The soldiers belonging to Calix blinked, stunned. There was no one nearby who seemed to be giving orders, so who was he talking to?
Lucian clicked his tongue and looked back at the soldiers.
“What are you doing? I’m talking to you.”
“Huh? T-to us?”
“Yes. Tie him up.”
“Well, it’s just that… we…”
“The war is over. This man is my prisoner, and now I am your lord. Obey.”
…Just like that?
It didn’t make much sense, but Lucian’s overly confident attitude only added to the soldiers’ confusion.
Besides, it was true that when a territorial war was lost, the lord would change, so it wasn’t easy to refute either.
After hesitating for quite a while, the soldiers cautiously stepped forward and began tying up Norvek.
“He’s tied up.”
“Good. Then let’s go to Asagrim. Relay my orders to the decurions of each unit.”
“Y-yes.”
Though they obeyed, the soldiers wore doubtful expressions, as if still unsure whether this was really the right thing to do.
Then again, that wasn’t such a bad thing. Keeping Calix’s soldiers under his command meant they would now be treated as allies.
They wouldn’t be hunted down like defeated troops or receive humiliating treatment.
In a way, it was the most peaceful resolution possible.
“And you all, what do you plan to do now?”
“…”
Lucian looked at the knights, who seemed half out of it. Unable to accept the situation unfolding before their eyes, the three still hadn’t reacted.
After a while, one of the younger knights managed to open his mouth and asked, stammering.
“W-what do you want us to do…?”
At the foolish question, Lucian let out a dry laugh.
“Does what I want matter more than your own convictions? What a rotten mind for someone who calls himself a knight.”
“…!”
“If you call yourself a knight, act like one. That’s all I have to say.”
At the cold reply, the knight shut his mouth, his face burning with shame.
As the silence dragged on, one of the middle-aged knights unsheathed his sword.
“Draw yours.”
“You plan to die here?”
“Is there another way?”
A knight’s oath of loyalty is something that, once sworn, cannot be taken back.
As long as Norvek continued to resist, the knights who had sworn loyalty to him had to fight to the end—even if that end was death.
“I’m simply fulfilling my duty as a knight. And you wouldn’t want to see us begging for our lives either.”
Lucian answered those words with a slight smile. Unlike soldiers, who could change lords whenever, knights were bound by their oaths.
The moment they betrayed that oath, they ceased to be knights. Lucian had no intention of accepting half-hearted individuals as subordinates.
“Come. I may not be able to finish it as cleanly as Felicia, but I’ll try to send you off without too much pain.”
“How arrogant. Are you confusing your vassal’s skill with your own?”
“That’s not something someone who hasn’t moved even once so far should say.”
If during the duels he had managed to take down Felicia, it would have been worth it, even if several died.
With a minimum of skill, they should’ve stepped up at least to wear her down.
But until now, he had stayed on the sidelines. In Norvek’s eyes, that only meant he didn’t even reach the bare minimum to be sent out.
“My name is Lucian Grimaldi Valdeck. The one who defeated Harald, the Wolf Hunter. If you have any name worth mentioning, say it now.”
“…If I had one, I would’ve said it long ago. In the end, you come poking at wounds.”
The middle-aged knight murmured bitterly as he took his stance. It was steady, but no special aura could be sensed.
It didn’t seem like he was hiding it—his level simply wasn’t high enough to emit one.
Lucian spoke to the knight, who looked at him without a hint of fear.
“Even so, you truly are a knight.”
The knight responded with a bitter smile.
“I always have been.”
***
Swish!
Lucian shook the blood from his sword onto the ground.
Just as he expected, the skills of the three remaining knights weren’t much, so he was able to bring them down without difficulty.
After finishing off the stragglers as well, Lucian called for Gareth, the commander of the Blue Rose Knights.
“Sir Gareth, take the order and seize the territories Calix once occupied.”
“Just us? Without support from other troops?”
Gareth replied with some discomfort.
He trusted in their strength, but still, launching a siege with only a knightly order was excessive. Sensing his concern, Lucian smiled and added.
“There won’t be any fighting. That old man likely came here to face me without even leaving behind a minimum security force. Just go and plant the flag.”
“And what if the citizens, terrified, don’t open the gates?”
“Take some of the knights’ heads lying around and show them. Once they understand it’s all over, they’ll open up whether they want to or not.”
“Understood.”
Though he answered promptly, Gareth’s expression still held subtle unease.
It was understandable—Lucian had just turned seventeen.
He’d barely have any experience in war, yet he spoke as if he fully understood the state of the newly conquered territories.
It seemed like the great victory had inflated his confidence too much.
“Well, once you go, you’ll see for yourself.”
Lucian said with a wry smile, realizing what Gareth was thinking.
The doubt was natural, but in truth, it all came from the experience of his past life.
In chaotic times, when rulers were cornered, they would often throw all their forces into battle without thinking of the consequences.
However, by the time it came to that, the outcome was already decided—and what followed was always the same.
‘The citizens can still be managed, but the problem is the administrators. Once word spreads that Norvek was captured, they’ll try to flee in secret. They must be caught first.’
Lucian had no intention of punishing the officials who worked under Calix.
On the contrary, administrators were what he needed most to govern the conquered lands—population records, tax collection, troop maintenance, average harvests, goods production—if the people managing that vanished, he’d have to waste enormous resources recreating everything from scratch.
‘The problem is that they flee too often. As soon as they lose a war, they grab all the money they’ve hoarded and disappear.’
It wasn’t hard to understand.
Looting by unruly soldiers or massacres by incompetent conquerors weren’t rare. But, regardless of whether he understood it, their escape was a huge loss to Lucian.
That’s why he needed to send the knight order first—to detain the administrators before the outcome of the war became widely known.
‘If there’s no chaos, they won’t even dare to run. Once the occupation is complete, there’ll be no need to pressure them—they’ll stay put on their own.’
Lucian turned his eyes away from the departing Blue Rose Order.
There were no more enemies left. Only soldiers who once served Calix, and others who had always belonged to Grimaldi. Now, commanding all of them, Lucian gave the order.
“We’re returning to Asagrim.”
It was time to announce victory to those who had waited.
***
Upon arriving in Asagrim, the soldiers who once served Calix began murmuring all at once. It wasn’t fear—but astonishment and admiration.
“Incredible, there really are people living in Asagrim!”
“I heard a rumor the lord had changed, but it was true?”
“Then… can we move here too?”
“Although… moving to a place without even a tavern is kinda…”
“Idiot! You think the tavern is the problem now? Do you even know where you are?”
“Just buying a house here will make it worth a thousand times more in a few years!”
Lucian smiled in satisfaction as he listened.
It was precisely that reaction he’d expected by bringing the soldiers here.
‘Just as I thought. If I let them tour the place and then send them back, they’ll come on their own.’
No matter how many rewards were promised, forced relocation always created resistance.
The ideal was for the citizens to choose to move voluntarily, without needing orders.
And Asagrim—considered sacred land in the North—had enough fame to attract more than enough people.
‘Some will only come to stay a while and resell at a higher price later, but as long as the population increases, that’s fine. The population has to grow first for trade to activate.’
For merchants, population equals number of consumers. The higher the population, the more trade; more trade means more comfort, and that comfort brings even more people.
Part of the profit would, naturally, become tax revenue.
“Wait here a moment.”
Lucian left the soldiers outside the citadel and sent for Lothier, who was staying in the White Palace.
The former commander of Asagrim’s garrison appeared with a triumphant look.
“So, you’ve finally decided to accept my deal.”
“No. The deal’s off. Instead, get to work.”
“What?”
“There are soldiers from outside waiting. Asagrim seems to have impressed them quite a bit. Since the former garrison members know this place well, guide them and show them the city.”
Lothier blinked. Was he being asked to act as a tour guide? And not for nobles, but ordinary soldiers?
“Your Highness, I think you’re mistaken. We are not your vassals.”
“I know. We have no relationship. If you think about it, you’re more like a freeloading parasite, and I’m a rather generous landlord.”
At Lothier’s direct complaint, Lucian responded with an even sharper retort. Seeing Lothier open and close his mouth in speechlessness, Lucian continued.
“So this isn’t an order, but a request. And since I’m making it politely, I trust you’ll accept.”
“And if I refuse?”
“What would I do? Nothing. It would just become clear that you’re a parasite living without working, who won’t even grant a simple request from the property owner.”
“…”
“And we don’t have food for freeloaders. If you won’t accept even such a simple task, you’ll have to leave.”
Lothier wanted to argue, but ended up lowering his head. It was humiliating, but he was still living in Asagrim thanks to Lucian’s generosity.
‘If I say I’ll pay rent and he demands the money, I won’t even have enough to get back to the capital.’
Realizing this wasn’t the time to let pride get in the way, Lothier murmured with a defeated expression.
“…What exactly do you want?”
“I already said. Guide the soldiers outside around Asagrim. Show them the nicest places to live.”
“And if I try my best, but the reaction still isn’t good?”
“What would happen?”
Lucian smiled faintly.
“Starting tomorrow, your meals will get worse. Someone who doesn’t do their job doesn’t need a full portion.”
____
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