The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 61

‘Titan Project, huh…’

The Titans were a mythical race said to have existed in ancient times.

If this research were successfully completed and a group with the power to create Titans embraced it, it would be a study worthy of the name. From then on, war would no longer be a battle between humans, but a battle between giants, a battle of Titans.

Who possesses more Titans, who has Titans with superior performance, and who has more skilled pilots would become the most important factors in war.

‘What should I do?’

As of now, this research is merely a collection of delusions. A precarious tower built only on theory, with no concrete plans in place. In the process, processes that are only possible in theory had to be solved, and there were many other processes that were difficult to implement in reality.

As Armin, who is only a 3rd Circle mage, it would have been nearly impossible to find a sponsor to help turn the research he has done so far into reality, even if it was a study that could shake the world if it could be implemented. It was research of such a large scale that not just individuals, but the state and society had to step in.

But I am different. Even if the research is a little lacking and has flaws, I can attract support, especially in times like these.

‘It will take at least a few years to produce results that can be shown to others. Before coming here, they said the Emperor’s health was not good…’

The Emperor was well past his sixties. Though not able to step onto the front lines, the Emperor was able to handle mana, so his lifespan was bound to be longer than ordinary people. Moreover, the most skilled people in the Empire would have been assigned to take care of his health, not to mention that he would have taken all sorts of things that are good for his body, so there was no need to say more.

However, the work that the Emperor had to handle, the stress and pressure he had to bear, were also extraordinary. Even if the Emperor did not need to handle minor matters, the Empire had territory spanning half the continent. There was no way that the Emperor had few things to look after, and the aging Emperor could not withstand it.

My teacher, who directly examined the Emperor, said that if there was no way to improve his condition, he would not last a few years, so it must be true.

‘There are three strong candidates.’

Darius III had many children. The children he had with his wife were barely countable on two hands, and if you included those with concubines, even mobilizing both hands and feet would not be enough. Among them, the most promising candidates were the three sons of his wife, but the Emperor had not yet selected an heir, so the possibility was open to everyone.

No one would want to give up the position of being above all others. If they failed to take that position, they would either die or, even if they survived, they would have to live a life worse than death. Unless they gave up their succession rights early and entrusted themselves to someone, there was no way the last survivor would let their competitors live.

I had received requests from the princes asking me to lend them my strength, so the current capital was nothing short of the calm before the storm. Of course, I turned those princes away, saying that I was just a mage and had no intention of getting involved in politics.

As such, the Titan Project would be quite a tempting bait for the princes. If the research succeeds and produces results, it would be an opportunity for the leading candidates to solidify their position and eliminate their competitors, and for those a few steps behind, it would be an opportunity to get ahead of others.

Of course, Armin alone would not be able to escape the evaluation that it was just an unrealistic fantasy of a loser mage, no matter what he did. I met Armin’s face, full of anticipation.

“I was only able to build it up with theory, but you have already reached miniaturization! You are indeed the Great Disciple!”

“How long has it been since you came here?”

“Yes, yes?”

“How long has it been since you served at the Terra Barrier [a military outpost]?”

“A little over a year.”

Despite my sudden question, Armin hurried to answer. Perhaps he thought that coming to me was his last chance. There was no way he would have only shown this to me until now.

However, just as I had dismissed it as a collection of delusions, others would have thought the same. Wouldn’t other people have imagined it at all? There was no way. They had just run into the difficulties of reality.

Even I, if I didn’t have the engraving, wouldn’t have dared to make armor, let alone [Fangs] and [Claws], because very complex processes were waiting to achieve the current effect with magic.

“The direction is good. We need to supplement the flaws and refine it realistically.”

“That, that means…!”

“But it’s something that can’t be done here. As you know, this research is not something that can be done individually. It requires massive support and an incredibly long time, which is impossible at the Terra Barrier. But now that a year has passed, that means there are nine years left. Even if I wanted to support this research, could you survive at the Terra Barrier?”

Tuk-

I put the research data I was reading on the table. Everything is good, but what’s the point if the person who will actually conduct the research isn’t there? Of course, I can conduct this research. I could proceed more easily than Armin.

But I didn’t really want to. I don’t have a hobby of stealing other people’s research, and even without Armin’s research data, I could complete my own ‘Titan Project’.

“If, if the Great Disciple could use a little bit of power, I alone…”

“No way.”

Armin was a good mage. Even if his skills were inferior to or similar to others, he had a vision that others did not have. Whether it was a foolish attachment to not giving up the time he had spent on research, or an excellent insight into the future, I don’t know. But that was not a reason for me to take him out of the Terra Barrier.

His vision may allow him to see things that others have not seen in conducting research, but there is no match for quantity. If it’s the beginning, it’s okay, but as I said, this research is not something that can be done individually. Inevitably, many mages will be attached to it, and if that happens, Armin’s vacancy can be filled easily.

“First, survive. Whether you make achievements or fill the time. If you finish your service at the Terra Barrier in any way, I will actively support you.”

Either way, I can’t help Armin now. Whether it’s a Titan or a Gigant, it couldn’t take precedence over my goal, so if he survives until I return to the capital, I might consider it then.

#

Hung-

It was dangerous. If I hadn’t reacted quickly, I would have taken a big hit even if I was wearing a helmet. Even though I was holding a wooden sword, not a real sword, Duke Zeke in front of me felt several times more dangerous than any knight I had faced so far.

“Don’t let your guard down! Just because you dodged once doesn’t mean it’s over! How are you going to take the next attack if you keep dodging like that! If you keep doing that, you might as well give up on revenge!”

As foretold, I spent every morning training with Duke Zeke. And I felt like I had returned to the very beginning, when I had just started training.

‘This is no joke.’

I don’t even remember when I received such criticism. That’s how much I, in armor, was no less than the knights. But it was different against Duke Zeke.

From physical abilities such as strength and speed, reaction speed, to elements such as experience that are not visible to the eye. In particular, the way he continued to the next movement as if he knew how I would react seemed to be due to the difference in experience, but also not a difference that could be filled with experience alone.

“How do you do it?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not difficult.”

So I asked. How do you do it? The answer to that was not complicated. It was just that the words were not complicated.

“Turn your neck.”

“Yes?”

It was his sudden instruction, but I followed it silently. There was no way Duke Zeke would say unnecessary things.

“More, more, more, more, more.”

“I can’t do it anymore!”

But even when I reached my limit, Duke Zeke only kept telling me to do more. But there are things that humans can do and things that they cannot do. No matter how much I boasted that I had transcended the limits of humans by manipulating mana, I was still human after all.

“That’s it.”

“That’s what?”

“As long as the opponent is human, or made of bones and flesh, there is bound to be a limit to the movements they can make, unless they are prepared to break their joints. Within that limit, if you think about the movements that can cope with my attack and grasp where the opponent’s eyes, arms, legs, and center of gravity are heading, it is not difficult to predict the next movement.”

It was easy to say, but there was no way that it would be easy to take all of that into account and judge it in that short amount of time. If it was not a difficult task as he said, there would be no reason for me to ask him for advice now.

“You don’t have to overdo it. In the first place, it’s not a field that a mage like you should be attached to. I understand the desire to prepare even one more thing as you are facing an unconventional enemy… Thinking about it, it wouldn’t be that difficult. Since it’s big, it will be easy to grasp the movements.”

From the next day, the content of the morning training changed slightly. Duke Zeke deliberately made big movements, giving me time to see and react. Instead, the connection of the movements became more solid, so there was still no gap for me to dig into, but I was gradually becoming more proficient at grasping how the attack would come by looking at the preparation movements.

In the process of preparing step by step, time flowed slowly but steadily, and the weather was no longer so harsh that it caused problems for outdoor activities. That meant that there was no need to huddle inside the Terra Barrier.

#

Wheeing-

The weather had warmed up quite a bit, but the wind was still cold. Most of the snow that had been piled up high in the sky had melted, but in return, the ground was muddy, making it difficult to even walk. But winter is long and the time to be active is short. If we don’t leave now, winter will come soon, so there was no room to hesitate.

“Normally, personal activities are unacceptable, but I can’t help it. In the past few years, you have become someone that even the country can’t easily touch.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

“You are quiet now, but you may bare your fangs at the Empire someday, so I am sending you. Be sure to win and return. I can’t give the Empire’s talent to monsters.”

The prelude to revenge has begun.

Baron’s Family Second Son – Chapter 61 – End