Chapter 17 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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Creak—
Ten minutes before the first class, I stepped into the classroom when most of the students had already arrived.
"…What?"
Leo, who was sitting there, looked at my face and asked in disbelief.
Then, realizing late that he'd decided not to acknowledge me, he silently turned his head and began cursing me with his expression.
Ignoring his what-the-hell face, I scanned the rest of the room.
My eyes met those of the students from yesterday.
I let out a sneer and nodded toward them.
"Left you behind, and you got up on your own and came nicely."
"...."
"Hey."
The students steadfastly stared straight ahead until I approached and tapped one on the shoulder, at which point they shuddered and finally looked my way.
"Had to make you come yourself?"
"N-No, not me… why…."
The guy's eyes trembled wildly as he looked at me.
He definitely remembered dragging me out to bully me, but not getting beaten so visibly.
Something had clearly happened, yet all that lingered in his mind was a vague fear.
Smiling, I grabbed his shoulder.
"Grab your bag and come over here."
"Huh?"
"Sit next to me. All four of you."
His face froze solid as he slowly rose from his seat.
Then he asked with a look that said he had no idea why he should obey.
"Why next to you…."
I returned to my seat and silently tapped my desk.
They exchanged glances, then sat beside me with confused expressions.
Casually, I asked,
"What's this class?"
"…Basic Biology…. Probably."
"Good. Open your notebooks."
Bewildered, they exchanged glances before pulling out their notebooks. Just then, the professor opened the door and entered.
"Hello, everyone."
While the professor rummaged through the attendance sheet, I spoke to the students beside me.
"How're your grades?"
"36th…. The ones next to me are probably in the 40s. Why?"
I burst out laughing at that.
"40th out of 50? Can't expect you to grasp key points, then."
"B-But you were… 48th, right?"
Luca had been like that. He'd skipped even the exam day. Always dead last, barely escaping it on the final test.
I didn't bother responding and just pointed at their notebooks.
"From now on, write down every single word the professor says, not missing a syllable. Don't bother looking for key points—just record everything from start to finish."
"What?"
"Write it. All of it."
All of it? The student frowned in distress.
"B-But why should we listen to you…."
"Don't want to?"
I stared at him with a smile, and he averted his eyes, trailing off.
"No, it's just… writing everything is…."
"Then don't. Your choice. Studying isn't something you do because someone tells you to."
Don't? That easily?
Is it really okay not to? Bewilderment crept back onto the student's face.
Just then, the professor scanned the room, tilted his head at my face.
"Student Lucas, what happened to your face?"
"Uh, I was up early this morning…."
I stood from my seat and opened my mouth.
Thud—
The sound of the desk echoing through the quiet classroom.
The student next to me grabbed my hand tightly, his face drained white. In a small, urgent whisper, he pleaded,
"I-I'll do it…! I'll do it! All of it!"
"…Hmm."
"Up early?"
The professor glanced back and forth at the student beside me as he repeated the question.
Far off, Leo let out a deep sigh. He'd finally pieced it together.
The gazes of the other students filling the classroom were the same.
Looking down at the guy clutching my hand, I curled my lip.
"…It's nothing. Just a little spat with some friends."
"If it's a violence incident, we need to convene the disciplinary committee."
"No. It's not that serious. We've resolved it amicably."
The professor seemed unwilling to escalate things involving me, pausing in thought before nodding.
"Hmm… If you need any help, tell the professors anytime. Even later is fine."
"Yes, I will. Thank you."
Smiling, I sat back down.
Then I pulled a thin, covered book from my bag. One I'd borrowed from the library to study divine special magic.
I opened it, placed it under my textbook, and beckoned the students beside me.
"What're you doing? Not writing?"
"...."
They stared blankly at my book, then hurriedly scribbled as the professor began speaking.
* * *
"Then, see you next week. Review well."
The professor gathered his materials and left.
The guys next to me shot up from their seats, gasping for breath.
"Hah… It's, it's over."
"Lucas! We wrote it all!"
Their tearful cries reached me.
I looked up from my book and quickly skimmed their notebooks.
There were gaps, of course, but with multiple people taking notes, they were filling each other's blanks.
I handed the notebooks back to them.
"Good job."
"…Not taking them?"
"Jeez… Some people only study for the first period. Does school end after one class?"
Their faces darkened at that. Grinning, I patted their shoulders.
"Hang in there till six."
And so, after regular classes ended, I collected all the notebooks. They handed them over, massaging their sore arms with dying expressions.
"Look at that handwriting flying off the page. Write properly."
Under my scolding, one student hesitantly spoke up.
"…But, um, are you gonna report it…."
"Nope."
As I shook my head, light returned to their faces. Watching them, I continued.
"As long as you keep this up from now on. As far as I know, violence incidents can be reported anytime before graduation, right?"
"Huh? Oh, no… then…."
Smiling at the students at a loss for words,
I'd already gone to the hospital and gotten a medical certificate.
Unlike before, I slowly read through the notebooks, nodding.
Sitting still and re-hearing high school lectures I already knew was incredibly tedious.
Something that could be done in 30 minutes with lecture notes alone took a full hour.
The curriculum wasn't exactly like reality's either, so I couldn't ignore classes entirely, which had me a bit stumped….
'This is good.'
Grinning as I closed the notebook filled with the lecture content line by line,
"I'll borrow these, then."
* * *
Shortly after Lucas left, one student sighed and rubbed his face with both hands.
"That thug…."
"A n-note-stealing thug… where've you ever seen one…."
"It's extortion! Aren't the notebooks mine?!"
As the student burst out, another shook his head.
"Calm down. He said he was borrowing them. Let's see if he returns them."
"If not, we report him right away."
"He'll return them. He'll have to if he wants us taking notes tomorrow too."
"...."
The room fell silent.
It was a darkening-prospect remark.
* * *
I stopped by my room, piled the borrowed notebooks on my desk, and headed to the training grounds.
"What the hell happened yesterday?"
Lifting my head, my eyes met Leo's, who was lounging in a chair at the training grounds.
Yeah, knew he'd ask. Weirder if he didn't.
After a moment's thought, I gave a short answer.
"Got beat a bit."
Obviously, that wasn't what he was asking—he wanted how the incident played out….
But there was the bit about them mentioning Leo, me shoving dirt down their throats, etc.—stuff he didn't need to know.
Better not to explain and risk slipping up.
'Say too much unnecessary crap, and I won't last half way.'
Especially the dirt thing.
Thinking of Leo's upright character, I shut my mouth.
Leo gave me another incredulous look, shook his head.
"Fine, whatever…. Not the point anyway. You get checked by a healer?"
"Yeah. Just bruises."
"Good."
Leo nodded, then casually dropped an out-of-left-field question.
"So, did you win?"
"What?"
His incongruous query drew a hollow laugh.
I'd read scenes in the novel where Leo stopped the protagonist from brawling, but never him asking about wins or losses.
'He's already assuming I used magic.'
He wouldn't ask about fight wins/losses without presupposing magic. Lightly, I replied,
"As if I'd listen to the losers."
Leo burst out laughing.
"Ah, now I feel better. Yeah, who taught you? You can't lose to those guys."
"Funny how you assume I used magic, obviously."
"Those bastards don't play by the rules. Only way out is magic."
I nodded.
Feeding him live animals crossed the line way back. Without magic, he'd really have stuffed it in my mouth.
"How're the others reacting?"
"They think you got one-sidedly wrecked. Guessing they accidentally hit your face and gave you leverage."
Perfectly reasonable.
Hard to imagine one non-mage beating a few wizards.
Which means word of my magic hasn't spread.
Divine power as the sole reward, mental manipulation via divine power self-taught….
'Pretty effective for self-study.'
Special magic using divine power is worth steady investment.
After focusing on more fundamentals, of course.
Right now, need to raise stamina faster.
Divine power use gets hampered by stamina, mental power too.
It's late September now; next week's October. Semester's almost a month in.
So… time to accelerate status window fixes.
Three hours into training, Leo sheathed his wand, checked his watch.
"Ten o'clock. Let's head in."
I wiped my sweat and nodded.
Unlike me, Leo showed no fatigue, smiling as he bid farewell.
"Pushed harder today, but good work."
"Yeah, you too."
Reason I need stamina up fast: it blocks progress.
'Let's see how much daily training gains.'
I called up the status window.
Lucas René Ascanien
Title: Hunter of ???
Stamina: -3.3 (+0.1) [-0.3]
Mental Power: -7.6 (+0.1)
Mana: ?
Technique: +1.065 (+0.05) [+4.065]
Impression: -10
Luck: -6.385 (+0.1)
Traits: Dawn777, Divine Power
0.1 per day, 1 point in ten days.
Last week it was 1 per week.
Gains shrink as values grow.
Still, two months tops to escape negatives—no issue yet.
Problem's after.
I eyed the Technique line.
Sole positive, but rises slower than others. Once positive, speed will crawl compared to now.
'Only harder, longer tasks left, so blast through negatives fast.'
Limited time, much to do.
Cut sleep maybe.
As I mulled that, packing my bag, Leo yawned and called me.
"Ah, Lucas."
"Yeah."
"The herbs you mentioned arrived. Today's the fourth day like I said."
Leo lifted a box from under his bag.
Hm, making that through exams means cutting sleep for real.
Around then, a familiar chime rang.
Ding—!
〈 Chapter 3. Constant Water Drops Pierce the Stone (1) 〉
Proposal 2: Achieve 'Stamina' score of 0 (0/1) (167 hours 59 minutes 58 seconds)
* Route 1 — 〈 Chapter 3 Special Reward 〉
* Route 2 — 〈 Chapter 4. One Swallow Does Not Make a Summer 〉
"...."
"Lucas?"
0.1 every ten days… and raise 3.3 in a week.
Yeah, about time for proposals like this.
Wondered why it'd been quiet with that title.
Snorting at the unrealistic timer,
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