Former Fake Becomes Grand Duke of the North

I took a quick look around. Several dozen knights, each of them wearing a training uniform, filled the yard. They were an even mix of male and female. The sky was light, indicating that dawn had arrived. It was still as cold as ever, though I barely felt it at the moment.

Sir Kane stood next to me, his broad physique shielding me like a wall. On the other side of him I saw two people. One was a lean and wiry man with brown hair and brown eyes. In terms of looks, he appeared average and plain-faced. However, he had the mana signature of an Aura Expert, meaning that he was anything but average. Like everyone else, he wore a training uniform, though his looked rumpled. I assumed this was Viktor.

The other person was a beautiful woman with a thin and slender physique. She had pale skin, but blonde hair and amber eyes. This caused her to stand out, since she was the only blonde in the entire group. She also had the mana signature of an Aura Expert. I assumed this was Elise.

Viktor’s face was twisted with anger as he tried to attack Sir Kane, but Elise held him back with ease despite her small frame. When the former noticed that my eyes were open, he stopped struggling and turned his glare towards me.

“You!” he said, pointing a finger at me. “Who the fuck do you think you are? This training yard is reserved for knights of the Order of the Coldsteel Blade. What makes you think you can strut in here like you own the place?”

When it became clear that Viktor didn’t plan on attacking me or Sir Kane, for now, Elise let go of him. She turned towards me with a cold expression on her face.

“Viktor’s words are crude, and his manner is crass, but he is correct,” she said. “This is a restricted area. You shouldn’t be here. Who are you?”

I looked over at Sir Kane.

“I see word of my arrival hasn’t spread, Sir Kane,” I said.

He glanced back at me, an apologetic expression on his face.

“His Grace asked us to keep quiet until he makes the official announcement,” he said.

Sir Kane and the other Coldsteel Knights who had accompanied Grand Duke Kaltbrand were the only ones who had an idea of who I was, or who I was now pretending to be. While the grand duke and I were negotiating my contract last night, Knight Commander Bardin had a word with them. I didn’t know what she told them, but they treated me with deference afterwards.

“Hey, are you ignoring us, you prick?” Viktor shouted.

I looked over at him. Based on his attitude, I assumed he was a mercenary who joined the Coldsteel Knights rather than a knight from a noble family. Though, perhaps that was prejudice on my part. During my years with House Guld, I met plenty of nobles who acted boorish as well. That sort of behavior wasn’t limited by social class.

How should I respond? What I said here and now would affect my relationship with the Coldsteel Knights going forward. I could apologize and try to befriend them. If I had joined the Coldsteel Knights, that was what I would have done. After all, we would have been comrades in arms.

However, I wasn’t here as a Coldsteel Knight. I was here as Grand Duke Kaltbrand’s illegitimate child and heir. Not only that, but I was Knight Commander Bardin’s disciple. That meant I was here as their future lord, not their comrade. We could be friends, with mutual trust and respect for each other, but it would not be a friendship between equals.

“Who are you to question my presence here?” I asked in a cold voice, speaking not as the mercenary I was but as a lord.

Viktor and Elise gaped at the change in my tone. Even Sir Kane was caught off guard. He looked at me in surprise.

“Excuse me?” Elise asked in an incredulous tone.

I approached them, stepping around Sir Kane. He tried to stop me, but I waved him off with a gesture. He looked unhappy about this, but acquiesced. I stopped in front of Viktor and Elise.

“My being here means one of two things,” I told them. “Either I am an intruder, which means my presence here is a colossal failure on your part.” I nodded to the area around us. “This is the headquarters of the Order of the Coldsteel Blade, yet I managed to walk in here without issue.” I clicked my tongue in disappointment. “Sloppy.”

Viktor and Elise’s expressions darkened. They weren’t the only ones either. The other Coldsteel Knights looked offended by my words.

“You little…!” he said, stepping forward until our faces were inches apart. Elise didn’t try to stop him this time. “I don’t know you are, but I’m going to wipe that arrogant smirk off your face!”

I was smirking? Huh. I had immersed myself into the role of arrogant lord so much that I hadn’t noticed. Oh well. Nothing for it now.

“Or,” I said, as if I hadn’t heard him. “I have permission to be here. Now, the only people who could grant me permission to be here are His Grace, Grand Duke Kaltbrand, or Knight Commander Bardin. It’s clear that I’m not a knight of the Order of the Coldsteel Blade, so that either means I’m a member of His Grace’s family or a guest of House Kaltbrand.”

While I hadn’t received explicit permission to use the training yard reserved for the Coldsteel Knights, I knew I was allowed to be here. Back at Guld Manor, members of House Guld and important guests of the family were allowed to use the training facilities reserved for the Order of the Golden Rose, the knightly order that served House Guld. This was Kaltbrand Castle, not Guld Manor, but I didn’t think things worked too differently here. Even if they did, I would act as if they didn’t. Sheer audacity allowed one to get away with a lot.

“Regardless of which one I am,” I continued with an edge to my voice. I took a single step forward, until my face almost touched Viktor’s “Member of His Grace’s family or his guest, your actions were beyond the pale.”

Elise blanched at my words. It was clear from her behavior that she came from a noble family, and knew the consequences of insulting either a member of the grand duke’s family or a guest of House Kaltbrand. Regardless of which one I was, Viktor would receive a severe punishment. From the corner of my eye, I noticed several of the other knights wear the same expression as Elise. A few of them looked like they wanted to intervene, but dared not to.

Viktor himself didn’t seem to care about the position he was in. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Elise pulled him away from me.

“Elise, what are you-…?” he started to ask, but she grabbed him by the head and forced him to bow.

“I apologize on my companion’s behalf, my lord,” Elise said, bowing alongside Viktor. “He spoke without realizing who you are. Please forgive him just this once.”

Viktor struggled to break free of her grasp, but to no avail. Given that they were both Aura Experts, I assumed she was either the stronger of the two or he was holding back.

“What the fuck are you talking about, Elise?” Viktor asked. “I’m not apologizing to this arrogant basta-…”

Quiet!” Elise hissed, cutting him off.

I looked down at the two of them, wondering how I should handle this situation. Continue acting like an arrogant lord, or relent somewhat and let this go? Going with the former could foster resentment among the Coldsteel Knights, which would be detrimental to my role as Grand Duke Kaltbrand’s heir. However, just letting it go left a bad taste in my mouth. After all, Viktor almost distracted me while I was in the middle of mana training. That merited some form of punishment.

“I don’t think you understand the position you are in, Sir Viktor,” I said. “After all, you tried to interrupt my mana training. What if I had lost my concentration and suffered an injury? Are you prepared to take responsibility for that?”

Viktor stiffened as he finally understood the seriousness of his situation.

“I-…” he started to say, but stopped as if the words got stuck in his throat. “I apologize for my foolish actions, my lord. Please, forgive me. It won’t happen again.”

As I studied Viktor and Elise, an idea occurred to me, one that would allow me to punish Viktor and let the Coldsteel Knights to save face if I played it right.

“Very well,” I said with a shrug. “I am willing to let bygones be bygones. After all, the two of you were only following orders.”

Viktor and Elise jerked at this but remained bowed. Meanwhile, the other knights looked at me in confusion.

“Isn’t that right, Teacher?” I asked, pitching my voice to carry.

A beat of silence followed my words. For a moment, I thought my gamble had failed but I breathed out a metaphorical sigh of relief when a figure stepped out into the open. It was Knight Commander Bardin. So she had been watching this all play out after all. She had just been concealing her presence.

Like the other knights in the yard, she wore a training uniform, though hers had an insignia that denoted her rank. When the Coldsteel Knights realized that their commander was present, they all stood at attention and saluted her. Viktor and Elise were the only exceptions. They continued to bow to me.

“At ease, everyone,” Knight Commander Bardin called. “That includes you, Viktor and Elise.”

The knights stopped saluting, but remained at attention. Viktor and Elise stood up straight, their expressions marred by worry. Knight Commander Bardin approached us with an inscrutable expression on her face. She stopped next to Viktor and Elise.

“So it was a set up after all,” I said.

Knight Commander Bardin studied me for a brief moment, before she crossed her arms and scowled at me.

“Couldn’t you have played along a little longer?” she asked. “I was just about to make my dramatic entrance.”

I shrugged.

“After I figured what was going on,” I said. “I didn’t see any reason to continue with this farce.”

When the knights realized that this entire situation had all been orchestrated by Knight Commander Bardin, or so it appeared, they all relaxed.

“What gave it away?” the knight commander said, letting out a disappointed sigh.

I snorted.

“Two things,” I said. “The first is that only an ignorant fool would believe that an intruder would break into Kaltbrand Castle and make it all the way to the training yard reserved for the Order of the Coldsteel Blade just to train. Given the Order of the Coldsteel Blade’s reputation, there is no way they would admit someone like that into their ranks.”

When I said this, Viktor’s face twitched. He looked like he wanted to respond to my insult but held back.

“And the second?” Knight Commander Bardin asked.

“Sir Kane,” I answered. I felt Sir Kane stiffened beside me when I mentioned his name. “Of all the knights who know about me, he is the only one present here. Not only that, but he is the one I am closest to.” I gestured toward Viktor and Elise. “Taking all that into account, it’s clear that this entire situation was a set up.” I narrowed my eyes at her. “The question is, why?”

Knight Commander Bardin shrugged.

“I wanted to see how you would react when confronted with someone like Viktor here.” She grinned and threw an arm around Viktor’s shoulder. “He’s our resident troublemaker, so I figured he would be the perfect person to test your patience.”

The other knights chuckled at this. Meanwhile, Viktor looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.

“I see,” I said, before frowning. “However, I think Sir Viktor was a little bit too zealous in carrying out your orders. He almost distracted me while I was in the middle of mana training. If I hadn’t maintained my concentration, I could have suffered some backlash.”

“Yes,” Knight Commander Bardin said. Her grin widened until her eyes resembled crescent moons. The sight sent shivers down my spine. “Viktor does tend to take things too far. It seems I’ll have to teach him a lesson in discipline and self control.”

Viktor paled at this.

“What about Dame Elise?” Knight Commander Bardin asked. “How do you think she did?”

I studied Elise, who was doing her best to imitate a stone statue.

“She did well,” I said. “She held her ground, but apologized when she realized the truth of the matter. Firm, but flexible.”

“Hmm,” Knight Commander Bardin said, mulling it over. “Very well. I’ll let it go this time.”

Elise let out a visible sigh of relief. By this point, the other knights realized that there was something strange going on, but none of them voiced their suspicions. They were right to be suspicious. This performance that Knight Commander Bardin and I were putting on was just that, a performance.

There had been no set up. It was a lie I came up with to help the Coldsteel Knights save face, while also giving me an opportunity to punish Viktor for his indiscretions. However, it had been a gamble on my part. If Knight Commander Bardin hadn’t been in the area, or if she hadn’t realized my intentions and played along, then things would have gotten ugly.

“Now then, give me five hundred laps around the training yard, Viktor,” Knight Commander Bardin said.

“Five hun-…” Viktor started to say, but the knight commander silenced him with a sharp look. He swallowed, before he hurried off to obey her orders.

“As for the rest of you,” Knight Commander Bardin said. “Stop gawking and start training. This isn’t the theater.” She glanced at me, or rather to someone just behind me. “That includes you too, Sir Kane.”

Sir Kane nodded, before heading off. He passed me by and as he did so, he glanced over at me. The expression on his face said that he wasn’t sure what to make of me. Everyone else started their own training as well. The only one who remained in place was Elise.

“Yes, Elise?” Knight Commander Bardin said, raising an eyebrow at her subordinate.

“Knight Commander,” Elise said. “Forgive my impertinence, but who is this man?” She glanced over at me. “He called you ‘Teacher’ earlier. Is…Is he really your disciple?”

A hush fell over the training yard as the other knights listened in. None of them even tried to pretend that they weren’t eavesdropping. I didn’t blame them. From what I knew, Knight Commander Bardin never once took in a disciple. She trained others in her capacity as the knight commander of the Coldsteel Knights, but the relationship between a teacher and their disciple was far more intimate. In many cases, it was akin to the relationship between a parent and their child.

“His name is Wulfe,” Knight Commander Bardin said. “And yes, he’s my disciple.” She pitched her voice to carry. “That’s all you need to know about him for now.”

Elise looked shocked by this. She wasn’t the only one either. The other Coldsteel Knights stared at their commander in disbelief.

“What?” Viktor said. He had been running around the training yard as part of his punishment, but stopped when he heard the knight commander’s words. “No, I refuse to accept that.” He pointed at me. “You mean to tell me that this asshole is your disciple, boss? What the fuck makes him so special?”

That earned him several sharp looks from his fellow Coldsteel Knights, but the rest looked like they were in agreement with him. Knight Commander Bardin was a living legend and their leader. After refusing to take in a disciple all this time, why take one in now? And why a stranger like me? I imagined those thoughts, and others like them, were running through their minds.

“It’s as if you want me to punish you, Viktor,” Knight Commander Bardin said, giving him a flat look. “One thousand laps.”

“But-…”

This time, an oppressive pressure exploded out of Knight Commander Bardin. She had been holding it back this entire time. All the Coldsteel Knights paled and stumbled back, unable to withstand the pressure. Viktor, her actual target, fell to his hands and knees, looking like he was about to fall unconscious. That was the difference in power between an Aura Master and everyone else, especially one of Knight Commander Bardin’s caliber. Even I felt affected, and I was also an Aura Master.

I decided to intervene. As much as I wanted to punish Viktor for his actions earlier, I didn’t want to foster resentment between Knight Commander Bardin and the Coldsteel Knights. After all, they were her people. I was just a stranger. Yes, becoming her disciple and heir was part of my contract with Grand Duke Kaltbrand, but when this job was over, I planned on heading back to the Riverlands. Knight Commander Bardin would remain behind. I didn’t want to make things more difficult for her than necessary.

“He does have a point,” I said.

Knight Commander Bardin looked over at me. The pressure on me increased, but not enough to make me kneel or even stumble back.

“If my commander showed up with a stranger and declared them their disciple, I would want to know the reason behind it too. Perhaps a demonstration is in order. How about a sparring match?” I grinned at her. “It’s the perfect way to start one’s morning if you ask me.”

Knight Commander Bardin studied me for several moments, before she returned my grin with one of her own. The pressure from her receded.

“You know, if you wanted to spar, you could have just said so,” she said. “You didn’t need to use Viktor here as an excuse. After all, you are my disciple now.”

I shrugged.

“Can it not be both?”

Knight Commander Bardin smirked.

“Very well then,” she said. “I could use the exercise. It’s been a while since I have sparred with anyone other than His Grace.”