A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

Despite Claude’s sudden change in attitude, Lucian was not surprised at all.

Rather, with an impassive expression, he approached the kneeling Claude and placed both hands on his shoulders, as if to help him stand.

“For someone of your status, the First Prince, not only to kneel before a mere duke, but to even address me with honorifics, is a joke far too heavy for me. Please, stand up.”

“No, it’s not a joke. It is practically a given that you have received the title of king, so how could I treat you lightly? According to protocol, a king and an imperial prince are on the same level, so please allow me to show you the proper respect, even if only now.”

“That is not necessary. Simply by existing, the First Prince is already fulfilling his role perfectly. Ah, by the way, Denis mentioned something to me recently about finding you a princess consort…”

“Please! I beg you, don’t do that!”

The moment the topic turned to a princess consort, Claude panicked and clung to Lucian’s leg.

However, Lucian frowned and knocked his hand away in one motion, clearly annoyed.

“Don’t do it? First Prince, you have long been of marriageable age. You are already past the proper age for marriage, and yet you still intend to keep postponing it?”

“Just a little longer! Just a little more time, that’s all!”

“No. As the legitimate heir, you have the obligation to leave behind a successor. You cannot evade it, so resign yourself.”

“H-huhh! Great King! Please, grant me one more chance!”

Tears and mucus streamed endlessly down Claude’s terrified face.

When Lucian tried to pull his leg away, Claude crawled awkwardly and clutched his thigh tightly.

“E-even if I were to have a child right now, what use would that be to Your Majesty? He wouldn’t even be able to speak, and for years he wouldn’t even be able to control his bodily needs! Instead of that, use me!”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“I’ll personally write every edict you want! No, better yet, I’ll conduct the coronation myself! Wouldn’t it be the perfect scene for the legitimate heir of the Empire to place the crown!?”

Lucian silently observed Claude as he begged desperately.

He was trembling so much that the vibration was transmitted directly to Lucian’s thigh. In the end, Lucian sighed and spoke.

“I have no intention of killing you, so calm yourself. You may never set foot in the outside world again in your lifetime, but at least you will be able to live comfortably.”

“…!”

“First Prince, you have betrayed my trust again and again. In my opinion, it is better to keep you locked up like this than to let you loose.”

“No, no! That’s not it! Believe me! Believe me just one more time!”

“I trusted enough already. And I was betrayed enough.”

“I’ll abdicate!”

Lucian, who had been trying to shake Claude off, froze in place.

Noticing his reaction, Claude shouted through tears and mucus.

“If I ascend the throne, I’ll abdicate! There’s no need to use a newborn! Do you think a child will always grow according to their parents’ will? When they mature, they inevitably start thinking for themselves!”

At those words, Lucian nodded unconsciously.

Claude was surely repeating something he had heard somewhere, but the perfect example was Lucian himself.

Despite the former emperor’s attempts to raise him properly, he had ended up becoming this trash.

‘Well, in the end, everyone is the same. Even if you raise someone from infancy in a controlled environment, you can’t dominate their thoughts.’

Even when raised in abundance, a rebellious spirit emerges on its own.

No matter how much you try to shape it, with one slip it can head in the opposite direction.

Perhaps the First Prince’s child, upon realizing his innate rights, would end up thinking.

‘Eliminating the traitor Lucian and reclaiming my rightful rights will be the mission of my life.’

Rather than bearing such a risk, it might be better to use a First Prince who understood reality and crawled in abasement.

“And what do you want in return?”

When Lucian asked after a brief silence, Claude answered immediately.

“Please, do not let noblewomen enter my bedroom.”

It was a declaration that, as long as he lived, he would never have an heir.

To others it might seem ridiculous, but Claude was truly desperate.

The moment a successor was born, he would lose his advantage as “the only alternative.”

Not only Lucian, but the other lords as well would begin to take more interest in the heir’s growth than in Claude.

In the worst case, once the child was deemed sufficiently mature, Claude might conveniently “die of illness.”

At that plea, Lucian drew a mocking smile.

“And how do you plan to distinguish a noblewoman?”

“…!”

“The daughters of fallen families often lack proper education. On the other hand, a high-class prostitute, carefully trained, can have more bearing than a provincial noble young lady.”

In other words, if Lucian decided to deceive him, Claude would have no way to tell. Just as the terrified Claude was about to say something more, Lucian whispered to him.

“So don’t feel secure. The moment you think there is no alternative but me, that you can do nothing to me, or that this is the time to return to a proper relationship between sovereign and vassal, the First Prince’s heir may appear out of nowhere.”

“Yes, yes! I’ll keep that firmly in mind! I’ll never forget it!”

Although it was practically a threat, Claude had no choice but to nod frantically.

If it was Lucian, he really could make those words a reality at any moment.

At Claude’s submissive response, Lucian showed a satisfied smile.

“Good. Then allow me to ask you just one thing, First Prince.”

“W-what thing?”

“It’s nothing out of the ordinary.”

Lucian shrugged and said,

“Draft the invitations for the lords.”

***

After Eisen’s funeral, two months later, Lucian once again sent invitations to the lords of the north.

This time, it was not a funeral, but an invitation to attend his coronation.

The lords, who had barely returned from Asagrim and already had to prepare to set out again, frowned. No matter how much it was Lucian, what kind of dog training was that?

However, the moment they read the invitations, their annoyance turned into shock.

“The First Prince’s handwriting? You mean it wasn’t the duke, but the First Prince himself who personally wrote all these invitations?”

“And they’re not just simple protocol greetings. Every sentence is written with care. Anyone would think it’s a letter sent to a close friend.”

Normally, invitations sent to many people have the same content, with only the recipient’s name changed, save for rare exceptions.

But the First Prince’s invitations were different from all others. Each one had completely different content.

The situation of each family’s lands, their family composition, recent topics that were being talked about—details that could only be known by investigating case by case.

From count houses to barons, all received different texts. Faced with such dedication, the lords could not help but click their tongues.

“It’s impossible that the First Prince wrote something like this of his own will. Was it pressure from the duke?”

“It can’t be. After going through that humiliation at the farewell banquet, has he already given up?”

The northern lords were stunned, but deep down they could not help admiring Lucian’s skill.

Whatever the method, there was an abyssal difference between locking the First Prince in a room and using him as a mere seal, and bringing him onto the stage and making him speak the desired words.

Before the eyes of the northern lords, who hurried back once more to Asagrim, Lucian held his coronation.

The ceremony itself was simple to the point of seeming poor, as the formal coronation would be carried out after reclaiming the capital.

But what mattered was not splendor, but who placed the crown.

“I, Claude fin Bey Astria, legitimate heir of the Empire and First Prince, acting in the name of His Majesty the former emperor, bestow the royal title upon Duke Lucian.”

“I receive it with respect.”

After accepting the crown from Claude’s hands, Lucian sat upon the throne.

With the official declaration of the complete revival of the Northern Kingdom, emotions split everywhere.

The return of the north’s former glory was a cause for joy, but at the same time it meant that they now had a new lord over their heads.

Then, Claude, standing beside Lucian, spoke again.

“Furthermore, I, Claude, will establish Asagrim as my residence until Tibron is reclaimed and, as the representative of His Majesty the former emperor, will perform all imperial functions. The rewards and punishments decreed by my mouth will take effect immediately, and if they cannot be enforced at once, they will be carried out as soon as possible.”

“…!”

The eyes of the northern lords shone.

If that was true, didn’t it mean that even in this chaotic era they could receive new titles or territories?

It was not an empty promise of future rewards after pacifying the Empire, but prizes granted on the spot.

If they played their cards well, they could grow their families more than ever, even in the midst of chaos.

Before the opportunity fallen from the sky, the northern lords burst into cheers without exception.

“Long live the Northern Kingdom! Long live the First Prince!”

“May the kingdom be eternal! May the Empire be immortal!”

Before the avalanche of acclaim, Lucian showed a deep smile.

He had obtained legitimacy, dominated the north, and given a clear incentive to the nobles under his command.

Now only one thing remained to be done.

“It will be time to advance.”

The moment had come to extend, beyond the north, the strength he had cultivated so far.

***

The potential of Asagrim was limitless.

Even without leaving the north and focusing solely on internal administration, its growth would be enormous.

However, for Lucian it was better to advance immediately than to waste time preparing.

“If I take time to prepare, I also give time to the enemy. Unless the opponent is a puppet without progress, perfect preparation is nothing more than an illusion.”

What mattered was not how perfect his preparation was, but how much distance there was between him and his opponent.

Even if his preparation was somewhat insufficient, if the enemy was not prepared at all, he could deliver the most devastating blow.

In Lucian’s eyes, now was precisely that moment.

“First, I must advance quickly and establish a foothold outside the north, so that the others, feeling the threat, will not dare try to isolate the Northern Kingdom.”

Although he had recently weakened the abnormal cold of the north using an artifact, the food situation was still bad.

The mere fact that the cold had eased did not make abandoned agriculture prosper immediately.

Until the north could be self-sufficient, most food would continue to come from outside.

Therefore, it was necessary to establish an external base in advance, so that other factions could not block trade at will at a critical moment.

“Well, as long as there’s distance, it will be vulnerable to external attacks for a while, but I can leave that to Tristan. Besides, that external base will also be a bridge to advance toward Valdeck.”

Losing that bridge to Valdeck meant delaying even further the moment when Tristan could reclaim Valdeck.

Tristan knew that too, so if he were assigned to that external base, he would defend it at the cost of his life.

Lucian would only have to charge the cost in blood to Tristan and then calmly appear to take over the already stabilized base.

After deciding on his plan, Lucian was about to summon his vassals.

But faster than he could expand outward, visitors arrived from outside the north.

“…What? You say an envoy from the house of Marquis Roglan has arrived?”

Faced with that unexpected visit, Lucian blinked.

Why the hell had those people come all the way to this distant north?