Report
Chapter 1: The Beginning
"Why did it come to this…?"
Standing at the entrance of a devastated city, I held my head in my hands.
As the fifth son of an earl and blessed with memories of my previous life as a Japanese person, my only goal had been to live a comfortable life, maybe build a harem using the knowledge from my previous world, and yet...
Looking around this European-style city again, I saw no building left unscathed—every structure bore holes or cracks. Even the towering castle in the city center, where I was supposed to live, hadn't been spared. In fact, the castle's condition was probably the worst of all.
I sighed again.
"Why did it come to this…?"
Several weeks earlier...
I had been receiving lessons on swordsmanship by an elderly knight I called "Gramps”. Well, rather than being instructed, it was more like being subjected to grueling training.
When I first reincarnated into this world, I had been eager to become unmatched with the sword, but it turned out I had no talent for it.
If anything, my friend and subordinate showed more promise than I did. And while this was indeed a world with magic, I didn’t have any talent for that either.
Well, being born into nobility rather than as a serf meant I was already hitting the jackpot.
As part of noble etiquette, I continued my sword training. Being the fifth son meant I'd never inherit the family title anyway, so I figured I should do whatever I could for now.
During my usual training session, an elderly butler appeared.
"Lord Einzig. The head of the family requests your presence."
"...Father does? What for?"
The elderly butler remained silent, clearly indicating that I should ask Father directly.
"Understood. I'll go right away. Is this attire acceptable?"
When the butler confirmed it was fine, he guided me to the family head's office. Even our regular residence, a two-story stone building, reflected our noble status with its solid, dignified construction.
I was led to the office door.
I hesitated. Sixteen years had passed since my reincarnation buIad'd actually only met my father a handful of times. As an earl, he was always busy traveling here and there.
This was actually the first time he'd ever summoned me. Gathering my courage, I knocked.
"Father. It's Einzig. I heard you called for me."
"Ah, Ein. Enter."
I opened the door and faced my father for the first time in a while. With his short blonde hair and stern expression, he could easily pass for a final boss in a game. Well, he was strong enough to be thought of as such. He was a master swordsman, one of the few capable of channeling aura into their blade.
"It’s good to see you, I see that you've grown taller. Still keeping up with your training, I presume."
"Yes. I'm doing my best not to bring shame to our family name."
"Good. Keep at it. Now, about why I called you here—since you're sixteen, though it might be a bit early, I’ve been meaning to introduce you to a bride.”
"I’d gladly do it for you, Father!”
While sixteen was still somewhat young, I’d probably be matched with the daughter of a baron or a knight from our vassals. There was also the possibility of marrying into a noble house without an heir. Either way, it made sense—they would want to bring in many powerful noble daughters into our family to avoid family disputes. My third brother, three years older than me, had already given up his inheritance rights and married into a baron's family.
"Indeed. It's quite a good match. After all, it's with a duke's family. You will be marrying into their house."
What? A duke's family?
My mind went blank for a moment. Wait, wait, why would the fifth son of an earl be the candidate? Did the duke's daughter fall in love with me at first sight? No, that's impossible. Being the fifth son, I've barely appeared in public... Wait, marrying into? Which ducal family has only daughters…?
Father grinned.
"The House of Baltia."
The House of Baltia? Weren't we just at war with them?!
And the reason they have no heir or head of family is because my father killed them...
"Now, don't make that face. I'm not planning to abandon you."
"...Can I really trust you?"
"I'll provide you with 300 soldiers. Also, take as many of your subordinates as you wish. We'll be covering their food and wages. Run the territory as you see fit."
As the fifth son, I had no real backing, so having father directly provide troops was genuinely helpful.
Of course, being summoned directly by Father meant I had no right to refuse. Lower-ranked sons in noble families were just pawns to be used for convenience.
"Gladly, Father. I will obey your orders.”
"Good. And if anything happens, you can always come back here."
"Understood."
In a way, this sort of meant independence and freedom to live as I choose? Looking at it that way, it doesn’t sound so bad.
After Einzig excused himself to prepare, the elderly butler turned to the family head.
"Is this really acceptable? It seems like too heavy a burden for Young Master Einzig."
Gilbert Gad Veiwar, the family head, took a sip of his tea and sighed.
"We have no choice. I’ve no other child to send."
The eldest son has already been engaged to the daughter of a marquis from what they could consider an allied family.
The second son had married the daughter of a vassal noble’s family, and the third son had married into another family.
"Even a hollow shell of a ducal family still has value. Many people respect authority and tradition. The name alone has its uses."
"I see... Still, Young Master Einzig will have his work cut out for him."
Gilbert showed a wicked smile.
"Indeed. Though this marriage is a symbol of reconciliation, the territory is in ruins from the war. But as long as there's no rebellion, it doesn’t matter."
While Gilbert personally considered authority and tradition worthless, he knew they held great importance in noble circles.
"We haven't even finished pacifying the Silria region. And the surrounding noble houses are showing signs of unrest... If we completely destroy the ducal house, they might raise armies out of fear."
Of course for Gilbert, as a master swordsman, there was no foe he could not defeat. However, their territory was exhausted from the long war with the ducal house, and he preferred not to make too many enemies.
"For now, we must pacify the Silria region. I'll deploy troops soon."
The Silria region referred to part of the kingdom's western territories where the Veiwar earldom was located. Unifying this region had been their family's long-standing ambition. But that aside...
"Very well. I shall relay the message to begin preparations, then."
"Please do."
The elderly butler left the room. Gilbert stood up and gazed out the window.
"The flames of war show no signs of dying down... What does the future hold?"
The Earl of Veiwar's lament faded into the silence, unheard by anyone.
