How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 48
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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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How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magic Noble Family (48)
“…I knew your ability was good, but I didn’t know you could know such detailed things.”
“Huh? Special Grade 2, right? I got it right~”
Narke smiled brightly and pulled out a chair next to me to sit down.
‘Got it right’?
I chuckled in disbelief and asked.
“Did you guess?”
“Not completely, I deduced it from various clues. I can’t believe I actually got it right. I guess I’m getting to know you pretty well now, Lucas.”
It seems her ability works better the longer she knows someone.
Well, that makes sense. People’s thought patterns and behavior don’t change that easily.
No wonder she picked up on such detailed things for a Level 2 ability.
Just then, a gust of wind created by warp magic blew in from the entrance.
“Lucas.”
Leo’s voice could be heard.
Since I had unintentionally skipped training again today, my shoulders unconsciously hunched up.
‘…’
Why am I doing this?
Dealing with a magic fanatic has made me feel guilty for no reason… but there’s really no need for that.
When I changed my mindset and looked up, Leo, who met my eyes, gestured toward the outside.
“Let’s go. To get your core treated.”
“Did I say I was going today?”
“No, but you don’t have anything else to do anyway. You can’t train since you took the medicine.”
He knows well. At least he has some common sense.
Narke, who had been listening to our conversation, spoke up.
“Can I come too? I’m curious.”
“Well… sure.”
Leo thought for a moment, then wrote warp coordinates on paper and handed them to Narke. Narke smiled as she received the coordinates.
“Thanks~”
“Don’t mention it. Well then, come over right now. Let’s meet at the hospital.”
* * *
The treatment was extremely grueling.
Whether it’s because touching the core is always like this, shocks kept coming continuously like during the core examination.
‘It’s probably no different from giving electric shocks to the heart…’
The treatment seemed to take a lot out of the caster too, as the doctor wiped sweat from his forehead and exhaled.
“Phew… The damage is quite severe, so once won’t be enough. But the small cracks should be considerably filled. Let’s stop here for today and treat you again next time.”
“How many more times will I need to come?”
“You’ll need to come at least five more times. By the way, isn’t the mask uncomfortable? It must be hot, so please take it off.”
“No, it’s fine.”
At that, the doctor laughed heartily.
“Hahaha! I was curious, but that’s too bad.”
“…”
So he told me to take it off because he was curious…
I let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
“Well then, I’ll be going. You can rest a bit before heading back.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I smiled and greeted him, and as soon as the door closed, I closed my eyes and leaned back comfortably against the cushion.
For some reason, the door burst open again in less than 10 seconds.
“Hey there~”
From the gruff greeting that made me wonder how old she really was, to the sound of crutches hitting twice with each step, I could tell who had entered without even opening my eyes.
Elias sat down heavily in the chair next to me and exhaled.
“Phew… You’re here too, Your Lordship? Narke too. I was just getting bored, so this is perfect timing.”
Narke smiled brightly and greeted her.
“Elias was at the hospital too. It’s nice to see you here.”
“Right~? Where did that rabbit go?”
“Haha, I couldn’t bring it to the hospital, so I left it in my room.”
Elias had already learned about Fai’s existence. Of course, she didn’t know it could talk.
Narke tried not to reveal that the animal could understand and hold conversations, thinking of Fai’s safety. I’m still the only one who properly knows.
In the first place, like Leo, she doesn’t have any special connection with Elias outside of our group, so there’s no particular reason to mention it.
Elias closed her mouth as if disappointed.
“I see. I want to see it, but that’s too bad.”
“Elias! Didn’t I tell you not to walk around?”
Leo, who had been in the next room, followed Elias in and scolded her.
“No way. I have a lot to do with Nicolaus.”
“What kind of work?”
“After causing such a commotion, I’m getting restless just sitting still. Don’t you think so? Let’s find something else to crush. Please explain that plan you mentioned before.”
“Haha…”
I released the protagonist into the world a bit early. This kind of behavior should have been next year.
Anyway, it’s not that different, so it shouldn’t be a big problem.
“I can’t do that right away because I have something to handle first. I’ll explain after this matter is finished.”
“What is it this time? You’re not going to cause chaos like you said before, right?”
Leo must have been in a hurry because he used slang without softening it.
“I won’t… I’m planning to go alone for this, so you don’t need to worry. I’m thinking of working with Duke Elias after that.”
“What are you going alone for?”
I took out a letter from my pocket and handed it over.
[Federal Committee Mecklenburg-Schwerin Federal Representative, Werner Strauch]
It was a letter that came from the Federal Committee to my office in Bavaria.
Leo frowned as he received the letter.
“Federal Committee? Don’t tell me…”
Elias glanced at the letter Leo was holding and spoke.
“They really came looking for us on their own.”
“That’s right.”
I nodded.
“Since they came to us directly like this, I have to go handle it.”
* * *
“I never thought I’d end up inviting three classmates at once…”
We were now in Leo’s room for a strategy meeting.
Elias looked around in admiration.
“The room is almost an entire floor? How nice!”
“You’ve been coming here every week since you were little, why are you acting like it’s your first time?!”
“Ah, what should I do about mentioning this~”
Elias giggled and plopped down at the table in the middle of the room. Then she gestured toward the door at the end of the hallway.
“By the way, that’s the bedroom, guys. If you get sleepy, go sleep there. This mansion has fifty rooms, so the room’s owner will probably sleep somewhere else.”
“Just ignore her.”
Leo seemed to have given up and sat down with a smile.
Narke smiled and rested her chin on her hand.
“Haha, you two are really close~ I couldn’t really tell in the classroom.”
“Right. Wait, you couldn’t tell in the classroom?!”
“Lower your voice, Elias. And…”
Leo let out a sigh mixed with laughter and looked toward me.
“This isn’t the time for such talk. There’s no risk of anyone overhearing here, so speak comfortably. Why do you want to handle the Council Pleroma by yourself?”
“Right, first of all….”
Let me take off this mask.
I saw that all the curtains were drawn and removed my mask, placing it on the desk. Cool air settled on my skin.
Now I can finally breathe a little.
“Ooh.”
Elias whistled as he looked over my face. Narke also burst into laughter at the same time as Elias’s reaction.
“Wow, really….”
“What.”
Though I had expected it, the question naturally slipped out.
At my question, Elias nodded his head.
“You know this is the first time you’ve properly taken off your mask in front of us even after changing your coloring? Seeing your hair color too, I really thought you were Adrian Ascanien.”
“….”
I sent Leo a look requesting rebuttal, but Leo just shrugged his shoulders too.
Since we share some genes to some extent, it can’t be helped.
More than that, with so many people here, there’s no gap for sound to escape.
Narke is just watching quietly as usual, but it probably feels that way because Elias talks so much.
I waved my hand at Elias’s playfully persistent gaze.
“Stop that and let’s talk about what we need to discuss. It’s gotten quite late.”
“Right. Tell us why you want to face that guy alone. That’s what we gathered here to talk about, isn’t it.”
Leo pressed again.
I unfolded the letter and pushed it toward Leo.
“Did you check what the contents were?”
“It said he had a request for you regarding Pleroma. That he needs your divine power.”
“Right. The reason I want to go alone is simple. That guy only made the request to me. In that situation, could I bring you, Narke, or Elias along?”
“….”
Leo understood what I meant and let out a deep sigh.
“Even if I brought them, that guy would somehow create a situation where only he and I are alone. I’m the only target, and the moment another mage gets involved, it’s certain that his side would lose.”
“Actually, it was obvious from the start. From the moment you put on the hat as the initial informant, it was predetermined that Luca would become the target.”
Elias spoke while gradually showing a serious attitude.
Then he leaned forward from where he had been resting against the backrest.
“Well, I don’t want to stop you from doing what you say you’ll do, but honestly, no matter what, sending you alone doesn’t look that good to me.”
“Why do you think that?”
I asked with a smile.
Even if they’re going to give their opinions, I should first hear what these friends think.
“It’s obvious. As you said before, when it should be thoroughly hidden but it’s been exposed nationally like this and put a brake on the mission, the Pleroma side won’t look favorably on the guy who was in charge of the insect experiments. His position must have definitely become difficult.”
“Right.”
“That guy must hold tremendous resentment toward you as the initial informant, so he’ll have no hesitation in bringing you down. Shall I tell you my scenario?”
I nodded silently.
Elias held up two fingers like before.
“You get dragged there and either become Pleroma, or die in front of the Pleroma. Naturally, both would be crossing a river you can’t return from, right? Especially the former would be better to die than face in terms of treatment.”
“That’s right.”
That’s really what would happen.
Depending on the level of punishment that spy receives, the degree of retaliation that comes back to me would vary, but for now, it’s safest to expect and prepare for those two cases.
Just as I was about to open my mouth, Leo asked calmly.
“That’s right, but you’re saying you’ll go.”
“Right. I have a reason why I must go there. First, you know it would be useless to send someone other than me, right?”
“I would be useful though?”
Elias threw out the words lightly.
That’s correct.
The people that guy would hold resentment toward are me, who first made the insect problem visible, and then Elias next.
If Elias, who’s become as much of a topic as I am, went out instead of me, that guy would be somewhat satisfied and could drag Elias to Pleroma’s stronghold to use as a tool for restoring honor and reinstatement.
But….
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Of course, I don’t think at all that the protagonist would obediently die.
But there’s no need to impose the danger I should face on someone who’s only eighteen in Korean age. Above all, since it’s a situation where I need to raise impression points anyway, it wouldn’t be bad for me to go.
Of course, the protagonist around the ending was older than the original me, but… anyway, now is what’s important.
“No. Your leg hasn’t healed yet either.”
“Ah, if I had known this would happen, I should have eaten all the wild boar the moment I saw it…. Looking back now, it’s frustrating!”
Elias said something ridiculous while holding his head.
“Anyway, the other two besides me and Elias wouldn’t mean much no matter how much they face that guy. Moving on to the next topic, there’s one reason why we must face that guy directly ourselves.”
Narke seemed to have already read my thoughts as she smiled gently and nodded.
“We have no way to immediately lock that guy up. Should we report him? ‘Werner Strauch is Pleroma, so arrest him immediately’? Well, what would they believe about me to do that? I can’t present any evidence that that guy is Pleroma.”
Leo, who had been listening to my words with his arms crossed and a disapproving face, slowly nodded.
“That’s right, you haven’t even told us how you found out. We just understood because you’re not someone who would talk nonsense.”
“But now it’s definitely believable. A letter came from that person Luca mentioned.”
Elias picked up and waved the letter.
“Right, that guy proved it himself. Even so, this is evidence that only we know, it’s not evidence worthy of requesting an investigation.”
Leo continued.
“If the Bavarian Royal Family requested an investigation from the Imperial Court, there might be a possibility they’d actually start one, but even then, the results would be uncertain.”
I nodded at those words.
“Right. What if that guy thoroughly left no evidence at all in his office and mansion? This case would end just like that.”
“Wow, that’s really thrilling. Getting branded as a liar to the Imperial Court~”
Elias giggled.
Narke seemed curious about a member of the imperial family saying such things as she stared intently at Elias, observing him.
Leo clasped both hands together and spoke seriously.
“Now, you’re saying you’ll make a frontal assault because of that reason. Because you can’t use public authority until you directly catch evidence.”
“Right.”
The Imperial Court doesn’t want to unnecessarily antagonize the nations that make up the Empire.
At this time, Mecklenburg-Schwerin, where Werner Strauch serves as a Federal Representative, forms a grand duchy.
From the Imperial Court’s perspective, there’s no reason to arrest a grand duchy’s Federal Representative based solely on the claims of a Bavarian mage who can present no evidence.
If I could present something it might be different, but I can’t.
So….
“If we can’t lead an investigation, and even if we do lead one the probability of success is low…. We just need to induce Werner Strauch to say with his own mouth that he’s Pleroma.”
To do that, we need to target the time when that guy reveals his true nature.
And that time will come when he faces me, the target of his resentment.
* * *
I touched my ear. A transparent artifact was hanging on my earlobe.
“If I get hit once, this will fly off.”
“You have to block it before that happens!”
Leo turned around with an expression of lost hope.
“It would have been much more stable if we could have tested it one more time.”
“We don’t have time to make more. We should be grateful that transmission is even possible.”
Recording devices made with general technology might not work in situations involving magic, so we decided to borrow sensory transfer magic instead.
We applied magic formulas to an empty artifact to temporarily create the effect, but when we added the function to cut off and restart transmission each time it was touched, the formulas increased tenfold and we had trouble due to conflicts.
Still, surprisingly, unlike during the experiment, once I hung it on my earlobe the effect was clearly visible, so we could quickly finish preparations.
I experienced firsthand that the saying about maximizing artifact performance by keeping it as close to the body as possible wasn’t said for nothing.
Of course, depending on the environment that guy creates, there might be situations where the artifact doesn’t work.
In other words, since both situations could occur, we just deployed both general technology and magical technology.
I finished preparations and straightened my clothes.
As it was almost time to move, I finally spoke to Leo.
“Let me go over this one more time. If there’s anything that shouldn’t reach the investigator, I’ll tap the artifact connected to my arm once. Then it’ll cut off. Keep in mind that you can also cut it from your end.”
“Got it. I also coordinated with them for about a 30-second delay, so don’t worry too much about control. We’ll handle blocking and reconnecting.”
By “them,” he meant the Bavaria Investigation Bureau.
Once they confirm things are escalating there, this matter will be transferred to the Imperial Investigative Bureau.
I nodded and tapped the recorder connected behind my robe brooch.
“I’ll leave the recorder alone since there’s no technology for real-time transmission anyway.”
“Yeah, do that. We can keep that one and report on it after just removing personal information.”
Looking at my watch, it was already 3 PM.
It was about time to head out.
“I’m going now.”
I input the coordinates of the location written in the letter into the warp formula and flicked my hand.
The main building of the Federal Commission Building appeared before my eyes.
As expected, the person I had familiarized myself with through prior investigation was at that location.
I approached the person who had his back turned in the distance and called his name.
“Legislator Werner Strauch.”
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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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