Chapter 20 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble House (20)
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No matter how I looked at it, it was an ability I needed to keep by my side.
At that moment, it was necessary to revisit the two routes in the status window.
Unlike the 'Make Leonard Wittelsbach your colleague' proposal, where failing to complete the mission within a week led to a death route, neither of the two routes this time resulted in death.
This implied two things.
First, even if I didn't make Narke a colleague, I wouldn't feel his absence as acutely as I would Leo's.
This wasn't because Narke was incompetent, but because Leo could already provide help across a wide range.
'Still, the more cards in hand, the better.'
That was why survival chances had increased by 1%p when I decided not to push him away.
Even though we weren't close yet, just from that one decision.
Second, and most importantly.
Considering he was a character not in the original story, I had to think about any potential negative impact he could have on me.
But Narke wouldn't cause me fatal harm. If he were someone who held my weakness and could kill me, or connected to my brother, the system would have thrown a death route into at least one of the paths. Survival chances wouldn't have risen in the first place.
The conclusion was simple.
There was no need to worry.
All I had to do was make this man a colleague. Slowly.
I smiled and responded to Narke's words.
"Thanks. My curiosity's satisfied now."
"Good. I was worried for a sec~"
Narke flashed a cheeky grin.
Then his expression gradually twisted. He fiddled with the green ring on his left hand and touched his head.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. It'll pass soon."
"Sorry. Is it because of my questions? I'll grab some medicine for you."
"No, it's because I've been overusing my ability. Wow, looks like I won't be able to use it for at least the next two weeks."
Either way.
But… he's saying it out loud? No intention to hide his ability.
Just then, Narke brought it up himself.
"Oh, I trust you won't go blabbing to others. You know what I mean?"
"No reason to."
Narke nodded in satisfaction, then stroked his chin.
"Hmm, usually no one has a clue about my ability. You must have gotten a similar power. It's still mind-blowing even thinking about it."
It was more like I learned it from the status window… but no need to correct him.
I fetched some medicine I kept in my room for Narke and sent him back to the dorms with Pie in his arms.
And so, the last weekday of September—monthly evaluation day—arrived.
It was an exam given to departments like the Magic Department where practical skills mattered. The difficulty was set according to each student's mana grade, but thanks to my repeated absences during the grade tests, it was decided I'd submit a substitute report instead.
'Can't risk getting exposed during the monthly evaluation.'
Last year, Luca had ranked at the bottom of 9th grade in the 9-grade system.
But if they measured my grade now… the result was obvious.
The school buzzed with unusual excitement amid the students' bustling movements.
It was the first monthly exam of the new school year, and a rare chance to go outside.
I arrived at the back gate and boarded the assigned carriage.
"Magic Department Class 1-B, depart!"
The staff's amplification magic rang out over the line of waiting carriages.
Students who could use warp magic went to the off-campus exam site via warp, while those who failed the warp magic safety test took school carriages.
From our class, three rode the carriage.
Me, pre-judged unfit before the exam due to my lowest Core grade; Narke, advised to travel directly for safety due to his foreign student status; and Leo.
If we included animals… Pie was nestled in Narke's arms too.
"So."
Leo tapped his wand against the window, casting a spell to prevent sound from leaking, then asked.
"Narke knows about your situation now."
"Yeah, I told him three days ago."
And this guy passed the safety test but chose the carriage anyway. As class rep, he'd refused warp to escort the exchange student and the maladjusted kid—professors would buy that.
"Oh, so you knew too, Leo."
Narke nodded as if he'd expected it. Leo smiled, looking like he might grab him by the scruff any second at the casually nonchalant tone.
I could predict Narke wouldn't harm me after weighing various factors, but Leo couldn't.
He was probably thinking how I could share life-or-death info with some exchange student I'd just met.
Still, he was managing his expression somewhat—keeping courtesy as a classmate.
Leo nodded, as if trying to convince himself.
"Yeah, time to widen the circle a bit."
Leo tapped the armrest next to his seat with his fingers, lost in thought.
"Sharing life-or-death stuff directly means Luca's convinced about you, at least."
"Um… yeah. Pretty much."
Narke paused slightly before answering. Leo raised an eyebrow at the odd phrasing.
* * *
After listening to Narke's explanation for a while, Leo pressed his brow.
"Unique ability is insight… precognition?"
Leo held back a sigh as he thought.
'His reaction was like that because Luca didn't 'tell' him directly.'
It was an ability that could be extremely dangerous if the caster had even a hint of malice. As if sensing that, Narke hurriedly clarified.
"Think what you want. For now, I'll just say clearly I have no intention of harming anyone. You might not understand, but my unique ability wasn't something I wanted to share with anyone to begin with."
Asking why tell me then… would be pointless.
From Narke's perspective, he didn't want to be seen as a friend-killer. Especially as an exchange student from a seminary—he'd be extra sensitive to this.
Leo nodded.
"Yeah, you don't need to say more to me. Sorry for prying."
"Nah, it's natural. Honestly, it is a risky situation."
Just then, the carriage stopped. The coachman dismounted and shouted.
"We've arrived."
* * *
Leo didn't fully trust Narke yet, but he wasn't completely distrustful either.
During the monthly evaluation, I observed the other students' movements and watched as Narke and Leo talked for a long time after their turns.
That's when a few people caught my eye at the edge of my vision.
They weren't clearly visible, but they seemed to be looking this way and talking. When I stood up, they quickly left.
'…Hmm.'
Odd feeling.
I moved to the outskirts of the exam area. Now it was clearer. In a distant residential alley, some people were staring at me.
Pie climbed onto my shoulder and asked.
"Those people watching me?!"
"Hope so."
Then Narke whistled, calling Pie over.
Soon Pie returned and hopped back on my shoulder.
"Not me…. They're talking about Luca changing. Not now, but since second year started~? Something like that."
"Hm, okay."
I was starting to get the picture.
Rumors from school had slowly spread to nearby shops and beyond. Natural enough. And those guys were discussing it now.
'Doesn't matter.'
If it did, I wouldn't have planned to take midterms.
I scanned the area and paused at one shop.
'Maybe read the papers.'
Instead of word-of-mouth, let's check if official media was covering me.
I'd already finished the substitute report, and there was nothing else to do before heading back. I bought newspapers and magazines from the stand and returned to the carriage.
Leo, who'd returned looking exhausted after being mobbed by friends, frowned at the papers inside.
"What're you doing?"
"Trend analysis."
No time to read them all one by one.
I stacked the books and papers, held my wand to the top one, and recited a spell I'd memorized.
—Seek, and you shall find.
The wand tip glowed white.
Before the light faded, I spoke the search term.
"Ascanien."
My hand moved on its own. After flipping three or four pages, certain text jumped out. I circled the article.
"…When the hell did you learn this?"
"In class."
"Now I'm curious about your midterm score."
I ignored Leo's hollow laugh and read the article.
A short piece linking changes in me and Pleroma. I flipped back to the front page and checked the title.
'Local paper.'
Distributed only in this district.
Low accessibility, small readership.
Still, worth noting that my story was spreading through these local outlets.
I picked up a bigger newspaper from a major outlet and cast the same spell.
Unlike before, nothing.
Figured.
Turning a student rumored to be Pleroma into a full story about proper school life… would be overkill.
If the Pleroma rumors about me were fresh, maybe, but it'd been days since I went nuts—hard to devote space to every change.
So what I should watch is the opposite.
Leo folded his paper, shaking his head.
"Luca. If I were your brother, I wouldn't check standard papers like this."
He pulled out a thin tabloid from the bottom of the stack.
"I'd look at the yellow press instead."
Right, the problem was the gossip rags.
They didn't care about propriety. Just flipping it open showed sensational photos and illustrations far from culture or current events.
Of course, they were rife with exaggeration, distortion, fake news—low credibility.
But they were perfect for issues people cared about but legit media wouldn't touch.
Leo skimmed the tabloid and asked.
"Want me to block it?"
"No need."
Wasting energy on the wrong places.
Publishing photos or info of officially recognized imperial school students without permission was illegal. Even yellow press couldn't ignore a noble house's power. They had to toe the line somewhat.
Reading the tabloid Leo handed me, I said.
"I wasn't checking to block it. Blocking it would be worse."
"What? Why."
"To disrupt info reaching my brother, I need to know his sources. Right?"
Leo stared silently, then spoke slowly.
"You know… sometimes it feels like you're a totally different person."
"...."
This is why sharp guys are…
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
"That's new."
"Yeah. It is new. True, you've been like this since second year started."
I drew a breath. For some reason, I felt sorry for the original Luca.
I quickly tried to change the subject.
"Anyway…."
"But let's note one thing here."
What now.
I smiled and waited.
"I get you'll reverse-use it someday. But… leaving it as is lets people notice your change. See, your story's already in local papers."
This topic.
Feeling my heartbeat steady, I replied calmly.
"That's what I'm about to explain."
"Another… plan?"
"Yeah."
Sharp as ever—handy sometimes.
I leaned toward Leo, clasping my hands.
"But not now. It's for after midterms."
* * *
Three weeks passed.
With physical training, magic practice, and solidifying my foundations, time flew by in a blur.
Lucas René Ascanien
Title: ??? Hunter
Stamina: +0.9 [+3.9]
Mental Strength: -3.2
Mana: ?
Skills: +2.15 [+5.15]
Impression: -10
Luck: -0.9
Traits: Dawn777, Divine Power, Charm (Lv.1)
Compared to the initial stats full of -5s and -10s, the status window had improved a lot.
Aside from the September monthly evaluation, there'd been no special schedule.
But now, something important approached.
Tomorrow was midterms.
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