The unexpected comment made Lucian’s group turn to look at Gunstein. Faced with their gaze, as if asking if he knew anything, Gunstein shook his head firmly.
“I-I don’t know what’s going on either.”
“Do you really have no idea?”
“If I knew something, I would’ve said it right away. A king? What does that mean…?”
His expression was one of genuine confusion. While everyone remained frozen, unable to understand the situation, the villagers began kneeling one after another.
“O-our king…”
“Our king…”
Reverence toward Lucian spread like a wave. Once the mood had formed, even those who hadn’t dared utter the word “king” began to bow. Just as the entire village was about to fully prostrate—
“Stop this instant!”
A furious shout burst from inside.
Upon hearing it, the kneeling villagers stopped halfway, uncomfortable.
Turning their heads, they saw a middle-aged warrior glaring at them in rage.
“Who said he’s a king? Get up! How can the descendants of dragon blood submit to a stranger they’re seeing for the first time?”
“B-but the prophecy—”
“Shut up! What prophecy, nonsense! If you say that crap again, I’ll crush your head first!”
The man who had started to speak trembled at the threat.
The other villagers, watching the warrior’s expression, began to stand up cautiously.
With the atmosphere broken, the warrior turned to Lucian, glaring at him as if he wanted to kill him.
“Foreigner, you’ve invaded our land without permission. According to our law, anyone who enters without authorization becomes a slave. Serve here until you die and regret ever stepping into this place!”
“Shut your mouth! What garbage are you spouting?”
The one who refuted him was Gunstein. Face flushed, he pointed over and over again.
“Can’t you see the clothes our lord is wearing? He’s the one who defeated me! According to tradition, he must be treated with the same honor as the chief’s son!”
“There are also ranks among the chief’s sons! If it’s someone like you, he doesn’t deserve special treatment!”
“W-what…!?”
“I’m giving the foreigner the treatment you should’ve received! Step aside! You’ve lost your status and have no right to intervene anymore!”
“Damn you—!”
The words had already crossed the line long ago. Gunstein’s eyes widened in rage.
Instead of his damaged axe, he grabbed one from a subordinate and was about to lunge at the warrior when—
“Enough.”
Thoom!
“Ugh!”
“Urgh!”
A short but crushing voice fell along with overwhelming pressure that forced both Gunstein and the warrior to their knees.
Feeling as if a giant boulder was crushing them, they collapsed to the ground. Unable to breathe, they could only hear a tongue clicking.
“Tsk tsk… having a hot temper is fine, but trying to draw blood right away is something else.”
“Master!”
Colin and Helen shouted at the same time when they saw the old man who had just appeared.
Lucian looked at the elder, who advanced leaning on a long staff.
From his appearance, it was clear he wasn’t originally from these lands, but someone born in the Empire.
“Ugh! What’s the meaning of this, Guide?”
The warrior protested with difficulty, barely managing to catch his breath under the pressure.
The elder didn’t respond. He struck the ground with his staff.
Thud!
The pressure increased even more, and the warrior’s body was pressed completely to the ground.
“Shouting first doesn’t make you win. Why ignore your own mistake and come to argue with me? If you don’t know how to maneuver politically, don’t even try.”
“A-and the consequences—what will happen—?”
“I’ll handle my consequences. You deal with yours.”
“Gah!”
With a short groan, the warrior fell completely limp. Unable to withstand the pressure, he had fainted.
Only then did the old man release the force weighing on Gunstein and the warrior. Watching the scene, Lucian couldn’t help but be impressed.
‘Impressive… he’s reached the peak through a path different from Sir Eisen’s.’
A Swordmaster at the peak of swordsmanship held a presence as overwhelming as a mountain.
However, the old man before him was the opposite.
He didn’t seem like an individual, but a phenomenon fused with nature itself. Though he was there, his presence felt as natural as the earth or wind.
“The prophecy has been fulfilled.”
With the situation now under control, the old man spoke with a voice much deeper than before. Ignoring even his two disciples, he fixed his gaze on Lucian.
“From beyond the frozen wasteland shall come a foreign ruler. In the year the sun changes, he shall obtain the right to challenge the heavens. He will conquer all in these lands and lead the way to glory and peace. He shall be our king.”
After speaking, the elder bowed deeply and placed his staff in front of Lucian.
Then, raising his hands in reverence, he proclaimed for all to hear:
“The old Guide, Marius, pays his respects to the king!”
***
Marius, the master of Helen and Colin, led Lucian’s group to his home.
It was a house noticeably larger than the others—spacious enough for the whole group to enter without issue.
“Do not allow anyone to approach. The king is to be received.”
At Marius’s solemn words, the residents dared not object. After scanning the surroundings one last time, Marius closed the door and knelt before Lucian.
“Allow me to introduce myself again. I am Marius, master of those immature youngsters and the Inductor of the tribe. My king, ask whatever you desire.”
“M-Master…”
Their master’s attitude—one they had never seen before—left both disciples deeply confused. However, Marius continued acting as if neither of them existed.
Lucian watched the strange scene for a moment and then spoke.
“Old man.”
“Yes, my king.”
“That’s enough.”
“Huh?”
“There is nothing in your eyes that could be called true reverence. No matter how much you change your tone or dress up your words—when there’s no sincerity, it shows.”
“…”
“You said it yourself earlier, didn’t you? That if you don’t know how to play politics, better not to try. That’s exactly what I want to say to you now.”
At Lucian’s words, Marius blinked. He looked surprised—or perhaps unsure of how to respond.
After a long silence, a bitter smile formed on his stiff lips.
“Was my performance that bad?”
“Good enough to fool someone dull. But I’m not dull. That much isn’t enough to fool me.”
Hearing the sudden shift in Marius’s tone—no longer putting up a front—Lucian let out a laugh. At last, it seemed they could talk properly.
Marius shook his head as if giving up after realizing Lucian wasn’t surprised at all.
“How terrifying, how terrifying. This is the first time in my life someone’s seen through me so easily.”
“I assure you, I’m not the only one who could. You’ve just run into easy opponents and convinced yourself your acting was flawless.”
“You also have a talent for rubbing salt in old wounds. If you keep digging, I’ll die of shame—so let’s stop here.”
“As you wish.”
Those nearby, listening in, were completely stunned. It was surprising enough that Marius had dropped his act, but what was even more shocking was how little importance Lucian seemed to give it.
To anyone else, it would have sounded like a casual reunion between old acquaintances.
However, the cordial mood didn’t last long.
“Well, let’s get to the point.”
Lucian wiped the smile from his face and fixed his gaze on Marius. Marius nodded, adopting a serious expression as well.
“Alright. What do you want to know?”
“To begin with, tell me exactly what it is you can offer me.”
“As Helen said. The opportunity to use the inhabitants of this place as an army—and the treasure known as the Dragon Heart.”
“And what do you expect in return?”
“That you rebuild the Magic Tower.”
The moment those words left his mouth, the air froze.
The Magic Tower—an organization that once included nearly all the Empire’s mages before the rebellion three hundred years ago.
The center of all magical research and apprentice training, and also the heart of the rebellion.
A cursed name that not even the Emperor dared mention in front of Lucian—and now Marius had spoken it without hesitation.
Lucian stared at him.
“Are you aware of what you just said?”
“I know that, by the Empire’s standards, it’s an utterly unacceptable proposal.”
“And you still say it aloud.”
“It’s been the desire of my entire life. A dream that was already crushed once. Now that I don’t have much time left, it’s become an obsession. Even if I want to abandon it—I can’t.”
“Even if, as a result, not only do you fail to achieve it, but also lose every other dream still within reach?”
“If I could weigh the odds rationally and make a calm decision, it wouldn’t be called an obsession in the first place.”
“Master!”
Unable to stay silent, Colin cut in. Having been ignored all this time and hearing words he couldn’t understand, his built-up frustration exploded.
“What the hell are you thinking?! You sent Helen in secret to drag His Majesty here, and now you’re talking about the Magic Tower?! The mages have only just begun to—Khk!”
Thack!
“Idiot! I’m not deaf! And since when are you allowed to interrupt when your master and your lord are speaking?”
“This isn’t the time for etiquette—khk, khh!”
As Colin vented his anger, Marius struck him with his staff, causing him to stagger.
Despite the harsh scolding, Colin lunged forward again—but he couldn’t withstand the continued barrage of strikes.
Once he had a massive bump on his head, Lucian, who had remained silent, raised his hand.
“That’s enough. Explain it clearly. Not just for Colin—I’m also curious about the old man’s situation.”
“Tsk, there’s no helping it…”
Only then did Colin escape the rain of blows. Still holding his swollen head, his eyes were filled with resentment. Seeing this, Marius sighed.
“Don’t take it so personally. I didn’t tell Helen everything either.”
“Huh?”
“The Magic Tower—that’s also the first time she’s heard of it. If you don’t believe me, look behind you.”
When Colin turned in the direction Marius pointed, he saw Helen with a pale face, clutching her sleeves tightly.
Her expression alone was enough to show how shocked she was at the mention of the Magic Tower.
After confirming that his disciple’s resistance had calmed, Marius turned his gaze to Lucian once more.
“Alright, where do you want me to start?”
“Where your obsession began.”
“From the beginning, then. Fine, I don’t mind.”
Nodding slightly, Marius began to tell his story.
“It’s nothing extraordinary. I was born the son of a miserably poor farmer in a village. I met my master, became fascinated by magic, and became his disciple. When I finally became an independent mage, my master was captured by the imperial family.”
The Empire’s trackers had been relentless. They didn’t just kill his master—they discovered Marius’s existence and hunted him down too.
Marius managed to evade them for a time, but they never gave up and continued their pursuit.
“Fleeing from them, I kept heading north—until I reached the edge of the world. And even then, those bastards followed me there. Just when I thought everything was over, an ancient legacy appeared before me.”
“An ancient legacy?”
At Lucian’s question, Marius smiled darkly.
“An artifact.”
____
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