How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 7

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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 Family (7)

At my answer, Leo immediately moved to the end of the Training Ground and took his position.

Leo drew his wand and took a simple stance.

Seeing that posture reminded me of glimpses I’d caught of father and hyung’s stances when I was young.

‘I remember our Family had its own style too.’

I knew how to do it, but I didn’t particularly want to follow the Family’s way.

I just nodded casually and adjusted my grip on the wand.

‘…!’

Before I knew it, Leo’s magic was right in front of my face.

Reflexively, I pivoted on my heel and stepped aside.

Kwaang―!

The Antagonist’s attack partially destroyed the Training Ground wall, sending debris crashing to the floor.

Seeing that made me break out in a cold sweat.

‘Impressive.’

If I’d been even a little slower, I would have taken a direct hit.

He’s not the type to use underhanded tactics to win. Even though he launched his attack right after my greeting, to have this kind of speed.

I can’t even imagine how much effort it took for someone without sufficient talent to reach this level of skill.

In truth, facing Leo in combat was unrealistic from the start.

Luca hadn’t been able to use proper magic for nearly ten years. No matter how exceptional one’s talent, if you don’t hone it, it’s as good as nonexistent. Even lacking talent, he couldn’t compare to someone who had spent ten years focused solely on magic, running like mad toward that single goal.

But none of that matters.

I’m not here to win, but to bring Leo to my side.

“Dodging?”

As if he’d expected this, Leo launched attacks that surrounded me.

As blue attacks spread around me, it felt like being submerged in water.

“Ugh!”

I deployed minimal mana to block the attacks, but some penetrated the barrier and stung my skin.

The power was strong enough to be unbearable, but…

‘It feels like he hasn’t even gotten serious yet.’

Come at me properly. That’s when I’ll unleash it.

What that bastard wants is for me to use proper magic.

Since I know his unspoken desire, the real outcome of this match was decided long ago.

Kwaang― Bang―!

I barely deflected countless attacks that seemed intended to scatter my focus.

I could try pushing through with power as Leo wants, but it’s too early.

I just need to hold out a little longer here.

When I only defended without launching any real attacks, Leo spoke with contempt in his voice.

“What exactly are you trying to accomplish by stepping forward? Planning to just waste time here and leave?”

Accurate.

I didn’t answer, just smiled.

Of course, I didn’t need to answer—the timing came quickly.

Leo rolled his wand between his fingers, extended it long, and struck the ground.

Kwaang―!

Thorn-like vines attacked from all directions, hindering my movement. Stems wrapped around my jacket sleeves reached for my wand.

As if to end it now, with my escape route blocked, my vision flashed again.

‘Now should be good.’

Crack―!

I used all my strength to pull my arm from the thorns and aimed my wand at the Antagonist.

I drew maximum output from my heart. In the process of freeing my arm, the Antagonist’s thorns that had pierced my flesh canceled out the mana flowing through my blood vessels.

But the magic had already been cast.

The time it took for my jacket to tear had put the brakes on the Antagonist’s magic.

Kwaang―!

A thunderous roar erupted where Leo’s attack met mine. Dust scattered heavily from the destroyed Training Ground walls and floor.

But…

‘A counterattack should have come by now, shouldn’t it?’

Don’t tell me…

When I swept away the dust with my wand, I saw Leo collapsed on the floor, clutching his forehead.

“…!”

He hadn’t dodged.

The faint smell of blood stung my nose.

I let out a hollow laugh.

‘I expected it, but I didn’t think he’d actually just take it.’

From the beginning, the reason the Antagonist called me out was to see me use magic with everything I had.

So I thought he wouldn’t care much about the outcome of our bet, but even so, to actually take a direct hit—he’s not your ordinary madman.

“Hey, are you okay…”

“…Ha.”

Leo let out a hollow laugh and slowly raised his body.

I quickly scanned Leo’s condition in that moment. Fortunately, aside from his scraped forehead from hitting the ground, he didn’t seem injured elsewhere.

‘My attack must have been mostly canceled out by the Antagonist’s attack.’

“Haha, ha… Yes, this is it. This is it!”

Leo clutched his bloodied forehead and burst into laughter.

The moment I faced that expression, chills ran down my spine.

“What the…”

“To see this, to see this again… I, really… how much I’ve longed for this day… At this rate, I won’t be able to keep up with you soon. As expected, you won. You won.”

The Antagonist tried to get up while staggering, then collapsed back to the floor. Even so, he didn’t stop laughing as if something wonderful had happened. It was an altogether shocking sight.

I wanted to close the door and leave immediately, but since this happened because of my attack, I couldn’t abandon this kid here.

I approached and slipped my arm under his shoulder to help him up.

“…Hey. I’m sorry. You seem a bit crazy, so let’s hurry and get you treated.”

“No, do more. Use more magic.”

‘Crazy bastard.’

“Huh? I’ll take as many hits as you want. No, no, that’s not right. I’m begging you. I can’t believe what I saw was real. So please, just one more time. If I take just one more hit, I think I’ll be able to accept that this is reality…”

Thud―!

Creeped out, I dropped the Antagonist back to the floor.

So this is what happens when passion goes too far.

He certainly had extraordinary passion for magic in the novel too. But I didn’t know it was to the extent of treating injuries so carelessly.

“Get a grip. What just happened was the result of my magic being canceled out by your attack. Don’t you know that if you take a hit like before without defending, your life could be in danger?”

Even at my disgusted tone, the Antagonist paid no attention at all.

Leo, lying weakly on the floor, raised his body like a zombie and muttered.

“…You could use it. I wasn’t wrong. The adults wouldn’t believe me, and after 10 years passed, I thought maybe I was just mistaken. But everything is just like that day.”

“…”

Come to think of it, he said something like ‘to see this again’ earlier too.

This was a story that in the original work, he didn’t tell anyone until near the ending, only confiding in the Protagonist…

‘Is it okay for him to tell me directly like this?’

It seemed like he was too excited to know what he was saying.

Or maybe it really didn’t matter.

Just in case, I should try to stop him.

Just as I was about to sit beside the Antagonist, he let out a small laugh.

“What is this? The rumors about you belonging to Pleroma were lies too. Right? If the rumors were true, there’s no way you’d let me live right now. So now you’re… just how many years have you spent dealing with those rumors…”

The Antagonist’s voice grew increasingly shaky.

That made me feel bitter too.

It was even more so because these were the words of someone who said they started magic because of me. Even though I’m definitely not Luca, I could feel Luca’s emotions completely.

Leo, who had been muttering while staring at the ground, suddenly raised his head with completely different eyes than before.

His eyes were filled with madness.

“What do I have to do for you to show me that magic one more time? Maybe if I attack you once more…!”

“Get lost.”

This isn’t even a roly-poly toy.

The emotion from just moments ago completely disappeared.

Since he didn’t seem to lose energy even when dropped on the ground, I just shot a spell at the back of his neck as he wished.

I plopped down next to the sleeping Leo.

I should rest a bit before moving him to the infirmary.

Through the ceiling of the Transparent Training Ground, I could see the pitch-black night sky. It was natural since everything had been similar so far, but the sky was also the same as the world I used to live in.

Having just used magic and now thinking of the world I used to live in only made me let out a hollow laugh.

I don’t know how I ended up in this world preventing an extra’s death…

“This is the end.”

I’ve managed to make the person who will be most helpful into my ally.

‘Though strictly speaking, he’s not quite my ally yet.’

Anyway, after seeing me use magic, he won’t act the same as usual, so there was no problem saying I’d already succeeded.

Rather, I should worry about things becoming troublesome.

Of course, even that would be welcome for me.

Now that I’ve recruited Leo, it’s time to gradually improve my skills.

Of course, I can’t practice magic openly.

That would be like advertising “please kill me as soon as possible.”

But…

‘That doesn’t mean I can just sit still either.’

Since I can’t move directly right now, I have no choice but to utilize the people around me 200%.

And I’ve already finished calculating how to make good use of this guy.

I looked toward where Leo was sprawled out.

Perhaps because his ten-year grudge had been resolved, he was sleeping soundly with a face that showed not a trace of tension.

‘Sleep well, not knowing what the future holds.’

Let’s become close friends from now on.

I laughed out loud.

* * *

I had a dream from my childhood.

A dream with the same situation and the same magic appearing every time.

But today was somehow different.

‘…The magic seemed more spectacular than in my usual dreams.’

When I opened my eyes, pure white sunlight covered my vision.

At this brightness, it definitely wasn’t morning.

Leo turned his head and squinted. One side of his forehead was throbbing.

“Ugh…”

“Are you awake?”

At Lucas’s brief question, Leo rolled his eyes to stare blankly at the side, then weakly closed his eyes.

“…A dream…”

“No.”

“Then everything I remember…”

“It’s real.”

Leo bolted upright and scanned Lucas. Then he clicked his tongue.

“Tsk.”

What’s with that tsk?

Seeing that his gaze was still unfriendly, it seemed the human distance between us hadn’t narrowed much.

While Lucas was pondering how to react to that expression, Leo furrowed his brow and opened his mouth.

“…I have so many things I want to say, but I don’t know where to start.”

“Take your time. Since we’re already skipping class anyway, we have plenty of time.”

A long silence followed.

Leo took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“You don’t drink blood.”

“I’d probably throw up from disgust if I drank it.”

“The rumor that you can’t use magic because you can’t drink blood was also fake. So… those excuses that Pleroma guys always make. That has nothing to do with you.”

“That’s right.”

“The rumor that Ascanien’s second son was born with poor qualities as a mage was also wrong. I already knew this was wrong since I saw it with my own two eyes.”

Lucas nodded.

Leo, who had been wearing a complicated expression, furrowed his brow.

“The magic you used yesterday wasn’t ordinary magical power. Absolutely not. You know that too, right?”

“I know.”

Lucas answered simply.

Honestly, you’d be an idiot not to know after seeing it with your own two eyes.

Of course, I was surprised at first. My reflexive thought was ‘Hyung will never be able to sit in the family head’s seat,’ so that says it all.

“Why haven’t you used magic until now?”

“…”

When Lucas just stared at him, Leo’s voice grew louder.

“Why did you submit to such false rumors? Why have you lived like that until now with such talent?!”

“Do you want to hear it?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

At Leo’s sharp answer, Lucas burst into light laughter.

Yes, this is how you should respond.

Yesterday I was excited after confirming I could properly use magic and focused only on the magic itself, but now that time had passed and I could think calmly, it was time to dig into the essence of the problem.

Lucas brought his body, which had been leaning against the backrest, closer to Leo.

“Then promise me. That you won’t tell anyone. This is a matter of life and death for me.”

Now, come over to my side.

From this moment on, the original story will be completely twisted.

Of course, in a good way.

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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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