After inspecting the underground secret chamber, the two men voiced the exact same impression.
"If we had time, it's a treasure that could overturn the Empire itself! It puts most artifact vaults to shame!"
"But you must be cautious. If it's revealed too hastily, you won't even get to use it properly before it's taken from you."
"That's exactly it."
Lucian nodded at Hugo and Raymond's words.
If he could establish a solid foundation and create an environment where this technology could be used freely, becoming the Empire's new master would not be an impossible dream.
The problem was that creating such an environment carried an overwhelmingly high degree of difficulty.
"Even if we somehow manage to gather the mages needed to interpret the technology, the Imperial Family's attention is a headache. We need to wait until they've at least lost interest in us before making a move."
"At the very least, it'll be impossible for several years. With the issue of succession to the throne, all eyes will be on you, my lord."
"Probably."
Even as he said that, Lucian let out a bitter smile inwardly.
In truth, there was no need to wait that long.
In his previous life, not long after the Emperor had reduced Krepfeld to scorched earth, he'd taken to his sickbed.
The fury from losing the First Prince must have played a part, but more than that, his health had already been poor.
Judging by how recklessly he's making moves to turn me into a pillar of support, he'll probably collapse soon this time as well.
Once the Emperor took to his sickbed, chaos would inevitably follow, and only then would these legacies finally see the light of day.
But no matter how trusted his retainers were, he couldn't reveal the fact that he knew the future itself, so all he could do was offer vague agreement and move on.
"In any case, if I'm going to make use of this legacy, I need to solidify my own foundation first. Debts or whatever can all be repaid later—the important thing is securing a source of money."
"No matter how generously the Imperial Family lends, there's still a limit."
"We can make up the shortfall by squeezing it out of the House of Count Calyx. How much we take will depend on how they choose to act."
To be honest, Lucian rather hoped that the House of Count Calyx would openly pick a fight.
That way, he could crush them completely and rake in every last grain from their warehouses.
If you lay hands on another man's property, you shouldn't expect your own storehouses to remain untouched.
Fortunately, preparations to strip the House of Count Calyx bare were steadily falling into place.
Support had surged thanks to the revival of House Grimaldi and the recovery of Asagrim.
On top of the authority granted to him as a border marquis, there was also the "gift" Thorkel had provided.
And the single most substantial reinforcement among them would be the support troops sent by the Imperial Family.
Two thousand elite soldiers, and one of the Imperial Family's knight orders—the Blue Rose Knights.
They were merely borrowed forces, but forces he could wield freely while they were his to command.
At the thought of receiving the largest army he had ever led, his heart began to race.
What would it feel like to command such a force alone?
I'll find out soon enough.
After taking one last look around his ancestors' legacy, Lucian turned away from the underground chamber.
The time to become the ruler he had long dreamed of was drawing near.
***
"Sir Glen. I believe it's about time you delivered the forces you promised."
The next day, Lucian visited Glen and went straight to the point.
Now that accommodations for the troops had been prepared, there was no reason to hesitate.
"As a matter of fact, I contacted His Majesty the Emperor yesterday. He said the preparations are complete and that he can dispatch them at any time. However…"
When Glen trailed off hesitantly, Lucian's gaze sharpened.
Surely they weren't going to change their tune at this late stage?
"Has some problem arisen?"
"There's no problem. He simply made one additional proposal."
"An additional proposal?"
"You're likely quite troubled by a shortage of manpower, so he suggested sending along a few skilled attendants and servants as well… ahem—khm!"
Glen failed to finish his sentence and turned his gaze aside.
At the sight of him awkwardly trying to hide his embarrassment, Lucian let out a soft chuckle.
Planning to slip spies in among the servants, are you.
In truth, it would be foolish not to plant spies when such an opportunity arose.
No matter how close an ally might be, unless someone was your own successor, you could never know their innermost thoughts.
Under the pretext of preparing for contingencies, it was standard practice to quietly insert informants.
Of course there'll be spies among the soldiers too—but soldiers and servants have very different levels of access.
Unless they were elite troops raised directly by a noble house, soldiers usually moved only through publicly visible areas.
Servants and attendants, on the other hand, could inspect everything—from beneath the bed to inside the chamber pot.
Naturally, that meant learning just as much about the lord's private life.
That's basically the same as asking me to bare my back.
"Your Highness, His Majesty spoke purely out of goodwill, so please don't misunderstand. If you truly don't feel comfortable with it, it's perfectly fine to refuse."
Glen wiped sweat from his brow as he carefully gauged Lucian's reaction.
Even he must have felt that the Emperor's request was far too blatant.
Yet Lucian smiled calmly and replied,
"I'll gladly accept His Majesty's goodwill."
"Y-Yes, in that case there's nothing we can—wait, what did you just say?"
"I was just worrying about how to find capable attendants and servants. I'm delighted that His Majesty would resolve that concern for me."
"Y-Your Highness."
"Once the servants arrive, I'll have them start by making the bed. I've been sleeping on a poorly maintained one lately, and my back's gone stiff."
At the frivolous joke, Glen's eyes trembled.
Entrusting someone with his bed meant exposing the moment when one was at their most defenseless.
It was proof of absolute trust—a sign that he harbored no ulterior motives and was telling them not to worry.
Before he realized it, Glen grabbed Lucian's hand tightly.
"Your Highness truly is someone sent by the Eight Gods. You'd be hard-pressed to find even ten loyal subjects like you in the entire Empire."
"What's with this all of a sudden? You can gild my face all you like, but nothing's going to come of it."
"I mean every word. I swear I'll convey Your Highness's loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor. Please wait for it."
From the firm grip of Glen's hand, it was clear—there would be no second request like this.
Lucian wore an awkward expression, struggling to hold back the laughter bubbling up inside him.
In truth, he hadn't accepted the servants out of trust at all, but because he knew that spies or not, they would soon become utterly irrelevant.
It's true that I need a lot of servants right now. If I start recruiting, applicants will swarm like clouds—but who knows how many of them would be Calyx's spies.
Since there was no way to identify spies one by one, it would inevitably come down to a choice between Imperial spies and Calyx's spies.
In that case, it was better to accept Imperial spies—who gathered information but never targeted lives.
After all, the spies would only make up a tiny fraction; the vast majority would be thoroughly trained, high-level personnel.
What matters most is the Emperor's remaining lifespan—it won't be long now. From the look of it, they're exchanging information solely through magic devices without any relay points. Once the Emperor dies, will those spies still be of any use?
Magic devices usable only by the Imperial bloodline.
He found himself wanting to see, at least once, how adept the First Prince truly was at handling spies—
how he would respond when faced with the strongest figure among his own support base.
***
Having finished their agreement, Glen immediately went outside to use a magic device.
However, after several attempts, he returned to Lucian with an awkward expression.
"Your Highness, I'm afraid we'll have to move a bit farther away from the White Palace."
"You can't use it from inside?"
"No. Other magic devices function just fine, so it seems only spatial-opening magic is restricted here."
"Oh?"
At the unexpected information, Lucian's eyes lit up.
It meant he didn't have to worry about intrusions carried out through magic devices.
"In that case, it can't be helped. We'll have to ride out beyond the castle walls."
"My apologies for the inconvenience."
With Glen's apology, Lucian's party mounted their horses and headed beyond the castle walls.
The pilgrims, too, followed at a distance, wondering what on earth was happening.
Stopping several times along the way to check the magic device, Glen eventually confirmed that it functioned only once they were quite far away.
"O master of the Azure Path, I call upon you—come!
By the covenant, I call upon you—come!
By the blood of the dragon, I call upon you—come!"
The very same incantation the Emperor had once spoken now flowed from Glen's lips.
After a brief wait, the result was exactly the same as before.
Whoooosh—
"Gah!"
"What is that!?"
The pilgrims' screams of shock at the ring opening in midair reached Lucian's group.
Moments later, troops began pouring out from within the circle.
At their head were knights bearing the Blue Rose emblem on their left chests, followed by two thousand elite soldiers whose presence was anything but ordinary.
Last came roughly a hundred neatly dressed attendants and servants, leading wagons laden with all manner of supplies.
"G-Good heavens!"
"People are coming out of it!"
Despite the pilgrims' clamor, the soldiers didn't so much as blink.
As Lucian admired their flawless discipline, one knight dismounted and approached him.
"I, Gares Müller, Commander of the Blue Rose Knights, pay my respects to His Grace Duke Lucian, rightful heir of House Grimaldi and Border Marquis of Asagrim!"
Watching Gares kneel with that resounding declaration, Lucian felt a thrill run through him.
Just as the words implied, he was no longer a third son without a title, nor someone's proxy.
He was now a proper lord in his own right—Duke of Grimaldi and Border Marquis of Asagrim.
"Rise, Lord Gares. I thank you for coming all this way. I'll be relying on you for some time."
"By His Majesty's command, from this day forward we are Your Highness's sword. Wield us as you please. Give the order, and we'll even take on an army of a million."
"That's reassuring to hear. Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Saying so, Lucian gave Gares an approving pat on the shoulder—then flinched when he met the man's blazing gaze.
I thought he was just stating his ambition, but his zeal is on another level. Was he sidelined among the Imperial knight orders or something?
Those eyes burned as if he'd leap straight into the midst of a million-man army—starved for achievements to the point of hunger.
From the looks of it, he'd been pushed aside or poorly treated compared to other Imperial knight orders.
Seems he wants to earn real merit while under my command and return like a triumphant general.
That suited Lucian just fine.
There was nothing more troublesome than borrowing another's army only to find them reluctant to fight.
If they were aflame with a desire for distinction, they'd act proactively without any need for urging.
In any case, preparations are complete.
The troops were in place, and servants needed for the banquet preparations had been secured.
Supplies were ready as well—now all that remained was to set the stage and send out the invitations.
Shall we finally meet face to face?
It was time to confront the master of the House of Count Calyx—the one so fond of overstepping his bounds.
＊
—Duke Lucian Grimaldi Valdeck, Duke of Grimaldi and Border Marquis of Asagrim, invites you to a banquet.
The short invitation alone sent shockwaves through the North, as if an earthquake had struck.
It hadn't been long since that bratty third son of Valdeck had been making a fuss, demanding his maternal grandfather's legacy be handed over.
And now, all of a sudden—not only Duke of Grimaldi, but Border Marquis of Asagrim as well?
"What kind of nonsense is this? Asagrim is an Imperial direct domain—Border Marquis?"
"And what's this about Duke of Grimaldi? Even if he's the grandson, this crosses the line!"
"Is he planning to make enemies of both Calyx and the Imperial Family? That's youthful recklessness taken too far."
Unless the Imperial Family had gone mad, there was no way they'd hand over both the headship of House Grimaldi and Asagrim at the same time.
Most likely, the young man had simply failed to rein in his hot blood and was spouting claims of his own making.
That was what the lords thought—until the detailed information that followed left them aghast.
"They really gave him Asagrim? Along with Grimaldi's lands?"
"That's impossible! Are you hallucinating!? The Emperor would have to be insane!"
"Isn't this practically the restoration of the royal house!? I never thought I'd live to see this day…!"
"So what happens to Calyx now? Wasn't it just yesterday they were throwing Grimaldi's name around?"
"To hell with some count's house! Asagrim has returned to the bosom of the North!"
The fact that House Grimaldi had reclaimed Asagrim delivered a tremendous shock.
Even if the Imperial Family refused to acknowledge it, it was effectively the half-restoration of the Northern royal house.
Amid this unprecedented upheaval, the lords were thrown into confusion—yet all of them, without exception, set off for Asagrim.
"A banquet being held in Asagrim—how could we possibly not attend!"
"It's a gathering to herald the revival of the kingdom. Of course we must go. A historic moment."
"I want to see that brat's face for myself. Just what kind of sorcery did he pull off?"
"Damn it, I sided with Calyx… if I go now and beg, will he still accept me?"
Their motives varied widely, but not a single one of them chose the option of skipping the banquet.
Everyone instinctively sensed that the future of the North would be decided at this banquet.
And, naturally, the House of Count Calyx was mixed in among them as well.
"This is our last chance. If we don't eliminate him, we're finished!"
Before departing for Asagrim, Norbek summoned his close aides and shouted as if in a fit.
They, too, understood his fears, and their faces were all grim.
Only one person—the man standing at the very end—listened to Norbek's tirade with half an ear, murmuring to himself.
"A last chance, huh."
Would he seize hold of him and gain a benefactor, or let him slip away and invite the god of death?
Colin gently toyed with the cards used in his divination.
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