The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 30

“It’s an honor…”

Despite the bizarre situation of someone appearing perfectly alive and youthful—someone who was reported dead two generations ago—Baron August was only slightly dazed and not overwhelmed.

He was still a bit groggy from sleep and, due to dementia and other chronic illnesses, he was on strong medication daily, making his mind somewhat foggy.

However, the fact that the young man before him spoke of distant past events—ones only he knew about—as if they had happened yesterday was proof enough.

Moreover, the baron had heard strange things about the first Duke Si-on from his wife Roana during his younger days.

Rumors had circulated that his grandfather never aged.

At the time, he had laughed it off, but astonishingly, it seemed the rumors were true.

Baron August felt a peculiar excitement, as if he had returned to his youth, and spoke.

“What brings you to visit your aged grandson-in-law, Your Grace?”

“Well, the thing is…”

Si-on carefully, yet firmly, recounted what had happened in this place to Baron August. However, he deliberately omitted the fact that Anserman August was involved in the poisoning of Brian, the previous Duke Si-on.

Having lived for countless years and witnessed numerous deaths, Si-on could tell that Baron August didn’t have much time left.

At most, he had six months, but it seemed more likely that he would pass within a month or two.

He didn’t want to see his soon-to-be-deceased grandson-in-law—who, during his granddaughter’s lifetime, had lived fairly happily without causing any particular problems—spend his final moments consumed by regret and remorse.

“…So that’s how it is. Everything else is more or less fine, but it seems I failed in educating my son.”

“I have nothing to say… It’s all my fault, Your Grace…”

Baron August struggled to apologize, wheezing as he spoke.

Si-on held the baron’s wrinkled hand.

“It’s not your fault. There’s nothing in the world as difficult as dealing with children. As you know, even I have made mistakes with mine.”

Baron August, understanding the reference to Baron Kilburn and Piotr, nodded in agreement with Si-on’s words.

“Did… even Your Grace, the Hero of the World, ever feel regret?”

“Of course. If I could go back in time, I’d slap my foolish self in the head.”

“Ha… haha…”

The old grandson-in-law, who had regarded the legendary hero as a figure high in the clouds, couldn’t help but laugh at such a deeply human moment of self-reproach.

“To avoid leaving behind such regrets… I must follow Your Grace’s will.”

“Thank you for thinking that way.”

“No, it is I who should be grateful, Your Grace. In the end, it’s you… who will look after me and my family…”

A peaceful smile spread across Baron August’s face.

“Lyle…”

“Can you promise me? Under the name of Si-on… will you look after my descendants and family?”

It was the first and perhaps last request of his grandson-in-law, who had accepted his will.

Si-on, who had already intended to do so, firmly grasped the baron’s hand and nodded deeply.

“I swear on my name. August will prosper and find peace under Si-on’s wings.”

“Thank… you, Your Grace.”

Wearing a content smile, Baron August accepted the documents Si-on handed over.

After stamping his ring seal at the end of the document, he wrote a few lines with a quill pen and signed his name.

This would prove that the lord made the decision of his own free will.

“Rest well, my grandson-in-law. Thank you… for taking care of Roana.”

“Yes… Yes… When I see Roana soon… I will definitely pass on Your Grace’s words.”

Baron August’s eyes slowly closed as he finished speaking with difficulty.

Si-on stood by quietly, listening to his regular, wheezy breathing, before leaving the bedroom.

Watching those he knew age and die was still a bittersweet experience for him.

* * *

“You’re saying the baron entrusted everything to that man?”

“Yes, Madam Varetti. When he was lucid, he summoned me and several other lords multiple times to confirm his decision.”

“Th-This is ridiculous!”

Madam Varetti, the portly second wife of Baron August and Anserman’s mother, slammed her teacup down as if it might shatter.

Not only had the estate’s forces been decimated, but her son Anserman had also been beaten by a royal collateral descendant, causing her such shock that she fainted momentarily.

However, their opponent was a grandson cherished by the legendary Duke Si-on, who held great affection for his youngest daughter.

Neither the August family nor her own, which was even smaller than the August Estate, could make a sound in protest.

What mattered most was that their side had committed a grave offense under her son’s orders.

Despite this, Madam Varetti was now filled with nothing but anger and resentment.

“They acted as if the estate was their own before the lord even granted permission! This is absurd. It’s blatant overreach and tyranny.”

“You’re not wrong, but it’s…”

The retainers hesitated, glancing at Madam Varetti.

Truth be told, they hadn’t suffered much beyond Anserman’s removal.

Though Jang Salen had tweaked tax rates and some policies, he had caused no harm to the retainers of August Estate.

Some even held a favorable view of the occupier, thinking the estate might finally function properly.

Of course, they were initially displeased and furious when the situation unfolded, given their loyalty to the August family.

But once their lord, Baron August, had repeatedly stated his intention to entrust everything to Jang Salen while in his right mind, they had no choice but to comply.

Moreover, had Jang Salen, a royal descendant, been the only one present, they might have considered using connections to weather the storm.

However, the problem was the presence of Piotr Si-on Kilburn.

Unless the August Estate relocated over a hundred kilometers away, they couldn’t avoid being under Si-on’s influence.

With a territory six times larger and a population over ten times greater, Piotr’s domain was almost at the scale of a duchy—a pseudo-state neighboring theirs that they couldn’t ignore.

“Considering Sir Si-on will likely enter the duchy soon, stirring unnecessary trouble could…”

“What Si-on? That brat is Kilburn, isn’t he?”

“That’s not inaccurate, but no one considers that young man as Kilburn. Everyone knows him as Si-on.”

Even the servants of the baron’s castle regarded Piotr as a direct descendant of the Si-on family and treated him accordingly.

“Hmph! I refuse to acknowledge it. Let’s see how this plays out.”

Though Madam Varetti’s protests wouldn’t change the situation, her ominous remark lingered in the retainers’ minds.

“What do you mean by ‘let’s see how this plays out,’ Madam?”

“I’ve sent word to my family. I’ve informed them of the state of my son’s estate and mine.”

Hearing Madam Varetti’s response, the retainers glanced at each other, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Her family might be noble, but it was a minor house compared to the August family and had no influence over current affairs.

Reading their expressions, Madam Varetti’s gaze turned venomous.

“Additionally, I’ve told my father to inform the royal capital of everything.”

“Hmm.”

Even if the royal capital found out, it seemed unlikely the situation would change…

“Oh, and did you all know? My mother’s family is the Bettisect family.”

“What?”

What’s this Bettisect family now? Are they nobles with some influence at the capital?

“And my maternal family, the Bettisect family, is very close to the Earl Rundel family.”

“What?!”

The retainers’ faces, previously doubtful, immediately turned pale.

Even if they were unaware of the capital’s intricacies, they knew enough to recognize the in-laws of the king.

“Hmph! Now you’re scared, aren’t you?”

Madam Varetti’s expression turned triumphant as she observed the retainers breaking out in a cold sweat.

But she didn’t realize it yet.

She hadn’t just caused a commotion; she had set off a full-scale disaster.

* * *

Si-on’s next move, after receiving formal authorization from Lyle August, was to establish a ‘proper’ successor.

In this context, ‘proper’ meant someone who could be utilized as he saw fit.

However, having resolved to act and promised Lyle August, Si-on couldn’t completely exclude direct members of the August family.

Fortunately, Anserman had many children.

The problem was that despite having a legitimate wife, he had affairs with various women, including castle maids, resulting in over ten offspring. But that wasn’t an issue for Si-on.

“If anything, that’s better.”

Anserman’s three legitimate daughters had each married and taken their share, so they were out.

His wife had long since given up on him and had been having an affair with a knight (the one killed by Stelman’s mace) for years, so she didn’t object to Si-on’s decision.

In fact, she felt somewhat grateful to Si-on for legally dealing with her lover, who had recently been overstepping his bounds with threats.

With the main wife staying quiet, Si-on reviewed all of Anserman’s other children and made his decision in just one day.

It was the castle maid who had gotten pregnant from Anserman during her coming-of-age ceremony and had been raising their illegitimate child ever since.

“Soon, a tutor from the Si-on Duchy will be sent for your son, madam. You will train your son with that tutor, just as you’ve been doing.”

“Y-Yes!”

The young maid, whose status had skyrocketed from maid to madam, trembled and bowed repeatedly before the noble prince (whether direct or collateral, she didn’t know; to her, Si-on was simply a prince).

“Your life will be more comfortable now. Once your son comes of age, we will provide a residence of your choice and pay you a lifetime pension. If you wish to remarry, that will also be possible then.”

Of course, potential spouses would be thoroughly vetted on their end.

Ideally, she would marry an ordinary estate resident with no ties to the August family.

“D-Do as you wish.”

Though frightened, the maid’s heart began to race, sensing that her life was about to change drastically.

At the same time, she had a premonition that she would rarely see her son from now on and wouldn’t be able to meet him once he came of age.

‘Still, it’s fine.’

He was a son born from an unwanted pregnancy.

She had raised him because he was the illegitimate son of the estate’s acting lord, but she didn’t feel particularly attached to him.

At her young age, raising a troublesome five-year-old was exhausting, and honestly, if he hadn’t carried the acting lord’s blood, she would have sent him to another household or a monastery long ago.

“Well then.”

At Si-on’s gesture, the castle servants escorted the maid out.

Watching her unexpectedly light footsteps as she left, Si-on felt slightly bitter.

“At least she didn’t starve or beat him; she raised him well enough.”

The notion that a castle would take care of an acting lord’s illegitimate child was a fairytale.

Plus, with all the work for a castle maid, there would hardly have been time to look after the boy.

Yet she had managed to raise him decently.

“Of all of Anserman August’s illegitimate children, why did you choose that maid’s child?”

Piotr, who had been watching silently, finally asked.

While he strongly supported replacing Anserman with someone else as the successor of the August Estate, he found it puzzling that Si-on had chosen a five-year-old over the other candidates.

“The other kids are too old, and their mothers’ heads are filled with dreams.”

Even without the coming-of-age ceremony, children old enough to discern right from wrong were problematic.

Furthermore, if their mothers harbored unnecessary greed, it was even worse.

Thus, Si-on’s criteria for the new successor were:

“A child aged four to eight, with a mother who would naturally relinquish parental rights without coercion and be content with the benefits given.”

The maid and her son were the only ones among Anserman’s illegitimate children who met these conditions.

“I see. So when you return to the Si-on Duchy, you’ll find a suitable tutor for the child?”

“Yes, but I can’t leave him completely alone until then.”

“Huh? Aren’t the castle maids taking care of him?”

“That’s not enough. Someone needs to at least roughly teach the child before we leave.”

“Hmm. He should have some basic education, but the August family’s retainers might have ulterior motives… This is a bit tricky.”

Piotr, frowning slightly in thought, licked his lips and looked up.

Si-on smiled and spoke.

“It’s not tricky. There’s a perfect tutor right here.”

“Who’s that?”

“You.”

“…What?”

“You can read and write, you’re good with martial arts, you have no ties to the August family, and you’re not so old that the kid will feel distanced.”

Most importantly, you are ‘Si-on.’

“It won’t be long. Just teach and befriend him. Make sure he develops good feelings towards you.”

“W-What???”

Thus, Piotr unexpectedly became a tutor (and caretaker), tasked with instilling positive sentiments (towards the Si-on family) in a five-year-old.

Three days later, a group arrived at the August Baron’s castle.

They were representatives from the Si-on Duchy, marching proudly under the flamboyant banner of the Three-headed Eagle.