How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 604

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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 (604)

“Rohan.”

Lucien answered kindly.

“Yes?”

Rohan. It’s a familiar name, I had met him in 18th century Ecla Literer. He was the person who said he wanted to become the king of France.

The sunlight streaming into the compartment illuminates even the floating dust particles. Lucien watches me and Rosalie looks at Lucien with her crooked attitude, then looks at my face. I quietly admired the picture that Lucien and Rosalie created together. Then I quickly changed the subject.

“Rose. Why did you ask earlier if I was there at that place?”

She asked if I was also there when she heard ‘it will come full circle, so use Luca Laplace.’

She said she caught two pieces of information. The first of the information I caught is this, and the second is the peculiar statement ‘comes full circle.’ There was someone who foresaw my coming even within the extra chapter? The extra chapter is a world that doesn’t flow unless I enter it, so when did it start, when did it stop and pass to me?

Why did Rosalie ask me ‘were you there together at that time’? Simply because her memory wasn’t clear about whether we were in the same place that day? Or perhaps, because she couldn’t be sure if she knew of Laplace’s existence at that time?

What if Laplace’s existence wasn’t there at that time?

“It’s not important.”

Rosalie answered simply. We looked at each other without saying anything.

Rosalie suspects whether Laplace changed because of ‘coming full circle.’ That it was a prophecy about the future where Laplace would change. Therefore, she has no intention of giving me more information about this matter.

On this fine day, our compartment is tense despite the colorless sunlight. I said quietly.

“Tell me, Rose. I’m curious.”

“Don’t act cute.”

“…”

I lost my fighting spirit and leaned back against the backrest, looking out the window with an expressionless face. I can’t tell if she’s trying to tease me or if she’s acting like this because she’s blinded by love. I didn’t want to continue talking with someone who had no intention of speaking. I focused on watching the German scenery growing more distant, and Lucien only told me a few more things I needed to know when it was time to get off.

It was time to get off the train. Instead of illegal entry, entering Paris openly by train is quite refreshing and convenient. Being able to breathe outside air gave me a bit more energy, so I smiled and stood up, holding the door and politely gesturing for them to go out. Rosalie quietly watched my casual escort gesture and gradually became dejected. Then she muttered something. I broke out in cold sweat for a moment. As soon as I opened my mouth, sharp pain struck my back. At the same time, Rosalie frowned and grabbed her throat. Having succeeded in counterattacking almost simultaneously, I grabbed my cervical spine and said in a lowered voice.

“Stop it.”

“…I don’t want to.”

“I thought so.”

I raised one corner of my mouth sarcastically and rolled my eyes. Rosalie looked at me with disapproving eyes, then turned her head away. At times like this, she would have been happier if I had glared at her instead. She roughly scratched her throat to clear her vocal cords and went outside.

We left the platform and entered a nearby alley. Among the dimly tangled Parisian houses, Rosalie looked around and then picked a nearly broken side door and went in. When she came out a while later, she was dressed in a gown again. I took the huge bag Rosalie was carrying and gestured with my eyes that we should hurry.

“You can’t return to the country. It’s just us.”

“Then what about me? Should I disguise myself as something right away and go meet General Saint-Arnaud?”

“Yes.”

I knew she would answer like that. But I don’t want to. If we dig into Saint-Arnaud, we’ll probably find something the Bourbon side has set up, some special technique, but let’s think economically. Right now, I could only gather useful information to use when I leave this place by sticking close to them. I brought my head close to Rosalie as she was leaving the alley and asked.

“What should I disguise myself as?”

“Ah, figure that out yourself. Do I have to tell you that for you to know?”

This crucial matter? That’s nonsense. A key figure in the coup, even if we don’t know whether it will happen or not, anyway a key person who recently got promoted to an important position and became a person of interest, you want the ‘incompetent’ Laplace to decide on his own and go meet him?

By the way, I had been somewhat skeptical about the fact that General Saint-Arnaud was showing strange behavior, but that might not have been a lie to me but the truth. Since it’s something I could know if I could just hear a little news, I could have used that for leading questions.

How shallow. If you’re going to test me, don’t reveal it and do it more thoroughly. I tilted my head toward Rosalie.

“You said I’m incompetent. What do you expect from an incompetent person, Rose.”

“Don’t call me ‘Rose’ in France, you fool.”

“You just admitted it, Rosaliette. Tell me everything. Don’t expect my autonomy and give me detailed instructions on what I should do, one by one.”

I spoke confidently into the ear of Rosalie who was walking quickly. Even though I was playing around with her name, she didn’t jump at that. Though she was slightly annoyed.

Rather, something else seemed to be a problem for her. Rosalie suddenly stopped and looked at me quietly.

“Then you’ll really do that?”

“Yes, of course…”

While finishing my words, I understood what her eyes were saying. She didn’t interpret politically my words that if she told me what to do, I would try to do exactly that. The eyes looking at a fiancé who overnight forgot everything and became a different person even in personality. She would want to shout at me to regain my memories.

The fact that no one is acting out love weighs heavily on my heart. Now that I have someone suffering from the system right in front of me, even if I can’t extend my hand to everyone, I couldn’t pass by the person I’ve already seen and couldn’t toy with their emotions. I patted his shoulder with affection and extended my hand forward. It meant let’s go.

“I want to analyze the chemical substances flowing in Human brains.”

Lucien, who had been following behind, said.

“Why.”

“You don’t need to pretend not to know with me either, Count Laplace.”

Since he’s saying something incomprehensible, I decide to do something incomprehensible in return. I quietly observed Lucien Noailles’ face. A thin face with prominent bones, jaw and cheekbones that look developed perhaps because there’s no flesh, creating harmony. His eyes are sunken. His eyebrows aren’t very thick so I don’t think they’re particularly dark, his lips are thin and have good color. Except for some slight spots from sunlight, his skin is clean. His earlobes have adequate area but are thin. Except for thin wrinkles, there’s nothing special about his neck. Perhaps from a lifetime of combat magic, his body is slightly more robust than other Espers. I patted his shoulder once too and turned around. His voice came from behind.

“I’ll go observe the situation, so rest for a while.”

“What grounds do I have to believe you won’t put me in trouble?”

“You have to figure that out yourself, Count Laplace. Didn’t you do the same to us?”

“Well, yes.”

Trust, but have the ability to take responsibility for the risk when that trust is broken. That’s what he meant. I readily nodded and advised.

“Conduct yourself well.”

It’s not a threat not to put me in trouble, but sincere advice. Whether he understood the meaning or not, Lucien only raised the corners of his mouth and disappeared. While Rosalie looked back and forth between us two, I cleared my throat. Ah, ah… The last voice I heard from Lucien overlaps with my voice. The space between Rosalie’s eyes and eyebrows narrows. I looked at him and said.

“Let’s go pay our respects.”

This was my plan. What Saint-Arnaud. I should meet the adults who are close to the Bourbons first. I slowly tapped the stone floor with my foot. Rosalie’s face, which had been watching with sharp eyes, shows surprise. I would now have Lucien’s face. As always, this magic has a severe burden and I’m already feeling a slight fever.

“Blanchart.”

Rosalie, who had been circling around me observing, said as if she couldn’t believe it.

“You should call him Count Blanchart.”

“I know, Count Blanchart.”

“You can’t speak casually when adults are present.”

“You? Sir? Hey?”

“You.”

“Bise?”

“Try it.”

I turned and brought my head close to Rosalie’s cheek. Once on each side. Rosalie still had an unbelieving face but advised.

“Put your left hand on the back and smile more.”

I remembered Lucien’s personality and the brief scene I had observed, raising the cheek near my mouth. He was someone who smiled more with his mouth than his eyes. I had to go up little by little from below. Rosalie stared at me blankly then shook her head.

“You really do exactly what I tell you.”

Because that’s been my responsibility for life. I silently looked beyond. I didn’t gesture to go anymore. That’s what Lucien would do. Rosalie watched me quietly then finally spat out a word. Despite the pain piercing my nape, I stayed still then bowed my head and said quietly.

“It hurts.”

Rosalie didn’t know how to keep her mouth shut. With a face that was somewhat fed up and somewhat shocked, she just turned her head and started walking.

* * *

“You’ve come, my daughter.”

Rosalie’s family was indeed a bourgeois family. I observed the surroundings with Lucien’s expression in front of a magnificent building that rivaled noble mansions. It was a building in the heart of Paris. Rosalie’s mother, who had run out upon learning of Rosalie’s arrival, smiled brightly even when she saw me.

“And Your Excellency Noailles. Were there any troubles?”

“I am always pleased by your hospitality.”

I kissed her cheek and smiled warmly. Mrs. Blanchart smiled with satisfaction and led me into the house.

“You must have had a hard time coming such a long way. The meal will be ready soon. Please sit first.”

In the dining room, there were two other family members already seated. Opening the status window, I see they are influential French people. Among them was Rohan too. I wonder if the Rohan he mentioned earlier is this Rohan.

Having such thoughts, after finishing greetings and sitting down, Mrs. Blanchart said.

“Your Excellency Noailles, is Count Laplace doing well?”

“No different from usual.”

At those words, Mrs. Blanchart was somewhat displeased. Not about me, but displeased that the fiancé who regards her daughter unfavorably is doing well without incident in a foreign country.

Lucien Noailles must not have stated the exact reason for seeking Laplace. He would have only said he was going to visit after a long time. Otherwise, she couldn’t help but ask more questions.

A person from the Rohan family patted Mrs. Blanchart’s shoulder. Mrs. Blanchart reached out and wrapped Rosalie’s hand.

“Child, our poor daughter.”

“Yes, Mother. Please speak.”

“Wait just a little. I will somehow speak well to His Majesty Henri and definitely separate you from that bastard.”

“…Yes.”

Rosalie glanced at me sideways and answered reluctantly. Under the tablecloth, a hand comes up to my thigh. I grabbed his hand, squeezed it once, then put it back in place. Even knowing that I’m not the former Laplace, even though I’m wearing Lucien’s face now, he’s not fooled and is anxious that my heart might completely leave him. Rosalie didn’t even try to defend Laplace. Usually at home with family criticizing Laplace, that criticism was based on interest. In the days when she thought no matter what she did, the other person couldn’t escape from her grasp—when she thought no blow would come to her, she would have insulted him comfortably. That might have been a kind of self-defense mechanism. That’s Rosalie’s situation. No one would stay quiet after hearing criticism. Laplace, regardless of how it started, would have come to completely hate Rosalie, and Rosalie, while outwardly confronting him the same way, would actually have been in a situation where she couldn’t escape or do anything about it. She probably didn’t even know she was in an emotionally disadvantageous situation. Even if she knew, it was too late.

I don’t know what I’m doing. Unless there are other circumstances, it just makes me nauseous.

During the meal, all the trivial conversations shared by the Bourbon supporters became information for me. They were busy talking about how the city police showed different movements than usual, and who criticized President Bonaparte in the lower house and what magnanimity President Bonaparte showed. These people really suspected two of the three key figures who led Louis Napoleon’s coup to success in the history I knew. The hit rate was quite good. Even before the world knew about the coup, they all had the prospect that President Bonaparte would stage a coup before his term ended to seize power since he failed in the constitutional amendment for re-election.

If there was something these people might see as problematic, in the France of the history I knew, there were more people who remained silent about Louis Napoleon’s coup than expected. There were quite a few people who opposed the coup and many died and went into exile, but there were also quite a few people who didn’t oppose Louis Napoleon’s re-election and remained silent. When Louis Napoleon, who had tremendous approval ratings at the time, tried to revise the constitution by appealing to popular support, the parliament restricted citizens’ voting rights to prevent Louis Napoleon’s re-election amendment, which Louis Napoleon used in reverse, claiming that parliament was infringing on people’s freedom and rationalizing his coup as a restoration of democratic spirit. Using the opponent’s mistakes to cleverly hide or rationalize one’s own mistakes as legitimate is called the tu quoque fallacy. Being in this scene of various ugly public opinion battles, the Bourbon faction would definitely need to secure public opinion to succeed in stopping the coup.

For me, the Bourbon restoration is also quite an unpleasant situation, but if I were to strategize from this table’s position, public opinion cannot be excluded. Right now they’re only planning to occultly control the brains of practitioners who will be mobilized for the coup, but since they also know that public opinion is important, if related technology comes in, they will definitely catch it without missing it. Henri created a frame of President Bonaparte’s diplomatic incompetence through public opinion battles, but that’s not enough.

This seems to be connected to some degree with the activeness of the ancient document research society. The place that said let’s research ways to gain respect together and actually tried to find methods. The words about seizing public opinion and gaining forced respect without consideration from people are close to each other. Respect is a corpse without consideration and reflection, but trying to achieve that with just the shell, and if that could be applied widely, that would only mean manipulating and controlling crowd psychology. So in fact, there’s still a high possibility that Würzburg’s ancient document research society was involved in the predecessor of Terminus Yukairya.

Hmm.

I thought that far and came up with a suitable idea. It’s not a good idea for me, but an idea about the relationship between Pleroma and Terminus Yukairya.

“Yes, what happened to Abel?”

“….”

I barely managed to swallow the water I was drinking and looked at Mr. Rohan who had spoken to me.

Abel? So that spread all the way to France. Abel was being targeted not only by the Antique Document Research Society of the northern Bavarian Catholic dioceses including Würzburg, but by all the ‘spiritual experience’ experimenters from various countries. Especially from Henri’s perspective, who clearly wanted more sophisticated and perfect techniques than divine power, Abel would be someone he needed to secure immediately. I spoke truthfully.

“He has disappeared without a trace. I’m afraid I have disappointing news to share.”

“Hah.”

Sighs flowed from everyone seated.

“If we could have met that person, we might have been able to borrow some helpful power. Perhaps he was a fraud after all.”

“Still, I’ve already heard that you’re in contact with others besides Abel. His Excellency Noailles’ saint told us that our investigation team is researching Father Gassner’s movements in Regensburg, isn’t that right?”

Mr. Rohan and Mr. Blanchet converse.

The Würzburg Antique Document Research Society isn’t being mentioned. And now Bavaria has been mentioned again. Regensburg.

I knew that Henri’s exile to Austria wasn’t simply exile. He would have been establishing his political position in Austria while simultaneously searching for techniques. The Bavarian and Austrian regions had been closely connected areas for a long time, and Father Gassner was also someone who operated in both regions. Father Gassner was a Catholic priest praised for having spiritual abilities and being able to heal patients with words alone.

“Hasn’t His Majesty Henri been doing that from the beginning? You’re also searching for the research materials that the hypnotist Count Mesmer left behind in Vienna.”

Their gazes turn to me.

Don’t talk about things we already know, bring out some new information – that’s what they’re saying. They want Lucien Noailles to provide some information. I’m starting to get the picture – among Blanchet, Laplace, and Noailles, Noailles is the key figure in terms of power. I came here to gather information, so I wanted to take the role of staying quiet, but that’s unfortunate.

Fortunately, if there’s something I can use, it’s that Lucien Noailles acts somewhat mysteriously, and his power is positioned high at this table. Imitating him, who is like the epitome of nobility, isn’t difficult. I spoke smoothly.

“As you know, doing what benefits the public comes first. Discussions related to that must take priority above all else.”

So you speak first. The discussions so far weren’t worth my response.

“That’s correct.”

Mr. Rohan tilted his glass toward me in a toast and said.

“To restore glory befitting the age of magic, we must cherish and look after the public we need to protect. Speaking of which….”

Rohan looked around at all of us, smiled, and continued.

“There was a place that proposed we research methods to bring the dead back to life.”

What connection could that have with the public? I smiled the same smile and nodded first.

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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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