Heir’s marriage.
In the frontier of the Helmut kingdom in the southern of Lingaia continent, about three months after I took over the body of eighth son Wendelin von Benno Baumeister, the current head is Arthur von Benno Baumeister.
There are many events in that time. It was like my small body had been tossed in the flood.
I personally enjoy this situation though.
Since I am just the useless eighth son, I have no part in the family’s social standing nor a territory that follows a noble in name only, but it turns out that I have the talent to be a mage of which there are only a few in this world. There is not much limiting my actions as with my child’s body, I am allowed to go outside which doubles as practice.
Honestly, they might be busy and could not be bothered by a 6 year old brat.
And I had also recently succeeded in significantly improving my magical power in a special way such as the capacity adjustment with my master Alfred Rainford, the famous mage.
The truth is that I want him to teach me more about various things, but he was originally a dead human. He became the talking corpse with the risk of becoming a zombie to only look for people with high magical power.
I have learned the holy attribute magic at the end to send him to the other world restfully. I take his will as a proof of graduation.
And in the heritage that I inherited from him, various resources and money in the magic bag are an amount that you could eat through life without working any longer.
Although, I’m just a 6 year old kid that is still under his parents’ protection.
It can be said that it is unjust as I am 25 years old on the inside, but I should become independent as soon as possible in order to leave this house.
In preparation for the day of my independence and freedom, I’m investing only in study, training in martial arts and magic.
And what’s more.
It seems I have become 7 years old a few days ago.
Befitting to that part, there is a custom for the children to celebrate their birthday in the royal family, the richer nobles, and only the birthday of the eldest son for a family like us.
Since I was already an adult, it was unnecessary now for a birthday party, but the only brother on the noble side, the fifth son Erich purposely came by to say congratulations when I become 7 years old.
It was strange to say the noble side as he was the fifth son. I guess it can be understood easily that the older brother whom the mistress have given birth to is not included in that.
The sixth son and seventh son the mistress gave birth to can’t be called brother is what my mother told me.
Since the nobles seem to be strict with difference in social status.
Although the fifth son Eric turns 17 years old this year, he is a man with a slender body and a lack of physical strength, but still he is handsome, a gentle brother who is the first one to talk and care about me who is an immature child.
He was popular among the young Ojou-chans in the territory, a little older Ojou-sans and also among the noble Ojou-samas.
In fact, the faced in our Baumeister family are not really that good.
Though not ugly, most of them have an ordinary face.
And it was doubtful judging from the talent side.
For a noble to possess territory, the founder who migrated to this ground taking poor people especially from Imperial city seemed to be a smart and skilful person. There is no inferior and foolish family head after that.
Arthur, in order to compensate the contrition for many adult male workers that were lost by sending troops to Demon forest five years ago, from day-to-day cleared the land for cultivation personally together with his sons ever day.
Magic can’t be used. It is a matter of fact. Knowledge for knights such as swords seems to be doubtful too.
Instead, by being used in joint hunting for securing meat a few times a year, the bow became their main weapon as it was their strong point.
And due to this trend, it was the trait of all children since the eldest son Kurt.
There is also the Demon forest in the territory. There is no worry of the monster becoming a threat unless we enter the inside. It seems to have led to the conclusion that it was useful to raise their skill with a bow to secure meat.
Though, it is necessary to march for hundreds kilometers away to reach Demon forest.
This is the reason for not just me, but also for the sword practice of Erich nii-san which always ends at once.
There are only a few chances or almost none to use the sword despite being a knight, so all the more reason not to concentrate on training.
I mostly train together with Erich nii-san every morning. I am weak with the sword, so I can say that this saves me some trouble.
This means that Erich nii-san’s skill with a bow is the best in the territory, just like me reading a book in Father’s study room when I have time to spare, unlike the other families who only able to read and write with hiragana and katakana.
“A little more and I intend to undergo a test for a petty official in the Imperial city.”
I see. He didn’t have magic like me, so he seems to have aimed to go the public official’s road.
You might say our family is like that. In fact, a big change is going to occur in my family.
The story about a bride for the eldest brother, Kurt, has finally come from Father.
“Kurt’s bride has been decided to be from the Mainbach family, the second daughter Amalie. The plan is to have the marriage after she arrives in this territory next week.”
Brown bread as usual, soup with vegetables and meat, roasted guinea fowl, the homemade mountain grape juice and wine. The dinner has become somewhat luxurious because of me. Father announces the eldest son Kurt’s marriage to the whole family.
“So that time finally come…”
After dinner, in the room of the remaining four brothers’ the beds were in, the third son Paul and the fourth son Helmut who rarely speak to me begin to gather their private properties on the bed.
The third and fourth sons have few belongings in a poor noble family like this, so their work has ended in no time.
“Why are Erich nii-san, Paul nii-san and Helmut nii-san gathering up their luggage?”
“Since Kurt nii-san is the heir in this house and is getting married, we must go after the ceremony ends.”
To my question, Erich nii-san gives a detailed explanation.
Erich nii-san, at time like this, explains willingly in detail without looking down at me even if I am just a kid.
The definition of an adult in this world is apparently around 15-17 years old.
There is some range in it, but early or late was up to the discretion from parents, but it still feels a little late for the third son Paul and fourth son Helmut.
Even though I ask that, even the child that is not the heir and does not leave the house is naturally expected to at least help a little sometimes. In fact, from pointlessly sending troops five years ago, there is no room for that. It was true that they should have left the house long ago already while three people were allowed to stay to help the family.
After all, they managed to save money while the eldest son Kurt’s marriage was purposely slowed down, but Kurt is also quite unhappy because the marriage is slow.
“There is also the matter of dowry though, honestly, people have no interest in marrying us.”
Certainly, I guess there would be no noble daughter willing to be married to a poor village in rural area with a neighboring territory separated only by mountains.
With a born child, the Baumeister family brings in the bride’s nepotism which is an old trick by the nobles and in the worst-case scenario, there is the potential for the Baumeister family to sink deeply into debt because of the assistance.
“Well, I wonder if it was better to be married like Kurt nii-san?”
I feel sorry more for the second son Helman’s existence as that was to be kept as an emergency if the eldest son was killed.
It’s more desirable for Kurt nii-san and the bride to have a child, but I must keep on tasting the bitterness of living at home while helping farm till that time.
If I take into consideration that I was still blessed with body.
I have only seen their face once. Mistress Leila’s children have no right for inheritance as the legal wife child can’t be defeated because of his mother’s position. They can’t expect a miracle either, so they can succeed their parents’ family and enter as a son-in-law in another village headman’s family. Also it seems to be impossible to become a noble by getting married.
Honestly, I thought that I envy them a little.
“So I also will go to the Imperial city after the ceremony. Vel would suddenly become lonely, but live energetically.”
“Yes, thank you until now.”
“I’ll send a letter later.”
“I’ll also write a reply.”
“How nice. People who can write a letter in this house are few. Though, Vel can write properly.”
After two weeks, I lose the person who understands me the most. I end up with the taste of loneliness in just seven years.