The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 88

The Empire, controlling a significant portion of the continent’s center and north, shared borders with numerous countries due to its vast territory. Among these, the Kingdom of Juren was the closest and most intertwined with the Empire’s affairs.

The Kingdom of Juren.

While the Kingdom of Aubes and the Kingdom of Braheim flanked it, Aubes didn’t directly border the Empire because of the Hughes territory in between. Braheim shared a longer border with the Empire than Juren, but the Roche Mountains occupied most of it, leaving only a small, easily traversable area.

The Empire and the Kingdom of Juren shared a border entirely composed of easily traversable terrain. Consequently, Juren had no choice but to maintain constant vigilance towards the Empire.

The Empire’s western and northern borders were defined by the sea and the monster-infested lands, respectively, precluding expansion in those directions. Therefore, any imperial aggression would inevitably target the Kingdom of Juren.

“Any new information from our dispatched agents?”

“Here’s the latest report!”

The Kingdom of Juren couldn’t hope to stand against the Empire on its own. Even if Juren dedicated all its resources to military strength, the disparity in national power, stemming from territory and population, was insurmountable through mere effort.

Therefore, Juren prioritized intelligence gathering above all else, maintaining a dedicated agency focused solely on monitoring the Empire’s movements. They needed to anticipate the Empire’s actions to protect their kingdom, whether through alliances with neighboring countries or diplomatic negotiations.

In that regard, the past few years had been a period of overwhelming workload.

The Empire’s powerful Emperor was incapacitated by illness, sparking infighting among the princes vying for succession. Juren needed to closely track the Emperor’s health, identify the likely victor, and determine the most beneficial course of action for their country, considering each prince’s personality and behavior.

Simply adding more personnel wasn’t a solution, as intelligence work demanded careful selection. Even a minor lapse in judgment could have severe consequences.

“Ultimately, the Third Prince has seized power.”

“The worst-case scenario has unfolded.”

“…It’s regrettable that we couldn’t intervene directly. Had the conflict continued longer, we might have instigated a civil war.”

Before they could even consider the fruits of their labor, they had to confront the reality that their worst fears had been realized: the Third Prince had ascended to the throne as the new Emperor.

“It was unavoidable. Unless their sphere of influence was diametrically opposed, providing direct support while evading Duke Arsen’s [a powerful noble known for his influence] surveillance was impossible.”

They had hoped for the First or Second Prince to become Emperor. The First Prince, while not incompetent, lacked exceptional abilities. His indecisive nature would have delayed his consolidation of power amidst opposition from the Empire’s southern regions, prolonging the recovery from internal strife. Furthermore, he lacked grand ambitions, making him unlikely to initiate reckless wars.

The Second Prince was his opposite: capable, but more suited to following orders than leading. Even with ambition, he posed less of a threat. His youthful vigor might lead to hasty decisions, creating opportunities for Juren.

The Third Prince, however, was different. He had the backing of Duke Arsen, arguably the most influential figure in the Empire, and possessed considerable leadership skills. He combined ambition with unusual caution for his age, yet demonstrated boldness when necessary.

The result? Despite lacking a clear justification, he ended the succession struggle with a decisive move that exploited existing vulnerabilities. He swiftly quelled the Empire’s internal turmoil through a combination of rewards and punishments, forcing Juren to carefully analyze his next move.

Fortunately, the Empire remained quiet afterward. However, Juren heightened its vigilance. The Empire’s apparent inactivity wasn’t due to weakness, but rather a deliberate preparation for future action.

“The Emperor has instructed the Master of the Magic Tower to request anything necessary for his research?”

“Yes. The Emperor personally attended the wedding of Lenil Dragnil, the Master of the Magic Tower’s disciple and the only daughter of Duke Zieg [a renowned military leader], and made those remarks.”

“…This is a significant development!”

Lenil Dragnil.

That name was classified as top-secret information even within Juren’s intelligence department. Being a disciple of the Master of the Magic Tower would normally warrant first-class status, but not top-secret clearance. His exceptional skill elevated him to that level. He was an unprecedented talent, reaching the 6th Circle [a high level of magical proficiency] before the age of thirty, and his future potential was as daunting as his past achievements.

And Lenil is leading this research with the Emperor’s full support? Whether Lenil initiated the research and the Emperor decided to support it, or the Emperor tasked Lenil with the research, it was clearly a matter of great importance.

“Have you discovered the nature of the research?”

“We haven’t received any information yet. The security is so tight that even our most skilled agents are finding it difficult to operate.”

“We must find out, regardless of the cost! No matter how much wealth is required, no matter how many lives are lost, we must know! Do you understand?!”

“Yes!”

As he emphasized, they had to uncover the truth, no matter the expense. Failure to do so would result in far greater losses.

#

“Ugh… This is difficult. So difficult.”

Three hours. A period representing one-eighth of the day, and nearly double that if sleep is excluded. Yet, it couldn’t be considered a long time. Consequently, results wouldn’t come easily, no matter how hard one tried.

“Tsk, tsk. You’re wasting your time on useless endeavors, so it’s no wonder you haven’t progressed despite all this time.”

“…Well, wouldn’t it benefit both me and the ‘great being’ if you offered some helpful advice instead of criticism?”

“I believe I’ve offered advice numerous times. It’s your fault for being so dense that you’re stuck on something so trivial. Do you need instructions on how to breathe?”

There was no arguing with that. She had undoubtedly tried her best to provide guidance. It was akin to explaining the anatomy of the nose and mouth to teach someone how to breathe, meticulously detailing the process of inhaling and exhaling air. The problem was that, regardless of the quality of the explanation, a fish couldn’t breathe outside of water, using its mouth instead of its gills.

‘Should I have dedicated more time to this?’

Regardless of effort, how could one expect results without sufficient time investment? As she pointed out, if I had devoted myself to training more diligently, the outcome might have been different.

‘The constant pressure from her is making me impatient.’

In truth, mastering Dragon Words wasn’t my immediate priority. My primary focus was conquering the Land of Monsters and developing the Titan [a powerful war machine] for that purpose.

Furthermore, while three hours wasn’t a short period, it wasn’t excessively long either. It couldn’t be said that I hadn’t put in enough effort. Wasn’t this a process that I had anticipated would take a century?

“I will continue to work diligently.”

Was the journey to the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Circles easy? I had reached this point through a combination of serendipity and luck, but without consistent effort, would I have been able to capitalize on those opportunities?

No matter how slow and steady the progress, no matter how distant the goal seemed, if there was a possibility, the opportunity would eventually arise. All I could do was believe in that and maintain my efforts. That was how I had overcome challenges thus far. And those efforts had never failed me.

“Now you’ve taken a step. What was so difficult about that single step that it consumed so much of your time?”

Spin (回) [referring to the act of rotating or whirling]

What was so challenging about spinning the water in a glass that I had struggled with it for so long? As I watched the water swirling rapidly, a panorama of my efforts flashed through my mind.

It wasn’t a significant breakthrough. The abstract concept of will still seemed just out of reach, visible but intangible, and I hadn’t yet excluded magic from the process of spinning the water.

Frankly, judging by the results alone, it was no different from when she initially instructed me to move the water and I was reprimanded. But the crucial difference lay in the process. The important thing was that I had broken the ingrained stereotypes that had been unconsciously hindering me while working with engravings.

Whoosh-

Fire and water, wind and earth, light and darkness erupted from my hands and danced. It was still clumsy, as it wasn’t fully integrated into my being, but with continued development, I would no longer be undeserving of the title of magician.

“What are you smiling about with such self-satisfaction?! Do you think you’ve reached the pinnacle just because you accomplished that? You’ve barely taken one step, so why are you acting like you’ve already achieved everything? Aren’t you going to sit back down?!”

Of course, everything seemed trivial to her, so even a small achievement only spurred her to push me harder. It was hardly the behavior of a good teacher.

#

Everything is progressing smoothly. The improvement of Mk.I [likely referring to a mechanical construct or weapon] encountered difficulties, and some aspects didn’t proceed as planned, but there were temporary solutions even when definitive answers were lacking. I could also move forward with acceptance even if I halted the improvement. My personal training also required time to adjust to the fact that I had overcome a significant hurdle, so there was no sense of hopelessness like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you hear?”

The news that arrived in the meantime was shocking enough to stun me. It was an unexpected development, something I had never considered.

“His Majesty the Emperor is planning to elevate the Arsen family to a duchy. The rumors are already circulating widely in political circles.”

“You know, I’ve been isolating myself from the outside world due to my research. That’s quite… surprising news.”

A duchy—from what point and to what extent was this planned in advance?

< The Story of the Second Son of a Baron Family – 88 > End