Preparations for Enrollment - House Cleanup (3)

To be honest, I'm not the type to treat gold like it's some sacred treasure. Money? Sure, it's nice to have. Being born the son of a wealthy family, wouldn't it be great to rake in piles of cash, spend it like water, and indulge in a little luxury here and there? In that sense, the position of next head of the Midas family is undeniably appealing. People curse me behind my back for it? Most of those same people would flip their attitude the second you piled a mountain of gold in front of them.

Yet the reason I'm willing to give up my spot as heir is simple. This world is Planetarium, or something so close to it that it might as well be. When you evaluate it not from the perspective of a gamer staring at a screen, but as someone actually living in that world, it's completely insane. For now, the real incidents haven't erupted yet, and since I haven't gotten tangled up in the main flow of events, things still look relatively peaceful. But what good is enough wealth to bathe in gold coins when monsters capable of turning mountains of treasure into piles of ash are lurking all over the continent?

Securing a position where I could enjoy the benefits of the family without being too tightly bound to it—that was one of my goals before heading to the academy. Of course, given my abilities, even in the worst case where I completely cut ties with the family, I'd never have to worry about making a living. But it would feel unfair to have my reputation plummet just for being a Midas without any compensation in return.

So I wrote the letters. The ones who accepted my proposal would get to eliminate a competitor and secure my shares—good for them. I'd get a decent payout in exchange for stepping away from the troublesome heir position—good for me. Even if the other heir candidates were all scumbags who wouldn't offer a fair price, at the very least it would signal that I had no interest in the succession. That alone should reduce the number of assassins coming after me.

As expected, the replies came back quickly. Some sent only formal greetings, clearly suspicious of my intentions, while others ignored the letters entirely. But there were just as many who approached me quite aggressively. Still, that last one had absolutely no shame. I wasn't sure if he thought the fact that he'd sent assassins hadn't been discovered, or if he simply had a thick face.

If there was one thing I hadn't anticipated—

"Well now, nice to meet you. You put quite an interesting item up for auction. Would it be alright if I purchased it?"

—it was that a strange guy had shown up.

The young man introduced himself as Theo Midas.

"I'm the eldest son among the children born to the family head and my mother. Well, there are only two of us including my younger ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sister. You were the third child of the first wife, right? I'm jealous. I don't even know what number my mother is in the lineup!"

He was handsome. And talkative. He looked well over twenty, yet he spoke politely to a much younger brother without the slightest hint of discomfort.

"Age doesn't put food on the table, does it? Besides, it's never a bad idea to make a good impression on a promising talent who's rising fast these days."

"Promising talent? You're too kind. I was simply lucky."

"If that's modesty, it's excessive. If it's the truth, then I'm jealous. To think someone can rise so high on luck alone—how could an ordinary merchant like me not feel a pang of envy?"

Theo shrugged with a sly grin, took a sip of the tea in front of him, and continued.

"So, how much would you sell it for?"

"Sell it? I merely wanted to seek some appropriate advice, since I've been entrusted with more work than I deserve."

"Hahaha!"

Theo laughed.

"Advice, advice, I see. In that case, would you hand over most of the funds allocated to the new branch to me? I'll manage it well, grow it, and return it to you twofold."

"The family head would be absolutely delighted to hear that his son got swindled by a con artist."

"Giving 'advice' on management policy means exactly that. You can skillfully use the increased stakes to fill your own belly, or cleverly slam them into someone else's hand. Every single thing—the funds for one branch, the talent, the surrounding influence—they're all tempting me like perfectly ripened fruit. How could I possibly stay still? I'm sure the other siblings are swallowing hard right about now."

"For all that talk, none of them came to see me in person."

"That's because they've gotten so fat their asses are too heavy to move. Dignity? Pride? You can always pick those up off the floor later. Just dust them off and no one will notice."

Look at him, spitting venom with a smile on his face. Still, he was far more likable than those who hid their true feelings behind polite masks.

I opened my mouth.

"There are two things I want. A moderate amount of regular income, and a peaceful night's sleep without uninvited guests showing up."

"As an older brother giving his younger sibling some pocket money? That's no trouble at all. But the second part might be a bit annoying to handle."

"I simply want a free life with no connection to power."

"Do you know something? People blinded by the throne see everyone around them as competitors. No matter how much you explain that you're not interested and try to step back, there are those who would rather cut off your legs just in case you come back for their seat someday. That's what I'd be protecting you from. Don't you think one branch is a little cheap for that kind of service?"

"Wow, I see now. You're not a merchant—you're a robber."

"That's the highest compliment."

I thought for a moment about whether to push harder, then decided to at least hear his conditions first.

"What do you want?"

"I heard you're going to the academy."

Theo wiped the cheerful smile from his face and scratched his cheek with a slightly troubled expression.

"My younger sibling also wants to go there, but no matter how I think about it, sending them alone would cause a lot of trouble. Wouldn't it be better if people from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the same family stuck together?"

"If you're that worried, why not just not send them?"

"Sadly, I've never won an argument against that child."

"......"

It made me a little uneasy, but from my perspective, it was actually a pretty good offer. In a situation where the Midas name made it difficult to recruit new companions, increasing the number of potential allies couldn't hurt. Above all, the fact that he was sending his own family to stay with me meant he had no intention of betraying me easily.

"Alright, I understand. Where is this sibling of yours?"

"They're currently training as an apprentice priest at the Star Gods Church temple. They said it will end before the academy is completed, so you don't need to worry."

"Oh? They must be quite devout."

"Not at all. They said it was cheaper to learn magic control from the church than to hire expensive private tutors."

"............"

"Even if you try to back out of the deal now, I won't let you."

It'll... be fine, right?

In the end, Theo Midas kept his promise. The newly opened branch of the Midas Merchant Group in the Armatia Estate only carried my name in name only; in reality, it became Theo's property. A portion of the profits began flowing steadily into my wallet. Compared to what I could have earned by running it myself, it was a modest sum, but by ordinary standards it was more than enough to overflow. Above all, it was income that came in regularly without me lifting a finger.

"What a shame. It was such a good opportunity to build up real combat experience," Ligret said, clearly disappointed that the assassination attempts had suddenly stopped. But I wasn't the least bit sorry. Unlike that battle-crazed lady who didn't bat an eye even when blades flew and blood rained down, my nerves were rather delicate.

My physical abilities, which had already been above average even in poor conditions, grew even stronger thanks to abundant meals and special ingredients with body-enhancing effects. When systematic education was added to combat techniques that had previously relied solely on intuition and natural sense, Ligret grew stronger at a frightening pace. According to Sir Kelin, in pure physical combat without using mana, she had already surpassed the level of most knights. Considering her age, it was a talent that could only be described as monstrous.

I wasn't at a bad level either, but compared to her, I naturally faded into the background. It didn't matter, though. I wasn't a combat-specialized character to begin with, and there were plenty of ways to fight without personally wielding a sword.

I had considered learning proper mana usage and body reinforcement techniques as well, but after some thought, I decided against it. From what I knew, it would be far more efficient to learn them at the academy. Rather than risk picking up bad habits from premature self-study, it was better to start with a completely clean slate.

I would steadily build my foundation through consistent exercise and study, complete that damned father's quests to gather money, open the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cubes that appeared at regular intervals and select only the best items from them. And finally, the time had come.