How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 55

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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 (55)

I feel relieved inside.

If it’s about school life, it’s much more comfortable than bringing up Nicolaus.

Before opening his mouth again, he gestured toward the teacup.

I took a sip of tea and answered the question.

“I’m doing well. I’m grateful for all the help you usually provide.”

“Isn’t it the opposite?”

“Excuse me?”

“The Crown Prince isn’t being troublesome, is he?”

Troublesome?

I doubted my ears. This very person I’d seen in the novel wasn’t someone who would disparage his own child like this.

“Not at all.”

“That can’t be right.”

When I looked at him with a face asking why he said that, he continued.

“Didn’t the Crown Prince talk about your magic?”

“…Ah.”

Now I could understand what he was talking about.

Come to think of it, this person would naturally know about Leo’s passion for magic too.

“He did.”

Strictly speaking, that guy never actually said it, but anyway.

The King burst into laughter with a much more relaxed atmosphere.

“Hahaha! It was strange when he threw a tantrum saying he had to make a classmate friend’s citizenship, but as expected. If that friend is Lucas Ascanien, then it makes sense.”

“Is that so.”

“He must have fulfilled a childhood wish. Ever since he was young, I provided him with all the teachers he wanted, so he thought he could make friends the same way.”

I already knew this from reading Leo’s inner monologue in the novel, but if you just say things like this, it wouldn’t be good from the child’s perspective.

If Leo had been in this place, he would have wanted to cover the King’s mouth.

‘Well, right now the only person both of us know is Leo…’

Until the main topic comes up, conversations that are negative for Leo will probably keep coming up endlessly.

He smiled while looking at the scenery outside the window, then opened his mouth again.

“I said that I had already met you, Lucas Ascanien, before.”

“Yes.”

“A child who showed the greatest magic in the family’s history from such a young age, I remember everyone was delighted that he would become a pillar of the family in the future. Especially Duke Anhalt.”

“…”

What’s the point of talking about such dreamlike stories now…

I’m not Luca, but since I’m recognized as him by everyone and must live my life as him, hearing this story started to make me feel uncomfortable. No one could listen comfortably to stories about lost glory.

“Come to think of it, I wonder if you know that Hohenzollern wanted to adopt you because of how excellent your magical qualities were.”

“…What?”

A question slipped out without me realizing it.

In fact, it’s common for higher-ranking or wealthier families to scout strong mages born into lower families. That’s generally how it goes, but requests often come and go between families of similar rank too.

It’s purely for political purposes. Magical strength directly becomes wealth, honor, and one’s position in society.

But even if it’s common, the Imperial family is still the Imperial family.

Since the direct line already has a successor, the place that wanted to take Luca must have been somewhere among the collateral branches, but anyway, you kicked away such a good opportunity because you were too stingy to give him to others and raised him like this?

‘…Sigh…’

I’m reminded of cigarettes I quit a long time ago.

Anyway, there are always people called family who don’t help with life at all…

“Your reaction is quite intense.”

“No, it’s not…”

“Ascanien rejected it outright, so I thought you probably wouldn’t know. Come to think of it, though I never seriously considered it, there was talk on our side once too.”

He narrowed his eyes as he traced through his memories.

“It was right after the second visit, when bad rumors about you were already circulating, so it wasn’t the right time.”

“…”

The second visit means he was already six years old, when rumors that Luca had killed someone were spreading.

The Pleroma rumors spreading throughout the entire Empire regardless of class happened several years later, but in noble society, doubts about whether Luca might be Pleroma began spreading right after the murder incident.

The talk came up during this time?

‘I know who brought it up.’

The only one who would bring up adoption talk from Wittelsbach after the murder incident…

It could only be young Leo who had visited our principality.

‘He’s saying scary things just to make one friend.’

No matter how legitimate Leo’s bloodline is, in this world where magical power is everything, if you bring in the wrong person and a succession struggle breaks out, it’s just over. Trying to make one friend could result in a lifelong nemesis.

Still, a normal six-year-old wouldn’t see that far. It’s exactly the kind of thinking appropriate for that age.

As if reading my thoughts from my expression, the King laughed loudly with understanding.

“Hahaha, I can tell what you’re thinking right now.”

“Yes… I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“That’s fine. I’m not telling you to switch sides now anyway.”

The King immediately continued.

“Then do you know why I’m telling you this story?”

“I have some idea.”

“Good. I remember it was between the first and second visits. That second son of Ascanien killed someone, didn’t he? Because he was born with Pleroma tendencies.”

I nodded slightly.

There was nothing else to say.

“Strong magical power is an object of awe when it’s on our side, but not when it’s on the side of evil. Isn’t it obvious what he’ll do with that strong magical power in the future? What happened to Ascanien after that… I think you know without me having to say.”

“I know.”

The King drank his tea silently, then opened his mouth calmly.

“Is your body still alright? Let’s drink before it gets colder.”

“…”

Even though I had answered properly, his words were getting faster and faster.

Every time we talked about the past, my mood was sinking, probably because now I have to bear the full weight of that name. I came up with an appropriate response and briefly apologized.

“I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“No. It’s a natural reaction.”

You know that and you’re still doing this…

I thought while trying my best to erase the displeased expression from my face.

“I still remember how the Imperial Palace warned several times around that time to send you away. From the Imperial Palace’s perspective, they couldn’t just watch the strongest successor in Ascanien history become Pleroma, so it was natural for them to try to do something about it. Right?”

“Yes.”

“As a result, Ascanien could only keep you at the manor after making a solemn oath to never disturb the Empire.”

The moment Luca was sent to the Imperial Palace, the fact that he wasn’t Pleroma would be exposed, so Hyung desperately protected Luca and made an oath with the Imperial Palace.

This is the first time I’m hearing it from someone else’s mouth like this, but up to this point, it’s a story I already know well.

But he wouldn’t have called me all the way here just to seriously discuss a story that even Luca knows.

Before that thought could even finish, the King looked into my eyes and quietly continued.

“And one of the surveillance agencies that participated in that oath was Bavaria.”

I looked into his bright blue eyes and fell into thought.

‘Surveillance agency.’

So it wasn’t just Ascanien and the Imperial Palace that participated in the oath.

This is definitely new.

“They were the first to participate after the Imperial Palace brought it up. From that day, Bavaria took on the role of monitoring you, the Pleroma.”

“…”

“Do you feel betrayed?”

The King smiled leisurely and clasped his hands together on the table.

I stared at the King’s face and then smiled.

How could I feel betrayed?

In my heart, I actually feel grateful.

“No.”

The King burst into laughter.

“I was curious whether you’d be momentarily flustered or figure it out right away, but as expected, you caught on immediately.”

“How could I not? My life was at stake.”

“That’s right, it would be stranger if you, the person directly involved, couldn’t grasp it immediately. I sided with Ascanien to stop the Imperial Court that wanted to kill you. That’s what the Surveillance Agency and surveillance families represent.”

Considering that no one knew the Pleroma rumors were false, the countries that voluntarily stepped forward saying they’d monitor in exchange for not killing could actually be viewed positively since they harbored no ill will toward Luca.

In fact, if I had been captured by the Imperial Court as planned, Hyung’s entire scheme would have been shattered…

But that doesn’t mean the Surveillance Agency was now an important factor in Hyung’s plan’s success.

From the Imperial Court’s perspective, there was no reason to refuse the covenant proposed by Ascanien.

Since Ascanien had declared they would take responsibility for Luca even to the point of making a covenant, the Imperial Court could shift all responsibility to Ascanien for any future problems.

“I don’t care whether you were born with Pleroma’s traits or not. Whatever you were born with, your future will depend on Ascanien’s education and support, so I judged that you had room to live a normal life. But…”

“…”

“You didn’t even have those traits to begin with?”

The smile completely disappeared from his face.

Just as I began to wonder about that reaction, he cleared his throat and continued.

“Adrian Ascanien schemed against his four-year-old Younger Brother to become the ruler of the Duchy of Anhalt… It’s such an absurd story that it sounds like nonsense at first hearing. After all, that man was only eleven years old fourteen years ago.”

I didn’t answer and just nodded slightly.

That’s understandable.

But regardless of how it seems, it’s something that already happened.

Eleven here would be twelve in Korea.

There’s no point in asking how a twelve-year-old could have such a mind, how they could plan so meticulously.

Being young doesn’t mean low intelligence, and Hyung was someone whose temperament would make him a politician if things went well, or a con artist if they went badly.

And the question of how a twelve-year-old could have such thoughts… that gets answered when you look back at it afterward.

Seeing how he essentially killed someone with just the single desire of ‘I want to succeed instead of my younger brother,’ you can tell he was fundamentally rotten in a different way from others, regardless of age.

The one the Imperial Court should have executed, when you think about it, wasn’t me but Hyung.

“But considering how you continuously refused Wittelsbach’s proposal to conduct direct examinations to confirm your condition, and how Adrian Ascanien wasn’t considered the heir to the Duchy of Anhalt anywhere after your magic manifested, it’s not entirely impossible.”

The King immediately continued.

“Of course, that’s not to say I could be certain of the Crown Prince’s words based on that alone. If I hadn’t confirmed your identity with my own eyes, that is, until just yesterday, I wouldn’t have believed this fact no matter how much the Crown Prince insisted.”

“I understand.”

“So I’m not qualified to press you and the Crown Prince about why you didn’t tell the truth. The story that our Empire has been swayed by lies for over ten years would have been truly unbelievable.”

How honest of him.

Actually, that’s the normal position.

He paused for a long while before opening his mouth.

“But now that the situation has come to this, there’s no reason to stand by with my hands behind my back. So I’ll make you one proposal.”

“Please speak.”

He smiled gently and clasped his hands together.

“Before that, let’s hear one thing. When do you plan to reveal your identity? Would you reveal it now if you had my help?”

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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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