How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 550

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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 (550)

The student council president nodded and answered, wondering what kind of solemn words I was going to say.

“Please do so. What are you asking? While you’re at it, please share some progress on the budget proposal.”

“Is that the purpose?”

I tilted my eyebrows and asked with a smile, pretending to look sullen. The president tapped his arm and laughed.

“I’m joking. I also felt that I communicate well with Your Excellency.”

He glanced at the giant clock inside the lobby and continued.

“We really are different. Really different, but… because we’re different, I think we need to have conversations with each other. People who can converse from multiple perspectives without misunderstanding the premise are rare. Since we both have the will not to misunderstand each other, it will be easier to share stories from our different environments.”

Conversing between people from different environments is meaningful work, but before that, effort is needed to avoid being trapped within our respective tribes. Only with that as a foundation can we communicate with others. Conversations without that are not communication but echoes, and people who gained legitimacy within those echoes have always thought, in any era, that someone they’ve marked should rightfully be destroyed or that it’s fine if they are destroyed. That’s what he was talking about.

“Yes, think about it. It’s a good proposal. We can broaden our thinking by sharing what kind of polarized light emerges through the prism of each other’s lives. I could tell Your Excellency stories as one of the many middle-class Human women who has lived a fairly ordinary life, and Your Excellency…”

He erased the smile from his face and pondered deeply. Silence flowed. I didn’t understand why at first, but I could soon guess. He closed his mouth as if no good words would come out, so what would probably come from his mouth would be ‘the story of someone who lived a life considered abnormal all their life, opposite to himself who lived a life socially considered normal’ or ‘the story of a victim of celebrity murder by the masses, someone who becomes isolated.’ That would encompass everything from Pleroma Lucas Ascanien to today’s Lucas Ascanien. The student council president waved his hand and roughly summarized.

“Your Excellency has a different background from ordinary ruling families, and hmm, perhaps Your Excellency could share the mindset of Espers. We don’t really need the mindset of the wealthy, but anyway.”

“It pains my heart that I don’t seem to be of help.”

“You were born that way, so what can you do about it. There are things that can’t be helped.”

I grinned slightly, showing my teeth, at his laughing remark. The student council president took out a notebook from his jacket and wrote down an address. Then he held out an empty notebook to me as well. I wrote my address there and carefully tore it into a note shape and folded it. The shape was crude but it worked anyway. I put the note in the student council president’s jacket pocket and smiled with the same expression as him. The student council president looked at me with a satisfied face and said.

“I didn’t know from the newspapers, but Your Excellency, you really look like a child.”

This person completely forgot that I’m from a ruling family. That’s welcome. But when I hear such words…

“What are you saying when there’s only a two-year difference?”

I lightly closed and opened my eyes and muttered awkwardly. He probably said that seeing my smiling face looked more childish compared to my expressionless face—naturally, this student also looked like a child to me—so it might be true that I look like a student, but I wonder how this student would react if he knew I was older than him. In European society where small age differences are often treated as peers, it might be regarded with a ‘so what’ attitude…

However, the most deflating point is that no one believes I’m not at an age to hear such words, and there’s no way to prove it. I’m alone with an 18-year-old body, and like a madman, a 20-year-old is trying to tease me, so I can only laugh emptily. Since I wasn’t particularly old originally and wanted to age quickly if possible, returning to being a minor that I had barely escaped was not welcome. This wasn’t rejuvenation but being dragged back into confinement.

The student council president laughed moderately and opened his mouth.

“If there was something unexpected about me…”

Then, from far behind, there were signs of people. I quickly broke the sound-blocking magic and turned around. Abraham and school officials were coming down the grand staircase.

“The unexpected point will have to be discussed in a letter.”

The student council president added that. The principal who had first greeted us pointed to the student council president and said.

“Your Highness. This is Sophia Nussbaum, the student council president of our Victoria Lyceum.”

The student council president bent her knees slightly. Abraham, whom I met again, responded with a leisurely smile instead of answering. Without even looking in my direction, he exchanged brief pleasantries with the principal among the students lined up in a row and then left through the main gate.

Abraham didn’t say whether he succeeded or failed in the negotiation, but it was clear he had succeeded. I didn’t figure this out from his complexion or expression. The guy didn’t have big changes in expression. Instead, he only observed what happened outside himself.

Then? If he had failed, he would have picked a fight with me by now using that as an excuse, so he must have succeeded. Under this simple and clear conclusion, I stopped in place. Under the shade of trees cast outside the school fence, Hohenzollern’s carriage and escort carriages had arrived. Abraham looked back at me in front of the carriage door that the coachman had opened.

“If you’ve had enough fun, let’s go back now. Your Highness should go fulfill your promise.”

“What a kind teacher. Waiting until I could have fun.”

Before Abraham could answer anything, he continued speaking as smoothly as flowing water.

“If it’s alright, may I take you to the hospital?”

I stared intently at his face alone, thinking of the presence of the guards and coachman standing around. I slowly brought my head close to his ear. I spoke without trying to whisper.

“No.”

Abraham didn’t mind that answer either and smiled as he turned his head. The guards and coachman were visibly flustered for a moment, but when Abraham got into the carriage, they closed the door without complaint. The two carriages quickly began to depart and disappeared from sight.

Now what I’m curious about is this—why does someone who isn’t the type to go quietly disappear so politely like this?

* * *

It wasn’t difficult to understand why he disappeared so quietly.

He said he would take me to the hospital, but that’s undesirable. Since Abraham ignored my wishes and interfered with the media, there was no reason to keep the agreement with the Imperial Court, so I had moved my luggage back to Bavaria. After that, upon receiving Abraham’s letter, the Lucas Ascanien identity re-entered Prussia.

“Your Excellency Ascanien cannot leave Prussia.”

This is it. The reason Abraham disappeared from before me lies here—the guy trusted the trick he had set up and let me go.

The checkpoint employee fluttered the letter as he read it, then added in a stern voice.

“Ahem, this is an order from the Prussian Kingdom’s Ministry of Internal Affairs.”

I felt the people lined up behind me craning their necks forward with curiosity and asked calmly.

“I see. Until when?”

“Until the period His Majesty determines.”

“Is that so.”

I answered in a calm tone. Then the employee handed me a note in a small envelope from the drawer.

“The Ministry of Internal Affairs said to give this note to Your Excellency.”

I unfolded the note with red color and gold decorations stamped on it.

[Charlottenburg]

“Hmm.”

The black letters printed by typewriter are clear against the red background. The checkpoint employee looked at me with sparkling eyes, curious about what was written inside. I smiled slightly and said politely.

“I understand well. Thank you.”

I folded the note neatly, put it in my pocket, and walked out of the checkpoint.

He’s a talent who never tires when it comes to screwing people over. From Prussia and his perspective, it would be natural. He will claim that this decision doesn’t violate the demand not to create a conflict between the Nicolaus Ernst and Lucas Ascanien identities. Or he’ll make excuses that it was planned from before he took me to Victoria Lyceum. The former possibility is much more likely.

He wants me to come to Charlottenburg, and it’s worth thinking about why he’s doing this again even though we already had a long conversation earlier. The purpose wasn’t difficult to figure out. In this difficult situation, there’s nothing bad about being close to the Imperial Court, and his expected plan is appreciated, but his impudence needs to be dealt with. So should I ignore this and warp to Bavaria?

It’s not entirely impossible. Isn’t that right… The reason we don’t just step on subway turnstiles and cross over to the platform even though we could is because such acts are illegal. However, in many cases, it’s true that we can step on the turnstile machine and cross to the other side. Since it’s that kind of problem, warping to Bavaria wouldn’t be a problem for me. Practically speaking.

But just as someone under a travel ban shouldn’t be found in other regions even if they have the ability to go to other regions, this is a problem. Certainly.

I smiled and snapped my fingers. When I opened my eyes, I was in front of the Wittelsbach mansion in Berlin.

After changing into a more dignified uniform and grooming my hair, I headed straight to Charlottenburg. Whether it had been arranged in advance, as soon as I arrived, the guards opened the doors and stepped aside. A palace employee who had been waiting inside naturally followed beside me and led me to a high floor. The corridor glows softly with yellow lighting that’s so dark it hurts the eyes. Outside, darkness had already fallen thickly.

Unlike other rooms, when I stood in front of a massive wall with doors on both sides, the guard in front of the door opened the door with precise movements.

It’s a conference room. I can see government ministers sitting around inside the conference room and Abraham sitting at the head seat. Abraham was also dressed more dignifiedly than before, sitting with a serious face, only lifting his eyes to look at me. He closed the documents he had been rifling through with his gloved hands and said.

“You arrived at just the right time.”

He took a sip of the whiskey beside him and looked at me quietly. The other government ministers look at me with somewhat disapproving or somewhat uncomfortable faces at my appearance. That changes to looks that say, if you’re here, sit down, why are you standing? I stood in front of the door and said politely.

“Crown Prince, I request a private audience.”

“I want you to speak here.”

“I have something urgent to tell you, so please, I beg you.”

Abraham showed his palm with emotionless eyes and stood up from his seat. The ministers who understood the hand signal bowed their heads slightly.

As soon as Abraham came outside, he snapped his fingers and cast sound-blocking magic up to the guards. I looked at him quietly. Abraham does the same. I spoke with warm eyes.

“You have a talent for bothering people.”

“You say that even after seeing the board that was just laid out? Your personality is really something to behold.”

Abraham said, slightly pulling at the front of his shirt to create some room.

“Sorry, but I don’t want to keep seeing you either. I’m moving according to the rules of the elaborate game you created, yet in that process, is there reason to be sarcastic like this just because your chess piece did something slightly unpredictable?”

Abraham said, leaning against the window.

“I have no doubt that you will win. If I just lay out the groundwork, you’ll go on a winning streak and rise up. It’s a joyful thing… But thinking about that, I could picture your face being restless in front of this enormous favor, wondering what schemes I might have.”

“You think about me too much. Really, what will you do alone if I disappear…”

“So isn’t that why I’m now preparing a gift to eliminate your suspicion for your sake? It will be a way to reassure you before you find my favor strange and jump to conclusions about my intentions. Have I become myself living up to expectations now?”

It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone who does good things for himself and then shamelessly claims it’s for me like this.

In other words, he finds it regrettable to just watch me do well. Give and take—if I take one thing from him, he must also take one thing from me. Since it’s obvious that I’ll seize control on the board he’s set up, he wants to screw me over once…

True to someone who demanded a taste of blood for one piece of information, it’s inefficient and petty. No, the reason he desperately tries to make me drink blood is, as I thought before, to wear down my humanity. It’s a plan to make me adapt to inhumane acts. Because he thinks that’s the way to demonstrate the abilities of great people like ‘us’ who drink blood and use magic. Or because he simply finds it entertaining to watch me lose my human mindset.

But the deed is just for fun without other considerations. Even if preventing Lucas Ascanien from wandering around the entire country is something like Prussia’s duty. I tilted my head at his mischief.

“Just honestly say you played some tricks because you didn’t want to let me benefit.”

“In your terms, you could say I intended to fix your impudence. Since we’re both equally ill-mannered, it would be great if we could be teachers for each other.”

“You certainly need mental discipline education. You do.”

“If you would teach me.”

Abraham crossed his arms and tilted his head slightly inward. I had become immune to this guy’s attitude of not backing down from a single word, so I didn’t feel like showing any reaction. Instead, I moved my head slightly back. Abraham’s words go in one ear and out the other.

“Are you planning to do this here? If we keep staying outside, the people inside will think we’re plotting some conspiracy, and the more that happens, you…”

I left him and strode over to push aside the guard and open the door. When I gestured inside, the people sitting in the dark conference room looked at me in confusion. Abraham was leaning indifferently against the window in the corridor, and only when I did that did he twist up the corner of his mouth. He tapped my shoulder a couple of times at the door and returned to the head seat. Unlike during the private audience, Abraham politely opened the conversation.

“We should let Count Ascanien know what we were talking about. Since you came in a hurry, there wasn’t time to prepare a presentation.”

The fact that he would give up a state council seat to someone who hadn’t even prepared for the meeting and wasn’t strictly speaking a politician made the ministers uncomfortable, and one minister asked Abraham.

“Your Highness, then why…”

“I want to bet on possibilities. Wouldn’t it be the greatest fortune if our country had two Adrian Ascaniens?”

The ministers sit with faces holding back their words. In their view, someone like Adrian Ascanien already exists in the Empire. With Nicolaus Ernst keeping his eyes open, to now say they’ll make two—that meant they wouldn’t acknowledge Nicolaus Ernst. From Prussia’s perspective, it was natural. If not externally, then internally.

It’s not entirely impossible to participate in this position. Because the fact that I belong to the Imperial Mage Alliance gives me qualifications equivalent to a politician. The problem is that I’m a newcomer, 101st class, among them. If it were one of the 80th or 90th class members coming as acting chairman, it wouldn’t have been a problem at all.

“Now, Count Ascanien. Until now, we’ve been deciding the direction of tomorrow’s Prussian government operations in a temporary state council meeting. We just started, so listen without burden, and just answer when we ask you.”

“I understand, Your Highness.”

Although Abraham made the audience tense with his usual slow voice, as he was presiding over the state council meeting as the king’s representative, he didn’t rudely interrupt and make others’ backs stiff like before. At least so far.

The reason I obediently came to Charlottenburg Palace and am sitting in this seat is because this benefits me. It can’t not be beneficial. These established politicians will certainly judge me positively in part and check me in part, but I already expected that I would face the same level of checks that Adrian Ascanien received, and it would be difficult to avoid. Rather, that’s why I should actively use the current situation.

Then what kind of time is it now?

It’s a time when we’re facing a national crisis. When eliminating foreign enemies, it’s easy to unite through patriotism, so if I use this opportunity well, I can convert part of their wariness into favorable feelings toward me. I’m taking advantage of the special circumstances.

I know well how they’ve been conducting politics. Whether they accept my opinions or not, for me who has confidence in choosing the right answer, this becomes an opportunity to newly establish my presence and position in their minds.

Abraham slowly spoke while tapping documents with his fountain pen.

“We’ve heard the Interior Ministry’s opinion well… Next, Acting Vice Minister of Magic.

“I’ll start with the current situation. Today as well, the magical academic world is busy with research on new biblical manuscripts. The damage from personnel not recovered due to the kidnapping incident is also significant. Currently, we need to focus this manpower on anti-Pleroma strategy. But the problem is that researching the Ain Peshka manuscript is itself Prussia’s anti-Pleroma strategy. This has created major disagreements among mages, making unity difficult.”

An anti-Pleroma strategy in itself. In other words, they need to compare the newly discovered biblical manuscript with existing scriptures to understand what’s written in order to predict Pleroma’s next plan. Because Pleroma’s activities didn’t end completely with the Messiah declaration. We must be wary of Pleroma’s next moves… I see. I slowly nodded.

A government operated in such a manner is always new and wondrous to see in any era. Among the other ministers, some have slightly troubled faces while others seem thoughtless. I wondered who had selected this person as Adrian Ascanien’s subordinate and why no one was taking those words seriously.

My eyes meet Abraham’s. Abraham, who had been in a calm state, slightly winks. I never said I’d become friends with this person, yet here he is sending eye signals. While I was having such thoughts, the Acting Vice Minister of Magic seemed to think Abraham’s expression had worsened and froze, swallowing nervously.

Abraham quickly returned to an indifferent expression and gestured with his hand.

“Foreign Ministry.”

“The unrest in the Italian Peninsula has been somewhat resolved thanks to His Excellency Adrian Ascanien’s decision to remain being brought up again. The Austria-Hungary Empire shows a tendency to criticize the Kingdom of Bohemia through media for making a medical supply trade contract with Bavaria, trying to prevent independent diplomatic decisions by federal constituent states, but whether this is an empire-level directive is still unknown. Switzerland indirectly conveyed the message ‘if Germany doesn’t pay 10% of Switzerland’s public security maintenance costs, we’ll cooperate with France’ until yesterday, but there was no particular movement today. Nicolaus Ernst’s divine power bestowal announcement seems to have temporarily influenced this, but if Prussia doesn’t respond appropriately, they’ll raise the issue again tomorrow or the day after.”

Various troubles are still breaking out everywhere.

The demand to pay 10% of public security maintenance costs was first claimed by France. When the Empire was in chaos due to Pleroma’s declaration, the French Imperial Family Terminus Yukairya brought up the Atropos problem and damage compensation, and afterwards French economists argued that Germany should provide at least 10% to 30% ‘magical power sharing fees’ to neighboring countries. The reason being that each country is spending excessive national defense and public security maintenance costs to prepare for cultists that Germany failed to stop killing mages who are key personnel and economic resources of each country. Seeing this argument published in the Imperial Newspaper without filtering shows France’s opinion.

“France hasn’t shown any particular response yet, but as Your Highness knows, they respond insincerely to our government’s communications. They essentially have no will for dialogue. Instead, communication with Britain is very successful.”

Of course it would be successful.

If it follows the history I knew, Britain, which was pursuing imperialist expansion policies, would clash with France at Fashoda in Africa in a few months. The colonial competition among imperialist powers has developed quite differently in the post-magic world, not in a direction where imperialism didn’t appear at all, but in a way that targeted countries whose magical power as national strength had weakened.

In other words, the colonial competition between Britain and France hasn’t been extinguished. Germany is a country that greatly benefited from the momentum of the late 19th-century Industrial Revolution and achieved rapid growth in a short period, reaching the peak of Europe in fields like chemistry, mechanical industry, and electrical engineering. Would Britain have any reason not to join hands with the powerful Germany when they’re in conflict with France…

None. The problem is that since we’re in a dead end, Britain can greatly inflate their price, but Russia’s presence, aiming to secure influence in Far East Asia, keeps Britain in check. Having such an obviously successful alliance route, yet hearing they debated and even received Adrian Ascanien’s advice to carry it out was absurd.

Perhaps Abraham temporarily presiding over Prussia’s cabinet meeting might be a good thing.

“Therefore, the Foreign Ministry, with only His Majesty’s permission, is thinking of creating a negotiation opportunity tomorrow on the premise of sharing Britain’s maritime network and cooperating with our raw material processing technology in return.”

“Good.”

Abraham answered briefly and slowly raised his head. He glanced at me and said.

“There will be many blank spaces in our Empire’s newspapers this time.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“We need to fill them with new content, so think about what kind of articles would be good to include.”

“…”

The assembly found this story as absurd as Abraham found the ministers’ remarks interesting. Abraham remained silent in the meeting room where only silence prevailed, then raised his glass toward me and took a sip of alcohol. All eyes turned to me.

I’ve seen enough of Prussia’s pathetic state management. At first glance, they seem to be doing reasonably well. However, the problem is that just doing well isn’t the best. I don’t know about the Interior Ministry since I didn’t hear their presentation, but what can I think after hearing the remarks from the Magic Ministry and Foreign Ministry, which would be most crucial.

It seems everything that could reasonably come up has emerged. The Magic Ministry also finds it strange that Pleroma is staying quiet and has made reasonable efforts to establish countermeasures, while the Foreign Ministry is successfully continuing negotiations with Britain.

But isn’t there one missing subject here? A subject that, having made the situation catastrophic, shouldn’t be treated so briefly and lightly.

“We need to think about France. It would be good to publish articles about France.”

Yet it’s also a difficult subject. The continental powers are connected through mutual most-favored-nation treatment, making it difficult to easily retaliate or interfere. As I slowly opened my mouth like this, Abraham smiled with satisfaction.

“What kind?”

“A boycott movement against French industrial products and luxury goods is spreading among civilians. That should be sufficient.”

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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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