How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 585

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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 (585)

Let’s go back. When I closed my eyes and muttered those words, I sensed familiar air. Before I could even open my eyes, something unknown pressed my upper body against the chair, and I quickly raised my head at the inhuman force. I stared blankly at the scene before me, then burst into laughter.

“…Hahaha.”

The wooden branches wrapped around the chair pressed against my forearms with slightly more force. I smiled at Leonard, who was leaning against the wall nearby.

“You waited well. Without calling anyone.”

He had the authority to turn the royal palace into chaos within five minutes and was rightfully in a situation to do so, yet he didn’t call in investigators or deploy search personnel. When I relaxed my body and laughed, Leonard also smiled faintly on his stern face. Then he returned to his expressionless state.

While I knew about the existence of extra chapters, a third party who didn’t know couldn’t remain calm about someone who had evaporated in a way that wasn’t teleportation or anything else. When someone you’d been conversing with the entire time cleanly disappeared in the blink of an eye, it would be wrong for any sensible person not to report it.

Leonard, who followed protocol more than anyone, had waited believing only my words. Thick wooden branches, not grass, creaked as they extended sideways to wrap around my forearms. I shrugged my shoulders and said to Leonard.

“It’s useless. This kind of restraint has no meaning.”

“That always makes me feel powerless, Lucas.”

I closed my mouth upon hearing his deeply sunken voice. Leonard spoke with a weary expression, contrary to my concerns.

“And it makes me feel relieved.”

“The fact that I’m an existence you can’t stop by your own will makes you feel relieved?”

“Yes.”

Many things can coexist. Leonard seemed to be saying that. Contradictions appeared meaningless to him. I quietly looked into his eyes. He had experienced many things in a short time and aged quickly. As always, he wasn’t the peaceful 17-year-old from the world I had read about. So comparing the world I read about with this world loses meaning now that so much has changed. They’re becoming different beings, and is there anything more ironic than overlaying other possible worlds onto them? I too wasn’t so detached from this place as to be bound only by what I experienced through pages. The reversal had happened long ago. What keeps me alive today are the people I’ve come to know in this world.

Some people, usually the young ones, don’t know that many things in the world can coexist in the same place, and even if they know it in words, they don’t understand it. They can’t imagine it. Everything from the coexistence of contradictions to the coexistence of non-contradictory things. Leonard, who followed orthodox methods, was someone who tried to shatter absurd contradictions more than anyone, but such tendencies remained in the immaturity of not understanding all possibilities of coexistence like any young person, until today he understands the coexistence of non-contradictory things. Again, this state could coexist. This was the narrow path.

If there’s always a concern, it’s that the day humans realize it’s impossible to distinguish everything in binary terms as long as they remain human comes with fatigue during the days when the just and clean world they knew for so long collapses. Eventually, they understand broadly that most of those who turn the surface they stand on are contradictory and that the chemistry between people doesn’t make much sense, and narrowly even the unfathomable inner workings of individuals, scattering down various paths. That’s why fewer adults try to enforce childhood righteousness against the world’s contradictions. I don’t think Leonard would choose that broad path.

Thinking this way, I can’t help but think of Ulrike. I think about fatigue that hasn’t crossed the threshold, the nature of that poison that accumulates without being washed away, and the correlation with growth. In other words, while I feel somewhat surprised by Leonard’s changes, I still have no reason to prevent their growth. Since I’m also changing, I intend not to repeat past mistakes when I’m at least aware of them.

Silence continued. Leonard sat in his seat and looked at me. His eyes were calm. First, because I had kept my promise, and second, because he had changed. So for Leonard, who was changing day by day, it was my turn to keep a promise.

“Well, then…”

I started to speak, then closed my mouth and licked my upper lip with my tongue. Leonard, who had been watching me for a while, asked.

“Then?”

“It’s awkward since you’re not asking first.”

“Why would I ask when you’re going to tell me?”

Leonard finally gave a crooked smile as he teased me. I made the same expression and narrowed my eyes, then took a deep breath.

“I drank Your Highness’s blood.”

Leonard just looked into my eyes without answering, as if telling me to continue. I wanted to snatch away his stabilizing cigarette and smoke it. I looked at him, who had a different appearance from Hildegard Wittelsbach but the same expression, then closed my eyes.

“When you drink blood, a new world opens up and you can cross over there whenever you want. That’s why I suddenly disappeared.”

“On the first day too?”

“What first day?”

“On Ash Wednesday ceremony day, when you collapsed and briefly woke up, you disappeared from the room and came back. Was that why?”

“…Yes. That’s why.”

Leonard was unexpectedly calm. When he lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes covered his irises. Then he spoke slowly.

“The first human blood you ever drank was my blood.”

I just licked the inside of my lips with my tongue at his reasoning ability. Leonard said.

“Say it with your own mouth.”

“Yes, that day I entered your world. Today I needed Your Highness’s blood because I had to enter Your Highness’s world. Since you already knew, that’s probably why you’re telling me this, but anyway.”

“So? What do you gain by digging into people’s worlds?”

“You can go back to the old days when that person lived and observe the past. The world I went to this time was 1851.”

Then Leonard’s mouth opened briefly before finding peace again and moving.

“So you met Mother?”

“Yes.”

Leonard just blinked, then cast his gaze slightly downward and slowly tilted his head.

“I’d like to see young Mother too.”

“…Is that so. You would. I can tell you about it. She was truly the greatest pillar that makes you who you are.”

Talking about the person he loved most, a faint smile naturally spread across Leonard’s entire face.

“And she was truly a ruler who brought Bavaria to this position. I don’t know much yet, so that’s all I can tell you.”

“Do I resemble her?”

Leonard asked seriously with unknowingly curious eyes. All children in the world must wonder about that. If your parents are good people worthy of respect, you’d naturally want to resemble them greatly. I laughed lightly, but thinking about it, the resemblance was so extraordinary that I couldn’t laugh, so I answered as seriously as Leonard.

“Yes. Frighteningly identical. I newly realized how scary genetics can be. Was only His Majesty the King’s blood used when making you?”

“Hahaha.”

Leonard leaned his body slightly and spoke with a twisted smile.

“That’s strange, Lucas. You’ve never seen anything like my mother in me. I keep saying I only become foolish in front of you.”

Never seen, he says… I only saw directly for a brief moment. How perceptive. Really so perceptive that I can’t say anything easily. I quickly added an explanation.

“But you know. Don’t you remember how you treated me at first? Do you think a person’s personality just disappears? From your expression now to the way you speak, everything is exactly like your mother when she was young.”

“That’s somewhat surprising.”

“Why?”

“I was educated by Mother, but more than that, I was raised by royal teachers. I respect His Majesty the King, but I’ve never thought I should become exactly like him. How could someone who tries to imitate others rule a country when they can’t even stand alone?”

Yet I said he resembled his mother. Leonard looked at me with such eyes.

“That’s why genetics is scary. And the influence His Majesty had on your values can’t be ignored either.”

Then Leonard held pride in his gentle smile and asked.

“So, how far did you talk with Mother before coming back? Five minutes is too short a time.”

“There’s a bit of a time difference, so it’s not five minutes. And I haven’t had a long conversation yet. Your Highness…”

I waved my hand in a circle while choosing my words, then slightly furrowed my brow and answered.

“She’s having someone watch me, and I have to pretend not to know while trying to win her over as much as possible. That’s the situation.”

“What kind of statement is that about my mother?”

“It’s the truth. If I’m not careful, I might get dragged to the royal palace and tortured. I have to approach cautiously.”

Leonard raised one eyebrow with an expression that said ‘that’s the situation.’ He pointed at me by casually throwing his hand that had been supporting his chin and answered.

“That’s really quite possible. Be careful.”

I was speechless and opened my mouth, then closed it. Getting such a definite warning from her own son gives me chills. An idea occurred to me that I might be able to ask for some advice, and just as I was about to ask something, Leonard casually clasped both hands to support his chin, tilted his face slightly askew, and asked.

“So what about in my world?”

My heart sank with a thud. Right, it’s worth asking about. It would be strange not to ask. I fully anticipated this. I chose my words without answering.

“Don’t pretend not to know. I still vividly remember how you suddenly found me disgusting and distanced yourself…”

Leonard slowly drew out his words, then asked in a cool voice.

“Now I understand the reason. Did you see my childhood or something?”

Everyone fell silent. After that, Leonard clearly and dryly provided the answer.

“Correct.”

“Drop the perceptiveness.”

“Say something that makes sense. Just from the information you gave, even a passerby would figure this much out.”

Leonard fell into thought, tapping the back of his hand with his interlocked fingers, then said.

“I feel… strange. Meeting at a young age together is one thing, but when we look at childhood photos at our age, we feel the age difference. So the me you saw was quite…”

Leonard stopped speaking mid-sentence, then pointed at me with cold eyes and asked.

“Are you 18 there too?”

“Ah… It’s roughly similar.”

“So not 18.”

Leonard looked at me with eyes that demanded the truth. I considered avoiding his gaze, then nodded and confessed.

“I’m over twenty.”

“Whew…”

Leonard burst into laughter while stroking his chin. His eyes closed. He caressed his chin with his long fingers and asked quietly.

“How should I react to this, Lucas… How old am I there? Fifteen? Hmm, that’s a bit far to call childhood. Ten years old, or maybe eight?”

Then Leonard slowly rolled his eyes downward and asked.

“It’s not when I was a newborn, right?”

“No. About five years old.”

“You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie? I was flustered too. My friend who’s about to reach 2 meters tall was a little kid who couldn’t sleep alone at night and didn’t have a single permanent tooth.”

“I slept fine alone, so what did you see? Did you actually see me?”

“You’re not fooled.”

Originally, he did sleep alone fine. Except for not sleeping at bedtime because he kept wanting to see magic… Leonard seemed to accept the story about his mother fairly well, but now asked with a face that couldn’t imagine it.

“That would have been when I was only in the royal palace, so it’s amazing you even met me. Did you just see me briefly?”

“No.”

It’s getting increasingly difficult. I spent more than half of that chapter with you. Whenever I was tired, I went to see you, who was now six years old. How am I supposed to say this? I had to answer briefly no matter what. He narrowed his eyes with a face that said ‘what the hell is this’ and leaned toward me with his elbow on his knee.

“What kind of person are you there?”

So what kind of guy are you to have an audience with the prince? What kind of guy am I…

I’m at a loss for words. As I slightly twisted just the corner of my mouth with an honest face, Leonard opened his eyes roughly with a ‘why is he acting like that’ expression and flicked his hand. Flower stems that grew through the floor burrowed into my sleeves and shirt collar. I inhaled and then let out a hollow laugh at the unfamiliar tickling sensation while stomping the floor violently as if to break it. My mana blocked the plant stems.

“Ahhh. Hey, you bastard! This isn’t right! This is cheating.”

“Cheating.”

“Wait. I’ll tell you. Royal…”

I closed my eyes and rolled my lips inward. Leonard tapped the ground with his shoe and said.

“Mm.”

“…Royal mage.”

Leonard smiled, lowered his head, and sighed. He would have perfectly understood what I meant by saying it wasn’t just a brief encounter. Even if I didn’t mention being a personal tutor, there’s no way Leonard wouldn’t have been interested in me using magic in the royal palace. His earlobes reddened with embarrassment as he fully anticipated that his young self would have followed adult Lucas around.

Interesting… Does he only show that here too? I’ve never once seen a description of Leonard blushing in the novel. Though I have seen Elias’s strange description of him having a cold face like he was about to throw a punch. Or perhaps such expressions weren’t visible to Elias, who used to admire Leonard in those days. Either way made sense. What mattered was that he truly became unlike himself every moment, and to me, being unlike himself was exactly like him. That special intimacy was secretly delightful and welcome.

Leonard sighed again and rubbed his neck. His head lowered a bit more. After a while, he cleanly regained his color as if nothing had happened, raised his face again, and said firmly.

“Get my permission before entering.”

I curled up one corner of my mouth and shook my head.

“I’ve already seen everything there is to see.”

“What exactly have you seen and how far.”

“I don’t want to say.”

“Ha. Look, it’s my world.”

“But it’s my exclusive privilege. Isn’t it?”

Leonard’s eyes widened and he burst into laughter. With a face that said he’d lost, he shook his head carelessly and buried his face in both hands again. I shook off the gradually loosening tree stems and leaned toward him, muttering.

“Your honest feelings?”

“I’m really relieved.”

That’s not what I asked. When I fell silent at the unexpected answer, Leonard raised his face.

“To think that this was how you obtained information. But thinking that you suffer hardships even there makes me uncomfortable. No matter how dangerous things you experience there, when you come out to this place… it all gets cleanly washed away. Most things remain intact while only your memory carries those wounds.”

I nodded.

“I trust that you’ll keep your promise, Lucas.”

“Of course, what are you asking?”

“For your sake, and for mine… for the sake of the friends who love you, please do that. Just because the world is difficult doesn’t mean I’m happy about peace obtained forcibly through you. I want you to be in that peace.”

Leonard looked at the air, moved his mouth, then looked into my eyes.

“That’s peace to me. A world without that isn’t peaceful at all.”

“Where did the utilitarian I knew go?”

“I don’t know.”

Leonard answered quietly with an unknowable expression. That face was both peaceful and painful, so I smiled weakly while looking into Leonard’s eyes. Whether trying to comfort me or not, Leonard sat comfortably with his elbow on the armrest, touching his temple, and said.

“The me you knew still remains. When heroes of troubled times disappear, generations without self-reliance are bound to bring about troubled times again. So your sacrifice alone is never a desirable thing. What matters is the consciousness of the common people.”

“That’s right. But is that the primary basis for your argument?”

Leonard smiled slightly and answered slowly.

“No.”

He spoke calmly with a much more composed face.

“Thank you for telling me. It must not have been easy to talk about such an unbelievable subject, and also… since you worry about us becoming endangered when sharing such secrets, it must have been even more difficult, so I’m glad to hear it.”

“What. I was thinking I should tell you someday. Today too, I opened a world to investigate France with your help.”

“You’re always conscientious, so you must have wanted to give back what you received. Well then, shall we play a drinking game after a long time, Lucas?”

Out of nowhere? And you’re saying this? I smiled in confusion and shook my head. Leonard added a word.

“Don’t refuse.”

“No way.”

No way, that won’t work. That won’t do. You want me to tell you what happened there. I can’t say that Lucas Everett was your teacher. Tell you that I learned from you and then taught you? Tell you that I’m practically raising you? That won’t do. As I showed my distaste, Leonard observed even that with interest and said quietly.

“In any world, you’re my friend. It will be that way forever.”

“Of course.”

Leonard smiled cleanly and fell into thought. Again. He’s calculating again how he can get answers from me. As I watched the competitive Leonard with resignation, he suddenly glanced at me sideways and raised his eyebrows to smile back at me.

Suddenly, something flashed through my mind. Several of the strategies I had set up to lure out Hildegard Wittelsbach were cleanly erased, narrowing my options. Leonard said.

“Then I suppose I should teach you how not to get caught and interrogated by Mother.”

“…I was going to ask you for advice too, but no. That won’t be necessary.”

I answered while raising one corner of my mouth.

That competitiveness. Yes, the competitiveness Leonard has toward Narke flashed through my mind. That’s the same as the ‘duty to resolve questions’ that Prince Hildegard imposed on himself. It’s at that level. In this case, the Leonard I predict won’t get close to someone’s inner depths as long as he approaches them with competitiveness. They’re facing each other on a plain, looking for opportunities to grab and bite each other’s throats, and would someone who went so far as to replace the Empire’s Emperor really leave room for emotions to interfere here? No. There’s no reason for that… Only thorough calculation and the well-honed instincts of a fighter exist there. Prince Hildegard is the same. As long as he sees me as prey from which he can obtain the hide of ‘sustainability of information gathering capability’ and the meat of ‘practical information,’ I can’t avoid circling around facing each other on the plain in front of the prince, and the more that happens, the more delayed it becomes.

I had to pioneer a different path instead.

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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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