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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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The “Greedy Prodigal’s” background story mentioned being targeted by assassination attempts from a young age.
Furthermore, the most likely culprits weren’t nobles from the old royal faction who resented the Midas family or victims of Bern Midas’s ruthless business practices, but rather siblings blinded by the power struggle and other wives vying for the vacant position of legal wife.
It was a truly dysfunctional family, but what could one expect when the head of the family was such a man?
Anyway, I had anticipated assassination attempts against me.
That’s why I had been meticulous about poison checks and made sure to sleep only in secure locations.
It would be incredibly frustrating to die from a sudden knife attack in the middle of the night due to carelessness.
However, the reason for this incident was simple.
“It’s all because of that damn father of mine….”
Half a year had passed since I recruited Regret and began preparations for the upcoming entrance exam.
During the Baldwin territory incident, I had expressed my desire to attend the Academy to Bern Midas, and he had agreed on the condition that I contribute to the family for two years.
Honestly, I hadn’t been too worried when I heard that.
I had already conceived the Cube looting operation using my ability, and in “Planetarium,” there were no events where the Lord prevented the “Greedy Prodigal” from going to the Academy.
To cut a long story short, I had underestimated the heartless, ruthless profiteer known as Bern Midas.
-Here’s this month’s batch of Cubes. Sort them out quickly.
-The antique market in Constance City is full of junk mixed with treasures. I have a feeling you’ll be able to pick out the useful ones. Go check it out.
-Count Garod. A powerless old man pushed aside after losing a political struggle, yet he still boasts despite not repaying his debts. He’ll come to his senses after being harassed by a kid not even half his age. What are you waiting for? Get moving.
-You’re back home after a month? And? A break? Don’t be ridiculous.
Work, work, work! It never ended.
This was a textbook example of child labor exploitation.
I desperately wanted to report him and see him rot in jail, but in a place where there was no concept of compulsory education and slavery was still practiced, talking about child protection would be pointless.
No matter how much I tried to spend time in secure locations, it was useless when that damn Lord treated me like a game piece, sending me on errands everywhere!
Every time I went somewhere for company business, I couldn’t exactly build a fortress there, so staying in less secure locations was unavoidable.
Each time, I spent sleepless nights, constantly on edge.
Even I, with the cheat character Regret as my bodyguard, felt this way, so I could only imagine what it must have been like for the original “Greedy Prodigal” to endure such a childhood alone.
In my previous life, I had wondered why the “Greedy Prodigal,” despite their affluent background, had such poor starting stats.
Now I understood.
They were too busy trying to survive to worry about improving their stats.
“Ah, I want to go to the Academy already.”
I muttered my lament, and Regret shrugged.
“Why don’t you write a letter to the Emperor, or rather, the former Emperor? Tell him to stop slacking and finish building the Academy quickly.”
“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll just write ‘Regret’ as the sender.”
“I’ll testify in court that I’m an uneducated brute who can’t read or write. Or maybe I’ll cry and say I was forced by my evil employer.”
“Oh? You can cry? I thought you wouldn’t shed a tear even if pricked with a needle.”
“Maybe I’ll awaken to emotions after beating up my loud-mouthed employer.”
Not wanting to become a target that gets beaten up by his own bodyguard, I kept my mouth shut. Just then, a knock echoed, followed by Dorf’s now familiar voice.
“Master Chrom, may I come in?”
“Come in.”
The wooden door opened smoothly, without a creak, perhaps a testament to its high price. Dorf, noticeably thinner around the waist, entered.
“We obtained a confession from the captured assassin.”
“Who was it?”
“As you suspected, it was Master Holter Midas.”
“He seemed tight-lipped. You handled it quickly.”
“It was all thanks to you, Master, for capturing him.”
Dorf had been trying to get on my good side since our first meeting, but lately, his behavior had become even more obsequious.
Since he was a capable individual who had risen from a low-level merchant to Acting Trade Representative, despite his blunder at the Baldwin territory, it was a welcome development for me.
By the way, so it was him after all.
Holter Midas.
Bern Midas’s eldest son and my older brother by the same mother.
Despite holding the title of the legal wife’s eldest son, Holter’s position in the succession race wasn’t particularly strong.
Because he relied solely on the family’s wealth during his childhood and caused many incidents, he damaged the Midas family’s reputation and fell out of favor with Bern early on.
While Bern Midas wasn’t exactly in a position to criticize his children’s character, isn’t a double standard the norm for these things?
Besides, Holter wasn’t particularly talented either.
Regret asked, looking puzzled.
“Your own brother tried to kill you?”
“That’s precisely why he did it.”
One of the reasons Holter Midas, with his poor reputation, mediocre abilities, and lack of Bern Midas’s favor, had managed to survive this long was because he was the son of Bern Midas’s legal wife.
My sister, Charlotte Midas, had already been married off to another kingdom as a political pawn, effectively removing her from the succession race.
That left only Holter and me.
And how irritating it must have been for him to see me, also born to the legal wife and rumored to be Bern Midas’s favorite… Damn it, this was infuriating.
Not only was I being worked to death, but I also had to deal with assassination attempts because of this.
“So, what are you going to do? Just keep blocking them? Or should we go after him and cut him down?”
“Hold on a second.”
Stopping the fearsome War Ghost, whose cute appearance belied her bloodthirsty words, I considered my options.
The first method that came to mind was confronting Holter with the captured assassin’s testimony.
But that would likely be pointless. He could simply deny everything, and even if he admitted it, he could just refuse to cooperate.
The next option was engaging in a power struggle. Finding Holter’s weaknesses or gradually chipping away at his support base to push him out of the succession race.
It would be the cleanest method, but it would also be incredibly time-consuming and labor-intensive.
I was already swamped with preparing for the Academy and completing the endless quests from my damn father. Where would I find the time?
That left only one option. The assassination route, the one the original “Greedy Prodigal” would likely have taken.
Did I really have to do this?
I didn’t feel any guilt towards my brother, whom I barely knew and who had launched an unprovoked attack on me.
But was the position of heir to the Midas family so appealing that I had to resort to such dirty tactics? Hmm?
“Wait a minute. Why was I even worrying about this? Dorf, what’s the progress on the new branch that Father said he would entrust to me?”
“Pardon? Oh, yes. It’s over 90% complete. We should be able to begin full operations soon…”
“Then that’s settled.”
“M-Master Chrom?”
Dorf looked at me with unease, but that wasn’t important right now.
I pulled out a few pieces of parchment and excitedly began writing.
[To my dear siblings,
Please forgive my impudence in addressing you through this letter instead of visiting you in person, as a proper member of the family should.
The reason for this letter is none other than to request your assistance.
I believe you are aware of the recent establishment of our trading company’s new branch in the Armathia territory.
Our great father, the pillar of the Midas family, has recognized my abilities and entrusted me with its management. However, as a timid and inexperienced individual, I find it extremely difficult to bear this heavy responsibility alone.
Therefore, I wish to seek “appropriate advice” from one of you, who have already proven your capabilities in various fields. I implore you to lend your generous assistance.
Sincerely,
Chrom Midas.]
Frankly, I wasn’t particularly interested in becoming the head of the Midas family.
It was a position that came with a lot of baggage. But I also didn’t want to relinquish the weapon of wealth.
Besides, even if I insisted I wasn’t interested in the position, these people wouldn’t believe me.
So, dear siblings,
I’m willing to give up my share in the succession race. Wouldn’t you like to buy it at a high price?
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