Chapter 127
Chapter 127
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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“…What…?”
“Are you insane~?!”
Elias grabbed my shoulders with a laugh.
Seeing the most intense reaction I’d ever gotten from him, he must have been truly shocked.
“I’m perfectly sane. First, let me explain why I have to go out there…”
“You’re not planning to reveal Nikolaus right now, are you?! You said you’d refine that some more.”
Elias’s loud voice echoed through the room, and Leo timely cast a soundproofing spell on the door.
My shoulders felt like they were about to crumble, so I patted his back to calm him down as I spoke.
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s not Nikolaus. I’m going out there as plain old me.”
Narke stood in the back with his mouth agape at first, but now he was grinning ear to ear after using Insight, it seemed.
He probably didn’t mean to, but seeing his reaction put my mind at ease.
It meant no harm was coming my way, at least.
Unlike the others, Elias had the most heated reaction, so Leo grabbed his shoulders and sat him down.
“Let’s hear him out first.”
“Thanks. I figured you’d all think something like, ‘If you’re going to use magic anyway, why bother creating Nikolaus all this time?’”
Leo pondered deeply before shaking his head.
“Nah, not really.”
“Hm?”
“The situation back then was different from now. Besides, Nikolaus is the strongest weapon in your arsenal. At first, I thought he looked like a thief, but looking back, that choice was absolutely indispensable.”
“Is that so…”
A thief, huh.
I just smiled, and Leo continued.
“I think I get why you want to use magic. Your brother knows you can use it and still let you go, so you figure it’s fine, right?”
“Yeah.”
Not ‘figure’—it really is fine.
Even when I poured out a massive amount of mana without holding back, the possibility of alteration didn’t change.
‘Since the possibility stayed the same, there’s nothing more to say, but I can’t explain it that way.’
I’d already told my friends that I used magic in front of my brother.
If I let them infer it, it wouldn’t convince them fully.
“I unleashed so much mana that it made my brother recoil, but he didn’t show much reaction. Using magic at that output means the drugs I take twice a week have zero effect—which implies someone’s been helping me every single time after I dose up.”
“Exactly. Otherwise, there’d be no way out.”
Leo nodded in agreement.
“Your brother must have left you alone because of outside help more than anything. With someone now knowing the truth, he probably figured messing with you would blow things up.”
“Yeah.”
Of course, my brother would have other questions from his perspective, but this was the most plausible conclusion right now.
I immediately pulled out the key point from this logic.
“Here’s where the problem comes in. I’m mistaken for a first-generation Pleroma, right? My brother said my core keeps trying to absorb others’ mana.”
At my words, Narke chuckled like it was amusing.
“Yeah, enough to kill people too~ The whole nation thinks so.”
“But I haven’t been caught because my brother killed my core. It was part of the vow never to disrupt the Empire. But here’s the thing.”
I clasped my hands together and leaned forward.
“Up until now, my core rank was the lowest, no different from a non-mage, so it wasn’t an issue. But the brother who begged to keep me alive because he’d take personal responsibility for the Empire’s safety…”
The faces of my friends seated across the desk started to show dawning realization.
Before I even finished, Elias’s mouth fell open.
I continued with a smile.
“Why would he cheer me on after seeing with his own eyes that the drugs don’t work anymore? How does he know I won’t use magic out there somewhere?”
“……”
“If things stay like this, both your brother who begged like mad to care for me and Ascanien will suffer for breaking the pact with the Imperial Family.”
Leo nodded gravely.
“…He must have a plan. You said he told you, ‘I’ll always help you,’ right? Looks like he really means to keep that promise.”
Of course he does.
But since it concerns my brother, I needed to examine it more closely to avoid backlash.
“I thought about it even further. What if that’s a trap? What if he lulls me into security, and the moment I use magic in front of people, he sends an execution order to the Imperial Family? He’s got the logic ready: ‘I did my best, but now the core can’t be suppressed by drugs anymore, so no choice.’ Not a bad move.”
“…….”
“If he plays it right, he could even round up my accomplices. Pretty clever, huh?”
Logically sound, but that’s not my brother’s plan.
If it were, the possibility of alteration would have dropped.
Leo tilted his head as he spoke.
“The timing’s off, though. Not sure if you know, but the live broadcast of the magic potion contest changed a lot of people’s perceptions of you. Your brother’s benefiting from that too.”
Elias, who had been listening silently, finally spoke.
“…Yeah. With everyone praising him for turning a cripple into a functioning person, you think he’d abandon you like that now?”
“I’m thinking he’s plotting something far more beneficial for himself than slapping a Pleroma label on you right away and requesting execution from the Imperial Family. Like how you could kill your brother now but choose not to.”
Leo said.
‘Spot on.’
My brother’s prepared for me using magic. He’s even planned something more elaborate and precise to take me down, as I’d thought before.
And he hadn’t rewound time experimenting like me, yet he was closest to the truth.
“Yeah. For the time being, your brother’s shelving the Pleroma label. Like at home, he’ll start cheering for me using magic from now on.”
Given his calm demeanor, he’d already accounted for the pact with the Imperial Family being threatened. He’d prepared logic that’d make it okay to reveal my core’s recovery to everyone.
‘And then he’ll slowly set the stage.’
Seeing my expression, the anxiety faded from Elias’s face.
Elias slung an arm over Narke’s shoulder and asked.
“Narke. Give us a prophecy.”
“Haha, I think it’ll be fine?”
“Be precise.”
“Hm, even if I say it, it probably won’t mean much. Lucas. You’re trying to shake off the Pleroma image as plain old Lucas, right? Up until now, you planned to live like this and merge with Nikolaus later.”
“Yeah.”
He knows well.
My brother’s a side issue.
The real question is why he’s now trying to build up Lucas Ascanien’s image as a mage when he never bothered before.
That’s the problem.
“Frankly, if you step up, the team’s safety skyrockets, so it’s a win for the students. But privately, you don’t have to—why build your image as Lucas? Tell us.”
“What else? Nothing beats a Pleroma getting taken down by another Pleroma for flipping the image.”
“Haha, true. But there’s more, isn’t there? Say it yourself.”
This was something I’d thought about in Baden-Baden before.
Now, three people wish for Nikolaus’s downfall.
The Emperor, the Crown Prince. And my brother, once I reveal myself.
No, just three? All the pro-emperor politicians are Nikolaus’s enemies too.
“There are tons of people who want Nikolaus to fall. When I reveal myself like this, my Pleroma stigma will drag him down.”
Leo, who’d been quiet, asked.
“So, you’re shaking off the Pleroma label ahead of time?”
“Yeah. I need to shift the situation even a little. Especially now—it’s the perfect chance to reverse my image.”
“Ah, I can’t wait to see how the kids react when you unleash your mana tomorrow~! I’ve been counting the hours.”
Elias was grinning casually now, as if he’d never been anxious.
Then, Leo called my name with a blank expression.
“Lucas.”
“…….”
He still thinks it’s a reckless move.
‘I can’t exactly show him the alteration possibility window.’
Maybe because of past experiences, my shoulders tensed reflexively, but I kept a straight face and met his gaze.
But his words were unexpected.
“Not gonna stop you. I’ve felt the Emperor pondering when to send you out since the catacombs.”
“…You know, I’ve been thinking this since earlier, but we’re actually on the same page for once.”
“What?”
“Hey, why don’t you listen to me more often~”
Elias playfully smacked Leo’s back, more surprised than anyone.
Leo cleared his throat awkwardly.
“…Fine. If you think we’re seeing eye to eye, tell us how we can help going forward.”
* * *
‘He’s being nice.’
Every word and action was pure Leo.
I thought that as I packed up in the clubroom.
Slinging my bag over my shoulder and heading to the entrance, I turned back and spotted Adelbert sitting alone in the corner with his head down.
“I’m turning off the lights. You coming?”
“…I’ll head out now.”
“Whatever.”
We’d crossed paths three times since club activities started, but this was our first real exchange.
To get info, I’d need to get close, but…
He looks down, no need to bother.
He’s got friends clinging to him anyway due to his status—no point adding to that weight.
I reached for the mana light switch, then remembered something I’d forgotten.
‘Oh.’
There was another reason I’d decided to enter the exam.
[Chapter 5. Good Things Take Time (1)]
Proposal 3: Make the optimal choice. (0/1) (1 hour 48 minutes 59 seconds)
* Route 1 — [Chapter 6. Do Right and Fear No One]
* Route 2 — [Chapter 6. Don’t Put Off Until Tomorrow What You Can Do Today]
The window that had popped up after classes ended this afternoon.
As always, the story would branch based on my choice.
With that unlucky proverb in Route 2, the optimal choice was obvious.
No point delaying now that my brother knows everything.
I reached into my bag and pulled out a paper.
Earlier, since Leo didn’t have a spare consent form, I’d grabbed one from the main building lobby.
The moment I wrote my name on it, pure white text appeared before my eyes.
Congratulations!
‘Proposal 3: Make the optimal choice.’ completed!
Confirms ‘Route 1 — [Chapter 6. Do Right and Fear No One]’.
‘This proposal was easy.’
Of course, only because I saw this as an opportunity—if I hadn’t even considered it, it’d be a total non-starter.
As I smiled in satisfaction, Adelbert’s voice came from behind.
“Sunbae.”
“What?”
Why’s Mr. -5 affinity calling me?
I turned, thinking that, but Adelbert sat silently for a long moment before lowering his head.
“Never mind.”
“…….”
What’s his deal?
No clue.
If it’s family trouble, maybe worth hearing out, but prying won’t make him spill.
I gave a quick goodbye and left the clubroom.
The next morning, the professor finished roll call and opened his newspaper and notes.
Like other magic schools, with the water contaminated, classes were an afterthought now.
Most professors had gone to suppress rampagers, leaving no one to teach.
“…Fortunately, rampage incidents dropped from yesterday. But cases of re-rampaging are rising, so if you must go out for unavoidable reasons, be cautious.”
He scanned the roster, then addressed us all.
“Next, about the student militia exam I mentioned yesterday. All 50 students in Magic Department Class 1-B submitted consent forms. I’m moved by your courage.”
A wave of bewilderment rippled through the classroom air.
Someone whispered faintly.
“Fifty…?”
“…Shouldn’t it be forty-nine?”
The professor didn’t quash the reaction, just stared at the list silently before looking up.
“Lucas Ascanien.”
The room went dead silent, like ice water had been dumped.
Forty pairs of shocked eyes—all but my club friends—turned to me.
“Your core is rated Magic General 9th grade. You’ll be cut in tonight’s document screening even if you apply. I get your intentions, but no one would blame you for sitting it out.”
In other words, no need to step up for noble duty.
He probably thought volunteering would get me even more hate.
The professor spoke comfortingly.
“You can withdraw now, no problem.”
“No. Thank you for the concern, but I’m good. I hear document screening only checks core suitability—can I resubmit my test results today?”
Students exchanged confused glances, peeking at me.
Even the professor eyed me quizzically.
“That won’t change even if retested. You’re resubmitting?”
“Yes.”
“…Alright, submit by end of day.”
The professor nodded, still baffled.
The students’ faces matched.
In this classroom, only Narke and Elias were smiling.