Ivar was plunged into utter despair.
In both the first and second trials, Lucian had demonstrated an overwhelming difference before everyone.
The members of the tribe already took it for granted that Lucian would rise to the position of chief.
In such a situation, even if Ivar tried to drag him down tooth and nail, no one would play along.
Cornered, Ivar decided to play his final card on the day of the third trial.
“The third trial will be a duel. But it won’t be a duel between candidates — it will be a trial where we put you to the test.”
“…Sounds like I’m the only one being tested.”
“Exactly.”
At Lucian’s response, Ivar nodded.
“You’ve already been chosen by the dragon. For someone like that to compete for the position of chief is downright ridiculous. But we also have the right to choose our ruler.”
“So you want me to defeat all of you to prove I’m fit to rule?”
“Someone who’s obtained the dragon’s heart shouldn’t have any trouble defeating those of us who’ve only absorbed a fraction of its power. Isn’t that right?”
If, by some slim chance, Lucian lost to one of them, it would mean the dragon’s choice had been a mistake.
With that convenient logic, Ivar looked at him with a brazen expression, as if there was no room for objection.
At Ivar’s last desperate attempt, disguised as calm, Lucian let out a short laugh.
‘How pathetic. I guess, backed into a corner like this, the only way left for him to deal with me is through a duel.’
Everything Lucian had shown up to now had been excessively dramatic.
Combined with what Marius had prepared beforehand, it gave the impression that a figure straight out of legend or myth had descended to the real world.
Thanks to that, he had easily won over the tribe’s hearts, but at the same time, their expectations of him had skyrocketed.
Even if it was an unfair trial for a regular warrior, for Lucian it seemed completely reasonable.
After all, someone who had the strongest warrior under his command and had been chosen by the dragon’s heart should be able to overcome such trials without difficulty.
‘If they try to bring me down by force, the tribe won’t accept it. So they dress it up as a trial — not bad for a last-minute plan.’
Legends of powerful warriors defeating multiple enemies alone were so common they were everywhere.
Even if it was a bit unfair, considering the reputation Lucian had built, it wasn’t an impossible test.
Moreover, both Ivar and his two sons had absorbed at least fragments of the dragon’s power.
They probably thought that even if Lucian had the heart of the dragon, if they attacked with everything, they might have a chance.
“Hmm, now that I think about it, what the chief says makes sense.”
“Someone challenging a legend needs a trial that matches that power.”
“To be honest, I’m also curious to see how far the dragon’s power goes.”
As expected, the tribe members seemed more excited than doubtful about Ivar’s proposal.
Feeling the weight of those expectant gazes, Lucian shrugged and said,
“Alright. Just in case, let me ask — are you all coming at me at once?”
“Even someone who’s obtained the dragon’s heart would have trouble facing three warriors at the same time, no?”
“No, I ask because it would be over quicker that way. Fighting one by one is kind of tedious.”
At Lucian’s confident reply, Ivar clenched his teeth. He didn’t know whether Lucian was genuinely confident in a three-on-one or just bluffing.
“Unfortunately for you, you’ll fight one by one, in consecutive duels. A warrior doesn’t strike another’s back.”
Of course.
In reality, they didn’t want to face him all at once because they still didn’t know how he fought.
By watching him fight one by one, they might find a way to counter him.
Lucian swallowed his sneer and put on a resigned expression.
“Can’t be helped. When do we start?”
“Right now, here.”
“I like that. Who’s going first?”
“I am.”
At the voice beside him, Lucian turned his head and saw Ainar stepping forward with an axe resting on his shoulder. Ainar looked at him determinedly and lowered the weapon.
In response, Lucian also unsheathed his sword and walked toward him.
When they both stopped a certain distance apart, the tribe members quickly moved back, forming an improvised dueling arena.
“Anything you want to say before we start?”
At Lucian’s words, Ainar blinked in surprise, then gave a bitter smile.
“What could I say now? I still remember what shame and humiliation are.”
From the mouth of Ainar, who just days ago treated Lucian as an equal, came words of respect.
It wasn’t the fake courtesy of his father Ivar, but genuine respect.
Lucian observed him silently before replying.
“If it’s so shameful for you, you can refuse. In the end, you’re still obeying your father.”
“Even so, he’s my family. How could I turn my back on them just to save myself? If I can’t save them, then at least I’ll die with them.”
“Even after losing the chance to die together? If everyone else dies and you’re the only one left, would you still make the same choice?”
Ainar’s face hardened at those unexpected words.
After a brief silence, Ainar let out a deep sigh and gripped his axe.
“Let’s begin.”
A smile formed on Lucian’s lips. He didn’t seem to have any intention of begging for his life — not out of pride, but because he didn’t feel worthy of doing so.
‘It would be a shame if he died here.’
He was far superior to his father as a warrior, and in terms of character, more upright than most knights in the Empire.
If Lucian could bring him over to his side, he could serve as an excellent bridge between the tundra tribes and the imperial citizens.
Having decided to spare him, Lucian lowered his sword to the ground.
“Come.”
“Raise your weapon.”
“Sorry, but you’re not the kind of opponent I need to take a stance against. Don’t worry about unnecessary things and just attack first.”
The words, borderline insulting, made Ainar’s face flush red.
It was true that, because of his sins, he had no right to hold his head high with pride — but to have his skill as a warrior looked down on was another matter entirely.
“You’ll regret this!”
Whoosh!
Ainar released the dragon’s magic from his whole body and charged at Lucian.
His speed and strength were in no way inferior to the Empire’s top knights.
However, Lucian didn’t even blink and reached out his hand toward the incoming axe.
“What…?!”
The reckless act startled Ainar, but it was too late to stop the strike.
The axe crashed into Lucian’s outstretched hand at terrifying speed.
Clang!
“…?!”
The eyes of those watching the duel widened in shock. What kind of metallic clang was that, when a weapon had struck bare flesh?
A moment later, realizing the source of the sound, Ainar turned pale.
“This is insane!”
Lucian was calmly gripping the edge of the axe with his bare hand.
Even though Ainar had poured all his power into that blow, Lucian didn’t show the slightest sign of strain.
Shaking the blade as if it were a toy, Lucian smiled brazenly.
“Is that all?”
“…”
Cold sweat ran down Ainar’s forehead.
To the untrained eye, it might look like Lucian had caught the axe before it hit him, thanks to monstrous strength.
But Ainar, as the one attacking, knew the truth.
‘He didn’t catch it before it hit — he simply took the blow with his palm.’
The axe blade had clearly struck Lucian’s hand. And yet, it hadn’t left a single scratch.
“What the hell did you do?”
“You don’t know? It’s a power you already have too.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a wavy mist shaped like flames rose from Lucian’s body.
Looking closely, Ainar realized Lucian was covering his whole body with a faint layer of magic.
Then he finally understood the nature of the power that had blocked his attack.
“The power of the dragon…”
At those words, Lucian gave a deep smile, as if confirming the correct answer.
***
“The dragon’s magic is the dragon’s power itself.”
The night before, Marius had answered Lucian’s question with absolute dedication.
He chose each word carefully, reformulating them so that even someone ignorant of magic could understand.
Perhaps because he had trained many disciples, his explanations were remarkably clear.
“Everything a dragon can do uses the magic of its heart. Your Majesty, having obtained the power of that heart, can be considered capable of reproducing virtually all the authority of the ancient dragons.”
“So I can breathe fire from my mouth?”
At the half-joking question, Lucian was taken aback when he received a completely serious answer.
“Yes. As long as there is firm conviction, an organ capable of substituting for the fire sac, and the ability to control the flow of manifested magic.”
Could a human body really breathe fire from its mouth?
“Is that possible?”
“In theory, perfectly possible. The problem is that Your Majesty was born with a human body and is accustomed to human common sense.”
Dragons are born knowing what they are capable of, and the dragon’s heart is an organ optimized for them.
Therefore, to use that power in a human body, there was no choice but to imitate the dragon, from the way of thinking to the way of acting.
An organ created for dragons would never adapt to a human on its own.
“The simplest example is the heat generated when magic is manifested. Dragons possess organs from birth that store that heat, so they can accumulate it and release it whenever they wish, but…”
“Humans don’t have that kind of organ. That’s why magic leaks out as soon as we manifest it.”
“Exactly.”
“Then breathing fire or flying through the sky will be difficult. The former is too dangerous to substitute with another organ, and the latter would require wings, at the very least.”
Dragons lifted their massive bodies into the sky with only two membranous wings and flew freely.
That mobility came from the power of the heart, but in other words, even dragons needed wings to fly.
If a human, who was not born with dragon organs, tried to forcefully substitute them, their body would suffer severe damage.
“Moreover, breathing fire or flying cannot be considered natural. They are things we have never experienced since birth.”
“That’s right. But moving quickly or striking powerfully with arms and legs are common experiences for humans.”
“I see. So the physical strengthening that occurs when absorbing the dragon’s magic happens for that reason.”
For purely physical reinforcement, it wasn’t even necessary to imitate the dragon; the conditions were already fulfilled automatically.
With a clearer idea, Lucian fell into deep thought. In what way could he imitate the dragon naturally and appropriate its power?
Claws could be substituted with a sword. Fangs were out of the question.
Poison, like wings, required organs that didn’t exist. Among the remaining abilities, only one could be used practically.
“Could a human body imitate a dragon’s scales?”
At Lucian’s question, Marius replied without hesitation.
“It’s possible.”
***
Recreating the dragon’s scales turned out to be surprisingly simple.
All it required was adding to physical reinforcement something any knight could do—a layer of magic enveloping the body.
The increase in durability by itself was minimal, but what mattered was that, even slightly, the body became tougher.
‘What matters is that durability increases. If there’s even a small effect, the dragon’s power can amplify it explosively.’
As a result, Lucian’s body, covered in magic, became so resilient that calling it dragon scales would not be an exaggeration.
Not even Felicia’s sword could wound him, much less Ainar’s, whose skill was far below hers.
Lucian looked at Ainar, who still couldn’t come out of his shock, and said calmly,
“Is that all?”
____
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