Haide panicked and dropped to his knees on the floor.
"L-Lord Lucian, please calm yourself. That wasn't what I meant."
"Wasn't it? That's certainly how it sounded to me. Are you mocking me, saying my ears don't work?"
"N-No! That's not it…!"
Despite the continued humiliation, anger never surfaced—only fear filled Haide's mind.
More than anything else, the problem was that the Emperor's name had been brought up so casually.
Fabricating things and invoking His Majesty the Emperor is a crime of impiety. Even if he's a son of House Valdeck—no, precisely because he's from House Valdeck, it's even more dangerous.
As a grand house close to the Emperor, any trouble was far more likely to reach the Emperor's ears.
At the same time, a duke's son who spoke lightly of the Emperor would normally be pushed out of the succession race.
And yet Lucian had openly named the Emperor, his sons, and even his closest retainers—knowing all of that?
It meant only one thing: it was all true.
And on top of that, he even has the token of the Black Scale Knights, the First Prince's personal guard…
"I can practically hear your eyes spinning. Thinking about asking for something else again?"
Lucian's voice snapped Haide back to his senses.
With a loud thud, Haide slammed his head down against the floor.
"Please—please forgive me! I overstepped my bounds!"
"Of course you did. A parasite living off the grace of the imperial court, yet you dared act as if you were His Majesty's representative. I'm sure His Majesty would be delighted to hear about it."
"Well, this works out nicely. You seem quite proud of your research results—how about accompanying me to an audience with His Majesty and explaining them yourself? He did say before that he'd like to speak with me again, so we can go together."
Cold sweat poured from Haide's forehead, soaking the floor like a waterfall.
The Alchemists' Guild was already treated as half-parasitic even within the imperial court.
And if it came out that a guild member had invoked the Emperor's name to pressure a comrade who had fought on the same battlefield?
Before the Emperor even had time to take offense, the guild itself would likely hang him in the public square to save face.
"Is there anything you'd like to say before we go to see His Majesty?"
Lucian's voice was icy as he addressed the terrified Haide.
Fully grasping his situation, Haide pressed his forehead to the floor and spoke.
"I'll give you anything you want—just please, spare my life…!"
Having finished establishing the hierarchy, Lucian waited leisurely for Ian to wake up.
In the meantime, Haide—the homeowner—had no choice but to cower in a corner, constantly watching Lucian's expression.
"I-If it's all right with you, perhaps I could serve some tea—"
"Shut up and stay where you are. You look like you wouldn't even know how to drink tea properly—don't talk about serving it."
Struck right on the mark, Haide shrank back after trying—unsuccessfully—to curry favor.
In truth, Lucian had no intention of letting Haide out of his sight.
If he were to accidentally see even a fragment of the Nektar research, it'd be a headache. Most of it should be on the second floor, but there's always the chance some materials were left elsewhere without thinking.
Haide was utterly pathetic, but he was still an alchemist in name.
If he saw Ian's research materials, he'd surely recognize their value to some extent.
Lucian intended to keep him within sight until everything related to Nektar had been secured.
A short while later, Raymond, who had been checking on Ian's condition, opened the door and came out.
"He's awake."
"How does he look?"
"Other than being a bit fatigued, he seems fine. There shouldn't be any issue holding a conversation."
"Good. Go in and talk with him—I'll keep an eye on this one."
"Yes, sir."
"W-What? This is my house—"
Ignoring Haide's timid protest, Lucian walked into the room.
On the bed, Ian sat propped up, his upper body raised, looking at Lucian.
"You must be confused about what's going on, having just woken up. I'll start by explaining—"
"I know."
"What?"
"I wasn't completely unconscious. I didn't have the strength to move, so I stayed still, but I was drifting in and out. And honestly… this house doesn't have very good soundproofing."
I see.
It was unexpected, but if there was no need to explain, all the better.
Ian lowered his head deeply, then muttered with an anxious expression.
"Am I… going to House Valdeck now?"
"That's right. Your master agreed to it as well. You don't have any other guardian, do you?"
"Of course. You recognized the value of my invention and want to claim it for yourself."
"…What?"
"I know. I've made an invention of the century. Who wouldn't covet such a treasure? I've achieved something unprecedented, so of course you'd want my knowledge."
Lucian blinked blankly.
It wasn't wrong, exactly—but it sounded like a fair bit of self-praise mixed in.
After pondering something for a while, Ian spoke again, his body trembling as if squeezing the words out.
"Please. I'll tell you everything about the manufacturing process—just let me keep researching."
"What are you talking about?"
"I know how this goes. A nobody orphan like me gets hold of knowledge this incredible, so you'll just squeeze the method out of me and discard me afterward, right? Torture me until you get it, then slit my throat to silence me—"
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Lucian hurriedly cut him off.
He'd thought it was a good thing he didn't need to explain—but it seemed Ian had gone wildly off the rails.
"What kind of nonsense is that all of a sudden? Why would I torture you for your knowledge?"
"Huh? Weren't you here because you coveted the potion's recipe?"
"I do want it, but there's no need for that when I can just hire you. And of course I'll have you keep researching."
"B-But once you take the knowledge, I'd be useless, so you'd silence me—"
"That's how things go for people who accidentally get their hands on information beyond their station. You're the original researcher. If I let you keep going, you could produce even better results—why would I do something that stupid? That'd be like cutting open a goose that lays golden eggs."
Ian blinked a few times, then his face flushed red.
It seemed he had finally realized that the future he'd imagined was nothing but a delusion.
"Anyway, where did you even get knowledge like this? From the looks of it, you haven't gone anywhere—you've just been cooped up here doing research."
"F-From the tragedy of House Silverfall."
"The tragedy of House Silverfall?"
"It was a novel that was popular in the capital a few years ago…"
Seeing Ian answer in a voice that seemed to crawl along the floor, Lucian let out a dry laugh.
At this rate, it seemed the boy was in more urgent need of social education than further research.
***
"Please take care of me, my lord!"
As soon as he understood the situation, Ian abruptly switched to an overly polite attitude and bowed deeply.
He showed not a trace of dissatisfaction—so much so that Lucian was actually taken aback.
"Just so we're clear, even if I hire you, I won't be letting you immediately resume new research. For several years, you'll be manufacturing only the potion you developed today."
"That's fine. We've only obtained a single set of clinical results so far anyway. If I can gather more data while repeatedly producing it, that's nothing but a benefit to me."
"You'll also be lacking alchemy-related texts. Unlike the guild, there will be many times when you need information and simply can't get it."
"I've already read everything I'm permitted to access. To see anything more important, my rank would have to increase—and there's no telling when that would ever happen."
Wouldn't you rise instantly just by showing the potion you made?
As Lucian tilted his head, Ian read his intent and gave a bitter smile.
"To show my research results to others, I have to go through my master. And I know very well what kind of person he is. He's my benefactor, but if I showed him this data…"
"He'd strip it all away and publish it entirely under his own name. I get what you mean."
At Lucian's words, Ian didn't respond and continued organizing his materials.
No matter what, it seemed he was uncomfortable directly speaking ill of his master.
"All right. I'm done."
As they talked, Ian finished organizing the materials and broke into a bright smile.
The documents he intended to take amounted to only about three large books' worth, while the rest had been gathered in one place like trash.
"What are those?"
"Failed cases from incorrect hypotheses and errors. They're not important, so we can just throw them away."
"Burn them, just in case. It'd be troublesome if someone saw them and got some useless inspiration."
Lucian called Raymond over and had all the discarded research materials thrown into the fireplace and burned.
Only after carefully confirming they had been reduced to ash did a sigh of relief finally escape Lucian's lips.
Now the method for making Nektar is something only I monopolize.
It couldn't be revealed to the world just yet, but Lucian had finally gained a weapon that set him apart from everyone else.
A means to lure talent, a medicine to heal frail bodies, a way to cultivate powerful soldiers, a trade commodity to strengthen finances—
no matter how it was used, Nektar was an incomparably powerful treasure.
"Then we'll be going. No need to see us out—stay here."
"L-Lord Lucian… if nothing else, the research funds that man embezzled from me—"
"You want to accompany me to an audience with His Majesty?"
"N-No! I'm sorry!"
Trying to ingratiate himself, Haide hastily retreated under Lucian's cold glare.
Watching quietly from the side, Ian bowed his head toward his master.
"Master, thank you for everything until now. We're parting under circumstances I never imagined, but I'll never forget the kindness you showed me."
"Kindness? And yet you lay hands on your master's money? You've got some nerve!"
"I truly am sorry about that. But Master, you've been using the research funds provided by the state entirely for entertainment expenses. Even if I did take the research money, the result was a major achievement—so please, as a scholar, try to understand me."
"How dare you spout such—!"
"…To hear such admirable words from you. As your master, I'm proud. I truly wish you happiness."
"Yes, Master."
Seeing his master turn pale under the killing intent pouring from Lucian and Raymond, Ian gave a bitter smile.
No matter the era, his master had always been utterly weak in the face of power.
Having achieved his objective, Lucian made one final stop before leaving the capital—to look for John of the Thieves' Guild.
As insurance for the future, he intended to establish at least a thin line of connection with the guild.
However, John went completely to ground and never showed himself before Lucian again.
"That's odd. He must've known I was here long ago—why isn't he coming out?"
"That's only natural for a thief. He probably got a rough sense of how close you are to the imperial court, my lord. Of course he'd run. The deal's finished anyway—he won't want to get further entangled."
"I suppose that makes sense."
If he'd known this would happen, maybe he should've threatened him to show up one more time.
Lucian felt a flicker of regret, but since it had only ever been half an insurance policy to begin with, he decided to let it go cleanly.
If fate didn't connect them, there was nothing to be done.
Taking Ian with him, Lucian returned to the Black Scale Knights' quarters, returned the bronze token, and offered his thanks.
"Thank you very much. Thanks to this token, I was able to avoid quite a bit of trouble."
"If it was of help, then the honor is ours."
At Lucian's heartfelt gratitude, the knight smiled brightly as he accepted the token back.
He seemed pleased to have repaid, even in a small way, the debt he owed Lucian from the battlefield.
After reclaiming the horses that had been under care before departing, Lucian clicked his tongue inwardly.
They took far too good care of them. In just a few days, they've already filled out nicely.
It would've been enough to tend to them normally for such a short time, yet they'd been pampered this much.
It really drove home how favorably the Black Scale Knights regarded Lucian.
"Please travel safely, Lord Lucian."
"And I wish you all good health as well."
Escorted politely to the very end, Lucian headed toward the open gate in the city wall.
Seeing the unfamiliar mechanical structure, Ian murmured in amazement.
"Incredible… to think there was a hidden passage like this in the city wall…"
"Don't go spreading it around. This is trust granted to your lord—don't break it carelessly."
"Yes, sir!"
At Raymond's words, Ian replied in a voice brimming with discipline.
It seemed he was trying to learn the proper mindset of a retainer serving a lord rather than that of a mere scholar.
Finding the sight rather endearing, Lucian let out a small chuckle and said,
"Don't be so tense. You'll pick up that kind of mindset slowly by watching your seniors. Focus on your research instead—that'll be far more useful to me."
"Yes, my lord!"
Perhaps because he was glad to be able to continue his research, Ian answered spiritedly.
Satisfied with the response, Lucian gripped the reins and urged the horses onward.
It was time to return to Kelheim.
米米牛
The return journey was just as peaceful as when they had headed toward the capital.
Because of Ian's abysmal stamina, they had to take more breaks, which made the trip take a bit longer—but aside from that, it was a comfortable journey.
When the group arrived in Kelheim a few days later, an exclamation burst from Ian's lips.
"So there's another city this large besides the capital."
"It's not big enough to amaze someone who lived in the capital."
"I used to live in a small town. My master brought me to the capital when he took me in as a disciple, but I thought all cities besides the capital were basically the same."
According to Ian, even though he lived in the capital, the places he could go were so limited that it hardly meant anything.
In practice, his entire world had consisted of Haide's house, the market, and a handful of herb shops—so calling it life in the capital was more a matter of wording than reality.
"My master hated city life. He said once you get a taste for it, you start wasting money on useless things. Will I be able to walk around freely here?"
"Well, as long as you stay out of shady back alleys, it shouldn't be a problem. I'll assign one of your seniors to you—learn the roads."
"Thank you, my lord!"
Lucian was chatting casually with Ian as they passed through the outer city and headed toward the inner city.
It was then that Raymond, who had been quietly observing their surroundings the whole time, approached Lucian and whispered.
"My lord, something feels off about the atmosphere."
"The atmosphere?"
"It's hard to explain. Please take a look around yourself."
Hearing the form of address shift from Third Young Master to my lord, Lucian scanned his surroundings.
People were gathered here and there, whispering among themselves in low voices.
Sensing that the mood was indeed different from usual, Lucian called over a patrol unit nearby.
"Hey, you there. Come here for a moment."
"Who the hell—! I-I greet the Third Young Master!"
"That's enough. I just want to ask something. The mood in the territory feels strange—did something happen?"
When Lucian questioned the guard, who had dropped to his knees in panic, one of them replied with a puzzled expression.
"Haven't you heard? Sir Aizen the Sword Saint's successor is to receive their appointment today."
"Oh, so the day's finally come. I suppose everyone's curious about who the main figure of the ceremony will be."
"That too, but more than that, the other young masters are—ah!"
As if realizing he'd misspoken, the guard hastily clapped a hand over his mouth.
But once words were spoken, they couldn't be taken back.
Unable to withstand Lucian's probing gaze, the guard finally revealed the truth with an anxious face.
"In truth, there are rumors that the other young masters are targeting Sir Aizen's successor. Once the appointment is complete and they officially become a knight, they'll be able to choose a lord. The plan is to have them swear loyalty at that moment…"
"Oh?"
At the guard's explanation, Lucian narrowed his eyes.
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