How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 549

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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 Noble Family (549)

I tried to maintain my composure until the end while smiling, and stepped down beside the podium.

I don’t know whether the negotiation was successful or not. That’s not within my scope. My duty was only up to the speech, as I stood there to serve as a figurehead. Having successfully delivered the presentation, the rest is for the government to negotiate with the school.

There were principles I had in mind before giving the speech.

First, do not preach.

Second, do not speak at length.

The reasoning is clear. First, the current situation is not very good. The school has already informed the Imperial Court that they will not accept support, and instead of having the responsible parties talk to each other, the Imperial Court suddenly arranged a presentation venue. It was clear that the school would not view this favorably. After all, it’s not the Imperial Court but the faculty and student volunteer corps who care for the rampagers, so trying to persuade through a speaker called by the Imperial Court without listening to the actual parties involved is not desirable. So in fact, my will for the strong persuasion that the Imperial Court wanted had also diminished.

Moreover, I had to be a student above all else right now. A student teaching teachers deviates from the general image we think of. While acting as a pure student, I couldn’t succeed in negotiations from that position. The longer I spoke, the more I would end up preaching, so I needed words that were as short as possible, yet could be immediately understood by them and make them keep thinking.

That’s why I quoted Pensées.

“Your improvisational ability is always a masterpiece.”

Abraham, who had opened the waiting room door and was leaning against the doorframe, said with only the corners of his mouth raised in a smile.

I believed quoting Pensées would be appropriate because Pensées is a book containing a Christian perspective. Pensées was written to defend Christianity, and Pascal’s famous wager that we widely know – ‘If God exists, you gain everything, and if God doesn’t exist, you lose nothing’ – also came from here. It’s not known whether Pascal was Catholic or Protestant. He was originally born into a Catholic family and grew up during an era of intense religious conflict, known to have been influenced by Jansenism. Pascal defended the Jansenists and criticized the Jesuits and Catholics through letters to friends, which doesn’t necessarily mean he was a Protestant believer, but in that sense, Protestant believers sometimes view Pascal positively. Therefore, with high probability, these Lutheran—Protestant—believers would consider my quoting of Pensées appropriate and would understand it.

Abraham must be satisfied in that sense too… I glanced at him and noticed that the cigarette he had just lit had disappeared without a trace. The person who should be going out to talk with the school administration and teachers right now is leisurely staying here. I left him behind and went out into the corridor, finding the teachers’ restroom with a school official’s guidance.

Splash—…

After locking the door and entering the restroom, I carefully applied cold water to my cheeks. Rubbing the warm area above my eyes with cold hands helped clear my mind a bit. I raised my head and looked in the mirror. Without makeup, changes in my complexion are easily visible. Although I’ve rarely received heavy makeup in front of cameras, since it’s my profession, I’ve always taken care of at least my skin, and I’m newly realizing how much that covered up my complexion.

“Can you control that complexion at will?”

“You’re remarkably persistent in following me.”

An arm appears from the side where the mirror doesn’t reflect and lands on my shoulder. I grabbed Abraham’s hand and lowered it, then wet my hands again to wipe my neck. To give a different kind of speech, I had to adopt a different mindset. ‘I’ had to be not just a seasoned speaker like before, but a student who appears pure, and approaching it with that mindset caused different physical reactions as well. That’s what acting is like. The person performing doesn’t think much about it, but having people nitpicking like this from the sidelines seems unavoidable.

“How boring. I came to congratulate you since you achieved good results.”

I didn’t answer. Abraham continued speaking as if he had a new concern.

“It’s novel to see you being so embarrassed just because you became an Esper and the Human students were charmed. That can’t be the reason.”

I’m equally amazed whenever you so easily grasp and embody strategies that haven’t come to pass yet. Just like from our first meeting until now…

“If you don’t think it’s because I was flustered, then you should know it’s because of acting.”

“Then you should know why I’m saying this.”

An Esper acting like a Human… Since he said this, of course I know.

I quietly looked at him. The difference in his irises is clear under the light. He’s also staring intently at me. We said nothing, and only when I turned my head first did the conversation continue.

“It wouldn’t be advisable to dismiss all the students’ feelings like that.”

If he’s not going to say something directly, then I don’t feel a reason to do so either. I didn’t answer as he wanted.

However, there would certainly still be some among them who hold negative feelings toward me, and there would also be people who just thought ‘oh, someone came’ without any particular thoughts. They would certainly make up more than expected. Just because favorability increased doesn’t necessarily mean it’s rational romantic interest. Didn’t I witness human positive feelings being reflected as favorability in front of audiences of all ages and genders?

Abraham waited until I was fully prepared and went outside. Now it’s time to negotiate. Since we visited together, returning separately wasn’t customary, so I followed behind him.

No matter how much the teachers try to control them, students are peeking through windows and from the corridors. Dozens of gazes follow us. Abraham went up to the second floor of the main building with school officials. Then, in front of a massive wooden door, he stuck his hand in his pocket and turned to look at me. When I looked at him with questioning eyes, the answer that came back was like this.

“You could take some rest.”

Click— Bang—

Abraham smiled and disappeared between the doors.

“Hah.”

The school officials and students who were in the corridor looked at me awkwardly. I can feel dozens of gazes. Only the government will negotiate, is that it? Anyway, Abraham shows extraordinary dedication even when doing the same work. The dedication to make me follow along and then kick me out in front of the door. It would be difficult to act that way. I was about to lean against the wall to rest in a listless manner, but knowing it wasn’t dignified, I slowly turned my head.

Should I ask for an empty classroom? To space out there.

Wrong. That’s something only a very free spirit would do, and conventionally in this situation, I should…

“Lord Ascanien. If it wouldn’t be presumptuous, may we show you around the school?”

A school official stretched his hand all the way to the courtyard beyond the window at the end of the corridor and asked.

“Of course. Thank you.”

What I should do is inspect.

It would be better for the school if I just stayed still, but that’s not the custom. Even though I’m not a school inspector and not evaluating anything, it would certainly be burdensome, so I deliberately took time by circling the courtyard rather than looking inside the school. In front of the path leading to the forest behind the courtyard, the official pointed to a building made of clay bricks.

“This is the infirmary.”

“I suppose rampage rehabilitation takes place here.”

“That’s correct.”

When I stopped in front of the rampage rehabilitation facility, a student with an intellectual atmosphere approached with three or four other students and bent their knee.

“It’s an honor, Lord Ascanien. I’m Sophia Nussbaum.”

I remained silent until they stated their purpose. The student quickly raised their head and spoke.

“I’m the student council president of Victoria Lyceum.”

I extended my hand to them. The student glanced at that hand with a ‘look at this’ expression and looked into my eyes.

Ruling families don’t often offer handshakes. The reason the student council president first showed me a curtsy was because I’m essentially royalty. They’re still staring intently at me. That gaze is one of analysis. While not feeling uncomfortable or grateful in a way that would make me uneasy, they were revising their evaluation of me. They seem to have judged me as a progressive rather than conservative figure. Their curtsy stemmed from social etiquette norms, not because their mind was deeply steeped in conservative values. While the student council president is measuring my progressiveness and finding it unexpected, in my head I was measuring the student’s progressiveness and finding them unexpected.

If there are many students like this, the empire might be gone by the 21st century of this world. What was expected to take hundreds of years might be reduced to a hundred years, or even decades. The foundation for democracy might be laid, leading to a completely democratic republic or constitutional monarchy rather than the current shell-like constitutional monarchy.

Whether this country will operate as a republic like 21st-century Germany and France or as a constitutional monarchy like 21st-century Britain and the Netherlands is unknown, but that’s a secondary issue. I know the formal republics of the 21st century and understand that republics don’t guarantee democracy by themselves. Similarly, in constitutional monarchies, the constitution should constrain the monarch, but current Germany, while adopting constitutional monarchy, does quite different things from 21st-century British constitutional monarchy. Having seen a failed republic in the 21st-century Korean peninsula and seeing a transitional constitutional monarchy in 19th-century Germany now, I couldn’t say which one it must be. Becoming a republic or constitutional monarchy cannot be called the ultimate goal of democratization. If one wishes for social improvement, rather than obsessing over the secondary issue of whether this country becomes a republic or constitutional monarchy, one should focus on how deeply democratic spirit takes root in people’s minds. Both issues are important, but if one doesn’t understand that the latter—the issue of civic virtue—is most fundamental than the former, even if democracy is barely achieved, it’s easy to believe that democracy will continue as a given since we live under that system. From there, democracy collapses again. The adoption of a political system follows a phase of democratization and occurs complementarily afterward. If instead some political system is made an absolute utopian ideal and prioritized, this becomes an ideological fight that fails to put the improvement of people’s livelihood first.

Meeting the change Elias wanted here, a flame that seems weak but will become powerful later, makes the corners of my mouth rise. Their friends began to panic at the student council president who was blatantly scrutinizing me in front of royalty without much thought for etiquette, but that was a limitation of the times. I felt a bit of hope whenever I met students whose minds weren’t stagnant in their era like this.

Having finished assessing me, the student council president unhesitatingly shook hands with a polite attitude. I murmured to them.

“I’m pleased.”

Then the president raised the corners of their mouth with intelligent eyes. The students who are still making me uncomfortable by widening their eyes awkwardly just because royalty offered a handshake. The president paid no attention and gestured to the school official who was clearly their teacher, pointing toward the school building.

“Since you’ve come this way, we’d like to treat you as a guest. Do you have time?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then we’ll guide you inside.”

There was no reason to decline. I no longer needed to walk around the school awkwardly. I followed their guidance.

The conversation in the student council room was exactly as I had expected. They brought out simple tea and refreshments, and the students revealed what they wanted from the government in a not-too-direct, roundabout way. The main point was asking for increased government support budget so they could invite philosophy teachers.

Though it’s a matter for parliament, I answered positively that I felt the necessity and would make an effort. Having finished the conversation appropriately, the topic moved to casual joke exchanges.

As I was thinking about when Abraham would finish negotiations, the student council president changed the subject.

“Those were good words.”

They seem to be referring to the earlier speech, or rather presentation. I smiled appropriately and answered.

“Is that so? I was worried it might be misunderstood, so I’m relieved if it came across that way.”

“You said not to hesitate in saving lives by getting caught up in religious fights. It’s an obvious thing to say, but also not. Since it was a young student like yourself rather than an older politician who said it, the teachers’ reaction went better than expected.”

At those words, I raised an eyebrow and looked at the student council president and other students.

“You seem to have been evaluating the government’s proposal positively from the start.”

“I have no religion.”

The student council president answered decisively. Having no religion means they won’t sympathize with the antagonism between the Lutheran school and Catholics.

“I don’t think the Center Party is going in the right direction. While they’re right to be wary of extreme Catholic rhetoric and work for Germany, I believe that if Bavaria can successfully check the Papal States, the Papal States won’t be able to manipulate Germany either. Based on what they’ve shown us so far, Bavaria is completely working for Germany.”

“Bavaria, indeed.”

Having opened up their heart, there’s a good chance the school side will trust Bavaria and accept the support proposal. Then the student council president said with a face not much different from before.

“The Kingdom of Bavaria led by Lord Nicolaus Ernst is the last line of defense keeping Germany as Germany. When the Kingdom of Prussia nearly handed the German Empire over to other powers, Bavaria’s achievements were able to defend against that. In this situation, there’s no way Bavaria would hand over the initiative they barely gained to foreign countries. Moreover, even though Bavaria is a Catholic state, liberalism is gaining power, so they won’t try to empower the Roman Papal States as much as the Center Party. Above all, the perspectives of parties and states are different.”

As I thought before, the Center Party is Prussia’s Catholic party, commonly represented as conservatism. The student council president was thinking much more rationally than the school.

“Your analytical ability is excellent.”

“It’s what many people know.”

“Having such an intelligent student gives me hope for the future. I’m reassured.”

Then the student council president tilted their head for the first time. After exchanging glances with other students, they showed a hint of laughter.

“Well now… that sounds like something a teacher would say. Lord Ascanien, you’re speaking as if you’ve lived at least ten years longer than me.”

I guessed how things were going and smiled while slightly twisting my lips in embarrassment. They find it strange for a peer to say such things, and thinking about it, I suppose it was in a way. To stop this habitual speech, I had to abandon the position of politician Ascanien. Since it wasn’t really problematic, just as I was about to deflect it playfully, the student council president spoke without giving me a chance to answer.

“Aren’t you two years younger than me, Lord? I’m the one thinking the future is bright seeing a junior youth growing up like you.”

“Ha…”

The other students tried to laugh but covered their mouths.

So they were 20, not 19. Though I’m not much older, I’ve still passed adulthood, yet I’m being treated like a child by a high school student… My time… Though I was living among high school students anyway, for the first time I wanted to get away from students. In an era where Mecklenburg, who would have been my peer under normal circumstances, is my hyung, what can I expect? I smiled awkwardly while feeling embarrassment and doubt.

“Well, thank you for that. I’m sorry in many ways.”

“Not at all, Lord. That’s not the kind of answer I was looking for.”

The student council president answered with a serious face again, perhaps thinking I was being too serious. Even so, they were slightly holding back laughter. I don’t know why they’re acting like that, but the initial tension seemed to have lessened since we continued talking. Knowing that they perceived me as ‘someone distant but still a peer,’ I similarly narrowed my eyes with a bit of playfulness and stared at them. Since the other students laughed and the atmosphere lightened a bit, I shook my head and said.

“I’m also glad to know there are peers like you. I would have thought so even if your opinions differed from mine.”

“I’ve been speaking until now thinking the same way. ‘There is enough obscurity to humble the chosen and enough obscurity to blind the corrupt’—good words. Most of the Lutheran teachers were focused on being wary of Catholic dominance. Hitting the core so simply like this, you’re indeed worthy of someone who gained both life and fame through a single speech. And…”

They hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“I personally believed that missing opportunities to save more lives due to religious fights wouldn’t change the world at all. But you said the same thing. I was born into an ordinary family and you were born into a ruling family, so I’ve never enjoyed the luxury you have. On the other hand, I’ve lived a normal life attending school while you’ve been on the national chopping block since childhood, so until last year you never lived like a human being as others do. Honestly, this death penalty discussion isn’t particularly new to me. And also honestly, most people who’ve lived in circumstances like mine wouldn’t hesitate much about shooting you. One reason is that you have a lot of money that we don’t have. We’re placed on parallel lines where we might never understand each other, yet despite being so different, we can have the same purpose and talk together like this, which is simply satisfying.”

“I understand what you’re saying. But I’d like to ask one thing. Do you think that way too?”

They also realized what my question was about. Among those who supported killing me, there were quite a few who supported it simply because I’m from a ruling family. There were multiple reasons for one conclusion. They would naturally say no, but since the topic came up, I wanted to hear how they thought and what they would say.

The student council president frowned at those words, then tilted their head, and spoke matter-of-factly.

“This way of killing what is not me… actually, since it’s not me or people of my class dying, it might seem unrelated on the surface, but the biggest problem is that it actually stems from the same source. Whether believing we should just make one more because they’re an Esper, or thinking it’s worth killing them since they’re from a ruling family, this kind of thinking means that if someone has certain elements, it’s okay for them to just die, which might seem somewhat righteous from our middle-class perspective wanting to eliminate the privileged. But the reason I can’t agree with this is that if this logic becomes widespread in society, I too would have to die. Someone would think that since I have these anti-social elements and live a life that deviates from norms, it would benefit society for me to die and disappear.”

“That’s a story I heard from a friend once, but it’s surprising. What experience have you had that makes you think that way?”

“Some Old Traditionalists say we can’t be students. As an Esper, you probably can’t even imagine what principle this operates on. They say girls’ schools break tradition, ruin society, and anger God. In their eyes, we who are simply receiving higher education and preparing for college entrance exams are antisocial beings that must disappear from society, and ultimately this means that even though what you experienced and the humiliation we face are vastly different in form and completely different… the source of the obstinacy that believes the school must be destroyed and the belief that you should die is the same. So as the student council president of this school, could I think that since you’re from a ruling family, it would be fine if you died while we’re at it? Knowing the ugliness of that source, I cannot consider the source to be good. Though I’m not poor but not wealthy either, it’s not my place to worry about you and I didn’t actually worry about your situation, but it’s true that I was concerned about your life being taken away by everyone and tossed around.”

He leaned forward and scolded me.

“In that sense, I didn’t expect you to ask me if I think the same way. After all, it’s not much different from supporting the old men’s argument that we should close our school and send us home – different trees grown from the same root – and you who gave that speech yesterday surely know that this kind of extension is possible.”

“I don’t often get the chance to hear thoughts directly, so I just wanted to listen. There probably aren’t many people who think like you.”

“Still, there won’t be few. A friend in our debate club particularly refuted my logic, but even that friend doesn’t think the death penalty discussion went well.”

“There was a debate. How did they refute it?”

“They said my argument was overly reductive. The girls’ school existence issue is a kind of social problem, while your problem is sociologically on the opposite side – a problem of an individual privileged person’s life.”

“That sounds plausible.”

“Your Excellency, this is about your own situation and you’re saying this?”

The student council president clasped his hands together and laughed as if incredulous. I couldn’t help but be deeply interested in verbal sparring. I glanced at the other students who had frozen slightly and asked carefully.

“So what did you say? It would have been interesting if I had been at the debate too – what a shame.”

“I had no choice but to answer that the premise was misunderstood from the start. That friend and I were talking about completely different things. I had no intention of connecting the branch tips of two distant problems – two trees. I was merely saying that a tree growing in the north of this vast garden and a tree growing in the south are both growing in the soil of the same continent. Do you understand what I mean?”

“You approached it with holistic thinking while your friend approached it with reductive thinking. If you view the world from such theoretical perspectives, your approach could certainly appear as unprincipled reductionism.”

“Exactly. This response came from misunderstanding my premise. The premise of my argument was not in the tree branches but in the soil where we are rooted, and in that sense, saying I’m reductively connecting the branches of two trees is an absurd misunderstanding. From beginning to end, I wanted to talk about ensuring the land where we are rooted doesn’t dry up, that is… as you Nicolaus Ernst said today, the citizenship we should have. Not the phenomenon, but the source.”

The student council president nodded while making eye contact with the other students. By the time Nicolaus Ernst was mentioned, the other students were also wearing dignified smiles. The student council president gestured with his hand and asked while we were on the topic.

“Adrian Ascanien, if it’s not rude, I’d like to ask. Do you respect Ernst?”

This is somewhat… a political filter. A question that includes the meaning of ‘I can tell what kind of person you are from this question.’ It’s bewildering to find myself in this situation regarding myself, but they are serious. I felt the subtle tension in the air and nodded.

“Of course.”

Then the student council president raised one corner of his mouth and nodded.

“I thought so. I feel the same way. If I were to name the most satisfactory politician among Germans recently and one worth emulating as a student, it would be him.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t he the one who pulled Germany out of the war crisis? Though he’s a foreigner, it’s good that he’s now a Bavarian Mage, and I also like his progressive nature.”

“Is that so?”

Perhaps my answer was too ambiguous, as the student council president nodded and pointed in another direction.

“Many people probably feel that way. At the church around that alley, they’re building a statue honoring him right now.”

“What? That can’t be.”

“It’s true that they’re building it.”

“Why would they do that when he’s still alive?”

Then the student council president stared at me with a face that said ‘do you even read newspapers,’ so I coughed awkwardly.

“That’s good news.”

“You seem to think otherwise.”

I made excuses and put on a pleasant expression.

“You’re probably right.”

The Antagonist rolled his eyes and said.

“Well, if you say so, then I suppose so. I probably shouldn’t say such things on the day Crown Prince visits. Anyway, since I’m going to Munich for university, I hope I might get a chance to see Ernst if the opportunity arises.”

You don’t need to go to Munich. If you’re looking at him right now?

My back stiffens. Still, the conversation was gradually turning into trivial small talk. I tried not to swallow noticeably and answered calmly.

“Munich. You’re going far.”

“My cousin sister is often active there. We’re like real sisters, so I’m planning to live at her house when I go to university.”

“That’s nice.”

I replied calmly.

Not long after, news came that Abraham had ordered them to bring me to the lobby. I cheered at the thought that I could finally return and came outside. However, what I encountered as soon as I came out was affection windows.

“…”

After escaping from the student council room where they saw me as both a student and politician, I now had to face those who didn’t. There are truly many different types of students in this one school. As soon as I came outside, I felt absurd at the affection windows popping up everywhere and pondered how I could make the system come to its senses. Next, I thought about how I could send away the students standing here. There’s no way… Even so, not everyone was coming close. They were just standing around in all directions, staring blankly at me. They stayed still while only I moved with the student council president. I endured the burdensome gazes as I headed toward the school lobby.

Even after reaching the lobby, Abraham wasn’t there. But he would come soon.

After waiting briefly, I looked at the student council president one last time. Since the student council president who had been looking straight ahead looked up at me, I snapped my fingers and cast a sound-blocking spell.

“Oh.”

The student council president wasn’t surprised by it, but other students made surprised sounds. I turned my head toward where the sound came from, smiled politely, and said to the student council president.

“I haven’t walked around the plaza yet, so I don’t know what people are saying in earnest, but it’s refreshing that there’s someone like you.”

When Elias and Eugene Lamour said similar things, since they had similar experiences, I understood well why they said such things and was deeply moved and grateful for their existence. But it was always surprising to encounter someone who, without having the same experience as me, didn’t give me the feeling of facing a wall. It’s not a matter of whether he agrees with me or not, but rather that there are people who deeply contemplate in their own environments and try to understand the source of problems in their own way, and from such attempts, very different people can coincidentally produce stories that can understand each other. The wonder I felt when seeing Leonard slightly raises its head.

Perhaps if I had attended this school – though of course Espers can’t enroll so that would be impossible – I might have become good friends with this student. As I was thinking this while stroking my chin, I opened my mouth at a sudden thought.

“Actually, I was going to give thanks.”

“‘Was going to’ means what… are you not doing it now?”

“No. You’re right. But I don’t want to end it here.”

I looked at him and continued.

“Would it be alright if I write to you?”

Is there a reason to use the subjunctive mood when we’re not even enemies?

If I want to be friends, I can just become close. I felt my heart beating rapidly as I had thoughts that the me from a year ago could never have had. The student council president just blinked and shrugged his shoulders.

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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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