The silver case

''I spent most of my life trying to transform this fief into a thriving one.

I followed the steps of my father just like he did with the one before him, tried various methods of making this land usable, only to find out one cruel fact. The only good thing we got is fertile land and even that is half-assed.''

Julius glanced at his son before he continued, a sigh escaping from his lips. ''I am glad you began showing interest towards our lands for a change, but there are times when we have to face reality. This land has nothing of value. Even if it had, we wouldn't be able to maintain our rulership over it for long.''

The true Ciaphas, even though he was a complete scoundrel, deep down wanted to turn his father's barony into one worth talking about.

He had spent countless nights trying to figure out a way to make their fief a prosperous land, learning topography and all the various Lords that surrounded them in the process.

All this valuable knowledge was now part of me. Fusing his memories with mine during the transmigration allowed me to abuse a hidden benefit. Up to this point, I could not forget. There wasn't anything I could not recall in his life. From what he ate four years ago on a rainy Tuesday to the locations of all the farms or abandoned mines this barony had under their jurisdiction, all were now clear as day in my mind.

Using the memories that had flooded my soul and body, I could suddenly realize something the original Ciaphas could not.

From the era of his great grandfather unto the current one, there seemed to be some kind of a continuous sinister plot that greatly benefited the surrounding baronies to the detriment of us. The answer was right in from of him all along. You only had to know where and what to look.

For over a hundred years, the baronies of Prybarrow and Northmill made sure that all roads that led to Evramas were constantly in a horrid state, making trading an almost impossible task.

By checking the local map of the area, more specifically the roads bordering the baronies, you could notice that while the path towards the barony of Prybarrow was easily traversable, the lands belonging to our fief were constantly muddy.

A small lake, that can barely allow a ship to pass through, splits our fief in the middle. The same lake originates from a mountainous area near our border with Prybarrow.

Prybarrow, by digging ditches on their side of the mountain, redirects some of the waters towards our roads, constantly flooding them and making them muddy and hard to traverse.

If that is their only crime, things wouldn't be so dire.

The barony of Prybarrow is famed for its production of steel and various other heavy metals. Taking advantage of the crystal clear waters originating from the mountain, fueling the demands of their metallurgies, the wastes that are left are dumped into the water. Redirected to our roads so they can hide their activities, not daring to pollute the main route of the water as it would be too obvious, they could easily harm our barony while simultaneously benefiting theirs.

All this polluted water is absorbed into the soil and through underground canals, contaminating most of the land in our barony. Our crops turning barely edible is only logical at this point.

Even though this piece of knowledge is common logic to people from Earth, this era isn't as focused on the pursuit of science as they are on wealth.

Having Prybarrow east of our borders, blocking our access towards the main routes is not our only concern.

The Barony of Northmill constantly has skirmishes near our borders, claiming to fight the rebels that encroach both our territories only to demand some land to rent from us as payment, further decreasing our power. As to why they have not asked for the ownership of these lands, I am not so sure myself.

Knowing my father, if I were to reveal to him how these neighbouring barons were taking advantage of us and are the ones behind our impoverished state, he would gather all the peasants capable of holding a sword and march to war. Demons run when a good man goes to war but this war would be doomed to fall, considering we can't even afford basic troops as guards.

The strongest warrior our fief has is an Awakened Warrior, Nathan. Even though he is strong, he is over eighty years old. There is a limit on what he can do.

How Julius Curze encountered Nathan and convinced him to stay in this backyard place isn't a complicated story. Nathan's son was working as a farmer when a pack of wild wolves attacked his home. Immediately after the Baron heard about the attack, he lead a group of capable men and hunted down these animals, exterminating them in the process. No sane Baron would allow these predators to run wild into their fief.

Nathan's son was a hard-working man but due to the grave injuries he received from the wolves, he didn't have much to live.

Noticing Nathan's potential he made a deal with him. Julius would use all the resources he currently had to try and save Nathan's son and in return, Nathan, despite being quite old, would train into a warrior.

His son didn't make it in the end. Nathan stayed true to his word, working for the household of Curze all these years.

''With you getting older and my sister being away, I can understand your worries,'' Ciaphas said, getting up from his seat.

Walking towards his father holding the insignia of his house, Ciaphas apologized.

Julius was surprised because he expected him to stay silent or even to curse at him, but he straight-up walked to him and apologized instead.

Julius was always strict with Ciaphas because he knew the sheer amount of responsibilities his son had to face once he stepped down from his position.

Even though he always looked tough, deep down he knew he was just a weak baron with little to no power in his name. His only desire was to make his fief a flourishing land that many would love to visit. To salvage some of the pride his ancestors had before him.

''Since you don't wish to attend the party the second prince is holding, so be it. I won't force you. From tomorrow onwards you will be the next Baron of Avramas. I won't interfere with the methods you will choose to govern our fief and whether you will fail or succeed, whether our household will have a standing in this world or not, will solely rest on your shoulders and your capabilities. I am too tired of playing these games, so if these actions of yours are just so you could avoid your social responsibilities, may God help this Household.''

A huge burden lifted off Julius's shoulders and right onto Ciaphas, allowing him to finally enjoy some peace of mind after so many decades of struggle. Since this son of his showed some signs of maturity, whether it was to avoid the party or not, it was none of his business.

''I will retire to the capital. I will bring some maids with me to help me settle down. Apart from that, I will ask Nathan to stay with you and help you with the necessary paperwork. I hope I don't regret this.''

Adjusting his pillow so he could relax his back on the chair, Julius took out a small silver case he had in his pockets and handed it to this son of his.

''This is our family's Heirloom. It belonged to your great grandfather and it was passed down from father to son. Since you are the next leader of the family, it is your turn to have it.''

Inside the silver case was a small bronze emblem depicting a wolf biting the moon.

Ciaphas, still in a daze from all these happenings around him, tried to stay calm.

Without uttering a word, he reached his hands towards the silver case, wondering what would happen if he were to hold it. ''Looks like I am still influenced by all the anime I have been watching,'' he thought while holding the case.

The moment he opened the case and laid his eyes on it, he felt as if something was calling him, asking him to take it. It was a feeling he had never sensed before, it was otherwordly but at the same time, familiar. Not able to resist anymore, he reached his hand and finally grabbed it.

Holding the emblem in his hands, a sudden rush of power travelled through his veins, causing the rune that was engraved on his chest to pulsate for a moment before fading once again.

His father stood quietly, eyes glued to his son, having nothing else to say to this troubled youth.

''I hope I didn't make a mistake'' Julius prayed silently, watching as his son was holding the emblem.

''It's just an old emblem, you don't have to hold it like it is your long-lost lover, return it to its case before you damage it'' Julius snapped, trying to hide his temper.