How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family - Chapter 96

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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 (96)

A well-built man walking with an indifferent expression raised his eyebrows.

“Oh.”

“How about it, I was right, wasn’t I?”

Jonas shouted to him with an enthusiastic tone.

He examined my face with a serious expression, then looked at Jonas and raised the corners of his mouth.

“This time it’s really true.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying. At first, I thought he was someone from another theater troupe.”

“That’s understandable to mistake. Somewhat…”

He turned his body as he observed me.

“Only his hair is red, but he gives off an Adrian Ascanien feeling too.”

“…”

Just in case, I had lightly cast a perception disruption spell on myself too…

He’s accurate.

I hid my expression with a faint smile.

On the other hand, Jonas, who seemed to have a different opinion from him, opened his eyes wide.

“Huh? Is that so?”

“Don’t you see it? There’s a strange resemblance.”

“I don’t see it.”

At those words, he readily nodded.

“Well, his features are a bit vague. Anyway, it would be too risky to promote using that name, so never mind.”

“Wouldn’t he draw popularity properly? We’d have a star actor in our theater troupe!”

“Haha, it’s a bit early to discuss that already…”

He whispered to Jonas.

Then he approached me with a smiling face and patted my shoulder.

“Mr. Dietrich Granach. You said you wanted to stand as an actor, right?”

“…”

Everyone else starts as an errand boy, so why me?

I didn’t answer because the situation that was about to unfold was already absurd, but he nodded on his own and said,

“Let’s do it.”

* * *

“Wow~”

“You somehow made it to the theater troupe.”

When I warped to the room with a complex expression, my friends who had arrived at the lodging first and were listening to the conversation through an artifact looked at me.

“Did the actor arrive?”

“…”

“Hey, if you were going to say that, you should have gotten checked by me first~ Our Luca didn’t know this would work, right?”

“When did you ask if this was okay?”

As I plopped down on the sofa, Narke said with a laugh,

“Since we knew through Pleroma first, we couldn’t feel it, but first impressions are this important.”

“That’s right. I didn’t know a path would open up this quickly.”

Leo nodded seriously without any playfulness.

Honestly, I’m surprised too.

They said there are many apprentices, so why are they trying to make me an actor?

What are they planning to do without even verifying my acting skills?

Since they decided to take me based solely on what they could see, my trust in the theater troupe plummeted rapidly.

“I saw before that you did well for 40 minutes of practice? When I watched your Faust, there was something that just clicked! You know what I mean?”

“No. Acting isn’t the problem. It’s just not the result I expected.”

As I thought before, this field isn’t unfamiliar to me.

Unfortunately, I’m more familiar with film than stage, but since my purpose isn’t really to challenge myself as an actor, it’s not a problem.

I was just a bit flustered because I had planned to do odd jobs and then faced this result.

Then Leo asked worriedly,

“I found out that person has tremendous passion for his plays. People who met him briefly evaluate him positively, but people who’ve known him for a long time all sigh first. Will you be okay?”

Marian Baum was said to be both the theater troupe’s manager and one of the directors.

That means if I act poorly, I won’t even catch Marian Baum’s eye.

No, seeing that he receives such evaluations, I’d be lucky if it just ends with not catching his eye.

I answered simply,

“I’ll have to do well. Thanks for the information.”

“You’ll only be there for a few days, so just try to build a good relationship with Marian Baum~”

Narke just laughed with an amused expression and comforted me.

I responded with a smile instead of words.

Anyway, this is a good thing.

In a way, it’s a much better opportunity than approaching him while doing odd jobs.

If I can just catch his eye, I’ll be able to talk with him for longer and more properly.

* * *

It’s burdensome.

The next evening, I ignored the many gazes fixed on me and sat down.

They weren’t particularly kind looks.

It was obvious what they were thinking.

If I had time to do odd jobs in the theater troupe and become familiar, it might be different, but since I was immediately put into acting classes because the director liked me, they wouldn’t view me favorably.

‘Sorry, but it can’t be helped.’

Whatever the plan was, since I’ve already taken this position, I have no intention of doing it half-heartedly.

Especially to catch Marian Baum’s eye, I need to do my absolute best.

While I was ignoring the piercing gazes for a while, the door opened.

A middle-aged man with a gentle impression entered the practice room, looking around at us.

“Good evening, everyone.”

Flustered reactions flowed from various places. Someone carefully asked,

“…Teacher, what brings you here?”

“I heard there’s someone new taking classes, so I came to see.”

He immediately approached me.

“Are you the person who newly joined? Your name?”

“Dietrich Granach.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Granach. I’m called Marian Baum.”

I met him.

I briefly shook hands with him.

While shaking hands, he looked me over and said,

“Mr. Chris was talking about you all day today… You certainly live up to it. I’ll look forward to it.”

He seemed to be referring to the director I met yesterday.

It’s a bit flustering to hear he’ll look forward to it when I haven’t even taken classes yet, but it probably means he’ll see if I’m worth the value of coming up here while ignoring proper procedures.

‘The classes aren’t really classes anyway.’

There’s almost no teaching, and most of it you have to study on your own.

Since it’s always a market flooded with talented people, it wasn’t surprising. I didn’t expect that level of investment from this theater troupe either.

Not long after, the acting teacher came in. Seeing Marian Baum, he greeted him warmly.

“Teacher, you were here first. This person is… the one coming in for the first time today, right? Mr. Granach?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Bridget Huber. Please treat me well.”

“Likewise.”

“Now, let’s start class. Since we have someone new today, let’s just lightly go through some lines.”

The teacher smiled gently and distributed papers to the people sitting in our row.

It was a one-page script typed on a typewriter.

‘…This is Faust too.’

It’s a national play, so it’s worth having newcomers read it once.

Perhaps relaxed by receiving a familiar script, faint laughter could be heard from behind.

“I’ll give you 10 minutes to analyze. Let’s start one by one after 10 minutes.”

Unlike the script I received at school, this script contained long dialogues without any omissions.

‘Still, I can tell which part this is.’

I felt the tension building in the practice room and looked away from the script.

The two who received scripts with me were still moving their lips practicing, while the others were watching me and the other two.

When I turned my head toward where I felt a strong gaze, my eyes met with Marian Baum’s.

Never in my life did I think I’d participate in acting classes here…

“10 minutes are up. Let’s begin.”

Still, it’s cheap as the price for entering the Catacombs.

I looked away from Marian Baum and closed the script.

* * *

‘Hmm.’

Marian Baum sat beside the stage, stroking his chin as he looked around at the apprentice actors.

‘He’s certainly usable.’

He particularly stands out.

I heard he works for a Baron family, but strangely he has an atmosphere where I’d believe him if he said he was the Baron himself rather than a servant.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter. It’s a good trait.’

In these times when even commoners can achieve considerable economic power, people yearn for nobility that cannot be obtained through wealth alone.

So from any angle, he’s a marketable figure.

‘The problem is his acting ability.’

No matter how much times have changed and appearance has become more important than before, if acting ability doesn’t support it, no one will come to see the play.

Seeing how they placed someone they just met yesterday right in this position, it seems everyone intends to put him on stage somehow…

If his skills aren’t up to par, no matter what tricks they pull, I cannot allow it.

“10 minutes are up.”

The teacher lightly tapped the desk.

“Let’s start with Mr. Wurfel.”

At those words, Wurfel took his script and went onto the stage.

When the teacher gave the starting signal, his eyes instantly changed.

“Why does hope never disappear for that friend? Always digging for gold and silver with petty greed, yet rejoicing even when finding earthworms!”

A solid voice echoed through the practice room.

Marian Baum recalled his memories.

His vocalization itself was never bad.

His emotions weren’t bad either.

He’s worth considering for the young Faust.

But that’s as far as it goes.

Marian Baum pressed his temple while listening to his lines.

Part 1’s ‘Night.’

This is the part before Faust meets Mephistopheles, where he suffers because although he has mastered many disciplines, he cannot grasp the essence of the world.

At this point, Faust thinks he cannot find truth in a human body, so he tries to end his life by drinking poisoned wine.

While anguish can be felt in his acting, the resolve leading to his decision to die cannot be felt.

“Should I not have dared to resemble you? I had the power to draw you to me… but lacked the power to hold you.”

‘He’s wasting energy in useless places.’

Watching the apprentice’s acting only breeds dissatisfaction.

As he closed his eyes, applause could be heard at some point.

“Good.”

The acting teacher seemed to evaluate it as not too bad.

He knew his standards were high, but facing it directly like this was making his thoughts complicated.

Marian Baum maintained his smile while watching the next actor’s performance.

There’s a reason apprentices are apprentices.

Anyway, what he was curious about was the newcomer who was sent here immediately without proper procedures.

Thinking that way and emptying his mind to pass time, the acting teacher clapped his hands.

“Now only the newcomer remains.”

Granach stood up from his seat and came onto the stage.

The teacher asked with a puzzled look.

“What about the script?”

“If I don’t have to read from it, I’ll do it without the script.”

“Hm?”

Marian Baum removed the hand that was supporting his chin and spoke.

“It’s over forty lines, Mr. Granach.”

“I know.”

“You can’t stop halfway and leave.”

“Yes, I’m aware. If I don’t absolutely have to look at it, I’d like to do it without the script. It gets in the way.”

Granach said with a calm smile.

‘…Is he saying he memorized it just now?’

That can’t be it.

It must mean he’s already practiced this script countless times…

“Well, fine. Go ahead.”

If so, that’s even more welcome.

I’ll be able to know his real ability.

Marian Baum smiled and gestured.

Then Granach nodded.

He fixed his gaze on one side of the stage and raised his hand to his chest.

“Why does hope never disappear for that friend?”

Rather than solid, a clear voice flowed out quietly.

Marian followed his gaze to look at the side of the stage.

Is he acting as if watching where his student went?

Just as he thought that, he looked toward the front of the stage again.

“Always digging for gold and silver with petty greed, now rejoicing even when finding earthworms… Should such pure voices be heard in this place where spirits surround me!”

‘Hmm.’

This is a part where paragraphs are divided.

He deliberately connected them without pausing as written.

When sentences recited at once become too long, the audience’s concentration drops.

‘He’s certainly not someone familiar with the stage.’

But thanks to that, the emotions themselves are flowing out quite well.

The discord that easily occurs when acting while constantly revisiting emotions like despair cannot be felt from him.

“But this once I must be grateful. My gratitude goes to you, the most miserable on earth. You snatched me from despair where all senses sink below!”

Granach raised his voice.

Unlike his cold voice without laughter, a faint smile was forming on his face.

Marian stared intently at Granach, lost in thought.

‘Did he interpret Faust as gradually going mad?’

It’s not a bad choice.

It can be seen as the beginning part where he decides to die for truth.

‘Strangely, his understanding is high…’

But he doesn’t seem to have been on stage before.

Marian stroked his chin and looked around.

The acting teacher, who seemed to have no particular expectations, was already beaming with smiles.

Probably, he’s thinking it’s quite good for a first time.

“Should I not have dared to try to resemble you? I had the power to draw you to me, but I lacked the strength to hold onto you.”

Unlike before, a faint self-deprecating laugh seeped into Granach’s voice.

However, perhaps worried that the acting might become burdensome, his expression remained within unexaggerated bounds.

‘Right… well. The interpretation itself is decent.’

Thanks to that, the power didn’t change drastically and remained consistently maintained.

I like it because it matches the grain of the Faust I envision.

But…

‘Strangely, I feel like I’m sensing magical power from this location.’

From this location where there isn’t a single member of the nobility.

Marian now fixed her gaze solely on Granach with an expressionless face.

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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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