Chapter 52 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family (52)
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I grabbed the bastard by the collar and hoisted him up.
"Guh…."
"No, what you'll go through won't be an illusion—it'll be real, and that's the key difference. You asked what it means to never return to Mecklenburg?"
I pulled the artifact from my other ear. As it left my skin, the stealth property binding it unraveled.
Strauch's already bloodless face turned deathly pale.
I held the artifact up to his eyes and smiled.
"What do you think it means?"
All color drained from Strauch's face.
"…No way…."
"That's exactly what you're imagining."
I grabbed his collar and slammed his head against the railing.
Thud—!
"Ugh!"
Strauch's illusion was still holding strong. Countless people were watching us intently, their nerves on edge, eyes tense.
I pressed down on his cold throat and muttered.
"I wonder how everyone will react when they find out Mecklenburg's young federal assemblyman is a Pleroma."
"Ah, no…. No…."
"They'll all be willing to pour their time into you. Your story will be on every family's dinner table from now on. Letters checking on your well-being will inevitably mention the Pleroma politician, and the academy, the imperial court, the federal government—they'll all cite your case for decades to warn their juniors."
Strauch shook his head frantically and backed away. He didn't even have the strength to speak anymore.
It was only natural—I'd unleashed the maximum mana I could in an instant to keep him from casting any spells.
I felt his life force flickering out and opened my mouth.
"Think back. What achievements are you truly proud of? Graduating top of your class from the Imperial First Academy's Department of Magic? Landing a federal government job right after graduation? Being appointed to the Schwerin assembly seat in under ten years? Not bad for such a short political career—you had solid support."
I tilted my head, staring into his unfocused eyes.
"Impressive. A shining life everyone envies. Right?"
"...."
After all this, I wondered if he regretted dipping his toes into Pleroma. Not that regret mattered much at this point.
Strauch's breathing grew irregular, slowing bit by bit.
Time to wrap this up. I removed my glove and pressed my hand to his forehead.
—Enter through the narrow gate.
That's where I'd always stopped before.
But not this time.
I chanted the formula, gripping tighter. My hand was shaking too much otherwise—I couldn't focus on the spell.
—The gate that leads to destruction is wide, its road broad, and many enter through it….
Mid-chant, something snapped again. A drop of blood fell onto his pallid face.
'…Can't stop here.'
Just a little more.
I didn't know how Pleroma's system worked. No telling how they'd extract his memories.
—The gate that leads to life is narrow, the road constricted, and few find it.
So I had to damage the original beyond repair to be safe.
As the incantation ended, Strauch's trembling pupils stilled. His arms and legs went limp.
He wasn't dead.
A strong shock to the mana pathways to the brain causes temporary paralysis like this. It meant his level was below mine—and that my memory manipulation spell had succeeded.
Even proving he was Pleroma, it was better to let the imperial court handle his final disposal rather than killing him myself. No need to leave even a sliver of negative image or unnecessary unrest.
'But first….'
The backlash from burning four uses' worth of mana in one go was hitting me.
I'd desperately ignored it until now, but with everything done, I couldn't hold out anymore.
Drip—
My vision narrowed steadily, like lights winking out one by one down my back. A chill surged from deep in my gut.
Boom—
For some reason, the same massive roar echoed again.
It must have lasted longer this time, but my ears blocked it out—I couldn't accept it. A dazed state, like being underwater, set in.
I touched my ear. Sticky fluid coated my fingers.
'....'
What was this? I knew the name—I shouldn't forget it.
Felt like a circuit had shorted. My face twisted involuntarily.
Now my eyes wanted to close on their own. Support would arrive soon if I just waited—might as well rest a bit.
'No, wait.'
Right now, I needed to figure out that roar I didn't make. No time to waste before planning my next move….
Kwaaang—
Something crashed, kicking up wind. Through the distant dust cloud, I saw a figure.
"…Hear that? You're covered in blood. You okay?"
A familiar voice.
I clenched my fist and opened my mouth.
A faint fog lifted from my mind. Only then did I recall what coated my hand.
"Saw your whole magic show. Know you nearly killed him?"
I squinted, trying to focus my hazy vision. Someone in a pitch-black robe over priestly robes laughed aloud, swinging a staff.
"See? My judgment of your potential was spot on. Still, let's not kill him—we need to see how he dies."
—Stretch out your hand, and by your holy name, work healings and signs and wonders.
Dazzling white divine power bloomed before my eyes.
My mind sharpened. I could tell I had a bit more leeway now.
That's when I noticed something off about the man's attire.
A vivid pink sash tied at the waist over the priestly robes caught my eye. As far as I knew, only a handful of clergy could wear that color.
His staff was beyond the norm too—it was the kind issued to Papal See clergy. Even his hair wasn't its usual dark brown; it matched the standard dye for divine power users in the Papal See.
So many questions, but no mental bandwidth for them.
I slumped against the railing and muttered.
"Took you long enough…."
"Yeah, sorry. Strauch messed with the coordinates twice."
Narke lifted his mask slightly to show his face. He knelt before me, checked my condition, and smiled faintly.
"Internal injuries look bad. Not poison, so purification won't work… This is a mess. Time to squeeze some spine out of Wittelsbach when we get back."
"Squeeze it out for me?"
"Haha, modest as ever. I'll grab you a newspaper after treatment and recovery."
I furrowed my brow at the cryptic words, and Narke burst out laughing.
"The whole Empire's stepping up, ready to give you anything right now—think your own house won't? Now answer my question."
Narke turned my head and pointed downward.
"Still know where we are?"
"Capital Square… top of the clock tower."
"Good. And you know those people down there are your illusion, right?"
"Yeah."
"You know we're 100 meters up?"
"Didn't know that part."
I clutched my throbbing head and replied.
"Roughly, yeah. Anyway, our coordinates show just as big a crowd gathered below."
"What…!"
"Don't flare up in your state. No time to grab a mask—hair extension maybe? Nah, robe'll cover you for now."
"Just warp us out. Ah, damn… coordinates…."
"Yeah, no way to shift coordinates. First time for me too. Remember where I came from earlier?"
I shook my head silently.
"Fell from the sky, your terms. Had to shock it to crack the rift. Couple duplicate parts, but luckily hit your world first try."
"…What are you even saying…."
I gripped my head.
His words made no sense.
Normally I'd piece it together from context, but not now.
Then my vision tilted. Narke scooped me up and steadied himself.
"Same way down as up. Gotta jump now, Lucas."
"What?!"
"Haha, no choice. Sorry. But it's the best option, so not that sorry."
Narke leaped onto the railing in one bound. Standing there, the wind hit harder.
Whooooosh—
"I'll cast perception disruption. No worries about your face."
"Wait, that's not the issue right now…!"
"Trust my skills. Delay more, and brother or not, you're dead. Three, two…. One."
Narke stepped off lightly.
The wind stopped. My eardrums clogged dully. Then a roar bigger than any I'd heard filled my ears.
Kwaaaaang—!
"Uwaaaaaah!"
"Wow, never seen you react this wildly."
Narke laughed, thrusting his staff downward at the ground, firing a spell.
I doubted anyone free-falling 100 meters naked wouldn't scream. I cursed inwardly nonstop.
Eyes shut, teeth gritted—then suddenly Narke turned my head inward.
"Hey! There!"
"Incoming!"
Voices rose from below around then—memory cuts off.
* * *
No idea how much time passed.
Vision blurry. I squinted, focusing, scanning around.
"Coming around?"
I turned toward the voice.
Someone held my hand, infusing mana.
Post-treatment, my body had enough stamina to move somewhat.
But more importantly… the one treating me was Wittelsbach's top magical medicine expert.
"...."
The King of Bavaria.
Why him?
Shocked, I tried sitting up—his firm gesture laid me back down.
"…First time meeting you, Your Majesty."
"As Sir Nikolaus? Or Lucas Ascanien?"
"...."
A barbed question wrapped in a gentle smile.
Right… the moment he was beside me, my identity was exposed.
As I hesitated, he smiled just like Leo. Faces not that similar, but the vibe screamed family to anyone.
"If it's the latter, I've seen you since you were little. You don't remember, but it's fresh in my mind."
"I see."
"Feeling better?"
"Yes, much thanks to you. My gratitude."
He nodded silently, as if he understood.
'…Hmm.'
Until now, with no room for extra risk, I'd used Leo as proxy to handle my identity.
Strictly speaking, I should've gone straight to the king, explained, and requested a new identity. Success not guaranteed, of course.
Even knowing it was impolite, I hadn't—Leo's family was a major risk factor too.
'So first, check if this man's trustworthy.'
I summoned the alterable spear right away.
Dawn777
—To final ending 'Chapter X. Death': 696 days 21 hours 41 minutes 18 seconds
—Alteration chance: 17.4% (+2.0%p)
Up 2%p.
Knowing the king posed no issue.
Sure, it could be +3%p then -1%p netting this… but.
Nikolaus's identity issue had only two paths: status quo or irrecoverable failure.
Messing with identity doesn't fluctuate impression scores like Dasrote's pranks—it forces immediate action on my brother, straight to total death.
If he acted against my interests, alteration chance wouldn't dip 0.1%p or 1%p—it'd plummet to zero instantly.
So this figure reflected only the gain from executing Strauch.
Heavy silence stretched.
Meanwhile, his pure mana circulated through my body.
"To think Sir Nikolaus Ernst was Ascanien's second son—still astonishing."
No good response.
Amazed, are you? Mocking me….
Never planned to tell? Accusing me of outright deception before the king.
Meant to visit later and explain? Whatever now.
Sorry…. Yeah, best I could do. Apologize regardless of circumstances.
As I pondered and opened my mouth, the king shook his head.
"We'll talk later. You'll head back to school the day after tomorrow—let's chat tomorrow."
"...."
Just do it now….
But with so much needing forgiveness, I couldn't say that.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He nodded slightly, satisfied, and rose.
"See you tomorrow."
I bowed after him. Door closed—I tried sitting up, realized the strain, and lay back.
No clue how things progressed—need a newspaper at least.
Plenty to confirm.
'What exactly happened at the end?'
Body much healed, but brain not fully yet.
Recall slowly, one by one.
Rewound time, Strauch tried turning me Pleroma again—pushed him to death's door.
Internal injuries clouded my mind briefly. Support arrived, luckily….
'Fell.'
Plummeted from the clock tower over Capital Square with Narke. Survived, thankfully….
'…!'
Narke said the real square had an equal crowd.
No one recognized me?
He used perception disruption, but stronger mages than him would see through it.
'…Status. Quick.'
Lucas René Ascanien
Title: Sir Nikolaus
Stamina: +1.3 (+0.2) [+4.3]
Mentality: -1.6 (+1.0)
Mana: ?
Skills: +2.7 (+0.25) [+5.7]
Impression: -9.9 [+6.50098951]
Luck: +0.95 (+0.9)
Traits: Dawn777, Divine Power, Charm (Lv.2), Retry (Lv.1)
-9.9.
First time relieved seeing this number.
Narke was right. No one recognized me.
Think.
Mages in the crowd, yet Narke pulled off that strong disruption?
Possible if he masked my face and warped straight from our world's sky, with disruption as backup….
That led to his odd attire resurfacing.
Definitely Papal See mage staff, and that sash color—bishop-level at least, I knew.
A high cleric like that finding Imperial Second Academy boring, yet coming for exchange?
"...."
He said he attends seminary. Compatible with student and bishop roles? Or one a lie?
Doubt sparked, other memories surfaced.
Before, casually deployed square-kilometer divine power in Bavaria's restricted zone.
Never once dropped my survival odds regarding Narke, but….
'Need to look into this too.'
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