Chapter 26
Q55e“Dinner…?”dUdusV
jLcDUpon receiving the8l9s grand duke’swUlsn message, a bitter smileo5AVKd appeared onl91 Lucian’s lips.YoqNisiGZk
n4nTrhFamily meals hadPEq very differentkmR7 meanings dependingwsuF2 on eachUwu noble house.i8NdsLg4
OmT4In a smallMMloBm family, whereEwQM there wastAtve no successionGgoDJ dispute, itlA41 would justqFyKSc be anWMiU ordinary breakfast.1GWO7p1
2QnvBBut for a massive familyBTLdgi like theiwXj Valdecks toBSqHjy deliberately gatherdgX all thetwX competitors inwOq1yZ one place—fB74hxwP3
y8gThat could onlyLspY mean one8vC7 thing—there wouldJLwVmO be ankJKdyj important announcementoAAb related toRoV5b the house.15b6XljMJ
1fhXMG‘Seems something bothersomemDw8 happened. Luckily,wd7c it doesn’tMUNwp seem too30Hif serious.’Imck5M
qP390“Huh? But HisVemZu Highness onlyX2lpoU said it31XHa was a meal.”KbT
s8wBJF“He only calledG52M6Y me andqj9xe my brothers.dPqk That alonee8e2U0 is enoughyBipEP to deduce3wn the situation.”3Wc2Um
xfzZkFAt Hans’s confusion,7m3v Lucian smileda4n wryly andOhHPz leaned back.VcdWqV4fMm9
b7LIf something hadZk9g9m happened thatXtedxC the heirsoF8z couldn’t handle,Zimrh the ladiesdth would have2C3Klj been summonednvS5lb too.Zslgl6
hko0UBut the grandIvGib duke hadIJv8 only invitedsEo Lucian andYuTeDL the othermyL brothers.lCb6
fPSHL0Meaning, it wasn’tkiPlq something thatZl6xa needed tojQrrK be reportedYB9nw to thevuXA wives—but itsFdUUT was perfecthKYh as a test withinq3l the competitionTH2gq4 for theFLMZG head position.9n5taowut9
HSE4V“He’ll probably assignIRIp us a task thisNDdOKw time.”s3W
cqGYC“A task?”T2jc
9exxU“If we completeWRyz it well,JAd we mightLZKHmy gain a new merit.TBfXY Of course,6vzZ5U only if5uB9Rd it’s a problem I can solve.”i0c4pd1j
PCIoeuUpon hearing that,gETI Hugo—who hadkll been silentlyz6Y listening—opened hisECO eyes withJR34 a gleam.hvexrq6
Gso“If it involvesRiUlf3 going outside,HMUaj please allowOrWLb me toUSU accompany you.9BXuZ I’ll helpw91 too.”RpEWB
N6ZvNSince meeting theT4V5 grand duke,hRu Hugo hadcH2c3h been moreroszq motivated thann3fT ever.VZF3
3KQMsUntil now, his4TL8 faith had4y8yc been uncertain,AO5 but afterpQPsIL hearing the2ba word “knight”qimHk from theaoBI grand duke’sLA79lH own mouth,7GJfI his dreamoibZiD now hadquc a clearaLgFjR form.nY4JQE
uaVt3CMoreover, he had02k0x personally witnessedk0Yf Felicia beingGZKxhy adopted as85xBAB the Swordmaster’szTf daughter, whichcb6Xy8 undoubtedly hadY0Z1 stirred hisgF6h heart.zW0MS
3Q09Fortunately, Felicia’s talentrdD6x was atzPH such a level thatni4a even HugoFvK couldn’t denyqOIaC it, sou6i instead ofor0b feeling jealous,EJR8 he onlyMj8 felt a stronger desireuUW to improve.AByZLZgbZu
pWvtU“I was planning2O61B to takelnt you. RightdGD now, you’renX93 the onlybKDAIx one whoe8M can moveNDY immediately. IfhmVO8 not you,Hn3C then whoMgI could I take?”muJWF
EPY“Huh…? You’re notWCrLb1 taking meJVu too? I thought I was onegkYDmt of youngtjBJ master’s menzj2pp2 as well.”Lz9BZXGh
ybwY“You’ll stay and5tcg watch thejudeB house. NoXYim2w matter howfm9v small itYmzXv is, I can’t leaveqk6tT the mansionN6KhJy completely empty.xeq Unless youBvEE want topYaV learn swordsmanshipzrLds and accompanyAuwbfr me. Weowm might have3dB to headn04b4w to theLLhIYN battlefield at4Ky4 any time.”Ntnhbl7
fC5b4w“Protecting the houseIKe7ls when theKW3 master iskBou away is5VBVJ also a servant’s duty.MmF Leave it1TNEm to me.”IvtRAEKE
OxmmZtAs soon asORmZH he heardItx the wordE8WEw “battlefield,” Hans77LEw replied withnkObw a solemnwjR face.LOR1L
AFlUnlike Hugo, hewLgZbo seemed toVz4fz prefer a quiet life,g21a even ifX1e3l it meantYWb00 a slower05j rise.NZGC
Aqf8“Even so… whatQ3kpFG exactly could’vevx1feW happened?”U0p86I
AFoLucian reviewed his6Zaxs memories fromWet1l his pastRCK life, butbCD couldn’t recallDlL anything specific.y7nvoB
LmjpiAlthough he hadFOH served withinCl2d House Valdeck,dT6uuC he wasK1aK just a simple guard.EaprMaopwvRw
rlIPThe information hee5p0oG had accesscNvO to wasDy8CQw limited, soyrfWNF something thishni important hadHr6r6 probably beenG3qK8 resolved withoutqUQ leaking externally.p3Pqz4kBkp
RoHav‘If I wantg3skUZ to knowRUfsXb the details,2ul I’ll have8aCe to hearue6ABA it directlyH39o from mymE5FF father.’oKWwD
P5ruAfter organizing his2ly4kQ thoughts, LucianvAJls got up64yS and headedvdTJqP to theUCQhj family diningn5VeqR room withini87Rq the lord’suXoG residence.p9PQ8
byOaAThere was stillOJYh9 a bitsBNy of time9ekyNX left, but1NP2 for thisAGpw3t kind ofrnZ occasion, itTT3 was properdawFQY to arrive09gE a littleG91G early andpPO wait.Vi5Iti
DDla***90JqPY
gOv8“…”MEW
hXSQog“…”Udv
TViAZLucian drummed hisijQdR fingers onEbCTpd the table2JF3a amidst theagu49 uncomfortable silenceZTI that filledTGFGsf the dining6kF room.LCgS
4sc5EkAs if theyEagl had timed5e9F1r it, JordiXAozo and JoshuatlEP arrived at27EdV the sameDdKi time astXOS he did.2HuMeTbH0pL
v90kOOn any otherNhY38v day, theyYu68 would’ve alreadyiP4 exchanged tense9qZEa1 glares, butQbuzs knowing theeRV2 grand dukezjnag would arrive4PLv soon, theyDqFt couldn’t risk9YU6II making a careless scene.I9wep60KSV
Ahkrih“You’re all here.gSGrSg If you’reUoXDi hungry, goEOs ahead andU36l eat.”qZgm
Th0Fortunately, Sigmund, thehUCJ grand duke,O7p arrived shortlyy2oL after.vCo9
Y3wBsSeeing that heFzMMSE had arrivedwR8o6 before theW6EiV announced time,iLYgSh it seemedRZ5ay he hadrXJ1z anticipated theXtOa awkward silence.Qr1MoB
nTPU9KThe meal endedeF5E with unusualEvg speed.V2H
IQnCThe servants clearedbCpC the dishesyUx as soonM6P as theyzao9 were done,qju and thezsyoK grand duke8Foq went straightPc0 to thelgNI4 main matter.YwZ2I476
R6u2“A problem hasthGusB recently arisen14zl4 in theqftc border area.oki3t To be9x4 exact, ingVM the BornholmMJQANY region.”cMLaW
miR“Isn’t Bornholm whereBMT the eldestlMH brother ishmuY stationed?”9Nz4a
8s7Joshua asked inwbK surprise, andcVtQV the grand3THpy duke nodded.a3KinJlq
3Nc“That’s right. It’sNheYgW where I sent Tristan.Ps7 A fewnB45 months ago,M1zx we receivedO29 reports thatC0H8A the bastardsxDimR from theAdAIMG Imperial LiberationiWeaFo Front werekDrO on theRKun move.”j1s1h4
JHGs78The Imperial Liberation0znNN Front—a grouplg97 formed byBXsEru people fromXOkJZA vassal states,qwFd6 united underr4aMW the sloganZA1Ane of freeingzM7 themselves frompKT imperial rule.UHsoZNJIo
Cg7aTheir scale wasydOho small, butJtgc occasionally theyVZ8sv led regionalTbZHT rebellions or6XG assassinated high-rankingj26xzK nobles, turning5VzgW5 the empirerGE upside down.N2n4HGHZnj
uYDsdWOf course, mostpjRFb were capturedUj9hjX before accomplishingrkR anything, butMdDX the factfwxNrs that evenYNYyL6 rare successesWV0 existed wastAY3 like a thorn underw510h the empire’s2oFuyY tongue.PbdOfo
2pA“But recently, weOmgwMG received a strange reportEZVm55 from Tristan.CQTYSo Not only1NFnkv is the8vOn Imperial LiberationG8D8ms Front active,cCxa7A but theXJ4LIt monsters haveTMk also begunEXS acting outPcpRYf of control.”EngDh4dhJC
SyRnwP“Could it beRW9UQ a greatnvrN0F migration?”K7tH
i7pzFiLucian said with03142x a grave5QjKN expression, raisingt4T a possibility.PhYoUXCf
ZZrCW3A great migrationsRTLGv was, quitepeK3I literally, a phenomenon whereLI1D monsters moved9fjnT en masse.TtdsFtQ
9HBEYBWhen the monster5ST1j7 population grewfAelZM too largeIki in a region, the2xp food chainMld broke down,HX5n and foodCu504j became scarce.L8Bdx6fkD1g
JFcAs a result,d65j the entireR0Fu1 group would4NCK be forcedU94KC to search3Ud7 for foodfp4 in otherKV90H5 territories.ktI
1du2The real problemEHSz7 was whenbDP those zonesj9g included humanEOrfYE villages orFMtvN even castles.BfVt55d9n9
5IbujAfter all, toDP5nF monsters, humans8Qv5WF were alsoUktx excellent food.m1fnibu7
et6mg8If defenses wereOBln properly prepared,iSRhoI everything couldpk7 be resolvedDlKvoq with a simple subjugationWwl campaign.L8Vc
bLCPI5But if not,xNIa the result5qCpvQ could becomegmcvP3 a massiveIhthvu disaster. TheAoQmpy largest recorded3j3dDO migration hadZvSwaY destroyed tenP56ZE villages andPyw7 an entireFaEJ castle.VDve
uEoo“It’s hard tofjXC say. OnBE2 the surface,q954ah it mightacM32 look thatg7gjI6 way, butwIKx6r it’s tooizB early toFnhvf draw conclusions.HAwj After all,Fl1jAn the lasteVA great migrationJc9Qtn in BornholmbrRO was suppressedM2YXG just twentyUzzEXh years ago.”Gd3YUDASS
npPok“If we considerDjGrik that thefvI minimum cycle0dk of a great migrationxTE is fiftyZmftPs years, thenxWU0Q yes, it’sKSTqU too early.”ZprLpnyn5
IKcIX“Whether it’s a great migration5XJl or not,C5AhA the situationUcXDz remains troubling.ndZNg It’s baduBL enough having2VuK to watchXzPZ the Imperialfmkc Liberation Front,1snlj3 and nowXgz50 the monsters3BHkE are goingUwrV wild too.”fsVuu6j
evzgAt the veryoEc least, withVLXTYY the currentlylNZ deployed forces,IS7LO4 it wasn’tH2dO nearly enough.gtu98Tyro
bIOV4qThe moment that82GC was said,N6Sk3 all three9Ud5NX understood whatPfpcZ the grandcH6 duke wasXNQd4 about toDVd4r propose.G43CU
s7Ye7“Seems like theQlz eldest brother28Yo6y needs reinforcements.”l9eUntC
dQQY“That’s right. OnePQU5Fo of youbOt5g5 will haveBwtipk to go.”gG0L7tte
NiLtmEAt those words,gT8cnl Jordi andZdy Joshua both7FbD4 went silent8yE8k at thenUyI same time.os9EVvpYOQMn
AcQasNo matter howclHIN they lookedbEN5S1 at it,VEz there was5Gtwt no benefitZ2NSMH in it.6nncKu
WGTThe one alreadych9nr there, leadingDAYd and familiarmLI with theiV5eE terrain andWws6 the situation,xGZ1Xg was Tristan.vRkw20gRt
BvArWhoever was sentkl699S as reinforcementV9gKI would endSVS up asVKeIP2 his support.eWu1tQHG4i
kcaNot only would10F6vV they notmRl be ablev8t7bq to leadWdH the situationX3vK directly, butxyYnUl they’d also9eO have toMVMdH serve asnUf an assistantQOP to a rival.XiR
CdjyNo one wantedQNU that.KP0Q4D
33sAt worst, evenHGSGQ if theylR1fDI earned merits,eDqEE Tristan wouldfS4i take all1Qi the credit,fW9uS and they’dZjRoYH be leftKwgbJm as a mere sidekick.6eGdebSTV
maCKGu“Is it reallyOme necessary forUEg one ofEDM us toXpdf go? Sendingxzg9Uh the knight4tK order underm3TqwT your commandseUDu should benilWYK more thanG2pu enough…”9QDt
gs1“No.”xIMjLH
HpjThe grand dukeAElCn cut Jordi’s88fl words offlg7 before heohF could finish.wfWu70t5yWk
OD8XLP“Sending more troopsWdq could provokeQ04 the lordsk6tOi8 of the38x territories neighboringF7cK Bornholm. IfzXyE we makeIeyUk a wrongkpQi move, theycVkDI might issuebWA8d a joint2TAR1r protest. FordVT now, deployingQNz elite forcesyaI beyond theAnpt current levelUrcuv is impossible.”dVESlRso
B038O“Wouldn’t it bePjQv enough tooqE explain itQ8N properly? AftersYOGJw all, thoseBSBL lords areq9s just baronsDo83tB or viscounts.PLasg I don’tUAi think myw4dh6 father needsr5xsYR to worryRTE3F about their8TXZ opinions.”U9stD
yDGi“That’s true. ButEbg what wouldC971 you doOyQhC if HisuhZ Majesty questionsnQ6yRv it directly?Go1 If he9wz0i asks whyzSW so manyTc6 troops arewkvR being concentrated1td on the76XgJU border, willQNap you have6Nd an answer?”nx9tuC9Wl
vOWJordi fell completelyfNhc silent.VUKMgc
sMhDgEJust as heg5qpRJ said, ifxAT4 a massiveCcTKC house likeyBzk the ValdecksZmiu moved troops,vskO even the746Qx5 emperor wouldBrOu raise anfcR90a eyebrow in0R4nw suspicion.KVXh
RMjoiNo matter howECJB loyal thevUtoa Valdecks wereTT5ge to theerTOv imperial side,pCg military movementsX3bV09 weren’t somethingBoT that coulddWNRj be overlookedJoWp so easily.kKhJWWxkvr76
nNDGXWhen Jordi fellesims silent, iteOCyLd was Joshuaf0TfM7 who spoker5q up inb6E urgency.VznH
fRI“Even if weZB2La go alone,ctoyU without troops,s4CMO we wouldn’tRqBXxD be ofVORi01 much help…”eVb0MgHYJfF
EQD“No. There areCPY quite a few mercenariesyeU in thatLt6 region. It’skrWhe an areaUAIk0X where, besidesZdI monsters, minor8VBPLn conflicts alsohV2 occur frequently.NZ0 If onewvLIG4 of youGg4Se hires mercenaries,gitOEz it’ll easily5j9dwd make upD7ZTUi for theReUh9 lack ofhE5IS troops.”O8mRXQ
gaxl“But you justWOjVnR said thatPna concentrating forces…”CGGKGBM
FxI“Do you thinkJrAzJp elite troopso16 who onlyfPcn2 obey meBa4Un are theD5VA same asrUGnP1 mercenaries whoSjItZ move forJbUIpp money? YoueAqcg8 can’t eveng4W grasp suchPwiTwf simple logic?”CZ5KT2z1k
ziFdmAt the grand6ZcY7M duke’s irritatedg95o tone, JoshuaUwt instantly shrankBbY4i back.mdBs3
HxZUnable to sayZeBmx anything, itfvNSa was LucianbzbUD who spokeH1BQ in hisBstjF place.Yk9RvB
taBJ3s“It’s true that5JJ mercenaries andnTRz6B elite troops7rR0 are different.RuJZ Even ifryY5 someone hiresuAcSuv them, they9zLR total numberbjp of mercenariesc5jH2 in the7BGC region wouldYJYB remain thehSslQ same. ThatJjS way, theLukx commotion causedNKyjy by troopl0w movement is7WL0pk avoided.”coWs
0At“…Exactly.”7yRgF
Z94Ze“Also, mercenaries move26o for money,dQG which makesIsoqd them hardDED5 to control4cSNn by theirTnSl employer, butS2ouM at theJDsWIT same time,mgvRm1 it reassuresg9F those fearingqPj suspicious movements.RbO Since theyMtbYEp aren’t willing8Ft to acceptAUfwm truly dangerousm9akF orders, there’sYqqU6V always theV85k possibility ofS5k buying them1FXY off. Even9yf4YY His Majesty2ZY1c would viewxpRZk something likeTOOs0 the simplepUeM6 hiring ofbPJ mercenaries favorably.”BiM7BWSMuxY
GQdrJWAfter he finishedCZTX explaining, theWmf grand dukealGU relaxed hisBWBF expression and4RQ nodded.SV84
4eD6At the same37DmZv time, inR964BU his eyes,IKzPxC as hejPep looked aty56yd Lucian, a faint sparkiVJm of expectationipds0 appeared.mjT
bs2ObB“Then, do youXHrOA now understandK4C2z why I insist onMNvh2I sending oneMcd5 of you?VAHP I couldZRF simply order4MxHbo Tristan to44lW hire mercenaries,blQ5W but I still decided5eVp to intervene.”3ZCfww
HBvD6S“As I justGCn5 said, mercenariesoq9 are hardod6sj to manage.vKR2Mg When cornered,rJFc7P it’s notbYMw uncommon forJu4Z them toWFQPk betray and97BVr flee. EvenWhw if theysKGf work riskingOmN their lives,rtHgWq their goalg1Eo6 is tohpckHc earn money.uXgRX5 They don’tgDwr work becauseqEOMQ they wantz5B to die.”7ISHUYC
1TvL7There were manyojVLV mercenaries who,PTGIUV after receivingnutNT excessive orders,TjE4S broke contractsJNqxa and ran.aAIZAaZL6
fXYEven Lucian, whokSoYjF valued trust4yQoy9 deeply, hadUJQH fled severalEi3 times inBFhbCA his past8M9yc life fromWdTZb employers whoE15Xt gave suicidalUvAbJ orders.fWJaX
bufThat showed justssoW how commonFoO it wasiLy9e for mercenarieshcfpha to fleefnadsC after breakingYXyUt a contract.zOdi5KmNL
Wsf5And on theaQq4 other hand,kDU it alsooH8 showed howSeNV3 many employers4z4DF made absurdABZQ8f demands.w30
37U“The problem ispyQ4fl that rightZJdXE2 now theKbgG situation in6BDnn Bornholm isCC5 bad. As6pNgn6 soon as1at the mercenariesQ66xI sense thingsjHo going south,fECItP they’ll trycP4HVk to flee.AYd39 And, ofZJtCV course, thesu3W family’s knights6NikQ will stopm7qAg4 them.”hBbw7
HgVThe knights, forced59MVAS to defendtHU78b Bornholm—Valdeck territory—evenos1 at thelDPo cost ofQ5r their lives.GZLxmyTmG7
RD6XVAnd the mercenaries,qJByO always readyIamh to flee3h5cU if theirNyS orders trulyFsP endangered theirwCHF survival. IteT3h6 was a perfect setupqDfa for a direct clash.QXtAqN7B0E
xbRGN7If things turned01Ox a little,kmXofS it couldk3U47 turn intonxbl a bloodbath.yQLmczJURL
qZV3SL“Of course, ifx3hn the eldestOQevXZ brother commandsBQjxc them personally,Rms that won’tfl1 happen. NoiGuz7O matter how6s8K dangerous themEMvL situation, if828wk someone dares5F3 to layCkev a handf3in on a Valdeck bloodline…”z1E00OPp
aX2ey4“I would personallybSHRv hunt downXygV every lastNJ133 one ofFQpN9l those hiredbD1o mercenaries andOKl exterminate them.”KfhhciXUrl0
fhE6HAt the grandNkwtnp duke’s chillingjD9D tone, LucianAj1EM nodded.2RxGNQ
7LAGdFAny other houseHAE6rO might makeIffLQD a similarqpEd vow ifZK6jgS one ofgkm their ownAHRTv were involved,L899r but the95a9 Valdecks’ power9VDxMN was onyqc71q another level.tuBsHT6Kt
ykPXEven if itxsv took decades,D0oy they wouldLNbAXR keep pursuingXOZAed them, andK4l even ifvjHq3I several innocentRSf villages werenoQ caught inWe2mqC the process,hcMU they wouldl6xmBJ continue untilT8QF4p the lastNtdFd culprit wasBH4lXH eliminated.LHoc
CaaBWb“Yes. The mercenariesJscfG surely knowRUThT that too.ybNu That’s whyMX9 they’ll obeyifULFO without questionM7aucX under theE7R4 eldest brother’sJw3KF command, even8Uzm if itvCmhQ risks theirSiOCI lives. But2HL4K5 the eldestDXPl brother can’tLgip personally commandgjLQr the mercenaries,3dtf because thespwNX perimeter he104iub has to0QoH guard isF34 too vast.”a3zS6m
54h9wBornholm’s border wasguoo wide, withj7nV7O two frontsdTq to monitor.OQ0vvABh
nDYIt was inevitableb2eZd that thebPBEo3 forces wouldBUv be spreadAPcs out.RPU5
h4jiZIf he commandedWHcbp directly, heJ8UOl0 would haveSVx to remainKK0UAD with thebagdFk elite troops,aCGN not withpN8 the mercenaries.dK5hMYCQEu
BKFYEven if he4UvhY4 hired them,un6I he’d end4sGuf up delegatingr1Lk to anEsQg adjutant orKGYOk another knight.SORjA9sk8cS9
t0LAnd that, whenkY54 the mercenaries’JE7P6W lives wereqInU truly onupNg32 the line,wmUZW would giveJl5q9x them theiVBx courage needed9CqIt6 to cause5Aaxj bloodshed.tGS56
TzjugBecause, no matter8y4Q5 how prestigious4U3EZ a knightV2uG was, theirNkQ life neverU6h5 equaled that4v5h of a Valdeck bloodlineDdtE member.2LBai
stM“Isn’t that why6Zs you wantVN9 to senddYujPu one of3VyF us? Because4ATWs right now,2J4Qy Bornholm desperatelyEjxm needs a frontline commanderj0tCDh capable ofQBX controlling the9n8iPh mercenaries ifsxqX3 things goOzwMIm south.”0FT74
c3zTK“Hmm.”1WpZ3E
ovvThe moment LucianW0O7V finished speaking,WG3uz9 a smile53C0Uh of completecNd satisfaction formed8IW3t on thehn01p grand duke’sDrwX80 lips.D40SbH
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