A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

At Felicia’s answer, Lucian and his vassals fell silent for a moment.

They wondered what the marquis was relying on to act like this, but they never imagined that wyverns actually lived in the surrounding area.

“…No, but what the hell is something like that doing in the hunting grounds of a noble house!?”

Hugo shouted reflexively, unable to hide his disbelief.

Wyverns were not dragons in the strict sense, but they were the subspecies that inherited their blood in the purest form.

Unless it was an ancient era when magical artifacts were scattered everywhere, in the current age capturing even one required an entire army.

Their flight speed rivaled that of a hawk, their strength could split trees, and their claws pierced even heavy armor.

To top it off, their breath was laden with poison; a single exhalation was enough to cause the death of dozens of people.

Because of this, if a wyvern appeared in the territory of a baron or a minor noble, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the very survival of the family was at stake.

“Aren’t they supposed to hunt it down as soon as they discover it? For a house like that of Marquis Roglan, it shouldn’t be impossible…”

“From what I understand, to locate a wyvern’s nest they would first have to set the entire forest on fire, and since the damage would be enormous, they couldn’t bring themselves to decide one way or the other.”

“Even if the hunting grounds are valuable, that’s already too much!”

“If the forest is burned, it’s not just the hunting grounds that are lost. All the resources obtained from the mountain, including timber, would also disappear.”

Even though they were called hunting grounds, no noble used an entire forest solely for that purpose.

Normally, a specific area where wild animals appeared frequently was designated as the hunting ground.

But if the forest were set ablaze to find a wyvern, the fire would spread uncontrollably.

For the marquis’s house, that would mean losing the forest entirely.

If the forest resources obtained each year were taken into account, it was natural for them to hesitate.

“But they can’t just leave the wyvern alone either, right? No matter how valuable the resources are, what use is a forest you can’t enter?”

“It seems the previous head of the house thought the same and even considered burning the forest. However, before doing so, they managed to precisely identify how far the wyvern’s territory extended.”

“Its territory?”

“A wyvern does not leave its domain unless it is hungry or injured. In other words, as long as that area is not invaded, it ignores everything else.”

The discovery of the limits of its territory was pure coincidence.

The knights who were scouting possible points to start the fire sighted the wyvern several times.

Despite the creature having clearly seen them, it did not attack; it merely observed them.

When the knights retreated, the wyvern calmly returned to the interior of its domain.

After the scene repeated several times, the Roglan house canceled the plan to burn the forest and established that area as a boundary no one was to cross.

“In the end, everything turned out relatively well. Aside from losing part of the hunting grounds, they were able to continue moving freely through the forest as before.”

“And now Bernhardt intends to use that wyvern?”

“It’s just a supposition, but the probability is high.”

Within the marquis’s house, no one could stand up to the strength of Lucian and Felicia.

From his perspective, resorting to a wyvern was perhaps the only option that gave him any hope.

Marius, who had already grasped the situation, stroked his beard and spoke.

“It makes sense. The wyvern is not just a troublesome monster because of its physical strength. In fact, the most dangerous things about it are its ability to fly and the poisonous breath it can launch from a distance.”

“Exactly.”

Lucian had never faced a wyvern directly, but he had heard of its danger many times.

In particular, it was said that inhaling its poison without proper treatment was enough to kill a sturdy knight in less than a day.

Although Lucian and Felicia might be able to endure it somehow, for the other soldiers and vassals it was a lethal threat.

However, despite knowing the danger well, Lucian did not wipe the smile from his face.

“Then it will be enough to bring it down before it releases the poison and kill it on the ground. Is that possible?”

“There will be no need for Your Majesty to trouble himself with intervening.”

At Lucian’s question, Marius bowed his head respectfully.

“With the amount of mana I have now, I could handle several wyverns on my own.”

As he said this, a bluish haze swayed deep within Marius’s eyes.

***

The preparations for the hunting event moved forward at a dizzying speed.

The fact that, barely having accepted the proposal, beaters and troops had already been deployed made it clear that, just as Felicia had said, everything had been planned in advance.

Lucian addressed the marquis, who was already at the hunting grounds, in an apparently casual tone, as if sounding him out.

“How strange. Doesn’t it usually take much longer to prepare a hunt?”

“It is a hunting ground within my own territory. At the very least, this level of preparation is normal. How many times does Your Highness think I have organized events like this?”

“Not even my late father, who had as much experience in hunting as you, managed to prepare everything so quickly.”

“Grand Duke Sigmund did not enjoy the hunt itself so much as organizing events to entertain others. Inevitably, he had to prepare them more calmly than I do.”

Despite the intent-laden tone of Lucian, Marquis Bernhardt pretended to notice nothing.

Faced with that impenetrable performance, Lucian smiled wryly and nodded.

“Well, I suppose that could be the case. That said, what are the rules of this hunt? Is it enough to just go out, have fun, and hunt animals?”

“That’s absurd. In a hunt, there are always wagers. It seems Your Highness lacks experience and is unfamiliar with the true enjoyment of the hunt.”

“Then this will be a good opportunity to learn. Will you instruct me?”

When Lucian implied that he accepted the wager, a faint smile appeared on the marquis’s lips.

To anyone else, it might have looked like a friendly smile, but to Lucian it seemed as though he were holding back laughter.

“The rules are simple. The number of prey does not matter; the goal is to hunt as many as possible and pile them up. And the winner is the one who has hunted the prey with the greatest volume.”

“Volume? Not quantity?”

“As Your Highness knows well, the larger the prey, the more difficult it is to hunt. Capturing a large beast demonstrates true skill. If only numbers were counted, everyone would obsess over hunting small, easy prey.”

“That makes sense.”

“And above all, isn’t a wager more interesting when there’s a chance for an unexpected turn? With this rule, even someone who hasn’t hunted well can suddenly take the lead if they capture one or two large prey. Besides…”

“I’ve heard enough. Leave it there.”

When the marquis tried to continue explaining, Lucian interrupted him by raising a hand.

It was discourteous, but it clearly seemed like an unnecessarily long speech meant to conceal his true intention.

“Let’s decide what we’re going to wager instead.”

“Do you have something in mind?”

“You propose it first. After all, you know far more about hunting than I do.”

“Very well. Let us wager that the loser will give the winner one item that can be handed over immediately.”

“That doesn’t sound bad.”

By speaking of “one item” that could be handed over immediately, rights or people were excluded.

And since it was only “one,” an excessive amount of goods could not be demanded.

At most, a sword or a suit of armor.

It was a suitable wager to stir excitement.

“If the wager is decided, how about we begin at once?”

“Let’s do it. Both sides seem ready.”

“Then let us split up here, to the left and right. When the set time is up, we’ll return to this point with the prey we’ve hunted.”

After saying that, the marquis spurred his horse and rode off in the opposite direction from Lucian.

Rather than eagerness to win the wager, it seemed more like he wanted to avoid Lucian continuing to speak.

Lucian watched his back until it disappeared, then murmured with a faint smile.

“The outcome will be decided soon.”

***

“Has he already left?”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

The marquis, who had not stopped glancing sideways at Lucian while riding, slowed down upon hearing his subordinate’s reply.

And when he saw Lucian vanish into the distance, he burst out laughing.

“What an idiot. He happily accepts the wager without realizing he’s walking straight into a trap.”

“Marquis, regarding the wager… what do you plan to do if the duke demands the antidote?”

One of the attendants asked with an uneasy expression.

From the beginning, the marquis’s plan did not include the duke’s death.

It was based solely on Lucian’s vassals being poisoned by the wyvern’s venomous breath.

But what would happen if Lucian hunted the enormous wyvern?

Instead of begging for the antidote, he could demand it with full legitimacy as the winner of the wager.

“If, even by chance, the duke kills the wyvern, we’ll have no way to win. Wouldn’t it have been better to compete by the number of prey…?”

“That was deliberate.”

“Huh?”

“If someone is poisoned by a wyvern’s venom, not even a sturdy knight usually survives more than a day. Depending on the individual, some die in less than half a day. Do you think his vassals will hold out until the wager’s time limit ends?”

“Ah!”

The attendant understood immediately.

Even if Lucian killed the wyvern, he would not be considered the winner until the time to regroup arrived.

As long as that condition existed, he could not snatch away the marquis’s opportunity.

In other words, if he wanted to save his vassals, he would have to beg before the time ran out.

If they endured until then, it wouldn’t be necessary, but who could guarantee a person’s life in such a situation?

“He’ll feel humiliated. He will have won the wager, but won’t be able to claim his prize. And so what? If he wants to save his vassals, he’ll have to beg me.”

“Ma… marquis…”

The attendant trembled at Bernhardt’s resounding laughter.

Wouldn’t subjecting someone to such humiliation drive Lucian mad with rage?

The marquis clicked his tongue upon sensing that thought.

“Don’t worry about foolish things. In any case, I intend to stop at a reasonable point.”

“R-really?”

“My goal was never to revel in his humiliation, but to show him begging in order to reinforce my authority. If this turns into a war, I would be the one at a disadvantage. Why would I go too far?”

Only then did the attendants calm down, seeing that the marquis still retained his sanity.

With that plan, the risk was acceptable.

Lucian would lose some prestige, but after everything he had done, he could not complain as long as the line was not crossed.

— Rroooaaaargh!

“Oh, it seems the wyvern has noticed their presence.”

Bernhardt smiled as he heard the roar coming from the distance.

Soon after, the wyvern took flight on its green wings.

Perhaps it had grown with the passage of time, because its size was even greater than forty years ago.

“Perfect. Let’s see how they react now…”

Rumble.

As the marquis was about to observe the spectacle from the other side, he stopped when he heard a thunderous crash that shook his eardrums.

Looking up, he saw that the sky, which had been clear just moments before, was now covered with dense black clouds.

“What…? Why has the weather changed so suddenly…?”

As Bernhardt felt bewildered by the abrupt change, something came to mind when he saw the clouds gathering at an abnormal speed.

He had witnessed a similar scene before.

The sudden change in the weather, the black clouds converging, the thunder.

Searching his memory, the marquis’s eyes widened and he shouted.

“This is just like when the rebellion of Krephelt was suppressed…!”

Crack!

Before he could finish the sentence, a gigantic bolt of lightning fell from the sky and struck the wyvern directly.