A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

“Ah, no…”

“Still…”

Lucian didn’t stop there. amateur Looking around at the other lords, he added.

“The same goes for the rest of you. alien Even if the advice was offered in loyalty, it ended up offending the commander-in-chief, His Highness the First Prince, and you must bear the consequences. album There’s no need for anyone to defend me.”

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“I’ll say it again—I understand this decision and I accept it. arrow So I’d appreciate it if nothing unnecessary is said.”

With that firm warning, Lucian exited the tent, and the color drained from the lords’ faces.

Under those conditions, there was no longer any way to try to change the First Prince’s mind under the pretense of benefiting House Valdeck.

Though spoken in gentle words, it was nothing less than a clear warning: if they tried to put him at the front again, he wouldn’t let it slide.

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‘You want your whole house blacklisted? avalanche Don’t be stupid. palette Sit tight.’

‘This is madness. galaxy What are we supposed to do now?’

‘What else? timber All that’s left is to pray to the eight gods of the sky.’

‘Maybe it’d be better if I angered His Highness too and got myself pulled out…’

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Amid the murmurs of the lords, the marquis stood up, staggering.

At first, his only goal had been to end the war quickly and minimize expenses.

But now, it was no longer about money or anything like it—he was about to watch the elite troops of his house be wasted for nothing.

How the hell had it come to this?

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If he had said he understood the concern and maybe retreating was better—

‘If only I hadn’t been so hostile from the beginning…’

If he had even slightly acknowledged the validity of Lucian’s words, even with empty pleasantries—

If he had done that, he could’ve taken that very stance now without issue.

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Now, no matter what happened, he had no choice but to follow that incompetent First Prince.

But after openly opposing Lucian in front of everyone, that option had completely vanished.

‘…Now that I think about it, wasn’t there a saying that a lord who’s too smart or too foolish is never good for his vassals?’

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A foolish lord drags his vassals into the pit he falls into.

A smart lord controls his vassals completely.

The marquis recalled a phrase his father had taught him long ago.

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‘Is this what he meant…?’

Most of his late father’s advice had become life lessons, but he had never fully understood that phrase.

He always thought the dumber the lord, the easier it was to manipulate him.

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Having backed the First Prince thinking he would be easy to control had completely backfired.

It was all the result of his own choices.

The marquis let out a hollow laugh at the sight of himself being dragged into the pit.

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Or, to be precise, even if they wanted to, they couldn’t.

***

Despite the First Prince’s abuse, no one came to Lucian’s defense.

All he could do now was pray that the pit wasn’t too deep.

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And so, the lords had no choice but to watch as Lucian was pushed aside, swallowing their frustration.

All except one.

Neither the First Prince, who had given the order, nor Lucian, who had been affected by it, wanted anyone to intervene.

If someone tried to defend him, they’d be marked by both sides.

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“Brother, this isn’t right.”

As he straightened the back he had kept slightly hunched, his imposing height and presence became clear.

The next day, just as they were preparing to discuss the army’s next movements, the Second Prince—who had remained silent until then—stepped forward.

At the sight, the First Prince scowled harshly.

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“At first, I thought after a day passed, elder brother, you would calm down and retract the order.”

“What now? acid You’ve stayed quiet all this time, and now you’re making a scene?”

“And since I didn’t, you’ve decided to step in? acid With what authority? timber Do you even hold a position to do that?”

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The Second Prince had accompanied the First Prince only as support, without any official position.

Even so, the Second Prince was not intimidated and met his brother’s gaze.

In rank, he was just below him, but he had no right to interfere in military decisions.

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“I don’t hold an official position. apron But as a member of the imperial family, it is my duty to step in when you stray from the right path.”

“Yes. apron House Valdeck, the greatest contributor of military merit and the most loyal vassal of the Empire—even if they had made a mistake, they should not be treated this way. riddle And yet, just for speaking the truth, you’ve cast them aside. silence I beg you to reconsider your order.”

“What did you just say? antique That I’ve strayed from the right path?”

“Are you lecturing me now? wizard Suggesting that you know the right path and I don’t?”

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Instead, as if to prove his sincerity, he dropped to his knees and raised his voice even more.

The First Prince shouted, completely enraged, but the Second Prince didn’t back down.

“People are not perfect. armor Sometimes it takes courage to listen to those around us and correct a wrong decision.”

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“Brother!”

“Prepare for the march! galaxy We’ll advance as fast as possible, secure drinking water at the next village, and then march straight to Bodium to take the fortress!”

“Shut up! avalanche From the sound of it, you’re scared that House Valdeck’s forces have withdrawn. voyage If you’re so scared, then you stay in the rear too! abandon I’ll handle everything myself!”

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They would never have imagined that the Second Prince—who had until now stayed quiet and out of the spotlight—had such a side to him.

As if he didn’t want to hear anything more, the First Prince brought the war council to an end.

‘What was that? portal A sincere attempt at counsel? zenith Or a ploy to stand out by seizing the moment?’

The sudden dispute between the two princes left the feudal lords wearing uncomfortable expressions.

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Lucian also stepped out, blending in among them.

Amid that uncomfortable atmosphere, the feudal lords quietly left the tent one by one.

It wasn’t a trivial matter—it was far too serious to be talked about lightly, so there were no murmurs.

‘I don’t know if the Second Prince desires the imperial throne, or if he truly has no ambition for power.’

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Lucian immediately bowed his head to him.

“Duke Lucian.”

The Second Prince, Cedric, approached Lucian with an apologetic expression.

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“No need to be so formal. avalanche I came precisely to apologize, and if you bow like that, you’ll only make it harder for me.”

“My respects to the Second Prince.”

“Apologize? artist Why would Your Highness apologize to me?”

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“How could I not be concerned? attic A loyal servant of the Empire was treated in such a way…”

“I wanted to say that I’m sorry I wasn’t able to restore your honor. academy Forgive me.”

“There’s no need for concern.”

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“I meant that I’ve already achieved my goal of being reassigned to the rear guard, so there’s no need to say anything further.”

Lucian gave a faint smile at Cedric’s continued apologies.

“…!”

“That’s not what I meant.”

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“The First Prince is walking a truly dangerous path. zenith Now that the Great Accord has been broken, we don’t know how the enemy will react—and yet he’s marching straight into their trap.”

For a moment, Cedric froze in place.

Just as he was about to grow angry and ask what he meant by that, Lucian added:

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“Duke Lucian, I fear you are gravely mistaken.”

“Are you implying that I used you to guarantee my own safety?”

Cedric looked Lucian in the eye and spoke firmly.

“At the very least, you must have heard that I didn’t want to be defended. arctic Even if you hadn’t, someone as perceptive as Your Highness would have known it.”

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“Preparing for the march? alpha But by my brother’s order, you must remain in the rear guard.”

“But that won’t be the case for long, will it? zenith If the order comes, I’ll be ready to deploy as a reinforcement at any moment, so please don’t worry.”

“I stepped forward only out of fear that the relationship between sovereign and vassal would suffer irreparable harm. action I didn’t do it to use you for my own safety. silence I don’t care if you take offense—but I would hate for you to believe I used you.”

“If it displeased Your Highness, I offer my apologies. audit However, since things have come to this, I suppose I should begin preparing for the march as well.”

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***

With those ambiguous words, Lucian turned and walked away from Cedric.

A while later, after Lucian had left, Cedric loosened his tense expression and let out a sigh.

Cedric didn’t take his eyes off his back until he had completely vanished from sight.

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“Lucian Valdeck… is a truly terrifying man.”

Cedric’s shadow twisted, and a low voice emerged as if someone were hidden inside it.

— Terrifying, you say? agent In my eyes, he’s just an arrogant man. voyage One who failed to recognize the true value of his lord and jumped to conclusions on his own.

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Cedric walked slowly toward a secluded corner and replied to the shadow.

“Arrogant? aspect What a strange comment. atlas In the conversation just now, it was precisely my arrogance that he pointed out.”

It was an eerie scene.

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“Anyone with a little intelligence could have deduced that I was using him. alert But realizing what would come afterward is something else entirely.”

“Rescuing my brother.”

— …Forgive my ignorance, but I find it difficult to understand your words, my lord.

— What do you mean, what comes afterward?

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“It’s impossible. apple Even if no one dares say it aloud, everyone knows. august This campaign to suppress the rebellion will fail. attic My brother will be defeated. beacon The only question is how badly.”

Everything had already strayed from the original plan.

If the enemy were to defeat the coalition and capture Claude alive, it would be ideal.

Could the First Prince, Claude, really suppress the rebellion by relying solely on the size and quality of his troops?

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“If it ended with the Empire losing prestige, we’d still be lucky. afford In the worst-case scenario, His Majesty would go mad with rage and raze Kreppelt, draining the last of the Empire’s strength. admire And after that, what do you think would happen?”

Cedric didn’t even want to imagine such a situation.

But what if, blinded by resentment, they lost their minds and beheaded him?

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As long as Claude lived, the Emperor might retain some sense.

The Empire was already short on resources.

If it recklessly tore away its last remaining supports out of anger, it would collapse completely.

That’s why Cedric had to save Claude at all costs.

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“Not just any army. legend We’re talking about the one thousand elites of House Valdeck. galaxy They’re more than enough to rescue a single brother in danger.”

— Don’t tell me you’re thinking of sending that man as a reinforcement?

“If my brother suffers defeat and his life is threatened, he’ll come to his senses and order a retreat. antique But just in case, reinforcements must be ready at the right time.”

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At the same time, he approached Lucian—who held troops under his command—with the intention of earning his personal favor.

Having grasped the situation to some extent, Cedric had stepped back to the rear, using Lucian as an excuse.

There was no reason to stick his neck into danger and create more problems.

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“But he saw through all of it. avalanche Not just that I mentioned him to pull back, but that I invoked sincerity to win his favor—and that I planned to use that favor later to ask him to rescue my brother.”

In an emergency, asking for help from someone you’d bonded with was far better than ordering them with authority.

— …

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Had anyone ever seen through his schemes so completely?

“When he said at the end that he’d prepare for the march, he was mocking me. galaxy As if to say, don’t pretend to be sincere after doing something you didn’t even want to do. amateur That there’s no need. altitude That when the time comes, he’ll send the troops without complaint.”

Cedric let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky.

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— What will you do?

He had always thought himself the best at manipulating people through strategy.

“What do I do? auction About Duke Lucian?”

“Truly, the world is vast. agent I’m embarrassed to have believed I was someone special.”

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“Forget it. anxiety If you reach into a hornet’s nest without care, neither of us will get out unharmed.”

At the shadow’s suggestion, Cedric gave a bitter smile.

Lucian was a man who, after unraveling all of Cedric’s intentions, had stood before him without hiding anything.

— If he’s so dangerous perhaps it would be best to eliminate him ahead of time…

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If he had been that open knowing he’d be monitored, he undoubtedly had countermeasures in place.

“If he became an enemy, he’d be more dangerous than anyone. altitude He must be made into an ally—no matter what it takes.”

Cedric’s eyes gleamed with a fierce hunger for talent as he looked toward the place where Lucian had disappeared.

And more than anything, having someone of his caliber as an ally would be a tremendous asset in Cedric’s path to the throne.