How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 432

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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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“Everyone’s gathered.”

As I pulled out the last chair and sat down, I could see that the gazes of all four friends sitting around the living room table were directed at me. Ulrike was looking at me with a determined expression.

The fact that the relic thief is the same person who harmed Haike—only I, Elias, Leo, and Narke know this. Elias and Narke had no choice but to know since they were in Trier with me, and Leo had been with Narke and me since the relic theft incident. The four of us had been sharing any information we learned with each other immediately whenever we had time since last year. Except for Narke’s personal history, which was completely unguessable, there was almost no information asymmetry among the four of us, and it was usually unintentional. Even when it existed, it was quickly resolved within a few days. This sharing began to deal immediately with unexpected problem situations.

After the 101 selection, even after becoming close with three other friends, the four of us continued to do so, but we didn’t extend the scope of information disclosure to the other three friends. It wasn’t because we didn’t like them, but there were two reasons.

First, someone could ransack their minds with divine power.

There certainly aren’t many people who can ransack others’ minds with divine power, but some among the Empire’s double-digit Arcane Mages are definitely people who can conduct interrogations.

Let me give you one crucial piece of information. I must not reveal the fact that I am Nicolaus Ernst as much as possible. I must refrain from even giving clues that could lead to that speculation.

There are already enemies who unavoidably know my identity—about three come to mind immediately—but all three of them are so obsessed with securing their own interests that they’re definitely not people who would do anything beneficial to Pleroma, and if they had intended to, my transformation possibility should have been buried at 0% by now.

So why must I refrain from even giving clues about my identity? Why must I keep the number of people who know the truth to a minimum?

‘First, it’s too obvious that problems could arise with my transformation possibility.’

This isn’t why I don’t tell my friends the truth. Sharing information means taking on risks, but the opposite is also true.

Knowing information also means having to take on risks.

Suppose someone develops suspicions close to certainty about my identity, and a government interrogator calls them in and opens their skull with divine power.

1. They opened a Junker student’s brain and found information about state secrets, Nicolaus, and whatnot. The interrogator would rejoice as if finding a cornucopia. And they would continue to confine the interrogated person in interrogation rooms and hotels, using divine power on them to ask questions whenever necessary questions arose for days on end. The fact that he knew important information would be written in classified documents and preserved for life.

2. They opened a Junker student’s brain but no important information came out. However, when they conducted guided interrogation, there were traces of someone erasing memories. From now on, everyone around that person goes on the second interrogation list.

3. They opened a Junker student’s brain but no important information came out, and there were no traces of erasure either. What they could get from him was only the exact personnel composition and system of the Special Operations Command and tonight’s dinner menu. In such cases, the interrogator, as a very gentlemanly civil servant, would express gratitude for the interrogated person’s cooperation for the homeland and send him home. This phenomenon could occur anywhere, whether by government Arcane Mages or not, in Pleroma or anywhere else.

In this era, in this society, knowing information means this. Trust, love, and respect for friends alone cannot make one confess everything. That would be no different from copying the burden I carry and passing it on to those I respect. Words, once heard, cannot be undone.

‘At least Narke would know how to erase memories to make them less susceptible to guided interrogation… but what’s the point of talking and then erasing?’

That would be even more heartbreaking. Though I hadn’t erased my friends’ memories with divine power, I already knew from experiencing it in other ways.

And second, aside from social risks, hearing information close to classified becomes a psychological burden. If my friends truly wanted it, I would be prepared to pass on the burden of the heart to them too, but until they showed signs of wanting it, I didn’t want to destroy their peaceful today. My friends’ school days, once over, will never return. I don’t want to make them carry countless burdens dragged in from me, beyond the national burdens they didn’t need to bear but ended up bearing.

Therefore, I often hesitate to pass information even to Elias, Narke, and Leo, thinking it’s ultimately better for me, who has the opportunity to recover from any risk, to break through first.

‘But.’

Now it’s different. Haike has collapsed, and finding the one who made Haike that way is not my task alone, nor my goal alone. This is a team problem, so I cannot hold information alone and make decisions alone. That would be rude to my friends.

Therefore, I must tell them about the speculation that the person who stopped Haike’s core and the relic thief are the same person, and even the fact that the relic was stolen. A few days ago, when there was plenty of time before today’s operation execution date, it was difficult to share information so I cast silencing magic, but not now when the deed is imminent.

‘Right. So it’s correct that he doesn’t know…’

I glanced at Cheringen. He was sitting calmly in his seat without any particular seriousness. For some reason, Cheringen seems to know about the relic theft.

‘Did he hear from Leo?’

Or Elias? If not that, did he find out through the intelligence agency? Or…

When our eyes met, Cheringen smiled and asked.

“Why?”

I don’t know if that’s Cheringen’s poker face. I answered that it was nothing and unfolded the paper I brought. Elias watched me distribute pens and then spoke to the friends.

“Alright, guys. I have something to say first.”

“…”

“The relic was stolen from Trier Cathedral.”

Cheringen blinked with an unsurprised expression. Ulrike, having heard the term “relic thief” from me earlier, seemed to have roughly guessed and spoke with determination.

“Right. How dare they steal a relic that was in our country? But surely we don’t have to find it, right? Right?”

“And?”

It was Cheringen’s words. Leo turned his gaze to him with his arms crossed. All the other friends did the same. Cheringen continued speaking expressionlessly, as smooth as flowing water.

“The stolen relic can’t be everything. What do you want to say?”

“We have to meet that relic thief tonight. At 11:50 tonight, in Munich Giesing.”

A subtle tension flows through the air.

Though it’s included in Munich and easy to think of as a downtown area packed with people and buildings, Giesing is close to countryside. At that location at 11:50, there would be almost no people walking the streets. Cheringen stroked his chin and said.

“You mean those two blue notes we received before.”

“Right. The person who will appear at that place tonight is the person who stole the relic from Trier.”

“But why was one of the notes in Haike’s cabinet?”

Cheringen hit the nail on the head. The location of the note, yes. That’s definitely problematic. He’s trying to understand what relationship exists between the relic and ‘Haike’s’ cabinet.

“There’s something I need to say here. By inference, the person who stole the relic is the person who stopped Haike’s core.”

“…”

Silence flows. Except for Elias, no one seems convinced.

Actually, though it started from a vague inference, this isn’t an inference with low accuracy so far. Even in the extra chapter, and with information gained by provoking the Papal States until now, I’ve verified many things. But if I go that far, I’d have to reveal that I’m a Cardinal. Going that far would bring actual danger to everyone, and I can’t cause sudden confusion to those who already have to accept so much information.

Ulrike moved her lips with a dazed expression.

“…What?”

“I think the possibility is high. That relic is an object that became an artifact in itself.”

“But…! Wait. What’s the connection between the relic being an artifact and Haike’s core? Count Ismailov collapsed too!”

Ulrike shouted without humor, with an expression of disbelief that we had gotten close to finding the culprit. His face had turned white.

“It’s because of that relic’s ability. According to investigation, it has the ability to recover something in common.”

“…Recovery…”

Cheringen muttered to himself, casting his gaze into the air. I can hear him saying it’s unexpected. At the same time, Ulrike spoke in a terrifying voice, hands pressed on the desk.

“You’re saying those two had something in common? What does that mean?”

“Right. The degree of damage to the two appeared differently according to the ratio of that common thing. One almost completely disappeared, the other didn’t.”

“Those two are complete strangers, Lucas. Especially if that common thing is an element measurable by ratio, there’s even less reason for such a thing to exist.”

Ulrike’s voice gradually lowers. Since it was only artificially made the same, it’s natural that there’s nothing in common. I nodded readily.

“Of course.”

“…”

“Luise. I’ll explain in detail later about Haike’s relationship to this incident. But there are also areas where it’s difficult for me to say where and how I collected information. Even so, could you trust my words?”

“…”

Ulrike stared at me intently without expression and remained silent. There was no hostility. There was no reason for such a thing to arise. It was simply the fact that we could find our friend again that kept him in a state of tension. Ulrike answered briefly in a flat voice.

“Alright.”

“Good. Thank you.”

I smiled at him and then returned my expression to what it was before. Then I looked at my friends and returned to the main purpose of gathering here.

“Tonight we have to find the person who made Haike that way. The best thing is to establish field response methods as quickly as possible and create test videos in our heads. Now, first, even if we go out to Giesing at 11:50, those people won’t be where we can see them.”

“Why? Those people called us first.”

“No. We have to find them first. Those bastards will lurk and watch us.”

“Is this appointment itself a trap? More than that… you really call them bastards too, Lucas.”

Ulrike smiled hazily for a moment, then immediately returned to serious eyes. I answered with the same expression and finished speaking while looking at Leo.

“Leo will give us signals about that part. Basically, the person deployed to the scene has to find them too, but it has to be done secretly.”

At those words, Cheringen said.

“You’ve decided to borrow the power of the Bavarian royal family.”

“Right. It would be right to handle it as safely as possible. Now, the other side will definitely have subordinates lying in ambush to confirm whether we come to the appointment location. From our position of needing to meet the boss, that’s unpleasant.”

Ulrike nodded. I continued speaking to him.

“Therefore, we need two people: someone to act as a lookout at the appointment location, and someone to wait secretly and then take down the subordinates.”

“Are you trying to take subordinates hostage to make the boss come out?”

“Right.”

Cheringen, who had been quietly listening to Ulrike’s question and my answer, looked at me and asked.

“The possibility it won’t work?”

Sharp. He’s been like that all along. Since he grew up from a boss’s position, his calculations would be even faster.

If it doesn’t work, I’ll use mind manipulation magic on him to make him move to the hideout. But I can’t say I’ll do it.

“Of course I’m considering it. In that case, we’ll have to use Bavaria’s Arcane Mage waiting at the scene.”

Leo narrowed his eyes. I ignored his frowning and opened my mouth.

“I’ll wander around the appointment location.”

“Says who?”

Leo’s sharp question is heard. I looked straight at him and answered.

“Says who? Says me.”

“No, I’ll go out. What if a surprise attack comes? It’s the most dangerous position.”

“Right. So what are you going to do, Leo?”

Silence flows. The gaze looking at me coldly and the stiffly hardened air settle in this living room. I looked straight at Leo and continued speaking.

“You have to watch the overall situation and give us signals. And you, as Prince, joining a fight in Munich Giesing isn’t a good picture.”

“That’s now…!”

“Then me!”

Elias whistled and raised his hand. I responded with a displeased expression.

“Are you kidding? You’re the same way. Julia too.”

“Then—”

Ulrike opened her mouth, but I shook my head.

“I’ll handle this. Luise, the fact that you’re strong in close combat is definitely a huge advantage, but that’s exactly why I’d like you to ambush them.”

“No, you’re saying the position you want to take is more dangerous than the others. I refuse.”

I was momentarily speechless and stared at Ulrike. Ulrike answered with unwavering eyes.

“I’ll do it. I don’t want to lose a friend again by being attacked by strangers.”

“…”

I blinked while pursing my lips. The odds of winning are better with me than with you. Ulrike isn’t someone who wouldn’t know that. He says he’ll take the most dangerous position because he doesn’t want to lose another friend. The other friends are also looking at him with surprised eyes. Ulrike furrowed his brows and asked once more.

“Let me do it. We’re all planning this operation together, right? Can’t you accept my opinion just this once?”

Not wanting to put a friend in a dangerous situation isn’t just his feeling—I feel the same way. I can’t put Ulrike in that position. If we’re attacked, the chances of Ulrike suffering fatal injuries are much higher than mine.

“…Then how about this.”

I bit my lip once and slowly raised my head.

“Both of us will be in that position. Or we could ask one of the kingdom’s arcane mages to take on the appearance of one of us and go to that spot?”

“Someone who can use divine power that skillfully would respond to our request… No. Then what about that person’s safety…”

“At least they’d be more skilled than me. For example, if it were Count Nicolaus.”

“…”

Ulrike looked puzzled, wondering if I could actually bring that person. However, the moment I uttered the name, I clearly saw Ulrike’s brow furrow slightly and harden. His eyes no longer wavered.

Neither of us could escape the pangs of conscience since it involved me. However, I couldn’t put Ulrike in that position. Just as he was thinking of my safety, I couldn’t help but think of his life, so somehow.

And it was true that being ‘Nicolaus Ernst’ rather than ‘Lucas Ascanien’ would be much better. Since there’s a difference between using only magic versus using divine power as well, the power of the two identities differs tremendously. Since I’m more comfortable using divine power than magic, that difference becomes even greater.

Leo pressed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Elias was quietly looking down at the table.

“…”

“Yes, if that’s possible… let’s do that.”

Ulrike answered with a still somewhat uncomfortable expression. He was someone who would even worry about a complete stranger like Nicolaus Ernst getting hurt. It would be the same even if another arcane mage came instead of Nicolaus Ernst. I forced a smile that wouldn’t come naturally and continued speaking.

“Then, Julia. Will you accompany Ulrike?”

“Hmm, yes. Leave anything to me.”

Cheringen, who had been quietly observing, answered with a relaxed expression as if confident about anything. I know well that his confidence has solid grounds. I smiled and grasped Elias’s hand.

“Then, Elias and I will hide together, and Julia and I will provide long-range support for the two who specialize in close combat.”

“We’ll need to notice first and be agile.”

“That’s right. The plan might change again, but let’s plan this much for now. And, crucially.”

There was something we needed to know here. I looked around at my friends and said.

“Even if we meet that boss, we must not kill them. Whether we make them use the castle again or whatever, we can’t kill them to wake up Haike. After we meet them, we have to resolve it through dialogue.”

“If dialogue doesn’t work.”

To Cheringen’s question, I answered simply.

“Then we’ll have to use force.”

“What are our chances?”

Silence flows. The expressions of Leo and Elias, who know in advance who I suspect the culprit to be, are also hardened. I answered briefly.

“I can’t see them as very high.”

“Even with all five of us…”

Ulrike started speaking and slowly closed his mouth. His face was rigidly hardened. The muscles around his mouth were pulled downward and his eyes were blazing. I know that expression. I knew it too well, which was the problem. I quietly soothed Ulrike, who was probably grinding his teeth at his own abilities.

“You don’t need to be so hard on yourself. Simply killing the opponent won’t allow us to achieve our goal. That’s why.”

“…Right. I heard from Mother. For a mage, capturing alive is harder than killing.”

Ulrike, perhaps knowing I was worried, smiled lightly and lowered his eyes. I looked at my friends and said.

“I think negotiation will be possible. Even if they refuse, we have to manage somehow. But the real problem is before that.”

At my words, Elias raised his hand and responded.

“It doesn’t look that difficult. Leo and Leo’s subordinates can watch from somewhere like an observation deck, spot suspicious people, signal us with artifacts, and then we beat them up.”

“Right. That’s true, but since we can’t kill them, we absolutely can’t let it show that we’re mobilizing the Bavarian government forces, Elias.”

Elias pursed his lips as if to whistle and nodded. He probably already knew that anyway, so maybe his mouth moved first. Or maybe he wanted confirmation from me. I looked at my friends and continued.

“The same goes for us. We can’t let them know that all of us attend Gijing. Only the person who came to the meeting place should be visible.”

“…Ah, you were planning to mobilize Bavarian arcane mages anyway. We just need to add at least one person to each team we divided, right?”

Ulrike spoke as if he finally understood. I nodded. Then I spread a Gijing map on the paper and covered it with three layers of oil paper, placing small paperweights at the four corners. We hadn’t even started the real strategy meeting. What’s a strategy meeting without a map?

But before getting into that discussion, there was something I wanted to say to my friends.

“Up to this point, there were actually two things I haven’t told you.”

“Huh…? What didn’t you tell us?”

Ulrike asked with a puzzled expression, glancing at the friends for some reason.

What hadn’t I told them? I couldn’t tell them that I was Nicolaus Ernst. I couldn’t say that, not just for my sake but for their safety as well. I looked at Ulrike and Cheringen and said.

“One of them… I might not be able to tell you first before revealing it to everyone. But if I can make everything public on the day I planned…”

I unconsciously swallowed and looked at my friends again.

“I definitely want to let you know first before that. I can’t say it now, but could you wait?”

At those words, Cheringen tilted his head and asked.

“Not now?”

“…Sorry. It’s difficult right now.”

“You definitely want to tell us… Hmm, well. Why apologize again? Don’t feel burdened.”

Don’t feel burdened? Why? Now I was the one who had to tilt my head. I suppressed the urge to ask back with a strange expression and stared at Cheringen, waiting for him to continue. Cheringen spread his hand as nobles often do when recommending something, then showed a refreshing smile and said.

“Even if the plan goes awry and I don’t get to know first, I’m fine with it. Your sincerity has already been conveyed to me at this moment.”

“…I actually have no idea what it is, but… me too. Don’t feel burdened! I won’t be disappointed~”

Ulrike regained his own cheerfulness and answered along.

“Thank you, Julia. Luise.”

I looked at them with the utmost sincerity. Ulrike smiled gently again. Cheringen also responded with a smile, then raised his eyebrows and rested his chin on his hand.

“So, what’s the other one?”

“Ah, right. I think I can tell you the other thing first. That blue note.”

I took out the blue note with the circle and Munich antipodal coordinates from my pocket and showed it to my friends. Ulrike furrowed his brow again and answered with gleaming eyes.

“Yes. What about it?”

“Actually, I wrote it.”

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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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