“…”
When the emperor’s explanation ended, Lucian closed his eyes in silence. A hard-to-describe emotion swirled in his chest.
If he had died amidst the chaos of battle or from a stray arrow, he wouldn’t feel this disturbed.
Even if in vain, it would have been a death befitting a knight fallen on the battlefield.
‘But to die not in war, but from the scheme of a mage no one had ever heard of?’
Death always comes suddenly, but this was different. Duke Sigmund had, at the very least, the right to die as a general, as a knight.
He should not have been consumed as a mere piece on someone else’s game board.
“What is my older brother… doing right now?”
Lucian changed the subject, as if turning away from the death of Duke Sigmund.
If his father had died, the impact on Tristan must have been enormous.
The emperor hesitated for a moment before responding.
— He is still swinging his sword.
“The war is still ongoing?”
— No. The war is over. There are no soldiers left.
“Then… don’t tell me…?”
— He is blinded by rage. I couldn’t stop him, nor did I want to. Does that answer your question?
As if not wanting to continue discussing the topic, the emperor shook his head slightly.
It was an ambiguous answer, without beginning or end. But even so, it was enough to understand Tristan’s state.
‘Is he massacring the city?’
If the rebellion had already been crushed, what remained were defenseless civilians and an imperial army overflowing with fury.
Soldiers already pushed to the limit by all of Krephelt’s dirty tricks. And on top of that, the murder of Duke Sigmund, someone deeply respected by all.
The moment Tristan gave that fury a direction, the result was more than obvious.
“Fuu…”
Lucian exhaled deeply, trying to sort out the chaos in his mind.
The end of the war.
The death of the duke.
Tristan.
The massacre.
Valdeck.
And the emperor.
Each one was an event capable of triggering enormous repercussions. There wasn’t even time to mourn Sigmund properly.
“Your Majesty, allow me to ask a single question.”
— Speak.
“Those black tentacles that restrained my father — what exactly were they? Was it truly a trap set by Krephelt?”
— …I suppose so. What other explanation could there be?
The emperor nodded after a slight delay.
But to Lucian’s eyes, it was a lie not even the emperor himself believed.
When they were already defeated and should have been thinking of surrender, were they really going to take with them not the emperor, but the duke? No one in their right mind would ever do such a thing.
‘Someone else intervened. It wasn’t Krephelt, nor the emperor. It was someone else.’
The problem was that he didn’t have the slightest clue who that someone could be.
Seeing Lucian lost in thought, the emperor misunderstood his silence and spoke in a heavy tone.
— I never imagined there could be magic capable of bypassing the protection of the runes. Just in case, I gave him one of the most powerful suits of armor the empire possesses…
Lucian gave a bitter smile inwardly.
‘Does that mean I shouldn’t blame you because you did everything you could?’
How ironic. At least half of the cause of his father’s death lay with him.
Or rather, with the empire itself.
The indiscriminate purges against mages had left the empire with almost no one who truly understood what magic was. Even the knowledge preserved by the imperial house was fragmented and limited.
The spells used by those who were expelled three hundred years ago no longer even existed in imperial memory.
‘If they know nothing, it’s impossible to respond to an attack and impossible to find the culprit.’
In a way, Valdeck had become trapped by the empire’s karma.
But Lucian was not a rash young man who would voice such thoughts.
“There’s nothing to be done. Even if men do everything within their power, fate is decided by the gods.”
— Thank you for saying that. I feel as if a weight has been lifted from my heart. However…
The emperor hesitated for a long moment, moistening his lips. It was rare to see him so nervous, and Lucian tilted his head in confusion.
What was he about to say?
— …I have news you won’t like.
“Bad news?”
— Sigmund came to see me not long ago. He said he had already decided who would be the next duke. That it would be Tristan.
Lucian froze completely, his gaze lost.
***
“….”
“….”
The emperor’s explosive declaration caused a heavy silence to fall over the room.
Lucian remained rigid, unable to say a single word, while the emperor glanced around nervously.
Glenn, trapped between them, was sweating cold bullets, bracing for what would come next.
“Your Majesty.”
It was Lucian who broke the silence. His voice was much colder than before.
“Did my father truly say something like that?”
— Damn it.
“Your Majesty.”
— Please… can’t you let it go just this once? You know it as well as I do.
“Your Majesty.”
— I’ve done everything I could for you. The ducal title, the frontier marquisate, Asagrim, elite troops, the imperial knight order, supplies… everything!
“Yes. I’ll never forget that debt, not even in death. But Your Majesty also knows this.”
— What are you trying to say?
“Giving and taking aren’t the same. They don’t cancel each other out.”
“What the hell…?!”
Glenn cried out in horror, but Lucian didn’t take his eyes off the emperor for a single second.
After licking his lips for a while, the emperor spoke as if he had given up.
— Then what am I supposed to do? Call you all the way from Asagrim and strip Valdeck from you? When the north isn’t even stabilized yet?
“…”
— I need allies. I don’t want to destroy Valdeck, such a solid support, in a power struggle. Tristan isn’t a bad option for you either, don’t you think?
Lucian remained silent.
When the silence dragged on again, the emperor let out a deep sigh.
— That mage… do whatever you want with him.
“…!”
— I’m not saying to use him in secret. I will personally authorize it. I’ll grant you the authority to officially recognize an unregistered mage.
Faced with such an extreme offer, Lucian looked at the emperor with a blank expression. In his eyes burned a fierce determination, as if putting everything in order before death.
— You’ve seen the true power of the empire. And you’re also concerned about Sigmund’s death. Didn’t you think magic was necessary?
“…”
— You don’t have to fear becoming a traitor. I give you permission. Investigate openly. In exchange, renounce Valdeck. Abandon any thought of threatening the empire with excessive territory.
Under that silent pressure, Lucian closed his eyes.
‘It’s a calculated offer. Once chaos begins, mages will appear everywhere, and not even the empire will be able to stop them.’
It was a matter of giving up the inevitable early to gain an advantage. Still, the proposal was tempting.
A right recognized by the emperor meant being able to act in the open while others hid. Naturally, mages would flock to Lucian.
“…I won’t give up my right of succession. But I won’t object to my brother inheriting either.”
— Good! That’s more than enough! Finally… khk!
“Y-Your Majesty!”
A clot of blood spurted from the emperor’s mouth, making Glenn cry out.
Coughing uncontrollably, the emperor bent forward.
— The documents… soon… Glenn… return…
As soon as he finished speaking, the magic artifact shut off, as if someone had cut the connection from the other side.
Glenn looked at Lucian, who remained deep in thought. Under normal circumstances, he would have spoken of loyalty and the emperor’s illness, but Lucian had just suffered a tragedy as well.
“Your Highness, the grand duke was an admirable man. A true pillar of the empire.”
“Thank you.”
“…”
“…”
“I…”
“I want to be alone.”
“Ah… yes.”
At the clear dismissal, Glenn left the office, face flushed red.
Lucian leaned back in his chair, recalling Sigmund.
‘Father.’
He wasn’t the one who had fathered him, nor the one who raised him.
He had simply taken the place of his son by chance. And yet, for less than a year, the grand duke had been the most reliable father in the world to him.
“Father.”
When he said it out loud, he noticed his voice tremble.
He tried to say something more, but ended up closing his eyes in silence. The liquid that slid down his cheek felt strangely warm.
***
At dawn the next day, after a sleepless night, Lucian headed to the underground prison. It wasn’t the same one where Norvek had been held.
The jailer, dozing off, jumped at the sound of footsteps.
“Y-Your Highness!”
“I’ve come to see the prisoner. Step aside.”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Pale as a sheet, the jailer moved out of the way. Norvek had escaped recently; he was likely terrified of being punished for falling asleep.
Lucian paid him no attention and moved forward.
“Colin.”
“Your Highness!”
Colin jumped up and clutched the bars. His quickness made Lucian raise an eyebrow.
“I thought you were asleep.”
“I was. I woke up from the noise.”
I see. After the witch hunt, a good night’s sleep must have been impossible.
“From the way you’ve come, it seems a decision has already been made.”
“Yes. Last night I received a clear answer.”
“W-What did the emperor say?”
Colin clenched his sweat-soaked fists.
“Good news. Not only will your life be spared, but it’ll be as if you committed no crime at all.”
“What…?”
“In short, he won’t object to you joining me openly under my command.”
“…!?”
Colin doubted his ears. Lucian’s initial plan had been a reckless gamble full of holes — buying time by convincing the emperor of his usefulness and cutting off the capital. If it failed, Colin would’ve borne the consequences and been executed.
“…Not just time, but he’s officially recognized my existence?”
“More like, he granted me the authority to do so.”
“Why…?”
“A lot happened.”
Lucian ran a hand through his hair, too tired to explain further. His expression showed no joy.
“Judging by your face, you don’t look exactly happy.”
“I’m not.”
“Why? Everything turned out the way you wanted.”
“I was also informed of my father’s death.”
“…”
“The cause was a mage. He cowardly intervened in a duel and killed him by surprise.”
Colin felt cold sweat soak his back.
____
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