It wasn't uncommon for a vow of loyalty to follow immediately after a knighthood investiture.
Usually, the one who conducted the investiture—or the benefactor who had recommended the knight—would be the lord the new knight served.
But that was only when everything had been agreed upon in advance, before the ceremony.
To force a vow of loyalty without even asking the knight's intentions was an outrageous breach of etiquette.
"And yet, if rumors like this are going around, everyone must be pretty desperate."
As the disciple of the Sword Saint Aizen, Felicia's investiture was bound to be a grand affair.
If the three of them stepped forward at the same time, in full view of everyone, they must have thought she would choose at least one of them, no matter who it was.
After all, the one presiding over the investiture would be Archduke Sigmund, and since his master also served Valdeck, she would have received immense favors from them both, directly and indirectly.
"If she chooses none of Valdeck's children, she'll be branded as ungrateful. Is that what they're aiming for…?"
What a bunch of schemers.
Lucian let out a snort of laughter and waved his hand at the guards who were lying prostrate.
"Thanks for the explanation. You can go now."
"Y-yes, sir!"
At Lucian's dismissal, the guards hurried back to their posts.
After confirming that they were gone, Lucian leaned toward Raymond and whispered.
"How do you see it? Do you think the other brothers would really try to force Felicia into swearing loyalty?"
"It's certainly possible. In fact, that kind of coerced oath happens fairly often."
"And it's usually a tactic used when a minor lord tries to acquire talent far beyond his station. If they had confidence in recruiting her properly, they wouldn't resort to something like that."
"That just shows how heavy Sir Aizen's name carries. If things go well, it could overturn the line of succession in one stroke."
"And yet Sir Aizen himself would find that sort of petty scheme utterly repugnant."
A bitter smile formed at the corner of Lucian's mouth.
And Aizen wouldn't be the only one displeased.
To Archduke Sigmund, who had stood beside Aizen for many long years and held him in deep respect, this would hardly sit well either.
Yet before anything had even happened, they were already making their interest so blatant that rumors were spreading far and wide.
"Looks like they're really sweating bullets."
"The other young lords must be growing anxious over our lord's recent moves as well. They probably felt they needed a decisive blow to turn the situation around."
"A decisive blow, huh. Funny you mention it—I was just thinking I could use one myself."
No matter how much Lucian's stock had risen over the past year, it was hard to say he stood overwhelmingly above his brothers.
Tristan and Jordi had the foundations they'd built up over many years, and even Joshua, the youngest and latest entrant, had the backing of his maternal family.
Thanks to the fame he'd earned suppressing the rebellion, Lucian had drawn closest to the position of heir—but it was still a realm that could be contested.
If he could seize an unshakable advantage at this opportunity, that wouldn't be bad at all.
"Since the stage has been set by my brothers, shall I just place my spoon on it?"
✦✦✦
"Tsk."
Sword Saint Aizen Brightner clicked his tongue as he folded the letter before him.
Just as expected, today's letter was no different from yesterday's.
"Please understand if I step forward at the investiture?"
"Please give her advance notice so my disciple won't be flustered?"
The sender alternated each time between Tristan, Jordi, and Joshua, but the contents were always the same.
If they knew how rude such an act was, they could simply refrain from it—so what kind of hypocrisy was it to apologize in advance every single time for the rudeness they were about to commit?
All the more so when it wasn't a matter of life and death, but a discourtesy committed over nothing more than base greed.
"Above all, they're apologizing to the wrong person. If they want to beg forgiveness, it shouldn't be from me, but from that child. To care only about my reaction while ignoring her wishes entirely…"
Did they think that as long as they obtained Aizen's permission, they could bend the will of the person concerned however they pleased?
Having served the Valdeck family for a long time, Aizen couldn't quite bring himself to curse aloud, but the surge of irritation welling up inside him was unavoidable.
"Felicia."
Whooosh—
"Yes, Father."
Felicia, who had been in the middle of swinging her sword, immediately straightened her posture at Aizen's call.
Her balance, unshaken even by the sudden summons, pleased Aizen.
"Read it. The letter was addressed to me, but in truth, it might as well have been sent to you."
Felicia took the letter Aizen handed her and skimmed through it quickly.
A moment later, a voice tightly suppressing displeasure slipped from her lips.
"They haven't changed. Do they really think that if they pressure me in front of everyone, I'll accept?"
"It's true that methods like this are rampant in the world. They probably learned it by watching others. A regrettable thing."
Jordi had always been the sort of man who felt no qualms about pulling such tricks, but the other two young lords were different.
Tristan detested schemes to the point of loathing them, and Joshua, though ignorant of propriety and prone to crossing lines, wasn't the type to knowingly and deliberately overstep them.
Had he already returned after saying he had business in the capital?
A short while later, after opening the letter and reading its contents, Aizen burst out laughing.
"Well now, the Third Young Master is the same as ever!"
"What did he write?"
"See for yourself!"
Laughing cheerfully, Aizen handed the letter to Felicia.
Before long, a smile formed on Felicia's lips as well once she finished reading it.
The letter foretold the commotion Lucian intended to stir up at the investiture scheduled for that afternoon.
As soon as he returned, Lucian summoned Hugo and entrusted Ian to him.
If he kept the suddenly appeared alchemist close at hand and doted on him, it was bound to draw suspicious looks from those around him.
To manufacture Nektar while avoiding prying eyes, he needed to set up another hideout anyway.
"If possible, I'd like to secure at least one comfortable house for him, but I've spent everything buying moonlight grass, so I'm short on funds. For now, I'll have to leave him with Hugo."
The moment Hugo heard the situation from Lucian, he laughed and spoke with confidence.
"That won't be difficult. I'll prepare it right away."
"If you're lacking anything, let me know. I'll support you in every way I can."
"Do you not know who I am? I'm Hugo—the man who once even deceived His Grace the Archduke's eyes and built a potion workshop. Setting up a hideout with alchemical equipment is nothing."
At the boastful declaration tinged with bravado, Lucian let out a small snort of laughter and nodded.
Given that Hugo had done it before, the second time would surely be easier.
Ian himself was pleased as well, saying that he'd get to freely explore the big city for a while.
It seemed that while his passion for research hadn't cooled, he also harbored a quiet desire to see more of the world.
"I'll procure the ingredients for the medicine as much as possible, so in the meantime, get used to Kelheim. It won't take long."
"Yes, my lord. I'll make preparations so I can begin manufacturing right away—just give the word anytime."
Ian answered briskly and left. As Hans watched his retreating figure, a subtle expression crossed his face.
Unlike the other talents, Ian looked like nothing more than an ordinary boy, and Hans seemed to harbor some doubts.
"Young Master, was that lad really worth going all the way to the capital to bring back? You didn't just settle for a chicken when you couldn't get a pheasant, did you?"
"It's the opposite. I almost brought back a chicken and ended up finding a pheasant instead. I got lucky. That aside…"
Lucian trailed off and looked Hans up and down.
It hadn't been that long, yet he'd lost quite a bit of weight and looked almost gaunt.
"You—are you all right? You're not sick or anything, are you?"
"Haha, I'm fine. Steward training's been a bit tough, so I lost some weight, but… I'm learning diligently. Truly… truly…"
Hans stopped mid-sentence and shuddered.
Just recalling how demanding the lessons were was enough to make his complexion visibly pale.
"If it's that hard, do you want to take a few days off? I could tell them you're unwell."
"No, it's all right."
Hans quickly shook his head at Lucian's concerned suggestion.
"It is difficult, but every time I learn something new, I feel a sense of accomplishment too. If I'm to keep standing at your side, Young Master, this much hardship is nothing."
"You really are stubborn."
Lucian said so, yet he couldn't hide the smile creeping up at the corners of his mouth.
Hugo and Hans alike—when it came to their outlook on life, they were retainers he found utterly to his liking.
After chatting with Lucian for a bit, Hans suddenly took on an expression as if something had just occurred to him.
"Come to think of it, the investiture is coming up soon. Will you be attending as well, Young Master? If you're tired from your journey, no one would fault you for sitting it out."
"If I were still away, that'd be one thing—but now that I'm back with the family, of course I'll attend. The successor to Sir Aizen is making her appearance. How could I possibly skip that?"
Just watching would already be entertaining enough—and they'd even set the stage for it.
For Lucian, it was a spectacle he absolutely couldn't miss.
After checking the approximate time, Lucian was on his way to the investiture venue when—
"…Brother?"
"Oh, Joshua."
Seeing Joshua by chance along the path, Lucian greeted him cheerfully.
Joshua, on the other hand, recoiled a step with a weary expression the moment he saw Lucian.
"I heard you went to the capital. Looks like you made it back in time."
"Just barely. I almost missed the investiture."
"I'm only asking just in case, but… you're not also aiming for Sir Aizen's disciple, are you?"
"Why? Am I not allowed to? From what I hear, you and our other brothers are all after her too."
At Lucian's reply, Joshua snorted and shook his head.
"You've been making quite a name for yourself lately, Brother, but this time you'd be better off giving up."
"And why is that?"
"What would someone on the level of the Sword Saint's successor be lacking that she'd come to you? To be frank, it's not like you have the finances to offer a knight of that caliber proper treatment."
"Well, it's true I'm strapped for cash."
Among the three brothers, Lucian was the only one without backing from his maternal family, and all the compensation he'd received from Jordi had already gone straight into buying moonlight grass.
When Lucian readily agreed, Joshua spoke firmly, as if this were his chance to teach him how the world really worked.
"A truly exceptional talent would never sell themselves cheaply. Not because they're greedy for money, but because treatment is one of the ways talent is acknowledged publicly. If they accept treatment unbefitting their abilities, it's tantamount to declaring that they themselves are only worth that much."
"Hm."
"Especially in the case of the Sword Saint's successor—what could she possibly be lacking that she'd enter your service, Brother? Unless you'd saved her life in ages past, there's no reason for her to lower her own value by serving under a penniless lord who can't even pay a proper stipend."
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