A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

Broad, who had emigrated from beyond the snowy lands to Asagrim, was quite satisfied with his job as a guard.

In terms of hierarchy, he was a mere low-ranking officer, and his work was limited to patrolling the territory.

Even so, being a guard was one of the few positions where he could put his previous experience as a warrior to use.

“Compared to our comrades who are learning trades from scratch, just being able to start working immediately and earn a steady wage is already a win.”

“Yeah, we got lucky.”

Tula, who had been chosen as a guard alongside Broad, nodded in agreement.

Other fellow countrymen, having left behind the life of a warrior, couldn’t use even a bit of their combat skills and were now earnestly learning a trade from the ground up.

By comparison, Broad and the other guards had already become independent workers, so practically speaking, they were several steps ahead of the rest.

In fact, they stirred envy among those around them, and they themselves took a bit of pride in those gazes.

Of course, being a guard had its downsides too.

— Waaaaaah!

“…Still, it’s a shame we can’t see these kinds of events in person. They say the king’s famous great warrior is going to appear.”

Hearing the cheers coming from within the city walls, Tula’s shoulders drooped.

Now he was just a lowly guard, but in his day, he too had called himself a warrior.

It was only natural that he’d want to see with his own eyes the man known as the king’s great warrior—the strongest of all.

“Can’t be helped. That’s always been the guard’s job. It’s exactly in moments like these, when people let their guard down, that we have to stay sharp, right?”

“You’re right, but still…”

Even with those words, Tula couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Broad completely understood how he felt, so he didn’t push the topic further.

The truth was, if given the chance, he too wanted to see that famous great warrior of the king in person.

“At least they say the king’s giving us triple pay this month. With that, let’s take the family out for a nice meal.”

“Let’s do that. My son’s been constantly asking me for stuff lately. Strange—back in the snowy lands, he never threw tantrums.”

“There wasn’t anything a kid would like over there. If I’d come here as a child too, I probably would’ve asked my dad for a toy horse.”

“True. That toy horse is amazing. You push it forward like a rolling hoop, and the little foal figure goes clack-clack…”

Suddenly, both fell silent. In the distance, a whitish figure was approaching.

Broad and Tula tilted their heads and whispered.

“Who could that be? Doesn’t look like a mourner at this hour.”

“And not a blacksmith either. If he were a master, he’d be carrying some tools at least.”

The closer the figure came, the more suspicious it appeared.

He wasn’t even carrying a travel bag—something basic for any traveler—and yet he was dressed in strangely luxurious clothing.

The oddest part was that he seemed to have money, but wore clothes far too thin for the weather and was visibly shivering from the cold.

“No matter how I look at him, he doesn’t seem local. Should we arrest him and question him?”

“Let’s wait a bit. Might just be a lunatic.”

Both waited in silence, ready to pounce and subdue him if necessary.

Before long, the stranger reached the city gate and shouted in a powerful voice.

“I am the rightful heir of the Empire, Claude fin Bey Astria! Open the gate at once and announce my visit to Duke Lucian!”

***

Claude thought that as soon as the guards heard his name, they would throw themselves to the ground trembling.

The only legitimate heir of the Empire—or rather, someone who was no different from the next emperor.

Any commoner in their right mind should feel their legs give out and their mind go blank in the presence of such nobility.

But, as if mocking his expectations, the guards only blinked with confused faces.

“The Empire… what? What did he say?”

“No idea. Seems like he’s the heir of some family.”

“Of an important one?”

“Who knows. I don’t know anything.”

“…!?”

The guards’ words left Claude completely dumbfounded.

He had seen people who revered him with genuine devotion upon hearing his identity.

He had also seen others who looked uncomfortable, like they had bumped into someone they didn’t want to see, or who hesitated, unsure of how to act.

But never in his life had he encountered people who simply didn’t know who he was.

Although he didn’t like it, Claude decided to make his identity even clearer.

“…I am the first prince. The legitimate son of His Majesty, the previous emperor.”

“First prince? His Majesty, the previous emperor? That rings a bell.”

“Oh, now I remember. That’s what they called the emperor who died earlier.”

“The emperor? So this guy is the emperor’s son?”

Claude’s face turned red as a tomato.

That simple guards would refer to the emperor, the ruler of the Empire, like he was just some neighborhood acquaintance.

‘To what extent must Lucian have scorned the imperial family for even the lowest to be this insolent?’

It was a massive misunderstanding.

The foreigners from beyond the snowy lands had lived separated from the Empire since birth.

To them, any territory or even the Empire itself, aside from Lucian, felt like a foreign country.

It was natural that they had no respect for the imperial family and referred to the emperor like a ruler of another nation.

Unaware of this reality, Claude exploded in fury and shouted without restraint.

“A mere guard dares to insult the imperial family without the slightest shame! This alone is enough to reveal the duke’s usual conduct! Summon Duke Lucian immediately! As the legitimate heir of the Empire, I will demand accountability!”

“…Accountability? Are you saying you’re going to accuse our lord?”

“Shut up! I won’t waste any more time talking to a nobody like you! Summon the duke at once—!”

Slap!

Claude couldn’t finish speaking.

A brutal impact suddenly shook him, and before his eyes, stars exploded in sparks.

He blinked several times, unable to comprehend what had happened.

Slap!

With the second blow, the stars flashed again in his sight.

A moment later, he felt a sharp stinging in his cheek and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

Only then did he realize he had been slapped across the face and that the inside of his mouth had been torn.

“W-what is this…?”

“Where did this lunatic come from, wagging his tongue without permission? You’re going to demand accountability from His Highness? You? Do you think this is a joke?”

“Kh… guh…!”

Grabbed by the neck in Broad’s brutal grip, Claude couldn’t move at all.

He tried to activate the necklace to deploy a barrier, but Broad’s palm was faster.

Whap! Whap! Whap!

“Kh… ugh!”

“You’re clearly just a brat who’s never wielded a sword and only knows how to flap his mouth! Go on, say again what you were saying!”

“W-wait… ghk…”

“Now that I think about it, what you said is ridiculous too. What? Son of the emperor? If you were that important, why would you come north alone without even a single attendant? Say something that makes sense!”

“Grrrk…”

In the midst of his clouded mind, Claude desperately tried to explain, but it was useless. Broad and Tula had no intention of listening anymore.

Under the continuous rain of blows, Claude didn’t last much longer and lost consciousness.

“What the hell? He passed out just from a few hits? What a weakling.”

“What should we do? I’d dump him in the snow right now.”

“Let’s throw him in jail first and notify the captain. He insulted His Highness, so he’ll get the punishment he deserves.”

As angry as they were, they were still just guards.

Unless the person was a murderer, they didn’t have the authority to execute on the spot.

Besides, after insulting Lucian, there was no way he’d walk away unscathed. It was enough to lock him up and report the crime.

“First, we have to change his clothes to a prison uniform. Where’d he get such fancy clothing?”

“Probably stole them. Just in case, let’s set aside the clothes and jewelry and show them to the captain. He might face additional charges.”

After agreeing, the two of them carried the unconscious Claude and headed into the city.

To lock up a deranged criminal where he belonged.

***

While Claude was being dragged by the guards, Lucian was waiting for the imminent start of the swordsmanship tournament.

Seated in the main box of the arena, already buzzing with excitement, he scanned the surroundings and clicked his tongue.

“I warned them so many times, and yet all their eyes are gleaming with greed.”

Among the knights who wished to face Felicia were not a few vassals and heirs of great houses.

Everywhere, one could feel the desire to snatch the Swordmaster title and use it to revitalize their bloodlines.

To Lucian, it was no longer amusing, but rather pitiful.

“They haven’t even properly assessed the strength of their opponent, yet they act with such overconfidence. Don’t you think so, brother?”

At Lucian’s sudden question, Tristan responded with an awkward expression.

“…There’s not much to be done. Until recently, knights rarely had to fight with their lives on the line.”

At most, territorial wars or suppressing a local rebellion. The rest were just friendly duels or fights over personal grudges.

They hardly ever had the chance to encounter truly powerful hidden forces.

“If a knight with some talent has never met a worthy rival, it’s natural for him to believe he’s invincible. Especially here in the north, where strength is revered. A knight who stands out here has more than enough reason to dream.”

“To dream, huh.”

Lucian let out a short laugh. Tristan, thinking it was a mockery, frowned.

“What’s so funny about that?”

“I’m not mocking. I just noticed that you and I are seeing things from different perspectives.”

“Different perspectives?”

“Yes. Yours is still stuck on the day Felicia received her investiture.”

“What do you mean by…?”

— Waaaaaaah!

A deafening cheer suddenly erupted, and Tristan instinctively covered his ear. The other nobles also frowned at the unexpected roar.

Turning to see what was happening, they saw Felicia already walking toward the arena.

“What’s going on? Just by showing up, why are they so worked up?”

“She may have been designated the next Swordmaster, but isn’t this a bit excessive?”

The fanatical reaction was incomprehensible. To receive such a cheer, simple curiosity wasn’t enough.

One would have to have performed heroic deeds or acts worthy of a savior that ignited people’s hearts.

The nobles’ doubts didn’t last long.

— Supreme warrior! Great warrior of the king!

— Goddess of the sword! Right arm of the dragon!

— Receive our reverence! Receive our reverence!

— Receive the reverence of all of us!

“…!”

At the cheers that rang out loud enough to make their ears ring, the nobles froze in place.

The people of Asagrim were not worshiping heroic deeds or expressing gratitude to a savior.

They were simply and purely worshiping the power that Felicia possessed.

Upon realizing that, a new question naturally arose in the minds of the nobles.

‘…What kind of power must one show for a swordsman to be worshipped almost like a god?’