How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 348

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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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When I opened my eyes, I was gripping a blade in my hand. Ainsiedel was holding his sword horizontally to block me. Two blue-colored magical powers exploded wildly between him and me. I caught sight of the corners of his mouth twisted upward. A sensation I had felt somewhere before, felt in a time that had already disappeared, dominated my entire body. Tears that came out reflexively from having my throat pressed blurred my vision, but I could clearly see—no, feel—blood flowing from Ainsiedel’s hand as he blocked the tip of my blade with his palm. The magical power mixed in it circulated within my body. Just a little more, a little more and I could become complete. From what, in what regard? The thought swept through my head. I could see my acquired magical power bursting out wildly, pushing Ainsiedel back. A skilled person who had long since surpassed the rank of bishop was struggling desperately in front of me, trying to stop me. Even with that hollow face that looked at me with interest, he couldn’t erase the fact that he was being pushed back by me. That meant this powerful mage’s magical power was on the verge of becoming mine.

 

‘…No.’

 

Even as I repeated that it shouldn’t happen, I thought about the blood that would be behind his skin. I didn’t want to be swayed by blood. I could see Mecklenburg’s dazed expression. His wand was pointed at Ainsiedel, but his eyes were fixed on me. That made my heart sting.

 

‘I said no…’

 

No matter how much this was a time that would disappear from before my eyes the moment I opened them, I didn’t want to show this kind of reaction to someone who knew me. A cool voice was heard.

 

“You’re struggling desperately not to drink blood somehow.”

 

Crash—!

 

Ainsiedel’s magical power exploding right in front of my nose along the sword made my mind distant. The attack Ainsiedel sent out meaning for me to concentrate instead gave strength to my body. Screech, the sound his boot heels made as they slid was clearly audible between the impact sounds.

 

“Usually drinking this much blood doesn’t make you this strong. So, about that point…”

 

Because the magical power circulating in my body was moving insanely fast, time seemed to flow slowly instead. My eyes turned to Mecklenburg standing behind him. We were all predicting what words would come from his mouth. Even though my hazy mind interfered with thinking.

 

“What do you think as a fellow Pleroma?”

 

Those words stabbed my heart once again. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of worries that I had tried to distance myself from for a lifetime surged beneath my chin. The limit line was right before my eyes. I grabbed my throat.

 

“I don’t know who decided to call me Pleroma on their own.”

 

“No, you are Pleroma. People like you who drink blood and become stronger are called Pleroma among Pleroma in the world.”

 

One more step. I made a sound while looking down below the cliff.

 

“I’m not interested in how others think of me.”

 

Ainsiedel tilted his head.

 

“Do you know what kind of face you’re making right now?”

 

“…”

 

“You’re making the expression I used to make. Someone said looking at that, that I couldn’t even maintain human form. Why? How should humans properly be? They made me feel thirst, so shouldn’t I become just that? Wasn’t becoming anything what they wanted?”

 

I thought so. He let those words flow into the air while examining the texture of my irises. The magical power he was pushing, the sound his boot heels were making, the sweetness of the result that sound was preparing… the raw magical power pulsing throughout my body continued to make everything before my eyes white. The pleasure I had already felt once flickered, and at the same time, sensation distanced itself from me again.

 

‘Stop.’

 

[Now I think I’m starting to understand… Was it my misjudgment that you seemed accustomed to murder? Why don’t you kill me and drink my blood even while making such a face?]

 

‘Stop!’

 

All sensation turned white as if completely covered by magical power. Once again something snapped and it wasn’t transmitted to my perception.

 

[Why don’t you accept your natural strength, and what makes you endure…]

 

Crack—

 

My throat was burning up. The broken blade fell from my hand.

 

—Thus says the Lord of hosts.

 

Following a voice that sounded like someone else’s, pure white light covered the world. I slowly looked around the emptied surroundings and watched the mage being thrown far away. I saw it but I wasn’t seeing it. I was speaking but it wasn’t mine. I was walking but it wasn’t my steps. The tip of the staff moved, dragging the blood of the monsignors.

 

—On that day I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, so that they shall be remembered no more. And also I will remove from the land the false prophets and the unclean spirit.

 

“…”

 

—Thus says the Lord of hosts: Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who stands next to me.

 

The sound of panting breath gradually comes closer.

 

—Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered; I will turn my hand against the little ones.

 

“This…”

 

—In the whole land, declares the Lord, two thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive. And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say…

 

“Now I understand.”

 

A thin voice close to breathing was heard.

 

“We probably never saw each other inside there.”

 

—Thus says the Lord of hosts…

 

“I met you from the outside.”

 

—In this place that was desolate, without man or beast, and in all its cities, there shall again be habitations of shepherds resting their flocks.

 

“What is the reason for this? Do you call this faith? If you call it faith, is that different from what I’m pursuing now?”

 

I struck down my staff into that mage’s heart. The divine power took root in the opponent’s soil and suppressed his magical power, which was transmitted directly. He didn’t even let out a mechanical exclamation. None of us were in our right minds. That must have been the case. I couldn’t understand anything, couldn’t comprehend anything, couldn’t react to anything. The empty words he desperately uttered just passed straight through my head.

 

“Ask me as you asked me earlier. What makes you have faith? We went through similar pasts, so why are the results different?”

 

“…”

 

“Where do you think it went wrong from?”

 

I didn’t say anything to him who was saying incomprehensible words to me and just looked down at him. He looked at the ceiling beyond me and said.

 

“So, I thought for a long time whether your words about destroying this religious order were frivolous lies uttered to get out of the situation or if they were sincere. I have an answer.”

 

“…”

 

“If you don’t want to kill me right now.”

 

“…”

 

“May I make one proposal?”

 

* * *

 

I opened my eyes among plants receiving the morning sunlight. I felt the plants installed as traps covering over my clothes. Without the strength to brush them away, I sat in the bathtub as I was and closed my eyes. I heard someone who had been in the bathroom hurriedly going outside. After a while, I heard calm footsteps that were definitely those of royalty, then a familiar voice flowed from above.

 

“So you came here.”

 

“…”

 

I nodded with my eyes closed. If you’re a model student, you should sleep properly like a model student. Of course, I know those words don’t work anymore. I was in that world for about six hours in this location’s time, so it would be reasonable for Leo to wake up. I stayed there for two more days after hearing Ainsiedel’s proposal.

 

“Lift your head.”

 

“You’re used to giving orders.”

 

I said that while looking at Leo. His face was pale as I expected, so I didn’t say anything more and stared at him intently as he requested. Leo looked at me silently for a while, then cast a soundproofing spell and asked.

 

“Do you want to drink blood?”

 

“…”

 

What?

 

It was only briefly that I opened my mouth and looked at him in disbelief. When I suddenly buried my face in the pool due to rising self-loathing, Leo calmly continued speaking.

 

“It was written on your expression like that.”

 

“I should make a certificate for reading expressions. I want to disappear, so don’t put it into words.”

 

If my hands were free, I would have buried my face in them. Even the clear grass scent seeping into my lungs made me feel self-loathing when I thought about what kind of human was its source. Leo didn’t laugh at my humorless joke. Instead, he asked seriously.

 

“You went there of your own will.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Leo didn’t ask more. Instead, he opened his mouth after a while.

 

“I can guess what you went to do. It seems you experienced more than I expected.”

 

It was six hours for you, but it was a week for me. However, I don’t intend to ignore the shock he would have received during his six hours, not knowing when he woke up from sleep—though with high probability it was recently—even if it was a short time. I looked into his eyes and apologized.

 

“I’m sorry. Next time I’ll leave a note before going.”

 

“The option of not going doesn’t exist.”

 

“Well… yes. But you’re not saying as much as I thought you would.”

 

Actually, what does it matter to this guy whether I go out or not. It would be normal for him not to say anything, but I knew well that it was difficult to do so now. There had already been too many frequent dangers for us, so it couldn’t be helped.

 

“I know what you risked danger and went out for, so what would I gain by blaming you. In the end, your choice must be for our safety.”

 

Leo’s face was calm. It was the right thing to say, but wondering if he was this kind of guy, I glanced at him sideways for a while, then nodded.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Don’t mention it. But I am worried… To prevent you from making such choices, you’d have no choice but to leave the Imperial Palace.”

 

Leo muttered as if asking himself. Isn’t this telling me to resign from Eschede? And while it’s true I caused worry, I’ve never done anything reckless enough to be called ‘such choices.’ It was so absurd that my tension finally relaxed and I laughed. I laughed and shot back.

 

“What are you talking about? If you’re not going to bring the Duchy of Anhalt, don’t even speak.”

 

“…”

 

Leo didn’t seem to have much to say about that either, as he smiled and turned his head. I didn’t pay more attention to this hopeless high school student and looked out the window. For now, it was fortunate there was no major commotion. If they had issued a search order throughout Bavaria, things would have gotten uncontrollably big.

 

“How did you get out? I blocked warping from this room while you were here.”

 

“Well… But what? You might not know about warps coming in, but you should make warps going out possible.”

 

Leo didn’t answer and only smiled.

 

‘Look at this guy.’

 

It was obvious it wouldn’t work, so instead of demanding more, I told him the main point.

 

“Let’s go out soon. I brought useful information for entering Munich-Freising, so I need to organize that.”

 

“Ah, right. What do you need?”

 

What would I need? I have to restore things to normal again. I gestured with my chin at the plant stems crossing the bathtub. Leo saw that and still smiled while only saying what he wanted to say.

 

“A notebook and pen should be enough.”

 

“Why does your speech turn out like that? Those are obviously things that should be there.”

 

Leo casually flicked his finger to pull over a chair and set it down on the floor covered with plants. He sat in the chair with the notebook and pulled off the fountain pen cap.

 

“Go ahead and tell me. I’ll write it down.”

 

“…”

 

An ominous feeling swept through my entire body.

 

* * *

 

Being isolated for two days in a bedroom that had become a botanical garden with only a one-way receiving communication artifact was quite a unique experience. Everything my friends were chattering about with Leo was transmitted to me, but I couldn’t say anything to them.

 

‘It feels like listening to the radio.’

 

I killed time thinking that way, completed the strategy through communications with headquarters via the warp mailbox, and only when the final training time arrived could I finally meet the friends I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of for two days.

 

That’s right. I hadn’t even been able to train until now. I thought about needing to fix Leo’s mindset, but since that Leo wasn’t the type to make recklessly high-risk decisions, this also meant he had 200% faith in my abilities. Or maybe he rated the danger of my research activities higher than not putting me in training.

 

When I arrived at the training ground, Haike saw me and immediately approached with very quick steps, asking quietly.

 

“Lucas. I heard you were sick. Where were you?”

 

“…”

 

Where was I? Should I tell him this or not? I gave up and answered with a snicker.

 

“I don’t know either…”

 

“Why?”

 

“Exactly. Why?”

 

Then tremendous confusion appeared on Haike’s face. I looked at that colorful expressionlessness—it didn’t make sense, but to me who had already become close with Haike, it did make sense—and patted his back.

 

“Luca!”

 

Elias clung to me like a sloth. It had been a while since he’d done something like this, so I was happy for a moment, but then Elias narrowed his eyes like someone who had discovered something and said.

 

“Grass smell. This is…”

 

“Oh~ I see.”

 

I quickly shook off Elias and patted his back like I had done with Haike, then approached Narke. Narke seemed to know about Leo’s stubbornness that I had endured without me saying anything, and immediately made an expression that said I had suffered a lot… but that reaction actually left me even more speechless. I let out a hollow laugh and asked.

 

“How is it?”

 

Narke, who immediately understood what I was asking, quickly corrected his expression and answered.

 

“I’ve been watching continuously, and there are no variables caught right now. Instead…”

 

Narke spoke briefly into my ear. Just then, both the 91st and 98th units entered here, and the Mimesis preparation sound began echoing through the training ground. It was time to start the final training.

 

Even though I was deployed late, there was no problem. I had participated in creating the strategy and I had reviewed every strategy. The training went smoothly, and now only deployment remained.

 

Thus, 6 hours after training ended. I heard the communication in front of the Isar River Dam in Bavaria where the 101st unit was assembled.

 

[6:10, the Bishop has left the Imperial Study. Entering Corniviano 780:736:485 coordinates to conduct preliminary clearing up to y850. Will completely destroy the entry route 1 minute after commencement.]

 

I looked at my friends. Their gazes touched me and then moved to each other. The evening sky was dark.

 

[101st unit, commencing entry as of this time.]

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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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