How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 489

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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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“What…”

Elias froze in place while holding out the bouquet. How could he say such a thing?! I expected to hear some childish remark like that, but Elias was genuinely bewildered. So this was meant for Leo and I thought Leo would be happy, but instead of that, he’s asking if I’m kicking him out, which is absurd. Belatedly understanding the situation, I put strength in my eyes and gave Leo a meaningful look. Leo, who was quick to catch on, understood my meaning immediately and smiled while trying to suppress his wavering gaze.

“Thank you. Really… sincerely.”

Leo took the bouquet and pondered what to do with it, then unnecessarily smelled its fragrance. His gaze kept darting in all directions, clearly showing his confusion. Above all, this wasn’t someone whose vocabulary was limited to just this, but seeing his response in this state, he was clearly quite flustered. Elias gripped the door frame tightly with both hands and asked.

“Hey. Aren’t you excited?”

“What? I’m excited.”

Leo glared and pulled his head back reluctantly while answering the threatening Elias with a frown. He looked down at the flower-head mat that Elias was blocking with his upper body. Even in that brief moment, he pondered how to pass through that spot—Elias was also just leaning his body and supporting himself with his arm against the door frame—fortunately, he didn’t draw his wand like I did. Maybe there wasn’t time for that. Right after, Elias grabbed Leo by the collar.

“You don’t look excited! Aaaaah!”

As Elias forcefully grabbed his collar, Leo lost his balance and grabbed the door frame. But it was only momentary. Elias pulled hard and slammed Leo down onto the floor. Compared to Elias, Leo was at a level where there was no need to worry about fighting skills, so I was concerned about whether moisture from the crushed flowers would stain his clothes. The vibration going to other floors was unavoidable, but I should also cast a soundproofing spell.

Leo seemed flustered again since Elias hadn’t invaded his personal space outside of the training ground very often, or maybe he had no intention of fighting, so he tried to get up from where he was.

“No, I was just surprised! You’re not the kind of friend who does this sort of thing!”

I think that’s true too. Elias isn’t the type to do this kind of thing. What wind blew to make him hold a welcome ceremony for a friend he just saw? And what is he planning to use the stems for? Of course, I had expectations for both.

“Oh, really? Then I’m curious what you think.”

Elias asked with exaggeratedly squinted eyes and eyebrows raised high. Leo normally wouldn’t have responded to Elias’s trivial remarks, but sensing that the current situation was different, a slight tension could be read within his composure. Leo looked awkward for a moment, then looked straight into Elias’s eyes.

“I mean, right now… it’s not my Elias but our Elias state.”

I almost laughed thinking of several lines that flashed through my mind.

The expressions “my Elias” and “our Elias” might seem foolishly worded, but they’re words coined in childhood, so it can’t be helped. This was a phrase that gradually shortened as Leo explained the phenomenon of Elias showing distinctly different appearances in front of him versus in front of others. Leo’s “our Elias” literally refers to all states other than “Elias in front of himself,” where “our” can apply to anything—local community, nation, classmates, whatever.

Now he’s saying this because Elias was acting playfully like when the four of us hang out together, or when classmates play together. The Elias that Leo knows is loud and mischievous enough to tire people out, but usually exists in a state of silent contemplation while looking into space. During those times, Elias is often lost in thought. In some ways, Leo’s “my Elias” is most similar to my “my Elias” among the many versions of Elias, but on average a bit calmer. They’re generally the same, but if he bit my hand, he bit it, but he doesn’t bite Leo’s hand. This margin is what I’ve felt so far. From what he’s saying now, it seems Leo thinks the same as me. Elias, uninterested in the task of devouring Leo’s head, stuck his hands in his pockets, stood up, and said indifferently.

“In front of you, it’s all ‘my Elias’ state. Take pride in that, my friend.”

“What are you talking about? There are many times when it’s not. This isn’t something you used to do for me either. What is this thing anyway? When you gave flowers before, they were always one or two rare flowers you brought from some cliff, not like this. What are all these horticultural flowers?”

Because Leo didn’t kill them but planted them in soil and raised them, all the flowers have multiplied in Bavaria’s garden. Elias also brought them partly to ask for the population to be increased. He only brings plants that seem scarce in his subjective judgment, and naturally, being subjective, the things he brought in the past include some fairly common plants. Now Elias’s experience in distinguishing wildflowers has accumulated, so he mostly brings things that seem to need species preservation. Elias pointed to the sofa and plopped down himself.

“I bought these because Human parties are often held here. Parties need flowers and alcohol.”

“They wouldn’t sell things like this. Did you really buy them? Are you sure? You didn’t threaten the employees?”

“What do you take me for? I’m hurt.”

“What do I take you for? I know about all the clothes you tore off. You could have fixed your appearance with cognitive disruption magic.”

Leo said with flashing eyes. Elias answered trivially with a “what’s the problem” expression.

“Everyone’s dying from exhaustion, why use more magic? It’s not like magic grows from digging the ground, we only use it when we have no choice in dangerous situations. And I didn’t have the authority to command those people. You know that with their position, they could have easily refused what someone like me, who isn’t even Bavarian royalty, was saying.”

“Right, so you didn’t force them to change clothes? No matter how much they could refuse, how could they do that from the perspective of people who’ve watched you since childhood, out of human decency? Especially when you used my name.”

“I have a lot to say about that too, so why did you say you’d book a hotel under the embassy’s name? Couldn’t we have booked a moderately run-down place and you could have entered later? In places like this, they check who all the visitors are, but in run-down places, they don’t do that. Your Highness, I’ve already apologized and will do so again tomorrow, so don’t worry and please consider your companions’ appearance when speaking in the future.”

I exchanged glances with Narke. They’re arguing, but I’m not worried at all. After this, both of them will obviously act like nothing happened. Leo looked at Elias with wavering eyes, then slightly furrowed his brow and lowered his gaze.

“You stand out too much. Just as you thought your disheveled appearance would be remembered by the staff, I also didn’t want to enter the building in an immediately identifiable appearance. If I entered a shabby lodging facility, people would think, regardless of my will, why would someone who isn’t of that social class come here. Rather than arousing suspicion and having secret police follow us, I thought it would be better to create a schedule. If we use fake identities, most people won’t know who you are, and even now many people come and go from this famous hotel.”

Elias was about to agree with those words when his eyes widened. With a mischievous face, ready to tease, he snickered and carefully said.

“What would be identified? Your face right now…”

Leo, who initially tried to listen attentively with wide eyes, noticed Elias’s mischievous mood kicking in and got angry.

“That’s not it, it’s because of my height! And where do I have old clothes right now?!”

“No! It’s not wrong, it’s right. The face is right too. What country would a person who looks like this and even wears such formal clothes be from? Ah~ I should tell His Highness. The Wittelsbach rumors are spreading throughout Europe right now. Be more! More proud… oof.”

Leo hit Elias’s mouth with an obviously annoyed face and quickly lost energy, turning his head away.

“Guys. Someone please get rid of him.”

“Haha~”

Narke just laughed again this time too. Leo pressed his fingertips firmly around his eyes with a face that showed he hadn’t expected anything anyway. He picked up the bouquet Elias had given him and the vase containing the bundle of stems.

“So, why did you give me this bouquet, why is the room like this, and why did you give me the bundle of stems?”

“Forget about these stems. They’re unrelated.”

Then why are they in my hands? Leo looked down at the bundle of stems with a face that clearly showed he was thinking that. He narrowed his brow as if he had some expectation, and Elias didn’t give Leo any opening.

“It’s nothing special. No, it is something special.”

“What is it.”

“Actually, I had a rather long conversation with Luca today. I can’t tell you what we talked about right now, but anyway, I marveled at what mystery brought us together with such deeply connected hearts. During that conversation, your name came up too, and so… I couldn’t help but think, how did I get so lucky to make friends with such compatible hearts. I was more grateful to you and Luca than ever before.”

Leo nodded. Elias pondered a bit, then said while fidgeting with grass blades that had fallen on the sofa.

“I still can’t forget how you accepted me that day. Do you feel the same? The wind that broke and came up that day still touches my face. When I think of the taste of unripe green oranges, my nose still stings and saliva pools. Naturally, your soft magic power still remains in my legs too.”

Leo smiled. Since it was a topic Narke wouldn’t know about, I glanced at Narke, and he watched the two with the same calm face as before. Elias continued.

“We also talked about your virtues as our topic. Do you know what both of us truly admired about you? If you’re not dissatisfied with us talking about you in your absence, I’ll gladly tell you.”

“Do as you please.”

“It’s not ‘do as you please,’ my friend. Speak more honestly.”

“It’s not a topic that warrants that. Even if you talked about me, those words belong to you two. Just because it’s about me doesn’t mean I have to insist on hearing everything, so if you’re confident it’s okay for me to hear, then speak.”

“I’m confident, that’s why I brought it up. Look at this anyway. This. He’s as soft as his own magic power.”

Elias pointed at Leo while looking at me.

You’re probably the only one who would call Leo soft. I raised the corners of my mouth with that expression. Even though Elias criticized the magic power that Leo himself regrets so much, Leo smiled with a troubled face. Because they know more accurately than anyone why the word “soft” works positively only in their relationship. Leo unnecessarily brushed the hair that had fallen to his forehead and said.

“Alright, I want to hear it.”

“I said you’re the type of human one cannot help but love. You don’t take the love you receive for granted, you know how to be purely happy, and you know how to give it back to the world. You easily accomplish what I find strange… I said that too. You have no delay in revealing things. No greedy decoration trying to appear better than what you have, no hiding stemming from conflict with yourself. Your joy and gratitude toward all things may deepen in your heart but never become shallow, and you always express all phenomena arising in your heart directly and as they are. That’s the first way you give love back to others.”

Elias looked down and smiled.

“…As if the gratitude rising in you right now would fester and fade in your heart if you didn’t express it immediately. No, actually, you might not have feared it would fade. The negativity that follows my speculation is probably rooted in me from always having to find the worst aspect in everything. Then is this uprightness of yours a natural talent? That disposition that paradoxically becomes more upright than anyone because it tries to find the right place even when crooked… Or is it the result of all things in the world working together so that based on good character, it would be properly refined. Whatever it is, it’s something I don’t have.”

With a prickly expression full of concern, Leo looked at Elias. He said nothing for his friend right now, but was ready to refute Elias’s words given the chance. Elias said while looking at the sea outside the window.

“I learned from you what I couldn’t do by nature, and the moment I recognized that fact, I yearned to give it right back to you. Actually, today probably isn’t the best timing. You were really bewildered too, so it ended up being an unsuccessful expression of gratitude. Even knowing that would happen, I decided to try being like you when I felt grateful. When time passes, when will I tell you again that I’m grateful you became my friend. So… instead of waiting for a better opportunity to appear someday, I thought I wanted to express my gratitude to you, however modestly, as soon as we returned home, and I thought I absolutely had to do this at dawn, but you came to Italy.”

When he said the part about thinking he would do that but you came, Elias’s eyes sparkled. Leo seemed to become dejected, perhaps reflecting on the reaction he had shown earlier, and tilted his eyebrows. Elias knew Leo felt sorry toward him and giggled.

“If you had been in Bavaria and were sleeping when we returned home, I was going to break down even your bedroom door and sing a song of gratitude. Of course, you, whom I use as a textbook for expression, know how to choose time and place, so you wouldn’t have done that. So… why I laid out flowers was because Human parties are often held here. I participated once before and had a vivid memory of them wasting flowers, so I thought, ah, then they must have prepared flowers here too. So I asked for permission and pulled them all out. Even if you don’t particularly like plants, when people have grateful and joyful occasions, they put flowers in party venues like this.”

This is the first time the phrase “asked for permission” has sounded so ominous. Leo seemed to hesitate at the same part, but still, he’s looking at Elias with an expression that says he didn’t know you would do that. Taking advantage of this gap, Elias grasped Leo’s hand and said.

“And there’s one more thing. Let’s make a jungle.”

Silence flowed. Everyone in this room was looking at Elias. Leo finally returned to his original expression, looked around at us, and said absurdly.

“How am I supposed to react to this?”

“Make a jungle. Let’s cover all four walls of this room and the furniture in green.”

When Elias spoke seriously again, Leo looked at the stems cut from the flowers and furrowed his brow.

“Ah, I knew this would happen. Why did you give me those stems!”

“Isn’t this romantic? Covering a room with plants and filling a room with water, isn’t that everyone’s romance? There’s the sea over there, so let’s make this place into a forest!”

“I guess I’m not included in ‘everyone.'”

Leo replied with a soulless smile. Elias gestured as if asking didn’t you know and said.

“At least when I was eight, I wished I could fill the Imperial Palace with water and swim. I filled it up to my ankles once.”

“Right. You got in huge trouble with Father then.”

“Water can’t be dealt with afterward, so wrap this whole place with plants. You cut the stems too. You can use both the flower buds and stems! When we check out, I’ll take responsibility and blow away all the pollen and leaves that remain here with magic.”

Elias seemed to have pictured creating new stems from the flower buds and extending the cut stems to make vines. Leo also seemed to imagine that picture as he held the bundle of stems and showed a negative reaction.

“What’s the point of cutting flower stems from buds? There are no roots.”

“That’s true… But you can do it. If roots are absolutely necessary, I’ll bring a basin of water so let’s put them there and make roots. The room will get dirty, so no soil.”

Elias patted Leo’s shoulder. Leo covered his face and sighed.

“Guys. Why didn’t anyone stop him?”

“I wanted to stop him too.”

I answered sympathetically to his feelings. Leo quickly came to his senses like a childhood friend and firmly scolded Elias.

“No. This isn’t your house. What kind of outdoor education class is this? You can’t do this here. No matter how much you remove all the plants, won’t the cleaning staff later wonder why a perfectly fine room smells like grass?”

Then Elias, who had been talking the most nonsense all along, conversely frowned with a “what kind of talk is this” expression.

“Isn’t that… a good thing? Everyone decorates gardens to smell grass. If you absolutely must remove the smell, you can create wind with magic and push it toward the terrace.”

“Even without that, they might wonder why the furniture is twisted. It would be a bit troublesome if plants growing knock down picture frames and such.”

Elias jumped up and clapped his hands.

“Hey! Guys, get up! We can’t sit on the sofa! The furniture position can’t be messed up! Quickly! Quick! Ly! Get up!”

“Hey… I wasn’t even thinking about this, but this is serious.”

I followed him and tried to get up from my seat, moving a cushion from one side. Then Elias let out a roar as if screaming. When I put the cushion back in its proper place and angle, only then did Elias stop shouting. Leo, who knew his grounds for refusal were insufficient, pressed one hand to his eyes and laughed hollowly.

“Hey guys… Lucas!”

“What.”

“You shouldn’t do this.”

“Right, actually I can’t side with Elias this time either. Do we really need to grow grass even in a hotel? And crucially, Leo, I got inflammation from that grass-filled room because of you. Outdoor tents and hammocks are useful, but not this.”

Leo just smiled with a “whatever” expression regarding the last topic. Elias grabbed both his cheeks with a soul-departed face. Then Narke also sided with Leo and nodded.

“I don’t think I would have done it either. I don’t feel the necessity to turn a room into a forest.”

“Right, everyone except Elias…”

“But if I had to say, it would be fun. Sitting on furniture surrounded by grass would be quite novel~”

“….”

Leo rubbed his face dry and smiled. Narke, perhaps defending Elias or seeing Elias staring blankly at him, added an explanation.

“If you can keep the room exactly the same before and after using your unique ability, there shouldn’t be any regulatory issues, right? As long as you don’t break picture frames or ruin the chandelier or create gaps in the floor like Leo is worried about… Well. People smoke cigarettes in here too, and compared to that, this would be better. If you’re worried about allergies, I’ll clean up with divine power.”

Since there were no particular restrictions on smoking cigarettes inside hotel rooms, everyone who had visited this room would have done so. When allergies were mentioned, Leo tilted his head.

“As expected, you thought that far ahead. But you want me to do it?”

“Yes!”

This was Elias’s answer. Leo, who had been letting out long, deep sighs with his neck bent back over the sofa backrest, slowly turned his head. His eyes scanned the spacious room.

“…The ceiling is off-limits. The wall with the picture frames is also off-limits. Anyway, anywhere with breakable items is off-limits.”

* * *

“This is refreshing.”

Elias lay on the intertwined vines covering the bed and wiggled his arms and legs.

“It feels like sleeping on a lawn while feeling the sea breeze. It’s softer than a lawn.”

“Well, of course it’s soft since it’s a bed. Your purpose was to cover the bed, wasn’t it?”

To Leo’s cold question, Elias answered nonchalantly.

“Ah~ this is refreshing. I’ll ask you often during midsummer this year too.”

“Don’t.”

“Let’s help each other out.”

Leo had been serious the whole time, but at those words he ended up laughing with an incredulous expression. He sat on the edge of the bed and spoke to Elias.

“Earlier you said you prepared this because you wanted to immediately express the gratitude you felt toward me. What you learned from me, that is… to put it based on your praise, you tried to immediately return the emotions that come with the love you received.”

“That’s right. I wanted to express my gratitude for your existence to you too. But this friend comes in and immediately asks if I’m telling him not to enter!”

He was calm like an educated 19th century student until the middle, but his voice grew louder as he went on. I kept drinking wine, trying to hold back my laughter. Since no one responded, the sound of waves could be heard regularly. Leo spoke in front of the sea at dawn as it gradually began to break.

“You… rather than setting aside a day to welcome someone like this, you’re someone who becomes a beacon just by existing. Sometimes you disappear for months as if me and other friends don’t matter to you at all… and when you return like that, you act as if we met yesterday, making my worries seem pointless, so I just didn’t expect it. You’re always contemplating and looking into the distance, you don’t keep your gaze long on friends like me who don’t need your help. You’re someone who knows how to walk alone despite pain and sometimes does so deliberately, so I know that your friendship is keeping me by your side even though it’s not where your future is headed. I’m repeatedly saddened by the fact that you’re a friend who contemplates with fiery eyes without knowing whether the sun rises or sets, and by the environment that made you that way, yet I’m prouder of you now than any other version of you, but precisely because of that, I thought it was a prank to tease me since it was something I’d never thought of from you. Now that I know it wasn’t, I’m truly happy.”

Elias, who had started listening to his words lying on the bed with half-open eyes, had his eyes wide open by the time the words ended. We didn’t say anything. Silence flowed. I had read many of their lines and monologues until now, but I never thought I’d hear something similar directly, even just a small part, in a situation like this, so I didn’t know what reaction I should have and let my gaze wander. While everyone was frozen in embarrassment, only Leo had sincere eyes. From Leo’s perspective, given the situation, he hadn’t said everything he was thinking, and had just spoken as his mouth moved, so it didn’t seem surprising. Elias slowly sat up.

“…Ah~ so this is it. I shouldn’t do things I don’t usually do.”

Elias seemed to get goosebumps from how whenever he spoke honestly to Leo, sincerity would come back in return, so he turned away from Leo and shivered. Even so, only Narke and I could see Elias’s expression as he grinned with good mood.

“Why, what is it? Is it a bit much?”

Leo looked at Elias with a now embarrassed face. Elias, who turned his head to check Leo’s expression, burst into loud laughter and shook his head vigorously.

“No way. This is the you I admire.”

Elias sat in a spot where all three friends could be seen simultaneously and smiled with joy.

“See, this is why we’re friends with him.”

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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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