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.

Absolutely everything depended on how Lucian reacted in that moment.

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

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

“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. All royal houses that were annexed were demoted to ducal houses, and only those that retained their status as kingdoms survived as vassal states.”

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

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.

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

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

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 Empire has never forbidden the granting of royal titles. However, since there is no precedent, how could I proclaim myself king? 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.”

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

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.

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

“His Highness’s words are absolutely correct! 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?”

“…!”

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

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

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

‘Hermann Glauber!’

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…?”

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

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

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.

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He had perfectly understood the message Lucian was sending him.

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

Lucian had deliberately mentioned “the approval of His Highness the First Prince.” 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.

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

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

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

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

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! So, how’s the plan going?”

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

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

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

“Your Highness.”

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

Claude laughed bitterly and leaned his back against the wall.

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

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.

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

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

“What is it now?”

“It’s a proposal from the duke.”

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

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

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

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

“Yes.”

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

“…!”

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

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.”

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

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

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

“Yes!”

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.

Quick decision-making once he understood reality.

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

The Empire was not yet finished.

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

***

“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?”

“Yes.”

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

“I will do so.”

Lucian watched Denis leave after giving his report.

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

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?’

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

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

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

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.

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

“Better this way.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Summon all the vassals.”

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

And it will be celebrated in grand style.

So grand he’ll never forget it.