A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

‘Marquis Bernhardt has made his move.’

‘So His Excellency the marquis has already acted.’

Upon seeing Viscount Oleg Rerum, Lucian and Ernst thought the same thing at the same time.

If he had only been informed of Lucian’s visit, he would not have been able to appear so composed.

It was obvious that he had also been instructed on how he should deal with Lucian from that point on.

‘Just as expected of the marquis.’

‘Let’s see how he intends to play this.’

Faced with the opponent’s swift response, Ernst felt relieved, while Lucian’s competitive spirit was stirred.

Although Viscount Oleg had been placed at the forefront, the true architect of the plan had to be Marquis Bernhardt.

In a sense, this was the beginning of an intellectual duel between Lucian and the marquis.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Viscount Oleg. We will stay for about three days.”

Lucian spoke courteously to the viscount, who was bowing his head. Oleg was startled and immediately shook his head.

“Three days? You may rest comfortably for an entire week. We have prepared everything for that.”

“I appreciate your words, but it would not be right to keep the one who invited us to the banquet waiting too long. We will rest just enough and then depart.”

“If that is your situation, I cannot detain you by force. Please rest as much as you wish.”

Viscount Oleg clicked his tongue in regret and bowed his head.

Then, as if he had just remembered something, he looked at the messenger Ernst.

“Ah, Sir Ernst. The marquis left you a message.”

“To me?”

“Yes. He said, if you are aware of your responsibility, escort the guests safely.”

It was a phrase laden with meaning, yet neither Lucian nor even Ernst could grasp its true intent.

Escort them safely?

It did not seem ironic, since Ernst had no way of doing anything to Lucian, but taken at face value it was far too ambiguous.

“Well, we’ve kept you standing for too long while we talked. My apologies. Please, go on inside.”

While Lucian’s group pondered the marquis’s message, Oleg Rerum moved with exaggerated gestures and led them inside.

Since it was difficult to interpret those words immediately, Lucian set the doubt aside for the moment and followed the viscount.

After all, it would not take long for them to reveal their true intentions.

***

Oleg Rerum emptied the warehouses of his viscountal house to provide for the army of five thousand men without any shortages.

It was a perfect example of how to receive a large army.

Faced with such impeccable management, without the slightest point to criticize, Lucian could not help but admire him once more.

‘This viscount is not an ordinary man. In my past life I never heard of him, so I paid him no mind, but he’s more capable than I thought.’

However, despite his ability, the viscount made no suspicious moves.

With such competence, he should have been plotting something in secret, yet by showing no strange actions at all, Lucian’s group felt bewildered.

‘Does he really intend to just host us and let us leave?’

It was precisely when even Lucian began to think that, that the incident occurred.

Three days later, when they were preparing to leave the Lerum house as planned—

“What? The road is blocked by a landslide?”

“Yes. Large rocks rolled down and completely blocked the passage. And it’s not just one spot; the road is obstructed in several sections, so it will take quite some time to clear.”

At the report from the reconnaissance group sent ahead, Lucian blinked. It was too much of a coincidence to call it accidental.

“Are you sure it was a landslide? Not someone who caused it on purpose?”

“We don’t know.”

The one who answered Lucian’s doubt was Felicia, who had been standing silently behind them.

“The west is a region known for its strong winds. Landslides occur frequently. It’s not unusual for rocks to fall and block roads.”

“So even if it was intentional, there’s no way to prove it.”

“That’s right. If we suspect it, it will look like we’re just trying to stir up trouble over a common accident.”

“Hm.”

Lucian sank into thought.

At their first meeting, when he said he would only stay three days, the viscount had recommended that he rest for a full week.

At the time, he had taken it as simple courtesy, but now something did not add up.

‘He didn’t say to stay longer, but specified exactly one week.’

If it had been mere formality, he would have said to stay as long as he liked.

Mentioning a specific period meant that beyond that, it would be difficult to maintain the same treatment.

‘Of course, feeding and housing five thousand soldiers is not something a mere viscountal house can sustain for long. Still, mentioning the exact time frame is suspicious.’

It was as if he were hinting that staying longer than a week would be inconsiderate toward him.

Lucian had no intention of staying that long, but if an unforeseen disaster held them back, the situation changed.

Although he felt that everything was fitting together in an unsettling way, Lucian pretended not to notice anything and went to see Viscount Oleg.

“I’ve heard that the landslide prevents us from advancing. I would prefer to depart immediately, even if we have to detour a bit…”

“That will be difficult. This area is mountainous; if you detour, you will arrive more than a month later than the scheduled date.”

“Then how long will it take to clear the landslide?”

“Five days will be more than enough.”

“I see.”

Lucian nodded, but clicked his tongue to himself.

Adding the three days already spent at the Lerum house, it was almost exactly a week.

It felt as though everything had been calculated in advance.

Moreover, he doubted that this incident would end with just a landslide.

If another problem arose as soon as the road was cleared, they would be trapped again.

With no proof, he could not accuse the viscount, so he had no choice but to accept it.

“Then we’ll trouble you a bit longer.”

“Of course. Please rest easy.”

Even though the army of five thousand men would stay longer, Viscount Oleg did not lose his smile or his respectful attitude.

He even went personally to the site of the landslide to give instructions and speed up the work.

Thanks to that, the road was cleared in four days, and Lucian’s group was able to set out again.

Or rather, they tried to set out.

Whoosh.

“Wasn’t there supposed to be a road here?”

“Without a doubt there was, but it seems it collapsed and was swept away. The dam built upstream probably gave way.”

Facing the fast-flowing river, Ernst replied in a casual tone.

There was no trace left of the confusion he had shown earlier; his expression was relaxed.

“It’s an extremely rare accident. For things like this to happen one after another, even after a landslide—this is the first time I’ve seen something like it.”

“Save the admiration and tell me if there’s a solution.”

“Ask Viscount Oleg for help. Since accidents like this occur occasionally, repairing a damaged bridge isn’t particularly difficult.”

“How long does it usually take to repair a bridge?”

“It depends on the current, but at this speed, I’d say about fifteen days.”

“Ha.”

A dry laugh escaped Lucian’s lips. At last, he was beginning to understand the marquis’s plan.

With no other choice, he went to see Viscount Oleg again, and as expected, received the anticipated answer.

“Your Majesty, I am sorry, but we cannot offer you the same treatment for fifteen days. Up to a week would be possible, but…”

“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to live at your expense. We will endure by consuming the supplies that arrive via the logistics route. Just allow us to use the lodgings.”

“My sincerest apologies.”

The viscount bowed his head, visibly uncomfortable, but Lucian did not even look at him.

He went outside the walls, chose a tent, had the others withdraw, and summoned his vassals.

Once everyone had gathered, Lucian went straight to the point.

“They intend to keep us trapped here.”

***

Upon hearing Lucian’s words, the vassals did not look particularly surprised.

At this point, it was impossible not to realize that the opponent was deliberately blocking the roads. Hugo frowned.

“I don’t know what their true intentions are. Do they want us to return to the north like this?”

“No. They want us to choke on the cost of maintaining five thousand soldiers. And at the same time, to leave us indebted to the lords of the west.”

“From a guest’s point of view, isn’t it acceptable to owe the host a little?”

“One or two times wouldn’t be a problem. The real issue is ending up in a situation where we can’t do anything without the constant help of others.”

Since they did not know the west well, in the face of accidents or disasters like these they had no choice but to rely on the help of the local lords.

The problem was that the more they depended on that help, the more it would seem that they couldn’t do anything without them.

Beyond how outsiders might view it, even the soldiers Lucian commanded would eventually feel isolated and powerless.

“The marquis planned his move well. He delays us and, at the same time, turns us into useless fools who can’t do anything without external help. If this keeps happening, the lords of the west will also start taking us lightly.”

When they heard that an army of five thousand men was approaching, the lords of the west must have been trembling with fear.

But if Lucian kept getting stuck over and over again, begging for help, it would give the perfect image of a group that was big on the outside but empty within.

Marius, who had remained silent until then, stepped forward cautiously after hearing Lucian’s explanation.

“If I use magic, I could resolve most of these interferences, but—”

“No.”

Lucian rejected Marius’s proposal without hesitation.

“I know your ability, but here we must conserve our strength. We don’t know when the moment will come when magic is truly necessary.”

Magic was not an inexhaustible power. Unlike knights, each use consumed mana, and recovering that mana took far longer than recovering physical stamina.

If they used magic thoughtlessly just because they needed it at that moment, they might be left without it when it truly mattered.

“Then what should we do? Play exactly as Marquis Bernhardt wants?”

“No.”

Lucian smiled as he looked at Hugo, who was twisting uneasily.

“There’s no need for that. If the marquis is trying to turn me into a laughingstock, all we have to do is remind everyone what kind of person I am.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll have to request a duel.”

The unexpected proposal made Hugo blink.

He hadn’t created any particular enemies in the west, so it made no sense.

“Against whom? No, rather, on what pretext?”

“Anyone will do, and you can make up the pretext however you like. It’s enough to choose any knight belonging to the house of Viscount Lerum.”

“Choose just anyone…? Before that, why does it have to be me? If it’s about winning a duel, wouldn’t Felicia be the most suitable?”

At Hugo’s words, Felicia nodded.

Hugo’s swordsmanship, trained in the Lion Sword, was improving day by day, and in terms of potential he surpassed even Raymond.

However, although he was among the high-level knights, it couldn’t be said that he was without rivals.

He would defeat most opponents, but if he faced a hidden expert, he could also lose.

Lucian answered Hugo’s doubt with a smile.

“Felicia is a Swordmaster. Even if she wanted to lose, she couldn’t.”

“Eh?”

“Because what I want is not a victory, but a defeat.”

“…!?”