Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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Just as he said, it was a success.
‘It’s much shorter than what I read.’
More than half had been cut down.
But the outcome was the same as before.
The amplification magic had cut off midway, but someone cast a spell of their own to carry on the sound.
Vigilante members in plain clothes waiting below the balcony dragged him out, but before they could stop him, more people kept applying amplification magic.
The intent was clear.
The public wanted to hear what Elias had to say.
And...
‘They were ordering Elias’s death just a moment ago, but after hearing Lichtofen, they’ve changed their minds, huh.’
I thought he was just needling Elias, but to think he’d help like this.
“Even the captain can’t block twenty mages’ mana, so he’ll put the defense forces out front and escape.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
If they fled without directly suppressing the insubordination, it was a success.
Showing that scene to the public alone planted countless doubts and room for imagination.
“We should head to the defense bureau building now, which the vigilantes share. But first...”
Lichtofen stepped back and slapped away Leo’s hand gripping his collar.
“...let go of this...”
“Weren’t you the one who sold out Elias just now? These are your planted guys—why haven’t you stopped them yet?”
It was the most sinister tone Leo had used with me so far. I stayed out of it and just watched.
“...Yeah, sorry about that. But you know why I didn’t give the order, right?”
Leo scowled fiercely and shoved him away, releasing his grip.
If he’d ordered betraying his superior for a noble, the one ending up like that would’ve been Lichtofen, a noble himself—so in the end, the vigilantes had to side with Elias on their own.
Of course, that’s what made it meaningful. A result forced by Lichtofen’s orders would mean nothing.
“Let’s go.”
Lichtofen, finally free of Leo, floated a map in the air.
“Looks like we’re halfway there. We’ll enter the underground 1km from the bureau. It’s packed with spatial magic experts, so don’t expect it to be easy.”
So far, we’d passed through with Lichtofen.
To avoid suspicion, we’d walked instead of using magic, and changing into vigilante uniforms had made checkpoints a breeze, shortening inspection times.
‘I laid the perception distortion on thick.’
Unless they stared too long, a brief glance wouldn’t raise questions about our blurry features.
Perhaps mistaking my contemplation for worry, Lichtofen winked.
“Of course, I plan to use spatial magic freely too, so no need to fret.”
“I’m not. Let’s go.”
I followed Lichtofen’s lead and started walking.
After trekking the passage for a while, two defense bureau guards appeared at a door.
Lichtofen silently pulled out his vigilante credentials.
They stepped aside with blank expressions.
“Go on in.”
“...!”
Their right hands moved toward their left wrists.
I yanked off Lichtofen’s hood as he walked ahead and drew my wand.
At that moment, I spotted Leo’s fingers twitch lightly below. Blue mana shot past my vision.
Boom—!
“Guh!”
The defense bureau man slammed into the wall, writhing.
Leo’s mana crushed their hands and necks.
I spun my wand into a staff and drew out divine power.
—Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman’s vigilance is in vain.
Thud—!
White light flooded the corridor the instant it spread, draining strength from their bodies.
Leo clicked his tongue and withdrew his mana.
“These guys are using that tool too. We never authorized its circulation outside Bayern.”
He meant the sensory transfer artifact.
Once the defense bureau men collapsed, the smile vanished from Lichtofen’s face.
He blasted the artifacts on their wrists, shattering them, then stood.
“They’ve probably issued a wanted notice already. It must include that I betrayed the captain.”
He tested the outer spatial magics one by one and spoke.
“Then gentle entry’s pointless. I thought about infiltrating the security bureau and using their portal, but that’s likely blocked too. Let’s head straight to the captain’s office.”
Whether he had a way or not, with a rebel already emerging from the vigilantes, the captain’s office was probably cleaned out by now.
So, ditch the defense bureau.
“There’s more than one way to contact Pleioma. Any other route to Robert Müller?”
* * *
“A dog?”
Leo asked in a cold voice.
Just a month ago, he’d been insisting on proper speech as the Class 1-B vice captain, but honorifics were long gone.
We were crossing a forest now.
The sun had just set, red sunlight stabbing through clusters of firs and pines dotted with raindrops.
Lichtofen turned back with a grin.
“My nose is pretty good.”
“More than pretty good.”
Leo voiced his suspicion, but I didn’t care to know.
Thanks to it, we hadn’t run into a single vigilante. Earlier checks showed other vigilantes and defense forces swarming the city center like mad.
“300m more here, and the council hall’s right there. Let’s check first.”
The other Robert Müller was this place’s National Assembly Speaker.
He was also the one who’d unleashed the defense forces downtown.
With a small population, power separation wasn’t clear-cut, but holding military command put him at the head of state.
Lichtofen stopped and opened a spatial magic.
Black-clad mages were already lined up in front of the council.
“Hmm, already... In that case, better for us to open spatial magic and charge in.”
Lichtofen abruptly changed direction and swept his foot across the ground.
“......”
For some reason, it felt dog-like just now.
Not enough, apparently—he sat and pawed at the dirt.
“That won’t work either.”
“Explain in terms I can understand.”
“It’s not the original. This whole area we’re standing in is overlaid with spatial magic.”
“Is that normal?”
“Of course not. Deploying people like that in a duplicate... They’ve got intent.”
Lichtofen lifted his hand from the ground and stood.
As he rubbed his chin in thought, Leo nodded at us.
“No need to overthink. Let’s go.”
Before I could ask why, Leo—unlike his usual self with me—explained right away.
“If it’s intentional, the one we want is in the original world. Head there, and the soldiers here vanish too. Better to punch straight through than waste time.”
“Yeah, right.”
Sound logic.
But charging head-on past all those people... Felt surreal hearing this when just yesterday I couldn’t trust my own skills.
“In case, he’ll layer double spatial magic on us. Attacks might include spatial disruption, so don’t take defense force spells head-on.”
Leo nodded at Lichtofen’s words, scanned the distance, and continued.
“300m’s perfect. I’ll buy time below—you two go high. You... know the warp coordinates here, right?”
“Haha, how could a local not? Speaking of, back when student council made you use honorifics religiously, wasn’t this tone a bit too dismissive~?”
Lichtofen said that, smiled, and grabbed my wrist. The moment his mana hit my veins, wind roared in my ears.
Far below, a forest dyed red by sunset sprawled.
Kwaaaang—!
A massive boom, probably from Leo below, echoed up.
Lichtofen wrapped me in a barrier and leaned on the railing, blocking the defense force’s barrage.
Cracks sounded in the barrier with each impact piling on.
Kugugung—! Kwaaang—! Bang—!
“Hurry. I’ll grab him and come down now.”
No need to say it—I was already moving.
I swung my wand; the family wand shifted to the Papal one, linking with the divine power from my core.
No idea how many spatial layers were here, but one shot.
‘Amplify it.’
Mana cost be damned.
I pushed divine power to the staff’s tip and chanted swiftly.
—If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done!
My ears rang deaf as countless spatial layers flashed by.
When hearing returned, the pounding booms in my ears had vanished like a dream.
The mages encircling the building were gone without a trace.
‘Leo...’
I smacked my ear and turned.
Luckily, Lichtofen had returned here before the spatial peeled away and brought Leo to the rooftop.
Lichtofen gripped his wand and descended cautiously to the floor below.
I spoke as I’d sensed earlier with divine power.
“First floor. Probably alone.”
The speaker would’ve known the moment we stripped the overlaid spatial magic, but no reaction yet meant what he was doing was obvious. Especially alone without others.
Lichtofen nodded in understanding.
He stood at the stairs to the first floor, counted, then rounded the corner and slammed his staff into the floor.
That instant, his mana surging into the marble halted.
“All that prepared food’s ruined now.”
“...!”
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The first-floor chamber was cleared spotless, save for a long table in the center.
An old man set down his wine and looked at me.
“Finally met, Sir Nikolaus.”
No mask on me, yet he knew who Nikolaus was among us.
I pinned his body with divine power.
Then, like with Lichtofen earlier, I aimed my wand at his heart.
—In him who strengthens me, I can do all things.
“Hmm, I see.”
He raised both hands, then patted near his heart.
A smirk tugged his lip.
“An honor to witness Sir Nikolaus’s divine power firsthand. Especially to be seen as such a threat.”
“......”
An honor?
The time for calm words like that?
This was Robert Müller, the letter’s author.
I knew instinctively.
But... Robert’s a man’s name.
Unlike new humans stamped from one mold without gender tells, old humans showed it outwardly.
No idea if he’d used magic like Leo, but he looked female.
‘Doesn’t matter.’
Him being Robert Müller meant he was the one to deal with.
‘Anything special to watch for?’
Simon Everhart
Favorability 0
Title: Robert Müller
Vitality: +5
Mental Strength: +10
Mana: +6
Technique: +9
Impression: +1
Luck: +1
Trait: Tenacity (Lv.10)
Good—nothing special beyond 10 mental strength.
Then Everhart smiled kindly and gestured to the table.
“I knew you’d come here. Waited ages to meet—think I’d do anything to you? Sit.”
I picked up the wine glass before me and smiled lightly.
“Already rehearsed this bit.”
“Haha, this was my big picture.”
As Leo’s glare turned murderous, Lichtofen averted his eyes with a smile.
Everhart pitifully tilted his brows exaggeratedly and clasped his hands.
“To think you’d betray us so systematically... Scraped the catacomb floors for lessons, huh.”
He adapted my earlier phrasing to scold Lichtofen.
“Couldn’t leave it be. Took effort convincing and saving the captain.”
“That fool’s just as dumb. Told him to be careful...”
“You don’t trust me?”
“Can’t chatter among ourselves with a guest. Sit. Standing changes nothing.”
Lichtofen just smiled and nodded at us.
I pulled out the opposite chair and sat.
“My first letter was three weeks ago. Utterly impressed by your actions, Sir.”
“Didn’t expect one like you to join hands with Pleioma.”
“Heh heh heh...”
He burst laughing, then spoke again.
“Enviable, isn’t it? I envy you, Sir Nikolaus. Pursuing justice your way—that’s grand luck.”
“......”
“His Highness Elias von Hohenzollern asked if you wished to surrender to destined ruin... How dreamy. Some have only one path left.”
He smiled and sipped his wine.
I murmured, repeating him.
“Only one.”
“Fail to seize, and die. Seize it, and at least avoid death. I bear responsibility for hundreds of thousands—can’t decide by my values alone.”
I stared straight into his eyes.
He didn’t view Pleioma favorably.
He wouldn’t say it outright, but obviously. No need for one who tried killing me for Pleioma to badmouth them before me.
“His Majesty plans to attack here. Know that?”
“Of course. That’s why we needed power, by any means.”
Mild or radical—he was radical.
Not hiding till the time came, but gearing for all-out war with the emperor.
‘Different from me.’
Catacombs safe from emperor, while satisfying him—my way wasn’t far.
Make a third enemy.
Wonder if he’d grant that wish.
Which choice?
I watched his face impassively.
“Shall we talk about that day? Sorry for hurting your hand.”
“A hand’s nothing. Lucky to keep my life.”
He smiled faintly at my words.
“Loyal to Pleioma yet guarding catacombs and world safety, all while secretly striking Pleioma—I pondered long for such a way.”
“I see.”
“Borrow Pleioma’s strength to grow strong, then break free—that was my thought.”
“Not anymore, I guess.”
Even at my sarcasm, he just smiled.
“As you know, my plan’s success hinged on Nikolaus’s survival.”
“Kill Nikolaus, and it offsets long-term losses to Pleioma somewhat. Fail, and it’s pure loss for them.”
“Indeed, Sir Nikolaus. You know well—makes talk quick.”
He drained the last of his wine long, then stared silently. He tapped his plate lightly with a fork.
Thud—
“...!”
Lichtofen shot to his feet.
Everything but us turned pitch black.
Another spatial magic, clearly.
Everhart said quietly.
“You must go, Sir.”
Needed a third enemy.
If Pleioma as that third—perfect. Satisfied emperor, hit Pleioma, secured catacombs.
So, meet Pleioma linked here.
Where to? Obvious without asking.
He’d handed this whole space to Pleioma.
I smiled and stared at Everhart.
“Thanks for the help like this.”