A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

After the topic of the restoration of the Kingdom of the North came up, the attendees at the funeral in Asagrim split into three groups.

The first was composed of the lords who supported the restoration of the Kingdom of the North, led by Lesta and Harald.

The second consisted of the lords who opposed said restoration, with Hermann at the forefront.

The third was made up of attendees from external territories, with no connection to the north.

Depending on their circumstances, these three groups gathered whenever they had the chance to discuss among themselves.

The matter of restoring the Kingdom of the North was too significant to pretend they hadn’t heard about it.

However, the atmosphere between the groups was entirely different.

“Lord Lesta, doesn’t it seem like the duke’s reaction was exactly what we feared?”

“Could we be receiving criticism for having done something unnecessary?”

Unlike their initial zeal, the first group couldn’t hide their unease at Lucian’s lukewarm response.

They had acted to earn his trust, but now feared they had instead left a bad impression.

“I’m sure he changed his mind after seeing that very few of the lords responded.”

“That’s why I said from the start that everyone should come out in support. Why did they insist on postponing it?”

“Weren’t they the ones saying earlier that it was a pretty good idea?”

“We believed it was a plan based on fully understanding His Excellency’s will, and look at us now.”

Their original plan was simple.

First, to show that at least half actively supported the restoration of the kingdom.

Lucian, surely, wouldn’t accept it immediately and would take a few days to think about it.

In that time, the other half would appear, saying that on further thought, it wasn’t a bad idea, and would begin persuading the rest of the lords.

They would pretend not to have been allies from the start, as if they had changed their minds upon hearing reasonable arguments.

Seeing the growing number of supporters, even the neutral lords would be swept up by the tide.

“That was the plan—to gather more than half as supporters of the kingdom’s restoration…”

“But with the duke’s attitude, not only will we not reach half, even our firm supporters might abandon us!”

“Lord Lesta, Lord Harald, say something. What are we supposed to do now?”

The gazes of the house lords all focused on the two leaders.

However, despite those reproachful looks, Lesta and Harald clicked their tongues without flinching.

“You know one thing, but you don’t know two. Do you still not understand the duke?”

“What do you mean?”

“If he really didn’t want the kingdom restored, he would have flipped the table. But he didn’t; he gave us exactly three days of leeway. What do you think that means?”

“…?”

“That he needs three days to move forward with this matter. Until then, there’s no need to force it.”

Upon seeing Lucian’s ambiguous attitude, both came to the same conclusion.

What he wanted wasn’t to lean toward one side, but to keep the matter suspended.

Not giving a clear answer to prevent the house lords from formulating concrete countermeasures.

“That’s why we don’t need to do anything. Just wait until His Excellency finishes preparing everything.”

“Hmm.”

“If that’s the case…”

Although there were some complaints at first, the calmness of the two leaders once again soothed the house lords.

After all, the words of Lesta and Harald, who had dealt with Lucian more than anyone, carried a different weight.

However, the other group couldn’t let the matter rest so easily.

“What is the duke’s true intention? Why does he react so mildly?”

“How should I know? Everything ended without incident, so let’s leave it at that.”

“Leave it at that? What if he does something unexpected later? You’re being too relaxed!”

“Then what do you propose? Without knowing his true intentions, we can’t plan anything!”

The opposition group, led by Hermann, was mired in confusion. Until now, Lucian had squeezed every possible benefit.

A man like that wouldn’t reject the restoration of the kingdom just to save face.

It was clear there was a hidden plan, but not knowing it was deeply frustrating.

In the end, their discussions went nowhere, and they gave up even trying to deliberate further.

“In any case, it’s a relief that the duke doesn’t openly show ambition.”

“Let’s hope everything passes without further incident.”

In practice, they had decided to stop thinking and leave it all to luck. It was baseless optimism, but they had no better alternatives.

The third group, however, couldn’t remain as calm as the other two.

“If the Kingdom of the North really is restored, it’ll all be over.”

“It won’t happen. It’s not that simple.”

“You can’t be sure. More than ten responded enthusiastically.”

“If by some miracle, the north really does unite…”

The noble who had come as an external guest couldn’t finish the sentence and closed his mouth.

If the Kingdom of the North truly resurged, it would become a force more powerful than any other.

Even before their own lord achieved hegemony, the fate of this chaotic era could be decided.

It was a future so terrifying he didn’t even want to say it aloud.

Unable to bear the anxiety, one of the nobles looked at Tristan, who was beside him.

“Does Lord Tristan know anything about this? After all, he’s a relative of the duke.”

“…Are you kidding me?”

“S-sorry. It was a slip of the tongue.”

At Tristan’s glare full of hostility, the noble immediately shrank back.

In truth, the most disturbed among them all was Tristan himself.

If Lucian ascended to the throne and controlled the north, that power would reach even Valdeck.

In other words, there would no longer be any need to keep Tristan as a figurehead.

Lucian could simply take over the house and rule it directly.

“So that meant he could take House Valdeck even without me…?”

Tristan clenched his teeth, recalling the words Lucian had said some time ago.

It was too much of a coincidence to be called chance.

He wanted to stop it at all costs, but as an outsider, he could do absolutely nothing.

All he could do was entrust his fate to the eight gods of the sky and await the outcome.

While the three groups struggled with confusion, the three days passed, and the farewell banquet was held once more.

***

“I will declare the restoration of the Kingdom of the North.”

“…!?”

At Lucian’s blunt statement the moment he appeared at the farewell banquet, the heads of the houses were horrified.

He hadn’t even listened to anyone else’s opinion and was already speaking as if the restoration of the kingdom were a settled matter.

They couldn’t understand where the cautious attitude he had shown until now had gone.

“D-Duke, as I told you before, it is essential that His Highness the First Prince, the legitimate heir of the Empire, grant his approval…”

“I have received it.”

“What did you say?”

“His Highness the First Prince has approved the restoration of the kingdom. On top of that, he says he himself will grant me the royal title. It is truly an immense honor.”

“…!?”

“There is no need for further explanation. Since he is here, see it with your own eyes.”

Lucian turned his gaze away from the utterly stunned heads of the houses and gave a slight nod.

At that instant, with a loud crash, the firmly closed doors of the banquet hall were thrown wide open.

When they saw the figure that appeared belatedly, those who had previously visited the capital cried out in surprise.

“I-It’s His Highness the First Prince!”

“It’s the First Prince!”

Seeing the First Prince’s face twisted in a foul mood, people felt their legs give way.

The First Prince, who was supposed to be living confined in Tibron—how had he arrived there?

While the heads of the houses opened and closed their mouths in shock, the First Prince advanced, escorted by retainers.

The knight Hugo and Raymond, Felicia, who had recently become Swordmaster, Marius, appointed court mage, and his disciples.

Seeing all of Lucian’s closest associates gathered around the First Prince, the heads of the houses swallowed hard.

“What are you doing? Kneel before the legitimate heir of the Empire!”

At the First Prince Claude’s sudden order, the northern lords hesitated for a moment, but eventually knelt.

It wasn’t that they felt respect for the imperial family, but Lucian had already declared his support for the First Prince.

Failing to show courtesy at that moment would have meant directly opposing Lucian.

Claude watched the scene with satisfaction, then frowned as he looked toward a corner.

“And why aren’t you kneeling?”

“……”

The external attendees pretended not to have heard Claude’s reproach.

Their lords did not support the First Prince, so they could not kneel there.

Seeing that they still did not bend the knee, Claude was about to explode, but Denis, who was beside him, hastily whispered.

“Your Highness. They are traitors who do not recognize your right of succession. Even if you give them orders, they will not obey.”

“…Damn it.”

After hearing the explanation, Claude clenched his teeth but said nothing more.

He knew there was no point arguing with those who openly disobeyed.

Snorting in anger, he stepped onto the platform, and Lucian knelt on one knee and spoke.

“Your Highness the First Prince, I beg you.”

“Hmph.”

At Lucian’s words, Claude let out a mocking laugh and twisted his lips in contempt. Then he shouted loudly before the other lords.

“Listen, loyal subjects of the Empire! I, who in the past was captured by the traitor Cedric and suffered countless hardships, managed to escape after great difficulty and took refuge under the protection of Duke Lucian.”

“……”

“However, despite the grace of the late Emperor, the duke confined me, concealed my existence, and demanded the restoration of the Kingdom of the North and a royal title! How lamentable! What would His Majesty the late Emperor say if he could see this from the heavens?”

“…!?”

The words spilling from Claude left everyone present in the hall stunned.

They couldn’t understand what he was saying.

Instead of speaking about the restoration of the kingdom, he was only denouncing Lucian.

While everyone was too bewildered to react, Claude delivered the final blow.

“He has imprisoned the rightful owner of the next throne and demanded compensation—this is treason! Therefore, I strip the traitor Lucian Grimaldi Valdeck of all his titles! Loyal subjects of the Empire! Defeat this traitor at once!”

When Claude finished his declaration, the banquet hall froze.

They hadn’t yet recovered from the shock of his sudden appearance, and now he was confronting the duke head-on the moment he arrived.

Their minds went blank, unable to decide what to do.

Then Lucian stood up and shouted to the heads of the houses.

“Did you hear the words of His Highness the First Prince? Here and now, he has approved the restoration of the Kingdom of the North and granted me the royal title!”

“…!?”

“Therefore, I declare the restoration of the Kingdom of the North! May the Empire be eternal! Long live His Highness the First Prince, the legitimate heir!”

At Lucian’s absurd response, not only the heads of the houses, but even Claude, showed expressions of disbelief.

He had branded him a traitor—why was he now saying such nonsense?

“You’ve completely lost your mind. What the hell are you saying all of a sudden?”

“Understood. From now on, I will guarantee the safety of His Highness the First Prince, so please rest peacefully in the palace.”

“What…?”

“Good, what are you all doing? Follow me, everyone! Long live His Highness the First Prince!”

Seeing Lucian shout like a buffoon, Claude let out an incredulous laugh, but the heads of the houses could not laugh.

They understood perfectly what Lucian’s actions meant.

He had been declared a traitor to his face, and yet he was going to treat it as if the restoration of the kingdom had been approved?

That meant he no longer cared about the First Prince’s will and would simply use him as a seal to legitimize his cause.

The First Prince had branded as a traitor the greatest force supporting him, and the duke had openly declared that he would use that very First Prince as a puppet.

Faced with such an unprecedented situation, everyone was paralyzed.

“…Long live His Highness the First Prince for approving the restoration of the Kingdom of the North!”

“May the Empire be eternal! Glory to the legitimate heir to the throne!”

Lesta and Harald rose from their seats and sided with Lucian.

Then the northern lords who already supported Lucian began to join in.

“Long live the Kingdom of the North! Long live His Highness the First Prince!”

“Glory to the legitimate heir of the Empire!”

From the beginning, they supported Lucian, not the imperial family. If Lucian turned his back on the imperial house, it was natural for them to side with him.

As the cheers continued, even the opposing faction, led by Hermann, rose from their seats.

“Long live His Highness the First Prince!”

“Death to the traitor Cedric!”

“…!?”

Seeing that even the opposition supported Lucian, some were surprised, but on reflection, it was logical.

Even those who opposed Lucian had never had any real interest in the imperial family.

Law and the like were irrelevant; what mattered was the nearest fist. A massive fist, capable of crushing an entire house and erasing it from the map.

Siding with the First Prince there meant a fight to the death with that fist.

Rather than protecting with their lives an imperial family to which they weren’t even loyal, it was better to acknowledge the restoration of the Kingdom of the North and let it pass.

“Ahem.”

“Uh-huh…”

The visiting external nobles pretended not to have seen anything.

Even if Lucian was manipulating the First Prince, they had never recognized his right of succession.

In fact, they had treated him worse than Lucian, who at least gave him a title, even if as a puppet. Protesting now would be ridiculous.

Moreover, they had come only as attendees at the funeral.

Confronting Lucian in the heart of Asagrim would be practically begging to be killed.

The best course was to stay out of it and pretend they hadn’t seen anything.

“Long live His Highness the First Prince!”

“May the Empire be eternal!”

“What the hell are you all saying!? This man is a traitor! Kill him! I said kill him!”

Seeing everyone ignore him with a single will, Claude was on the verge of madness.

It was as if he had fallen alone into a world of the one-eyed; a suffocating terror pressed down on his entire body.

As he desperately pointed at Lucian, his finger was caught with a dry snap.

“Your Highness the First Prince, you seem fatigued. Your finger is trembling so much—how can you handle affairs of state like that?”

“Y-you…”

“Please go and rest well. I will prepare hot tea and a soft bed.”

Lucian smiled broadly as he spoke to the trembling Claude, who could barely articulate words.

“From now on, I will take care of all the difficult matters in your place.”