Aftermath - 2
Franz Castle. Inside the enormous conference room at the heart of the inner citadel, the highest seat—where my father normally sat—was empty. In the place beside it, where my brother Aidan and I had once sat together, only I remained, with Chloe standing quietly behind me.
The conference room had grown quite familiar by now. I let my gaze drift slowly across it. The middle-aged vassals sat in silence, watching me carefully.
“Hmm.”
A sigh slipped out of me too. The situation had become rather awkward.
Aidan had never held a coming-of-age ceremony. Neither had I, and I had never operated openly in the first place. At most, I had visited the Boran lands or the capital a few times, and even those trips had been unavoidable—mostly because of Irina and the circumstances surrounding her.
After that, my influence had begun to grow little by little, starting from the day of the family meeting and the arts I had created for my own sake, when I first started frequenting the Franz workshop. Still, that influence remained small. It wasn’t tied directly to any of the territory’s administrative departments. The workshop was moderately important, but I wasn’t monopolizing its output.
Yet in just the past few days, everything had changed dramatically.
I had held my coming-of-age ceremony and formed a close tie with Irina Boran of the Boran family. That connection had existed from the beginning, and marriage talks had already been on the table. That much was fine. The real complication was this:
I had also forged a personal relationship with Amelia Bachnia, the Second Princess of the Bachn Kingdom in the southwest. She held a legitimate claim to the throne.
I had exchanged greetings with the Duke of the Bramst family and His Grace the Duke of Earthrein, both of whom had attended the ceremony. That, too, had been because of Princess Amelia.
And then there was my recent magic awakening. I had obtained the power of the sun. Of course it was incomplete, still unfinished. There remained a chance that if I stayed in this state, I might eventually revert to the Franz family’s original magic. If I hadn’t fully awakened, the next generation’s power might have become the sun’s power anyway. Regardless, the truth about my magic was now known to everyone in the family.
That was the problem. My growing influence was the problem. Even if I had no such intentions, the mere fact that subordinates were beginning to question the succession and harbor discontent was itself a serious issue.
On top of that, there was the matter of the heir. The fact that Grace was pregnant was already public knowledge, and everyone knew I was the child’s father.
Growing influence. Magic awakening. Resolution of the succession problem.
This was a situation that neither I, nor my brother, nor my father had wanted.
So……
-Creak!
In the quiet conference room, my father entered.
“Mmm.”
The empty sleeve fluttered. The moment I saw it, my brow furrowed. If I had responded just a little faster, could I have prevented this? The thought rose unbidden.
Chloe, standing behind me, must have noticed. She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder and stroked it softly.
“Lord Leoric……”
“I’m fine. Thank you, Chloe.”
Our eyes met. Hers were filled with worry. I took the soft hand resting on my shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze, sharing our warmth for a moment. Feeling her affection once more, I turned my gaze forward.
My father entered with the same dignity as always, back ramrod straight despite his missing arm. The vassals watched him in heavy silence. Those who had already known about his injury squeezed their eyes shut. Those hearing the news for the first time and seeing the reality with their own eyes clenched their jaws.
It must have been a shock. The older vassals were loyal retainers who had fought alongside my father on countless battlefields since their youth. Though he had never been truly undefeated, the sight of the Golden Lion charging across the field had been their legend. Now that image was gone.
-Step. Step.
Amid the darkening atmosphere of the conference room, my father crossed the floor with his usual bearing and took the highest seat at the head of the table.
“Begin the meeting. Sven, proceed.”
“Yes. I will begin by reporting on the projects carried out to date.”
With Sven’s calm, emotionless voice, the meeting began.
“As written in the documents, the matter with the Bachn Kingdom has been settled. This list contains the items sent by the Bachn Kingdom at the request of Duke Charineer.”
“Mm.”
When I finished speaking, Chloe submitted the separate documents she had prepared. That concluded the report. The Scale of the Sea Dragon and the workshop’s inventions would be discussed separately. For now, the formal briefing was over.
My father slowly scanned the silent room.
“As you all know,” he began, “the wound I received is of a type that is difficult to restore. After multiple examinations and healing attempts, we have confirmed a decline in both the quantity and quality of my magic power.”
“Then perhaps another round of treatment—!”
The room stirred for a moment. Someone even suggested seeking help from the capital. If there truly was no other way, that might be the only option, but borrowing the hand of the royal family would create a debt. That was never good. And given my father’s personality, he would refuse anyway.
“Silence.”
At his single word, the room fell deathly quiet. My father closed his eyes briefly, drew a deep breath, and continued.
“It deviates from the original plan, but I have decided to formally pass the position of family head to Aidan at this time.”
A few sharp intakes of breath could be heard, but there was no major uproar. They must have expected it. Still, several pairs of eyes turned toward me. There was no malice in their gazes, but any discord was best avoided. I pretended not to notice and kept my eyes on my father.
“I had intended to wait until he grew accustomed to governing through his rule over Muller, but given the circumstances, I will summon Aidan and formally hand over the position of head. And Leoric.”
“Yes, Lord Patriarch.”
I bowed my head at his call.
“I entrust Muller to you.”
“Understood.”
Exactly as predetermined. No further discord would be tolerated. That was the will of the master of the Franz family. The vassals bowed their heads without objection. I, too, lowered my head and gave a small nod.
Suddenly, I thought of Grace.
Once the meeting ended, I sent Chloe away to rest after she had helped with the proceedings, and remained alone in the office. I was sipping tea and reviewing documents when someone approached.
-Knock, knock.
“Lord Leoric, it is Malton.”
“Come in.”
Malton, the director of the Franz workshop’s research lab. He had come without being summoned. Was he here to ask for more funding again?
“I don’t have any budget to give you.”
“Ahem, ahem. Do I… come begging for a budget every single day? That is not why I am here. Ahem.”
“You do, though. Every time I see you.”
I chuckled at the sight of him averting his eyes and clearing his throat. He was a hopeless case. He didn’t even know how to play politics. A true mad scientist who only cared about research and had no idea how to secure proper funding. No matter how fairly or justly I tried to manage the internal affairs, the budget was limited and the needs were many. As long as no one crossed into outright illegality, I usually turned a blind eye to private deals, but that was exactly why people like Malton kept getting pushed around.
Ever since I had taken a personal interest in the workshop and begun investing in it myself, he seemed to be breathing a little easier. Still, every research lab in the world suffered from budget shortages.
“Here is the item you requested.”
“Hm?”
Malton pulled a small box from his pocket. “Already?”
It had not been that long since I asked. I accepted the box. The aura I sensed from within told me it was indeed what I had requested.
“It was a request from you, Lord Leoric. I processed it personally. I may be a bit slow, but I am not a fool. This is my way of expressing gratitude for all the help you have given me.”
“Haha. I’m not leaving immediately. This is too much.”
“I will be starting a new research project now. There is no telling when I might see you at the workshop again, so I thought this was the right time to say goodbye. Haha.”
His words sounded almost like a farewell. I scratched the bridge of my nose. A few workshop personnel would be accompanying me to Muller, but Malton’s position was important, and the reduced staff would still need proper management.
“I’m sorry to lose you.”
“Hahaha. The ones coming with you are all highly capable. They will not disappoint your expectations, Lord Leoric. Besides, we will continue our research here as well. I will create something that will truly astonish you.”
His words brought a warm smile to my face. If Malton said it, he would undoubtedly deliver.
“I look forward to it.”
“Yes. Thank you, Lord Leoric.”
……The mood had become far too final.
After a brief silence, I could not help but speak again.
“Just so you know, moving to Muller does not mean I will never return here.”
“Eh?”
Malton’s small eyes blinked rapidly. He looked genuinely surprised.
“I-is that so?”
“……I’m not changing the name of the castle from Franz. Obviously.”
“I… I see.”
The atmosphere had been so serious that he must have thought this was a permanent parting. Seeing the genuinely embarrassed look on his face, I finally burst out laughing.