Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke-Chapter 111 - Forging a Legacy

111 Forging a Legacy

Sigmund trailed off and slowly opened his palm, staring down at it.

His hand, which had been clenched into a tight fist moments ago, was now slick with cold sweat.

"…And yet, even I find myself willing to set aside my usual principles in this case. That is how critical the First Prince’s safety was. Had things gone wrong, the Empire itself might have crumbled."

William did not need to be convinced.

After all, in his past life, the Empire had fallen.

And it all began when the First Prince died during the suppression of the rebellion.

’The Emperor lost himself in grief over his son’s death. In his rage, he unleashed his full power and erased Krefeld from the map, leaving not a single blade of grass standing.’

William had only heard rumors, but those who had witnessed the Imperial Family’s hidden might spoke of it in hushed, fearful tones.

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The Emperor had led his elite royal forces straight to the capital, without aid from any lords, and personally beheaded King Erich.

The world was left in awe of the Imperial Family’s overwhelming power. But the real disaster came afterward—

Exhausted from the conflict, the Emperor fell ill.

The Empire, which had barely had time to bask in its victory, suddenly found itself thrown into chaos as factions rose up on all sides.

’Some historians claim that the Empire’s downfall was due to exhausting its resources in the Krefeld campaign…’

William had once believed that theory as well.

But after everything he had seen firsthand, he now found it hard to accept.

’The Emperor put on a grand display of power, casting spell after spell in front of the allied forces, intimidating the lords into submission. If his strength was so easily depleted, he would have used it sparingly as a trump card—not flaunted it as a deterrent.’

The more he thought about it, the less it made sense.

’They had no choice but to reveal their strength, but they weren’t desperate. If they had that much power left, Krefeld alone wouldn’t have drained them completely. So why did they never use it again?’

His thoughts spiraled, one question leading to another.

But William forced himself to stop.

There was no point in chasing speculation.

Without solid evidence, he would only end up drawing the wrong conclusions.

"The Emperor used magic?"

The Grand Duke’s voice snapped William out of his thoughts.

He lifted his head, startled by his father’s reaction.

"…You mean to say even if you didn’t know?"

Sigmund let out a small chuckle.

"I had my suspicions. When His Majesty was younger, he once hinted at it. But that was all—just vague hints. I never saw it for myself, nor did I ever hear any concrete details. It was a secret even within the highest circles of the nobility."

For the Emperor to reveal his power so publicly…

That could only mean he believed the situation was dire enough to warrant it.

Sigmund turned his back to William and murmured under his breath.

"…A dark era is coming."

He fell into deep thought, and a long silence stretched between them.

William remained patient, waiting without a word.

Eventually, after what felt like minutes, the Grand Duke finally spoke again.

"William."

"Yes, Father."

"As the head of House Hern, it is my duty not only to choose the most capable successor, but also to ensure a stable transition of power. If the process is unstable, then no matter how worthy the successor, they will not hold their position for long."

"I understand. No matter how great a treasure may be, it is meaningless if one cannot protect it."

Sigmund slowly turned to face him.

"Then it’s time."

William frowned slightly. "…Time for what?"

His father’s gaze was firm, unwavering.

"It is time for you to establish your own faction within the family."

"…!"

William’s eyes widened in surprise.

His father had never openly encouraged him to build his own power base before.

But now, things were changing.

And Sigmund had made his decision.

It was nothing new for the contenders in the succession battle to build their own factions within the family.

There was too much work to do for anyone to navigate the competition alone.

Information gathering, undermining rivals, managing urgent situations in their absence, handling countless minor requests—without a network of supporters, competing for the position of heir was all but impossible.

’But forming a faction within the family also means drawing the Grand Duke’s attention. After all, the head of the family is, and always will be, the patriarch himself.’

And yet, despite that, the Grand Duke never intervened in his children’s factional struggles.

There were two reasons for this.

First, it was a valuable lesson in leadership. The battle for succession taught heirs how to manage people, a skill they would need as future lords.

Second, no matter how large a faction grew, it would never pose a real threat to the head of the family. A single word from the Grand Duke could scatter any of their carefully built alliances like a castle of sand.

Since forbidding faction-building wouldn’t stop it from happening, and since it served as a form of education without posing any real danger, he allowed it to continue.

But even if it wasn’t a threat, the Grand Duke was still human.

’Watching his children maneuver and scheme without acknowledging him as the true master of the house… that would irritate anyone. That’s why, usually, he simply turns a blind eye rather than actively encouraging it.’

Yet now, Grand Duke Sigmund had gone a step further—he was not merely tolerating it but directly instructing William to form his own faction.

William hesitated, unsure how to respond. Before he could settle on the right words, his father spoke again.

"Don’t misunderstand me. I haven’t decided to make you my successor."

"…"

"But you are one of the contenders. If I name you heir, only for you to have the title snatched away right in front of me, what kind of disgrace would that be? At the very least, you should build enough influence to resist anyone trying to take the position from you."

His tone was curt, but the weight behind his words was unmistakable.

Even if it wasn’t official yet, the Grand Duke was considering William a strong candidate for the title.