Chapter 56 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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Certainly, with the King of Bayern's help, this situation could be wrapped up quickly.
With a foundation like this, it might even be fine to announce that my brother had been drugging me all along. That's the thought that crossed my mind for a moment.
But...
"Now is not the right time."
I had to think long-term.
Hadn't my brother been up to things that anyone in the Ascanien family would know about for nearly ten years, all while preparing for the fallout if it ever became public knowledge? There were over a hundred servants alone.
"He'll cite the pact with the imperial family as his excuse."
Even as I thought about it now, excuses he could trot out immediately came to mind.
It had faded from people's memories, but the fact that the person with the greatest magical power in Ascanien history had suddenly become an ordinary person unable to use magic was suspicious enough on its own.
Some of those involved in the pact probably knew that the Ascanien family had been feeding me drugs to suppress my aptitude.
So, should I reveal that the old murder case was my brother's doing?
How could I prove it with no evidence whatsoever? Even with the King of Bayern backing me, it was impossible to substantiate, so that wouldn't work.
If there was no way to do it right now, I couldn't publicly drag him down until I had solid grounds to take him out.
"Then how about revealing that I'm Nikolaus without attacking my brother, using the king's trust as leverage?"
That wasn't desirable either.
Popularity didn't rise just because someone powerful backed you.
If you revealed your identity based solely on someone else's endorsement, you'd crumble under the slightest attack.
To achieve more thorough success, nothing changed the need to build nationwide support for Nikolaus.
The king stared at my face after my response, then smiled in satisfaction.
"Indeed. That's my thinking as well. In a situation where the people trust Adrian Ascanien more than His Imperial Majesty the Emperor, it wouldn't be wise."
"..."
Was he testing me?
A hollow laugh escaped me, but from the king's perspective, I was someone he'd just met yesterday, so it couldn't be helped. How much could he really trust me?
Seeing him go this far only made me more curious about the scale and implications of his actual proposal.
"Now, then, I can finally make you my real offer."
"Please speak."
"I don't know how you'll reveal your identity or deal with Nikolaus. Probably, Nikolaus's support will transfer straight to Lucas, and he'll be discarded afterward."
Talk of after the identity merger. That was new.
I met his gaze and waited for him to continue.
"But even after Nikolaus Ernst becomes Lucas Ascanien, the validity of the citizenship you hold won't disappear."
"..."
If I revealed my identity without taking any special measures, the citizenship would naturally remain intact.
But that wasn't the bland point he was making. No matter what choice I made, Nikolaus's identity wouldn't be erased, and he'd fully enforce the duties as a citizen, as well as those as a royal army mage.
"You're telling me to live as a citizen of Anhalt and a citizen of Bayern."
I took in the sight of the Bayern palace across the garden and asked with a smile.
"Isn't that more of a command than a proposal?"
"It's not compulsory. Merely a wish."
He smiled back, driving the point home once more.
"But to share my thoughts, I have no intention of handing over the merits you've built entirely to the Duchy of Anhalt. That's not why I stamped your citizenship."
"..."
"Of course, I imagine you feel the same. Don't you?"
"You're right."
Of course I did.
Why would I do all this for my father and brother?
Naturally, as long as I bore the Ascanien name, Nikolaus's achievements would inevitably bolster Anhalt's pride.
In the long run, that was a good thing too. After dealing with my brother, who else would claim the succession to the Anhalt dukedom if not me?
In any case, for immediate matters, Bayern was saying they couldn't afford to let Nikolaus go either.
They'd graciously let him be, but they couldn't just let him take the sweet parts and discard the rest.
"I have no intention of betraying Bayern either. I will never forget the grace Your Majesty has bestowed upon me."
"Then we're agreed."
The king smiled in satisfaction.
'...That was straightforward.'
He yielded smoothly where it mattered most, unexpectedly.
It made sense, though.
He knew I had no great affection for Anhalt, and no good feelings toward my father or brother. From his calculations, I had no reason to betray Bayern.
"As you know, Bayern has pursued medicine in the post-magic era. Thanks to magic solving what ancient humanity's medicine couldn't, we've seized control over life across the Empire and the continent to reach this position."
I wondered what reaction he'd have if I said they'd done the same in our reality.
Well, without magic, comparisons were meaningless anyway.
He flicked his fingers, scattering mana over the table.
Images appeared of the interior of the Bayern Medical Museum and hundreds of small potion vials. They were the materials for new-generation humans I'd seen in a general medicine book once.
"Your body is also the result of employing Wittelsbach technology. And that's true for most mages of our era. We've extended lifespans up to three times, created life using mana. It's been a long time since we've turned the impossible into the possible."
He withdrew his fingers, dispelling the images.
"Now we need different advancements."
It would be developments in combat magic.
In truth, Bayern's magical military power was already at a considerable level.
'And yet he's not satisfied with that.'
I liked it.
After dealing with nothing but the wheezing students of the 2nd Training Academy, seeing someone like this was refreshing.
He caught the hint in my expression and lifted the corner of his mouth.
"Sir Nikolaus will become our kingdom's greatest mage. Whatever you need for survival, I'll provide support. Whether it's for Lucas Ascanien or for Nikolaus Ernst."
Our kingdom's greatest mage.
I didn't bother refuting it and just smiled lightly.
'High expectations.'
He knew my circumstances required desperately succeeding as Nikolaus, so he figured there was no loss in investing. I'd achieve more high-impact feats going forward anyway.
Of course, I was the same.
Support wasn't a bad thing. I'd managed without strain so far, but now possibilities opened for large-scale operations as a Bayern mage.
It would also prevent Nikolaus's achievements from fully transferring to Ascanien while building his support base across both Anhalt and Bayern.
Smiling, I replied.
"I will live up to Your Highness's expectations."
"Good. Excellent."
He responded crisply and extended his hand.
I shook it lightly, and mana flowed into my wrist, tightening around my veins.
A pact in lieu of a loyalty oath. It was a spell I'd seen often in Ascanien, so I knew it well.
"Well, time has flown already. Shall we discuss the issues discovered in the Strauchi matter?"
"Issues, Your Majesty?"
"I've listened to all the recordings. I assume you've grasped the problems by now, but let's hear your thoughts."
I hadn't expected advice on the situation too.
I'd already planned my moves, but two heads were better than one.
I nodded and opened my mouth.
"Lucas Ascanien's negative image is overwhelming Nikolaus Ernst. Now we need to find ways to improve Lucas Ascanien's image."
* * *
The next day, I sat in an empty classroom, jotting down the next plan in my notebook.
Everyone else had moved to the restricted zones around the capital for the end-of-month evaluations, but I'd received an ineligible core rating and stayed behind.
'No one's here, so it's nice and peaceful.'
Only the noise from other departments preparing their festivals served as background sound.
Our class had been noisy practicing their play, but today I could focus solely on the issues.
'First, Lucas's impression score.'
The animosity toward Lucas still outweighed the goodwill toward Nikolaus enough for enemies to weaponize it.
'I need to raise the impression score to a certain level.'
My target was -8.
I used the phrase "improve the image," but I wasn't hoping for a vertical spike.
What I aimed for was a concept the status window's numbers couldn't capture.
Even at the same -10, being scary at -10 was different from being pathetic at -10.
This was where I needed to revisit the conclusion from my conversation with the king.
Creating common ground between Nikolaus and me would reduce the perceived gap for the public later and give them room to connect the two, who had seemed completely unrelated.
What I was considering now was the extraordinary image stemming from Nikolaus's magic and exploits.
Outstanding talent in a field, unconventional skills—these traits connected surprisingly easily across specifics. Regardless of reality, people easily linked them as, "As expected from someone great at that; they're great at this too."
'So, give Lucas a similar image.'
Creating a comparable image in a specific field would only be a plus in terms of association, never a minus.
Especially since Lucas's image of incompetence and lethargy was deeply ingrained not just among 2nd Training Academy students but the public at large, overturning it would yield massive image transformation effects.
Since practicals offered no chance for victory, I had to expand the stage nationwide in non-magic academics, beyond the school.
'He said he'd arrange the opportunity.'
He had year-end in mind, so I just needed to wait.
'Alright, next.'
With Strauchi handled, it was time to prepare for the next plan.
This one involved the missing persons case, which Elias had resolved after the barrier aptitude test.
'This is when Elias started gaining fame.'
No plans to change direction, so if possible, I needed to push Elias forward here too.
Just then, the sound of metal clashing repeated from far down the hallway. Pie, who had stayed behind without following Narke, lifted his head.
'What the hell.'
Bang—!
"Hey, you were still here~"
Elias kicked the door open, chewing something as he perched on the desk next to mine.
Not just me—Elias, still recovering from his leg injury, had also gotten an ineligible rating and stayed.
He'd been bustling around the school saying he'd see off the students, and now he finally returned to the classroom, who knows what he'd been up to.
Elias whistled at Pie, who had jumped onto my nape.
"Bunny's doing well~"
Pie just blinked without responding.
He didn't seem to dislike it, but whenever he encountered Elias without Narke around, his ears folded flat. He seemed inexplicably scared.
To divert Elias's attention from Pie, I nodded toward the small bucket in his hand.
"What's that?"
It was a bucket I'd never seen before, origin unknown. Seeing it filled with fruit, I couldn't help but ask.
"This? Cherries. The kids doing the snack booth tomorrow left them."
"You didn't just take them, right?"
"Come on~ Even I wouldn't steal food from others! I was hanging around watching, and they gave them to me?"
Elias held the bucket out to me.
I took a couple to eat and passed one to Pie.
Meanwhile, Elias scooped a handful of cherries into his mouth, cast a soundproofing spell, and muttered.
"Man, how'd the school get this quiet? It's a shame. I wanted to hear the kids talking about Strauchi."
I'd already heard it before homeroom.
Not just students—professors brought up Strauchi too, and I'd witnessed Leo's energy draining in real time.
"No need. I heard this morning."
"It's thrilling every time. Don't you wanna tell them the guy who smashed that Phleroma is right here~?!"
Fair point. I was curious about their reactions.
I just smiled at his words, and Elias continued.
"Now, let's talk about what's next. I've got a field I'm interested in anyway. Tomorrow's the festival—you'll be too busy goofing off."
"Not sure if I'll have time to play. Planning to hit the library after finishing work."
"Right, no friends. Haha! Stuck talking Phleroma with me!"
Ouch, right in the bones...
I chuckled at Elias's hearty laugh and tidied my seat.
If I really had no friends, he wouldn't joke like this. Sighing with worried eyes would be the real red flag.
Sure enough, Elias winked right away.
"You know I'm kidding, right? You've got like ten friends here."
He meant the secret meeting friends. We'd actually gotten somewhat close, so it was fair.
Of course, outside the meetings, they all ignored me thoroughly, so not really playmate material.
But playtime or not, I needed to find a time to talk with Narke around then, so time was indeed short.
"Yeah, let's talk. First, let's move spots."
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