The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 72

“”.

“”.

Silence hung in the air for a moment. What should I say? What would he say? I couldn’t let my guard down. The middle-aged man before me wore a pleasant smile, but that was just a facade. Inside, a snake that could easily devour dozens of people was coiled.

Even I, with little experience in these political battles, could tell. Those eyes were the eyes of a predator looking at delicious prey. If I showed even the slightest weakness, he would pounce to tear at my throat.

“So, why did you come? To attend a party to which you weren’t invited… I’ve never heard that the name of the Arsen family is so lightly regarded.”

“It’s regrettable that you don’t understand my sincerity. As an elder…”

“There’s no need to beat around the bush. Even my four-year-old nephew would know that you didn’t come here just to offer congratulations.”

So I asked directly. If it were an outright brawl, it might be different, but in this kind of fight, I was much weaker.

Having grown up receiving an elite education, following in the footsteps of my father, Duke Arsen, gaining experience, and being trained in numerous real battles, I was like a rookie gladiator who had picked up a sword for the first time, dragged into the Colosseum without knowing why, and unable to even grasp the situation, compared to a battle-hardened, ever-victorious gladiator.

A clear difference in skill. In a normal situation, it would be meaningless to discuss the odds of winning. But fortunately, the opponent wasn’t a monster, but a human who would suffer and die if stabbed with a sword. And I had a very sharp sword in my hand.

Also, I knew how the weak could defeat the strong. Something the strong hadn’t anticipated. Whether it was a surprise attack, poison, strategy, resolve, or whatever. Something called asymmetric warfare was needed.

Finally, one thing to keep in mind: based on the above, if you gain the upper hand, don’t go for a drawn-out battle, but end it when you can. The weak are not allowed to make mistakes, but the strong have the ability to make up for mistakes if they have time.

That’s why I asked directly. There was no point in dragging it out, only to be slowly whittled away in a battlefield advantageous to the opponent. It was right to end it quickly before being dragged in.

“If you really came just to congratulate me, then thank you very much. But as you know, there are many people waiting to see me today, so may I take my leave now? …That would be enough to say, right?”

“Huhu. You’re a very impatient young man. I thought you were so holed up in the Magic Tower that you had no interest in outside affairs, but it seems that’s not the case.”

He didn’t change his expression even as he watched me move as if I was about to get up from my seat at any moment. Confidence in his absolute skill, either that my actions were already within his expectations, or that he could sufficiently cover any unexpected variables that might arise.

This feeling… it’s not unfamiliar. I had only felt this from two people among those I had met so far.

Duke Sigmund Zieg and Tower Lord Gadel Freed.

The feeling I could sense from them, though in different fields, was emanating from Markard.

‘It’s okay. Ultimately, I have the initiative.’

I just mustn’t be greedy. What I have in my hand is enough. As long as I don’t fall for the sweet talk that tries to make me open my hand, out of greed for wanting to hold something bigger, there was no way he could touch what was in my hand. Unless my family was greedy for power, it was a story that didn’t apply to my father and brother.

“You seem to cherish your family quite a bit. It must not have been easy as the second son.”

“I am simply following the natural order.”

“Good, good. I wish my sons had the same brotherly love as your brothers. Baron Dragnil is the most blessed with children in the empire.”

It was uncomfortable. The topic itself was uncomfortable, and the act of conversation itself was extremely uncomfortable. Why, isn’t it said that being treated well with an ulterior motive is just burdensome?

In a situation where we both knew each other’s purpose, wearing a mask on our faces and secretly plotting was not for me. I would much rather have a heated debate for or against a hypothesis as a theory. At least we wouldn’t be thinking of stabbing each other in the back.

Of course, the ending of this story might be a win-win for both of us. The Third Prince gains the support of the magical world through me, and I receive enormous support later on. The probability of that happening was high, never low.

Because I wasn’t the eldest, I might be pushed back by the First Prince in terms of justification, but unless the Emperor had decided on an heir—and there were emperors in history who weren’t the eldest—the Third Prince’s strong influence in the southern part of the empire, the region boasting the empire’s greatest wealth, was a decisive advantage. Even if a civil war broke out, the Third Prince would have the highest probability of becoming the final victor if he could have the Magic Tower on his back.

But in the end, all of this is a matter of probability. No matter how high the probability, it can’t be 100%, and as long as there is even a 1% chance of failure, it’s just gambling. Finally, I had no intention of putting my and my family’s safety on the line.

“In that sense, wouldn’t you like to do the greatest filial duty you can as a son to the Baron [a nobleman]?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“If the Dragnil barony, and you, were to receive a territory, you wouldn’t be able to use the Dragnil name, so a marquisate with your new name. If the two sons join forces to become a family representing the West, wouldn’t the Baron be pleased?”

A marquisate [a rank in the nobility, above an earldom and below a dukedom] and a barony. If a territory befitting that position were given, the two families formed by blood ties could be called a family representing the West, as Markard said. Furthermore, the nobles of the Western region were supporting the First Prince rather than the Third Prince, so if the Third Prince ascends to the throne as planned, how many would be able to keep their positions?

There would be more than enough meat to throw to the hunting dogs who faithfully carried out their master’s orders and were waiting for their reward. Enough to laugh off any upstarts. However,

“He wouldn’t be pleased.”

My answer would not change.

“Elder.”

“You don’t even hesitate for a moment.”

“Certainly, I may be a mere child compared to you, Elder. It wouldn’t be strange if you saw me as just a strong child. But even I know the basics of a deal.”

He still doesn’t change his expression. But it doesn’t matter. These weren’t words to see his reaction.

It was enough to reaffirm to him that my decision would not change with these words.

“To get one thing, you have to give up one thing. You give the other person what they need and get what you need. That’s the basis of a deal, but how can you, Elder, try to take what you need while giving something you don’t need?”

A deal is established when there is something that both parties need. If one side unilaterally wants it, it’s just coercion or begging. In that sense, a deal could not be established between Markard and me. Markard wanted something from me, but I didn’t want anything from him.

“Isn’t that so?”

“……You could be a merchant. You wouldn’t be able to grow it much, but you wouldn’t ruin the company with pointless nonsense.”

“Thank you.”

“If your will is so firm, then there’s nothing I can do. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t force it to drink. I hope your will doesn’t change in the future.”

With those words, Markard got up from his chair. As I watched his back as he left the reception room after the conversation ended, he opened his mouth one last time before the door closed.

“But remember. To get one thing, you have to give up one thing. It’s not wrong, but it’s just the trading method of a mid-level player. A high-level player’s trade is to take everything without giving anything. That’s what a person in a high position’s trade is like.”

Thud-

The door closed with those words, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the door for a while.

“You didn’t even intend to persuade me from the beginning, but you’re still talking.”

It’s not that he had no intention. It was just at the level of ‘it would be nice if it happened, but if it doesn’t, oh well’. If he really intended to persuade me, he wouldn’t have brought such a ridiculous deal.

#

‘I poked around just in case……’

As Renil expected, Markard didn’t look very embarrassed. All that remained on his face was a slight regret. It’s a natural thing. No one feels embarrassed when a lottery ticket they bought just in case doesn’t win. Since the initial investment was small, the risk of failure was also small.

‘Still, it was worth coming all the way here.’

From the beginning, he wasn’t desperate to persuade Renil. As he had said so far, it would be nice if it happened, but if it didn’t, oh well. The reason was simple. As Renil said, a deal couldn’t be established.

Of course, if he had only been doing fair deals where he gave one thing and received one thing in return, he wouldn’t be standing here now. But there are times when that kind of deal is possible, and there are people for whom it is possible.

The goblins who have hidden in a dead-end cave know that there are enemies outside waiting for them to come out because they can’t stand the smoke, but they come out to avoid the smoke because they know that otherwise, they will just sit and die.

But if there is an exit in the cave, if there is a breathing hole, would they come out to where the enemies are waiting? Renil’s situation was like that. If he just sits and waits, they will get tired and back off on their own, so there was no reason to bother getting up.

It would be a lie to say that he wasn’t disappointed, but this trip was worth it just to confirm that a ball that could bounce anywhere wouldn’t bounce anywhere and would be stuck on the ground.

‘I wish someone would touch the ball. It’s difficult to take out a stuck ball, but it’s not difficult to guide the direction of a ball that has bounced once.’

#

After Markard left the reception room, I had to deal with many uninvited guests. The same was true for my brother and father. But our father and sons never nodded even once to the many uninvited guests, and they had to swallow their disappointment and return.

It’s not that they weren’t upset, but they knew that acting against me would only help their competitors. It wasn’t a situation where if you’re not an ally, you become an enemy.

“Did we somehow get through it?”

My father, who still had many people looking for him despite his retirement, my brother, who had to fulfill his duties as the lord of the Dragnil territory, and I, who was the cause of this incident, all suffered a lot in a short period of time. Fortunately, it was a relief that those sufferings were not in vain.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Hoo. Yes. You’ve suffered a lot. What are you going to do from now on?”

“I will go up to the capital as soon as I am ready.”

“Will you be okay? Wouldn’t it be better to lie low in the territory until everything is over……?”

“They want me. If I am in the territory, the territory will only become chaotic. It will be safer to be at the center of the incident.”

Even the Emperor couldn’t easily touch the Magic Tower. What could the princes who haven’t even become crown princes do? Like the eye of a storm, it would be safer to be at the center of the incident than to try to avoid it clumsily.

“It’s your choice, so it must be right. But there are many who are after you, so be sure to think again before you act.”

At that moment when I left my hometown and came back to the capital,

“His Majesty the Emperor, His Majesty the Emperor!”

“What happened to His Majesty!”

A change was beginning in the capital’s situation, which had been in a sluggish battle of wits.