Chapter 157
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 157
Bernhardt immediately sought out a mage.
No matter how credible a story might be, one could not act on rumors alone. He needed at least a modicum of certainty through expert verification.
Fortunately, a mage was found quickly. It was the result of focusing the entire Marquis Roglan intelligence network on the search.
"What business could Your Excellency the Marquis possibly have with an old mage like me?"
The captured mage looked at the Marquis with a calm face. It wasn't so much a lack of fear as it was the attitude of someone who had lost all hope and abandoned themselves to fate.
Seeing this, the Marquis leaned back in his chair with a smirk.
"You're far too quick to give up on your life. You don't even know why I've summoned you yet."
"Whatever it is you want, won't you just dispose of me once everything is finished anyway?"
"You never know. I might find you useful enough to keep by my side."
Despite the Marquis's words, the old mage kept his mouth shut. He seemed to have decided not to answer at all, thinking he was merely being mocked.
Clicking his tongue, the Marquis had no choice but to get straight to the point.
"Don't worry. I didn't bring you here to do anything to you. I simply needed advice on magic, and there was no one else suitable for the task."
"Advice?"
"How much do you know about magical artifacts?"
"…I apologize, but the school I belong to has nothing to do with the creation of magical artifacts. I only possess the basic knowledge that any other mage would know."
"Then do you know about the transfer of ownership for magical artifacts?"
Marquis Bernhardt recited exactly what he had heard from his spy. The difference between ownership transfer through bloodline and transfer through the permission of the previous owner. He asked about the differences between the two and which method was more common.
Fortunately, the mage answered the Marquis's questions without difficulty.
"Naturally, it is the former. The method of transferring ownership through bloodline is so common it's hardly worth mentioning. In contrast, I have never even heard of the latter."
"Does that mean it's completely impossible?"
"It's not impossible, but there's no point in doing it. The moment the owner of a magical artifact dies suddenly, it becomes impossible for even their descendants to inherit it. Who would take such a risk?"
To put it in perspective, it was like a system where if a father failed to leave a will, even his children couldn't inherit a single penny of his estate. Considering that a person could die suddenly at any time, it was incredibly dangerous. If handled poorly, the legacies of countless ancestors could turn into trash in an instant.
"Then, can ownership transfer through bloodline be blocked? For example, a father preventing ownership from passing to his son."
"That is impossible. To change the ownership settings, one would have to overhaul the internal magic entirely. Only the person who originally developed the magical artifact could do such a thing."
"So, in essence, a direct blood descendant must be able to use their ancestor's magical artifacts?"
"Perhaps in ancient times when magic was more advanced, it might have been different, but for a family inheriting magical artifacts in this day and age, that is the case. Unless, of course, the child is an illegitimate one born of an affair."
"Hahahaha!"
The Marquis couldn't hold back his laughter. Part of it was because the mage's explanation suited his needs perfectly, but the main reason was that all of this fell under the category of basic common sense.
No matter how long the Imperial Palace had conducted its witch hunts, surviving mages could still be found from time to time. If what happened in the Imperial Palace leaked out, other lords would surely seek the advice of mages just as the Marquis had.
When that time came, if every mage gave the exact same testimony, who would support the Second Prince?
"Good, very good! Mage, can you summarize the theory you've just explained into a short document?"
"That wouldn't be difficult, but…"
"If the quality of the document is satisfactory, I shall employ you."
"Pardon?"
The mage couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was an unauthorized mage, someone treated as a criminal just for existing. Currently, the only way to survive was to be employed by Duke Lucian in the North and receive a 'permit,' yet he was being offered employment here?
"The will of the Imperial Family and the will of the Marquis's House are not always the same."
"…!"
The mage's eyes widened at the unexpected answer. Was he saying he would directly defy the Imperial Family's decree to hunt down unauthorized mages?
As if confirming the mage's thoughts, Marquis Bernhardt spoke with a smirk.
"If the pillars of the Empire are shaking because the Imperial Family is abusing bad laws, is it not the duty of a subject to first set the pillars straight, even if it goes against their will?"
As time passed, the details of the conversation between the Second Prince and the herald spread to more and more people.
Of course, at first, almost no one seriously doubted the Second Prince's bloodline. There was too little evidence to believe such a claim based solely on some obscure magical theory. Most simply thought that Lucian was launching an excessive political offensive.
However, before long, the situation changed as the theory regarding the ownership transfer of magical artifacts began to circulate.
"If this theory is true, shouldn't the Second Prince be able to use the magical artifacts?"
"That's right. They say that even if it were the Late Emperor himself, there would be no way to block the authorization if the Second Prince were his true son."
"Isn't this just nonsense spread by mages? They might be trying to cause chaos on purpose out of resentment toward the Imperial Family."
"To say that, people who have never even met each other are all saying the exact same thing as if they'd rehearsed it."
No matter how much people tried to coordinate their stories, there were bound to be differences in the details if they didn't consult each other beforehand. Yet, people who had never seen each other's faces were repeating the same thing word for word. It was proof that they hadn't made up a story out of resentment, but had all learned the same 'knowledge.'
"What about the Court Mages? What do they say?"
"The problem is that those Court Mages are staying silent. They haven't been able to offer a single proper rebuttal."
"Good heavens. Then was the Second Prince truly not of the Late Emperor's bloodline?"
The fact that the Court Mages, who should have been defending the Second Prince even if they had to invent lies, remained silent was telling. It meant that the claims were based on such obvious facts that a rebuttal was virtually impossible.
The territorial nobles simultaneously halted their political infighting, struck by an immense shock. If the Second Prince truly wasn't the child of the Late Emperor, they couldn't support him even if they wanted to. How could they place an outsider with no legitimacy upon the Jade Throne?
"Since it's come to this, it seems there's no choice but the First Prince."
"That's madness! If the First Prince takes the throne, the Empire will collapse!"
"But we can't just make a member of a branch imperial family the Emperor, can we?"
"A branch family member is still of the imperial bloodline. How could they not be qualified?"
"Qualified or not, what will you do if I refuse to recognize them!"
"What!? Are you declaring rebellion right now?"
"I'd rather be a rebel than serve some unheard-of branch family member!"
As doubts about the Second Prince's bloodline surfaced, the territorial nobles split into numerous factions.
There were those who wanted to put a member of a branch imperial family on the throne because they couldn't support the First Prince. There were those who insisted that the First Prince, despite his personality, must take the throne because he was the legitimate heir. There were even those who claimed it was all a rumor and continued to support the Second Prince.
However, regardless of their opinions, everyone realized one thing.
The Imperial Family had now completely lost the power to intervene in provincial conflicts.
"The Imperial Family has fallen into complete silence, and a significant number of territorial nobles are clashing as they assert their own opinions. Among them, some great families, including House Roglan, are reportedly showing signs of beginning independent military operations."
"Good."
Lucian, who was sitting on the throne of the White Castle, gave a faint smile at the pleasant intelligence. Hugo tilted his head as if he couldn't understand Lucian's reaction.
"Is this a good thing? To me, it looks like the entire Empire has been turned upside down."
"It might be bad for others, but for us, it's the best possible outcome. Interference from the Imperial Family has been completely cut off, others are taking the blame for turning their backs on the throne out of ambition, and we've even gained a just cause for our military actions."
"A just cause?"
"When it comes to crossing the walls of Tivron, there is no pretext more powerful than placing the rightful successor of the Late Emperor on the throne."
"Wait, do you really intend to put the First Prince on the throne?"
"What I think doesn't matter. What matters is the concept itself—that it is the 'right' thing to do, no matter how much of a mess the First Prince is."
The retainers were startled and all looked at Lucian at once. It was because Lucian had dropped the honorifics he had always used for the First Prince, at least formally.
Lucian himself didn't care about the retainers' reactions and stood up from his seat.
"Regardless of whether he can use the Imperial Family's magical artifacts or not, the First Prince is the only biological child of the Late Emperor. In terms of succession rights, it's only natural that the First Prince should ascend to the throne."
The only reason the First Prince hadn't ascended yet was purely for political reasons. In other words, if one only considered 'correctness' aside from political motives, supporting the First Prince was the obvious choice.
To put it another way, as long as Lucian championed the rescue of the First Prince and his ascension to the throne, he gained unlimited justification for his military activities.
"Even if it's nothing more than empty, high-sounding words, 'correctness' is something that cannot be easily countered from the outside."
"Is it necessary to go to such lengths? Having a proper cause is good, but doesn't it also bind you?"
To champion a cause meant, conversely, that one could not act in a way that contradicted it. If Lucian declared his intent to put the First Prince on the throne, he had to act according to that declaration. Hugo was inwardly dissatisfied with that point.
"In my opinion, we could move without worrying about a cause. I hear many great families are moving without one."
"Of course, acting that way might not be a problem right now. But while it may be fine for the moment, nine times out of ten, it will come back to haunt you later."
Lucian smirked at Hugo's words. Just because others moved without a cause didn't mean he should; if he did, only those who shared the 'same sin' would keep their mouths shut. Those free from that sin—especially future generations born after the chaos ended—would have no reason to stay silent.
Ambitious men were born in every era. If the foundation wasn't laid properly, everything might seem fine now, but all sorts of problems were bound to erupt eventually.
Besides, I don't plan on keeping the First Prince on the throne for long anyway.
Swallowing his inner thoughts, Lucian looked back at the herald's party that had returned recently.
"In any case, everyone did a great job. Especially Fritz—you performed everything perfectly even in a life-threatening situation."
"You flatter me, My Lord."
"No, if anything, I'm struggling to find words of praise that are sufficient. Think of a reward you desire."
Fritz trembled with emotion at Lucian's commendation. How long had it been since his abilities as a herald had been recognized? After being employed by Calix, he had spent decades wasting away in a corner of the castle. Since no one remembered him, he had despaired, thinking he would grow old and die without leaving anything behind.
To think that in his old age, he would meet such a magnificent lord and be able to fulfill his purpose.
Biting his lip to hide his reddening eyes, Fritz bowed deeply.
"Those words alone are more than enough reward for this old man."
"No need for modesty. If you can't think of anything, I'll reward you as I see fit, so don't complain later."
Lucian spoke with a laugh as he watched Fritz, who couldn't even lift his head. Seeing him display everything from loyalty to capability, Lucian couldn't help but be pleased. Given his age, Lucian wouldn't be able to keep him by his side for long, but he would ensure Fritz could display his talents to the world as much as possible in the time he had left.
The time has come.
The Imperial Family was completely paralyzed, and the lords were busy pursuing their own ambitions. Unless it came to war, no one in the Empire would be able to interfere with what happened in Asagrim now.
Now was the optimal time to realize the future he had envisioned when he first arrived at the White Castle.
Taking a deep breath, Lucian spoke to his retainers.
"I shall reveal the Northern Royal Family's Legacy to the world."
"…!?"