Chapter 83
Succession Ceremony.
At last, the day had arrived.
From morning until afternoon.
All around, numerous attendants bustled cheerfully with smiles on their faces.
It was a scene where no one could possibly imagine that chaos would erupt in just a few hours.
Inside the annex.
That was where my grooming was currently taking place.
The one in charge of that task was none other than Erciel.
“Young Master. I think this outfit looks good.”
Starting from a flashy outfit dominated by a vivid red hue.
“Wait, no—this one might be better… Blue really suits you, Young Master. It goes well with your silver hair too.”
To an ensemble resembling formalwear, mainly white with accents of blue and gold.
Just how many outfits was she planning to put on me?
This was practically like being a living mannequin.
It was hard to even stop her.
The sparkle in her eyes as she changed my clothes made her look like she was finally acting her age.
“…Actually, maybe the red one from before was better…”
Ugh.
At this rate, we were never going to be done.
Thanks to preparing things ahead of time, there wasn’t a rush, but still, spending over an hour on outfits felt a bit much.
“Let’s go with this one. The one that’s white with blue accents. It looks the cleanest.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. It suits me well too. Like you said, the color goes nicely with my silver hair, right?”
“Yes. It suits you very well.”
Leaving the satisfied Erciel behind, I finally finished getting ready.
And then, the members of my group heading toward the main estate began to gather. They were all fully armed.
Succession Ceremony.
It was a celebration to honor the selection of the next heir.
Today, in keeping with tradition, knights were to wear only their swords and dress casually—leaving their duties aside for the day to enjoy freely.
‘Not that it’s mandatory, though.’
Still, most followed that tradition.
‘That being said…’
Knowing a rebellion was coming, dressing in casual clothes would’ve been ridiculous.
So I gave the order to equip proper armor. Whether or not one wore armor often meant the difference between life and death.
At 4 p.m.
My group and I began heading toward the main estate. Preparations for the festival were in full swing everywhere.
People bustled about with smiles on their faces.
This must’ve been the atmosphere throughout the entire territory.
Succession Ceremony.
It was one of the grandest festivals—one you might experience twice in your life, if lucky.
On this day, everything was tax-free, and vast stores of food from the family warehouse were distributed.
It was only natural that everyone would enjoy it.
Thanks to these perks, the people’s interest in the next heir always surged around this time, so it wasn’t a loss.
The moment we stepped into the main estate.
My eyes were met with extravagant decorations and food piled high like a banquet of delicacies.
It looked nearly identical to a five-star hotel buffet.
“…Wow.”
The Sword Demon Unit trailing behind me let out a dumbfounded gasp.
Inside the estate, all the vassals and knights had already gathered.
The most crowded area, of course, was around Abel and Adolf—the stars of today’s event. Both were wearing formal-style outfits, smiling and chatting with the surrounding guests.
‘Quite the turnout.’
Abel would carry himself well on his own.
Which meant the person I needed to find was someone else.
The banquet hall was quite large.
It took about ten minutes of scanning before I found him.
Duke Seltarion.
Since he had such little influence, I had ignored him completely in past playthroughs.
But this time was different.
The fact that Adolf paid such close attention to him meant that I absolutely had to protect him.
‘He’s still alive.’
Thankfully, he hadn’t been quietly eliminated before the event.
It seemed he had followed my advice faithfully.
The reason he had so little influence was immediately obvious from the situation.
Maybe because of his warm-hearted nature, a few people lingered around him, but they were hardly worth noting.
‘At best, mid-ranked knights.’
Right now, the vassals were all clinging to the heirs they had bet their money on.
No wonder no one found it strange if he didn’t show up to the ceremony.
If not for me, Abel wouldn’t have spared him a second glance.
And Adolf, being the one who would eliminate him, wouldn’t mention his whereabouts either.
“Hans?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“You’re the vice-captain, so take charge of the men. Make sure there’s no trouble—this is an important event.”
“Yes, sir. There will absolutely be no issues.”
“Good. I’m counting on you.”
Leaving the Sword Demon Unit under Hans, I approached Duke Seltarion with my direct subordinates—Seron, Leonhardt, and Erciel.
The knights around the Duke backed away on their own.
This is why social status is a cheat code.
Duke Seltarion looked at me with surprised eyes.
“…Kyle?”
“Why so surprised? I just came to chat with my brother.”
“With me?”
He looked confused, as if wondering why I’d speak with him instead of the stars of the event.
Obviously because you’re more important.
Abel could take care of himself. He’d be fine.
That meant protecting the Duke was the best option.
If he ended up dying in the chaos, it would be a huge problem.
‘Who knows what kind of coin might drop from that question mark? That can’t happen.’
To protect him—
“If you’re not busy, why don’t you stick with me for now?”
Keeping the Duke by my side was top priority.
Even if the rebellion broke out, I wasn’t likely to be targeted right away.
‘Naturally, they’ll want to keep me alive.’
So as long as he stayed close to me, he’d be safe from early-stage danger.
Of course, once I started making moves, enemies would swarm in trying to kill me—but I could deal with that when the time came.
I had already told my closest aides everything, so they wouldn’t be caught off guard.
“…With you, you say?”
“Hey. What’s the point of sitting in a corner sipping wine all alone?”
“…I’m fine.”
“I’m not, that’s why. You should go greet the other brothers and mingle a bit.”
At my words, Duke scratched his cheek awkwardly.
He seemed quite embarrassed.
It was like a popular guy approaching the loner kid in school and striking up a conversation.
That alone showed how much my standing within the family had risen.
To put it in perspective, I had gone from a hopeless troublemaker to a noteworthy rising star.
“…Yeah. Thanks.”
“Thanks for what? Oh, right. Do you know my companions? You probably know Leonhardt. This is my personal maid, Erciel.”
At my words, Erciel gave a polite bow.
“Hello, Third Young Master. My name is Erciel.”
“…Yes. Nice to meet you.”
“And the one standing here is Seron. He’s Leonhardt’s attendant.”
“…I’m Seron.”
After that quick round of introductions,
Duke’s guard and my party exchanged greetings.
Emern.
He, too, was one of the high-ranking knights, like Leonhardt. Though his potential wasn’t nearly as great as my bodyguards’, he was still a high-ranking knight and would be a valuable asset if he joined us.
After joining up with Duke,
We quietly strolled around and began observing Adolf.
Knights were bustling around him constantly. They looked like messengers rushing to deliver urgent news.
They were probably reporting on troop movements, variables, and other critical updates.
He had waited ten long years, and this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Of course he’d be exchanging reports nonstop.
Even in a short time, Adolf showed a wide variety of expressions.
His face tensed, then relaxed—his expression shifted in real time.
I didn’t know what he was hearing, but I was certain one of those reports included word of Abel’s troops moving.
‘Even so, he must still think it’s doable.’
Fourteen thousand troops, driven by madness.
Against Abel’s twelve thousand, he likely believed he could win.
What he didn’t know was that I had prepared mana bombs.
A hundred of them.
I had already passed them on to Abel, who distributed them among his subordinates.
Once one goes off—
‘You’ll be in for a world of pain, you bastard.’
While Adolf was making his final judgment,
Marquess Remton made his appearance.
He walked up to the highest platform in the castle.
The moment he stood there and surveyed the surroundings,
The lively chatter of the hall began to quiet down.
Then, in the midst of that silence,
He opened his mouth.
“From this moment forward, the succession ceremony shall begin.”
Ta-da-dum?!
The moment those words fell, grand music echoed across the hall.
After the music ended, Remton slowly began to speak again.
“For nearly twenty years, I have watched these two and deliberated at length. Who would be the right one to entrust with the next generation of the family? They are both my sons, and frankly, both possess outstanding talents. The decision was far from easy.”
And so, Remton continued his speech.
Abel and Adolf.
The topic was the life and accomplishments of those two.
What achievements they had accumulated.
How brilliant they both were as knights.
As Remton continued his speech,
The sky gradually turned golden with the setting sun.
“…After long deliberation, I have finally made my decision. Abel, Adolf—step forward to the platform.”
“…”
At his command, Abel and Adolf stepped up onto the stage.
Facing the kneeling pair, Remton spoke.
“…I know you’ve walked different paths all these years. Even so, I believe the blood bond you share will always remain unbreakable. I hope you will both continue to work for the glory of the family.”
“Yes!”
They answered in unison, voices loud and clear.
Though honestly, I’d be happy if they didn’t end up wrecking the whole household.
Then,
Remton made his decision and declared it boldly.
“I hereby announce to all—The 20th Head of House Seltarion shall be… Abel!”
Waaahhh!!
Abel Seltarion, hooray!
Hooray!
The crowd’s reaction fell into two clear categories.
Abel’s supporters roared in joy, shouting at the top of their lungs.
Adolf’s followers, on the other hand, stood in eerie silence.
They were staring intently at their master, waiting to see how he’d respond.
‘It’s almost time.’
My companions were already prepared for battle.
Of course, so was I.
Using a mixed-drive system, I activated Hide Mana Force to conceal my mana presence for a time.
On top of that, I cast Target On toward Adolf.
And then I activated one more spell.
Hold.
It was to bind the space around him.
This one was cast using a true in-game casting sequence.
Three spells at once, one of them using the game’s complex mechanics—it made my head spin with dizziness.
Grit!
I bit down hard and silently aimed my spells at Adolf.
The sky was growing darker.
And so was Adolf’s body.
‘He activated it.’
Of course.
This ending never changed.
I’d seen it countless times in the game.
So my decision was immediate.
My magic was already flying toward him like a bullet.
He was in the warming-up phase.
Once that ended, even a game-mechanics-based spell wouldn’t be able to restrain him. He’d shoot straight into the realm of a Sword Master.
If I wanted to interfere magically, now was the perfect time.
“……”
Just as Marquess Remton noticed something and his eyes twitched at the thick black aura pouring from Adolf,
My Hold spell captured the area around him.
Boom!
A loud crash echoed atop the stage.
It was the sound of Remton’s sword clashing against Adolf’s.
—
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