The Story of the Golden Spoon in Another World

Chapter 4: Family Meeting – 3

—–CROW—– 

“Now that we’ve covered that, let’s move on.”

There was a brief moment where brotherly affection deepened over the topic of my sister-in-law.  

At my father’s words, we both averted our gazes.  

Was there something else to discuss besides my sister-in-law? Ah, the war.

“Aidan will also be participating in this war.”

“Brother too?”

I looked at my brother Aidan, and he nodded with a smile. This too had been decided beforehand.  

Still, wasn’t it dangerous? No, considering the details, it didn’t seem that dangerous.

“I too, Leoric, first experienced the battlefield around your age. Things are very peaceful now, but we mustn’t let our guard down.”

“…Yes.”

My grandfather and father’s generation had constantly been at war. 

Especially my father; he was born in the midst of war and had lived through an era of constant conflict.  

It was only when my father grew older that the turmoil in the royal family finally subsided and central powers emerged in each region, gradually bringing peace.  

One could say that peace had finally arrived around the time my brother was born.

The nobles of this world… I had been casually referring to counts and viscounts, but their meanings were slightly different here.  

To begin with, I didn’t know much about Earth’s nobility.  

A noble with land held significant power. 

This might be due to the many external threats, from monsters and other dangers.  

Especially in a world where individuals possessed powerful abilities.

Perhaps for this reason, even now, far from the royal capital, disputes between nobles were still rampant.  

If we succeeded in completely absorbing the Muller territory, as planned, even if problems arose later, we would only need to appease the royal family.  

And it would be best to eliminate any future grounds for conflict.  

Like eradicating the Muller family.  

A chilling thought.

“It’s actually overdue. Dealing with monsters and dealing with people are different matters.”

“Indeed. That’s why I’ve decided to participate in this war as well.”

Hmm.  

So that’s why the topic of Grace came up.  Even if it was an easy war, it would take time. 

The issue of succession was a sensitive one…

“Will Brother be in command?”

“No way. I’ll merely be observing and learning at Father’s side.”

“Of course, I intend to entrust you with a unit.”

Well, that much shouldn’t be dangerous.  No matter how unlucky he was, with his body protected by magic, there was no reason to be hit by a stray arrow.

“And if we acquire the Muller territory, I plan to entrust its governance to Aidan.”

“Yes?”

Brother?  Wouldn’t it be better for him to stay here?  My gaze shifted to my brother.

“It’s part of his training as successor.”

“Hmm.”

Still, wouldn’t it be better to learn here if he was to rule this land in the future?

“Of course, it won’t be permanent. Father believes that governing a territory in the chaotic aftermath of war is a valuable experience.”

“That’s… true.”

Wait a minute. This wasn’t a solo operation. If it was a joint effort with the Boreng family, there had to be some compensation. The Muller territory was quite far from the Borengs, so direct governance would be difficult for them.

“Then what will we give to the Boreng family? It seems like we’re taking all of the Muller territory for ourselves.”

“The Muller territory is indeed ours.”

The Mullers?  Didn’t he say Brother would govern it?

“Surely we’re not dividing the territory, are we?”

That seemed like a headache.  At my words, my father shook his head. Then he quietly looked at me.  Huh?  Under my father’s gaze, I turned to my brother, who simply smiled quietly.

“The Muller family will be absorbed into our Franz family. Aidan will govern it for a while, but once the situation stabilizes and there are no issues, I intend to appoint you as the Muller’s administrator.”

“…Yes?”

Me?  The Mullers?  Governance?

“Oh, I don’t want to.”

“You don’t want to?”

“Ahahaha!”

At my words, my father stared at me with a blank expression.  Brother Aidan laughed heartily.

What? Why? I had enough power as the second son.  I could just laze around, fulfilling my duties of internal affairs and producing offspring.  

How blissful.  

To give that up and go work in another land…

“Oh, it’s such a bother.”

“Hahaha. I knew you’d say that.”

“No, but what if I rebel?”

“Are you saying that to my face right now? …Hmph.”

My father chuckled, seemingly amused by my defiance.  Well, I had no chance of winning, but…  I was taught that, as the second son, such possibilities should always be considered, right?

“Because I trust you.”

“Hmm.”

My father’s words made me feel a little embarrassed.  I scratched my head, and my father’s eyebrows shot up.  He disliked such unrefined habits, so I quickly lowered my hand.  My father sighed briefly, then spoke.

“As I said, one of the reasons the Borengs are helping us is because of that governance.”

“If that’s the reason… surely it’s not Miss Irina?”

“Indeed.”

Even if I married Irina Boreng, she wouldn’t gain any particular power.  Of course, it might be a small help to her family, but the Borengs weren’t a small family that needed such help in the first place.  …Then could it be…?

“…No way, right?”

“Are you not interested in inheriting the Muller name?”

“Haaah.”

They were really intent on giving me troublesome tasks!

* * *

Watching Leoric’s dejected figure leave the office, Aidan smiled faintly.  

His younger brother was still amusing.  He was unusually lacking in ambition for honor or power, a rarity among nobles. …He had heard from Sven that Leoric had shown interest in the maids but possessed the restraint to hold back.  

Rare for a noble, and rare even for someone of the Franz bloodline.  As the next head of the family and the eldest son, he was a trustworthy younger brother.

“Haa. That child…”

His father showed a rare moment of vulnerability. Aidan suppressed a chuckle.

“Well, isn’t it a good thing?”

“I wish he had a bit more ambition.”

His father’s thick eyebrows twitched. Aidan shared that sentiment, but he also wondered if a more ambitious brother would be as trustworthy.

“He seems quite interested in women, so the next generation of knights should be quite abundant.”

“…Indeed. With the current situation, I suppose I haven’t been paying enough attention. Perhaps I should have started his education earlier.”

His younger brother seemed to enjoy a leisurely life.  But now, because of the Mullers, he would have to work hard.

“What about the vassals?”

“Hmm. Not bad. It’s actually a favorable situation.  Our family’s power has expanded over time, but as a result, positions have become scarce.”

“There’s no more room at the top.”

There was no way to provide for all of their subordinates.  

There weren’t enough resources or positions. 

Rewards were limited.  

Vassals who were pleased with gold were one thing, but when it came to those who desired honor or land, it simply wasn’t enough.  

In fact, this territory had grown too quickly.  It was time for the descendants of his father’s generation, like Aidan and Leoric, to spread their wings.  

However, there wasn’t enough room for them in the current Franz territory.  

The land was still vast. The problem was…

“The war generation is still going strong.”

“Are you referring to me?”

Aidan laughed at his father’s words.

“Not yet, not yet. I still have much to learn.”

“Hmph. I believe you’ve learned enough.”

In any case, if there weren’t enough places to utilize their overflowing talent, they simply had to create new ones. That was one of the reasons they had their eyes on the Mullers.

“Now that Leoric will be taking action, you must have someone in mind, right?”

“Of course.”

While more talent was always welcome, there were overlaps, and some vassals had already served him for a long time.  

Positions were naturally limited.  Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, he hadn’t felt a shortage of talent lately.

“His milk brothers weren’t bad either. Hans said they were quite resourceful.”

“Hans did?  Then they must be decent. We’ll need to push them a bit more. They’ll need to accompany him to Muller.”

Those poor boys.  Aidan felt a pang of sympathy for Leo’s milk brothers.

“By the way, are you sure about this? Wouldn’t it be enough to simply absorb the Muller family under our Franz banner?”

There was no need to send someone to govern them directly.  Sending a vassal to rule as a proxy would suffice.  There were plenty of vassals who would eagerly take on the Muller territory as a reward.  It wouldn’t be bad for Leo to remain here and manage internal affairs.

“It’s the foundation for an alliance with the Boreng family… you could say.”

“An alliance with the Boreng family?”

The Franz and Boreng families had known each other for generations.  It wasn’t necessarily beneficial to become any closer, considering the friction with other families.  At least, that was Aidan’s opinion.

Seemingly aware of Aidan’s thoughts, his father, Avon Franz, quietly shook his head.

“The royal family has been quite restless lately.”

“…Hmm.”

The royal family. 

The Brahms Kingdom. 

The name of this country. 

And the reason the country had been in turmoil due to the rebellion less than half a century ago.

“Surely not?”

“No, it’s not that. There are no more descendants of the traitor.  However…”

Avon frowned. He didn’t know the reason, but it was ominous.

“William agreed as well.  We intend to increase our allies, even if only slightly.”

“So that’s why it’s Leo.”

“Indeed.  Through marriage with Miss Irina, we will establish a new line of noble blood.”

“As an ally, it’s not a bad choice.”

New noble blood.  

The blue blood flowing through their veins.  

Not bad as a new addition.  

There were no other nobles in the vicinity to be wary of.  

Aidan stroked his chin, pondering the future political landscape.

—–CROW—–