Chapter 78

Vendelin stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

"Is that so... Kult..."

Kult, incited by Baron Rukner, had plotted to eliminate us using the cursed flute, a magical artifact. However, his scheme was narrowly thwarted.

It seems that the cursed flute's original effect would not have created an undead giant imbued with such a massive amount of resentment. The black smoke, when concentrated, would cause death upon contact, and at most, it would only create an undead creature about twice the size of a human. Moreover, its power would drastically diminish once it killed its target.

Resentment, even when highly concentrated and materialized, does not last long. As the mentor said, "It would evaporate like water over time."

Thus, it shows how deeply Kult harbored resentment and how much he gathered from the uncharted lands to attack us, even after consuming it.

'That obsession should have been used for something else!'

Everyone agreed with the mentor's post-battle comment.

"Of course, we will also invite Baron Baumeister, as this is an attempted assassination of a valuable magician and a baron of the kingdom! First, I should inform your father."

Despite his usual demeanor, the mentor, as the head mage of the royal palace, lived up to his reputation. He offered to help me, who was struggling with how to report to my father.

Moreover, it made sense to have the mentor, who was the highest-ranking target of Kult's attack, report the incident.

"Next, we need to contact the capital from our manor."

Bulantak suggested that it would be better to send a magical communication to the capital via the Margrave Breichreider. Although the remaining resentment was not large, it was fleeing towards the capital, and this incident could not be handled internally.

It was best to contact the influential figures in the capital as soon as possible. I immediately agreed with this opinion.

"Should we also inform Minister Rukner?"

"Forget it."

Although it was unlikely, the brothers might have pretended to be at odds while secretly working together. Reporting to him would be equivalent to burying the incident in darkness.

Given that Baron Rukner incited Kult, it was best to proceed cautiously.

"In Elise's name, to Cardinal Hohenheim. To His Majesty and Minister Edgar, have the manor send it in the mentor's name."

Bulantak was borrowing a magical communication device from the Margrave Breichreider. Thanks to this, we were spared the trouble of instantly teleporting to Bregburg during my magical exhaustion.

I was indeed close to my magical limit today.

"Besides, he is just a financial official, after all."

"Indeed, if I had a brother like that or if Minister Edgar had one—"

"Would he be eliminated?"

"Probably, under the pretense of illness or an accident, he would be long gone!"

The mentor, while making a cutting motion with his fingers, answered my question. It seemed the mentor also came from a noble family and would not hesitate to order an assassination if necessary.

"Scary!"

"A slightly malicious noble wouldn't do such a thing! He is the kind of man who would destroy thirty others' interests to gain ten for himself!"

Kult's deep resentment, which I couldn't detect, and the cursed flute, which he likely obtained from the black market, combined to nearly kill the mentor and Bulantak. It was understandable that they were reluctant to report to Minister Rukner.

"I will also inform my brother, as he is close to Minister Edgar."

Both looked like they could scare off a gangster with their fierce appearances. They were both from the military faction and seemed to get along well because of their similar types.

"Anyway, first, we must report to Baron Baumeister!"

After such a conversation, we used our remaining magic to teleport to the main residence of the Baumeister family and immediately met with my father. On our side were me, Bulantak, the mentor, Paul, and Elise, five in total. On my father's side, Claus and Herman, who were also part of the family, participated.

We limited the number of people because, although unlikely, we didn't want any eavesdropping that could leak information to the outside.

The meeting began with the mentor explaining that he and four others, including Kult, were attacked during the inspection of the uncharted lands and retaliated, resulting in the deaths of Kult and the four others. He then spent about thirty minutes explaining the magical artifact used for the assassination and its source.

My father listened solemnly without saying a word.

"That fool..."

It was unclear what Kult had planned after killing me, but he undoubtedly made the worst choice. For my father, this was a crisis that could lead to the extinction of the family. Moreover, he would likely be forced into mandatory retirement.

After all, Kult was the official successor at the time.

"Will it end with just the head of an old man on the verge of retirement?"

"The kingdom does not wish for that!"

My father, the highest-ranking person in the room, was asking the mentor about his own punishment. Normally, the confiscation of titles and lands, and even the death penalty for the entire family, were possible.

According to the kingdom's law, the families of those who commit crimes are not held responsible. However, given the scale of this incident, the kingdom suspected collusion.

My father likely wanted to resolve the matter with just his own head.

"The main culprit, Kult, and his four accomplices. The only criminals in the Baumeister territory are these five!"

It seemed the mentor had already been informed of the king's intentions in such a situation. He answered my father's question without hesitation.

"Moreover, Kult's punishment is a foregone conclusion."

The decision to incite Kult's rampage and use it as a pretext for punishment was a secret agreement among the high-ranking officials in the capital. Although the scale of the rampage was unexpectedly large, it was meaningless to involve others in the punishment.

Additionally, there was a sense of guilt.

As planned, my father would retire, and the Baumeister territory and the knight title would be passed to Herman. The uncharted lands would be forcibly granted to me by royal decree, with the official reason being the confiscation of most of the territory due to the heir's involvement in such a significant incident, and the main and branch families of the Baumeister would be exchanged.

This was to ensure that the punishment was recognized as official by the surrounding areas.

"That fool... Even if it meant defying the royal palace, he couldn't let go of his misguided pride as a local noble..."

It was a dangerous idea, but in the Baumeister territory, it had been effective until I left. The Margrave Breichreider family felt guilty about the previous lord's foolish actions. To avoid the high costs of suppressing and maintaining this remote area, they had ignored some arrogance.

However, with my return, the situation had completely changed. Kult, failing to recognize this, met his downfall by acting as he had before.

While it could be blamed on my father's education, Kult was already well into his twenties when I was born. He might have thought it was strange for a parent to dictate to an adult child.

"Leaving the development funds for the cultivable lands, we plan to gradually develop the territory with aid from the Baumeister baron. It will be the same as the special development zone! Regarding the elevation to a higher title, it will be impossible for now due to the impact of the incident. It is planned to happen more than ten years from now. According to His Majesty, it would be appropriate for Herman to become a baron as the next heir, starting as a minor baron."

Additionally, a part of the uncharted lands was to be granted to Paul. This area was to be developed as a minor baron's territory from the beginning.

The reason for Paul's elevation was his significant contribution to preventing Kult's assassination plan.

"I was just hiding behind Bulantak's magical barrier."

"In that case, not dying is a merit! Paul will have to develop a minor baron's territory from scratch, which will be quite challenging!"

"Still, you will have a new territory and a new home. It's like the pain of childbirth."

Finally, most of the uncharted lands would be granted to me. However, as it was an undeveloped area with zero population, significant challenges were expected. Fortunately, with the available funds, I would manage it through Roderich as my steward, with the Margrave Breichreider and Minister Rukner handling various arrangements and delegating complete authority.

I planned to receive the necessary education to become a lord gradually and return to the developed territory in my mid-thirties.

"The Baumeister baron is also scheduled to be elevated to a count!"

"Two ranks of elevation?"

"The Baumeister baron has accumulated enough merits, so there is no problem!"

The purification of the flawed properties in the capital, the elimination of an unnecessary duke family through a duel, and the high evaluation of the artifacts excavated from the underground ruins. It was even strange that he hadn't been elevated before.

"We could say we were waiting for this opportunity!"

The conversation with my father ended there. It seemed rather abrupt, but my father likely didn't want to hear any more details about Kult's madness. On my side, with a sense of guilt, I didn't want to continue the conversation either.

However, I had one thing I wanted to confirm.

"Claus, are you satisfied?"

Was it to avenge his dead son and daughter's fiancé? Or was it out of a sense of crisis about the next lord, Kult?

Claus's actions, which incited Kult, were one of the reasons for Kult's outburst. However, it was just a suggestion. Moreover, Kult was more influential than Claus.

A village headman's advice to the next lord would only be seen as a suggestion or a warning from the outside. Whether to accept it or not was Kult's decision.

Therefore, it was impossible to hold Claus responsible. There was no evidence to convict him.

"I see. I don't think it's satisfaction."

I didn't expect a proper response, but surprisingly, Claus answered my question normally. This meant he acknowledged that he was partly responsible for Kult's outburst.

"However, to avoid any misunderstanding, I simply believed that Kult was not suitable as the next lord. I wanted one of the other sons to inherit. That's all."

In a closed, agrarian village of about 800 people with only caravans for external contact, Kult might have been able to govern. However, in reality, external contact and the development of uncharted lands had already begun. The development of uncharted lands, which I alone had undertaken, clearly showed the kingdom's intentions. If neighboring territories were established and exchanges and trade began, the lord would have to handle various negotiations.

Could Kult handle that? Claus felt only unease about making Kult the next lord.

"He has always been like that. For the development of the territory, he should have used the excellent younger brothers as vassals or created branch families to develop the land."

However, Kult was fundamentally a coward. He couldn't use people and was suspicious, fearing that capable vassals or younger brothers would take control of the territory.

"Moreover, he had no specific policies. 'Develop the uncharted lands over several generations and make the Baumeister family a count family.' Well, that might have been fine when the territory was small..."

Saving money and retreating to the territory was not uncommon for a small lord. The villagers, who had never seen the king in the capital, considered the local lord the most powerful person. In a sense, they were like the rulers of a small country.

"So, that's the situation."

He didn't go into detail, but as a village headman, he likely advised Kult.

"Use the other brothers effectively."

However, Kult took it literally. Instead, he suspected that Claus was conspiring with the younger brothers to oust him.

Disappointed, Claus began to secretly request that Ehrich and I become the next lord.

If we had the intention, it would benefit the territory's development. Even if we didn't, the rumors might make Kult feel a sense of crisis and strive for development.

However, the result was the opposite. Kult disliked us, and my father, to maintain the order of succession, sent the brothers away.

Naturally, my father couldn't trust Claus, who had whispered such things. As a capable village headman, he couldn't be dismissed, and the past grudges created a strange distance between them.

"Even if it ended up like this..."

For Claus, the potential decline of the Baumeister territory was a form of revenge.

As a village headman, he wanted the territory to develop. As a parent seeking revenge, the decline that troubled my father and Kult could be considered a form of achieving his goal.

Claus had once said he was less than a talking mule. The contradiction between his position as a capable village headman and his desire for revenge on his son's behalf led to his inconsistent actions.

This was my perception of Claus, though it might be just my imagination.

"Claus, are you still thinking about that incident?"

"Still? It feels like it happened yesterday to me."

My father and Claus stared at each other with almost no expression. To others, it looked like they were about to fight.

"Father."

"Vendelin, did you hear the story from Claus?"

"Yes."

Until now, my father, who had treated me as the next baron, suddenly asked me a question as a father.

"I see. What do you think?"

"I don't know. Facts can be seen differently depending on the person and the perspective."

"True. Claus, do you really want to know the truth?"

"As a parent, it's natural. Sir Arthur."

Tension filled the room. My father suddenly said he would tell Claus the truth about the incident.

"What proof do you have that Sir Arthur is telling the truth?"

"There is none. I intend to tell the truth, but I can't be responsible for how Claus interprets it."

"I see. Please tell me..."

Why did my father hide the truth? To obtain Lady Reila as a concubine? To strengthen the governance of the territory by integrating his bloodline into the village headman's family?

Neither was a good reason.

As I thought this, my father began an unexpected story.

"Claus, you are an excellent man, far superior to me. If you had been born into the Baumeister family, this territory would have developed much more."

"That's..."

The reason my father didn't trust Claus was his fear of losing control of the territory to a more capable man.

A village headman taking control from a noble was a common scenario, especially in smaller noble families.

One reason my father took Reila as a concubine was to avoid such a situation.

"But, you are a parent. Did you not know that your son Gordon and Reila's fiancé Hein had reached a point where reconciliation was impossible? They pretended to be good childhood friends, but in reality, they were on the verge of killing each other. Claus, did you really not notice?"

Claus remained silent. He might have had some suspicions.

Moreover, this was news to me, Herman, and Paul.

"Claus, your sons, who were to become brothers-in-law, hated each other so much that they were ready to kill. I, too, lost Kult to his outburst. I never thought we would end up in similar situations..."

"No, Gordon and Hein would eventually reconcile..."

"There is no such future! Such a dreamy future does not exist! Besides, they are both dead!"

"Father..."

At my question, my father began to tell the truth about the incident. In summary, Claus's son Gordon and the farmer's eldest son Hein, who lived next door, were like real brothers.

Claus designated Hein as Reila's fiancé, thinking he would be a good assistant to Gordon, the next village headman.

However, this was the beginning of the tragedy.

"Hein became greedy. Perhaps he thought he could become the next village headman as Reila's husband."

Naturally, Gordon, sensitive to his childhood friend's change of heart, noticed. At first, he tried to calm Hein and suppress his ambitions, but gradually realized Hein might try to kill him, leading to a confrontation.

However, they couldn't let this be known. It would tarnish the reputation of the village headman, Claus.

They maintained their surface relationship while harboring intense hatred for each other.

"Even Reila didn't notice. I only found out by chance."

By chance, he overheard them arguing fiercely in the forest. At first, he thought it was just a normal argument between close friends, but gradually realized it was something more serious.

"Claus might have had some suspicions, but I wouldn't have noticed normally. Do you want to know what happened on the day of the incident? It's something anyone could guess."

My father invited the two to a hunt, hoping to mend their relationship. The young men from the village just happened to be there that day to gather mushrooms.

Moreover, they were not