Chapter 100 -----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: How to Survive as the Second Son of a Magical Noble Family
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Max Richthofen.
Leo had mentioned the name a few times.
He sat casually in front of Narke and spoke.
"You must be in a lot of pain."
Narke looked at him with emotionless eyes.
Right now, he was showing Lucas's appearance through an illusion, so he had to be careful not to smile in his own habitual way.
The other man grinned and said quietly.
"It's not anything major, but our school's the only Prussia team to make it to the quarterfinals out of both second and third years. It'll be a problem if you're out this long. The professor's having a hard time too, but he asked if you could come out."
"I want to go too, but sitting for long periods is tough."
"Hmm, I figured as much. It's not an order, so nothing we can do."
Everything so far was true.
But what did it matter if it was true?
That wasn't the point he was trying to make.
'What is he getting at?'
Sizing up someone you'd never met was always tricky.
Narke silently sipped his tea.
"Come to think of it, your face looks perfectly fine."
"..."
Impressive.
Before getting hit, he'd overlaid Lucas's appearance on himself.
There was no reason to bring that up in a normal situation.
He'd heard that the man definitely hadn't seen Lucas, so how did he know his face hadn't been fine?
'Which means... Dietrich Granah figured out it's Lucas.'
For someone without any insight-type abilities to get this close to realizing Dietrich and Lucas were the same person—it was intriguing.
It'd be great if he could dig into it...
'But considering Lucas's personality, prying too much wouldn't sit right.'
Narke fixed his gaze on the teacup and nodded nonchalantly.
"Is there any reason it shouldn't be?"
"No, it looks good. Probably best if it stays this way."
"Even without you saying it, it'll stay like this."
"Who knows. However you take it is up to you, but I'm being serious..."
He smiled and stood up.
"Please pass it along."
"..."
Narke slowly set down his teacup.
A hint of amusement crept onto his face as he watched the man's retreating back.
* * *
Pass it along.
The meaning was clear.
He knew Narke was a fake and assumed I'd entered the catacombs.
Plus, "best if it stays this way."
A warning not to enter the catacombs.
'Sorry, but I can't do that.'
He'd said the connection to the emperor didn't feel that strong.
But... it doesn't feel bad, Narke had said.
Unless he was directly tied to the emperor, there was no reason to abandon the catacombs over it.
"The weather's nice and warm today, huh? With the rain and all."
Marian Baum interrupted my thoughts.
I followed his gaze out the window.
With January 1st approaching, it was rain instead of snow.
Heading into the catacombs prepared for bloodshed, warm weather was nothing but good for us.
Baum looked at Narke—no, Leo—standing behind me and said.
"This is the friend you mentioned who can use that magic."
"Pleased to meet you. Michael Schultz."
Hearing Leo's serious tone in Narke's voice felt off.
Leo had decided to stick with the alias Narke had used before.
It wouldn't be needed much longer, but I handed Baum the forged ID and documents.
If I was bringing a friend, he'd asked for his info first.
"Perfect. Shall we go?"
Baum tucked the documents straight into his bag and headed for the rooftop.
"No need to check them now?"
"If it's you, you would've vetted the guy properly. How many people get beaten bloody like that without using magic even once?"
"..."
He trusted me completely.
I felt glad I'd taken the hits without fighting back, but also a bit guilty.
Of course, those documents would be submitted to the catacombs security bureau, so he was probably just going along with it.
"Rooftop?"
I heard Leo mutter.
No time to explain one by one with the rain.
Baum drew a magic circle on the floor with his staff, then tapped the surface quickly with his ring.
"...!"
We were stepping on the illusory glass floor over empty sky, just like before.
"...Wow."
Leo let out an involuntary exclamation.
"Cool, right?"
"Yeah. Reactions like that make it even more satisfying."
Baum chanted the command.
I glanced around the familiar expanded view and asked him.
"Do you know much about the vigilante squad here?"
"Vigilante squad? Yeah. Why?"
"What's their status like around here?"
"Basically the police. Not many actual cops down here."
There were police, then.
More people came and went from the surface than lived here full-time, so there probably weren't enough for professional policing.
"But why ask?"
"There was a report yesterday about new humans at the bar I went to."
"Hm?"
Baum tilted his head and rubbed his chin.
"Didn't hear about that. If it happened, they'd announce it across the whole catacombs. More importantly, how'd you know they were new humans?"
My eyes met Leo's briefly.
Something that should've been a big announcement... and they hadn't yesterday?
"I didn't hear the details."
"I see. That's weird. I'll look into it later."
Marian Baum waved us off like we should go sightsee downtown and turned away.
I grabbed him.
"Professor."
"Yeah?"
"I have something to tell you."
* * *
Some time later, we parted ways with him and headed to the meeting spot with Elias.
Leo broke the silence first.
"That report was bait."
"Yeah."
Yesterday's report was fake.
No way they could've announced it to the catacombs citizens.
"Who do you think made it?"
"Dunno. Thought maybe that third-year..."
But right before turning back time, he'd spotted us and bolted like he'd seen something he shouldn't.
Would someone like that file a report and show up personally?
'Still, it conflicts with him knowing Granah.'
Hold off for now.
More clues would pile up over time, and it'd become clear.
"Can't tell right now. And... Leo."
"Yeah?"
"Can't you use insight in that body?"
"...Of course not. It's just an illusion."
Too bad.
Well, if insight could've revealed it, Narke would've told me yesterday.
No big regrets.
Leo narrowed his eyes, looking uncomfortable.
"...You're making it even weirder when it's already awkward? I was forgetting I'm walking around as Narke."
"It's not bad. You're about eye-level with me for once—feels fresh."
"..."
Leo seemed uneasy about using someone else's appearance, but to others, it probably looked fine.
Then, in the corner of a distant park, I spotted a shabby figure sprawled out.
A dog about the size of a wolf from before was circling beside him.
"Ah, why does he look familiar?"
Ignoring Leo's subtle denial of reality, I stood by Elias's head.
"What're you doing."
"Oh! You're here."
Elias, who'd been holding the dog's head, cast a soundproof spell and jumped up.
He looked back and forth between us, his smile fading.
"Fog already? What'd you drag in this time? Impressive."
"Figured no point dragging it out."
With Marian Baum gone from our side, from their perspective, it was time to move.
I didn't bother scanning the surroundings.
Magic was already stirring beneath my feet.
The slightly overcast dawn sky in the distance was turning pure white.
Spatial magic.
The outside world would stay peaceful even in the same spot.
"Yeah, we expected it."
Leo drew his wand from the left holster.
Could we end it with just "expected"?
If anything, we'd hoped they'd come like this.
Kwaaaang—!
A deafening roar split my ears, light flashing in my vision.
The golden barrier Leo threw up shuddered.
The shockwave made my skin prickle.
[I clearly told you to pass it on properly.]
"..."
A familiar voice echoed from empty air.
With it, dozens of black-robed figures appeared from all directions.
Seeing them, I instantly understood why Elias had mentioned fog.
[Guess you don't know catacombs law—new humans are to be killed on sight.]
Coming from anyone else, it'd be whatever, but from him?
Richthofen was Prussian nobility.
Hearing someone with that name say it was just ridiculous.
[Two new humans, one unknown identity. Kill the unknown too if needed.]
Before he finished, I had to swing my wand with all my might.
Kwaaaang—! Kwang—!
"Man, brutal. Who blasts away so openly like this?"
Gray magic barrages from all sides rocked the barrier.
Elias stood calmly behind the barrier Leo and I held.
Not the time to relax.
Dozens of mages unleashing at once—despite constant reinforcement, the barrier shook.
Leo kept swinging his wand and yelled.
"Don't wanna hear it? Then here's a great option: take it head-on. Two months off and you forgot how to feel pain?!"
"You're too much~ Anyway, we're totally surrounded now. Should've lain low somewhere..."
Elias sighed deeply and smirked.
He lightly shook his wand, turning it into a staff.
Lifting his head, the smile vanished from Elias's face.
"Hold it steady."
Before I could say to give a straight order, Elias slammed the staff down.
My ears rang instantly.
The barrier Leo and I held shattered in a surge of bright blue magic.
The roar hit a beat late.
"Urk!"
Creeeak—
Cracks spiderwebbed across the body barrier I'd wrapped tight around myself.
'...That was close.'
Without magic holding, I'd be in the ICU.
I almost cursed, but I got what Elias intended.
I hesitated a moment, then swung at the charging vigilante mages.
To reach cover, we had to dispatch the ones encircling us in one go—so Elias had aggressively pushed with his own magic, using our barrier as an attack tool.
But that wouldn't last.
We couldn't keep defending with half-hearted strikes forever.
I scanned around.
'Two... three. Five on me.'
No divine power. That'd give away who Nikolaus was.
Even with just magic, five or ten—I had the edge.
But the field was too wide, limiting my push.
Time for a new strategy.
I dropped offense, reinforced my body barrier, and bolted for the residential area behind the park.
Kwaang—Kwang—
'Urk...'
Running with weight on my legs to avoid getting shoved back was harder than expected...
Sssaeak—
I whipped around and ducked into the alley. A gray blast narrowly grazed overhead.
I cast a transformation on my wand, turning it to a sword, and kicked off the ground.
Two mages in the path now.
More coming soon, but plenty of time.
"Freeze."
I targeted the nearest mage's legs with a binding spell.
No wonder he was a new human hunter—he shook it off like it was nothing. His gray magic closed in.
'Obviously, gotta dodge.'
Setting a barrier in close quarters was a blunder.
Miss the timing amid the flash and boom, and you'd lose control.
Of course...
Kwaaaang—!
Apply that to the enemy.
His magic hit my thin barrier—flash, and it shattered.
I grabbed the mage's now-exposed shoulder.
"...!"
"Not sure where you're looking."
From behind, I drove magic into where his heart should be.
Pook—Kwaaaang—!
"Aaaaagh!"
I dispersed the sword-magic, slamming the mage to the ground.
Core shattered—no more fight from him.
I extended my wand, stabbed the ground, and lunged at the one supporting from behind. He'd switched his wand to a sword and joined in.
'Tough luck, two on one.'
Sure, why not.
They had to kill me—what's one at a time?
I parried their strikes, furrowing my brow.
'...Something's off.'
I smashed the second's core while probing their magic.
Black liquid oozed from their bodies.
Vitriol-like color, but runny without the viscosity.
Nothing normal about it.
'Wanna interrogate one...'
Kkaang—!
I spun, blocking a sudden surge from behind with my sword.
No plans to bother with small fry like this anyway.
I had a different interrogation target.
Max Richthofen.
I cleared my head and swung.
Damaged the last one's core, then bolted for Elias's building.
"...!"
Faint magic from behind—I turned.
An ambusher.
That instant, glass shattered.
Jjanggrang—Kwang—!
"Aaak!"
Before I could strike, a mage clutched his heart and screamed.
"Ah, was wondering when you'd show~"
From the third floor of the building behind, Elias dispersed his magic-formed bow and winked. Beside him, Leo narrowed his eyes like "why didn't you help sooner?"
Elias looked up at the sky.
"So, that's all of 'em—why no more?"
"..."
"Supposed to kill us, right? Dragged every last one here, and nothing. Go figure."
Elias sneered mockingly, yanked out the broken window frame, and leaped down.
"Exactly."
"...!"
Richthofen stepped into the spatial magic toward us.
He glanced at the downed mages and said.
"Wanted them dead, not just cores shattered—not my favorite method."
Kwaang—!
Elias thrust his wand.
Richthofen blocked effortlessly and replied.
"No, I'm not really here, so it won't work. What could I trust against you lot?"
"Not loving it from the guy who told his minions to kill instead of just shatter cores~?"
Elias pressed on.
"And aren't you a new human? Why's a guy from Imperial Second Academy's magic department doing vigilante work in the catacombs... Now that's more than a little curious."
Richthofen ignored it, staring at Elias before changing tack.
"You said earlier, 'nothing left so no more coming?' Spot on. Thought thirty-ish mages would do for Elias Hohenzollern—bit complacent."
"..."
"More than that, a mage infiltrating the catacombs deliberately with Elias Hohenzollern... has to be Sir Nikolaus Ernst."
He smiled at Leo and me.
"Which of you is it? The captain ordered me to find out somehow."
"..."
I twisted my lips.
Told you not to go as Leo.
With the crown prince aside, obviously it'd leave just me.
From the weird not-vitriol-not-blood liquid to hunting "Nikolaus Ernst" specifically.
Two possibilities in my mind.
Either the whole vigilante squad's tainted with Phleroma, or Robert Mueller's here.
"Don't wanna say?"
Elias shrugged indifferently.
"Well, can't be helped. No way out—curious how you'll manage."
That instant, the spatial magic dissolved, the pale blue sky turning blood red.
Changing colors at will like this really drove home that the catacombs were a magic space.
Wheeeeeeng—
[New humans two, one unknown intruder in Bayern Catacombs District 1. Evacuate to safety immediately.]
An unfamiliar announcement blared.
At the same time, colorful magic formed massive projections in the sky.
"...!"
Elias's jaw dropped.
Our faces—Elias's and mine—from who-knows-when looped across the sky and spots everywhere.
Below, our names blazed large.
[Karl Hahn/Elias Hohenzollern]
[Dietrich Granah/—]
[—]
'So that's how they play it.'
I burst out laughing; Elias turned to me.
Blowing it up like this.
'All the better for me.'
I'd been wondering how to turn the whole catacombs to my side.
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