Chapter 204
Chapter 204
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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“Sewer…?!”
“How did you know they went there?!”
The flustered team members jumped to their feet one after another. No one took any useful action since nothing made sense yet.
‘Damn it, what the hell is he talking about? What have I even heard so far?’
Leo bit his lip and scanned the surroundings. No matter how hard he looked, the stall selling the warp coordinate booklets was nowhere to be seen.
“Narke, do you remember what coordinates Lucas memorized?!”
“185:2…! I don’t have perfect memory, so I can’t recall that much…?!”
Narke fiddled with the green ring on his left hand as he replied without thinking.
Leo squeezed his eyes shut once, nodded, and bolted out of the park toward the main road.
“Guys, find that stall!”
Ulrike’s booming voice came from behind. The team members, who had finally grasped the situation, started running in different directions.
As Leo ran in search of the stall, calculations raced through his mind.
‘If ordinary students like Oswald or Florian recognized the deodorizer smell as a clue, it must have been strong enough to sting their noses.’
And on top of that, carrying perfume bottles everywhere?
Either one alone could be an eccentric personal habit, but as Lucas said, once those two pieces of information overlapped, suspicion was unavoidable. This was an exam where clues were deliberately provided, after all.
So why hadn’t they realized it even after hearing Narke’s words?
‘…They obsessed over where civil servants live and work, but never cared where beggars live or scrape by to survive.’
An inexplicable chill ran down his neck.
It was a sharp question.
Given the wandering nature of beggars, they’d assumed no useful information could come from their rampage locations—and they were right that rampage sites themselves offered no clues.
But as Lucas pointed out, think about where beggars actually live.
They sleep in alleys and live on the streets.
However, as the Pentaron period approached, they wouldn’t be able to stay above ground anymore. They’d become targets for cleanup. Wandering the streets in their filthy state meant fines, and with no income, they couldn’t pay. Soon, they’d be criminals thrown in jail.
So where could they ‘eke out a living’?
Illegal dumping fines quintupled, plainclothes environmental enforcers, poorhouses, sewer pipe replacements, fountain and water station quality checks, street vendor removals, liquor taxes.
Poorhouses. That was the only one that made sense.
But if beggars had entered poorhouses, they’d already be swept out of sight, so there’d be no reason to issue fines.
So where did the beggars really flee?
Outside the capital. Fine. But even beggars find it hard to abandon their turf, and anyone who could would’ve entered a poorhouse long ago.
Abandoned buildings, desolate incinerators. Clear risks, but not bad options.
Remote mountains, under bridges, riverbanks.
If nature were contaminated, far more people would’ve rampaged—that was the issue. The rampage source had to be somewhere hard for people to access.
Now, only one prime candidate remained.
Sewers.
Well-searched, there were dry spaces untouched by water. Unused built spaces often served as basements or shelters. But the location’s nature kept people away most times.
Especially if it was sewage contamination rather than tap water, it explained why not many rampaged.
That civil servant must’ve entered the sewers assuming vagrants fled there to catch them, only to rampage from prolonged exposure to contaminated air in the pipes. The beggars too.
With only three rampage cases, they were at the early stage time-wise. If real, more victims would follow.
That was it.
Now the final victim’s location was clear. The knight they’d completely dismissed finally came into play.
‘Sewer pipe replacements.’
The last victim was a plumber.
Leo couldn’t help but laugh.
Damp air brushed his cheek. The fresh rain scent seeped deep into his lungs. The situation had handed him victory, yet cruelly, the stall wasn’t even in sight—but regardless, realizing this clear answer made laughter bubble up unbidden.
‘We were complacent.’
Victory was in the bag.
Leo ran on with a bitter smile.
He’d brought Lucas onto their team, accepting the loss, because he knew Lucas had a plan but figured they could counter it.
A mage who couldn’t warp. No one thinks a bird with clipped wings will fly away.
He’d even blocked Lucas’s hand blood to prevent mana flow in case of warp. It should’ve been over.
‘Over my ass.’
Fine, he admitted it.
He should’ve tied his legs too, not just empty words. He’d let his guard down.
As payback, Elias and Lucas played them from start to finish.
Still, he had no intention of giving up a game they’d handed over.
Splash—boom!
That’d be no way to respect Lucas, who’d given his all every moment.
Leo, infused with mana as he leaped, skidded to a halt on the ground.
Puddle water splashed onto his pants, seeping into his walkers. His sweat-drenched bangs, fallen from the frantic run, covered his eyes.
Yet Leo’s attention wasn’t there. His gaze fixed on one spot.
‘Found it.’
* * *
I don’t know how much time these idiots wasted dragging out what should’ve been quick.
I sneered as I slowly opened my eyes. But my body wasn’t as relaxed as my mind.
My vision flickered. My heartbeat made it feel like all my organs were shaking.
“…….”
How long had it been since I warped alone? Two weeks? I should’ve loosened up and practiced, but after two weeks without, attempting it from a seated position brought tinnitus vibrations crawling up my neck that shouldn’t exist.
Still, the ground was under my feet, and I was…
Cold sweat I didn’t notice forming dripped below my temples. Dim mana light bloomed hazily in my blurred vision, water sounds echoed from somewhere, and a foul stench I couldn’t hide assaulted my nose.
I was in the middle of the sewer plaza.
“…Hahaha….”
I caught my breath and burst into laughter.
Nice.
Not the intermediate realm of double-space magic or Primrose Path.
I’d used warp magic at school and was safe. It took too long to face that fact.
If I had to warp alone again, I honestly lacked confidence, but at least I’d escaped the level of tripping me up at crucial moments.
‘Let’s recover slowly.’
I couldn’t just live off friends’ help forever.
Grinning, I tried to stand but slammed my head back down, realizing my legs had no strength.
‘Whatever.’
Habitually reaching for my belt pouch, I stopped.
The belt clutch spot was empty—of course Leo had taken it. And Elias had predicted friends rifling my clutch and pockets.
‘No wonder he suddenly tried tearing my shirt.’
About five minutes before Leo grabbed me, Elias tried stuffing something in my shirt—and thankfully now, succeeded. I’d wrestled him thinking what crazy stunt after the fountain water bit, letting me quickly realize what he’d done.
Flat on my back staring at the ceiling, I unbuttoned my shirt and pulled a thin string.
A hemispherical transparent artifact came out.
An engraved number 3 caught my eye. Our team’s spare. Infusing mana turned it pale pink.
I hooked the artifact over my ear.
“…Ah, ah.”
[Wh-what! Lucas!]
[Lucas!]
They’d thrown me to the enemy team themselves, yet their voices were urgent.
I had much to say, but only one thing mattered now.
“Find the sewer coordinates.”
* * *
Good.
Elias exhaled in ecstasy.
“Ha, sewer? Why?”
“The fountain wasn’t it? Why sewers all of a sudden?”
“No, Lucas is right.”
Elias spread the map and pointed.
Nothing could feel better. Alone, I couldn’t deduce the answer, but tracing back from it was easy and fun.
Lucas’s conclusions were always clean. Why hadn’t I thought of this sooner? Elias laughed, feeling his chest clear.
Auguste asked.
“Sewers—beggars aside, who else rampages to death there?”
“Plumber, probably.”
Julia, smiling similarly, answered.
Yes, that was it.
There was a sewer pipe replacement knight!
Elias hummed as he opened the warp coordinate book.
Of the massive 10,000km sewers, accessible entries were limited. Sneaking in wasn’t impossible, but the school wouldn’t allow it.
‘Yeah, unless you wanna get cursed out forever~’
Even fringes have limits.
Dead last in written rankings, but he read every problem start to finish, so Elias knew the school’s style well.
Elias tapped the map with his pen and told the students.
“Sewers have four doors: east, west, south, north. All in our field. Warp coordinates to central plaza total five. Lucas warped there, so we warp one or two each to the four directions.”
Oswald clapped and shouted.
“Great! I’ll circle clockwise, check all victims!”
Julia shook her head at that.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Circling all once is good. But no need to find victims. With Auguste, keep circling till Team 1’s friends come out.”
Oswald, getting it, slowly raised his lip corner.
In short, trip up Team 1 again.
Elias planted both hands on the table and looked at the students.
“Alright, kids. Can’t let go of the fish Lucas reeled in for us~?”
“Oh, of course not~”
At the team’s spirited reply, Elias grinned.
“Let’s do our best. Conclusion’s already out, though.”
* * *
Sewer east gate, first warp coordinate.
Ulrike lowered her wand and tapped the artifact.
“You know the first target. Remember.”
Gone was the playfulness; Ulrike’s serious voice flowed through the artifact.
Beside her, Narke gripped his ring with trembling hands.
‘1 hour 20 minutes in….’
He’d poured every usable ability. Nosebleed uncontrollable. Membranes stung without touch.
No chance for treatment anyway—end it quick and leave.
“Starting.”
Narke wiped blood and said. Ulrike nodded worriedly.
Narke’s plain dark brown wand spun, becoming the Papal staff. Wind rose though little done; Ulrike shielded her eyes with an arm.
Below the golden dove atop the staff, keys on the cross clinked purely.
—Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour….
Boom—!
Narke, striding forward, slammed the staff down. Lightless gale hit; Ulrike mana-reinforced her legs for balance.
Sewer pipes rattled.
[What?! Illusion?!]
Shocked voice from the west entrance artifact.
Narke smiled and walked the passage.
—…Resist him, firm in the faith. Knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
Only divine power intervened in minds, even souls.
Mana showing false visions was impure—evil’s power.
Not Narke’s opinion. Papal interpretation.
‘Knowing it’s Auguste’s unique ability, and not fully buying the Church’s take….’
I believe Scripture, not Church. Though Church says believe Church, too far gone for that.
But no need to shun a Papal solution?
Narke wiped mouth blood and infused more divine power.
—Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me….
Boom—!
Narke murmured, mana’d his legs, kicked off.
—…and whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.
A 3rd team student’s backhead appeared—unseen all exam.
Narke slammed staff.
—Nothing will harm you.
White light burst; student turned shocked.
Narke’s view filled with Auguste’s eyes, shocked his power failed. Narke peered into the emotion and smiled.
“Auguste, that’s enough.”
Boom—!
Auguste retreated, wand to sword.
Ulrike blocked Narke at unknown speed, charging Auguste.
Low divine power left—cut non-essentials.
Narke backed, recovering stamina, watching Auguste.
‘Good, but now I see why not top 6.’
Unique ability great, but that’s it.
Auguste scowled, eyes wide. Trained only unique ability? Other skills upper mid-tier, not top.
No time to match technically.
Ulrike thought same; his mana sparked around sword.
“See you after exam.”
“…!”
Auguste’s eyes widened. Mana overwhelmed all present.
Clang—crash—!
Through shattering mana, Ulrike’s hand flew to Auguste’s heart.
Ulrike surged mana into his core.
Boom—!
Core shocked, Auguste collapsed unconscious.
Narke infused divine power for quick recovery, praising Ulrike.
“30 seconds to this? Impressive. Should’ve done sooner?”
“Haha, field was wide then~”
“True. Anyway, 3rd team down to four.”
Exclude Auguste, Lucas from 3rd power.
Lucas untrackable—warp aftershock coma?
Makes sense.
Just this morning, he couldn’t warp alone.
School hadn’t expected sudden warp. Pre-exam health checks cleared, profs knew warp risks.
[No.]
Leo’s cold voice then.
[Oswald and Florian done too.]
“Huh?”
[Ulrike. South gate coord, straight ahead. Handle both solo?]
“Duh.”
Ulrike grinned confidently, warped.
Artifact smash early limited feats, but 2nd year Class 1-A top not for nothing. Knowing his insight from start, Narke adjusted strategy.
3rd left: Elias, Julia.
‘Tricky pair… but Leo and Ulrike can handle.’
No more moving.
Stopping Auguste’s illusion: my max effort left in this exam.
Narke slumped against passage wall.
* * *
Central plaza, 10 min north.
Elias inwardly chuckled, shaking head.
“Man, how’d they find us? This 10,000km sewer~”
“Figured info sharing’s needed.”
Leo’s eyes half-mad. Elias knew when that face came.
Victory lust ignited, or deep training immersion.
“Sharing? Yeah, you came long after us. Must lack info.”
“…….”
Team 3 arrived early before Team 1 caught up, searched much.
One spot left: behind Elias’s street. Victim definitely there.
But sneaky Team 1 stealing their info again.
‘Can’t give it up.’
Elias giggled, shrugged.
“Now circle east-west-south-north thoroughly~”
“No.”
Leo’s mana slammed before Elias. Not just mana. Elias lightly retreated, wand to sword.
“What about Heike and your team~?”
“…….”
“Oh, right. Your team shredded ours, so we did same.”
Elias smiled defensively. Leo’s wand swung wide arc regardless.
Easily readable. Un-Leo-like; Elias frowned.
‘He’s not….’
Leo bypassed Elias, passing side.
As expected. Elias chuckled, shook head.
Boom—!
Elias’s blue mana struck Leo’s prior spot. Dark passage flashed bright.
“Can’t go. 1v1 now—why so hasty? Think you can brush me off easy~?”
“No way.”
Leo tilted head, peered beyond.
“…Didn’t expect another. Why bring Lucas? Narke said he’s out.”
“What? Wow… you get super senses too. Nothing you can’t do in a match.”
Elias said, grinned, shrugged.
“Can’t leave team member~ Right? Leo, no loyalty.”
Leo eyes dropped like forgetting Elias ahead, mind elsewhere.
Elias tensed legs slightly.
Snap—
Fingers flick, Leo vanished. Elias smirked corner-mouth, turned, sprinted full speed.
Leo warped behind now.
Precisely, north gate.
He’d adjust coords gate-by-gate.
Passage straight but branched sides.
Many spots for 2nd victim.
Yet Elias ran straight ahead.
Splash—
“Whoa.”
Elias leaped grass stems grabbing ankles, staff-slammed ground.
Mana crushed; Leo’s unique powerless.
Same time, Leo ran cold-eyed ahead. Curved slightly, no Elias visible, but his mana flowed floorward.
And…
Tree scent again, impossibly.
Lucas awake—time to here took a while.
My job clear.
Elias wandering meant they’d split zones initially.
Lucas searching victim now. Elias’d assume I chase Lucas, so straight at me.
[But the Lord knows the way I take.]
Boom—!!
Leo staff-slammed floor, guidance magic circle left.
Finding thick cedar scent easy. Impact sounds too.
Far right passage, explosion.
Leo mana-legged into sound.
Opposite passage floor: collapsed Lucas. Midway, work-clothed someone prone.
Done.
‘186:056:348.’
Leo inwardly recited hospital warp, flicked fingers.
Plant stems sprouted invisible speed from brick dirt gaps. Leo mana-warped hand, recoiled other to land victim-face.
Grabbing victim arm—
Red flash aside.
“No.”
“…!”
Thud—!
Head-slammed floor, Leo grimaced, opened eyes.
Elias’s smug grin.
No movement.
Same coord simultaneous warp. Or precisely…
Leo gritted teeth.
Beeep—
0.1s difference yielded first to other.
White text glowed dark.
[Team 1: +1]
[Team 3: +2]
+2.
Number unimaginable till Lucas sewer-warped, shone clear before eyes.
Past notice, Elias grabbing Leo’s collar laughed.
“Hahaha… Déjà vu?”
“…….”
“Feel beaten by Lucas again?”
Done.
Last point to Team 3.
Perfect loss.
[Time: 96 min 01 sec.]
‘…But….’
First loss without this injustice ever.
Acceptable defeat. Premonition since Lucas sewer warp.
Leo exhaled at notice, lips slowly curved.
Best effort, no regrets.
[Exam ended. Well done.]
Simultaneously, surroundings went pure white.
* * *
Beep—
[Notice to Imperial Second Academy Student Military Unit exam participants. 2nd year Teams 1 & 3, assemble in pass lounge by 7:30 PM.]
“Let’s go.”
Leo rose from lounge chair.
Elias, mouth puffed from scolding dropping warp-incapable friend in enemy turf, sluggishly followed.
“Why do I feel bad despite winning~? Leo’s fault?”
“My fault? Narke bedside same nagging.”
“…True~ But think I like it? Lucas’d rather warp than lose!”
Elias repeated earlier excuse.
True.
Lucas’d choose win.
Leo led all but Lucas & Narke to lounge wordless.
Exam full end: 7 PM.
Mid-grading & meals, near half-day from start. Main delay other.
Unlike 1-3 teams finishing in 1:30hr, 2-4 teams wandered 6+ hrs.
‘School forced end; otherwise longer.’
3hrs post-start, Team 4 solo 2pts.
Another 3hrs, neither 2 nor 4 got last pt. Day-end hopeless, school forced close.
Same field, school tailored to 1-3 level caused it.
‘Forcing end at 6hrs impressive….’
Leo wry-smiled at lounge scene.
Opposite chairs: 12 from 2-4 teams sat. Post-viewing 1-3 footage late, faces ashen. 1:30hr exam took 6hrs—natural.
‘Our team tho….’
Leo crossed arms, eyed Team 1.
Lost, but expressions fine. Now mingled like no teams, friends chatting.
No one missed end at Lucas sewer warp. All felt like Leo. Core members fought like ongoing, all regret-free to end—why atmosphere possible.
“Lucas & Narke when?”
“Already here probably.”
Reply instant, staff opened pass lounge door.
“2nd years, enter!”
Students surged up.
Finally.
Month-long grueling exam over.
Leo walked passage refreshed inwardly.
[…Deep thanks to 24 students per year who participated sincerely to end for imperial safety. Regardless results, all achieved greatly. Also full academy for docs….]
Out passage, staff led to dim seats.
Leo scanned auditorium.
All 2nd Academy by dept seated. Far back, clusters from 1st-3rd Academies.
“Leo, Elias~”
Narke front row waved.
Beside, Lucas habitually greeted but turned head.
Post-exam hospital straight; first reunion now.
Leo smiled waved at Narke, sat back row.
[Now, Imperial Second Academy Student Military Unit final selections by order. 3rd year 1st: Max Richtofen.]
“Woooah—!”
Familiar name called.
Knew skilled, but hearing it… Leo thought, eyed Lucas & Narke faces.
As expected, subtle expressions.
20min later, all 18 3rd year passers called.
[Congrats. 3rd year Teams 1-3 done. Now 2nd year rankings.]
2nd seats, indifferent to 3rd, hushed tense.
[Tension rises.]
[2nd year 1st.]
Classmates’ eyes on me.
Leo ignored stinging stares, fixed on announcer.
No idea expectations, but knew next name clear.
Nothing else fit.
[Lucas Ascanien.]