How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 579

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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 (579)

We met Leonard and Narke about 15 minutes later. Both had their usual expressions, but Leonard approached with an even more exemplary smile than usual—exactly like he had during the first semester of second year. The moment I saw that face, I narrowed my eyes. The meaning was clear to me.

When he saw us, he placed his hand on Narke’s back and nodded toward us while saying something. Narke looked a bit tired, but he also smiled in his usual inscrutable way. That smile, whose true intentions were hard to read, was as neat as always. Really, both of them were so calm that I realized it instead. They had been conversing without us knowing. Cheringen would have known too.

As soon as Ulrike met the two, she ran around wildly while holding me. Narke asked.

“Did you find something?”

“Dung beetle poop.”

“Hmm…”

Leonard squinted his eyes with only his mouth smiling, looking completely bewildered, then smiled politely at Narke as if asking for interpretation. Narke, who understood what Ulrike was talking about, laughed out loud and answered.

“Hahaha! I don’t think it’s poop~ She probably saw clumped dirt like what you picked up earlier.”

“Thanks. So there was more of that…”

Leonard stroked his chin and continued.

“Worth being cautious about. But there’s something you should know—seasonally, soil sometimes does that. It’s not necessarily because someone clumped it together.”

“Really?”

While Ulrike was finding this new, I tapped Narke’s arm.

“Narke.”

“Mm~?”

“Sorry, but would you mind lifting something that weighs about 70… and some kilograms for a moment?”

“What kind of way is that to ask…”

Leonard looked puzzled, let out a hollow laugh, shook his head, and gestured toward Narke for Ulrike. Narke smiled and took me over. Every time I’m transferred, I can’t help but groan. Damn it. I need to burn my belly once more to walk on my own legs as soon as possible—I’m so sick of this I can’t stand it anymore. As I clutched my abdomen, Narke used divine power to distract my nerves.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it~”

Narke carried me with his lips curved in a circle and sat on a suitable rock. I can see Leonard and Ulrike talking down below. I waited for the pain to subside and quietly asked.

“Narke. Are you okay?”

“The one with a nail driven into his chest is me, yet you’re asking me. You should ask Leo about his well-being, not mine.”

What happened? I was momentarily speechless and moved my lips. Narke spoke without a smile.

“Based on his affection and consideration, I only said what I had to say. So I have nothing to say even if you call me cowardly.”

Narke kept his mouth open for a moment before continuing.

“This was the best I could do.”

There was no pain on his face. In its place was undamaged reason. He truly had the look of someone without regrets. I reached out and grabbed Narke’s face. As I pulled at his skin meaninglessly, Narke rolled his eyes to look at me. I moved my pinching hand from his cheek up to his forehead, then lightly tousled his hair. Narke giggled.

“Are you comforting me?”

“If there’s one thing I can say, it’s that someone who doesn’t face things can’t speak like you do.”

Narke looked at me silently. The moment my red eyes reflected in his bright pupils, I continued.

“I’m relieved that you’re someone who doesn’t avoid things.”

Now I got it. Leonard wouldn’t have been hurt no matter what harsh words Narke threw at him.

Contrary to my expectation that he would close his eyes, Narke is looking down at me. Even though he probably doesn’t like the look in my eyes. So we’re digging into each other.

I’m used to penetrating people with trivial actions. The reason I don’t feel much resistance to Narke’s insights, and why I don’t harbor resentment toward Leonard’s scrutinizing gaze, all probably stems from a lifelong occupational hazard. I had to pierce through roots with just a glance my whole life, and so, the profession of acting naturally requires that.

In short, by understanding their temperaments, even if Narke spoke this vaguely, I could grasp how their conversation flowed. I thought earlier that Leonard wouldn’t have been hurt. From betting on things with virtually no chance of realization, like deciding to put Elias on the throne, it’s obvious that Leonard is someone who runs forward looking ahead regardless of what others say, and someone who pushes through their opinions that forcefully has basic resistance to others’ words built in. Delicate sensitivity and stubborn persistence can coexist, but if wounds dig deep enough to lead to death, there’s a possibility that the stubbornness will eventually break, and I know the future of certain possibilities, and I must also note that Leonard is currently 17 years old. He’s not someone who became less susceptible to wounds through long life experience, but someone who doesn’t get hurt easily to begin with. It sounds good when you just hear it, but in my judgment, this isn’t a very positive element. Probably his mother, teachers, and all thinking adults would make the same judgment.

Then? How does the reaction work? Even Leonard, who doesn’t assign worth to others for being hurt, could still harbor resentment… What form would that take? In my judgment, he would rather choose to be coldly angry or not associate with them at all. He, whose anger is also based on affection, usually chooses to ignore. That’s the example of how he didn’t even glance at Luca in his first year of high school, yet expressed disappointment in the form of anger toward Luca who hid instead of stepping up when he should have.

So he acknowledges people who don’t avoid. And he fiercely tried to guide those who do avoid. True to his age of growing and changing day by day, he doesn’t reveal childish psychology now, and even if he doesn’t easily disappoint in others to begin with, the human called Leonard fundamentally doesn’t tolerate avoidance. No matter how much he grows, his nature of pursuing uncompromising, cold confrontation won’t change. Because that’s the basic framework that makes Leonard—you couldn’t speak of Leonard without mentioning his nature of overcoming talented individuals by stubbornly pursuing combat magic with lesser talent, and his boldness in deciding to make Elias king.

I wonder if it’s okay to analyze a living person like character analysis while inferring their conversation, but there’s no choice since Narke won’t tell us details. So Leonard couldn’t have been disappointed in Narke. He couldn’t have been hurt. He might have felt emptiness from Narke’s words, but to that extent, he would have felt complete stability. He would have thought that he finally met a worthy opponent worth facing as an equal…

My head hurt. I recalled again the smile and light that had been in Leonard’s eyes just now. Those were the eyes of someone ready to compete.

Narke said quietly.

“You don’t have to say that right now. I don’t want that.”

“Why. It’s true that I said it for you, but I was stating facts.”

Then Narke burst out laughing with an “Ah.” He quickly collected his laughter and whispered.

“Making you understand with words isn’t understanding, it’s just buying time. I want to show you with your own eyes. I hope that day comes.”

“Are you saying there will come a day when we’ll blame you for buying time with all sorts of vague words? Too many possibilities are strongly attached to the concept of buying time.”

Perhaps because I spoke analytically, Narke let out a laugh.

“You and Leo understand so quickly it’s scary to talk to you. Rather than that day necessarily coming, I want to prevent it from happening.”

Narke said while looking toward the path where Leonard had been.

“Leo is really a rational friend.”

“If you take away his reason, he’d be a corpse. He’s probably the most rational on our team.”

“If Leo heard that, he would have asked if you’re in any position to say such things.”

Narke seemed to have dissed me somehow, but unlike last year’s me, I think I’ve cultivated emotions in my own way now. Enough that people who’ve had lifelong relationships with me would ask if it’s time to go if they saw me now. Thinking of that, I didn’t want to think about anything else anymore, so I stopped thinking.

After saying this, there’s one more friend who flashed through my mind like lightning—Julia is also rational, but that friend knew how to pursue fun while thinking as coolly as Leonard. The reason Elias sticks closer to Leonard than to Julia is partly because he cherishes Leonard more since Leonard first extended his hand to Elias when he was isolated in high society, but also because Julia, who pursues fun, often puts Elias in difficult situations, making it unmanageable chaos for them… Thinking this, Narke turned his head and smiled. It must have been correct reasoning. Either way, just looking at them, they had similar situations and similar personalities like brothers. Narke responded to my thoughts.

“Haha, exactly. And sorry. I didn’t want to read that.”

“I’ve just given up now.”

“Really~?”

“No. It seems like it’s time to readjust your confined abilities again. I’m not joking—you have to do that to stay by our side.”

Then Narke giggled and closed his eyes. He talked about Leonard again.

“Exactly. And… he really knows how to fight.”

“Take that away and he’d be a corpse too.”

Certainly, whether because he’s an insight ability user or because he’s a friend, he picks out only the things that would make someone a corpse if removed. Leonard places everyone on the opposite side of his game board, whether the opponent is himself, the German government, from the smallest unit to massive units that can’t be faced alone. I couldn’t even imagine Leonard not competing with something at every moment.

“Should we go to Leo?”

I looked at Narke quietly. When he’s about to ask something, he pushes me away. I don’t intend to blame him. He said he wants to show through actions rather than words.

“If you want to.”

“He’ll have a lot on his mind. I’d like you to help him.”

Saying that, Narke carefully went down below, passed through an alley, and entered under a facade I’d never seen before. I doubted my eyes.

“You…”

As I trailed off, Leonard rather raised his eyebrows with a “why” expression and looked at me. Seeing him stub out his cigarette in a silver case made my head throb more, so I stayed silent, then spoke normally.

“It’s nothing much. Let’s go rest, Leo.”

Leonard answered with a simple smile and looked up toward Narke.

“Narke. Want to rest together? You must be tired too.”

“I’m fine.”

“That’s too bad.”

Leonard took me from Narke, smiled gently, and greeted Narke. Narke did the same. Leonard received me and tried to continue doing so, but I strongly refused, so just this once we decided I’d sit properly in a chair. Leonard looked down at me with a disapproving face as I kept insisting, then sat me at a cafe table inside the facade. Then he took out an elixir for me and sat across from me. Leonard took out a small silver case from his clutch again. It looked simple despite having baroque decorations. He uses boxes like that too. He took out a new cigarette and asked.

“Is this okay?”

What are you asking. Do as you please. When I said nothing, Leonard asked once more.

“Want one?”

I shook my head. Tension made my nerves stand on end from fingertips to head. I was watching him take out fire when Leonard put the cigarette in his mouth, making me flinch.

All sorts of thoughts whirled through my head. Get it together. Unlike modern times, in this era, cigarettes weren’t a repulsive image for someone in Leonard’s position but rather symbolized refinement. That’s why Leonard seems to have no aversion to it. According to the history I knew, for royalty attending military school, early smoking wasn’t strange. Even if not to the level of becoming a chain smoker, it was common to start lightly in mid-teens… Even so, I was surprised that he knew how to smoke and acted naturally as if he’d experienced it for a long time, just like before. Yes, so it’s like watching someone who didn’t enjoy eating meat now eating meat dishes without any concern. What change of heart caused this? Contrary to my expectation, was Narke’s words unpleasant enough to require deep breathing?

That can’t be.

There’s a possibility that what’s inside isn’t tobacco but medicine including sedatives. Instead of the acrid smell characteristic of tobacco leaves, there’s a slightly different scent, suggesting he’s burning something that materialized mana along with dried plants. Even so, seeing Leonard use something outside himself to find peace of mind was unfamiliar to me, and moreover, Leonard didn’t look tired or anxious enough to need assistance. His expression was more stable than usual, and the mana I felt in my heart was orbiting at perfect speed as if asking when it had ever wavered.

I stare at Leonard’s eyes that appear transparent in the light. I see Leonard’s gaze that’s cold yet complete. Rather than having any particular meaning, they’re just eyes lost in thought. I let out a short “Ah,” closed my eyes, then half-opened them.

That’s a trick.

“What did you two talk about. Tell me.”

Leonard blinked. After lighting it, he removed the cigarette from his mouth and answered simply.

“I heard the rudest words of my life.”

He’s deceiving himself while knowing he has good cards. The cigarette is for self-suggestion. Or his embodied normalcy is hiding fundamental coldness beyond standard with ordinary behavior. This would also be suggestion, but he doesn’t know it himself. So in other words, he substitutes the basis of his composure with the effect of sedatives. He never needed to borrow sedatives in the first place. Whether he knows it or not, as someone who knows the future, as a game changer, he’s the most composed person I know. Such a person had to wait over ten years to put his chosen person on the imperial throne. Unlike numerous middle-aged politicians who stay relatively quiet then misunderstand the right timing and reveal their intentions with different commotions at different times, Leonard, who decided from single-digit age that he should put the next German Empire emperor on the throne, didn’t make any great resolution or preparation for that decision. One day he thought he should do it, and he did. Rational boldness is a talent that many middle-aged politicians lack, or an ability they barely acquire at that age. Leonard’s coldness and composure aren’t learned but innate. The fatal flaw of hereditary monarchy—the blind spot where artists or ordinary people without political talent are born and inherit the throne—is sometimes offset by luck. That’s called an era of peace and prosperity. Even if it’s an unreasonable system dependent on luck, individuals living in this era must hope their ruler is a conscientious and skilled politician who prioritizes improving people’s lives, and fortunately, Bavaria succeeded in cultivating a politician 17 years before the worst German Empire that would unfold in 1898.

Politicians don’t govern based on emotion. They govern based on reason in their heads.

Now that the head is made, it’s time to fill the conscience. What corrected his coldness from going in other directions was his mother. That person taught young Leonard about injustices spanning ten thousand generations, saying your coldness should be used to cut through that, and that became the righteousness Leonard learned. His faith and sensitivity toward that righteousness now extends to Elias and me, and to all the friends and subjects he loves. What you can usually see is Leonard created by 17 years of accumulated time.

Leonard giving himself suggestions today might be intentional, but it was no different from his life. Even the reason for that suggestion stems from his unwavering subjectivity. Though his friend said harsh words to him, Leonard has no intention of breaking his temperament as a politician who demonstrates a competitor’s spirit rather than being hurt by it. Even though he knows that’s not a normal reaction. He recognizes that he lacks the anxiety he should have felt at his friend’s bolt-from-the-blue declaration, and instead of falling into contemplation about relationships, he shamelessly substitutes that place with sedatives while thinking about competing with Narke in his head. He reveals the trajectory of his life unconsciously while living and moving. Right now, exhaling sedative smoke with clear eyes that need no help at all.

In short, regardless of what Narke said, he had absolutely no intention of complying with Narke’s wishes. Really, not even a tiny bit. I let out a hollow laugh. At the same time, I deliberately look away because, without Leonard knowing, I inferred what he’s thinking now by combining his 17 years of life and even 28 more years through simple actions. Did Narke often do this in front of me too?

“He did say roughly that he said something not good. What kind of words?”

Leonard, who had been lost in thought with an indifferent face, deeply inhaled the sedative, lightly squeezed it out, and spoke while exhaling.

“Words he couldn’t say if he respected me. That’s enough. He admitted it himself. He said it wasn’t for me but for himself.”

So what did he say.

If he won’t tell me, I don’t intend to pry. He’ll handle it well enough. In that sense, I looked at Leonard quietly. Leonard, as if the sedative effect didn’t interest him at all, just held the cigarette he’d just started with a face that had lost interest in it. I thought about encouraging him to continue the self-suggestion he’d started, but decided against it. Leonard looked at me quietly and asked.

“You think I was upset?”

“No.”

“That’s my friend alright.”

Leonard chuckled lightly, then crushed out the sedative with a truly disinterested expression. Hints and all that nonsense—that’s all the sedative meant to him. Perhaps seeing that I was worried about them despite my words, Leonard, who had been staring intently at my face, continued speaking.

“You say no, but it doesn’t seem that way.”

“Right. My reason and emotions are playing separately. Wouldn’t you be worried if it were you?”

Leonard pondered what he should say to persuade me, then looked at me again and spoke gently.

“That friend spoke honestly for the first time. To think that honest words would be so rude…”

“…”

“You say you feel bad. I’m just reasonably satisfied.”

He spoke with an indifferent expression. A smile briefly caught at the corner of his mouth before disappearing. The fact that he felt quiet satisfaction rather than hurt after hearing the rudest words of his life was surprising, even though I had expected it. However, his expression was incomplete. He wasn’t satisfied yet. Since he had only just begun to make his move, he would be in a state that was neither very positive nor negative right now.

I never get used to seeing this. Even though the Leonard I knew was this kind of person from before coming to this place until far into the future. I twisted up one corner of my mouth and said quietly.

“You really aren’t right in the head.”

Leonard grinned at those words and answered nonchalantly.

“Well, I’ve never been more sane than when I’m in front of you.”

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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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