The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 18

Baron’s Family Second Son – Episode 18

< Baron's Family Second Son – Episode 18 – >

“…In recognition of this achievement, Baron Dragnil is promoted to Viscount, and one-tenth of the mining yield for the next twenty years is granted to him. Furthermore, Renil Dragnil will be granted a three-month vacation, to be used as needed.”

The Emperor’s decree did not take long to reach the Terra Barrier. Upon learning the contents of the decree through Marquis Zeke, I breathed a sigh of relief while also inwardly seething with anger.

‘Pretending to be magnanimous while pulling off stunts like this…!’

If the Emperor were truly petty, I might have been immediately arrested and escorted to the capital. However, I received no punishment.

Not only that, but my father was promoted to Viscount, and we even succeeded in bringing the magic stones to the Terra Barrier, which was our initial goal. The results were successful.

Moreover, I received a three-month vacation. Considering the distance to home, there would be some time wasted on travel, but being able to go home was satisfying enough. The problem was the provision that granted us one-tenth of the mining yield for the next twenty years.

On the surface, it might seem like a great reward for discovering the mine. The mine was located in the land of monsters, and the initial development would likely result in more losses than gains. In such a situation, giving one-tenth of the magic stones to the Dragnil barony, now viscounty, which wasn’t even participating in the development, could be seen as a generous decision.

That is, if our family had the strength to protect it. A treasure that cannot be defended becomes poison, not a treasure. For the Dragnil family, one-tenth of the magic stones was more like a poison that would drag the family into a pit than a treasure that would elevate it.

“His Imperial Majesty’s grace is as vast as the heavens.”

One-tenth of the mining yield. The scale of the mine I had assessed was enormous. If it were properly on track, the annual one-tenth share alone could easily surpass the annual tax revenue of a decent territory. If we had the power to protect it, it would be an opportunity to elevate the territory’s circumstances to another level. But in a rural area, not even the central region of the empire, and in a barony with no special characteristics and below-average status, there was no way we could have the power to protect such a treasure.

Of course, since it was a gift from the Emperor, they couldn’t openly take it away, but there were plenty of ways to deceive us. It would just be a bit troublesome, which meant that if it was worth the trouble, they could easily turn a blind eye. In the end, the only lifeline our family, and I, could cling to was the Emperor.

If the Emperor kept a close watch, no matter how tempting it was, they wouldn’t dare to touch the territory without a proper justification. In the end, the one-tenth share of magic stones was a leash. A leash with a warning that said, ‘Don’t even think about betraying me, and remain loyal to the Emperor. Otherwise, you will see your family being tossed around and ruined.’

‘I never intended to betray the Empire anyway. I’m just worried about my family. I hope they can handle it well.’

It’s a bit much to say this, but my parents weren’t particularly talented in management. They were just content with what they had and lived according to their abilities. I was worried about whether they would be able to handle the situation well, as there would surely be a commotion around them when they heard this news. My brother was walking the path of a knight, but he was just as inexperienced in such matters.

“I will continue to do my best to be loyal to the Empire. That is all.”

“I will pledge my loyalty.”

However, I couldn’t express those thoughts. Marquis Zeke, a loyal servant of the Emperor, was in front of me. If Marquis Zeke were to realize what I was thinking, wouldn’t my head and body be separated this time?

“Be grateful that His Imperial Majesty has a heart as vast as the sea. If your words had offended His Imperial Majesty even slightly, you might have received a great punishment instead of a reward.”

“Thank you for granting my request.”

The Emperor’s decree not only included rewards for me but also stated that a certain amount of magic stones mined from the mine would be distributed for the defense of the Terra Barrier. That meant that Marquis Zeke had brought up the matter of the magic stones’ disposal. There was no way the Emperor would suddenly decide on the use of the magic stones before the mine’s development had even begun.

“It’s not because of your request. And even if it wasn’t me, His Imperial Majesty would have certainly taken some measures for the Terra Barrier. Anyway, are you planning to leave now?”

However, what was important to me now wasn’t the magic stones. Although the Emperor had ordered the development of the mine, it would take a considerable amount of time for the mine’s development to reach a certain level, rather than just mining one by one in a guerrilla style as before. The unexpected three-month vacation was more important.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll postpone it for later.”

However, I postponed it. I still had things to do here. Moreover, there was nothing to do even if I went home right now.

I would only be bothered by all sorts of people. My parents would be very happy to see their son return from the battlefield, but the time to return home would come in the future. The strong feeling that this vacation wouldn’t be wasted even if I didn’t use it now also played a part in this decision.

#

The news of the discovery and development of the magic stone mine spread quickly among the people within the Terra Barrier. The reason was that even if the personnel needed for mining the magic stones were brought from the mainland, the troops to guard the mine would ultimately have to be drawn from the Terra Barrier. Of course, there would be support for that, but it would only be additional support.

The reactions to this were twofold. First, for the soldiers, who inevitably made up the majority, there was no worse news.

They had no choice but to follow the orders from above, but they couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied. What was important to them was not the distant future of making it easier to defend against monsters if magic stones were supplied, but the reality of having to leave the Terra Barrier and defend against monsters right now.

However, the mages, a small minority among the people of the Terra Barrier, welcomed it with open arms. It was beneficial to them, after all. There would be more work to do in the future, and the threat to their lives would increase, but since they had come to the Terra Barrier, their lives were as good as given up anyway. And since the Emperor had said that it was okay to use magic stones for the defense of the Terra Barrier, there was no reason to dislike it.

“How about surrounding the barrier with Grees magic? We could usually take out the magic stones and only insert them to activate the magic when monsters attack.”

“Are you serious?! How long is the barrier? Are you going to surround the whole thing with Grees [a type of magic] ? The demand could be met once the mine is in full-scale development, but we need to find a more efficient method. We need to conserve resources, especially when we have some to spare! That’s a waste. A waste!”

“Then what’s your idea?”

“When it comes to magic, firepower is the key. We could build a large-scale attack magic circle and eliminate the monsters all at once whenever they attack…!

“Ugh! I wondered what you were going to say, but do you even have the capability to do that? No matter how much magic stone you use as a supplement, what can’t be done can’t be done. What if you make a mistake and feedback occurs? Do you want to see dozens of mages die in an instant because of a single mistake?”

Thanks to this, the exchange between mages was more active than ever. They brought out the imaginations they had once thought about but quickly forgotten due to the lack of feasibility.

I also put aside my momentary discomfort and became engrossed in this discussion. As the main culprit of this situation, I felt sorry for the soldiers who would inevitably face more sacrifices for the time being, but regretting it now wouldn’t make the discovered mine disappear, nor would it change people’s memories. Instead, devising a way to use magic stones more efficiently would be a way to repay their sacrifices.

“How about putting small golems [artificial beings] on the barrier to replace the soldiers?”

“Golems? No. Golems can only perform simple actions. There are too many variables created by monsters to put them on the barrier.”

“I’m not talking about using them like that…”

Although the mine development hadn’t even started, the discussion among the mages became more heated day by day. Those around us cast disapproving glances at us, and perhaps as punishment for that.

In the ensuing yellow alert [a state of heightened readiness], an unprecedented number of mages were killed or injured. It was inevitable since they were preoccupied with other thoughts and couldn’t concentrate on the battle. Once again, the smell of their comrades’ blood flowed into their noses, and the mages, who had been gleeful, realized that nothing had changed as of now, whether the mine had been found or development was planned. They began to concentrate on the battle properly.

#

Bang-

“So, are we just going to sit back and watch?! If you’re just going to object to everything, then come up with an alternative. An alternative!”

“Who said we should just sit back and watch?! I said that such a low-level method wouldn’t even make the Emperor blink an eye. What age are we living in that you can still utter such a low-level method?”

“Lo, low-level? Alright. Then let’s hear your sophisticated method. You’re not just spouting nonsense without an alternative, are you?”

“Isn’t this meeting created to think about that?! How dare you bully others for disagreeing with your opinion? You’re old enough to eat your age [a saying meaning you are old enough to know better], but your stubbornness has only increased!”

“Everyone, please be respectful. The Tower Lord is listening.”

“Ahem!”

“Hmm.”

Only after the youngest mage among them brought up the Tower Lord’s presence and tried to mediate did the criticism towards each other subside for the time being. The reason why they were having such a heated debate was simple: the newly discovered magic stone mine. The problem was that it was difficult for the Magic Tower to intervene in a matter that it absolutely had to be involved in.

“So, what’s the core issue?”

“We haven’t contributed anything.”

“Why haven’t we? The person who discovered the mine is a mage belonging to the Magic Tower, so it’s naturally the Magic Tower’s achievement!”

“He’s a mage serving in the Terra Barrier. Moreover, he discovered it during an operation, so the Emperor won’t easily concede.”

“What on earth was Wonder doing that he let the Emperor know about such an important fact before us!”

Nod nod-

At one of the elder’s shouts, the majority of the conference room nodded. Wonder also had some unfair aspects – he tried to inform them in advance but failed due to Marquis Zeke’s surveillance – but unfortunately, there was no one here to speak for him.

“What’s the plan?”

“They won’t be able to develop the mine without our help. We will try to maximize our stake. Also, there was an imperial order to grant one-tenth of the mining yield to the family of the mage who discovered the mine, Renil.”

“One-tenth!”

“We must bring it.”

“I will negotiate to bring the entire amount.”

“I’ll go. It’s just a humble territory. If I put forward the name of the Magic Tower, how can they resist!”

“Tsk tsk. How ignorant.”

“I, ignorant?!”

“Didn’t you hear? It’s a gift from the Emperor. A gift! If you try to forcibly take it away using the name of the Magic Tower, do you think the Emperor will just stand by and watch! Maybe later. But at this time, when the Emperor’s attention is focused, how can you try to do such a thing? Are you out of your mind?”

Thud-

“Evan.”

“Yes, Tower Lord.”

“You go. I can’t trust anyone else to go, as they might cause unnecessary conflicts. I can’t trust them.”

The faces of the elders, who had been shouting at each other until just now, turned red at the Tower Lord’s blatant words. When had they ever heard such words? However, even the elders of the Magic Tower could only shut their mouths quietly in front of the Tower Lord. Meanwhile, Evan, the mage who had been conducting the meeting and mediating the elders’ fight until just now, bowed to the Tower Lord, having received an order from him.

“I will do my best.”

“You don’t have to do your best. The important thing is the result. Whatever the effort, bring the result. Understood?”

“…Yes. I will bring the result as you have entrusted me with it.”

< Baron's Family Second Son – Episode 18 – > End