How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 580

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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 (580)

…How harsh.

That was my first thought. This Leonard was the shameless Leonard I knew. Not only does he speak coldly to others, but he judges even himself with a nonchalant attitude and cold rationality. While he had been suffering all this time from the fact that what he knew became distant in front of me. The agony ended on the church roof that Easter. The moment his rationality accepted the pain, he began to see beyond his eyes.

I stared at Leonard in disbelief, then pulled my head back inward and lowered my eyebrows.

“You’re going to say that in front of me.”

“Yes.”

Leonard answered calmly as if there was nothing new about it. I turned my gaze away. Right, nothing new. That he becomes not Prince Leonard Wittelsbach in front of me, but… as he said, some unique and novel Leonard Wittelsbach that’s hard to name – I’ve known this for a long time.

Leonard says he becomes unlike himself in front of me, but I think that’s exactly why we’re friends. I trust he’s not blaming me for that change—he wasn’t the type to blame others. Because it’s not entirely a negative thing.

When dealing with a person, if there are no aspects of their attitude and feelings that differ from usual, then the relationships humans form with all other humans in the world should be uniform, not deviating from two or three patterns. If that were the case, the world wouldn’t have become this complicated, and perhaps the world I wished for before coming here was such a world. I thought it was a neat world that operated by the way of love I knew. But you can’t spit out the bitter and swallow only the sweet, so such standardization cannot accommodate special intimacy.

I thought it didn’t need to be accommodated.

But ironically, what becomes a lifeline today is the opposite of the world I wanted. Because we don’t understand each other perfectly, a complete relationship exists right before my eyes. I didn’t think such a thing was possible, but Leonard was the first to show it was possible. Why did it have to be you? I closed my eyes to that scene etched on my retina.

So friends are those who can break common sense. Today Leonard is completely shameless about becoming foolish in front of me, or becoming unlike the me he knew. He’s passed the period of confusion. He too knows that friendship is a relationship where it’s okay to become unlike yourself. We’re breaking each other’s worlds. So I too now know. Affection is not about remaining in a familiar place, but about overturning it.

In the face of all these variables, it was natural that I couldn’t think of them as characters in a book. The fact that they interact with the world and create different colored chemical reactions each time makes me realize they are living people not in the palm of my hand. The ability to analyze people like studying a role and succeed ridiculously is useless with Leonard in front of me. That saves me.

At some point, I wondered if my mind had finally gone mad and implemented a world considering the diversity of humans, but not now. I don’t want to believe that. I looked at the moonlight shining under the arcade extending on both sides of the building entrance, then closed my eyes.

“Leo. Say something you’d least likely to say.”

“I’d like to settle down in Rome for life.”

The answer came immediately. Wanting to live in Rome really isn’t something Leonard would say. You’ll bring Prussia down from its hegemonic position, then live your whole life in Munich helping the people live and dedicating your life to helping citizens. As I was chuckling, I asked him with my eyes still closed.

“Still not enough. Something more fresh. Break my expectations.”

“I want to stay like this.”

“Why…”

That’s the opposite of your heart? I reflexively opened my eyes. Leonard was looking down at me pressed against the chair, chin propped up. When I straightened up, his salt-crystal-like pupils followed me up. I asked without delay.

“Do you dislike resting with me?”

“You were surprised.”

The subject was missing. You were surprised, Leonard snapped his fingers at me. He answered, still somewhat lost in thought.

“That’s not what I meant. If I had lied saying ‘I dislike you,’ that would be something you could easily predict as ‘something Leonard Wittelsbach wouldn’t say,’ so it couldn’t break your expectations. So I chose words that might confuse you, and it worked well.”

“Oh my.”

I chuckled and patted his shoulder lightly. Then my stomach pulled and I became sharply cold again. Leonard clicked his tongue as if to say why did you reach out your arm.

“As you know, I don’t want to stagnate like this. That’s what I meant.”

“You and Narke both.”

“Right, so that friend was also rude to me today.”

Leonard said with a smile. In the dawn mist inside the passage, his freely tousled hair reflected light. Similarly, the faint light reflected from the floor made him appear pale and hard to see. His ordinary gaze, neither particularly arrogant nor ambitious nor anything else, strangely emphasized the fact that he was making this environment into a game board. He said.

“It’s just speculation, but Narke probably knew I would react like this.”

“If you mean that you’re currently full of thoughts of playing games like someone who’s lost their mind, I agree.”

Then Leonard answered sharply with eyes asking why I keep saying that.

“I’m sane. Don’t turn away. Do you think I’m not sane?”

Look at this.

I met his eyes and said quietly.

“No. You’re definitely sane. Are you going to keep reminding me like that?”

If we’re being precise, as I’ve thought all along, he would be sane. Trying to compete with all things in a quiet way was an indispensable trait of his, so it wasn’t exceptional at all. He’s now repeatedly saying that’s not what’s exceptional.

“Yes. Remember it often.”

“Why.”

“I’m asking you like this.”

I covered my forehead at those words. I tried to reduce my headache by massaging inside my brow bone.

“…Don’t joke around…”

“Do I look like I’d joke about you?”

“I’m saying this because it’s hard to face your attitude.”

“Right, then. Understand it like this. That time belongs only to you.”

Leonard said this with a face devoid of any humor, then returned to a face with his attention half-withdrawn to other thoughts. I was dumbfounded and just kept looking at him without reaction. I said he wasn’t the type to blame others, but I half take that back. He doesn’t blame others, but really, this isn’t blaming, but coming out self-centeredly with a corner he trusts…

This really isn’t the Leonard that Leonard knows. Here and there, he shows his stubbornness to me without reservation, and watching it just makes me laugh from absurdity. What kind of symbol of intimacy is this. Instead of reaching out my hand, I snapped my fingers and swept through his hair with magic. Even though his bangs came down long enough to poke his eyes, Leonard didn’t mind and lifted his head following the light, then looked at me again. People don’t go anywhere – such behavior wasn’t much different from young Leonard, so I pulled up one corner of my mouth and said.

“Right, it’s my privilege.”

Leonard smiled befitting his age. He roughly pushed back his hair and said.

“I wasn’t trying to say this, but if Narke came to see my condition, there’s no need to worry about me. Narke probably guessed I would come out like this when he spoke…”

When I just kept looking quietly, Leonard continued.

“As that friend knows, I don’t play losing games.”

“You do.”

Competing with you is also a kind of losing game. What you want doesn’t appear overnight. It’s not that you don’t play losing games, but that you have no intention of letting a game you’ve grasped become a loss.

Leonard slowly brought his body closer to the table.

“I have to make moves until I win. This isn’t chess. There’s no defeat until time’s judgment victory comes.”

My lips curved up at the expected words.

Narke lit a fire under Leonard’s competitive spirit. From now on, Leonard won’t try to play losing games against Narke. Whatever obstacles there are, he’ll eventually win and return. If it’s the Leonard I know, that’s how it will be.

What’s peculiar is that this doesn’t necessarily mean Narke’s defeat. Nor does it necessarily mean victory.

I can’t predict even one step ahead.

I looked back the way we came. Beyond the facade, that is, the alley that would be there if you walked just 1m from the building entrance where this table is placed, and the friends inside that alley. It felt like being under a round canopy that brings stability amid anxiety.

“Then since you’re mentally healthy, I should go comfort Narke.”

Though Narke seems healthy too. Except for minor cracks. Then Leonard muttered while looking at midair.

“Go wherever you want to go.”

“How funny. You have to take me there until my stomach gets better.”

“Hmm, it must be very inconvenient not being able to walk alone.”

“Don’t sympathize, will you carry me?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“There’s a thought that comes to mind every time I carry you.”

“Then don’t think.”

“Sigh… Is this a school?”

Leonard answered with a face asking what other pointless conversation there could be. I pointed to where the friends would be and said.

“Just tell me. You said you saw that round soil too. What principle makes the soil clump together on its own?”

“Are there no other clues besides that?”

“There are. There was absolutely no damage to residential areas. And we went back to the places we had visited, but there was nothing special.”

“I see… Anyway, I don’t particularly want to spend time talking about that soil. Instead, I want to talk about fire. What happened before Luise lost consciousness and stabbed you?”

I guess he’s done thinking about Narke. I narrowed my eyes at a topic that was somewhat awkward yet welcome. Then I waved one hand.

“That fire… I know it absorbs something. It’s not just magic or physical life force that gets sucked in. In the end, it had a similar effect to the holy relic that took away Haike’s consciousness.”

Leonard blinked as if telling me to continue.

“We fell into a labyrinth-like space, and that space itself was made of Luise’s thoughts. It might have been Luise’s labyrinth, but for space to be created when it wasn’t through Catacombs’ medicine? For a labyrinth, my body wasn’t asleep. So I thought of the fire. Didn’t the fire absorb even thoughts?”

“What did you say…”

To explain this, I’d have to bring up what happened at Easter. As I prepared to speak, Leonard looked puzzled for a moment then shook his head.

“No. It’s possible. Ainsiedel cooperated with France to take the holy relic. So France applied that holy relic?”

“Nobody knows that. It just felt like the effects were similar. If that holy relic collects something into the person being stabbed, this fire… the fire itself devours. I don’t know where what it devoured goes. It might not go anywhere but just disintegrate in midair, but for them to deal with us, that itself is sufficiently meaningful.”

Leonard nodded as if he understood.

“The important thing is that fire also becomes material for creating space. Bavaria is already preparing for that fire. I’ll pass you the materials when we return. But… there’s one thing I don’t understand.”

“What?”

“Why did they give us advance warning?”

At those words, my gaze reflexively shot to my stomach. I looked at his eyes again and muttered.

“So even you think this much was a warning.”

“Right. I’m not saying you got involved in easy business, but this looks exactly like… a rehearsal. The problem is that even this rehearsal would have definitely killed ordinary mages, not you guys.”

Leonard lightly tapped the table with his finger and continued.

“Why give a warning. Does it mean they have an even more powerful hand?”

“It wasn’t a warning. They were also trying to gauge.”

Then Leonard crossed his arms and tilted his head, lost in thought. I said to Leonard.

“I was already thinking of going to investigate soon anyway. Give me some time.”

“It wouldn’t be going to France in that condition.”

“No. Field investigation isn’t the only method.”

“Is your French proficiency okay?”

“I said field investigation isn’t the only method.”

When I squinted my eyes, Leonard laughed.

“Do whatever you want. As long as you can stay safe.”

“Ah, of course it’s safe. To some extent.”

“What do you mean ‘to some extent’?”

“I don’t know. I just hope we can secure some time.”

“I’ll handle that.”

After I answered calmly, Leonard chuckled, perhaps thinking this conversation was being conducted rather carelessly. He lowered his head toward me and asked.

“Won’t you tell me how you plan to investigate?”

“I’ll tell you. A little later.”

“Hmm… I guess I have no choice this time either.”

Leonard answered simply. He began adjusting his clothes as if to get up from his seat. I tapped the table, meaning for him to wait a moment, and said.

“Wait, since we’re talking about it…”

Leonard sat up straight and nodded. His neat eyes intensified my guilt. I forced out my reluctant voice.

“About blood.”

Since there should have been more words to follow but there weren’t, Leonard considerately spoke first.

“Tell me if you need it. Should I give you some now?”

Faced with such thoughtful kindness that would be hard to find anywhere else, I felt utterly guilty. I cast my gaze elsewhere and muttered.

“No. You already gave me a blood transfusion during surgery.”

“I didn’t mention it, but you knew.”

“Of course I know. And… this time it’s not your blood. I need something else.”

Then Leonard said as if bewildered.

“Are you picky about taste too?”

“No, that’s…”

“Well, yeah, with your palate, that might be possible. There’s no way to improve this, so what should we do?”

“Are you joking? That’s not it. Listen to what I’m saying…”

My voice gradually diminished. After dry-washing my face, I wondered what crazy thing I had said. When I said I needed someone else’s blood, Leonard had the plausible and simple thought that it was because of taste. That was the closest thing to normal in this insane situation. But what I was trying to say now was…

The more I thought about it, the more I felt the gravity of my statement. Knowing it wouldn’t work, I tried to cover it up in my confused state.

“Never mind. Leo, pretend you didn’t hear that.”

“You’re saying meaningless things.”

Silence fell. Unable to look into Leonard’s eyes, I was supporting my forehead with my clasped hands and keeping my head down. Even after a long while, Leonard didn’t leave his seat—if he was going to leave, we should have left together in the first place. He murmured in a gentle voice.

“I wish I could use divine power.”

“Even if you had it, you couldn’t force it out of someone.”

“I suppose that would be emotionally difficult, human to human. What is it? I won’t be surprised, so tell me.”

“If you promise not to despise me.”

“Me, despise you? Saying I’d settle down permanently in Rome would be more realistic.”

Leonard looked surprised and shook his head. He waited for me while staring intently. I was looking into his eyes the same way, then moved my lips slightly. Leonard, who couldn’t hear, tilted his head and brought his ear closer. I quietly gazed at his eyes, which appeared transparent from the side, then whispered briefly into his ear.

Leonard froze in place, then slowly turned his body back to its original position. He wiped the corner of his mouth while looking at me with a soul-drained expression. Certainly, there was no contempt. Instead, his soul had truly departed. I felt like I would be the same soon.

Leonard seemed to gradually regain his senses, cleared his throat, and tried to say something. But no sound came out. He moved his hands slightly, then closed his mouth. Pondering what would be rude and what would be considerate, he thought of all sorts of words, then set aside all sorts of words and barely managed to utter just one sentence.

“Am I not enough?”

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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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