How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 536

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magic Noble Family (536)

7 hours before that.

At 8 PM on Easter evening, Mecklenburg sat before a massive oak table after receiving orders to attend an urgent Imperial meeting. The Imperial meeting had already convened and adjourned several times, and this seemed to be the third or fourth session. Not long after taking his seat, he encountered a name that was both welcome and unwelcome. The Emperor’s Secretary pulled out a cream-colored letter from a temporary mailbox and announced loudly.

“A letter has arrived for Adrian Ascanien, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Magic.”

His Majesty the Emperor nodded, indicating he should proceed. The secretary hesitated briefly before speaking.

“He has made it clear that during his absence abroad, he has neither the obligation nor the means to verify that Lucas Ascanien was not involved with Pleroma. However, he swears by moral duty that he harbors no distrust whatsoever regarding his younger brother Lucas Ascanien’s convictions and resolve.”

When the Imperial Court hastily sent a letter demanding he take responsibility for his younger brother, Adrian Ascanien cleanly cut off the Imperial Court’s attempt to shift blame. Mecklenburg had always admired his decisiveness in never bowing even before His Majesty the Emperor. Though Adrian Ascanien was indeed a subject of the Imperial Court, he truly had no direct means or reason to intervene in family matters that occurred during his absence abroad at the Imperial Court’s request. While he would gladly accept moral responsibility for his family’s ethical issues, if they now demanded he should have been thorough in management, he could only regard them with contempt – such was the implication of his roundabout words. Of course, separate from his will to strictly refuse any subtle blame-shifting, he stated he did not believe his younger brother would have been loyal to Pleroma. His Majesty the Emperor, who had slightly narrowed his eyes at these two forceful statements, asked.

“What about future measures that our Imperial Court inquired about?”

His secretary recited the message.

At this moment, Mecklenburg doubted his own ears. Everyone present except His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince widened their eyes in surprise. Adrian Ascanien’s words left everyone stunned. The words Adrian Ascanien had spoken when they were alone together flashed like a revolving lantern. There was an unbridgeable gap between that day’s warm request and today’s cold-blooded decision.

Mecklenburg knew this. While fundamentally rational, like any human, he had somewhat emotional and sentimental aspects that required constant self-discipline. Unlike Mecklenburg himself, Adrian Ascanien seemed to need no such effort. He was, in a word, difficult to summarize – he was virtuously good as if painted, knew how to be appropriately and textbook-perfectly emotional when needed, and served as a model for others, yet possessed factors that made young Mecklenburg uncomfortable. No matter what happened before his eyes, he would look straight ahead and smile with only the corners of his mouth raised. As he often did after becoming a politician, he had done so since childhood. That was all. Though it wasn’t morally problematic or particularly offensive to many, it bothered him greatly. Many called it a wise smile, but Mecklenburg found that face somewhat frightening. It seemed to be because he couldn’t tell what he was thinking…

Adrian Ascanien’s blue eyes were so bright inside that anyone looking into them felt they might be sucked in and disappear without a trace. Even after he began expressing himself more gently over time, his steel-like mind never learned to hide beneath the surface. His piercing eyes, while looking at the world, overlaid his own world upon it. Today he acted like a strategist, completely unconcerned about what happened to his beloved younger brother, as if Lucas Ascanien were a complete stranger. Some might call this opportunism, but Mecklenburg, who had observed him for a long time, knew better. He could picture it clearly. Adrian Ascanien would have written this letter with a face showing absolutely no guilt or anxiety. Mecklenburg had often been shocked and frozen by his thoroughness in separating public and private matters and, above all, his strong rational dominance even during their school days, and today he did so again after a long time. Adrian Ascanien was wise and magnanimous enough to make even his peers secretly respect him despite their pretense otherwise, which made it terrifying that he would never show mercy at certain moments. Mecklenburg’s spine stiffened rigidly, unable to move.

Adrian Ascanien’s decision might be sufficiently rational, reasonable, and effective. As a third party, Mecklenburg would have issued the exact same order if he hadn’t known the Ascaniens personally, but today he couldn’t do so. That was the problem. He was simply shocked because it was such a rational decision that would be difficult for a relative to propose. Yes, it was such a routine, everyday practice with no problems whatsoever. Look, hadn’t the numerous ministers sitting nearby also found peace of mind and understanding, with some even feeling relieved? His Majesty the Emperor, as if agreeing with that opinion himself, acted nonchalantly – or pretended to – and asked about the next strategy.

“What comes next?”

“‘I recommend waiting for civilian enthusiasm to burn out until this evening and beginning full-scale operations from the moment midnight strikes. You must leak Lucas Ascanien’s achievements to the world, Your Majesty.’ Vice Minister Ascanien said this.”

“By achievements, you mean?”

“The accomplishments achieved at headquarters. Even if classified, he says that to ease the government’s responsibility issues, we must now reveal what achievements Ascanien, who belongs to the Imperial Court, has accomplished.”

His Majesty the Emperor responded with a stern face, pointing to the crux.

“The word ‘leak’ is concerning.”

“Indeed. Vice Minister Ascanien recommends spreading rumors through yellow press and secret police rather than having the government officially announce this fact. …His Excellency says this: ‘Thus, when morning newspapers are published in Prussia tomorrow morning, we must reach the moment when the press and Prussian civilians make amends together. To shift the focus of the disturbance elsewhere, it’s important to make the situation unclear by making it clear. The royal way is to reveal every detail of the situation perceived in binary terms, making it known that no matter can be reduced to two minimal units. This is because it utilizes the virtue inherent in the people. By tomorrow midnight, the focus of the disturbance must be able to shift elsewhere, so please conserve your ammunition as much as possible.'”

Mecklenburg swallowed. That friend didn’t hesitate to speak the truth. He was the optimal talent for clearly identifying the cause of problems and finding ways to solve them without rashly revealing them. When had he ever not been the optimal talent? He pointed out that if the government stepped forward repeatedly, the people would trust nothing, and even if the government adjusted situations through intermediaries like the press or secret police, providing too frequent rebuttals might prevent the disturbance’s focus from moving away from him. Don’t immediately refute all public hypotheses, but provide one contradictory piece of evidence that won’t support public opinion, wait for new public opinion to form, then throw another needle to burst that bubble. Through this repetitive process of thesis-antithesis-synthesis, exhaust the public until they give up on their own. Divide and conquer! Because the public quickly loses interest in topics that don’t coalesce and moves on to find other places for binary rallying. Virtue? How ridiculous. Mecklenburg shuddered with fear at his thorough rhetoric. He had given the controller to the public, but it was modesty. He held the situation in his grip.

In the current situation where a single minor variable could make or break the operation, no one present had reached this level. It was advice that, once heard, made one think “Why didn’t we think of this? We actually thought similarly enough,” but before hearing it, it hadn’t been a top priority in anyone’s mind, some hadn’t even thought of it, and even if they had vague images, there were no specific details. What always made Adrian Ascanien different from others was that he always had an overwhelming grasp of the game board, but even when he didn’t, even in situations like now when he was distant from German politics, he provided insights one step ahead of others. Without flashy eloquence or strategies that would astonish everyone, he used only the most concise basics to overlap his hand with the Emperor’s hand holding chess pieces and place them on the board. That was the role of an advisor, and unlike this clear mission, it was what most advisors failed to perform properly. Mecklenburg had been defeated by him even in his absence… But why didn’t this fact feel miserable today? Mecklenberg realized that something else was disturbing his mind.

His Majesty closed his eyes, nodded, and said.

“Good. I fully understand the reasoning.”

The secretary then paused briefly to show respect and spoke politely.

“And Your Majesty, Adrian Ascanien said Russia would not be a good choice. He says that if our Germany is not included in France’s anti-British continental alliance operation, our hands must turn toward Britain. Also, we must not abandon our existing allies Austria-Hungary and the Italian peninsula, so we must find a line that soothes their damage without conceding too much. Russia, he says again, is not a good time to choose now.”

“What are his grounds?”

His Majesty the Emperor asked, twitching the stubborn yet gentle facial muscles that Mecklenburg had respected since childhood. His Majesty was still an emperor who had enabled considerable propaganda except for the pseudo-religious department, but strangely, even sitting before the respected His Majesty the Emperor, Mecklenburg felt only his head going blank instead of his stomach churning with anticipation and anxiety as before. Only thoughts about Lucas Ascanien’s safety circled in his head. Just thinking about what he would face made him want to jump up from his seat and shout to prepare for departure. Humanly, he lacked the courage to watch the following spectacle. No matter how detestable the junior was, it couldn’t continue now. For a junior, national hero, and ‘just’ Lucas Ascanien who had to suffer such dishonor and hardship for something untrue, Mecklenburg felt he was committing a sin just by sitting here watching Adrian Ascanien and His Majesty the Emperor’s chess game. He felt his perfectly fitted shirt and jacket constricting his body and blocking his breathing. His Majesty the Emperor’s solemn voice flowed calmly before fading from his ears.

“I too chose Russia for reasons. Russia has strong ambitions regarding the Balkans and can be a powerful ally desperately checking Austria-Hungary, which wields influence in the Balkans. The Austro-Hungarian Empire might decide to be swayed by the French Empire’s temptation and oppose the German Empire. We have already gone through wars with France and Austria, achieving great victories against both countries. From both countries’ perspectives, they share the common point of suffering great defeats to Germany. Even if the two countries are at odds over the Peruer theft issue, diplomacy is war. Yesterday’s enemy can become today’s ally, and today’s ally can become tomorrow’s enemy. We must prevent these two great empires from joining hands and pressing us from the west and south. Am I wrong?”

His Majesty’s words didn’t reach his mind directly but scattered. Mecklenburg came to his senses much later, when His Majesty began summarizing the meeting and issuing orders.

“Then, whether today or tomorrow, we will interrogate Lucas Ascanien immediately upon his arrest. We must definitely use human blood to determine whether he is Pleroma or not…”

Mecklenburg felt that the Imperial architecture and emblems that used to excite him made him more anxious than ever today. His Majesty’s voice found its clear pace and flowed when His Majesty’s gaze turned completely toward Mecklenburg.

“Be thorough by any means necessary. And, Count Albert Mecklenburg.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please speak.”

Mecklenburg straightened his already erect back even more stiffly and answered loudly. The Emperor spread his hands politely and said.

“If the arrest succeeds, please take charge of monitoring the Second Prince of Anhalt as the direct senior of the 101st at headquarters and heir to the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. We wish to reduce Count Ascanien’s burden and seek our Empire’s safety with the help of someone as thorough as you. However, since it directly relates to safety, it will be a heavy responsibility, so if it’s burdensome, you need not accept.”

“That…”

Mecklenburg shouted internally at himself at that moment. He knew his mouth was about to spout nonsense. His heart raced madly, leaving him breathless.

“I will do so.”

His Majesty the Emperor only moved his eyes and head slightly. Instead of answering, he expressed his intent with a restrained attitude. Mecklenburg didn’t end there but squeezed his trembling vocal cords and moved his lips. No, an inner voice stopped him. His fastidious nature brought displeasure and nausea just from imagining what would happen. Nevertheless, he opened his mouth with a firm voice.

“However, I also wish to participate as an interrogator. Please give me the opportunity to work for Germany’s safety.”

* * *

He couldn’t know what thoughts led him to do such a thing.

Did His Majesty, who had never doubted his loyalty anyway, come to doubt it even less due to that proposal, making it work out well? No. Was it truly to gain the opportunity to work for Germany’s safety as he said? No.

Mecklenburg knew what Lucas Ascanien would face. If he had to just watch someone other than himself go in and treat a person as less than human, that would be more agonizing. The thought that crimes for justice were being committed underground made him panic. Crimes for justice – where could such a thing exist? Justice is justice and crime is crime. The state can infringe on one person’s freedom to maintain security and order. That is the constitutional spirit. However, walking alone on earth during moments of crime, leisurely drinking tea and wielding club-like rods while guiding the safety of subjects felt like something that would dirty his soul even more than dirty blood, dirty others’ skin, and the dirty air of enclosed spaces – more than all of that. Though he could practically resist nothing, Mecklenburg rather asked to become an interrogator himself. He knew he couldn’t help by doing so.

Would watching a detestable junior suffer state oppression make him feel satisfied? No. He didn’t wish for such things. No matter how detestable and no matter how much he wanted to defeat him, he didn’t wish for that.

Now Mecklenburg was looking at the pink irises before him and doubting his ears. Eyes not much different from his family’s made him shudder today as well, but at this moment, another problem chilled Mecklenburg’s entire body.

Now that the interrogation was over, Mecklenburg understood why he had volunteered for the inhumane interrogation. He didn’t want to avoid guilt. He had to witness the moment when crimes for justice occurred and engrave it in his mind. Even if he couldn’t help his junior, he had to see with his own eyes that something was going wrong. No one pushed his back. His unconscious demanded it. His unconscious had long since left where he remained and crossed distant mountain ridges, waiting for Mecklenburg to walk there. That’s why Mecklenburg was on the verge of collapse, and had been all along. Everything around him was spinning madly.

Mecklenburg had been continuously taking antiemetics from before the interrogation until now. Lucas Ascanien’s unfocused eyes looking at him expressionlessly were unfamiliar, and his bloodless lips were unfamiliar. He wasn’t using his free arm to hold a book and properly pull his long legs inward as nobles usually did, but was using it to push the opposite chair. And now he had walked on his own feet to Mecklenburg and was looking at him indifferently.

This free person had not been human earlier. It wasn’t being revered as non-human in the sense of becoming Christ as Pleroma claimed, but becoming non-human in the sense that power arbitrarily seized free people, restricted their will, and used them solely according to state wishes. But looking back, this happened everywhere. Even to Mecklenburg himself. Even if he hadn’t volunteered to participate in the interrogation, he would ultimately turn as a cog in this crime. He had been doing so every moment. He had simply confirmed that stark shock through Lucas Ascanien. Every time Mecklenburg met his junior’s indifferent eyes, he recalled that they would have held the same light every moment during interrogation. When drinking blood, these irises and eyelids would have shown anger, contained fear, and certainly frowned. When Mecklenburg pierced blood vessels to draw blood, certainly not only his words but his eyes would have been bewildered. Maybe not. Ascanien might have been calm. But the fact that all these humans, whom everyone treats as if nothing matters, were actually living and breathing every moment remained unchanged. Mecklenburg felt as if no one truly recognized deep in their hearts that humans are human every moment, feeling isolated from the world as if left alone on barren land looking around in all directions. Even if everyone recognized it, perhaps they had no choice but to leave it alone until it became daily life, inertia, and tradition. Mecklenburg felt this was what made his heart most terrifying. He too might someday forget today’s shock and become absorbed in dehumanizing humans without guilt. What he could naively call stupid before knowing, doing with proud satisfaction, and what he did after knowing while saying it couldn’t be helped, though producing the same apparent results, were actually on opposite sides with the Rubicon River between them. The latter type of human was one who declared they would live as they had lived for convenience despite knowing everything. Leaving fate in others’ hands and doing nothing…

“Just don’t let me die. I know well that I’m an unwelcome existence to you, Senior.”

Mecklenburg furrowed his brow more. Ascanien was looking at him with a more desolate face than ever.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Don’t go out and talk nonsense.”

You can say anything to break me, but don’t mention that I am Nicolaus Ernst – he seemed to be saying that. Because this was a good opportunity for Mecklenburg. He might be able to expel the thorn-in-the-side junior from the association, and take credit for himself while at it. Ascanien didn’t seem to think at all that Mecklenburg would deliberately do something vile out of malice, but seemed to be wary that in a high-pressure environment, he might make unintended slips of the tongue. Just as his cousin used to set up dozens of hypotheses for everything, Ascanien seemed to have branched out for such futures too. And he seemed prepared to graciously accept whatever slip of the tongue Mecklenburg might make. As long as he didn’t reveal that Ascanien was Nicolaus Ernst. Ascanien muttered while looking at Mecklenburg’s wavering eyes.

“While we’re at it, promise me now.”

“I even have to make a promise…”

Unable to close his mouth and trailing off, Mecklenburg instead pulled down the corners of his mouth with a hurt expression. Disappointment was clearly visible on his face. But it wasn’t disappointment blaming Ascanien. He was disappointed in some unknown something. Though he was certainly afraid Ascanien might cast mind manipulation magic on him, he was more frustrated than that. Mecklenburg lowered his head and said weakly.

“Calm down. I won’t carelessly speak about your affairs. I can swear to heaven.”

Mecklenburg muttered while looking at Ascanien’s hands, damaged from being in water too long.

“You must be very tired.”

Of course, right? Naturally. Everyone who had known Ascanien reasonably well and followed him based on his family background and abilities might have turned their backs on him after today’s troubling declaration. Mecklenburg was one of those people. A person at that distance who might turn his back on Ascanien at any time. Mecklenburg himself agreed with that point. He thought he agreed, but seeing himself today throw away all his fastidiousness and beliefs from long ago and do things that shattered all of that, maybe not. Whether Ascanien directly changed Mecklenburg or not was unknown. Mecklenburg probably thought not. Even without Ascanien, once he had awakened, he couldn’t return to how he was before. But as a colleague, he couldn’t just leave things as they were. Having awakened, he couldn’t just stand by and ignore the first crisis he encountered.

Ascanien silently looked into Mecklenburg’s eyes. Like his cousin, he was scanning Mecklenburg to the bone. Then he suddenly began searching through Mecklenburg’s clothes. Ascanien skillfully conducted a body search as he had learned at headquarters – Mecklenburg thought something was backwards – and only after confirming no artifacts were attached to his body did he return to his usual expression and push him away.

“Nothing there. Don’t just stand there, please sit.”

“What…? What…”

Sitting down in bewilderment, Mecklenburg couldn’t tell whether Ascanien was acting or had genuinely recovered. Had the serious expression from before been the act? Before sitting down, Ascanien pulled out a thin tin cigarette case from Mecklenburg’s chest with a face as if remembering something. He took out one high-quality German cigarette, pondered what to do, sighed, then pushed it back toward Mecklenburg and sat down.

“I’m glad you came, Senior. I’m sorry for being rude earlier.”

“I don’t know if you’re sincere or just being polite.”

To Mecklenburg’s intimidated words, Ascanien answered without any particular change in expression.

“You’re honest. I’m sincere.”

“…”

“I was sincerely glad. Seeing a familiar face… I was secretly happy inside.”

But hadn’t he snapped asking how he could know what words he would say? Mecklenburg swallowed and blinked. Just then, Ascanien turned his gaze toward the window and continued speaking.

“And it’s also true that I was much more uncomfortable than that. I’m telling you honestly.”

“Why?”

Mecklenburg asked while glancing at Ascanien’s wet hair. Why was he uncomfortable, and why was he telling him honestly… Ascanien shrugged and answered with a face as if asking something obvious.

“Because I can’t tell how you think of me, Senior.”

He already knew from watching the interrogation. What would he think? However, Mecklenburg couldn’t bring himself to directly say that he was one of the two people who had conducted his interrogation, even though Lucas Ascanien might already know the truth. He looked at the bruise under Ascanien’s chin and turned his gaze away. Ascanien continued leisurely.

“Even if you know, I don’t particularly want sympathy… I already have plans, so what good would it do for you to sympathize with me, Senior?”

“I wouldn’t sympathize even if such an obnoxious person asked me to.”

“Hahaha!”

Ascanien laughed arbitrarily at something not meant to be funny and looked out the window.

“What’s going on? The outside seems more favorable than I thought.”

“Not really.”

Mecklenburg coolly made him face reality. However, Ascanien opened his eyes straight and countered.

“It’s much more favorable than my expectations.”

“How low were your expectations…”

Mecklenburg averted his gaze and cleared his throat before speaking.

“The Imperial Academy faculty decided to protect you. I don’t know how it happened, but they must have had their thoughts. They have connections to more than one or two media outlets. Even aside from that, quite a few places have voiced opinions to be cautious about Pleroma’s claims. Hard to believe, but not everyone is criticizing you. There are those who support you without connections or influence.”

Ascanien showed a reaction Mecklenburg couldn’t understand for a moment at those words, then nodded. Mecklenburg wanted to decode his expression for an instant, but it had passed in an extremely brief moment, so he quickly erased his puzzlement and continued speaking.

“Also… Somehow Lucas Ascanien’s achievements leaked to southern Germany. Your achievements at headquarters, the fact that you made remarkable contributions to defeating Pleroma and discovered Atropos.”

“And so?”

“With the media and some people urging caution, plus your classified accomplishments overlapping, those keeping their mouths shut gradually increased. That’s it.”

“Hmm, you just said southern Germany.”

“Sharp. Though it coincidentally matched timing, it was what Prussia planned to carry out from midnight today. We actually did so. I’m the one who wants to know how information leaked from the south. Did Bavaria intervene?”

Instead of answering, Ascanien smiled. He asked Mecklenburg.

“Who knows that information leaked from southern Germany?”

“…For now, I investigated alone and made the guess.”

“Good. But Prussia was going to reveal the classified information anyway.”

“Yes. It was ordered by your cousin.”

Ascanien whistled sharply and nodded his head. At that moment, Mecklenburg heard no response but instinctively understood. The two Ascaniens had devised the same strategy without a single communication. It had been foreseeable from the moment he heard they had been obediently arrested, but it was clear that Ascanien had completed all instructions in Bavaria before coming here.

Mecklenburg fell into thought in the silence. He skimmed through countless newspaper front pages plastered with articles about Nicolaus Ernst and Lucas Ascanien. Everyone praised him. Still, especially in the south, Nicolaus Ernst was revered as nothing short of a hero of the century. This time, not just the south but all of Germany was similar. The hero they endlessly praised was confined in Charlottenburg today. And he wasn’t simply confined but, presumably, waiting for what comes next. Mecklenburg broke the silence.

“Well done. You truly live up to your name.”

“Which one?”

Ascanien’s smile was playful. Mecklenburg felt a strangely precarious peace wash over his entire body as he answered truthfully.

“All of your names.”

“Do you understand now?”

Ascanien gently raised only the corners of his mouth before answering. Mecklenburg made the same expression and asked, recalling the first matter Adrian Ascanien had instructed.

“What will you do? Both the Imperial Government and the Imperial Court have been making excessive demands of you so far. I don’t know if you’re aware of what might happen soon, but….”

“All of that must have been ordered by my elder brother. Isn’t that right?”

Ascanien narrowed his eyes and smiled. He spoke confidently without even hearing what his cousin had ordered.

“Since my elder brother and I are of the same mind, there’s no problem.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————