Lucian blinked at Aizen's smile.
He hadn't said anything yet—yet Aizen claimed to already know?
"Sir Aizen, I think you may be misunderstanding something—"
"If you were to make public that the mage who attacked me used methods similar to those employed in the Archduke's assassination, it would be relatively easy to drag Jordi down. Knowing that, yet choosing not to say it—you're feeling guilty toward me for that, aren't you?"
Lucian was struck right at the core and found himself unable to respond.
After studying Lucian in silence for a moment, Aizen spoke with a bitter expression.
"Of course, there is no tangible evidence to present. But the world is often swayed more by personal reputation than by hard proof. Words spoken by me would be more than enough to replace evidence."
And this was no offhand remark made in passing—it concerned the death of the Archduke and the filial treachery of his son.
A knight renowned for unwavering loyalty, a Sword Saint who had defined an era, exposing the family's shame?
Evidence or not, the world would believe it without a shred of doubt.
"More importantly, Jordi's rebellion is fatal even for His Majesty the Emperor. With my testimony alone, he would be willing to pay any price to change the master of Valdeck. Wouldn't he?"
"…So you knew everything."
"Yes. Including why Your Highness does not wish for that to happen."
With Aizen's testimony and the cooperation of the Imperial Court, bringing Jordi down would be easy.
Those who currently pledged their loyalty to Jordi would know nothing of their master's act of filial treachery.
Revealing that fact alone would be enough to make everyone except his closest confidants turn their backs on him.
Add the Imperial Court's support to that, and Tristan would quickly reclaim the position of head of the family.
But that's a good outcome for Tristan—not for me.
Jordi, who seized the position of family head through patricide and rebellion, had no legitimacy.
In other words, he was someone Lucian could attack and overthrow at any time.
But if Tristan were to topple Jordi and become the family head, the situation would change entirely.
With the Emperor's recognition and a righteous cause at his back, he would solidify his position beyond challenge.
If he adds the achievement of defeating a patricidal traitor and setting the family right, I won't be able to lay a hand on him anymore.
No matter what justification he put forward, the moment Lucian attacked Tristan, he would be branded a greedy schemer.
He would lose public support—and even if he won, no one would acknowledge Lucian as the rightful head of the family.
Naturally, if Valdeck was the prize, it was better for Jordi to hold the position than Tristan.
Yes. That's true. But…
All of this was Lucian's personal calculus.
It wasn't about right or wrong—it was about ambition.
And yet, standing before Aizen, who had let his lord's killer escape because of his own mistake, how could Lucian ask him to suppress his desire for vengeance for the sake of ambition?
No matter how he thought about it, that was unacceptable.
"Sir Aizen."
"Do it."
"…What?"
"Defeat Jordi and become the master of Valdeck. Do not yield to the First Young Master out of consideration for me. Even if revenge is delayed, I will not begrudge it."
Aizen met Lucian's gaze and spoke calmly.
"It was Your Highness who told me of my mistake, and Your Highness who gave me a chance to set it right. You even told me whom the Archduke had in mind as his successor—so how could I pursue my own desires and ruin a greater cause?"
In other words, Lucian should not concern himself with Aizen and should simply walk the path he had chosen.
As long as his mistake was corrected, it did not matter to him even if he never lived to see the outcome.
Lucian tightly grasped both of Aizen's hands.
"I'll promise you just one thing. You will never regret that decision."
Aizen smiled quietly.
As though he already knew—without needing it to be said.
***
The next day, Lucian summoned Aizen and his retainers to the office and spoke.
"We'll put Jordi aside for now. I'm curious about who's backing him, but even if we find out, there's nothing we can do about it immediately—so digging any deeper right now would be meaningless."
Even attacking Jordi, a patricidal traitor, was not feasible at the moment.
No matter how thoroughly they investigated and uncovered his patron, all it would do was add another enemy's name to the list.
It was better to devote that effort to matters that actually needed it.
"And even if we don't investigate, his backer will reveal themselves soon enough. I've got a rough idea who it is, anyway."
"Really? Have you found some kind of clue?"
"A clue? Hardly. Just put together what we already know, and the outline practically draws itself."
As he spoke, Lucian gestured around the room with his finger.
Lucian raised his index finger to his lips.
"Let's not jump to conclusions. It'll come to light soon enough anyway. Understood?"
The retainers nodded silently.
If the person who had just come to mind truly was the one pulling the strings, it wasn't a subject to discuss lightly.
Having put the matter of Jordi aside for now, Lucian moved on to the main point.
"What's urgent right now isn't revenge—it's putting Asagrim in order. This land has immense potential, but…"
"They targeted your father on the battlefield, so it has to have been one of those who took part in suppressing the rebellion. There's no way a mere mage could decide on something of that scale on their own. The one pulling the strings had to be in a position to give orders on the spot."
"Surely not one of His Majesty the Emperor's close confidants…?"
"No. If it were one of His Majesty's confidants, I would have known the moment Asagrim was assigned as my post."
If it had been one of the Emperor's confidants, they would have been the recipient of the order and thus known immediately.
If it had been some unrelated lord, there would have been no reason to inform them at all—and they would have remained ignorant to the end.
Yet the opponent had obtained that information while the suppression of the rebellion was still ongoing.
"That means they're in a position quite close to His Majesty the Emperor. Close enough to overhear confidential matters or matters of state while they're being discussed."
"What kind of official could possibly be that close?"
"It might not be an official. It could be family."
"Family? You mean the First Prince? But for the First Prince to devise something like this is a bit too—"
The moment he reached that point, Hugo felt a chill run down his spine.
Aside from the First Prince, wasn't there someone else just as close to the Emperor?
Not a confidant bound up in power, but someone removed from authority—yet personally close to the Emperor, and someone Jordi might be willing to entrust his future to.
"…Don't tell me…"
"Shh."
"The problem is that there's no populace to bring that potential to life."
Taking up Lucian's words, Raymond muttered with a troubled expression.
"With no populace, we can't collect taxes, and we can't even form an army. For now, we're barely getting by on supplies and funds provided by the Imperial Court, but even that will only last about half a year."
"That's right. If I can't fill Asagrim with settlers within half a year, I'll be bankrupt. Money will keep going out, but there'll be no one to pay taxes."
"Then we'll have to bring them in from outside."
"If there's anyone willing to give them up."
Lucian and Raymond exchanged bitter smiles.
To a lord, settlers were laborers, soldiers, and a source of tax revenue all in one.
To declare that you were taking a large number of them away?
Even blood allies bound together for generations would instantly become enemies.
"If no one will give them up, then we'll have to take them—from someone we don't need to feel guilty about robbing."
"There is a suitable target, actually, but there's been no word at all. He should've escaped prison and reached his own territory by now."
Lucian recalled Norbek Calyx, who had broken out of prison not long ago.
A man driven mad by his son's death—there was no chance he would come kneeling before Lucian now.
It was about time for him to come charging in with a you die, I die mindset, yet strangely, there had been no news at all.
"It can't be helped. For now, let's start by assigning your official positions. I wanted to wait until the territory looked more presentable before making appointments, but it seems that'll take some time."
At those words, the retainers all looked at Lucian with visibly excited expressions.
These weren't personal titles granted through private loyalty, but official posts recognized by the outside world.
Lucian began announcing the positions he had already planned, one by one.
"First—Hans, you'll be the Chamberlain. I wanted to make you Chief Steward, but with not a single steward around, having a Chief Steward alone would just be ridiculous."
"W-What!? I saw plenty of people yesterday who were more capable than I am—"
"Then you can just learn from them."
"Is it really acceptable for a chamberlain to learn from the attendants!?"
"In my territory, it is. And if any of them act insolent toward you while teaching, you're free to execute them on the spot."
"Haha, execution is a bit—"
Hans tried to laugh it off as a joke, but flinched at the seriousness in Lucian's eyes.
"…You're serious?"
"Dead serious. It'd be awkward for you to do it yourself, so I'll even assign you a soldier whose job will be executions."
The attendants sent by the Imperial Court had unquestionably demonstrated flawless skill.
In terms of experience, they were leagues beyond Hans.
But Lucian did not choose his retainers based on how well they could wait on him.
"Hans, remember this. You are my close aide. A retainer I trust and keep by my side. If someone nitpicks your abilities and tries to humiliate you, that's the same as showing disrespect to me."
"Your honor is my honor. If anyone insults you, don't hesitate. Cut off their head on the spot, and I'll pardon it—make sure they learn their place."
Hans felt his eyes grow hot and nodded.
The complete trust of the lord he served was heavy—yet warmer than anything else.
"Ian will be appointed Court Alchemist. I can't set everything up immediately, but I'll have a proper workshop prepared for you soon."
"A workshop!"
Ian cried out before he could stop himself, almost jumping in place.
Not some secret hideout workspace, but a workshop provided by a duke himself.
If he could brew potions in a perfectly equipped facility, just how far could he raise their purity?
Just imagining it made Ian's heart pound as if it might burst.
"And as for Sir Aizen…"
"I'm fine. What could an old body like mine possibly do? I intend to spend the rest of my life teaching Felicia."
"Then at least take on the role of military advisor. It's practically a half-honorary post, so it won't be much of a burden for you."
At Lucian's earnest request, Aizen accepted with a bitter smile.
Truthfully, he could have retired into seclusion without issue, but it wouldn't look good to keep refusing the goodwill of a benefactor.
"I'd like Raymond to take the position of Commander of the Royal Guard. The Royal Guard doesn't actually exist yet, so for now it'll be little more than a title."
"It's more than enough of an honor. A fully equipped Royal Guard—what a magnificent sight that will be."
Raymond recalled the more than one thousand weapons slumbering beneath the throne.
When the Royal Guard was eventually formed, every one of its members would surely be armed with those weapons.
Just imagining himself as their leader was enough to make a smile spread across his face.
"I'd like Felicia to take a knight-commander post as well, but no matter what, I can't create yet another knight order that exists in name only. For the time being, serve as my personal bodyguard."
"That is exactly what I hoped for."
Felicia nodded calmly.
As long as she could remain at Lucian's side as his guard, she seemed not to care in the slightest about any other title.
"And Hugo."
"Y-Yes!"
Hugo answered loudly, tense to the extreme.
None of his usual easygoing confidence was to be seen.
Seeing his stiff expression, Lucian broke into a grin.
"The time has come to keep your promise."
"…!"
"As the lawful right of the Border Marquis of Asagrim, I hereby appoint Hugo as a knight. The name of the house shall be Mayen—thus, from this moment on, you are a noble and the head of House Mayen."
The instant Lucian finished speaking, the strength drained from Hugo's legs, and he collapsed heavily to the floor.
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