The Tyrant's Decree
The criteria for selecting the next heir varied by family, but the core principles remained largely the same. Could the candidate properly govern the lands under their rule? Did they possess magic power strong enough to repel foreign invaders? And could they pass on the family's magic lineage to future generations?
“The first one chosen as heir was the eldest son, Tirson Muller.”
“But from what we understood, the current heir is the second son, Tirus Muller, correct?”
At my question, Train Muller gave a bitter smile.
“That is correct at present. The eldest son, Tirson Muller, lost his qualification as heir, and the second son, Tirus Muller, inherited that position.”
In other words, the current internal conflict meant that Tirson Muller was trying to reclaim his status as heir and become the family head, while Tirus Muller had no intention of stepping down from the heir’s seat.
“However, Tirson Muller losing his qualification as heir was entirely his own doing.”
“His own doing?”
Train Muller sighed and shook his head. What I saw in his eyes was… shame and rage.
“His tyrannical rule began. Taxes rose, and the lives of the common people grew miserable. The previous family head was also largely indifferent to the lives of his subjects, but that indifference at least meant he did not interfere directly in their daily affairs.”
The previous head had withdrawn due to illness. He had suppressed it with magic power and endured until now, but at his advanced age, he judged that continuing was impossible and stepped back. As a result, no one remained to check Tirson Muller, who had begun ruling in his father’s stead.
“In truth, that alone wasn’t such a major issue.”
To the nobility, the suffering of commoners was cruel but ultimately irrelevant. No matter how miserable their lives became, it posed no real problem to those “high and mighty.” The discontent of those without magic power could grow as large as it wanted; nothing would change. In the modern world, everyone had been equal before swords and guns. A falling guillotine severed anyone’s head. But this world was different. Even if a large number of magic users rose up in revolution, before a noble—especially the lord of a territory—they were nothing more than fireflies before the sun.
“The real problem came after that. Blinded by his own greed, he began hoarding wealth with insatiable hunger.”
First came the taxes. Second, the amount collected from merchants increased. It was around this time that my father began sending people to monitor the Muller family’s situation. Normally, merchants were not charged beyond the designated tax. When anomalies appeared in the taxes levied on small peddlers rather than large caravans, it served as evidence that something was wrong—one of the patterns my father regularly checked. He would frequently dispatch observers to investigate.
And the final, third matter was this.
“He even began laying hands on the assets of the domain’s vassals.”
“Hahaha.”
I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. There were many reasons vassals swore loyalty, but one had to give as much as one received. There was a limit even to Loyalty Points. Vassals who had served faithfully for so long deserved proper treatment. Yet he had reached for them as well.
“And this was before he had even inherited the title?”
“Yes. There was quite an uproar at the time.”
Train Muller smiled with the face of someone who had suffered greatly back then.
“Distrust between the Muller family’s vassals and Tirson Muller deepened with each passing day. Of course, some vassals continued to follow him. They formed what could be called the eldest son’s faction. They began speaking only sweet nothings to him like sycophants. And they started driving out the vassals who offered honest advice for the sake of the domain and family. The situation grew worse by the day.”
They held out remarkably well. It was almost miraculous that it hadn’t been discovered until now. So this was all while the eldest son was still the designated heir? Muller was a neighboring domain, even with Mount Gulan between them. To keep such a situation hidden for this long… Whoever was responsible must be quite capable.
“From this point, matters grew even more complicated. The first major incident was the appearance of a large-class monster descending from Mount Gulan.”
“Oh?”
I hadn’t heard of this. I turned to look at my father. He nodded in confirmation.
“It happened last year. Aidan stepped forward, but since the beast headed toward Muller Territory beyond Mount Gulan, he withdrew.”
“Its magic power was definitely large-class. The knight order could have subjugated it, but there would have been casualties,” my older brother Aidan added.
I looked at Train Muller. His eyes seemed to stare into empty space, as if recalling that time.
“Yes. It was a large-class monster. They said it was a beast that took the form of a boar possessing large-class magic power.”
“A beast in the form of a boar with large-class magic power. That would be a Black Wild Boar.”
“Correct.”
The Black Wild Boar. Among rare large-class monsters, it was one of the more frequently appearing ones. With its striking black fur, enormous size, and incredible durability, it charged relentlessly. If its momentum couldn’t be stopped, it would inflict devastating damage on fields and villages. The standard countermeasure was to immobilize its legs. Still, it shouldn’t have been dangerous enough to complicate the situation this badly.
I had never faced one myself, but through my father’s training I had experienced the force of its charge. At the very least, it was something the family heir should have been able to handle. There was no reason for the situation to spiral out of control.
“The eldest son, Tirson Muller, did not lead the troops himself.”
“Hmm?”
I didn’t know the exact strength of the Muller knight order, but that would mean considerable damage. Had the second son stepped up instead?
“Yes. The second son, Tirus Muller, personally led the expedition.”
Even when a large-class monster appeared, if the knight order could handle it, neither the family head nor a direct descendant necessarily had to take the field. The knights needed opportunities to distinguish themselves as well. However, if there were no major risks, it was customary for the lord to lead personally. It minimized damage and served as excellent propaganda. In game terms, it would raise one’s honor stat.
“The problem was that the village the Black Wild Boar descended upon was an extremely small hamlet. A tiny settlement right at the foot of the Great Mountain Range. The tax revenue it generated was negligible…”
That meant—
My gaze turned toward the nobles of this world. My father and brother listened with cold eyes. Even Train Muller, who was telling the story, displayed open contempt.
“Indeed. Tirson Muller abandoned his duty as a noble. After weighing the costs in money, time, and taxes, he judged there was no benefit and ordered the domain’s knight order to stand by. Since the Black Wild Boar might simply return to the Great Mountain Range, they were to wait unless it attacked a nearby city again. Unable to tolerate this, Tirus Muller led his own vassals and marched out. But by the time they arrived, the village had already been destroyed.”
Even so, the current head of the family, Viscount Muller, remained quietly in seclusion. He did not strip Tirson Muller of his position as heir.
“Tirus Muller went to see the family head in person, but the head told him that if he wished to stop his elder brother, he should seize the position by force.”
“That’s…”
Was Viscount Muller a martial hardliner? I had never met him, so I couldn’t say. When I looked at my father, he shook his head, indicating he hadn’t met the man often either. He was apparently older than my father. That would place him in the war generation.
“Even in that situation, Tirus Muller did not wish to cause an internal split. He endured, soothing the discontented vassals. But then came the final decisive blow.”
“The decisive blow, you say.”
It was certainly the behavior of a wicked lord, but not enough to spark an internal rebellion. While it was pitiful for the commoners and vassals, such tyrannical lords were not unheard of. There had to be a more critical trigger for an internal conflict that could give neighboring families a justification for war.
“He enacted a law declaring that all magic power holders are obligated to become pregnant and give birth.”
“Excuse me?”
What the hell was I hearing? I stared at Train Muller. My father and brother did the same. He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and answered.
“Married individuals must maintain pregnancy each year—whether themselves, their wives, or concubines—and give birth to magic power holders. Unmarried knights must form partnerships with individuals of similar or slightly higher magic power and either impregnate or bear children.”
“Uhh…?”
In other words… was this like the human breeding farms from those erotic games?
“Most importantly, this law also applied to the second son, Tirus Muller. Even though he already had children, he was ordered to produce more. But what truly enraged Tirus Muller was this.”
Triana Muller, Tirus Muller’s daughter, was to disregard direct and collateral lines and mate with members of the family to elevate the quality of the family’s magic power and fulfill her duty as a noble. He said this directly in front of her father, Tirus Muller.
"All magic power holders must bear children to strengthen the bloodline."
"Married or unmarried, there shall be no exceptions."
"Even my own blood must fulfill this noble duty without question."
Forcing a daughter of the family to repeatedly mate and give birth like livestock was not unheard of in this world. The more powerful magic users there were, the stronger the faction became. The idea of forcibly impregnating women to produce magic wielders had surely crossed everyone’s mind at least once.
But only as a passing thought.
“Disgusting.”
My father’s eyes froze over. At that icy gaze, Train Muller’s body stiffened.
“It is so vile it makes me want to vomit. Is Tirson Muller insulting the blood of nobility?”
The golden eyes of my usually composed father began to flicker with golden magic power. The master of the Franz family, known as the descendants of the Golden Lion. Avon Franz was furious.