Former Fake Becomes Grand Duke of the North

Maria and I ran towards the servants’ quarters here in Kaltbrand Castle. Since Bertrand disguised himself as a servant, and Rosalind followed him while using a shadowstep, chances were that was where we would find them both. I pulled ahead of Maria, thanks to my speed, and soon left her behind.

As I ran, I prayed to the gods that Rosalind was all right and cursed myself for letting her go off on her own. I thought she would be all right, since she was a Blue Shadow and had a shadowstep. However, if Bertrand noticed her tailing him, it would be a simple matter for him to deal with her. He was an Aura Expert. While Rosalind was skilled, she wasn’t Bertrand’s match when it came to physical strength.

When I drew near the servants’ quarters, I heard a commotion. Several of the servants, and a few of the Coldsteel Knights, gathered together in a hallway.

“She’s hurt!”

“Call a priest!”

“Who did this? How did this happen?”

I increased my speed and rushed forward.

“Move!” I commanded when I reached the crowd.

When they realized who I was, the group parted, revealing Rosalind laying on the ground with her eyes closed. She had been stabbed in the abdomen. She was limp and her face was white. If I hadn’t seen her chest rising and falling, I would have thought she was already dead. Even so, it was clear that she was in poor condition.

One of the other servants tended to her, though it was clear that Rosalind needed a priest. Otherwise, she would die from her injury. I knelt down next to her, even though there was little I could do to help.

“What happened?” I asked the servant tending to Rosalind.

The servant grimaced at me.

“I don’t know, my lord,” she said, “I found her like this not too long ago.” She shook her head. “I don’t know if she’s going to make it, my lord. She’s lost a lot of blood. I’m doing what I can, but…”

The servants trailed off. Damn! Bertrand must have noticed Rosalind and stabbed her, before running off. In his shoes, I would flee the castle. The question was, how?

“Did anyone see what happened?” I asked.

All of the servants and knights shook their heads. Double damn.

“Has anyone seen a servant named Bertrand?” I asked.

I gave them a description of Bertrand’s appearance.

“You mean Erhard?” one of the other servants asked. “He should be in his quarters, though I haven’t seen him since the banquet ended.”

I stood up.

“Take me there.” I said in a harsh tone.

The servant flinched. I would have felt bad for the way I spoke to him under normal circumstances, but I was too angry and full of guilt to care at the moment. One of my people had been hurt. I could not, would not, let that stand. Since I couldn’t do anything to help Rosalind, the best I could do was catch the person responsible for injuring her. While I doubted that Bertrand was in his quarters, maybe I would find a clue.

Maria arrived at that moment, out of breath and sweating after running all the way here from the Grand Duke’s office.

“Rosalind!” she screamed.

She rushed to her sister’s side and knelt beside her.

“Keep an eye on her.” I said. “I’ll go check Bertrand’s room.” I turned to one of the Coldsteel Knights. “Spread the word. I want this Erhard found and taken into custody. However, everyone should be careful. He’s an Aura Expert. If it proves too difficult to capture him alive, just kill him.”

The Coldsteel Knight gave me an incredulous look.

“Now!”

The Coldsteel Knight snapped out of his stupor and saluted me.

“Yes, my lord!” He said, before rushing off to obey my orders. The other Coldsteel Knights joined him.

I gestured for the servant, the one who spoke up earlier, to lead the way. He flinched, but obeyed. I followed him. Bertrand’s quarters turned out to be a small windowless room, with little in the way of furniture. There was just a bed and a small dresser. A quick look revealed nothing. No clue, no hint, nothing. I expected as much, but I couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

After my search turned up nothing, I returned to Rosalind’s location. To my surprise, I found Grand Duke Kaltbrand kneeling next to her. Ellen stood next to him with a concerned expression on her face. Why was she here, running around free? Shouldn’t she be locked up? I shook my head and ignored her for now.

“Dad?” I asked the Grand Duke. “What are you doing here?”

“Claus and your mother have raised the alarm.” He said. “If this Bertrand bastard is still in the castle, they’ll find him.” He nodded towards Rosalind. “I figured that something like this must have happened, so I came here in case anyone needed healing.”

I opened my mouth to ask him what he meant, but then he raised his hand and a blue flame sprang to life in his palm. My eyes widened when I realized that this was coldfire, the divine power gifted to House Kaltbrand. As its name suggested, the blue flame emitted cold rather than heat. It froze rather than burned.

“Healing isn’t my strength,” Grand Duke Kaltbrand said, “However, with my divine power, I should be able to stabilize Rosalind.”

“Please, Your Grace,” Maria begged with tears in her eyes, “Save my sister.”

The Grand Duke nodded, before he took the coldfire and pressed it against Rosalind’s wound. As soon as the blue flame touched her, Rosalind let out a groan and squirmed.

“Keep her still.” Grand Duke Kaltbrand commanded.

Maria and I leapt to obey his words. We pinned Rosalind to the ground. She continued to struggle, but was in no state to resist us. To my amazement, her wound started to close at a rate visible to the naked eye. The coldfire knit her flesh together and made it anew. Soon, almost no trace of Rosalind’s wound remained. It was like a miracle.

“Amazing.” One of the nearby servants whispered.

“A blessing from the gods.” Another said.

I resisted the urge to nod, though I agreed with him. It was a minor miracle, as these things went, but a miracle nonetheless. When the Grand Duke finished healing Rosalind, he leaned back and let out a breath. Sweat beaded his forehead.

“Whew,” he said, “That took more out of me than I expected.” He grinned at me. “Using a power meant for destruction in order to heal someone isn’t easy.” He nodded towards Rosalind’s limp form. “I’ve stabilized her for now, but a priest or priestess of the Goddess of Light should take a look at her. They’re much better at healing than I am. Still, we can move her to a more secure location.”

“Take her to my rooms.” I said, gesturing to the nearby servants.

This earned me a raised eyebrow from the Grand Duke, but he didn’t contradict my orders. A few of the servants picked Rosalind up and carried her away. Maria accompanied them, holding her sister’s hand.

“The rest of you are dismissed.” Grand Duke Kaltbrand told the remaining servants. “Make sure none of you breathe a word of what you just witnessed.”

The servants nodded before leaving. Despite this, I had a feeling that the entire castle would know about what happened before morning. All it would take was one set of loose lips.

“Wolfie.” Ellen said when it was just the three of us.

“What?” I snapped, my voice sharp.

A part of me blamed Ellen for what happened, so I wasn’t feeling well-disposed towards her. However, I knew that most of the blame belonged to Bertrand, followed by me. Bertrand was the one who stabbed her, but if it hadn’t been for me, Rosalind wouldn’t have followed him in the first place.

“Bertrand has likely already escaped the castle.” Ellen said in an urgent tone. “He’s had too much of a head start. By this point, he must know that I’ve betrayed him. The first thing he’ll do is kill Thomas, since he’s useless to him now. He might even do it himself.” She fell to her knees. “Please, save Thomas. Please save my brother. I beg of you.”

A part of me wanted to deny Ellen’s request and let her little brother die. I was still angry about what happened to Rosalind. However, I reined my temper in. Ellen was a traitor, but her brother was innocent. He didn’t deserve to die. Not only that, but I still held some attachment towards him. Besides, if Thomas died, then Ellen wouldn’t talk. While we could torture her, it was better to just rescue her brother.

I glanced at Grand Duke Kaltbrand. What did he think about all this? My authority came from him. At the end of the day, he was the one in charge.

“I leave it up to you.” He said, as if reading my mind. “I’ll support whatever decision you make.”

I nodded in thanks, before looking at Ellen.

“Fine,” I said, “I’ll save your brother. Where is he?”

Ellen looked up at me and smiled.

“Thank you.” She said. “They’re keeping him in House Meyers’ estate, near Warrior’s Rest. I don’t know about the servants there, but Baron Meyers and his knights are traitors. Be careful.”

Good. That meant that if we hurried using the warp gate network, we would make it there in less than an hour. As for Baron Meyers and his knights, knowing that they were all traitors made things easier for me. It meant that I didn’t need to hold back.

“You do know that this may be a trap?” Grand Duke asked, eyeing Ellen with suspicion.

“I know.” I said. “Even if it is, I refuse to stay here and hide like a coward.” I smirked. “Besides, I’m not that easy to kill.”

Grand Duke Kaltbrand snorted and shook his head.

“Overconfident little…” He sighed. “You’re just like me when I was your age: cocky and arrogant.” He gestured towards me. “Go, I’ll keep an eye on your friend here. I’ll also send your mother along, after we’ve put together a sizable enough force.”

With that, I saluted the Grand Duke and rushed towards the headquarters of the Coldsteel Knights to put together a team.

Given the time constraints involved, I could only put together a small team. In addition to my two remaining bodyguards, Sir Kane and Viktor, my team consisted of a dozen or so knights. While our numbers were small, each Coldsteel Knight was an Aura Expert. That was more than enough time to storm a barony and rescue a small boy.

Well, not quite a small boy. I last saw Thomas when he was about four or five years old. That was ten years ago, meaning he was a youth rather than a boy. I might not even recognize him when I saw him. I needed to keep that in mind going forward.

As for the aftermath of storming House Meyers’ territory, I could leave that to Knight Commander Bardin. I just needed to focus on rescuing Thomas.

After putting together my team, we headed out. Thanks to the Grand Duke’s authority, it took less time to go through the warp gate network to reach Warrior’s Nest than I expected. The part of me that worried about unnecessary expenses despaired at the cost of using the warp gate network. However, I ignored it. This was for the sake of House Kaltbrand. From that perspective, no cost was too high. Besides, I wasn’t the one paying for it all.

When my team reached Warrior’s Rest, I took a moment to take in the sights. It had only been a few weeks since I last saw the city, but it felt like a lifetime had passed since then. So much happened in such a short span of time. Two months ago, I was a mercenary eking out a living by hunting demonic beasts. Now I was a mercenary pretending to be the heir to one of the most powerful noble families in the entire Reichwald Empire. Not for the first time, I realized that I lived a strange life.

After reaching Warrior’s Rest, I decided to forgo horses and just run to the Meyers barony. The knights accompanying me were all Aura Experts, so they were faster than horses and time was of the essence. They also had plenty of stamina, so they would still be in fighting condition when we arrived. I had never been to the Meyers barony, but several of the knights accompanying me had, so finding our way there wasn’t a problem. The moon provided us with enough light to find our bearings.

The journey to the Meyers barony was uneventful for the most part. We encountered a few demonic beasts along the way, but they were all Rank One and easily disposed of. However, on the way there, Viktor spoke to me. Like Sir Kane, he flanked me.

“My lord, what is going on?” He said, speaking low enough that not even the knights surrounding us heard him. The only exception was Sir Kane, who was the closest to us. “Why are we going to the Meyers barony? And where is Dame Elise?”

For a brief moment, I considered refusing to answer his question. However, I decided to tell him the truth, at least in part. Ellen, in her guise as Elise, was his comrade. Not only that, but she was, or had been, one of my bodyguards. Taking all of that into account, of course he would want answers. However, I couldn’t tell him the full truth. I would leave that up to Knight Commander Bardin. The Coldsteel Knights were her subordinates and her responsibility. At the end of the day, I wasn’t one of them.

“We’re going to rescue a boy named Thomas.” I said. “As for Dame Elise…” I paused as I figured out the best way to word it. “… She was detained for reasons I can’t disclose right now.”

Viktor narrowed his eyes at me, and even Sir Kane gave me a questioning look. However, I ignored them both and continued running.

Two hours after we left Warrior’s Rest, we arrived at Meyers Castle. Like many areas in the Barrens, it was built to withstand the constant attacks from demonic beasts. A tall stone wall surrounded a stone keep, which sat atop a small hill. A sturdy wooden gate served as the main entrance.

I realized that something was wrong the moment I laid eyes on the castle. It was too quiet. Yes, it was the dead of night, but there still should have been signs of life. If nothing else, I should have noticed sentries on the wall keeping an eye out for demonic beasts. And yet, I saw nothing.

I glanced around. From the grim expressions on everyone’s faces, they must have realized the same thing. I gestured for them to follow me and rushed towards the main entrance. We found the gate open, confirming my worst fears. One of the missing sentries laid dead just beyond the entrance. Our enemies had arrived first. They must not have expected us to arrive so soon, because they left no one behind to watch for our approach.

“Close the gate and stay here,” I said, gesturing to two of the knights, “Make sure no one escapes.”

The two knights nodded.

“Everyone, keep your guard up.” I said. “We don’t know how many enemies we’re dealing with, or how strong they are, but be prepared for anything.”

“My lord,” Sir Kane said, stepping forward, “I know you’re going to ignore me, but you should stay back. I can’t in good consciousness allow you to go forward, not when we’re dealing with so many unknowns.”

I nodded.

“You’re right,” Sir Kane seemed relieved at first, until I finished my sentence, “I am going to ignore you.”

With that, I headed towards the keep. Sir Kane let out an exasperated sigh before he and the other knights followed me.

We found more bodies after we entered the keep. Most belonged to the knights who served House Meyers. A few belonged to servants, innocents who had been caught up in their master’s folly. It seemed like our enemies planned on killing everyone in the castle; tying up loose ends so to speak. I clenched my jaw when I saw the bodies, but kept my anger in check. I couldn’t afford to let my emotions get the better of me. Not yet.

It didn’t take us long to find out where our enemies were. We just needed to follow the sounds of fighting, and screaming. The sounds came from two areas. One from above, where I assumed Baron Meyers slept, and one on the ground floor, where I assumed the servants lived. After some deliberation, I decided to split our group into two.

“Sir Kane and Sir Viktor, you’re going upstairs with me.” I said. “Everyone else, deal with the enemies down here. After you secure the ground floor, come upstairs.”

Some of the knights looked like they wanted to protest, but I silenced them with a look. After a moment, they nodded and rushed off to follow my orders. I headed upstairs. Not because I wanted to rescue Baron Meyers, but because I thought that was where Thomas was. According to Ellen, the Baron was working with our enemies and they were using Thomas as a hostage to keep her in line. If I were Baron Meyers, I would want to keep Thomas as close to me as possible, to prevent any mischief.

As we rushed up the stairs, we drew our weapons. I coated my sword and my body in Aura. It took us less than a minute to reach the fighting, which took place in one of the castle’s hallways. There were two groups involved. One group was the knights of House Meyer, the other group was a bunch of black-cloaked figures. It was difficult to tell, due to the darkness, but it looked like there were about a dozen of each group.

Despite the even numbers, it was clear that the knights were at a disadvantage. Most of them were just Aura Warriors, with a few Aura Experts among them. However, all of the black-cloaked figures were Aura Experts. Hiding behind the knights was a skinny middle-aged man: Baron Meyers.

“Volkhard!” the Baron yelled, “What is the meaning of this? Why are you attacking me?”

Volkhard? I didn’t know who that was, but since Baron Meyers knew him, I assumed he was an important figure in the organization that Ellen belonged to. Regardless of who he was, this Volkhard didn’t respond and continued to attack the House Meyers knights.

My bodyguards and I attacked the black-cloaked figures from behind. A few of them noticed our approach and turned to face us. However, my bodyguards and I managed to cut down three of them before they mounted an effective defense.

One of the black-cloaked figures, who wielded a pair of daggers, ran towards me. My instincts screamed at me in warning. I raised my sword just as the figure rushed forward with a sudden burst of speed, and I barely managed to block their attack. Aura coated the figure’s daggers. My eyes widened a fraction. It seemed this figure had hidden their true strength this entire time. Their mana signature rose from that of an Aura Expert to an Aura Master.