A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

Glug, glug!

Beneath the imperial throne, in the regent’s seat, the second prince Cedric was downing a bottle of wine.

Without even pausing for breath, he emptied the bottle in one go and then threw the empty container aside.

Crash!

Even though the bottle shattered with a loud crash, no one came running. He had given the order that, for one hour, no one was to approach the audience chamber.

Cedric, silently seated below the throne, looked up at the ceiling and muttered.

“The alcohol’s not hitting me.”

Saying that to himself, he reached for another bottle.

However, before he could grab it, a thin line emerged from the dark shadow and lightly pushed the bottle aside.

Cedric’s hand closed on nothing but air.

“…What the hell are you doing?”

— Drinking that much in one go isn’t good for your health. I understand your mood, but take care of your body.

“Ha… you understand?”

Cedric let out a disbelieving laugh at the voice coming from the shadows.

He leaned forward, laughing as if he couldn’t hold it in, then raised his gaze with sharp eyes.

“If you really understand, then say it. How do you think I feel right now?”

— …

“The Empire, which felt like it was right within my grasp, slipped through my fingers like sand. The court nobles, who seemed ready to hand me their liver and gallbladder, now won’t even be seen near me. And all around, ambitious fools are acting like the world is already theirs.”

— It’s not over yet.

“Yeah, right. It’s not over.”

Cedric still had opportunities. No matter how much noise the rebellious elements made, Tibron was already under his control.

If he rallied supporters with the capital as his base and restored peace to the Empire, no one could object.

“But why the hell should I be the one to do it?!”

Crash!

With a twisted expression like a demon’s, Cedric hurled a wine bottle at the throne.

The seat where generations of emperors had sat was now stained with dark red wine.

After panting for a while, Cedric even overturned the nearby table and shouted furiously.

“It was mine from the beginning! I was the rightful ruler of this Empire! And now they expect me, the emperor, to sit at the same table as some meritless bastards and fight for power?!”

— …

“Even if I win, all I’ve done is take back what was already mine! But those thieves—whether they win or lose—get to split the Empire like it belongs to them! What kind of cursed gamble is that?!”

Crash, bang, clang!

After toppling, smashing, and destroying everything in sight, Cedric was breathing heavily.

He knew his behavior was irrational, but he couldn’t contain himself.

He had already occupied the throne long ago—he only needed to sit on it, and that was it. And now, even dedicating his whole life, he didn’t know if he’d ever get it back.

It had all started with a single messenger from the north.

“Lucian! Bernhardt! Those damned bastards! Even tearing them apart and feeding them to dogs wouldn’t be enough…”

With his face flushed from uncontainable rage, Cedric trembled.

The disaster had begun with Lucian, who questioned his lineage, but it was Bernhardt who escalated the issue out of control.

He took the controversy that Lucian had sparked, added all kinds of theories, organized them in detail, and spread them across the Empire.

The nobles—who were already suspicious—turned their backs on Cedric completely after reading Bernhardt’s widely circulated documents.

To Cedric, Bernhardt was as much of a mortal enemy as Lucian.

“What the hell does some damn magical artifact matter to cause all this chaos?! It’s a relic from a thousand years ago! Of course it’s bound to have flaws!”

— The documents circulating are nothing more than forced theories from traitors. If the magical theory were as solid as before, they wouldn’t have pulled off such a cheap trick.

“Exactly! I never imagined they’d so cleverly exploit the lack of information!”

Cedric was telling himself that, trying to rationalize the situation. It was just a well-constructed rumor, spread by taking advantage of an information vacuum.

He was, without a doubt, the legitimate son of the previous emperor—and the rightful emperor of the Empire.

After muttering for a while, a sigh escaped him.

“…At what point did everything start going wrong?”

Was it a mistake not to kill the first prince Claude earlier and instead try to use him a bit longer? Or was it a mistake to provoke a tiger like Lucian? Or perhaps it had all gone wrong from the start—by challenging his father’s will and aspiring to the throne?

Bang, bang, bang!

“Y-Your Highness! Prince Cedric! Something terrible has happened!”

Lost in thought, Cedric frowned at the loud banging on the audience chamber door.

He had said several times he’d kill anyone who approached—and yet they were making such a ruckus.

Without bothering to respond, Cedric gestured to the shadow, silently ordering the intruder’s execution.

“The traitors have kidnapped Prince Claude and are fleeing! You must come immediately!”

“Tch.”

Upon hearing the voice from outside, Cedric halted the execution order.

It was information important enough to justify disobeying a direct command.

Even so, since he had already anticipated Claude’s escape, he shouted back without changing his expression.

“Let them go.”

“Y-Yes, sir?”

“I’ve already taken measures. Even if they flee beyond the White Wall, they won’t get far. They’ll be caught soon enough.”

How could there not be those who, doubting Cedric’s bloodline, would want to side with Claude?

From those who’d openly join his cause to those who’d look the other way and later claim credit.

Thinking that, Cedric had decided he couldn’t completely prevent an escape, so he had secretly deployed a net around the White Wall.

“They’re probably moving in a small group. They’ll bring them back in no time.”

“E-Emperor… I’m sorry, but the traitors aren’t heading beyond the White Wall.”

“What? What do you mean? If they’re not going outside the wall, where the hell are they going?”

To escape, they would have to leave the wall—whether by land or air.

While Cedric pondered what the hell this meant, the servant’s next words left him frozen.

“We don’t know why, but the traitors are heading toward Prince Claude’s former residence.”

“…!”

If those fleeing were moving inward rather than outward, there was only one explanation.

There had to be a faster escape method hidden there—whether a secret passage or something similar.

Realizing this, Cedric shouted, his face pale.

“Stop them immediately! They’re planning to escape using a hidden magical artifact!”

***

Whoosh!

“Huff, huff!”

After wiping out the entire guard and finally reaching Claude’s room, Rihardt was panting heavily.

Of the knights who had taken part in the operation with him, most had long since become corpses, and the few who remained were on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.

It was no surprise—they hadn’t taken a prearranged escape route, but instead had plunged deep into the heart of the imperial palace, where guards were deployed everywhere.

“Tsk, tsk… Just fighting your way here has left you in this state? I trusted you, and this is the level of skill you show me?”

Rihardt, swallowing down bitterness, flinched when he heard Claude’s voice behind him.

He hadn’t expected Claude to take the lead or intimidate the enemy with his presence, but he could at least have shown some respect to those who had died fighting for him.

Not even a token word—he openly treated them as useless.

The protest rose in Rihardt’s throat, but he couldn’t afford to anger Claude at this crucial moment.

“…Forgive me, Your Highness.”

“Forget it. I didn’t expect much from you in the first place.”

Clunk.

Without listening to the apology, Claude entered the room where he used to stay long ago.

Soon after, he lightly tapped a part of the wall, and a small hidden compartment was revealed.

In a space barely large enough to store a few jewels, there was a ring and a necklace.

“Hmph, looks like that guy didn’t make it here either. Honestly, he thinks he’s the only one who prepares for things. Did he think the rest of us just live unprepared?”

“Your Highness, we must hurry. Reinforcements are approaching.”

Hearing the hurried footsteps outside, Rihardt urged Claude.

Claude frowned in irritation for a moment, then slipped the ring onto his finger.

Immediately, the ring glowed red, and the empty space began to ripple.

Whoosh!

“Oh… this is an imperial artifact…!”

Rihardt couldn’t help but marvel as a dimensional portal opened in midair, where nothing had been before.

Once they crossed that threshold, they would be completely free from Cedric’s grasp.

Just as Rihardt and the knights stepped toward the portal—

Thud!

“Kh!?”

Rihardt recoiled as if he’d hit an invisible wall. Confused, he looked around, and Claude burst into laughter.

“Idiot. You’re not coming with me.”

“Eh?”

“I activated a barrier using a magic artifact to keep you out. What do you think? You didn’t even notice it triggered, did you?”

“Your Highness! What does this mean?!”

Claude’s sudden action left Rihardt stunned.

After coming all this way, he couldn’t understand why Claude was doing this. Claude looked at him with disdain.

“Stupid. You thought I was a fool? In the end, you served Cedric, and when it suited you, you switched sides to me. Your goal was power, wasn’t it?”

“Your Highness!”

“You were going to go to Lucian and act like my personal guard, right? Like, ‘if you want to speak to the prince, you’ll have to go through me.’ I don’t even need to see it to know.”

“…”

Faced with Claude, who spoke as if he already knew everything, Rihardt was speechless.

It was true—he had ambition for power, and he had decided to switch sides before being labeled a traitor for backing the second prince.

He had also assumed that, in Asagrim, Lucian’s central territory, Claude would have no choice but to rely on them.

Even so, Claude’s stupidity surpassed anything Rihardt could’ve imagined.

“…Your Highness, allow me just one question. If you go to Asagrim alone, do you truly believe Duke Lucian will serve you loyally and hand over everything?”

Even if Claude crossed alone to the north, what could he possibly do? ‘Loyalty’ in chaotic times was just a sandcastle built atop filthy interests.

Legitimacy? Without a single soldier or even a crumb of bread, legitimacy was just a stamp for making excuses.

Countless kings in history hadn’t tolerated abuse from their guards because they were fools, but because without power to amplify their voice, they couldn’t do as they pleased.

But Claude seemed to ignore even such a basic truth and simply shrugged with a smile.

“At least they’ll hear my voice directly. Not orders distorted by a lackey like you, but commands I give myself.”

“Ha.”

At such a delusional response, Rihardt let out a hollow laugh.

Claude still believed that just giving orders in front of people would solve everything.

Dialogue and respect only existed when both sides had at least some degree of strength, some claws to cling with.

That fool had thrown it all away.

“You always thought the whole world was yours, and now you won’t even be able to drink a drop of water without someone’s permission. It’s all a result of your own actions, so if you’re going to hate someone, hate your own foolishness.”

“What the hell are you saying? Have you gone mad?”

At the sudden switch to informal speech, Claude’s face twisted in rage.

He had never suffered such insolence before—but Rihardt, with a dim gaze, only awaited the death that was surely coming.

After glaring at him for a moment, Claude clicked his tongue.

‘I’d like to rip out that insolent tongue, but it’s not necessary. Cedric will take care of him.’

Knowing Cedric’s twisted nature, it was clear he wouldn’t grant a merciful death once he grasped the situation.

Letting go of all attachments, Claude leapt immediately to the other side of the dimensional portal, without the slightest trace of remorse for abandoning those who had saved him.

Boom!

The moment Claude crossed through, the door burst apart and knights stormed into the room.

Behind them, Cedric shouted as he saw the back of Claude’s head disappear through the portal.

“Stop him!”

Claude turned slightly at the sound of the voice.

Beyond the portal, now shrinking to the size of a palm, only his eyes could still be seen—but Cedric clearly saw them, those eyes slightly raised in mockery.

Whoosh!

“…”

“…”

When the portal fully closed, a heavy silence fell over the room.

Though no one yet understood all the details, everyone knew they had let Claude escape.

After trembling with rage for a long while, Cedric fixed his gaze on Rihardt, who had led the escape, and spoke.

“Don’t expect an easy death, you damned traitors.”

Faced with Cedric’s murderous intent, Rihardt and the remaining knights trembled in silence.