13 (23)

“Duke Louis is entering.”

The noisy atmosphere from earlier was instantly silenced by the soldier’s announcement. Everyone seemed eager to say something. After all, they were the King’s inspection delegation and had expected to be treated with respect by Louis, yet that had not happened.

Louis entered the hall. At once, every noble present turned their gaze toward him. Now he could clearly perceive the aura they emitted. His body, transformed by Rebirth, had become sensitive to mana. Mana tended to reflect emotions, and the excited atmosphere here looked like a mass of anger. Each of these men wielded authority in their own territories comparable to that of a king. Yet they had chosen the wrong opponent. In a hostile atmosphere, it was natural for someone to protect themselves.

Before, such pressure would only emerge when Louis deliberately summoned strong emotions. Now it flowed naturally, even unintentionally. In that sense, his new body was slightly inconvenient. The Charisma trait of a ruler who had governed the greatest empire crushed them without mercy.

Thus, despite their dissatisfaction, no one spoke a word. If their anger had been justified, Louis might have pretended to listen. But their attempt to pressure him was nothing more than forcing him to uphold the empty authority of an incompetent king and outdated customs.

“My goodness…”

“He’s changed.”

“So the rumors were true.”

“It’s real.”

The brief murmur soon faded into complete silence as everyone performed the proper greeting for the Duke. Louis now possessed power greater than the King within the Duchy of Eron. It had happened so naturally that few could easily recognize the shift—but the result was undeniable.

In wealth, House Batenberg surpassed others. In military strength, House Boarne had the advantage. In mages, House Orsini excelled. In diplomacy, House Parse had unmatched networks. And House Kaban possessed the outstanding talent of a Sword Master. Yet the house that balanced all of these strengths together was House Pontina. Since the succession war, the flow of power had completely changed. The center was now Louis himself.

Most notably, the alliance with Atila had been Louis’s own decision. He had not even consulted the King. The inspection delegation had come partly to criticize that rudeness and demand an apology.

One man stepped forward. He was the same one who had secretly delivered the note earlier. His hair had thinned and turned slightly gray. In the past, he had been famous for loyalty. That was why he had been chosen as the delegation’s representative. Yet now, after the passage of time, his heart had changed—and he had unexpectedly betrayed the King.

Their eyes met, and he gave Louis a meaningful look.

It carried the nuance of being on the same side.

Louis answered with a faint smile. For now, he would continue observing him. Still, the man had faithfully reported how the delegation would move, step by step. Their actions had unfolded exactly as predicted, so there had been no problems.

“We greet the Duke. As previously mentioned, we wish to hear your response regarding two matters.”

The first was that the amount Louis had offered was far too small. The second was that he should be reprimanded for acting independently.

Yet after three hours of waiting, Raiden’s attitude—glossing over these matters without even mentioning them—caused the other nobles to begin complaining.

“Wait, are we really just going to proceed like this…?”

“I cannot understand this.”

Someone seemed about to speak when another man stepped forward beside Raiden. He was new, and his expression alone suggested a bad temper. After asking permission to speak, he opened his mouth.

“Before that, I would like to ask why you made us wait like this.”

The man had barely spoken a single sentence, yet the reactions of the other nobles were fascinating. Some glared as if asking why he would say such a thing. Others seemed to complain that it should simply be ignored. A few appeared eager to receive an apology.

Now it was Louis’s turn to answer.

The room was silent.

“That displeases me.”

He said nothing more, but it was enough. The implication was clear: Do you even know what work I am doing? The single remark contained multiple meanings.

“What I am doing now will ultimately benefit you as well.”

Louis had begun a public works project. It would become the first major undertaking of Magitech and a crucial turning point.

Most of them already knew what he meant.

“He must be referring to the aqueduct.”

“I heard it is not an ordinary aqueduct…”

“Archmage Euclid himself is involved in its construction.”

“Euclid?”

“You seem rather slow with the news.”

“Well, if it is such a massive project, it is understandable that the Duke could not adjust his schedule…”

The situation now seemed ready for the next point.

“As for the amount, what I previously informed you is the full sum.”

“But that amount seems incorrect.”

The one who spoke was the well-dressed newcomer. Louis simply stared at him. That alone made the man shrink back. He had clearly sensed the warning.

“Do you think that land is some kind of gold mine? Have you even been there? Pantalist is barren. In fact, it is so barren that even the Huns abandoned it as soon as they gained new territory. If anyone is curious, I will gladly allow them to live there themselves. Let me repeat—what I told you before is everything.”

In truth, it was not everything. There had also been gold gifts from Atila, as well as manpower, food, and other spoils. Most importantly, the land contained Black Water. It was a special resource—likely similar to iron, though confirmation would come after the aqueduct project.

Still, the King’s attempt to claim a share without offering any support was greed beyond expectation.

“And regarding the second matter—I do not understand why the Grand Duke demands an apology from me. Atila is the ruler who burned Gaimer with ease. Even if I had consulted the Grand Duke, he would surely have made the same decision. Let me inform you of something you seem to have overlooked while idling in the capital. Atila’s army destroyed Gaimer with almost no losses. His strength is now more than sufficient to wage war against the Duchy of Eron. As the lord whose territory borders him, I naturally possess the authority to make such decisions.”

‘So that is the truth.’

‘If Atila is truly that strong, then Duke Louis acted correctly.’

‘In fact, the King should not provoke him. Duke Louis is the only lord capable of confronting Atila along that border… Wait… If Louis and Atila attacked Eron together…?’

The thought chilled them.

‘That would be disastrous. Even House Boarne could not hold against such numbers. Is provoking Duke Louis truly wise? Of course not. But the King is blinded by jealousy. Even if we advise him, will he listen?’

The King had recently become consumed by envy toward Louis. Louis’s reputation could be measured simply by the number of titles attached to his name. In contrast, the King had none.

Though he was king, reality had prevented him from achieving any notable policies. Worse still, when Louis entered the political scene, the King attempted to exploit him to divide existing factions. Instead, Louis absorbed most of the noble houses.

The difference in ability was undeniable.

Not only that, Louis launched a campaign, succeeded, and even formed a solid alliance with the very power he had fought.

Raiden felt certain his judgment had been correct.

‘Whew… The more I learn about him, the more terrifying he becomes. It may not be honorable, but I do not regret my decision. For the future of my house, I must serve Duke Louis even more thoroughly. If only I can gain his trust…’

The new body was astonishing.

Louis did not feel fatigue at all. Even after handling enormous workloads, he barely grew tired. And even if he did, a short sleep restored him completely. In fact, since undergoing Rebirth, he had slept no more than two hours in total.

Of course, his activities included intense training. Yet no matter how strenuous the effort, his body always recovered.

He was currently at the aqueduct construction site. A temporary training ground had been set up there for sword practice.

Or rather, he was about to train.

In front of him stood Boromir and three soldiers. Around them gathered countless spectators—ordinary soldiers, officers, and even construction workers.

It felt like only yesterday that Louis had been learning swordsmanship from Boromir. Now Boromir alone was no longer sufficient for training.

The three soldiers beside him were all centurions.

None of them were easy opponents. Yet Louis’s current body required at least three opponents to make training worthwhile.

Just a short time ago, such a situation would have been unimaginable.

But now it was the past.

Louis tilted his head slightly and evaded the incoming strike. The attack had come from Boromir. Unlike usual, Boromir charged with desperate intensity—perhaps because so many were watching.

A gasp erupted from the crowd.

The strike had been incredibly fast, yet Louis avoided it effortlessly.

The following barrage of blows was ferocious. Boromir’s trapezius muscles bulged as he attacked with such force that dust rose from the ground.

Yet the reborn body sensed everything with superhuman precision.

“Wow!”

“That speed—and he hasn’t been hit once?”

“As expected of the Duke!”

“He’s dodging everything!”

“Incredible.”

Soldiers, citizens, and officers all voiced their amazement.

Boromir was fighting at full strength. Louis knew it well after sparring with him so many times. Boromir himself could hardly believe how such a gap had formed during the campaign.

“Huff… Huff… No matter how many feints I use, you never fall for them.”

“Are the ones behind you just going to watch?”

“Ah… No!”

Two more joined the attack, striking from blind angles.

Now this was more like it.

Louis felt his body and senses activate pleasantly.

Training swords clashed loudly.

The spectators gasped again. After all, Louis was blocking attacks from blind spots as if he had eyes on the back and sides of his head.

“This is… unbelievable.”

“Isn’t he actually a Sword Master?”

“No. The Duke himself said he has not reached that realm.”

Thud!

One centurion collapsed after taking a blow to the abdomen. Another dropped his sword after a strike to the wrist. Boromir made a final charge, but his blade was knocked upward, spinning through the air before clattering to the ground.

Breathing heavily, Boromir spoke slowly.

“What an… incredible change. I am no longer enough on my own.”

The crowd erupted again.

“Did you see that?”

“Wow… He barely attacked, yet those tough fellows fell instantly.”

“I’ve never seen Captain Boromir defeated so easily.”

“Isn’t that Rantz from the Third Battalion lying there? That must hurt.”

In truth, even Louis had not expected to defeat Boromir so easily. His previous lack of talent had imposed heavy limitations. Now every penalty had vanished.

He had even gained partial immunity to poison.

‘Should I test that?’

He considered it seriously for a moment—then quickly decided that was probably not a good idea.