Chapter 41
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 41
“Is His Highness the First Prince perhaps away?”
“No, no. It’s not that... Sigh!”
At Lucian’s questioning, Jurgen let out a deep sigh.
It was as if he wished the Prince were actually away instead.
After a moment, Jurgen squeezed his eyes shut and pulled something out.
“Please, take this for now.”
“What is this? A mask?”
Lucian took the mask with a bewildered expression.
At first, he wondered if it was some kind of artifact, but it wasn't.
It was a simple mask—a thin, fragile party mask.
“Why are you suddenly giving me a mask?”
“Until all the lords participating in the Allied Forces have gathered, please wear that mask. However, you must not reveal your identity if possible.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“It’s a game currently trending in high society. People mingle while wearing masks to hide their identities, only to reveal themselves at a certain moment.”
“A game?”
Lucian frowned at Jurgen’s explanation.
There was a word in there he simply couldn't overlook.
“Did you just say a ‘game’?”
“Yes. I’m not entirely sure myself, but I’m told it’s quite effective for fostering friendship. Since people can mingle regardless of the hierarchy of their titles...”
“That’s not what I’m asking. We came here to suppress a rebellion, not to enjoy a party.”
With a look of total resignation, Jurgen nodded.
It was a perfectly valid point, but his expression said he had no choice in the matter.
“Actually, His Highness the First Prince suggested this himself to promote camaraderie within the Allied Forces.”
“The First Prince said this personally?”
“Yes. So, I beg of you. You may find it distasteful, but there is a reason for it in its own way...”
“Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped Lucian’s lips.
A reason, my foot.
No matter how he looked at it, this was something the First Prince had cooked up for his own amusement.
He probably wanted to watch the lords bump into each other and cause a scene while ignorant of one another’s identities.
Does that man have no sense? It would be one thing if these were Court Nobles, but to play such pranks on Territorial Nobles...
Court Nobles, who held no land, were the literal hands and feet of the Imperial Family.
Even if such a prank were played on them, they would never dare to rebel.
However, the Territorial Nobles gathered here were worlds apart from the Court Nobles.
They possessed their own military power, and their loyalty couldn't exactly be described as unwavering.
Therefore, under normal circumstances, one should show them at least a minimum level of respect.
Even if I concede and say he could play tricks on insignificant families, doing this to me—the Acting Family Head of the Grand Ducal House of Valdek—is crossing the line. This is a matter that could easily be taken as an insult.
If one chose to laugh it off, it could be a joke; but if one chose to take offense, it was an insult through and through.
The First Prince’s prank stood on that very precarious edge.
Jurgen’s face was dark, clearly aware of that fact.
Clicking his tongue briefly, Lucian accepted the mask and spoke.
“Well, I suppose lightly relieving tension before a war isn't a bad thing. I don’t know how effective it will be, but if His Highness desires it, I shall follow as his subject.”
“Th-thank you! Thank you so much, Lord Lucian!”
At Lucian’s words, Jurgen bowed repeatedly, his face looking like a man who had just been granted a stay of execution.
Lucian had basically said he would overlook an incident that could have been escalated into a major diplomatic affront against House Valdek, treating it as a mere prank instead.
“Truly, House Valdek is the pillar of the Empire! With a successor as brilliant as Lord Lucian, the family will surely continue to flourish alongside the Empire!”
“I am not the successor.”
“Not yet, perhaps. But I can tell just by the character you’ve shown today. The one to carry the weight of House Valdek in the future is undoubtedly you, Lord Lucian.”
Another shower of flattery from Jurgen followed.
Lucian gave a half-hearted nod and tried to head inside.
Startled, Jurgen blocked his path.
“W-wait just a moment. I still have more to tell you.”
“What is it now? Do you intend to check whether I put the mask on right here or not?”
“I would be grateful if you did. I will also provide a cloak to wrap around yourself to help hide your identity. There is a rule that you must hide your identity as much as possible when moving around, and escorts are limited to one person...”
After that, Jurgen spent a long time explaining trivial rules while breaking out in a cold sweat.
As the explanation dragged on, Lucian massaged his throbbing temples.
The state of these Allied Forces was truly a sight to behold.
“I wonder if His Highness the First Prince even realizes what he’s doing. This is a mockery of House Valdek!”
Once the explanation was over and they had entered the tent, Gerard grimaced in displeasure.
Unlike Lucian, Gerard seemed unable to accept this as a mere ‘prank.’
“Third Young Master, there is no need for you to entertain the First Prince’s games. Even if you were to flip the table here, His Grace the Grand Duke and even His Majesty the Emperor would understand.”
“And then the atmosphere of the Allied Forces would turn to trash. Do you think a man who plays these kinds of pranks would back down quietly if I flipped the table?”
“That is...”
Gerard fell silent at Lucian’s pointed remark.
The First Prince was a man who played such games with Territorial Nobles.
Even if the situation blew up, he was more likely to react emotionally rather than settle things rationally.
“For now, it doesn't seem like the First Prince has any malicious intent, so let’s just let it slide. Besides, this mask business does have its advantages.”
“There are advantages to this?”
“It makes it easier to feel out the true intentions of individual lords. If we met while displaying our respective ranks, everyone would only show their carefully crafted public faces.”
House Valdek was the highest-ranking family in the Empire, second only to the Imperial Family.
In other words, no one except their political enemies would dare show their true colors in front of them.
No one knew what kind of backlash they might face if they got on the Grand Duke’s bad side.
But if they wore masks, they could hide their identities, if only temporarily.
“It won’t take long for identities to be revealed, but until then, more sincere conversations will be possible. Since I’ve decided to play along with the First Prince’s game, I might as well use the opportunity.”
“Hmm, is that really necessary? I fear it will only lead to useless conflicts.”
“It is necessary.”
To be precise, it was necessary for Lucian, not the Head of Valdek.
If he were to become the Family Head, the inner thoughts of individual minor lords wouldn't matter.
Whether they liked him or not, they would never be able to show it before the Head of Valdek.
However, for Lucian, who had the potential to become independent later, it was a good option to gauge the tendencies of the lords now.
I should observe them well, as a situation might arise where I can use this later. The more information, the better.
“If that is what you think, Third Young Master, then I shall follow your lead.”
Gerard, unaware of Lucian’s true intentions, nodded stoically.
Since Lucian had been given full authority, Gerard had no way to stop him once he had made up his mind.
“However, I believe I heard that according to the rules set by the First Prince, you must be accompanied by only one escort when moving about.”
“That’s right. Unfortunately, Sir Gerard, you’ll have to wait here.”
“Who do you intend to take as your escort?”
“Sir Raymond, of course.”
Hugo had the skill, but he lacked the status required for an escort.
Since everyone else would be bringing knight escorts, Lucian couldn't very well keep a commoner by his side.
If he could only bring one person, there was no better candidate than Raymond, a former member of the Black Lions.
“Well then, since I’ve made up my mind, shall we go take a look?”
Lucian immediately put on the mask and headed toward the ‘outdoor party grounds’ prepared by the First Prince.
He wanted to see how the other nobles would react to this absurd game.
“...There are far fewer people than I thought.”
A sigh escaped Lucian’s lips despite himself.
Even though he was wearing a mask and a cloak, the number of nobles in sight was barely half the number of flags flying in the camp.
Raymond, who had been brought along as his escort, looked around and gave a bitter smile.
“It’s only natural, isn't it? There’s no reason for them to bother entertaining the First Prince’s prank.”
“So even if they don't openly protest, they just stay cooped up in their tents and don't come out.”
“Exactly. In fact, it’s impressive that even half of them showed up.”
Well, that was true.
A seasoned noble would rather not participate at all than get caught up in useless trouble by playing along with a prank.
They might think the First Prince would be slightly displeased, but that was a small price to pay.
“And yet, the reason half of them did participate is either because they are from weak families and are overly conscious of the Imperial Family’s whims, or they are so thoughtless they can't even make political considerations. Or...”
“Because they are desperate for connections. Surprisingly, making ties in a place like this can be quite helpful later. Or perhaps they are preparing for the rapid changes occurring in the Empire recently.”
At the sudden voice, Lucian and Raymond turned their heads in unison.
There stood a noble wrapped in a cloak and mask, just like Lucian, along with his escort.
Judging by the skin visible beneath the mask and the voice, he seemed to be around Lucian’s age.
“...Nigel Crecy?”
At the sight of a familiar scar below the man’s lip, Lucian muttered the name unconsciously.
The man flinched, seemingly surprised by Lucian’s words.
“Do you know me?”
Of course I do.
How could I not know Nigel, the ‘Bat Baron’?
Despite being a minor noble who was only a Baron, he was a master of diplomacy who had managed to protect his territory until the day Lucian died.
In his past life, Lucian had even been employed under Nigel for a short time.
His skill at threatening an opponent just enough to bring them to the negotiating table and then backing off was a work of art.
Beyond that, he was an expert at using bluffs against stronger opponents to halt their attacks or creating subtle openings as if he were about to bring in other factions.
Though he lacked power, he had managed to maintain his independence to the very end through god-like diplomatic skills.
Of course, for him, every decision must have been a life-or-death gamble, but since every decision turned out to be correct, he could be called a born diplomat.
But I can't exactly talk about my past life here.
Lucian decided to brush it off by mentioning a famous anecdote about Nigel.
“My apologies. I saw the scar on your lip and took a guess, and it seems I was right.”
“Ah... this. Good grief, it seems a trivial matter has become unnecessarily famous.”
Nigel gave a bitter smile and fiddled with his lip, which had been torn by a hawk’s talon.
The story of how his older brother had accidentally thrown a hawk’s prey at Nigel’s face during a hunt was quite well-known in the surrounding area.
In truth, the story was famous because of the rumors that the brother had targeted Nigel on purpose.
“Wait a moment. Since you guessed who I am, let me try to guess your identity as well. Hmm... are you from House Dampierre?”
“No.”
“Then House Kleist?”
“Not that either.”
Nigel listed several family names for a while, but none of them were correct.
The problem was that he didn't even consider Lucian might be from a Great Family, so he didn't name any house higher than a Count.
Eventually, Nigel gave a bitter smile and raised both hands.
“I surrender, I surrender. This is embarrassing. I thought I was a decent judge of character, but to think I couldn't even guess your family, let alone your name.”
“I find it more impressive that you know so many families and their characteristics. You weren't just guessing randomly; you were looking for connections, weren't you?”
“Oh, you caught me?”
Nigel scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
Despite Lucian’s rudeness in calling out his name so abruptly, their first meeting wasn't bad.
Taking advantage of the mood, Lucian decided to ask about what he had heard earlier.
“By the way, you mentioned it earlier. You said the reason the nobles gathered here is because they are desperate for connections or to prepare for the changes in the Empire. I understand the former, but what did you mean by the latter?”
“Exactly what I said. The Empire has been in turmoil lately.”
The two began to walk and talk as if they were taking a stroll.
As if discussing sensitive topics, Nigel lowered his voice to a whisper.
“There’s the succession issue involving His Highness the First Prince, the instigations of those Empire Liberation Front bastards, the movements of the vassal states, and on top of that, the mages who were in hiding all over the place are starting to stir. Nothing major has happened yet, but everyone is anxious because we don't know when things will explode. In times like these, a single connection is precious.”
“Is it to help each other in case of an emergency? Because existing connections might not be enough?”
“It’s more because you never know when the connections you’ve made might disappear. When a storm blows, people you know often get swept away in an instant.”
I see.
They build as many connections as possible because a connection they’ve worked hard to establish might become useless due to some accident.
It seemed they believed even a connection as thin as a sheet of paper was better than nothing.
“The old, seasoned lords seem to think it’s just the young ones making a fuss over nothing, but I simply can't shake my anxiety. It’s not just the Imperial Family; even the Grand Ducal House of Valdek is in an uproar.”
Lucian flinched.
Why is Valdek being mentioned here?
“Is something happening in House Valdek?”
“Haven't you heard? Apparently, the Third Young Master, who had been living in seclusion, suddenly appeared and began to distinguish himself. He exposed Marquis Roglan’s conspiracy, saw through the Empire Liberation Front’s schemes, and even gained the support of the Sword Saint, Sir Eisen.”
“I-is that so?”
“It’s not something to just say ‘is that so’ about. All of that is already unbelievable, but there are even rumors that he’s coming to this rebellion suppression as the Grand Duke’s proxy with full authority. It’s a situation that shakes the succession structure in one go, and I can't even fathom how far-reaching the aftermath will be.”
“....”
“This might be overstepping, but people like us need to keep a low profile at times like this. They say when whales fight, the shrimp’s back breaks. I hear the Third Young Master is quite young, but don't judge him by his looks; be careful with your actions. Even if he’s young, a lion is a lion. He might be hiding a terrifying nature behind that youthful appearance.”
“That... is a very valid point....”