A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

“…I’m sorry. acoustic I was thinking shallowly.”

“Engrave this well. galaxy A victory is not the triumph of an individual, but the triumph of the army. sphere To disregard the victory itself also means disregarding the valor and merits of the soldiers who fought together.”

It wasn’t just a scolding; he was being called out on his attitude as someone who should be above others, and that hurt even more.

At the cold voice of Duke Sigmund, Jordi bowed his head deeply.

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Putting aside the competition for the next head of the house, in Tristan’s eyes—a man of principle—Lucian’s actions weren’t pleasant at all.

When Jordi was crushed, this time it was Tristan who stepped forward.

“If he starts publicizing his merits through this kind of maneuver, how do you think the third will act from now on? apple He might repeat the same thing two, three times, without informing Father.”

“But what the second said also makes sense. arrow No matter how much merit the third may have earned, it’s also problematic for him to be considered a hero in this way.”

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In essence, the cause had been that the first prince completely ignored the solutions Lucian had proposed.

Lucian’s merits and the first prince’s incompetence were inseparable.

“The bigger problem is the emperor’s sincerity. abandon Why do you think His Majesty avoided the reward ceremony and disbanded the allied force as it was? airport Wasn’t it to avoid a scandal involving the first prince?”

“Hmm.”

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“And yet, the third spread rumors to highlight his own achievements. timber Do you think he did this because he failed to grasp the emperor’s intent? attic It’s obvious he knew—and ignored it anyway.”

“Fuuu.”

In other words, the more Lucian stood out, the more the first prince’s faults were exposed.

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“Huh?”

“That’s true as well. airport But I can’t say the third made a completely wrong decision.”

Then, after a moment, he spoke with a bitter expression.

At Tristan’s pointed remarks, Duke Sigmund let out a deep sigh.

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“That’s…”

“As you said, His Majesty surely wanted to conceal the scandal of the first prince. adjust But that also meant demanding the sacrifice of our soldiers. riddle Because their merits would have to be covered up too.”

“It can’t be denied that this war was a defeat, but the proud soldiers of House Valdeck undoubtedly performed great feats. avalanche Even so, if the third hadn’t spread the rumors, they would have been treated as mere losers.”

Since the allied force had been defeated, those who were part of it couldn’t avoid the label of being defeated.

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“T-then… you’re not going to hold my brother accountable?”

“The third may have done this to publicize his own achievements, but as a result, thanks to that, the soldiers will also be treated according to their deeds. amber Even if it was a unilateral decision, in that particular point, it’s hard to blame him.”

Of course, if the details were known as they were now, it would be a different story, but if it had been hidden and left unsaid, all people would have heard was, “They lost in the end, didn’t they?” audit And of course, the soldiers who had finally achieved merit would have been internally devastated by being lumped together with the defeated.

Joshua looked at the duke with a worried expression.

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Even after hearing the duke’s answer, the expressions of the three brothers did not ease.

“No, it’s not that. adapt If the third were the head of the house, it wouldn’t be a problem, but doing something like this while leaving me out of it definitely crossed the line a little. afford Even if I praise him in front of others, I’ll have to call him in and give him a proper reprimand.”

If even a clear overstep was being overlooked, the position of head of the house would practically be decided. alert But fortunately, Duke Sigmund shook his head.

If the mistake wasn’t officially acknowledged, no matter how harsh the reprimand, in the end it would just be a private matter between father and son.

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‘Now, even if the three of us join forces, we can barely hold him by the ankle? wizard Damn it, how did it come to this?’

‘The third doesn’t know how to stop and just keeps advancing. antique Barely a year ago, he wasn’t even considered a competitor, let alone an obstacle.’

Lucian’s position wouldn’t just remain untouchable—it would undoubtedly grow even stronger.

The three brothers lamented the current situation while, deep down, their competitive spirits flared.

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‘For now, we wait for the right moment. harbor If the opportunity is used well, the board can be flipped as many times as necessary.’

The brothers shared that same thought—but all of them overlooked one fact.

There was still plenty of room for the brothers, who had been in the race for the headship much longer, to catch up.

No matter how outstanding Lucian was, he had only been showing his capabilities for a little over a year.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 55 published by TrungTu Reads.

That this opportunity, in other words, was no more than a gamble that required risking their own lives.

Three days later, when Lucian considered that the rumors had spread enough, he entered Kelheim with full dignity.

***

That unless they were the first to throw themselves into danger, they wouldn’t even have the chance to seize it.

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“That they appeared at the last moment and even rescued the first prince, right?”

“They say that while the allied army collapsed, only our soldiers truly shined?”

The citizens, who already knew about the soldiers’ actions, looked at them as if they were a victorious army and murmured among themselves.

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Upon hearing the praise coming from all sides, the soldiers puffed out their chests and marched proudly.

“Sons of the lion” was an expression the soldiers often used to praise themselves for belonging to House Valdeck. aspect But that day, the citizens also called them that without hesitation.

Grand Duke Sigmund came out to welcome them and generously praised the knights and soldiers.

“Wow, even I feel proud. antenna In the end, they really are sons of the lion.”

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“If it weren’t for you, the allied army wouldn’t have even managed to retreat. wizard As lord of Valdeck, I feel truly proud. legend I’ll have alcohol and meat brought out, so eat and drink as much as you like.”

However, while the duke praised everyone, he welcomed Lucian with a serious face, without a single word of praise.

“Waaaa! acquire Long live the Grand Duke!”

Even the Grand Duke—whom some suspected might scold them instead of rewarding them for the allied army’s defeat—acknowledged their merits, and the soldiers burst into cheers.

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“Come in. timber I have something to say to you.”

“Silence. acquire I’ll hear that later.”

“Grand Duke, regarding this matter, actually…”

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Shortly after, after clearing people away from the area, the duke entered his office, closed the door, and shouted.

Faced with a reaction he had already anticipated, Lucian nodded slightly and followed the duke.

“What were you thinking? palette Do you think that if you had come back quietly, I wouldn’t have recognized your merits? anxiety To go so far as to resort to these schemes just to flaunt your fame?”

Gerard hurriedly tried to defend Lucian, but the duke cut him off coldly.

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‘It seems father doesn’t disagree with my judgment after all.’

The voice was loud, but it didn’t carry genuine anger. arcade For someone like Lucian, who had dealt with all kinds of nobles during his mercenary days, it wasn’t hard to tell.

Deep down, what he was being scolded for was handling such an important family matter on his own, despite not yet being head of the house.

Lucian immediately bowed his head, but at the same time, he had to suppress the corners of his lips from curling upward.

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On that point, Lucian also felt some remorse, so he accepted his fault sincerely.

“But if I had done that, the soldiers who risked their lives wouldn’t have received proper treatment. matrix I wanted to restore a reputation worthy of their performance. beacon Even if there were no material rewards, at least I didn’t want them to be treated like losers.”

“I’m sorry. echo I should have informed you first, but I thought if our return was delayed further by the time it would take to send and receive messengers, others might find it suspicious, so I acted on my own.”

“It’s not just that. adapt Do you truly not understand the meaning behind His Majesty omitting the distribution of merits? anchor If you wanted to consider the imperial family, you should have concealed this matter as much as possible.”

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“Ahem, still so smooth with your words.”

“We’ll discuss that later. absorb Leaving aside the rumors, how did the war actually unfold? action I want to hear it directly from you.”

The fact that he didn’t press further revealed his true intent.

The duke cleared his throat several times with an uncomfortable expression and let the matter drop.

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Lucian straightened his posture and began to explain.

After finishing the formal scolding, the eyes of Grand Duke Sigmund gleamed.

“The allied army didn’t get off to a good start. abstract As soon as we gathered at the Horsen River, they handed out masks without explanation.”

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“…And so, His Majesty returned with the two princes, and the allied army was disbanded on the spot.”

***

“Wow…”

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“It’s unbelievable. alien The first prince really is… truly… huff.”

It seemed he was restraining himself, reminding himself that, no matter what, he couldn’t insult a prince.

As he rubbed his aching forehead, the duke swallowed the rest of his sentence.

As soon as Lucian finished his account, the duke raised his head and let out a long sigh. arch A complex emotion radiated from him, difficult to describe with a single word.

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After calming down a bit, he looked at Lucian with an approving expression.

“You flatter me too much. audit It was a gamble that could’ve cost us a charge of insubordination, but it ended well.”

“When I first heard the rumors, I thought your feats were exaggerated. arch But it turns out the truth is even greater.”

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Lucian silently agreed with those words. album After all, in his past life, the empire had fallen precisely because the first prince died during the suppression of a rebellion.

“Still, even I feel that, for what you achieved, I could bend my usual principles. academy The first prince’s safety was a matter of utmost importance. amateur In the worst-case scenario, the empire could have collapsed.”

“I don’t believe the outcome justifies the process. anxiety Without a doubt, your actions were overstepping and could’ve been seen as disloyal. alien But…”

The duke paused and looked at the open palm of his hand. advance Cold sweat had gathered there.

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‘The emperor lost his mind over his beloved son’s death and razed Krephelt until not a single blade of grass was left.’

The emperor marched to the capital with only the elite imperial troops, without support from other lords, and executed King Erich.

He’d only heard it as a rumor, but they said the hidden power of the imperial family, unleashed completely, had been terrifying.

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The imperial family, having just demonstrated its authority, plunged into chaos and had to watch helplessly as forces arose everywhere.

‘Curious people said one reason was that the imperial family had used up all its power during the Krephelt rebellion, but…’

The world was stunned by that absurd power, but the real problem came afterward, when the emperor, exhausted after crushing the rebellion, fell ill.

Before, Lucian had believed that explanation, but now he was beginning to doubt it.

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The emperor had used magic without hesitation in front of the allied army to pressure the lords.

‘Maybe they had no choice but to reveal it due to the empire’s worsening condition. acquire Still, I didn’t feel they were cornered. arch With that kind of leeway, just eliminating Krephelt shouldn’t have drained them. apple So why didn’t they use it again afterward?’

If it were a power that ran out so easily, he would’ve saved it as a last resort, not used it openly as a deterrent.

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One question led to another, but Lucian decided to stop his train of thought.

The duke’s voice pulled Lucian out of his thoughts. apple Surprised, he looked up.

Without knowing the truth, it was all just speculation. arrow Better to withhold judgment than reach wrong conclusions by repeating assumptions.

“By the way, I had never seen His Majesty use magic, and I’ve served him for so long.”

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And yet, he used it in front of everyone. voyage That was practically proof that even the emperor felt a sense of crisis about the current situation.

“Chaotic times are coming.”

“Not even you knew, father?”

“I knew something. aluminum In his youth, His Majesty hinted at it once. timber But everything I heard was secondhand, and even then, barely scratched the surface. echo Since it’s the imperial family’s hidden power, it wouldn’t be easy for the emperor to reveal it lightly.”

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Lucian waited quietly, and several minutes later the duke spoke again.

After saying that, he fell silent for a long while, as if deep in thought.

From behind, Grand Duke Sigmund murmured with a voice full of concern.

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“As head of House Valdeck, I not only have the duty to seat an outstanding son as heir, but also to ensure a stable succession. acid If the process is unstable, there’s no point in choosing an heir, because he’ll soon be replaced.”

“Yes, father.”

“Lucian.”

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“That’s why.”

“From now on, you’ll form your own faction within the family.”

“You’re right. alpha No matter how valuable a treasure is, if one can’t protect it, it’s useless.”

The duke turned around again and looked Lucian straight in the eye.

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“…!”