How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 56

—————
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 Family (56)

Certainly, with the King of Bavaria’s help, this situation could be brought to a swift end.

With such a foundation, it would be good to announce that Hyung has been feeding me drugs. That’s what I think for a moment.

But….

“Now is not a good time.”

I need to look at the bigger picture.

For nearly 10 years, Hyung has been doing things that everyone in the Ascanien family would know about. Wouldn’t he have prepared for when it becomes public knowledge? There are well over 100 servants alone.

‘He’ll use the alliance with the Imperial Court as his excuse.’

Even as I think about it now, material for immediate justification comes to mind.

Though it’s been buried in people’s memories, the fact that the person with the greatest magical power in Ascanien history suddenly became an ordinary person who couldn’t even use magic is sufficiently suspicious.

Probably some of those involved in the alliance know that Ascanien has been feeding me drugs to remove my aptitude.

Then should I reveal that the murder case from long ago was Hyung’s doing?

How can I prove that when there’s no evidence whatsoever? Even with the King of Bavaria backing me, this won’t work because it’s impossible to prove.

If there’s no immediate solution, I shouldn’t publicly grab onto his ankles and drag him down until I find grounds to get rid of Hyung.

‘Then, what about revealing that I’m Nicolaus using the King’s trust as a weapon without attacking Hyung?’

This is also undesirable.

Support doesn’t rise simply because someone is backing you.

If I reveal my identity relying only on someone else’s endorsement, it could easily crumble under even the slightest attack.

For more thorough success, raising Nicolaus’s nationwide support remains unchanged.

At my answer, the King stared intently at my face, then smiled with satisfaction.

“That’s right. I think the same. In this situation where the people trust Adrian Ascanien more than His Imperial Majesty, it wouldn’t be desirable.”

“….”

Was he testing me?

Though it makes me chuckle, from the King’s perspective, I’m someone he met for the first time yesterday, so it can’t be helped. How much could he possibly trust?

Seeing him go this far makes me curious about the scale and meaning his proposal will have.

“Now, I suppose I can make my real proposal to you.”

“Please speak.”

“I don’t know how you’ll reveal your identity or how you’ll handle Nicolaus. Probably Nicolaus’s support will transfer to Lucas as is, and then Nicolaus will be discarded.”

Talk about what happens after identity integration – that’s new.

I met his eyes and waited for his words to continue.

“But even after Nicolaus Ernst becomes Lucas Ascanien, the validity of the citizenship you hold won’t disappear.”

“….”

If I don’t take any special measures after revealing my identity, the citizenship will naturally remain intact.

But he’s not trying to say something so bland. He’s saying that regardless of what choice I make, Nicolaus’s identity won’t be erased, and both the duties as a citizen of the kingdom and as a Royal Army mage will be thoroughly enforced.

“You’re telling me to live as both an Anhalt citizen and a Bavarian citizen.”

I gazed at the Bavarian Palace across the garden and asked with a smile.

“Isn’t this not a proposal?”

“It’s not coercion. It’s merely a wish.”

He smiled back and drove the point home once more.

“But if I may share my thoughts, I have no intention of handing over the achievements you’ve built to the Duchy of Anhalt intact. I didn’t stamp your citizenship with that intention.”

“….”

“Of course, I think you feel the same way, don’t you?”

“That’s correct.”

Of course I have no such intention.

Why would I do good deeds for Father and Hyung’s benefit?

Of course, as long as I bear the Ascanien name, Nicolaus’s achievements inevitably serve as a source of pride for Anhalt.

Looking at the bigger picture, that’s also a good thing. After dealing with Hyung, who will have succession rights to the Duchy of Anhalt is obvious.

Anyway, regarding immediate matters, Bavaria also cannot give up Nicolaus.

They can’t let me suck out all the benefits and then abandon them after showing such generosity.

“I also have no intention of abandoning Bavaria. I will never forget the grace His Majesty has bestowed upon me.”

“Then our discussion is finished.”

The King smiled with satisfaction.

‘…Simple.’

Surprisingly, things pass smoothly at the crucial point.

That makes sense.

He knows I have no great affection for Anhalt, and he knows I have no good feelings toward Father and Hyung. By his calculations too, I have no reason to abandon Bavaria.

“As you know, Bavaria has devoted itself to medicine in the post-magic era. Thanks to solving with magic what old humanity’s medicine couldn’t resolve, we were able to hold the lives of the Empire and continent in our hands and stand in this position.”

I wonder what reaction there would be if I said they achieved that position in reality too.

Well, since there’s no magic, comparing would be meaningless anyway.

He waved his finger, scattering magical power over the table.

Images of the interior of the Bavaria Medical Museum and hundreds of small medicine bottles followed. It was something I’d once seen in educational medical texts as materials for new-generation humans.

“Your body is also a result of Wittelsbach technology being deployed. And that’s the same for most mages of our era. We can now extend lifespans up to three times, and we’ve become able to create life using magical power. It’s been long since we’ve been turning impossible things into possible ones.”

He withdrew his finger, turning off the images.

“We now need different development.”

He must be seeking development in combat magic.

In fact, Bavaria’s magical military power is already at a considerable level.

‘Yet he’s still not satisfied with that.’

I like it.

After seeing only the pathetic students of the 2nd Education Institute, seeing someone like this puts my mind at ease.

Perhaps reading that sign in my expression, he raised the corner of his mouth.

“Count Nicolaus will become our kingdom’s greatest mage. If there’s anything needed for survival, I’ll provide support. Whether it’s something Lucas Ascanien needs or something Nicolaus Ernst needs.”

Our kingdom’s greatest mage.

I didn’t bother to refute those words and smiled lightly.

‘Your expectations are high.’

Knowing my circumstances of desperately needing to make Nicolaus successful, he must have judged that keeping me close wouldn’t be a loss. I’ll continue to achieve high-impact accomplishments going forward.

Of course, I feel the same way.

If there’s support available, that’s not bad. Though there’s been no strain so far, the possibility of participating in large-scale work as a Bavarian mage has opened up.

Also, while preventing Nicolaus’s achievements from completely transferring to Ascanien, it creates support bases for Nicolaus in both Anhalt and Bavaria.

I smiled and answered.

“I will meet Your Majesty’s expectations.”

“Yes, good.”

He answered in a refreshing tone and extended his hand.

When I lightly clasped it, magical power flowed into my wrist and constricted my blood vessels.

It’s an oath made instead of a loyalty pledge. I knew it well since I’d often seen this magic in Ascanien too.

“Now, look how late it’s gotten. Shall we start sharing opinions about the problems discovered in the Strauchi matter?”

“Problems, you say?”

“I heard the entire recording. I think you’ve probably grasped what the problem is by now, so let me hear your opinion.”

I didn’t expect to receive strategic advice too.

I’ve already thought about how to move, but two heads are better than one.

I nodded and opened my mouth.

“Lucas Ascanien’s negative image is overwhelming Nicolaus Ernst. Now I need to find a way to improve Lucas Ascanien’s image.”

* * *

The next day, I sat in the empty classroom and scribbled my next plans in a notebook.

Today everyone moved to restricted areas around the capital for month-end evaluations, but I remained in the classroom after receiving a core aptitude disqualification.

‘It’s comfortable with no one around.’

Only the noise from other departments preparing for festivals played like background music.

Our class was noisy practicing for a play, but today I can focus solely on the problem.

‘First, Luca’s impression points.’

The antipathy toward Lucas is still greater than the favorability toward Nicolaus, enough for enemies to use as a means of attack.

‘I need to raise the impression points to a certain level.’

My target score is -8.

While I used the expression ‘improving my image,’ I’m not hoping for the score to skyrocket vertically.

What I’m aiming for is a concept that the status window’s numbers can’t capture.

Even with the same -10 points, being -10 because you’re scary is different from being -10 because you’re pathetic.

At this point, I need to address the conclusion that came from my conversation with the King.

Creating common ground between Nicolaus and me will reduce the gap the public feels later, and give them room to connect two people who were completely disconnected.

What I’m considering now is the extraordinary image that stems from Nicolaus’s magic and achievements.

Outstanding aspects in certain fields, unconventional skills – these characteristics are easier to connect across detailed areas than you’d think. Regardless of reality, people easily make connections like ‘of course someone good at one thing would be good at another.’

‘Then I just need to create a similar image for Lucas too.’

If I create a similar image in a specific field, it’ll be a plus in terms of association, not a minus.

Especially since Luca has a strong image of incompetence and helplessness not just among 2nd Education Institute students but also the general public, breaking through this will have a significant image transformation effect.

Since I can’t compete in practical skills, I need to expand beyond school to compete nationally in non-magical subjects.

‘He said he would arrange the opportunity.’

Since he’s thinking around the end of the year, I just need to wait for now.

‘Now, moving on to the next thing.’

Since I’ve dealt with Strauchi, I should start preparing to move on to the next plan.

This plan is about the missing person case. It’s also the incident Elias solved after the barrier compatibility test.

‘This is when Elias started becoming famous.’

Since I have no intention of changing direction, I need to actively promote Elias this time too, if possible.

Just then, the sound of metal clashing repeatedly echoed from far down the hallway. Fai, who had stayed behind instead of following Narke, lifted his head.

‘What’s that.’

Bang—!

“Hey, you’re still here~”

Elias kicked the door open and entered, chewing on something as he perched on the desk next to mine.

Not just me, but Elias, who was treating his leg injury, had also received a disqualification and stayed behind.

He’d been going up and down the school saying he’d see the students off, and only now returned to the classroom after doing whatever he was doing.

Elias whistled at Fai, who had jumped onto the back of my neck.

“Hello there, bunny~”

Fai just blinked without responding.

He doesn’t seem to dislike Elias, but whenever he encounters Elias without Narke around, his ears flatten immediately. He seems scared for some unknown reason.

I gestured toward the small bucket in Elias’s hand to divert his attention from Fai.

“What’s that?”

It was actually a bucket I’d never seen before, and I had no idea where it came from. Seeing it full of fruit, I couldn’t help but ask about it.

“This? Cherries. The kids doing the snack booth tomorrow left them.”

“You didn’t just take them, did you?”

“Hey~ No matter how I am, I’m not the type to steal other people’s food! They gave them to me when I was watching!”

Elias held the bucket out in front of me.

I picked out a couple to eat and gave one to Fai.

Meanwhile, Elias grabbed a handful of cherries and tossed them in his mouth, casting a sound-blocking spell as he muttered.

“Wow, how can the school be this quiet? It’s a shame. I need to hear the kids talking about Strauchi.”

I already heard it before morning assembly.

Not just students but even professors brought up Strauchi, and I witnessed Leo’s spirit deflating in real time.

“Not really. I heard it this morning.”

“No matter how many times I hear it, it’s thrilling. Don’t you want to tell them that the person who beat up that Pleroma is right here~?!”

That’s true. I am curious what their reaction would be.

When I just smiled at his words, Elias continued.

“Let’s start talking about what we’ll do next. I’ve actually become interested in a certain field. Tomorrow’s the festival, so you’ll probably be busy having fun too.”

“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to have fun. I’m planning to go to the library after I finish what I need to do.”

“Right, you don’t have friends. Hahaha! You have no choice but to talk about Pleroma with me!”

He really hit where it hurts….

I chuckled at Elias’s hearty laughter and organized my seat.

If I really had no friends, he wouldn’t joke like this. Rather, sighing and giving worried looks would be the warning sign.

Sure enough, Elias immediately winked.

“You know I’m joking, right? You have like ten friends just here.”

He’s talking about the friends from the secret group. Since we’ve actually gotten pretty close, he’s right.

Of course, outside the group, everyone thoroughly ignores each other, so it’s not really a situation where we can hang out together.

But playing aside, I need to find time to talk with Narke around then, so it’s true that I won’t have time.

“Right, let’s start talking. First, let’s move somewhere else.”

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