Surviving as the Fallen Northern Grand Duke

Chapter 31: What the Arrow Aims At (1)

“Please step back. You’ll get blood on you.”

The Northern Grand Duke waved his hand, trying to push away the crowd that was pressing in on him.

However,

“Your Grace! That was truly magnificent!”

“This is why the Duchy of Axen in the North is considered the greatest city!”

“If you could spare some time for us someday….”

The nobles swarming around Johan paid no heed to his words and kept pressing him.

Right now, it was just after Johan Kraubitz and Knight Devon’s fierce duel had ended, and the emperor himself had officiated Johan’s knighting ceremony.

Johan had already poured all his strength into the duel and felt like he could collapse at any moment.

Even so, he held on tightly to his consciousness and somehow endured through the ceremony.

Now that all the events were over, he finally intended to step into a tent behind the arena to get some rest…

Rustle!

But these damned nobles had left their seats in the audience to rush toward Johan!

Of course, nobles from the eastern, southern, and western duchies—regions that were in a competitive relationship with the Duchy of Axen—remained seated, along with those connected to them.

However, the northern nobles who had yet to find a solid leader and the minor nobles with ambiguous ties seemed to have made up their minds to cling to this new powerhouse.

And the result of that decision was this overwhelming rush toward Johan.

Most of the nobles who had chased Johan all the way into the tent were probably thinking something along these lines:

‘Now is the best time to align myself with this new northern powerhouse!’

‘Someone like me, with no real connections, must seize this opportunity firmly.’

‘If I miss this chance, who knows when another one like it will come?’

‘He doesn’t seem to have any closest confidants yet, so maybe I can be the one….’

Yeah, that’s what they were all scheming.

Think about it.

No matter where you go, ‘founding contributors’ always get to enjoy the biggest rewards.

Those who join later as subordinates can never compare to the benefits they receive.

That’s why founding contributors always end up wielding the highest power among vassals.

And it’s not necessarily because of their outstanding abilities.

Rather, it's because people place great value on their ‘investment in an uncertain situation.’

For example, Johan Kraubitz had not yet grown into a dominant power within the empire.

The recent rise of the Duchy of Axen had only happened recently, and Johan’s prowess had only been revealed to the world just now.

So, at a glance, aligning with Johan Kraubitz might still seem like a risky move…

However, everyone present here now knew the truth.

Johan Kraubitz of the Northern Duchy of Axen…

Was an ‘Expert-level knight’ who had the ‘Emperor’s favor’ and whose ‘Axen was advancing rapidly.’

That meant Johan had now become a highly promising stock in the political power market.

So before he grew into a massive force, they were all trying to secure a position as his ‘founding contributors.’

That way, when Johan eventually unified the northern factions, they could reap enormous benefits from within his ranks.

For them, this was an investment with massive potential gains and proven stability—truly a stock worth going all in on.

Johan spoke in a low voice to the nobles who had gathered around him.

“A knight has just collapsed. Acting like this right beside him seems a bit inappropriate.”

He was right. The knight Devon, whom Johan had cut down, was in a pitiful state.

He was likely on the verge of death, with no chance of recovery.

Yet, despite that, the nobles were practically throwing a victory party right beside his fallen body.

However,

“Northern Grand Duke! Northern Grand Duke!”

“Johan! Johan! Johan!”

At this point, it was as if a new religion was taking shape.

“…Ahem.”

Johan hid his smile.

He didn’t feel particularly guilty about cutting down an assassin who had targeted his life.

Still, he couldn’t openly rejoice in it either.

So, what should he do about these nobles now?

Murmur!

The back of the tent suddenly became quite noisy…

“Ah! Isn’t that the Grand Duchess-to-be?”

“Yes! The daughter of Count Trotsky!”

It seemed that Johan’s reinforcements had arrived from afar.

Rustle!

The crowd quickly parted, making way for Erina Trotsky to walk toward Johan.

And then…

Click!

Sway!

Erina Trotsky appeared with an exceptionally graceful stride…

“Yes~ that’s right~ I am none other than the fiancée of the Nor.thern. Grand. Duke, Erina Trotsky~”

With just those words, she instantly captured the attention of the crowd.

Then, with hurried steps, Erina Trotsky rushed toward Johan Kraubitz and…

“Oh my! Johan! What should we do? Look at all this blood… Johan… You really worked hard. Truly… sob, sob.”

“……”

Johan barely managed to keep a polite smile on his face as he subtly dodged Erina Trotsky’s approaching hands.

He wasn’t sure if it was fortunate or not, but Erina didn’t seem particularly intent on checking his wounds closely.

She simply put on a deeply worried expression and made sure the entire world heard her dramatic concern for the Northern Grand Duke.

And after a short while, when she finished her performance of worrying over Johan…

Whoosh!

She instantly changed her expression and turned toward the gathered nobles.

Swish!

Then, with all the dignity of a Grand Duchess-to-be, she declared,

“The preliminary matches are still ongoing, and there are many injured nearby. So for now, I must ask you all to leave.”

The moment her words left her lips, a wave of disappointment passed over everyone’s faces.

It must have felt like a great investment opportunity was slipping right through their fingers.

However, Erina Trotsky’s words didn’t end there.

“But… we won’t be locking the doors of the lodging we’ve secured in the capital tonight. Since our accommodation is quite large, I believe everyone here should be able to gather there.”

“……”

“How about discussing the future of the Duchy of Axen and those present here at that time? Ah, by the way…”

Smirk.

“I’m currently in charge of Axen’s administrative and financial affairs, so I believe we can have a very productive conversation.”

Goodness.

Erina Trotsky, who had come from a corporate background, was truly an extraordinary woman.

Not only did she skillfully manage the situation here, but she also proposed moving the gathering to a more private location to conspire together.

On top of that, she subtly revealed her role, openly declaring that discussions regarding the practical affairs of each territory were now permitted.

In other words, she was essentially saying, “Nobles of each territory, tell us what you want to do with us. If it suits our interests, we’ll take you in.”

I pressed my lips together, remaining silent at Erina’s words.

It was something difficult for me, as the Grand Duke, to say outright, so I was grateful she had stepped in to do it for me.

The audience’s reaction was enthusiastic.

“I will definitely be there!”

“Lady Trotsky’s words are reassuring. She is truly fit to be the Grand Duchess!”

“Her Grace the Grand Duchess-to-be is quite magnanimous. Hohoho.”

And then, someone added another remark.

“Then, tonight, we must gather at the Grand Duke’s lodging…”

Yes, gather there…

“To discuss the future of our ‘Northern Alliance!’”

That was undoubtedly the playful wording of some noble who enjoyed coining phrases.

However…

Perhaps this was the new signal flare fired by the northern nobles, who had long been scattered like a disorderly rabble in the frozen wastelands.

***

Meanwhile, back in Axen, things were quite busy.

“Move quickly! If you don’t meet today’s quota, don’t even think about eating dinner!”

Indeed, just as it appeared, Krum and the construction team were in the final stages of completing the ice-free port, forcing the captured pirates to work their bones to dust on the construction site.

“Damn it… these bastards are ruthless. At least feed us properly if we’re going to be worked like this…”

“That fat knight over there looks more like a pirate than we do. Ptooey!”

From what the pirates had gathered while toiling on the site…

It turned out that when Johan and his men forced their surrender in Newdale, Axen hadn’t actually sent many reinforcements at all.

Think about it.

Axen was building this new ice-free port because they couldn’t previously launch ships. So how could a massive Axen force have possibly reached the island of Newdale?

At the time, the five hundred pirates had assumed, ‘The Axen army will arrive soon, and we’ll all be slaughtered.’

That’s why they surrendered…

“Jimmy… but when they actually showed up, it was just three tiny rowboats with a handful of knights on board.”

“We should’ve fought till the end instead of falling for that trick…”

Of course, even if they had fought to the end, many of them would have been cut down by Johan, Victor, Krum, and Mangala’s swords.

But at least a good number of them could have escaped the island.

So, in hindsight, their foolish surrender after losing their leader was nothing short of divine luck for Johan.

Regardless, the thirteen sailing ships captured during the Newdale incident were now in the process of being transformed into the foundation of Axen’s navy.

There were far more Newdale youths volunteering for the navy than expected, so they were now in the position of having to carefully select the best candidates.

Thus, the organization of the navy was entrusted to Mangala.

Meanwhile, Knight Commander Victor, with the help of Priest Matthias and Mage Bjorn, was busily working to fill the void left by Johan’s absence.

In short, the key figures of Axen were each overachieving in their respective roles.

And around this time, Krisha was still in the ducal castle, with both Johan and Erina away.

Crunch! Munch!

She was sitting by the window, chewing on some cookies that Butler Noich had personally prepared for her.

Her leisurely posture, even kicking her legs back and forth, made her look quite relaxed.

It seemed skipping the academy today had been a brilliant decision.

Krisha enjoyed this moment of solitude for quite a while.

“……”

Then, suddenly, she stopped moving.

Hummmmmm.

Silently, she began staring off into the distance.

Inside the quiet room, Krisha’s eyes were locked onto the sky outside the window.

The sky beyond, where the imperial capital, Prohatska City, lay.

She found herself unable to take her eyes off that place.

As if something about that distant sky felt oddly familiar.

Krisha put down the cookie she had been chewing and murmured softly.

“…This is strange.”

***

“Alright, alright, everyone, find your seats! Ah, yes, that spot is for our Grand Duke.”

It was now late evening, and the moon had risen in the sky.

Bright lanterns illuminated the streets, revealing the true spectacle of Prohatska City, often referred to as a city that never sleeps.

“Ah! Everyone, please maintain order!”

Baron Goldman’s voice had been ringing loudly for quite some time now.

This was the lodging of Northern Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz, but the guest of honor and the Grand Duchess-to-be had yet to arrive.

In the meantime, Baron Goldman had taken it upon himself to lead the servants in preparing for tonight’s gathering.

Observing him from a distance, Erina Trotsky thought…

‘Hmm, this old man was worried earlier that people would cling to Johan, and yet…’

Was he worried that his position might be at risk?

Regardless, if a seasoned politician like Baron Goldman was supporting Johan, it would undoubtedly be a great help.

Thus, both Johan and Erina naturally allowed Baron Goldman to take the lead in organizing the gathering.

After a flurry of preparations had been completed…

Step.

Johan Kraubitz finally appeared at the meeting venue.

“I see that everyone has arrived. I appreciate you all taking the time to gather here despite your busy schedules.”

Johan greeted the assembly in a rather formal manner.

At that,

“Oh, not at all! How could we not come when the Empire’s hero calls for us?”

“Johan! Johan! Johan!”

“I have been waiting for a day like this for so long!”

This place had practically turned into a concert.

Thud.

Johan raised his hand to calm the dozens of nobles gathered before him and then finally took the highest seat at the table.

Only then did the standing nobles take their seats as well.

‘This feels strange.’

Surely, everyone here was feeling something similar.

Yes, if an outsider were to witness this scene, they would undoubtedly think:

‘A sovereign sitting at the highest seat, surrounded by numerous nobles—this is unmistakably…’

It closely resembled the ancient days when the Giant King gathered the northern monarchs to discuss matters of state.

So, while no one dared to speak it aloud, this was clearly a moment when a new powerhouse was meeting his vassals for the first time.

And in this very first meeting, the first topic the sovereign presented was this:

“Well then, let’s hear your opinions. What must be done…?”

Yes, what must be done…

“For me to win the Spring Festival Tournament?”

Silence.

Even as Johan spoke these words, he could feel a dull ache in his chest.

Yes, now more than ever, he needed the audience with the Supreme God, the grand prize of the Spring Festival Tournament.

Because now…

‘Johan Kraubitz is truly running out of time.’

It was the moment he felt the countdown on his terminal life had begun.