After the Contract was concluded, Friedrich and Merlin were celebrating today’s Contract at a fine restaurant in downtown Asteldorf.
Of course, there was also a need to lift Merlin’s spirits after he had cried so much.
As if he did not remember Merlin’s appearance from earlier at all, Friedrich raised a toast with a bright face.
“Congratulations, Merlin!”
“Thank you, Lord Friedrich!”
The cup of fruit juice in Friedrich’s hand and the wineglass in Merlin’s hand met in midair.
The liquids sloshed and spilled over the rims of the silver cups, but even that sight looked beautiful to the two of them.
“Ahh—! This is truly sweet! It feels even sweeter because of what happened today than because it has been so long since I last drank, haha!”
With the Regular Employment matter that had weighed on his mind now resolved, Merlin was laughing more cheerfully than ever. Seeing that, Friedrich smiled brightly as though it were his own affair.
“It is good to see you smiling. I hope there will only be days when you can smile from now on.”
“Of course! I will work hard from now on, Lord Friedrich!”
Merlin, who answered with all his heart and all his strength, emptied his wineglass in one go, then filled and emptied it several more times.
‘Damn it, I am dying of envy.’
It was not because of money.
There was wine this sweet and high-quality right in front of him, yet he could not drink it because of that damned Underage Drinking Law!
In the body of his previous life, he had long since passed adulthood, but his current body was still that of a minor.
‘Even when we held a feast after beating down the Goblins last time, I could not drink beer... They fail to make the laws they actually need, yet they do such a fine job making useless ones, damn it.’
Friedrich had been forced to soothe the aftermath of his first battle with juice.
Just as he had then, he grumbled inwardly and drank fruit juice in resignation. Then he remembered something he wanted to ask Merlin, who was now pleasantly tipsy.
“Is the Contract all right?”
“What do you mean?”
“The part saying you have to prioritize helping with my work until the day you die.”
Although it had no binding force, Friedrich wanted to know what Merlin truly thought after accepting terms that could be called unfavorable.
“I made that decision after looking into things in my own way, Lord Friedrich.”
“I am curious what you looked into before deciding.”
“House Medichin turned out to be a family worthy of making such a Contract with.”
“Is that so? Did you see something while staying at our encampment?”
At Friedrich’s words, Merlin hesitated for a moment.
“It was an environment that made me want to work there immediately... if I am being honest.”
“Was it?”
What made Merlin firm his resolve were the conversations he had shared with the soldiers he had befriended while doing Menial Work.
[There is no one as benevolent as our Mayor. He invests generously in armor and weapons so that not only we, but even lowly rank-and-file soldiers like us, do not get hurt.]
[The training is grueling, but the pay is more than double what other places give, and even if we die or get injured, he looks after our families. That is why we can fight with peace of mind.]
[He creates jobs so the other residents can work without going hungry, so he is truly someone to be grateful for. Mayor Wilhelm and his family, I mean.]
[Young Master Friedrich is an extraordinary person too. He annihilated the monsters without letting a single person get hurt, and he won every one-on-one debate examination against the leading scholars of the Western Continent. In only half a year, no less.]
If only one person had said it, perhaps he could have dismissed it. But everyone in the encampment had said the same thing in one voice, so Merlin had no choice but to believe it. After hearing that story, Friedrich scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed.
“So those stories were going around.”
“Not only that. I became certain after seeing the tenacity with which you kept challenging your two younger siblings and Chief of Staff Griffith without giving up, even though you were defeated every time.”
“I do not quite understand that. Why?”
“Because with courage and persistence that do not fear failure to such a degree, I think you will be the same in other matters. To be honest, children around your age and your two younger siblings’ age usually give up easily, do they not? Haha.”
At Merlin’s answer, followed by his hearty laughter, Friedrich also replied with a smile.
“Thank you for thinking so. The days you spend with me from now on will certainly not be boring.”
“I hope so. I do not want to regret my decision either.”
“Still, considering both your position and mine, it will be difficult to begin with anything grand. Would you not agree?”
Friedrich abruptly brought the atmosphere, which had been floating on a rosy future, down into cold reality. But Merlin could not deny the truth. He nodded calmly and asked, “Then what do you intend to begin with?”
“For now, continue the research you were already doing. Even if there will be research funds Father sponsors for you, they will not be all that abundant, so start with the things that can produce practical and visible results.”
Producing immediately visible results, scoring points, and securing the capital to produce greater achievements was the basic principle of corporate life.
“I understand, Lord Friedrich.”
Merlin’s eyes became clearer, as if he had accepted the advice Friedrich had given him.
***
Having gained Merlin in that way, Friedrich thoroughly enjoyed the remaining period of the Imperial Diet. He discussed future plans, toured downtown Asteldorf, and freely savored the atmosphere of this world of Ers.
Before long, the Imperial Diet was approaching its end.
After the closing ceremony ended, the long-awaited party finally began—the one the unmarried imperial assemblymen, or the sons and Young Ladies of the married assemblymen, had been eagerly awaiting.
‘This is incredible.’
Friedrich looked around the banquet hall of the Asteldorf Imperial Palace with curious eyes. Since the families of all the imperial assemblymen had gathered because of what Nodenburg-Treisen had done last year, there could hardly be anything more exciting.
‘My sister is already popular.’
Was it because of her distinctive, confident atmosphere?
He could see noble sons who could not take their eyes off Maria’s appearance: her tall height, upright posture, and overflowing elegance. Of course, Maria herself did not seem to think much of it.
‘Good grief. I do not know who will end up taking her, but he had better be someone who can handle that personality.’
While Friedrich was thinking that, Magnus von Bessen, emperor of the Astella Empire, appeared.
Even at his age, with white hair covering his head, his bearing and authority were indeed worthy of the emperor.
‘Hah, so this is what a Grand Aura Master is? My father could probably handle him with one hand.’
Political matters aside.
As Friedrich felt pride in his father, Magnus raised his cup.
“To the faith! The Magic! The steel! And the courage that protect the Astella Empire! May they be eternal!”
“May they be eternal!”
At Magnus’s lead, the imperial assemblymen and their families raised their cups high together and shouted the toast, then drank fruit juice or wine and gathered in small groups, blooming into lively conversations.
“These are lapis lazuli earrings imported from the Elbrian Empire this time. What do you think?”
“They truly are beautiful! Though my necklace made from Norslav amber is even more beautiful! Hohohoho!”
While the wives of the imperial assemblymen boasted about the ornaments they had each adorned themselves with, the imperial assemblymen gathered in factions formed according to their respective interests and conversed among themselves.
“Tsk, northern trade has been anything but stable lately. Is there no good solution?”
“It has reached the point where increasing maritime trade with the Norslav Tsardom seems preferable. With the situation in the northeast this unstable every time, truly.”
“Do you mean the city near the throat of that ‘Sawtooth Sea’?”
“Do you mean Sanfergrad? Hmm, that is tempting. But the harbor there is far too cramped... Tsk.”
“Haah, truly, Nodenburg-Treisen is just...”
There were even those openly cursing the Margrave of Nodenburg-Treisen, in other words, Margrave Schwarzen.
‘Well, it certainly has been chaotic.’
From what he had heard, they were no different from bandits.
‘Well, since they started a war to expand their territory, we were the only ones who benefited. The medicines they buy from us are quite profitable, are they not? Heh heh...’
As Friedrich listened in on the conversation of those discussing northern trade and thought of the profits his family enjoyed, other conversations also reached his ears.
“How is the Count Palatine of Sütern doing?”
“Well, he must be out of his mind dealing with bloodsucking wolves and bats, would he not?”
“The Draknon Mountains are still a problem...”
Werewolves and vampires. As expected, a fantasy world was overwhelming.
It felt even more so because, aside from seeing Goblins when he first arrived, he had had few occasions to encounter monsters.
“By the way, have you heard? About Flandern trying to join hands with Nodenburg-Treisen and export Black Iron to Fermigia.”
“Ah, I heard. Is it because the land has bad energy? I hear only the womenfolk there are spirited and strong enough to inherit titles and even become monarchs.”
“They should use that fine strength to subjugate the monsters swarming the mountains and develop the ore veins, yet they only ride horses across the plains. Tsk, tsk.”
“That is true. Still, perhaps because they raise livestock so exceptionally well, even the quality of the leather taken from that livestock is said to be excellent.”
“Indeed. So I hear Flandern’s plan is to export Black Iron and import leather.”
The topic deepened further, even reaching trade with the Kingdom of Fermigia, a medieval version of the Amazons, separated from the empire by the Draknon Mountains.
The steel business in particular was something Friedrich coveted, so his ears perked up. He had felt it on the way here as well, but considering that this place had difficulty even making carriage suspension, raising its technology tree felt dizzying.
‘It is overwhelming.’
Contrary to his inner grumbling, Friedrich was organizing the conversations as they reached his ears.
‘Everyone is forming factions of their own and opposing one another. Well, even if the Electors exercise their voting rights to choose the emperor, the emperor’s home base, House Bessen, is rather formidable, is it not? Everyone must be busy keeping one another in check.’
The current emperor, Magnus von Bessen.
He was not only the lawfully elected emperor of the Astella Empire, but also ruled the Grand Duchy of Midenmark and the Kingdom of Hengania.
‘That is enough to make even our House Medichin look far behind, so there is nothing more to say. I hear the emperor’s only grandson is outstanding. I would like to see his face at least once.’
Friedrich clicked his tongue in disappointment.
‘It would be nice to follow Father around, make an impression on the imperial assemblymen, and hear the latest information...’
The imperial assemblymen had all left their wives and children aside and were talking only among themselves.
As Friedrich lingered nearby and picked up bits of conversation, something strange caught his eye.
“A crystal?”
A shining crystal beneath the enormous chandelier stood out especially clearly.
‘Does glass already exist?’
His curiosity had been stirred because of the technologies he would need to develop in the future, and just as he was about to take a closer look, someone addressed him.
“Hoho, you recognized it well. That is a Record Crystal. There have been so many disturbances lately that I exerted myself a little.”
“Ah, hello.”
Friedrich greeted the old man who approached him with a warm smile.
“If it is a Record Crystal, is it an Artifact?”
“Compared to what the ancient sages created, it is insignificant. Still, it requires someone capable of handling both the Breath of Apor and the Breath of Jupir to make it. Someone like me, hoho.”
“!!!”
At the old man’s confident words, Friedrich’s eyes flashed open.
In the current empire, the only person capable of handling both the Breath of Apor, god of the sun and light, and Jupir, king of the gods and god of the sky, wind, and lightning, was Himmel Lindler, the current President of the Imperial Magic University.
“Pardon my rudeness, President. I am Friedrich Medichin, eldest son of House Medichin.”
“Oh, so you are that prodigy from House Medichin. Are you around the same age as Lord Reinhardt?”
Himmel was friendly toward Friedrich.
“Haha, he is closer to being an elder brother to me. Moreover, did he not become an Aura Master at twenty? Compared to him, I am not yet an adult or an Aura Master, so I can only be envious.”
As Friedrich set his mind to work and called up as much information as possible about the emperor’s grandson, he hid his regret inside.
‘It would have been good if I had come with Merlin.’
But then, Himmel suddenly let out a sigh.
“Lord Reinhardt also needs a friend like you... This old man is worried.”
‘What is he talking about?’
Leaving aside the fact that the President of the Magic University, the head of the empire’s Mages, seemed suspiciously close to Reinhardt, his concern did not make sense in the first place.
‘House Bessen expands its power through marriage, so if anything, they should be sinister. Yet he has so many worries.’
But there was no telling what the future would bring. Friedrich brought together every bit of skill from his previous life and continued conversing with Himmel.
As they talked while sipping fruit juice, Julian’s voice rang out.
“Sister! Eldest Brother! Felix! Waaahhh!”
Hearing Julian’s crying follow after that, echoing with all the sorrow in the world, Friedrich’s eyes widened as if they might pop out.
‘What is this? Why is Julian crying?’
Friedrich placed his cup of fruit juice on the table and ran toward the sound of Julian’s crying.
[Someone is bullying your brother?]
‘What?’
[A true leader must protect his blood first. Protect your youngest brother Julian! (Incomplete)]
A sudden mission had activated, but Friedrich did not care about that at all.
Because to Friedrich, who had become fully immersed as the eldest son of House Medichin, Julian was his adorable youngest brother.
“Julian! Julian!”
Friedrich ran around the banquet hall like a madman, shouting as he searched for his brother, who was crying as though the world had wronged him.
Then, far away, he saw three boys in black formal attire surrounding Julian and shoving him toward one another as if they were passing a ball.
‘Those fucking...!’
When he saw his adorable youngest brother being tossed around like a toy, Friedrich’s eyes flared, and his self-restraint shattered.
Transformed into a mad dog, Friedrich shouted loudly enough to shake the banquet hall.
“Hey—! You! Sons of bitches—!”