#1315 Junior’s Adventure – The Eldest Child’s Inheritance Virtue 

“Become the Demon King? Me? Don’t say such reckless things!” 

Prince Goetia is already mentally cornered. 
He explodes over the smallest things. 

“Everyone’s whispering it, on the streets, in the castle, everywhere! The next Demon King will be Marine, they say! With rumors like that spreading, how am I supposed to calm down with empty reassurances?!” 
“It’s not an empty reassurance, it’s the truth,” Belphgamilia says, as if it’s the most trivial thing in the world. “Because the Demon Kingdom basically follows primogeniture.” 
“Huh?” 
“Primogeniture...meaning the firstborn son inherits the throne. It’s written in the legal code. It’s common sense there. Same in the Mermaid Kingdom and in the old Human Kingdom before the dynasty collapsed.” 

What about the Farm Kingdom…? 
People keep calling me the heir, so I guess it’s the same. 

“The current Demon King’s eldest son...so that’s you, Goetia. As long as you’re Zedan’s firstborn, the next Demon King seat is yours. Safe and guaranteed. So no matter what those irresponsible loudmouths say, you don’t have to care.” 
“That’s just a pretense! A country is a place where countless people live, and the ruler must be capable! The more capable, the better!” 

I think Prince Goetia’s logic is sound. 
You absolutely cannot screw up steering a country. 
So wouldn’t it be better to let the most capable child inherit, regardless of birth order or gender? 

“Real strength is the most accurate measure of a person. A strong ruler protects and advances the nation. A weak one brings danger and decline. That’s why we must cast aside the pretense of primogeniture and choose the stronger candidate for Demon King!” 

“So you’re saying you want to hand the throne to Princess Marine?” 
“No, I want to surpass her by my own strength and become Demon King in a way no one can object to.” 

I see. That’s admirable. 
But what about me, the one dragged into all this? 
Hm? 

“Strength is the most accurate measure, huh? …But Goetia, is ‘strength’ really as clear-cut as you think?” 
“Huh?” 
“The weaker and more incompetent someone is, the more likely they are to say they’re the strongest. Back when I was in the Demon King’s Army, I saw tons of people like that. Hundreds. There was even a time when every member of the Heavenly Four except me called themselves the Chief Heavenly One.” 

…Wow. 
That’s… something...! 

“People who can’t see their own limits are a lot more common than you think. No, most people in the world are like that. They can’t grasp their own standing, and they can’t measure the greatness of others. And even so, Goetia, do you still think ability is absolute?” 
“No, that’s…!” 
“Ability can only be measured through a single lens. And that lens is results. Only by producing results can anyone know what a person is truly capable of. Until then, it’s all unknown. Are they a sleeping lion or just a paper tiger? No one can tell.” 

Prince Goetia does agree with this, since he’s been trying to show his worth to the world by bringing Belphgamilia into his faction. 

“So? When you think about it like that, isn’t strength a fuzzy thing?” 
“M-Maybe…?” 
“Okay then, here’s a hypothetical. Suppose a kingdom has two princes, each convinced they’re the superior one. Who’s better? Who deserves the throne? How do you decide?” 
“With… tests? Or giving them real duties to evaluate…?” 
“A serious answer. But you know, the loser of a mock test always says it: ‘I’d have won in a real fight.’” 
“Huh?” 
“Junior. What do you think the most decisive method is?” 

Huh?! 
You're asking me?! 

Hmm, well... 
If you want a result so definitive no one can object… 

“…A fight to the death?” 
“Correct!” 

Wow, that was the right answer. 

“Wait! That’s far too extreme! The country would-” 
“But killing each other is the clearest way to settle it. Once someone is dead, they can’t complain. Because they’re dead.” 

A dead man tells no tales, huh. 

“Of course, it would plunge the nation into chaos. A succession duel wouldn’t stay one-on-one. It would drag in both factions and become a civil war. Civilians would be caught in it, innocent people die, production collapses, and the nation weakens.” 
“That’s a catastrophe! No kingdom should choose its ruler like that!” 
“True. But if you insist on determining the ruler by pure strength, that’s the most certain way.” 

Any mock battle leaves room for doubt. 
Belphgamilia is right—strength is ambiguous. 
Unless the gap is overwhelming, you can’t easily say who’s superior. One win out of ten can still be the fatal blow. 

Which makes “strength” extremely unreliable. 

“Still... If such logic prevailed, every succession would lead to bloodshed! Innocent people would die, towns and fields would burn! Utter devastation! That’s absolutely unacceptable!” 

Prince Goetia desperately protests. 
Belphgamilia watches him with satisfaction. 

“And that is why the primogeniture system exists.” 
“Huh?” 
“Birth order is unmistakably clear. Unlike ambiguous strength, there’s no arguing who came first. The birth of a royal child is officially recorded. Even a few days between siblings is enough to make a solid distinction… well, except in twin cases.” 

Birth order really is clear. 
With so many siblings myself, I know exactly where I stand. 

‘The firstborn inherits’ leaves far less room for argument than ‘the strongest inherits.’ 

“To me, politics is ultimately a system designed to ensure peaceful transitions of power. In that sense, primogeniture is an excellent solution. For the reasons I’ve just explained.” 
“...” 
“Of course, strength still matters. You can’t let an incompetent person rule millions. That’s why the heir, usually the firstborn, receives intense training. Same with you, right?” 
“Well… yes.” 
“That means all your effort hasn’t been wasted.” 

Belphgamilia has somehow drifted into casual speech. 
He’s probably just naturally bad at using honorifics consistently. 

“Anyway, the point is this: as the firstborn, you can relax. No matter what your strength is or isn’t, the Demon Kingdom uses primogeniture. The next Demon King will be you. Those irresponsible people gossiping about Marine have zero authority to decide anything.” 
“Uh, question.” 
“Yes, Junior?” 

But you know… the one who actually chooses the next king is King Zedan, right? 
His opinion is what matters most. 

And isn’t the fact that Marine still doesn’t have a fiancé exactly why all these rumors spread? 

“As expected of you, Junior, you catch the important points. Commoners have idle time, so they let their underdeveloped brains run wild with baseless fantasies. Then they force those fantasies onto reality and even convince themselves that the fantasies are reality. It’s pathetic.” 

Ouch. Harsh. 
Or so I think to myself, but this is just his personality. 

“Of course, Zedan himself is partly at fault for giving people room to speculate. But you have to understand his feelings as a father. He’s a sentimental guy for a king.” 
“What do you mean?” 
“Exactly what you think. Zedan just doesn’t want to marry Marine off, so he keeps stalling on choosing a fiancé.” 

I knew it! 
I knew it!!! 

Please let go already, Demon King! You’re too doting! 

“And Goetia, you don’t have a fiancé either. Since Zedan married for love, he wants his children to choose their own partners, too. But leaving things unsettled causes political instability.” 

“Huh? A love marriage?” 

Prince Goetia latches onto that one phrase. 

“But Father took two queens…” 
“Adults have… all sorts of reasons.” 

Belphgamilia says, gazing off into the distance. 

“In any case, there’s no doubt Zedan already has you in mind as his successor. Like I said, he’s a man with a lot of heart. As a father, he’s been watching your effort and your growth properly. I’m sure he understands you’re a perfectly worthy heir.” 
“Do you really think so?” 
“I do. But if even then you still can’t fully trust that and you keep treating Princess Marine like an enemy…” 

Belphgamilia’s eyes sharpen suddenly. 

“That’s when you might actually be removed from the line of succession.” 
“Huh?" 

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i apologize for the slow updates. i was practically incapacitated from front and back pain due to severe uti and a recurring fever (admitting it here is a bit embarrassing to be frank) last week. taking things slow and steady now that im recovering