Chapter 157

Bernhardt immediately sought out a mage.

No matter how plausible the story sounded, he could not act based solely on rumors.

He needed at least a minimal degree of certainty, obtained through verification by an expert.

Fortunately, it did not take long to find one.

He concentrated the entire intelligence network of House Roglan on the search for a mage, and the results came quickly.

“Why the hell has the marquis summoned this old mage, Your Excellency?”

The 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.

Seeing him like that, the marquis let out a brief laugh and leaned back in his seat.

“You give up far too quickly. You do not even know why I had you brought here.”

“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?”

“Who knows. Perhaps I will decide to keep you by my side and make use of you for quite some time.”

Despite 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.

The marquis clicked his tongue and went straight to the point.

“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.”

“Advice…?”

“How much do you know about magical artifacts?”

“…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.”

“Then do you know anything about the transfer of ownership of magical artifacts?”

Marquis Bernhardt repeated exactly what he had heard from his spies.

The difference between ownership transfer by lineage and transfer through the permission of the previous owner.

What differences there were between the two, and which method was more common.

Fortunately, the mage answered without much difficulty.

“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.”

“Then is it outright impossible?”

“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?”

It was like establishing that, if a father died without leaving a will, not even his children could inherit a single coin.

Considering that anyone could die suddenly, the risk was absurd.

A single mistake could turn the legacy accumulated by countless ancestors into trash.

“Then is it impossible to prevent the transfer of ownership by lineage? For example, to stop it from passing from father to son.”

“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.”

“In practice, that means that if someone is of direct lineage, they should be able to use their ancestors’ magical artifacts, correct?”

“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.”

“Hahaha!”

The marquis could not hold back his laughter.

Not only did he like the mage’s explanation, but above all, it was basic knowledge.

No matter how many years the imperial palace had carried out witch hunts, there were still surviving mages.

If what had happened in the palace leaked outside, other lords would certainly seek magical advice just like he had.

And if all mages gave exactly the same testimony, who would still support the second prince?

“Very good, very good. Mage, could you summarize in a few lines the theory you just explained?”

“It would not be difficult, but…”

“If the quality of the document is acceptable, I will hire you.”

“Eh?”

The mage could not believe what he had just heard.

He was an unauthorized mage, someone whose very existence was considered a crime.

At 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?

“The will of the imperial palace and the will of House Roglan do not always coincide.”

“…!”

At that unexpected response, the mage’s eyes opened wide.

Did that mean the marquis was willing to openly oppose the imperial order to hunt unauthorized mages?

As if confirming his thoughts, Marquis Bernhardt curved his lips into a smile and said.

“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?”

***

As time passed, the contents of the conversation that the second prince and the envoy had held began to spread to more and more people.

Of course, at first almost no one took seriously the idea of doubting the lineage of the second prince.

After all, the evidence was far too scarce to blindly believe a magical theory that most people did not even understand.

For many, it was nothing more than Lucian taking his political offensive too far.

However, the situation changed when the theory about the transfer of ownership of magical artifacts began to circulate.

“If this theory is true, shouldn’t the second prince be able to use the magical artifacts?”

“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.”

“Could it be a false rumor spread by mages? They might be trying to deliberately provoke chaos out of resentment toward the imperial family.”

“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.”

No 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.

That could only mean one thing: they were not making things up out of spite, but transmitting the same “knowledge.”

“And what about the court mages? What are they saying?”

“That’s the problem. The court mages are remaining silent. They haven’t been able to clearly refute anything.”

“By the gods… so does that mean the second prince truly wasn’t of the previous emperor’s blood?”

That 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.

Faced with such a massive impact, the territorial nobles immediately suspended their political disputes.

If the second prince was not the son of the previous emperor, supporting him was impossible, no matter how much they wanted to.

How could they place a foreign seed, without legitimacy, on the throne?

“If that’s the case, in the end the only option left is the first prince.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! If the first prince ascends the throne, the empire will collapse!”

“But we can’t put a collateral-branch prince on the throne either, can we?”

“Why not? He’s still of imperial blood.”

“I don’t care about blood or legitimacy! If I don’t recognize him, what are you going to do!”

“What!? Are you declaring rebellion right now?”

“I’d rather be a rebel than serve a collateral prince nobody’s ever heard of!”

When doubts about the lineage of the second prince arose, the territorial nobles split into countless factions.

There were those who, unable to enthrone the first prince, proposed elevating a prince from a collateral branch.

Those who insisted that, setting personality aside, the legitimate first prince should be emperor.

And even those who claimed it was all unfounded rumors and that they would continue to support the second prince.

But 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.

***

“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.”

“Excellent.”

Seated 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.

“Is this a good thing? It looks to me like the entire empire is upside down.”

“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.”

“A legitimate justification?”

“There is no stronger justification for crossing the walls of Tibron than enthroning the legitimate heir of the previous emperor.”

“Don’t tell me you really plan to put the first prince on the throne?”

“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.”

The vassals looked at Lucian in surprise.

This time he had stopped using even the honorific titles that, even if only superficially, he had always maintained when referring to the first prince.

Lucian, meanwhile, stood up without paying attention to their reactions.

“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.”

The fact that the first prince was not on the throne was due solely to political reasons.

In other words, if those reasons were set aside and one spoke only of what was “correct,” supporting the first prince was the natural choice.

Put 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.

“Even if it’s nothing more than a pretty and politically correct speech, no one from the outside can refute what is considered correct.”

“Is it really necessary to go to such lengths? Having solid justification is good, but it can also become a shackle.”

Raising the banner of legitimacy meant, conversely, being unable to act against it.

If 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.

“In my view, we could move even without justification. There are quite a few great houses already doing so.”

“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.”

Lucian smiled wryly at Hugo’s words.

Others acting without justification did not mean everyone would remain silent forever; only those who shared the same guilt would.

Those free of that guilt, especially the generations born after the chaos ended, would have no reason to stay silent.

Ambitious people always appear, in any era.

If the foundations were not laid properly, even if everything seemed stable at first, problems would inevitably arise sooner or later.

‘Besides, I don’t plan to keep the first prince on the throne for very long either.’

Lucian swallowed that thought and looked at the group of envoys who had recently returned.

“In any case, you all did well. Especially you, Fritz. Despite risking your life, you carried everything out perfectly.”

“It’s too much praise.”

“No, on the contrary. I lack the words to praise you. Think of the reward you desire.”

Fritz trembled, moved by the recognition. How long had it been since someone last valued his ability as an envoy?

Since being hired by Calix, he had spent decades relegated to a corner, wasting away the years.

He had come to believe that he would die of old age without leaving a trace, forgotten by everyone.

He 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.

Biting his lips to hide the reddened gleam in his eyes, Fritz bowed deeply.

“With just those words, this reward is already more than enough for this old man.”

“Enough modesty. If you can’t think of anything, I’ll decide the reward myself, so don’t complain later.”

Lucian smiled at the sight of Fritz unable to raise his head.

He had proven not only loyalty, but also impeccable competence; it was impossible not to appreciate him.

Given 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.

‘I think the time has come.’

The imperial family was completely paralyzed, and the lords were busy pursuing their own ambitions.

As long as an open war did not break out, no one in the empire could interfere with what happened in Asagrim.

It was the ideal moment to realize the future he had envisioned when he first arrived at the White Castle.

Lucian took a deep breath and spoke to his vassals.

“I will make public the legacy of the royal house of the north.”

“…!?”