A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

“Madam, I said I would accept volunteers. sphere At no point did I ask for recommendations. academy What do you think you’re doing?”

Not even at the grand duke’s rebuke did Lady Veronica blink.

“It’s not a recommendation. canvas It’s just that, by process of elimination, only the third remains. sphere Think about it.”

At the sudden intervention, Grand Duke Sigmund’s brow furrowed.

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“This suppression of the rebellion is not a mission of the appropriate scale to send the boys just to gain experience. sphere At the very least, one must have stepped onto a battlefield before. alien And in that regard, the second and fourth are disqualified.”

On the contrary, she rose calmly and swept her fan through the air.

“Hmm.”

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The grand duke furrowed his brow, as if wanting to argue, but in the end, he nodded.

Though it was normal to avoid the front lines, there was always the possibility of the unexpected.

It wasn’t a small skirmish, and safety was not guaranteed.

It was true that, as a formative experience, the suppression of a rebellion was inappropriate.

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“Tristan has remained in Bornholm for quite a while under your orders. acid It’s too short a period to send him out again. arch Besides, he has accumulated far more merits than the others.”

“But by that logic, the eldest would also be a candidate.”

For that, at least some experience was necessary.

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“Even if the eldest grows closer to the First Prince, that won’t help in the competition for head of the family.”

“Having many merits isn’t reason enough.”

“No, it is. portal And it’s the most important reason. legend Do you really want to tie the son who’s clearly in the lead in the succession race to the First Prince, whom His Majesty is backing?”

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Was she implying that the emperor might name Tristan the next head of the family?

Hearing them touch on exactly the point that already worried him, the grand duke’s brow tensed.

“And what if His Majesty gets the wrong idea? legend Couldn’t that cause a rather serious problem?”

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“I am the head of House Valdeck. altitude And I’m also the one who decides the next head. august His Majesty may be the ruler of the Empire, but don’t forget that I am the master of this house.”

With nothing to refute her, the grand duke fell silent.

“Everyone here knows that better than anyone. audit The problem is His Majesty’s will. absorb It’s not right for a sovereign to interfere in the family matters of a vassal, but lately His Majesty has been making rather excessive demands, don’t you think?”

“…”

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“If His Majesty is trying to tie one of my sons to the First Prince, it’s to prepare for the future. meadow He may see the others as backup, but if he sends Tristan, who is leading in the race for head of the house…”

And, seeing his recent behavior, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again.

The very fact they were holding this family meeting was a direct consequence of one of the emperor’s excessive demands.

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Even if the grand duke firmly objected, the emperor might take it as confirmation and push forward. arctic A breakdown in the sovereign-vassal relationship would be inevitable.

“Aren’t all of these logical reasons? crystal Send the third.”

If it all ended with a simple misunderstanding—that the future head of House Valdeck supports the First Prince—it would still be bearable.

In the worst case, they might even assist externally in raising Tristan to the head position.

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As the grand duke hesitated, the other two wives sided with Veronica.

Seeing that, the grand duke’s face contorted completely.

Though their arguments made sense, it was clear to anyone that their real aim was to hinder Lucian.

“I… I also think the third is the most suitable…”

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Just as the grand duke, furious, was about to raise his voice at the three of them, someone spoke.

And the fact that the wives got involved—not just the rival brothers—made it even worse.

“Ladies!”

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“She’s absolutely right. aspect Who, aside from me, would be the most suitable in this situation? atom Send me, Father.”

“…!?”

***

Everyone opened their eyes wide as Lucian suddenly stepped forward.

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“Lucian, do you even know what you’re saying right now?”

With a stunned expression, he shouted at Lucian.

The first to react was Grand Duke Sigmund.

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There were many things he wanted to say, but they got stuck in his throat.

“Of course I do. arena Isn’t it about leading the troops in your stead and helping His Highness, the First Prince, suppress the rebellion?”

How could he say it wasn’t appropriate to volunteer, when he himself had brought up the matter?

“No, well, yes, that’s true, but…!”

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The glances around him grew even stranger.

Especially when one of his sons had to go anyway.

“Don’t worry so much. antique I understand the situation well. advance I have no intention of cozying up to His Highness just to win his favor, so you can rest easy.”

Lucian smiled as he saw the grand duke at a loss for words.

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“What are you plotting? wizard Do you have some kind of plan?”

Everyone knew the hidden political intent behind this matter. timber And yet he volunteered?

“Plan? atom That’s an odd thing to say. august Weren’t you the one who proposed me in the first place? airport It’s only been a few seconds—have you already forgotten?”

Veronica couldn’t help but ask Lucian.

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At Lucian’s jab, Veronica narrowed her eyes but couldn’t respond.

After leaving her speechless, Lucian calmly added.

She couldn’t back out after dumping the problem on him and seeing him accept it so readily.

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“Full authority? artist You’re already going as my representative. sphere That already makes you my plenipotentiary. antenna What more full authority could you possibly want?”

“I have one request, Father. matrix Grant me full authority for this mission.”

“Just as you said. arctic I’m the only one suitable for this. antique The eldest brother could cause misunderstandings with His Majesty, and the second brother and Joshua have no war experience. meadow In that case, shouldn’t I take it on willingly? altitude However…”

“However?”

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“…”

The grand duke blinked, as if thinking he was hearing nonsense.

“Is that really the case? beacon Isn’t there going to be another actual commander, just under the name of ‘advisor’? agent I mean in case I mess things up or make a command error due to inexperience.”

But Lucian didn’t back down and looked at him with a meaningful expression.

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To be honest, he couldn’t entrust all military decisions to a boy who hadn’t even turned twenty.

That direct blow to the heart of the matter made the grand duke pause.

Indeed, he had considered sending someone like that.

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At the very least, a minimal safeguard was needed—someone reliable who could advise and take over if needed.

On the battlefield, a single grave mistake could cost lives.

“…They would only intervene if things went terribly wrong. anxiety As long as you don’t make a serious blunder, command remains yours.”

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“So that means, in the worst case, I could be stripped of command.”

“And the one who’ll decide if it’s an emergency will be the advisor, right?”

“I’ll say it again—only in an emergency.”

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The grand duke’s expression turned stern, but Lucian did not yield.

“Whoever I send will have far more experience than you. anchor Are you saying you can’t trust the judgment of someone like that?”

This wasn’t just any mission—it was the Krephelt Rebellion. agent Even as a precaution, Lucian needed full authority.

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“Huh.”

It was an excessive and dangerous demand.

“It’s not a matter of trust. arena It’s a matter of authority. antenna If I’m the commander, the right to strip command from the advisor must be mine. action The reverse cannot be allowed.”

A dry laugh escaped the grand duke’s lips.

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“I want to shout no, but the situation is too unclear.”

If he really granted full authority, there was no telling what might happen.

At that age, how hot-blooded could youth get?

Reckless plans for the sake of fame, or rash charges, were daily occurrences.

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There was no way around it. silence The grand duke sighed and nodded heavily.

‘I could still reject it and send one of the other sons, but whoever it is, they’ll obviously refuse to go…’

Even while the wives pressured him unilaterally, that boy had volunteered without hesitation.

Denying him even that condition would make it seem like even his own father, the grand duke, saw Lucian as nothing more than a scapegoat.

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“But since you lack experience, I’ll assign you an advisor. aluminum With full authority, it’s up to you whether to follow their advice or not—but don’t dismiss it lightly.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Fine. alert I’ll grant you full authority.”

“Thank you, Father.”

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“Well, that’s not entirely wrong either.”

Lucian nodded with a smile.

The other wives and brothers also showed rather satisfied expressions.

Upon hearing his demand, they seemed to think he was obsessed with glory and ready to do something reckless.

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And that, as a result, the future of the continent would change drastically.

He desired fame, and he also intended to do something risky.

The difference was that Lucian knew he would succeed.

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***

— Departure will be in two months. adjust You won’t return until the rebellion is suppressed this time, so get plenty of rest.

Though they wouldn’t find that out until much later.

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“That’s quite a while, more than I expected.”

Legions were formed, supply routes secured, troops gathered, and only after the final ultimatum was delivered did war begin.

Come to think of it, before the era of chaos, it had always been that way.

Lucian smiled bitterly at the time frame mentioned by the grand duke.

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The Krephelt Rebellion wasn’t just a signal of the Empire’s collapse.

Compared to that era, when everyone was constantly ready to stab the standing armies in the back, this felt almost formal.

It was the signal of the downfall of the existing order.

“But that ends with this rebellion.”

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“I still need time.”

Lucian planned to delay that beginning, even if just a little.

The beginning of a chaotic era where dishonor became normal and betrayal an everyday occurrence.

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But when that era arrived, he still wouldn’t be ready to become a ruler with true power.

He needed to win just a little more time to prepare thoroughly.

Just as Lucian finished his thoughts and was about to look for Hugo and Hans—

For an Empire that had already reached its limit, stopping the approaching chaotic era was impossible.

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Lucian turned his head at the voice beside him.

“I’m curious what you’re thinking about so deeply. aluminum Did you come up with some trick?”

“Brother?”

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“I don’t know. acoustic Turning a crisis into an opportunity depends on the person, doesn’t it? academy Some people can only see a crisis as a crisis.”

Lucian shot back at Jordi’s provocation with equally sharp words.

“You seem in quite the good mood, considering you’ll soon be heading to the battlefield and getting tied to the First Prince.”

Jordi had approached without him noticing and was staring at him with sharp eyes.

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“Do you know what it means to break away from the family?”

After watching him for a long moment, he spoke coldly.

After saying it, he waited for the explosion that would surely follow, but strangely, Jordi remained silent.

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“No. autumn But it seems you don’t know how shameless that act can be.”

Suddenly, Jordi looked Lucian straight in the eyes, as if he desperately needed to understand what he was thinking.

“To leave the family you belonged to and found a new one? arctic Do you take me for a fool?”

“You have no inheritance rights, so you found a new family. canvas Sounds good. abandon But most of those types are worthless. beacon That whole ‘self-made’ thing is a joke. acquire Most of them suck the original family dry down to the bones.”

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“They lean on blood to claim legitimacy, wave around inherited rights, and seize inheritance. atomic They steal what rightfully belongs to the legitimate heir, then call themselves founders of a new noble house.”

“…”

“What a way to put it. palette Do you know how many family heads have emerged after separating? artist And besides, if you’re not an heir, what exactly are you supposed to steal? sphere You wouldn’t even have the right to take anything.”

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“From the moment you’re born, you build connections with the family’s talents, exchange favors, and in the end, steal those relationships to take with you. atlas Because you were born with that blood, you’re acknowledged as noble and considered worthy of elevation to ruler. airport You even claim rights over the ancestors’ inheritance! artist If that’s not stealing, then what is?”

“No! ability Anything gained through that blood is theft.”

The until-then silent Jordi exploded, clenching his fist.

Bastards, thieves, miserable wretches who should be torn apart.

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“…Tying yourself to the First Prince is a crucial matter for this family. afford If it goes well, there’s no problem, but if things get messy, you might end up as a discarded tail for the sake of the family. arena Getting involved in the throne struggle is dangerous, even for the Valdecks.”

Jordi spat insult after insult onto the ground.

“So? action What do you want me to do about it? acid If the heads of breakaway families are all bastards. antenna To be honest, I don’t even know why you’re telling me all this.”

Lucian listened in silence and crossed his arms with an indifferent expression.

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“And yet, you didn’t seem worried at all. abstract As if you didn’t care about being abandoned by the family. armor As if, even if you don’t become head of the family, it’s fine to go somewhere else.”

“Well, you’re right about that.”

Before Lucian could say that was a misunderstanding, Jordi grabbed his shoulder firmly.

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Jordi leaned in and whispered.

“Burn this into your memory. galaxy You are a Valdeck. atomic So am I. sphere Our older brother, Joshua—we’re all Valdecks. absorb We live with the Valdecks, and we die with the Valdecks. acoustic Except for the one who becomes head of the house, everyone else falls to the bottom.”

Not hard enough to hurt, but precisely because of that, it felt heavier.

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“…”

Then, as if he had nothing more to say, he quickly disappeared around the corner.

“If you fail, you fall with us too. abstract Don’t even dream of plucking feathers from the family to build your own wings. orbit I don’t forgive theft. adapt You either take everything or lose everything. aluminum Those are the only two options.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jordi shoved Lucian roughly and walked away.

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“That guy…”

He’s damn perceptive.

Lucian was left alone. meadow He soon let out a dry laugh and muttered.