The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 51

I wasn’t sure how Willand interpreted my words. He might have thought I was teasing him, or he might have taken them seriously. But one thing was clear: if he truly served faithfully at the Terra Barrier for three years, I was willing to forgive him.

“I don’t know if people change, or if only the changed survive.”

Willand wasn’t unique in that regard at the Terra Barrier. How could everyone be laughing and joking when the situation was so dire? Because it was a place people avoided, sometimes individuals who didn’t need to be there ended up there due to manpower shortages, inevitably leading to initial conflicts.

But after a year, those conflicts vanished. It was a place where survival was impossible with both monsters and humans as enemies. The people who instigated the conflicts simply disappeared, one way or another.

“There should be a law requiring nobles to serve at the Terra Barrier for about a year during their coming-of-age ceremony to maintain their status.”

Shaking off that impossible fantasy, I refocused on the book on my desk. It might sound unfortunate and heartless, but for me, matters concerning Willand were a lower priority than reading the book in front of me. That was all.

“How can the capital never have a single quiet day?”

The news that shook the capital was spreading slowly but surely throughout the empire. Meanwhile, some individuals heard the news much faster than the general populace. The Zieg Territory, one of the most prominent territories in the empire, was among them.

Sigurd, currently managing the Zieg Territory, was reading a letter sent by the butler overseeing the mansion in the capital while dealing with the documents piled on his desk. Signy had previously handled this, but since their mother’s passing, she had remained in the territory instead of returning to the capital, leaving the butler to fill the role.

‘I thought he was an unusual young man, but I didn’t expect him to rise to prominence so quickly.’

Of course, he and Renil had never met in person. But a face-to-face meeting isn’t always necessary for evaluation. While it’s the most reliable method, much can be inferred from the accounts of those who have met him directly.

Especially since his father rarely praised anyone like that. Duke Zieg wasn’t one for open praise, but Sigurd knew it was rare for his father to say anything positive about anyone. Furthermore, through his interactions with his younger sister Signy, he knew that his father’s assessment wasn’t without merit.

‘The number one candidate to be the next Master of the Magic Tower… I’m tempted. I’m tempted.’

Sigurd was no longer just a young master of a noble family. He had been managing the territory on behalf of his father, Duke Zieg, for a long time, but now that his father had directly told him, “From now on, you must protect the family,” an even greater sense of responsibility weighed on his shoulders.

With great rights come great obligations. With so many eyes on him, he had to be careful with every choice he made. In that sense, Renil was a very attractive option.

‘It’s good to have as many resources at your disposal as possible.’

It wasn’t about greed for power. He simply wanted a shield to protect his people. The Zieg family was favored by the Emperor thanks to Duke Zieg, but they weren’t without enemies. The higher you climbed, the more envious enemies you accumulated. In that sense, Renil was a good candidate to become a shield.

His family was humble. They were a noble family with a territory, but compared to the Zieg family, one of the most prominent families in the empire, they were mere fireflies before the moonlight. But what did that matter? A shabby box doesn’t diminish the jewel’s brilliance. As long as the jewel shone brightly, no one would care about the box it came in.

‘The problem is the lack of a suitable match.’

What good was an eligible bachelor without a bride? Duke Zieg only loved his wife, resulting in only two children, him and Signy. Sending a distant relative would be worse than sending no one at all.

‘Well, should I at least bring it up?’

He had no intention of sacrificing his younger sister. Hadn’t his father repeatedly told him to support her so she could pursue her desires? Still, it was a good opportunity, so he would ask, and if she declined, that would be the end of it. Since they had a small connection, who knew what might happen.

“So, you’ve decided to go after all.”

Willand came to me and said he would go to the Terra Barrier. If he returned in three years, he asked that I forgive his past rudeness and re-establish our relationship. I nodded. It would be possible if he truly came back alive after three years.

At the same time, I accelerated my research. The topic I was currently researching was the chain of engravings [linking multiple magical inscriptions]. Until now, I could only engrave one engraving on an object. But now I was researching how to engrave two or more engravings.

To put it simply, if I had engraved an engraving on the concept of a spear until now, now I was researching how to engrave engravings on each component that makes up a concept, such as the spearhead and the spear shaft, and link them together. Just by saying it, you might ask, ‘Can’t you just engrave the engravings in advance before attaching the spearhead to the spear shaft?’ but that’s why I was researching it, wasn’t it?

But it wasn’t without results. This chain was the core of the item I was going to make, so there had to be results.

Many people started running towards their goals. Some for recognition, some for revenge, some for stability. That’s how three years passed.

Nearly five years have passed since I vowed revenge. It’s been more than four years since I came to the capital with my own plans. Not much has happened in the meantime. I was still struggling to create the sixth circle [a level of magical power], and I hadn’t taken many steps towards revenge. But I hadn’t looked back during that time.

“Huh, you managed to survive.”

“Will you believe me now?”

“I have to believe you. I can’t go back on my word.”

“I apologize once again. To the Great Disciple, and to the seniors I rashly mentioned. At that time, I was just a naive child who didn’t know the ways of the world, as you said.”

Willand returned alive from the Terra Barrier. Exactly three years after he left the capital, half voluntarily and half forced by my words, in the winter. Surprisingly, he came back in one piece.

In fact, I didn’t think he would come back alive. The Terra Barrier is a place where you can’t survive with mediocre skills, and the only way people with mediocre skills can survive is by supporting each other so they don’t fall. In that sense, Willand at the time was someone who couldn’t support or be supported.

“…You’ve changed.”

“I couldn’t have survived if I hadn’t changed. I don’t think it’s a bad change. Rather, I’m grateful for the suggestion you made at that time.”

“What are you going to do now?”

“I need to find my place.”

Willand remembered. Three years ago, many people pointed fingers at him, saying he was foolish to go to the Terra Barrier. But he was proud that it was the most valuable time he had ever had. He even wanted to spend more time with them. But a lord was more needed at the Terra Barrier than a single magician.

After that, Willand often came to see me. If his purpose was to borrow the name of the Magic Tower Master’s disciple, it would have ended with simply accepting his apology, but he came as a survivor of the Terra Barrier, so I had no reason to refuse. The biggest reason was that the person had changed.

It wasn’t just Willand’s affairs that happened during that time. First of all, my brother got married. His partner was the daughter of a knight belonging to the family. It was not surprising. My father had never mentioned arranged marriages to me, my brother, or my sister.

Immediately after I revealed that I was a 5th circle after the duel with Willand, countless marriage proposals poured in, but he simply showed me the list and didn’t say a word about it. It must have been quite a struggle to send rejection letters to so many people without offending them.

In addition, my nephew is growing well in my sister-in-law’s belly, so I don’t have to worry too much about my hometown.

But I still didn’t have any good news in that direction. I could make one if I wanted to, but to do so, I would have to look back. It wasn’t too late to think about that after I achieved my goal.

“That’s enough.”

Rather, my interest was in something else. After four years of research, I was able to create a prototype. It was still far from a finished product because my skills were lacking and my research was insufficient, but it was definitely a giant step forward.

Clang-

From shoes, pants, tops, gloves, to helmets. When I put on all the equipment, there was a proper knight there. But I had only swung a sword a handful of times.

Rattle- Rattle-

There is no discomfort in moving itself. The battlefield, where freer movement than anywhere else must be possible, would it make sense if the armor worn there restricted movement? But I didn’t put on armor weighing over 20kg just to imitate a knight. In that sense, now was the real deal.

Whoosh-

Mana escapes from my body and flows into the armor. The equipment engraved with different meanings absorbs the mana from my body as if a thirsty person is drinking water, and for a moment, it begins to balance what I had in mind.

If someone with similar memories to me saw me now, wouldn’t they think of the protagonist in a certain movie?

“So far, it’s as expected… This place is too small to test the performance.”

A large space was needed. A very large space. Even if I made a fuss, it wouldn’t harm others, but my room was too far from those conditions. A place where I could borrow such a space…

“Can this also be called a delay in its own way?”

They were born in different places, but the place where they made a big turning point in each other’s lives was the same. If I had to borrow a place anyway, it would be good to give strength to my junior who is struggling in his own way, like Saiongzima.

“I hope the results come out as expected in advance.”

Since it’s a prototype, I don’t expect much. If it only proves that the research so far wasn’t a waste, the funds, effort, blood, and sweat that went into making the prototype wouldn’t be a waste.

Baron’s Family Second Son – Episode 51 – End