Chapter 138
Chapter 138
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Even though I had brazenly entered his room and set my bag down in the living room, Adelbert just stood there with his mouth agape.
Soon, his face drained of color as he spoke.
"Wh-what do you mean...?"
"Exactly what I said. Congratulations on landing the lead role. Want to grab a drink to celebrate?"
"No, no, no!"
Adelbert flailed his hands around for a while, as if words had failed him, then roughly raked back his disheveled hair and shouted.
"Why me for Rosalind?! I've never said I'd do it!"
"We decided today on a first-come, first-served basis. That was the only role left."
"...Today?"
I walked to the entrance without a word and picked up the letter from the drama club, handing it to him.
Adelbert read it with a face turned green, then pressed both hands to his cheeks and groaned.
"No way...."
"It's fine."
"Fine? I've only done acting for one semester. I've never taken a lead role!"
"Everyone there is in the same boat."
"......"
He racked his brains for a moment before coming up with an excuse.
"...The gender's different too.... Even for first-come, first-served...."
Hmm, yeah, he's definitely a guy.
The name made it obvious anyway.
Of course, some names are unisex, or parents just pick what they like, so you have to be careful not to misspeak in conversation.
'Why they made people so hard to distinguish....'
I hadn't gotten a clear answer in the novel or since coming here.
New humanity isn't born from wombs; they're created using magic power.
It was one of the mad experiments the first mages conducted to eradicate original sin and stand beside God.
New humanity received God's grace, granting them the power to create themselves, so Adam and Eve are ancestors of the old humanity, not the new. That was the nobility's logic.
New humanity looks down on old humanity because they see them as inferior beings tainted by original sin.
Anyway, whether it was impossible to transfer gender when extracting humans into labs, or if it was intentional for religious reasons even then, who knows.
'They created a new breed to erase original sin, so the latter's plenty possible.'
God has no concept of gender.
'Anyway....'
I fell silent for a moment.
Do new humanity even distinguish by gender when assigning roles? As far as I knew, it was just an item on the level of blood type.
Or was this guy just grasping at straws to get out of it.
'Probably the latter.'
I smiled softly and sat on the sofa in the middle of his room.
"Old humanity's gender distinctions aren't our concern, right?"
"......"
Adelbert pressed his lips together and looked away.
'Bingo, excuse.'
Even in the real world, acting classes had you play all sorts of characters regardless of gender or age. It broadens your interpretive range.
And these guys who can't even tell the difference are nitpicking?
After agonizing for a while, Adelbert pulled out another lame excuse.
"...That role has long hair, right? I can't wear a wig for two hours straight."
"You read the script. Except for the beginning, you can just go as you are."
He clamped his mouth shut.
He must have read Shakespeare since childhood, so he knew. In this play, the protagonist cross-dresses and wanders around, so no real style change needed. Maybe that's why the club president picked this one.
He let out a deep sigh, leaned against the window, then sank back into despair and paced the living room.
I watched him deny reality and spoke up.
"I get it. You'd rather study than memorize lines, right?"
"......"
More precisely, he was thinking there was no time to train, so how could he memorize lines.
My guess hit the mark. Adelbert stared into space with a dark expression, silent.
"If you really don't want to, go tell the club president yourself. They might listen."
"...Could you pass it on for me, senpai?"
"No. I'd prefer if you took the role."
It wasn't finalized yet, so if I messed up, it might come back to me.
He looked down at me with a horrified face.
'Favor drops -5, guaranteed.'
That's harsh.
Adelbert rubbed his dry face and spat out a sigh-like response.
"...Fine, whatever. I just wanted to take it easy.... Nothing I can't do."
I looked at him wordlessly.
He probably couldn't go outside.
Dealing with people out there was worse than taking an unwanted role. He'd worry about facing them later, but that was the future.
I rested my chin on my hand and spoke quietly.
"You came to watch my sparring earlier."
Adelbert's hand, flipping through the script, stopped.
"You'll go to club, but not the circle? Even with all those reasons you listed?"
"......."
Favor at -5, and he's ignoring me.
I couldn't tease him forever, so time to lay out the facts and steer the conversation.
"It's not fully decided yet. Rosalind's the only role left, and you're the only one unassigned. If you really hate it, go say something."
"Isn't that basically decided?"
He thought so, huh.
One word from the prince could override first-come, first-served, but he clearly didn't want to face people right now. Or didn't want to use his authority.
"Whatever. I'll help you interpret the script."
I brought it up naturally.
His mentality was wrecked, favor in the negatives clinging to the room, but he nodded with a soulless face.
The next hour went fully into script interpretation.
He was about ten years younger than me, but still a guy.
I got the gist of his stage, but I couldn't presume to dictate the weight a completely different person felt based on their upbringing and temperament.
Until he opened up first, building familiarity was better than pushing advice to raise favor.
"Here, instead of just raising the end like that, put force into the whole sentence. It needs to sound like you're persuading out of frustration."
"...Yes. I'll do that...."
He trailed off like this, but proved his diligent life by steadily keeping up with my pace. The downside? He never strayed off-topic once.
After answering questions and flipping pages for a while, as another thirty minutes passed, Adelbert spoke with his eyes fixed on the script.
"Senpai."
"Yeah. Where this time?"
"How much training have you done?"
"......"
First time he brought up something other than lines.
I suppressed a smile and answered calmly.
"A few months."
"...So, no real issues up to now?"
He finished, but I startled and explained first.
"Not hoping for problems. Just curious how it was for you, senpai."
"I know. If getting hit by magic daily counts as a problem, then yes."
"...Pardon? Who...?"
"The teacher."
"Ah...."
Adelbert nodded.
"Who did you train under?"
"Why? You want to too?"
"Yes."
"Kinda awkward to say. I'll teach you."
"Yes?"
He gave me a look screaming his floor-level favor.
"Never mind...."
"Yeah. Look at your lines."
He nodded, read a few more, then—focus scattered—brought up something off-script.
"Senpai. Do you know what it means that expectations exist to be shattered?"
"......"
'Sigh....'
Asking me? Should I tell -5 favor what I discussed with +10?
"Who said that?"
"Someone I respect. But I don't get it. Shatter expectations? Easy to say, but when it happens, no one can really do it."
"It's not about shattering them all, just don't burden yourself...."
"How can you not feel burdened?"
His hand stopped scribbling nonsense on the script.
"Once you carry the imperial weight, you can't just toss it aside. My position demands excellence in everything. My failure is His Majesty's failure and tarnishes Crown Prince's name."
"......"
"Did that person say I could shatter expectations even in this position?"
I looked at him silently.
Overburdened.
Even without an answer, he kept going, mouth open.
"You asked why I don't go earlier."
"Yes."
"I can't. Everyone turns away and whispers about grades when they see me. Of course, with imperial name, poor grades are unacceptable."
Those whispers fade quick.
Holed up like this, more talk comes out.
'Tell him reality?'
"Even if I can shatter expectations, I'm not okay with it myself."
"Why?"
"Because that's the outcome I want too. Low grades mean I can't stand beside the one I've respected my whole life."
Crown Prince, obviously.
Shows how well the Crown Prince brainwashed his little brother.
In the novel, Crown Prince was less talented than Adelbert in specifics but masterful at big-picture scheming.
Pure mana? Adelbert could outdo the eldest and claim Crown Prince.
But the eldest exploited Adelbert's loyalty, turning future emperor into his guard knight. In the novel, he used Adelbert as action captain against Elias.
'...The plot.'
Chance to change it properly now.
Not a new thought.
Fleeting when he showed favor to Nikolaus. But his loyalty to Crown Prince was extreme, so ignored.
I swallowed and smiled. Not nervous.
Just hit me how not ordinary he was.
'Came in thinking pass phase one exam, raise favor simple. But deep down, chance to cut Crown Prince's web.'
Hadn't told him Crown Prince drugged his drink. Per novel, he'd rationalize: 'His Highness had reasons,' 'He saw me as perfect for the plan.'
Such shocks wouldn't erase him becoming Crown Prince's limb attacking Elias.
But raise him independently? Different story.
"Shatter expectations means don't tie your value to others' approval."
"......"
"His Highness mentioned imperial weight. No heavy leader hands their value to others."
He was in a long tunnel now, but to me, for him to break free and live independently, this was essential.
Term change startled him; he looked at me confused.
"Leader? I'm...."
"Hate the word? Fine. But leading yourself impossible too. To truly walk with your respected one, hone yourself over chasing current expectations."
My words echoed the letter sender; his eyes shook.
"But that first bit's a guess, right?"
"Guess or not, obvious? That's how I heard it."
"......."
I relaxed my shoulders, leaning into the sofa.
My tone casual again, he eyed me like Elias for a moment.
Then nodded, unfocused gaze wandering over the script.
3+ already happened.
Consistency is skill, but oh well?
Even crushed, phase 1-1 grades locked at 3+.
Fail next exam or rally and recover? Latter benefits more, obvious.
If me, I'd vow 1+ next instead of moping.
But not thoughts for first-time fallen.
'Can't voice mismatched advice.'
Chin on hand, watching his face, he bowed head and sniffled.
"Sniff...."
"？!"
Why?
No stimulating words either way.
"No?"
"...No, it's nothing...."
Seemed not, thankfully sorted face quick, head up normal.
Shock made him emotional, I guess.
I pulled out my holy water vial, set on table.
Purify him. One moment to rampage.
Mid-thought if softer response needed, white text appeared.
Ding—!
Favor +5
'...Huh.'
Why...?
Came to raise favor, sure, but genuinely surprised.
Post-plot change, I knew I just lectured.
Tested lightly.
"My words earlier didn't offend?"
"Kinda did."
"......."
Funny guy.... Too bluntly honest.
Maybe just venting improved mood.
I stood, saying.
"Come to circle tomorrow. Role can't finalize 'cause of you."
"Yes, sir."
He wiped face with sleeve roughly, stood following me.
"...Thanks for listening."
"......."
Didn't talk much himself, but that stings conscience.
Still, more human-like than before.
Shouldered bag loosely, turned, opened his status window.
Stage 2: Senpai
Simple.
Like it.
I closed window thinking that.
* * *
Thus, Friday.
Busy between Bayern and school, 1-2 exam day quick.
[1st] 9.9: Leonard Wittelsbach-Elias Hohenstaufen
[2nd] 9.7: Narke Farnese-Hildegaard Blomberg
[3rd] 8.5: Ulrike Kleist-Auguste Rosenheim
[4th] 8.3: Melvin Klockner-Josephine Ruon
I stared at the huge rankings posted on one exam hall wall.
First-years not tested yet peeked, muttering among themselves.
"Rankings out this time."
Obviously.
First exam with dropouts.
Of 72 second-years, 24 drop; 36 teams, 12 out.
36 teams, 32 done, so this list basically phase 1 passers.
25th down in red for dropout zone.
'Leo, Elias, Narke phase 2 confirmed.'
Of us four, only me untested.
Cheringen appeared beside unnoticed, eyeing rankings.
"Our goal's safely top 10, right?"
10th?
I chuckled lightly.
Cheringen smiled too saying it.
He eyed 1st team too, but face showed no big phase 1 pressure.
Then, distant call for our team.
[2nd Year Team 33, Lucas Ascanien-Yulia Cheringen.]