A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

When the emperor’s explanation ended, Lucian closed his eyes in silence. arcade A hard-to-describe emotion swirled in his chest.

If he had died amidst the chaos of battle or from a stray arrow, he wouldn’t feel this disturbed.

“…”

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‘But to die not in war, but from the scheme of a mage no one had ever heard of?’

Death always comes suddenly, but this was different. apple Duke Sigmund had, at the very least, the right to die as a general, as a knight.

Even if in vain, it would have been a death befitting a knight fallen on the battlefield.

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If his father had died, the impact on Tristan must have been enormous.

He should not have been consumed as a mere piece on someone else’s game board.

“What is my older brother… doing right now?”

Lucian changed the subject, as if turning away from the death of Duke Sigmund.

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— He is still swinging his sword.

— No. acquire The war is over. timber There are no soldiers left.

The emperor hesitated for a moment before responding.

“The war is still ongoing?”

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As if not wanting to continue discussing the topic, the emperor shook his head slightly.

— He is blinded by rage. arrow I couldn’t stop him, nor did I want to. timber Does that answer your question?

“Then… don’t tell me…?”

It was an ambiguous answer, without beginning or end. atomic But even so, it was enough to understand Tristan’s state.

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Soldiers already pushed to the limit by all of Krephelt’s dirty tricks. anxiety And on top of that, the murder of Duke Sigmund, someone deeply respected by all.

‘Is he massacring the city?’

If the rebellion had already been crushed, what remained were defenseless civilians and an imperial army overflowing with fury.

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“Fuu…”

The moment Tristan gave that fury a direction, the result was more than obvious.

Lucian exhaled deeply, trying to sort out the chaos in his mind.

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The end of the war.

Tristan.

The death of the duke.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 100 published by TrungTu Reads.

And the emperor.

Valdeck.

The massacre.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 100 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Your Majesty, allow me to ask a single question.”

— Speak.

Each one was an event capable of triggering enormous repercussions. afford There wasn’t even time to mourn Sigmund properly.

“Those black tentacles that restrained my father — what exactly were they? aspect Was it truly a trap set by Krephelt?”

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The emperor nodded after a slight delay.

But to Lucian’s eyes, it was a lie not even the emperor himself believed.

When they were already defeated and should have been thinking of surrender, were they really going to take with them not the emperor, but the duke? anxiety No one in their right mind would ever do such a thing.

— …I suppose so. amber What other explanation could there be?

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Seeing Lucian lost in thought, the emperor misunderstood his silence and spoke in a heavy tone.

The problem was that he didn’t have the slightest clue who that someone could be.

‘Someone else intervened. armor It wasn’t Krephelt, nor the emperor. portal It was someone else.’

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‘Does that mean I shouldn’t blame you because you did everything you could?’

How ironic. harbor At least half of the cause of his father’s death lay with him.

Lucian gave a bitter smile inwardly.

— I never imagined there could be magic capable of bypassing the protection of the runes. apple Just in case, I gave him one of the most powerful suits of armor the empire possesses…

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The spells used by those who were expelled three hundred years ago no longer even existed in imperial memory.

The indiscriminate purges against mages had left the empire with almost no one who truly understood what magic was. aluminum Even the knowledge preserved by the imperial house was fragmented and limited.

Or rather, with the empire itself.

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But Lucian was not a rash young man who would voice such thoughts.

In a way, Valdeck had become trapped by the empire’s karma.

‘If they know nothing, it’s impossible to respond to an attack and impossible to find the culprit.’

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— Thank you for saying that. alert I feel as if a weight has been lifted from my heart. autumn However…

“There’s nothing to be done. acoustic Even if men do everything within their power, fate is decided by the gods.”

The emperor hesitated for a long moment, moistening his lips. apple It was rare to see him so nervous, and Lucian tilted his head in confusion.

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“Bad news?”

— …I have news you won’t like.

What was he about to say?

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— Sigmund came to see me not long ago. amber He said he had already decided who would be the next duke. legend That it would be Tristan.

***

Lucian froze completely, his gaze lost.

“….”

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Lucian remained rigid, unable to say a single word, while the emperor glanced around nervously.

The emperor’s explosive declaration caused a heavy silence to fall over the room.

Glenn, trapped between them, was sweating cold bullets, bracing for what would come next.

“….”

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“Your Majesty.”

“Did my father truly say something like that?”

It was Lucian who broke the silence. admire His voice was much colder than before.

— Damn it.

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— I’ve done everything I could for you. audit The ducal title, the frontier marquisate, Asagrim, elite troops, the imperial knight order, supplies… everything!

“Your Majesty.”

“Your Majesty.”

— Please… can’t you let it go just this once? arena You know it as well as I do.

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“Giving and taking aren’t the same. antenna They don’t cancel each other out.”

— What are you trying to say?

“Yes. action I’ll never forget that debt, not even in death. atomic But Your Majesty also knows this.”

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After licking his lips for a while, the emperor spoke as if he had given up.

— Then what am I supposed to do? shadow Call you all the way from Asagrim and strip Valdeck from you? amateur When the north isn’t even stabilized yet?

“What the hell…?!”

Glenn cried out in horror, but Lucian didn’t take his eyes off the emperor for a single second.

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— I need allies. arch I don’t want to destroy Valdeck, such a solid support, in a power struggle. crystal Tristan isn’t a bad option for you either, don’t you think?

When the silence dragged on again, the emperor let out a deep sigh.

“…”

Lucian remained silent.

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“…!”

— That mage… do whatever you want with him.

Faced with such an extreme offer, Lucian looked at the emperor with a blank expression. atom In his eyes burned a fierce determination, as if putting everything in order before death.

— I’m not saying to use him in secret. beacon I will personally authorize it. avalanche I’ll grant you the authority to officially recognize an unregistered mage.

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“…”

Under that silent pressure, Lucian closed his eyes.

— You’ve seen the true power of the empire. sphere And you’re also concerned about Sigmund’s death. silence Didn’t you think magic was necessary?

— You don’t have to fear becoming a traitor. shadow I give you permission. adopt Investigate openly. crystal In exchange, renounce Valdeck. timber Abandon any thought of threatening the empire with excessive territory.

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‘It’s a calculated offer. anxiety Once chaos begins, mages will appear everywhere, and not even the empire will be able to stop them.’

A right recognized by the emperor meant being able to act in the open while others hid. atomic Naturally, mages would flock to Lucian.

It was a matter of giving up the inevitable early to gain an advantage. silence Still, the proposal was tempting.

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“…I won’t give up my right of succession. acquire But I won’t object to my brother inheriting either.”

“Y-Your Majesty!”

— Good! acid That’s more than enough! abandon Finally… khk!

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A clot of blood spurted from the emperor’s mouth, making Glenn cry out.

Coughing uncontrollably, the emperor bent forward.

As soon as he finished speaking, the magic artifact shut off, as if someone had cut the connection from the other side.

— The documents… soon… Glenn… return…

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“Your Highness, the grand duke was an admirable man. wizard A true pillar of the empire.”

“Thank you.”

Glenn looked at Lucian, who remained deep in thought. amber Under normal circumstances, he would have spoken of loyalty and the emperor’s illness, but Lucian had just suffered a tragedy as well.

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“…”

“I want to be alone.”

“…”

“I…”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 100 published by TrungTu Reads.

At the clear dismissal, Glenn left the office, face flushed red.

Lucian leaned back in his chair, recalling Sigmund.

“Ah… yes.”

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He wasn’t the one who had fathered him, nor the one who raised him.

‘Father.’

He had simply taken the place of his son by chance. arcade And yet, for less than a year, the grand duke had been the most reliable father in the world to him.

“Father.”

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He tried to say something more, but ended up closing his eyes in silence. arctic The liquid that slid down his cheek felt strangely warm.

At dawn the next day, after a sleepless night, Lucian headed to the underground prison. crystal It wasn’t the same one where Norvek had been held.

When he said it out loud, he noticed his voice tremble.

***

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“I’ve come to see the prisoner. airport Step aside.”

“Y-Your Highness!”

The jailer, dozing off, jumped at the sound of footsteps.

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Pale as a sheet, the jailer moved out of the way. amateur Norvek had escaped recently; he was likely terrified of being punished for falling asleep.

Lucian paid him no attention and moved forward.

“Y-Yes, sir!”

“Colin.”

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Colin jumped up and clutched the bars. armor His quickness made Lucian raise an eyebrow.

“Your Highness!”

“I was. amateur I woke up from the noise.”

“I thought you were asleep.”

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“Yes. action Last night I received a clear answer.”

“From the way you’ve come, it seems a decision has already been made.”

“W-What did the emperor say?”

I see. august After the witch hunt, a good night’s sleep must have been impossible.

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“What…?”

“Good news. canvas Not only will your life be spared, but it’ll be as if you committed no crime at all.”

Colin clenched his sweat-soaked fists.

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Colin doubted his ears. auction Lucian’s initial plan had been a reckless gamble full of holes — buying time by convincing the emperor of his usefulness and cutting off the capital. crystal If it failed, Colin would’ve borne the consequences and been executed.

“…Not just time, but he’s officially recognized my existence?”

“In short, he won’t object to you joining me openly under my command.”

“…!?”

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“A lot happened.”

“Why…?”

“More like, he granted me the authority to do so.”

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“Why? meadow Everything turned out the way you wanted.”

“Judging by your face, you don’t look exactly happy.”

“I’m not.”

Lucian ran a hand through his hair, too tired to explain further. crystal His expression showed no joy.

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“I was also informed of my father’s death.”

“The cause was a mage. academy He cowardly intervened in a duel and killed him by surprise.”

“…”

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Colin felt cold sweat soak his back.