How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 493

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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 could tell that Eugene Lamour’s condition was noticeably strange. I escorted Leo, who needed rest, to his room and came out, then moved to the records storehouse with Elias to start searching through Eugene Lamour’s records again. Elias, who had just woken up from sleep, sat perched on the windowsill, yawning as he spoke.

“They’re even writing articles about you being in Bavaria.”

“The news might have spread through my other art teacher.”

I said, keeping my eyes fixed on the newspaper. Elias lightly jumped down from the windowsill, put the finished newspaper back in its slot, and shrugged his shoulders.

“Even so, for that to become an article.”

“I know.”

He unfolded a glowing newspaper, read it, then whistled.

“Oh wow. He’s been divorced twice. Is it okay to write articles about this stuff freely?”

“It’s not important information.”

“Luca, do you know exactly what divorce is?”

“…I know…”

I would know it better than you. Since it was a distant topic for Elias, no matter how well he memorized the concept, it wouldn’t be as much as me. Elias proudly raised one corner of his mouth as he answered.

“I know too.”

“Yes, well done.”

If he didn’t attend school for nothing, he would generally know. But I didn’t voice that thought. Elias unfolded another newspaper and frowned.

“Wait a minute. This one says no. It says his original wife died and he remarried a British singer, then divorced after just six months. Do you know what remarriage is too?”

“How could I not know. You know too, right? You memorized it well.”

Finishing both answer and praise at once seemed satisfying, as Elias put his arm around my shoulder and muttered.

“Hmm. Which one of the two is actually correct?”

“To know which is correct, we’d have to look through British registries.”

“Wow. The ‘Eugene Lamour effect.'”

Elias quickly lost interest in Eugene Lamour’s divorce news and focused on other articles. When I looked that way, Elias held out the newspaper and said.

“During his solo exhibition 7 years ago, foreigners entering France increased by 20% compared to the same period the previous year.”

“He’s raking in foreign currency.”

“Wow, wait. Born in ’53? We were born in ’79. He must have been painting since childhood. He was valedictorian entering and graduating from France International Art University. Then his wife died and his painting style completely reversed… Somehow from this point he gets cursed at left and right, but his painting prices went up even more. Lucky him. If he kept selling at these prices, this person would be richer than our father.”

“He’d be richer than most noblemen.”

“Exactly. Hmm…”

Elias flipped through the pages at rapid speed. He recited the information he read to me in a stream.

“Duke Cesar Shuazhul was Eugene Lamour’s patron during his school days. This person paid all the money for Eugene Lamour to attend school. Originally he was born into an ordinary struggling household and didn’t have money to go to art university… Eugene Lamour said this with his own mouth, but the two still get along well.”

“He didn’t have money to pay tuition? I can’t understand people at all…”

“Exactly!”

“Now then. —Seek, and you shall find.”

I lightly struck the floor of the records storehouse with my staff. Seeing the light spread out widely, I spoke the name I was looking for.

“Cesar Shuazhul.”

Then light began seeping out from various places. Elias found the glowing documents and ran to me. While briefly rummaging through newspapers, we discovered a familiar surname. I slowly traced the text with my finger as I spoke.

“He has a godmother. Anne d’Orleans.”

“Orleans~?”

Elias playfully contorted his eyebrows. Then he gathered the documents where Cesar Shuazhul’s name was glowing and set them down on the windowsill behind me. It meant for me to cast the next spell. I struck my staff down again to investigate Anne d’Orleans.

* * *

“His personality was nasty even during school, but what would Eugene Lamour think if he read a classmate coming out for an interview saying stuff like this.”

Coming out of the records storehouse and heading back to the hospital room, Elias is walking behind me with his hands shoved in his pockets, swaggering along. I shrugged my shoulders. Since I received notice from Leo that there’s an appointment scheduled for this evening, I’m heading there. As soon as I arrived at the hospital room, I collapsed and looked deathly, while Elias silently began eating the piled-up fruit.

A little later, there was a knocking sound at the door. I shouted roughly.

“Please come in.”

The person who entered was Mecklenburg. He set down a box on the side table and greeted Elias. Since Elias was looking at him with eyes that couldn’t care less about seniors or anything, Mecklenburg looked puzzled for a moment, then sat down beside me with a slightly awkward expression.

“You kept refusing visitors, so I wondered if something was wrong. I was finally able to come today.”

“I don’t want to meet people in this condition. Why did you come?”

“I need to check if your treatment is going well.”

“Why would you?”

When I asked irritably, Mecklenburg also answered irritably.

“I guess you really have no intention of hiding it?”

“Never mind that, do you see this condition? I absolutely can’t leave anytime soon… Please speak well to headquarters for me.”

I pointed to the bandages on my leg and made groaning sounds. Mecklenburg nodded and politely asked Elias.

“Count Hohenzollern. Could you give us some privacy so we can talk alone?”

“I refuse, Senior.”

When Elias flatly rejected his request, Mecklenburg looked at me with an expression asking why this person was acting this way. Having nothing to say, I just looked at Mecklenburg. He cleared his throat and stood up from his seat again. Then he tapped the box he’d placed on the side table with his fingertips.

“…You seem to be doing well. Here are some Easter chocolates.”

“How surprising that Senior would take care of something like this. I’ll enjoy them.”

“Surprising?”

Mecklenburg smiled with a tone that seemed to suppress something as he spoke. Since his gaze glanced toward Elias, I knew well what he was conscious of. I shook my head.

“No, do you have more to say?”

“…You won’t be reprimanded regarding the Stadelheim incident, and the federal government may come to investigate again. I’ll come again then. Is there anything else I need to convey to headquarters?”

“Well. Please tell our team we want our uniform colors changed too. That blue color is refreshing.”

Mecklenburg, who looked down at his own necktie, belatedly seemed to judge that my words were a joke and shook his head with a fed-up expression. Though I threw out words knowing they wouldn’t work, meaning I had nothing more to convey right now, fundamentally it wasn’t a joke. Actually, I was thinking of gradually laying groundwork. Elias, who took my words seriously as intended, made a disgusted face.

“To Prussia Blue? Ugh.”

“Ah, right. That blue color. Can’t you make clothes unless they’re colors related to the nation?”

“Why would you use colors unrelated to the nation for uniforms? If you’re going to treat the proud colors of our people and homeland so lightly, then return your uniform. Instead of having fitting responsibility and respect, you immediately make frivolous remarks…”

When Mecklenburg seriously scolded, Elias rolled his eyes and slid down from his chair. Though I knew well why he was acting that way, I had nothing to explain to Mecklenburg. When no one spoke up, Mecklenburg looked down at us with a disapproving expression and said.

“Did I say something wrong? Your attitudes are inappropriate.”

“Never mind. Eli, shall I take Senior along?”

“What? Why!”

“Where to?”

Elias and Mecklenburg both became serious simultaneously. Elias frowned at the serious Mecklenburg and struck the bed with his fist, casting silencing magic.

“Luca! Just the two of us is fine!”

“It’s not that our skills are the problem, but let’s take him as insurance. You saw just now. That person has always been a tremendous nationalist, conservative, pro-Emperor faction. The government likes people like that.”

“You want to take him because he’s pro-Emperor!”

“If problems arise, he’s perfect to use as a shield. We’re going because we’re worried problems might arise for us too.”

Elias seemed to gradually understand my meaning as he narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.

“Having him there won’t be a loss. It hasn’t even been a week since Stadelheim, so I don’t want problems arising again due to our own actions. When other pro-Emperor faction members try to scheme against you, that person’s presence will prevent it.”

“Hmm…”

Elias pursed his lips, then nodded. I asked Mecklenburg, who was watching us with disapproving eyes from outside the broken silencing magic.

“Senior. Do you like painters?”

“Painters…? What painters? Who?”

“Eugene Lamour. We’re going to meet him now.”

At those words, Mecklenburg raised his eyebrows.

* * *

So we’re going to find out why Eugene Lamour was so dazed, and to watch the situation in case something goes wrong with him.

“Where is there anyone who doesn’t know Eugene Lamour.”

I hear Mecklenburg’s voice, much brighter than before. While eating the Easter chocolate he gave me—fortunately it was perfectly bitter so I didn’t have to spit it out—I headed to the conference hall building mentioned in the article when there were 15 minutes left before the interview. It was a building used as a small theater.

Contrary to our worries, no mishap seemed to have befallen Eugene Lamour, as the building was merely noisy with journalists and visitors, without any serious atmosphere. I walked looking straight ahead, pushing through the crowds in the lobby bathed entirely in yellow lighting. When I headed toward the somewhat quieter right staircase, I replayed Mecklenburg’s words.

“To be so confident that no one doesn’t know him—when a single painting can cost as much as a house, this level of recognition makes sense.”

“Are you going to compare it to money? How materialistic.”

“No, just… the situation seems similar regardless of era, so I was thinking that.”

“Are you surprised his recognition is high?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Senior, imagine living like Eugene Lamour.”

“That seems like it would be fine.”

“Yes, I’m sure it would be for you.”

“How bland. More importantly, why are you walking so well?! Did you deceive me again?”

Here we go again. With the feeling of wanting to cover my ears, I spoke silently.

“It really hurts. Would you like to touch it?”

Right now the sensation was numb so it didn’t hurt much, but saying this seemed like the best option. Mecklenburg got angry, probably thinking I was spouting nonsense again.

“So can you tell how badly it’s broken?”

“No.”

“….”

Mecklenburg seemed to have decided not to say anything. He just kept pressing his eyes firmly with his gloved hands. I took out one of the Easter chocolates he had given me from my pocket and offered it to him. I thought he would be stern about me giving back what he had given me, but perhaps his blood sugar had dropped because Mecklenburg accepted and ate it without complaint. As if even watching Mecklenburg eat was irritating, Elias suddenly pulled out a hip flask from his pocket and started drinking.

Mecklenburg glanced at a newspaper someone had carelessly thrown around—it had photos from Eugene Lamour’s solo exhibition—and spoke quickly.

“No matter how I look at it, the paintings are truly sensational. To be able to meet Eugene Lamour….”

“You seem quite pleased even though you know it’s not exactly a good occasion. I never knew Senior had such an interest in art. If you like it that much, why don’t you buy a painting.”

“I can’t buy one because there aren’t any available.”

“I see.”

I had no idea there was a shortage because I was stuck with the perception that he was no different from a part-time art teacher. The paintings’ prices hadn’t skyrocketed for no reason, but the supply and demand graph in my head couldn’t override the image of ‘some suspicious French art teacher.’ Mecklenburg spoke in a slightly excited voice.

“He’s a pioneer of a new movement. The rough brushstrokes and weight bring the paintings to life. I particularly like the bold color combinations. The atmosphere of Belle Époque’s stability and blessing is absent from this person’s paintings. Yet he hasn’t returned to the movement of reproducing nature either. Eugene Lamour’s perspective in expressing Europe’s negative aspects is more than just refreshing. Even though he doesn’t take disciples, just seeing young painters imitate Eugene Lamour’s style shows that Lamour’s influence is beyond words.”

“Senior, you’re talking about Europe’s negative aspects?”

Elias, who had been looking at Mecklenburg with a disgusted expression the whole time, tilted his head and spoke menacingly. Mecklenburg frowned and only raised the corners of his mouth, wondering what exactly was wrong that these people had been acting like this. Knowing that further explanation to a ‘German mage officer’ would be a waste of breath, Elias just sighed. I headed toward the waiting room next to the stage where Eugene Lamour would be waiting.

“So, is Count Lamour trying to clarify that article from yesterday?”

“He probably is. You read it.”

“Is there anyone who didn’t?”

Mecklenburg continued.

“With that level of recognition, everything he does gets nothing but criticism. But regardless of what anyone says, the footprint Eugene Lamour leaves in modern art history cannot be ignored. He’s that influential, impactful, and pioneering…. And precisely because of that, I actually don’t understand why he needs to go clarify things one by one.”

“Do you think Count Eugene Lamour is overreacting?”

“I don’t know. I just think it’s normal to react more strongly when there’s something that bothers you.”

I nodded while sighing and muttering.

“I don’t know what Count Eugene Lamour is thinking either…. But Senior, you really don’t match with me.”

“What am I supposed to do about it?! I feel the same way!”

“Then why did you say you’d come along?”

“I’m going to see Eugene Lamour, not to follow you around!”

I suppose so. I opened the door. Elias realized my thoughts exactly by scrunching up his nose bridge and covering his ears while raising his upper lip, and when Mecklenburg looked back at him, he stared at his opponent with a serious expression.

Whatever they were doing, I looked at Eugene Lamour standing in the center of the waiting room like a drunk person. Eugene Lamour had a face as pale as a corpse, with his expression hardened like someone about to cause trouble. I was inwardly surprised once again by his bloodshot eyes, but greeted him calmly.

“Good day. I sent you a letter by messenger bird before coming, but I’m not sure if you received it.”

“I received it. Do as you said.”

The content was that I would personally escort him to his lodging after the interview ended. Because he might encounter trouble on the way. When Eugene Lamour’s gaze turned behind me, Mecklenburg smiled neatly and said.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Albert Mecklenburg.”

Eugene Lamour looked at him with annoyed eyes and said nothing. Despite hearing the surname ‘Mecklenburg,’ far from greeting him properly, he grabbed Mecklenburg’s unextended hand, shook it roughly, and let go. Then he immediately disappeared with his secretaries. Mecklenburg was so shocked he almost wiped his hand but swallowed instead. He spoke in an almost inaudible voice.

“He seems eccentric. Is he always like that?”

“What do you expect in this situation?”

Elias snapped. Whether Mecklenburg was just flustered or upset by whatever Elias said, it didn’t seem to bother him much as he quickly returned to his usual expression, trying to maintain composure as he spoke.

“I think I understand a bit why people’s evaluations of him are so polarized.”

“Do you also understand a bit why I think I brought you for nothing?”

“No.”

“Then please stay quiet.”

We sat in seats in the wide corridor that extended to the right from the performance hall. Only Eugene Lamour and the stage staff would be able to see us. After the noisy commotion filled the press and audience sections, Eugene Lamour came up on stage. He held a microphone artifact that worked with amplification magic and spoke with a bleak expression.

“I am Eugene Lamour.”

Shutter sounds poured from the press section. Mecklenburg whispered in confusion.

“Is that it?”

“First, I’d like to ask everyone who came here today why you’re here.”

At those words, Mecklenburg’s eyes widened and he hurriedly cast silencing magic and opened his mouth. He couldn’t say anything and just placed his hand on my shoulder. Eugene Lamour pointed accusingly as he spoke.

“Are you here to catch a scoop? Do you think I’m going to announce the ‘shocking news’ from Saxony Daily first? Or are you here thinking I’m going to persuade you with tears? Of course, most of the journalists are excluded from this since you were probably sent by your newspapers. But I’m asking the numerous French critics here how you immediately obtained the just-announced interview article and crossed over to Germany. Packing bags alone would have taken 30 minutes, yet you were very fast.”

Eugene Lamour, who had been pacing the stage anxiously, suddenly stopped and asked coldly with intensity in his eyes.

“Isn’t this stalking at this point?”

Mecklenburg momentarily tried to raise his hand to his mouth with a serious expression. He whispered.

“…His remarks are reckless. The timing won’t be good.”

“You’re absolutely right….”

I checked my watch and muttered.

“In 10 minutes we’ll get a headline like ‘Eugene Lamour, Now Paranoid Too?'”

“Hmm?”

Mecklenburg frowned, seemingly displeased by my words. I quietly continued.

“Lamour’s legal team will be scrapping all articles updated in real time, so the newspapers will also create headlines with question marks and leave meaningless content throughout the articles that doesn’t resolve the questions in the titles at all. They’ll also include positive evaluations about Count Lamour. Since people’s reactions depend on the headlines, it doesn’t matter what happens to the main text.”

“That’s quite excessive. Is it good to think so negatively about everything?”

Elias frowned at Mecklenburg’s words. I didn’t look at either Elias or Mecklenburg, thought for a moment, then shrugged.

“How about we make a bet?”

Mecklenburg looked at me silently then turned his gaze away. Meanwhile, someone’s bewildered question could be heard from below the stage.

“I don’t understand why Count Lamour is saying two different things when you gave us critics permission to attend. If you were going to make such rude remarks, why did you hold this interview?”

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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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