A noble's greatest power comes from blood itself.
The more exalted the lineage, the more rights one can claim.
Needless to say, this is even more so for the Valdeck family, whose blood is tied to the imperial house.
"They even have a claim to the imperial throne. As long as the imperial bloodline doesn't run dry, their turn will never come, but…?"
Put another way, it means they can assert a right to the throne if circumstances demand it.
In times of peace, such a claim would be a ridiculous stretch that no one would heed—but in an age of chaos, it could work.
That was how abundant the privileges granted by the Valdeck bloodline were.
It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that the greatest of Lucian's assets was the birthright conferred by Valdeck blood itself.
And on top of that, though they lacked power of their own, even his maternal relatives carried on the lineage of the northern royal house.
"With independent strength and a plausible justification, one could rule as a legitimate monarch at any time."
Lucian recalled his recent conversation with Jordi and let out a snort of laughter.
Take nothing with you? If you can't become the head of the family, then let's all fall together?
It wasn't even worth laughing at.
"I can't do that, brother. When a silk road lies wide open before my eyes, why shouldn't I walk it?"
He knew the anxiety well enough.
Unlike Lucian, Jordi's maternal family was a merchant house with barely three generations to its name.
If he were eliminated from the competition to become head of the family, he would never again stand on the same stage.
So when Lucian—whom he had thought to be in the same position as himself—showed that he had the capacity to stand on his own at any time, he must have felt anxious.
But from Lucian's point of view, there was no reason to play by Jordi's rules.
"I'll use what I have, and you use what you have. That's how the world works, isn't it? Madly unfair and utterly unreasonable."
In his previous life, Lucian had been crushed to death beneath that unreasonableness.
By contrast, Jordi had reigned atop it, competing with his brothers.
Even if their positions had now reversed, there was no reason for Lucian to feel any pity.
***
Over the course of two months, Lucian trained his body relentlessly.
Once you step onto the battlefield, no amount of training is ever enough.
Fortunately, since he chose to focus on destructive power rather than technique, the training itself was simple—and the results were satisfying.
Pahng!
"Hoo!"
At the sound of the air bursting, Lucian smiled in satisfaction.
Compared to what Aizen had shown him, it was still far lacking, but in terms of sheer destructive power it was outstanding.
So much so that if he were to fight his past self again, he could confidently claim victory in a single exchange.
"If it's not a renowned knight, it'll be over the moment our blades clash. That is, assuming my sword holds up…"
Lucian gave a bitter smile as he recalled the sword that had shattered not long ago.
It had been a remarkably fine blade, which only made the regret linger the more he thought about it.
He had brought it under the pretext of supplies needed to carry out his mission, so even if he requested a new sword, it was doubtful he would receive one of comparable quality.
"No—wait a second. Come to think of it, I'm going to war, aren't I?"
If things went well, couldn't he use that fact as justification to request a new sword?
In terms of importance, it was far more serious than before, so he might even receive something better.
There's nothing to lose, so should I at least ask?
"Young Master! His Grace the Grand Duke has arrived!"
"What? Father?"
Lost in thought, Lucian startled at Hans's shout and turned his head.
He hurriedly tried to straighten his clothes, but before he could, Grand Duke Sigmund entered first.
"Father, I'm in such a state…"
"There's no need to fuss over formalities in a private setting. It's good to see you training."
The Grand Duke looked at the sweat-soaked Lucian with clear satisfaction, then clapped his hands twice.
Clap, clap. At the sound, servants soon entered carrying something.
"Actually, a gift for you arrived, so I came to deliver it."
"A gift…? Isn't that armor and a sword?"
"Do you like them?"
Lucian nodded reflexively.
After all, it was clearly a fine blade at first glance.
Watching Lucian stare in a daze, the Grand Duke smiled and then handed him the sword.
"Draw it."
"Is that all right?"
"You should always check the sharpness of the blade you'll be using yourself."
At the Grand Duke's words, Lucian dipped his head slightly and drew the sword.
It slid out so smoothly that there was almost no sound at all.
Lucian marveled at the perfect weight in his hand and the keen edge.
"It's a fine sword. It doesn't seem to be made of ordinary steel."
"I mixed in a suitable amount of adamantium. Not much, but even if you handle it roughly, it shouldn't break easily."
At the word adamantium, Lucian's eyes went wide.
The king of metals, said to be the hardest of all metals in the world.
He had heard that even an extremely small amount added during forging could elevate a weapon's durability to an entirely different level.
Its price was correspondingly astronomical—so much so that in his previous life, all he could do was admire such weapons from afar.
"My, your eyes look like a rabbit's."
"Anyone would be shocked hearing there's adamantium mixed in. Is it really all right for me to receive a sword like this?"
"Of course. It would be ridiculous if you were put in danger by shoddy equipment when you're taking the field in my stead. And…"
The Grand Duke paused and gestured with his eyes, and the servants set down a suit of armor and its stand.
It was a beautiful set of armor where white and blue blended together in an unusual harmony.
"On the battlefield, armor matters more than weapons. I'll give you this as well, along with the sword."
"It certainly looks like magnificent armor, but… there's nothing besides the breastplate."
While admiring the surface that clearly bore a master craftsman's touch, Lucian voiced his question.
The Grand Duke merely smiled silently and fitted the armor onto Lucian's body himself.
Only after Lucian found himself wearing the armor in a daze did the Grand Duke finally speak.
"Now then, try circulating it."
"Here?"
"There's no need for a full circulation. Just send your mana to the center of your chest."
Telling him to circulate it out of the blue after fitting him with a single breastplate—
Lucian tilted his head in confusion, but obediently let his mana flow.
Shrrrraak—
The moment a fixed amount of mana gathered in his chest, the breastplate spread outward, covering his entire body.
Arms and legs, even between his fingers and up to his head.
Strangely, as it enveloped him, it didn't snag on his flesh or hair at all.
In less than ten seconds, the breastplate had transformed into full-body armor.
"Magitech armor…!"
Realizing the true nature of the breastplate, Lucian recoiled in shock.
It was the pinnacle of technology that could only be created with the Emperor's permission and the cooperation of court mages.
In his previous life, he had seen it only once—worn by the captain of the imperial guard when he visited the capital.
And yet, to think he would actually be wearing magitech armor himself.
"It's armor that the second head of the family received as a gift from His Majesty, the reigning emperor of the time. It's certainly a precious item, but since it was made in the early days, its performance is the poorest. As the generations passed, more gifted armor piled up, making its use somewhat awkward—so it's fitting that you take it."
"Even so, isn't this magitech armor? Even if its performance is inferior, it would still rank among the very best armor in the world."
At the Grand Duke's casual, dismissive tone, Lucian clicked his tongue inwardly.
Certainly, a family like Valdeck might receive such gifts from the imperial house—but only for an occasion as momentous as an inauguration as head of the family.
No matter how many had piled up over the generations, this was never something to be handed over so lightly.
Anyone could see that he was deliberately downplaying its value to ease the burden on Lucian.
"Judging by your expression, you look a bit dazed. Why? Aren't you happy?"
"I am happy. But isn't this a bit excessive? It's only the suppression of a rebellion, yet adamantium weapons and magitech armor…"
"Yes, that's true. To be honest, I think so as well."
The smile faded from the Grand Duke's face as he readily agreed with Lucian.
In its place surfaced an inexplicable sense of unease and discomfort.
"No matter how strong Krepfeld may be among the vassal states, it's nothing compared to the Empire. A rebellion is, at most, a minor twitch. And yet, for some reason, this uneasiness won't leave me."
"Do you have any idea what it might be?"
"No. It's just a feeling. Some might scoff and call it baseless nonsense, but I've always had this sensation right before something big happened. And besides…"
The Grand Duke paused, his gaze turning to Lucian.
"Your attitude in asking for full authority also bothered me. It didn't look like mere ambition for fame—it seemed as though you had already prepared yourself to throw your body into danger and were only seeking permission afterward."
"…It's not as if I can see the future. That can't be the case."
Lucian, inwardly startled, played it off without a hint.
He knew Grand Duke Sigmund was an extraordinary man, but did he possess some kind of foresight unknown to others?
Fortunately, the Grand Duke only studied Lucian for a moment before nodding in apparent acceptance.
"That's true. Still, there's no harm in thorough preparation before going to war. Take these and make good use of them. And let me say it again—this is a gift, not a loan, so there's no need to return them."
"Thank you. I will never forget your kindness, Father."
"Kindness between father and son—what nonsense. It's enough if you simply return safely. And don't do anything too dangerous. Even if you win great fame, it means nothing if there's no one left to enjoy it."
"I'll keep that in mind."
With that, Grand Duke Sigmund left the training grounds with the servants.
Even as he went, he kept glancing back at Lucian, as though something still weighed on his mind.
Only after the Grand Duke had disappeared did Hans—who had been watching from the side—approach, his eyes shining.
"My goodness! Young Master, just when did you come to receive such favor from His Grace? A sword with adamantium mixed in, and magitech armor on top of that! Even Young Master Tristan never received items like these!"
"Who knows. I'm not sure whether to call it favor, or simply that he has a good intuition."
"Pardon? What do you mean by that?"
"It means there are many remarkable people in this world. My father is one of them."
Leaving the puzzled Hans behind, Lucian once again focused his mana on his chest.
The magitech armor responded and reverted to its original breastplate form.
Fiddling with the breastplate and sword, Lucian let out a bitter smile.
I'm sorry. Even though you went out of your way to equip me with such treasures, it looks like I'll have to do something a little dangerous.
But there was one thing he could promise.
That he would return safely.
As the Grand Duke had said, even great fame is meaningless if there's no one left to enjoy it.
As Lucian calmly examined the equipment, one worry suddenly crossed his mind.
…But will my other brothers really stay quiet about me receiving gifts like this?
***
As Lucian had expected, the backlash from such excessive gifts appeared immediately.
When word spread that he had received an adamantium sword and even magitech armor, the three brothers all went to see the Grand Duke at once.
"Father, no matter how you look at it, this is far too much. An adamantium sword is one thing, but magitech armor?"
"And to think it's something the second head of the family received from His Majesty of the time—this isn't just protective gear, it's a treasure beyond price!"
"Is equipment like that really necessary just to suppress a rebellion in a vassal state? Wouldn't it be better to grant our brother additional troops instead?"
Amid the barrage of complaints, the Grand Duke looked calmly at his children and spoke.
"If you're dissatisfied, then one of you can go in the Third's place to suppress the rebellion. In that case, I'll take back what I gave the Third and distribute it to you instead."
…
At Grand Duke Sigmund's single remark, the three brothers all fell silent at once.
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