Reborn as the Head of the Stolen Mage Family

Chapter 55

Tap.

“How was your first month at the academy?”

“I felt I could learn a lot. It seems like a good foundation for me as the heir of Kirhausen and as a mage.”

“Good. The academy is just a stepping stone. Don’t forget your goals lie beyond it.”

“Yes, Father.”

Tap.

The conversation flowed smoothly.

And the chess game tilted in Furas' favor.

But to Marcel, the outcome of the game was irrelevant.

Spending proper time with his father for the first time in years made him feel like he was floating on clouds.

Emboldened by his father’s unusually gentle response, Marcel said, “Once the holiday ends, I’ll dive deeper into my studies and magical training. Excellent grades are also a virtue of an heir…”

“For someone so resolved, your actions outside of studies have been quite eventful.”

The seemingly warm moment didn’t last long.

Tap!

Furas' white piece knocked over Marcel’s black piece as it moved.

The atmosphere over the chessboard turned cold in an instant.

Marcel’s hand, holding a piece, trembled slightly.

“Your voluntary withdrawal from the presidency election. Was that solely your decision?”

Furas' weighty voice cleared the clouds from Marcel’s mind in an instant.

“What… do you mean…?”

“Did Headmaster Devens pressure you separately?”

Furas' tone was colder than usual.

Marcel swallowed hard, unaware.

He had anticipated this, but the sudden shift to the main topic brought a wave of tension.

But more than that—

‘This was the first proper conversation with Father in years… and it’s ending like this?’

The disappointment made Marcel hesitate more than the tension.

But he couldn’t stay silent forever.

“…There was no such thing. It was entirely my decision.”

“Then did you anticipate the consequences of your actions?”

“…Yes.”

“You made this decision knowing who would be most affected?”

“Yes. And I had my reasons…”

“Hah, hahaha—”

At that moment, Furas' low laughter echoed through the study.

Marcel, disbelieving, opened his mouth slightly and stared at his laughing father.

The smile and laughter were genuine.

He could tell from the emotion in his father’s usually impassive eyes.

“Well done, Marcel. To think you foresaw the next move and made such a bold decision.”

“…Pardon?”

The praise that followed gave him hope that things might end well.

But—

“A Dickens becoming president only after both Kirhausen and a commoner withdrew. Could there be a more laughable situation?”

“….”

“And to top it off, he has to work with a Kirhausen lackey as vice president. Owen Dickens' face at the next banquet will be a sight.”

The specific praise that followed chilled Marcel, who had been about to smile.

Furas' voice carried genuine amusement.

But Marcel stared blankly at his father, holding a black chess piece.

‘What… is this…?’

The situation was veering in a completely unexpected direction.

In his confusion, Marcel froze in an awkward position, unable to move his piece.

“Why are you frozen? Move.”

Furas, sipping his tea, gestured to the chessboard with his chin.

Snapping back to reality, Marcel shakily looked for a place to move his piece.

…Tap.

But his piece landed in a meaningless spot, far from where he’d planned.

Looking at his misplaced piece, Marcel thought, ‘Could it be… I was the one who made this move in the election, not Eddie?’

Thanks to Marcel’s blunder, a path opened for Furas' white piece to target Marcel’s king.

But Furas continued as if it were no matter.

His voice still carried pride in his son.

“You know your goal is the student council presidency. Don’t waste energy on the grade presidency. Just show you’re no less than Dalton.”

“Yes…”

“Dalton is just a stepping stone on your path to your goal. Never forget to look beyond the academy.”

“Yes, Father…”

Despite his father’s satisfied reaction, Marcel grew more anxious.

No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t anger over Eddie abandoning his duty as a lackey.

After much deliberation, Marcel mustered the courage to say, “I didn’t expect you to be satisfied with Eddie becoming vice president, Father. Isn’t there already talk within and outside the family about a lackey joining the presidency?”

“Naturally. Especially since the family’s heir withdrew.”

“Yes. That’s why I thought some action would be taken against Eddie.”

“Do you think he should be punished?”

“….”

Marcel couldn’t respond.

His silence spoke volumes.

Furas, dimming the glint in his eyes, looked at Marcel.

Marcel gripped his fingers tightly under the weight of his father’s piercing gaze.

“I understand your thoughts, but reacting sensitively to a lackey’s slight ambition doesn’t befit the family’s dignity.”

“But… hasn’t the family’s reputation already been tarnished by this?”

“Do you think punishing and expelling him will silence those voices?”

“….”

“The public’s attention is more focused on ‘Dickens humiliated by Kirhausen.’ And Eddie, standing alongside Alexein in the presidency, played a big part in making Dickens a laughingstock.”

Furas slowly rolled a white chess piece in his hand.

“A lackey who showed ambition insignificant to Kirhausen stands on par with Dickens' heir. Understand?”

Tap!

Furas placed his white piece on the board.

Checkmate.

Marcel’s king was cornered, unable to move.

“….”

Marcel bit his lip quietly, staring at the defeated chessboard.

“Of course, I won’t let the lackey forget his place. But for a Kirhausen lackey, having some ambition paints a more natural picture.”

“….”

Marcel couldn’t speak further.

In the end, his father had decided to tolerate Eddie.

No amount of mentioning Eddie’s actions or his own unstable mana would change that.

He had lost.

And he didn’t even know when he’d started losing.

In this presidency election, he was no different from that black king.

***

At the same time.

Step, step, step.

Following the assistant butler, Eddie quietly deactivated Tracker.

‘You must’ve learned a lot.’

The last sound he heard before deactivating Tracker was Marcel’s sigh as he left Furas' study.

In this game of wits, Marcel had gained nothing.

He couldn’t speak of the lackey’s audacity or the unease it caused him.

Furas' mindset was exactly as Eddie had predicted.

Furas placed more weight on Alexein’s humiliation by Marcel than on Eddie becoming vice president.

Eddie, as Marcel’s lackey, couldn’t be expelled.

Moreover, since this widened the gap between Kirhausen and Dickens, there was even less reason to expel him.

In other words, it was a game Marcel could never win.

He didn’t know Eddie was his lackey, and he was too young to understand a great family head’s mindset.

But Eddie had his own regrets.

Marcel, shaken by his father’s unexpected reaction, didn’t mention his mana instability.

‘If Marcel’s mana issues were known, I could’ve met Sylvia alone.’

Though disappointed, Eddie decided not to rush.

There was still plenty of holiday left.

‘By the way… It seems few in the family know Furas' true intentions.’

This conversation between Marcel and Furas confirmed it.

The tutors thought Furas would scold Marcel.

That meant Furas didn’t share his true intentions with them.

In other words, the only true confidant in this estate was Ronan.

‘Once I figure out the First Knight Commander, I’ll have a clearer picture of the key figures’ positions in the family.’

Lost in thought, the assistant butler’s steps stopped.

They had reached their destination.

Eddie and the assistant butler arrived at one of the massive storage rooms beneath Shainborough.

Inside, a long table held vials of colorful liquids and various items.

And by the table, Sylvia was talking with men in black robes.

“I’ve brought him, Teacher Patman.”

“Thank you.”

The moment Eddie saw Sylvia, he recognized the faint scent pervading the storage room.

‘It’s the tea they had us drink before mental manipulation.’

Identifying the scent, the situation became clear.

The robes worn by the men bore Pasquier’s emblem.

One of them was a researcher he’d seen in the synthesis chamber during the Pasquier infiltration.

That meant the items and vials on the table were from Pasquier.

And finally, a steaming teacup in a corner of the storage room.

It all pointed to one thing.

‘Item testing.’

And with mental manipulation to prevent resistance to side effects.

Eddie had been sent to this storage room as a test subject for Pasquier’s new product, meant for Marcel.

It was convenient timing, as he’d been planning to meet Sylvia again, but the bitter taste in his mouth was unavoidable.

‘Putting on airs in front of his son, but not such a magnanimous man after all, Furas von Kirhausen.’

Swallowing a bitter smile, Eddie took the teacup Sylvia offered.

Gulp gulp.

As the tea’s subtle aroma spread, Sylvia’s voice echoed in his mind.

Using Circe’s ability, she began mental manipulation.

Facing Sylvia’s violet eyes, Eddie quickly thought through his options.

He had long since expelled the tea’s effects from his mind.

But the problem was that using Reverse in this situation wasn’t feasible.

‘Mana detection devices are installed throughout to gauge the item’s power. Using enough mana for Reverse would trigger an anomaly.’

Using Reverse on Sylvia could manipulate everyone’s minds in the storage room, sparing him from the experiment.

But the issue was the records left in the mana detection devices.

And he didn’t know how many others were aware of the devices’ presence.

Eddie concluded that using Reverse here was impossible.

He’d just have to seize the opportunity through effort.

Being used as a test subject was irritating, but—

“Even if you feel pain, you must not stop releasing your mana. It’s your duty as a lackey, so do it gladly…”

Sylvia’s voice echoed in his mind, issuing commands.

Feigning a dazed expression, Eddie swallowed a curse.

The reason he was being subjected to this item test at this moment was obvious.

‘Stay in your place and know your role, no more overstepping.’

Though it benefited the family, they wouldn’t overlook his breach of a lackey’s duty.

It was a far more effective method than a direct scolding.

A truly cunning move, befitting Furas' efficiency-driven nature.

‘I’m letting it happen knowingly, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating.’

Eddie’s eyes turned the same violet as Sylvia’s.

Reassured, Sylvia let her mana seep into Eddie’s mind.

But it was only a facade; his eyes were violet due to a disguise spell. His mana still held dominance in his mind.

Fully alert, Eddie felt Sylvia’s mana infiltrating his mind.

But something was off.

‘What’s this? The refinement of Sylvia’s mana… it’s subtly different.’