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“……!”

The male student could say nothing and merely bit his lip. He clearly disliked the question intensely, but seemed unable to think of a rebuttal. Perhaps he thought his position would be threatened if his younger siblings distinguished themselves. I gave a very slight shrug.

“Aren’t heirs chosen to lead their families properly? What do you think would happen if you handed the family over to someone lacking in ability and the family ended up ruined? What would you do if creditors suddenly came swarming in and seized the estate?”

The atmosphere of the lecture grew increasingly strange. Some students watched me with pouting, rebellious expressions, clearly displeased, while others whose eyes had been dull gradually began to regain their spark.

“Are you saying that the eldest sons who are heirs are incompetent? That’s rude, Chancellor!”

I calmed the student, who had flared up, with a gentle, “Whoa, whoa.”

“It’s a misunderstanding. I have neither the intention nor the authority to interfere in each family’s choice of heir. It’s not something I could change just by saying a few words, either. What I’m trying to say is that being the eldest son does not automatically mean having great ability. There are occasionally absurdly talented people. Like my fiancé?”

In this other world, families pass things down from one generation to the next. To the eldest son, at that. In other words, this was a world made up entirely of family-run companies. The fact that Lorence was the eldest son must surely be a major reason the Emperor could not let go of him. I, too, would have to pass my title on to my younger sibling once I became a count. This was a system built on deeply rooted thoughts and culture that had existed for a long time; it wasn’t something that could change overnight.

We had a valid justification for trying to get rid of Lorence. The man was trying to become Emperor despite lacking the ability. I wanted to tell these students, who would lead the Empire in the future, that regardless of whether someone was the eldest son or had the right bloodline, the capable person should take the position—and that this was what truly benefited the family.

“Honestly, does it matter who inherits the family? Things seem to run just fine.”

One student said it indifferently. He had a point.

“When an incapable person becomes the head, the danger spreads throughout the entire family. Yet while everyone else suffers, the person who made the decision remains fine. Ridiculous, isn’t it? Incapable people do nothing but make decisions like that.”

“……”

“In that case, first, talented people won’t come because they’ll see no value in working under someone like that. Second, irrational decisions will be made. Third, naturally, they won’t be able to manage a crisis, will they? Finally, the family’s credibility will fall. The reputation and honor nobles value will decline.”

Those aren’t the only negative effects.

“Let’s say, somehow, you become head of the family while eliminating all the capable candidates. This also makes money leak away. You’ll spend enormous sums defending your position, and naturally the family’s capital and investment power will weaken. It becomes a vicious cycle that keeps going around and around. That’s the textbook route to ruining a family. If things continue like this, your family will have fallen far below without you even realizing it. ‘Huh? That guy used to be worse off than my family. When did he climb that high?’ You’ll end up being overtaken by a family you secretly thought was beneath you. Just imagining that bastard acting smug in front of me makes my head feel hot, doesn’t it? That’s why choosing a good head is important.”

At that moment, a female student raised her hand. I nodded to give her permission.

“Then what should you do if the family absolutely wants to pass the succession to the eldest son despite his lacking ability?”

Right, because there were still plenty of heads of family like the Emperor, deeply entrenched in their ways.

“Some of you listening to me right now probably feel a little called out. You know deep down that your younger sibling is more talented, and yet you still want to inherit the family. In that case, there’s only one possible solution.”

Perhaps this was what I really wanted to say to that bastard, the Emperor.

“You make the heir’s training fucking brutal.”

The students flinched at the crude words they never expected to hear from the Chancellor’s mouth. I wrote “Heir Training” on the blackboard and repeatedly circled it.

“You all think you’re working hard enough right now, don’t you? You think I don’t know what lessons heirs of noble families receive? Hmmmmm.”

I smiled slyly.

“That won’t come close to being enough. Do you think it’s easy to become the head who leads a country or a family? You should at least do better than me, the person people point at because I didn’t graduate from the academy. Leave everything to a private tutor and have the head of the family pay no attention? That won’t do. You need to personally oversee everything from character-building to practical affairs. I’m not talking about being confined to the estate and taking lessons. A good leader needs to experience many things and suffer failure. The servants do everything for you, and when it comes to failure, isn’t the worst you’ve experienced losing a swordsmanship match to your instructor or failing to come first on an exam? You also need to understand, firsthand, the territory you’ll govern and its people. Not merely finish the job after one or two inspection trips. Receiving taxes from the citizens of the Empire means you bear those obligations. Do you think they dig money out of the ground to make a living?”

“But what if there’s still no sign of potential?”

Another student asked.

“This kid has no potential? And yet, you still, still absolutely~~~ want to pass everything on to him? Then work him until he gets it. Work him endlessly.”

“Endlessly?”

“It means teaching him until the very end, until he finally understands.”

I heard someone swallow hard. Had I scared them a little?

“Failure to choose an heir means the decline of the family. They say wealth lasts for three generations, but that doesn’t seem true to me. One mistake in how you conduct yourself can send you straight to ruin. Even more so when it comes to power and politics among nobles. Think carefully today about how heavy the responsibility of becoming the next head truly is. Consider whether you’re really prepared for it.”

The classroom was silent.

“What would you do, Chancellor? Someday, you’ll have to pass your family on to someone.”

A female student asked in a very small voice, but the classroom was so quiet that I heard her clearly.

“Me? First priority would go to the person who says they want to do it. Someone who wants it voluntarily is more likely to do a good job. But what if they lack the ability? Then I’d look at whether they have an eye for talent and the ability to attract good people. Those are usually abilities possessed by someone with noble convictions or excellent character. They have none of that either? Then I’d immediately look for another heir. Whether it’s the second or third child, or even someone from a collateral branch, that wouldn’t matter. After all, if you make an incapable person the head of the family, talented people won’t follow them anyway. If I wanted to protect my family and territory, that would be only natural to me.”

“There’ll be fighting over the position of heir.”

The male student who had brought up the prospect of bloodshed objected once again.

“Bloodshed? If the heir makes the family prosperous, I can live my own life and do what I want. Why spill blood needlessly? I’d be grateful to them for taking on the hard work. You don’t have to become the heir to work for your family. As I said in my commencement speech, don’t make positions, titles, or amounts of money your dreams. They’re the quickest road to unhappiness.”

The truth was, forcing something impossible to become possible was difficult too. If someone was atrocious at studying, how easy would it be to force knowledge into them when they hated it and make them the top student in the school? Since both sides could end up miserable, I wouldn’t waste my energy taking that path. But this place strongly favored eldest sons, so I wrapped things up by telling them to understand the weight of the crown accordingly.

“The same goes for a country. It’s exactly the same. Keep in mind that a nation’s fate can change depending on who is in charge.”

So, can we get rid of Lorence now?

I began wrapping up the fairly lengthy lecture. Fortunately, there were no students dozing off or fooling around. Those majoring in administration or management were likely among those aiming to become heirs or take important positions in their families.

“Thank you for listening to my boring talk today. If we meet out in society someday, come say hello.”

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

The special lecture ended to applause louder than I had expected. I felt wonderfully refreshed.

‘Didn’t I come here to relieve stress?’

As I opened the classroom door to leave, several female students held things out and asked for my autograph. An autograph? That was absurd enough, but what one of them handed me was a gossip magazine for young ladies. And it was opened to a page featuring me……

“Chancellor, that was such an amazing lecture! I’m going home today to see whether my brother is doing a good job. I already hated the way he was handling things, so if he’s not up to the task, I’m going to tell Father to work him to the bone.”

It seemed she had understood me perfectly, yet somehow it felt strange. I roughly scrawled my name in cursive and tried to leave quickly.

“Could I have one too?”

As I finished the last autograph and handed the magazine back, someone held a very luxurious fan out in front of me.

‘No, an autograph from a mere civil servant on such an expensive item…… Gasp!’

When I looked up, I was rendered speechless despite myself. I couldn’t help but be shocked.

“Lady Adela?”

And behind her, the Grand Duke, and the Grand Duchess were smiling and waving at me. I was certain only Father was coming up, so why were Mother and sister here too? When I looked at Ren with unsteady eyes, he gave a small, troubled shake of his head.

‘They came up together…….’

They had kept their promise to visit Rusera sometime this year with absolute precision.

“Coco, I found your special lecture deeply impressive. What remarkably unconventional content.”

“Ahaha. Yes, thank you, Mother.”

I screamed inwardly.

Why did I always have to show them only this demon-like side of me!!!