Today's friend may be tomorrow's enemy.

Upon hearing of Perrian's death, Ian was getting ready to make his move.

News of Robert's death had reached Rudy, who remained quiet.

But that didn't mean Ian had any reason to console Rudy or wait for him.

With Perrian gone, the Duke's position was now vacant.

Someone needed to fill it quickly for the sake of stabilizing the political situation.

Ian was moving for that very purpose.

"Do you think Rudy is capable of inheriting the title?"

"Hmm..."

"Don't be coy, speak your mind."

Ian was in the midst of a meeting with his close associates from the Astria family.

"It's not unlikely..."

"Why do you think so?"

"Because the internal political situation of the empire has tilted towards the Emperor's faction with the disappearance of the former head."

"It's not because of my lack of ability?"

The nobleman Ian was speaking to waved his hand dismissively.

"That's absurd. Your abilities far surpass those of Rudy Astria. If it were purely about ability, you're the rightful heir."

"Is that so? Then."

Ian looked the nobleman straight in the eye and spoke.

"What do you think will happen over time?"

"Ah..."

"What about comparing Rudy and me 10, 20 years from now?"

"That is..."

The nobleman couldn't give a definite answer.

Ian smiled at this hesitance.

"Of course, you wouldn't know. Humans can't see even an inch into their future."

"But... We believe you are the superior one. That's why we are here."

"Thanks for saying that."

Ian was pleased with the noble's honest words.

"We all feel the same way."

"The position of the head of the family belongs to you, Ian."

The nearby nobles agreed.

Hearing this, Ian stood up.

"Thank you, everyone. Let's conclude the meeting here."

Ian smiled and left his seat.

Walking out of the room and through the hallway, Ian's smile gradually faded.

"The head of the family..."

Ian's plans had never changed.

To become the head of the Astria family and rise to the highest position in the empire.

However.

As Ian pushed Perrian into a corner, he watched Rudy and observed his surroundings.

They were not so different from himself.

All striving for a higher position.

From afar, he thought they were no different from him.

But getting closer revealed a new scene.

They were not just striving for high positions.

They were looking beyond.

Reaching a high position was merely a step, not the goal.

Thinking this, Ian wondered about Perrian.

If Perrian had achieved immortality and the empire using mana stones and amplifiers, what would he have done?

No need to consider others.

'If I were to ascend to the Duke's position, what then? What should I do next?'

Questions were the only things floating in Ian's mind.

"Sorry for leaving you alone for a bit. I brought some tea."

"If you need any snacks, just say the word. I'll bring them over."

"Do you like the tea? If not, I can get a different kind."

I smiled warmly at the person in front of me, offering the best kindness I could muster.

Despite my goodwill, the person in front of me was extremely uncomfortable.

"Ru, Rudy. Since it's just us, you can act as usual..."

"This is my usual."

I was extending hospitality to Karen.

It had been a few days since I returned to the capital.

I was making various efforts to inherit the Duke's title.

Practicing spatial magic, meeting people who would support me, doing various things.

During this time, one person came to visit.

Karen Mayer.

I was surprised to see her.

I had clearly told Count Mayer that I had no intentions of marriage or anything else, yet here she was.

I thought quickly.

I needed to make this person detach her feelings from me.

So, I treated Karen with all the kindness I could muster.

Showing the utmost courtesy I was capable of.

That was the method I chose to push Karen away.

"Ru, Rudy..."

"Is there something wrong? Are you feeling ill? Or is there some food you can't eat?"

"Rudy..."

"Hm?"

Karen just repeated my name, saying nothing else.

As expected, she was at a loss for how to react to my kindness.

After shuffling her feet for a few minutes, Karen stood up.

"I'll come back... next time."

"Sure, you're welcome anytime."

I sent Karen off with a smile and returned to my room.

"Ha..."

I like to think I'm not a bad person, but offering excessive kindness was exhausting.

I sighed and looked at where Karen had disappeared.

"What should I do?"

I felt sorry for Karen, but I had no feelings for her.

She was merely a bridge I intended to use to approach the Mayer family.

Thinking this way, I was truly despicable.

But there was a tiny bit of injustice.

How could I have known that Karen harbored such feelings for me?

I intended to use Karen, but I never planned to harm her.

I just wanted to keep our relationship strictly business.

"Also, what would Rie say..."

I sighed and stood up.

Dealing with Karen was troublesome, but for now, I had other things to do.

The struggle for the head of the family position.

I need to think about this.

Normally, securing the position of the head of the family involves many steps. The family's internal members evaluate the candidates and compete fairly.

However, such evaluations was meaningless now.

With Perrian's death, someone needed to quickly take the Duke's position.

There were rebels outside, and we needed to create a stable situation internally.

The question was, how do we evaluate someone?

We couldn't take as long for evaluations as before, nor could we conclude everything with a vote among the internal members.

We needed something for the two contenders to compete in.

But we couldn't just have a brawl like children.

If they fought normally, someone could get hurt or even die, which could weaken the empire's strength and be a disgrace.

Therefore, we needed a fair fight under specific rules.

Recently, an answer emerged through a meeting of the empire.

Whoever accumulates greater achievements.

It was decided to compete in this way.

Over a certain period, accumulate achievements and evaluate them.

This was the best option for the empire as well.

We could win battles against the rebels or stabilize the internal chaos caused by them.

Evaluating someone based on their achievements allowed us to assess various aspects of that person, making it a good proposal for both us and the empire.

Then the inevitable question arose.

What kind of achievements should I accumulate?

Ian had the Royal army with him, but I was alone.

Though I had some people to help me, I didn't have an army.

"Achievements..."

I began to ponder this slowly.

What do I have that's superior to Ian?

In terms of spatial magic or other magical abilities, I'm inferior to Ian.

Even politically, I'm below him.

The only advantage I had was 'information'.

I knew various things about the rebels.

I had faced Aryandor's time magic and knew about the other leaders as well.

Besides information about the rebels, I also had much knowledge acquired from the academy.

So, I had to use that information to accomplish something.

"Rudy Astria. Are you there?"

Just then, a voice was heard from outside.

I immediately went outside upon hearing it.

Since there were no servants, I had to go out myself.

"Rudy Astria. How have you been?"

As I went outside, I saw the figure of Franz, the head wizard.

"What brings you here?"

"Haha, just stopping by."

The head wizard of the empire visited my mansion without any particular reason.

I was puzzled by the situation.

I didn't have a deep connection with Franz.

Apart from the time we cooperated, I had hardly ever seen his face.

"I came because I have something for you."

"For me?"

Franz took a small letter out of his pocket.

"It's something Robert left behind."

"Professor Robert?"

I took the letter with wide eyes.

"It's the last letter he gave me, but it looks like it's something you need, so I came."

I looked at Franz with a bewildered expression.