Chapter 199
Chapter 199
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 199
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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“…What the hell?”
The professors watching from the exam proctor lounge widened their eyes in unison.
The scene unfolding before them was impossible to comprehend. No, it defied understanding altogether.
One professor stared blankly at the screen before muttering in disbelief.
“Blindfolding themselves during the exam?”
“…….”
In the footage, Lucas Ascanien retightened the loosened cloth over his eyes and began conversing with his teammates.
Meanwhile, in Team 1’s feed…
All the students stood frozen around Narke Farnese, their faces etched with shock.
The lead professor from the 1st Training Institute murmured without thinking.
“…A breakthrough.”
“Indeed there was.”
The professor from the 2nd Training Institute seated behind him picked up the thought. It was Johannes Ron, homeroom teacher for Class 1-B.
The 1st Training Institute professor nodded as if entranced.
A breakthrough existed.
None of the professors had anticipated it.
They hadn’t even conceived of such an option.
Unbeknownst to himself, the corner of the 1st Training Institute professor’s mouth began to curl upward. As if reconfirming what he’d just witnessed, he spoke.
“…With his eyes covered, his mind would fill with chaos. A battle mage who’d spent years blind might navigate poor visibility with ease, but for this student, every detail would imprint as critical information.”
“Exactly.”
Even the whisper of a breeze brushing his ear would register with heightened sensitivity.
In that case, the information Narke Farnese read wouldn’t be field assessments or teammates’ strategies—it would overflow with external threats surrounding Ascanien.
Like something snagging his toe, or a teammate’s mana pressing against his back.
Utterly useless data.
Not just useless—it would hinder Narke Farnese’s movements.
Like solving exam problems with someone whispering nonsense in your ear.
“…….”
“Heh… well, I’ll be.”
Someone who’d been staring at the screen in stunned silence let out a hollow chuckle and shook their head.
They’d been thoroughly outplayed.
Not just Team 1, but the professors watching the match as well.
Team 3 was no longer a team destined for defeat.
Lucas Ascanien’s unexpected judgment had transformed what promised to be a one-sided rout into a genuine contest.
‘Just like in the second exam.’
What seemed straightforward to the proctors had stumped the inexperienced students—yet he’d solved it in an instant from their perspective.
Even a seasoned mage, dropped unprepared into Chukschupiche to handle two rampaging foes bare-handed, might not have matched that student’s decision-making.
It wasn’t the split-second instincts of students with less than twenty years of spellcasting.
Especially since this student, unlike the others, had only recently begun learning magic.
‘A gem.’
Judgment as precise and swift as—or surpassing—veterans of the field, solutions no one else could find emerging in under a minute, and the boldness to shoulder risks without hesitation for greater gain.
That was talent.
Everything else paled in comparison.
The talent spotted earlier in Chukschupiche hadn’t been illusion or coincidence.
The 1st Training Institute professor’s gaze remained fixed on Ascanien.
At that moment, Johannes Ron from the back row murmured while watching the screen.
“He really does resemble him.”
“Resemble whom?”
“Excellency Ernst.”
The professors’ eyes turned to him. The 1st Training Institute professor, lost in thought, replied.
“Hm, I heard he greatly aided in pulling you from that post.”
“Yes, exactly. Even when no path to prove my innocence seemed possible, he did just that.”
“Ah, a similar situation. With no answers in sight right now… If he resembles the man who helped you, the student would be thrilled to hear it. Polish him up at our foundation, and he could become another Excellency Ernst.”
The professors nodded with pleased expressions.
Throughout, the Class 1-B homeroom teacher’s eyes never left the screen.
The 1st Training Institute professor glanced back at the feed and said.
“With Team 1’s initial plan in ruins, they’ll have to pivot—but now they’ve no choice but to clash directly with Team 3. Starting from scratch with all prior plans wasted, we’ll see their raw skills laid bare.”
The professors, who’d been dazed with shock moments ago, now nodded with grave seriousness. A faint thrill from the earlier upset lingered.
The lead proctor from the 1st Training Institute eyed them with gleaming anticipation.
“It’s just beginning. Let’s watch closely.”
* * *
Lucas lifted the bandage over his eyes just enough to glance at his friends.
Hope flickered across his teammates’ faces.
They might’ve worn looks of “Do you have to go that far?”—but after enduring a hopeless deadlock, no such jabs came. Instead, their minds seemed filled with the realization: *Now we’ve got a fighting chance.*
‘They’re confident, huh.’
Lucas smiled at his team.
Then, the artifact clipped to his ear chimed with the exam start alert.
[Notice: Residual casualty reports have been received. Three secondary casualties from rampages confirmed in the designated zone. Swiftly rescue the victims and warp them to the Imperial Central Hospital. Notice again…]
Now it truly began.
Lucas turned, unfastened the cloth, and retied it taut.
He sensed his teammates shifting behind him to survey below.
Blind, he focused on mana flows—and this method alone revealed people’s positions effortlessly.
It was all thanks to Leo.
Thanks to Leo’s grit, pushing training until sweat blinded him yet refusing to stop, Lucas had honed the skill of tracking foes via mana flows instead of sight—to avoid getting hit.
‘Thinking about it pisses me off, that bastard….’
Still, it proved useful now, so he’d make good use of it.
Lucas concentrated on the air currents around him. As he finished preparing, Cherlingen’s voice rang out.
“Lucas.”
“Yeah?”
“Impressive. Never thought you’d blindfold yourself.”
“Me neither. What are you, Lucas? For real?!”
Oswald bounded to Lucas’s side, voice brimming with excitement.
“What else? If you can’t stop them thinking ahead, just don’t look. Right?”
“Hahaha! …Yeah, spot on. You always…”
“Always?”
“Nah.”
Lucas felt Cherlingen’s mana surging toward his face.
Experience told him exactly what that meant. Lucas lightly swatted the hand away.
Cherlingen’s bright laugh followed.
“Let’s do this right once more.”
“Yeah.”
“Ah~ guys. Touching as this is, we need to assess the situation first.”
Elias clapped to refocus them.
“Obvious what kind of field this is, right? Team 1 figured it too, so I’ll tell Lucas: We’re in Berlin. There’s another plaza clock tower to the east.”
“Another one?”
“Yeah. Looks like they copied part of downtown and slapped it next door. Or maybe flipped it.”
“Flipped. The second clock tower’s second hand runs backward.”
Auguste’s voice.
“Ooh, sharp eyes.”
“Duh. Spree River to the north, nothing notable south. West has the Reichstag and Victory Column. Can’t see past the Victory Column—barrier, probably. East is Alexanderplatz with the city hall. There’s another city hall there too. Seems duplicated across Alexanderplatz.”
“Hm, got it.”
West: Victory Column. East: Alexanderplatz city hall. And another plaza city hall, Victory Column.
That was the layout.
Scope established.
Lucas nodded slightly and gestured.
“Alright, kids. Soundproof spell up, then revise strategy.”
“How’d you know we needed to revise~? See ya~”
Elias snapped his fingers.
Lucas didn’t need the strategy details. They’d guide him anyway.
It seemed unfair, but it was all his call. Lucas could devise solid counters on the fly once threats arose—and it prevented Narke from reading plans ahead and positioning teammates to intercept. No mind-reader dodged ambushes forever.
Elias stepped ahead of Lucas and addressed the team.
“Alright, three victims to find total. No location intel, and this tower closes in 5 minutes—4 now.”
Oswald grinned and quipped.
“Ah, shame we can’t just camp here.”
“Too good to be true~ School’s closing it anyway. Field this big? Even your nose has limits, Oswald. No one here can pinpoint locations roughly either.”
Elias scanned the team with a playful smirk.
“So, you know what to do?”
Julia flashed a confident smile, arching a brow. The others matched her.
Elias chuckled, gazing at the distant second clock tower.
“Let’s go hunt Team 1’s Haike Ainsidel.”
Team 1 would absolutely rely on Haike’s unique ability.
Reading objects’ pasts? Perfect for this field. The school set multiple rampages without distances, but knowing sites narrowed secondary victims’ spots.
No way they’d let that golden ability shine unmolested.
* * *
“Bandage~?!”
Narke, mid-ability use with hand on head, yelped and yanked the medical kit from his belt pouch, dumping it out.
A gauze bandage, enough to wrap his head thrice over, tumbled into his palm.
“…Ha… haha.”
Absurdity drew disbelieving snickers.
No explanation needed—the Team 1 members who saw it grasped the situation instantly.
Hildegard from Team 4 clutched her forehead and turned away.
“…Damn it….”
“No, who the hell blindfolds during an exam?! That’s really a blindfold? You’re not misreading, Narke?”
Ulrike, who’d been frozen, burst laughing and scanned the students desperately. As if begging for optimistic reassurance.
No one replied. Ulrike gave up, chuckling hollowly as she spun in place.
“…Felt it at the tournament too… That guy’s no ordinary. For real? This real?”
“Whew…”
Leo, massaging his temples, exhaled deeply and fixed his teammates with sharp eyes.
“…It’s done. More shocking they didn’t anticipate it. Reform strategy, fast.”
The students gathered around Leo with solemn faces.
They wouldn’t end like this.
One less from Team 3’s strength anyway. They had six; opponents five.
Even short-handed, their skills meant six-on-six was no issue.
They’d just lost the edge.
Plenty of time to reset to basics.
“We prepped dozens of counters, but skimped on the chance Ascanien’s thoughts yielded nothing useful. So, what now?”
“Predict Team 3’s moves.”
Haike Ainsidel said quietly.
Predicting their own first was foolish.
Know the enemy’s.
Leo raked back his hair, eyes closing.
Then, after a beat, he spoke.
“Good. Team 3 will mark you, Haike Ainsidel.”
“…….”
Haike nodded.
“Lucas and Oswald trained with you these two weeks—they know touching objects reads memories. No unique finder ability on their side for this vast field. Means they’re heading here.”
“Yeah.”
“Now, Ascanien. Lucas Ascanien stays rear-guard max. Unblindfolding risks subconscious strategizing, so he keeps it on. Blind, he can’t fight directly well.”
Leo lowered his voice to the team.
“Can’t let him hide like that.”
“Yeah.”
“Right. Send one or two to hunt Ascanien? I’ll go.”
Leo faltered briefly.
Win against him? Blind or not, Lucas was Lucas. Not defeatable by just anyone.
He couldn’t voice that, of course.
Leo shook his head with his earlier expression.
“No way. Act like Ascanien’s absent. Ignore them.”
Teammates exchanged glances.
Then?
Strip Ascanien’s blindfold, victory neared. He’d find answers inevitably; crushing them first derailed their pace into loss.
Plus, hadn’t Leo just said they couldn’t let him hide?
Yet ignore him?
Puzzled stares turned to Leo.
Leo met them calmly, as if expecting it.
“Haike.”
“Yeah.”
“East is now south.”
“…?”
Haike’s stoic face slackened.
Teammates gaped at Leo in confusion.
* * *
Empty streets in the rampage’s wake.
Elias’s eyes fixed on a sliding door in an abandoned storefront hallway.
Two Team 1 students visible outside. Worth pulling Oswald from search to stick by him.
Crouched low, wand to the door crack, Elias held his breath and counted.
*‘Three, two… one.’*
Crack—! Crash—!
“Argh!”
“What?!”
“J-Just now… something flew from above. Artifact’s smashed…!”
“What?!”
The nearby Team 1 student whipped up a barrier at wand-tip, aiming skyward. Hunting spell origins and Team 3 positions.
*‘Nope.’*
Elias fingered his lips for a soundproof spell and incanted.
[Yet the Lord knows my path well.]
Blue mana coiled through the guidance matrix, slipping under the barrier to one student’s ear.
Crash—!
“Ugh! What?! Where?!”
“Yours too?!”
Elias whistled, bounding downstairs.
Oswald beckoned urgently from the back door.
“Two down~”
[Whoa, two already? Nice, Elias~]
Julia’s gentle voice chimed in.
Elias grinned boastfully.
“Basics of battle? Gunfire? Numbers?”
[Focus.]
Despite Lucas’s chide, Elias whistled on.
“Info, that’s it~ Know to win.”
[…Yeah, good job.]
Lucas’s laugh held a hint of resignation.
“But why link your artifact, Lucas? Narke’ll rush if he knows.”
[Slip-ups happen mid-flow; cut the link, they know instantly.]
“True~ So? Why’d Julia link your line? Not all.”
[Haha, sharp, Elias. Come now.]
At the two clock towers’ heart, beside Alexanderplatz, stood the Grand Hotel.
Julia, crouched on the roof, toyed with her ear artifact and spoke to Elias.
Down one street, Haike Ainsidel knelt, hand to pavement. Hotel wasn’t sky-high, but within sight.
Haike rose, hand to artifact.
“…Found it. West from start. Under Alexanderplatz.”
Faint, but mana-heightened hearing caught it.
Haike waited long at the spot for teammates.
Clear implication.
Rampage happened there; secondary victims nearby, unrescued.
Julia, still watching, told Elias.
“Elias, location found.”
[Good. Where?]
“Grand Hotel, two blocks south. North from you.”
[Got it. There in under a minute.]
Julia smiled at his reply, eyes below.
*‘…Hm.’*
Odd.
Over two minutes since Ainsidel’s call—no one arrived.
No distant figures either.
“No presences.”
Lucas, beside her, voiced her thought as if reading it.
“Yeah. Bugged me too—suspicious. Elias.”
[Yeah?]
“Hold. Could be a trap. Call if Team 1 shows.”
“No.”
Lucas shook his head.
He peeked under the blindfold at Haike’s position.
“Elias, grab Oswald—head north now.”
* * *
“…Wow~ Fast as ever.”
Narke looked up, past the building.
*East is south.*
Literal meaning. East was south, south east. West north, north west.
To disorient Team 3’s hidden positions.
Narke touched his artifact, grinning.
“Leo. Lucas caught on already. Better hurry~”