How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 83

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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 (83)

I unconsciously took a deep breath.

Perhaps reading my flustered expression, the professor smiled and spoke to me.

“Hehe, practical subjects really brought down your average score quite a bit. Last time too, you got perfect scores in most subjects, right? This time you got perfect scores in all six subjects.”

Perfect scores?

Of course, even before, seven out of ten subjects were perfect scores, so from the professor’s perspective, this grade wouldn’t be too surprising.

‘…They say finishing strong is most important in anything, but I was lucky.’

Although I did focus on studying the six subjects intensively, I could have made a mistake, but seeing that I didn’t, I can only say I was lucky.

“What, then…?”

Some whispers could be heard.

The friends who always ranked 1st or 2nd in class were probably wondering why I was called to the 1st place position.

“Next, Leonard Wittelsbach. 2nd place in the department.”

“Huh?”

A bewildered reaction flowed from the students.

In contrast, Leo nodded without any particular expression.

“Lastly, Julia Zehringen and Narke Farnese are tied for 5th place in the department.”

Narke put on a deliberately surprised expression.

Having watched her for a few months, I could now somewhat distinguish whether her expressions were fake or not. This time, she seemed to have expected to receive a tie.

“Unfortunately, since the magic potion competition is a 5-person team exam, one person will have to forfeit.”

“I’ll forfeit, Professor.”

Narke answered with a relaxed smile.

“Hmm, are you sure that’s okay? You can discuss it with Julia until tomorrow morning if you’d like.”

“I have no intention of entering the field of magic pharmacy. I also think it’s right to give the opportunity to a friend from the Imperial 2nd Education Institute rather than me.”

Then Julia raised her hand with a troubled expression.

“Professor, I’m weak in magic potion subjects. That field isn’t one I aspire to either. I’ll be the one to forfeit.”

“Hmm, then you can discuss it with each other and decide by tomorrow. Good. Now I’ll call out the special class roster after the final exams.”

After combining with practicals, Leo was 1st place in the department.

‘So that’s where his confidence came from when he asked what I thought it would be like.’

“That’s all. Participating students should depart for Bavaria tomorrow morning. Everyone will warp with me, and I’ll return and depart by train with Lucas.”

“…Train…?”

“Oh no…”

Several students turned toward me with horrified faces.

Elias had a smile on his face as if asking what to do about this, which was understandable.

‘It takes eight hours by train to get there…’

I can warp too, but I can’t say that.

I just smiled and responded to the students’ gazes.

* * *

That evening, we quickly got dressed and left the building for the banquet scheduled for 7 o’clock.

After the grade announcement ended, only an hour and thirty minutes remained.

Since it would be strange for Nicolaus to come out of the school, we moved locations and finished preparing at the nearest inn.

“Do we really need to rush out like this? Can’t we just warp?”

“Ah, everyone thinks that way. But it’s not allowed.”

Elias smiled and approached the front of the school with quick steps.

Then, a child who appeared to be a 3rd Education Institute student appeared hesitantly holding a letter.

“Um…!”

“Ah, thank you~”

Elias snatched the letter and kissed the envelope.

Since there are countless letters coming to me and Elias already, this situation wasn’t strange, but that attitude was quite bewildering since I was seeing it for the first time today.

Even while walking almost at a run, perhaps noticing my distorted expression, Elias cast a sound-blocking spell and giggled.

“I might get caught if I’m not careful. I don’t have time to listen to stories, so I have to make do with gestures. Wouldn’t it be better not to ignore a friend’s social life~?”

“Tell me if there’s anyone who conducts their social life like this…”

As we approached the Hohenzollern carriage, the coachman bowed and opened the door.

I slightly lifted my hat in greeting and sat across from Elias.

When the door closed, Elias shut all the windows and cast a sound-blocking spell.

“In the entire country, the Hohenzollern family is probably the only one that uses carriages this frequently.”

“Considering you said warping isn’t allowed, I guess you must take a carriage when going to imperial banquets?”

Come to think of it, I remembered reading about this in passing descriptions in the novel.

“Yes, you really must come by carriage~ Warp magic is absolutely forbidden.”

Elias spoke sarcastically and shrugged his shoulders.

“They say it looks undignified. The tradition of valuing formalities over everything else just never seems to disappear.”

Why is he saying something serious for once?

With his disheveled hair neatly arranged and wearing imperial formal wear while sitting with serious eyes, I could see an aspect that wasn’t usually visible.

“If it were me, I’d buy five more wild boars with that money.”

“Right…”

Now I understand why Leo always points out Elias’s way of speaking.

“So, how does it feel to have your crutches off?”

“Ah, it’s refreshingly cool beyond words. Still, I need to be careful for a week. They said if I’m not careful, it might never heal properly.”

“It must have been really badly broken then.”

“That’s right~ By the way, your mask is new. Do you like it?”

Now everyone seems to accept it, as no one objected even when I notified them I’d attend wearing a mask.

Since I need to eat food, this time I wore a different type of mask than usual.

It’s a bit unfamiliar, but since I cast a cognitive disruption spell with divine power, no one should be able to recognize who I am.

As we reached the pavilion palace used as the banquet hall, guards followed us.

I let Elias lead by half a step and entered the pavilion palace.

“Are you ready, Your Grace?”

“Ready for what?”

“To get fleeced for the first time at a court party…”

“I understand.”

I cut off Elias’s words.

The guards and servants standing at the door pretended not to hear and opened the door.

“His Grace Duke Elias Hohenzollern and His Excellency Nicolaus Ernst have arrived!”

The gazes of the nobles in the grand hall all turned toward us at once.

It was the beginning of the reception before dinner, where guests get acquainted with each other.

“Welcome. Please allow me to guide you this way.”

A servant guided us to the main guest seats.

As soon as I picked up a champagne glass, an elderly man who was short and appeared to have a sturdy build approached me.

“It’s our first meeting, Your Excellency Ernst.”

“You must be His Grace Duke Heinrich. It’s an honor to meet you at such an occasion.”

The Imperial Chancellor.

A few months ago, he was also the one who invited us to the Federal Committee, anticipating his victory.

In other words, he’s pro-Emperor and probably doesn’t have a good impression of us from that memory.

The Chancellor smiled benevolently.

“I was impressed by the courage you showed this time. Having someone as proactive as you makes me feel incredibly reassured as a chancellor of this country.”

“…”

‘As expected…’

If Elias had said those words, it would have been praise, but from the mouth of a pro-Emperor chancellor who doesn’t particularly welcome us, it could never be praise.

He expressed it as ‘courage.’

It might sound good at first glance, but it’s an expression that doesn’t acknowledge merit as merit.

The meaning behind his next words was also obvious, so there was nothing more to say.

“I feel the same way. I’m always learning greatly from Your Grace’s politics. Please continue to work hard for good governance.”

“…Indeed. I cannot monopolize Your Grace’s time alone, so I should take my leave now.”

“I shall see you at the banquet.”

The minister disappeared from before me, maintaining his gentle smile to the very end.

As I continued receiving guests for some time, I spotted a familiar face.

“It’s good to see you.”

The word “you…” rose to the tip of my throat before going back down.

Leo smiled and offered a handshake.

―”What are you?”

“I thought you would naturally know. I came on behalf of His Majesty the King of Bavaria. Congratulations.”

I could see Elias beside me rubbing his arms as if getting goosebumps and giggling.

Leo seemed to have decided to ignore Elias now, simply smiling gently.

“Let’s meet at the banquet later. We’re supposed to sit at the same table.”

He really is a politician after all.

His attitude toward Elias’s pranks was different from at school.

After about twenty minutes had passed, I heard someone entering the hall belatedly.

“His Grace Duke Georg Ascanien has arrived!”

“…”

Elias’s gaze reached me with a sidelong glance.

I had thought I might not recognize him since I’d never seen his face in person, but I immediately realized that wouldn’t be the case.

Far away, a man who looked similar to Hyung but much sharper swept his surroundings with cold eyes, then approached Elias and me at the guest of honor seats.

“…”

He glanced at me briefly, then approached the imperial Elias first to greet him.

Soon he finished his greeting and came before me.

“Your Excellency Nicolaus Ernst.”

It was a voice clearly etched in Luca’s memory.

Whether it was Luca’s instinct, I had to prevent my shoulders from naturally shrinking.

“I’ve heard much about you. It’s an honor to meet you like this.”

An utterly mechanical tone, mechanical movements.

Only a businesslike smile appeared on his face.

It wasn’t a smile one could call particularly human, but at least in Luca’s memory, there hadn’t even been such a smile.

I suppressed the instinctive revulsion rising within me and grasped his hand.

And immediately, I opened the status window.

Though I didn’t need any information right away, this was an opportunity that might not come again if not now.

Georg Ascanien

Favorability -2

Title: Lord of Anhalt

Stamina: +9

Mental Power: +1.5

Magic Power: +7.5

Skill: +10

Impression: +5

Luck: -7

Traits: Unhearing (Lv.10)(!), Tenacity (Lv. 10)(!)

‘…Interesting.’

Usually those with high stamina, skill, and magic power maintain similar levels in other categories, but the mental power and luck values stand out.

That strange trait too.

I greeted him as he raised an eyebrow as if asking what the problem was.

“Likewise, Your Grace.”

At my response, he smiled faintly once more and disappeared into the crowd.

There wasn’t even a word or two of polite conversation exchanged.

He seemed to have no interest in the banquet itself, having only come because he was invited by the Emperor.

After that, we endured thirty minutes of other guests before finally being able to briefly escape to the clock room just before the banquet.

I entered the room assigned to me as the guest of honor and collapsed on the sofa.

It wasn’t a room meant for lying down, but I had no choice.

“Phew…”

“Ahahaha! I’m curious what kind of social language you heard. I should listen to this for a while at dawn today.”

“I won’t drink with Your Highness.”

“Huh? Why?!”

After showing me someone’s head being cracked in real time, what…

“Come to think of it, how was he? That person.”

“I couldn’t tell.”

He was talking about Father.

No, rather than not knowing, it would be more accurate to say he had no interest in anything whatsoever.

It was obvious he had no intention of learning about me, nor did he spare even a moment to feel any subtle familiarity from me.

It wasn’t just toward me. I felt no emotion whatsoever in his eyes as he looked at people and objects.

‘You’d have to be that detached to let Hyung abuse his younger brother.’

How would such a person know what happens in his own household?

I sat up and asked.

“Come to think of it, isn’t His Majesty the Emperor here?”

“He said he would come in time for the banquet. It’s quite rude, but please understand. He’s probably planning to boast about handling state affairs on a party day.”

Even though it wasn’t funny, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

It would have been nice if everyone spoke so refreshingly, but since no one else spoke like this, I finally felt like I could breathe a little.

“Come, let’s go.”

Since we couldn’t linger long in a room used for storage, we entered the banquet hall where the dinner was being held.

Just then, someone’s voice rang out loudly.

“His Majesty Emperor Friedrich has arrived!”

“His Highness Prince Adelbert Hohenzollern has arrived!”

“…”

I heard a small clicking sound from Elias. Elias spoke at a volume only I could hear.

“Why did that bastard come?”

He had reason to say that.

Elias wasn’t close to the Emperor’s children.

Especially the prince called Adelbert was a villain who openly disliked Elias.

As the numerous nobles in the dining hall paid their respects, the Emperor stood before the table with a faint smile at the corners of his mouth.

“It’s good to see you all. I see both faces I’m meeting for the first time and familiar ones. I hope you all enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content.”

The banquet wasn’t difficult.

Because Luca had grown up constantly watching Hyung’s moods, his table manners were perfectly mastered.

After lightly drinking the aperitif, the Emperor, now seated, nodded to me and looked at Elias to ask.

“Have you been well, Duke?”

At those words, Elias smiled gently.

“Of course, Your Majesty. Thanks to your constant delicate attention, I’m spending utterly peaceful days.”

“…!”

‘This guy knows how to use that rhetoric too.’

I had to try hard to suppress my laughter.

How could this be called peaceful daily life?

Not even a week had passed since the incident.

Especially since Elias and I were right in the middle of all that chaos.

In the end, it was no different from sarcasm.

“Ahem.”

Leo cleared his throat and gave us a hint.

But since Elias had always lived that way, his sarcastic demeanor wasn’t surprising at this point.

And… whenever this happened, the Emperor in the novel would smile and put on a good-natured act.

“Haha, it’s truly delightful to meet my nephew after such a long time.”

“I feel the same way, Your Majesty. I’ll visit you more often.”

“How wonderful to hear. If you have time later, do visit your father as well. And…”

The Emperor looked in my direction and spoke.

“Lord Ernst. You’ve accomplished something great this time. Someone like you appeared in our Empire a few years ago.”

“…”

“Who would have known that our Empire would gain another person like Vice Minister Adrian Ascanien of the Magic Department? Having people like you makes me feel so reassured.”

“It is truly an honor, Your Imperial Majesty.”

The Emperor smiled gently and nodded his head.

After that, light conversation flowed like water.

‘…Hmm.’

As expected, perhaps because it’s still early, it’s peaceful enough to make being on guard seem pointless.

‘Of course, unlike the novel, there’s one more person he’s meeting for the first time, so it’s natural for him to be more moderate.’

As the time to finish the meal approached, the Emperor took a sip of wine and spoke.

“It seems time to wrap things up is approaching. Due to my schedule, I can’t stay long, so I’ll have to return after midnight.”

I could see Elias exhale in relief.

The Emperor had been treating us smoothly throughout, but Elias’s reaction was natural.

Because the Emperor’s true nature was never like this.

And I, having read Elias’s ten years, knew that as well.

Then, the Emperor looked at me with a smiling face.

“And, Lord Ernst.”

For a moment, my eyes met with Elias’s.

Leo also paused the hand holding his wine glass.

I calmly looked into the Emperor’s eyes and spoke.

“Please speak.”

“Before I leave, I’d like to have a private conversation with you. Would that be alright?”

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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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