Chapter 30 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble House
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After successfully completing the proposal for Chapter 3, a window that hadn't appeared before finally popped up.
Sometimes it jumped straight to the next chapter upon completion, but other times there was a delay in between.
The fact that it was showing up now meant we'd properly entered Chapter 4.
It seemed like we were heading in the right direction.
'Anyway.'
It was about time to figure out why the plot had shifted.
From Pleroma's perspective, the most likely trigger for such a major change was the appearance of me and Leo.
That led to a natural question around this point.
Didn't the protagonist in the novel also poke around in the restricted zone?
The protagonist had disguised himself as a dime-a-dozen low-ranking noble wizard while hiding his imperial identity.
He even adjusted the amount of reward money he claimed to avoid drawing suspicion or attention.
In the end, from Pleroma's viewpoint, he wasn't a risk factor.
But Leo's appearance was different.
Leo and the mysterious divine power-wielding hunter had captured the public's attention.
On top of that, unlike the original story, the imperial family had caught wind of the chimera creatures.
If it was certain that Pleroma had created those chimera creatures, it would put them in quite a bind.
Either way, things had come to a head, and there was only one conclusion.
There was a worst-case scenario that could spiral out of control, but resolving it would bring massive gains.
Handled right, it could completely turn the situation around.
As I was preparing to head out after finishing up, the door burst open.
Leo skipped the greetings and got straight to it.
"Did you see it?"
"See what."
Leo thrust a bundle of newspapers at me.
No need to flip pages. The front page was packed with stories about me and Leo.
[Bayern's Crown Prince Leonard Visits Mephen's Restricted Zone]
[Sir Nikolaus, the 'Blue-Eyed Hunter,' Holds Charity Event]
[Skin Diseases Vanish at His Touch… The Miracle Sir Nikolaus Worked in Mephen]
"Simple headlines."
"…Look at you, all detached after going through it once before…. Reporters from out-of-town papers are camped outside. They're interviewing anyone who comes out."
"Hmm, that's a relief."
"It'll spread nationwide by tomorrow."
Probably.
There was no way they'd miss Leo's visit.
Plus, it conveniently gave them some juicy gossip.
Leo plopped down in the seat across from me and straightened his clothes.
"So, find out anything?"
"They say rumors started two weeks ago. Someone mentioned hearing about mosquitoes around October 18th."
"So it started then."
"Yeah. The patients appeared around that time too, so it's not a stretch to say the insect contamination began then. Contaminated or not, bugs always slip through the barrier, so the symptom onset and contamination dates shouldn't differ much."
"Right."
I handed the newspaper to Leo, who was nodding.
"I checked local papers from two weeks back. Turns out it rained on October 17th."
"Convenient. You're saying they picked rainy days for experiments. Right?"
"Yeah, that's the most likely scenario for now."
It was time to revive the hypothesis I'd briefly considered and shelved earlier.
If they'd turned the restricted zone into a revival testing ground, they'd experiment on rainy days to avoid leaving evidence—whether contaminating the whole area or just insect swarms.
Especially in the last month, once they learned Leo and his entourage were entering the zone, they'd be even more thorough about covering tracks.
No point creating extra hassle.
"They must believe it was deliberate. Makes sense—if the insects were naturally contaminated, it would've happened ages ago."
"Yeah."
Now it was time to seriously plot how to leverage this.
I hummed in agreement and stood up.
"It's already midnight. Let's head back."
* * *
We stopped by the baron's manor to pay our respects, warped to Bayern territory from there, then made our way to school.
Just in case we were being tailed.
'Haven't slept properly, and I'm feeling wrecked.'
I downed some headache pills with coffee.
Meanwhile, the classroom was rowdier than usual.
"Leo, what was that yesterday?"
"Saw the article! You hunted another beast there, right?"
"Yeah, stopped by the village briefly after."
"Heard Baron Mephen's giving you and Sir Nikolaus commendations—saw it in the paper?"
"Didn't know about that. Must've announced it after we got back to school."
The local paper story from last night had made it to the imperial dailies today.
[Miracles for 150 People… Sir Nikolaus's Charity Magic]
[Nine Imperial Houses Pledge Support for Unprecedented Charity Magic Event]
[Who Is the 'Blue-Eyed Hunter' Nikolaus?]
[Baron Mephen: 'Will Award Commendations and Honorary Citizenship Within the Week']
All headlines I'd glimpsed on the way in.
I focused on my book while waiting for roll call.
But no matter how hard I tried to tune it out, ignoring the excited chatter from the same classroom wasn't easy.
"Who is he? To use divine power that long, he must be from a top family. Probably older too."
"How'd you meet him?"
"Narke, know anyone named Nikolaus? Famous in the Papal States?"
"Dunno, too many names like that."
Narke chuckled along.
Everything was fine… except they kept bringing up me in class, killing my focus.
Time for some coffee to sharpen up.
"But is it okay for a traveler to cast magic all over the kingdom? Not that it isn't good deeds…."
Leo shook his head at the question.
"He's a Bayern citizen. Hired as a kingdom army wizard, so no issues."
"Gotcha!"
'....'
Army?
Since when?
I shot up from my seat. Leo's eyes flicked my way at the scraping chair.
Pie poked its head out from my jacket pocket.
"What's up, Lucas?"
I planned to bolt before spitting out my coffee.
I'd just passed through the door when a student came dashing up, grabbed the frame, and yelled into the classroom.
"Hey! Come down, quick! You gotta see this now!"
* * *
Now I got how he'd convinced the Wittelsbach family about an unknown person's identity.
Saying there'd be no worries if problems arose meant military law would handle any punishment—no need to fret.
'Things just got intense.'
Not that I planned on causing trouble anyway.
To live as Nikolaus, I needed a solid identity, so snagging kingdom citizenship without effort was a win.
As long as I stayed out of trouble.
Pie wouldn't shut up from my jacket pocket.
"Lucas, guess what I did over the weekend? Built a hometown."
"How do you even build…"
"Stacked a ton of rocks! Put flowers in too."
"Nice."
"Come play later!"
"Sure, thanks for the invite."
I responded to Pie on autopilot and checked my watch.
Roll call was about to start.
I headed from the park beside the lecture hall toward the main gate.
"Arghhh!"
Then, a scream echoed from the empty plaza in the distance, devoid of people.
Approaching, I saw a student on crutches who'd taken a spill. He muttered curses.
"Damn rainwater… This'll get me another two weeks off, easy."
Seemed exaggerated.
Anyway, he didn't flinch or shy away when he saw me. I knelt, supported his shoulder, and helped him up.
He grinned broadly.
"Oh, thanks. Saved my life."
"No problem."
"You look familiar. Name?"
"Lucas."
I picked up his crutches and handed them over.
He squinted, studying me.
"Hmm, Ascanien? You've changed so much I didn't recognize you. You've got a better vibe than I thought."
"We've met?"
"You might not know, but people know you. Anyway, we're classmates now. See ya."
He smirked, waved, and crutched off energetically.
Classmates?
Now?
'Never seen him before.'
Not in Luca's memories either.
No way….
As I turned to check him, Pie stuck its head out.
"Lucas, gonna be late?"
"Oh."
Watch said I still had time.
I climbed the steps into the building. The lobby was jammed, no room to move.
'What's with the crowd?'
Roll call was imminent, but no one seemed eager to leave.
I pushed closer.
At the center, a student with a beet-red face clung to the stair railing, grinding his teeth.
His hands were tied to the handrail.
'…Isn't that a school tie?'
A familiar purple fabric bound his wrists to the rail.
'Why can't he just untie it?'
Others thought the same; a newly arrived student voiced it.
"Magic on it? Why can't he get free?"
"Yeah, not normal magic either. Even professors can't undo it."
The tied student's face flushed purple-red. He bellowed at the gawking crowd.
"Gah, get lost! What the hell, rubbernecking like it's a show?!"
"Student, stay still while reciting the formula!"
"Who did this?"
"How should I know? Ugh, this pisses me off so much…"
"When it's undone, come to the dean's office."
"Damn it…"
What a weirdo.
Acting so recklessly and still in school? Probably a first-year.
Best to ignore a guy about to get expelled.
I shoved through the crowd and up the stairs.
Shortly after I sat, the professor entered.
"Ahem… There was a commotion this morning. Don't waste attention on nonsense. Magic Department second-years, Class 1-B, focus on studies."
The professor cleared his throat and opened the roll.
"Agnes Michelen."
"Present."
"Gerht Zeiler."
"Yes."
As names neared the end, I looked up from my book and straightened.
"Lucas…."
Clunk—!
With everyone seated, someone leisurely opened the door.
"Ah, I'm a bit late. Sorry."
Just like when I'd entered at the semester's start, tension rippled through the class.
The crutch student grinned, scanned the room, and took an empty seat.
His uniform shirt was wrinkled, jacket damp from rain—no part of him looked put-together.
It was that guy from earlier.
Déjà vu hit hard.
'Not just from seeing him earlier… something more fundamental.'
I'd definitely crossed paths with him before, somewhere.
The professor frowned, eyeing his disheveled state.
"Student, where's your tie?"
"Lent it out. Professor, am I tardy?"
"Not called yet, so fine. Lent it? What do you mean?"
"Someone needed it. Hilarious how he thrashed around. Right?"
"...."
Leo, who'd been scowling since the student entered, twisted further.
The professor stared blankly, then shook his head.
"…You didn't tie a first-year to the lobby railing, did you?"
"First-year, yeah? Figured, since he hasn't been expelled yet."
"Answer me."
The student sobered at the professor's firm tone.
"Yes, that's right. Me."
"Coming to school to avoid repeating a year, now aiming for expulsion over school violence?"
The student stared silently, then shrugged.
"He called my barely-working leg a 'fucking cripple.'"
"...."
"Wanted to break his the same way but held back. Couldn't sit him down 'cause of the crutches. Know how hurt I was by that?"
His expression didn't look particularly wounded.
I alternated glances between his confident smile and the professor's stunned face.
"…How'd your leg happen?"
"Fell off a cliff. Report's in your office already. It was shallow, so no worries."
"Phew…."
The awkward lines kept coming.
As far as I knew—no, as everyone here knew—only one person falls off a cliff, breaks their leg coming back, and ties up a mocking student without hesitation.
And not in Luca's memories.
Our class had a long-term absentee transferred from Class 1-A.
The novel had one too.
Since it was all from his POV, the absence wasn't emphasized.
'No way….'
The professor, brow furrowed in dismay, eyed the grinning student silently before speaking.
"After roll call, see me. Elias."
"…!"
I held my breath without realizing.
Hearing his name sealed it.
That was the novel's protagonist.
Ding—!
〈 Chapter 4. Dripping Water Hollows Out Stone (2) 〉
Proposal 1: Make 'Elias Hohenzollern' your ally. (0/1) (23 hours 59 minutes 58 seconds)
* Route 1 — 〈 Proposal 2 〉
* Route 2 — 〈 Chapter 5. Don't Praise the Day Before Evening Falls 〉
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