How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 343
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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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Mecklenburg took the hand that Lucas Muller extended. Lucas Muller had a refreshed expression on his face even after hearing that withdrawal was impossible, but Mecklenburg couldn’t understand the reason no matter how much he thought about it. ‘With a face resembling Adrian Ascanien, just looking at all those bandages stuck all over that face made him seem imprudent.’
After talking with him directly, he became certain that this was a person completely lacking in dignity or prudence. The two of them left the reception room and looked around the campus that had been renovated from a church. Just as he was about to ask for a school tour, Lucas looked up at the spire of the main building with a satisfied expression and said.
“Actually, Albert.”
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know the school layout.”
Mecklenburg subtly frowned while raising the corners of his mouth. What did he just hear? What was this friend who had attended this school for a good five years saying right now? Where had he left his brain?
Lucas stood there, crossed his arms, and looked around. Then he pointed at the student who had been sitting alone in the front row during the oath ceremony earlier—the one wearing a student council badge conspicuously by himself.
“Hey there!”
“Me?”
“Yes. You’re the vice president, right? I need to give His Highness the Crown Prince a school tour, but I don’t think I can guide him to his satisfaction. Could I ask you to do it?”
“M-me, me, me?!”
“Yes, you. How many times do I have to say it.”
What? He’s going to dump me on another friend right now? Mecklenburg looked back and forth between the two in confusion for a moment, then grabbed Lucas’s shoulder.
“Wait a minute. You were supposed to handle the school tour, Lucas…”
“Perfect! Hey! I’m so grateful, what should I do? I’ll be going now, so I’ll see you later in the classroom.”
Lucas quickly grabbed the vice president’s shoulder and glared at him. Did he think that wouldn’t be visible? Mecklenburg, who had witnessed all that intimidation, stood there dumbfounded with his mouth agape. Until Lucas swiftly escaped from the scene. Only the vice president was left behind, pitifully reaching out his hand toward him.
“Huh? No…!”
* * *
“How can you come in only after class has started?”
Lucas Muller entered the classroom empty-handed, having left his suitcase somewhere. It was 20 minutes after class had started, and whatever troubles he had gone through in the meantime, his hair was disheveled as if it had been thoroughly ruffled. He swept back the hair that had fallen forward with his hand, quickly scanned the anxious expressions of the students in the classroom, and politely apologized to the teacher.
“I’m sorry. I got lost.”
“…”
Got lost? This is your school. Mecklenburg was dumbfounded again and let out a hollow laugh. The teacher happened to voice the exact same sentiment.
“Got lost? It’s not like you’ve only been attending this school for a day or two… And I heard you dumped His Highness the Crown Prince’s school tour on another friend…”
The teacher, who had been frowning as if recalling the withdrawal declaration, sighed and continued.
“Come see me after homeroom. Hurry up and take your seat.”
“Yes.”
Lucas sat down with a proper smile.
The classroom should have been sufficiently noisy with Mecklenburg’s appearance. Earlier, before class started, it actually was. All the students from prestigious noble families in this region had gathered around Mecklenburg’s newly assigned seat. However, the situation changed when the protagonist of the withdrawal commotion appeared.
When one class period ended, the class students flocked to Lucas’s seat. A student with a serious expression put his hand on Lucas’s desk and looked down at him. Other students also gathered around, creating a scene that looked quite burdensome. Lucas seemed a bit flustered as if he hadn’t expected this either.
“Lucas. Is it true that you want to withdraw?”
“What are you thinking, Lucas? What happened that made you say such a thing in that situation?”
“Yeah, what happened? Tell us.”
Lucas looked at their worried faces and the students who were on the verge of tears, and forced out a voice that wouldn’t come.
“Guys. Well, actually…”
Since his voice cracked a little, Mecklenburg was surprised without realizing it. The students seemed to feel the same way as they exchanged serious glances.
“Uh. Actually what?”
“Nothing happened at all.”
“…”
Silence flowed as if someone had suddenly cut off all sound. Before they could even feel bewildered, ear-piercing exclamations poured out from all directions.
“Hey!”
“Ahhhhh! Ah, I’m really getting stressed because of this guy!”
“Hahaha! Guys, why would I withdraw! Right?”
“Are you crazy…”
“You just said that in that situation? Really?”
The students laughed and patted Lucas on the back. Setting aside whether this was something to laugh about so much, how frivolous. He had some idea from seeing him in the student council president position, but still.
Mecklenburg looked around at the faces of the students in this class. For some reason, Lucas was also observing the students, and he smiled at the other students sitting in their seats giggling together, then turned his eyes away. When Lucas finally saw the group who had stiffened their faces and unnaturally fixed their gazes on their books, a flicker of empathy for them crossed his face.
‘…Hmm?’
Mecklenburg narrowed his eyes. He’s empathizing with students who view him frivolously? Why? Was that joke just now deliberately said, or was what I read in those eyes my mistake? Lucas laughed appropriately, then when the students’ chatter died down, he erased his smile and spoke calmly.
“To tell the truth, my condition has been really bad lately. It’s true that I wanted to rest for a while, but that wasn’t something I should have done. I’m really sorry for saying such things in a position representing the school.”
“Oh, it’s okay~ It was just fun. Did you see the teachers’ faces? It felt so refreshing.”
A playful response came from someone who didn’t understand Lucas’s intention and continued joking around. It seemed he tried to end seriously even though he had resolved it with laughter, but it wasn’t entirely a laughing matter either. Too bad. He shouldn’t have acted foolishly from the beginning then. Mecklenburg evaluated it that way and turned his head.
He expected an answer brushed off with laughter, but unexpectedly Lucas’s dry voice was heard.
“No. I didn’t see them, so I should go apologize properly. Before that.”
Only now understanding his meaning, the students’ laughter decreased a little. Lucas suddenly stood up from his seat and asked his friends.
“Before that, guys. Am I acting strange today?”
“No. Not today, you were always like that.”
“Did you… just realize now?”
“…”
Lucas didn’t answer. He must have answered with actions instead. Why ask if he’s acting strange today? Mecklenburg focused entirely on Lucas even while flipping through the school operation inspection records he had received from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. As he was lost in thought with his mind wandering until the black letters printed on the paper moved on their own, long fingers tapped his shoulder.
“Albert.”
It was Lucas. Mecklenburg showed an appropriate smile and answered.
“…What is it?”
“Won’t you come to the faculty office with me?”
“I hope you go apologize by yourself, Lucas.”
“You’re quick to catch on. I’m going.”
That was all the conversation for that day. No, there were a couple more times. Mecklenburg asked this after several hours had passed.
“Lucas. Could you show me to the science lab?”
“Sorry. I don’t know where the science lab is.”
Unable to accept those words immediately, Mecklenburg stood still for a long time before finally cracking his smile. Then Lucas laughed lightly and said as if explaining.
“Sorry, but I really don’t know. When you find out, could you let me know too?”
Naturally, Mecklenburg didn’t tell him the location of the science lab. How could someone not know the location of their own school’s science lab after attending for years? He really was a worthless person.
However, it bothered him that he had a face exactly like Adrian Ascanien for some reason, and it left an uneasy feeling that he was the top student in the school, and beyond that, the best student in the Mecklenburg-Strelitz Principality. That meant he would soon graduate from high school and advance to the Imperial 1st Education Institute, and would quickly be attending together with Adrian Ascanien and Mecklenburg himself. Since we had become high school seniors, that would be soon too. It wasn’t just meeting for this one week, but we would be together for years to come, and perhaps that Lucas Muller would become Mecklenburg’s own competitor during the Imperial Mage Association selection as well.
If he were to lose to that face again then.
Mecklenburg burst into laughter at the ridiculous thought that suddenly occurred to him. His fork fell onto the plate. The satisfying taste of meat from the dinner that had just occupied every taste bud now felt like the taste of a cold, congealed lump of fat. The student sitting next to him eating looked at his complexion with concern and asked.
“Your Highness, is something wrong?”
“No.”
Even though they were at the same school, the noble children didn’t speak casually to Mecklenburg. Mecklenburg looked at the student council president who was fooling around frivolously at the table across from him. When had the student council president spouted all that nonsense about withdrawing and going to Munich, yet he seemed to have completely forgotten about it as he was busy reciting Rimbaud’s poetry backwards. He had clearly been bothered by the restraint device fitted on his wrist, but he must know that with one word from me, he could remove it and secretly try going to Munich…
Just disappearing to Munich wouldn’t be bad either. Going and not coming back would certainly be a fine thing too.
Mecklenburg stared at him for a long time before getting up from his seat. He had no interest in the dripping meat and the red wine that had already changed flavor.
It was the third day. Mecklenburg and Lucas had different social circles. Actually, it wasn’t really an atmosphere where students formed distinct groups, but they certainly didn’t naturally associate with each other, and the reason was clear. Lucas mingled with various students but hung out more often with students like himself, while Mecklenburg mainly associated with wealthy children who had particularly good financial resources among the nobles. Children bold enough to approach this country’s Crown Prince were generally of that type. The children who came to Mecklenburg were only friends who talked about politics and economics all day trying to find profitable angles somehow, and friends trying to build connections.
“Ah, I can’t run anymore.”
“Ugh…”
It was the day for measuring physical fitness for the new semester. Irritated voices could be heard from the athletic field, gradually getting farther away. Then getting closer again and farther away. Several students returned to their spots trudging along, and the PE teacher recorded their long-distance running results. Now, two weeks since the new semester—the reason for timing the measurement with Mecklenburg’s visit day was probably to advertise how excellent the physical fitness of this school’s students was. But Mecklenburg’s gaze wasn’t on the PE teacher who kept glancing at him. Lucas, who ran with a peaceful expression as if exerting no effort at all, continued circling the track until only four or five students remained. Meanwhile, one student returned to his spot with a pale face. How many times had he repeated it? A sharp whistle sound cut through the wind and spread out. The PE teacher called the student council president’s name.
“Stop! First place, Lucas Muller!”
First place—at those words, cheers erupted from the seats. Lucas grinned triumphantly, then took off his training uniform and wrapped it around his arm, making it flutter as he ran over. When he got up from his seat and winked at the students who were whistling loudly, the teacher made the students sit down and warned him too.
“Don’t do strange ceremonies.”
“I’ll try my best.”
At his cheeky answer delivered with a smile, the teacher smiled and opened the record sheet. That smile looked frivolous no matter how you looked at it. But he knew. That guy was also the same type as Adrian Ascanien. All his smiles, words, and actions moved with a unique charm that captivated everyone’s attention. As if that were his inherent ability.
First place, first place, first place… How delightful. If Mecklenburg had also participated in this measurement, Lucas might have been pushed to second place. However, it was certain that he was definitely a student who could compete without any inferiority even compared to students in the magic department of the Imperial 2nd Education Institute. The anxiety arising from that thought made his stomach churn. Mecklenburg watched Lucas as he adjusted his t-shirt and put his training uniform back on inside out. Their eyes met, and Mecklenburg didn’t look away. However, Lucas turned his head with a completely uninterested expression and talked with other friends.
Lucas Muller remained at the center of the students until the end of the day. Just before homeroom, when the sunset came through the windows and everyone was drowsy, we had a magic theory class. The teacher’s boring voice echoed through the classroom.
“What does Ion Forso mean? If we say 56 years before Ion Forso, what is this? Anyone want to answer?”
The students were quiet as mice, but the teacher looked around at the students with determination to pick someone out somehow. Then he pointed to one friend.
“There. Helen!”
“Yes? Yes. That’s time…”
“Time?”
“Just time.”
“…Sit down.”
“Yes.”
Now it became uncertain again who that baton would pass to. The students began biting their lips and rolling their eyes, until finally one friend slyly turned his head to look at Lucas. As a fellow student, there was no way not to know what that look meant. Lucas also answered that friend with a smile and eye contact, then stood up from his seat.
“When you say Ion Forso 56 years ago, referring to the day magic was granted to humanity, you mean 56 years before the emergence of magic.”
Sighs of relief erupted from various places, and Lucas chuckled. The teacher already wore a satisfied expression and gestured with his hand.
“Mm, more.”
“The dictionary definition of Ion Forso is the progression of time.”
“More.”
No wonder none of the students wanted to answer. Wasn’t he demanding more than what was initially asked? Mecklenburg felt his desire to know whether Lucas could say more rising as he turned his head toward him. Lucas pondered briefly before pouring out everything he knew.
“Just as the sun appears to rise upward, move sideways, then fall downward when viewed from the surface, Ion Forso’s progression doesn’t only mean moving forward but includes movement in all directions—up, down, left, right—yet such movement itself becomes a complete flow in one direction. Like how Earth orbits the sun. Though it’s not a perfect analogy, the introductory book I read used this comparison. It’s an abstract concept where two states coexist, and no one knows who first started calling it ‘the day magic appeared.’ Currently, it’s being evaluated as anti-Christian, and I’ve heard discussions are underway to replace it with different terminology.”
“…”
The teacher raised his eyebrows and nodded.
“It’s a complex concept, but you understand it well. No one else in this class seems to know this much, so I hope everyone remembers their duty as students and remains diligent in studying beyond textbooks. In other words, Ion Forso is…”
“Thanks to him, we’re saved.”
Students’ whispers could be heard.
“Be very grateful.”
Once again, frivolous jokes came back as responses.
That’s how the day went. There was hardly any time to spend with him. Even if he approached, he would avoid everything with casual answers like “I don’t know either” or “Should I ask that friend for you?” Just like when he made that flimsy excuse about not knowing the school layout despite attending for years.
“One more set!”
“Even if you play, you’ve already lost.”
Mecklenburg went to the school tennis court. He happened to encounter Lucas coming out with his bag slung over his shoulder. Lucas raised his eyebrows and waved his hand in greeting. No matter how much he said they should become friends, there probably wasn’t a lower nobleman anywhere who would greet someone this casually.
“Why are you standing there like that? Go inside quickly and rest.”
“No. Wait.”
Lucas rolled his eyes, then nodded and stood in front of Mecklenburg. The student council president badge pinned to his casually worn jacket glittered in the sunset light. It looked terribly similar to the badge his friend had, so Mecklenburg muttered while staring at that annoying badge.
“You said you were going to Munich.”
“I gave up.”
“What?”
“I’m not dropping out, okay? I can’t. But this is the first time I knew you were so interested. Your first words to me in two days are ‘You said you were going to Munich’—thanks for remembering, hey.”
Even in this situation, Lucas giggled and joked around, then tried to turn away. Mecklenburg put on a gentle voice and spoke.
“I’m not finished talking, Lucas. I still haven’t heard an explanation for why you resemble my friend.”
Lucas only tilted his head at those words.
“Sorry, but how am I supposed to explain that?”
“Setting that aside, you have more than one or two suspicious aspects…”
“You can just go back to the Imperial 2nd Education Institute in Berlin and play with your friend who looks like me, and I can work hard at school life in the territory you govern, then enter a government agency or go to Munich. I’ll disappear since I’d be bothersome. I gave up for now since I can’t go yet, but I’ll go next year. Isn’t that enough?”
“No, wait.”
Mecklenburg grabbed Lucas without thinking. He had something he wanted from him. Honestly, he didn’t know what to do anymore, but he knew this one thing. Could he not be wary of this person who resembled Adrian Ascanien’s face and everything else? Though it wasn’t principally right to let him go to Munich when everything about him was suspicious, he simultaneously thought it would be good if he had no interest in university and just disappeared to Munich entirely. This impatient student council president looked around while Mecklenburg chose his words, then patted his shoulder.
“Honestly, I have no idea why I should listen to stories about your friend, you know? So how about a game of tennis~?”
Instead of responding to this nonsense, Mecklenburg asked a question.
“Why won’t you go to Munich?”
“What do you want to tell me?”
Annoyance rose on the face of the student council president who always grinned.
“Is it such a problem that I resemble your friend? Sorry, but I’m not him.”
“If you advance to the First Education Institute, you’ll meet us. Around next fall.”
“…”
For some reason, Lucas Muller smiled as if he had expected this. He also looked dumbfounded.
“You’re really consistent. Well, yeah. Since you’re 18…”
“You’re 18 too.”
“…Right. I’m really dumbfounded. Where did my lost time go… 5 years or 6 years, anyway.”
He only spouted nonsense. Then he clapped his hands and suddenly spoke up.
“Ah, right. Unlike what you said a few days ago, you seem to want me to go to Munich? Why should I go to Munich?”
“…”
“Right, you can’t say. Then shall I tell you why I was trying to go to Munich?”
Mecklenburg frowned while smiling. The student council president put his arm around his shoulder and brought his face close. He had some germaphobia, so the sudden contact was unpleasant, but it was tolerable for now.
“I’m telling you because you’re around the level of Crown Prince. You can’t tell anyone else. Can you keep it secret?”
“I don’t carelessly repeat what I hear from friends.”
“Ah, right. Right. You would. Then shall I tell you?”
If it were me, I would have said it already in the time it takes to say such things. Mecklenburg held back a sigh and maintained his smile. Lucas’s clear voice hit right into his ear.
“If I go to Munich-Freising, I can become stronger.”
“…Wait, Freising? What are you talking about?”
“Really. I can use magical power hundreds of times stronger than here, you know? The kind of magical power that can only be matched by divine power.”
Hundreds of times? Magical power that can only be matched…? Mecklenburg was gaping before he swatted away Lucas’s arm. Mecklenburg frowned and asked carefully.
“…Are you talking about Pleroma? You want to obtain Vitriol?”
“Ah, as expected. You’re quick.”
“That’s what you meant by going to Munich?!”
“Don’t be surprised. I know someone there well. They said if I just come over there, they can definitely make me stronger. So…”
He heard crazy talk and couldn’t understand anything. Lucas’s words only sounded slow. Soon even crazier words came.
“Do you want to come with me? You’re pretty good at the Imperial 2nd Education Institute, right? If you just remove this bracelet for me, we can become stronger together.”
“…”
Mecklenburg shook his head and stepped backward. His expression gradually hardened. Strangely, even after seeing that expression, Lucas didn’t care at all and continued speaking as if things were going smoothly.
“Did you feel repulsed? Does my proposal sound crazy? So, are you interested? Or not interested? Won’t you come with me?”
Ask one thing at a time! It’s crazy talk. It’s crazy, but…
At the same time, a certain future suddenly unfolded in his mind.
If he caught this prospective Pleroma the moment he became a real Pleroma?
Then he could show everyone that he wasn’t inferior to Adrian Ascanien. That he wasn’t inferior to that friend who was already working as a Royal Mage despite being a high school student. If he personally captured this problematic mage trying to join a grave-robbing cult…
All sorts of thoughts arose. Lucas was observing such Mecklenburg intently. He was smiling subtly, almost as if he was reading Mecklenburg’s thoughts, but right now Mecklenburg had no intention of being swayed by such blatant observation.
The fact that this problematic mage Lucas Muller was from Strelitz wouldn’t be a problem. From the dropout commotion onward, he had already shown his misguided side to Interior Ministry people, and a lower nobleman wouldn’t be much of an obstacle anyway. If Mecklenburg himself, the heir of Strelitz, caught and handed over Lucas Muller, his nationality wouldn’t be a major stumbling block. So, I…
“…No, I like it too.”
At those words, Lucas’s eyes curved into circles. His blue eyes and eyelashes sparkled under the sunset. He smiled with satisfaction and patted Mecklenburg’s shoulder.
“Great, Albert. Then now we’re going to Munich together to become Pleroma.”
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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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