A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

‘Shut up! How dare you…!’

The First Prince, Claude, who had barely managed to regain his composure after seeing Lucian’s smile, let out a furious scream.

However, for some reason, no sound came out of his throat.

Even though his vocal cords vibrated so hard that his neck hurt, an absolute silence reigned around him.

“Hehe… it seems the First Prince is fatigued. He even struggles to speak.”

A mocking voice reached Claude’s ears, startled by that strange phenomenon.

Turning his head, he saw Marius, the man known as the court mage, smiling with clear intent.

Only then did Claude understand what had been done to him.

‘Magic! This damn dark mage used magic!’

It wasn’t that he couldn’t produce sound. His vocal cords were vibrating and the voice was there, but the sound had been blocked from reaching the ears of others.

Furious, Claude tried to grab Marius by the neck, but Hugo and Raymond immediately restrained him.

“Exactly. He can’t even hold himself up properly.”

“We’d better move him right away. First Prince, please follow us.”

‘Let go of me, damn it! How dare you…! Ggh!’

As he struggled, Claude let out a silent scream and suddenly froze.

Hugo, pretending to help him walk, had pressed hard right below his ribs.

Taking advantage of the moment the attack stopped, the two of them quickly carried him inside.

“D-Duke…!”

Horrified, Denis was about to say something, but in that instant, Lucian’s gaze landed on him.

That look, more powerful than dozens of words, made Denis close his mouth without a word.

Thus ended that brief farce that made no one laugh.

In the now-silent banquet hall, Lucian clapped his hands, as if to draw attention.

Clap, clap.

“Well then. With the authorization of the First Prince, the Kingdom of the North has been restored. Truly a day of celebration.”

“C-Congratulations! From now on, no one will be foolish enough to oppose His Highness’s ascension to the throne!”

Hermann was the first to step forward and bow deeply. It was a desperate attempt to at least slightly atone for his earlier mistakes.

Seeing this, Lucian gave a slight smile.

“All thanks to you. Because you didn’t get swept up in the fervor of others and stayed true to principle, I was able to avoid making a fool of myself.”

At those words, cold sweat began running down Hermann’s back. At first glance, they sounded like praise, but the implication was unsettling.

That thanks to Hermann, he hadn’t made a fool of himself?

‘In other words, doesn’t that mean he truly did want the Kingdom of the North restored, to the point of risking disgrace?’

That is, Hermann had directly opposed what Lucian truly desired.

While Hermann trembled, thinking this might be a warning of an upcoming purge, Lucian continued.

“From now on, if I ever take the wrong path, I want you by my side to correct me. Those who only say pleasant words are rewarded in this world, but the truly righteous are blessed by the eight gods of the heavens.”

Hermann’s eyes widened. He might not grasp every nuance, but the core meaning was clear.

‘If from now on I follow his will, I’ll be rewarded. But if I keep getting in his way, he’ll personally send me to the afterlife.’

The metaphor was so direct there was no room for misunderstanding.

And it wasn’t just a message for Hermann, but a warning to the entire opposition faction.

Understanding Lucian’s intent, Hermann quickly bowed his head and exclaimed:

“It is an unworthy honor to receive such words! Even if my back bends and my face is covered in age spots, I will never forget what you have told me today!”

Even if his back bent and he got senile spots.

It was a way of saying he wanted to live a long life and wouldn’t do anything to provoke Lucian’s wrath.

Satisfied with the response, Lucian nodded firmly and stood up.

“An unexpected celebration has arisen, but turning a farewell banquet into a celebration party on a whim would be frivolous. Let us leave the festivities for later and make today, as originally planned, the final day to mourn Sir Eisen.”

At Lucian’s calm tone, the guests nodded, pretending to be composed.

However, no matter how much they tried to appear calm, they couldn’t hide their pale faces.

Because with what had happened that day, it had become perfectly clear who had taken the initiative in this era of chaos.

***

The host of the farewell banquet, Lucian, did not stay long in the hall.

He used the excuse that he was worried about the First Prince’s physical condition and needed to see him personally.

As soon as Lucian left the hall, a loud uproar erupted from one corner.

“Ahahaha! Perfect! This turned out beautifully!”

“Long live the Empire! Long live the First Prince!”

“And long live the newly reborn Kingdom of the North!”

They were Lucian’s supporters, gathered around Lesta and Harald. From now on, they would be called the pro-king faction.

As if they had completely forgotten that this was supposed to be an event to honor Sir Eisen one last time, the pro-king faction clinked glasses and even toasted.

Some nobles frowned at such frivolous behavior, but they didn’t dare say anything.

Now that the restoration of the kingdom was complete, the North was practically the exclusive domain of the pro-king faction.

They were well aware of that, which is why they didn’t bother to keep up appearances and spoke freely.

“I never imagined the First Prince would come to Asagrim!”

“I’m curious how he did it. Some secret magical artifact?”

“Who cares about the method! What matters is that we now have unlimited justification…!”

“Shhh, watch your mouth. You might lose the duke’s favor.”

“Oh, what a blunder. I suppose I got carried away by the excitement.”

There was a brief stir over that slip, but even then, the smiles didn’t fade from their faces.

Lucian already stood above other ambitious men in terms of military legitimacy for having supported the First Prince.

And now he had gone even further—he had laid hands directly on the very seal of justification: the First Prince himself.

Any noble who had declared support for the First Prince had, without exception, fallen into Lucian’s grasp.

From the moment Lucian issued orders in the name of the First Prince, they would have no choice but to obey.

“I’d love to see the faces of those who claimed to support the First Prince.”

“They probably said it without thinking, assuming he’d stay locked up in the capital.”

“Isn’t that a bit cruel? There must be at least one true loyalist.”

“And isn’t that better? True loyalists will follow the First Prince’s orders without question.”

“That’s true too. Ahahaha!”

Clang!

With that metallic sound, the pro-king faction toasted again.

Harald and Lesta slightly frowned at how excessive their allies were being, but they didn’t stop them.

If they forced them to shut up, they would just gather in private and possibly say even more dangerous things.

‘Better to let them speak a little in front of us and rein them in if they go too far.’

‘Yes, that’s best. If we stop them now, they won’t be able to hold it in.’

‘Once they’ve vented enough, we can just ask them to keep quiet.’

‘These types who can’t see the bigger picture are exhausting. The grand cause is still far off.’

Both sighed deeply, though in truth their own hearts were also racing with excitement.

Not only had they restored the Kingdom of the North, but they also had the First Prince under their control.

If it was Lucian, he wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by and would soon begin extending his influence beyond the North.

Many ambitious figures who thought they still had plenty of time would panic at the sudden appearance of a “king.”

Just imagining it sent a thrilling shiver down their spines.

The North, which had never been the central stage since the founding of the Empire, was now about to become the force pulling the strings of the entire Empire.

“……”

“……”

Unlike the noisy pro-king faction, those who had opposed Lucian were sunk in deep depression.

Lucian, already known as the King of the North, had now officially received a royal title and ascended the throne.

It was no longer just about pressure—he now stood in a position to issue direct orders.

It was disheartening, but there was no solution. With Lucian controlling the First Prince, stopping the restoration of the kingdom through legitimate means was impossible.

“I… I’ll go rest.”

“Me too. I’m not feeling well.”

“Then, let’s meet again later.”

They avoided prolonging the conversation and dispersed.

There was no reason to form factions and oppose the pro-king faction now that the kingdom had been restored. Factions only exist when there’s mutual benefit.

Better to dissolve now than provoke Lucian’s wrath.

This was, effectively, the moment when the forces opposing Lucian disappeared entirely.

‘He didn’t just restore the Kingdom of the North—he also has the First Prince in his hands…!’

‘Am I dreaming? Is this even possible?’

There’s no time to lose. I must return immediately and report to my lord!

The visiting nobles, present only as mourners, rushed out of the hall while trying to calm their trembling bodies.

With the restoration of the Kingdom of the North now a reality, control over this chaotic era had practically fallen into Lucian’s hands.

They had to return as quickly as possible and prepare countermeasures with their lords.

While the external visitors hurried to organize their return, Tristan was desperately searching for Lucian.

‘How did this happen how could this happen…?’

He felt like all the blood had drained from his body. No matter how capable Lucian was, Tristan believed he didn’t have the ability to govern the Duchy of Valdeck directly.

The distance was great, and fully securing the North would still take time.

But Lucian had ascended the throne, unified the North, and obtained limitless justification through the First Prince. He wouldn’t just stabilize the North—he could now extend his influence immediately to the duchy.

For Tristan, who believed Lucian would never discard him, this was madness.

‘If things go on like this, I’ll stop being useful to Lucian. In the worst case, I could disappear here without anyone even noticing. If he governs the duchy directly, I’m nothing but a hindrance.’

Tristan’s mouth went dry from tension.

This was no longer just about being discarded.

He now had to worry about being seen as a rival—and losing his life.

At the very least, he had to see Lucian before a decision was made without his knowledge.

But just as Tristan neared the study, someone blocked his path.

“Well, long time no see. Do you remember me?”

“…Sir Hugo.”

Recognizing Hugo’s face, Tristan frowned.

A nobody from the slums who had followed Lucian in Bornholm.

So mediocre he hadn’t even been a knight; Tristan had never paid him any attention.

And now not only was he a knight, he was one of Lucian’s closest men, looking down on him from above.

Tristan clenched his fist in humiliation and glared at him.

“I don’t know what business you have, but if it’s not urgent, move aside. I need to see the Duke.”

“Oh, come now. Let’s not pretend. You know exactly why I’m here.”

“And what is it I supposedly know?”

“That the young lord’s usefulness has run out. It’s time to leave.”

Seeing Hugo’s smug grin, Tristan’s heart sank. He had known he might be eliminated, but he hadn’t expected the decision to come so quickly.

“Did the Duke… really give that order?”

“No, just kidding.”

“……”

The veins on Tristan’s forehead bulged.

Even if their positions had reversed, he never imagined he’d be humiliated like this by some guy from the slums.

“……You bast—”

“He said to get ready. We’ll soon be taking possession of the duchy.”

“…!?”

Tristan froze, just as he was about to shout. The news was so shocking he couldn’t tell whether it was a cruel joke or the truth.

Seeing his bewildered expression, Hugo continued in a serious tone.

“This time, it’s not a joke.”

From earlier, any trace of a smile had disappeared from Hugo’s face.