I'm the third son of a viscount's family, but I have a claim to the throne. - Episode 12

“Good morning! This is Derik from the Explorer’s Guild.”

Having taken and passed every skip exam I could, I found myself with only the Combat Basics class on my schedule for the year. That meant I only needed to attend the academy for two afternoons a week.

Of course, it would be dangerous for a noble’s son to take on solo requests outside the royal capital. If word got out, the Kesbart Duke family’s second son, Zalbarta, might take advantage of the situation for some foolish scheme.

So unless Jay or Samrada, the border baron’s son, joined me, I decided to stick to simpler errands within the city.

Samrada, however, mentioned he was more interested in accepting subjugation requests to keep his skills sharp than working with Jay, who had little real combat experience so far.

As for Jay, he’s currently focused on catching up academically. His education in the royal villa had been insufficient, and since arriving in Carvergh, he’s been busy with steward training. He spends much of his time reviewing lessons, even on weekends.

That brings us to today. I accepted a simple errand from the Merchant’s Guild.

The Explorer’s Guild, in addition to providing adventurer support, acts as a safety net for society’s stragglers. This means it collects not only combat-related requests but also mundane city tasks. The Merchant’s Guild has jobs ranging from warehouse cleaning to package delivery and, occasionally, paperwork assignments resembling internships for academy students or people with relevant skills.

That said, paperwork assignments are carefully scrutinized, both in selecting the worker and in oversight. These jobs are based on trust, and even one instance of deliberate wrongdoing results in a permanent ban from the guild. I received a stern lecture about this from the guild receptionist when accepting the job.

“Ah, welcome. You’re… proficient with an abacus, I see,” said the older man from behind a desk as he stood and reviewed the application form I submitted.

“Yes. I’ve also passed skip exams at the academy,” I replied.

When a noble child takes a daytime job, they’re usually either someone who passed skip exams and has extra time or a poor noble making time between classes.

Carvergh, too, had been a prime example of a poor noble family before my father’s arrival. Since then, our finances have been improving, thanks to his reforms and the innovations driven by my father and brothers’ high magical power. Even my education, provided by royal-appointed tutors, exceeded what Jay had received.

Honestly, it’s baffling how little the king cared for Jay’s upbringing. If he had time to monitor the children of his warring eldest sons, surely he could have ensured his third son had a better life and education.

Anyway, today’s task involved assisting with verifying calculation documents. Completing this task reliably could lead to more advanced jobs in the future, and building trust here might provide valuable knowledge and connections for my potential future in magical tool craft or other ventures.

While I wasn’t naturally gifted in math, I’d diligently mastered the abacus after regaining my past life’s memories at age seven. I knew my future would likely be a modest one, and practical skills like this would be crucial.

When I followed the old man to a desk in the back, I saw another boy already at work, flipping through documents while skillfully using an abacus.

“This is Kurt. He’s here on a similar errand,” the old man explained, introducing me. “Help each other if you have questions, but don’t hesitate to ask me directly if you get stuck. Derik, these calculation documents need reviewing. Mark any issues with a pencil and place them here when done. Finished documents go in this box.”

Ah, true to the guild’s emphasis on accountability, they separated tasks to identify who reviewed what. I appreciated this precaution—it reduced the risk of being blamed for someone else’s mistakes.

I recognized Kurt from the Combat Basics class earlier. He seemed reliable, having also passed his skip exams. However, I couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility he might be connected to Zalbarta.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Derik. We were in Combat Basics together recently, right?” I initiated.

Though we were both sons of viscounts, my status as a royal relative gave me a slight advantage, so it was polite to speak first.

“…Hello,” Kurt replied softly, “I’m Kurt Libour, son of Viscount Libour. It’s an honor to meet you, Viscount Derikbald of Carvergh.”

Ah, I see. He’s either overly formal or afraid of being scolded for casual behavior.

“You know, I’m just the third son of a viscount family. Once I’m an adult, I’ll likely lose my title and become a commoner. Unless we meet at a formal party, feel free to call me Derik when we meet through guild work like this. If associating with my family troubles you, I can try to minimize our contact.”

At the academy, I’d already noticed people avoiding me. If Kurt wanted the same, I wasn’t going to force him to interact.

Fortunately, Kurt wasn’t as timid as he seemed. He quickly nodded.

“Understood. Nice to meet you, Derik.”

Score! A potential friend with strong academic skills!