When night fell, Lucian addressed the knights.
“After such intense combat, the soldiers must be exhausted. Let’s rest a day in each village before continuing.”
“Huh?”
At Lucian’s sudden proposal, Gerard blinked in surprise.
If they marched quickly, they could arrive soon and rest then; stopping in each village would only needlessly prolong the return. Instead of easing their fatigue, wouldn’t it just make everything slower?
“Third Young Master, in my opinion…”
“Shh. Let’s talk later. I have my reasons for doing this.”
Lucian silenced Gerard by raising a finger to his lips.
Raymond and the other knights, though visibly confused, obeyed without protest.
So far, Lucian had never done anything without a clear purpose.
Following his will, the Valdeck army decided to spend the night in a small village.
“Ah! Wh-what are you doing here, m-my lords…?”
“We’ll just be resting one night. We’ll pay accordingly, so please prepare food for the soldiers.”
“Y-yes, yes! I’ll get it ready right away!”
The village chief, panicking, hurriedly gave orders to accommodate the soldiers.
The place was so small it hardly had houses to offer for lodging, but the soldiers, used to such conditions, remained silent.
The villagers, who at first trembled in fear, calmed down upon seeing that these elite soldiers, with impeccable discipline, committed no looting.
“You’d better stay at my house. It’s humble, but it’s the best in the village…”
“It’s enough. Thank you.”
As expected from a small village, the chief’s house wasn’t anything grand, but it was more spacious than the others and could host over a dozen people.
Once inside, Lucian gathered the knights and spoke.
“We’re not going straight to Kelheim. We’ll slow down the march.”
“What do you mean, all of a sudden?”
“Think about it. If we return to Kelheim right now, will anyone recognize our merits? I think most won’t even know what happened and will just be confused.”
At those words, the knights all nodded.
Usually, the details of a war become known after the reward ceremony, when rumors begin to circulate.
Before that, news also leaks, but only because a good amount of time passes until everyone gathers at the imperial palace.
In this case, where the army disbanded as soon as the war ended, there hadn’t been enough time for rumors to spread.
“Rigid people think that if they do the right thing, others will eventually recognize it. But that’s an illusion. Whatever you do—if you don’t announce it yourself—no one will know.”
“Then what you’re saying is…”
“Before returning to Kelheim, I intend to make it known how this war unfolded. Of course, I can’t say it myself, so it’ll have to spread through others.”
The knights looked at each other, murmuring, surprised by an idea they hadn’t considered.
Though they were all nobles and not ignorant of politics, it couldn’t be said that they had any particular talent for it.
While trying to understand how they should interpret Lucian’s plan, the strategist Gerard spoke.
“But wouldn’t that be like airing the imperial family’s dirty laundry? Even His Majesty the Emperor avoided a reward ceremony, so for us to go and spread it…”
“Then, Sir Gerard, do you think it’s fine to be lumped in with the allied army and treated like mere losers? Your own merit would be buried along with theirs.”
“Hmm.”
‘Right to the point.’
Gerard shut his mouth.
In a situation like this, there was no reason to take responsibility for what wasn’t his fault.
It was already unfair enough for his merits to be buried—there was no need to carry others’ mistakes too.
Soldiers were content with material rewards, but for a knight, reputation was everything.
“If you’re thinking that later, when the truth comes out, everything will be fine—then you’d better give up on that idea. My other brothers will do everything they can to bury these merits just to keep me in check. Remember this well—this is the last chance to raise your own name.”
The knights, who had been hesitating, looked at each other as if awakening. One after another, they raised their voices.
“As the Third Young Master says. If there were no achievements, that would be one thing—but what’s the point in hiding the ones you did accomplish?”
“Taking blame that isn’t even ours isn’t a virtue—it’s just stupidity. I’ll follow the Third Young Master’s lead.”
“Me too!”
“Count me in as well!”
Since their own reputations were on the line, the knights sided with Lucian without reservation.
He gave a satisfied smile, then rubbed his chin, thoughtful.
“I’m glad you all agree, but the problem is how to spread the rumor without it seeming intentional. Sir Raymond, any ideas?”
“It’s tough that you’re asking me. I’m better at hiding things from people.”
Raymond, serving as a bodyguard, scratched his neck awkwardly.
It wasn’t that he had no experience in covert operations, but it had always been about avoiding attention—not inciting rumors.
Lucian, on the other hand, had done this kind of maneuver many times before, though almost always personally; ordering others to do it was new territory.
‘I don’t have a truly reliable assistant, and I can’t leave the army and go around on my own. Besides, with this body, no one would take me seriously.’
Even if he hid his identity, at just sixteen years old, no one would fully believe what he said.
To spread rumors, they needed someone who looked like they’d seen the ups and downs of the world.
While pondering, Lucian called for Hugo, who had been resting.
“How’s your job as squad captain going?”
“It’s no longer just a formality. Everyone acknowledges me as captain. Looks like what I did in the last battle left a strong impression.”
Hugo shrugged proudly. It was no small thing to gain recognition among elite soldiers, not just street thugs.
“But why did you call for me? You said you wouldn’t until we returned, to avoid rumors of favoritism.”
“Actually, there’s a problem.”
Lucian explained the situation—he wanted the rumors about the battle to spread as naturally as possible, but he couldn’t find the right person for the job.
Upon hearing this, Hugo smiled broadly and pounded his chest.
“You came to the right place. There’s someone under my command who’s perfect for this mission.”
“You’re going to do it yourself? Well, with your background in the underworld, stirring up rumors shouldn’t be—”
“No, not me. One of my subordinates.”
“What? A soldier from your squad?”
So just a regular soldier? Although, considering the army gathered people from all walks of life, it wouldn’t be strange if someone suitable was among them.
“He dreamed of becoming a bard, but his father told him to stop with that nonsense and forced him to enlist. It seems the soldier life doesn’t treat him too badly either, but when it comes to telling stories—he’s truly exceptional.”
Hugo spoke enthusiastically, claiming the guy could’ve made it as a professional storyteller.
Given how confidently he praised him, his talent seemed unquestionable, though Lucian was concerned about something else.
“Will he be able to tell the story without raising suspicion? If it’s obvious that I gave the order, it’ll be a problem.”
“There’s no need to give a direct order.”
“How so?”
“Isn’t it true that what men love most is talking about their own exploits? With just any excuse, if we send him to another village, he’ll tell the whole thing himself.”
Lucian’s eyes lit up.
Come to think of it, that’s just how people are by nature.
Focused on the big picture in both his past and current life, he had forgotten such a basic desire.
He himself, in earlier days, had been a rookie eager to boast about his feats.
“Hugo, as the commander-in-chief, I need to give you an order.”
“To me? Not to my subordinates?”
“Lately, I haven’t had much of an appetite, but suddenly I’ve got a craving for salted venison. Take your squad around the area and find the tastiest one you can.”
Hugo tilted his head, puzzled, then smiled.
He bowed deeply and replied in a casual tone.
“I’ll go wherever needed, talk as much as possible, and come back, Commander-in-Chief.”
***
Lucian came up with all sorts of excuses to slow the march as much as possible.
Meanwhile, Hugo and his squad scoured every corner of the Valdeck territory.
“The war’s already over?”
“Of course! Those guys broke the Grand Accord. What else could we do? We had to head back before they even poisoned the water.”
“Heavens, poison! Are you injured?”
“Injured? Not at all! On the contrary—we fought across the battlefield right beside Lucian!”
Using the funds Lucian had given them, the soldiers from Hugo’s squad ate, drank, and talked freely.
Without needing orders—and simply by not being silenced—the details of the battle poured from their mouths.
In particular, the soldier Hugo had mentioned showed his full storytelling talent recounting Lucian’s deeds.
“…I later found out the First Prince insulted him, telling him if he was scared, he should stay behind. How could he say something like that? Lucian was only worried about His Highness.”
“And then what happened?”
“What do you think? He had no choice but to stay back. But even so, Lucian showed his foresight and decided to follow in secret. He just wanted to make sure His Highness arrived safely at Bodium Castle.”
“Wow, if they had caught him, it would’ve been direct disobedience.”
“So did they find out and punish him?”
“On the contrary! Just like Lucian predicted, the signal flares started going off—crackle, crackle! And as if he’d seen it coming, he turned and said in a deep voice, ‘It’s time to move.’”
With some details omitted, the raw truth spread across the entire Valdeck territory—the clash between Lucian and Marquis Bernhardt, the First Prince’s incompetence, the breaking of the Grand Accord, the rescue of the allied army, and the emperor’s appearance.
The stories, filled with drama, made sure no one stopped talking about the battle.
Eventually, the news reached the ears of Grand Duke Sigmund and Lucian’s brothers in Kelheim.
“We must summon that idiot immediately!”
Jordi spoke to the Grand Duke, his face red with anger, the veins in his neck bulging.
“When a battle ends, a general must return immediately to report! And instead, he abandons his duty and parades around flaunting his achievements! What kind of foolishness is that?”
“It’s true our brother earned merits, but the allied army was defeated. For the Empire, that’s a tragedy. Spreading news like this doesn’t look good—objectively speaking.”
Joshua added his words, sounding calm, though irritation seeped through his voice. Tristan, also in a sour mood, chimed in.
“Putting everything else aside, this is something His Majesty wanted to keep buried. Going against that and revealing the details can’t be considered wise politics.”
“Hmm.”
Faced with his sons’ opposition, Grand Duke Sigmund stroked his chin, thoughtful.
There were certainly questionable points about Lucian’s actions. Seeing his hesitation, Jordi thought his argument had worked and raised his voice.
“Father, you must summon Lucian immediately and scold him in front of everyone. If this continues, people will idolize him like a hero.”
“In front of everyone?”
“Yes! That way the others will also see his true face—”
“Tsk!”
The Grand Duke clicked his tongue sharply and shot Jordi a fierce glare.
Jordi flinched, startled by the sudden change.
“W-what’s the matter?”
“How pathetic. I’m not saying the third son is blameless, but you’re willing to ruin everything over a petty grudge.”
“Eh?”
“Do you think the third earned those merits all by himself? His accomplishments also belong to the soldiers and knights who fought with him. And yet you want to humiliate him in front of everyone? The people who risked their lives under our family’s name would be thrilled, I’m sure.”
“…”
Faced with the Grand Duke’s scathing criticism, Jordi was left speechless.
____
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