Academy Preparations - House Cleaning - (2)
The background lore for the Greedy Prodigal template mentioned that he had suffered assassination attempts since childhood. It also noted that the most likely culprits weren't vengeful nobles from the old royal families or victims crushed by Bern Midas's ruthless business tactics. No, the prime suspects were his own siblings, blinded by the struggle for power, and the other wives eyeing the vacant seat of the legal wife. It was the very definition of a dysfunctional family, but when the family head himself was that kind of man, what else could you expect?
In that sense, I had long anticipated that someone would try to assassinate me. That's why I always had my food thoroughly tested for poison and made sure to only sleep in locations where my safety was guaranteed. It would be incredibly unfair to let my guard down and get stabbed to death in the middle of the night.
Yet the reason this latest incident happened was simple.
It had already been half a year since I took Ligret in as an ally and began preparing for the upcoming academy entrance exam. Back during the incident in the Baldwin Estate, I had told Bern Midas that I wanted to attend the academy. He had replied that he would permit it on the condition that I contribute to the family for two years.
Honestly, I hadn't been too worried when I heard that. By then I had already come up with the Cube-raiding strategy using my abilities, and in Planetarium, there had never been an event where the family head tried to stop the Greedy Prodigal from heading to the academy.
But if I had to put the result plainly, I had severely underestimated the cold-blooded, merciless, exploitative tycoon known as Bern Midas.
"This month's quota of Cubes. Sort them quickly and extract the useful ones."
"The antique market in Constance City is a chaotic mix of junk and treasures. With your luck, I'm sure you'll be able to pick out only the worthwhile items. Go handle it."
"Count Garrod. That old man who lost the political struggle and was pushed aside has no real power left, yet he dares to make noise without paying back his debts. He needs to be hounded by a kid who's lived less than half his life before he'll come to his senses. What are you doing? Move faster."
It was the textbook example of child labor exploitation. I wanted nothing more than to report him and make him eat prison food, but in this world—unlike my previous life—there was no such thing as compulsory education, and slavery was still perfectly legal. Talking about protecting minors would fall on deaf ears.
No matter how hard I tried to spend time only in safe locations, what was the point when that damn family head treated me like a pawn on a game board and threw me into every corner of the map to work me to the bone? Every time I went somewhere on business for the merchant group, I couldn't exactly build a fortress there, so it was inevitable that I'd end up staying in places less secure than the main house. Each time, I stayed tense, unable to rest properly, and spent sleepless nights.
Even I, with the cheat character Ligret as my bodyguard, was like this. I could only imagine how much worse it must have been for the original Greedy Prodigal, who had to survive that childhood all alone. In my previous life, I'd wondered why a guy from such a privileged environment had such garbage base stats. Now I understood. When you're desperately fighting just to stay alive, who has the luxury to worry about stat grinding?
When I muttered that like a sigh, Ligret shrugged and replied.
"That's not a bad idea. Should I put your name as the sender?"
"Huh? You can even cry? I thought not even a drop of dew would come out if I stabbed you with a needle."
I didn't want to become a bodyguard's punching bag, so I shut my mouth. Right after that, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Dorp's now-familiar voice.
"Come in."
The wooden door opened without so much as a creak—proof of its expensive price—and Dorp appeared. He had noticeably lost some of his belly fat recently.
"The mastermind?"
"He must have been tight-lipped. You handled it quickly."
From our first meeting, he'd shown signs of wanting to get on my good side, but lately Dorp's attitude toward me had become even more deferential. Although he'd made a mistake in the Baldwin Estate, he was a capable man who had risen from a low-ranking merchant to acting representative of a branch. From my perspective, that was a very welcome development.
So it really was him after all. Holter Midas. Bern Midas's eldest son and my older brother by blood, sharing the same mother. Despite holding the title of the legal wife's firstborn, Holter's position in the succession race wasn't particularly strong. It was because, in his youth, he'd relied solely on the family's wealth, caused all sorts of trouble, and damaged the Midas family's reputation, earning him Bern's disfavor early on.
Of course, when it came to personality, Bern Midas wasn't exactly in a position to criticize his children, but double standards were the norm in these things. Besides, it was true that Holter himself wasn't particularly talented.
Ligret asked, sounding puzzled.
"It's precisely because he's my brother."
With a bad reputation, mediocre abilities, and lacking even Bern Midas's favor, one of the reasons Holter Midas had managed to survive this long was the fact that he was the son of Bern's legal wife. My sister, Charlotte Midas, had already been used as a political marriage tool and sent off to another kingdom, so she was effectively out of the succession race. That left only Holter and me.
Yet I was also born from the legal wife, and there were even rumors that I had Bern Midas's favor. Of course that would get on his nerves—
Ah, damn it. Just thinking about it is making me angry. I'm already irritated enough from being worked to death on endless tasks, and now I have to deal with assassination threats on top of that?
"Hold on a second."
I stopped the terrifying battle demon girl—who looked cute on the outside but spoke such bloodthirsty words—and thought about our next move.
The first method that came to mind was to use the captured attacker's testimony as a weapon and confront Holter directly. But even if I did that, it probably wouldn't accomplish much. If he simply denied any knowledge of it, that would be the end of it. And even if he admitted it, if he took the "so what?" attitude, what could I possibly do?
The next option was to dive straight into a faction war. Find Holter's weaknesses or slowly erode his support base to push him out of the succession race. In one sense, it would be the cleanest option with the least backlash, but the downside was that it would take an enormous amount of time and effort.
But I was already dying from the workload of preparing for the academy while grinding through that damn father's infinite quests. Where would I find the time for that?
That left only one remaining method.
It was probably the very assassination plot that the original Greedy Prodigal had carried out.
Did I really have to do this? I didn't feel any particular guilt toward this older brother whose face I barely even knew, especially since he'd launched a preemptive strike without warning. But if you asked me whether the position of Midas family heir was attractive enough to warrant rolling around in the mud for it… well…
Huh?
"Wait a minute. Why was I even worrying about something like this?"
"Dorp. How is the progress on that new branch father said he would entrust to my management?"
"Then that's perfect."
Dorp looked at me with somewhat anxious eyes, but that wasn't important right now. I pulled out several sheets of parchment and began scribbling down the words that had come to mind with great enthusiasm.
To my dear brothers and sisters.
Please forgive this immature one who, as a member of the family, has failed to properly greet you even once, for the rudeness of conveying my words through a letter instead of visiting you in person.
The reason I send this letter is none other than to humbly request your assistance.
I believe you have already heard the news that a new branch of our merchant group will be established in the Armatia Estate.
Our great father, the pillar of the Midas family, has recognized my abilities and entrusted me with its management. However, being the timid and inexperienced person that I am, I find it extremely difficult to bear this heavy responsibility alone.
Therefore, I seek 'appropriate advice' from one among you who have already proven your capabilities in various fields. I humbly ask for your generous help.
Respectfully yours,
Chrome Midas
To be honest, I wasn't particularly interested in the position of family head. Honestly, it was just a role that came with a mountain of curses. But that didn't mean I wanted to let go of the weapon called wealth either.
Besides, even if I shouted that I had no interest in the head position, I doubted these people would believe me anyway.
So, my dear brothers and sisters.
I'll hand over my share in the succession race. How about you buy it from me at a very high price?