Chapter 66

Felicia’s oath of loyalty made everyone open their eyes wide. She said she didn’t need any kind of reward, only to be allowed to serve.

It wasn’t just absolute loyalty, but a devotion so extreme it bordered on madness.

Everyone was shocked, but the ones hit the hardest were Lucian’s brothers.

“What the hell is this…?”

“Ah… ah…”

Tristan opened his eyes wide at a scene he had never imagined, while Joshua stood with his mouth agape, unable to utter a word.

Jordi’s face, as he bit his lips hard enough to nearly draw blood, was red as if he were about to explode at any moment.

While his brothers’ inner worlds were turning upside down, Lucian drew his sword and touched Felicia’s shoulder.

“Then, Lucian Valdeck swears that you and I will walk together, even into hell.”

When the oath between lord and vassal ended, Felicia bowed deeply and stood beside Lucian.

It was the moment when the owner of the future Swordmaster was decided.

Everything happened so quickly that the knights looked at one another with stunned expressions.

In such a situation, it would have been normal to at least pretend to offer congratulations, but everyone was so shocked that not a single cheer came out.

Clack, clack, clack.

Then, suddenly, a knocking sound drew everyone’s attention.

Some knights were striking the ground with the sheaths of their swords, others did the same with the shafts of their spears.

It was a battlefield ritual, used to show respect to someone worthy of honor.

Thump, thump, thump.

At first, it was only a few, but slowly, as others saw them, more soldiers and knights began to join in.

The more people participated, the louder the sound grew, until it began to shake the entire surroundings.

The knights, confused by the sudden ritual, soon understood the reason.

‘They’re the ones who took part in suppressing the Krephelt rebellion.’

‘They’re showing respect to the third young master who commanded them?’

Boom, boom, boom.

The vibration spreading through all of Kelheim was like a collective shout.

A cry that said that, at least to them, Lucian was worthy of receiving the loyalty of the future Swordmaster. And when that roar reached its peak—

“Waaaaaah!”

“Long live the third young master!”

“Long live Lady Felicia!”

“Valdeck, forever!”

A deafening cheer erupted, blessing the two newly bonded lord and vassal.

As the soldiers’ ritual continued, everyone began to recall the achievements Lucian had accumulated.

Even those still in shock were swept up by the fervor and ended up voicing blessings without even realizing it.

Surrounded by cheers from all sides, Lucian and Felicia whispered to each other.

“From now on, I am in your care, my lord.”

“Likewise.”

***

— They say the Swordmaster’s successor is actually a woman!

— And that she swore loyalty to the third young master!

After the investiture ceremony, those two rumors swept through all of Valdeck territory like a storm. People couldn’t wrap their heads around what had happened.

It was already shocking that a knightess worthy of a fairy tale truly existed, but that she had sworn loyalty to a mere candidate like the third young master was even harder to believe.

“What the hell happened here? Sure, the third young master has stood out lately, but isn’t it too much for someone carrying the Swordmaster’s succession?”

“Maybe Sir Eisen planned it? Did he mean to show support for the third young master through his successor…?”

“Nonsense! How long has it been since he clearly stated he wouldn’t get involved in politics? Dragging up old stories now?”

“But if not that, it makes no sense! With how easily scandals could arise just for being a woman, what reason would she have otherwise!”

Not only Valdeck family knights, but even knights from external territories who heard the rumor were stirred by this shocking event.

That’s how heavy the name of Swordmaster weighed. While wild speculations spread, the truth began to leak from the Valdeck family.

“I heard recently that, in fact, the one who recommended Lady Felicia to Sir Eisen was the third young master.”

“What? Then what was she doing before?”

“They say she was the illegitimate daughter of a certain family. The third young master recognized her talent, despite the abuse she suffered at home, and brought her with him.”

“Ah, now I get it. Is that why she saved his life?”

“Of course. In that case, it makes no sense for her to serve anyone other than the third young master. A knight dies for the one who recognizes their worth.”

Once the situation became clear, the knights began to unanimously praise Lucian and Felicia’s story.

Even someone with a talent capable of shaking the world will disappear into the shadows of history if never given a chance to shine.

For a knight who values honor, the favor of being recognized and given the chance to earn fame weighs even more than a life debt.

As the truth spread, the baseless rumors calmed down, but now others began to feel uneasy.

‘Whatever the reason for her oath, she is the future Swordmaster. That symbolism can’t be ignored.’

‘There are many knights fascinated by the name Swordmaster. Whether out of ambition or reverence, they always flock like moths to the flame around a young Swordmaster.’

‘And if she’s a woman, they’ll come even just to test her strength. This is a serious problem. At this rate, a faction will form before we have time to intervene.’

Those who had treated Lucian as just another candidate and stayed out of it began to grow impatient.

No matter how great his achievements, it had only been a year, and they thought it was too early to invest, so they kept their distance.

But if they kept hesitating, the fame of the future Swordmaster could lead to the formation of a solid power base before they could act.

And once talent has gathered, trying to join afterward always brings fewer benefits.

‘No, we can’t wait any longer. At the very least, we need to form some kind of connection as soon as possible.’

‘At the minimum, the third young master lacks resources. We’ll start by sending him gifts and earning his favor little by little.’

‘Should we switch sides now? Losing what we invested hurts, but if we can board the same ship as the next great duke…’

They weren’t just opportunists trying to cling to Lucian’s fame—these were real heavyweights, capable of mobilizing both military power and wealth.

***

“The young master, another gift has arrived.”

“From whom?”

“From the branch manager of the Rott Company.”

“Just toss it somewhere in a corner.”

Lucian waved his hand without even checking the letter that came with the gift.

Seeing yet another item added to the enormous pile of presents, Hans made an exasperated face.

“Is it really okay to do this? Since we’ve received something, shouldn’t we at least send a reply?”

“A reply for what? They’re only approaching because they need something. Unless it’s someone with power we absolutely can’t ignore, it’s not worth it. And besides…”

Lucian slightly turned his head and smiled slyly.

“Now I have the solid future Swordmaster by my side. Even if they hold a grudge, there’s nothing to fear.”

“Such generous words.”

Felicia bowed deeply, responding to her lord’s trust.

After the investiture ceremony, Lucian had appointed her as his escort knight and kept her constantly at his side.

It was both to show their connection to the outside world and to strengthen the bond between lord and vassal.

‘Good thing Sir Eisen is flexible. With how urgent her training is, he could’ve taken her away immediately saying he’d send her later, and I wouldn’t have been able to object.’

Lucian let out a silent sigh of relief.

With so little time left to live, Eisen would want to pass down his sword techniques as soon as possible.

However, unexpectedly, he had readily accepted Lucian’s proposal.

— Do what you see fit. It would be strange for a knight who just swore loyalty to immediately part from her lord. Even if it takes time, it’s better to clear up any misunderstandings before she leaves.

Though he had only instructed Felicia for a few months, there was no trace of impatience on Eisen’s face.

It was the calm of someone convinced that, even after accepting Lucian’s request, there was still plenty of time to pass on everything necessary.

‘She really is an incredible talent. To make even Sir Eisen—who understands the limits of his life—so at ease.’

Lucian clicked his tongue at Felicia’s talent, feeling a peculiar sense of satisfaction.

Now, that knight with talent enough to shake the world belonged entirely to him.

Suddenly, the faces of his brothers crossed his mind.

“Come to think of it, have you heard anything about my other brothers? It’s been a while since the ceremony.”

He still clearly remembered their frustrated, furious, and pale expressions upon losing the Swordmaster’s heir.

At the time, it looked like they were ready to draw their swords and charge at him immediately, but now everything was strangely quiet.

“I only heard it as a rumor, but they say the first young master locked himself away after the ceremony. He hasn’t stepped out of his room even once.”

“And the other two?”

“They seem to meet frequently, but they usually just argue and part ways. I don’t know exactly what they talk about.”

Tristan locked away from the shock, and Jordi and Joshua unable to form a solid alliance due to mutual distrust?

At that unexpected result, Lucian unintentionally let out a bitter smile.

He had expected the three to team up immediately to try and bring him down, but instead, they were completely scattered.

‘Well, it’s perfect for me.’

Without pressure from his brothers, he could make much better use of his time.

After sorting out his thoughts, Lucian looked at the large pile of gifts and gave Hans an order.

“Send all those gifts to Hugo so he can liquidate them. We’ll use the money to buy medicinal ingredients.”

“Again? Even after we sold off the previous gifts, there’s still plenty of money left.”

“We’ll be running short again soon. We have to earn as much as possible while we still have time.”

“In that case, maybe it would be better to get a more or less steady sponsor…”

“No.”

At Hans’s suggestion, Lucian shook his head seriously.

At least for now, he couldn’t afford to owe anyone anything.

‘It’s not just a temporary shortage of funds—it’s that there’s no stable income source. If a sponsor shows up now, they might end up planted directly as the financial head. Once there’s an easy path, you become dependent on it.’

In the worst case, even the financial base supporting his faction could fall into the hands of an outsider.

Even if that person swore loyalty, the fact they had helped Lucian in a critical moment would become a debt—one demanding a guaranteed position among his vassals and treatment to match.

Unless it was someone absolutely trustworthy, he didn’t want to see that happen later.

‘At the very least, the funding source must be in my own hands. Better to delay forming the faction than to rely on someone else’s money.’

“Understood. I’ll send the gifts to Hugo for liquidation.”

Noticing that Lucian had fallen into thought, Hans moved right away.

At least he realized his comment had touched a sore spot for his lord.

“I’m counting on you. And Felicia.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Teach me how to use a sword.”

“…Huh?”

Felicia unintentionally showed a confused expression.

She didn’t seem to understand why he wanted to learn from her. At her unexpected reaction, Lucian even felt a bit awkward.

“Is it so strange for me to ask you to teach me? There’s nothing odd about wanting to learn swordsmanship from the future Swordmaster.”

“No, but… do you really need to learn from me?”

“I’m learning the Lionheart Sword, but apart from the technique itself, my swordsmanship isn’t anything special. You know that the level of a technique and individual skill are two different things.”

“That’s true, but…”

After hesitating for a moment, Felicia expressed her honest thoughts.

“My lord already defeated me once. With your talent, you must be far stronger now than back then.”

“…”

At those words, Lucian discreetly looked away.

It seemed he would have to clear up the misunderstanding about his own talent first.