Former Fake Becomes Grand Duke of the North

After I exited the House Guld carriage, I took a look around at our surroundings. We were in a residential part of Haven’s Inner City, with townhouses and manors situated along wide open streets. More importantly, there was no one else around. It seemed that everyone else had fled when the tower magicians appeared. Perfect. This meant that there was less of a chance of someone innocent getting caught up in this nonsense.

I counted about a dozen tower magicians. Most of them were Adepts, but there were five Sages mixed in among them. A formidable force, to be sure, but nothing that I couldn’t handle. I wouldn’t even need to unsheathe the sword that Father gave me.

About half of the tower magicians had light brown skin, silver hair, and silver eyes, which was typical of natives of the Mistwood. This didn’t surprise me. The Mistwood was the most magical region in the Reichwald Empire. Just as the Barrens had an abundance of Aura users, the Mistwood had an abundance of magicians. Many of them ended up joining the Tower of Magic. House Galdur, the rulers of the Mistwood, were a family of powerful magicians.

“Finally-” one of the magicians started to say, before stopping. I recognized his voice. It was the man who spoke earlier and demanded that Father exit the carriage. “Who are you?”

I grinned at him.

“Lord Wulfe Kaltbrand of House Kaltbrand.” I said. “May I ask what your business with Duke Guld is? We were in the middle of an important discussion, when you so rudely interrupted us.”

When I mentioned House Kaltbrand, the tower magicians glanced at each other with worried expressions on their faces. Well, the Adepts did. The Sages just let out derisive sneers.

“That is none of your concern, Lord Wulfe.” The lead magician said in a haughty tone. “Out of your respect for your family, we shall let you go. However, if you insist on interfering with our business, then don’t blame us for being impolite.”

Ha! I forgot. In general, magicians were an arrogant lot. However, tower magicians were even worse. This was because they were protected by the Pact, which let them get away with audacious behavior that other magicians wouldn’t even dare contemplate, such as kidnapping a duke of the Reichwald Empire. There were limits to this, of course, but not many. As long as the Tower of Magic didn’t go too far, they could do almost anything.

“I’m afraid this is my business.” I said, my expression hardening. “You see, I’m also Wulfram Guld, adopted son of House Guld. I refuse to stand by and do nothing while you threaten my father. So, here is my counter offer. Leave, and you get to walk out of here on your own two feet.”

“You arrogant-” The lead magician said, before turning towards his companions. “Subdue hi-”

I didn’t even let the lead magician finish before I rushed towards him. He turned to try and deal with me, but it was already too late. I swung my sword at him. However, before it connected, a magical barrier sprang into existence around the lead magician. My sword bounced off, though my blow left cracks in the barrier.

“Ha!” the lead magicians sneered. “You’re nothing more than a thuggish brute, like all other Aura us-”

I coated my sword in my Aura, before I swung it again. This time, the barrier shattered and my sword hit the lead magician in the chest. He went flying and hit the ground with a thud, before lying still. I held back my strength to avoid killing him, though I heard several of his ribs break.

As I attacked their leader, the other magicians sprang into action. They threw several offensive spells at me. Fireballs, ice lances, wind blades, etc. However, I dodged most of them. I blocked the rest with my Aura, which I used to protect my body.

Unfortunately for them, they overlooked one important factor: Sir Kane. My bodyguard had accompanied me on this trip to the House Guld townhouse. It seemed that the tower magicians had ignored him and focused on me because I was an Aura Master, while Sir Kane was a “mere” Aura Expert. Fools.

While the tower magicians bombarded me with spells, Sir Kane leapt from his perch atop the coach and attacked the nearest Sage, forcing her to defend herself. I took this opportunity to deal with the tower magician nearest to me, an Adept. He tried to protect himself with a magical barrier, but I didn’t even need to use my Aura to break through it. Rather than risk killing him by hitting him with my sword, I just knocked him out with a punch.

Sir Kane and I subdued the remaining tower magicians one by one. While I dealt with most of them, Sir Kane put on a good showing. He managed to defeat two Sages on his own, which was an impressive feat for an Aura Expert. Then again, he was a Coldsteel Knight and a hardened veteran. Tower magicians were powerful and skilled, but they spent most of their time in the Tower of Magic. They lacked experience in real battle.

Soon, all of the tower magicians were on the ground, either groaning in pain or unconscious. I grinned at Sir Kane and opened my mouth to congratulate him, but then my instincts screamed that I was in danger. I whirled around in time to see a spear of silver light speeding towards me. I blocked it with my sword, though it was a near thing. The attack pushed me back several steps, though I managed to stay on my feet. With a roar, I heaved and shattered the spear of silver light.

That attack didn’t come from a Sage. It was too powerful for that. No, it came from a Grand Sage magician. This wasn’t good. Just as Aura Masters were exponentially more powerful than Aura Experts, Grand Sages were the same compared to Sages.

I looked up to find a woman hovering in the air above us. As expected, she had the mana signature of a Grand Sage. She had light brown skin, piercing silver eyes, and long silver hair, which fluttered in the wind. Another native of the Mistwood. Her elfin features were schooled into a neutral mask.

It was difficult to tell, but she looked like she was in her late thirties, early forties. Like the tower magicians around us, she wore black robes with silver stars. However, her robes had five silver stars on it. Well, well. It seemed that the Tower Master herself had come out to play.

The two of us stared at one another for a long moment.

“I greet you, Tower Master Katarina Galdur.” I said with a nod. “It is an honor to meet you.”

Tower Master Katarina studied me for a moment, before returning my nod.

“I greet you, Lord Wulfe Kaltbrand,” she said, “And likewise.”

Despite our polite greeting, the tension between us grew taut. If the Tower Master herself was here, then the Tower of Magic wanted to kidnap Father more than I realized. Just what kind of negotiations were these?

“Move aside, Lord Wulfe.” Tower Master Katarina said. “I have business with Duke Guld.”

I bared my teeth at her in a smile.

“No, I don’t think I will.” I said. “Here’s a suggestion, instead of trying to kidnap Father, why don’t you go back to that tower of yours and request a meeting with him through the proper channels? You might get better results that way.”

Tower Master Katarina narrowed her eyes at me.

“I tried being polite, out of consideration towards House Kaltbrand, but it seems that my efforts were in vain.” She said. “Don’t interfere, Lord Wulfe. You may be an Aura Master, but compared to me, you are little more than a child who has taken his first steps into the world at large. You don’t have the power to stand against me.”

“I don’t know, Tower Master Katarina,” Father’s voice said, “Wulfram may surprise even you.”

I turned around to find Father walking towards me. He stopped by my side. While he wore a smile on his face, there was an edge to it. It seemed that Tower Master Katarina had angered him.

“Duke Guld,” the Tower Master said, “None of this would have happened if you had just agreed to our terms.”

Father barked out a laugh.

“You call those terms?” He said, his voice filled with scorn. “That was nothing more than highway robbery and you know it. I might as well toss money into the streets. At least then, it might go to someone who deserves it.” He dropped his smile. “You may be the master of the Tower of Magic, but I am only willing to tolerate your arrogance so far. There are lines you shouldn’t cross, including attacking my son right in front of me.”

As he said that last sentence, I felt a pulse of power come from Father; divine power, to be exact. He must have hidden it from me earlier, since I didn’t notice it until now. It felt different from Dad’s coldfire and the Emperor’s blazing sun, but it wasn’t any less powerful. Thorny vines burst out of the ground around Father, cracking the road as they did so.

“Do you think you’re strong enough to handle both of us, Tower Master Katarina?” Father asked, his voice filled with power.

Tower Master Katarina made a hand gesture, and dozens of spears made from silver light sprang into existence around her.

“We won’t know until we try, won’t we?” Tower Master Katarina asked. “I’ll admit, I am curious. Which is more powerful? Your divine power, or my magic? Shall we see?”

Uh oh. This wasn’t good. Earlier, Father seemed at ease, amused even, by the Tower of Magic’s actions. However, right now, he looked ready to go to war. If that happened, things wouldn’t end well for anyone. I needed to stop them somehow. A war between House Guld and the Tower of Magic would devastate the Reichwald Empire.

“Tower Master Katarina,” I said, “If you don’t take your people and retreat, then I will cut off the Tower of Magic’s supply of mana crystals.” I grinned at her. “As you know, most of the mana crystals in the Reichwald Empire come from the Barrens. Yes, you may be able to get some from other sources, but not to the same degree.”

This was a serious threat. Mana crystals were a vital resource to the Reichwald Empire. Everyone needed them, the Tower of Magic in particular. They used mana crystals for a variety of reasons, including the creation of magic tools. The selling of magic tools was the main source of income for the Tower of Magic. Magical research and experimentation was expensive. Without mana crystals, and the money they got from selling magic tools, the Tower of Magic would be in a difficult spot.

“You’re bluffing.” Tower Master Katarina said, narrowing her eyes at me. “Even if you have the authority to do so, you wouldn’t. The Barrens relies on its mana crystal exports to survive. If you stopped them, you’d only be dooming your people.”

I snorted.

“I only said that I would cut off the Tower of Magic’s supply of mana crystals.” I said. “I never said that I would stop the export of mana crystals altogether.” I gestured to Father. “I could just sell them to House Guld. They can afford it.” I paused. “In fact, that sounds like a great idea. If nothing else, it would give House Guld an edge in their negotiations with you.”

Tower Master Katarina faltered at that. Father stared at me in surprise, before he started laughing.

“Using both brute force and economics against your opponents.” Father said, wiping tears from his eyes. “You really are a Kaltbrand and a Guld.”

I smiled at him, before I looked back up at Tower Master Katarina.

“There is no need for any more violence.” I said. “Take your people and go. Let us forget this incident ever happened.”

A variety of emotions flashed across Tower Master Katarina’s face, before she settled on resignation.

“Very well, Lord Wulfe,” she said, “You win this time.” Her expression hardened. “However, the Tower of Magic will remember this. I will remember this.”

With that, Tower Master Katarina made another hand gesture. The silver spears transformed into silver chains. They reached down and picked up the tower magicians that Sir Kane and I had subdued. Afterwards, Tower Master Katarina flew away, carrying her people with her. Soon, they were out of sight.

“Congratulations, Wulfram.” Father said, giving me a proud smile. “Not many people can hold their own against Tower Master Katarina. You managed to do so during your first meeting with her. You should be proud.”

I smiled at him in return.

“Thank you, Father.” I said.

After checking on Sir Kane to make sure he was all right, I joined Father as he reentered the House Guld carriage. Soon, we resumed our journey towards the House Guld townhouse. We were only five minutes away.

“Is it alright for us to just leave like that?” I asked. “We caused a major incident, and you destroyed part of the road.”

Father waved off my concerns.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’ll report the incident to the appropriate authorities and pay for the damages. It’ll be fine.”

I studied Father for a moment, before shaking his head. Despite living as a Guld for seven years, and as a Kaltbrand for the past several weeks, it still amazed me what one could do with enough status and money.

“Now then,” I said, “Are you going to tell me the real reason why the Tower of Magic wanted to kidnap you?”

When Father told me that the Tower of Magic wanted to kidnap him because of failed negotiations, I didn’t question it at first. However, after giving it some thought, I realized that that didn’t make sense. The Tower of Magic was protected by the Pact, but even they wouldn’t be brazen enough to pick a fight with House Guld over the sale of magic tools. They were arrogant enough, yes, but they weren’t stupid.

House Guld wasn’t weak. Making enemies of them for such a petty reason didn’t make sense to me. If it had just been a group of tower magicians who were acting on their own, I could believe that. However, Tower Master Katarina was involved, which meant that the Tower of Magic as a whole was involved. I suspected that the failed negotiations were an excuse to obfuscate their true objective.

Father eyed me for a moment, before he let out a sigh.

“I don’t know for sure.” He said. “Though, I have an idea. In public, the Tower of Magic is neutral in the fight for the throne. However, I suspect that the Tower of Magic has pledged their support to Prince Jeremias. I believe that they want to kidnap me in order to force House Guld to support him.”

I stared at him for a moment, before my expression hardened.

“If that was their goal, they couldn’t have picked a worse way to go about it.” I said. “Their actions all but guarantee that House Guld would turn against Prince Jeremias.”

“Only if they fail to capture me.” Father pointed out. “If they succeed, then House Guld would have no choice but to comply.”

I snorted with derision.

“As if you would ever let that happen.” I said. “You probably have a contingency plan in place, just in case the Tower of Magic does succeed in kidnapping you.”

Father shrugged, before grinning at me.

“Perhaps,” he said, “Perhaps not.” His grin faded away. “Still, all I have are suspicions. I don’t have any concrete evidence to support them. It’s possible that the Tower of Magic supports a different candidate, or maybe they really are neutral. As I said, I don’t know. They’ve done a good job of keeping their intentions hidden.”

I nodded. So far, the fight for the throne had affected both my birth family and my adopted family, and it would only get worse from here.

“Can’t they just leave us alone?” I grumbled. “Why does the imperial family have to involve us in their nonsense? They should just figure it out amongst themselves.”

Father chuckled.

“This is the price we must pay for the privileges we enjoy.” He said. “As the heir to House Kaltbrand, you must come to accept that there will always be someone looking to take advantage of you.”

I sighed.

“I’m surprised that Sieg managed to put up with it for so long.” I said. “I’m new to it all, and I’m already sick of it. He grew up with this sort of pressure. I’m surprised he hasn’t gone crazy yet.”

Father gave me a sympathetic smile.

“We all find our own ways of handling the burden of power.” He said. “It helps to have a group of loved ones to support you.” He reached over and grasped my shoulder. “You aren’t alone, Wulfram. If you ever need my help, don’t hesitate to ask. You may be the heir to House Kaltbrand now, but I will always consider you my son.”

I reached up and gave his hand a brief squeeze.

“Thank you, Father.” I said. “I will.”

Father let go of my shoulder and leaned back.

“Why don’t you speak with Sieg when you have the chance?” He suggested. “It might help to talk with someone going through a similar experience as you.” His expression turned melancholic. “I’m sure he would appreciate it as well. Being the heir to a powerful family can be a lonely experience. Most people fear you, wish to take advantage of you, or both. It’s difficult to find a true friend among the sea of sycophants.”

I took a moment to think about it. Father’s words made sense. Back when we were children, Sieg’s status as the heir to House Guld set him apart from everyone else. We loved him, and he loved us in return, but there was always a gulf between him and the rest of us. That couldn’t have been easy for him, growing up. I found it ironic that being the heir to a powerful noble family was something I now had in common with him.

The carriage stopped, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked out the window and realized that we had arrived at the House Guld townhouse. It was time for me to reunite with the rest of my adopted family.