Chapter 55

Chapter 55
## Chapter 55

“Keep this engraved in your mind. A win in conflict is not the achievement of a single person, but of the entire legion. To belittle the triumph itself is to insult the bravery and worth of the combatants who bled by your side.”

“…I offer my apologies. My perspective was narrow.”

Jordi lowered his head significantly under the freezing tone of Grand Duke Sigmund.

This was more than a mere reprimand; he had been struck at the core of his capabilities as a commander, making the rebuke feel particularly cutting.

“Even so, my younger sibling makes a valid point. Regardless of his successes, it is problematic for the third-born to be celebrated as a savior in this fashion.”

As Jordi fell into a shamed silence, Tristan moved to the front.

Moving past the rivalry for the inheritance, Lucian’s recent behavior rubbed Tristan the wrong way, given his own rigid adherence to protocol.

“If he is permitted to broadcast his deeds through these types of maneuvers, what limits will he have later? He might replicate this behavior several times over without ever seeking your counsel, Father.”

“Hmm.”

“The more pressing concern is the objective of His Majesty the Emperor. Why do you suppose His Majesty bypassed the formal recognition of merit and broke up the coalition forces immediately? Was it not to prevent a public outcry regarding the conduct of His Highness the Crown Prince?”

Lucian’s triumphs and the Crown Prince’s shameful performance were tied together inseparably.

In reality, the heart of the disaster was the Crown Prince’s refusal to listen to any of the tactics Lucian had suggested.

To put it plainly, the more Lucian shone, the more incompetent the Crown Prince appeared.

“And yet, the third-born circulated these accounts specifically to draw attention to his own actions. Do you believe he did this because he failed to grasp His Majesty’s intentions? He understood them perfectly and chose to disregard them.”

“Sigh…”

Grand Duke Sigmund released a heavy, weary breath at Tristan’s assessment.

After a brief pause, he responded with a pained look on his face.

“That carries weight as well. Still, I cannot bring myself to conclude that the third-born made a choice that was entirely incorrect.”

“Father?”

“His Majesty the Emperor definitely desired to mask the Crown Prince’s failure, just as you claimed. But achieving that necessitates the forfeit of our own men. Their honor would have been interred alongside the Prince’s disgrace.”

“That might be, but…”

“While one cannot ignore that this campaign ended in a loss, the courageous fighters of the House of Valdek acted with brilliance. If the third-born had not circulated those accounts, they would have been branded as nothing more than a defeated rabble.”

Because the combined forces lost the conflict, the combatants were destined to carry the mark of failure.

Certainly, the narrative shifted once the specific events came to light, but if the reality had been buried, the public would have merely remarked, ‘In the end, you were beaten, were you not?’

Inevitably, the soldiers who had displayed great skill would have been crushed to be categorized with the rest of the losers.

“The third-born likely acted to elevate his own reputation, but the byproduct is that the troops will receive the recognition their bravery earned. Even if it was a breach of protocol, I find it hard to punish him for that specific outcome.”

“Th-then, do you have no intention of calling my brother to account?”

Joshua stared at the Grand Duke with a look of dread.

If such a transparent grab for influence was ignored, the race for the lordship was essentially over.

Thankfully, Grand Duke Sigmund made a sign of disagreement.

“No, that is not the case. If he were currently the lord, it would be irrelevant, but to act while bypassing my authority was a step too far. I will offer him praise in the public eye, but I must summon him for a private and severe reprimand.”

Despite the Grand Duke’s clarification, the moods of the three siblings did not improve.

If there was no official punishment, no matter how much he was berated behind closed doors, it remained a private family matter.

Lucian’s reputation would remain intact; if anything, it was set to become more entrenched than it had been.

The third son is moving forward without a break. Only a year ago, he wasn’t even a competitor, much less a threat.

Has it reached the point where the three of us together can barely slow him down? Curse it, how did we get here?

The three siblings mourned the current state of affairs while feeling a competitive rage burning within.

Regardless of how far he seemed to be pulling ahead, it had only been a single year since Lucian started to prove himself.

For the siblings who had been involved in the struggle for succession far longer, there was still a path to overtake him.

For the moment, I must wait for the right time. If I grab the perfect opening, the entire situation can be reversed instantly.

The siblings all shared the same thought at once, yet they were all ignoring a single reality.

That ‘opening’ was, essentially, a high-stakes bet that demanded one put their life on the line.

Unless they were prepared to throw themselves into a disaster, there would be no opening to exploit.

Three days afterward, Lucian, deciding that the accounts had traveled far enough, made a theatrical return to Kelheim.

The common folk, already briefed on the bravery of the troops, watched them pass with hushed tones of respect, as if they were a conquering army returning home.

“I heard that while the rest of the coalition was collapsing, our men were performing feats of wonder?”

“They showed up at the most critical moment and even saved His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“By the gods, I’m filled with pride. They truly are the Sons of the Lion.”

‘Sons of the Lion’ was a term typically used by the combatants themselves when bragging about their ties to the House of Valdek.

However, on this day, even the city dwellers were more than happy to use the title.

Taking in the praise from the throngs of people, the soldiers walked with their chests out in a show of self-respect.

Grand Duke Sigmund arrived to greet them, delivering high commendations to the knights and the rank-and-file.

“If not for your efforts, the combined forces would not have even managed a withdrawal. As the Lord of Valdek, I am genuinely honored by your service. I will provide a bounty of wine and meat; feast and celebrate until you are satisfied!”

“Woooah! Long live the Grand Duke!”

The troops, who had been worried they might face a lashing instead of a bonus due to the general failure, gave a massive shout of joy when even the Grand Duke validated their contributions.

However, while the Grand Duke was generous with everyone else, he met Lucian with a hard, unsmiling expression.

“Come inside. We have matters to discuss.”

“Your Grace, the reality of this situation is…!”

“Be quiet. I will listen to the explanation later.”

Gerard stepped in quickly to speak for Lucian, but the Grand Duke shut him down sharply.

Expecting this sort of reception, Lucian gave a small nod and trailed after the Grand Duke.

Shortly after, having sent everyone else away, the Grand Duke entered his study, barred the door, and raised his voice.

“What were you thinking? Do you imagine I wouldn’t have been informed of your value if you had come back without a word? To turn to such schemes just to broadcast your own status!”

Lucian promptly lowered his head, though at the same time, he had to fight back a grin.

The Grand Duke’s volume was high, but the underlying fury was absent.

For Lucian, who had navigated the egos of all sorts of high-borns during his time as a soldier of fortune, it wasn’t hard to spot the difference.

It appears Father doesn’t truly regret the path I took.

If anything, he was berating him for managing a significant house affair on his own whim without being the actual head of the family.

Lucian felt a touch of remorse regarding that specific point, so he centered his apology on it.

“I ask for your forgiveness. I ought to have sent word to you first, Father, but I was worried that if our homecoming was stalled by the time it took for couriers to travel, it would create doubt. Therefore, I moved on my own judgment.”

“That is not the only issue. Do you truly fail to see the intent behind His Majesty bypassing the awards? If you meant to show respect to the Imperial Family, you should have ensured this remained as quiet as possible.”

“But had I done that, the soldiers who put their lives on the line would have been denied their due. I wanted to give back to them the honor they secured. Even if there were no physical gifts, I wanted to be certain they weren’t looked down upon as losers.”

“Ahem, you certainly still possess a sharp tongue.”

The Grand Duke cleared his throat several times with a look of irritation before dropping the matter.

The fact that he didn’t continue the lecture proved his true perspective.

“We will go over that later… Regardless of the rumors, how did this campaign actually unfold? I want to hear the account directly from you.”

Having finished the required scolding, Grand Duke Sigmund’s gaze turned intense.

Lucian adjusted his stance and began his report.

“The coalition forces started on the wrong foot. Immediately after assembling at the Horsen River, they were given masks.”

“…And thus, His Majesty came back with the two Princes, and the combined forces were dissolved on the spot.”

“Haaa…”

As soon as Lucian concluded his summary, the Grand Duke looked upward and gave a long, exhausted sigh.

A complicated blend of feelings, hard to put into a single thought, radiated from his presence.

“Incredible. His Highness the Crown Prince is truly… truly… Phew!”

The Grand Duke rubbed his aching forehead, holding back the remainder of his sentence.

It seemed he was logical enough to know he couldn’t publicly insult a member of royalty.

After a moment, having regained his composure, the Grand Duke looked at Lucian with a sense of pride.

“When I first caught wind of the stories, I assumed your deeds had been blown out of proportion. But it seems they were even more significant than the accounts suggested.”

“You are too kind. It was a risk that could have led to a charge of defiance, but luckily, it turned out well.”

“I do not believe the result justifies the process. Your actions were definitely a violation of authority and held the danger of being seen as treasonous. However…”

The Grand Duke hesitated and glanced down at his own hand.

His tightly closed fist was now wet with nervous sweat.

“Even I feel that it is permissible to set aside my usual rules for what you have accomplished. The safety of His Highness the Crown Prince was a matter of that much importance. In the worst-case scenario, the entire Empire could have disintegrated.”

Lucian silently concurred with the Grand Duke’s assessment.

After all, in his previous life, the Empire had collapsed precisely because the Crown Prince perished during the crushing of the uprising.

The Emperor went insane with sorrow over the loss of his beloved heir and turned Krepelt into a wasteland, leaving nothing alive.

He had only heard it through whispers, but the secret strength of the Imperial Family, once fully set loose, was said to be horrific.

Without calling on the help of other lords, the Emperor led only his personal elite guards to the capital and claimed the life of King Erich.

The world was stunned by the Imperial Family’s staggering power, but the issue was that the Emperor, having used up his vitality after ending the revolt, became bedridden.

Not long after proving its might, the Imperial Family dissolved into disorder and had to watch helplessly as various factions popped up everywhere.

The rumors said one factor was that the Imperial Family had used up all its resources to end the Krepelt uprising, but…

Lucian had once believed those claims, but looking back now, it felt wrong.

The Emperor had openly utilized sorcery in front of the coalition forces to intimidate the lords.

If it were a power that could be so easily drained, he would have kept it as a final option rather than using it so publicly as a warning.

He likely showed it because the Empire’s status was shaky. But it didn’t seem like he was forced to the edge. If he had that much power to spare, wiping out one Krepelt wouldn’t have broken him entirely. So why didn’t he use it after that?

Doubts led to more doubts, but Lucian soon cut off his train of thought.

As long as he lacked the facts, everything was just a guess.

It was better to reserve judgment than to arrive at a false conclusion by chasing baseless ideas.

“By the way, for His Majesty the Emperor to employ sorcery… I have worked for him for decades and never once witnessed it.”

It was the Grand Duke’s voice that snapped Lucian out of his thoughts.

Lucian looked up, taken aback by the Grand Duke’s admission.

“Do you mean even you were unaware, Father?”

“I knew to a certain degree. His Majesty gave me a small hint during our younger years. But I had only heard of it, and even then, it was only superficial information. As it is the secret weapon of the Imperial Family, His Majesty must have been hesitant to show it casually.”

And yet, he had finally displayed that power in front of witnesses.

It was evidence that even the Emperor felt a sense of looming disaster in the current climate.

“Difficult times are approaching.”

Grand Duke Sigmund turned his back and whispered in a somber tone.

After those words, he stayed quiet for a long duration, seemingly buried in contemplation.

As Lucian waited in silence, the Grand Duke spoke once more after several minutes had passed.

“Lucian.”

“Yes, Father.”

“As the head of the Grand Ducal House of Valdek, I have a responsibility not only to name a capable child as my heir but also to ensure a steady transition of power. If the process is shaky, picking a successor is pointless, as they will soon be pushed out.”

“You are correct. No matter how rare a prize is, what is its value if one cannot defend it?”

“Therefore.”

The Grand Duke turned around and met Lucian’s eyes directly.

“Now, go and establish your own faction within this house.”

“…!”