"This is bad!"
I'm planning to leave this house in another year but the village headman suddenly wants me to succeed the territory.
As a result, I have declared that I'm unwilling to cooperate.
This is not the time to be joking around.
This can also lead to the worst consequence of my brother and I trying to kill each other.
But I am not sure what I should do.
My previous life experience is useless here.
Born in a mediocre salarymen family, with only one younger brother, such a family feud would not happen.
I mean, I feel more concerned for those taking part in the family feud discussion.
Anyhow, it was preferable for me to avoid contact with Klaus.
Well, I'll make full use of detection magic to avoid contact with others except my own family.
Klaus after all would not be shouting in front of my house saying "I want to discuss changing the next family head to Wendelin-sama, please come out!"
My daily life had become waking up early in the morning and returning late at night to sleep at home.
It was to the point of me not taking meals at home, I had been eating at shops in Breitburg and self-cooking.
I was attacked by a feeling of wanting to leave the house but I am still legally a minor under the Baumeister house's protection, I was fifth in line to inherit.
It has become even more troublesome because of that.
My only salvation may have been that my family didn't say anything even when I didn't take the meal.
"Wend-kun, a letter from Erich-san has arrived."
"Thanks sister-in-law-san."
When I returning home late at night, Amalie-san who is Kurt nii-san's bride handed the letter to me in front of my room.
I guess she is the one I converse with the most in the Baumeister house.
"His handwriting is polite. He also uses kanji."
Amalie sister-in-law-san is impressed seeing Erich-nii-san's handwriting on the letter's address.
Despite being from a knight peerage family in a rural area, she is actually able to read and write with kanji mixed.
As the second daughter she could have been married into a merchant family, so her parents allowed her to study.
"Since Erich-nii-san is a government official."
It was explained before that hiragana and katakana are intended for common people, while the writing style mixed with kanji, romaji and english words, was intended for noble or governmental matters.
Beside that, when kanji is mixed in an individual private letter like this, there was an advantage of looking intellectual to others.
Maybe it is simply for impression?
A kind of vanity.
The letter's envelope only used kanji in "express" and "southern" though.
More simply, there is the advantage that only I in this house can read the letter when it is unsealed.
Amalie siste-in-law-san is an exception for these past few years.
"The letter is something only Wend-kun and me in this house can read."
Letters for Amalie sister-in-law-san also come from her home occasionally, but it was normal for her not to be able to write a reply to the letters that come frequently.
A mail system also exists in this world.
There is a dedicated receptionist in the commercial guilds of some towns, the cost is dependant upon the distance and is paid in advance.
It costs at least five copper plate or five thousand yen.
As long the partner can be trusted, a letter can even be sent to Holy Empire Urquhart, the neighbouring country, but it can exceed about five silver plate or fifty thousand yen when leaving the Kingdom.
It was normal for letters to take several months to arrive.
It was possible for quick delivery but it takes extra money when used.
By the way, receptionists for mail do not exist in our territory.
The letter that arrived at Breitburg commercial guild can only be carried by the caravan that comes three times a year.
For sending a letter, one must just pass it along with the fee to the caravan that comes to Baumeister territory.
It is comparatively more expensive as the caravan must also be paid to carry the letter.
The ones sending and getting letters are only Amalie-san and me so it is not that inconvenient.
And when Amalie sister-in-law-san sends a letter to her parent's house, it takes two silver coins to pay the caravan.
She told me that she can only send a letter once a year.
I don't have any money as I never got any pocket-money since childhood.
So father pays for it, and I hand over the catch that I captured with magic as the price later.
I sadked father to allow Amalie sister-in-law-san to send a letter three times as the caravan only comes three times a year, I give him a bit more catch.
Father didn't give any response, but Amalie sister-in-law-san after that could send a letter every time the caravan came so my request seems to have been heard.
After that?
Amalie sister-in-law-san began to speak to me more often.
"There arevmany kanji in Erich-san's letter."
"Maybe it is an occupational disease?"
I made it as an occupational disease for now but more than half the kanji used is actually on purpose.
As father and brother can't read kanji, it can work as a kind of code so they can't understand the content even if the letter is read.
Fortunately or unfortunately.
They never opened the letter to read it even once until now.
"Imperial city is it. It must be glamorous."
Amalie sister-in-law-san's parent's family also lives in rural area but not to the extent of our house.
So there is also a feeling of longing for a large city like the Imperial city.
"I'd like to go there once I grow up."
"I want to go there once before I die."
I go back to my room after we are done with the small talk.
It was a small room used by four brothers long ago, now since it not used except for sleeping, it feels spacious and very desolate.
I sat on the bed and open the letter immediately.
I had in fact, consulted Erich nii-san about Klaus's matter.
"You seems to have met with bad experience. Actually, I also have had the same problem in the past…"
'That bastard…'
According to the letter from Erich nii-san, he told me that he had experienced the same thing before he left the house.
He was persuaded with "You can become the next lord rather than Kurt-dono who can't even write kanji, it is possible to enrich the territory when planned".
"But that is his old trick, don't be deceived by his humbleness."
So that village headman Klaus was on Erich nii-san's blacklist.
"He had experience in war and he fills the duties as village headman perfectly. He was competent but…"
At the same time, on the side he is also selfish.
"Although there are also other village headman present in Baumeister territory. In order not to get overtaken by them, he presented his daughter to father as a mistress."
As result, he was entrusted to calculate and record all tax revenues of the residents of the territory.
Of course the other village headman don't like him.
"This is my own prediction, but maybe he will get some benefit from making Wend or me as the next Baumeister house's family head. It was written in your letter that Klaus brought our half brothers and sisters."
If I were to become the next lord and disregard the other brothers.
My relationship with the other brothers of the same mother would naturally get worse, it would be difficult for me to get help from the government side.
With regard to second son Hermann, he might give a clear decision of him already being in another house.
"Of course he will expect that our family will let stepbrother or sister to marry. There is a significant benefit for Klaus."
Erich nii-san said that it is merely his prediction.
Klaus will be guilty if he puts me under the same invitation.
"That does not mean what he says is wrong."
Since there is a vast savage land.
When developed under an excellent lord regardless of the eldest son as successor, Baumeister house could grow into a Associate Baron, Baron or even Viscount house.
In that plan, his grandchildren in the future may get favorable treatment for inheriting father's blood.
Indeed, it can be said that territorial development and Klaus' family's development are linked.
"As a countermeasure, don't meet with Klaus."
There is nothing I can do other than this.
"As for talking with father like a good kid, it will be catastrophe if father did not notice anything."
For father, Klaus' existence is equal to a traitor.
He can be punished accordingly.
But there is no one in our territory that can do tax calculations accurately other than Klaus.
For such a house to raise in title in the future, it sounds like a joke to me.
"If father and brother know about this, Klaus would be dismissed. But if confusion happens in the territory. Some of that resentment that comes from the confusion will also go to Wend."
It is not my fault but they may come to blame me.
Quite unreasonable, it could potentially happen in the future though.
"Do you think that you can prevent that damage if you frequently communicate with the family and territory's people? That is also impossible."
It was already exposed long ago that I can use magic.
If I suddenly come in contact with the territory's people, they will expect Wendelin to be the new lord all the more.
My family will shun me for that.
Then Klaus will draw near to me saying that my step brothers and sisters have come to lend a hand.
It disgusted me just thinking about it.
"I believe that it is for the best if Wend leaves the house as the lazy eighth son who does not work to help the territory."
I don't want to meet Klaus, I don't want to see him either.
While I will keep my current life for now, I need money to leave the house quickly.
I decided to follow Erich nii-san's advice.
He is a really good brother for giving advice to me, he is without a doubt the only person I recognize as family in this world.
I write a thank-you letter, I put the gemstone that I picked up in the savage land inside and send it with the express delivery price.
Money also essential to leave the house quickly, the answer exist surprisingly in a close place.
I wonder why I didn't notice it, it was very simple, I finally leave the house after I turn 12 years old.