A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles

“I’ll go.”

A moment later, upon identifying who had spoken, Verónica screamed almost like a shriek.

“Tristan!”

Unlike before, the response came from someone without the slightest hesitation.

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“…!”

“Father is right. aspect Taxes and army. acid These are basic duties that every lord must fulfill. portal If someone can’t even meet something so elementary, then he’s not fit to be a baron, much less a grand duke.”

Faced with her son’s firm attitude, Verónica could no longer speak and only waved her hands in distress. artist Tristan glanced briefly at his mother, pale as a sheet, and then turned to the grand duke.

“And if no one had stepped forward here, father would’ve chosen the third as the next head of the family. legend Am I wrong?”

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“D-dear!”

All eyes turned to the grand duke, but he simply nodded calmly.

Not only Verónica, but also the other wives and brothers were horrified by Tristan’s words.

“That’s right. altitude That was my intention.”

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“An age of chaos is coming. echo The Empire is weaker than ever, and unstable elements are looking for opportunities everywhere. antenna Even though His Majesty revealed the Empire’s hidden strength, there are no signs that those people’s momentum has diminished.”

“Father wants an heir fit for the turbulent era that’s coming.”

Tristan quoted an old proverb in response to his father’s words—one that said in critical situations, bold decisions must be made, even if it means ignoring procedure and tradition.

“In times of emergency, emergency decisions must be made.”

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In a chaotic era, the ability to read the broader situation and respond decisively was far more important than simply governing a territory well.

No matter how great a ruler’s qualities might be, if they fall before using them, they’re worthless.

“If it were a time of peace, I would have observed your capabilities more carefully. adjust But in chaotic times, it’s different. wizard A single moment of hesitation is enough to be swept away and disappear in the tide of history.”

“The third already proved long ago that he has that ability. canvas The ones lacking were all of you.”

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“…!”

“Could it be that you asked us to accompany you to the battlefield so…?”

“If, even while knowing they could lose the position of heir, they don’t dare step forward—do we need to test anything else?”

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“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like the time has come yet to hastily decide the heir.”

“Let’s see your skills after all this time. arch Do you remember my teachings?”

With a slight smile, Grand Duke Sigmund looked at Tristan. atlas The face of his eldest son—who had secluded himself after failing to recruit Felicia—was gaunt, but his eyes burned with unwavering determination.

“Remember them? voyage I’ll show them directly on the battlefield.”

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“Mm, good answer.”

***

In practice, this was equivalent to declaring that the next head of the family would be decided between Lucian and Tristan.

At the grand duke’s satisfied expression, the family’s emotions were divided.

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‘How strange…’

After the family meeting ended, Lucian frowned while rubbing his chin.

It wasn’t dissatisfaction with his father’s decision, but rather with his brothers’ reactions.

He had become one of the two candidates, but instead of joy, he mostly felt confusion.

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He should have reacted more violently than anyone else upon hearing the grand duke’s declaration. abstract However, throughout the entire meeting, Jordi remained far too calm.

‘Joshua was half out of his mind, which is normal. abandon He got eliminated before doing anything. avalanche The truly strange one is Jordi.’

The Jordi Lucian knew would never accept someone other than himself becoming head of the family.

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‘What’s he scheming? audit Did the maternal family prepare another position for him? silence Even so, he’s not the type to give up the heirship so easily.’

He didn’t even throw a hostile glance when leaving.

After thinking about it a little, Lucian decided to set it aside. august He didn’t have enough information to draw conclusions.

And above all, he had too many immediate matters to deal with.

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Lucian turned his head at the urgent call. autumn It was one of Hugo’s subordinates, now serving as his aide.

“Young master! riddle Young master!”

‘Let’s resolve the northern issue first. advance Now that I think about it, it’s about time Raymond officially came under my command…’

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“It’s finally finished!”

“Finished? orbit What is?”

“The medicine for that kid you asked us about…!”

“What is it?”

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“When was it finished?”

“T-this morning. palette If you want, I can bring it to you right away…”

Before he could finish speaking, Lucian rushed to him and covered his mouth.

Beside the now-pale servant’s lips, Lucian’s cold voice echoed.

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“No, I’ll go myself. abandon You go call Hugo.”

His destination was the underworld area, west of the inner castle.

Suppressing the pounding in his chest, Lucian left the manor in a hurry.

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“Password.”

Click.

He walked confidently through the maze-like alleys, and upon reaching the place, knocked on the door.

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The thug who had looked up fiercely through the peephole flinched and stepped back in shock.

“What are you talking about, idiot—w-whoa!”

“Look at my face.”

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“Y-young master, I’m so sorry! silence Please forgive me…”

Clank, creeeak.

With Lucian so close, he hadn’t recognized him immediately.

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“O-on the third floor! adapt The third floor!”

As soon as he heard “third floor,” Lucian was already rushing up the stairs. accent Without even knocking, he threw the door open.

“Enough. album Where’s Ian?”

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At the sight of the bluish liquid, Lucian’s eyes trembled hard.

“Ta-daa! amateur It’s finished, my lord!”

Ian, who was inside, looked surprised—but only for a moment. arena Right away, with a grin, he waved the vial he held in his hand.

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‘It’s nothing like that degraded version I made myself. atom The intensity dropped, but the purity is practically the same as the nectar I drank before.’

It was much weaker than before, but the essence was the same.

He lunged forward to grab the vial and felt a faint ripple of magical power seeping from inside.

Content of A Mercenary’s Rebirth Among Nobles - Chapter 69 published by TrungTu Reads.

“I haven’t done clinical trials with knights, so I’m not sure. anchor But it’s safe enough that even a normal person can drink it without any preparation.”

At the very least, it didn’t seem like the magical power would explode immediately upon drinking, as it had last time.

“How different is the effect compared to the first one you made? alpha How effective is it when consumed?”

Lucian examined the nectar he’d received from Ian from various angles.

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Without realizing it, Lucian gave Ian a cold stare.

“…”

“On myself.”

“Who did you do the clinical trial on, then?”

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“…Well, I won’t say that didn’t have any influence. artist But in any case, I lowered the concentration as much as possible and tested it drop by drop, so there’s no problem.”

After what had happened last time, he still tested it on his own body?

“I didn’t have a choice! adjust Who else was I supposed to run a clinical trial on with something like this? arrow If it worked, the effects of the medicine would be revealed right away!”

“Or did you want to test your affinity by trying it yourself?”

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He shook his head and, nectar in hand, fell into thought.

“Huff…”

Seeing Ian dodge the topic however he could, Lucian sighed. album Scholars, as always.

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The timing was too delicate. artist In a few days, he had to head north to punish the House of Count Calix.

Entering practically empty-handed into foreign territory, he would need to build allies on the ground. attic If he had this nectar, the process would be much smoother.

“How much has been produced so far?”

‘If I could, I’d rush out right now and hand one out to each person, but…’

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“Impossible. voyage To increase the purity, time is required, and a week is far too little.”

“Can’t you make a few more in a week?”

“Five vials.”

Five vials.

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Maybe after settling things in the north, but not for now.

Still, there was one person who deserved to drink it before anyone else.

More than enough as a result—perhaps even excessive—but still too few to distribute among all his subordinates.

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It would still take more time to fully fulfill that promise, but at the very least, he could give him a proper gift before then.

‘Hugo.’

***

The first vassal who had sworn loyalty to Lucian, trusting only a vague promise of being made a knight.

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He had just returned to the capital, and now they were talking about the north?

“Huh? action To the north?”

Hugo couldn’t hide his confusion at Lucian’s sudden words.

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Lucian calmly explained the situation—how the name of House Grimaldi had been used without permission, how he intended to punish them for it, and that for this trip to the north, Hugo would go with him along with his unit of ten.

“What happened this time? autumn Going to scout for more talent?”

“Considering distance, cost, and accommodations, ideally I’d go with only the minimum escort necessary. beacon So this time, I need you to do your best.”

“No. afford A rather troublesome problem has come up.”

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“Raymond and Felicia will go. palette Hans and Ian will stay behind in Kelheim, of course.”

“Leave it to me. echo And the other companions…?”

“Understood. shadow I’ll inform my men right away.”

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Among the vassals—aside from Hans—he was the most senior, and yet he had no one he could interact with comfortably.

‘They say Raymond recently became the young master’s new vassal. adapt I guess my standing will drop again.’

Hugo bowed his head, but inside, he felt a bitter taste.

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Hans was Lucian’s closest confidant—though he lacked martial power, he handled the most delicate matters.

Even Ian, who had just joined—even if only higher in rank—was far beyond Hugo in terms of talent.

Felicia, the future Swordmaster, was in a class of her own, and not even the Black Lion Raymond was someone Hugo, a former underworld boss, could treat as an equal.

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He didn’t know exactly how potent the medicine was, but even the lower-grade ones had incalculable value.

Being able to produce them independently, without relying on the imperial palace, and give them to knights—that was truly terrifying power.

‘He said he could produce valuable spiritual medicine. orbit If that’s true, he’s on a whole different level than me.’

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Lucian hadn’t forgotten him and still entrusted him with responsibilities.

Swallowing his bitterness, Hugo reaffirmed his loyalty inside. arctic Even if his status kept falling,

‘I’m thinking nonsense again. sphere I can’t rush things. harbor In the end, the young master promised to help me establish my own house.’

How many lords out there discarded old subordinates the moment someone more useful showed up?

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Just as Hugo, now calmer, was about to leave—

“Take this.”

Lucian suddenly approached and handed him a vial with bluish liquid.

‘And still, I’m fortunate. sphere Even with all these new talents, he still wants me by his side.’

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“…!”

Hugo took it and asked cautiously.

“It’s spiritual medicine that Ian managed to produce today.”

“What is this? antique I’ve never seen a liquid that glows blue like this.”

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Upon hearing “the first,” Hugo’s body trembled.

With trembling hands, he raised the vial.

He was being given the very first spiritual medicine—before anyone else?

“Drink it. amateur You’ll be the first.”

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And that priceless item had come into his hands before any other vassal’s.

A treasure among treasures, whose manufacture—even in basic form—was forbidden without imperial permission.

The secret of alchemy that even many knights longed for but could never obtain.

‘This is… real spiritual medicine.’

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Just as he was surprised by the refreshing sensation sliding down his throat and pulling the vial from his lips—

At Lucian’s smiling response, Hugo hesitated briefly, opened the vial, and drank it in one gulp.

“Can I… really drink this?”

“Of course. crystal That’s why I gave it to you.”

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Hugo’s eyes flew wide open as he felt magical energy erupting powerfully from deep within his body.

“Hng…!?”