The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 50

Kramer, Willand’s father, couldn’t suppress his rising anger and glared at Willand. This was a golden opportunity to seize even greater power, a rare chance to gain more influence, but his foolish son had squandered it all.

What infuriated him even more was that while his rivals were actively maneuvering, his own options were extremely limited. His first impression had been the worst possible. Just yesterday, his son had been a reliable asset, but now he couldn’t bear to look at him.

“What exactly happened? Explain it in your own words.”

He had heard the general account from his aides. It was such a prominent topic in the capital that he couldn’t possibly be unaware of what had happened, but he wanted to hear it again from the person involved. There might be something that could salvage the situation. However, it would have been better not to hear it at all, as the details from Willand’s mouth were utterly disastrous.

“······Hoo.”

Count Kramer closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and sighed softly, while Willand stood blankly, not even thinking of wiping the blood from his face. Their appearance was too pathetic and miserable to belong to a rising count and his heir, who were steadily expanding their power.

“What on earth were you thinking?”

“······.”

“Did you think the world was at your feet after gaining some paltry power with your paltry talent! Or did you think the family’s power was your own! I can’t understand why you picked a fight with that man!”

Count Kramer unleashed a torrent of abuse at Willand. He used harsh words that shouldn’t be said to his son, but Count Kramer didn’t care. If he didn’t vent, it wouldn’t end with just words.

“Hoo. Hoo.”

The barrage of abuse continued for several minutes. Willand faced the waves of beratement head-on without the slightest movement. After pouring out abuse for a long time, Count Kramer finally calmed down and sighed. He spoke one last command and turned his back on Willand as if he couldn’t bear to look at him.

“Go and kneel, bow your head, do whatever it takes to appease the Grand Disciple! Don’t even think about showing your face unless you return with the Grand Disciple!”

Driven out, Willand returned to his room and covered his face with one hand. He had lost so much with a single wrong decision.

Kramer wasn’t his only child. Count Kramer spared no effort in using marriage to expand and solidify his power, having three wives and seven concubines.

Therefore, there were too many half-brothers vying for the position of heir to count on both hands. It was obvious that he had taken several steps back because of today’s events, and that his brothers, who were no different from enemies, were applauding with joy.

‘Damn it. Damn it!’

#

If Count Kramer was feeling frustrated, there was someone else who was feeling embarrassed. No one was more taken aback by the current situation than Renil’s father, Baron Dragnil.

“W, what is all this?”

As if they had all planned it together, marriage proposals flooded in from one day. Twenty-one wasn’t too early to marry, so it wasn’t that there had been no marriage proposals for Renil, but this explosive surge was unprecedented.

From families he had heard of to families he hadn’t, it was as if all the nobles of the empire with daughters of suitable age were proposing marriage. Some nobles even put forward children who were not yet ten years old as potential brides, which was enough to make him feel uneasy.

“Isn’t it all thanks to Renil’s hard work?”

“That’s true, but it’s been a while since Renil became a disciple of the Magic Tower Lord. There must be a reason why it has increased so much now.”

However, the Dragnil territory was quite far from the capital, so news traveled slowly. If the head of the family himself or one of his family members had been in the capital, as other nobles did, he would have been able to quickly figure out the reason. But Renil was in the capital but didn’t report the news as the person who caused the rumors, so Baron Dragnil had no choice but to be bewildered by the flood of marriage proposals without knowing why.

“Haha. Thanks to my talented younger brother, I’m even getting marriage proposals.”

And the marriage proposals weren’t just focused on Renil. Most of them were aimed at Renil, but occasionally there were marriage proposals for Renil’s older brother, Boris. Very occasionally, there were also marriage proposals for his younger sister, Iriel. It was a struggle for those who wanted to establish a relationship with Renil by any means.

“Why, are you interested? If so, just say the word. I’ll do my best to help.”

“Are you kidding me? To someone I’ve never met, and whose purpose isn’t even me but to get closer to Renil. There’s no way a family formed like that can be happy.”

Boris shook his hand and dismissed Baron Dragnil’s teasing question. The marriage he envisioned wasn’t like that: building a happy family with someone he loved. At the same time, Baron Dragnil was just joking, and he had no intention of making his children sacrifices for political marriages. Of course, when looking at the nobility as a whole, the Dragnil family was unique.

As you can see from the flood of marriage proposals, marriage was a tool for nobles. Just as the family has done so much for you, you too must sacrifice for the family. It was something that was taken for granted by all but a few. If there was no family, they would have nothing: not the expensive clothes they wore, the rare ingredients they ate, or even the soft bed they lay on.

“Besides, I have someone I love. Just like my father did, I’m only going to love that person.”

He was twenty-three years old this year. Like Renil, he wasn’t too young to marry. Especially since he was the eldest son and heir to the family, Dragnil couldn’t possibly be unaware of his marriage prospects, and the current words were just a mischievous joke.

“Okay. Okay. If I say any more, Marin will give me a look of resentment, so I have to stop. I don’t want to be hated by my future in-laws already.”

Boris was in love with the daughter of Marin, who had been working as a knight in the Dragnil territory for a long time. Although no specific date had been set yet, the moment he and she made up their minds would be a day of celebration in the Dragnil territory.

“But what do we do with these?”

Dozens of marriage proposals, many of which were sent by those with higher titles than Baron Dragnil. Even if his son was the one receiving the marriage proposals, he couldn’t handle them carelessly.

“First, let’s tell Renil the news. And… it would be good to write a reply of refusal in advance.”

“Refusal?”

“Yes. Didn’t he say himself that he has something to do? The reason why that guy was ‘wasting’ his time wasn’t because he wasn’t trying, but because he couldn’t decide what to do. Now that he has something to do, how can things like marriage catch his eye? So I think it would be good to think about a reply that won’t offend those who made the offer.”

“You’re right.”

#

While the surroundings were bustling like that, my surroundings weren’t very bustling. Rather, it was quiet. The whispers directed at me disappeared into the distance, and the jealousy they sent also diminished considerably. Jealousy is something that can only be directed at those who are within reach. It wasn’t an emotion that those who are in a place that can only be chased with their eyes, like me, could receive.

However, the envy towards me still existed, because the people who harbored the emotion of envy had changed. If promising students envied me until now, now it was those who occupied a position in the Magic Tower who envied me.

The reason wasn’t much different from before: my talent, the achievements I’ve made. I arrived at the place they had reached over decades in just over ten years. It was a normal person’s reaction to be jealous.

“Still, I have a lot more to gain than lose.”

In any case, those who were newly wary of me were also distant. If my goal was to become the Magic Tower Lord, my relationship with them would be important, but that wasn’t the case. Rather, there was more to be gained by becoming the center of attention and receiving the empire’s attention.

To put it simply, just looking at my room, there was no room to set foot because of the gifts sent by nobles who wanted to form a relationship with me. Of course, I didn’t receive them empty-handed, but with many offers. Perhaps many gifts have arrived at the family as well. It would be a good way to win over the people around you, even if you don’t become close to the person himself.

“Let’s go step by step. It shouldn’t be too late, but it’s better than missing something.”

However, revealing my realm to the world was not just for the purpose of obtaining sacrifices [mana or life force]. No, it could be a primary goal, but it wasn’t the ultimate goal. The reason for collecting sacrifices was just to raise funds to make the items needed to achieve the goal. I had only set up the theory yet, but if I could jump over the wall one more time, I could fully realize it.

Knock knock-

At that time, I heard a knock on my door. Most likely, it was a messenger from a noble who wanted to establish a friendship with me. There’s no reason to refuse when they give me this and that first. When I opened the door with that thought, I had to face a very unpleasant face.

#

“What on earth are you thinking, coming to see me?”

“······I would like to apologize for the rudeness I have shown so far.”

“Did Count Kramer tell you to?”

I looked at Willand, who was bowing his head and apologizing, with a nonchalant look, because I didn’t think he was bowing his head sincerely. I don’t know what happened in the meantime, but rather than the story that he sincerely regretted and reflected, it was more convincing that he was apologizing because of pressure from above.

“It’s my will. I have reflected and regretted a lot. I apologize for the rude actions and rude remarks I have made so far. What can I do to make you know that I am sincere?”

It didn’t really matter whether I accepted his apology or not. Now he had become too insignificant to do anything to me. If the fight between me and Willand a while ago was a fight between an adult and a child, now it had become a person and an ant.

The remarks he made were enough to make me angry, but now I didn’t even feel anger. Was it because I had already released it once, or was it because he wasn’t even worth holding anger for?

“Sincerity, sincerity······.”

If his apology was sincere, I thought of a good way to confirm it.

“Three years.”

“······Three years?”

“If you spend three years at the Tera Barrier [a dangerous and magically unstable region], I’ll believe that your apology is sincere. Can you do that?”

Three years later, only two of my ten classmates were still alive, including me. Even if his apology wasn’t sincere now, if he was still alive after three years, he would be a completely different person than he is now, and if he died, that would be the end. Of course, the choice was his.