The Helsen Nephew

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

The sun was setting in the west. Under the afterglow of the sunset, a magnificent carriage slowly entered Alden Town from the south, traveling north along the main street located in the city's central axis, then crossing the stone bridge to reach the island on the northern lake.

To be precise, only the buildings on this island in the lake truly constitute "Alden Town." Three years ago, much of the area on the southern bank of the Weis Lake was farmland or forest. Now, it has been replaced by numerous buildings and streets, with a steady influx of immigrants and newly constructed factories rapidly expanding the size of this town.

Someone in the Council of State has proposed a new name for this emerging city, while Alden Town on the island will continue to be used as the name of one of the new city's districts. However, Paul is indecisive among the various naming proposals, and the new name for the city remains unresolved.

Since this small island on the lake is the location of the castle where the Grayman family has lived for generations, the offices of many departments of the Council and military are built around the castle. Thus, this island has become the power center for the three powerful territories of Alden, Byerldine, and Emden.

The three powerful territories—Emden was originally a stronghold (of course, in the northwest bay), while Alden and Byerldine have shown their increasing strength in recent years to those around them.

With the continuously expanding telegraph lines, Alden Town issues the latest instructions to various jurisdictions every day and receives a steady stream of feedback from them.

Due to the island's special status, it has become a place where officials and nobles compete to move in. Who wouldn't want to be closer to the power center? Besides the senior officials of military and political departments, there are also newly risen factory owners and merchants who, even if they don't reside in Alden Town full-time, need a foothold here.

Of course, there are also the nobles and lords from Emden who have already pledged allegiance to the Grayman family, all rushing to this place to purchase properties.

Driven by these individuals, land prices on the island have soared. Although the original inhabitants are a group of commoners, many of whom are technically serfs under the Grayman family, everyone knows that Earl Grayman prides himself on being a protector of the commoners, so no one dares to seize land or make forceful purchases under his nose. The original inhabitants have taken this opportunity to make a fortune, happily moving to the new urban area on the southern bank with their money bags.

The carriage continued to move slowly, turning into a wide alley before finally stopping in front of a medium-sized residence.

There were already two people, an elderly man and a young boy, waiting at the door.

As the carriage door opened, the boy stepped forward and respectfully called out, "Uncle."

"Orlando," the person inside the carriage replied, then stepped down.

He was a tall middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard and well-maintained skin, clearly someone of wealth and status.

Eugene Helsen, the lord of one of Emden's vassal territories, had arrived in Alden Town after more than two days of travel.

The former vassals of the Kent family had now become vassals of the Grayman family, at least in name.

The boy standing at the door to greet him was his nephew—Orlando Helsen. Beside Orlando stood the butler appointed by Helsen for the Alden Town residence.

Eugene Helsen's wife passed away after giving birth to three daughters. The Viscount, who has been reminiscing about his deceased wife, never remarried, thus designating his brother's son as the heir to the family.

He has high hopes for this nephew. Shortly after swearing allegiance to Paul Grayman on behalf of the family, he sent him to Alden Town for education.

Sending the heir of the family to be educated by the lord is a common way for vassals to demonstrate loyalty in this era.

However, there were no knights in Alden Town to teach Orlando martial skills, nor any noblewomen to instruct him in etiquette. The educational pathways were limited to two options—the Weis Academy for cultural knowledge and the Grayman Military Academy for military knowledge.

Viscount Helsen chose the Weis Academy for his nephew. As a noble child who had received excellent education from a young age, Orlando didn't have to start from "primary school." He easily passed the entrance exam for "secondary school." Even though he lacked the novel knowledge taught in primary school, he could easily acquire it through auditing or night classes.

The uncle and nephew entered the residence, where a lavish dinner had already been prepared. As they enjoyed their meal, they engaged in conversation.

"Why did you come to Alden Town this time?"

"I'm here to purchase a batch of agricultural tools and to see which technologies the Earl is planning to reveal that we can utilize."

The Viscount held a glass of red wine, gently swirling it. "Orlando, you've been living in Alden Town for a while now. What do you think of it?"

"Well..." The young man chewed on his meat and, after hastily swallowing, replied, "How should I put it? It's a... very vibrant place."

"Very vibrant?"

"Yes. It seems that Earl Grayman has instilled in everyone here the idea that as long as you work hard, you'll be rewarded. You might not believe it, but in Alden Town, even the corvée labor that lords usually impose hasn't been seen for a long time. Instead, there's hired work—Earl Grayman gathers his subjects to work, but he pays them."

"Oh?" Viscount Helsen raised an eyebrow, "How novel."

He asked, "So what do you think of the academy?"

Orlando thought for a moment and replied, "Unlike other places that focus on literature, art, and etiquette, this place emphasizes practicality. Mathematics is of utmost importance, and much of the curriculum has been personally organized by Lord Grayman. I've truly learned a lot of new but efficient theories here. I heard the Earl is working on an esoteric textbook called 'Advanced Mathematics,' but I don't know when it will be published. Ah... there's also alchemy here—what we call 'chemistry.' It's quite strange; alchemy has always been taught through small-scale master-apprentice relationships, so this large-scale instruction at Weiss Academy is a first for me."

"Well, you need to study hard," Viscount Helsen squinted his eyes and nodded repeatedly, clearly sensing that his new lord valued practical technical talent.

"I've always wanted to ask you a question," Orlando said, looking at his uncle.

"What is it?"

"I know you sent me here to study so that our family can secure a foothold in the new system..."

"Yes..." The Viscount didn't deny his nephew's assertion.

"Then why not let me take the civil service examination directly? Those peasants who barely know a few characters can pass; I certainly could too. Although competing against them as the heir of a Viscount might seem a bit beneath me, I am confident that I can quickly secure an important position with my abilities."

In other territories, a noble like Orlando would only need a recommendation letter to secure a position. But in Alden, you had to pass an exam.

"Orlando..." The Viscount explained, "From my observations, the Earl's recruitment of these mixed-quality individuals into his civil administration is out of necessity. You know, in this day and age, how many people can even read a text fully? Being in the academy, do you think Lord Grayman values you students?"

"Quite a lot. He personally inquires about every exam's outcome."

"Exactly. The civil council examinations are merely a stopgap measure; those who enter will inevitably encounter a ceiling on their advancement. The students from Weiss Academy are the Earl's future reliance. Without that status, even if you enter the civil council and perform excellently, you'll still lack recognition."

"I understand," Orlando nodded. "Actually..."

"Actually what?"

"I'm considering transferring to that military academy."

At this, the young man's eyes shone with longing. He had seen the Alden army training from a distance—the orderly ranks, synchronized movements, and the crispness of their marches were truly captivating.

"Ah..." The Viscount smiled faintly and shook his head. He remembered being young and understood that this young man was filled with thoughts of horse riding and battle.

"If there's war, the military is naturally the place where results can be most easily achieved. But the Earl is not a warlike person. The suppression of pirates, the Byerldine rebellion, and the Usurper Wars were all actions taken out of necessity. Do you want to slowly bide your time in the military? Besides, having a warlike lord isn't necessarily a good thing, like Maltz Kent. And our identity as those who surrendered is somewhat awkward; don't provoke the Earl's wrath."

"Uh... Okay!" The young man nodded dejectedly. "Actually, I was just saying that. You know, for me, getting into Grayman Academy is still quite difficult?"

"What do you mean?" Viscount Helsen was puzzled that his nephew, being so capable, would say such a thing.

"It seems that Grayman Military Academy's admissions are... no, they definitely favor the children of commoners. Although there's no hard rule, based on our observations, it appears that less than a quarter of those who can enter are from upper-class families. And this 'upper-class family' doesn't just include legitimate nobles like us but also includes wealthy landlord families from the countryside."

"Oh? Is that so?" Viscount Helsen was very surprised.

"Yes. Many children from upper-class families in our academy are quite unruly and often clash with students from neighboring academies. There are numerous instances of fights and brawls... Uncle?"

Orlando noticed that his uncle had fallen into deep thought.

Hearing his nephew's call, the Viscount snapped back to reality. "Orlando, you haven't participated in such fights, have you?"

"I..." The young man hesitated for a moment and stammered, "Just a few times."

In other places, if commoners and powerful noble families clashed, the outcome was usually bad, but Orlando was up against the students of his own lord—Paul was simultaneously the headmaster of both Grayman Military Academy and Weiss Academy.

"Listen, in the future, don't get involved in such matters; stay away from them."

The Viscount earnestly warned his nephew.

"Uh... Yes!" Noticing his uncle's serious expression, Orlando felt a bit surprised.

Eugene Helsen stared at him. "Although I don't know the Earl's intentions, we should avoid probing into matters that don't concern us. You are the heir of our family, and I do not want any mishaps to occur."

"I'll remember that, Uncle."

Orlando nodded heavily.

(End of the Chapter)

---

Want More of (FF)?

Read ahead on [Pa.treon](pa treon . com / CinderTL) – up to Chapter 666.

Early access starts at $5. Your support keeps this going!

Translated 1100+ Chapters and 1.3M+ Words 

💌 2/3 reviews left (WN & SH Combined) for mass release.