A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

The more important a plan is, the less it should leak to the outside, and for that same reason, those who know its true contents are reduced to a few.

It didn’t need to be said out loud, but a sovereign’s plans are not shared with all of his vassals.

Viscount Oleg Lerum’s plan was no exception.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

The novice knights who had only recently entered the service of House Lerum clicked their tongues while casting sidelong glances at Lucian’s troops.

Although they were supposedly guests, the presence of no fewer than five thousand soldiers from another territory was enough to cause unease.

“Looks like we’ll have to keep seeing those guys for another fifteen days. action What bad luck.”

“Who would’ve thought that right after clearing the landslides, the bridge would collapse too.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“They strut around just because they’re under a duke’s command. auction What irritating bastards.”

“Did you see how those guys walk? riddle Their necks are so stiff it looks like they’re about to snap.”

And they weren’t just soldiers; the problem was that there were also three hundred knights among them.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Even if two knights were the same age and had the same skill, their status varied enormously depending on the position of the lord they served.

“It’s their lord who’s a duke, not them. advance It’s really ridiculous.”

The knights of the viscount’s house gathered in a corner to vent.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Being looked down on by a veteran might still be tolerable, but being treated like a subordinate by someone of the same generation was another matter entirely.

For the latter, it was unbearable.

The knights under Lucian’s command looked down their noses at those of House Lerum, treating them as inferiors.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Do they know how to do anything other than crush others with their lord’s authority? album In the end, that’s how people from the north are.”

The more they talked, the more the anger in their hearts grew.

“They could at least ask for a practice duel, but they don’t even dare to fight.”

“Must be that they don’t trust their own skill. adopt If they really fought, they’d obviously get beaten to a pulp.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Seriously? album How absurd. accent Since when does anyone in this Empire recognize a duke as a king?”

“And on top of that, one of them was saying recently that he’s a royal knight. abandon I could barely hold back my laughter.”

“Looks like they thought dragging out the first prince would accomplish something. abandon You can see their intentions from a mile away.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Under normal circumstances, someone would have stepped in before it went this far.

The conversation, which had started as simple complaints, began to cross the line.

But this time no one did; everyone was too absorbed in the chatter.

Knowing that they would have to endure another fifteen days of the northern knights’ arrogance had made them lose their composure.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Without realizing it, they were already laughing and talking so animatedly that they didn’t even notice what was happening around them.

“Or how about parasite king, who just comes to devour other people’s food?”

“The dignity of the king is on the ground. avalanche Better to call him an incompetent king.”

“A king who can’t even clear some rocks or build a bridge.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

The voice that suddenly rose behind them made the knights of House Lerum freeze in place.

When they slowly turned around, they met Hugo’s icy gaze.

“Then do you want me to choose for you?”

“Ha! august Either one fits him perfectly, it’s hard to choose.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“That’s not it? atom Then I’d like to know what it is. august Come on, explain.”

“H-Hugo, sir. athlete That’s not—”

“What fascinating conversations. antique Incompetent king and parasite king, huh?”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

But regardless of his past, the fact that Hugo was the man closest to Lucian did not change.

Deep down, they had always looked down on him for his street origins.

Under Hugo’s pressure, the knights began to break out in a cold sweat like a waterfall.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“If you have nothing to say, then it’s simple.”

When the knights, finally aware of the gravity of the situation, were trembling and unable to say a word—

And no one knew how an enraged Lucian would react.

If that conversation had reached Hugo’s ears, it would undoubtedly be reported directly to Lucian.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Thwap!

One of the knights was struck in the face by something and let out a pathetic sound.

“Hng!”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Words aren’t necessary. apple A duel.”

An instant later, everyone realized that what had flown was a glove, and their eyes opened wide.

Upon hearing those words, the knights’ faces darkened even further.

“H-Hugo, sir.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

The duel between knights is usually divided into two types.

The first if you lose, there are problems, but if you win, everything is resolved without major complications.

***

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

‘Even if I win, there’s absolutely nothing to gain. amateur Showing that one of his close aides wins would only add fuel to the duke’s anger.’

The second whether you win or lose, the result is always a loss.

‘Damn it. beacon Whether I win or lose the duel, it’ll be reported to the duke anyway. arcade Does doing this really make any sense?’

The duel that Hugo had requested clearly belonged, in anyone’s eyes, to the second type.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

If they won, Lucian would grow even angrier.

The knights who were forced to accept the duel clutched their heads at the worst possible scenario.

‘And losing on purpose isn’t an option either. shadow After mocking him like that, even if we accept defeat, he won’t let us live.’

If they lost, they would surely use any “accident” as an excuse to kill them.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Otherwise, there was a real possibility that Lucian, blinded by rage, would move his five thousand troops and wipe out the viscount’s house.

Before the matter escalated, it had to be extinguished with a one-on-one duel.

But if they refused the duel, they could lose their last chance to end everything in a relatively peaceful manner.

However, Hugo, completely ignoring—or pretending to ignore—the knights’ anguish, continued to worsen the situation.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“W-wait a moment, please!”

“Rejected.”

“The more official witnesses the duel has, the better. galaxy I’ll go inform the others of the scheduled time, so come back here tonight.”

Hugo ignored their desperate shouts and left without looking back.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“You damned idiots! alpha How the hell did you let your tongues move to say such things?”

With no other choice, the knights went to inform Viscount Oleg Lerum of the situation.

After hearing everything, the viscount shouted, his face pale as paper.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Despite the viscount’s shouting, the knights were unable to open their mouths.

The situation had long since surpassed anything they could fix.

“This is not the time for false modesty! arena Say anything you have to, but propose a solution! advance Right now!”

“We have no excuse…”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“Your Majesty, please forgive the mistakes of my knights. abstract No… you don’t need to forgive them. arrow If you wish, you may punish them yourself. zenith I only beg that we resolve this peacefully.”

In the end, Oleg Lerum let out a deep sigh and went personally to see Lucian.

“Resolve it peacefully? anchor Are you asking me to pretend that my knight’s request for a duel never existed?”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“That’s enough. timber Do not further humiliate my knight. agent Accept the duel with dignity. abandon I have nothing more to say.”

“N-no, that wasn’t my intention…!”

“Ridiculous. voyage The time of the duel has already spread everywhere, and now you ask me to cancel it. antique Do you want me to make the knight who stood up for me look like an idiot?”

“Yes.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Thus, unable to devise any countermeasure, the viscount had to face the arrival of the night on which the duel was scheduled.

Insisting further would only serve to inflame Lucian’s anger even more.

Faced with that decisive tone, Viscount Oleg had no choice but to bow his head and withdraw.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Surrounding the dueling grounds, they murmured among themselves.

***

As expected, the vast majority were soldiers brought by Lucian.

As soon as word spread that Hugo would duel a knight, spectators gathered in droves.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“They’re knights of another house. orbit Not even His Majesty can execute them lightly.”

“What? apron Are they insane? adopt Shouldn’t this be a direct execution instead of a duel?”

“Did you hear that the knights insulted His Majesty?”

“They say they called us parasites who only eat, and called the king a parasite king.”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

It didn’t sound like simple ignorant chatter from common soldiers; the atmosphere was dangerously hostile.

Hearing those murmurs, not only the knights but even Viscount Oleg himself turned pale.

“Then start a war and wipe them all out.”

‘This is bad… If this continues, all the cordial treatment we’ve given them so far will have been for nothing.’

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

In the worst case, that hostility could be directed at House Lerum, the administrator of those lands.

The reason Viscount Lerum had treated those troops so well was simple to prevent them, even if they ended up being detained there, from developing hostility toward House Lerum.

Even if the landslides and the destruction of the bridge were presented as natural disasters, there was no way to eliminate the soldiers’ accumulated irritation.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

If he behaved as an exemplary host, they wouldn’t be able to complain openly.

That was why Oleg had offered more generous treatment than anyone else.

‘The original plan was for the soldiers’ frustration and anger to lose their direction and, after circling aimlessly, turn into apathy. alien Repeating that several times until, by the time they reached the house of the Marquis Roglan, they had already lost all their intimidating presence…’

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

If this continued, he would earn not only Lucian’s enmity, but that of all five thousand soldiers.

Until just now, everything had been going well. silence How could it all go wrong in a single day?

Oleg pressed a hand to his throbbing temple.

“Both combatants, step forward!”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

‘Damn it… I didn’t want to fight to begin with, and on top of that the judge is that suspicious mage.’

Polcar felt an inexplicable chill.

When the appointed time arrived, Marius, acting as judge, raised his voice loudly.

The knight of House Lerum designated as the opponent, Polcar, advanced reluctantly when called.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Even so, he couldn’t voice that complaint aloud.

After provoking the duel by insulting Lucian, was he now going to reject even the court mage of Asagrim?

Who knew what tricks he might use during the duel?

He knew that not all mages were the same as black mages, but having someone who knew nothing about knightly duels act as judge was unsettling.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Fortunately, Marius finished with a brief ceremony and withdrew.

“May this duel be a fair contest, without shame before the Eight Gods.”

The instant the announcement of the start concluded, Polcar drew his sword and lunged at Hugo.

That could turn the duel into a war without any trouble.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

His sole objective was the opponent’s weapon.

‘Since it’s begun, I’ll end it as quickly as possible.’

He couldn’t humiliate Hugo, but he wasn’t going to let himself be killed on purpose either.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

If he could knock the sword out of Hugo’s hand, he could win without inflicting excessive humiliation.

Hugo hurriedly raised his sword to block the attack, but his posture was far too sloppy.

‘What? palette Why isn’t he even taking a stance?’

Polcar rushed forward at full speed and was about to swing his sword when—

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Clang!

He looked like someone caught off guard by a sudden attack.

Not understanding the reason, Polcar decided to take advantage of the opportunity and deflected his sword to the side.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

At the instant the swords collided, Hugo’s cry rang out.

‘This guy didn’t reinforce his body with mana!’

“Kgh!”

From the sensation transmitted through the blade, Polcar realized that something was wrong.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

And yet, Hugo had entered the duel with practically a bare body.

Even an attack delivered without much force could be lethal if it struck an unreinforced body.

In combat between knights, bodily reinforcement with mana was absolutely essential.

“No, why—!”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

As Polcar froze at the sight of Hugo being sent flying, he himself was struck by a brutal impact and fell to the ground.

“Ugh!?”

Thud!

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

Rolling on the ground without understanding what had happened, Polcar heard Felicia’s furious shout.

It had been Felicia, who leapt like lightning from the stands and delivered a kick to his side.

“Attacking before the duel even begins! palette You couldn’t be more vile!”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 186 published by TrungTu Reads.

“…!?”