The Story of the Golden Spoon in Another World

Chapter 2: Family Meeting – 1

—–CROW—– 

Graduating from university, getting a job at a small-sized company, then dying in a traffic accident. 

Well, those past stories were a trivial matter now.

“Young Master.”

“Head Butler. What is it?”

Sven, the head butler of the Count Franz household, had arrived. He was one of my father’s closest aides, usually managing most of the castle. 

As the second son, I had little direct interaction with him, so conversations like this were rare.

It wasn’t that we had a bad relationship; there simply hadn’t been any opportunities. If anything came up, it was usually related to my father. So, this time was probably no different.

“The Master has summoned you.”

“Father has?”

Just as I thought.

I wondered what it was about. Had anything happened recently?  Even if something had happened, he’d never called for me during my lessons like this.

“Alright. Then, Teacher, I’ll excuse myself.”

“Yes, Young Master. I’ll see you next week then.”

“Mm.”

The middle-aged man bowed quietly and withdrew from the room. I glanced at him, then looked at Sven.

“What did he call me for?”

“I believe you should hear the details from the Master himself.”

Sven spoke only what was necessary, his face was expressionless. 

He had that attitude with everyone, so I didn’t have anything more to say. I closed the book on my desk. 

If I was called, I had to go.

I rose from my seat and left the room, leaving the servants to tidy up behind me. Sven led the way.

“…….”

“…….”

We really didn’t have a bad relationship. …Right?  

I had asked my father if he’d ever seen Sven smile, and he had laughed and said he hadn’t either, so it must just be his personality.

Unable to bear the suffocating silence, I finally turned my head to look at the garden. A beautifully landscaped garden, thanks to my mother’s taste and the skilled gardeners she employed. 

Beyond it, I could see the vast estate.

This was the Count Franz household.  

I, who had been an ordinary man on Earth, was born the second son of a nobleman in this barbaric world.

* * *

*Knock, knock.*

After knocking on the door, Sven stepped back and bowed.  

After confirming this, I stood before the door.

“Father, it’s Leoric.”

“…You’ve arrived. Come in.”

A deep, resonant bass voice echoed from beyond the door.

I couldn’t open the door without permission. I had been thoroughly educated in such etiquette from a young age. 

Sven opened the door for me, and as I entered, the door closed behind me.

I turned my head and looked around my father’s office.

“Brother?”

“You’re here, Leo?”

A handsome blonde man with a gentle smile was there. 

Aidan Franz, the eldest son and heir of the Count Franz household. 

My older brother was there.  

I immediately bowed to my father. The middle-aged man, with the same blonde hair as my brother Aidan, neatly combed back, silently raised his head and pointed to an empty seat.

“Leoric. How old are you now?”

“I’m about to become an adult.”

“All grown up, then.”

I quietly bowed my head. I felt like I could still grow taller, but in this world, I was practically a full-grown adult. 

From the beginning, the line between minor and adult was blurry in this world.

“What about Leo’s engagement? Is it still the Boreng family?”

“We are in contact with the Boreng family, but they are a family we’ve had blood ties with for a long time. I don’t think we need any more of that blood.”

“However, in this southern region, the Boreng family is the only one of similar standing to ours. Furthermore, not having a fiancée at this point might be a bit much for Leo, don’t you think?”

“Hmm….”

I didn’t know why I was called, but judging by the current conversation, it was probably about my engagement. 

As my brother Aidan said, it was indeed rare in the aristocratic world for someone my age to not have a fiancée. 

My brother had gotten engaged and even married at a younger age than me. For now, I decided to stay quiet.

“Leoric. What do you think?”

“Me?”

My opinion, suddenly? Was the second son’s opinion necessary?  

Matters related to family bloodlines, like marriage, were usually decided by my father. Even my brother couldn’t object to these kinds of decisions.

Speaking of engagement… Around here, there was only the Boreng family that had been mentioned in the conversation earlier. I often met them at parties, and we weren’t on bad terms, but…

“I danced with Miss Irina of the Boreng family at the previous ball. She was very beautiful.”

“…….”

“Haha.”

At my words, my father looked at me silently, and my brother Aidan laughed.

The Boreng family was the only family in this area, the southern region, with a similar standing to the Franz family. 

The Irina I mentioned was the daughter of that family. When I saw her before, she still had a childish look, but she was a beautiful girl. 

Since both families had healthy heirs, neither could seize power, so it would be a matter of strengthening the bond between the two families, right?

“Hmm. You…”

“Yes?”

My father paused for a moment. It was rare for my father, a man of few words and a serious personality who only spoke what was important, to pause mid-sentence.

“You have no interest in power.”

“Power?”

At my father’s words, I looked at my brother Aidan. 

He just gave a subtle smile and watched the conversation. Did they usually ask the second son this in front of the firstborn? 

I needed to choose my words carefully… I didn’t want to experience any unnecessary power struggles or anything like that.

“I don’t. Seeing my brother work so hard makes me not want to. I’ll just fulfill my duties as the second son.”

At my words, both of them looked at me silently. Even if my brother Aidan became the count, it didn’t necessarily mean I’d be left out in the cold. It wasn’t that kind of system in the first place.

“You are truly unique.”

“Didn’t I tell you? Leo can be trusted.”

“…Indeed. I thought such a thing wouldn’t happen, but…”

A very small smile formed on my father’s lips.

“With this, the future of our Franz family is bright.”

“Was there some sort of problem?”

This issue at this timing… It was a little worrying. I didn’t want to give up my position as a nobleman in this world. I wouldn’t starve to death since I had magic power, but I didn’t want unnecessary hardship. The title of Count was that significant.

“Do you know about the Muller family beyond Mount Gulan?”

“Ah, yes. Isn’t that a small territory near us? I’m not sure, but weren’t they viscounts?”

Was that the family that recently inherited the title? I couldn’t think of any particular characteristics. Come to think of it, were there two brothers there as well?

“Now that I think about it, the Muller family also had brothers of similar age to us, right? Maybe, a few years older?”

“Yes. And there was an internal conflict.”

“Internal conflict?”

…Whoa.  An internal conflict, you say.

“They sure did it, huh?”

I chuckled in disbelief, and my brother Aidan laughed loudly, which was rare for him. I found my brother’s appearance strange and looked at my father, but he was just watching my brother and me.

“Hahaha! It’s not that uncommon, is it, Leo?”

“Huh? No, but brother. Still, an internal conflict. Mount Gulan is at the edge of the Great Mountain Range. With every person with noble blue blood being a valuable asset, to waste the family’s power meaninglessly with internal strife…”

In this world, “noble blue blood” literally meant blue blood.  

A powerful force that transcended humans: magic power.  

The stronger the magic power within a person, the bluer the color of their magic became. 

The blood also contained magic, giving it a blue tinge, but it wasn’t actually blue. 

It was called that because the magic power residing in the body was blue, and the stronger the power, the more distinct the magic became. 

Our Franz family was the same.  

Well, such bloodlines with magic power signified nobility, and in this world, one couldn’t survive without the protection of such nobles. 

And it was the duty of the nobles to protect and rule over the commoners who lacked magic. 

The density and quantity of noble blood in a family determined its power, and fighting amongst themselves was a meaningless waste of that power.  

And the Mullers. Were they a viscount family? Then I could roughly guess the extent of their magic power. 

And an Internal conflict within a viscount family.

“Hmm. Failing to fulfill their duties as nobles. That’s what it would become, wouldn’t it?”

“Mm. That’s right.”

My brother Aidan nodded. 

This world was not a peaceful one. When the duty of a noble was to protect the people, and when it was perceived that they were failing in that duty… that alone became justification for war for other surrounding nobles.

“You’re right, Leo. A noble shouldn’t have done that. Or…”

“It should have been ended before other nobles noticed, or even if they did notice, before they could raise an army.”

“…You’re thinking of starting a war.”

I felt a chill. War was a bit scary. I had never experienced it. I had combat training, but… Looking into their eyes, they were very serious. It didn’t seem like a lie. But war…

“Is it alright to do so?”

The justification for war applied to other nobles as well. Conversely, they could target us when we were weakened. Of course, in that case, the one to be most wary of would be…

“We made a promise with the Boreng family.”

“Hmm.”

As expected. The discussion had already been concluded.

“I’ve already spoken with Count William Boreng. Instead of raising an army ourselves, the Borengs will take on the role of keeping other surrounding families in check.”

“Count William Boreng.”

That man, indeed. I remembered him as a large, boisterous man from when I met him before. He kept urging me to drink, saying alcohol was good, and I suffered from a hangover afterward.

“And we also discussed the engagement again, but it seems his eldest son is expecting a child this time. He said there’s no longer a need to force the engagement.”

“That’s something to celebrate.”

“Mm. He said he’s thinking of holding a celebratory banquet.”

Noble blood was a strategic weapon in itself. 

One of the duties of a noble was to have children.  

While protecting their people was called a duty, it was also because nobles had difficulty having children for some reason. 

I didn’t know the reason, but that’s why nobles rushed into marriages with each other.

“So, we have some time, but you’re an adult now. Isn’t it about time you learned about women? Is there a woman you’re interested in?”

A woman! Of course, I was interested! 

Damn it. 

How hard had I endured until this age! 

I thought I was getting hard.

—–CROW—–