[{"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-222":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},1474128,1923,"Chapter 223 (1)","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-222",222,"\u003Cp>Chapter 223\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spoke, opening my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same moment, their Magic Power flowed down my cheek to my neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A different kind of wind swept across my face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scenery changed. I was atop an unfamiliar clocktower, not in Berlin or Munich, with a strange city sprawling below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They must’ve warped me here, anxious even with space magic layered, to keep my friends from finding me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fierce wind brushed long platinum hair against my cheek. Realizing their gaze was much lower than mine, I laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This bastard.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as the drug kicked in, making my heart race, this was transparently manipulative.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They came to meet me not as their true self but in another transformation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Impressive transformation stats.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not because of her looks, but because Wittelsbach Old Humans don’t exist in this era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Analysis later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, no laughing. It wants to come out, but I can’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This plan’s core is my disillusionment and exasperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this moment, “I” am desperate to escape this torment, eager to confront the stalker, negotiate, and end it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why go this far?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they’re risk-averse and opportunistic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they knew this was all my plan, they’d bolt and harass me from afar. To buy time to subdue them, I need to keep them feeling like they’re winning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a deep breath, organizing my thoughts. My face and shoulders slowly tensed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m not facing a rat caught in my trap; I’m a weary person here to negotiate an end to this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Repeating that resolve twice, my expression shifted accordingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe it looked like the drug was working. I could hear my own heartbeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Joy spread across their face, like someone who’d achieved their goal. Their breathing quickened, voice trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t plan to meet like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They haven’t perfected their game yet; they just fell for my strategy. Think you’ve won all you want.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Old Human in front of me, eyes unblinking, scanned my face. A thin voice cut through the wind. “This day’s finally here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared blankly, trying to lose focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their pale hand contrasted with flushed cheeks. Softly curled platinum hair fell over my hand gripping theirs. Sea-blue eyes shimmered with heat inside pale lashes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could deny their refined, clear features, carrying an air their original owner likely never bore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Not their real body, so obvious.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I briefly opened their status window, then looked back at their eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like with Abraham, something unknowable lurked in their gaze. But unlike Abraham’s rise from nothing, this one felt like they’d crawled from an abyss. Danger stirred my drugged senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…You’re better up close. First time touching you. Better than I imagined…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing they’re unhinged, their nonsense didn’t faze me. Instead of anger, I checked the scenery behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the Grand Hotel terror, they’re likely Pleroma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True to Pleroma, they’re skilled in space magic. The distant expanse was fully separated by new space magic. The city’s silence confirmed we were alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling my heart race faster, I slowly met their blue eyes. “I came to negotiate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must feel the same as me now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a lunatic, they ignored me, saying what they wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I said I came to negotiate. I did as you replied, followed your song lyrics. If you keep the line, I’ll do what you want, so let’s stop this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They muttered, smiling as if hearing nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I drank the drug, so I should be in love, yet I’m cutting it off coldly—hard to grasp. I need answers, so I can’t play lovesick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, does cognitive distortion magic work?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, how much do they know about me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If cognitive distortion works…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No need to drag this out.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d handle them immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gripping their hand on my cheek, I rapid-fired, —*Unless Yahweh keeps the city, the watchman’s wakefulness is in vain. Enter through the narrow gate!*\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chanting both spells, I released the restraint spell binding our hands and stomped back. Blue light burst from their hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A second slower, my face would’ve been blown off, but with my skills this year, not last, I wasn’t dying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More importantly…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Tch, this is… tricky.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I muttered curses, drawing my wand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I confirmed at the Grand Hotel, but their thoroughness isn’t exactly welcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t fall asleep or get brainwashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cognitive distortion magic not working answers both my questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their use of “Müller” to mess with me wasn’t random—they know I’m Nicolaus Ernst and that I can use Divine Power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’ve fortified their Mental Strength with artifacts to avoid capture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This raises issues, the biggest being they know my identity…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, they can’t broadcast it to all of Pleroma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They want me for themselves first.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Revealing I’m Nicolaus would tip off every Pleroma parish to their prey’s location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, this stalker’s probably praying other Pleroma parishes don’t find out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang, Crash— Bang—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I drew my wand, deflecting incoming Vitriol. Another Vitriol, like Leo’s vines, slithered for my ankle. Stomping it to bits, I chanted a guidance spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Yet Yahweh knows all my paths!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—! Thud—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the sound of crumbling bricks, their surprised laugh and landing elsewhere echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air turned black, obscuring my view. Their ability suggested they weren’t small fry, and they’re not. They’re on par with Ainsidel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Gotta play this light.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m planning to lose on purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using purification magic to clear my vision, I resumed my earlier calculations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Now their limits and mine are clear.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They can’t use my Nicolaus identity to attack, limited by their desire for me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’m limited because they know my identity and are fully prepared, restricting my abilities and strategies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cognitive distortion doesn’t work, and their skill rivals Ainsidel’s, so I’m at a disadvantage. What now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Call my friends?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I told them my plan, so they’d find me eventually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Problem is, that resets everything.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given their risk-averse nature, if I call friends, they’ll bolt, like the rat they’ve been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the wind’s flow, I gripped my staff with both hands, swinging toward the wind’s source.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Be my rock of refuge where I can always hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack— Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My whispered spell formed a barrier, blocking two distinct attacks from the left. But the wind scattered left instead of hitting the barrier. What’s that mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Right.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re using guidance magic from the right to misdirect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charging with force, their wide blue eyes appeared inches away. Swinging my wand-turned-sword at their neck, the air blackened, and they vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Completely gone. No breath in the air where I stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom— Crash—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning my sword back to a staff and raising it, they broke my dome barrier from above, descending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hmm.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah, close combat’s tough with them. Especially in this disorienting darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew that since the wet glove incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At 70% output for a casual response, their complexity makes it a good time to act like I’m going all out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames surged from my staff, something exploding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pop—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—The Lord of Hosts will punish them with thunder, earthquake, loud noise, whirlwind, tempest, and devouring flames…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swung my staff. The blazing flames lit the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—The nations attacking Ariel, all who distress and besiege her, will be like a dream, a vision in the night!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a roar, the floor burned red. Magic Power surged, engulfing the city. The city turned red as I poured it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mutter came from the sky. “As expected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were up there, falling but unfazed, used to it. I swung my staff, redirecting the wind. Caught in it, they laughed, surprised, and made a small barrier midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d use it to pivot and change their fall’s direction—a trick I’d used in spars with Leo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crash—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fragments of their broken barrier flew at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang—!\u003C\u002Fp>",1287,"2026-06-06T03:11:08.304Z",1,"novelbin.me","643d93193b8f2d19ae4157587ed4be0cfdceab7ebcee0f6f0ded018f7ffc5e34","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-223","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-221",367,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-cover.jpg"]