How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 381
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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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“Here it is!”
We followed Yuri back to the monastery school’s dormitory, and indeed received the room next to his. When I pulled back the curtains, the orange sunlight that had been making the room’s atmosphere hazy like fog came streaming in with clear outlines, and I could see dust floating along with it. Yuri threw open the window wide and let in the cold air from outside.
“Oh, should I give you two separate rooms?”
“Please do…”
“We’ll only be here briefly, so it’s fine.”
I cut off Mecklenburg’s words and answered instead.
The room was small and old, but it looked neat, perhaps because Yuri had just tidied it up simply. I looked around the room thoroughly, then shifted my gaze to Yuri who was bustling about organizing things here and there. Now, eleven-year-old Yuri Alekseyev’s height seems to be about 155cm. And this guy will grow another 35 to 40cm over the next seven years.
‘Hmm…’
He grows quite diligently. I closed my eyes to clear my thoughts. Let’s not think about it too much. No matter how much this human has lengthened vertically, that’s not this individual’s fault, is it?
Meanwhile, Yuri placed white cosmos and daisies he had picked from the field into an empty vase. The stems had wilted, perhaps from being held in his hands for too long. When Yuri and Mecklenburg weren’t paying attention to me, I touched the petals and subtly channeled divine power into them.
After Yuri put our luggage under the bed, he looked at us and said in an excited voice.
“Dinner is in two hours. Please rest for a while!”
“We will.”
When I answered with a smile, Yuri also grinned and left the room.
Creak— Bang—
Now only boring Mecklenburg and I remained in the room. I plopped down on the bed, closed my eyes, turned my head, and breathed in the wind blowing from outside—wind that had grown closer to winter’s touch. Then, feeling the burden and bleakness in the air, I opened my eyes and looked at Mecklenburg. He was scowling and looking at me, but when our eyes met, he quickly turned his head away. Seeing those triangular eyes, I shrugged my shoulders and said.
“You should rest too. We have some leisure time for now.”
“…”
I took out the last pretzel I had bought on the train, bit into it, and flopped down on the bed. Both the bed and the pretzel felt like rocks compared to what I had experienced so far. The blanket was so thin I wondered if it could ward off the cold. I tore off half the pretzel I had been chewing with the feeling of almost eating paper and held it out into the air.
“Want half of this?”
“…”
For some reason, Mecklenburg just left the room. Since he had left, I straightened my posture, took out a notebook from my bag, and began writing down what I had learned. I need to write it down to remember it longer and more accurately. As everyone does. I placed the enchanted fountain pen on the notebook and moved it with my eyes. What I was thinking began to be written at the pen’s tip.
About five minutes passed like that.
Creak—
Mecklenburg came in swallowing his saliva, then startled when he saw me, pretended nothing was wrong, and walked toward his bed.
“Did you come back because you had nowhere to go?”
“…Where would I go in the first place? There’s nowhere to go.”
“That’s what I’m saying. I was wondering where someone who knows he has nowhere to go went.”
He didn’t answer my words and just paced around his bed. I lost interest and grabbed the fountain pen to write directly myself. Even after about ten minutes, Mecklenburg still hadn’t sat down and was just wandering around. Whenever our eyes met, all he did was give an awkward smile or avoid my gaze.
Thud—
“Albert.”
“…”
“Sit down. You’re making me restless.”
When I closed the notebook and spoke calmly, a strange disillusionment filled his eyes. He’s overlapping someone with me again. I felt like laughing bitterly, but I don’t have the energy to say anything anymore. Didn’t this guy overlap that someone with me even when I had black hair, even when we met as upperclassman and underclassman?
“Do you hate being with me?”
“Would I like it?”
“I feel the same way, you bastard.”
I answered like that, then calmly composed myself again and asked.
“Albert. Is the friend you know the kind of person who would say such things to you?”
“No. Not at all.”
“Right. I don’t know why you’re so wary of that friend, but I’m a different person. Sit comfortably. I’ll go out again in a little while.”
“…”
Mecklenburg still wouldn’t meet my eyes but nodded his head. He can’t be considered completely free yet, but at least some of the burden might have been lifted. I tried to ignore him again and focus on my notebook. At least I tried to.
Mecklenburg now busily went back and forth between his bed and desk while watching me.
“Hey! I told you to sit down!”
“…! Wait. I actually…”
“Actually what.”
“There’s something I haven’t been able to say. You’re a problem too, but… no, you were a problem, but there’s another problem.”
So what. Hurry up and tell me. I narrowed my eyes and rested my chin on my hand.
“We got first-class train cars. We each slept in clean, individually laundered beds, and that train’s dry bathroom was neatly decorated in Middle Eastern style. It smelled of lemon and cypress, whether they had placed air fresheners. Maybe the eucalyptus in the corner made the air fresh. I still clearly remember the Persian cord decorations on the shelf.”
“Why didn’t you take the bathroom car with you instead of doing nothing all this time?”
“The train was that clean! But listen, Lucas. I can’t stay in a place like this until tonight. Dust was flying! Did you see?! There’s no bell to ring here, no ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign to hang on the door, and no cleaning staff! I’m not expecting wine in my room at a monastery, but at least the bed should be folded like this! Like this, like this if it’s been laundered!”
“Why aren’t you looking for amenities? You crazy bastard.”
“What did you say?”
“Oh, my mistake.”
I answered roughly and lay down on the bed. Meanwhile, Mecklenburg continued to rummage around and shout.
“Damn, how long has this table been used? It’s all cracked. Places like this are perfect for mold to proliferate. My nose is already starting to feel itchy. This won’t do. Plus, these blankets don’t smell like anything. I can’t tell when they were last washed! There’s no sofa either!”
“Go live outside. Go to that rabbit pen and sleep on straw. They have lots of grass.”
“Sigh… what should I do now?”
“Come here. I’ll lie on your bed first and sweep away all the germs for you.”
“No? You fool. The germs would double. Though you might be able to take the mites with you.”
“If you know that, then shut up and lie down.”
He ignored my words and took out a green velvet handkerchief stamped with the Mecklenburg-Strelitz family crest and spread it on the bed. Watching this, I laughed in disbelief.
“Hahaha… But how did you manage to sit in front of the monk earlier?”
“That was a wooden chair! It’s different from fabrics like this. Plus, it’s a regularly used item, so it would be kept clean. What’s the problem?”
“Looking at the state of this building, do you think they wipe the chairs daily? That place would also be unclean from many people touching it, wouldn’t it? You’re the fool. This isn’t a manor with servants.”
“…”
He thought deeply, then nodded with an expression that said that made sense too. To avoid being called out for speaking based on unverified thoughts, I quickly added.
“This isn’t about where and how many germs there are. It’s ultimately a matter of perception. You’re having an overreaction because you saw the dust flying with your own eyes. Unless you’re going to carry around a microscope and analyze everything one by one, take it easy.”
It is an overreaction. He didn’t and wouldn’t react like this in ‘aristocratic’ places. Like first-class train cars, for example. Mecklenburg narrowed his eyes, clicked his tongue, and said quietly.
“…More importantly, what are we going to do now? We found that kid, so shouldn’t we do something more?”
Seeing him change the subject, the problem seems roughly resolved. Or he wants to cover it up. I rested my chin on my hand and asked.
“Are you not scared of me anymore?”
At those words, the stiffened Mecklenburg smiled warmly as he usually did with others and answered.
“When was I ever scared?”
“You’re still not looking at me, so what…”
“…”
At those words, Mecklenburg blinked rapidly and closed his mouth. Perhaps feeling sorry that he himself overlaps someone else with me, his expression wasn’t very good. He ordered me in a crawling voice.
“…Then say something annoying.”
“Ah, thanks. Sorry, but red hair really fucking doesn’t suit you. Be grateful for your original hair color.”
“You…!”
I saw the green magic power flying from his fist and blocked it with my own magic power. Then I grabbed my hair that had grown down to below my eyes, looked at the color, and said.
“Does it suit me well?”
“What? You’re quite narcissistic.”
“I’m asking how it looks.”
Though it’s a bit darker than this, I’ve always lived as a blonde in Bavaria. Half curious about the words I had thrown out playfully, I smiled and looked at him. Mecklenburg stared at me—no, precisely at my face—with his mouth tightly shut, then answered stubbornly.
“Wrong. It absolutely, completely doesn’t suit you. You should have black hair for life.”
He turned his head and continued in a small voice.
“That’s more like you.”
“…”
Not that it’s like me, but that it’s unfamiliar for the image of your friend Lucas Muller that you recognize to be diluted because of Adrian Ascanien. Though this guy probably doesn’t even think of me as a friend.
My other friends have never truly overlapped me with Adrian Ascanien, no matter what color my hair became. That’s probably because they know my essence a bit better than this friend, and actually, in a similar proportion to such touching reasons, the influence of environment cannot be ignored—the fact that my friends had no interaction with Adrian Ascanien must have had a tremendous impact on individualization. On the other hand, Mecklenburg, who experienced Adrian Ascanien first and has known him for nearly ten years, cannot help but think of Adrian Ascanien first when he sees me visually.
Perhaps finding this silence burdensome, Mecklenburg suddenly asked.
“How did you change the color?”
“…Ah~ I’m tired.”
“…”
Seeing the contemptuous look he was sending me, I suddenly sat up and brought my head close to his.
“Now this is what’s important. Albert, think carefully. Why is this place so shabby? Why are the facilities so backward…”
“Didn’t you tell me to get over my germophobia before?”
“I’m not talking about dust. Do you only perceive things in one direction when you get fixated on something? Open your mind and listen.”
Mecklenburg was about to shout something but closed his mouth with a dumbfounded expression. I asked him seriously again.
“Fundamentally, what do you do at a monastery?”
“Prayer, study, training.”
“And is this monastery a large one?”
“No. It’s on the smaller side.”
“Right. I can understand that the school building is deteriorated. Children in their prime are skilled at damaging property.”
“No? That’s not it. Our 3rd Education Institute students always expressed their vigor in a restrained manner while considering others. The reason this school is deteriorated is due to the ethical deficiency of the Human collective that accounts for 99.5% of the Empire’s total crime… Ack!”
I struck his mouth with magic and continued speaking.
“The tragedy of the commons, is that it. It’s certainly something I haven’t seen often in Esper society. But considering that even Humans’ criminal behavior varies depending on their social class, ah, never mind. Just shut up. That’s not what’s important.”
“Ha, really! Fine, then stop talking nonsense and finish what you were saying!”
“Not just the school building, but everywhere including this main building is old. It’s deteriorated beyond the usual level to the point where it interferes with passage and safety, yet they’re not repairing anything at all.”
I used magic to pull a screw rolling around at the door entrance and floated it in midair. Mecklenburg stroked his chin and nodded.
“…The cracked hallway floor was quite shocking. Since the director is ill, he can’t manage things. Why are you surprised by this now?”
“The director didn’t fall ill three years ago, and back then there were many students attending this place. Enough that the rooms wouldn’t be empty.”
“How on earth do you know that… No, never mind. Keep talking.”
“That’s not like you.”
“Would you answer if I asked? My common sense already crumbled when those mages affiliated with heretics you brought along turned out to be strong. If I’m going to ask you about your sources of information, I’d have to start from there.”
This isn’t a time when Pleroma’s infamy is as high as in 1898. Nevertheless, the clergy of Munich-Freising he faced were entirely strong from his perspective, and from the standpoint of an ‘ordinary person’ who believes there’s no reason for strong mages to be affiliated with heretics, the scene he witnessed couldn’t help but be shocking. Since there are more than one or two questionable things, he’s decided to just cover his ears and listen for now.
“As you said, since the director is ill he can’t manage things, they’re probably experiencing financial difficulties, and even if they had the will to improve, they wouldn’t have had the means to realize it. In many ways, you could say it’s showing signs of decline. What kind of influence could this environmental change have on people?”
“…First, since the environment isn’t pleasant, they’d get hurt a lot, and work efficiency would drop. Parents wouldn’t want to send their children to a place like this.”
I was nodding when I smiled slightly at Mecklenburg’s words.
“Thank you. Now you go read some books.”
“What, where are you going?”
“The adjacent room.”
What would children who are eleven years old by school age generally like? First, they probably wouldn’t like playing with adults, so I should quietly cater to his preferences.
The door to the adjacent room was slightly open. I knocked on the door and asked.
“Student Alekseyev?”
“Ah!”
Yuri, who had been reading a book while eating grain pudding, put down his tray and jumped up. It was a thick book covered in sheepskin with magical casting principles drawn in pictures – I never thought I’d see such expensive material in this monastery full of only Humans.
“What’s the matter?”
“I wanted to thank you once more for earlier. May I come in?”
“Yes, of course!”
I smiled and entered his room. Before I could properly do anything, he ran toward me shouting.
“Is there anywhere you’d like to see? I’ll take you there! Or Orthodox studies?”
“Orthodox studies sounds good.”
Studies – even after suggesting it himself, compared to other options it seemed uninteresting as he hesitated slightly. Nevertheless, he still had a lively expression, apparently not disliking being with a foreign mage. I drew my wand and pressed both ends with my hands as I spoke.
“While using magic.”
Yuri’s eyes widened instantly.
“…Great!”
“Before that, what’s your name?”
“Yuri Konstantinovich Alekseyev. Simply…”
Knock knock—
“Yes, come in!”
Yuri, who had turned his head sharply toward the door, called out cheerfully. The person who opened the door and entered was, unsurprisingly, Mecklenburg. He grumbled with a frown.
“Me too.”
“What?”
“I want to join too. Is that okay?”
“Why don’t you rest?”
“I don’t want to.”
Having said that, he approached with large strides and pulled out a chair beside us to sit. He cast a sound-blocking spell and whispered while looking ahead.
“You never know.”
Never know what. Mecklenburg is even being wary of this child. Yuri stared at both of us intently, then smiled and gestured toward midair.
“That was magic just now, right? The sound thing.”
“…”
Unlike Mecklenburg who fell silent in slight confusion, I smiled and answered.
“That’s right. It’s sound-blocking magic. Do you know how to cast it?”
Yuri, who had been about to answer with a smile, suddenly wiped the smile completely off his face and stared at me blankly. Then belatedly covered his mouth with his hand.
“…Huh?!”
Since I met him for the first time today, he would naturally assume I thought he was Human, so he must be wondering how I could ask ‘do you know how to cast it.’
“You look exactly like a mage, Student. The way you immediately recognized the sound-blocking magic too.”
Just like how a cat can’t just pass by a fish store.
The 8-year-old Yuri Alekseyev I had briefly assessed was not the type to stay still upon hearing that a mage had stopped by this monastery. And he really caught us just as I had hoped.
Yuri, who couldn’t know this fact, just stood there with his mouth agape.
“That’s right… My friends don’t know yet though.”
“Because they’re Humans.”
“Then you detected my magic, Count?! I’ve been curious about something – if someone has a core, can they immediately tell that I’m a mage?”
“…”
I tilted my head at those words, then smiled.
“Not necessarily. Most mages can’t even warp by themselves without borrowing magic from artifacts. Such people can hardly detect magic emanating from someone’s body, and even skilled mages usually don’t try to sense bodily magic on purpose. It’s taxing work in itself.”
“But wasn’t warp originally something that required artifacts?”
“No. If you have sufficient magic and are quick at calculations, you can do it just by snapping your fingers.”
I spoke while ignoring Mecklenburg’s piercing gaze. I collapse after doing everything, it’s not that I can’t do it. I want to tell Mecklenburg that. If I had met this guy when I really couldn’t warp on my own, he would have spent days and days just boosting his self-esteem with my warp inability.
Yuri, who had been lost in thought with his mouth open, whispered quietly.
“I wish I had enough magic for that too.”
“Why?”
“It’s cool. And magic means money.”
“Do you want to earn a lot of money?”
Mecklenburg glared at me with eyes asking why I would ask such a question. For some reason, Yuri answered with a dejected expression, drooping his shoulders.
“Of course. Everything requires money to be possible.”
“…”
“Life too. Without money, life disappears too.”
“I see, I understand well. You don’t seem to need to worry, Student.”
Since you might get captured for having too much. I looked at the books he had and asked.
“So, when will you explain about Orthodox Christianity?”
“Ah! Right now.”
Yuri explained Orthodox culture for a while, then gradually began falling into that enjoyable topic.
“So I absolutely never kiss icons. I’m sorry to God, but I don’t want to add germs to places where many people have put their mouths.”
“…The person sitting next to me would probably say the exact same thing. You two would get along well.”
“Oh?”
When I pointed to Mecklenburg, Yuri’s eyes widened. Mecklenburg glared at me and shook his head.
“Well, never mind. Still, if it were seriously contaminated, wouldn’t they disinfect it?”
“Then the painting would be ruined so they wouldn’t do it. Paints made from eggs and such would be irreversibly damaged.”
“I suppose so.”
The outside of the window is gradually getting dark now. The sun seems to be setting faster somehow. I laughed lightly and responded, then casually brought up the main topic.
“How is it living here?”
“It’s good. There are friends who want to go out to bigger cities and get decent jobs, but I don’t like that. I’m going to become an apprentice monk here and later operate this place as a proper monk.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“This monastery has been here since I was born, so it’s really incredibly precious to me.”
I didn’t ask that much. I, who had been smiling at that innocence, recalled Ishmailov, who would only say one word after I said ten. Remembering that this child and that friend were the same person made my stomach churn again.
“If it’s been here since you were born…”
“Yes, my mother synthesized me and passed away, so I’ve grown up here since birth.”
And that ‘mother’ would also be an Esper, a noble mage. I nodded. Yuri cheerfully continued on his own.
“Actually, that’s why I shouldn’t have received the surname Alekseyev. Since I inherited my mother’s blood and magical power, I should have received my mother’s surname.”
“Then who gave you the surname Alekseyev?”
“It’s the director’s surname. The director is Konstantin Alekseyev.”
I nodded.
“He must be like a father to you.”
“I’ve always thought of him as my father.”
The atmosphere became heavy. It was natural since even Mecklenburg knew that the monastery director’s condition wasn’t good.
Your father-like figure has become quite ill over the past three years, so you must feel troubled. I swallowed those words and remained silent. Then, after a long while, when Yuri began watching our reactions, I spoke.
“The facilities here seem quite old and the children might get hurt, what do you think about that?”
Mecklenburg narrowed his eyes, probably thinking I’d been asking utterly pointless questions since earlier. Yuri’s eyes sparkled as he raised his voice.
“That! I have a way for that.”
“Oh? What kind of way?”
“It’s a secret. I’ll surprise you later.”
“Haha. We’ll be returning to Germany soon, couldn’t you tell us?”
“No.”
A more resolute answer than expected. His gaze was also serious, and strangely… his pupils trembled slightly.
I smiled and nodded.
“Then that’s fine. Actually, I want to help repair the facilities here. I’ll stay a few more days and cover the costs.”
“…!”
Yuri brought both hands to his mouth. I asked once more at his surprised reaction.
“Would it be alright if I do that?”
“Of course! If you do that, it would be a tremendous blessing for our monastery. To the director…!”
“Ah, I’ll go speak to him myself. It’s almost dinner time anyway. And there’s one thing I’m curious about.”
“What is it?!”
“Are there other mages in this town?”
“In this town? No. Only me. But you’ve come, Your Excellency!”
“Then do you know any mages outside this town?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Just curious.”
I smiled gently and stood up from my seat.
“The Orthodox lecture was interesting. Then I’ll see you at dinner.”
* * *
As soon as I came out of the room, Mecklenburg grabbed my shoulder and cast a sound-blocking spell.
“Hey, wait, what do you mean you’ll stay a few more days?!”
“Are you worried about attendance points?”
“No, hey!”
“We came all this way in 51 hours, let’s stay a bit longer.”
Entering the room, I answered expressionlessly while layering another sound-blocking spell. Mecklenburg stared at me with a confused face, then asked.
“…Really? You’re going to stay here longer?”
“I have to. If you want to go back, go back, or take sick leave this time saying you caught the flu.”
“…”
Mecklenburg stood still for a moment, then took out his permit from his bag.
“To extend it, I just need to take the coordinate system usage rights, right?”
This guy. He’s going to stay with me but makes me waste my breath. I looked at Mecklenburg silently, then smiled.
“Pack your luggage too. We don’t know what might happen.”
“Got it.”
Once I get the extension, I should tell Leo too. Sorry, but I’ll be stuck in my room for about 3 hours again.
We had a modest dinner with the monk, each wrote letters to send to Mecklenburg-Strelitz and the Imperial 2nd Education Institute, then came outside with our luggage at 11 o’clock.
Since we got permission from the acting director monk to stay longer due to these circumstances, we would return there soon.
‘And I need to observe the situation.’
I needed to see directly how they would approach Yuri.
We went down the hill and looked at the grassland with the forest. Beyond there was the warp point. I would warp to another region written on that point’s signboard, then circle around to return to the border train station. Mecklenburg, who was looking at the forest, wiggled his finger and said.
“To the side.”
I nodded at Mecklenburg’s suggestion. This place had already become completely dark since 5 PM, 6 hours ago, making it unsuitable for passing through the forest.
Crackle—
Fallen leaves frozen by the cold crumbled under our feet. The sound of crows cawing could be heard intermittently.
We headed toward the warp point beyond the forest, relying on the faint light from the residential area by the winding stream in the distance and the moonlight. Had we walked for another 5 minutes like that? Now there was no sound except for the rustling of fallen leaves. Feeling the quiet wind, I called out to Mecklenburg who was walking a step ahead.
“Albert.”
“What.”
“The crows don’t seem to be crying.”
At those words, Mecklenburg stopped and turned around as if incredulous.
“What? What am I supposed to…?”
Swoosh— Crash—!
I changed my wand into a sword and pushed Mecklenburg back. The hardened magical power that struck the blade shattered and fell to the ground.
“Th-that just now…!”
Mecklenburg’s mouth fell open. The moment he quickly drew his wand, I stomped my foot hard. The bright blue magical power I released spread out and surged around us.
Crash! Clang—!
I deflected someone’s attacking magical power that came after the barrier and spoke to Mecklenburg behind me.
“Get your head straight, Albert.”
“This is, like before that…!”
Crash—! Clang—
I trampled the magical power that rushed along the ground like lightning and deflected the attack that came through the air. Flicking my other hand supporting the sword to cast a sound-blocking spell, I spoke clearly once more.
“Right. Guard the coordinate system usage rights properly.”
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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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