Chapter 87 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble House
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"What...? Yes, I'll give it to you."
"Good. Just one glass will do. Shall we go now?"
"...I hate to say this, but I don't have the power to warp right now. If you could just wait a moment..."
"Ugh, what a pain in the ass!"
Losing his patience, Elias grabbed his wrist and warped them away.
By the time they warped in after him, Elias had already pulled out a glass and poured the wine.
"I'll drink it."
"Go ahead."
"Bind his magic so he can't warp."
"...What did you just say...?"
The prince half-rose, staring at them in bewilderment.
"Shut up! If you're gonna try to stop me, drink it yourself."
"Ah, no, I was just asking..."
In the meantime, Elias had already downed a glass of wine in one gulp.
I swallowed hard and watched him.
Elias tilted his head and frowned.
"What? Nothing happened."
"...Looks that way."
"Hmm."
Elias looked back and forth between the wine and the prince with a complicated expression.
He let out a deep sigh, then flopped down onto the floor.
"?!"
"What are you doing?!"
Even as the prince gasped in shock, Elias lay there, still frowning.
"I don't feel like doing anything."
"Pardon?"
What was that out of nowhere?
"Just... I..."
Elias's eyes seemed to be welling up a bit.
Maybe it was because his cousin's legs had nearly been shattered; he clearly wasn't in a great mood.
"I just want to cut off Uncle's head... Mmph!"
"Your jokes are way over the top. Not that it's anything new. Right?"
He might start calling me by my real name at this rate.
Before he could call me Luka, I shoved magic into his throat.
Elias fell asleep in an instant.
"...!"
The prince's eyes went wide as he stared at me.
"He's not dead."
"Ah, right. Of course."
No sooner had the words left my mouth than Elias's eyes snapped open.
"What?"
"Who knows. You seem normal enough. Your Highness, may I have a glass too?"
"Of course."
Elias seemed to realize something was off, his face turning serious again.
He was always like this, so it was hard to tell, but this was definitely different from usual.
No matter what, he wasn't crazy enough to say he wanted to cut off his uncle's head in front of his uncle's son.
So, the wine the crown prince gave him must contain something that turns idle thoughts into words and actions.
'He's got some guts.'
To have his little brother do the dirty work of fulfilling his own desires.
The crown prince was like that in the novel too.
Adelbert, the second son, always took the lead and stood out, but when it came to sheer vileness, the crown prince was worse. Adelbert didn't even deserve the label of vile.
'That's why he only ended up in prison.'
Did anyone really think a usurper who seized the throne through treason—especially against someone like Elias—would mercifully spare the imperial family?
He killed everyone who wasn't useful for recycling.
And in Elias's eyes, Adelbert was a highly valuable card—if only he could redirect that loyalty to himself.
'Of course, Leo opposed it... but that's not important now.'
The crown prince was more than capable of pulling something like this.
It was a neck that had to go sooner or later anyway, so the best move was to hand it over to the Vitelsbachs for drug analysis and secure evidence.
As I poured wine into a glass, the prince glanced at me hesitantly before speaking.
"...Your Excellency Ernst."
"Yes."
"...Thank you for your help."
He couldn't lift his face.
I didn't think it warranted thanks, but knowing his feelings, I just shrugged.
"No big deal."
"And, Elias."
"What. If you're gonna apologize, just shut up. It's cliché."
The prince's shoulders twitched.
"...Sorry."
"..."
"...This'll sound shameless, and I still don't like you much, but..."
"What the hell, man?"
"I'm glad you're not hurt."
If Elias had ended up dependent on a cane for life because of this, Adelbert's personality would have led him to torment himself with guilt for a long time.
So, it was only natural that he felt relieved Elias was unharmed.
Elias let out a heavy breath with an expression like, *Since when do you say stuff like that?*, then nodded.
"Yeah, me too. Lucky I'm not hurt."
"Huh? Why, why..."
Seeing Elias approach, the prince backed away.
*Smack—!*
"Ow!"
The prince clutched his head where Elias had flicked it.
Elias grinned, looking relieved.
"How else would I get to knuckle-rap the prince? I'd be in the hospital getting my head shaved right now. Ahh, that felt good."
Was that really just a knuckle-rap?
While I let out an awkward chuckle, Elias tossed the words at the prince, who was blinking back tears.
"Bury it."
"What?"
"You're at fault, but not entirely, so stop digging holes in the ground and just bury it properly."
Elias suddenly thought of something and whipped his head around, glaring at the prince.
"But don't bury it so deep it disappears completely! You know what I mean, right? Figure out the right line yourself, man! Don't make me spell it out."
"Y-Yeah... Got it."
As Elias advanced threateningly again, the prince dodged.
He looked like he might snap, so I checked my watch and stood.
"Your Highness the Duke. Time to go."
* * *
I said I'd be right back and filled a flask from my room with wine.
I left a short note and warped it to Leo's secretary's office, so analysis would start soon.
'But... what took until seven?'
I ended up not sleeping a wink.
After taking a carriage with Elias to an inn near the school, I warped straight to the dorm, changed quickly, and headed out the main gate.
"You're here, Lucas."
My homeroom professor, who'd been waiting, greeted me warmly.
That's how I spent eight hours on a train with him and finally arrived at the estate around four in the afternoon.
"Go on in. I'll be at the faculty housing, so come find me if anything comes up."
"...Thank you for your hard work, Professor."
His face looked half-dead compared to when we left, so I had to say it.
I followed the servant who came out of the estate.
The servant stopped in the middle of the corridor and pointed to a massive door.
"You'll stay here."
"Yes, thank you."
After sending the servant off, I opened the door to reveal a living room with several attached rooms.
Narke, who'd been playing card games with the other students, looked at my face and said,
"You look beat. You okay?"
"I'm fine. Hey, you're here too."
"Yeah, Yulia said divine power's used as a material in the experiments~ So I came. Your room's down there—unpack quick."
Narke pointed to the end of the corridor.
I opened the door at the end and said to the unsurprising face inside,
"Knew you'd be here."
"You're here? Took you long enough."
Leo pointed to the desk opposite his, as if it were mine.
Then, as if remembering something, he turned.
"Oh, I handed off that wine you sent for analysis. What's so special about it?"
"It's what the crown prince gave his little brother to drink."
"Hm...? To Prince Adelbert?"
Leo tilted his head, completely lost.
"Elias will probably tell you. Later."
"Whatever. Oh, Lucas, you know how to solve all the textbooks the school handed out?"
I looked up at Leo's question.
"If not, you'll bomb the midterms and finals too."
"Exactly."
The school had distributed subject-specific textbooks for the academic contest prep, but for the Empire's No. 2 Education Academy—basically an elite high school—they weren't particularly tough.
Since it was a contest only for students advancing to the experiment competition, they couldn't make it full Olympiad level like I'd expected.
'That's why tomorrow's the test and they're all playing cards...'
Leo closed his book and stood.
"Good. Contest's no sweat, then. Let's go practice potion-making."
* * *
'Look at him brushing off the academic contest.'
Very promising.
Not just Leo—all our school's students had the same confidence.
They were so immersed that time flew by unnoticed as we focused on experiments together, until roll call.
As I headed back to pack after reporting in the corridor, I overheard familiar talk from students from another school leaning on the railing far off.
"...How the hell did she even get here? Thought it was a joke, but she actually showed up."
"Probably paid her way in here too."
"Oh yeah, she got in on donation admission there too."
"Like donation admission even exists at the Empire's No. 2..."
"I don't get our school's donation kids either—if you don't have the skills, just don't go. Whatever..."
When I glanced their way, one spotted me, signaled his friends, and they hurried off.
'It's been a while since I got that reaction.'
Yeah, outside school, it's like this.
I'd gotten too used to the atmosphere inside and forgotten how serious it was.
Still, compared to the early school vibes I felt at first, this was tame.
They'd only mentioned donation admission.
It wasn't mockery, and based on their limited info, it was natural.
'Good, that's how it should be.'
That's the point of me being here.
If my external image wasn't like that, why would I even show up?
* * *
And so, the morning of the academic contest arrived.
Students from the Empire's No. 2 Education Academy chatted seriously in the corridor outside the exam hall.
"Guys, let's do this."
"I'll hang on for top 50. Leo, go for first. Save our school's honor."
"Why tell me? Our department's top is Lucas."
"Oh, right."
[30 minutes until exam start. Students, please enter the hall immediately.]
At the announcement, the students grimaced and sighed.
"Ugh, how do we wait till dinner?"
"Right? Feels like taking two finals right now."
'...Not worried about the scores, just hate taking the test, huh.'
Their confidence was unreal anyway.
"Let's go."
"Good luck, everyone!"
Students from the same school were split into different halls.
I waved lightly to those greeting me and entered the exam room.
And so...
Half a day passed.
[Exam ended. Students, please proceed to the Academy Auditorium by 10 PM.]
'It's over.'
Just like that student said earlier, it felt like two finals.
Unlike before, I stretched lightly and stood.
Out in the corridor, Narke was emerging from the next room.
"Lucas, how'd it go?"
"So-so."
"Hahaha, no clue what to even say to that."
Narke laughed in disbelief, gathered the other Empire No. 2 students, and we headed to the auditorium. After a long wait for the results, the announcer's voice finally rang out.
[Hello, everyone.]
[We will now announce the bonus point recipients for the Imperial High School Academic Contest hosted by the Bavarian Royal Academy. Before the full list, we'll present awards and certificates to 1st through 3rd place.]
I scanned the spacious auditorium.
About 300 exam participants filled the first floor, while teachers and cheering students from various schools sat on the second.
[The difficulty was the same, but expanding to national scope for the first time made it tougher than previous years. Still, we salute the hard work of the students who shone through.]
'Saying Bavarian students are above imperial average like that...'
[We'll start with sophomore certificate recipients. 3rd place: Frederike Zecht from the Prussian Schleswig-Holstein State Magic School.]
[Congratulations. Well done.]
The Royal Academy president shook hands and handed over the certificate and plaque.
Once done, the announcer spoke again.
[2nd place: Leonard Wittelsbach from the Prussian Empire's No. 2 Education Academy.]
"Wooooaaah—!"
A deafening roar erupted, louder than before.
'I forgot.'
His likability was 10 points for a reason.
I could feel Leo's fame and popularity firsthand.
Leo lightly gripped the students' outstretched hands and ascended the stage to receive his certificate and plaque.
[Finally, 1st place.]
As 1st place came up, the announcer dragged it out more than before.
At last, he spoke.
[Lucas Ascanien from the Prussian Empire's No. 2 Education Academy.]
"...Huh?!"
"What?!"
'...'
Wasn't this treatment a bit too different?
Students from other schools stared at me in stunned silence.
As I walked to the stage, sparse claps started, then quickly filled the hall.
Polite applause, but better than the dead silence I'd expected.
[Congratulations. First perfect score in three years—care to say a few words?]
'Again? Third time since midterms.'
I'd cursed my memory more in life, but...
Honestly, my thinking was shifting lately.
I took the mic enchanted with amplification magic.
[Thank you for this meaningful award. I'd like to dedicate this honor to the professors at the Empire's No. 2 Education Academy. And...]
Best to skip mentioning His Majesty. No real connection between Lucas Ascanien and the king anyway.
[Thanks to all of you, I could achieve this. Thank you.]
It wasn't aimed at anyone specific.
They all shared the same impression of me anyway.
If the whole nation didn't see me as Ascanien's failure, I wouldn't have entered this contest—so it wasn't wrong.
I smiled contentedly at the auditorium still reeling in shock.
With this, the nationwide foundation for my desired image shift was laid.
* * *
The next day, I grabbed the Bavarian Royal Newspaper stabbed into my door and spread it on the desk.
[High School Academic Contest Hosted by Bavarian Royal Academy]
[2nd-Year Final Bonus Point List (50)]
[Lucas Ascanien 100.0
Leonard Wittelsbach 99.7
Frederike Zecht 97.5
....]
'Leo missed one, huh.'
If I were the king, I'd have fudged the scores and randomized names, but true to his promise to "help change your image," he kept it legit.
Even if it meant the crown prince's son lost to an out-of-towner.
And...
The results had already reached overseas.
I set aside the kingdom paper and opened today's imperial newspaper.
Against a blurry forest and cityscape, that annoying face—smeared in blood—smiled faintly.
[Adrian Ascanien Successfully Destroys Pleioma Garrison in Papal Ravenna Territory]
I fitted a filter as I read the headline.
The interview restarted midway.
[...It would've been impossible without the intel from Duke Elias Hohenzollern and Sir Nikolaus Ernst. Hope we work together again.]
As the long interview wrapped up, Adrian Ascanien dropped an unexpected line.
[...And finally, may I send one last greeting to my family?]
[Of course.]
[Thank you. Then...]
Adrian Ascanien stared into the camera with a smile and spoke.
[Luka.]
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