"Seeing how angry you are, I understand now how foolish I have been. I will carve your admonition into my heart so I never forget it."
"…Is that all?"
"Yes. So now you may be pleased."
"What?"
The Duke frowned at Lucian's sudden, inexplicable remark.Be pleased? What was he talking about?
"I've heard it said that when a father scolds a child for acting foolishly, it is because he cares for them. Until now, I felt hurt because you never once became angry with me—but it seems I misunderstood."
"…!"
"So shouldn't this be the moment you are glad? Your child has come back from the brink of death. Since you are angry, you needn't hold back anymore—why not take my hand? We're family. What's a few tears between us?"
The Duke stared at Lucian, stunned into blank disbelief.Even Edwin, the head butler who had been silent until now, gaped with his mouth wide open.
Lucian had spoken politely, but the meaning was unmistakable:After neglecting your son for so long, is scolding him the only thing you can offer now that he narrowly survived?And beneath that, another blade:If scolding is all you can do, are you truly a father at all?
Please let this work.
Maintaining as calm an expression as he could manage, Lucian swallowed dryly.
He had just insulted the head of a great ducal house—a man as high as the heavens in status.
If this were any ordinary noble, they would've rolled their eyes back in fury and dragged him to a monastery on the spot.But the Sigmund Valdeck Lucian knew would react differently.The man always said he preferred a biting hound to a timid mouse that only watched for mood shifts.
"Hoho."
After twenty seconds that felt like two hours,what escaped the Duke's lips wasn't an enraged shout—but a hollow laugh.He seemed dumbfounded, yes, but also intrigued by this unexpected turn.
It worked!
Relief surged through Lucian's chest—the gamble had paid off.The Duke examined Lucian's face closely, then murmured:
"So you're capable of speaking to me like that."
"People change. And if one comes back from death's doorstep without changing, can he even be called a man?"
"Then do you intend to stop hiding in your room?"
"After being shut in for over a year, I'm sick of it. It's high time to quit that habit. More importantly—"
Lucian stopped speaking
Vand rolled up his sleeve.His thin, malnourished arm looked no different from that of a bedridden invalid.
"First, I plan to put some weight on. In this state, I couldn't even swing a sword."
"A sword? You? With a sword?"
"I don't know whether I'll have reason to wield one in my life,but a man who can't even manage his own body can't accomplish anything.A man should at least be able to protect himself."
"Ahem."
Duke Sigmund cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair.His eyes narrowed upward, his expression slightly twisted.It looked like displeasure—but Lucian knew better.That was the face he made when he was trying not to laugh.
"Your words are awfully polished."
"I'm merely speaking honestly."
"Whether it's honesty or bluster will be revealed in time. Go."
"Yes, Father."
Lucian bowed deeply, then exited the office.Only after he'd walked several steps away did the breath of relief burst out of him.
I managed to get through that somehow.
He had succeeded in reshaping the image of a pathetic child the Duke had half abandoned.Having shown such a dramatic change today, the Duke would likely put aside any plans to cast him out.
But that was only a temporary measure.If Lucian didn't show real results, the Duke would eventually conclude he was nothing but a smooth-talking fraud.Before that happened, he needed to present something concrete—something impressive.
Well, that won't be hard.
He had survived as a mercenary in an age of chaos—killing and nearly being killed countless times.Achieving something as a noble's son would be child's play in comparison.
Suppressing the faint smile creeping onto his lips, Lucian returned to his room,already contemplating how he would throw down a dazzling gauntlet in this new life.
"Good grief."
Duke Sigmund stroked his beard repeatedly in silence.Even though it had just happened moments ago, he still found it hard to believe.That lacking boy had spoken so boldly, so confidently.
"Did you see it?"
"See what, Your Grace?"
"The way he looked me straight in the eyes while speaking."
"Yes. He didn't waver in the slightest."
A year ago, that boy's eyes darted around like a fish trying to escape a net.He couldn't even make eye contact; he mumbled and grumbled under his breath, utterly pathetic.Raise your voice even slightly, and he wouldn't argue—he'd just whimper like an injured stray dog.No courage, full of complaints, unable to assert himself.
And now that same boy had looked his father in the eye, offered up his own life, and declared his ambitions with pride.
"I thought the only thing he inherited from his mother was that face."
"He is still Your Grace's son. Blood like yours doesn't vanish."
"Don't jump to conclusions. His words may have just sounded impressive."
"He couldn't even do that before. Something has definitely changed within him."
A smile crept onto the Duke's lips before he could hide it.He might have written off the boy, yes—but he was still a seed of Valdeck.What father would dislike seeing his child grow?And especially a child born of the woman he had once cherished most.
"Still, it's too early to trust him completely. There's always the chance his words were just words."
"Do you intend to test him, Your Grace?"
"It's hardly a test—just give him a generous allowance. The same amount he used to receive before he shut himself in."
Ever since Lucian had fallen out of the Duke's favor, nearly all personal support from the family had been cut off.Aside from food expenses and the wages for the servants, he practically had no money he could freely use.The Duke was now ordering that support to resume.
At a glance, it looked like a reward.But to Edwin, it was one of the harshest tests possible.Giving a newly active, previously isolated young master a large amount of money and telling him to use it wisely?If he lost control, spent recklessly, or wasted it on something foolish, then even the faintest remaining hope would vanish completely.
"I understand. However… there is a slight problem."
"A problem?"
"A portion of the funds allocated for the third young master has been… diverted elsewhere."
Duke Sigmund's eyebrow twitched.He had never ordered such a thing.Meaning someone in the house was privately embezzling the ducal funds.
"Who dares?"
"It appears the second young master has interfered."
"What? The second one?"
"For him, it's barely pocket change, so it may be an act of suppression toward the third young master."
"Suppression? Nonsense—it's spite. That boy and his inferiority complex, honestly…"
The Duke clicked his tongue, thinking of his second son.A capable child, but narrow-minded.He knew the boy resented the third son due to matters on the maternal side,but he hadn't expected the grudge to be this persistent.
"Shall I take action?"
"Leave it be."
Duke Sigmund shook his head without the slightest hesitation.
"A matter this small is something the third boy should handle himself. If he can't manage even that, then his depth is shallow indeed."
"Won't it be difficult? He has no faction, not even a single loyal retainer."
"That's his own doing. Who else can he blame? This is the price for losing himself for so long."
If he had maintained even basic oversight of his surroundings, such petty meddling wouldn't have scratched him.Everything stemmed from abandoning all outside affairs for a full year—and so it was only right he clean up the consequences himself.
"This works out nicely. Let's see how the boy resolves it."
If Lucian came crawling back, whining about being bullied and asking for help,the Duke intended to discard all remaining expectations without hesitation.But if Lucian performed cleanly—beyond expectation—
Then perhaps he could be allowed back into the competition for succession.
With that thought concluded, Duke Sigmund reached again for the pile of documents beside him.He had far too much work to linger on the matter of his third son.
After returning boldly to his room, Lucian ended up bedridden for an entire day.His stamina was still drained from moving for the first time in ages—and on top of that, he had endured the Duke's overwhelming presence.
This body is weak enough to make me sick of it.
With stamina this pathetic, how was he supposed to accomplish anything?He had already planned to fix that, but improving his physical condition had now become urgent.Fortunately, the "reward" he needed for preparation arrived the very next day.
"Y-young master… did you do something yesterday? Use magic or something?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? If I could use magic, would I be lying here groaning like this?"
"Well… His Grace resumed the financial support he cut off a year ago—just overnight!"
For a moment Lucian wondered what nonsense Hans was talking about.Then he realized: the Duke had reinstated his allowance.
What was so impressive about a noble's son getting his pocket money back?Lucian snorted, but out of curiosity he accepted the documents to check the amount.And then, upon seeing the numbers written there—his smile vanished.
"This is the third young master's—no, my allowance?"
"Yes, young master."
"Is this a year's worth paid all at once?"
"Of course not. That's just one month."
"…Has it always been this much?"
"Much? Not at all! The other young masters receive far more."
"…You've got to be kidding me."
The absurdity left him speechless.He had known the Valdeck Duchy was wealthy—being the Emperor's right hand and all—but giving this much as mere spending money to a single son?
This amount could hire a major mercenary company for half a month with change to spare.
Having money isn't a bad thing… but damn, it feels strange to see it like this.
So this was what it meant to be part of a truly great noble house.Even as Lucian felt a strange bitterness, he couldn't deny the satisfaction of seeing such an enormous sum.
Wait— with this kind of money, I could do more than build stamina… I could overhaul this entire body.
His eyes snapped open.
Innate physical constitution was said to be impossible to fundamentally change.True talent was something one was born with.That belief had existed for a thousand years and had remained unchallenged—because a warrior's physique was considered one of the most critical factors of all.
But that long-held belief would be overturned six years from now.
When the Alchemists' Guild invents Nektar.
Nektar—the drink of the gods.Its grandiose name had initially drawn ridicule and complaints for being presumptuous.But once its true effects became known, all the complaints vanished overnight.
Because Nektar's power lived up to its name.It was a miracle potion that could transform even the dullest, most hopeless body into one with at least a spark of talent.
With something like that, how could they call it anything other than Nektar?
Thanks to its invention, the declining Alchemists' Guild rose again instantly, becoming one of the Empire's central powers.Even the Emperor tread lightly around them, wary of losing his place in the Nektar reservation queue.They wielded absolute authority—unrestrained and unquestioned.
It was a short spring—barely three years long.
After that, once the age of chaos began, the guild paid dearly for its arrogance.In a world ruled by brute strength, the guild was destroyed, alchemists were slaughtered, and most knowledge of Nektar's production was lost.Only fragments of the process remained—scattered, incomplete, missing crucial steps.
Most people had dismissed the incomplete Nektar formulas as useless trash.
Medicine, after all, becomes poison the moment it's combined incorrectly.
Depending on shabby, incomplete instructions to brew something that powerful was sheer stupidity.But as always, the world held both kinds of fools—those who died trying something stupid,and those rare, lucky fools who managed to produce a half-working Nektar anyway.
And in Lucian's previous life, he had belonged to the latter group.
"Hans, prepare to go out."
"Young master, you're not fully recovered yet—where are you going?"
"The herbalist."
"…Sorry? The herbalist!?"
Hans stared at him in shock.Why would a noble young master ever need to visit a humble herbalist?