Chapter 82

Lucian showed the letter to his vassals. The reactions were varied, but the one who responded most vehemently was Raymond.

“A rebellion? That’s absurd! With what power could a mere second son attempt a rebellion?”

“Except for Tristan, he’s the one with the most solid foundation. And right now, both Father and Tristan are absent. It wouldn’t be strange if, impatient after being left out of the competition for head of the family, he risked acting.”

“That would only make sense if he could succeed and secure his position. No, I even doubt that a rebellion is viable. The butler wouldn’t fail to detect it in advance.”

That Edwin, the head butler, was in charge of the information network was a secret known only to a few, but Raymond, a former member of the Black Lion, was well aware of his capability.

If a rebellion really were brewing in Valdeck, his ears would undoubtedly be the first to catch wind of it.

“The error with Hugo only happened because the scale was too small. If it were something as big as a rebellion, the butler would’ve noticed long ago.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“Huh? Are you suggesting the second young master could slip past the butler’s eyes?”

“If he had moved troops and funds normally, I’d agree with you.”

But Lucian had recently witnessed scenes that were anything but normal—miracles he’d thought impossible in reality.

“Magic.”

An art that distorts the laws and reproduces miracles while ignoring common sense.

If Jordi had received help from a mage or someone connected to them, evading Edwin’s surveillance wouldn’t be that difficult.

After all, the Empire had hunted mages so ruthlessly that not even many nobles truly understood what magic was anymore.

“Of course, I don’t know much about magic myself, so it’s still just a guess.”

Even so, it wasn’t completely impossible, so it was worth staying alert. However, Raymond still seemed skeptical.

“Even so, using that method, they could only occupy the family estate temporarily. The real issue is what comes after. As long as the duke is alive and well, what’s the point of playing king for a moment?”

Every rebellion destroys legitimacy. That’s why, more important than the initial success, is the ability to suppress the aftermath.

If not well-managed, it would be overthrown by internal conflict and external pressure.

“The moment the duke returns and says a single word, everyone will turn on him. The second son can’t be stupid enough not to have thought of that.”

“That’s true.”

From a purely rational standpoint, Raymond was absolutely right. But the world doesn’t always run on logic.

“Even so, if there’s even a slim chance, we must consider it. Especially because Hans went so far as to use a word as extreme as rebellion. Even if it’s a misunderstanding, it means something suspicious is going on.”

That’s why Lucian decided to focus on establishing himself firmly in the north, rather than trying to juggle everything. If in the end nothing happened, he could always return to the race for family leadership later. Better to prepare for the slightest possibility than relax and get stabbed in the back.

“If you put it that way…”

Raymond didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he still bowed his head, willing to follow Lucian’s will.

After organizing his vassals’ opinions, Lucian fell into thought.

‘Curiously, having fewer options makes me feel more at ease.’

Fortunately, Lucian had left little behind in the family.

If they could get Hans and Ian out, the rest was dispensable. Besides, Hans was handling the situation skillfully, so he could focus entirely on the north without worries.

‘The hundred-day hunt proposed by Calix, the return of Asagrim, and the title of margrave alongside my grandfather’s inheritance…’

As all the scattered pieces came together, a smile formed on Lucian’s lips.

“Baron Harald.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“The house of Count Calix proposed the hundred-day hunt. What would you say if we hosted it this time?”

“What?”

“As a celebration for the return of Asagrim, the capital of the old Northern Kingdom. I think it would make quite the statement.”

Harald blinked a few times before catching the true meaning.

“I worry they’ll go mad with joy—or rage.”

Though he said that, a deep smile spread across his face.

***

“That brat accepted the proposal? I suppose he had no choice.”

Norvek, head of the House of Count Calix, stroked his beard with a smile.

With such an obvious weakness, even knowing it was a trap, he couldn’t refuse it.

“Now is when it really matters. He’ll know it’s a trap too, so he’ll come well-prepared. We mustn’t get overconfident and need to corner him without a single opening.”

“You’re right.”

Norvek nodded at the words of his eldest son, Godfrey. They had managed to lure him into the trap’s location, but he had yet to fall into it. For a perfect hunt, they needed to coordinate with their allies and set multiple traps.

“Even so, there’s no need to worry too much. As long as the location is our own backyard, his preparations will have limits.”

“U-uh, lord… about that…”

Marcel, who had been sent as an emissary, returned drenched in cold sweat. Seeing his unusually tense expression, Norvek frowned.

“What’s wrong? Did something go wrong?”

“He agreed to participate in the hundred-day hunt, but he says he prefers to host it himself.”

“…?”

Norvek and Godfrey were left stunned. Host it himself? With what territory, when he doesn’t even have one of his own?

“Everything I hear gets more ridiculous. I understand he might fear a trap, but saying something like that is practically rejecting the proposal. It only puts him in a worse position.”

“Actually, shortly after my arrival, the Emperor granted him a title and a territory.”

“What? What are you saying? Why would the Emperor suddenly do something like that?”

“I don’t know. But it’s certain that he granted him the title of Border Margrave and Asagrim, the former capital of the Northern Kingdom.”

“…!?”

Both were left petrified. Asagrim, which had been a domain directly under the Emperor and had never been ceded?

Marcel continued, his voice trembling.

“A-and, an imperial inspector has been dispatched to oversee the legal inheritance process. He said he’s heading to Grimaldi territory to properly transfer the mansion and assets left by the former duke to his maternal grandson…”

“This is madness!”

Norvek shot up, shouting.

“That he inherits personal property from Duke Grimaldi is acceptable! Even granting Asagrim is something that, while absurd, could still be tolerated! But both things at once?! That’s practically the restoration of a royal house! The Emperor must’ve gone mad to allow something like this…!”

“I doubted it too. Dozens, hundreds of times. But the inspector was real, and the letter had the imperial seal.”

“It can’t be, it can’t be! It’s impossible!”

“Father, calm down! Let’s think clearly.”

Godfrey forced Norvek, who trembled in denial, to sit back down.

But even he couldn’t believe the situation.

With the Emperor already irritated over Krephelt’s declaration of independence, to cede Asagrim to a Grimaldi descendant?

‘It’s like he’s encouraging the unification of the north…’

No matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t find a reason. If it were the Emperor, shouldn’t he be trying to prevent the feudal lords from uniting by encouraging division?

And yet, he was deliberately causing them to group under the name of the former Northern Kingdom.

‘For what purpose? Don’t tell me he expects that brat to lead a unified north and ally with the Empire.’

If that happened, the Empire would gain a massive support force. In a situation like the current one, where allies were desperately needed, it would be a huge help.

But even if loyalty was sworn in this generation, who could guarantee that future ones would remain loyal?

Building a support base at the cost of such forced moves made no sense.

“T-this isn’t the time to just sit around.”

Norvek, barely having pulled himself together, spoke as he staggered, leaning on his son.

Godfrey reacted immediately upon hearing his voice.

“Father.”

“If that bastard really received the margrave title and Asagrim, the hundred-day hunt won’t mean anything. The hunt will become nothing but a festival, and we’ll be nothing more than side characters celebrating the new victor of the north.”

“Do you have another alternative?”

Norvek looked silently at Marcel, who had finished his report.

Understanding that look as a dismissal, Marcel bowed slightly and left.

After the door closed and a moment passed, Norvek spoke quietly.

“We’ll have to call that mage. As long as the sky is open, that man can use his power from any territory.”

“Father? That’s dangerous! Do you intend to provoke Valdeck?”

“This isn’t the time to worry about that. Why do you think the Emperor gave him such excessive gifts? It’s to crush us and hand the north over to that bastard!”

“…”

“That guy, who sees us as a nuisance, even has the Emperor’s tacit consent. If we just sit on our hands, sooner or later our house will fall by his hand.”

That’s why they had to strike first.

Thinking only about the consequences was reckless—but worrying solely about the future and dying from the arrow already flying toward you was even more foolish.

Norvek whispered again, looking at a speechless Godfrey.

“Either way, we have no other option. We’ll just have to leave it to that mage and pin all the blame on him.”

Godfrey nodded heavily. He didn’t know whether the other would fall into the trap, but if there was only one option, there was no point hesitating.

***

“Ugh!”

“What is it?”

“I don’t know… suddenly, I got a chill down my spine.”

Colin, a mage from the School of Heavenly Astrology, shivered. [1]

It wasn’t his first time in the north and he wore quite thick clothing, but even so, he felt a strange coldness.

While checking his body, thinking he might be catching a cold, he heard a giggle in front of him.

“Well, big brother, now you’re concerned about your health? You used to live like you didn’t care if you died any minute.”

“That was when I was young. As you get older, life starts to feel more valuable.”

“Oh. I never thought I’d hear you say life is valuable.”

“Enough teasing. Tell me the prediction. How long are you going to keep me in suspense?”

At Colin’s whining tone, Helen, a mage from the same school, smiled softly.

“Wait a bit. The stars haven’t aligned yet. The changes of the sky are endless, and its depth has no end.”

“That’s why you don’t measure it—you feel it with your body. If a human tries to measure that depth, they’ll just fall endlessly. I still remember the master’s words.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I thought, since you always disobeyed the master… ah.”

Helen stopped mid-sentence and began flipping cards quickly.

The stars she spoke of must’ve finally reached the right position.

To Colin, who was from the same school but knew nothing about astrology, the scene looked strange.

Even after placing the cards, she seemed to wait for the exact moment to flip them.

‘Well, she always gets her predictions right, so I guess there’s a reason.’

“Hm…”

As Colin watched, Helen finished flipping all the cards and frowned.

It was a gesture she made when an unfavorable prediction appeared, and Colin’s heart sank.

“What is it? Don’t tell me… did a death omen appear for me?”

“It did.”

“Really!?”

“But it’s a strange prediction. I’ll explain it, so read it yourself.”

Helen studied the cards carefully and began writing a phrase with a quill.

Soon after, Colin received the finished text and tilted his head at the ambiguous words.

“Three encounters and three chances. Two failures and one opportunity. If you seize it, he will become a benefactor; if you let him go, he will become a reaper.”

***

T/N:

1: I’m not sure whether to translate this as “school” or “academy.” The term may vary in future translations.