The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 70

Baron’s Family Second Son – Episode 70

My one and only sister’s once-in-a-lifetime wedding. Having unintentionally postponed the wedding, which should have been filled with blessings, because of me, I was determined to take full responsibility for it.

‘What would be a good gift?’

The safest bet would be jewelry. It basically fits the purpose of a gift, and with a little personal touch, it can become a unique treasure.

What about a ring? It doesn’t seem like the best choice. No matter how fancy a ring is, wearing them on all ten fingers would only make you look gaudy and nouveau riche [new money, often used pejoratively]. Besides, my future brother-in-law would have already picked out a ring for her left hand.

Then, what about a necklace? That could work. Of course, wearing multiple necklaces could also make you look nouveau riche, but it’s not something you have to limit to just one, especially if each has a special meaning. In the same vein, earrings wouldn’t be a bad idea either.

“But I can’t place a custom order now…”

One unfortunate thing was that I couldn’t get her a truly unique gift. There wasn’t enough time to wait for a custom piece to be completed, especially since I needed to leave right away.

If I don’t see anything I like, I’ll have to find another way, but that’s unlikely. This place is the capital of the Empire. It’s the center of the Empire, a city adorned with splendor and brilliance. Surely it can satisfy the aesthetic sense of just one wizard. Of course, I shouldn’t just pick anything since the gift isn’t for me, but for my sister.

‘But she wouldn’t hate it, right? There’s also the saying that sincerity is the most important thing in a gift…’

As I was about to leave the Magic Tower and head to the artisan district, I encountered a familiar face, someone who seemed like they could help me with this matter.

“It’s been a while, Lady. Do you remember me?”

#

Signy Zick.

I couldn’t even remember when I last saw her. Was it when I advised her to persuade the Emperor? If so, it must have been more than seven years ago.

In fact, I had several opportunities to visit her. I had the perfect excuse since she told me to visit sometime. For example, when I was traveling with JoJo, I could have visited the Zick territory on my way back to the capital after finishing my trip in the eastern part of the Empire. However, the opportunity vanished as I deliberately bypassed the Zick territory to hide my already exposed identity.

“…Prince Renil?”

“Yes. I’m glad you seem to be doing well.”

She hesitated for a moment and then called my name. I had changed quite a bit since she last saw me. The early twenties are a time of great growth, aren’t they? It wouldn’t be strange if she didn’t recognize me right away. It had been several years since our last meeting.

By the way, it was awkward to be called a prince at the age of twenty-eight. Most people here called me Great Wizard. This was proof that the me in my early twenties, before I became a Great Wizard, still remained in her mind.

“No, should I call you Great Wizard now?”

“Call me whatever you’re comfortable with. A title is just a title as long as you understand who I am.”

The woman in front of me was a little more mature, calmer, and more beautiful than I remembered. Of course, she was beautiful before, but this was relatively speaking. Nevertheless, her aura hadn’t changed.

“What brings you here? Or, if you have time, would you like to move to a quieter place for a while?”

It hadn’t been long since we started talking, but people’s attention began to focus on us. As the Magic Tower Lord’s disciple, I couldn’t help but attract attention wherever I went, at least within the Magic Tower, and her face was not a common sight in this place.

Among female wizards, there were those who were less beautiful than her, but no matter how beautiful a face was, it would fade after working all night for three days straight and being stressed out by troublesome things.

Since they handle magic power, their fatigue threshold and recovery speed are faster than ordinary people, but most wizards neglect physical training, so they get tired quickly.

Of course, if they paid a little attention, they could maintain cleanliness and alleviate physical fatigue to some extent, but it was difficult to solve mental fatigue with magic. In the first place, mental strength was needed along with magic power to use magic, so it was absurd to recover mental strength with magic.

“Please lead the way.”

She readily accepted my suggestion, as she wasn’t too happy with the attention being focused on her, and we continued our conversation in a small reception room away from the public eye.

#

“I see, that’s what happened.”

The conversation with her was short, but it was enough to satisfy my curiosity: why she left the Zick territory and came to the capital, and why she was in the Magic Tower.

“I heard you haven’t been back from the Terra Barrier [a magical defense] for long.”

“Yes. I returned to the capital straight from the Terra Barrier.”

“How is my father doing? He told me in his letters not to worry about unnecessary things, but…”

She asked with a worried look. The Emperor was a lord whom Marquis Zick had trusted and followed all his life, a reliable companion, and a one-of-a-kind partner. Now that such an Emperor had lost consciousness and was waiting for the day he would die, no matter how much of a Marquis Zick he was, he couldn’t be indifferent.

“He seemed… fine. At least, I felt like he had prepared himself to some extent.”

“Is that so?”

Signy let out a small sigh of relief. Since that day, she seemed to exchange letters asking about his well-being more often than before, but it was still difficult to see his face. She seemed more relieved to hear that he was okay from someone she met in person.

‘Just because he’s from the Marquis Zick family doesn’t mean he’s immune to political power plays.’

The current Empire was, in a word, in a transitional period. To the point where anything could happen. The Marquis Zick family also boasted great prosperity, but that was only during the reign of the current Emperor Darius III. It wouldn’t be strange if things changed during the next Emperor’s reign. Of course, as long as Marquis Zick was alive, it would be almost impossible to challenge him directly.

That’s why she was here: to quickly grasp the situation in this devil’s den and inform him. In the meantime, she was more engrossed in magic, which she had always been interested in, and when she visited the Magic Tower to find data, she ran into me.

‘She probably hasn’t taken anyone’s side yet.’

Marquis Zick was a staunch supporter of the Emperor. Now that the Emperor had not directly appointed an heir, it was not strange that he was maintaining neutrality. Although Sigurd inherited the territory from Marquis Zick, it would be almost impossible to go against Marquis Zick’s will.

‘I hope she doesn’t get caught up in unnecessary conflicts.’

If the Emperor dies without naming an heir, there will be a problem. Of course, the actual situation was quite serious, and in the worst case, the Empire could be divided and enter a civil war, but those who have power and maintain neutrality, like me, will be able to escape from this mud fight relatively peacefully.

If I made unnecessary demands when there were many other options left, it would be a disaster if she sided with someone else.

However, if the Emperor wakes up even for a moment and appoints an heir, Marquis Zick will follow him, no matter who the heir is, even if defeat is obvious, because it was the Emperor’s order. That was how Marquis Zick had lived his life.

‘It’s not something I can do anything about.’

After that, the Lady and I continued our conversation with trivial stories, deliberately avoiding heavy topics. As the story was heading towards its end, I brought up the main point.

“Do you have any plans later?”

“Not really, but…”

“If it’s not too much to ask, could you help me with something?”

#

“Jewels each have their own meaning. If it’s a gift, you should keep that in mind when choosing an item.”

“For a wedding gift, emeralds would be better. Garnets or rubies would be good for your own wedding, but this is to wish happiness as a family.”

“How about this if you want to wish for good health? Pearls have traditionally symbolized health and longevity. If you don’t like it, aquamarine would be good too.”

Thanks to her help, as she readily accepted my request, I was able to purchase a necklace for my sister as a gift. In addition, I also bought accessories to give as gifts to my family. My father would say it was just unnecessary extravagance, but he wouldn’t refuse a gift from his son after a long time.

“Thank you. I would have had a hard time if I had come alone.”

“You’re welcome.”

Although she hardly showed it, she was a lady from one of the most prestigious families in the Empire. Of course, unlike other nobles, she wasn’t the type to indulge in luxury, but her standards couldn’t be low.

“Please tell your sister congratulations on her wedding. I would love to congratulate her in person, but I can’t travel for long…”

“I will definitely tell her. If you ever need help in the future, please come find me. I will definitely help you if it’s something I can do.”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

After the brief companionship ended, I escorted her to her mansion and returned to the Magic Tower. After packing the prepared tools and leaving the Magic Tower again, I boarded the carriage that was also prepared.

If I had time, I would either make the gifts here or after arriving, but unfortunately, it was difficult to see that I had that much time, so I planned to use the travel time. The biggest reason was that I didn’t have to set up and focus on complex magic.

‘What effect should I add?’

The engravings and magic to be engraved on the accessories to be given to my parents have been decided. My parents were now quite old. Like the current Emperor, it wouldn’t be strange if they collapsed at any moment.

Without illness, longevity.

As such, I engraved the meaning that comes to mind when it comes to health. In addition, I had the jewels imbued with dragon blood to provide semi-permanent power and prevent evil spirits from invading.

Magic related to fatigue recovery and mental stability would be good for my brother. He would have a lot of stress from solving the problems of the territory. I’ll have to think a little more about my sister-in-law, and since my nephew is growing up, I should add effects related to that. Finally, what effect would be most suitable for my sister and brother-in-law?

Clatter- clatter-

Even as I was lost in thought and worrying, the horses pulling the carriage continued to move their feet, and the carriage moved forward. I was slowly getting closer to my hometown.

End