A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

“Enough.”

When Lucian’s voice spread quietly through the banquet hall, everyone present swallowed at once and fixed their gaze on him.

Would he reveal his ambition without reserve, or would he take a step back to observe the situation?

Absolutely everything depended on how Lucian reacted in that moment.

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“Since His Majesty, the Founding Emperor Wilhelm, established this Empire, there has never been a case in which the imperial family granted a royal title. anxiety All royal houses that were annexed were demoted to ducal houses, and only those that retained their status as kingdoms survived as vassal states.”

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Lucian opened his mouth.

The unification war a thousand years ago had been an enormous burden even for the Empire.

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As power grew, internal conflicts multiplied too, and not even the founding emperor could avoid exhaustion.

They annexed neighboring kingdoms one after another and expanded their territory, but that also meant, in other words, that responsibilities increased as well.

From administrative and judicial issues in the conquered regions to the management of the increased population and the treatment of the nobles who had surrendered.

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“The Empire has never forbidden the granting of royal titles. sphere However, since there is no precedent, how could I proclaim myself king? apple At the very least, the consent of His Highness the First Prince, the legitimate heir recognized by His Majesty the previous Emperor, would be necessary.”

In other words, all the royal houses that exist today are those that managed to survive back then—not houses that received a royal title later on from the Empire.

The vassal states that survived the unification war were those that, at the time, surrendered quickly in exchange for autonomy.

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While the house heads hesitated, unable to decipher Lucian’s true intentions—

If he made his stance clear, at least they could align themselves with the dominant current, but with an answer like that, even that was impossible.

At that ambiguous answer, the heads of the houses frowned. arch Then what was he trying to do? aluminum Did he want to become king or remain a duke?

“His Highness’s words are absolutely correct! apple If there has never been a case in which the imperial family granted a royal title, how could we speak so lightly of ascending to the throne or not?”

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Turning their heads to see who dared say such a thing, they were met with a familiar face.

The heads of the houses turned pale. acid The tone sounded as if it supported Lucian, but in reality, it was nothing more than outright opposition to the restoration of the kingdom.

“Unless His Highness the First Prince proposes it first, we must not even mention the matter of royalty! accent Ignore the proposals of these fools and let them pass!”

“…!”

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The head of House Glauber, former ally of Count Calix when he opposed Lucian.

‘Hermann Glauber!’

Although he had immediately severed ties after the assassination attempt, the original sin of having been an enemy, even for a short time, could not be erased.

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‘He’s insane. acid Has he already decided to go completely to the extreme?’

‘After everything, the duke must already have him marked, and yet he opposes him so brazenly?’

That was why he had even had to show his “sincerity” in the form of donations to Lucian. amateur And even so, he dared to step forward again.

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‘They already have me by the neck for that original sin. adjust If he gains the status of king on top of that, it’s all over. august There’d be no way to resist, no matter what I do.’

The house heads clicked their tongues in disbelief, but Hermann had his own reasons.

It was true that Lucian wielded absolute power as lord of the north, but that was still pressure based on military force.

Even if he had to incur Lucian’s hatred, he had to stop the restoration of the Kingdom of the North at all costs.

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It wasn’t formal authority—it was simply crushing others through superior strength. alien He could intimidate indirectly, but not issue direct orders.

Even without showing military might, his orders would carry authority.

However, if the Kingdom of the North were restored and Lucian ascended to the throne, the situation would change completely.

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‘The moment he ascends to the throne, resisting his orders would mean instantly becoming an enemy of the north. portal It’s not the same to be disliked by a duke as by a king. wizard He must be stopped here, at any cost.’

You could still offer some resistance to a duke, however slight; to a king, you couldn’t.

Even if no martial power were involved, in principle, one would have to obey, and disobedience would automatically become a legitimate reason for subjugation.

Of course, with these words he would earn even more of Lucian’s resentment, but Hermann thought that was preferable.

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Just as Hermann, now resolved, tightly shut his eyes in anticipation of Lucian’s wrath—

“…?”

“Even so, you’ve pointed out the key point. portal A royal title is not something to be desired unless proposed first by His Highness the First Prince. abstract I think so too.”

“Calling them fools is a bit much. abandon They are merely sincerely concerned about the Empire’s future. arcade Don’t view them so harshly.”

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“The farewell banquet has been ruined. wizard We can’t part on good terms like this. atomic We’ll hold another farewell banquet in three days. apple I’ll see you then.”

There was no anger, not even annoyance, which made it impossible to guess his true feelings.

Lucian looked around at the confused heads of the houses and then stood up.

At Lucian’s calm voice, the heads of the houses couldn’t hide their confusion.

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***

“Me neither. absorb If only he would say it clearly…”

“I have no idea what His Excellency the Duke is thinking.”

As soon as Lucian left the banquet hall, the heads of the houses began to gather here and there to murmur among themselves.

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“If that were the case, would he have spoken so ambiguously? amber He must be interested in something.”

“Does he truly disapprove of the restoration of the Kingdom of the North?”

Though they belonged to different factions, the topic of conversation was the same, “What are Lucian’s true intentions?”

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The heads of the houses were on the verge of despair. advance Even if they wanted to give the answer Lucian expected, how could they if they didn’t even know what it was?

“He’s neither saying yes nor no. arrow What a frustrating situation.”

“But if he’s interested, isn’t his reaction too lukewarm?”

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Denis, who had been lurking around the hall to assess the situation in Asagrim, began to sweat coldly.

‘This wasn’t aimed at the heads of the houses—it was a message for me.’

He had perfectly understood the message Lucian was sending him.

Ironically, the one who most accurately grasped Lucian’s true intentions wasn’t any head of house, but a mere servant.

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I will not restore the Kingdom of the North while carrying this weakness. galaxy So go to the First Prince immediately and get a formal authorization.

Lucian had deliberately mentioned “the approval of His Highness the First Prince.” anchor And as expected, the opposing Hermann had immediately latched onto that point.

It was clear the entire scene had been staged deliberately—right in front of Denis.

‘Duke Lucian desires the restoration of the Kingdom of the North. armor But not through self-proclamation—only with perfect legitimacy, with the approval of His Highness the First Prince.’

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Having completed his information gathering, Denis headed straight to the prison where the First Prince was held.

Faced with such a difficult demand, Denis sighed deeply inside.

‘…There’s no choice but to speak with His Highness the First Prince.’

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Hearing the word plan, Denis’s eyebrows twitched. voyage He had said it over and over—it was impossible. adopt And yet he was still clinging to it?

Since Lucian had already given instructions to the jailers and guards, no one tried to stop him.

Claude, who was gnashing his teeth in the cell, brightened up when he saw Denis return and shouted,

“Oh, you’re just in time! airport So, how’s the plan going?”

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“…What? adapt Are you telling me you’ve done nothing? acquire That you weren’t carrying it out on your own?”

“Your Highness the First Prince, as I have told you before, that plan is unfeasible. autumn Please calm your anger and reconsider.”

“Your Highness.”

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Claude laughed bitterly and leaned his back against the wall.

“There really isn’t a single person I can trust.”

Seeing that attitude, as if he had given up completely, Denis’s eyes lit up.

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“What is it now?”

That his lord had lost motivation would normally be sad news, but with Claude’s personality, as long as he had the will, he would continue to challenge Lucian.

“Forgive me, Your Highness, but I have something to tell you.”

Perhaps this was precisely the last opportunity to accept Lucian’s proposal.

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“It’s a proposal from the duke.”

Seeing this, Denis felt hopeful and quickly explained the key point.

At Denis’s words, Claude frowned, but this time he didn’t erupt in fury like before.

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“Yes.”

“And if I do that, what does he say he’ll give me in return?”

“So you’re asking me to authorize the restoration of the Kingdom of the North and grant the duke a royal title?”

When he finished, Claude looked at him with a blank expression.

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“…!”

Moved by Claude’s growth, Denis bowed his head and replied immediately.

“He didn’t specify clearly, but just by making Your Highness’s existence public, you will be treated according to your status.”

Denis nearly fell backward in shock. wizard Instead of shouting angrily about a supposed threat, he calmly asked about the compensation!

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“Of course. altitude The debt incurred from granting the royal title will be a separate matter. arch How Your Highness chooses to use that debt will be entirely up to you.”

“Very well. acquire Tell the duke this—I will approve the restoration of the Kingdom of the North and grant the royal title. apron In exchange, get me out of this damned prison.”

“You’re saying that once my existence is known, social pressure will force them to treat me properly?”

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Denis’s voice rose involuntarily with excitement.

Deep down, he had been disappointed in Claude, but now he saw that he didn’t entirely lack imperial qualities.

“Yes!”

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‘If His Highness the First Prince continues to grow like this, perhaps he might even regain the initiative over Duke Lucian.’

Quick decision-making once he understood reality.

The Empire was not yet finished.

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“Are you saying His Highness the First Prince has promised to authorize the restoration of the Kingdom of the North and even grant the royal title?”

With that conviction, Denis made his way to Lucian with a light step, unaware of the burning gaze Claude was giving him from behind.

***

“Yes.”

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He seemed convinced everything had gone well, as a smile never left his face.

“I will do so.”

Lucian watched Denis leave after giving his report.

“…Good. album Then, at the banquet to be held again in three days, we’ll have His Highness attend. acquire Tell him that, for now, relocating his residence is difficult, so we ask for his understanding.”

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Ridiculous. alert Even when his life was in danger from the Second Prince, he couldn’t keep a level head.

Shortly after, when the door closed with a dry click, a hollow laugh escaped Lucian’s lips.

‘He says I’ll get what I want if I pay the right price?’

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‘I can more or less guess what he’s thinking.’

Someone like that would never truly accept a deal with a subordinate he believes should obey him unconditionally.

Lucian recalled the “plan to execute Lucian” that Vincent had reported some time ago.

It was a foolish plan, but Claude was precisely the kind of person who could try to carry it out regardless.

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To properly use that bundle of legitimacy, his existence first needed to be revealed.

Denis, meanwhile, seemed incapable of imagining the First Prince could go to such extremes.

From the beginning, Lucian never intended to keep the First Prince hidden indefinitely.

“Better this way.”

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What it means to have no power in times of chaos.

And while at it, he would make sure even the First Prince understood—

In the process, it wouldn’t hurt to show the world that the First Prince was under Lucian’s protection.

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“Summon all the vassals.”

It will be the First Coming-of-Age Ceremony for the rightful heir of the Empire.

With a cold smile, Lucian gave an order to the servant at his side.

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So grand he’ll never forget it.

And it will be celebrated in grand style.