly showed through. Since this would be a time when he’s being trampled on in real-time by his friend Ascanien, it’s understandable.

 

Actually, I don’t know what created this world. I don’t know why this world throws me into different eras each time. The system might want something, or perhaps having this ability itself already has sufficient meaning. However, what’s certain is that, seeing how the system didn’t send me directly to Munich-Freising but sent me here, and how all my attempts to save time have been thwarted so far, I ultimately need to build a relationship with Mecklenburg. Since this is Mecklenburg’s extra chapter, it’s natural that I should bring him into my sphere of influence.

 

However, I have no intention of speaking outright about what I must have and ruining things. I looked down at him and muttered.

 

“I don’t know how to explain that I happen to look similar to your friend, but if it made you uncomfortable, there’s one solution. I’m going to Munich. I won’t be in your sight for a while, so let me withdraw.”

 

“I don’t know why you want to go to Munich, but no. You’re a valuable asset of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, so what would happen if you disappeared? Even aside from that, withdrawal would be extremely difficult in principle, and as an enrolled student you wouldn’t be able to warp to another country, so I’m curious why you’re trying to go to Bavaria.”

 

As Mecklenburg said “you wouldn’t be able to warp,” he pointed at my hand. As I was looking at my hand, he made a gesture of rolling up his sleeve.

 

“…”

 

I looked at the thin metal stuck to the middle of my arm like my own skin. Even when I pulled at it, it wouldn’t come off, probably enchanted with magic.

 

‘Aha…’

 

I cursed the system for nothing. Right, now I understand the situation. This was a device that prevented warping. These ruling family bastards advance to Berlin to study, yet they want to keep regional noble students tied to their areas somehow? Mages are also property, is that it? Mecklenburg, who had been observing me, asked gently.

 

“You would have signed a contract and received this when entering the national magic school, so why are you acting like this now?”

 

I’m also a student at the Imperial 2nd Education Institute like you, so I didn’t know. What would he understand if I told him the truth?

 

Anyway, the fact that they do this here means that national magic schools in each country have similar systems.

 

And if I just remove this, I can warp directly to the Bavarian border. The beginning of reducing the possibility of dying uselessly in the Munich-Freising Diocese was here. Mecklenburg probably doesn’t have the tool to remove this right now, but I can definitely deduce that he has the authority to handle it. I could see that Mecklenburg’s eyes, which had been showing a smile from the start, were changing to a slightly different light. Now that he knew what I wanted, was he thinking he had caught my weakness? If it was him as I’d seen him, that possibility would be high.

 

Then, I need to make this bastard want to go to Munich with me himself. It would be nice to have a colleague or so. I looked at Mecklenburg’s smile and smiled the same way.

 

“That’s right.”

 

“…”

 

“I shouldn’t try to withdraw. Please take care of me for the next few days.”

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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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