A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

Saying that Lucian’s growth rate was outstanding already fell short.

It was so rapid that it would not have been strange for the ambitious, sensing the threat, to move to contain him.

However, although Lucian could distrust other houses, he was not worried in the slightest about the house of Marquis Roglan. The reason was simple.

‘For a colossal force like House Roglan, rather than wasting resources trying to contain me, the most profitable move is to act to integrate its surroundings.’

Along with the house of the Grand Duke Valdeck, the house of Marquis Roglan was one of the two great families considered pillars of the Empire.

House Valdeck, which had once been able to compare with Roglan, had long been in decline after Jordi’s rebellion.

In terms of the power of a single family, it could practically be said that Roglan was the strongest in the current Empire.

‘In pure force it may be inferior to me, but I am an emerging faction that has gathered talent from everywhere and has just established its base. In cohesion and stability as a faction, House Roglan surely surpasses me.’

That is to say, even if they rapidly expanded their size through conquest, they had sufficient capacity to sustain it.

Even if they felt threatened by Lucian’s growth, coming all the way to this remote north just to contain him would be a waste of power.

Instead, it was better to take advantage of their strengths and quickly subdue the surrounding forces to strengthen themselves.

Marquis Bernhardt surely knew all this, and yet he had sent an emissary as soon as the kingdom resurfaced.

‘Will he come to propose a non-aggression pact or an alliance? Surely he hasn’t really come to attempt an impossible containment, right?’

While Lucian sat thoughtfully on the throne, the emissary sent by the house of Marquis Roglan entered, already prepared.

He was not a close knight like those usually sent by small houses, but a formal herald.

The herald observed a strict protocol with precision and knelt before Lucian.

“This humble servant, Ernst, herald of the house of Marquis Roglan, presents his respects before Your Highness.”

“Your Highness, you say…”

Lucian let out a faint laugh at the herald’s choice of words.

‘He doesn’t call me king. He doesn’t gravely violate protocol, but he very subtly skirts the important point.’

A king of a vassal state or fief is not addressed as “Majesty,” but with the same “Highness” used for a duke.

It is a way of lowering the title by one rank, since he is under the emperor and not an independent monarch.

The herald seemed to have aimed precisely at that, deliberately omitting the office and using only the form of address “Highness.”

To anyone listening, it was ambiguous to the extreme.

It could be interpreted as recognition of the throne, but it could also be understood as a simple recognition of the duchy, implicitly denying the kingdom without the address itself being incorrect.

‘He doesn’t recognize the office granted by the first prince, but he also doesn’t want to enter into direct conflict with me?’

From Marquis Bernhardt’s position, there were not many options.

Having supported another member of the imperial family as heir to the throne, he could not recognize the offices granted by the first prince.

Even so, the fact that he was not openly hostile was already a fairly moderate response.

“It must have been a difficult journey to this remote north, herald. I would like to offer a banquet in your honor, but your visit was so sudden that I was unable to prepare one.”

“As a herald, I have a duty to fulfill. How could I seek luxuries? It is enough for me to be grateful that, in such turbulent times, we have not been treated with disdain and have been allowed to enter safely.”

“I appreciate your words. Very well, what brings you here?”

Lucian quickly dispensed with the formalities and went straight to the point.

He did not know whether the visitor came with good or bad intentions, and prolonging the conversation could only generate misunderstandings.

Ernst, the herald, seemed to think the same and replied without surprise.

“My lord, Marquis Bernhardt, wishes to invite Your Highness to a banquet.”

“…Invite me? Are you telling me to go right now to the west, where the house of the marquis is located?”

“I am aware that it is a demanding request, but we sincerely hope that Your Highness will accept the invitation.”

Lucian let out an incredulous laugh.

They had come all the way to the heart of the north just to ask him to go of his own accord to the west.

And the most absurd part was that the place of the invitation was, literally, his own backyard.

If it were a midpoint or a neutral zone, perhaps, but what was he supposed to trust?

‘Anyone with a bit of sense would refuse such an invitation. So they don’t really expect me to go.’

It was surely a proposal made with his refusal in mind.

The real objective had to be hidden behind that absurd invitation.

Having more or less grasped the other side’s intention, Lucian continued.

“First of all, I would like to know for what purpose I am being invited.”

“My lord wishes to join forces with Your Highness for the peace of the continent and to ensure smooth trade.”

“I can understand the peace of the continent, but smooth trade?”

“In these times, dangerous elements and bandits run rampant everywhere. As a result, many trade routes have been cut, harming commerce. We do not know when those consequences might affect both the marquis and Your Highness.”

“So you propose that we meet to seek a solution?”

“Exactly.”

“I see. I understand.”

A bitter smile appeared on Lucian’s lips.

Just as he had suspected, the invitation was nothing more than bait.

The true objective was to remind him of the current situation, in which much of the food supply depended on trade, in order to instill a sense of crisis.

They could not resort to direct military action, but this they could do.

‘No, it’s not just that. They also seek to provoke the other lords of the north. Unlike me, who can endure even if trade is interrupted for a time, weak houses would suffer a mortal blow from even a brief cut in the food supply.’

For a light containment, it was a fairly effective move.

If anxiety over the food supply spread throughout the north and that fear was fanned, some lords would seek insurance for emergencies.

With some luck, someone might even appear willing to conspire in exchange for a stable supply of food.

For the effort of briefly visiting the north and sowing rumors, the benefit was enormous.

“I appreciate the proposal, but I have no time at all to travel there, so I will be forced to decline. Convey my apologies to the marquis.”

“Your Highness, this is a matter of utmost importance to the Empire. You should not dismiss it lightly. The future of the Empire rests in Your Highness’s hands.”

“Though it embarrasses me to say so, I cannot even guarantee my own safety on such a journey. I have an obligation to sustain the north, so I cannot act lightly.”

“If that is the case, you may come with an escort. We will take it upon ourselves to request understanding from the other heads of families in the west.”

The herald’s insistent attitude made Lucian frown.

They should already have achieved at least half of their original objective, so why was he pressing so hard?

If he had been rejected, it would have been enough to remain in the north spreading rumors.

Under Lucian’s silent gaze, the true purpose finally came to light.

“I regret insisting so much, but this matter is deeply related to the logistics of the north. If Your Highness refuses, we would like to invite at least other heads of families to speak with them.”

“Ha.”

Lucian let out a laugh.

So they not only intended to spread rumors in the north, but also to openly invite the heads of families to the west to whisper among themselves.

It was an audacity bordering on absolute shamelessness.

Lucian had just ascended the throne, and yet they intended to invite the heads of families on their own to hold discussions.

And on top of that, in a place where surveillance would not reach, so they could conspire freely.

“Don’t say nonsense. If I can’t even guarantee my own safety, what head of family could travel safely to the west?”

“That is precisely why we will place no limit on the number of escorts. Perhaps one or two would not suffice, but if several gather, the force could be comparable to an army. Wouldn’t the journey be safe then?”

“What…?”

Lucian was about to refute it as madness, but suddenly his eyes opened wide.

No limit on the number of escorts? They would even allow the passage of a force on a military scale?

“Wait. Does that apply to me as well?”

“Huh?”

“You just said I could bring as many escorts as I wanted.”

“Ah… yes, that’s right.”

Faced with Lucian’s sudden question, the herald nodded with an awkward expression. He could not deny what he had just said with his own words.

Upon receiving that confirmation, Lucian sprang up from the throne with a radiant smile.

“Very well! I will accept the invitation!”

“W-what?”

“I said I will accept the marquis’s invitation. If you have yielded that much, continuing to refuse would be discourteous. As soon as I finish the preparations, I will depart for the west!”

At Lucian’s completely unexpected response, the herald Ernst opened his eyes wide.

It had been a proposal made under the assumption of rejection, and now he was saying he would truly go to the west.

Seeing his stunned expression, Lucian burst out laughing.

“You were the ones who extended the invitation first. I trust you will not skimp on hospitality toward your guest.”

***

“It’s madness! The west is Marquis Bernhardt’s front yard!”

“Even going with an army wouldn’t be enough, and on top of that talking about a banquet! That’s impossible!”

When Lucian informed his vassals about the marquis’s invitation, they jumped in alarm.

What else could they think, if a powerful competitor in this chaotic era wanted him to enter his own front yard?

It was obvious they would seize the opportunity to try to assassinate him and eliminate a rival.

Moreover, Marquis Bernhardt was a head of family who had ruled for decades in the political quagmire full of intrigues.

He was an extremely dangerous enemy, seasoned in all kinds of dirty maneuvers.

“We can’t let him go! If he insists on going, he’ll have to step over our corpses!”

“Listen until the end. Who said I was going alone? I’m going to take an army.”

“Huh? An army?”

“They said I could bring all the escorts I wanted. That they wouldn’t mind even if it were on the scale of an army.”

“…Did they really say that?”

“Yes. It seems their original target wasn’t me, but using this as a pretext to persuade other heads of families.”

In truth, the pretext itself was not bad.

The number of troops a single house could mobilize had a very clear limit.

If one counted only the forces that could be sent outside, the number was even smaller, since the troops needed for internal order and emergency defense had to be subtracted.

They had surely thought that no matter how many men Lucian brought, they could deal with it without difficulty. And knowing that, Lucian would never accept the invitation.

“If I and other lords joined forces, it might be dangerous, but they didn’t seem too worried. If I accepted the invitation, the other lords would back off out of caution. And if only the lords gathered without me, no matter how much they united, they wouldn’t dare bare their fangs at the marquis’s house.”

If some northern lords accepted the invitation, they would be sweet-talked and turned into collaborators.

If they were sent away without even being heard, Lucian’s authoritarian attitude would be criticized and internal divisions fomented.

And if Lucian truly appeared with a small army, it would be enough to simply kill him.

No matter how it turned out, it was a perfect plan that always guaranteed them benefits.

The problem was that Marquis Bernhardt had overlooked one fatal fact.

“He didn’t know that the Kingdom of the North was far more united than it appeared.”

“More precisely, he didn’t know that the hierarchy and the relationship between superiors and subordinates was perfectly established.”

In reality, whether he was mistaken about one point or the other would not make much difference to Marquis Bernhardt.

Because very soon the west would have to receive Lucian’s great army.

“We’ll have to ask the first prince to write a personal letter.”

Faced with this unexpected opportunity, Lucian’s smile grew even deeper.

When an army far exceeding any expectation entered the west, what expression would Marquis Bernhardt wear then?