Chapter 274
Chapter 274
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 274
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“…….”
A familiar diamond-shaped vial containing a dark blue liquid came into view. Elias looked up at me with startled eyes.
“This is yours….”
Yeah. The drug that shattered my core. What more was there to say?
I picked up the note the length of a finger that lay atop the vial.
[For the future of my beloved little brother]
“…….”
This is necessary for your future, is it? How long does he plan to keep using that logic? Doesn’t it ever get old?
Elias’s face hardened rigidly as he read the note. I set it down and unfolded the letter Elias had already checked and placed aside, reading it through.
[To my proud little brother. I’m writing this letter upon hearing that you’ve returned.]
A standard opening.
[I’ve heard everything about what happened. When I heard the news from the Empire, I was so shocked. I’ve been frantically trying to reach you since dawn, worried that something might have happened to you, and even now as I write this, my hands are still trembling from the surprise. Do you know how frightened I was that you might die pointlessly in such an accident? I know I shouldn’t think this way, but for a moment, your recklessness felt truly cruel.]
Cruel because I had to die by your hand?
It was repulsive coming from a man who would be delighted if I just vanished on my own.
[But you did well.]
The next line caught my eye, written boldly in deep green ink.
[I’m truly proud that the one who threw himself into the fray for the sake of 1.9 million subjects is my little brother. You knew you could be in mortal danger, yet you strove for the peace of the continent. Now the public will recognize your sincerity. As I mentioned before, it feels like you’ve finally reclaimed the life you deserved but couldn’t have all these years, and I’m overjoyed. It still feels like a dream that you can now show the world your true worth.]
“…….”
I turned to the next page of the letter.
[However, I’ve had some concerns about your recent public activities, even amid my joy. As you might expect, the first issue was people trying to drive a wedge between us over succession rights. People gnaw at me when you seem stable, and at you when I do. It pains my heart, but that’s reality. That’s why I often had to placate the press. It wasn’t difficult. I just had to publicly express support for your new path. I can issue statements to the press for my brother’s sake as many times as needed. But the real problem was this.]
Publicly express support for your new path to the press. That part stuck out.
Leo had entered the room by the time I was reading the letter. But I had no spare attention to acknowledge him.
[What if your temperament malfunctions and the events of your childhood repeat at an unexpected time and place? Back then it was Anhalt, but now it’s the Empire. I was afraid that a good, upright child like you might be hurt again. I want you to stay healthy, Luca. I was going to give you this gift when you returned to the Empire, but I’m sending it ahead with the medicine. I hope my gift doesn’t upset you.]
“…….”
I shook my head and turned to the next page. Just two neat lines were written there.
[I look forward to seeing you recovered and healthy again. Will you contact me when you return to Berlin?]
I’ve never ignored a letter from my brother. Even without him specifically asking me to contact him upon returning to Berlin, I would have done so.
‘Adrian Ascanien through and through, yet somehow not quite.’
That was my conclusion.
There were things in Adrian Ascanien’s letter that he would never mention.
Succession rights. At least on paper, he was someone who would absolutely never bring that up with me. That passage was too factual and specific to come naturally from him. And because it rang partly true, it was even harder to imagine hearing it from him. In other words, there was some calculation involved. A reason he had no choice but to say it.
There were other oddities too. Tacking on a request for a reply was unnecessary, and not mentioning the train tickets to Italy he’d booked felt off, but calling him out on those right now would seem overly sensitive. Those actions likely had intent behind them, but even if they didn’t, they were plausible enough to dodge scrutiny, so I’d keep them in mind while prioritizing the bigger issue.
The biggest problem was this: Drinking the drug would prevent me from using magic. If he’d said this and sent it before the third exam, it would make sense as a suggestion to step aside voluntarily, but I’m now bound to the Imperial family, so I can’t take it. Even if I wanted to drink it of my own volition, blocking my own mana would violate the contract and interfere with my mission. It’s too late and we’ve come too far for him to say something like this. And yet Adrian Ascanien utters something so simplistic?
“…….”
It felt like insurance.
Insurance to attack me and elevate himself.
Was I overreacting if I thought that way? I read the letter once more. It was a warm letter that clearly showed brotherly affection. If it hadn’t been from Adrian Ascanien, I would have sincerely accepted the writer’s concerns.
But Adrian Ascanien isn’t the type to sit idly without weapons or insurance, content to say things like “I’m so glad my brother is back.” His next move must be embedded here.
‘For now, seal this stuff back up.’
With so many possibilities, figuring out his next play wouldn’t be easy. As Leo said yesterday, judging it after the fact might be fine.
Leo closed the box in my stead and said,
“I’ll get it inspected right away when we arrive in Bavaria.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
“You okay?”
“There’s no reason not to be. What can he do with just this?”
I answered calmly, but it didn’t seem to reassure Elias.
“Heyyy~”
“Ah! Get off already.”
“Luca’s got three medals now~ Just a few Grand Crosses to go!”
Right now, Elias was clinging to my back and yelling. Not just following—I mean literally clinging.
Ulrike, who had been sitting on the sofa with Heike reading a magazine, looked at me and laughed as she asked,
“Wow… isn’t it heavy? Why are you carrying him around?”
“I’m not carrying him—he’s the one clinging to me. Like some leech….”
“That’s mean!”
“Then get off!”
“Ah~ This is comfy.”
What was comfy about it? Since I wasn’t supporting Elias, he was putting tremendous strain on his legs.
After receiving the Grand Cross from the Saxon Union Duchy and the Duchy of Brunswick, we boarded the train to Bavaria. Elias did this every time I got on a train. He must think I’m in a bad mood because of my brother’s gift and letter.
He grabbed my face from behind—“from above” might be more accurate—and turned my head the other way as he said,
“Come on, Luca. Let’s go. Time for drinks.”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t drinking?”
“Change of plans. Gotta fill my veins with alcohol.”
I wanted to argue that he’d drink and then drink more, but I knew it’d just make my mouth sore, so I didn’t. My sanity was precious. I moved along with him still attached.
“Speaking of, where’s Narke?”
“Still out cold. Can’t be helped with him feeling unwell. Two of whatever, please.”
Elias said as he sat at the table.
“Actually, seems like his health’s been off even before the terrorist attack.”
“What? Why?”
“Didn’t notice? He’s such a good actor~ Anyway, theater kids.”
“He’s not in theater club. And why bring up theater club out of nowhere?”
“Just a vibe. You guys have that vibe.”
Elias spouted nonsense, took a sip from his glass, then pushed it toward me.
“He must’ve been stressed out. Narke knew someone was targeting us and Pentaron too. He was always on guard, and now that the tension’s eased, he’s crashing.”
“…….”
I swirled the glass Elias had sipped from and quietly asked,
“How’d you know his condition was bad before?”
“No one told me. Don’t you know my observation skills~ I call it like I see it!”
“For real.”
“I’m serious! To me, he seemed off subtly starting a few days before the opening. Then he overdid it with his ability at the opening, so boom—crash.”
“Hmm….”
At least I now knew Narke’s fatigue was worse than usual. During the third exam, he used his ability for a long time like at the opening and spat blood then too, but he didn’t stay exhausted this long afterward. Even accounting for differences in tension and ability strain, unlike me who fully recovered, he’s still tired on day five post-opening, so the prior incident likely played a role.
‘But… is it okay for him to be wandering like this? And this guy knew Narke wasn’t well but still let him drink….’
Anyway, when we get back, I should ask for one more round of Bavaria’s treatments. Elias seemed to care for Narke in his own way, saying,
“When we go, we’ll soak in the Baden hot springs. Narke too.”
“Soak what…. You and Narke go.”
“Why?! Gotta change your mood.”
“I’ve had enough mood-changers already.”
At my response, Elias grabbed my face, studied it intently, then grinned and patted my back.
“You really seem fine~”
“Yeah. I said I am.”
He’d been worried about my brother after all. No matter what my brother does, I have these guys, so it’s fine. It wasn’t empty words.
That way, I spent the whole day dragging Elias around attached to me until I could finally shake him off upon arriving in Bavaria.
The friends, sprawled in comfortable clothes on the train, hurriedly changed into formal attire thirty minutes before arriving in Bavaria and headed out.
After entering the Munich Residenz and going through a brief reception before dinner, the king entered the banquet hall with the Grand Duchess of Baden.
“His Majesty King Hildegard of Bavaria and Her Highness Grand Duchess Wilhelmine of Baden have arrived.”
At the servant’s announcement, everyone’s gazes turned to the entrance. The king spotted Leo and approached our group. He smiled at Leo and asked,
“Did you rest well?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. And Your Highness Grand Duchess of Baden. Thanks to both of you, we could rest comfortably.”
“Good.”
The king nodded and looked at me. Before he could speak, I greeted him first.
“It’s an honor to see you again here, Your Majesty.”
“Hm.”
The king smiled and nodded. Now that I saw it, his expression resembled Leo’s when he was up to mischief. Meeting Nikolaus this way must feel fresh. The king glanced at the medals on my jacket and said,
“It seems you’ve received the crown prince’s gift well.”
At those words, Ulrike nearby looked at us curiously.
Medals were given in the king’s name, and Leo had merely acted as proxy while the king was away, so calling them the crown prince’s gift was problematic. At least to a third party. Ulrike probably wasn’t even sure if he meant the medals.
“Yes. I am deeply grateful to Your Majesty as well.”
“It’s all Your Excellency’s achievement. Let’s dine together later.”
“Is it alright for you to eat?”
I’d heard there was a Wednesday vespers ceremony today. Fasting was the rule on ceremony days. The king nodded slightly and replied,
“The chaos from the terrorist attack hasn’t fully settled, so the Papal Court postponed all rites. We’ve returned, so we have leeway, but their clergy haven’t yet. We don’t have to stick strictly to the date, but since we delayed ours by a day too, we’ll align with the Papal Court’s schedule.”
“I see.”
Well, since it’s a symbolically important rite, doing it on Sunday after delaying makes sense. Originally, the schedule didn’t allow for Wednesday anyway. The King of Bavaria was in Prussia when I received my medal here, and only returned today, Thursday.
Aligning the schedule like this seems like a gesture of goodwill toward the Papal Court that aided in the terror incident. Hard to believe such minutiae could express amity, but considering the power struggles between Old and New faiths in the Empire, it’s plausible. Protestant Prussia eyes Catholic states like Bavaria allying with the Papal Court warily. In our history, Prussia enacted anti-Catholic policies for various reasons, including curbing Papal influence.
“Instead, we’ll attend Mass afterward. Will you join?”
“Yes, I will.”
As expected, postponing vespers to attend weekday Mass felt more diplomatic.
Joining the king’s official schedule was already on my agenda for today anyway, so no reason to refuse. The king now turned to Elias and said,
“It’s been a while since I last saw you here.”
“Haha~”
Elias brushed it off with a rude laugh. The king, already accustomed, didn’t reprimand him and greeted the others.
We soon entered the banquet hall. In the spacious room, waiters bustled about carrying trays with multiple raised glasses.
“Good thing we didn’t eat beforehand.”
Ulrike whispered beside me, glancing at the fruit basket on the table. It wasn’t intentional abstinence but hangover preventing it, but I nodded anyway.
Once everyone was seated, the king and grand duchess entered the banquet hall a bit late this time too. As the king entered, all eyes turned to him, and the room quieted. The king approached our table, looked around with a smile, and said,
“There are many welcome faces. Today, we gather to honor those who safeguarded our Empire and the peace of the continent. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the Prussian relief forces, the Bavaria-Baden coalition, and the Papal Court’s mages who came here for the Empire’s peace. And, as you all know, there is one person many here have been waiting for.”
The king looked at me and said,
“His Excellency Lucas Ascanien.”
“…….”
All eyes turned to me. I stood, glass in hand, gave a brief thanks for the mention, and said,
“This wasn’t possible through my efforts alone, so receiving such a welcome feels awkward. Today’s safety is thanks to everyone here. It’s an honor to stand with those who strove for peace. Thank you for your efforts.”
I raised my glass slightly and said,
“For the peace of the continent.”
A chill ran down my spine mid-sentence, but there was no helping it. Since the king had passed me the floor, this much was necessary.
Government officials from various nations smiled and mirrored my action. Only then could I sit back down.
No sooner had I sat than Elias naturally drank from my glass of wine and pushed it back to me. He’d been trying to taste-test for poison since earlier. I was briefly shocked, but the king pretended not to notice. Since it wasn’t Elias’s first antics, he probably figured ignoring it was best. Only Leo, seated beside me, gave Elias a look of exasperation.
The dinner, starting at 6 p.m., didn’t end until 8.
After curfew passed, we headed straight to the Theatinerkirche near the Munich Residenz, the church primarily used by the royals. The king’s advisor sat beside him, and in the row behind sat me, Elias, Leo, and Narke. The other friends, all Protestant, skipped it for rest.
“But why are you here?”
Before the service started, I asked Elias, who had naturally sat beside me.
“Huh? Just.”
“What do you mean ‘just’? Isn’t your family Protestant?”
“Yeah. But it’s fine~ Won’t die. Dad said it’s okay.”
Elias patted my shoulder. Narke smiled as usual, unbothered by anything, while Leo muttered with a resigned face,
“As long as you don’t fall asleep. Doze off like last time and you’re out.”
“Nah, I won’t.”
‘Everyone’s just given up on him….’
Actually, Elias had done this in the novel too.
No press would enter this far anyway, so no big issue. There’d be reporters outside on the way out, but Elias could warp away. Half the Empire is Protestant, half Catholic, so he’d shamelessly claim attending Mass broadened his horizons as a member of the ruling house. Having read his protagonist novel, I could easily picture his excuse.
During the Liturgy of the Word, Elias indeed started dozing lightly. But knowing it was impolite, he was trying to keep his eyes wide open. For a sleepy guy, this was like school for him—pure torment.
Then at some point, Elias’s eyes sharpened—right at the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
‘He didn’t come just for the wine, did he?’
Here, both species of the Eucharist were given at every Mass. Though not yet the 19th century when it became standard, in this post-magic era, they permitted both species earlier than our world. The wine wasn’t abundant anyway, so probably not—most received by intinction rather than drinking from the chalice. Sorry to suspect Elias, but given his usual behavior, it was plausible.
“Take this, all of you, and drink from it. This is my blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins, the blood of the covenant.”
The priest’s voice flowed slowly.
My turn came, and I stood before the deacon holding the chalice. The deacon opened his mouth.
“The Blood of Christ.”
“Amen.”
School always did Protestant Lord’s Supper, so this Catholic rite felt a bit unfamiliar. The deacon handed me the chalice of wine.
Elias, on edge since my brother’s letter, stared intently from behind. Suppressing a hollow laugh, I took the chalice and brought it to my lips. The unremarkable wine slid down my throat. In that instant, something slammed fiercely through my heart.
“…!”
Wait. My eyes widened at the sudden anomaly. It felt like my veins were clogging up.
Clang—
The silver chalice slipped from my hand and rolled across the floor. Red wine spread like blood on the white marble.
An incomprehensible sound escaped my lips. It felt like someone was squeezing my heart—no, now my throat, choking my breath. Was it just a feeling? Vision blackened, then brightened like a tunnel, blinding me. Instinctively, I clutched my blocked throat.
Thud—
No time to steady myself. As I collapsed, a chilling cold clung to my skin. Panicked people surrounded me, shouting, but I heard nothing.
‘Blood….’
Blood smell. No blood, yet why? My heartbeat drowned my ears.
The blood in my veins was drying up entirely. Not enough. I’d die like this. Death might not matter, but not for me—not yet. I tried to push off the ground and stand. The hard floor struck my head. I felt my heart pulling in all my mana. Was my mana always this pathetically low? No way.
Salty taste. My heart lurched at external mana touching me, at the mana in the blood from my mouth. Teeth dug into flesh, blood flowed more. My core throbbed with the bloody smell in my breaths. Something was wrong. A situation I’d never felt before. Why? What variable changed suddenly?
‘No way.’
No way.
An implausible possibility flashed through my mind. The face of someone I hoped for it flashed too. No way—it couldn’t be. But without this, the request for a reply and the Italy tickets made no sense. I got the insurance meaning. I understood why he’d been laying low since January. No—where did fact end and fiction begin? What should I believe? If this was strategy, making the enemy doubt himself was a huge success.
My insides burned.
This mana wasn’t enough. More—far short. Someone touched my mouth.
Thump—
Mana from their hand seeped into my breath. My core was drawn to it.
More.
I grabbed the hand of the one above me. A breaking sound and scream came. No. Humans unleash unreal strength at death’s door—it wasn’t empty words. Vision shook violently, nothing discernible, but my hand reached their core, their mana. The worst possibility unfolded in my mind. No. This couldn’t happen. Clashing mana roared noisily. Another scream seemed to echo.
‘No!’
Ding—!
Chapter 6 Special Reward
Auto-Intervention Notice: Stopped
Thump—
As white text appeared, my head hit something. My heart stuttered to a halt, the world went black. Only the Witelsbach mana pulsed around my core like a heartbeat before fading faintly.
Just before losing consciousness, white light flashed.
Congratulations!
Trait ‘Extra Chapter’ unlocked!