How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 407

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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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“Are you going out?”

Leo asked with a calm expression. I knew that bastard would ask this first. I suspect there’s dissuasion or refusal behind that composure, but whatever the case, now isn’t the time to discuss whether I’m going out or not. I looked straight into his eyes and said.

“Let’s talk about that later.”

There’s something more important right now. The anonymous sender didn’t just say ‘let’s meet in Munich on Sunday’ and leave it at that. I swept the note with my glove and opened my mouth.

“I need to relay this news somewhere, Narke. What do you think?”

“Huh? …Haha.”

Narke crossed his arms and burst into honest laughter before continuing.

“You should. That would make it meaningful.”

Ulrike, who had been watching with narrowed brows, thought that reaction was somehow strange and leaned toward Narke, supporting herself on the desk with her arm.

“What is it? Tell me too.”

I was sorry to Ulrike, but I couldn’t do that.

30 minutes later.

I finished dealing with the last rampage and quickly had Narke take on my appearance. Then I ran straight to Trier.

“Huff…”

After going through two warp points and running to the lodging where Sabelli was staying, Simon Sabelli, who was sitting in the garden in front drinking tea, looked at me with puzzlement.

“What is it?”

“Count Sabelli.”

I sat down in the front seat without asking and checked my wristwatch. If I didn’t finish the rampage processing procedures soon, it would arouse suspicion. I had only about 5 minutes.

“There’s no time. Do you know the Papacy well?”

“Hmm, I know it well enough.”

“Quite confident, aren’t you. Then I’ll ask you something.”

“Hmm…”

“Please answer quickly that you understand. I only have 5 minutes left!”

“5 minutes?! Huh, no, why? Why must you leave so urgently? You haven’t shown your face at all yesterday or today!”

I shook my head, refusing to answer his words, and leaned forward to ask.

“Haven’t you found out anything about Pleroma in the Papal States?”

The second priority of my two purposes for coming here. I first brought up the story that didn’t matter whether I heard it or not. From this, I would branch out and naturally bring up my first priority purpose.

In other words, this question was: ‘Why did our government’s Adrian Ascanien, not you guys, come back with some ‘information’?’ Sabelli narrowed his brows slightly, then answered obediently.

“We always monitor heretics like Pleroma. Among that information, there are things I cannot tell Your Eminence.”

“Not that…”

“Ernst Yha.”

Now it was my turn to narrow my brows. Sabelli looked at me like that and spoke seriously.

“Your Eminence is certainly one of the 129 cardinals worldwide and the Pope’s closest representative.”

“…”

“It’s clear that I’m not in a position to dare rebel against Your Eminence or give you orders. Rather, it would be right for Your Eminence to command me as you have done so far. I came here to serve both Your Eminences.”

“So what are you trying to say.”

“But Your Eminence must solve the holy relic theft case right away. This is not the time to discuss Pleroma’s movements.”

“Why?”

“That is the will of His Holiness and the Papacy, Your Eminence. We cannot inform our hundreds of millions of Catholic believers worldwide that such an unseemly incident occurred in the Catholic world before Easter, especially when there has been no progress even though it’s been over a month since the incident occurred.”

I smiled at those words, then asked expressionlessly.

“Then why hasn’t Lord Farnese found the holy relic for over a month? Why did he stand by idly for a whole month knowing he couldn’t find it?”

“…”

“I don’t know why, but your expectations of him are frighteningly high yet strangely low. As if you think ‘it can’t be helped.'”

“It’s that difficult a matter. So much so that even Lord Farnese doesn’t know the method.”

Simon Sabelli smiled bitterly when Narke’s story came up, as if he felt bad. He soon closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then continued slowly.

“Isn’t Germany’s Nicolaus Ernst one who makes the impossible possible? The rumors have spread throughout Italy and the Papal States too. So we’re hoping that this time the two of you will work together to find an answer.”

“Kind words.”

Despite his words, he didn’t fix his expression, so he didn’t seem truly grateful—Simon Sabelli’s expression looking at me was saying just that. Nevertheless, he continued speaking calmly.

“And in fact, Your Eminence said there was a Judas in the Papacy and pointed to someone in the Papacy as the culprit. I don’t know the basis for that, but since Lord Farnese also agreed with that fact, it’s certainly worth believing.”

“…”

“Now do you understand why His Holiness the Pope and the Papacy have such high expectations of Your Eminence?”

Enough of that talk. I stared at Sabelli intently, then took out a note and a drawing I had made from my pocket. It was the symbols and coordinates I had exchanged with my friends earlier.

“In that sense, I brought this.”

“In that sense means…”

“The Judas of the Papacy.”

“…”

Sabelli’s face became serious for a moment. An opportunity to clear the false accusations against the Papacy—perhaps thinking that, ambition showed in his eyes.

“It’s a peculiar drawing… Are these alchemical symbols? This is coordinates.”

“Decoded, it’s Sunday, Munich.”

“Why would they need to write it like this…?”

“It’s strange enough that I’m telling Count Sabelli directly now. These two notes arrived at different places, and both places were deeply related to the holy relic.”

“…”

“Let me be direct. Someone knows I’m tracking the whereabouts of the holy relic.”

Cardinal Nicolaus, and Bavaria’s Nicolaus Ernst. Only some in the Papacy would know these two. I deliberately didn’t say exactly where I received those notes, but Sabelli’s face hardened.

“…Fine. Then Your Eminence wants to argue that ‘those who would know that are in the Papacy’…”

“That’s right, but this note is a bit troubling.”

I held up the blue note and waved it. My eyes met Sabelli’s.

“If it’s someone in the Papacy, could they say to meet in Munich on Sunday?”

Sabelli’s sharp eyebrows gradually gathered toward his brow. I could see the muscles below his eyes stiffen rigidly and the light settle firmly in his pupils. I held out the note to him again to let him check it once more and said.

“I don’t know if this will be this coming Sunday or next Sunday, or what kind of wordplay the sender is engaging in… but I’m telling you under the assumption that it’s this Sunday. To arrive on Sunday and prepare, they’d have to start moving at least from today or tomorrow. From today, strictly monitor if there’s anyone trying to somehow avoid the blockade order, and open and check all mail going to and from the Papacy. They might be orchestrating meetings through third parties via mail.”

“…”

“I’ll look for clergy entering Germany at the border. I’ll also have to check with the Munich Catholic diocese. But as you can see from the content of our conversation right now, for someone in the Papacy to instigate or conspire to meet me in Munich would certainly be a very troublesome matter.”

“That’s right. So?”

“So you might be right, Count Sabelli.”

Sabelli’s eyes flashed. I enjoyed the grassy scent and the noise from the wind in this quiet garden behind the cathedral, watching the moment. There was no time left now. I had to return immediately. I looked straight at him and continued.

“There might be no culprit in the Papacy. Now do you understand why I came here so urgently? Count Sabelli must conduct this investigation more thoroughly than anyone.”

The truth or falsehood of the disgraceful hypothesis the Papacy has shouldered depends on Sabelli’s investigation. Sabelli clearly knew my words conveyed that meaning.

“Fine. May I request cooperation from the Papacy’s inspection agency right now?”

I nodded with serious eyes. Sabelli also had eyes not much different from mine.

With this, I achieved my first priority purpose.

* * *

“There’s no time to sleep.”

I muttered to Narke sitting beside me. Narke had been trying to stay by my side ever since that note earlier. It wasn’t to protect me, and for him and me, this matter wasn’t that kind of issue at all. He just seemed to want me to explain something.

“We said we were almost there regarding the holy relic thief. But these bastards are so thorough that even after several days, they won’t get caught in the trap. Right?”

I continued while handling Bavaria’s work that came to me—Narke would take it out later and deliver it to Leo.

“So we need to extend our reach a bit more. Also, we don’t know what Pleroma is preparing. To that extent, we also…”

“They’re trying to create a Messiah, Lucas.”

“…”

My heart suddenly lurched and I pressed my lips shut, then carefully opened my mouth.

“Right. I know that for now. But there must be other activities accompanying that.”

The first week of April—though it was only one day to call it the first week—had passed and Easter was approaching, making the whole country excited. This was the same for France, England, and Italy. It was a time to breathe in the tense international situation, but not for us. Because of Pleroma. I looked straight at Narke and said.

“The conclusion is this. I’m going to Munich on Sunday. I need to deal with the holy relic thief problem even a day faster to focus on Pleroma, or obtain tools or information that can deal a blow to Pleroma, otherwise there’s no way.”

“…”

“I have to save Haike too.”

I turned my gaze downward to look at the ink seeping into the ground and losing its light. This was the most core purpose. Narke just closed his eyes, sat there, and slowly nodded. He seemed to have no major objections either. Then, he brought up a problem that was important but in a different direction from what we were thinking about.

“What if you’re discovered by the command by any chance?”

“Didn’t you read my thoughts?”

“Shall I read them?”

Since Narke asked playfully with a smile, I chuckled and answered.

“No.”

“Haha, what a shame~”

Narke laughed lightly, then gradually changed his expression to one of concern.

“Lucas. You know this too, but any contact with them could work against us. I don’t know how long your hyung plans to stay in Germany, or how long His Majesty plans to extend his vacation, but for now, meeting someone presumed to be an enemy in Munich is a risk in itself.”

“You’re right.”

I was about to end the conversation there, but added one more comment and finished with a smile.

“I’ve already thought about that.”

* * *

That thought was very simple but, as always, the most effective countermeasure – turning back time. Since I don’t have many points, I’m considering it as a one-time opportunity, and even then, I’ll only use it in the worst possible situation. I no longer have points to waste on retries to experiment with things that haven’t happened yet. I never casually turned back time due to concerns about point depletion anyway, but now I had to be even more strict.

4 AM.

Even while heading to assembly after hearing the order, Adrian Ascanien still hadn’t appeared.

Nevertheless, the morale of the people here soared with Adrian Ascanien’s arrival. Everyone walking through the corridors had subtle confident smiles on their faces and carried themselves with much more energy than usual. This was true for the 91st who were in a different age bracket than him, the 98th who would have been his contemporaries, and even Ulrike on our team.

I turned my head slightly toward Ulrike, who had been specially promoted to A-class after Corviniano. Since Adrian’s return to the country, Ulrike had regained some strength, color had returned to her face, and she could now reveal her originally clear eyes without reservation. The fact that a nation can greatly influence the people’s spirit can be clearly seen in Prussia, a militaristic state that advanced from the barren sands of Brandenburg to become a European power, or in Germany from after World War I until Hitler’s rise to power. Adrian, who represents the Empire’s spokesperson to 100 million subjects, was now proving this to me directly. His mere appearance was inspiring the command.

Moreover, since he came here secretly, he had no grand ceremonies or opportunities to meet the general public. Nevertheless, just the enthusiastic non-verbal reactions of part of those people – the pro-Emperor faction who are the most conservative of this country’s conservatives and militarism advocates – was enough to show what kind of position he held in the government and the German Empire.

In Ulrike’s case, she was bright-eyed with the novelty of meeting a respected mage and future Chancellor, and the thought of ‘wanting to leave a good impression’ – though actually, from what I’d observed of Ulrike so far, she was far from opportunistic, so it wasn’t specifically because it was Adrian Ascanien that she wanted to make a good impression, but rather she would think of wanting to leave a good impression on anyone in this world – this revealed the typical reverence that the majority of subjects show toward Adrian, instead of the extreme sample of Prussian conservative-soaked mage-soldiers here.

Seeing with my own eyes what kind of prestige Adrian Ascanien holds among the Empire’s subjects, beyond just his aspect as a Revered One, gives me a special feeling. He was nothing less than the spiritual leader of all subjects, second only to the Emperor. Since the usual age assessment methods of Humans don’t apply to Espers, his young age wasn’t a major obstacle to his reputation.

And the fact that I had such a leader of 100 million subjects as my Revered One was, ironically, also a weapon I possessed. As that leader had said with his own mouth.

“Lucas Ascanien, sir.”

Someone matched my pace beside me. Blue necktie. A 98th Class B Student spoke to me.

“I’m glad your hyung has returned to the Empire.”

“Is that so. Are you friends?”

“Yes. We’ve been together since the 3rd Education Institute.”

Who? He was someone Adrian Ascanien probably wouldn’t consider particularly close, but instead of saying that, I answered politely.

“Since the Minister’s friend is pleased with his return, I am also pleased.”

“It makes me think again of the excellent achievements you’ve shown so far. Indeed, bloodline is an element that cannot be ignored. I’m very satisfied that such excellent brothers are bringing glory to the Empire.”

“Those are kind words.”

I can see other seniors glancing over. The fact that their gazes weren’t critical made my arms break out in goosebumps. I know why he’s suddenly talking to me now. I finished speaking and stopped in the lobby of the Mimesis training ground.

After waiting for a while, a mage whose face I’d seen in documents appeared. I raised my hand to my brow and lowered it with countless clicking sounds that seemed to split my eardrums. He did the same to the dozen or so people gathered here. Then he opened the leather file tucked under his arm and spoke.

“Vice Minister Adrian Ascanien is currently participating in the Supreme Council presided over by His Majesty the Emperor. He wanted to work together with all of you, but said he cannot leave his position as he has been appointed Vice Chairman.”

“….”

“Instead, I have come here to implement the guidelines that he prepared in advance. From now on…”

Like a politician who has received the trust of the entire nation and holds various positions to the point where ten bodies wouldn’t be enough, Adrian Ascanien sent his aide to supervise the command training. The act of not coming personally and just sending one of his aides with a single file would normally be enough to hurt the pride of the people here – elite among elites gathered after being scraped together from all over Germany by Prussia and filtered multiple times – but they didn’t seem to mind at all. Rather, their faces were filled with anticipation about what the new training based on individual capabilities personally assessed by Adrian Ascanien might be, and they looked quite honored to receive his supervision, even if only nominally.

The aide rambled on with some unnecessary talk in the middle before getting to the point at the end.

“Regarding this training, no information can be disclosed in advance.”

“…?”

I could clearly feel the air becoming confused. No one opened their mouth or turned their head, but it was natural for everyone to be bewildered. While Adrian’s aide continued his lengthy explanation about the fact that he ‘couldn’t tell us anything,’ I fell into thought.

‘So.’

I became curious about what information Adrian Ascanien had asked for that meetings keep being held.

And whether the government would be able to handle it well. That was what interested me. Looking at how the government’s condition rapidly became ‘normal’ after Adrian Ascanien’s return, it seems like they might handle it well… But that’s a normalcy that will collapse once Adrian Ascanien leaves. This is not the time to be relieved.

“Now, let’s enter the Mimesis training ground as we’ve trained before.”

I entered the huge auditorium divided into sections. The Mimesis testing ground was now more of an auditorium than a room. As I was taking deep breaths, the countdown was finishing.

[3, 2, 1. Begin.]

Beep―

A pure white light struck before my eyes along with the buzzer sound. After blinking several times, the world came into view.

I was in the middle of winter with falling snow, wearing the black wool long coat I had worn at that time, reaching down to my shins. The belt was also thick as I used in winter, and I wore boots lined with fur for warmth.

“….”

I don’t want to see winter scenes. It might be because the setting with 8-year-old Yuri Alekseyev was in the middle of winter snow fields. This isn’t even the south, so why would it be this cold? I looked around at the scenery where snow had piled up to the middle of my boots, unusually for Berlin, and adjusted my military cap that was fluttering in the wind.

Beep―

Another alien buzzer sound was heard among the howling wind. At the same time, red letters appeared translucently in the sky.

[4:00:00]

“Excuse me….”

“Hurry up. Just look ahead and walk.”

I turned my head toward where the whispers were coming from. People passing by were startled when they saw me standing there in all black clothes, avoiding eye contact and going around me as much as possible.

“….”

This isn’t because I’m Pleroma Lucas Ascanien, but because most people react this way when anyone wears these government lackey-like clothes. In the first place, unlike the ‘truly living’ people in the extra chapters, the people in Mimesis don’t find my eye color strange, because such elements were intentionally excluded from the civilian models. I suppressed the urge to change my clothes’ color with divine power or at least remove the silver Prussian eagle from my hat, and slowly looked around. The hexagonal rotating billboard on the sidewalk was old, with paint falling off whenever the wind blew. Shops everywhere were closed. Most of the young people were much shorter than me and wore worn clothes, so this was the Human residential area that makes up 90% of Berlin. People who made eye contact hurriedly looked away. As expected, beyond the neo-Renaissance arcade built through urban planning, white smoke was rising from various places and I could see residential areas covered with gabled roofs.

But that’s not what’s important….

“….”

No one was there. None of A-class was at this location. Only the main street of Berlin’s outskirts, with slums in the back alleys, greeted me. I wasn’t even sure if I had been dropped in the same field as them.

And what’s with those 4 hours floating in the sky? 30 seconds had already passed.

Adrian Ascanien must have learned from the professors at the 1st Education Institute who taught him. To allow 4 hours of Mimesis, which requires enormous magical power each time it’s activated, and to drop participants without any instructions, hoping they’ll achieve their goals on their own.

‘Now, what should I do.’

What would the examiner want?

What did the government think would happen to the Empire in the future that they planned such training?

I stood there as if rooted to the spot, just staring ahead. Only when no one was passing through the plaza did I finally turn my head.

No matter how I thought about it, finding a clothing store seemed like the best idea.

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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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