It was nothing new for the next Clan Lord candidates within a family to each build their own faction.
There were countless things that had to be done to gain the upper hand in the competition.
Gathering information, tripping up rivals, responding to emergencies in their absence, handling petty requests—on and on.
Because of this, entering the competition alone, without a faction, was practically impossible.
'But forming a separate faction within the clan also draws the Clan Lord's disfavor. After all, the master of the clan is, unquestionably, the Clan Lord…?'
Even so, there were two reasons the Clan Lord allowed the children's power struggles to continue unchecked.
First, it was an opportunity for the heirs to learn how to handle people.
Second, no matter what, it was impossible for them to even approach the Clan Lord's authority.
No matter how much power the candidates gathered, a single move from the Clan Lord would scatter it like a sandcastle.
So it wasn't something they would stop just because they were told not to. It served as education, and it posed no real threat, so it was simply left alone.
Still, no matter how harmless it was, the Clan Lord was human too.
'Anyone would find it irritating to watch them squabble among themselves while leaving the master of the clan out of it. That's why it's usually not encouraged—at best, it's just ignored…'
Yet now, Archduke Sigmund was outright urging Lucian to form a faction.
While Lucian hesitated, unsure of what to say, the Archduke spoke again.
"Don't misunderstand. I haven't decided to pass the clan on to you yet."
"But you are still one of the candidates. If I went through the trouble of choosing you as the next Clan Lord, only to have it snatched away right under my nose, wouldn't that be disgraceful? At the very least, build up enough of a faction that you can resist when someone tries to take the Clan Lord's seat from you."
Though his tone was cold, his voice was filled with sincerity.
Even if nothing was decided yet, it meant he regarded Lucian as a strong contender.
"I'm saying this just in case—abandon any thought of relying on me. A faction built on another's power is like a castle on sand. The comrades who stand beside you must be forged solely by your own strength."
"I will keep that in mind."
"You may go now."
Lucian bowed deeply and quietly closed the door behind him.
Left alone in the study, the Archduke leaned back heavily in his chair, lost in thought.
'Am I rushing things too much? The other children still haven't shown all of their potential.'
The eldest, Tristan, was an excessive principlist and gave up too easily, but in return he showed a steadiness unmoved by emotion and quick judgment.
The second, Jordi, treated his subordinates harshly and often broke faith, yet through meticulous cost–benefit calculations he always minimized losses in times of crisis.
The fourth, Joshua, had yet to display any outstanding qualities, but neither had he shown any particular shortcomings—someone to be observed and judged over time.
'They're all immature, which means they still have plenty of room to grow. Ordinarily, I should wait and watch their development before making a decision, but…'
Too many unforeseen incidents were occurring to leisurely wait for his children to mature.
It would be one thing if the tempests of the world would pass Valdeck by until then, but that was not going to happen.
Even without formally deciding, he needed at least one candidate who could be chosen immediately if the situation demanded it.
'Lucian…?'
Until a few years ago, the third son couldn't even meet his brothers' eyes and would pin the blame on others at the slightest mistake.
Yet something had happened—within a single year, he awakened and became a different person.
He was bold and reckless at times, but every action followed reason, and his perspective on the bigger picture was on a level incomparable to the other children.
Unlike the others, who still needed time to grow, Lucian was already complete as a proper noble.
"Didn't they say that extraordinary times call for extraordinary choices?"
Muttering with a bitter expression, the Archduke stared up at the ceiling.
As always, it seemed the world had no intention of considering human circumstances.
***
Lucian returned to the clan, but he found it difficult to carve out any time to rest.
The knights who had once watched him cautiously were now openly approaching him.
"Third Young Master, if it's all right with you, I'd like to have a brief conversation."
"Do you remember me? We crossed paths once before, you know."
"Please remember my name. We'll be seeing each other again soon."
Their approaches varied widely.
Some came with proper courtesy and formal greetings, while others acted familiar just because their sleeves had brushed once.
The most ridiculous of all were those who pretended it was a fated encounter, dressing themselves up as extraordinary talents.
'They call themselves members of a great clan—do they really have no pride? Resorting to tricks this childish.'
Letting out a dry laugh, Lucian brushed the knights aside and gave an order to Hans.
"From now on, filter out that sort of riffraff at your level."
"Pardon? Young Master, they're knights!"
"So what if they're knights?"
"I'm just a lowly servant. If knights force their way in, how am I supposed to stop them?"
"If someone's stupid enough to do that, I'll step in and throw them out myself, so don't worry. Anyone with their head screwed on straight wouldn't pull that kind of stunt in the first place."
In the Empire, status was absolute—but power was not always determined by status.
Hans was Lucian's personal attendant, and among the most trusted of the trusted, someone who had stayed by his side even in the days when Lucian was ignored by everyone else.
Compared to the pleading of a knight whose face he didn't even know, a half-joking request from Hans mattered far more to Lucian.
And yet, to treat someone like Hans carelessly just because his status was low?
'That just means they don't even have a basic sense of politics.'
Anyone that shallow wasn't even worth talking to—it would be nothing but a waste of time.
At Lucian's command, Hans, though anxious, turned away the knights who came afterward at his own level.
Fortunately, perhaps having learned from the aides of Lucian's other brothers, none of the knights dared to disregard Hans.
"Gaining fame is nice, but at this rate I'll spend ages just sorting out the riffraff."
With a sigh, Lucian looked out the window at the group of knights leaving.
Suddenly, the words Archduke Sigmund had spoken before surfaced in his mind.
'A faction, huh. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have one. And right now, I could make one easily enough. But forming a faction out of people like that… it really doesn't sit right with me.'
To be precise, he had no desire to build a bloated faction that was all size and no substance.
He had seen too many factions rot away in places beyond their leader's sight.
At the very least, each member should be someone they wouldn't be ashamed to show to others.
What Lucian wanted was an elite force—far smaller than his brothers', perhaps, but dense and razor-sharp at its core.
'The problem is the rewards to offer talented people. Those who know their own worth won't come running on nothing more than fame and an IOU for the future.'
The knights flocking to him now were all piranhas, testing the waters based solely on future potential.
Those who truly knew their own value never sold themselves cheaply from the start.
They knew that anyone would gladly pay a fair price to secure someone of their caliber.
And yet Lucian had nothing in hand that could serve as bait to entice such talent.
'Hugo and Felicia were loyal because they were in circumstances where they couldn't display their abilities without me—but it's impossible to keep using that kind of method forever.'
Not all talent is trapped in unreasonable environments, after all.
As Lucian pondered deeply, a single thought flashed through his mind like lightning.
A treasure among treasures—one that had once swayed even the imperial family—was still lying dormant.
If he could be the first to find it and secretly secure it…
'There's almost no information, so the chances of finding it are slim. Still, it's better than not trying at all.'
Having made up his mind, Lucian immediately went to see Archduke Sigmund.
****
"You want permission to go to the capital?"
"Yes."
Archduke Sigmund blinked at Lucian's sudden request.
The capital, out of the blue?
And at a time when he should be busy here and there forming a faction, no less.
"Let's hear your reason first. What business do you have in the capital?"
"I intend to gauge the atmosphere after the defeat, and while I'm at it, look for talent as well."
"Talent? Do you have anyone you know in the capital?"
"Not exactly, but I recently heard a rather interesting story, so I plan to visit and confirm it."
In response to the Archduke's questions, Lucian avoided giving detailed answers as much as possible.
He couldn't very well say that he was searching for the future creator of a miraculous elixir.
The Archduke studied Lucian quietly for a moment, then nodded.
"I suppose you're doing this with your own considerations in mind. Do as you wish. Just try to avoid revealing your status officially."
"Of course. I'm not going there to be treated with ceremony, so I'll keep things as quiet as possible."
"I'll assign Raymond as your escort. He must have taken a liking to you—whenever escorts are selected these days, he always volunteers."
Raymond, huh.
Since their first meeting, when Raymond had been assigned as his guard, he was a man Lucian had grown attached to in many ways.
Come to think of it, Raymond himself was also one of those rare talents—couldn't he be recruited somehow?
As if reading Lucian's thoughts, Archduke Sigmund added casually,
"Let me tell you one thing. The Black Lions aren't forced into lifelong service. Once they reach a certain age, they can retire, and if they've rendered sufficient merit, they can even transfer to another affiliation. The process is discreet, which is why it doesn't become widely known."
"Raymond will be leaving the Black Lions soon. I don't know where he plans to go, but someone of his caliber deserves treatment befitting his ability, don't you think?"
At the Archduke's words, Lucian felt a jolt of clarity.
Unlike Felicia or Hugo, who were still in the process of growing, Raymond was already a complete talent.
Whether Lucian could offer someone like that appropriate treatment was, in the end, a measure of his own capability.
'This can't end with just testing the waters. Even if I have to turn the entire capital upside down, I must find it.'
With firm resolve, Lucian bowed his head and spoke.
"You're absolutely right, Father. If one cannot offer treatment worthy of someone's ability, it means they have no right to claim that talent."
"Mm, indeed. It's good that you understand."
Pleased by the forthright answer, the Archduke smiled in satisfaction.
Once lost, talent is extraordinarily difficult to reclaim.
Rather than giving up because one lacks the capacity, one must have the resolve to drive oneself forward and take it in hand.
As the Archduke was about to dismiss him and end the conversation, Lucian quickly added another remark.
"Thank you very much for granting me permission to go to the capital, but there is one more thing I'd like to ask of you, Father."
"What is it?"
"Only if you have the time, of course…"
A moment later, at Lucian's follow-up request, the Archduke burst out laughing.
After laughing for a while, he readily granted the second request as well.
***
The moment they returned, Hans was startled to see Lucian already preparing to head out again.
"Young Master, are you going out again?"
"Yes. This time, I'm going to the capital."
"The capital? Why all of a sudden?"
"I happened to have some business there. Take good care of the house while I'm gone."
At Lucian's request, Hans's expression darkened.
In the past, as his personal attendant, he would always have accompanied his master wherever he went.
But as people began gathering under Lucian and the things that needed managing increased, the time Hans spent at his side naturally decreased as well.
It also meant that Lucian's standing had risen that much—but from Hans's perspective, he couldn't hide his unease.
'They say when distance grows, hearts grow distant too.'
Hans thought of Hugo and Felicia, who had joined not long ago.
As a personal attendant, Hans had spent far more years with his master, yet those two were already standing in a higher place than he was.
At least Hugo was still a commoner like Hans, but once he truly became a knight, their positions would be reversed.
'At this rate, am I going to be pushed all the way to the back? Little by little, my presence fading away, until the Young Master forgets me altogether…'
The dreadful thought made Hans's body tremble.
Lucian, who had been in the middle of preparing to leave, noticed Hans lost in thought and let out a small chuckle.
"What kind of imagination has you shaking like that?"
"Huh? N-no, I was just spacing out for a moment."
"I don't know what you were thinking about, but you won't have time to slack off, so keep your head straight. Starting tonight, I asked Father to have you receive some steward training."
"…What?"
At Lucian's words, Hans's eyes went wide in shock.
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