The Mastermind's Second Son

Damn it, Yuri! Always doing things he shouldn’t!

As the second son of the Mastermind Family, I, Marco, slammed my fist onto the desk with everything I had. I didn’t care if I looked desperate; the irritation boiling in my gut was too much to contain.

The cause of my fury was, of course, the meteoric rise of my younger brother, Yuri.

When I first heard he was moving to the frontier, I had openly mocked him. What a fool, throwing away his own path to success, I’d thought. The Barren Land Father owned was a hollow prize, a place with no population to speak of—a wasteland forced upon him that he’d finally found a way to dump. It was a convenient way to dispose of a redundant son.

But what happened once the lid was actually opened?

In the blink of an eye, Yuri had developed those frontier lands, transforming them into a metropolis so grand that even the surrounding nations were forced to treat him with respect.

He must have known. Yuri likely had some secret intelligence about that region’s potential before he ever left. There was no other way. A single man couldn't possibly build a city of that scale through effort alone.

“Damn it. If only I’d been the one to speak up back then…”

To make matters worse, Yuri was now set to receive a reward for the "achievements" he’d made in that desert. The rumors said he was even entering into an engagement with a Princess of this kingdom.

Considering the Princesses close to Yuri’s age, it had to be the Third Princess.

Florentia Inraku.

She was known for being somewhat airheaded, but she was an undeniably lovely girl. It had always been a mystery why she didn't have a fiancé yet. Most likely, the crown had been keeping her in reserve for a political marriage to keep some troublesome foreign power in check.

But then Yuri had just... appeared.

To my annoyance, it seemed my brother was on excellent terms with the Royal Family of other nations, and he was actively inviting foreigners into his territory. I could see his aim clearly enough: by flaunting those connections, he was making himself indispensable to the international community.

But understanding his logic didn't make it any less galling.

“I can’t stand this. Isn’t there some way to make him fall from grace?”

Yuri was skyrocketing toward success, while I was still nothing more than the second son. Where had the gap between us even come from?

“I understand how you feel, but don’t make any unnecessary moves.”

I had been running the details of a Yuri Assassination Plan through my mind, but my older brother, Knot, cut me off before I could even begin to act.

“I’m not particularly happy about this either,” Knot continued, “but it seems Father has some sort of plan.”

“But Father’s own attempt at the Assassination of Yuri failed—”

I stopped myself, realizing I was raising my voice too much. I took a breath and lowered my tone. No matter how many blunders had been piling up lately, our father, Balan, was the man who ruled this kingdom from the shadows. He was terrifying. And looking at Knot, I could tell he felt the same way.

“Regardless, this engagement was Father’s own proposal. If you interfere poorly now…”

“I… I see. Then it can’t be helped. Fine. I’ll just watch from the sidelines for a while.”

I backed down easily. There was no point in arguing with Knot when Father was involved.

“No, there’s no need to back off,” Knot said, a sly grin spreading across his face. “Think about it calmly. We don't have to approach him as enemies immediately. We are Yuri’s older brothers, aren't we?”

The realization hit me, and I felt a matching grin tugging at my lips.

“I see. We go to see him openly as his supportive brothers. And if, by some chance, Father’s plan fails…”

“Exactly. By then, we’ll have secured Yuri’s trust.”

“Heh… that’s a perfect plan. I’ll go talk to Father about visiting the territory right away.”

“Good idea,” Knot said. “Send me a report on the situation via letter every now and then. Just so I can provide 'help' if you happen to fall into a crisis.”

“I appreciate it.”

I hurried off to report my intentions to Father.

Behind me, Knot watched my departure with a smug chuckle. To walk into such a dangerous place of his own free will, he likely thought. At the very least, he can drop some information for my sake.

But we were both being fools.

Balan already understood exactly what his sons were plotting. He dismissed our schemes as easily as one brushes off a fly, and in the end, every Yuri Assassination Plan we devised would prove to be an utter waste of time.