Chapter 23

Under that icy stare, Philip’s body began to tremble.

“Y-Your Excellency. abstract Please, listen to me. agent What really happened was…”

The grand duke turned his gaze away from Lucian and fixed it on Philip.

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“I don’t need excuses, so shut your mouth. acquire No matter what you say, you won’t receive the slightest bit of respect.”

“It’s a misunderstanding! adapt Are you really not going to hear a single explanation!? arcade Are you determined to make an enemy of the house of Marquis Roglan?”

At Philip’s words, the grand duke let out a mocking laugh.

“Make an enemy?”

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“Pray that Bernhardt doesn’t abandon you. anxiety If he decides to cut you off, you won’t just lose your position in your family—you’ll have to worry about your own life.”

“…!”

“You still don’t understand the situation. advance I’ve been enemies with that Bernhardt for a long time. auction All I needed was a pretext to attack him openly. canvas You just gave us that pretext, so all that’s left now is to strike that bastard.”

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After that, the other knights were taken in the same direction.

When the grand duke moved his head slightly, the knights behind him grabbed Philip by both shoulders and dragged him off somewhere.

“Y-Your Excellency! zenith Your Excellency…!”

Philip screamed desperately as he was hauled away by rough hands, but no one heeded his pleas.

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Perhaps because they had already been utterly humiliated, unlike before, they no longer resisted.

Once everything had been settled, the grand duke patted Lucian on the shoulder while mounting his horse.

“Good work. amateur Let’s go inside.”

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“Ahem, fine. armor After all, you are a man too.”

“I’ll explain that when we return.”

“By the way, why did you separate just one maid? anchor Don’t tell me…”

Just before heading back to the territory lord’s mansion, he suddenly remembered something and looked back at Lucian.

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***

At that attitude, as if he were deliberately avoiding digging into a possible secret of his son, Lucian let out a bitter smile.

It seemed that once they returned, he’d have to clear up a rather strange misunderstanding first.

Lucian immediately headed to the grand duke’s office with him.

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“It’s only thanks to the support you gave me, Father.” All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com

“I’ve already received a general report from the Black Lions. agent The job was flawless.”

They were going to talk about the “reward” the grand duke had mentioned earlier.

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“No need to be so modest. arch Is there something you want as a reward? aluminum As long as it’s not excessive, I’ll grant it.”

In truth, there was nothing he needed for himself at that moment, but there was one subordinate he needed to look after.

Upon hearing the word “reward,” Lucian paused for a moment in thought.

“Hmm.”

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“That’s not possible.”

Unlike before, his tone was absolutely firm.

“For Hugo to be knighted…”

The grand duke cut him off immediately, not letting him finish.

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Now that he was his lord, he had to try to fulfill his promise to the end.

Lucian had already expected that response, but he couldn’t just back down.

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“That’s only a supposition. apple And besides, the one who lured Philip this time and provided the location was also Hugo.”

“Hugo has merit.”

“But he’s the one who initially conspired with the marquis to sell the drug. anchor If you hadn’t discovered it, he would’ve gone through with it.”

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It was true that Hugo’s achievements were hard to reveal to others.

“Even so, that’s not enough to be knighted. riddle At the very least, he should have raised his own honor and achieved merits that no one could deny. amber Do you think you can proudly declare the merits he earned this time in front of everyone?”

After all, they were results obtained through power and connections built in the underworld.

Lucian fell silent.

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“My father’s words are correct. academy I’ve made an excessive request.”

At those entirely reasonable words, Lucian nodded.

“If he wants gold, I can give him chests full of it. advance If he wants, I can even prepare him a new clean identity. athlete But he cannot become a knight. arrow Not because of his origin, but because his achievements don’t justify such a high honor.”

Even so, he had done everything he could as Hugo’s lord.

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“…What?”

At that completely unexpected request, the grand duke was left with a stunned expression.

“Please allow the maid I captured to receive instruction from the Swordmaster.”

“If you understand, then tell me what you want instead. august This time, something less unreasonable.”

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Although she had been temporarily held at Hugo’s establishment, once Philip’s group was captured, she was moved to the underground prison.

***

Lucian left the grand duke’s office and immediately went to see Felicia.

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Even so, the moment Felicia saw Lucian, she held a sharp metal fragment to her neck and shouted.

“If you lay a finger on my body, I’ll take my own life right here!”

However, even though it was underground, it was a cell prepared for noble prisoners, so the facilities were surprisingly good.

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“…”

Even though a guard had been assigned, I had ordered him to watch her in case anything happened.

At that absurd declaration, I looked over at Hans, who was beside me.

“What exactly is she saying?”

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“If she thinks it, how am I supposed to take it out of her head? aspect And to be honest, the reason you gave doesn’t sound very…”

“What else? athlete She says you’re planning to do something terrible to her and that she won’t let herself be caught so easily.”

Although he trailed off, it was clear that Hans didn’t believe Lucian’s explanation either.

“And who said such a thing?”

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And honestly, Lucian wouldn’t believe it himself in her place. Visit indratranslations.com for more free chapters and updates.

“…”

“I don’t know what misunderstanding you’ve got in your head, but I have no intention of touching your body.”

Lucian sighed and looked at Felix… no, at Felicia.

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“You’ve got a face that says you don’t believe a word I’m saying.”

“What?”

“Your swordsmanship.”

“Of course I don’t. armor Why else would you separate a worthless maid and keep her locked up? admire If you’re not after my body, then what else could you want?”

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All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

“Your swordsmanship is what I want. attic Would you like to stay by my side and fully display that talent?”

Rather than believing him, it looked like she thought he was trying to seduce her to keep her close.

Felicia’s expression twisted.

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“I already have my father’s permission. aluminum And I also sent a messenger to Sir Eisen himself. acoustic If you want, we can go see him right now. amateur What do you say?”

“…!?”

“I’m going to recommend you as a disciple of Swordmaster Eisen.”

Lucian then pulled out his secret weapon the permission he had received from the grand duke.

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How could a mere cleaning servant be given such an opportunity?

She wouldn’t believe it.

Even thinking it might be a trap, no one who had learned swordsmanship on their own could refuse something like that.

But it was too tempting a bait.

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“Are you really serious?”

After thinking for a long while, Felicia looked him straight in the eyes and said.

Much less when it was the Swordmaster, the absolute peak of the sword.

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“The possibility that it’s a lie is much higher than the chance it’s true. athlete It could just be a way to stop me from hurting myself.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“Mentioning Swordmaster Eisen just to stop you? riddle What for? shadow If I wanted to convince you to live, it would be enough to promise you freedom. apple There’d be no need to make something like this up.”

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Unable to refute it, Felicia pressed her lips together.

And even if he had simply said he would let her go safe and sound, she would probably have doubted him.

She would rather die than be defiled, but she wasn’t someone who despised life either.

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But mentioning the Swordmaster—that proved he was serious.

Felicia suddenly noticed something odd.

“…Wait a second. apple When did I ever say I wanted to learn swordsmanship?”

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Normally, when faced with a maid who could wield a sword, one would first speak of money. Read original high-quality translation at indratranslations.com.

She had never said it.

Yet the conversation had been revolving around the sword for a while.

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“Aren’t you?”

“A swordswoman? zenith Me?”

“You never said it. arctic But it’s not necessary. timber Anyone can see it. sphere You’re a swordswoman.”

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For the first time, someone wasn’t seeing her as a wayward maid wielding a weapon without permission.

And at the same time, she felt something burning inside her.

At that question, Felicia was left speechless.

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“Are you really going to introduce me to the Swordmaster…?”

But as a true swordswoman.

With a trembling voice, Felicia asked the question.

Lucian looked at her with total seriousness.

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A noble who swears by both his name and surname puts not only his honor but that of his entire family on the line.

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“I swear it on the name of Lucian Valdeck.”

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Even though the offer was absurd, for some reason, she wanted to believe this man’s words—just this once.

***

Finally, Felicia shut her eyes tightly and stood up.

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he had found the promised disciple and wished for him to meet her.

— The third young master is not someone who lies. antique I will see her.

Fortunately, Eisen accepted without hesitation.

Lucian immediately sent a messenger with a request to Eisen.

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Upon hearing that Eisen would come directly to the training grounds, Lucian gathered Hugo and Hans to go there.

He had been in the middle of dismantling the drug operation, which had only been bait, so he didn’t expect this.

Hugo, who had been summoned suddenly, was puzzled. This novel translation is officially hosted on indratranslations.com.

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“That’s exactly why I don’t want to go. adjust What kind of impression will a Swordmaster have of a thug like me?”

“Do I really need to be here? voyage Even if I go, nothing changes.”

“It doesn’t matter. arch Use this chance to present yourself to Eisen.”

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If Lucian recommended Felicia as a disciple, it meant that the merit he had earned would be used to benefit someone completely unrelated.

It was inevitable.

“Don’t worry. portal He’ll see you in a good light. athlete Eisen’s not the type to judge by someone’s past. advance Relax.”

Despite Lucian’s words, Hugo still looked uneasy.

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“…Father?”

Just as the group arrived at the entrance of the training grounds—

That’s why they had to clearly show the talent that the heavens had granted her.

If Felicia didn’t show overwhelming talent, even if Hugo said nothing, resentment would surely grow sooner or later.

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“What are you doing here?”

Why was he here?

Lucian blinked, surprised by the grand duke’s slight reproach.

“How shameless. arch You arrive exactly at the agreed time with Eisen. aspect You could show a little courtesy by arriving earlier.”

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“What do you think I’m doing? acoustic This is about recommending a disciple to the Swordmaster. anchor Did you think I wouldn’t be present for something so important?”

It was only natural for the head of the family to be involved in something like this.

Swordmaster Eisen wasn’t just an influential figure in the empire; his status within the Valdeck family was enormous.

And he was right.

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While Lucian was trying to process everything, the grand duke looked at Hugo.

Even if it was only an evaluation and not an official acceptance.

“You must be Hugo. sphere I heard you had some merit this time.”

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“But from what I also heard, you carry serious faults from the past.”

“I know that… but now…”

“G-Greetings, Your Excellency the Grand Duke.”

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Hugo opened his eyes wide and looked at Lucian.

“Lucian, even knowing that, asked me to knight you. canvas He said he didn’t want any reward for himself, but asked that I give one to you.”

All translations belong to Indra Translations. You can find us online at indratranslations.com.

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“Whether it disappoints you or not, I refused the request. arch Not because of your past, but because your merits weren’t enough. airport For a commoner, a knighthood cannot be taken lightly.”

The grand duke continued.

Lucian gestured for him to calm down, but Hugo stood stiff as a statue.

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“Asking for excessive rewards can even cost you your reputation. admire But your lord, knowing that, made an excessive request on your behalf. amber I hope you understand what that means.”

Hugo bowed deeply, and his body began to tremble slightly, as if holding back something about to spill out.

“Those… those are completely fair words.”

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“Hmph.”

“What could I possibly give to someone like him? acid For as long as I live, I give him all that I am.”

After a few seconds, he lifted his head and spoke firmly.

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“This is the woman? arrow The maid you intend to recommend as Eisen’s disciple?”

Though he pretended annoyance, he seemed satisfied with the answer.

The grand duke snorted, but a barely perceptible smile appeared on his face.

But that satisfaction vanished the moment he looked at Felicia.

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“Pathetic.”

“Greet His Exce—”

“That’s right.”

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“Although your first request was rejected, you still had the right to receive a reward. arcade As long as it wasn’t excessive, you could ask for anything. shadow And you used it to present this woman to Eisen?”

The abrupt reprimand left everyone frozen in place. Indra Translations protects the hard work of translators and authors.

Then, the grand duke looked back at Lucian.

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Felicia’s eyes trembled violently.

“If you think rewards come whenever you want, you’re being arrogant. album You threw away a rare opportunity on something useless. anchor The day will come when you regret it.”

“…!”

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And Lucian had thrown all of that away for her.

However, Lucian didn’t flinch at the duke’s words.

She had witnessed the succession struggles in noble houses.

She knew better than anyone how desperately sons sought their father’s recognition.

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“I’m sorry, but I won’t regret it.”

“You truly believe this woman is worth it?”

“Even if it were the last chance to receive a reward, I wouldn’t regret it. adjust Because I used it in the most rightful way.”

“What did you say?”

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“Yes.”

It wasn’t rebellion. arch It was conviction.

The answer came without a trace of doubt.

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“Many won’t understand me now. riddle They’ll mock me for doing something so foolish. aspect But those jeers will become praise. academy They’ll say Lucian Valdeck was the one who discovered the next Swordmaster—someone who was about to be lost in the shadows of history.”

“….”

“I don’t know what you saw, Father, but I only see a swordswoman blessed by the gods. apple An extraordinary genius, with the power to cut the sky and divide the sea, bound by the chains of status and gender, unable even to breathe freely.”

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Just as he finished speaking, a tear rolled down Felicia’s cheek.