Chapter 40

Chapter 40
## Chapter 40

The Adamantium sword and the suit of enchanted armor were, without question, magnificent prizes.

However, they were also complicated gifts to accept, given the danger of plunging straight into the heart of a fierce political power struggle. This was particularly daunting because a single blunder had the potential to destroy one’s entire career before it truly began.

Noticing the way his sons wavered, the Grand Duke let out a sharp click of his tongue.

“Your hesitation proves exactly why my third son is the one who deserves these honors. A weight that no man is willing to lift is a hundred times more taxing than one someone else is already prepared to carry.”

The three brothers, finding no possible way to argue against the Grand Duke’s stinging criticism, bowed their heads in unison.

From that moment on, not a single soul uttered another word regarding the rewards Lucian had obtained.

Forty-eight hours later, a formal envoy finally arrived from the Imperial Family to officially summon the Grand Duke’s military support.

“To crush the lawless insurgents of Krepelt, we formally request the military aid of Sigmund Valdek, the patriarch of the House of Valdek.”

“I shall fulfill the decree of His Majesty.”

Because the entire arrangement had been pre-settled through private correspondence, this ceremony was nothing more than a performance for the public eye.

Lucian assembled the legion, which had been standing by for days, before the exterior gates of the fortress.

The total count of soldiers deployed by the House of Valdek reached one thousand.

While not a staggering quantity, the fact that they were all high-tier veterans from the permanent standing army meant it was a contingent that wanted for nothing in terms of strength.

Furthermore, when contributing to a coalition force, sending the largest possible number isn’t always the wisest strategy.

The House of Valdek already wielded incredible political weight; what would occur if they arrived with a gargantuan army on top of that?

Leaving aside the massive logistical burden, their influence within the unified command would become overwhelming. From the perspective of the Imperial Family, that would shift the feeling from being supported to being threatened.

He needed to provide just enough manpower so that the Imperial Family could still claim total leadership over the coalition.

‘I must project the power appropriate for our family’s rank while keeping the actual headcount restrained. Politics is truly a migraine.’

Lucian wore a wry grin, but he burned the Grand Duke’s wisdom into his memory. If he intended to rule one day, these nuanced political tactics were essential.

As the final marching orders were set, a knight of middle age approached Lucian and offered a respectful salute.

“It is a privilege to meet you, Third Young Master. My name is Gerard Hexen. I have been designated to act as your chief staff officer for this operation. Should you have any inquiries regarding tactical matters, please feel free to consult me.”

“I am certain I will gain much insight from your experience. I look forward to our cooperation, Sir Gerard.”

The exchange was civil, but despite his professional tone, Gerard’s face remained quite somber.

Lucian, sensing the man’s inner turmoil, gave a brief, quiet chuckle.

‘He must feel like he’s walking on eggshells because I hold absolute command. He is a “staff officer” in title, but if I chose to disregard him and charge ahead, there is nothing he could do to stop me.’

In reality, being overlooked would be the best he could hope for. Since the Grand Duke had explicitly handed Lucian total authority, Lucian could technically dismiss him from the staff if the mood struck him.

Gerard was in a spot where he couldn’t even dream of reining in Lucian’s potential reckless behavior; instead, he was consumed by the fear of offending Lucian. It was little wonder he appeared so tense.

‘Well, I don’t particularly plan to go out of my way to soothe his ego.’

If the Grand Duke had truly wanted to provide a mentor to control him, he would have dispatched a knight of greater renown. If the officer possessed a legendary reputation, even Lucian wouldn’t be able to act without caution.

However, the man assigned was a soldier with vast experience but no famous pedigree. The Grand Duke’s message was transparent: Listen to his thoughts for context, but in the end, make your own choices.

‘It is a shame he hasn’t realized that yet.’

Since knowing the reality wouldn’t benefit the knight, Lucian chose to remain silent. He concluded the formalities and kept Gerard close as a consultant. As long as their views didn’t hit a stalemate, there was no reason to damage the rapport.

“On another note, I haven’t the slightest idea why you are showing your face here again.”

“Haha, it’s been a while, so why the frostiness? Aren’t we brothers-in-arms who bled on the same field?”

“Stop winking at me. It’s unsettling when a grown man does that.”

At Lucian’s remark, Raymond rubbed the back of his neck, looking rather sheepish.

“I’ll have you know I’ve only just turned thirty-five.”

“Never mind your age. What is your purpose for being here this time?”

“To act as the Third Young Master’s personal protector, naturally.”

“A protector? In the middle of an entire regiment?”

“Even so, a man needs at least one dedicated guard for the unexpected. Truthfully, I wanted to bring my partners along as well, but I was informed that would be overdoing it, so I came by myself. Aren’t you pleased to see me after our time apart?”

“Pfft!”

Lucian, who had been pressing Raymond for answers, finally collapsed into laughter at the man’s bold reply. He had speculated whether Raymond was sent to monitor him, but it appeared he had signed up out of genuine camaraderie.

“Well, it isn’t a bad situation to have a master swordsman at my side. By the way, are you still going by just ‘Raymond’ in this camp?”

“As long as we aren’t involved in anything illicit, I am always just Raymond.”

“That’s a relief. I was concerned I’d get mixed up if your rank changed.”

A knight who merely obeys a command is worlds apart from a knight you can trust to cover your blind spot. While Raymond hadn’t reached that inner circle yet, he was far more dependable for critical missions than the rest of the cavalry.

Lastly, Lucian tracked down Hugo, whom he had promoted to the rank of squad leader.

“How is the squad leader role treating you? Are you holding your own?”

“I’ve finally managed to force those stubborn fools to accept me as their captain. Curse it all, I assumed taking a squad leader post would be simple, but every one of them has a nasty bite.”

“That is because they are battle-hardened veterans who have survived several pacification campaigns. To elite warriors who have stared death in the face, you likely look like a child with a wooden sword.”

“That is exactly how they saw me. Even after I dominated them with my blade, their bitterness didn’t budge. It was making me lose my mind. I only got them to settle down after I shared the details of my time at Bornholm.”

Hugo gave a visible shudder. He confessed that if it hadn’t been for that grim experience, he might have been chased out of the position Lucian had provided for him.

“Now that I’ve grabbed the reins, the only thing left is to prove my worth through action.”

“They will likely keep muttering under their breath for a while. Do you want me to give them a stern warning? They would fall in line immediately if I did.”

“No.”

The refusal was instantaneous. Simultaneously, a fire ignited in Hugo’s gaze.

“If I cannot even master ten common infantrymen on my own, I have no right to call myself a knight. I will earn their submission through my own merit alone.”

“A fine answer.”

Lucian had probed him to see if he would take the easy way out, but his determination remained unshakable.

With all logistics finalized, Lucian climbed into his saddle and looked down at the formation of one thousand soldiers. The goodbyes were finished, and he had secured the Grand Duke’s favor. The only thing remaining was Lucian’s word of command.

Drawing a deep breath, Lucian roared at the top of his lungs.

“All divisions, advance!”

—

At Lucian’s order, the army of one thousand began its trek.

Since the navigation and projected arrival time had already been mapped out, the intent was to maintain a steady march for the duration. However, it wasn’t long before Gerard, the tactical advisor, proposed a different strategy.

“We should stick to the path but accelerate our momentum. Specifically, we ought to move at twice our current velocity.”

“Isn’t that bordering on a forced march? The men will reach exhaustion too quickly.”

“If they were a disorganized mob of conscripted peasants, perhaps, but these are professionals from the standing army. they can navigate this pace with ease.”

“Before we commit, explain the reason why we must hurry.”

“It is a matter of politics.”

They hadn’t even reached the theater of war, and already politics was the primary concern?

As Lucian tilted his head in thought, Gerard spoke in a measured tone.

“Combined forces such as this are fertile ground for rivalry. No matter how much weight the supreme commander carries, small frictions are unavoidable.”

“I can believe that.”

“The issue is that sometimes those small frictions cause much larger fractures than one would expect. In the worst cases, the alliance can splinter into opposing camps.”

And such internal strife often dictated the flow of military success—from whether or not to share limited rations to the promptness of reinforcements during a crisis. If the atmosphere turned toxic, the tension between allies could prove more lethal than the actual enemy.

“However, if we arrive late, it is highly probable that the lines will have already been drawn. We would forfeit any opportunity to influence the situation.”

“So we would be pressured to pick one of the existing factions to join?”

“Precisely. It is a massive headache. To avoid that, the best course is to arrive as early as possible. We can stifle conflicts before they ignite, or at the very least, understand how the board is being set.”

“Hmm.”

Lucian signaled his agreement with the sound logic. In his previous life, similar patterns often emerged when several mercenary outfits were hired for a massive engagement. Of course, if no strife occurred, it would simply be a case of over-preparation, but a bit of insurance was never a waste.

“Then we will increase the marching speed moderately. However, bear in mind that if the men collapse from overexertion, it ruins the entire objective.”

“Understood, sir!”

Gerard responded with energy and rode to the back of the column to pass down the instruction. His countenance seemed brighter than before, likely because his counsel had been taken to heart.

—

Fortunately, even as the pace intensified, the soldiers followed the rhythm in silence without displaying signs of fatigue. Not a single man grumbled or voiced a word of protest.

Even Lucian, who had witnessed many different militaries, was slightly taken aback by the rigid discipline.

‘So this is the true strength of a legion maintained by a Great House.’

Even with identical numbers, a force of this caliber could easily dismantle most typical armies. It was a standard he decided to aim for when he eventually established his own personal military.

Several days later, Lucian reached the designated meeting point significantly ahead of the original timeline.

“They truly don’t seem worn out at all. I anticipated they would show at least some minor wear and tear.”

“As soldiers of Valdek, this performance is merely the expectation.”

Gerard spoke with a confident grin at Lucian’s praise. He beamed with the pride of knowing they would never be embarrassed in the presence of other feudal lords.

Nodding, Lucian shifted his attention toward the camp at the rendezvous point.

“That is a relief. It looks as though everyone else congregated much sooner than I anticipated.”

A forest of banners was already visible along the banks of the Horsen River, which served as the gateway into Krepelt. The flags were decorated with the crests of various noble lineages. Despite their own speed, it appeared more than half the coalition had already gathered.

“I am glad I deferred to your advice. If I hadn’t, we truly would have been the stragglers.”

“The others likely pushed themselves with the same concerns I had. They probably haven’t been stationed here long themselves. A gap of three or four days at most.”

“Well, given the distance between the various dukedoms, that sounds plausible. I see the Imperial crest over there as well. Has the Crown Prince made his appearance already?”

The sigil of the Red Dragon, a mark reserved solely for the bloodline of the Imperial Family. The image displayed on the banner, which fluttered higher than all the surrounding flags, was perfectly clear even from this range.

“I assumed it was an unwritten tradition for the supreme commander to arrive last in these scenarios. If you arrive after the leader, the rest of you are often treated like criminals.”

“It varies based on the context. Sometimes they arrive first to mediate the very conflicts I mentioned earlier.”

“Mediating conflicts, is it?”

Lucian shook his head with a faint smirk. He had serious doubts that the Crown Prince possessed the temperament for such diplomacy. He had never encountered the man in person, but he had never heard a single favorable story about him.

‘In any case, now that I have reached the camp, I must offer my greetings.’

As Lucian directed his legion toward the assembly point near the Horsen River, he noticed the camp start to buzz with activity. Once he announced himself as the representative of the House of Valdek, knights carrying the Red Dragon sigil immediately galloped out to meet them.

A young knight, who seemed to be the officer in charge, moved to the front and bowed deeply.

“Our gratitude for the steadfast devotion of the House of Valdek. I am Jurgen Wald, Captain of the Black Scale Knights. I offer my greetings to the representative of His Grace the Grand Duke.”

“We only wish to honor the enduring confidence of the Imperial Family. I am Lucian Valdek, here to serve as the proxy for Grand Duke Sigmund.”

“So you are Lord Lucian. I have heard many tales of your skill. Even His Majesty the Emperor was struck by your performance at Bornholm. He remarked that you are certainly a genius who will support the future of the Empire.”

“That is far too much flattery. I merely performed the duty that was required of me.”

Following the short introduction, Jurgen continued to pour on the compliments. As the envoy of the Empire’s premier Grand Ducal house and a devoted servant, this level of reverence was typical.

However, even when it was logically time for the social pleasantries to conclude, Jurgen’s flattery showed no sign of stopping.

“You possess humility as well. I was told your talent for managing those mercenaries was beyond compare.”

“It was just a bit of clever persuasion. By the way, regarding His Highness…”

“It wasn’t merely clever words. Did you not personally guide the mercenaries and take control of the field afterward? It was difficult to believe it was your debut in combat.”

“I sincerely value the kind words, but I believe it is necessary for me to present myself to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Losing his patience, Lucian spoke with blunt clarity. All the other noble houses were already inside the camp; what was the reason for this drawn-out greeting at the gate? Once a noble arrived, the immediate priority was to register with and salute the commander-in-chief.

“I have no objection to standing here. However, to continue stalling the official report like this is an affront to His Highness. I shall first pay my respects to the commander-in-chief. We can resume our discussion after that is finished.”

“Yes… well… that is undoubtedly correct… but at this moment…”

At Lucian’s firm statement, Jurgen began to falter, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow.

Lucian’s eyes narrowed as he observed the knight’s erratic and suspicious behavior.