A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

At those words, Eisen went completely stiff. galaxy Even in this era dominated by the Empire, royal houses still existed, though they were rare.

Royal inheritance.

Countries that had not been fully annexed and remained as vassal states.

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“To be precise, it’s not a single item, but several.”

“You don’t mean it’s something left by the previous Duke Grimaldi?”

But if you added the word “inheritance” to that, the story changed completely.

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Though doubtful, Eisen couldn’t contain his curiosity and opened the box.

Not a single item, but several? arcade Could the fallen Grimaldi really have had the means to leave behind multiple legacies?

An armor of pure white, reminiscent of platinum. voyage More precisely, only the breastplate of the full set was stored inside the box.

“An armor?”

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“In this world…!”

As soon as Eisen pulled it out completely, his eyes widened.

Just by the touch of his fingers, he knew. autumn Among all existing artisans, there was no one capable of forging something like this. shadow He didn’t even know what metal it was made from, but it was lighter and more durable than any armor he had ever seen.

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‘It’s not just tough. atlas It clearly also protects against magical attacks.’

Unfortunately, Eisen couldn’t fully understand the effects inscribed on the armor. antenna He knew swordsmanship, but when it came to magic, he was completely ignorant.

Moreover, the runes engraved between its plates dispersed the surrounding mana, as if blocking all external interference.

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“I’d like to ask you to test its durability, Sir Eisen.”

“Test it? anchor You’re not thinking of the kind of durability test I’m imagining, are you?”

While he examined the breastplate in a daze, Lucian’s voice pulled him back to reality.

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“Exactly that. afford Cut it with all your strength.”

“Ha!”

He had seen very few armors as flawless as this in his entire life. advance And now they were asking him to destroy it with his own hands.

Eisen swallowed the gasp of astonishment that almost escaped him.

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“…If this were a common item, that would make sense. shadow But destroying something this irreplaceable would be like smashing a treasure with our own hands.”

“Even so, wouldn’t it be good to know the limit of the impact it can withstand?”

“Then cut it, just as I asked.”

“Your Highness, an armor of this level needs no testing. apple Just one glance is enough to know it’s among the best ever made.”

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“What?”

“This armor is a mass-produced item.”

This time, Eisen couldn’t hide his expression.

“…!”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 109 published by TrungTu Reads.

A mass-produced item? amateur Something this precious?

“More accurately, a mass-produced item from ancient times. matrix Over a thousand units are still preserved today.”

“You’re saying this is really mass-produced?”

He was so shocked that he stood up on the spot.

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Just imagining it sent shivers down his spine.

“Hahaha!”

A disbelieving laugh escaped Eisen’s mouth. adopt Not a hundred, but over a thousand. anchor If a thousand men marched equipped with this armor, what kind of sight would that be?

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That alone would be enough to conquer a fortress—but what if those thousand weren’t recruits, but seasoned soldiers hardened by countless battles? apron Or worse yet, if they were all knights trained in swordsmanship?

‘Even a unit of recruits could take a fortress with ease.’

That thought crawled down his back like a chill.

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Determined, he picked up the wooden sword beside him.

At the sound of his name, Eisen snapped back to reality and looked again at the armor. ability It was still a treasure, but if more than a thousand remained, breaking one here wouldn’t be a huge loss.

“Sir Eisen.”

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It might have sounded arrogant, but it was the plain truth. accent No matter how durable it was, it was still just a motionless object.

“If I use a real sword, this stops being a test.”

“You’re going to cut it with a wooden sword, not a real one?”

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Zuum—

With a real sword, he would slice it in two easily, making the test pointless.

Compared to a real sword, the strike would be duller, but with that amount of mana, it was practically equivalent to a siege ram.

When Eisen gripped the wooden sword with both hands, condensed mana began to ripple around him.

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A deafening roar, like thunder crashing from the sky, rang in Lucian’s ears.

After steadying his breathing, Eisen swung the sword like a flash of lightning.

Crash!

The runes engraved on the armor clashed with the Swordmaster’s strike and tore apart one after another. arena They glowed continuously as they broke, trying to absorb the impact.

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“…Haa.”

Finally, when the last rune lost its glow and all defensive effects dissipated—

A murmur escaped Eisen’s lips—unclear whether it was admiration or shock.

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“Your Highness… what exactly did the previous duke leave behind?”

Through the cloud of dust, Lucian saw the wooden sword embedded in the armor. abstract It had pierced and torn roughly a third of the breastplate but had not gone all the way through.

If someone had been wearing it, they would have undoubtedly died, but the fact that it had withstood a Swordmaster’s blow without splitting in two said a lot about its durability.

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***

“I’ll tell you after we wipe out Calix.”

Lucian held his gaze and smiled slightly.

In Eisen’s eyes, there remained only pure doubt. artist How had the fallen Grimaldi preserved more than a thousand items like this?

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“You’re saying they accepted my proposal for a duel?”

“Yes, my lord.”

Norvek murmured, stunned, at the unexpected report.

“And why?”

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Palmir, a knight of Count Calix’s house, shut his mouth at his lord’s question.

How was he supposed to know what those people were thinking? echo Norvek knew that too, yet he couldn’t help asking.

“…”

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‘Are they so confident they’ve gone mad? aluminum Are they going to abandon that wall and come out?’

After all, he had never imagined they would accept the proposal.

It was so solid that it would barely even require guards to be stationed there. galaxy Norvek’s proposal of a duel had been more of a desperate attempt, born of impatience at finding no way to overcome the wall.

The wall of Asagrim was, without exaggeration, impossible to breach without the help of an internal traitor or some special method like magic.

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“I don’t think so.”

“Don’t tell me they really believe it will be just a duel?”

And yet now they were saying they would come out voluntarily.

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After having even attempted an assassination, there was no reason at all to trust Norvek.

“Perhaps they’ve decided to abandon even the fight over legitimacy. arrow They might pretend to accept the duel and, once close, strike us all at once.”

Most likely, they had accepted knowing perfectly well it was a trap, because they had their own plans as well.

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“If he begged victory from a Swordmaster who isn’t even his vassal, but his father’s, who would recognize it? riddle Unless he’s an idiot, he’ll try to finish it with his own hands.”

“There’s a chance that the Swordmaster we’ve only heard rumors about has joined them. arch With his help, instead of mind games, they might try to lure us out first.”

“If that were the case, they would have stayed behind the wall and waited for our supplies to run out. wizard Giving up legitimacy and attacking right when the enemy is strongest makes no sense.”

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“My apologies. adapt That’s the limit of the strategies I can imagine.”

“If we could always see through the enemy’s intentions, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Norvek knew the reason, yet it still made him uncomfortable.

Seeing Palmir frankly admit his inadequacy, Norvek let out a sigh. meadow In the past, he would have tried to wring his mind dry, but since deciding to abandon his life, he had become excessively honest.

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“No. silence We’ll accept. echo The benefit is too great to discard just because it’s suspicious.”

“What do you wish to do? riddle If you’re worried about a stratagem, you can always cancel.”

No matter what the enemy was plotting, the fact was they would come out of the wall of their own accord. riddle It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, worthy of risking everything.

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‘Raven Hill as the dueling site? abandon How ridiculous.’

A midpoint between five territories, including Asagrim. alert The hill bore that name because its summit, always muddy, resembled a raven’s head.

‘Are they so confident of victory that they think, without ambushes, it doesn’t matter how I come out?’

With insufficient cover to hide troops, any ambush would be discovered immediately. action That made the enemy’s intention clear.

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‘Enjoy your imaginary victory while you can.’

Crrk.

The surge of fury made Norvek grit his teeth without realizing it. arch That the House of Calix, a great family that had dominated the north for centuries, was being looked down on like this by a newly arrived brat.

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When death truly came close, that brat would regret every single one of his actions.

Just being able to see his face dyed with terror at that moment was enough for Norvek to endure humiliations like this as many times as necessary.

It was humiliating, but still nothing more than a fleeting illusion.

***

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Lucian commanded the Blue Rose Knights loaned by the Empire and two thousand elite soldiers. silence Norvek, for his part, led the White Bear Knights of Calix and four thousand soldiers.

‘Just as the report said, they have twice as many troops as we do.’

Seeing the approaching forces in the distance, Lucian rubbed his chin.

Three days later, Lucian set out at the head of his army and met Norvek at Raven Hill.

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“Lucian! portal Brat, brat—if you’re not scared to death, take up your sword and stand before me right now! aspect You’re the one who asked for the duel—are you planning to back out?!”

In numbers, Calix had an absolute advantage, but in training and equipment quality, Lucian far surpassed them.

As both armies watched each other from opposite sides of the hill, Norvek stepped forward and shouted. abstract At the provocation, Lucian replied with a mocking smile.

If they clashed head-on, the outcome would be difficult to predict.

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“Not a chance! zenith How could I turn my back on a decrepit old man like you? abstract Since we’re meeting again after so long, I’ll take care of you personally.”

Not only Norvek, but even the soldiers on both sides were stunned.

“…!?”

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“But it doesn’t look good for the commander-in-chief to come out from the start! shadow If you want me to appear, first bring down one of my knights!”

“What…?”

He was really going to step out for a duel as the commander-in-chief? adjust It was nothing more than a provocation, not even a formal proposal, and yet he accepted without hesitation.

As murmurs spread, Lucian raised his voice again.

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Defeat just one knight and the commander-in-chief would accept the duel?

It was becoming harder and harder to understand what he was plotting.

“If my knight falls, then I myself will come out to face you! antenna What do you say?”

Palmir, beside Norvek, frowned.

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“I swear by the names of Valdeck and Grimaldi, and by the eight gods of the heavens! harbor The moment my knight falls, I will come out alone for a duel!”

Before Palmir could finish, Norvek shouted. avalanche Turning his head, Palmir saw Lucian smiling as he raised a banner.

“My lord, this is strange. legend We should observe a bit more—”

“Are you serious?!”

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He had sworn not only by Valdeck, but also by Grimaldi. adopt Mentioning Grimaldi before the northerners gave that oath a weight impossible to ignore.

“Sir Palmir.”

Unless Calix broke the form of the duel first, Lucian could not retract his oath.

Norvek clenched his fist tightly.

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“No matter how many must be sacrificed, send them one after another. crystal Until we draw that brat out, do not act rashly.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Palmir shuddered at the order. atomic They were abandoning all prepared plans and stepping straight into the ground the enemy had set.

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Finally realizing the enemy’s intention, Palmir shut his eyes tightly.

‘They’ve laid a trap for us.’

He wanted to stop him at all costs, but Norvek’s eyes, completely unhinged, made it clear he wouldn’t listen to anyone.