Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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“What for?”
Leo stopped Narke, who was about to cheer, and asked me.
I repeated what he had said earlier.
“As you said, it doesn’t seem like the investigation will proceed properly. The Investigation Bureau probably has no clue where to even start to catch those who gave the revelations.”
“So you’re going to move? You don’t know where to start either, Lucas.”
Leo’s voice was chillingly cold, unlike usual.
No.
It was true that something called a revelation had been used under the name of mission even in Pleroma, but I now knew that the Primrose Pass guys had also acted on revelations this time.
If we went that route, we had a solid chance of success.
‘But… if I say that, I’ll just get suspected again.’
What should I do.
I stared into his eyes, lost in thought.
“Or are you planning to just charge in blindly? Into Pleroma? You know it’s a waste of time, stamina, and the odds of success are extremely low—practically suicide.”
Leo continued in a hollow voice, then laughed.
“No matter what, I have to oppose whatever you’re planning this time.”
“…….”
This was different from usual.
He always tried to dissuade me, but never with this half-mad tone and expression.
‘The homeroom professor incident must have shaken him badly.’
That was all the more reason I couldn’t back down now.
“Then there’d be no reason to oppose if I knew some information, right?”
“What?”
“I know. Where to go in.”
“…….”
Leo stared at me silently.
“There are two reasons we need to move fast. First, if this deadlock without a single lead drags on, the investigation will eventually turn against the professors. Second, what do you think the real culprit will do when they hear the professor has been taken by the Investigation Bureau?”
“…….”
“They won’t make another move. Or they’ll try giving a revelation to someone else. If we don’t stop that, who knows what else will happen across the country?”
Even if it made me look suspicious, some information had to be shared, and some didn’t.
This was information that had to be shared.
His transparent pale blue eyes pierced through me.
Finally, he spoke.
“Then what about you?”
“What about me.”
“If you die in the process, what’s the point of it all?”
“…?”
I was at a loss for words.
It was the last thing I expected him to say.
“Even if you save the entire nation, if you’re already dead and can’t see it, what meaning does that have for you? Is your ultimate goal to be remembered as a fallen national hero?”
“No way. Why are you suddenly….”
“Of course not. But you’ve always chosen the riskiest options. When you went alone to meet a Pleroma doctor, when you disguised yourself as an ancient human reporter to approach Asman, when you pretended to be an aspiring ancient human actor to infiltrate the catacombs….”
I stayed silent, wondering how far he’d go.
Narke alternated glances between us, lips pressed tight.
“You don’t care what happens to you?”
“…….”
“Need me to explain? Concussions, choking, blood drawn for four days straight, double-dose illegal drugs, beatings from aspiring actors—none of it matters? Want more? Handed over to Pleroma as a trade, nearly killed by that Strauchi-chanting bishop….”
“Stop.”
Silence stretched on.
He’d strayed from the topic a while ago.
But this wasn’t just idle talk. He didn’t worry without reason.
Something he’d read from me before was driving this conversation.
That had to be it.
‘Exactly what did he read.’
Narke watched us for a moment, then warped out of the hospital room, figuring it wasn’t for him to hear.
Neither of us paid attention to the spot he’d left.
“…….”
“Lucas. This isn’t reality to you, is it?”
Reality?
I slowly lifted my head to look at him.
Unlike me, there was no flicker of doubt in Leo’s eyes.
“Or even if it is, you have no attachment?”
“…….”
“Then after breaking free from your brother, will you keep on living?”
He was wrong.
This place was another reality.
I didn’t know if I could go back, why I was here, or why a novel mimicking the lives of this world’s people existed in a magic-less 21st century.
In that situation, could I casually think, ‘It’s just a novel world, so life or death doesn’t matter’?
But strictly speaking, he wasn’t wrong.
Not because of this place—it was that reality had never felt real to me.
‘…That’s why.’
I didn’t want to be alone with him or talk like this.
My throat stiffened.
“And something I’ve wanted to say since earlier. You said, ‘From what I’ve learned, even if it’s not Pleroma, there’s no issue with receiving revelations.’ You even believed revelations could manipulate people. What’s your basis? As far as I remember, we never figured that out.”
“…….”
“It’s always been like that. You come back with info we don’t know and tackle impossible challenges. Then succeed, just to show off.”
“…….”
“What’s telling you these things? No matter how useful the info, it’s never….”
Leo mouthed into the air.
“Never on your side.”
“I know.”
Leo stared at me with an expressionless face for a long while after my reply.
Then he turned his gaze to the window and began to smile faintly.
“Sometimes it feels like I know nothing about you. It’s like you’ve been looking at me with eyes that have known me forever.”
Had I?
I didn’t recall it specifically, but I couldn’t hide my subconscious, so it made sense.
My head grew foggy, and I grimaced.
“If I hadn’t treated you that way in our first year, would you trust me now?”
“…….”
It had nothing to do with that.
It was just my problem.
There was nothing for Leo to do.
How could I explain this chain of irrational events to him—who acted by the book—or to my friends living normal lives—when I didn’t even understand it myself.
The truth: I’m not me. How insane would that sound.
Time travel, reading a novel identical to this world in another, reading others’ info via a status window—all the same.
Leo exhaled and spoke.
“Do as you want. If you grant me one request, I’ll help you.”
“…….”
“Your choices benefit the people. Meanwhile, all I can do is hold you back.”
It was true I needed his help.
I’d told him the plan despite expecting opposition because Nicolaus wasn’t free from Bavaria’s influence. He had to cover the gap if I was deployed to Primrose Pass.
But so readily?
Reading my doubt, Leo continued.
“You’re right. I’m committing an injustice. Instead of protecting the people from my position, I’m worrying about my friend’s safety—what else is that but injustice? Elias, Narke, even Julia—they wouldn’t stop you in the same situation. That’s a leader’s role.”
Leo stood and looked down at me.
He patted my shoulder with a smile.
“Anhalt has a fine sovereign.”
And Leo had a lousy friend.
No one could call me a good friend.
“I’ll go get Narke and Elias now.”
“After it’s all done.”
Leo, about to leave the room, turned at my words.
“I’ll tell you then.”
“…….”
I couldn’t let go now.
We’d come too far to turn back.
Even if Nicolaus stepped away, Pleroma was already targeting Lucas Ascanien. Their pursuit stemmed purely from ambition.
It was beyond my control.
With the info that Baden’s bishops were after me, and knowing the path to unravel this, I had the upper hand.
Striking first was the most effective move.
“Got it.”
I hadn’t specified what I’d tell him or after what, but that was his reply.
I didn’t look at Leo’s face, so I couldn’t read his expression.
A while later, he warped back into the room with Narke and Elias.
Narke, who’d been gauging the mood earlier, was smiling again.
The problem was Elias. His eyes were terrifyingly different from usual.
‘He’s already heard everything, huh.’
From the warp spell to my room leading to Primrose Pass, to the professors being used in this.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have that look.
Noticing me eyeing his new expression, Elias twisted his lips into a grin the moment he saw me.
“Hmm, Luca’s here~”
“Yeah.”
“The whole school’s buzzing that Nicolaus came and went. You’d have loved seeing the kids freak out—too bad.”
Instead of replying, I observed his state.
Brushing things off with jokes was his specialty, but he couldn’t this time. Despite forcing a light topic, his tone was completely subdued.
“Eli.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s not your fault. It would’ve happened anyway, even if you hadn’t started it.”
“…….”
Since Baden—precisely Freiburg’s bishops—had targeted me, things would’ve unfolded similarly even without Elias touching Primrose Pass. In fact, his devastation of it made them rush their plan, creating gaps that let me infer their intent easily.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Elias smiled in reply.
A chill lingered, but it seemed genuine.
‘Rather than bawling and flopping onto the bed like I expected….’
Unexpected.
Narke’s eyes widened, sharing the sentiment.
“O~?”
“Haha! If Luca says so, it must be true. Luca doesn’t comfort people. He just states facts.”
“Ah~ That’s right.”
“…….”
I don’t comfort? I haven’t lived that harshly.
Anyway, seeing him now, his resolve seemed solid.
“Alright, let’s think this through step by step.”
Elias pulled a chair and sat beside me, continuing.
“Leo told me on the way that Professors Trout and our class prof are tangled in this. But he didn’t know why our class prof was chosen by them?”
Elias said with a smile.
“Probably because of me.”
“…….”
He voiced what everyone thought but hadn’t said aloud, casually.
“My homeroom teacher. And Luca being targeted is because he’s my friend.”
“Didn’t you just say I only state facts?”
“It’s because of me, but not my fault~. The fault’s theirs.”
Even saying that, his face was pale.
He muttered while pressing his fingernail into his skin.
“No time for self-blame. We have to stop them before they pull even crazier stunts. And stopping them means we’re close to chopping their heads off.”
I watched him quietly and nodded.
“So, what’s Luca’s take~? Something I can help with would be great.”
“From what I’ve scouted ahead, going up through Primrose Pass will lead us to whoever gave the revelations. Start from the one they call the Chairman there.”
There might be that ability user between the grunts and the Chairman, but targeting the Chairman directly was easier in every way than hunting mid-level managers.
“…….”
I felt Leo’s piercing gaze.
Before I could redirect, Elias helpfully clapped.
“Wow~ Great intel. Won’t ask where you got it. Luca’s word is gold anyway. But that means I can’t join easily.”
“Yeah. Infiltrating Primrose Pass as you is tough. They know your face. Besides, there’s prep before infiltration.”
Leo, who’d been listening silently, spoke.
“Research first. To meet that Chairman, we need to know what he wants.”
“Exactly. I need to head to the prosecution now. Elias, it’d help if you checked the prosecution and Magical Security Bureau too.”
“Hmm, what do we need?”
Elias, who’d been sitting with dead eyes, spoke confidently.
Narke and Leo’s eyes met mine at the sudden shift.
“No, wait—why’s Luca going to the prosecution?”
“To check for ties between Primrose Pass and anyone there. Pleroma too.”
“Right now?”
“No. Just final checks. Other wizards are handling interrogations there.”
“Ah, cool. So we can go later?”
Elias vanished before my eyes, then returned clutching a stack of papers.
“What’s that?”
“Copied from the prosecution~”
“What?!”
Leo’s face darkened instantly.
“They acted like they’d hand over the files, so I snuck in first. Oh, and raided the imperial archives again while at it.”
“…….”
While I’d been steeling myself for infiltration, this was routine for him.
Not surprising.
“So, spill. What do we need?”
“Primrose Pass is crumbling too much to reuse now. But Pleroma’s involved too. That Chairman won’t abandon them easily.”
“Yeah. No one discards a useful node lightly~. So?”
“How do they plan to rise again? Know that too?”
Elias, who’d been blinking, suddenly burst out laughing.
He’d caught my intent.
Block that first, before infiltration.
To make the Chairman come down personally when I showed up, snatch away their chance to rise.