Chapter 179
DXVo“…”KtBa
gPi“…”ieBV
noFOWhile Hugo and Tristan were speaking outside, Lucian was facing Denis, who had come to visit him.0QMhI
nBPDenis had followed Lucian the moment he left the banquet hall, but now that they were finally face to face, he could only stare at Lucian’s face, unable to open his mouth.cJ1N
RJVKirBThe silence dragged on for quite some time, until a voice tinged with irritation escaped Lucian’s lips.S9JUsAP
06LlxNQ“How long do you plan on holding me here? If you have nothing to say, it’d be better if you left.”IkZvZB
BiIvrPM“D-Duke…”aGS
yMzgv“Do you think that by repeating ‘Duke’ a hundred or a thousand times, I’ll read your mind?”dauXyw
yvoJnThe tone had completely abandoned formality and turned shamelessly brusque.aOD2n
pfKADenis tightly shut his eyes.JRclN0S
ZTKKbwEIf he said the wrong thing and struck a nerve with Lucian, even the continuity of the imperial family could be called into question.5Tns
33GmR6Realizing he had no room left to retreat, Denis dropped to his knees.Q3DjE6
PCZpUxThud.WQq
myfmP3p“Duke, please, I beg you to forgive the First Prince’s mistake!”jTheVY
xpZH1U“Ha.”LyfZ
4qbIZHe wasn’t asking for understanding, but forgiveness for a mistake.1GQvpY
hgmqJnFor a plea coming from a sovereign to a vassal, it was a wording that verged not just on humiliation but disgrace.U4Rim
qHzMOf course, Denis wasn’t the First Prince himself, only his subordinate, but precisely because of that, the gesture carried even more weight.Def
voXK91AThe virtue of a loyal retainer is to protect their lord’s honor even at the cost of their own life.jhcW
Y0jmnnHowever, Denis was lowering the First Prince’s honor just to beg for Lucian’s mercy.iRZ
zKKNmHNot out of personal interest, but out of fear for what might happen to the First Prince if he didn’t.LCvxljO
TinG“Mistake and forgiveness don’t seem like words that should lightly come from the mouth of a mere vassal, much less when it isn’t the First Prince himself.”bZArr
Iq0“How could we possibly cover the sky with the palm of our hand? The First Prince betrayed the Duke’s trust. If that’s not a mistake, the entire world will mock us.”UMY
yw47ht“That’s true.”RcaFxb
VGycdLucian, who only intended to probe a little, nodded without thinking.TKQ
kxfGKQrTo brand Lucian as a traitor—someone he needed to make into an ally in order to reclaim the throne—and to do so while setting aside resentment… he should at least know on whom his life depended.ef7u
SF1At that level, it was no longer just a lack of political sense; he could even be considered the strongest candidate for most inept tyrant in the entire Empire.eBIzp
BmJKSeeing Lucian accept it so easily, Denis grew impatient and opened his mouth.4bquRM
zzXT4BF“But—!”PS4
yXBPP“The imperial family will continue.”J3prU0
cxOAlpLucian raised a hand and stopped Denis just as he was about to jump up in joy.eJw
NdgqHearing those words at last from Lucian’s own mouth—what he most wanted to hear—Denis’s eyes widened.RJHWp
EBcPb7Y“I-is it true?”tEIH
btNXT“Even if the First Prince turned his back on me, I am still a subject of the Empire. Besides, I am indebted to the late Emperor. How could I personally sever the imperial bloodline?”xJ5Xx
TzR6Wl“Duke!”98rglF
Q214v6J“But.”SBP4
Ws7xeu4Lucian gripped Denis’s shoulder tightly just as he was about to burst with joy.K9b
fMZAt that “but,” Denis froze completely. Soon after, a low voice reached his ear.5Keo
wXdS“I need someone to restrain the First Prince from within.”Vh2J15
TpW“Restrain him… you say?”XiVne
JoW“Even putting the imperial family aside, the First Prince causes too many incidents. In the worst-case scenario, he might force me to do something I don’t want to.”fMmmf
yJH7wXAt that cold warning, Denis swallowed hard, unable to argue.cd2
T4gkysEKnowing the First Prince’s personality, it wouldn’t be surprising if he learned absolutely nothing from what happened today.mr8QY
1cN“Stay by his side and watch over him. Keep him from doing anything unnecessary. And ensure that the imperial family may endure forever.”PFlYv17
WKQBkDenis’s pupils trembled. Obeying one’s lord’s will is the duty of a vassal.TUWskn
Q3zKZjvBut if he continued blindly following the First Prince’s orders, the imperial family might truly be extinguished.05njj
LvEAV9Just as Lucian said, if he wanted to preserve the imperial line, he had to ensure the First Prince’s safety first—even if that meant disobeying his orders.Qbx65
1Xa51u“…I will keep that in mind.”PY1
cpRAfter a long hesitation, Denis finally nodded at Lucian’s whisper. Seeing this, Lucian smiled and patted his shoulder.kqJ3ook
DG5“You really are a true loyalist of this Empire.”D1rNNf
9YFF***SchJw2
fPu7HSoon after, Denis left the office, and almost as if on cue, Tristan entered.n9nQA
QPTvBLucian cast him a sideways glance and spoke in a detached tone.9dM
WkrD“What brings you here?”ffetj6
kU5axe“Well…”XzXtCv
MHdhbzu“It’s not a real question. Brother, you wouldn’t have a reason to come looking for me. You already heard everything important from Hugo, didn’t you?”6AjSSAG
oE6c1V“Your Highness.”cNWVApC
XVKd1gG“That’s enough.”JhhrZc
QlyBefore Tristan could say another word, Lucian struck the desk with a sharp thunk and interrupted him.SRtTTO
YMbINg“I’ll ask just one thing. Do you want to become the head of the Grand Ducal House of Valdeck?”WsrffR
s3Q“…Yes.”jBbgz
D06Despite how humiliating the question was, Tristan had no choice but to answer that way. If he said no, Lucian would throw him out without hesitation.bY3t
TpC“Then gather the troops stationed outside the city immediately and check what supplies are urgently needed. Report everything to me. I’ll prepare a proper location for the barracks, and from now on, you’ll remain there.”QpX
pl6“Excuse me, but I don’t have that kind of money…”MgSfPF
H88l“Of course, I’ll cover all the costs.”Qv4
gjjLAA3“All of them?”KodVkvo
us4VIhI“What would I gain from squeezing a penniless brother? I’ve no choice but to take it on myself.”9ZW
pGO7At those unexpected words, Tristan blinked in astonishment.iNGKoM
KFGMZszIt pained him to admit it, but with the restoration of the Northern Kingdom, his value had plummeted.gQIV909
w99Lucian, if he wished, could govern the ducal house directly.mu6
r6UAnd yet, he was willing to entrust troops to Tristan—even covering the maintenance costs himself.w9Y8h
53RwScQWhen the simplest solution would have been to cut off all his limbs and leave him as a mere puppet.4KXll9
6oPd‘The fact that he’s giving me my own forces means he wants me to take real control of the family later. In other words, Lucian has no genuine interest in the position of head of the family.’dS95
a0pYIzZFor Tristan, this made no sense. He had heard the explanation before—that Lucian would assume the position only once because giving it up meant losing all inherent rights.kH6P
uDTLBut if being the family head was the pinnacle of those rights, what could he possibly desire beyond that to go through all this?Ojkj
QGGkre8“Duke.”QdlY
MPeZ0bl“Is there something else?”aQgz5Gp
uub9Ne6“If your goal isn’t the position of head of the family… then what is it you truly seek, Your Highness?”XstSKww
i25C5Unable to contain his curiosity, Tristan asked the question directly.R3DU
fIBPHmzLucian watched him for a moment, then smiled mockingly.K2jg8Ny
xfxg“The Grand Ducal House of Valdeck is a family of long-standing tradition. It stood beside His Majesty Wilhelm, the founding Emperor, laying the foundations of this Empire.”2ouA
NuOqI“Yes, that is correct.”2uDc
Li1VcLT“Because of that relationship, there were even several marriages with the imperial family. However slight, imperial blood runs through your veins.”QAxT
5lUlk“That…”t4T
9RAEjTristan’s eyes trembled violently as he tried to nod. He had finally understood what Lucian wanted.s89
zAkGIn“Y-Your Highness…”gEFSXh
BBYkhV8Seeing Tristan speechless from the shock, Lucian smiled and said.hbme
zau0EY“If one is born a man, he must dream big. Don’t you think so?”Bs54v0c
vsXVM***Ewuz
Ei03GcJ— The Northern Kingdom Has Been Resurrected —3ZGD48
4PtzfAfter Sir Eisen’s funeral, news that leaked from the north shook the entire continent.yI7yaH
zycAe3QTo be precise, the Northern Kingdom had not yet been officially resurrected.dbsoKY
QEV73It had only received the “permission” of the First Prince; its restoration had not yet been formally proclaimed.FxOZMmT
EaknThe internal structure still had to be organized, the relationship between sovereign and vassals clarified, and a coronation held before it could truly be called a kingdom.ArlrqMw
BJB4But to the other ambitious factions, such formalities were irrelevant.JgY
A9SysUMWith the First Prince’s backing in hand and no internal opposition, the kingdom’s resurrection was merely a matter of time.kktsYg
rGt“Building a new kingdom within the Empire?! Does that even make sense?!”ivv6xo
JqQkEkM“In an Empire that hasn’t granted a royal title in a thousand years, to dare proclaim oneself king!”Wm0Oo
UQx“This is blatant rebellion! We must form a coalition immediately and crush him!”BuIb
Oj4JZzXThe lords, terrified by the formation of such an unexpected and colossal force, raised their voices.XeYc3G
73RobBut no matter how loud their protests, they did nothing to change the course of events.f07XZF6
YXIYQUhThere were many reasons, but the main one was that forming a coalition was impossible.JC8kUG
8vjMuFo‘We know we have to stop him. But when each faction supports a different collateral prince, how can we unite under the pretext of rebellion?’LjFHf
pN4m‘If each of us considers everyone except our own candidate a rebel, are we now going to join forces just because a new rebel appeared?’9gpV
Hpkh‘Should we meet and sign a treaty temporarily redefining who counts as a rebel? We’d be the laughingstock of the world.’3PmwglQ
4aa6QyHad they all served the same lord, the excuse of “for the greater good” might have worked.c3wOli
2NGsBut these ambitious figures had long been promoting various collateral princes as the true heirs.bISm7
fa0bVBy invoking the next sovereign, they had no choice but to label each other rebels.GvN69D
zcKLaoWIn that context, pointing at Lucian and saying, “That one is more of a rebel than you—let’s unite,” was pure comedy.BeP
qIkESThe only faction with any real possibility was that of the First Prince, the most legitimate heir… but that First Prince was now in Lucian’s hands.3hFLROZ
Y11Rather than forming a coalition, the factions that had declared support for the First Prince now had to worry about when Lucian would give an order in his name—and they would be forced to betray each other.fmIqHHm
EGtNl“With the First Prince’s permission granted, there’s no reason to delay. Begin preparations for the coronation at once.”Hd94Zu
t6tWhile the other forces were consumed by anxiety, Lucian moved swiftly.RgB
RhLrBjAlthough interference was unlikely, there was always a chance that, in a panic, someone might charge north under the excuse of madness.qRv
so93rkC‘Even if I could crush them easily, it’s best to avoid visible opposition before the coronation.’Xt3
u7QLMevIn truth, the greatest source of instability was not outside—but within.44A9F
EDIg‘The First Prince, Claude.’sylicP
4fcRyHe had now become little more than a seal used to create legitimacy, but he was someone who had already once escaped from the center of Tibron using a magical artifact.pruoByO
dMzIf Lucian became complacent, Claude could slip away like an eel and cause a massive headache.VBzzIU
8A6HpJust in case, Lucian ordered Marius, Colin, and Helen to keep close watch over the First Prince.2Yg
PA99oX“If you detect any mana fluctuations, subdue him immediately. If the situation requires it, I authorize moderate use of force.”GTeXoih
X355dbo“Of course. If anything seems suspicious, we’ll act without hesitation.”u01ms
uIOKU2Marius and his two disciples responded with gleaming eyes.RCbj7hV
psqzH0Even though Claude’s escape would be their responsibility, they showed no sign of concern.SZwoVPU
nAHeWhmThey actually seemed eager for an escape attempt, toying with their staffs.JsA3E9
tzRFeeling a strange unease, Lucian quickly added.oSOn
oGz“Don’t forget the condition—only if the situation requires it. If you can subdue him without violence, don’t hit him.”cgj6
AMouoP“We’ll keep that in mind. Though please understand that as mages, our physical strength is limited. In an emergency, we’ll have no choice but to resort to magic.”mZpArA
dKQ87“That, of course, I understand.”OK9UKwr
y8AVOP“And in urgent situations, it’s normal to make small errors in power control.”CD1
34iLucian had the feeling that such an “error” was guaranteed to happen. While he hesitated about whether he could really trust them with the task, Marius smiled and added.xFZ
iDY5mW“Don’t worry. We bear no grudge whatsoever for the witch hunts the imperial family carried out over the last three hundred years.”yOwg
dh3“…..”D1DANFI
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Fernando
Qi RefinementBut isn’t spatial magic blocked within Asagrim?