Reborn As Noble

Chapter 1443: The Troublemaker’s Stage ( 1443 )

”Hmm? Of course she’ll be furious. But knowing girls, it won’t be that long. Maybe you won’t be able to sleep next to her for one or two days~”

”Little brother!”

Javier shook his head and let out a soft chuckle.

”Don’t blame me, Brother Heres. I did say it was a simulation, but it was a hybrid simulation, a human-in-the-loop simulation. You were controlling my newest puppet knight in real-time, with real consequences. I did explain the situation and the context, but I never told you to say those romantic lines to her, or to hold her close, or to whisper sweet words in her ear, or to promise her you’d make her your wife. That was all you, Brother. You chose to be charming. You chose to be smooth. You chose to sweep her off her feet. I just provided the stage~”

Heres’s voice came through the talkie, a mix of panic and realization. ”H... How do you know all of that?”

Javier grinned. ”Huh? Of course I know. Even Marcellus, Cedric, and Aelius know. Those holo screens are huge, and everyone saw everything clearly. The audio was on speaker too. We tried to stop you and call you over to watch the demonstration of the conventional weapons, but you were ’too busy’ charming that girl. That’s also the reason we couldn’t warn you the moment Father mentioned the ’practice duel’~”

”Ugh! You... you absolute menace! I know you planned this all along!” Heres hissed, his voice thick with frustration.

Javier grinned, his tone light and teasing.

”Hey, look on the bright side. At least you’ve got a beautiful girl who’s head over heels for you now. And if Kliatana gets too angry, just tell her that you’re a prince of Armand, and princes are expected to expand the family~”

Javier paused, glancing at Buddy with a mischievous smirk. ”And if that doesn’t work... well...” His voice dropped into a low, velvety purr that carried a hint of mischief. ”Good luck~”

Heres let out a long, weary groan, pinching the bridge of his nose as he paced back and forth. ”One day! One day, I will get you for this, little brother!”

Javier’s grin widened, his tone dripping with playful mockery. ”Ooh~ Scary, Brother Heres~ But no, you can’t~ I’m always busy with my girls, and Father keeps giving me missions~ Besides, it’s your own fault~”

Heres let out a long, weary sigh. ”Sigh... so what should I do now?”

”Hmm? About the girl?” Javier wiggled his eyebrows, his voice dripping with mischief. ”Well, you could always reject her after ’making a promise’~ But then you’d earn yourself a lovely title~ Let’s see... ’Heartbreaker of Armand’? ’The Playboy Prince’? I’m sure you’d be the first in the family to pull off something like that~”

”Ugh! You’re so annoying!”

”Well, that’s why my name is Javier the Troublemaker~” He paused, his tone shifting slightly more serious. ”Anyway, Brother Heres.”

”Hmm? What is it?”

”Make sure you read those documents properly and ensure everything goes smoothly. Don’t just blindly accept their ’demands’ or agree to terms without understanding the full implications, just because they’re desperate. They’re coming to us for protection, which means they need us more than we need them. Set clear terms. Establish firm boundaries. Make sure they understand that Armand’s protection comes with Armand’s expectations. If they want to be under our banner, they follow our rules. Don’t let their noble pride or sob stories sway you into giving them more than they deserve.”

Heres’s voice came through the talkie, calm and assured. ”I know... don’t worry, little brother. I’ll handle it.”

”Alright. You heard that. The horn has blown, and the war is about to start here. So I’m going to get busy now.” Javier snapped his fingers, and a shimmering barrier buff enveloped all his thousand troops, their gear glowing faintly with enhanced protection. He paused, a teasing grin spreading across his face. ”And Brother Heres? Good luck with Emeline~”

Before Heres could retort, Javier cut the connection, letting out a soft chuckle as he turned his gaze toward the distant battlement.

Javier could see another figure approaching, crossing his arms in one of the openings of the battlement. He wore full plate glowing armor from head to toe, smirking with confidence, while the Grand Mage stood beside him, tapping his long staff rhythmically against the stone.

”Wooo... another arrogant bastard~” Javier chuckled softly, tilting his head. ”Well... looks like I should play along for a while.”

He raised his palm upward, and a small, beautiful orb of light materialized above his hand, swirling with faint hues of gold and silver. With a casual flick, Javier launched it skyward. The orb soared high above the battlefield before bursting into a silent shower of glittering sparks that rained down like stardust, vanishing before they touched the ground.

Javier snapped his fingers, and a bolt-action rifle materialized in his hand.

”Cuquawked?” Buddy glanced at him in confusion before squawking again. (What are you going to do with that weird weapon?)

”Ah, this?” Javier let out a low, smooth purr. ”It’s time for me to put on a spectacular performance~”

He took out a five-round stripper clip, sliding the bolt back with a smooth metallic click. He pressed the clip into the open chamber, thumbing the rounds down with practiced precision before pulling the clip free. He pushed the bolt forward, twisting it down to lock, then raised the rifle to his shoulder, aiming down the iron sights at the man in the full plate enchanted armor.

Meanwhile.

On top of the battlement.

One of the enemy soldiers noticed the young man in the lead, riding an orange pekko, aiming his rifle toward their commander.

”Commander! Take cover!”

Kurashan smirked, still crossing his arms as he activated the artifact on his wrist. A shimmering barrier flickered to life around him, layering over his already glowing armor.

”What are you scared of? That rifle? This is the perfect time to test this commander armor, the finest enchanted plate our research division has ever produced, reinforced with layers of magic and specially-forged steel. Every inch forged to withstand anything those Armand fools can throw at us.”

”And if I die?” He gestured toward the captains with a confident smirk. ”Captain Sakair and Captain Jakon are more than capable of leading.” He jerked his thumb toward the Grand Mage beside him, his tone laced with casual mockery. ”And we’ve got this old guy here too. Isn’t that right, Guranjar?”

( End Of Chapter )