Chapter 1

This is my first post. I write slowly, so I will proceed at my own pace.

--- What is a noble?

According to the laws of this country, a noble is someone who governs over ten thousand vassals or pays one hundred million bels in annual taxes to the state. My father became a viscount by meeting both of these conditions.

I am the second generation. Therefore, our family has no particular lineage or history. To put it bluntly, we are mere upstarts. However, since I was born into a family that makes a living by governing people, I have lived with a vague sense that I should do something.

In the end, it was decided that my older sister would succeed as the head of the family because a lord cannot be left to someone who is only strong in physical strength and lacks intelligence. I had sensed from the middle that, even as the eldest son, it would be awkward for me to become the successor, so I was fine with it.

Having settled into the position of the domain's defense captain, I had no complaints.

--- What about my younger brother?

My younger brother stands in the garden, his gaze unfocused and directed far away. He seems to be doing nothing, but the quietly refined magic power swirls at his feet. While not as good as my sister, he has excellent aptitude as a magician. However, he never showed off his abilities. He must have known that if he did, it would cause a rift in the family.

Looking back, my brother never desired the position of lord. On his seventh birthday, he declared that he would not participate in the succession struggle and would eventually leave the family, and he distributed a written statement to all the family members.

That's why I find it strange.

Even I have a bit of a noble consciousness. I grew up watching my father's work and had always expected to live that way too.

However, when my brother was asked if he wanted to become a lord, he said,

"I respect the will to live as a noble. However, I cannot bear the responsibility for other people's lives. I don't want to do it."

Where did that mindset come from?

We lived as nobles in the same household, so how could he have such thoughts?

I don't understand. I didn't understand, and the day my brother left the family was decided.

---

Well then.

Born in another world, I will turn fifteen in seven days and finally reach adulthood, which means I can leave home. While I am aware of my slight excitement, I continue with the packing.

I have been living a life with so little freedom that just thinking about the future makes me smile. I respect the way my father and sister live, but I am at a loss when asked to do the same.

Protecting and nurturing the lives of the vassals. In this world, where they are often attacked by monsters and bandits, it is a very important job.

However, in this land, where my sister is one of the top ten magicians and my brother is one of the top ten warriors, what can I boast of? I trained hard as a noble, but I don't have that kind of talent.

"Self-check"

Feris Crowren

Martial Strength: 5285

Magic Strength: 7842

Abilities: "Observation," "Concentration," "Health"

Titles: "Viscount Crowren Family," "Magic Core Artisan," "Technician"

The condition for joining the Crowren family's defense force is to have a martial or magic strength of over 4000. Generally, if you have that much, you can hunt the monsters around here while protecting multiple people. By the way, my sister and brother's individual strengths last year were over 9000.

The vassals often mocked me for my lack of specialized abilities, but I think I worked hard. Well, I will be traveling alone from now on, so the training I have done so far will not be in vain.

"The only problem left is one."

I want to make things, and I don't want to be involved in the succession struggle, so I am leaving home.

That's all well and good, but to leave home, I need to show that I can survive on my own, which seems to be a rule in noble society. I was told the match would be in three days, but I haven't been told who my opponent will be.

Once I remember the match, my chest aches with anxiety.

All I can think about is what I would do if my sister or brother were to appear.

I can buy some time, but I can't fight them properly. Even if I had the best luck and fought ten times, I might win three times at most.

While it's not necessary to win, I would like to leave with all my limbs intact.

Since we are a shallow noble family, I think we should just ignore such rules.

"What should I do?"

I have heard that there are no restrictions on magic, martial arts, or even the use of tools. If it's impossible to face them with just me, I should rely on tools. However, it would be difficult to prepare effective tools against those two. What would be an effective tool, anyway?

The location is the defense force's training ground. Let's consider the scenario where both of them are my opponents.

If my sister is the opponent—she will cast fire magic as soon as the match starts, taking away my vision. By the time I finish casting a defensive spell, the second one will come, and while I am dealing with that, the third one will come, and it will probably be a downhill battle from there. I can defend for a while, but unless I guess the right direction to dodge by chance, I won't be able to attack. Even if I could, breaking her defense would be another issue.

If my brother is the opponent—he will close the distance in an instant, and after desperately blocking his sword a few times, I will probably be cut down. However, if I can cast a spell before he gets close, there might be a chance for a fight.

I have a trump card that no one has seen. Using it would increase my chances, but it's a kind of dirty trick that won't be well-received, so I don't want to show it.

It's difficult.

While I was thinking, the door to my room was suddenly knocked on.

"Hey, Feris, are you there?"

"Hmm? I'm here, come in."

It's my brother, Zito. Has something happened?

In response to my invitation, Zito, my sister Mil, and the magic squad captain, Gargas, entered the room. All three of them had slightly troubled expressions.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I just want you to see this."

Zito took a dagger from Gargas and handed it to me. Gargas had wanted a knife for skinning monsters, so I made it for him.

I checked to see if there was any problem, and while the handle was fine, the blade had swollen into a strange shape.

"…What is this? Did you add more magic power to it?"

"That's right. And it turned out like this."

In response to Zito, Mil turned away. Seeing this, Gargas hurriedly spoke up.

"Originally, it was because I handled it poorly. I hit a bone and chipped the blade, and Milka-sama said she would fix it."

"Oh, I see. Since it was made from a magic core, it can indeed be fixed by adding magic power."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Magic cores can change shape and hardness according to the amount of magic power added. What you did wasn't wrong."

However, just like how amateurs can't do professional jobs well, Mil, who has a lot of magic power, could easily fix the chipped blade but lacked the ability to shape it properly.

I channeled magic power to reshape the dagger, polished it with a whetstone, and restored it as a blade. Since I made it quite a while ago, I also took the opportunity to fix some parts I wasn't satisfied with.

I tried it on a piece of paper on the desk, and it cut cleanly without any resistance.

"Is this good enough? Here you go."

"Wow, that's amazing."

"You're so handy."

No, it's not that I'm handy; it's that you, my lady, are not.

I couldn't say that, so I just mumbled.

"Well, if there's a problem, it's better to leave it to a professional."

"But the professionals are leaving, right?"

"Well, there are other magic core artisans besides me."

"There are only four in the domain, including you…"

Is that so few? While it's true that you need a certain amount of magic power to process magic cores, it's a job with a certain demand. Given the number of vassals, there should be more.

Well, if there aren't any, there's nothing I can do. If there are no people, I will have to check regularly.

"If there's a problem, just call me. I do plan to leave home, but I won't avoid coming back to the domain."

"Really?"

"Yes. I mean, can't I come back for a visit after I'm on my own?"

I don't hate the family that much, and I don't think the relationship among family members is bad. The only ones who are tense due to factional struggles are some of the vassals. I avoid interacting with my sister and brother in public because those people are annoying, but we are fine now.

So, I don't think I will never come back.

The three of them seemed to understand my thoughts for the first time and showed somewhat relieved expressions.

"So, you were planning to come back normally. I thought you hated the family."

"I do think I'm not suited for noble society. But if we're talking about who can barely manage as a noble, isn't it only Mil, sister?"

"That's true. If the two of you were a bit more competent, I wouldn't have had to become the lord."

Indeed.

Mil must have intended for Zito to become the lord and for her to assist him. However, Zito's lack of intelligence and my lack of interest in nobility limited the options. Even knowing that a female lord would be looked down upon by outsiders, she had no choice but to step up.

I am aware that I have been pushed into a difficult role. I intended to cooperate as much as I could.

"Well, I'll aim to become a household artisan if I improve my skills a bit more."

"I'll give you five years to get the advanced certification."

"Feris-sama might be able to do it."

"Don't be ridiculous."

The skill certification for artisans is rated on a ten-point scale, and advanced refers to a level of seven or higher. The guild's certification only goes up to level seven, and the higher levels are determined by the state, so asking me to get the advanced certification is like asking me to pass the most difficult exam.

I am currently at level five as a magic core artisan, which is a solid middle level. I can write well, which I was good at before I was reborn, so I think I can manage up to the intermediate level. My master has criticized me for being fast but sloppy.

I have been making things for myself and my surroundings, but that also means I have been doing mostly unpaid work. I lack experience as an artisan. The advanced level is a world of artisans who have been tested by customers, so I don't think I can enter it so easily.

I took an unused magic core from the desk drawer and made a needle. It's sturdy and can be made quickly in terms of shape.

That's all.

I remember the works of my master, which were always beautiful, unlike my functional creations.

"Amazing."

"Not really. My master could even decorate the needle."

"You're comparing yourself to the best artisan in the domain. Well, it makes me feel like letting you go."

"You're giving me a lot of credit."

In response to my words, the three of them showed relieved expressions again. Zito opened his mouth in a somewhat exasperated manner.

"I still don't understand why someone who can match the defense force is being underestimated."

I shrugged in response.

It's flattering to be evaluated by the top of both teams, but I am an artisan, not a member of the defense force. I'm just a customer who occasionally participates in training.

"Well, if you're okay with it. …Now, as a message from the defense captain."

"Hmm?"

Zito suddenly became serious, so I straightened up.

"It's about three days from now. Sasset Silga, the fourth-ranked martial artist, has requested to be your opponent. Unless there's a significant problem on your end, she will be your opponent."

My heart skipped a beat.

First, the relief that my sister and brother were not the opponents. Then, the relief that Sasset was not a stranger.

I have never beaten her in training, but she was just a bit better than me, making her a perfect training partner. She seemed to dislike me, so she probably wants to toy with me or embarrass me.

Regardless of her intentions, this is a good development.

"Feris. Do something about that smile."

"Huh?"

"You can't hide your smile."

I instinctively covered my mouth. Am I smiling?

However, Mil's lips were also curled up uncontrollably.

That's it for now.

I'm not sure how to proceed, but how do you structure chapters?

11/2 Update

I figured out how to structure chapters.