Chapter 19 – Episode 19 the Imperial Family
“The prince… I can’t. The closer you get to a guy like that, the worse it gets. He’s the kind of guy who’ll always cut us off if need be.”
“Haha. Saw right away It’s just unfortunate that such a guy is the crown prince and the closest to the next emperor.”
Next came the eldest daughter.
She secretly thanked Jeffrey.
She had already said that she had invested money in the prince and secretly invested in the princess.
The princess was not an idiot to make things difficult for Jeffrey by telling the prince about this.
“If I become a superhuman first and become an emperor, I will never forget this grace. But there is a magic sword that I really need. How about giving some more support?”
Jeffrey skillfully met her request.
“We used a lot of our family’s wealth to sponsor two people at the same time. Besides, since I have to raise my own children, there are not just one or two places where money goes.”
“Then?”
Jason saw the Emperor’s eldest daughter glowing with lust in her eyes.
He knew that type of person too.
He was a man of endless greed.
And the greed was so great that later, a person who ate up all the surroundings and destroyed himself had eyes like that.
“Let’s check in the house and see if more investment is possible.”
“Thank you again, Duke Geoffrey.”
After the princess stepped away, Geoffrey asked her son with a look in his eyes what he was thinking about that woman.
“There is too much greed. No matter how much you give, it is just words and it will be difficult to get back.”
“Yes. I saw a lot of people like that at gambling halls. There was even the slightest chance that she would become her emperor, so she backed her. If she didn’t have that possibility, she wouldn’t have given her a dime.”
Finally, her fifth son, the prince, came to visit.
He politely bowed his head to Jeffrey.
“Duke Geoffrey. Thank you for your support.”
“Ah. It’s just that the prince showed the potential and did a favor in advance.”
“The 25,000 gold the duke gave me will be put to good use.”
Onam was young and his level was lower than that of his older brothers and sisters.
However, he was also slightly the best in terms of ability.
“Is this child your son?”
“That’s right. I brought him to the party to get in touch with him.”
Onam smiled and shook hands.
There was no sign of ignoring him as a child.
“This is Jason Wolf. I look forward to.”
“Haha. I owe a lot to your father. Rather, I should ask for it. See you often in the future. I live in a detached palace, so come visit me sometimes.”
He made some small talk and then he also left to meet another patron.
Jason whispered right away.
“Really… People’s lives are the same everywhere. Even if it’s the imperial palace.”
“What do you mean?”
“First, he thought he deserved everything, but he felt like he had lost the position to his talented younger brother, so his greed became excessive. And the third son, who has the most favorable inheritance, thinks that all wins and losses have already been decided, and he is acting arrogantly. Onam knows better than anyone that his talent is great, but he started late. As a result, he has a clear mind and good eyesight. Of course, it’s more like a merchant than an emperor, but… It’s more worth trading than the first rather than the third. It is best to do business with merchants.”
Jeffrey was surprised again.
What Jason said was not something an 11-year-old would say.
I guessed all of their personalities with just a short conversation and their background.
It was something a worn-out thief could do.
“But, as you said, a late start is fatal. Originally, like all things, the growth is fast when you first learn it, but it takes several years to realize one thing at the end. If the beginning is delayed, the chances of gaining an important realization at the end are low.”
“But if you sit still and watch it, you’re no different from a fool who lives as fate gives you.”
Jeffrey chuckled.
She was thinking the same thing as him.
“The simplest way is to assassinate the first and third. Wouldn’t that be too dangerous?”
Haha. You are bold. However, even Demeter, who could be said to be better at assassinating than I was, couldn’t kill the prince and princess in one blow. The Imperial Family are traditionally harder paladins to kill than cockroaches. And if it fails, the Wolf family will be immediately executed up to the limb.”
“I thought it would be better to send several if it was difficult to send one assassin. Then the risk of getting caught again would be too great.”
“Boldness is important. Especially when you have to make that decision, if you don’t make it, there may be worse results. But that doesn’t mean you can do everything recklessly. It will last longer if you always prepare for the worst.”
It was a truth Jason already knew, but he shook his head as if he had been taught a good lesson to please his father.
“If we can’t get rid of it, we’ll have to think of something that can help Onam even more. I will think about this a little more.”
“Okay.”
Geoffrey didn’t expect his youngest son to give him the answers right away.
All three of the most likely candidates to become the emperor were all baited.
Among them, he only wanted the fish that was most useful to him, but it was not a big loss even if other fish bit the bait.
**
When Jason showed off his talent to the fullest and was loved by his father, something similar to the royal family was happening within the Wolf family.
The eldest son Tigris and the eldest son Igris were talking.
“My father attended a banquet in the imperial palace. Long time. Besides, they say they took Jason there.”
“Shit. What about Jason?”
Igris had just called his younger uncle.
He said this as if it were natural when no one said anything.
“Father. Rumors abound these days that his grandfather is fond of Jason. Besides, speaking of a banquet held by the imperial family, isn’t it a place where nobles build personal connections in advance?”
“Yes. But my father said that as long as he has skills, he doesn’t need connections. You must have a different purpose.”
“For what purpose? Because my little uncle won’t have time to grow up. Wouldn’t you like to empower yourself in a different way?”
Igris, who had been watching from the sidelines, was even more discouraged when the normally cold-hearted grandfather showed such consideration.
“Let’s leave it for now. Father is right. He gets ignored even if he’s called a duke if he doesn’t have the skills. Even if he’s a commoner, he gets treated if he has skills. After all, Jason won’t have much time to grow up. It is right to leave it alone for now. Don’t even think about useless things. Put a little more effort into your training.”
“All right.”
This gris was bubbling, but he knew it was useless to complain to Tigris.
He thought to himself that he should go out drinking in the evening and meet a bar girl.
**
Geoffrey returned to the study after attending a banquet in the imperial palace.
This study was his room and resting place.
The imperial palace, which had been visited for a long time, was still tired.
Everyone was afraid of them or looked down on them.
He showed respect on the outside, but on the inside, he thought it was just a thief.
She said it made Jeffrey tired.
Demeter entered.
He was the only one who could enter this study without knocking.
“My lord. Did you enjoy the imperial banquet?”
“It’s always the same there. There are only stupid people.”
“But you look bright.”
“Haha. Thanks to Jason.”
Demeter, the closest aide, knew that Geoffrey’s expression had brightened lately.
In particular, Jeffrey put on a more sunny expression when he boasted about his youngest son.
It was the first time that Demeter had ever seen the head of a household so proud of her child.
“An 11-year-old already has insight.”
“Insight?”
It was hard to believe.
No matter how smart and gifted a kid he was, he was only 11 years old.
“I know how to look at small things and infer big things. He knew how to see the big things and draw a bigger picture. If that child had been born 10 years earlier, he would have passed on all of this family… “
Jeffrey was truly sorry.
And Demeter gave advice.
It was the right arm’s prerogative to be able to say bitter words at will.
“But if a child too young shows too much talent, it can be toxic.”
“I know. But while I open my eyes, I won’t be able to use the poison. If Jason really wants to earn this family name, he will have to grow beyond his talent in that short amount of time.”
Demeter, along with Geoffrey, was an old man who had seen countless adventurers over the years.
He rummaged for a while.
“The person who became superhuman the fastest… Was he 35?”
Hearing that, Jeffrey’s expression darkened.
For Jason to be 35, he would have had to be 24 more years.
Geoffrey couldn’t be sure he’d live that long.
“I have to do my best to give it a chance. The rest is up to him to take care of.”
Jeffrey was heartbroken that he could do nothing but do this for his young youngest son.
It was a feeling I had never felt in other children.
“But when has the world ever been my way? I just do my best in every moment.”
The old man said so as if he had mastered his own mind.
