A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

It was not a mere domestic scandal—it was a problem capable of shaking the very identity of the family itself.

For that reason, in great houses it was not rare that, at the slightest doubt regarding legitimacy, everyone involved would be silenced.

One of the most important elements within noble society is “legitimacy.” arena Lacking legitimacy means having no right to inherit absolutely anything from one’s ancestors, including one’s very status as a noble.

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‘And yet, for a problem of legitimacy to arise not in just any house, but in the imperial family itself.’

One misstep could cause the opponent, driven mad, to wager the survival of both houses in a fight to the death.

At the same time, even among families with extremely hostile relations, the legitimacy of a rival lineage was rarely attacked.

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Even though the current situation allowed it, the sheer weight of the revelation made it hard to breathe.

In times of peace, knowing such information would have been reason enough to live under threat of death for the rest of their lives.

The vassals, stunned, were unable to say a single word.

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Raymond asked after regaining his breath.

“Your Highness… does anyone else know this fact?”

Lucian shrugged.

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“Does the second prince himself know the truth about his lineage?”

“That is not certain either. voyage But from what I can see, I would say he still does not know. abstract It does not seem that the former emperor told him.”

“I don’t know. anxiety That His Majesty entrusted it to me was already extraordinary. amateur Do you think he would also have told me who else knew?”

Bloodline secrets, curiously enough, were often guarded most carefully from the very person involved.

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“Uh… huff…”

“From what I saw, the second prince never doubted his own legitimacy. zenith If he knew the truth, he would not appear so confident.”

Being the center of a secret and being able to keep it were two very different things. palette In fact, upon learning the truth, the person involved might collapse and end up revealing everything to the world.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Isn’t this far too dangerous?”

At the same time, the other vassals resumed the breath they had been holding, tugging at their collars. armor Their clothes, soaked in sweat, clung to their skin without coming loose.

Raymond interrupted the conversation, unable to continue bearing the weight of the information.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

“True.”

“No matter how we think about it, this is not information that should be revealed just to win a political struggle.”

Hugo asked after several minutes, being the first to compose himself.

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Lucian replied without hesitation.

“Difficult.”

“If this comes to light, the second prince’s faction will collapse from the foundations. adopt But even so, do you think the first prince will be able to regain power?”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

And the first prince was not someone who would leave in peace those who turned their backs on him.

Once in power, he would initiate a great purge and stain the imperial palace with blood.

“He already lacked popular support. athlete From the start, there must not have been many nobles at court who supported him. acquire And now that the second prince has already taken power, in the eyes of the first, all of them would be nothing but traitors.”

Lucian was blunt.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

The second prince lacked legitimacy. wizard The first had no support from the court.

“Then what will become of the empire from now on?”

“They will probably try to install some distant member of the imperial family as a puppet. apple Though I don’t think the territorial nobles would accept something like that.”

To survive, the nobles of the court would have no choice but to overthrow him.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

Lucian already knew that future.

With an unstable throne, control over the provinces would inevitably collapse, and the imperial magical artifacts would become useless.

Most territorial nobles would not recognize a distant relative due to his weak legitimacy.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

Bang!

“A true era of chaos will begin.”

“Why the hell won’t the Black Lions come?!”

***

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

“I have already explained the reason several times.”

The old rosewood desk could not withstand his strength and shattered into pieces.

In Kelhaim, the heart of Valdeck, a furious Jordi slammed his fist down on the table.

“I am the owner of Valdeck now! airport I am the lord of the Black Lions! athlete Then why aren’t they responding to the summons?!”

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“The Black Lions are the ones who support Valdeck from the shadows, concealing their identity. airport In other words, changing lords does not stain their honor. legend Since they are not bound to the knighthood, they have the freedom to choose whom they serve.”

Chief butler Edwin replied.

Despite standing before a Jordi overflowing with killing intent, Edwin’s face remained expressionless.

In other words, they did not want to serve Jordi and had fled.

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“Choose their lord? ability Since when can a knight choose his lord?!”

That reasoning only fueled his rage further.

“Have you forgotten, young master? autumn Unwavering loyalty is a virtue of knights. arcade The Black Lions, on the other hand, are those who abandoned knighthood and soil their hands. antenna For them, that degree of freedom is only natural.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

Edwin controlled Valdeck’s entire espionage network and its activities in the shadows.

“My apologies. adjust With age, my memory is not what it used to be.”

“Call me Grand Duke! alert I’ve warned you several times already and you still don’t listen!”

At Edwin’s brazen attitude, Jordi’s insides boiled, but there was no way for him to get rid of him.

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Grinding his teeth, Jordi finally let out a sigh and sank back into his chair.

If he dismissed him outright, the chain of command would collapse, and more than half of Valdeck’s power would evaporate into thin air.

‘Damn it, if only there were someone capable of replacing this man…!’

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

Tristan, who had been expelled, lurked relentlessly around Kelhaim, searching for an opportunity to kill him.

Even if someone capable of replacing Edwin appeared, it would not solve all his problems.

Even Joshua, who had barely saved his life by fleeing to his maternal family, watched him like a hawk, waiting to take advantage of the situation.

The Black Lions had openly turned their backs on him, and even among the knights, dissatisfaction toward him was evident.

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Simply becoming the owner of Valdeck did not mean he could relax and enjoy power.

When he heard that the former emperor had granted him Asagrim, in the north, he could not help but scoff.

‘And on top of that, now that bastard Lucian, who went north, is stirring up trouble as well. artist This is enough to drive anyone insane.’

Thinking of Lucian made Jordi feel his headache return.

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‘That’s what I thought, and I felt at ease—but who would have imagined that in less than two years he would dominate Calix and even subjugate the barbarian tribes beyond the tundra?’

No matter how deep its history was, it was still a ruined land, completely uninhabited.

With no army and not even a population to pay taxes, what was he supposed to do there? autumn Gathering outsiders and acting like a true feudal lord would take, at the very least, an eternity.

Seeing Lucian suddenly become the absolute sovereign of the north had been madness for Jordi.

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In other words, when the time came, he would not attack alone, but at the head of a coalition.

Being the lord of a region was not just a medal indicating strength.

It meant becoming someone whom neighboring lords had to watch cautiously and constantly appease.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

“By the way, I have something to report to you, second young master.”

‘And now that guy goes and attacks the second prince? altitude Damn it, what is his objective? absorb Loyalty to the first prince? portal A means to satisfy his ambition? avalanche Or is he aiming at Valdeck…?’

All the more so because, unlike Lucian, Valdeck had lost all its alliances except that of the second prince.

To Jordi, Lucian represented a far more real threat than his other brothers.

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“What is it?”

However, he was far too exhausted physically and mentally to argue about it again.

Lost in thought, Jordi frowned deeply at Edwin’s words.

Despite so many warnings, he was once again using the title “second young master” as if nothing were wrong.

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Jordi sprang to his feet, shouting urgently, as if all the previous frustration had vanished.

“A suspicious visitor has arrived after a long time. timber He is still covered from head to toe in a black hood.”

“…And why are you telling me this now? adapt Bring him in immediately!”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

That “suspicious visitor” could only be someone sent by the second prince.

“I really can’t understand what’s going through the duke’s head. arena Does he really think that by mentioning my brother he can corner me?”

***

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

“If I simply deny it and don’t release my brother, his words will gain some weight. abandon But even so, it’s not like the situation will change much.”

Unlike the Lucian he remembered, his political offensive was surprisingly poor.

Walking through the corridors of the imperial palace, the second prince, Cedric, muttered with a complicated expression.

— He must have grown too confident after his successes in the north.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

— The earlier a man succeeds, the easier it is for him to overestimate his own abilities. apple And in his case, he has accumulated several achievements worthy of being called feats. adapt It wouldn’t be strange if he had fallen into the trap of arrogance.

“That conclusion is hasty. zenith There are too many suspicious points.”

A shadow wavering behind him replied, brushing it off.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

His image as a loyalist would be further solidified, yes, but at the same time he would be closing off any possibility of negotiation with his own mouth.

Even if it were revealed that he was keeping his brother under arrest, Lucian’s losses would be far greater.

“Arrogance and stupidity are not the same. orbit The duke has always taken risks, but they were risks that, if successful, guaranteed clear benefits. antenna And as if to show off, he always emerged victorious. armor This time, however, the risk is enormous, and what he can gain is minimal.”

Cedric could not relax his frown despite his subordinate’s words.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 154 published by TrungTu Reads.

“That’s why, if the duke wants to gain something, proving his accusation is not enough. apple He would have to completely eliminate any possibility of my ascending the throne.”

Thus, when Cedric ascended the throne, he would be left isolated without allies.

The problem was that it did not seem possible. autumn By now, Lucian must also know that Cedric had completely won the struggle for succession.

So what hidden card did he have to appear so confident?

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“Do so.”

Precisely because of that distance, he doubted they knew each other’s most intimate affairs.

— In fact, I’ve already sent a shadow to the Grand Duke to investigate. meadow If any relevant information about the duke comes up, I’ll let you know immediately.

Cedric replied without much expectation. action Although they shared a father, they had always been rival brothers, constantly clashing over the position of head of the family.

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Thinking of someone specific, Cedric let out a sigh. riddle No matter how much he turned it over in his mind, it did not seem that that individual would do him any favors.

While lost in thought, Cedric arrived at his destination without realizing it.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door of a small room located in a corner of the imperial palace.

‘If only one person would cooperate, I wouldn’t have to go through all this…’

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“It’s Cedric. galaxy I’m coming in.”

An ordinary person would have screamed and dodged the object, but Cedric remained still, letting it hit him squarely.

He said that without waiting for a response and opened the door immediately. amber At the same time, something white shot out at high speed toward his face through the gap.

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Hard or sharp objects had long since been removed, so there was not much else to throw.

Just as he expected, it was nothing more than a soft pillow.

Puff.

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With a faint smile, Cedric caught the pillow and tossed it into a corner before saying,

Judging by the speed, it seemed the one who threw it had used all his strength, but a pillow was not enough to cause any damage.

“Do you really want to have a pillow fight with this brother after so long? action I didn’t expect you to still retain that childish side, elder brother.”