Chapter 108

Knight.

At that exquisitely sweet word, Hugo’s mind went blank.
That someone who had once been nothing more than a back-alley thug could become a true knight and found a new house—
it was hard to tell whether this was reality or a dream.

Hugo Mayen.

Each time he rolled his newly granted surname around in his mind, his body trembled as if struck by lightning.
He had never once doubted his lord, yet Hugo himself was riddled with flaws.

Even if his lord had failed to keep his promise, Hugo had convinced himself that he had no right to resent him.

“What are you doing?”

Lucian’s voice pulled Hugo out of his reverie.
Only then did Hugo realize his discourtesy and scramble to his feet.

“S-Sorry. My legs just gave out—”
“No, what I mean is—why do you look like you’ve got no regrets left in life? Are you planning to be satisfied just because you achieved a long-held dream and then stop?”
“…Huh?”

Lucian smiled as he looked at the dazed Hugo.

“If you’re going to rise, you might as well aim higher. Don’t you think?”

Hugo’s eyes widened.
Above a knight—wouldn’t that mean a landed noble with a title?
The other retainers also looked flustered by Lucian’s remark.

“My lord, it’s one thing to aim high, but this really isn’t the right time to set your sights on a title.”
“Why not?”
“Why…? Because—we’ve lost contact with the Imperial Court, haven’t we?”

Raymond frowned uneasily.
No matter how high one’s rank, granting territory to someone else absolutely required imperial approval.
To carve out land without the Emperor’s sanction was considered a grave crime bordering on treason—even if it was one’s own territory.
After all, anyone who received land that way would owe loyalty to the individual lord, not the Empire.

“Even though you hold two titles, my lord, whether Duke or Border Marquis, granting land at your own discretion is a serious offense.”
“Is that so? Then I suppose I just need to rise to a position where granting land at will is permitted.”
“As far as I know, there’s no title for which such a privilege is allowed…”
“There is one. King.”

The retainers all stared at Lucian in shock.
And it was only natural—since the founding of the Empire, there had never been a case of a noble being elevated to king.
At most, the Empire had allowed surrendered royal houses of vassal states to remain as kings.
Yet here he was, declaring his intent to claim a king’s throne for the first time.

“M-My lord… what you’re saying is—”

“I’m not saying we should betray the Imperial Court, nor that we should exploit the situation to threaten them. I’m saying that when an opportunity comes, I won’t hesitate. Those who don’t set a goal end up wavering even after they seize an opportunity—and let it slip away.”

Lucian spoke as he swept a serious gaze across his retainers.

“Engrave this in your minds. Times of chaos like this are among the few chances to rise. They’re the moments when notions that have lasted for hundreds, even thousands of years, finally collapse.”

“When this period passes and peace returns, everything will solidify again. And after that, when will the next opportunity come? A hundred years later? Two hundred?”

Perhaps only after the family had been wiped out, without even a single line of his name left behind.
And yet he was supposed to say this is enough, that he’d climbed high enough, and stop in satisfaction?
To Lucian, that was laughable.

“I intend to go all the way—to the very end, until the day peace returns and everything becomes fixed once more. What will you do?”

Lucian’s retainers felt their hearts burn.
They had always believed that the one who left footprints in history was their lord, while they themselves merely rode on the shoulders of that giant.
That they existed only to clear away the obstacles at his feet so he wouldn’t stumble over pebbles.
Yet now that very lord was asking whether they were prepared to become giants too—and leave their own marks on history.

“I don’t think I need to hear your answers.”

Waiting for their response, Lucian said with a grin.
The burning ambition reflected in their eyes was answer enough.

***

Although official positions had been assigned to his retainers, the real problems began after that.
Without replenishing the most crucial element—the populace—there was not a single plan he could properly carry out.

Fortunately, two days later, the news Lucian had been waiting for finally arrived.

“Calyx has made his move?”
“Yes. He’s currently marching on Asagrim.”

At Thorkel’s report, Lucian let out a short laugh.
The fact that Calyx was charging in without even issuing a declaration of war suggested he had no intention of observing even the most basic formalities, let alone fighting over justification.

“Good. I’ve been wondering when he’d show up. If he wants to skip the tedious war of words and get straight to fighting, that works for us.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“Crush him head-on. Is there any other way?”
“That’s not what I meant. I was asking whether, in this war, you plan to request assistance from other lords.”

Thorkel looked at Lucian with an eager expression.
Back when Lucian had lacked military strength, he had moved on the assumption of receiving military aid from other lords.
Now he had knights and elite troops borrowed from the Imperial Court, but the more allies one had, the better.
It wouldn’t have been strange at all to request support as originally planned.

“If you give the order, I’ll return to my family at once and bring our forces.”
“You talk big—for someone who isn’t even the head of House Osgor. And didn’t you say you went home recently and got beaten by your father?”
“…That rumor’s exaggerated. I only got hit once.”
“I heard that one hit made your cheek swell to twice its size. They said you couldn’t even open one eye—must’ve been rough until the swelling went down.”
“Cough—cough!”

As if avoiding Lucian’s gaze, Thorkel lowered his head.
After clearing his throat a few times, he looked back up at Lucian with a serious expression.

“In any case, if Your Highness requests aid, House Osgor will come running without hesitation.”
“I’m sure they would. Count Harald has always wanted to help me—and he holds quite a grudge against Calyx as well.”

“Then we should act at once—”
“But that would only make sense if this were the Calyx of his prime. Against what’s left of him now, I have no intention of borrowing anyone else’s strength. This time, I plan to crush them purely with my own power.”

Thorkel stared at Lucian in shock.
Face the House of Calyx alone, without anyone’s help?

“Your Highness, I don’t believe you’ll lose. By any reasonable measure, there’s no reason you should.”

Everyone in the north had already turned their backs on Calyx.
His alliances were gone, his authority shattered, and he couldn’t present a single legitimate cause.
If Lucian so much as flicked his hand, enemies would swarm from all sides and tear him apart.
If things went well, Calyx might not even reach Asagrim before his house was wiped out.

“But if you face Calyx using only the forces you currently possess, the losses will be considerable. House Calyx is still a great family that has been rooted in the north for centuries.”
“I know. That’s exactly why I’m doing it alone.”
“…I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“I’d rather not split Calyx up and share him with other lords, if possible.”

If he borrowed troops, he’d have to share the spoils according to each ally’s contribution.
With resources and populace urgently needed, Lucian was reluctant to divide the rewards with others.

“If Calyx were still too strong for me to handle alone, I’d accept that drawback. But now that I can deal with him on my own, choosing to suffer unnecessary losses would be ridiculous.”
“But if you expend too many troops in the process and weaken your ability to control other lords, wouldn’t that defeat the purpose?”
“That’s true. On the other hand, if I strip them bare all by myself, no one will dare challenge me afterward.”

Thorkel stared at Lucian blankly.
Even if defeat was unlikely, the opponent was Norbek—a man who had lost his son, was on the brink of annihilation, and was left with nothing but venom.
Whether his house survived or not, he was bound to thrash about like a madman, desperate to inflict as much damage on Lucian as possible.
Even victory could easily turn into a triumph soaked in wounds—yet such confidence.

“Don’t tell me the Sword Saint who visited recently has agreed to step in?”
“Of course not. He’s done more than enough already. His later years should be spent in peace.”

Lucian dismissed the Sword Saint as a matter of course, only deepening Thorkel’s confusion.
Watching Thorkel roll his eyes in thought, Lucian let out a small chuckle.

“You’re wondering what I’m relying on to be this confident, aren’t you?”
“It’s not that, I just—”
“That’s enough. Go back to your territory and focus on your heir training. If you keep wandering around, your father’s going to rot away from stress.”
“Your Highness.”

Thorkel bowed his head, his expression stiff.
It seemed he thought he was being sent away because he hadn’t yet earned full trust.
Seeing Thorkel’s unease, Lucian spoke in a serious tone.

“Do you still have the potion I gave you?”
“That glowing liquid? Yes, I still have it.”
“Take it back to your territory and show it to your father. After you show it to him, you may drink it.”

“That’s proof of my trust. You can hear the details from your father.”
“…Understood.”

Though he tilted his head in confusion, Thorkel followed Lucian’s instructions.
Only after meeting Harald would he truly understand what Lucian had entrusted to him.

Just as Lucian, now alone, was calmly considering how to deal with Calyx—

“…Norbek Calyx has issued a challenge to a duel?”

At the news that it wasn’t a declaration of war but a challenge to a duel, Lucian let out a hollow laugh.

***

“It’s a trap.”

Sword Saint Aizen, now serving as military advisor, answered immediately upon hearing the report.
Lucian, who had already reached the same conclusion, nodded calmly.

“There’s no way they think we wouldn’t see through it. I can’t understand why they’d make such an offer. Do you think there’s some angle to it?”
“He’s desperate, so he’s poking at everything he can—despite knowing full well how foolish it is.”

Aizen spoke with a bitter smile.

“There’s a saying that a man who’s resolved to die is strong. I used to believe that myself. But in my experience, quite a few such men behave rather pitifully instead.”
“You mean not those begging for their lives, but those prepared to die?”
“Yes. Most of them demanded a reward befitting their death. Because they believe their own lives are supremely precious, they want a result that satisfies that value.”

If someone devoted their life to a belief regardless of the outcome, one could call that beautiful.
But the people Aizen had seen wanted results commensurate with the life they were offering.
If they couldn’t obtain that result even after staking their life, they saw no reason to stake it at all.

“Among those driven mad by revenge, there are surprisingly many like that. If they can’t trade their enemy’s life for their own on equal terms, they actually grow cautious instead.”
“A man prepared to die becoming cautious—that’s ironic.”
“They need their life’s price to be high enough to feel satisfied. Judging by this absurd proposal, that Norbek fellow seems to be much the same sort.”

He had to kill Lucian at all costs, so he was grasping at even the most nonsensical proposal.
Because while he was ready to lose his life, he couldn’t tolerate a scenario where Lucian survived with only minor losses.

Even if he made such a foolish proposal hundreds of times, he would probably think it was a worthwhile gamble as long as just one of them succeeded.

“The truly frightening ones are those who, after meticulous calculation, try to take even an arm or an eye from their enemy. Compared to them, men like this reach for an exchange far beyond their means and end up losing only their own lives.”
“I see. Then we should accept it.”
“…Your Highness. Were you actually listening to what I just said?”
“I was. You’re saying he’s the type who’ll drag things out until a chance arises to decisively take my life, aren’t you?”

If Aizen was right, then as long as Lucian showed no opening, Norbek wouldn’t truly fight.
In that case, the only option was to feign an opening and overwhelm him in a single stroke.
Aizen frowned, about to warn him that it was far too dangerous—when Lucian spoke first.

“I understand what you want to say, but before that, please take a look at this.”

Lucian presented a box he had brought with him before visiting Aizen.
Seeing the chest, roughly the size of a man’s torso, Aizen blinked in surprise.

“What is this?”

At Aizen’s question, Lucian smiled.

“The legacy of the royal family.”