How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 78

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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 (78)

“That worked out well. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Leo replied with a smile.

Elias gestured toward Leo and asked.

“Aren’t you curious about what happened? I was having a logical, intellectual conversation with the Pleroma when this guy suddenly started throwing punches.”

“…Intellectual…?”

Leo responded as if he couldn’t believe it.

“I didn’t throw punches first. Initially, I asked if there were similar cases in the Papal States.”

‘Whether you throw them next or from the start….’

I chuckled and said.

“That’s unexpected. I didn’t think you’d do something like that.”

“We can’t use mental magic. If I want to do something helpful, I have no choice but to use force.”

Leo replied matter-of-factly.

That was true enough. Even in the novel, those so-called mages were constantly getting into physical fights.

Elias, who had been listening with a smile, clapped his hands.

“You’ve made a good friend. How did you even think about increasing Adrian Ascanien’s workload in that situation? Isn’t it admirable that you came up with that at that timing, Luca~?”

“Are you my teacher? Admirable?”

“Exactly.”

“….”

Leo was left speechless when even I agreed with Elias’s words.

Since his reactions are so immediate, it seems like Elias keeps teasing him.

Leo seemed to blame Elias for my response too, glaring at him for a while before sighing deeply and handing me a newspaper.

“Come to think of it, you must be curious about how things turned out. Read this newspaper.”

I took the newspaper Leo handed me. Then I froze when I saw the large headline.

Nicolaus Ernst, Will He Become the Second Adrian Ascanien?

“….”

It’s incredibly unlucky from the start.

Of course, from a third party’s perspective, it’s successful.

Since he’s someone whose support is unquestionable, if he’s walking a similar path to his brother from the past, there’s a high possibility the results will be just as solid.

‘Come to think of it, let me see how things have changed.’

Lucas Rene Ascanien

Title: Count Nicolaus

Stamina: +2.5 (+0.3)

Mental Power: +0.9 (+1.0)

Magic Power: ?

Skill: +4.1 (+0.1)

Reputation: -9.9 [-6.8] [+7.50587849]

Luck: +2.25 (+0.5)

Traits: Dawn777, Divine Power, Charm (Lv.2), Retry (Lv.1)

‘7.5.’

I couldn’t help but smile.

I’m getting closer and closer to my minimum target of 8 points.

Moreover, finally all scores except reputation have risen to positive numbers.

‘Thanks to Leo, I’ve also tripped up my brother, so if time supports me, even 10 points might be possible.’

However, there’s one thing that worries me.

Originally, this incident was supposed to be resolved by Elias.

Although the case didn’t blow up nationwide like now, it’s true that Elias started his upward trajectory from this point.

‘Of course, the reaction has been bigger than in the novel since the insect presentation, but this should be when he really breaks through.’

I’m concerned the plot might change.

And I realized my worry was unfounded within 5 seconds.

Elias Hohenzollern·Nicolaus Ernst, Consecutive Victories

“True Noblesse Oblige” Elias Hohenzollern·Nicolaus Ernst, Directly Enter Pleroma for Rapidly Increasing Missing Persons Cases

[Breaking News] 10 Orphanages·Poorhouses·Elderly Care Facilities Across Regions Revealed to Have Pleroma Founders

“Pleroma Facilities” Successfully Deceived Federal Government for 2 Years

No matter which newspaper I looked through, mine and Elias’s names appeared together.

And… likewise, the bottom two pieces of news weren’t discovered by me.

‘Elias and Leo must have found them.’

I smiled with satisfaction without taking my eyes off the article.

As expected, the protagonist wouldn’t just sit still. With this much, Elias’s approval rating should follow a similar flow to the novel.

I muttered while watching Elias’s conference hall video.

“So that’s why you came wearing a uniform.”

“Aha, you noticed~ It’s not often I wear clothes like this, so engrave it well in your brain.”

“Ugh….”

Leo shook his head with a genuinely disgusted expression.

Elias giggled at that reaction, then looked at me and said.

“Actually, I was planning to release it a bit later, but since the reaction was explosive, it was difficult to put an embargo only on the topics I found. The atmosphere wasn’t one where that would be strictly observed either.”

Before, when I first met him, we talked about each other’s reasons for pursuing Pleroma.

Elias also knows I’m in the process of imprinting my name on the public to oppose my brother. There’s no particular need for him to suppress the announcement of his own work for my sake, but it seems to have bothered him.

“It’s fine. With this, it’ll be seen that you and I continue to move together.”

Crash―

Just then, the door burst open.

Leo stood up from his seat, as if measures had been taken to prevent anyone from entering.

“Who…!”

“Sorry, Leo. I should have talked to you first, but it was urgent.”

Narke, wearing bishop’s robes, removed his mask and sat in a chair.

“You’re awake, Lucas. How’s your body?”

“I’m fine.”

“Fine~? Is my definition of fine wrong?”

I could hear Elias nitpicking from the side, saying something about my arm being blue.

Since it was just a simple bruise that only looked bad, I spoke up before Narke could worry about my well-being again.

“Really. But weren’t you supposed to be in the Papal States?”

“I was until just now. I thought I’d be returning late too, but I have something to tell you today. By any chance, have you thought about what I mentioned before?”

There were too many things he’d mentioned for me to know which one.

“What about?”

“The honorary priesthood. How about it, isn’t now that the portal is open a good opportunity?”

* * *

Despite Leo’s strong objections, I had enough stamina to walk.

Originally, the only problems I had were having blood drawn and not eating for a few days, so I could recover quickly.

Compared to when Strauchi gave me a concussion, this was a manageable situation.

‘The timing worked out well.’

I didn’t know I could use the portal opening like this, but it was fortunate.

Since it would take several days by train, going directly to the Papacy to receive holy orders would be too much.

―”Sorry for calling you out so suddenly. You still don’t look like you’re in great condition.”

Narke muttered while looking at my blue arm.

―”Don’t worry. It only looks bad.”

―”Actually, the portal closes in five hours. We’ve only been able to keep it open this long because your story came up at the Papacy, so I had to tell you today.”

I nodded while adjusting my mask.

If I have holy orders, I can gain advantages in many areas, including survival possibilities.

Now that I know Pleroma can also use divine power, I need to have my purity officially recognized by the Papacy.

But would it really be alright for me to rise to that position?

I need to check if there are any potential issues with this.

―”Let me ask just one thing. As you know, I don’t have any particular faith.”

―”Right, you’re an atheist.”

Narke answered with a laugh.

―”….”

Just like before, he’s categorically labeling me as an atheist.

When I was young, I did believe in religion on the surface, but it was more like following my parents, so being an atheist is accurate.

―”But you don’t need to worry. All the mages who rise to honorary clergy positions are just formalities. The only criterion is divine power.”

I understand what he means.

I didn’t ask any more questions and silently followed him.

Then, Narke brought up a different topic.

―”Lucas, have you ever been to Rome?”

―”No.”

I had visited as a tourist in the 21st century.

But this place only shared geography and names; with magic existing, it could no longer be considered the same world as reality.

For example, while I could find the Korean Empire on the world map, after looking through various materials, it was very different from the Korean Empire I knew.

The territory of the Papal States was also much larger here than what I knew.

―”Really? This is exciting~ I’d like to show you around the city after we’re done, but it’s a shame we don’t have time.”

―”It’s fine. If I’m sightseeing, Hyung will come looking for me.”

―”…Hmm, I didn’t think about that. He really would.”

Narke shook his head and let out a hollow laugh.

We received entry permission from the Imperial Palace and warped to the edge of a garden 10km away from the main palace.

As we approached the portal installed underground, I could see armed guards stationed there.

A priest spotted Narke from afar and spoke to him.

“Have you arrived, Your Eminence?”

The priest turned toward me and greeted me.

“Nice to meet you, Count Ernst. I am Falcondo Palermo. I’ll cross over now, so please come across immediately after, Your Eminence and Count.”

The priest gestured to us and crossed to the other side of the portal.

Even though it was called a portal, it looked like just a stone wall, apparently intended to be unrecognizable during normal times.

When I touched it, the wall rippled like a water surface.

―”First time seeing this? Doesn’t it feel somehow uncomfortable having to put your face against a wall?”

―”It does.”

Even knowing I could enter without any problems, the visual of seemingly smashing my head first was problematic.

―”Everyone feels that way. Let me help you a bit.”

Before I could respond, Narke suddenly pushed my back.

“…!”

Looking at this, he’s no different from Elias.

I slowly opened my tightly shut eyes.

There was a dim underground corridor similar to where we had entered.

“You’ve just arrived at the western edge of the Vatican Gardens. Welcome to the Roman Curia.”

The priest gave me a brief orientation and began moving forward again.

Narke matched his pace and spoke.

“I have proposed the Count for an honorary priest position.”

“I see.”

Narke began using formal language while speaking directly to me without using divine power.

When ‘honorary’ is attached, it refers to clergy positions based on divine power, unlike regular clergy.

Originally, honorary positions belonged to the Papal Guard and even now remain symbolic positions that elevate the magical authority of the Papacy, so they tend to be much more flexible in terms of qualifications like theological degrees.

‘Of course, that doesn’t mean just anyone can rise to them.’

As soon as I thought that, Narke brought up the topic of qualifications.

“However, there is a problem. There are four qualification requirements in total, and among them, the issue is that Count Nicolaus hasn’t even been baptized, let alone confirmed.”

Naturally, Nicolaus, a fake identity created this year, had never registered with the church.

“The rest are simple. Whether you have pure missionary and service intentions, whether you’ve received recommendation from a bishop or cardinal, and whether your divine power has been recognized by the Roman Curia. These three are all. After that, ordination is completed through approval from the bishops within the Diocese of Rome.”

“Approval is the problem.”

“That’s right. I’ll try to lead things toward as many favorable votes as possible, but without a baptismal certificate in the Count’s name, it certainly won’t be easy.”

“I understand.”

After walking for some time, Narke asked the priest.

“How much further?”

“We’ll soon enter the underground of St. Peter’s Basilica, Your Eminence.”

“We’re really almost there.”

Narke smiled as he spoke to me again through divine power.

―”It might be a bit sharp, but don’t be nervous. You understand?”

―”Saying that just makes me more nervous.”

―”Haha, true. Still… I have no intention of making you do anything when you’ve just arrived. I’ll handle everything this time, so just trust me.”

He must be planning something.

I nodded at Narke’s excited tone.

I began to see points where light from above was starting to come in.

We climbed up from the stairs and passed through numerous corridors and buildings before standing in front of the most central door.

A guard who had been waiting opened the door and shouted loudly.

“Cardinal Farnese, Your Eminence, has arrived!”

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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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