Chapter 97 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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"…And with the noble vow of blessing, let us toast to the dawn of the new festival!"
Long.
Too long.
I took a deep breath and lowered the hand I had raised into the air.
Marian had been watching the performance with a hardened expression since the middle.
On the other hand, the acting teacher approached me, shaking his head, seemingly quite pleased.
"Granach. You said it was your first time…."
"Granach."
Marian lightly waved her hand to silence the teacher.
In an instant, every gaze in the practice room fixed on him. The softness from before was gone from him now.
"Your vocalization is the issue."
He pointed at me with the tip of his fountain pen as he spoke.
"You can't perform on stage with that kind of volume."
Of course.
The field I'm familiar with is acting for visual media.
That doesn't mean a small voice is acceptable, but it inevitably differs from the projection required on stage, where you have to resonate your body to deliver lines.
And unfortunately, Luca himself doesn't have a large resonator.
"Also, your movements aren't exaggerated enough. The same goes for your expressions."
I nodded.
All of it was spot on.
Naturalism is emphasized in film, but theater is different.
In this space where no camera techniques or editing tricks are allowed, the way to immerse the audience is not through everyday naturalness but by most dramatically expressing the raw emotions people hide in the real world.
Marian clasped her hands together and her eyes flashed.
"Granach. This performance won't work on stage. To put it crudely… it's great for scamming someone one-on-one."
"...."
Right on the money.
I had consciously kept the stage in mind while acting, but to him, immersed solely in theater, my acting must have seemed too everyday.
However….
'I get why the critique was like that.'
He doesn't hold back on what should or shouldn't be said.
Of course, for me, who needs to scam him one-on-one, his own admission feels like the highest praise, so I wasn't displeased.
Those who truly want to stand on stage might despair hearing it.
'Well, either way….'
It worked.
I suppressed a smile and gave a simple reply.
"I'll keep that in mind."
With those words, silence fell.
A long while later, Marian, who had been staring at the script, lifted her head.
"Are you free at midnight?"
* * *
The atmosphere in the practice room was tense.
The dozen or so apprentices hadn't left even though time was up.
One apprentice stood up from his seat, fuming alone, and kicked the trash can.
Bang—!
"Argh, fuck…."
His sudden outburst drew sharp glares.
"What! Aren't you all thinking the same thing?"
"...."
"Is Marian Baum the type to critique someone else's acting? No way! That bastard who always kept his mouth shut and pretended not to notice is nitpicking a total newbie who's never even studied acting?!"
The oldest apprentice spoke up.
"Bürpel."
"What."
"We're all thinking the same, so shut it. You got critiqued too, so you're pissed, right?"
"It's not just any critique. Pointing it out to us is a waste of breath since we're hopeless. He's doing it to that newbie because he thinks he'll listen!"
"Who doesn't know that? Just accept it."
"No, how can you say that? You've been here five years—shouldn't you be the angriest right now?"
The mood chilled at those words.
The apprentice called "hyungnim" glared at Bürpel, then let out a deep sigh.
"You did well. It's just a difference in style—with a little polish, he'll surpass us."
With a bitter face, he left the practice room while advising.
"You must not know since you quit recently, but this isn't school. This behavior works in some places, not others. Practice instead of getting mad."
"...."
Bürpel's fists clenched.
He turned to the apprentices his age.
"Hey."
"...."
"We're not just gonna let this slide, right?"
Some shook their heads and stood up.
"…Hey, just accept it. It looked fine to me."
"I'd try hard too in his shoes. Let's just practice like hyungnim said."
"No, fuck… you know how many more years we'll be delayed if he climbs up?"
His friends snickered at that and left the practice room.
"Then what? Beat him and chase him out?"
"Sigh… work hard. I'm just gonna practice."
Now fewer than five remained in the practice room.
Bürpel, staring blankly at their backs, turned to the remaining students and spoke.
"…Hey, guys."
* * *
"You've studied acting before."
As soon as I arrived at his practice room at midnight, the question came from the darkness.
I couldn't help but chuckle.
'After listing all my flaws, now this?'
Of course, I could tell even such critiques were his way of showing interest.
From the moment he closed his eyes without a word during the other apprentices' performances, I knew he doesn't waste energy on cards he has no intention of playing.
"No, I can't ask if you've 'studied it.' How many years?"
"First time."
"No way it's your first?"
"Why do you think that?"
He just shrugged.
Then, as if remembering something, he spoke.
"You acted without the script. You're not going to claim you coincidentally practiced that page dozens of times alone, are you? Unless you've performed the entire Faust long-term."
"Those were lines I read for the first time today."
"...."
Marian Baum forced a smile and clasped her hands.
"Granach, I hate jokes. They're the most time-wasting thing in the world."
"I'm not joking. I just memorized and recited them."
"Memorized…."
Marian Baum gazed at me with a soft smile.
I felt the silent pressure asking how long I'd keep up the joke.
"…Let me prove it. Give me a script."
"Alright, then."
He pulled a sheet from his folder and handed it over.
"It's not a script. Ten lines—memorize them in one minute."
I handled it easily.
Once he confirmed I'd truly memorized them in a minute, his face gradually hardened.
"You've never studied acting."
"Yes."
"Really?"
"…Yes."
"...."
The corner of his mouth began to rise.
"Can you come in the mornings too?"
And so, for the next two days, I told my family I was on leave and stayed at the theater troupe all day.
Marian Baum was the type who warmed up quickly once you met her standards.
I could only return to my lodgings at dawn each time, due to her obsession with dismantling and refining my acting to her style.
'Well, the longer I spend with her, the better for me.'
Getting close to her would make things easier even after entering the catacombs.
Just then, Marian Baum looked out the window and clapped.
"Alright, let's end here today. You'll overheat at this rate."
"See you tomorrow."
"Yes. And… Granach."
As I turned, Marian Baum stared at me for a long moment before quietly saying.
"Let me see your hand."
"Why?"
"I have something to give you."
'…Fast.'
It's not really about giving something.
She's testing me now.
Probably checking if she can detect magic from my pulse.
I'd been deliberately suppressing my core as much as possible, yet she'd sensed my magic already—impressive.
Anyway, if my guess is right, the reaction I should show now is….
"No, I'm fine. I'll be going."
"Alright."
Marian Baum shrugged as if it meant nothing.
"Watch your step on the way."
* * *
Watch your step on the way, she said.
I'd thought it was just a casual "get home safe," but….
Maybe I should've taken it seriously.
I let out a deep sigh and pulled out my wallet with the forged ID, handing it to the ones blocking my path.
At least it only had 10,000 pels.
'Shitty.'
Why is public safety this bad?
I narrowed my eyes and scanned the distance.
Worried I might run, two who looked like accomplices stood guarding the alley entrance.
Of course, getting caught wasn't solely because of bad security.
"Got a lot of money? Nobles live up to their name. Should've gotten a job in a noble house…."
In a place where options are bills or checks, calling 100,000 won in a wallet "a lot" is just astonishing.
As I silently stepped forward, another grabbed my collar and slammed me against the wall.
Thud—!
"...."
"Where you going? We're not done."
"I gave you what you asked. What more do you want?"
At my words, the ones surrounding me exchanged looks.
"Hah…."
"This bastard talks real easy."
I'd let go first since he did, but their reaction left me speechless.
They wore masks to hide identities, so I couldn't see expressions, but the air grew icy—I could feel it.
"Hey, let's just finish quick."
Before he finished, something flew into my view; I reflexively twisted my shoulder back.
The one who swung caught his balance and yelled in surprise.
"Huh!"
"What 'huh,' fuck, you're losing your edge."
The one who took my wallet barked, then lunged with a punch out of nowhere.
Bang—!
"Argh!"
"Hey, this bastard…!"
"...."
I was flustered too.
I'd kicked out seeing another punch coming, but that it connected so cleanly was ridiculous.
'…Let's check quick.'
Frank Bürpel
Favorability: -7*
Title: —
Stamina: +2
Mental Strength: -5
Magic Power: —
Skills: +1
Impression: -2
Luck: 0
Traits: —
All values are utterly average.
I quickly scanned the other two—similar.
If stamina were 3-5, they'd match Imperial Academy students, but at 2, they're just slightly above average civilians.
And I outscore them in every stat.
'…But one-on-one is one thing; four is too much.'
I dodged the charging one, shifting my weight, and furrowed my brow.
They're dead set on this.
Familiar names and voices, knowing where I work—they're from the troupe.
Probably aiming to leave me unable to return to the troupe….
Bang—!
They'd realized one-on-one wasn't cutting it and were dividing tasks properly.
One had even fallen back to grab my shoulders.
Thump—
"...."
I felt my skull ring as I fought to refocus.
While elbowing the one behind in the solar plexus to shake him off, the alley guard joined the rush.
Losing balance, I hit the ground, and someone punched my face again.
Smack—
"Ah, finally…."
"Fucking startled me."
My teeth cut the inside of my cheek; blood filled my mouth.
This is still manageable.
Pushing off four with pure physicals is near impossible, so I need magic before irreversible damage.
Truth is, one finger snap could immobilize them all.
That's the sensible move, but….
'No.'
I have to take it.
No matter what.
I turned my head, looking up the street I'd come from.
The troupe's office building came into view.
At the same time, someone grabbed my collar and hoisted me up.
A pulled-back arm swung at me again.
* * *
"...."
"Shouldn't we beat him more? His eyes are still alive."
"Nah. He can't even stand. Hey."
Someone patted my shoulder.
"You know why you got beat, right?"
"...."
"If you hadn't stepped on toes from the start, this wouldn't have happened. We'd have treated you nice."
"Yeah, if you'd behaved, it wouldn't have gone this far. Now stay out of it."
"We smashed your face so bad you won't wanna show it anyway."
"Yeah."
The bastards snickered, muttered something, and vanished.
The ones who can't show up are them. They'll be arrested by dawn.
Even if they masked for the cops at the troupe, it's pointless—I'd already read all their names via status windows.
I wiped the blood from my face.
The metallic smell reeked. The magic I'd desperately hidden till now loses meaning like this. Blood carries magic.
'Anyway, that's done….'
I exhaled deeply and looked at the sky.
The cold wind dried the blood to my skin bit by bit.
Around now would be nice, but who knows what they're watching for.
I closed my eyes and lay back comfortably; footsteps approached from somewhere.
Splash—
"Ugh!"
Cold water poured over my face.
I shot up and glared at the one who'd doused me.
Marian Baum stood expressionless, holding a bucket.
"Figured you'd need it."
"...."
I hardened my expression and glared at her.
Not out of anger or fear—just the acting fitting the situation.
"No. I don't need it."
"I think you do?"
Of course.
A detected magic-user gets killed on sight.
Sure, that's outside Bayern, but with the Imperial government's zero-tolerance executions, they've got no room for comfort.
"Didn't know 'watch your step' meant this."
"Ah, don't worry. I didn't order it. You hear all sorts around the troupe."
"You knew and still…."
"Wondering why I didn't help?"
"Yes."
"You were thorough. Most would've used any means to escape after that beating…."
He glanced around, then looked down at me.
"Not once did you use magic. I might've at least once."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Well, we're all on death row, so I get the caution… but no need."
"...."
Worth the beating.
I suppressed a laugh.
Marian said quietly.
"You're a mage."
When I didn't reply, Marian Baum raised the corner of her mouth, knelt to eye level with me.
"So am I."
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