Chapter 69

---

On September 15, 513 of the Sacred Calendar, a ball was held at the royal castle.

I am attending this ball for the first time as the second son of the Brützels family, a border baron.

This ball is a national event held in conjunction with the harvest festival.

Therefore, it is hosted by His Majesty the King.

The ball is scheduled to start at 5:00 PM, but my father and I are to enter the castle at 2:00 PM.

I am walking through the castle with my father.

As expected of a royal castle, there are several large inner courtyards, and the scale is so vast that walking through them is tiring.

When the nobles and officials see my father, they move to the side of the corridor to make way for us.

Some of them greet my father, but he only gives a brief response and does not stop.

After we leave, the nobles and officials resume their activities, but occasionally I can feel a hostile gaze from behind, which is perhaps inevitable for a noble.

After walking for about ten minutes, we arrived in front of a luxurious door with intricate designs.

On either side of the door stand knights, and my father exchanges a few words with them.

"His Excellency, Ernest von Brützels, the Margrave, and his son, Christoph von Brützels, have arrived."

One of the knights announces this through the door.

The door opens, and my father and I are ushered in by the knights and enter the room.

The room is a rectangular space about 10 meters by 15 meters, quite spacious.

At the back of the room is a luxurious desk, and to the left of the door is a lavish seating set.

At the luxurious desk, an elderly man is seated, reading documents and writing with a quill pen.

On either side of the desk, and opposite the window to the left of the door, stand five knights in total.

On the sofa of the seating set sits a large, elderly man.

My father and I bow, tilting our waists forward by about 30 degrees, placing our right hands in front of our chests and our left hands behind our backs, performing a simplified salute to our superiors.

"Are you the Margrave of the Southern Region and Lord Christoph? Raise your heads."

The position of Margrave of the Southern Region is my father's role, as the Brützels border region is in the south of the Holy Bandam Kingdom, and the Brützels family, being the highest-ranking family in the south, has traditionally held the position of Margrave of the Southern Region.

Indeed, since more than 70% of the south is governed by the Brützels family or their allied noble families, it is impossible for any other noble family to become the Margrave of the Southern Region.

My father and I lift our heads and look at the elderly man at the desk, who is the master of the room and is engaged in paperwork.

"May His Majesty be in good health and in the highest spirits."

I know, but the master of this room is the 39th King of the Holy Bandam Kingdom, Akito von Bandam Kousaka.

"Indeed. Margrave of the Southern Region and Lord Christoph, I apologize, but could you wait over there?"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

I bow to His Majesty and head towards the sofa where the large elderly man is waiting, following my father.

My father shakes hands firmly with the large elderly man and introduces me, saying, "This is my son, Christoph."

"Lord Christoph, I have heard of you. Oh, I am Eibus Kudo Tomoroski. It is a pleasure to meet you, young prodigy."

Prodigy... I am a god, you know.

"My name is Christoph von Brützels. The name of Lord Tomoroski, the Minister of Military Affairs, has reached even my ears, who am ignorant of the world. It is an honor to meet a hero of both literature and martial arts."

This Lord Tomoroski, despite his large, muscular appearance that suggests a straightforward and aggressive warrior, is actually a skilled strategist and a fine general, and is the head of the prestigious Tomoroski family, a noble family with a military background.

"Is Lord Christoph really the grandson of Lord Gores? Lord Ernest was the same, but it is hard to believe that the blood of Lord Gores flows in you."

My grandfather Gores was, to put it nicely, generous and, to put it less nicely, rough and careless.

He was a former adventurer and was said to be exceptionally strong in combat, but he was an ordinary man in terms of politics and strategy, and disliked the rigid life of the nobility, so he soon handed over the family leadership to my father.

Given the time frame, he must have known my grandfather Gores well.

When His Majesty finished his battle with the documents and stood up to come over, the casual conversation ended.

His Majesty sat in the seat of honor of the seating set and moved his gaze from my father to Lord Tomoroski and then to me, fixing it on me.

"Are you Lord Christoph?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. My name is Christoph von Brützels. It is an honor to see Your Majesty."

I stood in front of His Majesty and introduced myself.

"Indeed, sit down."

With His Majesty's permission, I sat next to my father, and His Majesty then turned his gaze to my father.

If I were the eldest son, the first audience would be held formally in the throne room, but since I am the second son, such a grand ceremony is not held.

"Margrave of the Southern Region, is everything in order regarding the matter at hand?"

His Majesty slowly spoke, confirming the matter with my father, but his gaze, though fixed on my father, seemed to be directed at me.

"Yes, it is as you say."

In the room, besides the four of us—His Majesty, my father, Lord Tomoroski, and myself—there are five guard knights.

There are nine people in the room, but it is not suffocating due to the size of the room.

"Hmm, will the answer come from the Margrave of the Southern Region, or from Lord Christoph?"

One of the five guard knights is my older brother, Jimnis.

Among the remaining guard knights is His Majesty's third son, Lloyd Kudo Bandam.

Lloyd is an adult and is currently a member of the knight corps.

I have never met Lloyd, but I am a god with divine eyes, so I know.

By the way, between the first and last names, I have 'von,' while Lord Tomoroski and Lloyd have 'kudo.' This is the difference between those who hold land and those who do not.

What, you think I don't hold any land?

That's because I am a minor. When I turn 15 and am recognized as an adult, if I do not hold any land, I will have to use 'kudo' instead of 'von.'

However, if I am the eldest son of a land-holding noble, I will continue to use 'von' even if I do not hold any land when I come of age.

"Christoph."

My father prompts me to respond.

"Yes... Regarding the magical items requested by Your Majesty, the following items can be prepared within six days."

I take out a list from my pocket and read it aloud.

"10,000 vials of healing potion, 5,000 vials of blood potion, 1,000 vials of mana potion, 3,000 vials of advanced healing potion, 1,000 vials of advanced blood potion, and 200 vials of advanced mana potion. These are the medicinal items."

The healing potion, as the name suggests, heals wounds and is more effective when ingested, though it can also be applied topically.

However, lost blood cannot be replenished, so in the case of severe injuries, healing potions alone are not enough to fully recover.

The blood potion is a medicine that replenishes lost blood and is essential for those who have suffered massive blood loss, as they often die from blood loss even if their wounds are healed.

The mana potion is a medicine that restores magical energy and is effective when ingested.

"1,000 rings of strength, 1,000 rings of protection, 500 rings of speed, 500 fireball rings, and 1,000 water rings. I apologize, but we can only provide 10 barrier bracelets."