Chapter 107
Cs5ZAt Eisen’s smile, Lucian blinked. What did he mean he already knew, when he hadn’t said anything yet?7CmPYN
AzOsD“Eisen, it seems there’s a misunderstanding…”3wr6On
35k“If it were made public that the method used by the mage who attacked me is similar to the one used to assassinate the duke, it would be relatively easy to bring Jordi down. Isn’t it because you know that, and still don’t say it, that you feel guilty toward me?”kQ2l
dtAUJi“…”tRqLb0
TPqaLLucian, struck right on point, couldn’t answer.lCFp
hKe3YOUAfter observing him for a moment, Eisen spoke with a bitter expression.ZcT
Mpk5x1“Of course, there’s no material evidence to present. But the world tends to be swayed more by a person’s reputation than by evidence. If I said it, that alone would more than suffice to replace it.”TBkZMo0
Zd8HThis wasn’t just a passing joke—it was about the duke’s death and the betrayal of his own son. A loyal old knight, no less than a Swordmaster who marked an era, revealing his own house’s shame?KyLZ5
BW3GEZProof or not, everyone would believe it without hesitation.vvq8U
xWqWM“Besides, Jordi’s rebellion is also a fatal blow to the emperor. Even with just my testimony, he’d be willing to pay any price to replace the lord of Valdeck. Wouldn’t he?”Z9B
gRzW“…So you knew everything.”m4FzX5j
87J“Yes. And I also know why Your Highness doesn’t want that to happen.”Esg
veNWith Eisen’s testimony and the Empire’s support, bringing down Jordi would be easy. Those loyal to him now were unaware of his betrayal as a son; just revealing that fact would make everyone except his closest circle turn their backs on him.t6pSV
dwgGqoJWith the added support of the empire, Tristan would soon reclaim the position as head of the family.vW5gi
UM573‘But that would be a good outcome for Tristan, not for me.’cQh
2sA6sRA Jordi who took power through betrayal and rebellion lacked legitimacy. In other words, Lucian could attack and topple him whenever he wished.jkNq1D
YtRQ1lUBut if Tristan were the one to overthrow him and become head of the family, the situation would change completely.md039
QJun6EWith imperial recognition and a just cause, he would solidify his position.lNJLn
KesF4En‘If on top of that, he’s credited with having restored the family by defeating a traitor, I wouldn’t be able to touch him.’Ctgk
lBLTYWAttacking Tristan, no matter the justification, would brand him an ambitious schemer. He would lose the people’s support, and even if he won, no one would recognize him as the head of the family. If the goal was Valdeck, it was better for Jordi to hold the position than for Tristan to take it.IpUvK
Fv8nu0‘Yes… that’s true. But even so…’MQA
mfvAll of that was Lucian’s situation. It wasn’t a matter of right or wrong, but of ambition.iXJjuI
FsTMEAnd to ask Eisen, who had let his enemy escape due to his own mistake, to suppress his desire for revenge for the sake of that ambition? No matter how he looked at it, it wasn’t right.a9LEPw
wFM2“Sir Eisen.”gEk
0kakNMq“Do it.”8o9oG8
8J8“Huh?”xyJ
rib“Defeat Jordi and become the lord of Valdeck. Don’t yield the position to the firstborn out of consideration for me. Even if revenge is delayed, I don’t mind.”gKI
0QK“…!”uiaLl
AIsV9Eisen looked at him firmly and spoke calmly.9mfjx9Z
dRyF4xq“It was Your Highness who revealed my mistake to me and who gave me the chance to correct it. Even the heir the duke had in mind during his lifetime is Your Highness. How could I ruin a great cause for my personal desires?”Dtb7a
Of8l0nWSo don’t worry about him and continue down the path he had chosen. Just correcting his mistake was enough for him—even if he wouldn’t live to see the outcome.4ID
r0fKLLucian gripped both of Eisen’s hands tightly.Xv5wY
Lwg5Bx8“I promise you one thing. You won’t regret that decision.”6ydSGb
XOBWEisen smiled in silence, as if he already knew that without needing to be told.tXDo
PkQ***ni3NtL
IMmxThe next day, Lucian gathered Eisen and his vassals in the study and spoke.vx7yzFG
eEN“We’ll put the matter of Jordi on hold. I’m concerned about who’s backing him, but even if we find out right now, there’s nothing we can do, so there’s no point in digging further.”gt3b
ylS5Even attacking Jordi immediately—a patricidal bastard—was impossible under the current circumstances. No matter how much they investigated and uncovered his support, they’d only be adding another name to the enemy list.FzL
zHLf9It was better to devote those resources to something truly necessary.QWQn4Gm
ykyG2“Besides, even if we don’t investigate, his backer will soon reveal themselves. I already have a rough idea of who it is.”DiG
klRx8“Huh? Have you found a clue?”mk54
g11y5Su“A clue? Just gathering the information we already have is enough to see the outline.”zwTr7
ARiLucian gestured around as he spoke.pk7
akDRq“They tried to kill my father on the battlefield, so it’s definitely someone who took part in suppressing the rebellion. A mage alone couldn’t have decided something like that. Their master was in a position to give instant orders.”lbzcdQ
6xy3NA“Don’t tell me it’s one of the emperor’s close aides…?”x1P
U3v“I don’t think so. If it were someone directly close to His Majesty, I would’ve found out the moment Asagrim was assigned to me.”jI6uuY8
XkRkBIf it had been someone close to the emperor, they would’ve received the order and known immediately.QOd04mZ
mCSIf it had been a noble with no direct connection, there’d have been no reason to inform them, and they would’ve never found out.ZH3h
iITwHowever, the enemy got that information while the suppression was still underway.qUPki1
ncvV“That means they’re in a position quite close to the emperor. Close enough to overhear confidential conversations or matters of state from the sidelines.”opy5
mzRBh6“And where would someone like that exist?”OQr
jbtIy“They might not be a servant. They could be family.”sLrnSOK
SDbxY6K“Family? You mean the first prince? But the first prince is too…”2uC
x5T2nNAt that moment, Hugo felt a chill run down his spine. Besides the first prince, wasn’t there someone else just as close to the emperor?o2nsY
WBlaEfSomeone not politically aligned, but personally close, removed from direct power, and someone Jordi could bet his future on.Akin2Jm
HQx“Could it be…?”Kxo
Sn1y9A1“Shh.”PeNFhGD
LokDB3zLucian brought his index finger to his lips.xNt6
hnx“Let’s not jump to conclusions. Either way, it’ll be revealed soon enough. Understood?”hP9GHAV
0jIThe vassals nodded in silence. If the person they had just thought of was truly the mastermind behind it all, it was not a matter to take lightly.zbsHCdH
5JSu35With the topic of Jordi closed, Lucian moved on.BuY8
Id7o9“Right now, revenge isn’t the urgent matter—organizing Asagrim is. This land has tremendous potential, but…”fEsKnTX
4N0iZ“The problem is there are no settlers to make it flourish.”cLwRs
oEgqRaymond muttered with a worried expression.510E
vcaWl“Without settlers, we can’t collect taxes or form an army. For now, we’re surviving on the supplies and funds sent by the empire, but that won’t last more than half a year.”oe4
O6J“You’re right. If we don’t fill Asagrim with settlers in six months, I’ll go bankrupt. Money will keep going out, but no one will be here to pay taxes.”Q8zp
3EnOrG1“We’ll have to bring them in from outside.”qqkXw02
OTG“As long as someone’s willing to give them up.”lMQr
SU8GLucian and Raymond exchanged bitter smiles. Settlers were labor, soldiers, and tax sources for a feudal lord. Announce that you’re taking them en masse?GsD
F2QWIcEven a blood-forged alliance of generations would instantly turn hostile.PXE
cfZ“If they won’t hand them over, we’ll have to take them. From someone we don’t need to apologize to.”WwxEm
ReuQ“There’s just the right candidate, but he hasn’t shown any signs. He should’ve reached his territory by now, even if he fled from prison.”IQ9Lp0
wQpLucian recalled Norvek Calix, who had recently escaped. Blinded by the death of his son, he wasn’t someone who’d kneel before Lucian now.peI1yv
yFPHe should’ve come, ready to risk it all—and yet, there was no news.p8WKA
OlmmX“There’s no choice. Let’s start assigning official positions. I wanted to do it once the territory was more settled, but that’ll still take time.”7xfyUE
c7WBThe vassals looked at him with brightened faces. This wasn’t mere personal loyalty anymore—these were official positions recognized beyond their group.oG172tA
AeyqnkLucian announced the appointments he had already planned, one by one.8oEOR
00h2A3“First, Hans. You’ll be head page. I wanted to appoint you as chief steward, but with not a single steward yet, it’d be odd to have only a chief.”t9Dg
87rQo“Huh? But I saw so many people yesterday who are way more competent than me…”P5Yyx
XlWN“Then ask them to teach you.”GtZga5j
JUE3“Can a head page learn from the pages?”G14czzt
gWBVoR“In my territory, yes. And if any of them get cheeky while teaching you, you can execute them on the spot.”JJnGTD
wD5FHgr“Hahaha, executing is a bit much…”n36jE
k4iH8Hans tried to take it as a joke, but he flinched when he saw Lucian’s serious gaze.auW
t0P8po“…Are you serious?”8sDfQ
c1DDg“Absolutely. If it makes you uncomfortable to do it yourself, I’ll assign a soldier as your executioner.”yk5nvq
1Bmd4NMThe pages sent by the empire had shown impeccable skill. In terms of experience, Hans couldn’t compare. But Lucian didn’t choose his vassals based on how well they served.tfsJy
9hcbq“Hans, don’t forget. You are my trusted man. If someone questions your ability and humiliates you, it’s the same as insulting me.”udyZqX
6q4b3S2“…”SikZ
lMMZJ6f“Your dignity is my dignity. If someone insults you, don’t hesitate. Cut their throat on the spot, and I will pardon you. Show them their place.”BZ14
153Hans nodded, eyes burning. His lord’s full trust was heavy, and at the same time, warmer than anything else.9LO
ZYCj9K“Ian will be appointed court alchemist. You won’t be able to produce much just yet, but I’ll soon prepare a proper workshop for you.”6oGiyl
UzpXu3“A workshop?!”mBUwp
VL4RIan blurted out, unable to hold back. This wasn’t some secret hideout—it was a workshop provided by a duke.Q0OtHEl
mpAJust imagining the level of purity he could achieve with proper facilities made his heart pound.97V8
cNli0C3“Sir Eisen, you…”cpMM
EBpsNS“I’ll pass. What could this old body do? I’ll spend the rest of my life teaching Felicia.”Z7JA0
Vc1“Then at least accept the position of military advisor. It’s mostly honorary—it won’t be a burden.”CiM
bo2At Lucian’s sincere request, Eisen accepted with a bitter smile.CqTG
27qHmjHe could have retired peacefully, but it didn’t feel right to continue rejecting the goodwill of his benefactor.dyah
8USCZu“I’d like to assign Raymond as the commander of the personal guard. Even though it doesn’t exist yet, for now, it’ll just be a title.”i7M3
GtHuImz“That’s more honor than I deserve. A fully armed personal guard will be a spectacle.”ZsMLf
j94wRaymond thought of the over a thousand weapons resting beneath the throne.n8gi
i1i4wX“I also wanted to give Felicia a commander’s position, but I can’t create another order just in name. For now, be my personal escort.”Ktf
JFoCHry“That’s exactly what I wanted.”UMHS
COpK9sFelicia nodded calmly. As long as she could remain by Lucian’s side as his escort, no other position mattered to her.O1wP
vMpKl9g“And Hugo.”pJui
MWGJy“Y-yes!”EmIXA
cMmiN2Hugo responded loudly, more tense than ever. His usual carefree air had vanished. Lucian smiled at the sight of his stiff expression.QMZ
fYC“It’s time to fulfill the promise.”z1V
cZQF8“…”5Bk
3lfn“As the legitimate right of the border marquis of Asagrim, I name Hugo a knight. The name of the house will be Maien. From today on, you are a noble and head of House Maien.”wc5y4L1
EscQAs Lucian finished, Hugo’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor.hmduMo
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