Chapter 157
9pOSBernhardt immediately sought out a mage.jZdklvp
NDyJey8No matter how plausible the story sounded, he could not act based solely on rumors.0sItK
siVILHe needed at least a minimal degree of certainty, obtained through verification by an expert.dNnpM
XSCytnFortunately, it did not take long to find one.Xg7n
llSkVHe concentrated the entire intelligence network of House Roglan on the search for a mage, and the results came quickly.XTY
akBvbk“Why the hell has the marquis summoned this old mage, Your Excellency?”4uPpt
xqhq5The captured mage looked at the marquis with a calm expression. It was not so much bravery as an attitude of resignation, as if he had already lost all hope.MDIKflr
w5Dz6VSeeing him like that, the marquis let out a brief laugh and leaned back in his seat.9V5
eSr37n“You give up far too quickly. You do not even know why I had you brought here.”anoob
K68“I do not know what the marquis desires, but in any case, once everything is over, you will dispose of me as well, will you not?”4yIzFH
gaW“Who knows. Perhaps I will decide to keep you by my side and make use of you for quite some time.”UXZBR8P
IgZNbDespite the marquis’s words, the old mage pressed his lips together and remained silent, as if he had decided not to respond at all, convinced that they were merely mocking him.26VqmBi
lUbqiYSThe marquis clicked his tongue and went straight to the point.gyj9
PuLFxSk“Do not worry. I did not have you brought here to kill you. I simply need advice on magic, and there was no one suitable.”Pvu0dW
tGpIl“Advice…?”ZtlNcW
rVeX1“How much do you know about magical artifacts?”CT9
68Zoy“…I am sorry, but the school to which I belong has no connection whatsoever to the creation of magical artifacts. If it is basic knowledge, other mages also know it.”hj1ip
kSS8K“Then do you know anything about the transfer of ownership of magical artifacts?”nK9e
KLMiQMarquis Bernhardt repeated exactly what he had heard from his spies.mBQ
Ie7A7sBThe difference between ownership transfer by lineage and transfer through the permission of the previous owner.Ie9eE
bGygHhYWhat differences there were between the two, and which method was more common.r3Qypna
R3FkQT3Fortunately, the mage answered without much difficulty.vYpPP
F4GrV“Of course, the former. Transfer by lineage is so common that it is not even worth mentioning. As for the latter, I have never heard of it.”rzx6eu
KClNL“Then is it outright impossible?”xwO
LThx“It is not impossible, but it makes no sense. The moment the owner of a magical artifact dies suddenly, even if they have descendants, it becomes impossible to inherit it. Who would be willing to take such a risk?”cLER
UArIt was like establishing that, if a father died without leaving a will, not even his children could inherit a single coin.JOf7g4
bCiTW7Considering that anyone could die suddenly, the risk was absurd.nSC60A
Ybxz0A single mistake could turn the legacy accumulated by countless ancestors into trash.NAyiYh9
0sJB9i“Then is it impossible to prevent the transfer of ownership by lineage? For example, to stop it from passing from father to son.”tkD9
0ECo“It is impossible. To change the ownership configuration, one would have to completely reconstruct the magic embedded in the artifact, and only its creator could do that.”rRGan5J
SVPgY2Z“In practice, that means that if someone is of direct lineage, they should be able to use their ancestors’ magical artifacts, correct?”46q0
xXXOfN“Except in ancient times, when magic was far more developed, in any house that has inherited magical artifacts in the present day, that is the case. Unless it is a bastard born of infidelity.”9TuUxEx
wn6HbQh“Hahaha!”4qMD
gujtj3jThe marquis could not hold back his laughter.vgf
Bwyqo6Not only did he like the mage’s explanation, but above all, it was basic knowledge.2Suy5wd
cyfNo matter how many years the imperial palace had carried out witch hunts, there were still surviving mages.IwERRH
vSkBwIf what had happened in the palace leaked outside, other lords would certainly seek magical advice just like he had.ZMF
ZLQHhuAnd if all mages gave exactly the same testimony, who would still support the second prince?hhfn9Yk
vPfC4p“Very good, very good. Mage, could you summarize in a few lines the theory you just explained?”AaBHY
nDFFU9“It would not be difficult, but…”RXq
7IYgc30“If the quality of the document is acceptable, I will hire you.”XnpnX
m07gER“Eh?”gMZP
N7eXW7pThe mage could not believe what he had just heard.9BvwVPE
LqNgglyHe was an unauthorized mage, someone whose very existence was considered a crime.p7u3E
7zirNNAt that moment, the only way to survive was to be hired by Duke Lucian of the north and obtain a “permit.” And now they were talking about hiring him?Jb7Gj
0hi“The will of the imperial palace and the will of House Roglan do not always coincide.”GbhFo
lBq“…!”bEf
518PbeoAt that unexpected response, the mage’s eyes opened wide.1nPw1y
PqIF5EEDid that mean the marquis was willing to openly oppose the imperial order to hunt unauthorized mages?Sr7oBcv
yZBuhAAs if confirming his thoughts, Marquis Bernhardt curved his lips into a smile and said.9L3PaR7
LWT“If, by abusing unjust laws, the imperial palace makes the pillars of the empire waver, then even if it goes against their will, is it not the duty of a vassal to raise those pillars first?”18yI
LwpN3***cM4hJd
r15UUMAs time passed, the contents of the conversation that the second prince and the envoy had held began to spread to more and more people.kx7BTpA
HhrzSHBOf course, at first almost no one took seriously the idea of doubting the lineage of the second prince.hyyOtzx
8J7xAfter all, the evidence was far too scarce to blindly believe a magical theory that most people did not even understand.HPj
m2iFor many, it was nothing more than Lucian taking his political offensive too far.tt9
KF6However, the situation changed when the theory about the transfer of ownership of magical artifacts began to circulate.FhSPOBE
KAjwKl“If this theory is true, shouldn’t the second prince be able to use the magical artifacts?”ATs
oUpHCd“Exactly. They say that even if it were the previous emperor himself, if the second prince were truly his son, there would be no way to prevent him from using them.”0K6L
BXWh9KF“Could it be a false rumor spread by mages? They might be trying to deliberately provoke chaos out of resentment toward the imperial family.”okKbds
wWFBF“If that were the case, it wouldn’t explain why people who don’t even know each other are saying exactly the same thing, as if they had coordinated beforehand.”51rgT
ae9JINo matter how much someone tries to coordinate stories, without prior consultation differences in the details always arise. But here the opposite was happening: people who had never met were repeating the same words, without a single variation.qS1
hyWUczThat could only mean one thing: they were not making things up out of spite, but transmitting the same “knowledge.”6mUcA
oIK“And what about the court mages? What are they saying?”sV5Y
C9rRU“That’s the problem. The court mages are remaining silent. They haven’t been able to clearly refute anything.”Fqi8yS
c0f“By the gods… so does that mean the second prince truly wasn’t of the previous emperor’s blood?”fPascw
gC8FkIjThat precisely the court mages, who should have stepped forward to defend the second prince even by inventing arguments if necessary, remained silent could only mean that what had been presented was too obvious to refute.D1Q
kl0A2Faced with such a massive impact, the territorial nobles immediately suspended their political disputes.njMrls
1hAIf the second prince was not the son of the previous emperor, supporting him was impossible, no matter how much they wanted to.ftkojV9
8aNHow could they place a foreign seed, without legitimacy, on the throne?mSWscE
QPX“If that’s the case, in the end the only option left is the first prince.”lsSZk
ahtgM1“Don’t be ridiculous! If the first prince ascends the throne, the empire will collapse!”SqLnm
owqGH“But we can’t put a collateral-branch prince on the throne either, can we?”GEm3OIg
YLZ“Why not? He’s still of imperial blood.”N4zxl
tBO“I don’t care about blood or legitimacy! If I don’t recognize him, what are you going to do!”x6b5v
cW5Eehc“What!? Are you declaring rebellion right now?”rtdDa
ujENyqJ“I’d rather be a rebel than serve a collateral prince nobody’s ever heard of!”SV24
QsZxNbWhen doubts about the lineage of the second prince arose, the territorial nobles split into countless factions.IhN
BGZZThere were those who, unable to enthrone the first prince, proposed elevating a prince from a collateral branch.BzRAPmj
tckThose who insisted that, setting personality aside, the legitimate first prince should be emperor.ZQFhmtq
3hgDTAnd even those who claimed it was all unfounded rumors and that they would continue to support the second prince.m3NUQ
ajLBut regardless of their stance, everyone understood an inescapable truth: the imperial family had completely lost the ability to intervene in the conflicts of the provinces.X3xL
PFe***d1D3Rud
IN4“The imperial family is maintaining absolute silence, and a large portion of the territorial nobles are openly clashing, each defending their own position. There are even signs that some great houses, including that of the Marquis of Roglan, are beginning to plan independent military actions.”9Pa
DJnwME“Excellent.”gJ8g
hslSeated on the throne of the White Castle, Lucian showed a faint smile upon hearing the report. Hugo, unable to understand his reaction, tilted his head.HvaZFrT
uJJ“Is this a good thing? It looks to me like the entire empire is upside down.”jjXiK
GFNj“For others, perhaps not, but for us it’s the best possible outcome. The imperial family’s interference has been completely blocked, the accusations that I betrayed the empire out of ambition have fallen on others, and we’ve also secured a legitimate justification to move troops.”UYn
W7f5Cr“A legitimate justification?”0oT
ahB2h1“There is no stronger justification for crossing the walls of Tibron than enthroning the legitimate heir of the previous emperor.”5KlLc
NEYOrd“Don’t tell me you really plan to put the first prince on the throne?”Gjzapp
ENuAYkZ“What matters isn’t what I plan. What matters is the very notion that it is the correct thing to do, even if the first prince is a complete disaster.”QhQ5bD
VaJThe vassals looked at Lucian in surprise.U12K
FcjThis time he had stopped using even the honorific titles that, even if only superficially, he had always maintained when referring to the first prince.9nT
pMmLucian, meanwhile, stood up without paying attention to their reactions.JEH266
sVe“Before even talking about whether he can or cannot use magical artifacts, the only legitimate son of the previous emperor is the first prince. If we speak of succession rights, the correct course is for him to ascend the throne.”fIydz
HJLThe fact that the first prince was not on the throne was due solely to political reasons.ZOJ4
el26eWSIn other words, if those reasons were set aside and one spoke only of what was “correct,” supporting the first prince was the natural choice.bFE3
V15JwfdPut differently, as long as Lucian proclaimed the liberation of the first prince and his ascension to the throne, he would obtain unlimited justification for any military action.QSk0Pqg
Z78cLN“Even if it’s nothing more than a pretty and politically correct speech, no one from the outside can refute what is considered correct.”42nhQf
hCMc7“Is it really necessary to go to such lengths? Having solid justification is good, but it can also become a shackle.”zgor
iBnmp3PRaising the banner of legitimacy meant, conversely, being unable to act against it.g70P
x1lBeUIf Lucian proclaimed that he would place the first prince on the throne, he would have to act in accordance with that principle. That was what troubled Hugo.BjTv
3ra3c“In my view, we could move even without justification. There are quite a few great houses already doing so.”gOtIfyg
yC2ZI5“Of course, right now we could do it without any problems. But even if nothing happens today, chances are we’ll be made to pay for it in the future.”2l8zj
gmaLucian smiled wryly at Hugo’s words.tePRMV
VZIqDlqOthers acting without justification did not mean everyone would remain silent forever; only those who shared the same guilt would.TXdHy4u
dp58BThose free of that guilt, especially the generations born after the chaos ended, would have no reason to stay silent.D1Zm
Z56B9Ambitious people always appear, in any era.QUIxU
I88ucihIf the foundations were not laid properly, even if everything seemed stable at first, problems would inevitably arise sooner or later.75ma
TWG‘Besides, I don’t plan to keep the first prince on the throne for very long either.’Mf7p
orHLucian swallowed that thought and looked at the group of envoys who had recently returned.bvDydB
cG2d“In any case, you all did well. Especially you, Fritz. Despite risking your life, you carried everything out perfectly.”8DWFP
tZy8s“It’s too much praise.”XqBU
WB12H2“No, on the contrary. I lack the words to praise you. Think of the reward you desire.”NGOH7
dDvFritz trembled, moved by the recognition. How long had it been since someone last valued his ability as an envoy?sSc9jd9
sMQqNBHSince being hired by Calix, he had spent decades relegated to a corner, wasting away the years.aUx
MFmAEHHe had come to believe that he would die of old age without leaving a trace, forgotten by everyone.SNMU
Y4wHe had never imagined that, already in the twilight of his life, he would meet such a worthy lord and have the opportunity to fully display his talent.Hhdah
YE15Z0oBiting his lips to hide the reddened gleam in his eyes, Fritz bowed deeply.Xwe
ZCetk“With just those words, this reward is already more than enough for this old man.”zi8nI0
faHOsSr“Enough modesty. If you can’t think of anything, I’ll decide the reward myself, so don’t complain later.”vViq7S7
tOn5Lucian smiled at the sight of Fritz unable to raise his head.jVIQht
2PhxiHe had proven not only loyalty, but also impeccable competence; it was impossible not to appreciate him.r90
n29kGiven his age, he would not be able to keep him by his side for long, but at least for whatever time he had left, he intended to let him fully demonstrate his worth to the world.LNlvy
QFXb‘I think the time has come.’lxcaX6U
puttzFNThe imperial family was completely paralyzed, and the lords were busy pursuing their own ambitions.rCNiqp
pIiAs long as an open war did not break out, no one in the empire could interfere with what happened in Asagrim.dzGb4U
2zGuS5ZIt was the ideal moment to realize the future he had envisioned when he first arrived at the White Castle.wm0zP
ha1ROUILucian took a deep breath and spoke to his vassals.CNGmYZT
vdwXiKD“I will make public the legacy of the royal house of the north.”Cz8je
S7lJSb“…!?”18lGH
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