Kaden-san and Evia, who arrived late, joined us for a discussion.
“Was that going a bit too far?”
Evia’s mercilessness, to the extent that it overwhelmingly cornered him, made me offer a wry smile. However, I supposed it couldn’t be helped since her attitude wasn’t for my sake, but for Nord-kun’s, so I patted Evia’s shoulder as she stood before the trembling and frightened Nord-kun.
“This is still not enough. This foolish younger brother doesn’t understand his own situation.”
Evia sighed deeply as she said this, her hand that had been tense on my shoulder now relaxed.
“His own situation?”
I don’t yet have a complete grasp of the Nordis family’s recent circumstances. What I know on the surface is that territory management is going smoothly, and the lord and lady are in good health.
As members of the demon race, their lifespans are also long. At this stage, there doesn’t seem to be any particular problem.
If there’s one thing to point out, it’s that the adopted child, Evia, isn’t the issue, but rather the biological child, Nord-kun…
“Is it truly that much of a problem?”
“For the Nordis family, there isn’t a problem, but Nord’s personal issues are serious.”
It seemed that what was a slight problem for me was quite serious for Evia.
“Jiro, the Nordis family is a large one.”
“Ah.”
“Then why is he being driven to the point of becoming a recluse like this? He shouldn’t even be thinking of going against the Nordis family under normal circumstances.”
“That… it is indeed strange.”
As I thought about the reason, I momentarily suspected it was because Evia had thrown him into such an environment. However, children of those in power are rarely exposed to such danger even in difficult situations. In some cases, they might be the first to be targeted by their harm, but that’s usually when they get caught up in power struggles between stronger individuals. To put it bluntly, being targeted by a persistent homosexual stalker is an extremely rare case.
Originally, Nord-kun, who is protected by the shield of the Nordis family’s power, should be feared and treated with caution, so as not to provoke retaliation. This would be the case even if it seemed like he was being forced into a situation for correction and his power was being suppressed on the surface. Even if Nord-kun himself couldn’t wield power, he was still the legitimate heir of the Nordis family. If anything were to happen to him, the Nordis family would undoubtedly act. The fact that someone is acting while knowing this means…
“Are we being underestimated?”
“Yes. Although father and mother are still alive, Nord is the future heir. There are those who think that if they can suppress Nord, they can do whatever they want.”
“Hmm.”
These are people who are not intimidated by that power, or who believe they can overcome it. There’s also a certain chance it’s just a foolish person with no regard for consequences. The most frightening of these three is actually the last one, the fool, but for now, we should consider the circumstances surrounding Nord-kun.
It would be fine if Nord-kun could become truly independent and somehow manage as the next head of the family…
“Let me say this upfront, I cannot become the head of the Nordis family.”
“Is that… because you’re adopted?”
I thought the quickest solution would be for Evia to become the successor of the Nordis family, but Evia denied that first. When I tilted my head and asked why, she replied,
“That’s part of it, but not all. I am an executive of the Demon Lord’s Army, and furthermore, I will be marrying you. At that time, the Demon Lord has commanded us to establish a new family. The Tanaka Family lacks impact, so we will be granted a new family name from the Demon Lord.”
It seemed that my marriage to her was the reason she couldn’t inherit the Nordis family.
“Could it be an expansion of the President’s influence?”
“That’s right. The Nordis family is an influential noble house within the Demon Lord’s faction. However, there are countless opposing factions to the Demon Lord. Instead of incorporating someone like you, who is among the top in terms of combat power within the Demon Lord’s Army, into existing forces, it was judged better to support a stable force, create a new one, and bring it under our wing.”
“I see, so you mean having ties with the Nordis family but forming a separate house then.”
I was impressed by the various circumstances involved in state management, and I accepted it. In that case, it truly becomes Nord-kun who holds the key to the future of this family…
“Well, in the worst-case scenario, I could have my child inherit this house.”
“Demons have difficulty conceiving.”
“Yes, it’s rare to have more than one child in a lifetime, perhaps two at most,” Eve added.
There isn’t a lack of other methods. For example, if Evia, the adopted daughter of the Nordis family, had a child, that child could be adopted by the Nordis family and become the heir.
“This might be rude to ask, but do you not care about blood ties? Like, for appearances’ sake?” I asked Eve. However, even that had its problems. One of them is that Evia is not a biological child of the Nordis family. I simply worried if nobles who cared about blood relations would have concerns about that.
“What, let those who want to talk, talk. We’ll silence them with strength.” Evia’s response shut down my concerns with a practically ferocious smile. Her words, as if implying that a child between me and her would be no problem, made me involuntarily think, “Cool.”
“Hahaha! Don’t worry, Jiro-kun! Evia is our precious daughter. If it’s her child, we’ll happily recommend them as the heir. However, as I said, demon races are not blessed with many children. If we take Evia’s child, your family will be left without an heir.”
And the second issue is the physical constitution of demon races. Demons do have sexual desires and can engage in such acts. There aren’t special conditions like pregnancy only during a certain period. They are simply difficult to conceive. This is a problem unique to long-lived, powerful demons, and as Eve said, there are demons who never have children in their entire lives. If Evia’s child were to be adopted by the Nordis family, then our family would face the issue of succession.
“Well, I’m not that worried about it.” However, Evia didn’t seem to share that concern.
“Unlike your foolish younger brother, Jiro, you have other wives and two children. I could have my house inherited by them…” She grinned, a slight upturn of her lips. “You’ve managed to impregnate a dark elf woman who, like demon races, has difficulty conceiving. I have a feeling you might be able to have two or three children with her.” She smiled at me, saying I could do it.
“Hahaha! Then it’s secure? I’m truly envious!” Kaden-san was delighted and laughed heartily at that. I felt sheepish and scratched my cheek, but this didn’t mean the problem was solved.
“Then, too,” he continued, the flow of the conversation implying that it was okay for Nord-kun not to be the heir.
“This leads to the discussion of whether or not you need to be the heir. What do you think about that, Nord?” Kaden-san’s smile vanished, and he spoke to his son in a solemn atmosphere. He was aware his son had issues. However, he had remained silent until now, hoping for his son to recover. If the problem persisted and even worsened, it would be a reason to finally take action.
“What do you mean?”
“As for me, I still want you to inherit this house.” He slowly turned around, then crouched down, meeting the gaze of the trembling and frightened Nord-kun. He seemed to be addressing Nord-kun not as Kaden Nordis, the noble, but as Kaden, Nord-kun’s father.
“It’s true you don’t have a talent for fighting, but a lord doesn’t only fight. It’s enough if you have the talent to unite and manage the lives of your subjects. You don’t need to make it prosper. As long as it doesn’t decline, that’s enough. If you improve their current lives, your subjects will be happy, but even with an unchanged daily life, they will be satisfied.” These words, borne from his long tenure as a lord, could only be spoken by someone with experience. Nord-kun couldn’t deny words based on his father’s experience. He could only listen.
“However, maintaining that unchanged daily life requires immense effort. The world situation is constantly changing, and you must be aware of your surroundings and deal with it to avoid being swept away by the tide. Seeing you now, I can only imagine you being swept away by that tide.” Like his sister, who had also presented him with reality, his father needed to make him face further reality.
“A lord is entrusted with the lives and property of his subjects. It is a duty to protect them. Those who cannot fulfill that duty are not of noble birth.” These were basic teachings, but Kaden-san conveyed them to Nord-kun as if to impress upon him the importance of these fundamentals. Paternal love. This was the crossroads.
“Evia said some harsh things to you earlier, but it was out of concern for you. If you are to strive as a lord from now on, you must embark on an even more arduous path. At the very least, if you resolve to become the heir from now on, you are no longer allowed to run away. The moment when you are allowed to run away will cease to exist.”
Power comes with responsibility. Even if one vaguely understands this, grasping it fully is difficult.
“And if you are to run, then run all the way. Cut ties with this family and all its relations, as if you are escaping completely. That is for your own good.”
“For my… good?”
“Yes, leave the Demon Lord’s Army and live as a common Nord somewhere in the countryside. Otherwise, you will be caught in the vortex of power struggles. Our family holds that kind of standing. For now, Evia and I are protecting you, but I regret that we cannot continue to do so forever.” Just being protected wouldn’t allow him to become independent.
“…”
However, suddenly being told such things, it’s impossible to make a decision that could affect one’s entire life so easily. I could vaguely sense that. Hmm, I thought about this problem. Evia and Kaden-san’s opinion was that they didn’t want him to continue indulging in his family’s kindness and wanted him to choose between living as part of the Nordis family or simply as Nord. Evia seemed willing to support him regardless of his choice, but Kaden-san appeared to wish for him to inherit the family. Nord-kun seemed to be agonizing, understanding their feelings but unable to choose either path himself. He had become too accustomed to the lukewarm water, learned to take it easy, and grew to expect help. His cowardly spirit had become ingrained. In that case…
“May I say something?”
“Hm?”
“What is it?”
In this case, Evia and Kaden-san, who were close to him, were, in a way, inconvenient. To put it bluntly, his familial relationship with them was acting as a hindrance, with the speculative hope that he could rely on them. Therefore…
“Why don’t you entrust Nord-kun to me?” I proposed. I, who was spatially the farthest away, should be the one to shoulder this burden.
“I believe what he needs most is distance. However, he doesn’t possess the ability to choose.” I found myself in a position of being a conveniently distant third party.
“Fortunately, I am a general. The experience of working under a general like me will be useful for his future.” Therefore, I offered a third option that was neither staying nor fleeing. Whether this would be good or bad was uncertain, but I believed it wouldn’t be in vain.
Today’s word: While I understand your concern, whether or not to accept is up to the individual.
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Another work I am currently serializing: Pandora Pandemic Panic – The box of Pandora has been opened again, but we are fighting back with various things from secret bases and more!! Please check that out as well!!
