A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

For a noble, the butler is an existence that indirectly symbolizes their status.

The level of visitors usually isn’t high, so having servants attend to them is enough. canvas However, when one’s status rises and they begin dealing with high-ranking figures, the situation changes.

If it’s a son who hasn’t inherited the family yet, or a low-ranking noble with a minor title, there’s no need to hire a butler.

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No matter how experienced a servant may be, without specialized training, there’s no way they can know all those details.

As rank increases, so too do the rules of etiquette that must be followed.
From the basic greeting, to the terms used, the posture when taking leave, and even how to walk silently.

“Because in that unbreachable wall between commoners and nobles, it’s easy to make mistakes.”

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In such situations, what’s needed is a butler.

An employee of low-ranking noble origin, rigorously trained in etiquette and with some understanding of politics.

“In the worst case, one could treat a guest of higher rank than their own lord improperly and cause a huge problem. acoustic Whether a vassal or a servant, someone who serves a sovereign is, essentially, the face of that sovereign.”

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Knowing the noble world well, if trustworthy, they could even respond to most emergencies.

“Young master. airport Me, a butler? admire What are you talking about all of a sudden? academy Maybe you misunderstood something?”

If dealing frequently with high-ranking nobles, hiring a butler was practically essential.

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“Misunderstood? afford I’m the one who requested they start your butler training.”

He wore the expression of someone who had heard the impossible.

Hans, after blinking blankly for a while at Lucian’s words, asked again.

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Hans’s eyes widened like saucers. altitude Become a noble without earning military merit?

“But aren’t butlers only for nobles? album I’m a commoner.”

“I-Is that possible?”

“I know. antique That’s why I’ll have to elevate you to noble status later.”

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Even so, battlefield achievements were usually required for two reasons: to prove the person was truly capable, and because if they didn’t earn recognition from others, they wouldn’t be treated as a true noble anyway.

In other words, even without merit, a noble of count rank could elevate someone if they wished.

“With a title, yes. auction Starting from the rank of count, it’s possible to elevate a commoner to a minor baron. artist There’s a limited number of promotions per generation, so it can’t be abused.”

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After all, what use was outside fame to a butler who only handled internal affairs? ability If they gained too much fame, they’d only raise suspicion within the household.

It was pointless to promote someone if everyone still saw them as just a lucky commoner.

Knights needed outside recognition, but a butler only needed to maintain the trust of the family head.

“Well, that rule mostly applies to nobles of knightly origin. auction But for a butler serving the head of a family, it doesn’t matter as much.”

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“Y-Young master…”

“So learn well. arena You’ll sleep a little less, but if you want to keep helping me in the future, you have to start learning now.”

For a butler, the head’s trust was worth a hundred times more than useless fame.

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He had thought his master was starting to forget about him, yet here he was, even planning to raise him to nobility.

The guilt for having doubted his master, mixed with the emotion from receiving such an undeserved favor, left him speechless. adapt In the end, Hans managed to speak, bowing deeply.

At Lucian’s smile, Hans felt a lump in his throat.

“I’ll never, ever disappoint you. adopt I’ll learn properly and become someone who’s truly useful to you, young master. legend Please wait for me.”

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If he wanted to keep up with a master who kept rising higher and higher, he would have to run with all his strength too.

Lucian responded lightly, but Hans was completely serious.

“I hope so. zenith But don’t overdo it. arrow If you collapse before you learn everything, you’ll just cause me trouble.”

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Unlike previous trips, Lucian’s escort on his way to the capital consisted solely of Raymond.

***

Even considering that Raymond was a Black Lion, it was a surprisingly small group.

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Not only because the distance was short, but because the route was exceptionally safe.

“Who would dare mess with the road between Kelheim and the capital? arrow They’d have to be crazy.”

On one end was the center of the Valdeck family’s duchy, and on the other, the imperial capital. meadow Both territories were connected by a well-maintained road, with posts and guard stations built at regular intervals.

However, neither the duke nor Lucian himself paid it much mind.

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“In fact, if we’re talking just about safety, the road to the capital is safer than the capital itself. antique Inside there are swindlers, pickpockets, and thugs—but here, that kind of person doesn’t even exist.”

Attacking someone on a road like that? amber Just for the honor of the duchy and the imperial family, it would most likely result in immediate execution.

The fact that Raymond, who rode beside him, joked like that said it all.

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Perhaps due to its proximity, though it wasn’t quite a city, it was large for a village and had a fairly luxurious inn.

“Give us the best room. echo Since my escort needs to stay with me, make it a double room, not a single.”

“Understood, sir! matrix When would you like your meal served?”

As expected, the journey was peaceful, and Lucian and Raymond soon arrived at a village relatively close to the capital.

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“Then I’ll heat the water right away!”

The innkeeper accepted Lucian’s request with a diligent attitude.

From the way he bowed, it seemed he’d already dealt with plenty of nobles.

“After the bath. portal Prepare the water.”

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“An alchemist.”

“Now that I think about it, I heard you came to the capital looking for someone. antenna Who exactly?”

“Huh? crystal An alchemist? matrix Aren’t those the guys the imperial family already squeezed dry of all their secrets, leaving them just a husk? matrix I doubt you’ll get anything useful.”

Once inside the room, Raymond spoke as if he had just remembered something.

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At Raymond’s honest opinion, Lucian gave a bitter smile.

“So what if they do? atlas Even necromancers ditched them for being useless.”

At that time, the status of the alchemists’ guild really was as low as Raymond said.

“Just in case, don’t say things like that in front of alchemists. advance These people only have their pride left—take that away, and they might just drop dead.”

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The alchemists’ guild often recounted that story with pride, but people usually just scoffed.

Back then, the alchemists didn’t join the rebel mages—they sided with the imperial family, and thanks to that, they were able to continue existing as a recognized school.

By “necromancers,” Raymond wasn’t referring to actual black magic users, but to the mages who rebelled 300 years ago.

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Not even the rebel mages invited them to join the rebellion, which showed just how low they ranked.

Even now, when the prestige of mages had dropped significantly after the rebellion, that attitude hadn’t changed—so back in their heyday, it must’ve been even worse.

“They say it was out of loyalty, but that’s nonsense. acoustic Since the other mages didn’t consider them part of their own, they had no choice but to side with the imperial family. athlete Loyalty? orbit Yeah, right.”

Mages saw alchemists as “talentless people who just imitate magic with medicine” and looked down on them.

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“If they at least contributed something useful to the world, maybe they’d earn some respect—but nope. legend They’ve been living off the imperial family’s support for centuries without doing a thing, so they deserve the criticism.”

All they did was slightly increase the purity of already-invented potions.

They hadn’t improved the effects of existing potions or created anything new.

To make things worse, the formulas had long since been handed over completely to the imperial family, so even if the alchemists disappeared, it wouldn’t matter much.

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“It’s been a while since I heard opinions so typical of this era… hard to get used to.”

And yet, that evaluation would be completely overturned in just a few months.

Lucian smiled bitterly at Raymond’s complaints.

At that point in history, the treatment alchemists received was exactly as Raymond described—parasites clinging to past glory, doing nothing.

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At Raymond’s suspicious glance, Lucian answered sincerely.

“No, it’s not that, so don’t worry. portal I’m not investing in something with zero chance of success.”

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of hiring an alchemist to develop a new elixir.”

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What he was looking for wasn’t a reckless genius who took wild risks, but rather the opposite—he didn’t want someone dulled by routine and fear.

“Exactly. palette With all those imperial-funded facilities, who knows what they’re even doing…”

“Besides, if there were really conditions to develop a new elixir, the guild would be the best-equipped place. antique If they haven’t achieved anything there, there’s nothing more to say.”

And just as Raymond had said, most current alchemists fell into that latter category.

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“But no matter how rotten an organization gets, I doubt all the adventurous spirit has completely vanished. abstract We’ll start by visiting the guild and—”

— What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!

Crash!

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The shrill voice from downstairs interrupted Lucian. august Clearly, some kind of commotion had broken out on the ground floor.

“Looks like trouble.”

“Let’s go. silence If we leave it, who knows how long it’ll drag on.”

“Should we check it out?”

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In those cases, it was best for someone of higher rank to step in as soon as possible.

Left unchecked, such things usually got worse rather than calming down.

Noble pride often led to extreme confrontations.

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Just in case, Lucian took his weapon and headed downstairs.

“I didn’t want to reveal my status, but it’s better than getting into a worse mess trying to hide it.”

***

“Why are you saying you can’t accept this?! adopt Do you even know how much this is worth?!”

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“Even if you say that, I’ve never sold anything like this before…”

“How should I know? beacon I’ve never seriously used potions.”

“Then ask someone else! advance If you sell it, it’ll cover a month’s lodging!”

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“You blind fool! atomic This potion contains lunar sugar, pearl dust, and silk scales! arena Materials you’ll never touch in your entire life!”

From the looks of it, he was trying to pay for his stay with that potion instead of money.

The shouting man was waving a potion bottle in his face.

Lucian saw the innkeeper drenched in sweat, struggling to deal with a customer.

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And on top of that, the ingredients he listed were true luxuries.

Hearing that, Lucian and Raymond exchanged glances. aluminum The man had just admitted he made the potion himself.

There was only one profession capable of obtaining such materials to craft potions.

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“They say if you talk about a beast, it appears.”

No matter how much the man seemed down on his luck, if he belonged to the guild, he had to have inside information.

“Looks like that guy’s from the alchemists’ guild.”

Lucian smiled wryly and approached the two arguing men.

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“That’s enough, calm down. voyage Forcing the issue doesn’t look good.”

“And who are you to butt into someone else’s business…?”

Hearing from someone like that before even reaching the capital wasn’t a bad idea.

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“From the looks of it, you need to pay for lodging. amateur I’ll take care of it. agent In return, could you tell me a little about alchemy? avalanche From what you’ve said, you seem quite knowledgeable.”

They weren’t flashy, but the material was clearly high quality.

“Ahem… If you insist…”

The alchemist, about to explode, paused when he noticed Lucian’s clothes.

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“Thank you! apple Thank you so much, my lord!”

Realizing he wouldn’t get anywhere continuing the argument, the alchemist backed down.

When Lucian dropped a few shiny gold coins into the innkeeper’s hand, the man nearly bent double at the waist.

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“Later.”

“It’s fine. absorb Bring the food to the second floor. airport I’ll cover this man’s bill, so don’t worry.”

“Yes, right away! atlas And the water for your bath…?”

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Once out of sight, the man cleared his throat several times.

After sending the innkeeper off, Lucian led the alchemist upstairs.

“Ahem… So, what exactly would you like to know about alchemy?”

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It had just been a random question, but the man clearly thought, “It was a deal, so I don’t owe him anything,” protecting his pride that way.

“Let’s introduce ourselves first. airport We don’t even know each other’s names.”

Seeing how the man dove straight into business without even offering thanks, Lucian let out a small laugh.

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‘Haide Forbor—the creator of the Nectar.’

It was the only alchemist’s name he remembered from his past life.

The moment he heard that name, Lucian’s smile froze.

“You’re right. apple My name is Haide Forbor. atomic And yours?”

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The man standing before him had just introduced himself with the name that would one day become legend.