How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 50

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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 Family (50)

“You’re declining to go that far? Someone tell that bastard he’s already gone in.”

Elias muttered while resting his chin on his hand.

Leo adjusted the artifact in his ear and bit his lip slightly.

“Using magic from the start…”

“From his reaction, it seems he hasn’t been hit directly yet. But the problem is Luca moved to a completely different place.”

“…So what does it mean that the coordinate system is different? Have you heard of it before? You said you looked at Imperial records before.”

“No, I’ve never heard such an expression. But there might have been something in higher-level archives than the ones I raided?”

Elias continued.

“I thought I had raided everything there was to raid, but there could actually be places storing more classified materials. If it’s truly classified, even its existence wouldn’t be known… the key players might know about it.”

“…First priority is getting connected to the Imperial Palace.”

But what if it’s really something even the Imperial Palace doesn’t know about?

Leo leaned back against his chair, crossed his arms, and let out a deep sigh.

If it’s something neither I nor Elias knows about, what we can expect here is greatly reduced.

‘Narke is…’

It’s not information that friend would know.

According to the materials I lightly investigated at the beginning of the semester, he’s from a clerical family with deep ties to the Papacy, but there were no traces of Narke himself participating in the Papacy’s political affairs.

‘The Papacy might know, but if I send contact…’

Leo groaned and held his head.

When will they get here? Warp magic in and out of the Empire is prohibited.

Should we open a portal accepting some sanctions from the kingdom side? Honestly, since this isn’t a normal situation, we should be able to get emergency recognition after the fact.

Also, the Imperial Palace should do the same.

Beep—

Then, Leo grabbed the artifact in his other ear and listened intently to something.

Leo nodded and answered briefly, then said to Elias.

“Right now, it’s been transferred to the Imperial Investigative Bureau.”

* * *

“Ugh!”

Crash—

Strauchi fell sideways from Lucas’s kick.

Just because I can use magic three or four more times doesn’t mean I’ll block every attack that comes my way.

This entire situation is being transferred to the Bavaria Investigative Bureau, and if the investigators finished understanding the situation quickly, it will now be transferred to the Imperial Investigative Bureau.

So some degree of damage isn’t a great danger to me.

I came prepared to take a few hits anyway. There’s no way I would have entered a fight without that much preparation.

‘And I need to prepare for the plan to go wrong.’

Leo or Narke were planned to rescue me when things wrap up, but right now Strauchi doesn’t seem to be using commonly known spatial magic formulas.

There was indeed a reason why neither the Imperial Palace nor the Papacy could do much for over ten years.

Even with ordinary spatial magic, it’s difficult to find where the magic was used without a medium connecting the two spaces, but if they used completely new formulas on top of that, the difficulty increases much more.

‘At least it’s fortunate there’s a medium.’

The artifact I connected with Leo.

Whatever formula Strauchi used, as long as it’s spatial magic, even one medium increases my survival probability.

But since it’s unfamiliar magic, it will take time to enter from outside, so rather than using magic once or twice at a time, it’s better to save it up and release it all at once when life and death are at stake.

Lucas sat in front of the legislator and smiled, then gestured at the blood flowing from his mouth.

“You should go to the hospital first. This is… getting like this after taking one hit.”

“Haha… ha…”

Strauchi burst into empty laughter, then spat bloody saliva on the floor and muttered.

“Looking at your track record… I expected you wouldn’t care about any danger, but I didn’t know it would be to this extent.”

Well, I came knowing this would happen.

But I have no intention of giving information by saying that.

Lucas answered in an indifferent tone.

“What can we do about what’s already happened.”

“This is the level of illness. You haven’t been living thinking that current state is normal, have you?”

“…”

Lucas looked down at him silently. The mask hid his expression anyway. There was no need to put on an act.

Strauchi slowly got up from his position, pressing his lower back.

“Listen. I’ll send you back to where you originally were.”

Strauchi continued with a trembling voice while grinning.

“Instead, when you return, announce that Pleroma wasn’t involved at all, that everything you revealed was all your own fabrication.”

To dig his own grave so readily like this, even kindness couldn’t be this kind.

Lucas met his gaze and smiled.

“Why should I do that?”

“Well… do I need to explain everything one by one? Think about your situation.”

Strauchi quickly drew in the air with his trembling fingers. Black vitriol flew toward Lucas’s neck.

Crash—!

His vision shook from the impact.

Lucas grabbed the vitriol choking his neck and gritted his teeth. Perhaps because the floor was marble, the shock of hitting his head felt greater.

“…”

“No reaction at all… Count Nicolaus gets told a lot that he’s… stubborn, doesn’t he?”

Strauchi grabbed Lucas’s shoulder and pulled him back.

“No, it wouldn’t be Count Nicolaus. You’d normally live in your true form…”

“Cough…”

“As I said before, I’m curious who’s under here. Probably all the citizens are, wondering what you look like that you appear wearing a mask even when setting foot in the sacred Council… And getting approval for that too… of course, that was thanks to Wittelsbach.”

Strauchi tapped the mask and drew out his words.

Beep—

A small notification sound reached Lucas’s ears.

Strauchi didn’t hear it. He continued speaking quickly with the same expression, smiling.

“Or are you in a position that shouldn’t be revealed? Well, maybe you’re someone marked as the next Pope, or a relative of His Majesty the Emperor… If so, it would hurt your pride to go under the Bavarian Crown Prince even nominally. Well, a noble at the bottom of the hierarchy wouldn’t know the affairs of royalty.”

“…Ugh, uh…”

“How about it, try blocking it a bit. Or… I’ll take it as permission for me to check.”

Strauchi dodged Lucas’s kick and laughed. Then he grabbed the edge of the mask and infused it with mana.

Crack—

The black glass of the mask shattered and fell along thick cracks. Strauchi smiled and turned Lucas’s head.

“What kind of bastard could it be…”

Strauchi’s eyes widened. The vitriol he had been continuously infusing also stopped. He let go and slowly stood up from his position.

Crash—

“Ascanien? Why are you here…”

Strauchi frowned and muttered.

Lucas, who had fallen on the floor, grabbed his neck and coughed for a while, then exhaled deeply.

“Gasp, cough, whew…”

“They definitely said he was in the Papal States. No wait, he’s a bit young, surely not…”

Strauchi grabbed Lucas’s robe and lifted his upper body. He stared intently into Lucas’s eyes and muttered.

“It’s Ascanien, but… it’s that younger brother. Right. The coloring is similar so I was mistaken.”

Lucas threw a punch to push Strauchi away. He let go of the robe and stepped back.

“This is completely… something that could turn the Empire upside down. That Pleroma is Nicolaus.”

“…”

“How about it, answer me a bit. How does it feel to deceive the public? With just one mask, someone who’s practically an untouchable becomes a hero, naturally you must find it amusing? All the citizens must look like unprecedented fools…”

“Your words are a bit harsh.”

Lucas wiped his mouth with his robe sleeve and answered in a sharp voice.

Fortunately, the connection was cut. From the small notification sound I heard earlier, it seems they tactfully cut it from their end.

Now reestablishing communication has to start from my side.

“What do you mean by harsh? Surely you’re not trying to represent the people in this situation….”

Strauchi narrowed his eyes and took a step closer.

“Is there a more appropriate word? So what if you’re an Ascanien? No one wants to be by your side. If you wanted to get along well, you should have been tactful like me.”

“You speak so confidently for someone who couldn’t even properly guard one laboratory and is about to lose everything.”

“….”

Strauchi was momentarily speechless, then pushed Lucas back with vitriol as he tried to get up from his seat and shook his head.

“…Fine. This couldn’t be more fortunate. Your ransom has doubled. The Bishop’s Council was already suggesting we make contact with Lucas Ascanien….”

Setting aside the idea of making contact with me….

Thanks for the information.

Since he knows about a matter that’s only been suggested, not decided, this bastard is at least not a layperson within Pleroma. He’s likely a real bishop or someone very close to that level.

‘And from the mention of the staged act onward, it’s definitely been passed to the Imperial Court.’

The Strauchi Estate in that world is probably already being searched by the Imperial Court. Now all that’s left is to wait for support to arrive.

‘Considering the coordinate system issues, I should allow about 30 minutes to an hour.’

In the meantime, my choice is whether to subdue this bastard now, or watch a bit longer to see what he does to me….

‘The latter would be better for now.’

Me half-killing a Pleroma member here would also make for a good picture, but honestly speaking, I’ve already received enough recognition in terms of ability.

What needs to be imprinted on the people now isn’t how strong I am, but how much I stand on the side of justice.

Considering the recording will flow to the Imperial Investigative Bureau, getting hurt while catching Pleroma as a counterbalance to Pleroma’s evil acts to gain public support is definitely not a minus for me.

And encountering a Pleroma member at the bishop level is fortunate in a way. Most of the Pleroma members caught so far were low-ranking members within the organization, with low importance and no information.

But this one is different.

If I do this well, I can obtain information to use for my next impression score plan.

‘The key is what method he’ll use to achieve his desired goal.’

Strauchi grinned wickedly and knelt down to sit in front of Lucas.

“As you know, there was no opportunity to meet until now, right? Well… my demands haven’t changed.”

Strauchi patted Lucas’s shoulder and spoke word by word, pressing each one into his ear.

“Go back and say that Count Nicolaus fabricated everything. Everything was just the Count’s delusion. The Imperial Police, Imperial Investigators, Imperial Newspaper, researchers from various institutions, all the citizens were swayed by your delusion. Duke Elias, regrettably, just had poor judgment in people.”

“I won’t do it.”

“Then… let’s try exposing that Nicolaus is Pleroma in front of the public.”

Lucas burst into laughter.

This side also believes that if they reveal their identity now, Lucas Ascanien’s image will overwhelm Nicolaus.

I don’t get many chances to hear others’ opinions, but I’m hearing it like this.

Of course, even without his opinion, revealing my identity now is premature in many ways.

Lucas shrugged and asked.

“What if I’m not Pleroma?”

“Only your core is a regular core, but it’s certain you possess our nature.”

“…Haha….”

Lucas let out a hollow laugh.

These bastards….

They’re more sloppy than I thought?

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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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