Lucian sent Hugo toward the place where the rumors about Eisen were coming from and then calmly waited for a response.
He had already finished everything he needed to do, so instead of acting rashly, it was time to observe the situation until a clear result appeared.
‘The same goes for the magicians still in hiding and for Norvek, who escaped not long ago. Right now, the ones in a hurry aren’t me, but them.’
As long as Lucian held the initiative, it was enough to observe the enemy’s reactions and respond calmly. The more desperate a person is, the more easily they make mistakes.
However, there was still one matter left to settle.
“Sir Lothier, what do you plan to do now?”
“…”
The former captain of Asagrim’s garrison, Lothier, couldn’t answer Lucian’s question. And it wasn’t surprising—he didn’t know what he should do from this point on.
Lucian sighed exaggeratedly on purpose and spoke.
“Just to be clear, your positions have already been revoked. You’re no longer under my command nor fulfilling any imperial mission. At this moment, you’re nothing more than an armed group without any purpose.”
“…I know.”
“Then this will go faster. It’s time for you to decide. Disarm and remain in Asagrim, or keep your weapons and leave for another territory?”
Lothier clenched his teeth. Disarming was absolutely out of the question. The garrison had already lost imperial support and was essentially nothing. If they handed over their weapons too, they wouldn’t even be able to protect themselves.
‘Damn it… If I had known it would end like this, I should’ve at least earned the people’s favor. I only clung to my pride, and now I’m surrounded by enemies.’
He regretted his past, in which he had never avoided conflict with the northern people.
If you only counted the pilgrims mistreated because of him, the number would be equal to entire villages.
Now that contact with the Empire had been cut off, even if a fraction of them sought revenge, the result would be disastrous.
‘Even if we manage to leave the north alive, it’s still a problem. Without supplies, how are we supposed to reach Tibron?’
As Lucian had said, the garrison was nothing more than an unaffiliated armed group—well-equipped, but with no support. If they moved as a group, no territory would accept them.
To secure food and shelter in other lands, they’d have no choice but to disband and scatter.
The real problem was that the guards’ safety wasn’t guaranteed during their return.
‘I’m not even expecting cooperation from neighboring lords. It’d be enough for the Empire to show some outrage if something happened to one of the guards…’
But no matter how much he thought about it, the current Empire didn’t seem capable of that. They were barely providing the bare minimum support needed for a safe return.
Would they really bother to do something that required even more effort?
“Haven’t you made a decision yet?”
At Lucian’s insistence, Lothier shut his eyes tightly. After a moment, now resolved, he raised his gaze and met Lucian’s.
“Your Highness, I have a request. Please allow me and the other guards to stay here indefinitely, until the Empire returns to normal.”
“Denied. Do you think that makes any sense?”
“Then in exchange, I’ll reveal Asagrim’s secret.”
“Asagrim’s secret?”
Lucian flinched at those unexpected words. Did this man know something about a royal family relic?
“You’ve probably seen the barrier-generating device I said I had discovered some time ago. In truth, Asagrim’s defensive functions aren’t limited to that; there are still several more.”
“…Oh.”
Lucian sighed inwardly with relief, but his eyes lit up. It wasn’t a royal relic, but forgotten functions lost over time.
“I found them by chance. I only verified and hid them, so the other guards know nothing.”
“I don’t need them.”
“I figured. But for me to speak…”
“Huh?”
“I said I don’t need them. That’s enough. Leave.”
Lothier opened and closed his mouth, stunned by the unexpected reply. Seeing this, Lucian showed a faint smile.
“Did you think I’d beg you to tell me? Sorry, but I have no intention of doing so. I won’t resort to torture or moral speeches. Just keep your secret. That’s all I ask.”
“Y-Your Highness! Please, listen to me for a moment! This isn’t something to be taken lightly!”
“I’m the one who decides what’s important, not you.”
“Your Highness!”
“If you can’t give me an answer, I’ll get up now. I’ll give you a bit more time, so I expect you to respond properly by then.”
Lucian coldly dismissed Lothier, who was trying to cling to him.
When he stepped into the hallway of the White Palace, a cold smile spread across Lucian’s lips.
‘How ridiculous. Negotiate with me? What do I have to regret?’
There were no enemies capable of launching a siege immediately, and no risk to the White Palace. The only one openly opposing Lucian, Norvek, was about to self-destruct on his own.
Even if nothing was said, a careful investigation could be done later.
If he knew nothing about magic, that would be a problem—but he had Colin and was planning to hire more mages.
‘For me, just knowing that this castle still has more defensive functions is enough.’
Maybe Lothier thought he was offering a tempting bait, but to Lucian, it was just nonsense. Why bite into bait with your mouth when you can just take it with your hand?
And above all, the one in need wasn’t Lucian, but Lothier. As long as Lucian did nothing, the situation would continue tilting in his favor, so there was no reason to accept a deal immediately.
‘How long will it take before his attitude shifts from negotiation to begging?’
If he realized that with time, the conditions would only worsen, it wouldn’t take long. Though, knowing that knight’s personality, it was unlikely he would return in just a few days.
***
The visit of the Swordmaster to the north. It was an unprecedented event that turned the north upside down—in a good way.
It was a region where a martial spirit that revered strength still endured. And this wasn’t just any famous knight, but the Swordmaster, the strongest of his era.
“The Swordmaster is coming to Asagrim? For what purpose?”
“They say the knight who was beside the duke—sorry, His Highness—was the Swordmaster’s adopted daughter.”
“What? So she wasn’t just for show, but a real expert?”
“Not only that. They say she’s a genius capable of inheriting the next Swordmaster title.”
“Then, if we go now and try to build some connection…”
“It’s too late to visit him now. Do you think it’s okay to leave your territory unattended for so long?”
“Of course not. Damn it, nothing ever goes smoothly.”
The northern lords, though full of regret, had no choice but to leave the White Palace. As heads of families and rulers of their lands, it was already a burden to remain away for so long.
Once they departed and Asagrim returned to calm, a letter from Hugo soon arrived.
— Hans, Ian, and some men who used to serve under me are with the Swordmaster. On the way, they also met the two who were sent by my lord. They’re hurrying, so they’ll arrive soon.
“…”
Upon hearing the news he’d been waiting for, Lucian let out the breath he’d been holding in.
More than anything else, he had wanted Hans and Ian to be safe. With his greatest worry lifted, Lucian immediately began preparations to receive the Swordmaster’s group.
“The Swordmaster hates pomp and flashiness, so we’ll hold a simple ceremony with just the Order of the Blue Rose Knights. Can I count on your cooperation?”
“Of course! I’ve been hoping to meet him, so I appreciate you suggesting it first.”
Gareth, commander of the Order of the Blue Rose Knights, beat his chest with an eager expression.
As a knight, he seemed genuinely thrilled at the opportunity to meet the Swordmaster in person.
While preparations continued, Lucian also summoned Colin, who had recently become the chief mage.
“You should come greet him as well.”
“M-me?”
“You’re now the chief mage of Asagrim. Of course I need to introduce you.”
“That’s true, but…”
Seeing Colin hesitate with a worried look, Lucian tilted his head.
From his behavior, it seemed he was more uncomfortable with Sir Eisen himself than with the ceremony. At that moment, Raymond approached Lucian and whispered in his ear.
“Sir Eisen cooperated multiple times with the imperial witch hunts in his youth.”
“…That’s new to me.”
“Well, it’s not something one would brag about. The bad reputation of the witch hunts speaks for itself.”
Lucian nodded absently. After all, there had been cases where entire territories were razed just to catch a single mage.
Given Eisen’s personality, which valued honor, it made sense that he wouldn’t bring it up.
‘Though I’ve never heard it from his own mouth, so I don’t really know what he thinks about it.’
Either way, now that Colin was working with Lucian, they would eventually have to meet.
He didn’t want them to avoid each other and let the situation drag on because of the past. If Sir Eisen didn’t accept Colin, he’d deal with it appropriately when the time came.
When everything was ready, Lucian stood before the white wall waiting for the Swordmaster’s arrival.
“Your Highness!”
At Felicia’s shout, Lucian raised his head. Channeling mana into his eyes, he spotted several figures approaching from afar.
At the front were Lesta and Torkel, the ones Lucian had sent. Behind them came Swordmaster Eisen, Hans, Ian, and others.
Eisen, as if he had sensed Lucian’s gaze, gave a faint smile and moved only his lips.
— It’s been a long time, third young master. You look even more imposing now.
At Eisen’s manner, identical to when he’d left the family, Lucian smiled.
***
The ceremony ended in the blink of an eye. From the beginning, it had been planned to be simple, and there were too many stories to catch up on to waste time on formalities.
As soon as they entered the White Palace, Lucian dismissed everyone else and exclaimed,
“Thank you for coming, Sir Eisen! And thank you so much for rescuing my retainers!”
“Haha. I’m glad I could still be of use to the third young master, even with this old body. Ah, no, you’re not the third young master anymore, but His Highness the Duke.”
Eisen looked at Lucian with a nostalgic expression. Not long ago, he had been just the son of a noble, and now he was a duke and border marquis, addressed as His Highness.
“It’s truly impressive. Your Highness always exceeds my expectations.”
“You flatter me. It’s not something I achieved with my own power alone, but thanks to His Majesty the Emperor’s generosity.”
“No matter how big a piece of meat is, if the throat is too small, one dies trying to swallow it. If His Majesty granted it to you, it’s because he judged you to have the proper vessel. Surely the Grand Duke also…”
That’s where Eisen trailed off, his expression darkening. The Grand Duke who had brought them all together was now gone.
In the heavy silence that followed, Lucian turned to Hans.
“Hans.”
“Yes, young ma—Your Highness.”
“What exactly happened? Did Jordi really start a rebellion?”
Hans nodded with a grim face.
“I doubted it myself, but in the end, he did. Though I don’t really know how things played out.”
“What do you mean? Weren’t you at the estate when the rebellion broke out?”
“To be precise, I fled the estate before that. They let me go surprisingly easily, so I thought everything was fine—but suddenly they came after me and captured me again. I was imprisoned the whole time until Sir Eisen helped me escape at the last minute.”
Hearing this, Lucian frowned. They let him go, only to chase and capture him again?
To Hans and the others, it must have been confusing, but Lucian was already forming a clear picture of what had happened.
‘That bastard only after I received Asagrim did he try to use Hans as a hostage.’
____
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