Chapter 55
Ke73“Engrave this well. A victory is not the triumph of an individual, but the triumph of the army. To disregard the victory itself also means disregarding the valor and merits of the soldiers who fought together.”zYg1SZ
0eGlT“…I’m sorry. I was thinking shallowly.”LAg
QJmQI32At the cold voice of Duke Sigmund, Jordi bowed his head deeply.Va5V
z7avHkIt wasn’t just a scolding; he was being called out on his attitude as someone who should be above others, and that hurt even more.DY8qDad
j64kRXW“But what the second said also makes sense. No matter how much merit the third may have earned, it’s also problematic for him to be considered a hero in this way.”qjy
ZHiWWhen Jordi was crushed, this time it was Tristan who stepped forward.L31
2dyNPutting aside the competition for the next head of the house, in Tristan’s eyes—a man of principle—Lucian’s actions weren’t pleasant at all.cIOvxG
SGeIk“If he starts publicizing his merits through this kind of maneuver, how do you think the third will act from now on? He might repeat the same thing two, three times, without informing Father.”j5M5cgE
VWZ“Hmm.”SkAQyfG
ahv5“The bigger problem is the emperor’s sincerity. Why do you think His Majesty avoided the reward ceremony and disbanded the allied force as it was? Wasn’t it to avoid a scandal involving the first prince?”qxKyneo
96hLucian’s merits and the first prince’s incompetence were inseparable.kF7r
XE7yqRIn essence, the cause had been that the first prince completely ignored the solutions Lucian had proposed.Wru
TrG1KIn other words, the more Lucian stood out, the more the first prince’s faults were exposed.99kQRoO
WAGfayW“And yet, the third spread rumors to highlight his own achievements. Do you think he did this because he failed to grasp the emperor’s intent? It’s obvious he knew—and ignored it anyway.”T2aktT
onmPim“Fuuu.”IAat9F
6H4806dAt Tristan’s pointed remarks, Duke Sigmund let out a deep sigh.RGh
ojVThen, after a moment, he spoke with a bitter expression.2iJUa
aes“That’s true as well. But I can’t say the third made a completely wrong decision.”JbTvkK
VNp“Huh?”v3ykUz
VRJy“As you said, His Majesty surely wanted to conceal the scandal of the first prince. But that also meant demanding the sacrifice of our soldiers. Because their merits would have to be covered up too.”FbD5Qr
nuwYSLM“That’s…”GEjo
IUDm“It can’t be denied that this war was a defeat, but the proud soldiers of House Valdeck undoubtedly performed great feats. Even so, if the third hadn’t spread the rumors, they would have been treated as mere losers.”uO7YC
AQwyVSince the allied force had been defeated, those who were part of it couldn’t avoid the label of being defeated.VXc
SXxkMOf course, if the details were known as they were now, it would be a different story, but if it had been hidden and left unsaid, all people would have heard was, “They lost in the end, didn’t they?” And of course, the soldiers who had finally achieved merit would have been internally devastated by being lumped together with the defeated.rfFV
NoVaHt“The third may have done this to publicize his own achievements, but as a result, thanks to that, the soldiers will also be treated according to their deeds. Even if it was a unilateral decision, in that particular point, it’s hard to blame him.”7FNZ
7Yy0NQ“T-then… you’re not going to hold my brother accountable?”TjLlU9
x6iHHw7Joshua looked at the duke with a worried expression.A1WOrRy
fThwkIf even a clear overstep was being overlooked, the position of head of the house would practically be decided. But fortunately, Duke Sigmund shook his head.kfX
35WnZZu“No, it’s not that. If the third were the head of the house, it wouldn’t be a problem, but doing something like this while leaving me out of it definitely crossed the line a little. Even if I praise him in front of others, I’ll have to call him in and give him a proper reprimand.”ebDC5
hTctLtyEven after hearing the duke’s answer, the expressions of the three brothers did not ease.MzdOUC
0NGIf the mistake wasn’t officially acknowledged, no matter how harsh the reprimand, in the end it would just be a private matter between father and son.DDUZUR
iMT6LhLucian’s position wouldn’t just remain untouchable—it would undoubtedly grow even stronger.z5jiDR
m5XExww‘The third doesn’t know how to stop and just keeps advancing. Barely a year ago, he wasn’t even considered a competitor, let alone an obstacle.’lbqT7RF
WUxIzF‘Now, even if the three of us join forces, we can barely hold him by the ankle? Damn it, how did it come to this?’q81oZe
Ph8hDOsThe three brothers lamented the current situation while, deep down, their competitive spirits flared.JSEUG
W2OuNo matter how outstanding Lucian was, he had only been showing his capabilities for a little over a year.R7Vf
n7wSThere was still plenty of room for the brothers, who had been in the race for the headship much longer, to catch up.nBJ
Zeh‘For now, we wait for the right moment. If the opportunity is used well, the board can be flipped as many times as necessary.’C3t7Zd
9ADgUThe brothers shared that same thought—but all of them overlooked one fact.0JyjA
JXEtThat this opportunity, in other words, was no more than a gamble that required risking their own lives.qRLD
5SGe97That unless they were the first to throw themselves into danger, they wouldn’t even have the chance to seize it.f30UHT
ikk0***RQjDVV
bnhThree days later, when Lucian considered that the rumors had spread enough, he entered Kelheim with full dignity.EHAn
alw4JcqThe citizens, who already knew about the soldiers’ actions, looked at them as if they were a victorious army and murmured among themselves.seDs
D1Oj“They say that while the allied army collapsed, only our soldiers truly shined?”HXxzo
WDu0E7“That they appeared at the last moment and even rescued the first prince, right?”ey4E8y
Rc1e“Wow, even I feel proud. In the end, they really are sons of the lion.”hjQAVB
MlNRC“Sons of the lion” was an expression the soldiers often used to praise themselves for belonging to House Valdeck. But that day, the citizens also called them that without hesitation.9mjtK
7SLjIBUpon hearing the praise coming from all sides, the soldiers puffed out their chests and marched proudly.nQ2ZkRe
uD6xg7VGrand Duke Sigmund came out to welcome them and generously praised the knights and soldiers.ec6f
9HXo5“If it weren’t for you, the allied army wouldn’t have even managed to retreat. As lord of Valdeck, I feel truly proud. I’ll have alcohol and meat brought out, so eat and drink as much as you like.”7m7ZYRU
Q6P“Waaaa! Long live the Grand Duke!”q3h
jfY55NEven the Grand Duke—whom some suspected might scold them instead of rewarding them for the allied army’s defeat—acknowledged their merits, and the soldiers burst into cheers.r5U
Y6ZPMaHowever, while the duke praised everyone, he welcomed Lucian with a serious face, without a single word of praise.lfq
6rHWgd“Come in. I have something to say to you.”awjaRlJ
aVIm“Grand Duke, regarding this matter, actually…”z5ovUv7
uv46j“Silence. I’ll hear that later.”jdkGKsQ
1pwMzGerard hurriedly tried to defend Lucian, but the duke cut him off coldly.ikHN
qytbc6Faced with a reaction he had already anticipated, Lucian nodded slightly and followed the duke.tls
fncwu6Shortly after, after clearing people away from the area, the duke entered his office, closed the door, and shouted.diMDBtq
vC84RJ“What were you thinking? Do you think that if you had come back quietly, I wouldn’t have recognized your merits? To go so far as to resort to these schemes just to flaunt your fame?”EsEj3u
lTRRNagLucian immediately bowed his head, but at the same time, he had to suppress the corners of his lips from curling upward.dIMm
YiU5yThe voice was loud, but it didn’t carry genuine anger. For someone like Lucian, who had dealt with all kinds of nobles during his mercenary days, it wasn’t hard to tell.I0I
JiA8o‘It seems father doesn’t disagree with my judgment after all.’CRHy
QstDeep down, what he was being scolded for was handling such an important family matter on his own, despite not yet being head of the house.5Obwf
C2P2On that point, Lucian also felt some remorse, so he accepted his fault sincerely.u3G
vsMPce“I’m sorry. I should have informed you first, but I thought if our return was delayed further by the time it would take to send and receive messengers, others might find it suspicious, so I acted on my own.”DGj
4rqtxaU“It’s not just that. Do you truly not understand the meaning behind His Majesty omitting the distribution of merits? If you wanted to consider the imperial family, you should have concealed this matter as much as possible.”GK4
RpcVtBo“But if I had done that, the soldiers who risked their lives wouldn’t have received proper treatment. I wanted to restore a reputation worthy of their performance. Even if there were no material rewards, at least I didn’t want them to be treated like losers.”cAyMy
wFg“Ahem, still so smooth with your words.”YTIdNYh
wZFThe duke cleared his throat several times with an uncomfortable expression and let the matter drop.fa6cS
CIWThe fact that he didn’t press further revealed his true intent.XZrd8V
tfyZ“We’ll discuss that later. Leaving aside the rumors, how did the war actually unfold? I want to hear it directly from you.”COZPk2
HKga6After finishing the formal scolding, the eyes of Grand Duke Sigmund gleamed.sQXKx96
uwdsmLucian straightened his posture and began to explain.iK0
Em1lsRE“The allied army didn’t get off to a good start. As soon as we gathered at the Horsen River, they handed out masks without explanation.”cKfKeMV
pwCS1***XE8
jwN“…And so, His Majesty returned with the two princes, and the allied army was disbanded on the spot.”4Pskr
NjCbmB8“Wow…”nJah1
0GiITAs soon as Lucian finished his account, the duke raised his head and let out a long sigh. A complex emotion radiated from him, difficult to describe with a single word.xrYpAll
a2v0“It’s unbelievable. The first prince really is… truly… huff.”8M3LA
fB5GpAs he rubbed his aching forehead, the duke swallowed the rest of his sentence.TGLC
WQXlIt seemed he was restraining himself, reminding himself that, no matter what, he couldn’t insult a prince.vXHsB
obAdCAfter calming down a bit, he looked at Lucian with an approving expression.NVIQ
oeZ“When I first heard the rumors, I thought your feats were exaggerated. But it turns out the truth is even greater.”rCy99
QVYUmOU“You flatter me too much. It was a gamble that could’ve cost us a charge of insubordination, but it ended well.”tPbO
qBdO“I don’t believe the outcome justifies the process. Without a doubt, your actions were overstepping and could’ve been seen as disloyal. But…”fyYt1
qHbszThe duke paused and looked at the open palm of his hand. Cold sweat had gathered there.tWl
Cr5a“Still, even I feel that, for what you achieved, I could bend my usual principles. The first prince’s safety was a matter of utmost importance. In the worst-case scenario, the empire could have collapsed.”XYxeh5w
xiAWALucian silently agreed with those words. After all, in his past life, the empire had fallen precisely because the first prince died during the suppression of a rebellion.M1fVU
6CeSsDS‘The emperor lost his mind over his beloved son’s death and razed Krephelt until not a single blade of grass was left.’K9U1u0F
YZzu7He’d only heard it as a rumor, but they said the hidden power of the imperial family, unleashed completely, had been terrifying.ywFeT
uJd7XzThe emperor marched to the capital with only the elite imperial troops, without support from other lords, and executed King Erich.Tr986
wf4WlThe world was stunned by that absurd power, but the real problem came afterward, when the emperor, exhausted after crushing the rebellion, fell ill.8kuK
k5JvnPThe imperial family, having just demonstrated its authority, plunged into chaos and had to watch helplessly as forces arose everywhere.xu6I8
bEB9‘Curious people said one reason was that the imperial family had used up all its power during the Krephelt rebellion, but…’owfDR
ppPBefore, Lucian had believed that explanation, but now he was beginning to doubt it.XEe
28CxThe emperor had used magic without hesitation in front of the allied army to pressure the lords.DVDN
V9UJ6If it were a power that ran out so easily, he would’ve saved it as a last resort, not used it openly as a deterrent.qfi0
9ULmsJ‘Maybe they had no choice but to reveal it due to the empire’s worsening condition. Still, I didn’t feel they were cornered. With that kind of leeway, just eliminating Krephelt shouldn’t have drained them. So why didn’t they use it again afterward?’oKXmnr
gpNOne question led to another, but Lucian decided to stop his train of thought.E4VyhQ
MVCP91nWithout knowing the truth, it was all just speculation. Better to withhold judgment than reach wrong conclusions by repeating assumptions.ZnyLYD
47p“By the way, I had never seen His Majesty use magic, and I’ve served him for so long.”WpxCDhy
WoYPanMThe duke’s voice pulled Lucian out of his thoughts. Surprised, he looked up.mQl1k4H
TjjlCZY“Not even you knew, father?”6OCSBnr
FYWGxx“I knew something. In his youth, His Majesty hinted at it once. But everything I heard was secondhand, and even then, barely scratched the surface. Since it’s the imperial family’s hidden power, it wouldn’t be easy for the emperor to reveal it lightly.”mLWIs
EFY6Y2And yet, he used it in front of everyone. That was practically proof that even the emperor felt a sense of crisis about the current situation.rHX04fp
3dsp8“Chaotic times are coming.”jS2Cgz
i0tSf8AFrom behind, Grand Duke Sigmund murmured with a voice full of concern.KXt
55kAfter saying that, he fell silent for a long while, as if deep in thought.XMm
blIlwNPLucian waited quietly, and several minutes later the duke spoke again.EQ9Jn
uFpL“Lucian.”rWo
j1T7“Yes, father.”jmFw49e
yAPQri“As head of House Valdeck, I not only have the duty to seat an outstanding son as heir, but also to ensure a stable succession. If the process is unstable, there’s no point in choosing an heir, because he’ll soon be replaced.”HDGz
rJNu9“You’re right. No matter how valuable a treasure is, if one can’t protect it, it’s useless.”vtJUi
DRSP1“That’s why.”7cN
VGHFJScThe duke turned around again and looked Lucian straight in the eye.qKCbgV6
PaLxfn“From now on, you’ll form your own faction within the family.”3GhgG
VkT“…!”nEfH
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