[{"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-44":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},1473950,1923,"Chapter 44","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-44",44,"\u003Cp>It’s an unexpected reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person standing in front of me is definitely the same person from the first interview photo in Dasrothe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But shouldn’t he be more apprehensive about meeting me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked me up and down as if examining a rare creature, then tilted his head in curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But… what brings you here? There are no restricted areas or busy streets nearby. You’ve come quite far.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I came to speak with you privately. Can we talk?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s nothing strange, right? Could it be that the demonic beasts have reached here…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Does he really think nothing is strange? Seriously?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s absurd, but starting off emotionally wouldn’t be a good choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Me?! Did I do something wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt a headache coming on and forced a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narce sighed briefly and tapped my arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narce smiled and snapped his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—“Come to think of it, I’m not sure what to call you. Shall I just call you Sir Nicolaus?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t the content of his words that surprised me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the way they were delivered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like how Pai’s words seem to bypass the air and directly lodge into my mind, Narce’s words were delivered in the same way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Did he do this with Divine Power too?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seems like a useful skill to learn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narce smiled and spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—“Haha, it feels a bit strange. I’ll call you that for now. And… that person really doesn’t know. He’s not even thinking about Dasrothe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even thinking about Dasrothe?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after seeing me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Wait.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s entirely possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This could be an opportunity to really screw over Dasrothe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having assessed the situation, I spoke to him softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, there’s something I need to investigate. I came because I need Mr. Velter’s help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Help? Is there something I can help you with?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. I urgently need some information. If you have time, I’d like to talk with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked back and forth between me and Narce, confused, before opening the door wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not sure what this is about… but please, come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We sat at the table he indicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t have much to offer right now. I’ll go out and get something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, our schedule is a bit tight. It’s fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was already close to 4:30 PM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We still had other places to visit, so we couldn’t linger here for long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really? I feel bad since you came all this way…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s really fine. We’re here to ask for your help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, right. What do you need to ask about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you heard any stories about me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narce snickered beside me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The way I phrased it made me sound incredibly self-centered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I restrained my urge to explain and waited seriously for his answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re Sir Nicolaus, right? I saw it in the Empire’s newspaper a few days ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You saw it. Do you have any other information?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No… just that you did something completely unexpected with Duke Elias… Is there something else?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned deeply, stroking his chin as if trying to recall something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how hard he thought, it seemed like nothing came to mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pulled out a copy of yesterday’s Dasrothe from my bag and handed it to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned at the cover and nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Impressive. Yesterday’s issue features you, Sir Nicolaus.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The content isn’t impressive at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flipped through a few pages and then smiled awkwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Haha… indeed. Did you read this yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really? Are you okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He squinted and cautiously continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Surely you’re not this calm because it’s all true…? You’re not actually meeting seven people at 77….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, that’s not the case.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pulled out today’s magazine and pushed it towards him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Read this too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded and turned the first page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smile vanished from his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flipped the pages back and forth, then hurriedly scanned through from the beginning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘As I thought….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckled inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t get permission to use the photo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They just used anyone’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s astonishing how recklessly Dasrothe operates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well… it’s the same everywhere.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The royal family also operates sloppily, so what can you expect?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He, now pale as a ghost, pointed to his photo in the magazine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s this? That’s not me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Asking me won’t change anything….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“R-right. It looks like me… No, it is me. But why is this here?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narce stared at him and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Velter, do you know anything about this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. I never had any such interview… No one ever asked me for one! And I’ve never met Sir Nicolaus until today, so why would I say such things? What the heck are these people talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, okay. It’s the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narce spoke to Mr. Velter as if to reassure him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was actually conveying it to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. I’m so shocked I can’t even speak properly. How could they use my face like this?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not “Why is my face here?” but “How could they use my face like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, this man isn’t entirely uninvolved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narce also sensed this and quickly asked about the incident’s details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Some people came by before and offered five thousand pel for five photos, saying they wanted to take some pictures for a newspaper…. I guess that’s when they took these.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Five thousand pel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narce pressed the end of his sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They bought each photo for 100,000 won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were me, I wouldn’t sell my face for 500,000 won, but different people have different perspectives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They just asked me to look serious while looking at the sea, saying it was for a regional promotion. They introduced themselves that way too…. I had no idea it would be used like this….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Velter looked furious as he held his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned forward and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So they didn’t tell you exactly how it would be used?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They just said it was for capturing the article’s concept. If I had known, I wouldn’t have agreed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled and checked the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rest will finish sooner than expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mr. Velter, who was determined to sue Dasrothe immediately, exchanged contact information with us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After thinking it over calmly for a moment, Mr. Velter seemed to recall the cost of filing a lawsuit and became less enthusiastic, but I could cover that expense. All I needed from him was his willingness to participate in the legal battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And, it turned out the other two people were in the same situation as him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were equally shocked to see how their photos were used and, although they were clearly weary of getting involved in a lawsuit that could drag on for years, they were willing to testify to the relevant authorities after some persuasion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now… it's 6 PM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s 6 PM!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment I lowered my arm after checking the time, Pai popped its head out of Narce’s robe pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having been asleep the entire time, it must have remembered what I murmured while it was in the room with me yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since I planned to make 6 PM the inflection point for the impression score, it was important to check the numbers from this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow~ On the dot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narce checked his wristwatch and was impressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But how did it know the time….’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Narce, the owner, seemed to be discovering this ability for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be nice to carry Pai around when there’s no clock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyway, that’s not the important thing right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I opened the status window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas Rene Askanian\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impression: -9.9 [+5.0003821]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, it dropped from 10,000 to 8931.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the time I was finishing the investigation, it dropped another 5000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering that the evening newspaper hasn’t been published yet, this is quite a significant change for the 3-6 PM period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this rate, from now on, as we enter the actual evening hours, the drop will be even steeper, and it could fall into the 4-point range in just a couple of hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, it’s not “it could fall” but “it’s already falling rapidly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impression: -9.9 [+5.0003789]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeah. No surprise there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a blink of an eye and it dropped another 32 points.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We stopped by the Bavarian Investigation Bureau and then returned to school.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After changing clothes at the dormitory, we warped to the meeting location for a conference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Narce had already arrived before me and was waiting with the other students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I exchanged brief greetings with the students and took my seat, they resumed their conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know if it’s true, but honestly, I hope it’s not. Who are they trying to please with this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s for Pleroma. God, can’t they read the room? Even if it happened, they should have revealed it later….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe Pleroma’s behind it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone was talking about Nicolaus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all the students here seemed to be extremely hostile towards Pleroma, so they were blindly siding with Nicolaus regardless of the rumors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Nicolaus was the initial whistleblower in this case and had significantly impacted Pleroma along with Elias.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took the prepared materials and stood in front of the blackboard to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, it’s already 7:30. Let’s start today’s analysis.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took out the newspaper sheets from each press, which were stored here, and cast a spell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The text forming today’s articles slowly revealed itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>- [Hessen] Nicolaus Ernst Joins Grand Duchy of Hesse and Two Other Nations' Purification Efforts: “Will Help As Many Citizens As Possible”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>- Leopold of Württemberg Thanks Nicolaus Ernst for Responding to Request\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>- Three Days Left in Grace Period: Württemberg, Hesse, and Baden Successfully Recruit Mages Amidst Manpower Shortage\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The students, who were reading the evening papers with me, let out brief exclamations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This guy’s really planning to go to multiple places.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bavaria alone has five restricted areas, and now he’s adding three more countries?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, he’s going to travel four times a week…? Does he have the strength for that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, let’s wrap up Dasrothe like this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chuckled at the last comment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They think just like me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One reason the decline has slowed is this very thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yesterday, I moved to Bavaria to initiate an investigation into the false report in today’s Dasrothe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Dasrothe must have bribed people to create evidence, breaking that would resolve many issues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This alone is enough to defend.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But dealing with crazy people like Dasrothe, who operate outside the bounds of common sense, requires more than a “moderate” approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could bribe our witnesses or give absurd explanations like “it was just a reference image” and exploit the public’s tendency to be drawn to sensationalism, regardless of the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given that they’ve claimed without any evidence that I’ve been involved with seven people, it’s a route they could consider.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, the solution is to knock them down so hard that they can’t even think about getting back up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To do that, I have to give them a reason to attack me again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And these articles are exactly that bait.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, all seven newspapers have this story on the front page.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least they’re not behaving like Dasrothe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Multiple newspapers reported on the resolution of the purification issue in three countries on their front pages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From regional to national newspapers, they all leaned towards factual reporting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they only cared about increasing sales, they would have coPaid Dasrothe’s report and changed a few words, but they didn’t. Besides, it’s not a political issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These factual newspapers have consistently criticized the behavior of tabloids like Dasrothe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless there’s a specific vested interest, there’s no reason for them to cover the controversy generated by those tabloids.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s now 7:40 PM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s been more than an hour since the last check.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this time, people would start accessing the evening news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Let’s check it out.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas Rene Askanian\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impression: -9.9 [+5.0002829]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An hour ago, it was 3789.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It dropped by 960.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ha.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>960.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It dropped by 5000 earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we evenly divide the drop from 3-6 PM, it fell by about 1670 per hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But between 6 PM and 7:40 PM, it dropped by less than 1000.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though we’ve entered the time zone where newspaper purchases increase, the impression score dropped less than during 3-6 PM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the decline during the second most impactful time zone of the day is this mild….\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s over.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled and closed the status window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This indicates that this morning’s Dasrothe already drew enough public interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It also means not many people were encountering the evening edition of Dasrothe for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The impression score didn’t drop as much as expected.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering the overall trend, it suggests that people looked at the report but didn’t fully believe it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the live broadcast, a favorable impression of me has taken root more strongly than the gossip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dasrothe’s timing failed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On top of that, their growth rate has plummeted….\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They should be getting desperate by now.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, they just need to attack me with a new topic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s been almost two hours since the purification reports were released.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dasrothe has had enough time to revise their articles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it’s not as impactful as the morning, they wouldn’t want to miss out on evening sales, so if they’re a bit more greedy, they’ll try to attack me in this edition as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe they’ll come out with a new report tomorrow morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked down at the newspaper and quietly asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who has the current Dasrothe?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dasrothe? I do!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A student pulled the magazine from his bag, froze, unable to take his eyes off the title, and then showed the cover to the students.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at this… They’re at it again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The students fell silent at the bright red text covering the lower part of today’s Dasrothe cover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The title had been changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“1,775,000 Pel of Taxpayer Money, Misused for an Affair? Sir Nicolaus’ ‘Sacred’ Purification”\u003C\u002Fp>",2324,"2026-06-06T03:11:08.023Z",1,"novelbin.me","7de54ed0665012de10c371c5e74f5ada02ae83bd023034291ccb42a3a8ed2161","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-45","how-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-chapter-43",367,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fhow-to-survive-as-the-second-son-of-a-mage-famil-cover.jpg"]