Chapter 201
Chapter 201
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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“Already here? Take Haike with you while you're at it.”
Elias shoved Haike forward and raised both hands, clearly signaling he had no intention of attacking.
Then he stepped in front of Lucas, who had been standing behind him.
Haike could warp away on his own anyway—and he'd only stuck by Elias out of fear of getting scolded by Team 1—and they'd already squeezed every last bit of value out of him, so it didn't matter if they sent him back to Team 1 right now.
Leo grabbed Haike, who had been pushed toward him, and positioned him off to the side, then looked at the person behind Elias.
It was really Lucas.
Judging by the warp coordinate booklet in Lucas's hand, he'd been reading it nonstop. He was wearing the eyepatch again now.
Even though he couldn't see, Lucas looked straight at where Leo was. Then he casually greeted Leo, who was staring at him.
“Nice to see you like this.”
“Nice?”
Leo let out a small chuckle and raised his wand.
“Then greet me with my face in view.”
Boom—!
A surge of mana hit Lucas's face and then vanished. Elias had blocked in front of Lucas and thrown up a barrier.
“Isn't that a bit too aggressive for a friend?”
“Then take off the eyepatch. From now on, I'll keep Haike behind me just like your Team 3 wants.”
“That's basically saying 'figure everything out and die'~ Lucas can't even breathe without making plans.”
He had a point. Which was exactly why they needed to make him see. Was Leo going to pass up the chance to smash all those endless possibilities?
Time had already passed twenty minutes. If the plan was to completely exhaust Narke, it had worked.
As Leo glared at them silently, Elias clapped his hands.
“Come on, shall we think about what your plan might be? Our Leo's used to having escorts, so he wouldn't come here alone.”
At those words, Lucas let out a small laugh.
Leo felt a surge of disbelief as he stared at them.
What was so funny? Even setting aside the fact that his near-escort was Lucas, everyone here was used to being protected.
Whether Elias knew Leo was inwardly objecting or not, he just kept grinning.
“Alright, let me think like Lucas for a bit. Leo, you shattered the illusion magic infused with Auguste’s ten years of experience, and...”
“Your word choice isn't Lucas at all from the start.”
“Anyway, after breaking the spell, you realized we were holding your ankles. At that point, you must've thought something like this: Ah, Team 3's already infiltrated Friedrich Street, sniffing around. And since not everyone from Team 3 is on Friedrich Street, the rest must've gone to scout other rampage sites.”
Elias held up his spread fingers.
“There are two possibilities here. First, the rest are charging in headfirst with no info. Saving even one minute is a win, after all.”
“…….”
“Second, the rest used Auguste to get rampage clues from Haike Ainsidel. That's how they found a new point.”
Leo smiled.
Elias mirrored Leo's smile and tilted his head.
“…We can't underestimate you, so obviously it's the second one. Plus, you'd have gotten word from Narke that Haike Ainsidel wasn't coming. Am I wrong, Leo?”
“…You and Lucas really do have some similarities.”
“Ah, right. You said that at the start of the semester. Anyway, the conclusion is this.”
Elias stared straight at Leo.
“Assuming the second, you didn't come here alone. I don't know where the Team 1 kids are whose artifact I smashed first, but at least Narke and Hildegaard are outside, right? So is Yulia, who went out to investigate, handling those two? Or...”
Elias's hand rose to his ear.
Beep—
“Planning to lay in ambush until Yulia finds info, then pounce?”
[...Hahaha... This really is the toughest exam yet~ Everyone's so skilled, that's the problem.]
Leo stared at him expressionlessly.
Just because they'd pulled Lucas back didn't mean he could relax.
Yulia and Elias were no pushovers either.
Yulia lacked originality, so she was slow to devise effective strategies, but her results were meticulous. Elias excelled at executing them. And Elias sometimes came up with crazy ideas like Lucas.
He'd known them since childhood; he couldn't underestimate them.
‘…Lucas must've figured that out and left it to them.’
Without those two, Lucas would've targeted Narke from the start and planned to neutralize him. It would've been a huge loss, but with no brains in the team, they'd have no choice but to swallow it.
The reason Team 3 was still riding high even after trailing by one point...
Was that everything was truly prepared.
They were handling things with their own strength now, but they knew they could play their hidden card, Lucas, if real trouble hit.
Right on cue, Elias started bragging with a grin.
“Leo. Guess what I did knowing that?”
“What'd you do.”
“Haike gave some great info. Your first rampager was a homeless bum wandering without a house. Since he rampaged, he must've drunk or been exposed to something long-term, right? But drinking river or rainwater? That doesn't add up. There'd be rampagers everywhere if so.”
Elias tapped the rain-wet ground with his foot.
“But that doesn't give us any real clues, does it? So we have to think of this as an artificial exam situation.”
“Stating the obvious. So.”
“Haike brought evidence? A paper in the pocket of a tattered coat found on the street...”
Elias pulled out a yellow paper and the note attached below it.
A fine notice.
Leo's gaze, now devoid of disbelief, turned to Haike.
You handed that over?
The school had planted it on the street for a reason, given it was an exam. That was the clue leading to the answer.
Haike averted his eyes and turned his head.
“A fine notice from the City Aesthetics Office. Below it, a handwritten personal contact. With the Pentalon International Tournament coming up, the government's doing some beggar cleanup campaign or whatever, scattering all sorts of stuff~ Running into something from the papers in the exam was more than just nice.”
“…….”
“The school wouldn't just toss this in. You guys were probably supposed to get it from Haike, right?”
Elias pointed to the department name at the bottom of the flyer, in the issuer's spot.
On the small paper attached below, there was a handwritten staff name, mailing address, and what looked like warp coordinates somewhere in City Hall.
“…Putting this in specifically means the school wanted us to head to a location tied to this person. How's that? Did I think like Lucas?”
Leo shrugged nonchalantly.
“Yeah. Guess I need it back.”
“Good luck. I'm not giving it.”
“So. Why do you think I'm here now? You're ignoring the guy right in front of you and talking about other stuff.”
“You? Obvious. Came to snag our team ace~ Get Lucas to take off the bandages and grab the last point he hasn't even guessed yet.”
“You know it.”
Leo grinned and thrust his wand forward.
Blue mana splashed against the barrier, lighting it up.
Elias held Lucas with one arm while reinforcing the barrier with the other.
“No can do, Leo. How could I hand this over to you? Think Lucas is just tagging along bored, supporting us?”
Before Elias finished, Leo spun his wand between his fingers, forming a staff. Elias braced at the staff's menacing motion.
Leo raised the staff high, then slammed it down with force.
Boom—!
“…?!”
Elias looked at Leo with panicked eyes.
Leo's mana hadn't come at him. Nor was it guided toward Lucas.
Instead, Haike, who had been in the corner, was gone.
Leo asked in a chilling voice.
“So?”
“…Oh.”
“So how're you gonna block that, Elias.”
‘He cast spatial magic.’
It wasn't moving Haike. It was moving us.
Even the mana flow from outside had vanished.
Leo's spatial magic wasn't exceptional. Not weak, but Elias could shatter it easily on his own.
So why? What was the point?
“Narke's here.”
Lucas muttered from behind.
As expected.
Leo wasn't the type to act rashly. He had backup.
“Elias, your logic was all solid, but you had a little misunderstanding. You call Lucas your team ace; you think it's different for me?”
“…….”
“You think I'd come at Lucas alone?”
“Hahaha...”
“Narke's spatial magic is pretty good.”
With those words, Leo's mana surged right up to them.
Lucas's hand slipped from Elias. Even blind, Lucas sensed the flow and created distance. Elias glanced back at him.
‘Skilled.’
It was impressive even just watching, but being on the same field as allies made it clearer. Five months of training, and this was too much.
Right now, Lucas was even inducing Leo to not widen his attack range too far by controlling distance.
When Leo backed off, he'd step a few paces closer; when Leo advanced, he'd retreat further. Simple, but it forced Elias, who had to cover both Lucas and himself, to account for more variables if distances shifted suddenly. This consideration made it easier.
At the same moment, Leo heard an alert flowing into his artifact and swung his wand.
[Got Haike out. I'll check if a rampage happened here.]
“Check, then head straight to City Hall.”
Boom—! Crash—!
‘Anyway...’
Leo thought as he watched Lucas's dark brown hair whipping in the mana wind.
The real one's better than the fake. Feels human. Unlike that coffin-lid vibe from earlier.
‘Oh, right. The illusion couldn't replicate scent, huh.’
It couldn't. Lucas went to lengths to separate his and Nikolaus's identities, even considering others' sense of smell. Auguste wouldn't know that—unlike me, Narke, or Elias.
Now they had a way to distinguish illusions. Team 3's same trick wouldn't work on him anymore.
“Our Leo doesn't focus on opponents much in fights~? Since when?”
Boom—! Screech— grind—
Leo, slamming his staff into the ground, was pushed back.
His eyes scanned Elias's expression and stance. Sweaty face and slumping shoulders stood out.
Lucas was accommodating Elias, but Elias, protecting not just himself but another, tired faster than usual. All talk, no substance.
Leo ignored him and spoke to Lucas.
“Live long enough, you see everything. Who's ever taken an exam blindfolded?”
“You've seen it now~”
Behind Elias's snark, Lucas replied calmly.
“Common sense says it's absurd. I get it.”
“It's beyond absurd, Lucas.”
“That's 'cause you haven't ditched common sense yet. Fight this exam normally, and we're dead meat. Sometimes you gotta tolerate even crazy visuals from the enemy team. Makes it feel like an eye doctor's visit or kids' hide-and-seek from ten years ago, and yeah, Lucas saying pyramids with that look sticks, but anyway, you gotta embrace this visual so our team survives. Right?”
“Pick one: mock me or Leo.”
Not the time for this nonsense.
Leo ignored them naturally and spoke in a chilling voice.
“Not just anyone can take an exam blindfolded. Takes resolve to block the team's path and be a saboteur. Maybe plug your ears too? Not a bad idea. But usually, doing that means you're done for.”
“…….”
“In my opinion...”
His whispering voice grew even eerier.
“I've enabled too much for you physically, haven't I, Lucas?”
Light sky-blue light filled Elias's blue eyes. Leo's faint mana, harmless to look at, now carried a murderous aura as it closed in.
Boom—! Crunch....
At the barrier's shaking sound, Elias gritted his teeth.
Leo's attack targeted Lucas, not him. Blocking off-screen attacks was no easy feat for Elias.
But he couldn't afford a gap here.
“So testing human limits, huh.... Didn't I test you daily already? Not enough? If you wanted to know limits that bad, do it in training.”
Unmistakable sarcasm.
Lucas, who'd been blasting past Elias's barrier, smirked and chuckled dryly.
“Now I see your speech isn't so model either.”
“Time for chit-chat?”
Leo swung his wand.
The two, who'd been retreating, fled out the back door into the alley behind.
Amid the roaring clashes of mana, Elias turned and yelled at Lucas.
“Luca, watch the manhole behind~ Why's there construction signs everywhere?”
Mana was already sinking into the ground behind, with something creeping up from within.
More importantly....
Lucas, feeling his darkened vision oddly brighten in the sunlight, thought.
‘Too wasteful.’
Lucas naturally switched his wand to a staff and slammed it down.
The space still showed no cracks. Combined from two manas, and with his own spatial escape skills, he didn't think his friends had half-assed it.
As he thought that and prepared to support Elias again, Lucas froze, staring at where the ground should be.
“…!”
Narke was focused elsewhere now.
Divine power forming the space flowed in and out repeatedly.
Like blocking someone's attacks, perfectly timed.
Spatial stability dipped slightly. Mana flows felt far more sensitive than usual, easy to detect.
“Eli, now's the timing. Hold just a bit longer.”
“Ah, got it.”
“I'll take off the eyepatch, so buy a little time.”
If Narke focused solely here, vision would've been tough—but he'd relay thoughts to Leo real-time—so he wasn't.
Just 30 seconds for aim and distance. Then he could attack properly beyond their 0.5 shares each.
But Elias's response was unexpected.
“Hmm, no.”
“What?”
“Even if it pisses me off, I can't. Him coming here means... he wasn't satisfied with our rampage site and came for the last point with your power. Right?”
[The Lord is my strength and my shield.]
Boom—!
The impact after Leo's defense spell was clean. No pushback, no cracks.
Elias's attacks were starting to lose power.
What now in this situation?
“You fighting with wand yourself would win us for sure... but we can't let Leo dictate when our hand's exposed like this, Luca.”
“So.”
Fair point.
Might be baiting him to fight directly.
But how?
“Just watch. I know how to distract him.”
Boom—!
An impact boomed right in front of Lucas. Wind whipped his hair, then settled.
Elias's barrier blocked in front of him.
At that instant, Leo stepped up to the barrier, frowning at Elias, who'd taken his attack.
“What the hell.”
“Leo. Hear me out.”
Leo just twitched his wand wordlessly.
Dozens of attacks shot toward the barrier behind Elias.
Boom—!!
Elias flicked his wand to deflect them.
But this target was different.
Leo's following mana hurled Elias far away.
Leo pinned him with mana and approached, rummaging through Elias's robe.
“Hey, what. Looking for the flyer?”
“…….”
“But I gotta say something.... Isn't the Empire better than Bayern? Best place to shine your talents.”
“You hated it before. Shut up if it's nonsense.”
One hand in Elias's robe, the other thrusting at Lucas's barrier, Leo continued.
Sky-blue mana thickened, already shattering Elias's barrier. Only Lucas's inner reinforcement remained.
“Nonsense? No. You need to hear this.”
Elias rolled his wand between fingers amid the roar, raising his voice. His wand elongated into the royal staff.
Even as Leo's gaze shifted there, Elias casually opened his mouth.
“You know? No matter what you say, from the moment I wield the scepter, I'll take Lucas to Hohenzollern.”
“…?”
“Lucas didn't tell you? He'll be prime minister ruling this empire's 100 million. We promised. Didn't know?”
Elias grinned confidently at Leo's eyes.
As disbelief in those eyes wavered faintly, blue mana matching Elias's eyes flashed under Leo's view.
Boom—!
“…!”
Leo shielded his face with both arms and retreated, furrowing his brow.
‘…Damn.’
It didn't take long to realize Elias's ploy. Spatial magic cracked from the staff's tip, collapsing air mana.
Elias kicked toward Leo, sprang up, pulled Lucas with mana, and bolted.
“Luca! Let's go!”
[Wha—?!]
Narke's startled voice came from Leo's artifact.
Amid clashing with Yulia and Team 3, Leo's connected spatial magic for grabbing Lucas shattered—how could he not be shocked.
Leo looked incredulous and yelled after Elias.
“What am I supposed to do with that?!”
“Hahaha! What? You're out!”
Leo activated his unique ability late, but Elias, lifelong master, escaped easily.
Elias, slashing plants and running, suddenly stopped.
“Leo!”
Hand to mouth, he yelled on.
“Forget something?”
[Leo! If nothing there, wrap up and come out! Yulia and Auguste's blocking street memory reads! Ugh, guys~]
Narke wailed while blocking attacks.
Leo's face hardened as he readjusted his artifact.
‘Blocking?’
Lucas and Elias were at the street's end; Florian and Oswald left artifacts smashed at the first site.
Remaining Team 3: Yulia and Auguste.
‘If Yulia and Auguste block our entry, someone from Team 3 should be searching inside.’
But...
Team 3 had no one left.
No one to search inside.
So why block our team?
“…Narke!”
[Yeah?!]
Elias took the fine notice at the same time he shared it with teammates.
That was when I was held by Auguste, nearly 15 minutes ago.
Leo yelled into the artifact.
“Get out now! Don't stay there!”
Only blocking sounds came from Narke's artifact for seconds.
Lost in thought, Narke muttered in a low voice Leo'd never heard.
[…Ah~ like this.]
15 minutes passed.
When Elias first got the info—shared with team—was 15 minutes ago.
When I smashed Florian and Oswald's artifacts and came here: about 10 minutes ago.
5 minutes difference.
Yulia and Auguste blocking Haike Ainsidel's entry wasn't for anything else...
No rampage happened here.
Instead, the staff's info led to another prime rampage spot.
City Hall.
Now.
Beeeeep—
That alert sound again.
Leo rarely panicked, snapping his head up.
* * *
[Team 1: +1]
[Team 3: +1]
Tie.
Lucas, bandages raised, squinted in the sunlight.
Seeing both +1 didn't feel bad at all.
“Now~ last one.”
Yeah. Last.
Got this far on Yulia and Elias's strategy.
Tie means the final showdown decides.
But...
“Elias.”
“Yeah?”
Elias turned, face excited.
But Lucas's words weren't positive.
Fresh from the chaos, Lucas chided with a smile.
“Announcing scepter and prime minister here? What if?”
“Hahaha~ Gotta win first. Right? Profs can't see inside spatial magic anyway...”
Elias paused, then continued casually.
“No one listens to me anyway, Luca. No worries.”
Even mixed with laughter, a weird vibe lingered.
Lucas got the gist and nodded.
“…Whatever. If you say so.”
“Haha, continue my half-said stuff? Need your strategy now, Luca.”
“Got it.”
But not now.
Can't just tell me info and ask normally.
It'd all go to Narke.
Lucas said shortly to Elias.
“You said strategy. Know you can't think normally, so plan ways to use it.”
“Ah~ right. Any method as long as it works?”
“Yeah. Succeed, do whatever.”
“Good. City Hall warp coords. Florian and Oswald should be there; meet up.”
“188:231:425.”
Lucas started for the booklet in his pocket but recited from memory.
Earlier, grabbed one from a newsstand in this field, memorized start to end. Better than running for signs.
Chaotic info, so maybe even Narke held back insight then.
“Okay~ Warping.”
Elias warped to City Hall front with Lucas.
Immediately met two hyped Team 3 students. Oswald waved, approaching.
“Elias!”
“Hey~ good job. Second victim on what floor?”
“Not in building? Collapsed in park behind City Hall.”
Then Yulia and Auguste warped here on Elias's coords.
Elias led them into an empty building, found seats, patted Lucas.
“Now~ Luca, eyes and ears covered again!”
“…Keeps feeling off.”
Lucas said that but re-covered his eyes.
Last point.
Info leaking to Narke here would be disastrous.
Though time to use it was ending soon.
Elias cast soundproofing, eyed teammates.
“Alright, kids. Summarize info. Can't run around hunting the last one. Even if we did, probably won't solve. 1st would outsmart us anyway.”
“Right. School put fine as evidence for a reason.”
Elias nodded at Yulia.
“Yeah. Rampagers: bum and fine guy. Clear connection. Means another linked person.”
“But how long to issue fine for both to rampage? Drank same stuff?”
Oswald frowned, clueless.
“Right. That's the sticking point.”
“Grabbed a paper: Aesthetics Office article on Pentalon. Read. Dunno, but maybe you do.”
Yulia pushed the rolled newspaper forward.
Plain content.
Ahead of Pentalon: sewer upgrades, stricter downtown litter rules, heavy fines for damaging landscaping.
Elias read carefully, passed to friends.
“…You read. Me neither. Anything relevant?”
“Haha... same. What link 'tween bum and official for school to tie 'em...”
Yulia glanced at clueless Lucas.
“No clue. 25 minutes in. Delay okay?”
“…….”
Students exchanged looks. Eyes shifted to Yulia's target.
Elias dropped soundproofing, tapped Lucas's shoulder.
“Luca.”
Lucas lifted eyepatch, looked at Elias.
Elias smiled ominously.
“…Any method okay if it succeeds, right?”