Chapter 9 – “I’m Ten Years Old. And The Margrave Has Arrived.”

Three years had passed since then. The plan that I had started at the age of six was progressing well, and I was now ten years old.

With the help of my new ally, my little sister Laura, the campaign to spread the word of my little brother Mark’s excellence had been going well, and some of the servants at the mansion and in the nearby Rogue Village were suggesting that Mark should be the next head of the family.

But, it wasn’t that I hadn’t been doing anything, I’d been training in swordsmanship and magic aside from my knowledge, but the environment around me had changed in the past few years.

Before I knew it, my tutor, Sarielle, who had been teaching me general knowledge, had started teaching Mark, and I was assigned a new tutor.

The new tutor was second-rate at best compared to Sarielle, and it made me realize how good a tutor Sarielle had been.

However, as I had already read every book in the library, there was no need for me to acquire new knowledge, and whether or not my tutor was any good was a trivial matter.

My father had been the one to teach me how to use a sword, but at the age of eight, he had hired a new instructor to teach me, and he was now more enthusiastic about teaching Mark.

I didn’t have any problem with this at all and even found it convenient to be able to train in a place where no one could see me.

When my father stopped instructing me personally, I asked him if I could go to the nearby forest. I received permission to go to the nearby forest, as long as I didn’t go too far into the woods, so my training in sword and magic was progressing more and more.

The fact that the forest was inhabited by a few monsters, but at best only slime and small animals that could be easily defeated by a child. I guess that was what encouraged my father to allow me to go to the forest.
 

And so, for the past three years, I had been training hard, while at the same time teaching my younger brother the knowledge to become a lord and the skills of swords and magic, and now he had grown up to be not so different from me.

That day, I was summoned by my father again. When I went to my father’s room to find out what he wanted this time, I was surprised to hear his words.

“Roland, tomorrow the Margrave Byreus from the neighboring territory will come to visit. Therefore, you are forbidden to go out at all from your room tomorrow.”

“W-why, Father!? I’ve heard that Margrave Byreus is a martial artist who is on par with Father. If I, as the next head of the family, don’t greet him, it will be a problem.”

“……”

I said something in response to my father’s words, pretending to be desperate to argue with him. I really didn’t want to meet such a troublesome person, but I decided that if I just backed down, it might give him a strange feeling of discomfort, so I did what I had always done. I acted like a very troublesome son.

As if to prove my argument was correct, my father’s brow wrinkled up as he tried to figure out how to persuade me. He looked a little scary, like the face of a warrior who had faced a dragon.

“I understand. But you must return to your room as soon as you have greeted the Margrave. Understood?”

“B-but ……”

“Do you understand!”

“Guh, I understand.”

I was defeated by my father’s fierce attitude and made it look like I was forced to agree. That’s all he said, and he kicked me out of the room.

There is now a wall between my father and me, and the affection we once had as parent and children is almost gone. It’s really convenient for me….. but it’s still a little sad.

“The reason why the Margrave is coming to visit at this time is probably to assess me as the next head of the family.”

The Malbert Domain, ruled by Baron Malbert, is a territory just before the frontier of the Kingdom of Sheruzu, where the vast nature still remains intact. It’s been less than thirty years since human hands have touched it, and only a small portion of the vast Malbert territory has been cultivated.

The Byreus territory next to the Malbert territory is located on the border between the Kingdom of Sheruzu and the Kingdom of Second, and it is ruled by the Margrave Byreus, who I mentioned earlier.

Like my father, Randall, he had risen to the position of margrave through his military prowess, and his ability was a real deal. The neighboring Kingdom of Second had been at war with us until recently, but both countries had grown tired of the exhaustion caused by the war and the prolonged stalemate, and a temporary but indefinite truce had been signed.

The King of the Kingdom of Sheruzu, as a check against the Kingdom of Second, placed Gangis von Byreus, who had caused a great deal of damage to the Kingdom of Second in the previous war, on the border to prepare for the possibility of war against the Kingdom of Second.

It was widely rumored that there would be no war with the Kingdom of Second as long as Margrave Byreus was alive.

If you ask why such a person whose name is well known in other countries would come to Malbert’s, a humble estate, for a visit, there are only a few answers. One of them is to find out what kind of person the next head of the family will be, and if that person is good, it is only natural to want to bring him to their side and keep him as an ally.

According to what I heard, the Margrave Byreus has three children with his wife, all of whom are daughters. The three sisters are known as the three beautiful sisters of Byreus. And especially the eldest, Lauren, is said to be a beautiful girl.

If the Margrave Byreus likes me as the next head of the family, there is a possibility that he will set one of his three daughters as my fiancée. This is something I have to stop at all costs.

“Well, it’s not necessarily that they don’t have other objectives, but it’s always good to be prepared. …… Okay.”

I chuckled to myself and headed to Mark’s room to prepare for the upcoming day.
 

*

The next day, as planned, Margrave Byreus visited Malbert’s territory and a meeting was immediately held. If I had to describe my first impression of Margrave Byreus in one word, it would be that of a bear.

He was a huge man, almost two meters tall, with a muscular body, and his eyes were even sharper than my father’s. I wanted to run away from him the moment I saw him. I had only heard about him through rumors, but when I actually saw him, I realized that he was indeed a strong man.

“Welcome to our humble territory. Margrave Byreus.”

“Good to see you, Randall. So… this little boy is your eldest son.”

“Hello, Roland.”

At my father’s urging, I gave a bland greeting to Margrave Byreus. As if he didn’t want to miss a single move I made, his two sharp eyes pierced me. I was convinced at that moment that the Margrave Byreus had come to assess my capabilities. However, this was within my expectation, and since I had assumed that this was the most likely scenario, I was prepared for it.

“I’m Roland, the eldest son of Baron Malbert. I have heard that the Margrave Byreus is known for his bravery in the kingdom, and even more so for his great military achievements in the last war. I am grateful for the opportunity to be associated with such an individual in this way.”

“”….””

While making such a common introduction, I reverently placed my right hand on my chest and bowed to Margrave Byreus. The two of them were stunned for a moment as if my greeting was unexpected. But they quickly regained their composure and Byreus returned the greeting briefly.

“Well then, Your Excellency, Margrave. I don’t know if there is anything of interest to you, but please relax and enjoy your stay. Then I will go…….”

“…… Wait.”

I tried to leave the scene with a few safe words, but unfortunately, my plan was crushed. By the hand of none other than the Margrave.

As I was stopped, I couldn’t just run away, so I turned on my heel and faced the margrave. And without averting my gaze, I confronted the margrave.

“Is there something I can help you with, sir?”

“You’re an interesting little fellow. I want you to play with me a little.”

“…….”

It looks like I’m going to die here…….