Chapter 241
Chapter 241
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 241
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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I had no desire to see a person’s head exploding on the front page of the Imperial Newspaper.
The screams of the reporter and cameraman filtered through. Similar noises echoed from the corridors and the stadium.
Thud—splat—
The sound of a player collapsing to the floor.
“Wh-what….”
“…….”
The image of a neck snapping wouldn’t leave my mind.
This wasn’t simple suicide.
All the evidence and the atmosphere before and after the incident screamed murder. There had to be terrorists behind this that the government couldn’t stop.
The front page of the Imperial Newspaper was now blank. As if nothing had happened, it deleted everything and started displaying yesterday’s articles.
But the chaos here remained unchanged. The person who’d been alive moments ago was still a corpse. The fact that it wasn’t simple suicide hadn’t changed. Our prediction that the enemies wouldn’t back down held true, as did the government’s failure to prevent the terror. The presence of firearms smuggled in meant security had holes. I watched the black letters sprouting one by one on the newspaper before tossing it to the floor. Some confusion in the Imperial Newspaper’s decision-making? Yesterday’s articles vanished, replaced by “Transmission on standby” filling the page.
People in the staff corridor began rushing out with pale faces. Just beyond the wall, the audience seats buzzed with a mix of confusion and terror, voices blending into one mass. Someone was vomiting after seeing human innards.
Ding—!
「 Chapter 7. Verily, verily, I say unto you…. 」
“…….”
Pure white cursive letters began appearing before me. Note that.
The status window chapter titles were always proverbs from this country, but this was scripture. From where? No time now to leisurely recall which book it was from.
‘…I do.’
There was definitely a way for me to turn this around.
I slowly looked around. Elias was clutching his mouth, dazed.
I’d predicted the terrorists wouldn’t abandon this event, but the shock of seeing someone forced to suicide lingered.
I knew I couldn’t just stay like this. I quickly came up with the answer.
Turn back time.
‘Retry window.’
[Uh, where do we go? Where?]
[Hurry and get out! Why isn’t warp working?]
The white letters of the retry window before my eyes were unreadable. Instead, people’s conversations buzzed in my ears.
Why wasn’t warp working? Because the government had blocked bidirectional warps between the event grounds and outside.
We were trapped now. The government wouldn’t lift the restriction, not even to catch the culprits.
Beep—
[Lucas. Can you hear me?]
“…….”
[If there’s anything I can do right now, tell me.]
Leo’s voice came through.
I stared at the white letters before me while listening.
The retry text glowed white.
Just call it, and everything rewound before this happened.
But….
‘…No.’
Be cautious.
If it was before the death, maybe, but it had already gone down. As I’d always thought, if I was burning points to rewind time anyway, best to gather max info first.
“Stick to the plan. Don’t do anything conspicuous.”
[…….]
“Not now. We wait.”
[Got it.]
The info I needed was this duo.
First, what threats was the player under? Why suicide?
That’d tell me how to save him—how to stop the new terror starting from this.
Second, how would the terrorists move after this? Real terror? If so, how?
Rewinding blind without those two was like throwing eggs at rocks.
Beep—beep—beep—
An alarm blared from the artifact.
Assembly order.
[Notice to Imperial Magic Association batches 90 through 101….]
I turned and left the staff corridor for the opening ceremony hall.
I’d decided to observe more, so unless I wanted to screw up big, I needed to stay here, follow orders, and track the terrorists’ movements.
And there was one more reason to obey orders for a bit, but it wasn’t special enough to think about now.
The emergency committee had just ordered batches 90 through 101 to warp to the coordinates used to guide people from the opening ceremony hall. That was the eastern plaza at the edge of the Pentalon grounds.
No plans to lift the warp restrictions. They’d move people to the plaza, then use divine power to thoroughly screen for culprits or suspicious behavior before marching on foot.
Narke was exempt again. He had to erect divine power barriers at the opening hall with the imperial divine mages.
Whirr—beep—
[Announcement to all spectators. As of now, the 1st Pentalon opening ceremony is temporarily suspended. Authorities are conducting investigations and safety checks. To avoid accidents from crowded exits, please remain seated until auxiliary staff arrive. Announcement repeated: Please stay seated and wait.]
[101st batch, do you read?]
The outdoor announcements overlapped with the artifact audio.
“Reading loud and clear.”
[Please move new human spectators from sections 35, 36, 37 to 390:567:183. 390:567:183, 390:567:183.]
[Lucas, Elias! Head to section 37. 258:281:402.]
Unlike earlier when his soul seemed gone, Leo’s voice sharpened as he alerted us.
Now we had to warp every spectator to the plaza. The sections HQ mentioned were all new humans, but like most humans, they lacked mana and couldn’t warp alone.
Not because we were rookies on grunt work. Warping took serious mana, so high-mana mages were deployed for evacuation and damage control.
Elias, snapping out of it, looked at me with a stiff face.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Gotta do it.”
Elias nodded worriedly, figuring no better options. He grabbed my hand and warped us to section 37’s point. I shouted at the section 37 crowd surging up as we arrived.
“Everyone can move! No order means delays! Ten at a time from the top row, hold hands!”
No Pleroma or whatever here. They ignored my eyes, just grabbed my arms.
Elias smartly dashed to the lower seats. People down there flocked to him.
“Don’t grab more! Don’t!”
“What if we can’t go!”
‘390:567:183.’
I swallowed and closed my eyes.
Plaza wind hit instantly. Guts churning, but unlike other times, crisis awareness kept my body tensed right.
“Thank you. Thank you. You too, hurry out.”
Someone gripped my shoulder, voice shaking.
Even one suicide, humans knew this was terror’s prelude.
At the plaza, people bolted for the distant checkpoint. No quick exits though.
I shut eyes, recited Leo’s coordinates. Human noises stabbed ears again. Someone fell over railing in the crush? Heavy thud, screams.
“Th-there, he’s here!”
Someone grabbed my hand. No need counting mana links. My reserves covered twenty easy, probably more untested. Recited coordinates again.
How many times? Empty stomach, nausea hit. Eyes closed made it worse maybe.
[…101st batch, do you read?]
“…….”
[Move sections 38, 39 to 390:567:183. Final new human sections. 390:567:183, 390:567:183.]
No headcounts now, just orders.
Mages short, obviously.
Legion mages redeployed, but this wasn’t leisurely screening. Evac millions—swelled from opening and outer performances, definitely millions now—with under 20k mages? Too few.
Grabbed hands seeking me in 38, warped. Three-four more rounds, warping half-asleep standing, woke to my own sounds.
“Urk….”
Eyes open: somehow ducked into bathroom, fallen back.
No clue when. My noise flipped guts more, heaved over sink, splashed water on face. Wiped dripping neck rough, glared mirror.
‘Alright.’
Waited plenty.
Time ditch orders, replan strategy here.
Not slacking from warp fatigue.
Listened to Imperial Newspaper crumpled by sink, checked wristwatch.
12:32 now.
Suicide at 12:12, 20 minutes passed.
‘20 minutes overt evac, no perp reaction.’
Brandenburg Park packed already, no moves there. Everyone fleeing prepped, yet they lounged.
Means no terror planned for stadium or park.
‘Not the end though.’
They prepped more. Hiding how long?
Deep breath there, tuned to newspaper. Reporting situation, countermeasures. Wet, soft sound, but audible.
[Our government’s security ministry states on this suicide: Given ongoing malicious attacks on Pentalon, the player’s interview at suicide time, unstable state, and final words, ‘not simple suicide.’ High chance of Pleroma Pentalon terror attempt.]
“…….”
[Emperor Friedrich declares: ‘Will thoroughly punish Pleroma threatening world safety, prioritize safety of our subjects and 56 nations’ Pentalon tourists’…]
Static—
[Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.]
Thud….
Urgent trembling voice.
Clean audio this time, unlike on-site mix.
Abrupt voice switch, ground under me shook tiny twice. Turned to newspaper.
Screen still on Pentalon main stadium reporter, but she faced panicked behind-camera folks differently now.
Screen visual, audio separate.
Screech—static—
[…! Back? Yes, can you hear? Seems brief glitch.]
“…….”
‘Worth remembering.’
‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.’ Yeah. Surreal for prime-time imperial news emergency broadcast. Dreamlike.
Thought that, looked up ceiling, big breath.
Just chatting trips with Elias felt another world. Leo blurting nonsense earlier? Planned something, but viable still?
Cause in this timeline, we don’t survive post-opening.
‘Planning to change that now.’
But recognize: original timeline, we get wiped.
All fights start with info, first knowing self. Know our forces, terrain, situation clear.
Grasp current facts raw.
But ‘raw facts’ while I despaired too much?
Rash pessimism? Overreaction?
‘No.’
Slowly raised hand, removed leather glove.
Mid-strategy rethink here, unexpectedly got second key info I’d wanted.
Post-suicide: real terror? How?
First, they did terror already.
Second, method: like this.
Stared blankly at blue mana glowing cross-shaped small on palm.
“…….”
Magic on my body now. Not just me.
Planned this from start.
Suicide was trailer.
Main show now.
Mana rippling sea-like on palm wasn’t internal, imposed outside—some magic circle drawn.
Same cross spot on other palm.
[Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb.]
Curse spell type. Chant condition triggers pre-set magic programming.
Ground shake: terror whole space enchanted. Brandenburg evac pointless. Why they ignored our evac hustle.
Why? Divine power hunt there ongoing, most still inside.
‘Millions like this? Impressive.’
Tech source? Planner who?
Enough info to infer though.
Beep—
[Excellency Ascanien. Do you read?]
“…….”
Voice of doc who dragged me to underground strategy room during mana lamp terror.
[Elevator at staff corridor 1F north gate. Come there. I’ll escort you.]