The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 69

“And from today, I will tell you what you need to do, so open your ears wide and listen.”

After that, I paused for a moment. Armin stiffened with anticipation and tension, his gaze fixed on my opening mouth. He was clearly wondering what I would say, what his future tasks would be, and what the first step of this grand progress would entail. However, what I was about to say was quite different from his expectations.

“From now on, what you need to do is study.”

“Study…?”

“There are no rookies here. If you want to continue your research here, you must at least shed that rookie image. Don’t you think?”

Currently, Armin was lacking in many areas compared to the mages of the Magic Tower. This was an inevitable difference, as the Tower attracted mages with elite talent or the potential to become elite, who then received education from advanced masters. Now that Armin had entered the Magic Tower, however, this gap couldn’t be simply overlooked.

Armin’s inability to adapt could potentially tarnish our teacher’s reputation, so Armin’s personal growth was essential for the future.

However, Armin couldn’t hide his disappointment at my instruction to study, as if he had expected to be assigned something far more significant from the start. I wanted to ground Armin, who was entertaining such unrealistic dreams, in reality.

“I’ll say it again: your Titan Project has many flaws, and you don’t have any solutions. If others were to see it, they might dismiss it as a collection of delusions and fantasies.”

“If the Great Disciple could supplement it…”

“Then I wouldn’t have brought you here.”

Wince—

Armin winced at my cold tone. That’s right. If I were going to conduct the research from beginning to end, as Armin suggested, why would I bring him here at all?

The reason I brought him was because Armin had the courage to say YES when others said NO, the drive to continue walking a path even when those around him said it was wrong, and the vision to see what others could not.

However, if he was going to settle for the present, there was no reason to keep him. No matter how broad his vision and drive, it was useless if his basic level wasn’t up to par. What good would it do to achieve 200% efficiency with methods and passions that others hadn’t thought of or attempted, when those ahead were already achieving 200, 300% of the work?

“If you’re going to have that kind of mindset, go back to the Terra Barrier right now. There won’t be any problem researching the Titan without you.”

“Ah, I understand. Then when should I, and where should I go to see you?”

“When and where to see me? That’s for you to decide from now on.”

“Yes?”

As the conversation continued, I realized that we were talking at cross-purposes. And I understood the reason why.

“You don’t think I’m going to teach you directly, do you?”

“Wasn’t that the plan?!”

Armin, with an expression of utter disbelief, spat out words close to shock at my statement. Only then did I realize why Armin had been acting that way until now, and why he could act that way towards the nobles at the rest area.

I brought him as a researcher, but he thought I had brought him as half a disciple. That’s why, unlike when he had stubbornly insisted on his research despite hearing it was a vain delusion, he couldn’t hold back his anger, and he couldn’t hide his disappointment at my words that I wouldn’t teach him.

“Of course not. How many times have I said it? Your talent isn’t special. I just highly valued the Titan Project.”

Of course, I could have taught him. Just because he had reached a high level at a young age didn’t mean he lacked fundamentals. Rather, having once been at the bottom myself, I was confident that I could teach him better than those who were born geniuses.

‘But there’s no reason to do that.’

If the disciple is special, the teacher must also be special. That way, it’s beneficial for both the disciple and the teacher. However, if the teacher is special but the disciple is ordinary, they won’t understand the teachings. Conversely, if the teacher is ordinary but the disciple is special, the bottom will be quickly revealed. Of course, I was confident in teaching well whether they were ordinary or special.

‘It’s not efficient.’

It would be different if there was no one else to teach Armin, or if I had nothing to do, but the Magic Tower had professors who taught young mages, and there were mountains of work waiting for my attention. There was no reason for me to take on Armin and teach him personally.

“Also, I forbid you from mentioning the Titan Project until I allow it. I trust you understand what I mean.”

#

“Welcome, Brother.”

“Please, lower your tone, Brother. Isn’t His Highness the Prince going to be the supreme ruler of this country in the future?”

Numerous princes were vying for the throne. All of them harbored their own hopes, but objectively and realistically, the remaining princes were unlikely to surpass the three leading princes. Either they were siblings with the same mother, or their maternal family’s power was relatively weak, or they had no particular influence of their own.

There were various reasons, but the three princes—the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, who had different mothers—were the frontrunners in this competition and the biggest threats to each other.

Among them, the one who was most ahead was the 1st Prince, who was riding the tide of the era of primogeniture [the right of the firstborn son to inherit]. However, the 3rd Prince was fiercely chasing him, and some even considered him to be ahead.

The Emperor’s third consort [a wife or companion, especially of a reigning monarch] was the mother of the eldest son, but in total, he was only the Emperor’s third son. However, the reason why the 3rd Prince was considered a strong candidate surpassing the 1st Prince was because his father-in-law was the great noble of the South, Duke Arsen.

Also, considering that his maternal family was a powerful family in the eastern part of the Empire, although the backgrounds of the other princes were not insignificant, they could not be compared to the 3rd Prince.

“I have two older brothers above me, and my father will be up soon, so how can I recklessly talk about the throne?”

“I see. It was my slip of the tongue.”

However, the 3rd Prince knew, Marker Arsen knew, and even nobles who had heard some rumors knew. The Emperor would never rise again, and his sons were more interested in the seat the Emperor was sitting on than the Emperor himself. His subjects were more concerned about what would happen after his death than the Emperor’s recovery.

“By the way, what’s going on?”

“I have news to tell you. The Great Disciple of the Magic Tower, who had left for the North for an unknown reason, has returned.”

“…The Great Disciple, you mean Renil Dragonil?”

“Yes.”

If you were to pick one person whose status had changed the most in the last ten years, it would undoubtedly be Renil. Ten years ago, he was a mage who was relegated to the Terra Barrier, which everyone avoided, due to his insignificant background. It wouldn’t have been strange if he had died at any moment and couldn’t even have a single line written in the history books. But the situation was different now that ten years had passed.

He was a mage who had earned the title of Master of Magic before the age of thirty and was the only disciple of the current Magic Tower Lord. He was also the most likely mage to succeed him and was a mage representing the next generation, so no one in the Empire could treat Renil carelessly.

When that name flowed from Marker’s mouth, the 3rd Prince couldn’t lightly dismiss it either. His existence alone was a variable in this competition. A variable is something that is difficult to predict whether it will be beneficial or detrimental. The greater the influence, the more cautious you have to be.

“I heard that he met the Magic Tower Lord alone as soon as he arrived. After that, he went to the Magic Tower Lord’s aide, so they must have talked about the situation in the capital.”

“Didn’t the Magic Tower Lord decide to remain neutral in this matter? I heard that the relationship between the Magic Tower Lord and his disciple is quite good, so wouldn’t he have told his disciple to do the same? I’ve heard that they have been avoiding contact under the pretext of research, even though we’ve tried to contact them several times.”

“Your Highness the Prince is right. There’s no reason for them to get involved in this muddy mess. But ‘what if’ is something that can pop out anytime, anywhere. And the risk is too great to just sit back and watch that ‘what if’ situation unfold.”

It wasn’t just the 3rd Prince’s faction that was concerned. Everyone who was greedy for the throne was focusing their attention on the Magic Tower. The reason was simple: because it was a variable.

Since the Emperor’s health deteriorated and he didn’t name anyone as his successor, many people began to gather around the princes. Now, almost all the nobles’ forces in the Empire were divided. That’s why the Magic Tower Lord, Gadel, who was still maintaining neutrality, couldn’t help but be the center of attention.

The Magic Tower. Simply put, it was just an organization, an association to which the Empire’s mages belonged. In fact, it was the lords who gave them money and opportunities. In this respect, it was not much different from the knights. However, if you dig a little deeper, there was a big difference.

If the lord was the liege to the knights, the mages were just employers. The Magic Tower Lord’s intentions were more important to them than the movements of their affiliated lord. It was clear that it would be a terrible thing to imagine the mages turning their backs on those who had to prepare for even a civil war in the worst case.

“Is there a way? It can’t be that they haven’t been able to meet because they didn’t want to meet.”

Because of the situation, many people wanted to meet Renil and exchange a word with him. He was the only variable left at this point that could shake the current landscape. If they could make that variable their own, it would be the best constant for them and the worst move for their competitors.

“I heard that his younger sister is about to get married. They postponed it because they couldn’t find his whereabouts, but now that he’s back, they won’t postpone it any longer, and even if he’s an uninvited guest, they won’t turn away a guest who has come to congratulate them.”

Of course, these two weren’t the only ones having a similar conversation.

#

“Oh, I’m going to get an earful again.”

Armin listened to my words and quietly focused on studying, whether he was disappointed or had realized the reality. It wouldn’t take long for him to realize that it was the best choice for him. At the same time, I had to think about the best option to protect my back. I had a letter from my parents in my hand, telling me to return home as soon as possible.

“Well, I’ve been wandering around a lot.”

In the last ten years, I had only spent a few months in my hometown. Moreover, I had gone to the Terra Barrier, the deadly place beyond it, without any explanation, so I knew without looking how worried my family must have been.

Besides, I had postponed my only sister’s once-in-a-lifetime wedding because of me, so if I didn’t want to be resented, I had to prepare a proper gift.

“My brother went a long time ago, and my sister is leaving soon… Somehow, I’m the only one left.”