Chapter 54

Chapter 54
Chapter 54

As the light of the day faded, Lucian addressed his battalion.

“Our men must be drained after such a brutal conflict. From here on, we shall halt and rest for a full day at every settlement we encounter.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Gerard stared at him, blinking in confusion at the unexpected command.

If they maintained a consistent pace, they could return home swiftly and find true repose. What was the point of stopping at every tiny hamlet along the road? It wouldn’t actually cure their exhaustion; it would only make the trek back last significantly longer.

“Third Young Master, if I may offer my view—”

“Hush. We can discuss this later. I have specific intentions for this move.”

Lucian silenced Gerard by placing a finger against his own lips.

While Raymond and the other knights shared a look of bewilderment, they chose to obey Lucian’s instructions without further protest. Lucian had proven that he never acted without a deliberate plan.

Guided by Lucian’s decision, the Valdek forces prepared to spend the night in a modest village.

“Good heavens! M-my lords, what could possibly bring such noble men to our humble home…!”

“We intend to camp here for a day. We will compensate you for everything, so please see to it that the men are fed.”

“Of course, of course! We shall begin preparations immediately!”

The head of the village scrambled to organize the locals for the arrival of the troops.

The settlement was so small that there were barely enough structures to house everyone, but the soldiers, used to the rigors of the field, moved in without complaint. The villagers, who had initially been shaking with anxiety, grew calm when they realized these were elite, disciplined soldiers who had no interest in plunder.

“It would be an honor if your lordship would occupy my residence. It is a simple place, but it is the finest we have…”

“It is more than sufficient. You have my thanks.”

Given the size of the village, the elder’s home was hardly a palace. Luckily, it was spacious enough to accommodate about a dozen people.

Once they were settled inside, Lucian called a meeting with his officers.

“We are not heading directly to Kelheim. We are going to intentionally slow our progress.”

“Sir, what is the reason for this sudden change in pace?”

“Consider the situation. If we ride into Kelheim this instant, is there anyone there prepared to celebrate what we’ve done? I suspect the people will be nothing but bewildered, having no idea what actually transpired on the battlefield.”

The knights nodded as one, acknowledging the truth in Lucian’s assessment.

Typically, the specifics of a campaign only surface as rumors during the official distribution of rewards. While whispers do start before that, it takes a significant amount of time for representatives to congregate at the Imperial Palace. Since the various divisions had split up immediately after the fighting ceased, there hadn’t been an opportunity for the story to spread.

“Dreamers believe that if you do the right thing, the truth will eventually come to light. That is a fantasy. Regardless of your actions, if you do not take steps to make them known, they will remain in the shadows forever.”

“Does that mean…?”

“Before we set foot in Kelheim, I want the surrounding territories to understand exactly how this war was fought. Naturally, I cannot be the one to shout it from the rooftops, so I need others to tell the story for me.”

The knights began to whisper among themselves, exchanging startled looks.

As members of the nobility, they weren’t blind to the world of politics, but they weren’t exactly masters of public manipulation either. As they struggled to grasp the nuances of Lucian’s strategy, Gerard, the strategist, spoke up.

“But wouldn’t that be equivalent to airing the Imperial Family’s private failures? Even His Majesty the Emperor chose to skip a formal review of merits. For us to go out of our way to spread the news seems somewhat…”

“Then, Sir Gerard, are you content to be grouped with the Allied Forces and dismissed as just another losing soldier? Your personal bravery will be buried under their failure.”

“Mmm.”

Gerard went quiet, the logic striking a chord.

It was bad enough to have their successes ignored; there was no reason they should have to carry the weight of someone else’s blunders. While the common infantry might be happy with a simple bag of gold, for a knight, a tarnished name was a heavy burden.

“If you are hoping the truth will simply float to the surface later, you should kill that hope now. My own brothers will do everything they can to suppress my achievements just to keep me beneath them. Remember, this is your final opportunity to make your names known.”

The indecisive knights seemed to wake up at those words. One by one, they began to voice their support.

“The Third Young Master is correct. It would be one thing if we had failed, but why should we hide the glory we’ve earned?”

“Accepting blame we didn’t earn isn’t noble; it’s just dim-witted. I am with the Third Young Master.”

“I will follow as well!”

“Count me in!”

With their own standing on the line, the knights stood united behind Lucian.

Lucian offered a thin smile of approval, then rubbed his chin in thought.

“I am pleased we are in agreement. The challenge lies in spreading these accounts in a way that feels organic. Sir Raymond, any thoughts?”

“It is hard for me to say, sir. My talents usually involve making sure people *don’t* notice things.”

Raymond, who was leaning against the wall on guard duty, rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish expression. He was no stranger to covert operations, but his specialty was staying out of the limelight. This sort of public relations work was completely out of his element.

Conversely, Lucian had handled plenty of this in his previous life, but he had usually managed the details himself. This was his first attempt at delegating the task.

‘I lack a trusted aide for this, and I can’t exactly abandon the main body of the army to go wandering off alone. Besides, in this young body, no one is going to take my word as gospel anyway.’

Even if he disguised himself, no one would be swayed by a sixteen-year-old youth. To make the rumors stick, he needed someone who looked like a man of the world, someone people would naturally listen to in a tavern.

After weighing his options, Lucian sent for Hugo, who had been resting.

“How is the leadership role treating you? Are things settling in?”

“They don’t just follow me because they have to anymore; they actually respect me as their captain. My showing in that last scrap definitely made an impression.”

Hugo gave a confident shrug, looking genuinely proud. He seemed much more satisfied earning the respect of professional soldiers than he ever had ruling over street thugs.

“But why the summons, sir? You mentioned you wouldn’t be seeking me out until we got back to avoid any talk of favoritism.”

“The truth is, I’m facing a bit of a dilemma.”

Lucian laid out the problem for Hugo—how he wanted to seed stories about the campaign naturally, and his struggle to find the right face for the mission.

When he finished, Hugo let out a laugh and slapped his chest.

“You’ve found your man. I have exactly the person you need sitting in my squad right now.”

“Are you planning to do it yourself? I suppose with your history in the slums, you’d know a thing or two about starting a fire with words…”

“No, not me. One of the guys under me.”

“What? One of your rank-and-file soldiers?”

A common footman?

Still, considering the army was made up of people from all walks of life, it wasn’t out of the question for a diamond in the rough to be hiding there.

“He claims he always wanted to be a traveling bard, but his old man forced him into the army to beat the ‘nonsense’ out of him. He’s turned into a decent soldier, but let me tell you, that man can talk. He can spin a story like nobody’s business.”

Hugo spoke with such conviction, insisting the man would have been a legendary orator. Seeing Hugo put his own reputation on the line for the soldier, Lucian was inclined to believe in the man’s skill, but he had another worry.

“But can he weave the tale without it looking staged? It will be a disaster if it’s obvious that these stories are coming from me.”

“You don’t even have to tell him what to do, sir.”

“Explain.”

“What soldiers love more than anything is talking about their own heroics. If you just give us a reason to visit the neighboring villages, he’ll do all the work for you without realizing it.”

Lucian’s eyes widened at Hugo’s insight.

It was so simple. That was exactly how men behaved. Having spent two lifetimes focused on grand strategies and the big picture, he had overlooked such a fundamental human impulse. In his earlier years, Lucian himself had been just as eager to exaggerate his own feats.

“Hugo, as your Commander, I have a special assignment for you.”

“Sir? For me, and not the storyteller?”

“I’ve found my appetite lacking lately, but I have a sudden, desperate craving for seasoned venison. Take your squad and scout the surrounding countryside to find the finest meat available.”

A grin spread across Hugo’s face as he caught the meaning. He gave a low, respectful bow and replied with a playful glint in his eye.

“I shall search every corner of the land, speaking to every soul I find until I return with what you need, Commander.”

—

Lucian employed every possible pretext to drag out the journey. While the main force moved at a crawl, Hugo led his men throughout the Valdek heartland.

“What? You’re saying the campaign is already finished?”

“I’m telling you! Those savages threw the Great Accord out the window, so what choice did we have? We had to pull back before their poisons started killing everyone in their sleep.”

“Mercy, poison! Are you lads all right? Nobody hurt?”

“Hurt? Don’t make me laugh! We were right there in the thick of it, carving out a name for ourselves right alongside Lord Lucian!”

Using the funds Lucian had provided, Hugo’s men feasted and drank in every tavern they found. Without a single direct command, the gritty details of the war spilled out of them simply because no one had told them to be quiet.

The soldier Hugo had praised proved to be a master of the craft, painting a vivid picture of Lucian’s deeds.

“…We only found out later that the First Prince himself mocked him, telling him to stay out of the way if he was a coward. Can you believe the nerve? Lord Lucian was only saying it because he was worried about the Prince’s safety.”

“Goodness, so what happened next?”

“What could he do? He had to stay back as ordered. But even then, Lord Lucian had the vision to know things would go south. He decided to follow them in secret, just to make sure they at least reached Bodium Castle alive.”

“Lord, if he’d been caught, that would have been the end of his career.”

“Did he get found out and punished?”

“The opposite! Just as Lord Lucian foresaw, distress flares started going up all over the horizon! As if he’d been waiting for that exact moment, he turned to us and gave the order to move out with such authority…!”

With only the slightest bit of flair, the unvarnished truth surged through the Valdek territory.

The friction between Lucian and Marquis Bernhardt, the First Prince’s arrogance, the violation of the Great Accord, the desperate rescue of the Allied Forces, and the sudden arrival of the Emperor.

The common folk couldn’t stop talking about it, mesmerized by the dramatic unfolding of events. Inevitably, the wave of rumors reached the ears of Grand Duke Sigmund and the other brothers in Kelheim.

“We have to bring that brat here this instant!”

Jordi shouted at the Grand Duke, his face a deep shade of crimson. The pulse in his temple was visible.

“If the war is over, he should have galloped back to give a proper report! Instead, he’s ignoring his duty as a commander to wander around and brag about his own accomplishments! How can he be so incredibly dense!”

“It is undeniable that our brother achieved something, but we must remember the Allied Forces were ultimately routed. It is a dark day for the Empire. To parade around like this is in poor taste, objectively speaking.”

Joshua chimed in, supporting Jordi’s stance. Unlike his fuming brother, he tried to sound measured, but the underlying bitterness in his tone was plain to hear.

Tristan, clearly just as annoyed, added his perspective to the pile.

“Setting aside personal feelings, this is a matter the Emperor wanted handled with discretion. To go against the Crown’s wishes by spreading these details is a massive political blunder.”

“Mmm.”

Grand Duke Sigmund leaned back, stroking his chin as he listened to his sons’ complaints. There were certainly enough technicalities to find fault with what Lucian was doing.

Sensing his father’s hesitation, Jordi, convinced their pressure was working, spoke up again.

“Father, you must summon Lucian at once and dress him down in front of the entire court! If we don’t stop this, people are going to start looking at that fool like he’s some kind of hero!”

“In front of everyone?”

“Exactly! That way, people will finally see him for the failure he really is…!”

“Tsk!”

The Grand Duke let out a sharp, disgusted sound and fixed a cold stare on Jordi. Jordi recoiled, shocked by the sudden shift in his father’s mood.

“F-father? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You are a disappointment. It is not that your brother is without fault, but you are so blinded by a small-minded grudge that you would ruin our standing.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Do you honestly believe your brother won those battles by himself? His success is the success of every soldier and knight who bled under his command. And you want me to humiliate him in front of the world? I’m sure the men who risked their lives for our house would be absolutely delighted to hear their efforts are being mocked by their own liege.”

“….”

Jordi stood there, silenced and stung by the Grand Duke’s harsh reprimand.