How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 537

—————
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 (537)

“I knew something would happen.”

Mecklenburg knew that Ascanien already had a plan, that this plan was simple and certain enough for anyone to think of, but like the first option that comes to mind, it carried considerable risk, so he asked. Ascanien said nothing. Mecklenburg recalled the advice Adrian Ascanien had given him—advice disguised as an order. Did Lucas Ascanien also think of this ruthless plan of Adrian Ascanien’s in advance? Really? So he willingly entered Prussia to be arrested and suffer hardships to prepare for that plan, is that right?

Without answering, Ascanien stared at Mecklenburg’s gloved hands for a long time. His gaze gradually moved upward and settled on Mecklenburg’s left arm, and the more he did so, the more Mecklenburg’s mouth went dry. The scene that had terrified him wouldn’t leave his mind. Blood, and people, countless magical scholars and imperial officials who silently watched the situation from beyond the wall, the sound of fountain pens scratching on clipboards, the scalpel gripped in hand, the forearm skin that had to be pierced without disinfection, the filthy diluted blood, and again the person sitting in it… To be honest, he had never forgotten it for a single moment from the start of the interrogation until now. As if answering, Ascanien shifted his gaze from the left arm to Mecklenburg’s eyes.

Mecklenburg took out an anti-nausea medicine from his pocket with bloodless hands and swallowed it without water. He could see Ascanien frowning at the sight. He couldn’t help but know it was a face asking why he was taking medicine without water. When he first took the anti-nausea medicine, it was because of nausea that started from fear that Ascanien might realize the interrogator’s identity, but now for another reason, for the reason he had been thinking about since last night, Mecklenburg was tormented by anguish. The more the person showed evidence of being a living person, the faster Mecklenburg’s heart beat with fear. Twenty-five years of ignorance was now coming back to find him.

Ascanien looked out the window and answered indifferently.

“Whatever happens, it’s all strategy.”

“Yesterday’s incident too?”

“Yesterday’s incident.”

Ascanien showed interest as he stuck his hand into his pocket and tilted his chair. He was pushing the carpet with his shoe tip, adjusting so he wouldn’t fall over with the chair. Then he stared at Mecklenburg with red eyes. How do you know about yesterday’s incident? What do you mean by yesterday’s incident? he asks. Mecklenburg knew he still had many ways to escape but said nothing. He had even changed all his clothes in case Ascanien might recognize him by smell, but perhaps it was meaningless from the start. No, Ascanien had no solid evidence that the person there last night was Mecklenburg. His certainty was just speculation after all…

Mecklenburg wanted to drag out this precarious peace a little longer, at least without telling lies. At least that’s what he seemed to think now. Ascanien was stronger than expected and didn’t seem to particularly sharpen his blade against Mecklenburg, which was a line Ascanien drew by itself. Rather, the moment when he questioned how he could trust him became a much more boundary-less reaction. From the moment he stopped talking about his discomfort in more detail, the two hadn’t had a chance to speak more openly, and Mecklenburg also found it difficult to talk about his feelings without being asked, so he remained silent, continuing this unstable and heavy peace. The fact that Ascanien was being polite—the fact that he was drawing lines wasn’t entirely upsetting, but Mecklenburg still didn’t know how Ascanien would react when he learned the truth.

So they should have kept their mouths shut together, but Mecklenburg’s mouth moved against its owner’s will. He took out a perfume bottle from his bag and pushed it forward.

“I brought the perfume you were using.”

“Why?”

Ascanien looked at the perfume bottle pushed in front of him and asked with a crooked smile. He must have guessed it was brought in case the smell of blood had lingered. Mecklenburg couldn’t tell if he wanted to maintain or break the line between them. What’s the point of saying he saw it? Does he hope Ascanien would get angry even if it meant that? Does he want to get a chance to communicate even by turning everything upside down? He had recently often thought that he was still young and not only young but had even wasted his age, but he certainly hadn’t completely wasted it in some areas, knowing that to get closer to others, one must break unstable peace. When he was the same age as Ascanien, he probably wouldn’t have known exactly what unstable peace meant. But then again, he realized he wasn’t mature, because making others uncomfortable just because you want to get closer is something children do before they even reach their teens. And crucially, he didn’t seem to particularly want to get closer. But if someone was festering unknowingly outside the line due to his attitude—though Ascanien looked healthy now, so it was just a possibility—he didn’t want to leave that alone either. So in short, he didn’t know what he wanted to do. Stepping out of the world he knew and dealing with people were problems in different areas.

He felt embarrassed even after saying it and closed his eyes and turned his head.

“…I thought it might be necessary.”

“Thank you.”

Unlike his expression of wanting to tease, Ascanien now took the perfume without much meaning. When he suddenly shook his head vigorously, Mecklenburg squinted at the unnoble behavior. Ascanien swept back his hair that had fallen forward and asked.

“Do I smell like blood?”

Mecklenburg stayed silent for a while then shook his head.

“No. You smell the same as Crown Prince.”

And the same as Adrian Ascanien smelled every semester when he lived and studied in the imperial palace like Emperor’s adopted son. He could guess. Usually, they don’t assign servants for minor conveniences just because interrogation is over. It wasn’t formally putting him in Charlottenburg. He heard that His Majesty showed some displeasure after hearing that Lucas Ascanien had no abnormal tendencies. He didn’t know why His Majesty showed displeasure at good news, but given His Majesty’s intentions, he was a bit worried, but in the end, Hohenzollern decided to show courtesy to Lucas Ascanien. Mecklenburg was somewhat relieved at this point.

Now that the internal interrogation results showed nothing strange, it was time to follow Adrian Ascanien’s instructions. The problem was that Mecklenburg was concerned even about that cold-blooded method.

After that, Ascanien remained silent while reading the newspaper. Mecklenburg also sat idly, occasionally receiving reports through artifacts. That was all. Ascanien only muttered when dawn was breaking.

“I’m getting hungry.”

“Ah, I’ll have food brought here. Please wait.”

Mecklenburg finally found a way to help and quickly got up from his seat and put on his jacket. He suddenly realized his mistake and added.

“It might feel bad to eat alone in the room, but you probably can’t use the dining room today. When I go out, I’ll speak well for you…”

“Not that kind of hunger.”

“Then what other kind of hunger is there…”

Mecklenburg raised one eyebrow and looked back. Ascanien closed the newspaper and clasped both hands together, speaking solemnly.

“Senior.”

“Yes.”

Mecklenburg answered nervously for no reason.

“Please give me an elixir if you have one left.”

“…”

Mecklenburg pulled down his mouth and looked elsewhere unnecessarily. Ascanien giggled, knowing he disapproved. Mecklenburg took out an elixir from his bag.

“I should have brought Wittelsbach ones.”

Ascanien waved his hand with a face saying it was fine and drank it all at once. He pushed the bottle away as if Mecklenburg were a servant and fell into thought. Mecklenburg looked down at his annoying junior with the corners of his mouth turned down and collected the empty bottle. He’d have to ask a servant to throw it away when he left the room later… Just as he was thinking that, an unexpected question was heard.

“If I asked for blood, would you give it to me?”

For a moment, he had the intuition that this wasn’t a completely groundless question but one based on their previous conversation. Mecklenburg doubted his ears and asked.

“What?”

He meant to ask for more explanation about what that meant, but Ascanien just watched expressionlessly. Mecklenburg closed his mouth and turned his head. He wasn’t used to repeatedly stepping on and moving away from and stepping on again the line drawn between them.

It would probably appear in his dreams. Whatever it was, if it was yesterday and today’s events, definitely. Mecklenburg foresaw that even if he slept, it wouldn’t feel like proper sleep.

After that, Mecklenburg stayed in the room without taking a single nap, and so did Ascanien. He didn’t ask if he could go out. He didn’t ask why no one came to visit. Though he wasn’t told, visits were prohibited, so Mecklenburg had to hear more than ten times the news that a junior from the Kleist family was standing guard at the Charlottenburg Palace gate. Besides that, Ascanien’s classmates from Imperial Education Institute 2 requested visits for unknown purposes, but this was even more easily dismissed without consideration. Mecklenburg knew that Ascanien was watching him every time he heard reports, but he had nothing particular to explain.

They didn’t just stay silent every hour. Ascanien sometimes went into the bathtub and didn’t come out, and sometimes slept on the bed. He never ate food even once. Mecklenburg recalled how strangely only the blood he had just drunk came out intact even when he vomited during interrogation, and seriously thought about how this human could be a combat mage. Then when he thought that Adrian Ascanien was sometimes not much different, his mood sank and he had no choice but to think about other things again. Anyway, Ascanien occasionally asked for elixirs, occasionally teased Mecklenburg, and occasionally had serious conversations.

“This is my goal. I must uproot Pleroma.”

When he said this, it was 8 PM the day after Easter. Mecklenburg was drinking tea when he was startled by the sudden solemn words and put his teacup back down. Ascanien had been in the bathroom just moments ago, but came out and suddenly changed like Nicolaus Ernst, speaking such solemn words. When Mecklenburg nodded with an attitude of listening, Nicolaus, who had been stroking his chin and pacing around the room, held up his fingers and said.

“All the remaining parishes too.”

“Not like now… will you prioritize acting as a combat mage?”

He spoke indirectly just in case, asking if he would prioritize acting as Nicolaus Ernst over Lucas Ascanien’s identity.

“That’s right. After restoring my current image to some extent, I must first go to eliminate Pleroma. This is not to win the people’s favor, but because Pleroma won’t stop here. Why would they do nothing even though a day has passed since Easter? When I experienced them, they had truly amazing abilities. But they actually did nothing with their technology. It might be soon, so I hope to get out even a day earlier. To get out, I must definitely follow the plan I set.”

“…”

“What does the imperial court say? When did they say they would pull me out of Charlottenburg?”

Mecklenburg was flustered that Ascanien spoke as if he knew many things even though he hadn’t told him the full plan yet. So Ascanien was really planning exactly what that cousin had ordered.

“Midnight. First, the imperial court will be preparing a national address, and then you’ll go out and your speech…”

“I’ve already written the speech. Please copy and submit it after killing some time appropriately. If that’s awkward, should I go out at midnight and write the exact same thing myself?”

“No… I’ll just submit it myself.”

“Good.”

Ascanien, who had been pacing the living room, plopped down on the sofa and smiled confidently like that cousin. He was calculating how to deal with the remaining Pleroma as Nicolaus Ernst after getting out of here quickly. Mecklenburg couldn’t make eye contact whenever he took Nicolaus’s appearance.

Mecklenburg caught the paper Ascanien flicked and sent flying and read the speech. It felt different from Bavaria Special Minister Nicolaus Ernst’s announcement, but it was basically well-written. Mecklenburg realized there was nothing particular to help with in this area either and closed his mouth, folding it neatly and putting it inside his jacket.

For the 4 hours until midnight, Mecklenburg continuously checked newspapers. He gathered regional dailies and tabloids updated every hour and checked for changes. An article came out saying that the Brandenburg Cathedral destruction operation, which had been introduced as the achievement of the Special Operations Command, was actually Lucas Ascanien’s accomplishment. Numerous newspapers wrote down the new scoop as it was. Even though the imperial court hadn’t verified the facts, they were doing so.

Also, articles discussing what role Ascanien played in removing the Munich-Freising Cathedral were spreading in anonymous interview format. Those interviews were taken from members of the Imperial Mage Association and people who knew them. Or Bavarian royal mages who had conducted joint operations at the time.

The fact that Ascanien had investigated and solved the Atropos problem in advance hadn’t been revealed yet, but it would be announced soon. Mecklenburg already knew the schedule for when information would be released, having received the imperial announcement table in advance. What was peculiar was this—the leak times and topics set by the imperial court with Adrian Ascanien’s help were all part of a public opinion war plan centered on Prussia, but similar articles appeared slightly earlier or later in southern and southeastern Germany too. Baden-Württemberg-Bavaria-Saxony all did so. Every time, Mecklenburg realized that Adrian Ascanien and Nicolaus Ernst had come up with remarkably similar ideas and swallowed nervously at an inexplicable tension.

Now he saw that even the 101st unit’s deployment records had been leaked. Though not the government’s intention, those who had escaped rampage damage through the 101st unit’s operations responded to small tabloids’ interview requests, and though they looked utterly shallow, surprisingly effective articles were often published.

When he had confirmed up to that point, the bell announcing midnight rang at Charlottenburg. Someone began speaking through Mecklenburg’s artifact.

[Count Mecklenburg, bring Count Ascanien to the first floor.]

Mecklenburg swallowed. In 10 hours from now, the national address would begin. Mecklenburg looked at Ascanien, who was lying on the bed reading various books leisurely. Even though he hadn’t been told to go out, when their eyes met, Ascanien smiled and got up.

Thus, they were called around various places until 7 AM. When government officials first separated from the two, Ascanien whispered to Mecklenburg.

“Please give me an hour. I need to go do some defibrillation.”

Mecklenburg glanced at the hand patting his shoulder and watched Ascanien leave. He didn’t know what defibrillation meant, but about an hour was well within Mecklenburg’s authority to handle. Seeing him go off on his own without even asking permission, it seemed his experience as Nicolaus Ernst had made him able to guess when there would be roughly free time.

Ascanien, whom he met again at 8 AM, didn’t look very happy. Mecklenburg saw Ascanien soaked in perfume smell and covered his nose, then realized it wasn’t polite and moved away.

“That’s also quite terrible.”

Ascanien scolded Mecklenburg as if he had used mind reading. Mecklenburg leaned against the corridor railing and looked at his watch. His mood wasn’t very good either. He now had to send Ascanien before the Emperor, when he had to officially convey Adrian Ascanien’s instructions to Lucas Ascanien. Mecklenburg looked at the sunlit floor with a complicated expression and said.

“The day before yesterday, I met Count Eugene Lamour once more.”

“I see.”

“He wants to meet you. You’re probably on edge thinking about who’s on your side and who misunderstood you, but I can tell you this. Count Lamour doesn’t misunderstand you.”

Mecklenburg moved his parched lips.

“Neither do I…”

“…”

“You asked how I knew what you would say.”

Ascanien tilted his head with a face asking if he was bringing up that topic and leaned against the opposite railing similarly. He crossed his arms and looked at Mecklenburg.

“If I still haven’t given you confidence, that means there was a problem with me. You didn’t reveal your secret because you came to trust me completely, but because the situation forced you to confess the truth to me inevitably, and in that state, over a long time coming here, I failed to lay even one foundation for you to trust me completely.”

“…”

“I don’t know how this speech will end. But regardless of how the people react, I don’t believe you collaborated as Pleroma.”

“Why?”

Mecklenburg tried to explain the reasons step by step. At that moment, Ascanien brought up something Mecklenburg absolutely didn’t want to hear but might not be the case.

“Because you saw me vomiting?”

Mecklenburg felt his face grow hot with embarrassment as he clenched his hands. His guess wasn’t wrong. Ascanien knew. He knew that Mecklenburg had entered as an interrogator. Ascanien said what he had roughly deflected yesterday.

“What if I hadn’t vomited, what would you have thought?”

“Not vomiting? If you could have accepted blood familiarly, you mean? Such a thing…”

“How was it?”

Ascanien rudely cut off his words and asked. Mecklenburg felt he had stepped on the line in an unexpected situation and had to suppress his rapidly beating heart. What did he think while watching the interrogation? How was it, obviously…

“I can’t express it in words. I think I was anguished.”

And.

“This might sound crazy, but I was happy.”

“Happy.”

Ascanien asked dryly. Mecklenburg wanted to calculate thoroughly like that cousin and present every word, but he did as his mouth commanded.

“Strategy is important.”

“….”

“As you know, or rather, as you adopted with that cold rationality ahead of me, strategy now determines your life and death. The people who want to believe in you now, those who don’t want you to die by anyone’s hand, want to grasp any evidence to defend you. So, I was relieved when you couldn’t digest the blood and vomited it up….”

Mecklenburg hesitated for a moment, then spoke truthfully.

“I was relieved to see you vomit. Not being adapted to blood sounds like proof you’re not Pleroma, and if that’s true, it could soften anyone’s plans no matter how extreme they are. If you hadn’t vomited… I think I wouldn’t have been able to see you at the Association anymore. On the day of your execution, I would have been contemplating how to accept a world that had become strange in just two months. Partly because someone I knew would have died, but before that, simply because a person would have died. I might have even retired.”

“….”

“Well now, this is all just my story. Is my judgment self-centered? Still, it can’t be helped. This is everything. I… can no longer hold and shake someone’s life in my hands. I can no longer bear that weight. Is this how a monk who carefully avoids stepping on even an ant feels? I may still be arrogant today, but at least I’m going crazy thinking about what ripple effects my actions might cause now. So whatever situation arises, you don’t need to worry about me putting you in trouble….”

Mecklenburg trailed off, looking at the ground.

“I should work to ensure you don’t have such worries. I’m not urging you to trust me. Just stay as you are, and I’ll try my best.”

Ascanien, who had been silent, looked directly at Mecklenburg as if he had read all his inner thoughts and said.

“It doesn’t seem necessary for you to tell me you’ll try.”

Those words were simple enough to be difficult to understand, but Ascanien’s eyes spoke of what lay beyond. Mecklenburg felt strangely as if he had been made to read a script of his own story, which was bewildering, but thinking about it, Ascanien had always been like that, so there was no reason to be more confused. Even when he sometimes showed a slightly playful face or reaction of not understanding others’ actions, he never seemed to truly not understand. He seemed to follow learned formal conventions, believing them to be his own feelings, but then quickly returned to those detached eyes like a sage, making him a complete mystery to Mecklenburg. The type he never wanted to be close to. Yet Mecklenburg spoke as his heart directed.

“Count Ascanien. From now on, the Imperial Court will make unreasonable demands of you. The reason they’re cruelly issuing new orders just two hours before the public address is to prevent you from fleeing.”

Ascanien thought for a moment, then nodded. In that instant, Mecklenburg sensed a peace in Ascanien’s face that was slightly different from what he had seen all day yesterday. When he quickly blinked and looked at him again, Ascanien had that annoyingly confident expression as if nothing had happened.

As a subject, he couldn’t speak beforehand what the Emperor was supposed to say. That was something he couldn’t do as a loyal retainer. The Mecklenburg of two months ago would have been greatly angered at his current self if he had seen this scene, but Mecklenburg didn’t hesitate.

“You probably already know, but I’ll tell you first. Listen and compare if it matches perfectly with what you know. If preparation is needed, let’s get ready starting now.”

10 AM.

The bell announcing the hour rings. Mecklenburg looked at the video on the front page of the Imperial Newspaper placed on the side table behind the podium. When he turned his eyes from the video, the same scene unfolded before his eyes. He felt his heart beating rapidly. The encroaching fear and helplessness emanated from his entire field of vision. The empty stage where Mecklenburg stood with his hands behind his back was the same place where the 101st inauguration ceremony had been held. Now he was waiting here with representative mages from the 99th, and they were supposed to protect the citizens from today’s subject of vigilance if problems arose.

Countless citizens were waiting below in the plaza. How many could there be? It seemed like at least ten thousand. Mecklenburg felt dizzy thinking about the even greater number of citizens peering from beyond the plaza, and the tens of millions of people who would be staring intently at newspapers.

Then the massive door behind opened. Mecklenburg rolled his eyes to look left. Ascanien, wearing the 101st uniform, walked alone onto the stage with an expressionless face. The plaza, which had been somewhat noisy, fell into a cold silence as if it had never been otherwise. Forty hours after the thunderbolt declaration that Lucas Ascanien was Pleroma’s messiah. Ascanien, appearing at an official event for the first time, had parted his hair appropriately to slightly cover his forehead, creating a softer impression than usual. Even so, his eyes were already cold, so he didn’t look particularly gentle, but it might have been better than not touching his appearance at all. The bruise on his chin had been covered by imperial makeup artists, leaving no trace to be found.

Ascanien stood in front of the podium, snapped his fingers to cast amplification magic, and tapped the air. He checked the volume and slowly looked around, then gazed at the Imperial Newspaper’s camera.

“Good day, fellow citizens. I am Lucas Ascanien.”

With the appearance of an upright person who felt no guilt based on conscience, he spoke the title that citizens had been trying to deny.

“As the 101st Deputy Captain of the Imperial Mage Association, I greet you citizens once again.”

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