[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil":3,"chapter-how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-109":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","How to Survive as the Second Son of a Mage Family",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1474015,1923,"Chapter 109","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-109",109,"\u003Cp>“Ugh….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked down at him. He was still too overwhelmed by pain to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, I felt something warm trickling from inside my nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I instinctively grimaced for a moment, but I quickly realized what it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The curse magic is similar to before.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wiped the blood off with the back of my hand and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If all I got was a nosebleed after using this much magic, it wasn’t too bad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t know exactly how the curse caused the bleeding, but as long as it didn’t rupture my brain or heart, I could keep pushing it further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up. His eyes, still unfocused from the pain, landed on the blood staining my hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strauch, who had remained completely unfazed despite seeing blood mixed with magic, seemed even more impressive now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless….\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s about time I started the interrogation.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From my earlier calculations, I should be able to use magic four more times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, I had condensed all my power into a single attack, but I couldn’t afford to do that now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since I had already used magic once, that left me with four chances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two of those would have to be spent breaking apart his spatial magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even those had to be conserved for now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The upside was that if he didn’t want his spatial magic to be destroyed, he wouldn’t be able to attack me too aggressively either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hoisted him up and kicked the chair aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-Wait!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait for what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I channeled divine power into the hand gripping his collar, then slammed his head into the floor with all my weight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—! Crash—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gah…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When magic couldn’t be used freely, I had to be efficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blow like that should have severed his connection to the space he was in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Enter through the narrow gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His pupils instantly dilated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since mind-altering magic had just triggered, it meant the spatial layering magic had been broken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Spatial layering magic—the one you were using. Is that what you call it too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slowly nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right. Instead of wasting time coming up with a new name, you were busy figuring out how to exploit it further. How far has this technique spread?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a vague question, to be fair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhaled lightly and rephrased it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this technique confined within the Diocese of Osnabrück?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That seemed unlikely, but I had to confirm it step by step.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, I saw something that made me doubt my own eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…It hasn’t spread beyond Osnabrück?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had already been a week.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant either the bishop of Osnabrück was stalling to claim credit or he was betraying the organization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The former was far more likely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can your master summon all the people under the Diocese of Osnabrück at once?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His master would be the bishop, but for a bishop’s summons to gather an entire diocese in one place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was some serious hierarchy. A full-on cult, really.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckled and tightened my grip on his collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was likely my last question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s your master’s name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Ain….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The full name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I asked again, but he repeated the same word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ain was equivalent to the indefinite article “A” in English.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since he kept giving the same answer, it seemed like that was his entire name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, priests suddenly teleported into the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wore cassocks, each with a cross and Pleroma’s emblem around their necks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no point in resisting—I wasn’t going to waste resources on a fight right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I could even lift my head, my vision went black again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much time had passed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once more, I awoke to a soft sensation beneath me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure stood in the distance with their back turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Eli?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, that wasn’t right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had the same stark white color as Elias, but even with their hair tied back, it still reached their waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I blinked to adjust my focus, the figure suddenly turned around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, you’re awake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They smiled, their eyes curving gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard you were looking for me. So, what is it you wanted to say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A face that was hard to forget.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because it was particularly attractive—that was too subjective a measure—but because it was simply unnatural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing human about this person’s presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened my status window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainsidel\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Favorability: -10\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Title: A _\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Health: +9.5\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mental Power: +6\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Magic Power: ?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Skills: +7\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impression: +1\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luck: +5\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Traits: Charm (Lv.5), A _ (Lv.8), Permanence (Lv.10)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ainsidel.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the master of the man I had just interrogated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had asked for someone with more authority, and the bishop himself had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a stroke of luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘And… a favorability of -10?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Interesting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even through the status window, only his surname appeared—no given name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainsidel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A noble surname from Prussia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sat up and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must have seen everything through your subordinate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha! You’re quite suspicious. Good—I’m glad to see you living up to your name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ainsidel sat on the edge of the bed, continuing smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t see it myself, but I did hear about it. So, what was it you wanted to tell me? You called for me, after all. I cleared my busy schedule and traveled all this way… I’d be quite disappointed if this turned out to be nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you plan to do with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll make you what you said I would.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, there wasn’t really a better option for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I studied his features one by one before asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t Bern tell you? That kid is smart—he must have tried to turn you already.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bern?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who the hell was Bern, for him to speak like this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stayed silent, and he shook his head lightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, in a flash, his hand was around my throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is the same thing you did to my subordinate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was languid, as if he were speaking about the weather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I had bigger concerns—namely, the back of my head slamming into the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, Pleroma pulled insane stunts without a second thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I met his gaze directly and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s Bern?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He laughed so hard his throat was fully exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that moment, I was certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t spoken to him properly yet, but I already knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This bastard was beyond reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone I had faced so far had at least some grasp of common sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this man? He was Pleroma itself—the embodiment of everything people feared about it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A bishop of this level must be part of Pleroma’s leadership. I guess you have to be this insane to reach that position.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still laughing maniacally, he suddenly locked eyes with me and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We haven’t properly introduced ourselves, have we? I’m Ain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In all my life, I’ve never met someone who asks to be called by a shortened version of their surname.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I scoffed, and Ainsidel tilted his head, as if he didn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your surname is Ainsidel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, well. How did you figure that out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stroked his chin, intrigued, then pressed down harder on my throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As expected. The one who killed Bern has to be this exceptional.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I understood now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without breaking eye contact, I processed what he had just said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was talking about Berner Strauch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t kill him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, you did.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t be wrong to see it that way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had driven him to the brink of death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after I admitted that, Ainsidel’s grin didn’t falter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To him, my guilt was a foregone conclusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was already looking beyond it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the only way he could be this unfazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What now?” he mused. “I guess it never occurred to you that even Pleromas might have family and friends, did it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And you? Have you never considered that the people Berner Strauch tried to kill were someone’s family and friends, too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That boy could have lived forever. What should I do? Hm? Should I turn you into Bern instead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah. He was insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Abandoning our conversation midway to ramble about his own thoughts? There was no saving this one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I stared at him with disdain, he suddenly grinned and patted my shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m joking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, in one swift motion, he stood up and muttered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We have plenty of time… Let’s get to know each other slowly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Must we?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll be seeing a lot of each other. I like you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A favorability of -10 was as bad as it got. And yet, this lunatic still managed to frame it as affection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he wouldn’t get to know me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I already knew what I had to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I summoned the Retry Window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I fixed my gaze on Ainsidel, I whispered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rewind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Strauch’s faction was based in Osnabrück, wasn’t it? The contract was made with Pleroma’s bishop there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everhardt was looking at me as he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clutched my throat and took a deep breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Haa….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, both Leo and Richthofen turned to stare at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I brushed it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dried blood that had crusted on my face was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My vision was still hazy from the aftereffects of my ability, but the headache from the impact had vanished completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything had returned to its original state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking a deep breath, I looked at Leo and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can return to your true form now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo narrowed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was fair. It wasn’t like I had suddenly stumbled upon useful information, yet I was acting as if I had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Return to your true form’—in other words, break the illusion cloaking you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was our signal to summon Narce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The magic surrounding Leo was Narce’s. If the illusion was broken, Narce would assume we were in danger and come to us immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There’s one variable.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before coming here, we had explained everything to Marianne Baum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We had also asked her to bring anyone resembling Michael Schulz to the Catacomb if they ever appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t given an answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Understandable. We had used her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if she refused to help, we couldn’t blame her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But first, I had to break Leo’s illusion and find out if she had decided to keep her promise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo stared at me, then snapped his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The illusion magic surrounding him dissipated, revealing his true form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everhardt and Richthofen weren’t surprised—they must have expected it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned to Everhardt and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll cross over. But on one condition.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everhardt tilted his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone here—except for you—must come as well. Is that possible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Pleromas are guarding the place. That’s impossible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I expected that answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pointed my wand at his heart and said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then make it possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel Leo’s incredulous stare, but he didn’t need to overthink this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t my problem to solve—it was theirs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I continued,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going there to retrieve the technique your side handed over. You don’t need me to explain how dangerous it would be if they grew stronger using your own methods.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Retrieve it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Richthofen looked dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everhardt stared at me for a moment before saying,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…If we stagger the timing, it should be fine. You cross over first. We’ll arrive an hour later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, that would’ve been a nice answer earlier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned to Leo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell Narce to grab whatever random person she can, steal their clothes, and come to where I am. Also, have her locate the cathedral and archives of the Osnabrück Diocese.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Leo didn’t hesitate despite the morally questionable request. He simply nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without any more hesitation, I drank the drug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once again, I woke up in the same room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The strong drugs from the Catacomb must have upset your stomach. Starting with the next meal, we will prepare a proper course.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright. Leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I quickly dismissed the attendant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, I unfolded the piece of paper that had been in my hand since I woke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Narce’s handwriting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Fast.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had written down the illusion spell formula used on Leo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had no idea when she had figured out what I needed, but it was perfect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I memorized the spell’s structure and visualized the form I had seen earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long, unbound white hair cascaded into my field of vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The illusion alone was enough to alter my perception of myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carefully, I raised a hand and touched my face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bone structure was different from the Luca I knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was my first time using this magic, but it seemed I had cast it correctly—even my voice had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt disgusting, but this was the best approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wiped away the lingering nosebleed and stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The same attendant as before burst into the room, his face filled with confusion. He looked at me, then at the empty bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…My lord? Where is Lord Nicolaus…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must have sensed the magic surge from my core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recalled the bishop’s relaxed tone and spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I sent him away.”\u003C\u002Fp>",2200,"2026-06-06T03:11:08.303Z",1,"novelbin.me","ea1e0369452893cb07ec762e18d72a3957db52a7fafe6fc4e9afcd1cccfc8128","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-110","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-108",367,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-cover.jpg"]