Chapter 28

“What the hell…?”

“By all the heavens!”

At the sight of a grown man being launched into the air, the knights of House Valdeck who had been chasing the fugitives stopped in horror.

The black-hooded man who had gone flying spun twice before crashing to the ground.

Thud!

“Ugh…!”

Luckily—or perhaps unluckily—he landed on his back instead of his head, so he didn’t die, but the impact was enough to knock him unconscious.

Lucian glanced between the fallen man and his own now-cracked sword, clicking his tongue.

“Tsk… it was a good sword.”

It had been powerful enough to send the man flying, but he hadn’t expected his weapon to break too.

He had chosen a fairly decent one, thinking it would hold up, but it seemed the weapon the man was using had also been high quality.

Without hesitation, Lucian tossed the sword aside and looked at the House Valdeck knights, who were still frozen in place.

“What are you standing around for? He’s still alive—tie him up!”

“…Who are you?”

“I’m Lucian Valdeck. Does someone serving my father not recognize my face?”

“T-the third young master? My apologies!”

The captain, who had scowled at the sudden command, quickly bowed his head after recognizing Lucian’s identity.

He then barked quick orders to the nearby knights to restrain the man.

Looking around, it seemed the Black Lions had already subdued all the other fugitives as well.

“Young master!”

Hugo arrived a moment later, his face completely pale.

“What were you thinking? That could’ve been really dangerous!”

“Don’t worry. It wasn’t a rash move—I calculated everything before I acted.”

“You calculated it? We didn’t even know the enemy’s strength!”

“In mounted combat, unless your opponent is exceptionally skilled, their actions are fairly predictable.”

In a frontal clash on horseback, attack options are limited.

Since you can’t firmly plant your body on the ground, one mistake can lead to falling from the force of the collision.

Plus, at that speed, it’s hard to use intricate techniques.

‘At most, the opponent might try to stab or slash with timing. But attempting a thrust with a short sword on a galloping horse is practically suicide.’

The only realistic option is to deliver a precise slash during the crossing.

That’s exactly what Lucian did.

When swords clash, whoever can unleash greater explosive force in that instant has the advantage.

Considering the purity of mana and Felicia’s technique, there was no way Lucian would lose.

‘Seriously, this body is amazing. If I’d done the same with my old body, I would’ve been sore for a whole day. Now I don’t even feel numb.’

As he marveled once again at the performance of his blessed body—

“It’s been a while.”

With a deep voice, a man with dark red hair brought his horse alongside.

Lucian immediately recognized that face, still clear in his memory, and inclined his head.

“Yes. It’s been a long time, elder brother.”

Tristan Valdeck.

The firstborn of House Valdeck, recognizable by the hair color inherited from his mother’s side.

He wasn’t the one who looked most like the Grand Duke, but he was the closest to becoming the next head of the family.

Tristan observed Lucian with his usual cold expression before speaking.

“There’s much to discuss, but first let’s return to the castle. We’ll talk details on the way.”

***

Lucian and his group followed Tristan and the squad of knights he commanded toward Bornholm Castle.

The area around the castle was fairly well-organized, but in the faces of the onlookers, there was an indescribable unease.

“Looks like the atmosphere isn’t great.”

“Recently, the soldiers clashed a few times with the mercenaries. Nothing serious, but it seems even that was enough to make people nervous.”

“For them, it’s hard to tell whether it really was minor or a sign things could escalate. They must be thinking that if they let their guard down, a large-scale bloodbath could break out.”

“What a ridiculous notion.”

When Lucian voiced what the people were likely feeling, Tristan frowned in displeasure.

“There won’t be any bloodshed. If anything happens, I and the knights will sweep away those insolent mercenaries like rats. Conflicts only occur between sides of similar level—the frustrating part is that they’re the only ones who don’t understand that.”

The tone of his voice, as if barely containing rage, made it clear he had built up quite a bit of resentment toward the mercenaries.

Lucian moved in closer and whispered.

“Are they really that unwilling to follow orders?”

“Unwilling is putting it lightly. They simply don’t listen. Do you know who those guys you and the Black Lions captured were?”

“Who?”

“They were from the Imperial Liberation Union. We caught them skulking around nearby.”

Lucian’s expression hardened slightly.

Loitering so close to the castle even when their presence was already known?

That meant there were massive holes in the surveillance system.

And the cause was obvious—negligence on the part of the mercenaries.

“The ridiculous part is that my elite forces are deployed in dangerous zones and don’t have the manpower to guard even the castle front. So I left the safer, better-defended zones to the mercenaries, but…”

“They’re protesting and refusing to move unless they’re paid more.”

“Exactly. At this point, I want to cut all their throats and hang them from the walls. Demanding more money when they’re not even in a dangerous zone? Damn miserable mercenaries!”

Tristan’s teeth audibly ground together.

It was understandable. Even though he had placed them in safe areas, they still refused to work.

But in Lucian’s eyes, a big part of the fault for the situation escalating lay with Tristan himself.

‘You made it too obvious that you were short on manpower. No mercenary would miss the chance to raise their price. And placing them too far from the dangerous zones was an even worse mistake.’

A mercenary makes a living taking dangerous jobs for money.

If you deliberately station them far from the danger, what you’re really saying is: “Out there, there’s something too dangerous even for you.”

They won’t feel grateful for being placed somewhere safe.

And if something serious really happens later, they’ll think they’re being held back just to be thrown in as cannon fodder afterward.

‘And I’m sure Tristan knows that too. His mistake was underestimating the mercenaries’ ability to “smell” risk.’

Seasoned mercenaries have survival instincts that surpass even those of many veteran nobles.

If they catch a whiff of danger or a dirty trick, they either back out or demand exorbitant pay.

To an employer, it might seem brazen, but to a mercenary, it’s the most logical response.

“I know the situation’s complicated, but I don’t expect much from you. After all, you only came because Jordi and Joshua pushed you into it.”

Tristan finished explaining and spoke calmly.

It wasn’t mockery or contempt—just pure sincerity.

“Go keep an eye on the mercenaries and make sure they don’t bolt when the time comes. If you’re officially in charge, they won’t dare move without permission. And in the end, once their lives are at stake, they’ll fight regardless of pay.”

In short, he wanted Lucian to act as a human shield to prevent desertions.

Lucian gave a brief chuckle.

It was obvious how little his older brother expected of him.

“I think you’re making a mistake, elder brother.”

“A mistake?”

“First, I didn’t come because I was pushed—I volunteered. Second, unlike you, I do have a method to solve this issue. And third, I’ve already received Father’s permission and financial backing to negotiate.”

“…!”

Tristan’s usually impassive expression immediately cracked.

He could ignore the first two points—but not the third.

“Father gave you permission to handle the negotiations?”

“Yes. Here’s the letter he sent.”

Tristan snatched the letter from Lucian’s hands, checked the seal, and opened it.

As he read, his expressions shifted rapidly.

“…This is Father’s handwriting.”

“Even after checking the seal, you still had to verify the handwriting?”

“What the hell happened while I was gone?”

“Let’s just say a lot.”

Lucian shrugged.

Tristan wasn’t the Grand Duke, and Lucian had no obligation to explain anything to him.

After staring for a moment, Tristan nodded with a hard-to-read expression.

“Fine. If Father authorized it, I can’t object. Do as you wish. But…”

Tristan’s eyes glinted with a coldness only someone who had taken lives with his own hands could possess.

“If you bring misfortune to the family out of even a speck of ambition, I won’t forgive you. Even if Father does, I’ll make you pay. Understood?”

It was a warning—as if he were already the head of the family.

Lucian met his gaze calmly and smiled.

“I’m not an idiot who ruins what’s rightfully his.”

“….”

Tristan blinked, speechless.

Even though it was indirect, it had been a declaration—the head of the family will be mine.

After a brief silence, Tristan pointed to the side.

“…The mercenaries are staying at the Kingfisher Inn, near the central fountain. If you’re going to negotiate, start there.”

“Thanks for the directions. I’ll return soon with good news.”

Lucian turned his horse toward the center of town.

Hugo and the five Black Lions assigned as his escort followed him.

Tristan watched them go, his expression growing increasingly complex.

‘How can someone change so much?’

A novice with no real experience should have wet himself under that pressure.

But Lucian had faced him with absurd composure.

When he had lived at the estate, he had acted like a trembling fawn.

Now he seemed like a different person.

‘No it’s still too soon to judge.’

It could all be pure overconfidence, far from actual ability.

Only after the negotiation would his true worth be revealed.

But if his results matched that confidence…

‘…Then a new rival may have been born—one who could threaten my position as the next head of the family.’

***

Lucian had barely gotten away from Tristan when Raymond, who had been staying behind, approached him. His expression was grim, as if he had a lot to say.

“Young master, we need to talk.”

“No time. Later. I’m busy.”

“No, it has to be now. What the hell was that earlier, charging in like that?”

“Wasn’t it an efficient move? Thanks to it, we captured them all. A perfect result.”

“Just because the result was good doesn’t make it right! If you’d been seriously injured—!”

“Fortunately, I’m perfectly fine. Don’t ruin the mood by imagining worst-case scenarios.”

“Young master!”

Raymond raised his voice in anger, but Lucian just ignored him and picked at his ear.

Anyway, if a similar situation happened again, he’d charge forward without hesitation.

Rather than promising not to and breaking that promise, it was better not to promise anything at all.

“Come on, calm down. We’re approaching the fountain. If the mercenaries see us arguing like this, what do you think they’ll think? They’ll take us for incompetent fools who can’t even maintain internal order.”

“…”

“So let’s save the talk for later, when we have time. For now, it’s best to project unity, don’t you think?”

At Lucian’s shamelessness, Raymond clenched his teeth, but since he wasn’t wrong, he took a deep breath and stepped back. Still, he didn’t forget to throw one last threat.

“This time I’ll let it go, but if you pull something like that again, I’ll follow you even to the damn bathroom. I’ll make sure you don’t try anything reckless even when wiping your own ass. So be prepared.”

“…Now that’s scary.”

Faced with such a ridiculously realistic threat, Lucian shuddered.

If it was Raymond and the Black Lions, they’d probably do it for real.

Thinking that he’d have to placate them somehow later, Lucian pushed open the door of the inn.

And upon seeing the scene inside, he frowned and muttered—

“This is a mess.”