How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 402

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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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The eyes of the numerous mages seated widened.

 

Adrian Ascanien? Why him? However, their confusion quickly turned to anticipation.

 

I observed the strange flush of excitement on the mages’ faces and realized Adrian Ascanien’s reputation value. The momentary confusion made my head feel dazed, but since Adrian Ascanien wasn’t right in front of me, that state didn’t last long.

 

‘Why.’

 

Let me think. Why? Joint training with the Ministry of Magic, what was lacking in the command? Adrian Ascanien arrived in Germany yesterday after lunch and the meeting took place yesterday evening. Adrian Ascanien said ‘we’ll be able to work together outside soon’ when we drank last night, and came to deliver documents to the command today. Good. This isn’t a reaction to escaping the mansion, but something that was planned at least since last night.

 

‘Strengthening training is a good thing.’

 

Pleroma complied with the decisions made after lengthy debates with the government, resulting in a 63.1% reduction in rampage incidents. Prisoner exchanges are also proceeding smoothly. What can we think about the future from here?

 

We should consider the possibility that the enemy might lull us into complacency before stabbing us in the back. The government judged that they should be wary of Pleroma precisely because the situation has been flowing too exemplarily after negotiations, I would attach such a personal view for now.

 

However, what kind of results they intend to achieve by deploying Adrian Ascanien in this process requires more thought. Adrian Ascanien certainly won’t be able to stay long. What does he intend to accomplish with this short-term project? Just to fulfill his duties as this country’s Vice Minister of Magic and as part of the Imperial Mage Alliance? Or, to monitor me?

 

“….”

 

He didn’t come with the intention of announcing my temperament to the world one by one or confining me to the basement again. I need to consider the possibility that his intermediate goals are less impure than I think. He is….

 

‘My head hurts.’

 

Not because it’s complicated. I was facing something I couldn’t confront.

 

More than that, since there was someone whose condition might be more serious than mine right now, my gaze immediately turned to someone else.

 

“….”

 

As expected. The color drained from Mecklenburg’s face. His facial muscles were peaceful, but various clues revealing his psychology clearly proved his discomfort. His amber eyes wavered under the lamplight. The Chief of Staff closed his mouth once and turned the page.

 

“Now, next.”

 

“Sir.”

 

Someone called the Chief of Staff. When the Chief of Staff lowered his glasses and stared at him for a while, the questioner spoke in a leisurely yet clear tone.

 

“I think it doesn’t make sense for the Vice Minister of Magic to supervise the command’s training.”

 

The back of my neck feels cold. Does he have two lives? I welcome the challenge, but.

 

However, this was a rather absurd statement in terms of content. Adrian Ascanien is the top performer of the Alliance’s 89th Unit, and has outstanding skills that stand out even among the surrounding units. He became Vice Minister of Magic thanks to his background and political power, but the fact that he has quietly and successfully carried out his mission of eliminating Pleroma in the Papal States and nearby areas without any noise while being Vice Minister of Magic is proof of his excellent strategic thinking and combat magic skills. The Chief of Staff also looked at the questioner incredulously and answered briefly.

 

“Before being Vice Minister of Magic, he is the representative of the 89th Unit.”

 

“….”

 

Since this wasn’t a place where further retorts were possible, the questioner lowered his eyes and bowed his head. Then, as soon as the Chief of Staff turned his head to the documents, he opened his eyes wide and stubbornly curved the corners of his mouth upward.

 

Nepomucena Bettin. Someone I had noticed before. He’s from a ruling family, captain of Team 98C, and now the second-best performer in the 98th Unit after Albert Mecklenburg. If I remember correctly, he was more inclined to cross lines without weight rather than being serious and sensible. Based on what he said when we gathered to impose the firearms ban, whether he considers Albert Mecklenburg a rival or whatever, he wasn’t someone friendly toward Albert Mecklenburg.

 

And judging by now, he’s showing a similar attitude toward Adrian Ascanien.

 

‘Hmm….’

 

I like it.

 

But with high probability, someone who likes fighting might show a cocky attitude toward me too, so I’ll stop thinking. Since my prediction might be wrong, I don’t want to think about more possibilities.

 

What’s important is that Adrian Ascanien can now directly see and feel my combat, and not just me but experience the movements of all members of the 101st Unit directly, and thus….

 

‘He might notice traces of Leo embedded in my combat style, that’s the problem.’

 

* * *

 

“This guy.”

 

“What do you mean ‘this guy’…. Get down.”

 

I tapped Elias, who was pressing his cheek against my shoulder while mumbling.

 

After the notification disguised as a meeting ended, we found an empty conference room on another floor and entered. According to Mecklenburg, we shouldn’t be here but should all gather together to receive guidance on future training methods, but that wasn’t possible right now.

 

Because Mecklenburg postponed the briefing.

 

It was what I wanted. If we didn’t return immediately, it would arouse suspicion, so there wouldn’t be time for a long conversation with friends after the briefing ended. It was better to have private time between official schedules.

 

“Here.”

 

I sat in a chair while carrying Elias on my back. Cheringen was smiling with what seemed like slight regret for some reason. I looked at the friends sitting around the table and said.

 

“As you know, I returned in just one day. Thanks to you all.”

 

“Woohoo~”

 

Elias made a strange sound and clapped his hands in front of my eyes. Narke was also smiling. Ulrike, who seemed to have regained a bit more of her usual energy than yesterday, clapped her hands without knowing why and said.

 

“You wanted to return that badly. Rest a bit more!”

 

“I’m all better. Anyway, we need to have a strategy meeting now. Can I cast a soundproofing spell for a moment?”

 

I looked at the other friends while pointing to Narke and Leo.

 

“Hmm.”

 

Cheringen stroked his chin with a strange smile. Then, with a face mixed with some playfulness, he raised his eyebrows and answered.

 

“I’d like to say no, but I can’t do that today. Talk comfortably.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

I smiled at Cheringen and Ulrike and cast a soundproofing spell. When I cast the soundproofing spell excluding even Elias who was attached to my back, he started tapping my back. Then he began pressing his ear to my back. Since there was nothing I could do about that, I closed my eyes, pressed my forehead, and opened my mouth.

 

“First, Hyung didn’t come to make an issue of my temperament. Narke, right?”

 

“From what I saw when we met briefly earlier.”

 

Narke answered briefly and nodded.

 

“Then why?”

 

“….”

 

Narke looked into my eyes and hesitated to answer. I waved my hand to indicate I understood. I’m not unaware of what answer awaits behind that reaction. Narke looked at me intently and asked.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Of course, Narke. It’s nice to see you in an Eschete uniform instead of priest robes.”

 

I forcibly changed the subject, but it didn’t work very well. Narke said without blinking once.

 

“You didn’t look very okay.”

 

“Fine. That was true, but not now. He’s not in front of me.”

 

And even if Adrian Ascanien were in front of me, now that I’ve secured freedom of action, I have no intention of handing him the key to this situation. I leaned closer to Narke and smiled.

 

“No more abilities from now on. Got it?”

 

“…Mm~ okay.”

 

“Let’s talk about the holy relic theft case first. Even if Hyung supervises the command’s training and strategy, the fact that my movement has become much freer hasn’t changed. That means the foundation for catching the culprit has been established.”

 

I looked at the friends who were listening to my words and briefly explained only the most basic information I had discovered so far. Excluding my deductions. I threw out only the information to see if the deductions my friends would make matched the answers I had reached. Five minutes passed during this. I glanced at my watch and clapped lightly.

 

“Let’s start from here. I judged that the culprit would be in the Papal States based on the two pieces of evidence I told you about. And a teleporting rosary appeared at the Hermetic Society, and the chairman contacted Emmanuel Wittelsbach to request an appraisal. What can we learn from this?”

 

“Luca is totally like a teacher.”

 

Elias grumbled like that, but Narke was different. He made a troubled expression, then touched his lips and swept the inside of his upper lip with his tongue. Narke had already found the answer to my question. I flicked my finger at him.

 

“Good. First, this rosary directly refutes the two pieces of evidence I used to point to a culprit in the Papal States. Therefore, the hypothesis that there’s a culprit in the Papal States has become a castle in the air in terms of evidence.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“Second, why did the chairman contact Emmanuel Wittelsbach?”

 

At those words, Elias said.

 

“Another question?”

 

“You think about it too. That answer is the key.”

 

“Well, obviously because the letter the chairman received was targeting His Highness Emmanuel Wittelsbach…. Ah.”

 

Elias raised his eyebrows and thrust his face forward.

 

That’s right. From this, we can know what kind of being sent the letter and sent the teleporting rosary.

 

‘Someone who knows the mage scholar Maria Osterreicheste.’

 

The Osterreicheste family didn’t even know that Maria had talent in magical studies and actually didn’t know that he was deeply versed in magical studies through the occult, so they’re excluded. What remains is the ‘French Imperial Family’—more precisely, the French mage organization controlling it—who knows the traditions of the occult organization that Maria visited in an out-of-body state, and Germany’s Pleroma. At this time, there were several clues given. One of them was ‘6 Ludwigstr’ in the German letter.

 

Conclusion. Thus, the culprit is narrowed down to the French Imperial Family again from the two options of French Imperial Family and Pleroma. Up to here, it’s in a very smooth flow.

 

Leo, who had been sitting with his arms crossed listening, finally spoke.

 

“You want to conclude that the French Imperial Family stole the holy relic.”

 

I raised the corners of my mouth and agreed.

 

“Yes.”

 

And if they were my friends, they would know that my conclusion here is a fake conclusion. Leo slowly tapped his forearm with his fingers while keeping his arms crossed. Soon his mouth opened.

 

“Lucas.”

 

“Speak.”

 

“First, I understand that you’re looking for suspects in other organizations because the evidence for the hypothesis that there’s a culprit in the Papal States has disappeared. The French Imperial Family won’t be unrelated to this matter in any way. They’re already the ones who stole the Sapphire Peruer. But since we know that the holy cross’s magical power was last detected at the checkpoint heading to Germany, we can’t overlook the possibility that there are collaborators in Germany. You need to catch those collaborators too. Right?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“But you said the chairman of the Hermetic Society was never under mind manipulation magic.”

 

“What’s that about? Don’t jump around suddenly, explain slowly.”

 

Elias hit Leo’s shoulder and said. This guy jumps around enthusiastically himself—though he was quite kind—but apparently doesn’t like it when others do it.

 

“I didn’t jump. So, even when you asked questions like those that Arcane Mages ask after erasing memories, nothing was caught. Then we can’t ignore the fact that the dates are strange, Lucas.”

 

“Huh? Huuuh?”

 

Elias turned his chin that had been poking my shoulder to the side. It was an annoyed voice asking for a kinder explanation—anyway, he would explain everything if we waited—but Leo continued looking at me without giving Elias a glance.

 

“You said you sent a warning contact to the Papal States the day before yesterday. But the rosary was already discovered in the Hermetic Society warehouse the day before you contacted the Papal States.”

 

“….”

 

“And a wooden cross was found fallen in Haike’s hospital room… This wooden cross could have been lost by Ulrike, but given the suspicious timing, it would be better to consider the possibility that this is also a teleporting cross.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“And you encountered two new pieces of evidence at the Hermetic Society that could completely shatter your reasoning. First, let’s set aside the teleporting rosary since witness testimony says it came from outside the Hermetic Society. Second, those occult maniacs said that souls or spirits or whatever can dwell in objects to become ‘naturally occurring artifacts’. Considering the term artifact, I don’t know what kind of contradiction this is. It just sounds absurd…”

 

Leo looked at the desk, exhaled, and looked at me.

 

“Lucas, you also speculated that someone didn’t artificially inject abilities into the holy relic and holy cross to turn them into artifacts, but that they naturally gained some kind of power.”

 

“Right. So what?”

 

I propped my chin and turned my body completely toward Leo. He hesitated upon seeing my amused expression, then continued speaking.

 

“With this, the suspects for the holy relic theft aren’t just the cult organization behind the French royal family and the Papal States traitor, but now we’ve added members of the Hermetic Society, an occult artifact auction group. We’ll need to send a correction letter to the Papal States and start over with our hypothesis, Lucas.”

 

“Ah, good. How thrilling.”

 

“…”

 

Leo seemed at a loss for words, rolling his eyes and just moving his mouth. Then he let out a hollow laugh and spoke in a creeping voice.

 

“The reason you’re praising such trivial things… did I do something wrong to you?”

 

“How could that be.”

 

“Wow, Leo barely breathed and got praised.”

 

Leo looked Elias up and down with annoyed eyes, then smiled at me.

 

“Still, I’m happy.”

 

“It’s nice to get praised for stating the obvious, right?”

 

When Elias started being cheeky, Leo gestured toward Elias with an enlightened smile.

 

“Lucas, let’s give him one compliment and end this.”

 

“Then Leo, you praise me~ I like your compliments too.”

 

“Get away. If you’re going to bother Lucas like that, you might as well ride on my back instead.”

 

“That’s not a compliment! Again! And Lucas says it’s not hard at all. Right?”

 

“So, Lucas. Actually, when conflicts like this arise… it was the same at first, but now more than ever, I can’t easily understand the hypothesis that the holy relic thief is the same person who brought down Haike. Is your opinion still valid?”

 

I looked around at my friends and nodded.

 

“Yes.”

 

“…”

 

“Now, let’s continue thinking. Since the case has become so complexly entangled, the only thing we can do right now to catch the culprit is to walk around outside with our heads held high. The rest are problems that time will have to solve.”

 

That’s the remaining 5 percent of the work. Walking around outside with our heads held high is tantamount to setting a trap.

 

“We need to set a trap and wait. More precisely, we need to put appropriate bait in the trap and wait for the opponent to come. That’s the only thing we can do now, so let’s do it alongside our headquarters work.”

 

“…Good. I can see the summit.”

 

Elias’s voice was serious. Leo and Narke’s eyes were the same. Before we could even enjoy the time to exchange glances and strengthen our resolve, Elias pulled my cheek from behind and continued speaking.

 

“So this is why you were so calm~? Even though your hyung is supervising headquarters, you had less reaction than I expected.”

 

This guy just keeps joking around whenever he gets the chance… I pulled off his hand and nodded.

 

“Right. At least I achieved my initial goal of acting freely. As long as hyung doesn’t block my movements, his supervising headquarters won’t be a problem at all for solving the holy relic theft case.”

 

“Hmm…”

 

“Rather, I can make good use of it.”

 

If only Luca’s courage grows.

 

Elias fell silent, then curled up and leaned his head against my back. Thinking that my heartbeat would be transmitted made me a bit uncomfortable, so I pulled away from his back and immediately continued speaking.

 

“Now the problem is exactly where we should focus our wandering.”

 

Elias tapped my shoulder and spoke in an urgent voice.

 

“Wait! If there’s a culprit in the Hermetic Society as Leo speculated—”

 

“I said we should investigate, not that there’s definitely a culprit there. It’s just reasoning.”

 

“—that also means there’s someone in the Hermetic Society who received help from the French cult, right? That’s right, isn’t it?!”

 

“…”

 

“When Narke and I went in there before, we felt that the Hermetic Society had particularly strong anti-Pleroma sentiment. Really exceptionally so.”

 

That makes sense.

 

Pleroma are the kind of guys who can ransack anywhere like catching mice to find the materials Maria Osterreicheste left behind. There’s a high possibility they’ve been tormenting the club Maria created all this time. The Hermetic Society would have been directly harassed by Pleroma—spies—whom they only knew from newspaper articles, so they would inevitably have strong anti-Pleroma sentiment.

 

“Logic like ‘if A then B’ isn’t always correct, but… there could easily be guys among them who joined hands with the French cult, right? No, think about a possible world where they didn’t become enemies with Pleroma! That occult group honestly looks a bit dangerous. To get occult information, couldn’t they join hands with groups that independently research magic like Pleroma? But Pleroma is unlucky and all that, so instead they joined hands with the French cult.”

 

“That’s a decent hypothesis. Natural.”

 

Elias’s eyes widened at my answer. I briefly looked away from him and continued speaking.

 

“Now, here’s a question. Leo, what would you do if you were an investigator?”

 

“I’d have to investigate the Hermetic Society’s auction items. Even if there’s a possibility those teleporting artifacts didn’t come up for auction, you have to knock on even a stone bridge before crossing it.”

 

Erst denken, dann lenken. That’s what he said. I smiled gently and clasped my hands together.

 

“Good point. Then, shall we go take a light look?”

 

Leo narrowed his eyes at those words. I expected that reaction, but… Elias, who would normally jump up shouting that he’d go too, was unusually quiet. Elias stretched both hands forward to his shoulders, then squeezed below his neck with his forearms. I frowned and grabbed Elias’s forearm. Elias paid no attention and spoke in a cool voice.

 

“I think, guys, Luca is experimenting on us right now.”

 

“What are you talking about.”

 

“Luca. You’re doing this on purpose…”

 

Before he could finish, I smiled and hit his mouth.

 

“Don’t go around saying things that’ll cause misunderstandings. We’re only going to extract the necessary information. Got it?”

 

“So I was right? Haha!”

 

Elias bent his body and laughed vigorously, then leaned close to my ear and muttered.

 

“I know. We can’t get completely exposed like Polonius.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

“Oh yeah~ But if there’s a Polonius among the enemies, then we’re Hamlet. Who wants to be Hamlet?”

 

Feeling slightly chilled by those words, I hit his mouth and replied.

 

“No. Nobody’s going to be Hamlet or anything.”

 

When Elias of all people brings up Hamlet… it makes me anxious. Even before coming to this world, when I knew Elias as a fictional character, I had thought about the relationship between the two characters for a long time, which made it worse. From a friend’s perspective rather than a third party, I couldn’t bear to think such thoughts.

 

Then Leo clapped his hands and spoke to me.

 

“Good. We’re done talking about the holy relic, right? Apart from the holy relic issue, there’s a problem right in front of us that we need to think about, Lucas.”

 

“…”

 

“Your hyung decided to supervise headquarters’ training and strategy. I don’t know how long that’ll last, but this is a perfect opportunity for your hyung to fully understand the friendship between you and me.”

 

That’s right.

 

Honestly speaking, the only ones who know that Leo and I are close enough to consider each other among our ‘closest friends’ at headquarters are the four of us here and Albert Mecklenburg. Others think we’re distant, and it’s very common everywhere for team members not to get along well.

 

Even with hyung there, couldn’t I just act awkward as usual?

 

It’s not a problem that can be solved just by that. Just then, Leo looked down and briefly bit his lips, then explained the reason.

 

“Because my influence is embedded in your fighting style. And that’s not something that changes overnight. It wouldn’t be good to reveal that the person who helped you rise to your current position wasn’t Baden, Saxony, Prussia, or anywhere else, but Bavarian royalty.”

 

“Yes. You’re absolutely right, Your Highness.”

 

I replied casually while using honorifics. Letting Adrian Ascanien know that Leo and I are close friends is no different from saying Nicolaus Ernst is mine, isn’t it? It’s not an exaggeration—that’s how people would normally think.

 

Leo let out a hollow laugh at the honorifics as if he found it absurd, then held his head as if it still hurt.

 

“I can’t even take sick leave now. What are you going to do.”

 

* * *

 

Leo wasn’t the only one with the same worry.

 

Albert Mecklenburg stood perfectly straight in the massive arena where mimesis operated, staring only straight ahead. The dawn air coming through the empty ceiling was always clear, but today it was unpleasantly cold. Next to him, the Representative Mage of Class 91 also stood in the same posture as Mecklenburg, and in front of them stood someone Mecklenburg had been sick of seeing his whole life, standing upright before the podium. The mage wearing decorations on one side of his jacket that were twice as many as Mecklenburg’s own, maybe even more, opened his mouth in a clear and authoritative voice.

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Special Operations Command A-Class members. I am Adrian Ascanien, Representative of Class 89 of the Imperial Mage Association.”

 

His voice, enhanced with amplification magic, echoed through the arena. He made eye contact with each of the mages standing before him with gentle eyes, then continued speaking.

 

“I understand it was announced yesterday that I would be supervising your training and operational strategies. I have heard in detail from the government about the achievements headquarters has made in the past. It is an honor to command such excellent mages, even if briefly. I sincerely hope that through this special training period, you will become mages who can succeed in missions and return safely no matter what dangers arise.”

 

‘This isn’t even a school.’

 

Adrian Ascanien possessed flexibility and gentleness that were completely unnecessary for the military. He had been like this since childhood and still was now. His attitude was no different from high school teachers.

 

However, the decisive point that left one speechless was that his gentle attitude had never failed to work. Mecklenburg looked down at the faces of the mages standing below the platform and swallowed.

 

“I would like to have more time to get to know all of you better, but I regret that the situation doesn’t allow for it.”

 

Mecklenburg emptied his mind and waited for that disgustingly kind voice to end. Fortunately, Adrian Ascanien’s speech wasn’t long. Rather, the mages standing below seemed to wish that the respected Minister Adrian Ascanien would speak longer, but Adrian Ascanien ended his speech at a point that anyone would find surprisingly clean—even Mecklenburg himself thought so, so it went without saying for others—and announced the training that would follow.

 

“…Therefore, I will open the first day of the official schedule by starting with understanding each A-Class member’s individual abilities.”

 

He meant to open with sparring matches. Like everyone does. Unlike the thunderbolt-like personnel change, it was a calm beginning.

 

As soon as there was a moment due to the mimesis setup, Mecklenburg called the 101st Deputy Captain. No, more precisely, he headed toward him.

 

“What are you going to do.”

 

He showed the kindness of even casting sound-blocking magic, but Lucas Ascanien answered without even looking at Mecklenburg.

 

“I sent a letter through the 98th Deputy Captain, but there was no reply.”

 

“…Ah.”

 

Mecklenburg pressed his brow.

 

“I see. I’ll check when I return.”

 

“That’s fine. I was talking about today’s events anyway.”

 

Right. Today’s events. Mecklenburg brought up his purpose for coming to see him.

 

“Today Adrian Ascanien will definitely call on you. Not because you’re his younger brother, but because you’ve been assigned to A-class training. I don’t know what kind of training Adrian will choose, but there aren’t many people in A-class to begin with, and you’re among the top ranks within that group, so there’s no chance you’ll be called tomorrow.”

 

Lucas Ascanien remained silent. Mecklenburg looked at him and muttered.

 

“Should I postpone it for you?”

 

“…”

 

“But if I may advise you, practicing for one or two more days won’t change your fighting style.”

 

“Is it that obvious? Most people didn’t notice.”

 

“That’s natural since it’s something you only notice through deep observation. Most people wouldn’t know, but… is this the time to feel relieved? You have someone who would know right in front of you, don’t you?”

 

Only then did Lucas Ascanien turn his head to look at Mecklenburg. He smiled in a way that reminded him of Adrian Ascanien as he replied.

 

“It’s fine. I’m confident when it comes to anything related to physical activity.”

 

What was supposed to be fine about it.

 

Mecklenburg turned his head with an expressionless face. If that was truly his intention, he didn’t want to think about it anymore. What would there be to worry about regarding Nicolaus Ernst? Thinking this way, as he turned around, a crisp answer came from behind.

 

“And I’ve been practicing for quite a while.”

 

“How many hours?”

 

“About six hours.”

 

“…”

 

Mecklenburg narrowed his eyes and turned around.

 

After that, Mecklenburg moved to the A-class waiting seats. Perhaps it wasn’t the time to worry about Nicolaus Ernst. Looking at the giant Mimesis broadcast screen that appeared before his eyes made his throat burn with irritation.

 

[We will guide you through the exact sparring regulations.]

 

Instead of Adrian Ascanien who had gone down to the control room, his aide’s guidance spread through amplification magic.

 

[This will be a match conducted in pairs of two, and this training will be conducted while wearing other people’s video overlays. The opponent you see is not your real opponent but someone else. This choice is made to reduce the burden from public evaluation and personal emotions, so please maintain composure and participate.]

 

So they’re overlaying other people’s bodies using Mimesis. This is a training method often used in places that utilize Mimesis.

 

Maybe I shouldn’t have signed the Mimesis registration consent form, Mecklenburg thought something ridiculous at this point. Even though everyone here had signed it before coming to headquarters.

 

‘What a very thoughtful choice indeed.’

 

Even if they put on other people’s skins, Adrian Ascanien, who would have prepared the roster in advance, would know who was who, so it wasn’t very reassuring. The peers who had trained together would also half-guess who was who once they actually watched the matches.

 

Thus, in the first turn, Leonard Wittelsbach and Erich Reichenau were called. Both had different people’s faces inside Mimesis as if they were under cognitive disruption magic, but it was easy to distinguish who was who. Especially Erich Reichenau, wasn’t he a friend who had spent years together with Mecklenburg himself? It would be a lie to say he didn’t know that style.

 

Mecklenburg watched only the screen with an expressionless face during the next turn as well. This time too, it wasn’t difficult to tell who was who. It was an utterly boring spectacle. Even so, he could clearly see the number of those waiting who hadn’t yet participated in training decreasing.

 

And when the third match began, expression returned to his face. Mecklenburg furrowed his brow and glared at the screen. Since Lucas Ascanien and Nepomucena Bettin had disappeared from the waiting seats, it was their turn.

 

[3, 2, 1. Begin.]

 

Beep―

 

As soon as Mimesis turned on, Mecklenburg was appalled.

 

People with the faces of Ulrike Kleist and himself were standing there.

 

‘Which of the two…’

 

I hope the one with my face isn’t Lucas Ascanien, Mecklenburg thought as he hardened his expression. The control room wasn’t even visible from here, yet his gaze kept shifting in that direction.

 

Nepomucena Bettin was someone who had just played around all day during his First Education Institute days and luckily got into the alliance, but his skills couldn’t be ignored. Since divine power naturally couldn’t be used here, Lucas Ascanien would also face his opponent with only mana, and in that case, he had no idea which of the two would win. He couldn’t identify Lucas Ascanien by ‘which side was being pushed back.’

 

‘Obviously the one showing traces of Wittelsbach would be him, but.’

 

Six hours, damn it. What was he even talking about? He involuntarily swallowed. There was nothing he could do about it now. He would just have to trust the claim that he had managed to hide the traces of Wittelsbach.

 

The two people deployed their knight formations. Up to this point, he still couldn’t tell. However, by the fifth move, no, by the third move, he would get a sense of it.

 

Crash―

 

Colorful lights matching their eye colors burst forth. The person with Mecklenburg’s own face thrust out a sword. And at that moment, Albert Mecklenburg narrowed his eyes. Was he mistaken?

 

‘No.’

 

Feeling the 98th Unit members sitting around him turning to look at him, Mecklenburg opened his mouth in disbelief and tilted his head. Right now, the person with Ulrike Kleist’s face was moving exactly like himself.

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