Chapter 61
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
Chapter 61
As a returning student, I attended an imperial diplomatic meeting and even received an award from the elves.
Upon my return to the academy, I found out that during my absence, I received these letters.
[ House of Rosberg, Marquis Adria. Requesting a meeting. ]
[ House of Fritz, Marquis Gramstad. Would like to have a brief talk. ]
[ House of Edert, Count Brunne. Willing to make time. ]
[ House of Placen, Countess of Thieradal. Have matters to discuss. ]
“…”
The four noble families, who have requested a meeting, are among the most prestigious in the empire, with prominent positions among both marquis’ and counts. They all sent similar messages almost simultaneously.
‘Did these bastards get into trouble again…?’
That was my initial thought. With several previous incidents, I should be worried, right?
But thinking about it, they haven’t done anything strange recently. They’ve been busy patenting things since the festival.
And then they started distributing folk remedies in the empire. Hmm, come to think of it, folk remedies are a bit strange. Could it be because of that?
At any rate, it’s certain that meeting these four will take quite some time. It’s rather impolite to say, ‘Let’s gather in one place,’ for people who are not just any normal nobles.
Of course, it’s appropriate to have a one-on-one conversation in a quiet place—
[ House of Rosberg, Marquis Adria. House of Fritz, Marquis Gramstad. House of Edert, Count Brunne. House of Placen, Countess of Thieradal. The heads are willing to move to the designated location. ]
“…”
They all want to meet on the same day. What urgent matter could it be?
And an hour later, my father contacted me separately.
“The Marquis’ and Counts are coming to see you.”
To anyone else, it might seem like a suspicious conspiracy, perfect for misunderstanding. It’s like I’m some hidden heir to the throne orchestrating a coup…
Anyway, thankfully, I’m just a recipient of the Medal of Honor, otherwise, it would‘ve been a disaster!
Please, let it be nothing. Even if it is something, let it be something I can handle. With these thoughts in mind, I headed to the meeting place set by the heads.
“Welcome. Karl Adelheit.”
The first to greet me with a solemn voice is Shulifen’s father, Marquis Adria.
“Where are the honorifics? You should call him sir.”
Always poking fun, that’s Wilhelm’s father, Marquis Gramstad.
“You two haven’t changed a bit.”
A sigh comes from the only lady among the heads, mother of Alexander, Countess of Thieradal.
“I’m sorry. It was so sudden, wasn’t it?”
Offering an awkward smile and an apology is Joachim’s father, Count Brunne.
At least one of them is a noble among nobles recognized throughout the empire.
And yet, here they are, all gathered to see me, sitting in a cafe.
“It’s an honor to meet you all.”
After greeting them, I quietly took a seat arranged by them.
…What the hell? It feels like I’m a female lead in a romantic novel. And they’ve come to scold me for flirting with the heirs.
‘I hope I won’t just get hit by a fucking rod here. No way, That’s way over the line.’
“I hope we didn’t inconvenience you by calling you here so suddenly, Karl Adelheit… I mean, Sir.”
“No, not at all. Marquis Adria, please feel free to call me by my name.”
“Is it really okay? See. Even he says it’s fine, why do you keep whining?”
“Because you’re the kind of friend who doesn’t know how to be polite. I’m afraid your son will watch and learn.”
“Hahaha! I’m really fine. Marquis Gramstad.”
I can see why Shulifen and Wilhelm talk so much at the academy.
Even their own fathers are like that, so it’s obvious what they’ve learned!
“Both of you. How long are you going to keep doing this?”
“That’s right. I’m sure Karl doesn’t have much time, so let’s get to the point.”
It made sense to me to always mediate between those two, Alexander and Joachim.
Now that I think about it, they are just like that. Children do take after their parents…!
“Ahem. Well, let’s proceed then. Karl, the reason we called you here…”
“Yes.”
“Firstly, do you know that our sons have been making a lot of money through patents recently?”
Of course, I know. Despite the fact that patents don’t immediately yield profits, the popularity was so overwhelming from the start that it’s clear they’re making a fortune.
With all four of them being heirs, there’s no doubt about the stability of their succession. But now, they’ve even secured the family’s finances themselves. It’s a perfect—
“At first, I thought they were doing something for the family’s sake, but it turns out that’s not the case.”
Perfect… it wasn’t? What does that mean? They filed patents, but it wasn’t for their family’s sake?
“I heard it from Wilhelm. Karl, there was talk about a pension foundation, right?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. Marquis Gramstad, I mentioned something like that. But I was just suggesting a tiny portion of the profits from the patents…”
“That’s exactly why we called you here, Karl.”
“Yes?”
Are you trying to tell me I’m just taking too much?
But then again, these aren’t exactly the kind of people who are starving for money, are they?
“Come on. All three of you. Karl might be confused if you keep talking like that. Look, Karl. We want to fully support that pension foundation with our four families. That’s why we called you here.”
I couldn’t help but sigh ‘Huh?’ at Lady Florent’s words.
Here we go again. Why does everything I do end up being on such a large scale!
* * *
[ Father. No, my lord. I want to borrow the power of the family. ]
I was very surprised when I first heard those words from my son.
My son, Shulifen Rosberg. He’ll be the next Marquis of Adria.
Some noble heirs get carried away with the power of their families and go astray. But Shulifen was different.
Despite being the eldest son of a Marquis, he never treated anyone poorly.
And he never used the family’s power carelessly. He always wanted to achieve things on his own.
…Though he never actually enlisted as a soldier even when he wanted to.
Anyway, when Shulifen said that, I couldn’t help but freeze.
Is he finally realizing the power of the family? Is something worrying him?
[ I need the family’s wealth. I’m planning to create a pension foundation for the veterans, wouldn’t it be better if we had more? ]
After hearing the reasons, I was even more bewildered. A pension foundation? Why all of a sudden? And not even an hour later, I got a call from my damn friend.
[ Marquis Adria. Did you also receive a magic communication from your son too? ]
“You too?”
[ What’s with the sudden talk of a pension foundation? And a pension foundation for the veterans at that. ]
My son. And my friend’s son too. They didn’t give reasons.
They just said they wanted to create a pension foundation. They just said they really wanted to.
After hearing the news, it seemed like Brunne and Thieradal were in the same situation.
‘A pension foundation for the veterans? It sounds good but… do we really need it?’
We’re already implementing various policies for the welfare of veterans in the empire.
And it’s the nobles who pay the most taxes for those policies.
In a way, we’re already helping them. At least, I can confidently say that.
In the end, I couldn’t stand it and contacted Shulifen to ask for the reasons.
I added that if he didn’t give me a more detailed explanation, I would have to refuse support from the family.
“Karl Adelheit.”
The words that came out of my son’s mouth were unexpected.
“He’s my friend. He’s a war hero of the empire and has received two medals of honor. But, Father, even such a remarkable person is struggling with the scars of war. It’s not just physical wounds, but also deep emotional scars. If even heroes are like this, what about others?”
“I want to help those people. They were willing to sacrifice their lives to protect our empire, so now it’s our duty to protect the future of them and their families, isn’t it?”
I almost burst into tears. Shulifen, this boy. My son. When did he become so mature? He still feels like a child to me, but he already knows how to think like this.
I tried to hide my tears and called my friend again.
But damn it, I broke down. My voice was full of tears
“Sniff! Sniff! Hey, Marquis! My son. Do you know what he said!? Well….”
“…”
It turned out they had rehearsed their lines, but still, it’s something. All four of them have grown up in their thinking.
‘Karl Adelheit.’
Truly, he’s the empire’s greatest war hero. A recipient of the Medal of Honor. Leading our children like this.
At the same time, I felt sorry that our young friend is suffering from the scars of the battlefield.
This couldn’t be just a precedent for our children. It had to start with the adults and grow even larger.
So, with the three heads, I headed to the cafe where politicians often meet.
While others may not know, this place is actually a favored meeting spot for government officials.
There, with our four families, we all reached out our hands to Karl without hesitation.
“How about trying the Veterans Pension Foundation together?”
Glorious soldiers of the empire, be proud of yourselves. We’ll remember you as proud heroes of our empire.
[Translator – Angel Dust]
[Proofreader – Prototype]
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