Chapter 69

Chapter 69
## Chapter 69

“I’m going.”

Unlike his previous silence, his voice now cut through the air with total certainty.

A heartbeat later, after realizing who had actually volunteered, Veronica let out a cry that sounded more like a shriek.

“Tristan!”

“It’s exactly as Father explained. Paying taxes and providing soldiers—these are the fundamental requirements of any ruler. If a man cannot meet even these basic demands, he has no business being a baron, let alone leading a Grand Duchy.”

Confronted by her son’s uncompromising stance, Veronica could only flutter her hands in the air, her voice failing her as she struggled to find a counterargument.

Tristan gave his pale mother a fleeting look before shifting his focus back to the Grand Duke.

“And if nobody had stepped up today, Father, you were planning to appoint the third son as the successor, weren’t you?”

“…!?”

It wasn’t just Veronica; the other wives and the rest of the siblings were visibly shaken by Tristan’s blunt question.

Instantly, every person in the chamber looked toward the Grand Duke, who simply gave a composed nod.

“That is correct. That was my plan.”

“M-My Lord!”

“Dangerous times are looming. The Empire has never been more fragile, and rebels across the lands are hunting for a weakness to exploit. Even though His Majesty has demonstrated the Empire’s hidden reserves, the momentum of those who oppose us shows no sign of fading.”

“Extraordinary eras demand extraordinary measures.”

Tristan quoted the ancient maxim in response to his father’s assessment. It was a principle suggesting that during a crisis, one must take decisive action, even if it requires bypassing established protocol or long-standing custom.

“You are looking for an heir capable of surviving the coming age of conflict, Father.”

“If we were living in a period of stability, I would have taken my time to evaluate your growth. But an age of chaos is different. A moment’s indecision can result in being drowned and lost in the currents of history.”

No matter how much inherent talent one has to be a benevolent leader, it counts for nothing if they perish before that potential can be realized. In a chaotic world, the skill to interpret the grand movements of the era and act with audacity is far more vital than one’s ability to manage a piece of land.

“The third son has already shown he has that instinct. It was the rest of you who still needed to be put to the test.”

“Then, the reason you ordered us to join you on the front lines was…”

“If you cannot bring yourselves to move forward even when faced with the loss of your inheritance, is there any point in further evaluation?”

“…!”

“Fortunately, it appears I don’t have to make a desperate choice regarding the line of succession just yet.”

Grand Duke Sigmund looked at Tristan with the ghost of a smile.

The eldest son appeared thin and worn, having remained in isolation since his failure to bring Felicia to his side. However, his gaze was alight with a fierce intensity, signaling a refusal to be defeated again.

“Let us see what you have learned after all this time. Have you kept my instructions in mind?”

“Kept them in mind? I intend to prove them to you with my own hands on the field of battle.”

“Hmph, a spirited reply.”

The Grand Duke’s look of approval stirred a storm of conflicting feelings among the gathered family. His words were essentially a public confirmation that the race for the head of the house was now a duel between Lucian and Tristan.

‘This feels off.’

Once the family gathering dispersed, Lucian knit his brows and rubbed his chin in thought.

He was now one of only two remaining contenders, but he felt more confused than triumphant. He wasn’t unhappy with the Grand Duke’s choice, but rather unsettled by how his brothers had behaved.

‘Joshua looked like he’d lost his mind, but that’s to be expected. He was cut from the race before he could even make a move. The one who is truly strange is Jordi.’

The Jordi that Lucian remembered was a man who would never tolerate someone else taking the seat of power. He should have been the one shouting the loudest the moment the Grand Duke made his intent known.

Instead, Jordi had remained remarkably collected throughout the entire meeting. He hadn’t even thrown a spiteful glance toward anyone as he left the room.

‘What kind of game is he playing? Did his mother’s family secure a different path for him? Even if they did, he isn’t the type to surrender the title of heir without a fight.’

Lucian turned the thought over for a moment but eventually pushed it aside. He had too little data to reach a solid conclusion. More importantly, he had far more pressing matters demanding his focus.

‘I need to handle the situation in the North first. If I remember correctly, it’s almost time for Raymond to be officially placed under my command…’

“Y-Young Master! Young Master!”

Lucian turned around at the sound of a frantic shout. It was one of the men under Hugo, currently serving as an attendant for Lucian.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s finally done!”

“Done? What is?”

“The tonic for that boy you put us in charge of…!”

Before the attendant could finish the sentence, Lucian moved like lightning and clamped a hand over his mouth. As the man stared back in fear, Lucian’s icy voice whispered directly into his ear.

“When was it completed?”

“T-Today, just this morning. If you want, I can fetch it for you right away…”

“No, I’ll go there myself. You go find Hugo.”

Forcing his racing pulse to steady, Lucian exited the manor with hurried steps.

He headed toward the district near the Underworld, situated to the west beyond the Inner Castle. Threading through the tangled web of backstreets with practiced ease, Lucian arrived at his target and hammered on the door. A tiny viewing slit snapped open.

Click.

“Give the password.”

“Just look at my face.”

“I said the password, what kind of crap is—Gasp!”

The guard, who had been staring aggressively through the slit, jumped back in shock. Because Lucian was standing right against the door, he hadn’t recognized him at first.

Thud, creeeeeak.

“Y-Young Master. My apologies. Please, don’t take it personally…!”

“Move. Where is Ian?”

“The third floor! He’s up on the third!”

Before the guard could finish his sentence, Lucian was already charging up the stairwell. He threw the door open without bothering to announce himself. Inside, Ian looked up, visibly startled.

But the surprise was fleeting. Ian let out a cheer and waved a small glass bottle in the air.

“Look! It’s ready, my Lord!”

Lucian’s eyes shook with emotion as he stared at the glowing blue fluid. He stepped forward and grabbed the vial; he could feel a subtle pulse of energy radiating from the glass. It was much softer than the previous version, but he recognized the core essence immediately.

‘This is in a different league compared to the failed version I attempted. Only the raw power has been tempered; the quality is identical to the one I consumed.’

Lucian scrutinized the Nectar he had taken from Ian. At a glance, it didn’t look like the energy would cause a fatal explosion the moment it hit his stomach, unlike the last batch.

“How does the strength compare to the original? What happens when someone drinks this?”

“I haven’t run a test on a trained knight yet, so I can’t be certain. But I’m positive it’s at a level where even a civilian could swallow it without any special preparation and survive without an issue.”

“Who did you use as a test subject?”

“Me.”

“….”

Instinctively, Lucian leveled a freezing stare at Ian. He had used his own body for a clinical trial after what happened the last time?

“Look, I didn’t have a choice! Who else was I going to test a drug like this on? If the experiment worked, the results of the tonic would be obvious to everyone!”

“Is it not just that you can’t resist being your own guinea pig?”

“…Well, I won’t deny that’s a factor. But I made sure to check it by taking it one drop at a time at the lowest possible dose, so everything is fine!”

“Unbelievable.”

Lucian let out a long breath as he watched Ian try to deflect. Researchers were truly a unique breed of people.

Lucian shook his head and sank into thought while clutching the Nectar.

‘If I could, I’d run out this second and hand one to every man I have.’

However, the timing was difficult. In just a few days, he had to journey North to deal with the House of Calix. Since he was moving into unfamiliar territory, he needed to secure local support. This Nectar would make that recruitment process significantly easier.

“How many have you finished?”

“Five vials.”

“Can you produce a few more within the week?”

“That’s impossible. To keep the quality this high, you need that specific amount of time. A week isn’t enough.”

Five vials.

It was a result that wasn’t just good—it was phenomenal. However, it was also a quantity far too limited to share among all his followers. It would be hard to distribute them now; perhaps it would be better to wait until the Northern mission was over.

But even with those considerations, there was one individual who deserved to taste this medicine before anyone else.

‘Hugo.’

The very first follower who had pledged his life to Lucian based on nothing but a hollow assurance of being made a knight. While it would still take time to make good on that oath, Lucian could offer him a suitable reward in the meantime.

“Excuse me? To the North?”

Hugo couldn’t hide his shock at Lucian’s sudden announcement. They had barely stepped back from the capital, and now they were striking out for the North.

“What’s the goal this time? Are you searching for more recruits?”

“It’s not that. A rather annoying situation has developed.”

Lucian answered Hugo’s questions with a calm demeanor. He laid out how someone had the audacity to use the House of Grimaldi’s name and that he intended to deliver justice. He also informed him that Hugo and his ten-man unit would be his personal guard for this trek.

“Given the travel time, the expenses, and the accommodations, it’s smarter to travel with a small team. I’ll need you to step up for this one.”

“You can count on me. As for the others joining the party…”

“Raymond and Felicia will be coming. Hans and Ian will remain here in Kelheim, obviously.”

“I understand. I’ll go brief my men at once.”

Hugo lowered his head, but he felt a twinge of bitterness. Despite being the most senior member of the retainers if you didn’t count Hans, there wasn’t a single colleague he felt he could stand beside as an equal.

‘I heard Sir Raymond is the Young Master’s latest retainer? My standing is going to drop again.’

To say nothing of Felicia, who was destined to be a Sword Saint, even Raymond, known as the Black Lion, was a figure far beyond the capabilities of a former street boss like Hugo. Hans was Lucian’s primary confidant—someone who lacked combat skill but was the ultimate insider who could be trusted with the most sensitive secrets. Even the newcomer Ian, though technically lower in status for now, possessed a talent that far outweighed Hugo’s.

‘I heard he has the ability to mass-produce rare tonics. If that’s the case, he’s far more valuable than someone like me.’

He didn’t know the specific power of the tonics, but even a low-tier elixir was worth a fortune. To be able to create elixirs independently and hand them to warriors without the Imperial Family’s oversight… considering how many fighters craved such things, it was a truly frightening level of influence.

‘I’m spiraling into useless thoughts again. I can’t get impatient. The Young Master did promise to let me start a noble house.’

Forcing down his resentment, Hugo renewed his commitment in his mind. Although his relative rank seemed to be sliding, Lucian hadn’t cast him aside and continued to give him vital assignments. How many masters in this world would simply throw away their old servants the moment more talented people showed up?

‘In that sense, I’m lucky. Despite all these high-level people joining, he still keeps me close.’

Hugo, having finished his internal pep talk and regained his focus, was about to leave when it happened.

“Here, I want you to have this.”

Lucian suddenly stepped closer and placed a bottle containing a blue liquid into Hugo’s hand. Hugo accepted the strange vial and asked with hesitation.

“What is this? A glowing blue fluid… I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“It’s the elixir that Ian managed to finalize today.”

“…!”

“Drink it. You’re the first.”

At the mention of being ‘first,’ Hugo’s entire body went rigid. Did he mean he was receiving this treasure before anyone else?

Hugo stared at the elixir Lucian had given him with wide, trembling eyes.

‘This is a genuine elixir.’

An alchemical mystery that most knights could never touch regardless of how desperately they wanted it. A masterpiece that couldn’t be made without the express consent of the Imperial Family, even at its weakest grade. He couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that such a priceless object had been given to him first, skipping over all the more powerful retainers.

“Am I… truly allowed to drink this?”

“Of course. That’s why I gave it to you.”

Lucian answered with a faint smile to Hugo’s shaky question. After a second of doubt, Hugo pulled the cap and drained the liquid in a single gulp. Just as he pulled the bottle away, stunned by the cold sensation racing down his throat—

“Gasp…!?”

Hugo’s eyes nearly popped out of his head as a tidal wave of mana exploded through his system.