A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

“You didn’t mean it like that? airport I heard it exactly like that. adapt Are you mocking me, suggesting my ears don’t work?”

“Lu-Lucian, young master. advance Please, calm down. album I didn’t mean it like that.”

Haide was terrified and fell to his knees on the floor.

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Putting everything else aside, the real problem was that the emperor’s name had been brought up without the slightest restraint.

Despite the humiliations that followed, the only thing that dominated Haide’s mind was not anger, but fear.

“No! arctic That’s not it…!”

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‘Fabricating false claims and mentioning the emperor is a crime of blasphemy. riddle Even if he’s a young master of House Valdeck—no, precisely because he’s from House Valdeck—this is even more dangerous.’

At the same time, a grand duke’s son who spoke of the emperor lightly was automatically at a disadvantage in the competition for the headship of the family.

Being a great family close to the emperor, any problem had a high chance of reaching his ears directly.

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And even knowing all of that, he had mentioned the emperor, his sons, and even his closest allies openly. silence That could only mean one thing—everything was true.

“I can hear your brain spinning. amber Are you thinking of what more you can demand from me?”

‘And on top of that, he has the emblem of the Knights of the Black Scale, the First Prince’s personal guard…’

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“Please, forgive me! armor I was insolent!”

Lucian’s voice brought Haide back to reality.

He bowed violently, slamming his forehead against the floor.

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“…”

“This is perfect. adjust You seem quite proud of your research achievements. attic What do you say we go together to present them to His Majesty? galaxy He said he wanted to speak with me again, so we can go together.”

“Of course you were. meadow A worm living off imperial benevolence, acting as if he were the emperor’s representative. academy His Majesty would love to hear that.”

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And if it were discovered that one of its members had invoked the emperor’s name to pressure a comrade who had fought on the battlefield?

The alchemist guild was already seen as a somewhat parasitic group even at the imperial court.

The cold sweat running down Haide’s forehead soaked the floor like a waterfall.

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“Is there anything you’d like to say before we go see His Majesty?”

Even before the emperor got upset, it was very likely the alchemist guild itself would take the lead and hang him in the town square.

Lucian spoke coldly. alien Finally aware of his situation, Haide responded with his forehead pressed to the floor.

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“I’ll give you everything you want—just please, let me live.”

After reestablishing the hierarchy, Lucian waited calmly for Ian to wake up.

Haide, the owner of the house, had to sit curled up in a corner, at the mercy of Lucian’s mood.

***

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“…”

Faced with those words hitting right on target, Haide shrank back again.

“I… if you’d like, I could serve you some tea…”

“Shut up and stay still. altitude You seem incapable of even preparing tea, so don’t say anything stupid.”

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‘It would be a problem if he happened to see the nectar research materials. arcade Most of it is on the second floor, but there’s always the chance he left something elsewhere.’

In reality, Lucian didn’t want to take his eyes off Haide for even a second.

If he saw Ian’s records, he’d surely grasp at least part of their value. audit Until he retrieved everything related to the nectar, Lucian planned to keep him under constant watch.

Haide was pathetic, but after all, he was still an alchemist.

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“How does he look?”

“Other than some fatigue, he’s fine. riddle He can talk without issue.”

“He’s awake.”

Shortly after, Raymond came out of the room after checking on Ian’s condition.

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“Huh? alert But this is my house…”

“Understood.”

“Good. athlete Go talk to him. beacon I’ll stay here to keep watch over this guy.”

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“You just woke up, so you must be confused. atom I’ll start by explaining—”

Ian was sitting up in bed, raised only to his waist, looking at Lucian.

Lucian ignored Haide’s timid protest and entered the room.

“I know.”

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I see. apron It wasn’t what he expected, but if there was no need to explain, all the better.

“I wasn’t completely unconscious. acoustic I didn’t have the strength to move, but I woke up several times. silence And also… this house doesn’t have very good soundproofing.”

“What?”

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“So now I’m going to the Grand Duke Valdeck’s estate?”

“That’s right. abstract Your master agreed as well. ability You said you didn’t have another tutor, right?”

With his head lowered, Ian muttered with a worried expression.

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“…Huh?”

“I know. beacon I’ve created a once-in-a-century invention. sphere Who wouldn’t covet such a treasure? afford After achieving something unprecedented, of course they’d want to claim my knowledge.”

“I see. absorb He recognized the value of my invention—and got greedy.”

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“Please. antique I’ll tell you the full manufacturing method, so please let me continue researching.”

After thinking for a moment, Ian spoke trembling, as if squeezing out each word.

Lucian blinked, stunned. aluminum He wasn’t entirely wrong, but that sounded like quite the exaggerated self-praise.

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Lucian interrupted him hurriedly. galaxy He had thought no explanation would be needed, but it seemed Ian had fallen into serious misunderstanding.

“I know. action A novice orphan like me, with such great knowledge—they’ll just take the method and eliminate me, right? airport Torture me until I spill everything and then cut my throat to silence me…”

“Wait, wait, wait!”

“What are you talking about?”

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“B-but… once I give you the knowledge, I’d be useless, so you’d need to silence me…”

“Of course I’m interested, but there’s no need to do something like that. antique I just need to hire you. shadow And of course, let you keep researching.”

“Eh? armor Didn’t you come because you coveted the method for that medicine?”

“What nonsense is this all of a sudden? wizard Why would I need to torture you for information?”

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“Anyway, where did you even get those ideas? alpha From what I can tell, you never leave this place and just focus on research.”

Ian blinked a few times, and his face turned red. silence He finally seemed to realize the future he had imagined was just a fantasy.

“That’s something you do to someone who gets information they shouldn’t by accident. audit You’re the original creator. silence If you keep researching, you could achieve even greater results. ability Why would I do something so stupid? atlas It’d be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.”

“…”

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 63 published by TrungTu Reads.

“F-from… The Tragedy of the Silverfall Family.”

“It’s a novel that was popular in the capital a few years ago…”

“The Tragedy of the Silverfall Family?”

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More than research, what this boy needed urgently was to learn how the real world works.

***

Seeing Ian respond in an almost inaudible voice, Lucian let out a dry laugh.

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His complete lack of resistance was such that even Lucian felt slightly bewildered.

As soon as he understood the situation, Ian changed his attitude instantly, bowing his head with impeccable obedience.

“I thank you in advance, young master.”

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“I don’t mind. abandon After all, the result of the clinical trial only happened once. abandon If I can gain more information by making it repeatedly, it’s even better for me.”

“Just to be clear from the start—even if I hire you, that doesn’t mean you’ll go back to researching immediately. zenith For several years, you’ll have to focus solely on producing the medicine you developed today.”

“I’ve already read all the books I had access to. apple To consult more important information, I’d have to be promoted in rank—and who knows when that would happen.”

“You’ll also be lacking alchemy books. alien Unlike the guild, there will be times when you won’t have access to the information you need.”

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“To show my research results to others, I had to go through my master. agent And I know very well what kind of person he is. action Even if he was my benefactor, if I had shown him this data…”

Wouldn’t he rise in rank immediately just by showing the medicine he created?

Lucian tilted his head, and catching his meaning, Ian gave a bitter smile.

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Ian didn’t respond and continued organizing the documents.

“He’d drain it completely and present it all as his own achievement. autumn I understand what you mean.”

Even if it was true, he seemed uncomfortable speaking ill of his master directly.

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“Incorrect hypotheses and failed cases due to errors. apple They’re not important—they can be thrown away.”

Ian smiled broadly after finishing organizing the documents. acoustic The material they would take amounted to just about three thick books; the rest was piled in a corner like trash.

“All done.”

“What’s that?”

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‘Now the nectar formula belongs to me alone.’

Only after confirming they had turned to ash did Lucian let out a sigh of relief.

“Just in case, burn them before we leave. airport It would be troublesome if someone saw them and got useless ideas.”

Lucian called Raymond, and they threw all the discarded documents into the fireplace, burning them completely.

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“Then let’s go. wizard No need for you to come with us—stay home.”

The nectar was a treasure of immeasurable power, no matter how it was used.

A way to attract talent, a medicine to heal a weak body, a method to create powerful soldiers, a commercial product to strengthen finances.

He still couldn’t make it public, but at last, Lucian had an exclusive weapon—something different from everyone else’s.

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“Do you want to come with me to see His Majesty?”

“No! adopt My apologies!”

Haide, who had tried to take advantage of the moment, immediately backed off under Lucian’s sharp gaze. advance Ian, who had been watching the scene in silence, bowed to his master.

“D-dear Lucian… at least the research funds that brat misused…”

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“And someone who doesn’t forget kindness dips his hand into his master’s money? apple You’ve got some nerve.”

“Master, thank you for everything until now. alien Even though we’re parting in such an unexpected way, I’ll never forget the kindness you showed me.”

“I truly apologize for that. audit But you used the research funds granted by the kingdom for your personal leisure for a long time. canvas Though I took that money, I achieved a great result with it. legend As a scholar, please understand me.”

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“…”

“How dare you say such—!”

“Wow… I didn’t expect to hear such sensible words. crystal As your master, I’m proud of you. auction I hope you find happiness.”

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In the end, as always, he was infinitely weak in the face of power.

“Yes, Master.”

Ian gave a bitter smile seeing his master, now pale under the murderous pressure radiating from Lucian and Raymond.

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After accomplishing his goal, Lucian searched one last time for John from the Thieves’ Guild before leaving the capital.

***

He planned to leave a thin thread of connection as insurance for the future.

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However, John completely vanished and never appeared before Lucian again.

“How strange. legend He must have known I was here by now. antique Why won’t he show up?”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“It’s a normal reaction for a thief. antique Once he realized how close this is to the imperial palace, fleeing was the obvious choice. abandon Besides, the deal is over—he wouldn’t want to get further involved.”

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Lucian felt a slight regret, thinking maybe he should’ve threatened him to force another appearance, but decided to let it go.

“Thank you very much. acid Thanks to this emblem, I avoided quite a few problems.”

After all, it was just a kind of insurance. atomic If there was no fate, there was nothing to be done.

Returning to the Black Scale Knights’ lodgings with Ian, Lucian returned the badge and expressed his gratitude.

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In response to his sincere thanks, the knight smiled broadly as he accepted the badge.

“If it helped you, the honor is ours.”

He seemed happy to have repaid even a small part of the debt he owed Lucian from the battlefield.

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‘They took care of them too well. afford They’ve fattened up quite a bit in just a few days.’

Before departing, Lucian retrieved the horses they had left in care and clicked his tongue inwardly.

Once again, it was clear how much the Black Scale Knights valued Lucian.

Even normal care would have sufficed, but they had been treated with extreme attentiveness.

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Bidding farewell courteously to the end, Lucian rode toward the open gate in the wall. abandon Seeing the hidden mechanism for the first time, Ian murmured in awe.

“Thank you. portal May you all enjoy good health.”

“Have a good trip, young master.”

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“I can’t believe there was a hidden entrance like that in the wall…”

“Yes!”

“Don’t go around spreading that. abstract It’s a sign of the trust your lord received from them; don’t break it lightly.”

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At that diligent attitude, Lucian smiled slightly.

Ian responded in a firm voice, full of discipline. canvas He seemed to be learning the proper attitude—not as a scholar, but as a vassal serving his lord.

“Don’t be so stiff. advance That kind of mindset comes gradually by observing veterans. autumn Instead, focus on your research. aluminum That’ll be more useful to me.”

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Happy to be able to continue his research, Ian responded enthusiastically.

Satisfied, Lucian took the reins and quickened his pace.

“Yes, my lord!”

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The return journey was as peaceful as when they had headed to the capital.

Although Ian’s poor physical condition required more stops, aside from that, it was a comfortable trip.

It was time to return to Kelheim.

***

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“I used to live in a small town. accent When my master accepted me as a disciple, I moved to the capital, but I thought all other cities were the same.”

“I didn’t know such a big city existed outside the capital.”

“Doesn’t seem like something that would surprise someone who lived in the capital.”

Days later, upon arriving in Kelheim, Ian couldn’t hide his amazement.

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He practically only knew Haide’s house, the market, and a few herbal shops.

“As long as you don’t wander into back alleys, there won’t be a problem. shadow I’ll assign you a veteran so you can learn your way around.”

“My master hated city life, saying it only made people spend money on useless things. audit Will I be able to move freely here?”

According to Ian, even though he lived in the capital, the places he could go were so limited that it barely qualified as capital life.

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While chatting, Lucian entered the outer city heading for the inner city.

“Thank you, my lord!”

It was then that Raymond, who had been observing silently, approached and whispered.

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“My lord, the atmosphere around us is strange.”

“It’s hard to explain. antenna See for yourself.”

“Strange?”

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Hearing the title “my lord” instead of “third young master,” Lucian looked around.

Sensing the unusual mood, Lucian called out to a nearby patrol.

People were gathering here and there, murmuring among themselves non-stop.

“Hey, friends. accent Come here a moment.”

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“Forget the greetings. amber Tell me, the atmosphere in the territory is strange. arcade Did something happen?”

“You didn’t know? arrow Today is the investiture ceremony of Swordmaster Eisen’s heir.”

“Who dares…? alpha G-greetings, third young master!”

One of the guards, still kneeling, responded with a confused expression.

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“Oh, so the day finally came. attic I suppose everyone is curious about who the ceremony’s star will be.”

But what had been said couldn’t be undone. auction Unable to endure Lucian’s inquisitive gaze, he finally confessed with a tense face.

The guard immediately covered his mouth, realizing his mistake.

“That too, but more than that, the other young masters…”

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Lucian narrowed his eyes as he heard the explanation.

“Ho…”

“There are rumors that the other young masters are aiming for Swordmaster Eisen’s heir. amber They say once the investiture ends and he becomes a knight, he’ll be able to choose his lord, and they’re planning to secure his oath of loyalty.”