I'm the third son of a viscount's family, but I have a claim to the throne. - Episode 15

After dinner, I reserved the meeting room again and gathered my brothers for a discussion.

“Kurt Libour, the third son of Viscount Libour, offered to help me connect with a merchant guild in a neighboring country if I ever wanted to work there,” I told them, watching as their expressions darkened.

“I’ll inform the Second Prince,” said Akius, sighing. “Even if this is part of some diplomatic strategy, sending royal bl00d to another country is far too dangerous. We need to investigate who approved such a plan—if anyone did.”

“Couldn’t it be that Kurt himself is acting independently, in secret, through his relatives in that neighboring country?” I suggested. Judging by Jay’s impression of Kurt, it seemed more likely that he was leveraging his connections for personal gain rather than acting on some grand scheme approved by his family.

“It’s possible that his dismal prospects as a third son made him an easy target for persuasion,” Akius admitted. “But any family that cannot control the actions of their children—especially those interacting with royals—is incompetent at best. Regardless, this situation needs to be addressed.”

That made sense. Children are naturally prone to impulsive decisions, but a family entrusted with diplomacy must ensure their offspring don’t jeopardize national security or leak sensitive information.

“I’m starting to worry about how to cultivate the ability to see through people’s intentions,” I confessed. “Kurt didn’t strike me as particularly virtuous, but I never pegged him as the type to sell someone out for his own benefit.”

While I had no intention of taking the bait and studying abroad in a risky situation, trusting the wrong person could land me in trouble someday. Kurt’s blatant offer might have been easy to spot, but subtler deceptions would be much harder to detect.

“Malice often stems from a combination of potential profit and perceived vulnerabilities,” Akius explained. “Of course, there’s also malice born of prejudice or personal dislike, which tends to be easier to identify. But the most dangerous type is the one that evolves over time. Someone might start off neutral, but once they see an opportunity for gain and think they can exploit your weaknesses, their intentions can take a darker turn.”

He was right. Someone I initially considered harmless could become a threat if they saw a chance to benefit at my expense and believed I wouldn’t retaliate.

“So, basically, I should always be on guard, no matter who I’m dealing with?” I asked.

In this world, the strong preyed on the weak, and even craftsmen, merchants, or students weren’t immune to exploitation if they let their guard down.

In my previous world, while life wasn’t as harsh, workplace politics, underhanded tactics, and credit-stealing weren’t exactly uncommon. The corporate culture just happened to frown on overtly malicious behavior, making it less cutthroat.

“As members of the royal family, we carry great advantages—like magical power and royal bl00d—but those same assets make us targets,” Akius pointed out. “If you’re unsure about your ability to protect yourself, you could always retreat to the safety of the Calverburg estate. You could work under me or our elder brother, or even agree to marry into a minor noble family. That way, you’d be safeguarded as a ‘valuable stud.’”

I grimaced at his smirk.

A “stud” was hardly an appealing future. Marrying someone with incompatible values and producing heirs for a family I had no say in felt deeply unappealing. Worse, the idea of fathering children who might grow up to embody the worst of noble arrogance made me shudder.

But if I chose not to live as a noble…

Becoming an explorer wasn’t exactly risk-free. Traveling to remote, dangerous areas, often on a known schedule, made it easy for anyone plotting against me to set a trap.

As a merchant, if I wanted to rise to the level of a major trader with multiple branches, I’d be at the mercy of invitations—or summons—from nobles. Declining wasn’t an option without risking their ire.

That left me with one practical choice: finding a business that didn’t require leaving my base of operations.

Mother’s suggestion of running a shop in a city suddenly seemed very realistic. But simply buying and selling goods wouldn’t set me apart. My best option might be to draw on my knowledge of household conveniences from my previous life and create practical, innovative magical tools.

“I guess I’d rather develop and sell magical tools in a city run by a trustworthy noble than become a ‘stud,’” I told them. “And if I can’t find a safe place, maybe I’ll open a shop in Calverburg.”

“Of course,” Akius said with a smile. “Calverburg doesn’t get many cutting-edge magical tools. I can’t say how well they’d sell, but if you make them and occasionally help with monster subjugation, we’d be happy to have you.”

Being born with royal bl00d might sound like the setup for a fantasy novel about political intrigue and national reform, but for a lackluster third son like me, the royal bloodline was more of a burden than a blessing.

Still, a peaceful life developing useful magical tools and hunting the occasional monster didn’t sound so bad. Maybe I could even rope Jay into running the store. He had a sharp eye for people, after all, and I’d be free to focus on inventing.

I’d have to ask him how he felt about co-managing a shop one of these days. That’s assuming I could learn enough about magical tools to be competent at designing them.

Life in my previous world had been a blur of endless responsibilities. This time, I wanted to plan carefully and take steps toward a more relaxed, enjoyable life.