Ch.187Succession War for the Family Headship (2)

After the midterm exam period, the family head selection ceremony began.

The reason for holding the selection ceremony during the semester rather than during vacation was simple. The family elders believed that a person’s maximum ability emerges when they are busiest.

“Master, Young Master Kartrik has arrived.”

“Miss Seti has just arrived too!”

“Young Master Brian arrived first and is waiting.”

The heir candidates arrived one after another.

The council of elders sat down on cushions first. Most of them were Arnold’s age or older. Including direct descendants and collateral relatives within eight degrees of kinship, about fifty people were in attendance.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the family head’s children.”

“Was the last time we saw their faces 10 years ago?”

The family head selection ceremony was a major event for the council of elders as well. It was a day when bloodlines that normally lived far apart could gather and catch up.

“Eric, my good man! It’s been a while! Have you been well?”

“Uncle! Don’t even mention it. Work has become much easier since the war ended.”

The atmosphere was more harmonious than Seti had expected.

Seti was waiting in a room with Brian and Kartrik. As usual, the two brothers didn’t show the slightest interest in Seti. They didn’t even greet her. They just treated her as if she didn’t exist.

“When the hell is Eidel coming?”

“I was wondering the same thing.”

Instead, the two brothers were busy badmouthing Eidel.

“The appointed time has passed, and he hasn’t shown his face.”

“Brother, I think he’s just forfeited. With you and me here, he probably doesn’t want to face the elders. Honestly, he’s always been causing trouble, so his reputation isn’t good anyway.”

When the second son Kartrik’s insults about Eidel carried over the sofa, Seti felt a surge of anger.

Why?

Why am I getting angry?

Right now, she and Eidel were clearly competitors.

Wouldn’t it be better if that idiot forfeited?

“Second brother, don’t be like that. He must have his reasons.”

“Ha, brother, you’re too kind for your own good.”

“Father, it’s been over 15 minutes. Shouldn’t we start without him?”

Still, Seti hoped Eidel would come, that it would be a fair competition. She naturally moved her hand to open her email inbox.

——— Me ———

[Hey]

[You jerk]

[Where r u]

——— Brother ———

[F*ck]

[Conference]

[Just ended]

[Professors asked so many questions]

[Was stuck there for two hours]

[(Novel) I Became an Undergraduate Student That Professors Are Obsessed With♥]

——— Me ———

[Writing fiction, idiot]

[Why are you seducing professors when you should be impressing the elders]

[You’re starting with penalty points now, you’re a burden to me]

[Bye]

——— Brother ———

[Yeah]

[Bye]

[Don’t forget my monthly research funds]

——— Me ———

[Shut up]

[Stop talking nonsense and hurry up]

[If you don’t show up in 10 minutes, no research funds]

——— Idiot ———

[Are you even human]

[F@#k you]

“Eidel will be late due to personal circumstances. We have no choice. Let’s start without him.”

Seti sighed.

The first part was time for self-promotion. In a small auditorium, with the council of elders watching, the children would take turns going up to the podium to announce their achievements.

“Brother, can I present first?”

“As you wish.”

Kartrik stood up confidently.

“Hello, everyone. I am Kartrik, studying medicine at Callisto Academy. First, my vision as family head is as follows.”

Kartrik listed various credentials in his presentation, including his grades and volunteer activities. It seemed he wanted to prove his abilities by showing his diverse activities.

Some elders murmured.

“Impressively flashy.”

“A solid young man.”

Seti also evaluated Kartrik by channeling the elders’ perspective.

If she were an HRM manager at a company…

She would absolutely not hire him.

Besides lacking any distinctive qualities, it wasn’t clear what he was trying to say.

That was merely a list of credentials. There was experience but no story. There seemed to be no reason why he should become the family head.

Of course, the elders might think differently, so she kept her thoughts to herself.

“That concludes my presentation.”

“Next, we will hear from Young Master Brian.”

A subtle electronic sound was heard. It was an android’s voice.

“Young Master Brian graduated at the top of his class from Stellarium Medical School and served as a military doctor on the southern front alongside the current family head. He also expanded unmanned hospitals to frontier planetary systems, enhancing the family’s prestige.”

The android was praising him from the start. There was nothing wrong with that. After all, there was no need to personally introduce oneself.

In fact, having someone else speak on your behalf adds credibility. Seti judged that Brian was smarter than Kartrik.

After the android returned to its place, Brian displayed his presentation and spoke.

“While following my father into battle, I witnessed the horrors of war. Areas both inside and outside the Golden Zone were devoured by Darwin’s Legion. Watching people die day after day, I felt one particular problem.”

Seti evaluated his presentation as well.

It wasn’t a simple list of credentials. He was forming a narrative. Not a bad approach.

“That problem was the inadequacy of the medical system. Even though the Rheinland family has a tight grip on the southern medical network, we couldn’t provide excellent medical services to everyone. Let me give you an example.”

The slide changed.

“This person is an old soldier I met during my service. He said, ‘I lost my parents, wife, and two sons to the Legion. All I have left is this grudge, congealed like blood.’ When I heard his story, my heart felt like it was being torn apart.”

He probably chose that story targeting the mostly elderly council members. Smart.

Brian slowly unfolded the story, drawing them in. According to the story, he and the old man had become close over several months. The council members nodded.

“One day, the old soldier was severely wounded in a battle in the Aleph planetary system. A monster’s poisonous sting completely pierced his chest. He needed immediate surgery. It was obvious he would get infected if treatment was delayed.”

“So, what happened?”

“He passed away.”

“Ah…”

Brian turned around to look at the old warrior who remained only in photographs. He shed a hot tear.

“At that time, I couldn’t do anything. The situation was urgent, and there wasn’t enough medical equipment for all the wounded. My father told me not to worry about it, but I just couldn’t bear it.”

Sighs erupted from all around. Most of the elders gathered here had similar experiences. They were doctors too.

Brian wiped his tears with his sleeve and made his final push.

“I deeply felt the shortage in the wartime medical system. I believe our family must solve this problem. For the sake of our family’s banner, and for the future of the Federation.”

Clap clap clap!

Thunderous applause broke out.

“The first son is very compassionate. He considers not only the family but also the public good of society as a whole. That’s the kind of magnanimity needed.”

“A smart young man.”

“My close friend died similarly to that old man. Life is the same everywhere.”

Brian concluded his presentation amid favorable gazes. Kartrik was looking at his brother with serious eyes.

Seti also remained tense. It was certainly near-perfect storytelling.

“There are many competent doctors in the world, but those who are both righteous and dedicated are rare. It was a good presentation.”

Seti could see one thing. Unlike the Adelbein family, the Rheinland family was relatively lenient about grades and credentials. What mattered most was what kind of cause and ambition one held in their heart.

She was not lacking in ambition either. Seti carefully climbed onto the podium. A smile played at the corners of her lips.

“Brother Brian, thank you for your good words earlier.”

A true gentleman should think not only of defeating enemies but also of using them.

She would naturally draw to herself the sympathetic thoughts of the elders who had empathized with Brian.

“I too understand the sorrow of war. In that sense, I would like to briefly share the story of an Academia classmate.”

Seti brought up the story of Mathers.

Someone born and raised on a frontier planet who entered Stellarium’s honors class.

She had overheard his story before. Her goal was to adapt it appropriately and deliver it with impact.

It was successful. She saw Brian’s eyebrow twitch. Thanks to that, her words gained momentum.

“As shown by the example of the friend I just mentioned, the most important things for frontier planetary systems are personnel and equipment. Buildings are useless without doctors, nurses, and equipment. I want to focus on this practical matter.”

Practical matter.

In other words, money.

Seti first showed her stock chart. Even those elders who had been acting so noble couldn’t help but gape shamelessly at the graph that shot through the ceiling.

“These are the profits I’ve generated. With this accumulated capital, I created a venture company.”

The next moment, the presentation changed.

A logo prominently featuring the yellow cross, the implicit symbol of the Rheinland family, appeared.

And below it, the brand name.

“This is ‘MediDoc,’ an integrated medical transport service using the stellar technology of the constellation.”

MediDoc.

The first company Seti established with her own money.

The fact that professors from the special graduate school of business administration were eyeing her because of this company was not yet well known.

“Recently, I started a business renting medical equipment at low prices to 27 planets in the southwest. For heavy equipment that is difficult to move immediately, we can pioneer transport corridors through the constellation’s blessing. Since we generate at least as much margin as the cost of operating the constellation, we can consider long-term profits.”

She showed that she was already making efforts even before becoming the family head.

And then she clearly articulated the limitations to explain why she needed to become the family head.

“…but there were difficulties as well. A notable example was the arduous journey I had to go through when receiving investment from Stronium.”

“Stronium, you say.”

“It’s not easy to secure investment from that corporation.”

“If she managed to close a deal without even being the family head, she has potential.”

It’s working. It’s definitely working. Seti raised her voice to conclude.

“If I am given the position of family head, I will make the family finances much more abundant, and based on this, I will create various medical companies to build a medical chain that encompasses our entire galaxy. Thank you.”

Clap clap clap clap!

Applause poured out once again. Perhaps because she mentioned making a ton of money, the response was as good as Brian’s.

“Is that all now?”

“Young Master Eidel has not arrived yet.”

“Where could he be and what could he be doing on such an important day?”

The elders clicked their tongues. Kartrik snorted, and Brian pretended to be indifferent while cleaning his glasses. Seti sat quietly, observing the situation.

That’s when it happened.

“The third young master has arrived.”

The door opened, and an android with dark blue short hair and a tall man entered.

The man was wearing a suit, and upon seeing the elders, he bowed his head sheepishly.

“Everyone, I apologize for being late. Did you wait long?”

Seti desperately tried to hold back her laughter.

She recalled a professor from one of her classes.

– Everyone, I apologize for being late. The meeting ran long, haha.

That tenure-track assistant professor was frequently late to lectures due to his tight schedule.

Why? She saw that professor’s image overlapping with Eidel.

“Brother, look at how shameless he is. How can someone be so relaxed after being 30 minutes late?”

“He probably took time to dress properly. Let’s be understanding, brother.”

They all didn’t know.

Only Seti knew here. The fact that Eidel had not wasted his time frivolously.

At that moment, one of the elders stood up abruptly. He pointed at Eidel and threatened him.

“So you’re Eidel. What have you been doing until now?”

“I had a conference presentation, so I was a bit late. I’m sorry.”

“What conference presentation!”

The council’s gazes were divided.

Some elders who had been keeping an eye on Eidel had sparkling eyes. Most of them were highly educated with graduate degrees.

On the other hand, those who weren’t interested or supported Brian had cold gazes.

“Everyone, don’t you know? Eidel is a genius nominated for the Archea Award. If he has achievements, wouldn’t professors want to keep him a bit longer?”

“That’s just empty fame. How could such a young man publish a paper in <Universe>? It’s ridiculous…”

“Why? It could be possible. Are there too many geniuses in the world?”

“At the very least, being late on such an important day is not proper behavior for a direct descendant of the Rheinland family.”

While the council was whispering, Sonia told Eidel.

“Please go up and do your PR.”

Eidel staggered up to the podium. The elders’ eyebrows twisted chaotically. In truth, Eidel hadn’t been feeling well because he’d been researching all week with only brief naps.

After climbing onto the podium, Eidel cleared his throat and began speaking in a quiet tone.

“I am Eidel. My hobbies are writing papers and observing the Legion.”

He smiled as he displayed the PPT he had prepared.

[10 Ways to Torment the Legion]

“Crazy young man.”