“Albert handed over all the information about the seaweed farm and the village of Biot to Vicomte Guillaume of the Kingdom of Lyon.”
As soon as my father heard that, his eyes widened and he covered his mouth with both hands.
When I first heard this information, I doubted my eyes and ears.
Even then, I didn’t have any personal feelings about Albert, but I never thought he would sell the secrets about his brother’s estate to a foreign country.
How would my father, who loved Albert so much, feel?
“As a result, the village of Biot, which was in charge of the seaweed farm, a key interest of the Rothschild Baronial Domain, was raided by the thieves’ guild, the Black Death. The village was spared from looting, but 35 technicians working at the seaweed farm were brutally killed. The remaining 15 people were seriously injured.”
When I visited the village, 20 people had been brutally murdered by the Black Death.
Of the remaining seriously injured, 15 died from secondary infections caused by tetanus, bacteria, or excessive bleeding.
All of the dead and injured had clear signs of torture.
“According to the testimonies of the survivors, they were all subjected to terrible torture. Even among the survivors, those in relatively good condition had one or two fingers crushed or cut off, and those in severe cases had both eyes gouged out or their legs crushed with iron hammers... It was so horrible that it was hard to open one’s eyes and see.”
Just thinking about it makes my teeth grind and my fists clench.
Because the people of my domain who worked diligently at the seaweed farm because that bastard Albert sold the secrets.
They had to suffer indescribable pain.
My heart is so heavy that I can’t even describe it.
“But can you guess what’s really surprising? Not a single person, even while being tortured so horribly, talked about the secrets about seaweed farming.”
Even among the nobles, it is quite common to be stabbed in the back of the head here and there.
Right now, I was betrayed by that damned brother.
But the people of Pio Village kept their faith with me while dying in miserable pain.
Now it is my turn to keep my faith with them.
I will kill Albert in the most cruel way in the world, so cruel that even the devil would stick out his tongue.
‘That is the least revenge.’
“I cannot let Albert live. No, if there is anyone who wants to save Albert. No matter who it is.”
I looked straight into my father’s eyes and declared.
“I will give you the most miserable death in the world. And I will make you beg to die, but I will not allow you to die. No matter who it is.”
No matter how much civilization develops and technology advances, human instinct does not change.
A weakling, a weak human, will definitely be trampled.
The more civilization develops, the less direct violence and extortion occur.
‘If you look down on me even a little, you die.’
And for the sake of those who sacrificed their lives and endured all kinds of torture for me.
My father sighed deeply after hearing what I said and asked,
“First of all, you must have come to me because you want to end this matter as quietly as possible, right?”
If it were up to me, I would have Albert prosecuted in the High Court and punished as a traitor who tried to provoke a foreign exchange crisis.
If I did that, his honor would be stripped away and everyone would laugh at him.
If I tried a little, I could break his arms, legs, waist, and even face.
And if I asked Chief Judge Mancini to exert some influence on the verdict, I could have him hanged, crucified, or anything else.
‘The Medici Barony would become the Emperor’s property.’
“Yes, I don’t want to make a fuss.”
Even though his two sons were fighting each other with swords, and one of them was threatening to kill me if I didn’t take his side.
My father didn’t show any sign of panic in this situation.
Then, like I often do, he emptied his teacup, poured some very strong liquor in its place, and took a shot.
“Albert, you are both my sore fingers. But if your fingers are rotten, I have no choice but to cut them off.”
As if one glass of liquor wasn’t enough, he poured another glass and drank it.
“What do you want?”
“Give me the Medici Barondom. To be exact, I want you to take Albert’s Barondom and pass it on to Leo when he becomes an adult.”
I wish I could just inherit the Medici Barondom right away, but...
If a single baron holds multiple titles, there is a very high chance that it will cause problems.
‘If Albert didn’t have a successor, the right of succession would have passed to me.’
In a situation where Gusteau is the rightful successor to Albert, he’s going to pass the title directly to me?
It’s a crazy thing that’s perfect for getting all kinds of hate and political checks.
“You’re trying to avoid criticism by following formal procedures. You’re going to be the one managing the barony anyway.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“The benefits I can gain are...”
My father tapped his fingers on the desk and thought.
“I can save my honor by preventing the miserable demise of the Medici Baron family. Other than that, I can save my face in front of my ancestors. Let’s see. I can protect the other clans and vassals belonging to the Medici family.”
A noble family is a kind of corporation.
To be exact, it’s a corporation, but a corporation where positions are passed down hereditarily.
If they get cut off here, the vassals often end up as unemployed people with nowhere to go and live miserable lives.
Or, you could end up like that middle-aged man who tried to do something but ended up starting a chicken restaurant.
“You could make the Medici Baron family more prosperous than it is now. And anyway, the Medici family name will remain, and you are the rightful heir. It doesn’t bother me too much.”
If Albert didn’t have a son, the Medici Baron family would have naturally passed on to me.
That’s the proper procedure according to the law of inheritance for nobles.
“Good. Instead, I’ll make a condition.”
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My father is not in a position to demand anything from me.
It’s a merciful, one-sided notice that he will keep the family alive in exchange for killing Albert.
“Albert committed a serious crime that a nobleman should never commit. As a father, I have to do something...”
Tears began to flow from my father’s eyes.
He had never cried in front of his family since I was possessed, not even at his grandfather or grandmother’s funeral.
It must be heartbreaking to have to sentence a worthless child to death with your own hands.
It must be heartbreaking.
“I would kneel down and beg you to spare Albert. Since you are a father, I believe you will understand why I am saying this. People say you start wars with a smile on your face, that you are more evil than Satan, and that you are the only being that Satan seeks to teach you...”
If Leo had caused such serious problems as Albert...
I would have searched for various ways to save the country.
If necessary, I would kneel down and offer hundreds of thousands of gold coins, or maybe even more.
Parents are those who sacrifice their lives for their children.
It may seem absurd, but now that I am a father, I have no choice.
Former Baron Medici, your father must feel the same way as I do.
“I think you are a warm person who cares about your family and your vassals. I ask you to do this. Please, please... spare Gusto. What sin could a two-year-old child have committed?”
Normally, if this kind of situation were to occur, the sinner and his family would die.
If I were to give him some mercy, Countess Farnese, who became Baroness Medici, would spare him for the Count’s sake.
‘Common sense tells us that Gusto shouldn’t be spared...’
In the end, it was Albert himself who committed the sin, and it was obvious that his mother would file for divorce and abandon him before Albert met his ‘unfortunate death.’
A child who didn’t commit a sin but had to live his entire life without parents.
No, it wouldn’t be heartbreaking to kill a child who inherited Albert’s blood.
His father got up from his seat, knelt down, and begged with his forehead on the floor.
“For the sake of his father, spare his grandson. Please don't let me suffer the misfortune of losing not only my child but also my grandchild...”
It's also because I'm thinking of my father, but in order to smoothly hand over the Medici Baron family to Leo.
My father's cooperation is completely necessary.
But if I kill my two-year-old grandchild, who I don't necessarily have to kill, in addition to Albert, things will become extremely difficult.
That's why I didn't plan on killing him in the first place.
“I will spare Gusto. However, I will treat him as dead on paper.”
If he is legally treated as dead, Gusto will lose his rightful rights to the Medici Baron family.
“I will make sure that he can maintain his noble status by inheriting the Medici Baron family that has been cut off, and I will take good care of him, Father.”
After hearing what I said, my father hugged me tightly.
He must have been hugging me with all his might, but his strength seemed to have weakened a lot compared to before.
Looking closely, my body seemed a bit thinner than when I was 20.
‘Is it inevitable that we grow old as we age?’
“...... Thank you. Thank you. If you have nothing more to say, then go. I want to be alone today.”
“Yes, Father.”
And I went out into the hallway.
The sound of the door closing was followed by a heartbreaking wailing.
Albert, you son of a bitch, you're so crazy with your inferiority complex that you're driving nails into your parents' chests.
You really can't kill me nicely.