Chapter 65

My name is Amadeus Flaiter von Breichreiter.

I serve as the head of the Breichreiter Margrave family, which oversees the southern region of the Helmut Kingdom, located in the southern part of the Linggiaia continent.

I am thirty-four years old this year, and I have six sons from four wives.

Many people in society probably envy me, but I believe I have my share of troubles.

Originally, I was the second son and not in a position to inherit the family. However, my father suddenly formed an army of two thousand vassals and went on an expedition, never to return.

As a result, I had to suddenly inherit the title.

The original purpose of the expedition was to obtain a miraculous medicine to cure my brother's illness, which was located in the territory of monsters beyond the mountains and vast unexplored southern lands.

My brother, who was to be the next head of the Breichreiter Margrave family, was intelligent but had been sickly from birth and had recently been afflicted with a fatal illness.

"You don't need to worry. Even if I die, Amadeus can inherit. Amadeus is more suited to be the head of the family than me, who is just a big head."

My brother often said that it was not good for a sickly man like himself to become the head of a noble family.

He told me to inherit the family and even refused to get married, worrying my father.

In my opinion, my brother was too intelligent.

Because he was so intelligent, he said he would give up the position of head of the family and let me inherit, using his illness as an excuse.

He didn't get married because it would cause a family dispute.

He was right, but if he had a little more ambition like other noble families, it would have been better.

If my brother had died young, but had children, I could have taken over and made them the head of the family.

Seeing my brother, my father probably felt sorry for him and sent out troops.

He hastily formed an army of vassals and went on an expedition to the unknown territory.

However, the kindness of my father brought the worst result.

"Where is my father?"

"Lord Alfred fought valiantly and defeated a large number of monsters, but was surrounded by a continuous wave of monsters and met an unfortunate end..."

My father and his troops, along with reinforcements from the Baumaster Knight family, entered the Forest of Demons at the foot of the mountains beyond the mountain range. At first, they were encouraged by a large number of achievements, but they were soon surrounded by a large number of monsters.

For a while, Alfred, the head of the employed magicians, fought valiantly and held the line, but when he fell from exhaustion, the army quickly collapsed.

The soldiers who managed to return reported to me, but they were unfocused and reacted abnormally to small sounds, showing signs of mental illness, which is rare in this peaceful world and is a common condition for soldiers who have been to the battlefield.

"You have worked hard. Please rest now."

Out of two thousand soldiers, only about a hundred survived.

The Baumaster family, which was forced to provide reinforcements, lost about eighty people.

With a population of about eight hundred in their territory, this caused a significant imbalance in the population.

The head of the family must be struggling with countermeasures at this time.

However, the immediate crisis facing our family was more important.

It was unfortunate for them, but our family was also in a difficult situation.

"First, I need to consult with my brother..."

My deceased father had still designated my brother as the next head of the family.

Therefore, I needed to inform my brother, who was bedridden with a fatal illness, about the failure of the expedition, even if it would cause him great damage.

"Alright... I command you, as the next head of the family. Amadeus, I am in this state, so you must take care of the situation."

My brother, with a pale face, managed to sit up in bed and ordered me to take charge of the Breichreiter Margrave family after my father's death.

I could see the anguish on my brother's face.

My brother probably didn't want to lie in bed and leave everything to me.

"My father was foolish... He should have just abandoned me..."

The next day, when the maid brought breakfast to my brother's room, he had already passed away.

In society, it was rumored that my brother died of anger, but that was not the case.

He must have been extremely agitated in his heart, which caused him to burn through his remaining life.

After that, I had a lot of trouble.

First, I informed the family and the branch families of my father and brother's deaths and announced that I would be the next head of the family.

Some relatives claimed that they were more suitable to be the next head of the family, and there were several who thought they could use me as a puppet and take control themselves.

I couldn't let them underestimate me.

However, my father had taken all the capable people with him to the other world.

The two thousand people who participated in the expedition were only a part of the Breichreiter Margrave vassal army, but the quality of the leaders was high.

Furthermore, the recent death of Alfred, a magician who was on par with the royal court's chief magician, Armstrong, after he had recently become the chief magician in the capital.

Their deaths further pushed me, the new head of the family, into a difficult situation.

"Now, I must do things in order..."

I conducted the funeral for my father and brother without any omissions and went to the capital to complete the procedures for the succession of the Breichreiter Margrave family and receive the investiture from His Majesty.

I sent increased condolence money to the families of the fallen soldiers, and the Baumaster Knight family received the same conditions.

Especially the latter, it was not appropriate to follow the market rate.

Since it was clearly the fault of the Breichreiter Margrave family, it was natural that they had to bear the burden.

This was because the Boureau Margrave family, which oversees the eastern region, was inciting the small vassals on the border to cause trouble.

The vassals on the border and the vassals on the Boureau Margrave side.

No matter which noble, if their territories are adjacent, there will be some kind of conflict.

From simple territorial disputes to water rights, the division of shared management areas such as forests and mines that span the border.

The Boureau side probably ordered them to act, thinking that now was the time to negotiate on favorable terms after the death of my father and brother.

At this time, he is a man who does really unpleasant things.

Still, I somehow managed to resolve these troubles and gradually stabilize the territory.

I probably made many mistakes.

The relationship with the Baumaster family, who were troubled by the expedition, has now completely deteriorated.

However, from the perspective of the overall interests of the Breichreiter Margrave family, it is a trivial matter.

I am not an omnipotent god, and I can only think that I have fulfilled the minimum obligations by continuing to provide conveniences such as dispatching caravans.

If they could take a step forward, it would be easier for me to offer support...

I hear that the heir dislikes me.

If he could at least pass the inheritance to the intelligent fifth son, Erich, or use him as a vassal, the negotiations would be easier.

However, Erich himself, to avoid the inheritance disputes, went to the capital to become a low-ranking official.

Even though it was a low-ranking position, to pass the official selection examination on the first try...

He was indeed a valuable talent.

I wanted him, but the disadvantages were too many, so he refused.

"You have a lot to say to my father, but it won't do any good to say it to his son."

Still, there were new excellent vassals.

I successfully recruited Blantark, who was Alfred's magic teacher and a famous adventurer with the title of Dragon Slayer.

"He's not as excellent as Alfred, but..."

When I first met Blantark, he seemed like a rude playboy, and I felt uneasy inside.

However, when I actually hired him, his magic skills were inferior to Alfred's, but he had over twenty years of experience as a top-tier adventurer.

He had social experience and a wide network of contacts due to the apprentices he had taught magic in various parts of the country.

He might even be a better vassal for a noble family than Alfred.

"By the way, Blantark. My aunt..."

"My lord, please spare me from that..."

Blantark, who quickly switched from his initial tone when he was hired, became a support for me, both as a magician and as an excellent advisor.

Despite his extreme commitment to being single and rejecting all the marriage proposals I suggested.

There were many other things, but what I want to say is...

When I was young, I was pulled down by various people, but I was also helped by others, and that's how I am now.

I am over thirty years old, and now I need to give advice to young people who are in trouble.

A few days after the report of the successful ancient underground ruins expedition by the Baumaster barons, who are my excellent vassals...

I was in the capital on business and had just used the instant teleportation magic when I received a consultation from three young people.

"Ah, the Baumaster baron's magic is convenient."

I decided to start with a light conversation.

But this instant teleportation magic is really convenient.

Instead of paying a large sum of money to ride a magic flying ship or taking a long time to come by long-distance carriage, you can instantly arrive in the capital.

I have been doing this for two and a half years, where I receive the Baumaster baron in Breichburg on a fixed day in the morning and return to Breichburg on another fixed day in the morning.

Being able to move around the capital for half a week is very convenient for me.

I am not just a large noble, but also in a position to oversee the southern nobles.

Until now, I couldn't show my face in the capital as often due to the distance.

However, when negotiating with the central rotten nobles, it is often advantageous to show up in person, not just the resident ministers.

It is also easier to show up for new networking and strengthening connections.

Even if I pay a large sum of money to the Baumaster baron, it is still profitable.

"The Breichreder Margrave is sending a carrier to Vell, we know that..."

"Oh, your worries seem more serious than I imagined."

There are three young people who have come to me for consultation.

The first is Elvin von Arnim, who is only fifteen years old, a friend of the Baumaster baron from the time he was