Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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Crack—
The sound of the door’s lock breaking apart echoed.
‘Some security.’
Even as a prince, he didn’t get any special room.
The school rule of not discriminating based on status seemed more than just words.
Even after smashing the doorknob, no sound came from inside.
I’d broken it in case it wouldn’t open any other way, but I had no intention of going in until Naruke arrived, so I just stood there, lost in thought.
‘Is this really something I should handle?’
Of course, I was fully prepared by now, but who knew what might happen? I didn’t need to get involved.
Whether the guy had taken some drug and fallen asleep or some contamination outbreak that wouldn’t happen at school had occurred, there was no reason for a student like me to fix it.
I could just contact them saying, “I have an exam, but he hasn’t woken up.”
Then Adelbert would be swiftly handled by the treatment team the school called. Sure, they weren’t as skilled as me, but it would get resolved anyway.
“…….”
But the things he’d been telling me for days lingered in my ears.
If he wasn’t just asleep but contaminated…
‘Row administration office is still out.’
Unlike Bavaria, the Imperial government had decided to label victims as rampagers.
The Empire had started viewing them not as victims but as nuisances, and the Imperial citizens’ mindset had shifted accordingly.
Now public opinion turned its arrows on individuals.
‘Good for the nobles.’
By pinning the blame on individual citizens, the Imperial family and government could dodge the responsibility they rightfully bore.
That calculation lay behind turning victims into rampagers.
In other words, rampage was a crime in this society.
3+ only brought mockery and surprise, but news of him rampaging would bring condemnation and contempt too.
So after listening to all the frustrations he’d felt, I couldn’t just leave it to the school.
‘…And.’
I couldn’t back out now.
I’d pulled two all-nighters because of this guy—did he think I’d let it go to waste?
I’d even raised that prickly guy’s favorability somehow.
‘Wait.’
Come to think of it, why wasn’t the proposal window popping up?
This should’ve been enough for 300 points.
I tried summoning it, but for some reason, the window didn’t appear.
That’s when Naruke warped into the hallway.
He looked at me and the door in bewilderment, then calmly stood before it.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yeah.”
Naruke switched his wand to a staff and smashed the door.
Boom—
No hesitation—made me feel at ease.
“Must’ve been really sleepy.”
Naruke said as he scattered mana around the room to check for watchers.
The guy was just lying there asleep.
And it clearly wasn’t normal sleep.
No one sleeps on the floor in front of their desk. He didn’t wake even after the door-shattering boom, so it was obvious.
Naruke stood before Adelbert.
“Someone dosing a prince like this? Shocking. Even just a sleeping pill would’ve been wild, but it’s more than that.”
I was shocked too.
I’d given him holy water just in case he rampaged, purely as prevention.
The school was wrapped in layers of barriers and constantly purified.
He’d only been on campus—no reason for emotional shifts alone to cause rampage.
“Anyway, first time seeing a case like this.”
“Pre-rampage stage. Where the unfit and fit get sorted.”
I answered Naruke and checked the clock.
‘Only 40 minutes left already.’
Needed to resolve this fast.
I silently knelt on one knee and sat beside him.
“Naruke. Got a question.”
“Even the Countermeasure Headquarters Chief doesn’t know everything~”
“…….”
“Haha, shoot, Lucas.”
“I know, but the situation’s different. Victims in Bavaria aren’t responding to treatment and are dying. Checked with the Prussian headquarters too—same thing.”
“Phleroma must’ve changed their drugs.”
“Likely. That’s why I’m asking if the old method still works.”
At my words, Naruke exhaled and pondered.
“You’re not asking if we should use drugs. You mean injecting divine power into the core to extract the vitriol?”
“Yeah.”
It worked well but wasn’t standard treatment.
Few mages could use divine power.
Usually reserved for high-risk patients—Adelbert was lucky.
Naruke soon nodded.
“Let’s do it.”
“You’re sure he won’t die?”
“Hmm… Future’s too fickle to say for sure. But it’s still the most viable option.”
True.
No alternatives otherwise.
Naruke sealed the door with divine power, then tapped his ear artifact to brief Elias and Leo. From what I heard, he planned a classified report to Bavaria.
I could’ve recorded it myself without issue, but thoroughness was good, so I didn’t stop him.
I checked Adelbert’s pulse.
Mana surged wildly. As I pushed in divine power, his hand began to tremble. The Imperial ring on his finger scraped the floor endlessly, creating an eerie noise.
‘Blocked.’
Common in these cases.
Vitriol’s influence was already strong, repelling divine power.
Forcing it here would gather scattered vitriol toward the core.
So in these cases…
‘Direct infusion into the core.’
I tapped the floor with my wand. Divine power softly seeped into where I sat.
Soon, it enveloped Adelbert.
“Naruke.”
“Yeah.”
Without me saying, he restrained Adelbert’s neck and shoulders with divine power. Just like with other mages.
I pressed one hand on Adelbert’s stomach, struck the heart area—where the core was—with the other.
“…!”
Dizziness hit as I shoved in the divine power.
Everything up to here was standard?
“Lucas!”
Naruke’s panicked voice rang out.
Only after feeling odd about his tone did I realize why he was freaking out.
My vision tilted sideways. As Naruke grabbed my shoulder in haste, my consciousness snapped.
* * *
“…!”
I bolted upright.
Even in winter, the overly heavy blanket weighed me down.
I threw it off and quickly scanned around.
‘What.’
Where was this?
I was in a bedroom I’d never seen before.
‘Again?’
Absurdity vanished in an instant, but I took deep breaths to calm down and chanted the warp spell.
Nothing happened.
“…….”
My face hardened automatically.
First-year exam time was soon.
No, bigger problem.
Treatment unfinished—Adelbert could rampage and die or become Phleroma. Naruke might take him to the hospital, but…
‘Damn.’
Too many variables until the first-year exam.
And in three hours, second round team announcements for me.
Then getting dropped somewhere unknown?
‘Think calmly. Reason for sudden relocation….’
Did Adelbert have a magic trap?
Some action as trigger, activating upon execution.
If true, target wasn’t just Adelbert but anyone treating him.
‘Warp the treater?’
Didn’t make common sense.
Wild theory, but… if someone suspecting Lucas Ascanien was Nikolaus tried proving it?
My head cooled sharply.
No time to panic if that was possible.
‘Assess the situation properly first.’
Not my first time dumped in an unknown place like this.
Didn’t want the experience, but it taught me to think coldly wherever.
First, like the opulent room in Anhalt—spacious and lavish, owner no ordinary noble.
I fully shoved off the blanket and stood.
‘…Not my uniform?’
Not pajamas either.
Felt like I’d just opened my eyes, but changed clothes meant I’d been here a while.
Irritating on many levels, but no time to dwell.
I checked my waist immediately.
No wand holster or wand.
Considering air-snatched possibility, I snapped my fingers.
Golden mana surged briefly, but oddly different from usual.
‘Hm?’
Golden mana?
Natural enough I hadn’t noticed, but now my hair in view was light yellow.
‘Mana color aside. Hair… Definitely not in Nikolaus state?’
Sudden inexplicable dread swept me.
‘…….’
I silently looked around. Bathroom door in one corner of the vast room. Didn’t know how I knew, but instinct said so.
My steps quickened unconsciously.
I flung open the door, stood before the mirror—and froze in shock.
“…!”
What?
I stood gaping.
Not me in the mirror. Well, not my original self.
But the shocking part now was…
‘…Cra….’
Adelbert in the mirror.
‘…Crazy?!’
I touched the mirror. As I extended my arm, mirror-Adelbert did too.
Chill seeped through thin glove. Sensations real.
Absurdity brought laughter.
“Ha….”
Hahaha…
I laughed wildly, left the bathroom, and slumped on the bed.
‘This is insane.’
Second round teams in three hours.
I could take Adelbert’s exam for him, but how to face friends like this?
‘Time to rethink hypotheses.’
Discard “to verify if Nikolaus~”—assumed I stayed me.
Obviously. Who’d expect swapping bodies?
Start over: ‘I’ve become Adelbert.’
One issue.
‘Why no warp?’
Magic worked, warp didn’t. I knew such cases.
‘Different world.’
Simple conjured space via spatial magic, or entirely alien like this vs. my reality.
Slight questions, but simplified.
Similar world in the catacombs already.
If I’d entered Adelbert’s inner world or space manifested from him, this madness made sense.
‘…Okay.’
Not okay at all, but I knew what to do and how.
‘Check time first.’
Opened status window for time, checked room clock, reopened after one minute.
Shockingly, only 3 seconds passed.
In that minute, self-core attacked just in case—no wake, just pain.
I collapsed dead on the bed, rose slowly as core recovered.
‘…Yeah. If I do well, I can treat and send him to the exam.’
Assuming I get out.
One minute here = 3 seconds there. 10 minutes fumbling here = 30 seconds passed.
One more thing.
Earlier thought Phleroma changed drugs.
No such issue treating victims’ cores before—if changed, I was experiencing the new effect directly.
Why add this to Phleroma drugs?
Answer came quick.
‘To take out rescuers too.’
Lips curled up.
Look at these bastards spending.
Even I, with body-swap experience, was shocked briefly.
Normals treating a victim would shock harder than me. Like catacombs, Phleroma showed victim’s most shocking memory.
Would rampage and die usually, but not on me. Already half-immune.
‘Key now: how to escape.’
Good thing I had free will.
Like with Leo—give it a shot?
Sending off his tormentors one by one in this memory didn’t sound bad.
Right then, knock from behind.
Knock knock—
[I’m coming in.]
Warm voice I’d never heard.
High chance he’d be my first send-off.
Adelbert’s heartbeat raced instantly. His ego? Smile formed automatically at the voice.
‘Look at this.’
This the shocking memory?
To replay smoothly, shelve my will—words from Adelbert’s throat.
“Eli.”