How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 76

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magic Family (76)

“….”

Gelda stared down at me intently, then put the medicine in her pocket and stepped back.

“You must have something you’re counting on?”

“I’m saying this because it’s getting hard to endure with a clear mind. And Asman just said so, didn’t she? That it wouldn’t be awkward since she’s seen the effects on you several times.”

“….”

It seemed she still couldn’t trust me.

Gelda used three more syringes after that before putting me to sleep again.

I could only regain consciousness after an hour in real time, which meant six hours in this place.

‘How thorough…’

I looked around the empty room and tried drawing magic from my heart just in case.

The result was naturally a failure.

It showed a level of completion similar to what the Investigation Bureau uses, so it wouldn’t be easily undone.

‘Why the hell do they keep drawing blood like this… It’s strange to make such a fuss just to draw some blood.’

The most plausible possibilities are two.

First, to become stronger. Second, to survive.

I think it’s probably both.

Resurrected corpses can’t maintain life without blood.

Gelda has been harboring doubts about Pleroma since the day before yesterday in this place’s time, so she’s probably preparing to survive without receiving blood supply from above.

The fact that she’s drawing blood multiple times with 10mL syringes instead of taking it all at once also seems to be for storage purposes.

Maybe she’s also thinking of taking me along as a blood supply source.

‘So…’

As long as she’s keeping me here out of necessity, the other party can’t completely ignore my condition.

And I need tools to release each of these restraints.

The strategy I’ll choose in this situation… starts with not enduring the pain.

But even though my arm had turned blue, having a needle stuck in it didn’t make me scream.

So I simply decided to just lie down.

“Baichel.”

Just as my strength to keep my eyes open was fading, Gelda called me at the perfect timing.

“I’m not dead, am I?”

“….”

“I’ll get some anesthetic.”

“No. This should be enough. Please let me go.”

Gelda just looked down at me silently, then went back upstairs.

‘She has no intention of letting me go.’

Force doesn’t work.

And I can’t go back to before the incident either.

‘Still, if my actions fail within this incident, I can reset it.’

Then since things have come to this, I have no choice but to continue the character acting I’ve been doing.

Personally, I don’t want to do it anymore, and I don’t want to commit acts that would hurt the other party more than this… but with nothing else working, I have no choice.

‘Leo and the others haven’t been able to find this place for almost half a day in real time now.’

At this point, waiting longer doesn’t seem like it will show any answers.

Then Gelda came down the stairs and said to me.

“Try to get up.”

I didn’t respond, pressing my right arm against my eyes.

Gelda’s voice came closer and closer.

“I brought the medicine I mentioned earlier, so drink it and wait a bit. If anesthetic doesn’t work, I’ll at least bring painkillers.”

My head wasn’t working quickly… but I could clearly understand one thing.

The strategy was partially successful.

She’s giving me medicine now that she wouldn’t give before out of fear I’d do something reckless?

Since I seem to be trying to avoid the situation itself, she must feel the need to change my thinking. If she’s going to keep using me as a supply source, she’ll need to gain my cooperation.

Plus, she probably thought I was too weak to take any other action.

I answered briefly.

“No thanks.”

“….”

“I can’t understand why you’re doing this. I thought it was because you had a grudge against me… but then there’d be no reason to bring anesthetic, would there? What exactly is this situation for, and how am I supposed to understand it better from here?”

Gelda sat next to me and moved my arm away.

“Drink it. If you endure for just a moment, it’ll be much better than before.”

She doesn’t answer my question and says something else instead.

Gelda Asmann

Favorability +9*

Still the same.

I really don’t want to, but with this value, it’s worth trying.

“Trust me. There won’t be any problems.”

“I said I won’t drink it.”

I knocked Gelda’s hand away.

Then I continued with as much mockery as I could manage.

“If I do this, you’ll just dig up some strange memory out of nowhere and put me to sleep again, right?”

“….”

Gelda hesitated for a moment, then pressed down on my chin.

I frowned and knocked her hand away again.

“Wait a moment. Have you ever drunk this? Have you seen anyone who has?”

Gelda looked at me, then thinking it was okay to answer, opened her mouth.

“No, and I haven’t seen anyone except you, Baichel. Why?”

“Have you tested it? I’m sorry to say this directly, but I already came here after drinking a level 10 potion. Do you know what will happen if I drink twice that amount while the effects are still remaining…?”

“I’ll watch you carefully.”

Whether my direct admission got on her nerves, Gelda cut me off and poured the medicine into my mouth.

When I used all my strength to shake off Gelda’s hand again, the medicine fell to the floor.

In one corner of my dark vision, I saw Gelda hurriedly right the medicine bottle. Even so, I could already taste the familiar flavor in my mouth. Then I made eye contact with Gelda too.

At that moment, I contorted my face and curled up my body.

“What’s wrong?”

Not knowing that there would really be a problem, Gelda leaned in close.

‘…Now I understand why Leo didn’t make this for me.’

This was what I had intended, but my thinking was already getting cloudy and I had to focus on remembering the plan I had set up.

Nevertheless, I suddenly had the thought that I wanted to give up everything and go home right now, and if Elias found out that I remained conscious even after taking medicine with double the effect… I’d definitely hear mechanical sounds until graduation.

I tried to remove focus from my eyes and slowly got up from my position.

I didn’t particularly want to be conscious of what words and actions I was making, but one thing was certain anyway.

Even though I had just pushed Gelda’s shoulder to the floor, unlike when I had seriously tried to use force, I didn’t fall asleep.

‘If I had known this would work, I would have done this from the beginning.’

Gelda would have read my emotions as she always had, and would have known that my actions weren’t threatening.

Actually, even now I’m using emotions, so my conscience hurts, but there’s no other way.

Anyway, right now I can’t give the other party time to weigh the pros and cons.

Thanks to inducing an uncomfortable position, Gelda dropped the medicine bottle she was holding even though I hadn’t done much. I picked up the medicine bottle and held it in front of Gelda.

“Want to try drinking it?”

“….”

“It’s unfair that only I’m like this. Just stay like this for a moment… then drink the antidote.”

I poured the medicine into her mouth before even hearing an answer. Since I’m acting crazy anyway, there’s no reason it shouldn’t work. Of course, that’s fine for me, but if the other party thinks rationally now and spits it back out, that would be bad.

Then I’d have to retry and experience this situation again…

‘Let’s finish this in one go.’

I lightly covered Gelda’s mouth with my hand, then opened my mouth after seeing her throat move.

“Look.”

“…!”

Hmm.

That’s enough.

I raised the corners of my mouth when I saw the same light that was in my eyes appear on Gelda’s face.

It wasn’t because I felt things were going well unlike usual. The drug was affecting me too, so I couldn’t think such shameless thoughts without any guilt.

Gelda Asmann

Favorability +10

‘The trait disappeared.’

It hit the ceiling so it’s not visible anymore, but from what I can see, it seems like it went way past +10. This person wasn’t the machine-like human that Elias described from the beginning, so even drinking a drug between stages 1 and 10 would have been sufficiently effective.

‘I shouldn’t think that the effect that appeared on me will apply to her in exactly the same way.’

She must have already thought that way, which is why she didn’t stop my proposal.

I continued the situation for just a few minutes, enough not to feel sorry toward Luca, then extended my wrist.

“No matter how much I try to endure it, it’s uncomfortable… Could you untie it?”

“…No.”

Gelda firmly refused despite her hazy gaze.

And right after that, anxiety settled in Gelda’s eyes.

‘She’s quick to notice…’

It would have been nice if all the Pleroma in the world had zero perception.

I was trying to help her show more initiative, but it won’t work.

I took out the small artifact I had found in Gelda’s jacket pocket.

“I’m sorry, but I already found it. You were carrying it.”

I could easily deduce it since I felt faint mana from her clothes.

I could see Gelda’s face instantly turn cold.

“I thought you’d carry it directly. Considering the possibility of other Pleroma entering this place, you shouldn’t create baggage when escaping. Right?”

I brought the artifact to the restraints on my arms.

A seam that I couldn’t tell where it had been opened up and fell to the floor.

Whether the drug had properly taken effect, Gelda couldn’t say anything with a shocked face. The moment I dropped the last restraint to the floor, Gelda squeezed out words.

“Don’t tell me, this whole time…”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Asman. Let’s go out now. I’ll undo the brainwashing that Pleroma put on you.”

I had to leave it to luck.

Whether Gelda Asmann’s heart was still softened toward me or not. It was a gamble that depended on that.

Even though it was an unavoidable situation, the fact that I had once again used someone’s emotions made me feel like the last bit of humanity I had been holding onto was completely falling away.

I suppressed words that I definitely wouldn’t have said normally and opened my mouth.

“As I said before, this can’t continue anymore. I have nothing to say about hurting you with my judgment. You can blame me as much as you want.”

“…I don’t really understand what’s happening right now.”

Of course you don’t. There’s a reason why they don’t make this kind of drug.

Even I, who usually isn’t affected by drugs and whose effects wear off quickly even when they do work, can’t think properly, so how much worse must it be for other people.

“Except for the crimes you committed, do everything as you wish. I’ll return everything to the beginning for you. If you want, I’ll help with the investigation too. Since Pleroma’s brainwashing greatly influenced your crimes… bail might be possible.”

“….”

“I’m sorry for everything until now. Go out and live a new life.”

Even though she could use magic on me, no attack came.

I couldn’t bear to look into the other person’s eyes, so I silently picked up a stone fragment that was rolling around and pricked my skin with it. I watched the blood fall to the floor and drew out my mana to recite the spell.

―You will become like God, knowing good and evil.

Kwaaaaang―!

Unlike when I summoned Fai a while ago, an explosion sound was heard.

There wasn’t much time left now.

I recalled what I absolutely had to do and forced my reluctant mouth to open.

“About me… yes. Should we go back to the day I gave you my business card?”

It’s not like I had been keeping my mouth shut the whole time and was just starting to speak now, but my voice was trembling pathetically at the end.

I pushed away Gelda’s touch and completed the formula while thinking of the content to erase.

‘…I.’

Let me see if I ever use this kind of drug again.

I want to hit my past self who thought there would be no ethical problems if I was the one drinking it. Everything I thought about just drinking it briefly, just acting until entering Pleroma, was all miscalculation. Until the end, I couldn’t find any solution other than manipulating emotions.

I placed my hand on Gelda’s forehead and opened my mouth.

―Enter through the narrow gate.

I wondered if I could use manipulation magic strong enough to offset the drug’s effects in this state, if I could completely erase Pleroma’s brainwashing, but I didn’t need to worry for long.

The moment I removed my hand from her forehead, the strength left Gelda’s body.

“….”

I sent divine power to Gelda who had closed her eyes as if dead. She opened her eyes as if nothing had happened.

Now I couldn’t feel any emotion in Gelda’s gaze.

For the investigation, I had to leave memories about Pleroma, and fortunately she seemed to realize where this place was.

Now the explosion sounds from upstairs began to be heard closer.

Gelda, who had been looking around, tilted her head while looking at me.

“Who are you?”

“….”

“I’m sure I’ve seen you before. Could you be that young man from the press… Is that right?”

It’s over.

With this, what I had to do was completely finished.

I just need to go back and publish this under Nicolaus’s name, observe his reputation points rise, and then plan the next step…

“….”

The other person narrowed her eyes, perhaps feeling puzzled by my reaction.

“What’s wrong with you? Wait, what’s happening outside right now…”

Kwaang―!

Whether they couldn’t find the entrance or used explosion magic from outside the sanctuary, sunlight from the first floor reached down to the underground. While I squinted at the brick dust and the light I was seeing after a long time, I heard a familiar voice. Someone grabbed my shoulder.

“Sorry, I’m too late. Are you okay?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————