‘Knight.’
At such a sweetly intoxicating echo, Hugo’s mind turned hazy. That someone who had once been a thug from the back alleys could become a true knight and found a new house—it was hard for him to tell if this was reality or a dream.
‘Hugo Maien.’
Every time he savored the new surname he had been given, his body trembled as if struck by lightning.
He had never doubted his lord, but Hugo’s shortcomings were many. Even if his lord had been unable to fulfill the promise, he had come to accept that he had no right to resent it.
“What are you doing?”
Lucian’s voice pulled him out of his daze. Only then did Hugo realize his discourtesy and hurriedly stood up.
“S-sorry. My legs gave out…”
“No, I mean why are you making that face like you’ve got nothing left to do. Are you going to settle for fulfilling an old dream and stop there?”
“Huh?”
Lucian smiled at Hugo’s stunned expression.
“Now that you’ve decided to rise, you should aim higher. Don’t you think?”
“…!”
Hugo’s eyes opened wide. Beyond knighthood, weren’t only landed nobles with titles left? The other vassals also looked puzzled by Lucian’s words.
“My lord, aiming high is fine, but now’s not the right time to be aspiring to a title.”
“Why not?”
“Because… right now, we’re cut off from the imperial court, aren’t we?”
Raymond frowned with unease. No matter how high the title, granting land to someone else required imperial authorization.
Granting land without that permission—even one’s own—was considered a serious crime equivalent to treason.
Anyone who received such land would end up swearing loyalty to the local lord, not to the Empire.
“My lord holds two titles, but whether as a duke or as border marquis, granting land at will is still a serious crime.”
“Oh, really? Then I just need to rise to a position from which it is allowed to grant land freely.”
“To my knowledge, there is no such title with that kind of privilege…”
“There is one. King.”
“…!”
The vassals stared at Lucian with expressions of utter shock. It was no wonder—since the founding of the Empire, no noble had ever been elevated to the rank of king.
At most, conquered royal houses had been allowed to keep their thrones as vassal states. And yet, Lucian was speaking of aiming for a royal crown for the first time.
“M-my lord… does that mean…”
“I’m not saying we’ll rebel against the Empire or exploit the current situation to blackmail them. I’m saying that when the opportunity comes, I won’t hesitate. Those who don’t set a goal end up hesitating even after they’ve seized the opportunity—and let it go.”
Lucian looked around at his vassals with a serious gaze.
“Remember this well. Times of chaos like these are one of the few chances to rise. It’s the only time when concepts that have lasted hundreds, thousands of years are overturned.”
“…”
“When this period ends and peace returns, everything will settle again. Then, when do you think a chance like this will come again? In a hundred years? Two hundred?”
Maybe only after the house is annihilated and not even a single line bearing its name remains.
And even then, to say that they had risen enough, that it was time to settle down and stop? To Lucian, that wasn’t even funny.
“I plan to go all the way. Until the day peace returns and everything is fixed again. What do you plan to do?”
The hearts of the vassals burned. They had always believed that the one who would leave a mark in history was their lord, and that they merely existed to stand on the shoulders of that giant, clearing immediate obstacles so he wouldn’t trip on a mere stone.
And now, that same lord was asking them if they were willing to become giants themselves—and leave their own mark on history.
“I don’t think I need to hear your answer.”
Lucian smiled as he waited, because the longing reflected in their eyes was already more than enough.
***
The vassals had been assigned official positions, but the real problem began from there.
If the most important thing—the inhabitants—was not reinforced first, not a single one of the planned initiatives could be carried out.
Fortunately, two days later, the news Lucian had been waiting for finally arrived.
“Calix has moved?”
“Yes. According to reports, he is currently marching toward Asagrim.”
Upon hearing Torkel’s report, Lucian gave a crooked smile. Advancing without even declaring war proved they had no intention of respecting legitimacy or even the most basic rules.
“Perfect. I was just waiting for them. If they want to skip the boring talk and go straight to fighting, it works perfectly for us.”
“What’s your plan, Your Highness?”
“Crush them head-on. Is there another option?”
“That’s not what I meant. I was wondering if, for this war, you plan to request support from other lords.”
Torkel looked at Lucian expectantly. Not long ago, when Lucian had no military force of his own, he had relied on the help of other lords to make his moves.
Even now, with knights and elite troops lent by the empire, the more allies the better.
It wouldn’t have been strange to ask for reinforcements as previously planned.
“If you give the order, I’ll return to my house immediately and bring troops.”
“You talk big for someone who isn’t even head of House Osgor. Besides, didn’t you say your father beat you up when you last visited home?”
“…That’s an exaggeration. He only hit me once.”
“I heard that one hit made your cheek swell to twice its size. That you couldn’t even open an eye and had a rough time until the swelling went down.”
“Ahem, ahem.”
Avoiding Lucian’s gaze, Torkel bowed his head. After clearing his throat several times, he looked back at him seriously.
“In any case, if Your Highness requests support, House Osgor will respond immediately.”
“Of course. Baron Harald has always wanted to support me. And his grudge against Calix isn’t small.”
“Then, at once—”
“But if it were the old Calix, I’d understand. The Calix of now doesn’t require outside help. This time, I plan to crush them with my own forces alone.”
Torkel looked at him, wide-eyed. To face House Calix alone, without anyone’s help?
“Your Highness, I don’t think you’ll lose. Objectively speaking, there are no factors for defeat.”
The entire North had already turned its back on Calix. No allies, no authority, no legitimate pretext. Just a flick of Lucian’s finger and everyone would rush to tear them apart.
If all went well, they could be wiped out before even reaching Asagrim.
“But if you fight them with only your own forces, the damage will be considerable. Calix is still a great house that’s taken root in the North for hundreds of years.”
“I know. That’s exactly why I want to face them alone.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“I don’t want to share Calix with other lords.”
If he borrowed troops, he would have to divide the spoils according to each one’s contribution.
For Lucian, who desperately needed resources and people, sharing rewards was inconvenient.
“If I couldn’t face them like before, I’d accept that cost. But now that I can do it without issue, it would be foolish to seek unnecessary losses.”
“But if your troops are worn down too much, won’t it weaken your hold over the other lords?”
“That’s true. But if I alone squeeze them dry, no one will dare challenge me.”
Torkel looked at Lucian in disbelief. Even if Calix had no chance of victory, their enemy was Norvek—a man who had lost his son and stood on the brink of ruin, driven solely by hatred.
It was clear he would attack suicidally just to cause as much damage as possible. Even in victory, it would be a bloody one. And yet, Lucian had such confidence.
“Has the Swordmaster who recently arrived agreed to intervene?”
“No way. He’s already done more than enough. His old age deserves rest.”
That he so casually ruled out the Swordmaster only deepened Torkel’s doubts. Seeing his puzzled look, Lucian smiled faintly.
“You’re wondering where all this confidence comes from, aren’t you?”
“It’s not that, just…”
“Never mind. Go back to your territory and study as a proper heir. If you keep wandering around, your father will worry himself to death.”
“Your Highness.”
Torkel bowed his head, looking a bit tense. It seemed he thought he was being sent away for not having gained full trust yet. Seeing him like that, Lucian spoke seriously.
“Do you still have the potion I gave you?”
“The glowing liquid one? Yes, I still have it.”
“Go back to your territory and show it to your father. After showing him, you can drink it.”
“…?”
“It’s a sign of my trust. The rest—hear it from your father.”
“…Understood.”
Though confused, Torkel obeyed. Only when he met with Harald would he understand what Lucian had entrusted to him.
While Lucian was left alone, calmly thinking of how to face Calix—
“…Norvek Calix has requested a duel?”
Hearing that it wasn’t a declaration of war but a duel challenge, Lucian let out a disbelieving laugh.
***
“It’s a trap.”
Swordmaster Eisen, now military advisor, responded immediately upon hearing it. Lucian had already thought the same and nodded calmly.
“They must know we’re not that naïve. Why make such a proposal? Do they have a hidden plan?”
“They’re probably desperate, trying anything even if it’s foolish.”
Eisen spoke with a bitter smile.
“There’s a saying—those willing to die are strong. I used to believe it. But from experience, many of those men act pathetically in the end.”
“Even those who accept death?”
“Yes. Most expect a reward equal to their death. They see their life as so valuable that they expect a result equally satisfying.”
To give one’s life for conviction regardless of outcome might be called noble.
But the men Eisen had seen wanted results proportionate to their sacrifice. If they didn’t get it, they saw no reason to die.
“Among those obsessed with revenge, there were many like that. If they couldn’t trade their life for their enemy’s, they held back.”
“What irony. Someone willing to die holding back.”
“They only go through with it if the price of their life is high enough. From this ridiculous proposal, that Norvek seems to be one of those types.”
He would propose anything to kill Lucian. He couldn’t stand the idea of dying while Lucian got away with only light wounds.
“The truly fearsome enemy is the one who, after a cold calculation, aims to take even just an arm or an eye. In comparison, types like this just lose their lives trying to trade for more than they’re worth.”
“Then we’ll have to accept.”
“…Your Highness. Did I hear you correctly?”
“Yes. He says he’ll try to prolong things until he sees a clear opening to kill me.”
If that’s the case, he wouldn’t fight seriously until such an opening appeared. So the only option was to fake an opening—and strike all at once.
Eisen frowned, about to warn him of the danger, when—
“I understand what you’re saying, but look at this first.”
Tap.
Lucian placed a box in front of Eisen that he had brought with him. Eisen blinked at the sight of a box the size of a human torso.
“What is this?”
Lucian smiled.
“A legacy of the royal family.”
____
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