An Arranged Marriage with an Enemy

How many negotiations had his sister conducted with them? They really were a miserly bunch.

“But the Ingeloses, in a good or bad sense, are the ones most like the ancient mages.”

“Ancient mages?”

“In terms of being purely obsessed with magic.
Money or anything like that is not part of their priorities.”

Kaon paused.
He had a rough idea of ​​what Joseph was trying to say.

“…Are you saying they have a financial problem?”

It still seemed surreal.

Even though they were his family’s enemies, Ingelos was still one of the seven families representing the kingdom.
It was not a nameless family tucked away in a corner of the kingdom.
A duke’s family undergoing a financial crisis? Wasn’t that absurd?

“Yes, and it’s quite a serious situation.
They’re on the verge of bankruptcy.”

“What?”

Joseph confirmed it, explaining that it really was quite dire.

“How could that be?”

Kaon was genuinely curious.

King Helios I, the founding king of Gaius, did not forget to pay tribute to the five families who contributed to his founding.
Each family was given the land they wanted along with huge amounts of gold and precious stones.

Of course, it was a story from several hundred years ago, but even considering that, it was incomprehensible that Ingelos alone was on the verge of ruin.

The situation of the other four families was more or less the same as theirs because even if the Ferdinands were worried about the future and looking for ways to prepare, they weren’t in serious financial trouble right now.

“Didn’t I tell you? They are the ones who are the most like the ancient mages.
How would you describe a mage?”

“What…? Single-minded and reticent? Selfish?”

Kaon knew he was biased, but it wasn’t like mages didn’t act that way.

Even the mages officially dispatched from the Tower who were obligated to protect the territories neglected their duties, contributing to the prejudice against them.

“Ingelos is an exceptionally antisocial family.
There is probably no other in Gaius and beyond who can exceed them in that.”

“Well, that’s… something.”

“If each member of the family was raised to value only the act of increasing their own magical power and dislike all other activities, wouldn’t that be a fundamental problem?”

“It means no one is making money.”

“Correct.”

There was obviously nothing wrong with cultivating intellect and exploring academic pursuits in itself, but what if every single one in the family is focused on that? No matter how much gold was there, it would run out one day if nobody bothered to add to the pile.