Chapter 55
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 55
“Keep this in mind. A victory in war is not the triumph of an individual, but of the army. To disparage the victory itself is to disparage the courage and merit of the soldiers who fought alongside you.”
“...I apologize. I was short-sighted.”
Jordi bowed his head deeply at Grand Duke Sigmund’s cold voice.
It wasn't just a simple scolding; he had been criticized for his fundamental attitude as a leader, which made the sting even sharper.
“However, my younger brother has a point. No matter how much he achieved, it is problematic for the third son to be regarded as a hero in this manner.”
As Jordi fell silent, Tristan stepped forward.
Setting aside the competition for succession, Lucian’s recent conduct did not sit well with Tristan, who was a strict traditionalist.
“If he is allowed to broadcast his achievements through such schemes, how will he behave in the future? He might repeat this two or three more times without ever reporting to you, Father.”
“Hmm.”
“The greater issue is His Majesty the Emperor’s intent. Why do you think His Majesty avoided the merit assessment and disbanded the allied forces immediately? Was it not to avoid scandal regarding His Highness the First Prince?”
Lucian’s achievements and the First Prince’s disgraceful behavior were inextricably linked.
In truth, the root cause of the mess was the First Prince ignoring every solution Lucian had proposed.
To put it another way, the more Lucian stood out, the more pathetic the First Prince appeared.
“And yet, the third son spread these rumors specifically to highlight his own deeds. Do you think he did this because he couldn't read His Majesty’s mind? He clearly knew and chose to ignore it.”
“Sigh...”
Grand Duke Sigmund let out a long, heavy sigh at Tristan’s point.
After a moment, he spoke with a bitter expression.
“That is also true. However, I cannot bring myself to think that the third son made a purely wrong choice.”
“Father?”
“His Majesty the Emperor certainly wished to hide the First Prince’s scandal, just as you said. But doing so requires the sacrifice of our soldiers. Their merits would have to be buried along with the shame.”
“That is...”
“While it cannot be denied that this war was a defeat, the proud soldiers of the House of Valdek performed brilliantly. Had the third son not spread those rumors, they would have been treated as nothing more than defeated soldiers.”
Since the allied forces lost the war, the soldiers would inevitably be branded with the stigma of defeat.
Of course, the situation changed once the specific details became known, but if the truth had been suppressed, people would have simply said, ‘In the end, you lost, didn't you?’
Naturally, the soldiers who had performed exceptionally well would have been devastated to be lumped in with the rest of the losers.
“The third son likely did this to make his own name known, but as a result, the soldiers will receive the treatment their actions deserve. Though it was an act of insubordination, I find it difficult to reproach him on that point alone.”
“Th-then, do you intend to hold my brother accountable at all?”
Joshua looked at the Grand Duke with an anxious face.
If even such a blatant usurpation of authority was overlooked, the position of family head was as good as decided.
Fortunately, Grand Duke Sigmund shook his head.
“No, that is not the case. If he were already the family head, it would be no issue, but to do this while bypassing me was overstepping the line. I shall praise him in public, but I must call him in and give him a stern scolding.”
Despite the Grand Duke’s answer, the expressions of the three brothers did not brighten.
If he wasn't officially reprimanded, no matter how much he was scolded in private, it remained a matter between father and son.
Lucian’s standing would not be shaken; if anything, it was bound to become even more solid than before.
The third son is advancing without pause. Just a year ago, he wasn't even considered a rival, let alone an obstacle.
Is it now at the point where the three of us combined can barely trip him up? Damn it, how did it come to this?
The three brothers lamented the current situation while inwardly burning with competitive fire.
No matter how far ahead he seemed to be pulling, it had only been a year since Lucian began to distinguish himself.
For the brothers who had been part of the succession race for much longer, there was still plenty of room to overtake him.
For now, I must bide my time. If I catch the right opportunity, the board can be flipped at any moment.
The brothers all had the same thought simultaneously, but they were all overlooking one fact.
That 'opportunity' was, in other words, a gamble that required risking one's life.
Unless they were willing to dive into a crisis themselves, there would be no opportunity to seize.
*
Three days later, Lucian, judging that the rumors had spread sufficiently, made a grand entry into Kelheim.
The commoners, already aware of the soldiers' exploits, watched them with whispers of admiration as if they were a returning victorious army.
“I heard that while the rest of the allied forces were falling apart, our soldiers performed miracles?”
“They appeared at the desperate moment and even rescued His Highness the First Prince.”
“Man, I’m so proud. They really are the Sons of the Lion.”
'Sons of the Lion' was an expression usually used by the soldiers themselves when boasting about being part of the House of Valdek.
But on this day, even the commoners were more than happy to call them that.
Hearing the praise from the crowds, the soldiers marched with their chests puffed out in pride.
Grand Duke Sigmund came out to meet them, offering high praise to the knights and soldiers.
“Had it not been for you, the allied forces would not have even been able to retreat. As the Lord of Valdek, I am truly proud of you. I shall provide wine and meat, so eat and drink to your heart's content!”
“Woooah! Long live the Grand Duke!”
The soldiers, who had feared they might be reprimanded instead of rewarded due to the overall defeat, let out a thunderous cheer when even the Grand Duke acknowledged their merit.
However, while the Grand Duke praised everyone else, he faced Lucian with a stern, unsmiling face.
“Come inside. I have something to say to you.”
“Your Grace, the truth about this matter is...!”
“Silence. I will hear the story later.”
Gerard hurriedly tried to defend Lucian, but the Grand Duke cut him off coldly.
Expecting this reaction, Lucian nodded slightly and followed the Grand Duke.
Soon, after dismissing everyone else, the Grand Duke entered his office, closed the door, and shouted.
“What on earth were you thinking? Do you think I wouldn't have known of your merit if you had returned quietly? To resort to such trickery just to spread your own fame!”
Lucian quickly bowed his head, but at the same time, he had to suppress a smirk.
The Grand Duke’s voice was loud, but there was no genuine anger behind it.
For Lucian, who had dealt with all sorts of nobles during his days as a mercenary, it wasn't difficult to tell the difference.
It seems Father doesn't actually regret my decision.
If anything, he was scolding him for handling a major family matter at his own discretion without being the family head.
Lucian felt a bit guilty about that part, so he readily admitted his fault.
“I apologize. I should have reported to you first, Father, but I feared that if our return was delayed by the time it took for messengers to travel back and forth, it would arouse suspicion. Thus, I acted on my own authority.”
“That is not all. Do you truly not understand the meaning behind His Majesty skipping the merit assessment? If you intended to be considerate of the Imperial Family, you should have kept this as quiet as possible.”
“But had I done so, the men who risked their lives would not have received proper treatment. I wanted to return to them the reputation they earned. Even if there were no material rewards, I wanted to ensure they weren't treated like defeated soldiers.”
“Ahem, you certainly still have a way with words.”
The Grand Duke cleared his throat a few times with an uncomfortable expression before letting it go.
The fact that he didn't press further revealed his true feelings.
“We shall discuss that more later... Regardless of the rumors, how did this war actually proceed? I want to hear it directly from your mouth.”
Having finished the formal scolding, Grand Duke Sigmund’s eyes sharpened.
Lucian straightened his posture and began his account.
“The allied forces were off to a bad start. Immediately after gathering at the Horsen River, they were handed masks.”
*
“...And so, His Majesty returned with the two Princes, and the allied forces were disbanded on the spot.”
“Haaa...”
As soon as Lucian finished his explanation, the Grand Duke looked up and let out a long, weary breath.
A complex mix of emotions, difficult to summarize in a single word, radiated from him.
“Unbelievable. His Highness the First Prince is truly... truly... Phew!”
The Grand Duke massaged his throbbing forehead, swallowing the rest of his words.
It seemed he was composed enough to realize he couldn't openly curse a Prince.
After a moment, having calmed himself, the Grand Duke looked at Lucian with pride in his eyes.
“When I first heard the rumors, I thought your exploits had been exaggerated. But it turns out they were even greater than reported.”
“You flatter me. It was a gamble that could have resulted in a charge of insubordination, but fortunately, it worked out well.”
“I do not believe that the end justifies the means. Your actions were certainly an overstepping of authority and carried the risk of being branded as disloyal. However...”
The Grand Duke paused and looked down at his own palm.
His tightly clenched hand was now slick with cold sweat.
“Even I feel that it is acceptable to bend my usual convictions for what you have achieved. The safety of His Highness the First Prince was that critical a matter. In the worst-case scenario, the Empire itself could have collapsed.”
Lucian inwardly agreed with the Grand Duke’s words.
After all, in his past life, the Empire had collapsed precisely because the First Prince died during the suppression of the rebellion.
The Emperor went mad with grief over the death of his cherished child and reduced Krepelt to ashes, leaving not a single blade of grass standing.
He had only heard it through rumors, but the hidden power of the Imperial Family, once fully unleashed, was said to be terrifying.
Without borrowing the strength of other lords, the Emperor led only his elite imperial troops to the capital and took the head of King Erich.
The world was horrified by the Imperial Family’s unbelievable power, but the problem was that the Emperor, having exhausted his strength after suppressing the rebellion, fell ill and took to his bed.
Not long after asserting its majesty, the Imperial Family fell into chaos and had to helplessly watch as factions rose up everywhere.
Gossips said one reason was that the Imperial Family had exhausted all its strength to suppress the Krepelt rebellion, but...
Lucian had believed those words in the past, but thinking about it now, it seemed suspicious.
The Emperor had openly used magic in front of the allied forces to pressure the lords.
If it were a power that could be so easily exhausted, he would have saved it as a last resort rather than using it so openly as a deterrent.
He likely revealed it because the Empire’s situation was dire. But it didn't feel like he was pushed to the brink. If he had that much leeway, destroying one Krepelt wouldn't have drained him completely. So why didn't he use it after that?
Questions led to more questions, but Lucian soon stopped his train of thought.
As long as he didn't know the truth, everything was just a hypothesis.
It was better to withhold judgment than to reach a wrong conclusion by repeating groundless theories.
“By the way, for His Majesty the Emperor to use magic... I have served him for years and never once seen it.”
It was the Grand Duke’s voice that pulled Lucian out of his reverie.
Lucian looked up, surprised by the Grand Duke’s words.
“Do you mean even you didn't know, Father?”
“I knew to some extent. His Majesty gave me a slight hint during our younger days. But I had only heard of it, and even then, it was only surface-level information. As it is the hidden strength of the Imperial Family, His Majesty must have been reluctant to reveal it lightly.”
And yet, he had finally used that power in front of others.
It was proof that even the Emperor felt a sense of crisis in the current situation.
“Troubled times are coming.”
Grand Duke Sigmund turned his back and muttered in a heavy voice.
After those words, he remained silent for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.
As Lucian waited quietly, the Grand Duke spoke again after several minutes.
“Lucian.”
“Yes, Father.”
“As the head of the Grand Ducal House of Valdek, I have a duty not only to appoint a talented child as my successor but also to ensure a stable succession. If the process is unstable, choosing a successor is meaningless, as they will soon be replaced.”
“You are right. No matter how precious a treasure is, what use is it if one cannot protect it?”
“Therefore.”
The Grand Duke turned back around and looked Lucian straight in the eye.
“Now, build your own faction within the family.”
“...!”