Chapter 40

The adamantium sword and the magic armor were, without a doubt, treasures.

However, they were also ambiguous treasures, as they weren’t worth plunging into a political dispute just to obtain them.

It wasn’t just any matter; if it went wrong, it could completely ruin the future. Seeing things that way, the duke clicked his tongue and said:

“The fact that none of you want to carry that burden proves why the third deserves that reward. A burden that no one is willing to bear is a hundred times heavier than one someone accepts to carry in place of others.”

Faced with the duke’s stern reprimand, the three brothers couldn’t find any words to refute and lowered their heads at the same time.

After that, there was no further talk about what Lucian had received.

Two days later, an official envoy finally arrived from the imperial court to request troops from the duke.

“To suppress the heartless forces of Krephelt, reinforcements are requested from the head of House Valdeck, Sigmund Valdeck.”

“I will comply with His Majesty’s order.”

Since everything had already been arranged beforehand via a secret missive, this was merely a formality to maintain appearances.

Lucian assembled the army, long prepared, in front of the fortress’s outer gate.

The number of troops sent by the Valdeck family totaled one thousand.

It wasn’t a huge number, but considering they were all veterans of the standing army, it was an elite force more than sufficient.

‘Also, when forming an allied army, it’s not always wise to send too many troops.’

The Valdeck family already wielded great authority.

Sending a large number of soldiers on top of that? Setting aside supply problems, it would give them too much weight within the allied army.

From the perspective of the imperial court, that would go from reassuring to uncomfortable. The right amount had to be sent so that the court could still hold the reins of the allied force.

‘And yet we must still show power fitting of the family’s prestige. Politics really is a headache.’

Lucian gave a bitter smile as he etched the duke’s teachings into his mind.

If he ever wanted to become a ruler, this type of political consideration would be essential too.

Once the preparations for departure were complete, a middle-aged knight approached Lucian and bowed his head.

“Pleased to meet you, third young master. My name is Gerard Luden. From now on, I will serve by your side as an advisor. If you have any doubts about the army, don’t hesitate to ask me.”

“Looks like I’ll have to rely on you quite a bit. I’ll be counting on your help from now on, Sir Gerard.”

The conversation was polite, but despite his respectful tone, Gerard’s expression wasn’t exactly cheerful.

Lucian, who could easily imagine how he felt, let out a slight chuckle.

‘With all the authority in my hands, he must feel like he’s sitting on pins and needles. After all, if I wanted to ignore him and proceed on my own, I could.’

And if it ended at being ignored, that would still be fortunate.

Since the duke himself had granted full authority to Lucian, if he wanted to, he could even remove Gerard from the advisor position.

Rather than restrain Lucian’s potential excesses, Gerard had to worry about not displeasing him, so it was natural he felt uneasy.

‘Well, I don’t plan to worry about his feelings anyway.’

If the duke had truly intended to impose an advisor, he would have sent someone with greater prestige.

With a well-known name, even Lucian wouldn’t be able to act lightly.

However, the appointed advisor was a knight with plenty of experience, but hardly known.

The duke’s intention was clear: take the advice as reference and act by your own judgment.

‘It’s a shame he’s not even aware of that.’

Since knowing wouldn’t do him any good, Lucian decided not to explain anything.

After exchanging a superficial greeting, he kept Gerard by his side as an advisor.

As long as their opinions didn’t clash, there was no need to ruin the relationship.

“By the way— I don’t understand what you’re doing here again.”

“Hahaha, it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, and you greet me with such coldness? Even if I don’t look it, we’re comrades who fought shoulder to shoulder, aren’t we?”

“Don’t wink at me. A man your age doing that gives me chills.”

At Lucian’s words, Raymond scratched the back of his head with an awkward expression.

“Believe it or not, I’m only thirty-five.”

“Age doesn’t matter. So, what’s going on this time?”

“Naturally, I came as the third young master’s escort.”

“Escort, with the number of troops we have?”

“Even so, it’s always better to have at least one personal bodyguard, just in case. The truth is, I wanted to come with my team, but they said that would be excessive, so I came alone. After all this time, aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Pff!”

Lucian, who had been interrogating him, ended up bursting into laughter at the shameless response.

He had suspected it might be surveillance, but it seemed Raymond had really volunteered purely out of goodwill.

“Well, having a competent knight by my side isn’t bad. By the way, are you still Raymond here too?”

“Unless it’s something shady, I’m always Raymond.”

“Perfect. I was worried we’d get confused if the roles changed.”

A knight who merely follows orders is not the same as one you can entrust your back to.

Though Raymond didn’t reach that level, he was far more reliable than others for handling important matters.

Lucian went to find Hugo one last time, whom he had appointed as decurion.

“How’s the decurion position? Can you handle it?”

“Somehow, I managed to get them to acknowledge me as their captain. Damn it, I thought taking the post would be easy, but they’re all insanely fierce.”

“That’s normal. They’re veteran soldiers who’ve participated in multiple suppression campaigns. For elite troops who’ve crossed the line between life and death, you probably seem like a rookie.”

“That’s exactly how they treat me. Even after crushing them with sword technique, they wouldn’t bow their heads. I was about to lose my temper. Only when I mentioned my prior experience in Bornholm did they grudgingly accept me.”

Hugo shuddered. He said that if he hadn’t had even that experience, he might have been kicked out of the position Lucian had given him.

“For now, I’ve got things under control. All that’s left is to prove my worth.”

“Even so, they’ll grumble for a while. Want me to say something? Then they’ll follow you without complaint.”

“No.”

The response came instantly. At the same time, a spark lit up in Hugo’s eyes.

“If I can’t handle ten soldiers on my own, I don’t deserve to be called a knight. I’ll make them submit with my own abilities.”

“Good answer.”

Lucian had been testing him just in case, but his determination seemed firm.

With all preparations complete, Lucian mounted his horse and looked at the thousand troops lined up before him.

The farewell was over, he had received the duke’s speech, and now only his order remained.

After regulating his breathing, Lucian shouted loudly.

“Entire army, march out!”

***

At Lucian’s command, the thousand troops began to move.

The route and estimated time had already been determined, so for a while, there would be nothing but continuous marching.

However, it didn’t take long for Advisor Gerard to voice a differing opinion.

“It’s best to stick to the route, but increase the pace. Roughly double the current speed.”

“Wouldn’t that be a forced march? The soldiers will tire quickly.”

“If they were hastily recruited conscripts, maybe. But they’re veterans of the standing army. They can handle it easily.”

“Before anything else, tell me why we should increase the speed.”

“For political reasons.”

Politics, before even arriving? At Lucian’s doubtful expression, Gerard calmly explained.

“In allied armies like this, conflicts are inevitable. No matter how great the authority of the supreme commander, minor frictions can’t be avoided.”

“That’s true.”

“The problem is that sometimes those frictions create far bigger rifts than expected. In extreme cases, factions even form.”

And those conflicts affected military operations more than one might think.

From sharing limited supplies to the speed at which reinforcements arrived during critical moments.

When relations broke down entirely, sometimes allies were more hostile to each other than to the enemy.

“If we arrive late, it’s very likely those conflicts will have already broken out. We’d lose the chance to intervene.”

“And we’d end up having to support one of the already-formed sides?”

“Exactly. A real headache. To avoid that, it’s best to arrive as soon as possible. That way we can either prevent the conflicts or, at the very least, understand the lay of the land.”

“Hmm.”

Lucian nodded at the reasonable argument.

Even in his past life, when many mercenary groups gathered for major battles, similar situations often arose.

If conflicts didn’t happen, it would just be unnecessary worry, but having insurance never hurt.

“Then let’s increase the pace a bit. But remember, it’s pointless if the soldiers are exhausted and scattered.”

“Yes!”

Gerard replied firmly and stepped back to relay the order.

Perhaps because his advice had been accepted, his expression now seemed much more relaxed than before.

***

Fortunately, even with the increased pace, the soldiers continued to march without showing signs of fatigue.

There wasn’t a single complaint, not a single groan.

Even Lucian, who had seen many armies with strict discipline, was a little surprised.

‘Is this the true strength of an army from a great noble house?’

With the same number of troops, but this level of quality, they could easily defeat most armies.

It was a good benchmark for the future when he would have his own army.

And so, a few days later, Lucian arrived at the allied army’s assembly point much earlier than expected.

“They really don’t seem tired. I thought they’d at least show some fatigue.”

“For Valdeck soldiers, this is normal.”

At Lucian’s admiration, Gerard responded with a smile. His confidence that they wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of the other lords was evident.

Lucian nodded and turned his gaze toward the assembly point.

“That’s better. It looks like everyone has gathered much earlier than I thought.”

Around the Horsen River, which led to Krephelt, countless banners were already visible. Each bore the emblem of a different noble family.

Despite having hurried, it seemed more than half were already present.

“Good thing I listened to your advice. Otherwise, we really would’ve arrived late.”

“The others must’ve thought the same. They probably haven’t been here long. At most, a difference of three or four days.”

“Considering the distances between territories, that sounds reasonable. I see the imperial banner—has the first prince already arrived?”

The red dragon emblem, reserved only for imperial family members, flew higher than any other and stood out even from afar.

“I thought it was an unspoken rule in these situations that the supreme commander arrived later. If you arrive after him, you’re the one at fault.”

“It depends on the case. Sometimes he arrives early to defuse potential conflicts before they arise.”

“Defuse conflicts…”

Lucian smiled ironically and shook his head.

He doubted the first prince had that kind of ability. He had never seen him in person, but the rumors surrounding him were far from favorable.

‘Whatever the case, since we’ve arrived, we have to make our greeting.’

When Lucian led his troops to the assembly point near the Horsen River, he felt the atmosphere shift.

As soon as they were identified as members of House Valdeck and their identity confirmed, several knights bearing the red dragon emblem rushed out.

Among them, a young knight who appeared to be the leader stepped forward and bowed.

“I express my gratitude for House Valdeck’s unwavering loyalty. I am Jurgen Wald, commander of the Order of the Black Scale Knights, and I greet the duke’s representative.”

“We are merely returning the firm trust of the imperial court. I am Lucian Valdeck, here as representative of Duke Sigmund Valdeck.”

“So you’re Young Lord Lucian. I’ve heard much about you. Even His Majesty the Emperor praised your actions in Bornholm, saying you would become a pillar of the Empire.”

“That’s high praise. I only did what I had to.”

With a light greeting, Jurgen continued showering Lucian with compliments.

Given that they were dealing with a grand duke—the only one of his rank in the Empire—this treatment was understandable.

However, even when the formalities should have ended, the praise didn’t stop.

“You are truly humble. I heard the way you handled the mercenaries was extraordinary.”

“It was nothing more than smooth talking. But, His Highness…?”

“It wasn’t just smooth talking. After that, you even personally led the mercenaries into battle. Hard to believe it was your first combat.”

“I appreciate the compliments, but I think it’s time to see the first prince.”

Unable to endure it any longer, Lucian got straight to the point.

All the families had already gathered—what was the point of lingering out here?

“I don’t mind being kept waiting, but delaying the report any further would be disrespectful even to the first prince. I’ll pay my respects to the commander-in-chief first. We can talk more comfortably afterward.”

“Yes… well… that is… you’re absolutely right, but right now…”

At Lucian’s words, Jurgen began to stammer and broke into a cold sweat.

Noticing his suspicious behavior, Lucian narrowed his eyes.