Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke-Chapter 107 - A Story Worth Telling

107 A Story Worth Telling

It was best to disperse quietly, without drawing too much attention.

"I regret that you will not receive a formal reward for your contributions," the Emperor said, looking directly at William. "I will see to it that you are properly compensated at a later time."

"Your acknowledgement is more than enough, Your Majesty." and he meant it.

The Emperor’s personal recognition was already a massive victory.

It didn’t matter if he was rewarded now—his reputation had already been cemented.

Even so, the Emperor repeated his promise several times before finally stepping away.

Then, without warning, he raised his voice in an ancient chant.

"The Master of the Blue Road calls upon you, come forth!

By the covenant, I summon thee, come forth!

By the blood of the Dragon, I command thee, come forth!"

A shimmering light erupted in the air.

"…?"

The nobles stiffened, glancing around in confusion.

"What is…?"

Fwoooosh!

A massive arcane circle formed in the air, its radiance pulsing with a power beyond comprehension.

"Hah!?"

"A gateway… in midair!?"

Several nobles recoiled in shock.

Even William felt a twinge of unease.

But the most stunned of all were the First and Second Princes.

Even if they didn’t know about this?

"Move quickly!" the Emperor barked. "The passage won’t stay open for long!"

The Red Wing Knights and Imperial soldiers hurriedly rushed toward the gateway.

Despite its enormous size, the passage remained open just long enough for the last of the soldiers to disappear through it.

Pop!

With a burst of mist, the portal collapsed in on itself—as if it had never been there at all.

The nobles stood in stunned silence, staring at the empty space where the Emperor had vanished.

Marquis Bernhardt was the first to mutter aloud.

"…So that’s how he arrived so quickly."

A grim silence settled over the nobles.

For years, they had believed that the Empire’s magical might was waning.

This… changed everything.

William, however, had seen enough.

Stepping forward, he addressed the remaining lords.

"As His Majesty decreed, we will now part ways. I will be returning to Kelheim. I wish you all a safe journey home."

With a polite farewell, William turned and led the Hern forces away from the alliance.

The mood among the remaining nobles was sullen.

The Grand Pact was broken.

The war had ended in failure.

But William was the exception.

Because in truth, he was the only true victor in this war.

He had successfully:

Predicted the downfall of the Grand Pact.

Outmaneuvered his political rival, the Marquis.

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Saved the First Prince, gaining Imperial favor.

Earned the personal acknowledgment of the Emperor.

Even if only half of what transpired became public knowledge, his name would spread across the entire continent.

And the best part?

He had achieved all of this—while never once aligning himself with the First Prince.

His reputation soared, yet there was no evidence that he had tied himself to Claude’s fate.

"I wonder how my dear brothers and their mothers will react when they hear about this."

William smirked to himself, suppressing the urge to laugh.

He had won.

And he was only getting started.

As dusk settled over the land, William turned to his knights and spoke.

"The soldiers must be exhausted after the battle. We’ll rest for a day in each village we pass."

"What?"

Gerard blinked in surprise.

If they pushed forward with a forced march, they could return home much faster. But stopping in every village along the way would only prolong their journey.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to endure a little longer and rest properly once they arrived?

"Third Prince, if I may—"

"Shh. We’ll talk about it later." William interrupted, pressing a finger to his lips. "Trust me. I have my reasons."

Raymon and the other knights exchanged confused glances, but ultimately, they followed without complaint.

William had never made an unnecessary decision before.

If he was deliberately slowing their march, there had to be a reason.

Following his orders, the Hern army stopped at a small village and arranged to stay the night.

"M-my lord! What brings you here?"

The village chief stumbled over his words, caught off guard by their sudden arrival.

"We’ll be resting for the night. We’ll pay for our stay—just prepare food for the soldiers."

"O-of course! I’ll have it arranged immediately!"

The frantic chief hurried to gather the villagers and make the necessary preparations.

This was a tiny settlement—there weren’t even enough houses to properly accommodate all the soldiers. But the troops were well-disciplined, accustomed to hardships. They simply made do.

The villagers, initially terrified, soon realized something unusual—these were not the kind of soldiers who plundered and pillaged.

These were highly trained professionals, strictly following military order.

"My lord, I offer you my home for the night. It’s modest, but it’s the best this village can offer."

"It will suffice. I appreciate your hospitality."

Even the chief’s house was nothing special, but at least it was spacious enough for William and a handful of his men.

Once settled inside, he gathered his knights and spoke.

"We won’t return to Kelheim immediately. We will slow our march."

One of the knights furrowed his brow. "Why? Shouldn’t we hurry back?"

William smirked.

"Think about it. If we rush back to Kelheim, will anyone even recognize our achievements? More likely, they’ll just be confused about what happened."

The knights fell silent.

William was right.

Typically, details of a war only became widely known after the official commendation ceremony.

While rumors would always spread beforehand, the most influential version of events was the one presented at the capital, where the nobles and commanders convened.

This time, however, the army had dispersed immediately after the battle.

Without a central gathering, it would take far longer for the real story to circulate.

"Some people like to believe that if they act honorably, others will eventually recognize their deeds." William shook his head. "That’s a naive fantasy. If you don’t make your achievements known, no one will care."

One of the knights hesitated before asking, "Are you saying… we should spread the story ourselves?"

William smiled.

"Exactly. We’ll make sure the war’s true events reach the people before we return to Kelheim. Of course, we won’t speak of it directly. That would be crude. Instead, we’ll let the story spread… through other people’s mouths."

The room fell into a hushed murmur.

Even though the knights were nobility, they weren’t particularly skilled in political maneuvering.

They understood the concept, but executing it was another matter entirely.