Surviving as the Fallen Northern Grand Duke

Chapter 3: One Who Cannot Use Mana

When I had just transmigrated into this world as the successor of the Northern Grand Duke, I was nothing more than an adorable five-year-old child.

"Young Master, come this way. It's time for your bath."

"Huh? You're the one who will bathe me...? Wait, is this a system where maids give baths...?"

"What do you mean by ‘you’? Why are you acting so distant? And besides, what are you talking about? How could Young Master take a bath alone? You're only five years old."

"...Kyaruk."

Inside the steaming bathtub, Johan Kraubitz, the legitimate heir of the ducal family, made two decisions.

One was to return to reality no matter what.

And the second was...

'If I can't return to reality, I’ll at least live well here.'

Yes, I had a firm goal of returning to my real life, but at the same time, I also considered this realistic compromise.

So, while constantly searching for a way back to reality...

I also diligently prepared to survive well in the Prohatska Empire.

First, I learned swordsmanship to protect myself, and since I couldn’t afford to be labeled an uneducated brat, I steadily pursued the essential studies required of nobles.

"Huh? Your Grace, what do you mean by that?"

"I mean, make study materials for me in worksheet format. Just three pages a day, like a Kumon-style workbook."

"Kumon... I don’t know what that is, but understood."

They say that even dust can pile up to form a mountain.

The effect of solving daily worksheets was significant, and as a result, Northern Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz quickly surpassed the level where anyone in the empire could claim he had received poor home education.

'Aah, that's right.'

Since I had neither a mother nor a father, even a minor etiquette mistake could cause a huge scandal.

'Of course, in my case, my parents just went to America...'

Emotionally, I was no different from an orphan, so I had to pay close attention to even the smallest actions.

And after laying the foundation as the Northern Grand Duke, the next thing I focused on was none other than two key events in the early part of the novel JBG.

Like many web novels, JBG was packed with major incidents designed to capture interest early on...

Among them, the first event, the ‘bandit raid,’ had to be stopped at all costs.

That was because...

Northern Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz was destined to lose one of his eyes due to this bandit attack.

So...

'I already have no parents; I can't afford to lose an eye too.'

This was something I had to prevent, no matter what.

Prrrrr! Neighhh!

The horses that had galloped across the barren plains of the Duchy of Axen were exhaling harsh, steaming breaths.

"Whoa! Whoa!"

The lead rider firmly pulled on the reins, bringing the 400 bandits trailing behind him to a halt.

Then,

"Are we there?"

Another rider stepped forward and asked the first man.

"Yeah, just a little further and we’ll see the Grand Duke’s castle."

The man replied before taking a moment to catch his breath and reflect on the grueling ten-day journey.

'I almost died. Seriously.'

Yes, he had nearly met his end.

He never imagined there would be such a cold and desolate place within the empire.

If he had known it would be this freezing, he might have resisted ‘that person’s’ orders a bit more.

'It’s not worth it...'

He decided that once they returned, he would demand a greater reward.

While he muttered to himself...

Swoosh.

He glanced back at the 400 bandits who had followed him.

Then, his eyes landed on the men, all of whom had strong physiques and were equipped with exceptionally fine swords hanging from their waists.

Glint.

Beneath their ragged bandit disguises, glimpses of high-quality armor could be seen peeking through.

He smirked.

The man leading the group, the knight Peter, let out an amused chuckle.

"This is a bit excessive."

Yes, it was certainly overkill.

Even though their target was the Duchy of Axen, their mission was simply to kill a seventeen-year-old boy who had just inherited the title of Grand Duke...

And they weren’t waging war against the entire duchy, just launching a surprise attack on the castle.

So did they really need ten knights and 400 elite soldiers who had spent their entire lives wielding swords?

“Sir Peter. But wasn’t it an order from that person? He specifically commanded us to take the Grand Duke’s head….”

A knight responded to Peter’s murmuring.

It seemed he was anxious about how Peter kept questioning that person’s orders.

Noticing his concern, Peter nodded a couple of times and then…

“Hear me, bandits!”

He commanded the imperial elite soldiers disguised as bandits.

“Today, we invade the Grand Duke’s castle with one sole objective—the Northern Grand Duke’s head. Refrain from any actions that do not contribute to his assassination. And…”

He grinned.

“As widely known, the Grand Duke is a cripple who cannot use mana. Compared to us, who have Expert-level knights among our ranks, he’s practically half a man.”

“……”

“So don’t be afraid of his attacks. Whoever finds Northern Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz first—end his life!”

“Yes, sir!”

After issuing the order, Sir Peter turned his horse toward the Grand Duke’s castle and charged forward.

Yes, today was the day…

The ruler of the Duchy of Axen would lose his life.

With Sword Expert Peter personally aiming for his neck…

The Grand Duke had no way to stop him.

“Victor! Krum! Mangala!”

I summoned my three most trusted knights.

“What is it, Your Grace?”

Victor, the Knight Captain, rushed over and asked.

I pointed toward the rising dust cloud far beyond the castle walls.

“Take a look. Doesn’t it seem like there are knights mixed in?”

Victor squinted at the approaching force and…

“It does. We were told they were just bandits, though….”

Contrary to the reports from the forward outpost, the enemy had knights among them, leaving Victor shocked.

Without even looking at Victor’s expression, I asked my knights,

“You can handle three or four Experts on your own, right? Besides, Victor, you’re a mid-tier Expert yourself.”

“Yes, we can. If there were more, it might be tough, but if it’s just three or four Experts, we can handle them.”

Right, of course.

Ever since I became the Northern Grand Duke, I had deliberately gathered skilled knights.

“Ah, isn’t that place so cold it could kill a man? No amount of money could make me go there…”

Thud! Clink!

“...When do we depart?”

Though I had spent a fortune, thanks to that, the Duchy of Axen now had three Expert-level knights.

It was a reasonable investment in security.

However…

“There are quite a lot of them.”

As Krum pointed out, their numbers were significant.

Despite only attacking a single castle, they had brought an army of nearly 5,000 men. (At the time, I was a bit intimidated, so they seemed even more numerous.)

The number of troops stationed in the Grand Duke’s castle was clearly smaller than theirs.

So…

Dudududududu!

If I hadn’t known about their attack in advance, I might have panicked.

“Attack the Grand Duke’s castle!”

One of the knights disguised as a bandit shouted. And then…

“Slay the cruel, mad Grand Duke!”

“That bastard….”

Spewing insults I had never heard before, they charged toward the castle.

Hoo.

I steadied my startled seventeen-year-old heart and…

“Victor, let’s do this.”

I gave the signal.

Then…

“Fire!”

A hundred soldiers atop the castle walls simultaneously released their crossbows.

Swoooosh!

Arrows blackened the sky…

Thunk! Thunkthunkthunk!

Crack!

The powerful bolts pierced through the cavalry’s armor, finally tasting blood.

“Aaaaaargh!”

"Keuk. Kkeureureuk!"

At that moment, the enemy formation crumbled, their faces filled with panic.

"Knights or whatever, they’re helpless before a crossbow."

At last, the first act of my 'Alone in the Grand Duchy' project had begun.

In the first place, crossbows didn’t exist in this world.

These guys were still at the level of simply shooting bows.

However, knowing that a band of marauders would attack and take one of my eyes, I couldn’t afford not to be prepared.

So, as soon as I ascended to the position of Northern Grand Duke, I reinforced the gates and walls of the Grand Duchy and developed crossbows to arm every part of the stronghold. Moreover…

"Pour the boiling oil!"

I had faithfully adopted the ultimate medieval siege defense tactic seen in movies.

Kwaaaal!

As the jars atop the walls tilted outward, a clear and crisp sound echoed.

The sound of oil dripping, chilling and crisp, perfectly suited the harsh cold. And then…

"O-Oil! It's boiling oil!"

"T-That crazy bastard…"

"Lord, that insane devil…"

Chaos erupted outside the castle.

It seemed that the 'Alone in the Grand Duchy' project was proceeding exactly as Northern Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz had planned.

'Amazing.'

Victor, the knight commander, along with Expert-ranked knights Krum and Mangala, were secretly impressed.

Swoosh.

Each of them stole glances at their liege.

Though he had a rather unsightly face, he was merely a seventeen-year-old boy. Moreover…

'He has no real combat experience and has never even ventured into the world…'

Yet his preparations and battlefield command were so precise and timely that it was spine-chilling.

'Is this the power of royal blood, despite his youth?'

Victor recalled his days roaming the continent and making a name for himself on the battlefield.

The empire had seen remarkable commanders and the rulers of vassal states who displayed true kingly qualities.

Indeed, there had been outstanding individuals across the continent, but…

'None of them were this young.'

Yes, no one had been as much of a fledgling as Northern Grand Duke Johan Kraubitz.

At times, Victor even felt like he was looking after a little brother.

And for good reason—this Grand Duke was insatiably curious, mischievous, reckless, and sometimes downright vermin-like.

However,

'He has an uncanny level of seriousness.'

The concentration that this young duke displayed at times was astonishing, even to an Expert-ranked knight like himself.

Flap!

Once again, Johan dashed along the fortress walls, personally directing the attack points.

And he did so with pinpoint accuracy, targeting only the enemy’s vital areas.

'He’s a natural. That man…'

The knights, watching this mere seventeen-year-old boy, couldn't help but wonder if his potential reached an unfathomably high place.

And then,

Just as they felt reassured that this defense battle would end in an easy victory…

"The back mountain! Some of them have infiltrated through the back mountain!"

A troubling warning came.

"All knights, leave the walls and intercept the enemy’s knight-class forces!"

It seemed a few had slipped in through the back mountain.

'They must have deliberately split off their knight-class forces.'

But there was no need to worry. Our knights had the upper hand, so as long as Victor and the others held them off, I wouldn’t be in danger.

So, I turned back toward the third watchtower to direct the crossbows' firing direction again.

However,

Step.

I heard a sound that shouldn’t have come from inside the inner wall.

"Your Grace, here you are. Resorting to such crude tricks, no less."

Swoosh.

I turned toward the cold voice.

And then,

Rustle!

A man approached, pulling down his hood.

'Aura energy… An Expert rank.'

With a sneer, he spoke.

"I am Knight Peter. I was simply passing through the Duchy of Axen and thought to pay my respects to Your Grace. And…"

Grin.

"I plan to take your head today."

As he said that, several more knights appeared behind him.

'He hid additional Expert-ranked knights in reserve.'

I had just confirmed the Expert-ranked knights at the front wall, but now there were even more here.

These bastards…

'They came specifically to capture me.'

Woooooong.

I could feel them channeling mana into their swords.

And then…

Saaaaaah.

A faint glow flickered along the edges of their blades.

No less than three Expert-rank knights, backed by a dozen soldiers.

Which meant,

Taaah!

I started running without looking back.

"Capture the Grand Duke!"

With a dozen sword-wielding killers on my tail…

I ran toward the grand hall, the largest chamber within the Grand Duchy.

'I’ll have to take them…'

Somewhere…

'Where no one else can see us.'"