"The Talented Dragon Hides Its Claws" ~ The Eldest Son of the Baron Family, Called Useless, is Actually One of the World's Strongest ~ - Episode 2

The distant howl of the demon wolf echoes on the night of the full moon.

In a room of the old baron’s residence, two men were secretly devising a plan.

Sebas, while sweating profusely, calmly asks.

“Are you really planning to defeat Lord Gray?”

“Ah, I’m serious. This is the only way.”

“I see…”

Sebas has been serving the Arden family for quite a long time, so if Ryu and Lena are like grandchildren to him, Gray is like a son. Even though Gray currently treats them like outcasts, it is only natural to hesitate a bit upon hearing that he would truly take their lives.

However, if I were to weigh Gray alone against the three of them—Ryu, Lena, and Iris…

I must make up my mind. For the sake of Lord Ryu and the others who place their trust in someone like me…!

“It seems you’ve finally made up your mind.”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

Ryu continues.

“By the way, this time’s ultimate goal is not to reclaim the baron’s estate.”

“Securing the elixir, right?”

“That’s right. But even if we open all the baron’s safes, it won’t amount to half of the required amount.”

If it were the heyday of the Arden family, it would have been a different story, but ever since Gray succeeded as the head, the baronial family has been rapidly declining at an astonishing pace.

“That damn old man is simply incompetent. Even when Sebas and Mom were managing the territory, it was barely holding together, and then he drove them out. The result is as clear as day.”

“I don’t particularly like gossip, but you are absolutely right.”

Now, the taxes in the barony are double what they used to be. Despite the territory declining instead of developing, the tax collection keeps increasing, so from the perspective of the residents, it’s not just double. The current state of the territory is so dire that it’s a miracle there hasn’t been a rebellion.

“The worst part is that his personality and womanizing are terrible too. It would be better for the barony if he were dead.”

“You don’t have to say that much…”

“I could say even more.”

Taking a break here, the two decided to continue the meeting while drinking tea.

“As always, Sebas’s tea is exquisite.”

It is an overwhelming honor.

“There are currently four ways to secure funding for the elixir. The first is to raise taxes even more. Well, that’s not going to work.”

“Yes. As expected, a rebellion will occur.”

“The second method is to develop the territory within a year and generate new sources of income.”

“It might be possible within a few years, but it’s almost impossible within a year.”

“I think so too. Our territory is famous for having nothing.”

“The third method is to form a highly skilled assassination squad within the baron’s household and secretly steal the elixir.”

“Even if we somehow succeed, we will surely be half-killed by Lady Iris once she learns the truth.”

“Mom is serious in strange ways, so if she finds out we got it through crime, she might take us and turn ourselves in. Also, Mom is scary when she’s angry. This won’t work either.”

“And the fourth one is… the method to counterattack the Mantesa Baron family, who are secretly plotting to take over the Arden Baron territory, and instead, seize everything from them.”

“!?!”

At this moment, Ryu dropped the bomb.

“Is that really true?”

“Unfortunately, it’s the truth.”

“How…?”

“Recently, I’ve been seeing the knights from Mantesa in the forest quite often. You don’t need me to say more, do you?”

“Y-yes”

According to the laws of the Astoria Empire, disputes between nobles are not particularly prohibited. However, in return, it is strictly forbidden to allow soldiers from one’s own territory to invade another noble’s domain without permission. The only time this is permitted is when it has been decided to engage in a conflict with the noble of that land. By the way, the “permission” referred to her means “passing through the checkpoint.”

In short, the fact that the Manster troops have already illegally invaded the Arden territory several times is a signal that the Mansters will definitely attack afterwards.

“When does the Mantestra Baron family plan to attack Arden?”

“From what I can see, they are still in the stage of surveying the terrain within the Arden territory. Therefore, I estimate that they will start making serious moves in about two or three months. By the way, that bastard doesn’t even realize that he is currently in a predicament.”

I see.

After assassinating Baron Arden, we must immediately prepare for war with the neighboring territory. Of course, this will be done while advancing Arden’s reforms, resulting in a workload far beyond the capacity of an ordinary person. However, it might not be a problem for them.

Ryu downed the tea in one go and placed the cup on the table.

“Sorry to Sebas, who has been taking care of my father since long ago, but for the reasons mentioned above, that guy’s assassination is nothing more than a warm-up exercise.”

“No, no. My resolve is already firm, so please don’t worry. In fact, I think it would be better to carry out the operation as soon as possible.”

“Tomorrow.”

“???”

“So, the assassination of that bastard old man is tomorrow.”

“…to?”

While surprised by Ryu’s sudden remark, Sebas stroked his beard and pondered.

Tomorrow…? Since it’s Lord Ryu, there must be a reason. Tomorrow, tomorrow… Tomorrow…

“！？”

It seems you’ve noticed.

“Yes. Tomorrow is… the day of the semi-annual territory inspection.”

A territory inspection is an event where the head of a noble family rides in a carriage and inspects their territory over the course of a day.