Chapter 173
Ug8In the current Empire, the ambitious usually brandish one of three pretexts to justify their military movements.TyV
mC52yThe first is to claim that the collateral prince they support is the true heir and, by doing so, aspire to the position of regent.r8c
SsqiThe second is to demand accountability from the Second Prince in order to uncover the true will of the previous emperor and bring the truth to light.JHaC
c3CThe third to proclaim loyalty, rescue the First Prince—the legitimate heir—and carry out the will of the late emperor.hUb
Nwe‘Any of them sounds reasonable at first glance, but in practice, only the third can be called a genuine pretext.’eiM
uQvWIn the first case, the supposed collateral prince they present is far too removed from the line of succession.6mPf
6nGxMWiNot even lords who had never heard of his existence would recognize him, and to anyone it is obvious that naked ambition lies behind that stance.xYq9
RX8QNaturally, forces may join them out of convenience, but no one feels any real empathy.rddb7
NFTThe second is the same.2bl
8RY6qIt has even less persuasive power than the first, because it postpones any resolution without offering a concrete way out.6ykJWbn
Ofpp2d6It is nothing more than a patched-together pretext, presented provisionally until a “proper” justification can be found to legitimize military action.EDfGvkS
cMy8VqG‘The only truly solid pretext is to support the First Prince, as I do—although, to be honest, even they do not truly wish to rescue the First Prince.’60jpQ
MYS0kbThe great houses, with power and real means to fulfill their ambitions, all adopted the first pretext.Q4VG
TQ1FuOnce the collar with which the imperial family had been suffocating them was broken, who in their right mind would put it back on?0WKw7
GAZ9NjThat is why those who raised the banner of rescuing the First Prince were, for the most part, weak houses with no real strength to oppose imperial power.ARFzF4
mh5In other words, it was not that they genuinely wished to save the First Prince, but that they sought an indisputable pretext to repel external invasions.qvRPW
VnPhWhen one raises a cause that no one can deny, even invaders think twice.6iGRFeH
x1mZjSurprisingly, this strategy proved quite effective, and not a few houses managed to keep themselves safe from outside attacks.iST4
J5u5But where there is benefit, there is also disadvantage. The third pretext does not grant only advantages.wATI
YymQ“Once you decide to support the First Prince, if he gives an order in person, you cannot disobey it.”ISy
HrAmE“That is the price of feigned loyalty. If you change your tune later, you not only become a laughingstock—you lose all credibility in times of chaos. It’s backing yourself into a corner.”Rfdgr
MfpHhgRaymond spoke after Lucian. The cold sweat had already stopped, but his body still trembled slightly, as if the earlier shock had not fully faded.mOLME4
HRYj“To be honest, even if it was a dead end, it also seemed to me like a rather decent method. Escaping the capital, controlled by the Second Prince, was practically impossible for the First Prince.”J9DnidT
Dr5“I think the same. If there were someone with the ability to get him out of there, they would pursue their own ambition first.”ypHax
424pkEven if the Second Prince was competent, he was not an omniscient monster capable of manipulating the entire Empire from the palm of his hand.8lC
K9xo4XrIt would have been enough for a few capable nobles to join forces to rescue the First Prince.eWIZ
FNFjsWjThe problem was that, in such a chaotic era, no competent noble would rally behind such a despicable First Prince.EnCbm
vwvUThose who clung to him were only those with ambiguous power and talent, desperate for a dramatic turnaround.nFoJnxt
q4056KAt that level, the Second Prince could stop them without much difficulty.VWxD
SQD“…But who would have thought he would actually manage to escape. Did he use a magical artifact?”wot
EDR4V“Most likely. If he had escaped by any other means, he would have been captured during the flight or collapsed from exhaustion.”xDYvM
k3KwKxY“True. Besides, there is no other way to reach this remote north alone.”IRo
oxYWHAThe First Prince was incapable of even preparing a decent meal by himself.5uvGepz
FyOEd2YNo matter how well he evaded pursuers, if he had traveled alone and without an escort, he would have starved to death along the way.BrIdi
RX37gxThe very fact that he had reached the north in acceptable condition was proof that he had used a magical artifact.qDerzx
IYiAt Lucian’s murmur, Raymond adopted an awkward expression.TEb
CPy0L6L“Uh… to be frank, the First Prince’s condition is not exactly good.”40iKk
m4hYpbd“What? Was he attacked by some wild beast?”oPIAC9W
3KT“It’s not that serious. It would be better if you saw it yourself.”DB9cs
tEoHRQRaymond’s ambiguous tone made Lucian frown. From the way he put it, it did not sound like a serious injury—so what had happened?yYFM5X
bNjP0Shortly after, upon arriving at the underground prison, Lucian headed to the cell where the First Prince was being held. Inside, a figure in prisoner’s clothes stood with his back turned.OKcRxX
jpz“First Prince?”Hvevr9
ZT71Q“…”T29Wj
BQqSLucian spoke cautiously, but the silhouette did not move. It was unclear whether he was deliberately ignoring him or simply sleeping like that.KIYMa5
66u“Your Highness? Are you asleep?”cvBd
hcf“…Wha the hell ih gohing on rihght noh…?!”mNRZY
9HhgoeH“Huh?”l1ZLw84
P7fqciUpon hearing that slurred, hissing voice, almost as if his tongue were swollen, Lucian asked without thinking.LGzxdk3
EDb7wSrBeyond how difficult it was to understand, he could not comprehend why he was speaking that way.rXK
VzxTDYqWhen no response came, the figure suddenly turned around and shouted.kgOF
bJBYn“Lohk at thih! Thoh guyh under yohh command did thih to me…!”fO4HE
o1enWY2“Pfft!”wvWjyH
Wq5oUpon seeing the face of the First Prince, Claude, Lucian had to suppress the laughter that nearly burst out.G43S
opTRDHis face, completely swollen, looked like bread baked with the wrong ingredients.X91C
lJeJKySeeing Lucian holding back his laughter, Claude tried to say something more in fury, but ended up closing his mouth.Rlj3bdJ
SZ0hIn that state, anything he said would be nothing more than a strange, incomprehensible sound.brL4
rNDhIBLucian, struggling to hold in his laughter, spoke.kK73y
tL9K“To… to the First Prince… kuh! Bring him a potion immediately!”cI0V
Rzhd2Z***GBiv5B
7kT8SwThe effect of the potion made by Ian surpassed any other Claude had ever used.b7mn
QeIFiNIn an instant, the swelling on his face went down and the pain disappeared completely.vVMk
i07XasHowever, for Claude, consumed by overwhelming fury, the potion’s effect was the least of his concerns.0hw
CZtb“Duke Lucian, thish… I… at the gate, the castleh gate…!”hGhWHc
Aeq6PjHis face still flushed, Claude spat out disjointed words without any order.jaq7
oCf9VcHe was so furious he didn’t even seem to know where to start explaining what had happened.ad9I9
J320Lucian waited in silence, and after several deep breaths, Claude opened his eyes wide.BvMB
VVBbNe“Duke! Order those mutts at the gate to be brought here—heads first!”ugwJ
YD09RB“Calm down. What crime did those men commit against Your Highness to warrant such a request?”iY4
B3HxHI“Can’t you see?! A mere guard shouldn’t even dare to step on my shadow, and they had the audacity to…!”tyTqiZ
PTnmbcSaying out loud that he had been beaten seemed deeply humiliating to him, because Claude couldn’t finish the sentence and began to stutter.YOPE
MxE2Lucian tried to calm him before he exploded.N7VmO
7zM“First explain how you ended up here. What exactly happened in the capital?”M6J
yPI“Now you’re interrogating me?!”Ewp
bN64“That’s not—”dvceQtT
4Ba2lCu“Shut up and get me out of here immediately! And after that, bring me those two guards’ heads and lay them at my feet! I’ll talk then!”leTSX5p
qOsPXUOClaude’s attitude made it clear he had no intention of having a dialogue.a49oS
TvjWLucian clicked his tongue silently.HigG
3zvpwZBefore, at least, Claude seemed to have a minimum sense of self-restraint—but now, not even that.AvKCstV
gBj8IWith his father gone, the man he had feared, he no longer felt the need to hold back.NVzySS1
jILZ‘It’s impossible to talk to him like this.’TqGD7YZ
zOFaIn Claude’s mind, Lucian was a subordinate who had to obey him without question.syYO6
xzDAs long as that idea didn’t change, any conversation was impossible.Lq8Gy
bFXThere would be no dialogue, only orders and reprimands.8SsOK3
gNKT‘I wanted to treat him with respect because of the debt I owe the late emperor, but…’csv
EBivKbLucian sighed and rose from his seat. If there was no other option, there was only one thing to do.nIpkqS
AYpfaFSeeing him stand, Claude misunderstood the situation and spoke irritably.fq9
Gl6hh“Open the door already, Duke. My patience is not infinite.”gzCZ0bQ
Gpb7h“…I know. That’s why I think it would be good for you to exercise it a little.”tCjrQj8
ESwK“What?”z0TtIH
Ko4q9“I have urgent matters to attend to, so I can’t carry out Your Highness’s orders at the moment. I’ll send servants. Ask them for what you need.”ku3y
ZpCTUn“A-are you saying you’re leaving me locked in prison?!”CNqf
07o“Forgive me.”EFod
gIBqClaude stared at Lucian in disbelief, but Lucian didn’t bother to explain himself further.q69TF4B
Pv34uNo matter what he said, he would only get insults in return.cz6mbD
9xxAs Lucian walked away from the cell with Raymond, Claude’s shouts echoed behind him.tUUKRV
zdbQ“Traitor! Do you know what you’re doing?! After all the former emperor gave you, how dare you…!”g5D
PbpRLucian climbed the stairs, ignoring the insults.gtZv
rfmzFYThanks to the soundproofing measures, the shouting faded as soon as he reached the top.RJGs3
2QNcDOutside, Lucian gave Raymond an order.3Mwr
1SdTs4F“Have Denis look after the First Prince.”kQR
jjZu“Denis? Who’s that?”kdJI1t
oz02STX“The Denis the late emperor planted among the servants. The one who recently revealed his identity.”VRqv4h
pJjwyxz“Ah!”1oJk65
97e9gThen Raymond remembered his face. The servant who, when the Second Prince posed as the First Prince and sent an invitation, revealed who he was and stood in Lucian’s way.OHo
3iBAccording to him, he even communicated with the First Prince using a magical artifact.NqX6Fm
O5ae4S“He’s loyal to the imperial family, so he’ll take good care of His Highness.”DQuT
rCkE“Isn’t that precisely the problem? He’s loyal to the First Prince, not you. He could turn against us and act for him.”f9uD
9uKWUtb“Turn against us? How?”PJC
zCbbz“Well…”xnTIx
MJiOBcRaymond was about to list possible problems, but he stopped.7zT
trPThinking it through, even if the First Prince turned against Lucian, there was absolutely nothing he could do.qGuwr
uL6rBThe houses claiming to support him were all weak, and even then they only did so to protect their own territories—not out of genuine loyalty.Yhg6xL
wWYxuEven if that loyalty existed, they lacked the power to ensure their own safety.0BLdAR
BPuSur“If he really were a loyal servant of the First Prince, even if treated poorly, he’d advise him to stay here. Clinging to obedient but powerless subordinates can lead directly to ruin.”4SjNTXC
ITaPL“Even if he were advised, I doubt His Highness would listen.”vkmtVX
XSd“It doesn’t matter. If it happens, Denis and the other loyalists will realize it too. They’ll understand that the First Prince lacks not only political sense, but even the basic instinct for survival.”qAtS3
CaBG1Serving the emperor and following his will was the duty of a subject, but everything had its limit.ZCpq
18LfMqUA loyal servant could tolerate irrational orders or selfish behavior, but when the ruler’s foolishness turned self-destructive, the situation changed.z5t3hEZ
H3V6True loyalty wasn’t to the individual, but to the imperial bloodline.5Qb2
1a9In extreme cases, protecting the continuity of the lineage was considered a greater virtue than obeying the emperor’s personal will.GzG0x
Cta9qWz‘They might be disappointed in him, but out of debt to the late emperor, they won’t turn their backs on him completely.’xY7LDid
8gGfAt most, they would ignore absurd orders and focus on staying safe.iCJA
k563jFor Lucian, that was more than enough.xpTBMe
j3eDwjAfter all, under the pretext he himself had established, he would never harm the First Prince.hbh1
2Zyd‘If everything goes well, maybe I can preserve the pretext and reach a reasonable agreement with the loyalists…’ZAvloBA
V8f—Waaaaaaah!Nn7qEvT
2Yc66KuA thunderous roar pulled Lucian out of his thoughts.SJOJl
k8soReturning to the battlefield, the cheers had already calmed.znngZ
TmPSThere was no need to ask what had happened; one of the nearby family heads, his face lit with excitement, hurried to explain.tks
xJfwbDy“O-one of the knights crossed swords with Felicia, my lord! He held out for five exchanges!”uPc
MT9hj“Oh? Really?”czJ28dC
cdJhWZ“It was amazing! You should have seen it with your own eyes!”sx8V
4LruZLucian gave a bitter smile at the man’s excitement.TRyb
LccWas he even aware that this tournament had begun as a challenge by those who refused to recognize Felicia as Swordmaster?xv2
XtaAnd now, they weren’t even speaking of equality—just surviving five exchanges was considered extraordinary.C5Wo
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