The Story Of The Second Son Of The Baron Family [EN]: Chapter 89

Baron’s Family Second Son – Episode 89

The title of Duchy isn’t that unusual. If you delve into history books, it’s not unprecedented. With human history spanning thousands of years and countless nations rising and falling, even if duchies are rare, it’s unlikely there have been no precedents. What’s astonishing is the ripple effect this event will have and the boldness to make such a decision without hesitation, knowing the consequences.

“A duchy, a duchy, you say.”

Whose idea was it? Duke Arsen? The Emperor? Regardless of whose idea it was, it’s a proposition that both parties would find tempting. That’s why it’s in progress.

“Impeccable timing.”

The root cause of all this is that the Arsen Duchy has grown too large to remain just a family. It was already one of the most prominent territories in the Empire.

Furthermore, the Arsen Duchy played the most significant role in the Third Prince’s ascension to the new Emperor. When the distribution of rewards was completed, the Arsen Duchy wielded too much influence throughout the Empire, perhaps even more than the new Emperor himself.

This could provoke feelings of crisis beyond mere dissatisfaction in the new Emperor. Privately, the Emperor and Duke Arsen were in a relationship of son-in-law and father-in-law, but humans are known to shed blood even among parents and siblings for the sake of money. Therefore, in the face of power, a more valuable asset, the relationship between father-in-law and son-in-law would not hold much sway.

‘Perhaps the condition for supporting the Third Prince was elevation to a duchy.’

In time, when the current Emperor passes away, the next Emperor will have Arsen Duchy blood. However, Duke Arsen chose independence as a duchy.

‘Could it be that he couldn’t trust him?’

There’s a saying that a married daughter becomes part of another family. Moreover, it would take decades for the current Emperor to pass on the throne. Rather than enduring the constant checks and discomfort during that time, he might have thought it better to cleanly separate.

Better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon. No matter how much the Arsen Duchy is referred to as a dragon, it’s not fitting to call it a tail. And while a duchy may be of lower status compared to the Empire, it’s not fitting to call it a snake. It would be more accurate to say it’s the torso of a dragon or the head of a tiger.

For the Emperor, it would be a good thing, not a bad one. The territory would shrink a bit, but even if the Arsen Duchy is incomparable to ordinary territories, it’s still only a part when compared to the entire Empire. If it could eliminate the center of nobles who might hinder his rule, it would be a sufficient gain. He was someone with the ambition to expand the territory through war.

Also, in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, it would provide the capacity to exert sufficient influence as a duchy, which could be kept at a distance in normal times but could be called upon for assistance in emergencies.

Come to think of it, even if Duke Arsen didn’t like it, it seems like a story the Emperor could push forward. If he were elevated to a duchy, his influence within the territory might increase, but his overall influence would decrease.

“How intriguing.”

As of now, the authority of the clergy is stronger than that of the Emperor. It’s clear that the current Emperor is not pleased with the current structure, so I’m looking forward to seeing what he will do in the future.

#

Regardless of how things are unfolding outside, I continued my research, paying no attention to it. The story of the duchy may have come out of the political world, but it’s not a simple matter that will end in a day or two. Even if the Arsen Duchy were established overnight, it wouldn’t have a significant impact on me.

My day was no different from any other, filled only with research, no matter what happened outside.

“Good work. Let’s meet tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, yes… You too, Great Disciple.”

Leaving the lab and heading home. That’s why I thought today would be no different from any other day, but as I returned home, took a shower, and lay in bed trying to fall asleep, it happened.

Weeing-Weeing-

The alarm clock rang, waking me up. Thanks to the enhanced security at the lab in preparation for any possible incidents after Willand was attacked by assassins, I got to see the benefits so early. I quickly got out of bed and changed my clothes, and the woman lying next to me asked.

“What’s going on all of a sudden?”

“Someone is trying to forcibly break into the lab. It might be a bait, so strengthen the guards and don’t go outside until I get back. Got it?”

Preparing for the slight possibility, I immediately entrusted myself to the darkness and headed to the lab. Due to the nature of the lab, it had to be located in a relatively remote area, so the distance from the mansion was quite far, but distance was no longer an obstacle for me.

Tuk-

“It’s quiet.”

Unlike the constantly ringing red alarm, the exterior of the lab was as silent as the darkness that surrounded it. However, the silence was only on the outside. Once an alarm is triggered, the lab’s security measures will not collapse until I reset it.

“I’m curious to see what these guys look like.”

The lab was not a particularly special building when looking at its exterior. Of course, its massive size could be considered special, but with high walls surrounding it, no one would enter unless they had business there.

In other words, the guys who broke into the lab had a specific purpose. If they were simple petty thieves, they would target other places rather than a warehouse with no exterior decorations, just a large size, no matter how empty the building was.

Of course, they might have come in to see if there were any valuable items, but if they were just petty thieves, the alarm should have been downgraded to level 1 long ago. However, the fact that the alarm was still ringing meant that there was movement inside, or they had entered a place that petty thieves couldn’t enter. Fortunately, it seemed that they hadn’t broken through to the really important places.

“They’re quite serious for petty thieves.”

The security system that exists outside has been breached. It was clear at a glance that it wasn’t breached in a normal way.

“Did they freeze the magic itself? …No, this is…”

Poles planted in the east, west, south, and north, centered around the lab. The method was bizarre. First of all, the security system was not working properly. However, the security system itself was not broken. To be precise, it should be said that it was cut off in the middle.

When constructing this type of magic, there are several elements that are essential. The poles I’m looking at now were artifacts that prevented the magic from working properly by interfering with those elements.

“A professional’s work.”

If an ordinary magician had established the security system, it would have been like having their nose cut off without knowing it. They wouldn’t have known there was an intrusion until they saw it with their own eyes, and if they only recovered the poles after escaping, the security system would return to normal, creating a perfect crime where there were intruders but no traces of intrusion.

However, what they didn’t know was that I wasn’t an ordinary magician. That was their misfortune and the first reason why today’s intrusion would end in failure.

“Well, shall we see your faces?”

Their tools may have been able to fix the flow of magic, but they couldn’t control the engraving. Just as a two-dimensional being cannot know a three-dimensional being, even an incomplete engraving was of a different level. That’s what

Mmph-

The appearance of the intruder, tied tightly to an invisible rope and fixed to the floor, proved it.

“You’re lucky.”

It wasn’t a word to me. It was a word to him. Thanks to being caught at the entrance, it ended with restraint. If they had gone further inside, there was a security system that even skilled knights could not escape from, a system where they could bitterly feel the price of entering a magician’s workshop without permission. Those who try to steal the fruits of others’ blood and sweat will pay the price.

#

Weeing Weeing Weeing Weeing…

As I turned off the alarm inside the desk, the alarm that had been ringing in my head stopped abruptly. The intruder I met while reaching the head researcher’s office, which could be called the heart of the lab, totaled six. Four of them lost their lives due to the security system, and only two survived and maintained consciousness. One of the two survivors swallowed the poison hidden in his mouth as soon as he saw me, but unless it was an instant death, he couldn’t escape from my hands.

“Black Moon, huh…”

The two surviving intruders were sent to the Imperial Knights. I could have taken charge of the interrogation, but I had a lot of work to do. If my efficiency was similar to that of others, there was no need for me to do it. Surely, the Imperial Knights, who are responsible for the defense of the capital, wouldn’t handle the events in the capital lightly.

‘Where did the information leak from?’

Every one of them had a tattoo of the Black Moon on their shoulders. Even I, who am not particularly interested in external affairs, knew about these guys. My wife stayed in the capital for a long time and sent information to the Zeke Marquisate, so she knew a lot of information. When we talked, I would pick up bits and pieces.

Black Moon.

If the Black Rose Guild, whom I met last time, was a rising star from the west, these guys were, in a word, old-timers. Criminals who had been operating in the shadows of the Empire for a long time and had caused numerous accidents. There was no crime they hadn’t touched, including human trafficking, drugs, and smuggling, but they were so meticulous and skilled that they were only catching the tail, let alone the head. I heard that it was difficult to catch the body because it was spread out in a dotted organization, but I would meet them like this.

‘Was it back then?’

It was clear that it started from the Emperor’s words at my and my wife’s wedding, which attracted everyone’s attention, saying that I could ask for anything I needed for research. Of course, there may have been opportunities for information to leak through my actions besides that.

‘But why them?’

They are definitely dangerous beings. They disregard the law and, if it benefits them, they can think of other people’s lives as less than mere beasts.

However, the reason they are dangerous is because they are in the shadows, and the reason why they couldn’t be rounded up was not because they lacked power, but because they were spread out in a dotted organization, making it difficult to catch the body. If they could catch the body, they had the power to eradicate them at any time.

The Magic Tower was the place with such power, and they wouldn’t not know who I am, so they dared to do this? Of course, they are guys who do anything if it benefits them, so they may have tried with the thought of ‘It’s okay if we don’t get caught.’ The Emperor said so much, so they may have thought it was valuable research and tried to steal it without knowing the details.

But those meticulous guys touched a magician, whom they had avoided as much as possible until now, with the possibility that ‘it might be valuable’? They couldn’t not know that the Magic Tower was behind me. It was quite suspicious.

‘First of all… I need to interrogate them.’

Besides the two I sent alive, I have four mouths that can resolve my suspicions. At least one of them knows the inside story.

Baron’s Family Second Son – Episode 89 – End