Lucian's eyebrows trembled.
"The Lion-Heart Sword."
A sword art taught only to those selected as candidates for the next head of house, along with a tiny handful of the most trusted retainers.
Among the ancient sword arts, it was famed for its extraordinary ferocity—one of the strongest forms in existence.Not only knights, but even ordinary farmers knew the name of the Lion-Heart Sword.It was something one might hear at least once in childhood tales or regional folklore.
And now, Grand Duke Sigmund had just declared he would teach him that very art.Lucian bit down tightly on his lips to contain his emotions.
"At long last…!"
In his previous life, even after stirring up the entire continent, he had never obtained a high-level sword art.The one he barely managed to acquire had been nothing more than a degraded version of what ordinary knights learned.To an average mercenary, even that was precious—but Lucian had never been able to feel joy.
How many times had he been beaten down by knights he once defeated easily, only for them to return years later with overwhelming skill?Every time he lost and barely survived, he had been tormented by maddening self-loathing—and by the thirst for a true upper-tier sword art.
And now, not just a high-level art, but one of the strongest sword arts of all, shimmered before him.
"I will head to the training grounds first thing tomorrow."
"Don't overdo it.""It isn't overdoing anything. My body has already recovered. Resting any longer would only let a well-healed body rust."
The Grand Duke narrowed his brow, but Lucian straightened fully and rose to his feet as if to show off.Only after examining Lucian's condition once did the Grand Duke's expression relax.Judging by the state of Lucian's muscles, he seemed to realize it wasn't empty bravado.
"Very well—do as you wish. But if you mismanage your body and suffer for it, the consequences are yours alone to bear.""I'll keep that in mind.""I leave the matter concerning the Logran Margrave house to you. Stir it up as your ability allows. And if the results are good, you may expect a reward.""I won't disappoint you.""Go."
Lucian bowed and stepped out of the Grand Duke's office.Ever since he heard he would be taught the Lion-Heart Sword, his heart had been pounding—and it still beat wildly now.
'Now it begins…'
In his previous life, Lucian had lacked everything necessary to achieve his dream.His bloodline, his sword arts, even his physical body were barely above the bottom.With such a hopeless foundation, no amount of effort allowed him to rise beyond the rank of mercenary captain.
"But this time, all of that is filled."
And because of that, the coming age of chaos would be unlike the last.
Above all, now that he had a proper bloodline, the limit on how far he could rise had effectively vanished.Lucian intended to climb as high as he possibly could.Just how far could he reach now—with this strength and knowledge?
Suppressing the corners of his mouth that kept wanting to rise, Lucian began to envision his future.
***
After Lucian left, the Grand Duke immediately summoned Edwin.Edwin read through the documents outlining the Margrave house's scheme—and his face turned pale.
"Your Grace…"
"If you intend to apologize, don't.""It is because I was incompetent…""I said stop. It was my order that intelligence be concentrated at the border. With counter-espionage full of holes, what could you have done?""Even so, I should have noticed. This is Kelheim, the heart of Valdeck. An enemy held a dagger to our heart, and I failed to sense it—that is my mistake.""A dagger? This hardly qualifies as one."
As Edwin lowered his head in shame, the Grand Duke let out a snort.
"If it had been a dagger-level threat, you would have noticed. He merely poked with a fingernail—that's why you didn't sense it. It isn't that you were lacking; Bernhardt simply blindsided us.""You call tainting our domain with drugs 'a fingernail'?""Keep reading the documents."
Edwin's eyes returned to the report.After reading for a long while, he let out a bitter smile and shook his head.
"He poured all his effort solely into not being caught. At this rate, he couldn't spread the drugs quickly, nor even make real money.""Exactly. Once you subtract the cost of materials and distribution, there's barely any profit. No—profit was never the goal. He intended to tarnish my reputation."
Valdeck being caught flat-footed while drug trafficking occurred in his own front yard—It would provide perfect ammunition for rivals to mock and tear into him.If the Emperor ever tried to entrust the Grand Duke with an important position, they could even use this incident as an argument against him.
"But even so, he crossed the line. To pull something like this while the Empire is already staggering… this is practically treason, isn't it?""He never had loyalty to begin with. Hardly surprising.""In any case, thanks to the third boy, we avoided humiliation. A blessing beyond measure.""…Pardon? You mean His Third Highness provided these documents?""The one in charge of distribution apparently switched loyalties to him. Just a guess, but it must be that new servant from the underworld.""Hugo, wasn't it?""Yes, that Hugo. It sounds absurd, doesn't it? That a former underworld boss would abruptly change sides just because one plan got exposed."
The Grand Duke let out a quiet laugh and leaned back in his chair.A moment ago he had brushed past the topic, but it was not something that should be dismissed lightly.
"What power does the third boy have that anyone would swear loyalty to him? If Hugo were going to change sides, he'd have chosen someone with more influence. Or simply given up on everything and fled.""The fact that he went to the Third Prince means His Highness personally moved and persuaded him.""Persuasion… yes, I suppose that must be it."
Not wrong—but far too shallow to describe the reality.Would a weathered underworld boss really be swayed by a few words of persuasion?Would he blindly trust a blank check promising that his lifelong dream would be fulfilled?
'Impossible.'
This was no provincial noble, but a man who'd been treading the razor's edge between a Margrave and a Grand Duke.His courage surpassed that of most knights, and his mind must have been sharp as a blade.For such a man to swear loyalty to Lucian and place his life in his hands—what did that mean?
It meant Lucian had shown him not just trustworthiness, but more than enough ability.Enough that even a snake-like schemer, cautious to the point of paranoia, would be completely won over.
"In any case, though it's earlier than planned, the third boy has shown enough ability that there's no point waiting any longer. From tomorrow onward, I intend to teach him the Lion-Heart Sword.""An excellent decision. And for a swordsmanship instructor…?"
"I'll ask Sir Aizen. I feel a bit sorry pulling him out when he's already taught everything he meant to teach and is resting, but there's no one more suitable.""Understood. I'll relay the message immediately.""Oh, and don't touch the organization mentioned in the documents. The third boy said he wants to shake them from the inside—I'd like to see what he can do."
At the Grand Duke's words, Edwin flinched.He understood the desire to test his son, but wasn't the weight of this matter far too great?A single misstep, and they could be toyed with and humiliated without ever landing a counterattack.
"Your Grace, forgive me, but this matter is—""I know what you want to say. That it's too important to be used as a test, correct?""That isn't the only issue. His Third Highness has no experience in these kinds of operations. Even if all goes well, it won't be as effective as if I handled it.""That's true. But even knowing that, I still want to entrust it to the third boy."
"…Did Your Grace see something in him?""Not something specific. But his eyes were… proper."
To the Grand Duke, a person's eyes could offer a hazy glimpse of the life they had lived.For example, a noble young lady raised in comfort would retain traces of innocence even when ordering the execution of a criminal.By contrast, someone raised in the harsh gutters—no matter how polite—would always have a suppressed, flickering murderous instinct in their gaze.The same applied to the Grand Duke's own sons.
No matter how gifted or dignified they were, the naïveté unique to sheltered noble youths was difficult to hide.But today, in Lucian's eyes, there had been none of that immaturity.
"He had the eyes of someone who has returned from the battlefield.""The battlefield…?""As you know, the gaze of a boy who only devours hero tales is different from that of a soldier who has had his ear grazed off in the chaos of charging spears and blades."
When Lucian declared he would stake his life, his eyes had clearly belonged to the latter.It was not the bravado of a youth or a dramatic pledge of resolve—it was a look only seen when someone truly places their life on the line.
Among his children, not a single other one could make such eyes.
"Ability and resolve are separate matters—but if he showed that level of resolve, I imagine he must also have a plan. I want to see just how much he can accomplish.""If that is Your Grace's will, then it cannot be helped."
Edwin bowed his head and stepped back.No matter how important the matter was, if the Grand Duke prioritized the raising of an heir, then as steward it was his duty to support that priority.At the same time, he couldn't help feeling a sliver of anticipation toward what results the Third Young Master might show.When it came to judging people, even Edwin couldn't match Grand Duke Sigmund's eye.
Lucian, upon returning, immediately summoned Hugo.
"Can you drag the Margrave house behind all this out into the open?""Drag them out… meaning?""I'm asking whether you can lure them in so they can't just cut off the tail and run."
He wasn't hoping to drag the Margrave himself to trial.He only needed enough additional evidence—just enough that they could no longer escape responsibility by claiming ignorance.Even a little more exposure would turn a 'tail' situation into a 'leg' situation—an enormous difference.The amount of blood the Margrave house would have to spill to prove their innocence would grow incomparably larger.
At Lucian's words, Hugo grinned.
"That much is not difficult. Two more representatives from the Margrave house are scheduled to visit me soon.""Two times?""They'll come personally to observe the drug manufacturing and the first sale. Before any operation begins, they always visit to make sure I'm not taking their funds and doing nothing.""And the status of these representatives? If they're merely disposable tails, it won't mean much.""He tried to hide it, but I shadowed him and learned his identity. He's the Margrave's fourth son."
Lucian's eyes widened.If a son was involved, the Margrave house could no longer deny their connection to Hugo.No—even if they denied it, they would have no choice but to sever not only the fourth son but everyone associated with him.A fatal blow they never would have imagined, assuming they still believed Hugo loyal.
"Can you handle this alone? I can't move. If Valdeck gets too deeply involved, they'll notice.""The prey is coming to me on its own—what assistance could I possibly need? I'll inform you when the time comes, so please don't worry."
Hearing this confident declaration, Lucian decided to entrust the entire matter to Hugo.Since Hugo had been hired directly by the Margrave's people, he understood the operation better than anyone.Interfering and offering half-baked advice would only disrupt him; leaving everything to Hugo's competence was best.And it wasn't as though Hugo lacked ability—he had more than enough.
"Hans said he's been retraining the servants lately, right? How is it?""To be honest, there's nothing to teach. After last time, everyone came to their senses. And regarding servant work—most of them have served longer than I have, so there's nothing for me to correct.""Even so, people revert easily. Watch them closely. If anyone starts slipping back into old habits, report immediately. People rarely change for good.""If any such insolent fellow appears, I'll inform you at once."
After giving his two trusted aides final instructions, Lucian went to bed.
And the next day, at the promised hour, he headed alone to the training grounds.There, waiting for him, was the person the Grand Duke had mentioned beforehand.
"It has been since His Grace's birthday two years ago, Third Young Master. Do you remember me?"
Despite the old knight's humble demeanor, Lucian could not relax.He had heard the man's name so many times in his previous life that the words were practically engraved into his ears.
Aizen Breitner.
The right hand of the previous Grand Duke and a loyal retainer who had served House Valdeck for three generations.And before Lucian now stood the only surviving knight among the five on the continent who had earned the title Sword Saint.