[{"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-221":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},1474127,1923,"Chapter 222 (2)","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-221",221,"\u003Cp>[How about injecting your Magic Power into me? Or me staining your core with mine? We’re testing if it kills or not. I’ll let you know if it works.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[We should mix our Magic Powers and become each other. Could I get pink eyes? If we had each other inside, we’d be better mages.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sunday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ulrike looked at Lucas, concerned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas, face dark, read a note, tossed it on the table, and retched in the bathroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Returning to the team’s table, he sat, grim-faced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone watched him carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All weekend, his notes were like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t lose more weight here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elias’s light jab at Ulrike’s worry made Lucas glance at him, incredulous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He forced a polite smile, then stared blankly at the table, rubbing his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leonard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ask headquarters to get me another uniform.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ulrike’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All weekend, Lucas faced endless thefts. A shapeshifter posing as a servant? No matter how tight security was, they kept stealing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now they’d stolen clothes issued in the Emperor’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leo’s face hardened, brow furrowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I expected a “Why me?” but he didn’t react further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas, taking the silence as agreement, stood shakily, looking fed up, without a word or glance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narce, who’d cast space magic to isolate the school, followed Lucas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the frozen atmosphere, Ulrike spoke quietly. “…Guys… is this an act…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The stolen clothes are real,” Leo replied flatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, except for the theft, that attitude’s an act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yulia clapped, laughing. “Wow~ Lucas’s acting is top-notch. He’s gotta be pissed, but he wasn’t *this* bad before. Didn’t know he could play it this sour.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ulrike nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elias said Lucas felt the time was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘To make the stalker drop their guard, I gotta act hit hard. Whatever I do, it’s not my real feelings, so don’t take it too seriously. I know it’s uncomfortable, but bear with me for the weekend.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He told Elias, and it spread to the team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Narce re-cast space magic to block the stalker, Lucas chatted normally, smiling like nothing was wrong, so everyone knew it was strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The bright side’s the real him.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ulrike swallowed, recalling his scarily real act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No clue how he plans to shake the stalker, but…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Gotta plan something fun soon to lift his spirits.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ulrike steeled herself with her usual resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Success.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the estate, I suppressed a smug smile, furrowing my brow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What was my mistake? What else would’ve made the culprit too impatient to stay hidden?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thought from a now-erased timeline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t take long to conclude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I didn’t show I liked Yulia.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was my conclusion then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much Yulia leaned in, if I didn’t reciprocate, to the stalker, it’s annoying but no big deal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if I acted like I had special feelings for her too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That changes everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d think their chance was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Problem is, do I have to do this with my teammates again? This time, acting fully?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Hotel stunt and Yulia’s act already spiked their guard. Repeating the same won’t draw them out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, I’ll find a way they can’t resist showing up…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘While looking like I’m not out to attack.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I need to seem like I’m losing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I look beaten, they won’t suspect a trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fatigue, resignation, lethargy from stalking—showing I’m affected is a good example.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, reporting and staying stone-faced wasn’t fun for them. Bullies want reactions, so I just had to act upset like anyone else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It went as expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more I reacted, the more they taunted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So what? They taunt more, I act angrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A scam cycle.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, I’m the only one scamming. They’re not getting me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood slowly, eyeing a box big enough for three thick books, filled with pink notes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My gaze shifted to a notebook. The list of items stolen this weekend already spilled past a page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hmm.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Going smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re wary but likely think they’ve got the upper hand. Human subconscious works that way, sadly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt my default expression tense, rubbing my chin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Time to end this.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No dragging it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Preparations done, time to meet face-to-face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Decided, I stared at the box, faking exhaustion, and wrote on a note.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[What do you want?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They said they’d read replies anywhere. I tossed the note out the window and stepped away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shockingly, when I returned, a note was on my bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lyrics from a folk song I’d heard, *That you are my dearest*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to them, that’s all they want…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Show up, you bastard…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even a real answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t upset, feeling them play into my hands, but it was good fuel for fake rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked at the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped bothering with curtains. They’d just lift them when I left and returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It advertises lethargy, so I left it—now they’re using it as a screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring at thousands of notes in the box, I sat on the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I counted backward from 10 silently, buried my face in my hands, and exhaled deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Haven’t done it big since coming here, but it worked fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…6, 5, 4…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My nose stung.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I finished, I wiped tears with my sleeve, stood, and angrily yanked the curtains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Faking rage by smashing furniture—none of it mine—wasn’t ideal, so I just needed a tool to shock the watcher.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moving to another room, I thought, ‘This makes me feel like the lunatic.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they’re watching from outside. Not in another building or street, but definitely there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened a safe, pulling out the familiar rectangular box Leo left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a great memory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Didn’t think I’d touch this again.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opening the clasp, glass vials from stage 1 to 10 were neatly lined up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The drug I took in Gelda Asman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I vividly recall swearing never to touch this shit again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That resolve hasn’t changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I had to face Gelda Asman again, I wouldn’t choose this. I don’t want to fake emotions to lower someone’s guard, especially another victim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this case is different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My hand reached for the end of the box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grabbing a vial, I headed to the estate’s rooftop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind hit my ears as I opened the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keeping my grim expression, I walked to the center, drank the drug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like before, the odorless liquid slid down my throat. The difference? This is stage 10.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, I’ll feel sudden affection for the first person I see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe not—Elias’s machine noises weren’t for nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But to others, it’ll look like I’m in love with the first person I see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spoke loud enough to be heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No response. Had to raise my voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know what I drank. Come out!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the wind drilled into my eardrums.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Fine.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knew it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with a feast set, they’d suspect poison and not show.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’ve got a brain, so obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having seen through their ambitious plan, they know they need a tighter setup to control me. Showing up now, biting my bait, would half-ruin their scheme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s why I built an atmosphere where they think they’re winning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So I can’t back off now.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I closed my eyes, touching my ear’s artifact—Eszett’s private line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tapped it randomly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No clue how many times, so no idea which of the six it’ll connect to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feels like Russian roulette. Whoever answers, I’d prefer someone with the antidote or who’s already provoked the stalker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearing my mind, I brushed the artifact, pressing the activation button.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beep—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the tone finished, someone answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Lucas?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Nice.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The god of odds is on my side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s someone who can bring the antidote, so no burden if I fail. Separately, the culprit can’t think that far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I laughed, looking at the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Talk, Lucas.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They can handle others showing interest like them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wonder how they’ll take the reverse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keep scheming, or act now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come to the rooftop. Now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spoke with force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to yell into the artifact, but my real audience required it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fierce wind shook my robe and hair, making it hard to open my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An icy hand grabbed my cheek urgently. I heard panting, as if they’d rushed down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt the space shift under their space magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doesn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What matters is, my target’s fully in my trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I grabbed the cold hand, casting a restraint spell with mine, and opened my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We finally meet.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1404,"2026-06-06T03:11:08.304Z",1,"novelbin.me","b2ffd5843bcd8de60cf39a490579e3c7fce1d28dfdf7d68da4e5f11d71541aa5","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-222","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-220",367,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-cover.jpg"]