Lucian’s words made Marius blink, stunned. It was clear he had never even imagined hearing something like that.
“A puppet show in the shadows? A game?”
“If it’s not a game, then tell me what the hell you think you’re doing.”
Lucian looked at Marius with an expression of pity.
“If you search the world, you’ll surely find people who truly deserve to be called puppet masters. But you’re definitely not one of them.”
From Lucian’s perspective—someone who had weathered countless political storms—everything about Marius was clumsy.
Why did he think the chief named Ivar rejected his proposal? Because from the beginning, Marius showed all his cards and only presented the outcome he personally saw as ideal.
He never once considered what the other party truly wanted or how to awaken their ambitions.
“Even the plan you used to bring me here is full of improvisation. You didn’t make the slightest effort to learn who I am. You just blindly relied on astrology. Does that sound like strategy to you?”
“That’s because, unlike you—”
“Even if you believe in astrology, any plan requires at least basic information gathering. But you assumed everything would naturally unfold in your favor.”
A well-crafted scheme creates a situation the other party cannot refuse, then rolls out the next steps from there.
Marius, however, left every option untouched and simply assumed his opponent would follow his will.
At that level, he wasn’t even competent as a bureaucrat.
“That everything worked out was sheer coincidence. Mistaking that for your own ability and acting arrogantly is dangerous.”
“I never acted arrogantly. I only explained everything because I was afraid you’d blame me later for what happened.”
Marius interrupted with a slightly tense expression.
“From the beginning, I only spoke because you wanted to hear it. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“Well, thanks to that, I more or less understand where your obsession comes from. And I get why you brought me here.”
“Then I’ll make the offer once more. Rebuild the Magic Tower. In return, I’ll give you an army, the Dragon Heart, and the power to rule the continent.”
The power to rule the continent. It sounded grandiose, but it wasn’t a lie.
The unnatural cold of the north surely came from that artifact—an object capable of manipulating the weather of an entire region.
‘If it could be controlled precisely, there would be no need for justification or excuses.’
Even so, Lucian felt no temptation.
From the moment he arrived here, there was no real need to accept Marius’s offer.
The fact that Marius didn’t understand that showed how little he truly grasped about politics.
“For now…”
“For now?”
“Let’s rest and talk later. The journey was long, and I’m tired.”
“…”
***
“It’s a good house.”
The place the group headed to after postponing the decision was Gunstein’s house.
As the son of the chief, it wasn’t as large as Marius’s, but it was still much more spacious than most.
“It’ll be a bit tight for everyone, but it’s enough. We’ll be fine here.”
“…Thank you.”
Gunstein bowed his head with a somewhat downcast expression. Seeing this, Lucian gave a faint smile.
“Still hung up on what the guide said?”
“That is…”
“Gunstein.”
Lucian looked at him with complete seriousness. Meeting eyes he had never seen before, Gunstein trembled and dropped to his knees.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Was the strength I beat you with a lie? Did I win because someone tipped the scales in my favor?”
“No.”
“Then was attacking me the result of someone else’s scheme? Wasn’t there ambition of your own in it?”
“Also no.”
“Saying that serving under me is more worthwhile than serving your brothers—was that a lie?”
“Never!”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“…”
Gunstein thought for a moment, then tilted his head.
Now that he reflected, there really wasn’t a problem. If Lucian hadn’t shown up, he would’ve ended up serving one of his brothers without much significance.
If his fate was to serve someone anyway, this was clearly the better option.
“Don’t be misled by prophetic wordplay. Claiming everything went according to plan after the fact is something even a child can do. And if the result benefits you, it’s even less worth worrying about.”
“I… I understand.”
Lucian’s words made Gunstein lower his head.
It wasn’t anything extraordinary, but it felt like the knot in his chest had completely unraveled.
Lucian turned away from Gunstein and looked toward Colin and Helen.
“Colin didn’t know anything, so that’s understandable… Helen.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“How much of your master’s plan did you know?”
“Just as I said before—only about the army and the Dragon Heart. I didn’t know anything about the magic tower, or even the artifact.”
Helen explained herself with a pale face.
She feared losing Lucian’s trust and, at the same time, seemed unsure how to react to how far her master had gone. Colin, on the other hand, looked relatively calm.
“Colin, what do you think? Now that you know the whole context, you must have an opinion.”
“There’s not much to think about. My master is going too far.”
“If everything works out, I’ll gain absolute power, and the mages will regain their former glory.”
“There was no need to gamble like this. All we had to do was prove the usefulness of magic with solid evidence. But my master…”
Unable to insult his own master, Colin bit his lip. Lucian finished the sentence he couldn’t say.
“He acted in haste because he wanted to see something fulfilled before he died—without considering the future generations at all.”
Marius was the opposite of Eisen. While Eisen, having achieved everything, wanted to leave behind a successor, Marius was willing to harm his own disciples if it meant fulfilling his personal ambition.
No doubt, the years of persecution by the Empire had left deep scars.
When Lucian said nothing more, Raymond, who had remained silent until then, spoke.
“What do you plan to do, Your Majesty?”
“What do you mean?”
“About that magician’s proposal. Will you accept it?”
“Oh, that…?”
Lucian gave a sideways smile, as if the idea had just crossed his mind, and said.
“Leave it.”
“Eh?”
“Whether it’s a proposal or whatever—it all ended the moment I arrived here. Seems like that old man hasn’t realized it yet.”
“…?”
“Rather, let’s first think about how we’ll get an army here. The board is already set, so the other side will surely react…”
“Brother! Brotheeer!”
It was just as Lucian said this that one of Gunstein’s subordinates burst in from outside, voice filled with urgency. Seeing him, Gunstein frowned.
“Idiot! Do you still think this is just my house? The lord is present!”
“S-sorry! I was in too much of a hurry…!”
“What happened to make you cause such a commotion? Speak.”
“The clan chief has announced there will be a banquet tonight. All warriors with succession rights must attend without fail!”
“…!”
Everyone in the room turned to look at Lucian. Originally, the right to succeed the clan chief belonged to Gunstein—but now it had passed to Lucian.
Amid the tense stares, Lucian answered with a relaxed smile.
“Perfect. Let’s take the chance to see the clan chief’s face.”
***
When one talks about a banquet in the Empire, the usual image is a lavish celebration in a castle or a lord’s manor.
But here, banquets were typically held inside large tents set up outdoors.
Since there was no room to build enormous structures, it was common to prepare a temporary hall this way.
“I thought they’d do it completely outside.”
“Even if we’re used to the cold, eating and drinking outside for hours is rough. And then there’s everyone watching…”
“Well, that makes sense.”
Lucian nodded, understanding Gunstein’s explanation.
In a place where resources were already scarce, it wasn’t wise to show off food and drink openly.
“By the way… is this really a banquet?”
When the conversation ended, Hugo chimed in with a dry laugh.
As barren as the snowlands might be, this was too simple to be called a banquet.
“Meat, meat, meat… there’s nothing but meat.”
Everyone nodded at the comment. On the large table, there was only meat.
Not even much variation in how it was prepared—mostly whole roasted pieces or large chunks.
Even a festival in some forgotten rural village in the Empire would offer more variety.
Annoyed by the others’ reactions, Gunstein glared at Hugo.
“There’s liquor too. What more do you need for a banquet besides meat and booze?”
“Well, yeah, but… what kind of liquor is that?”
“What kind? Liquor is liquor.”
Gunstein’s reply made Hugo shake his head.
If he didn’t even understand the question about quality, it meant there was only one kind. From the lowest soldier to the clan chief, everyone drank the same thing—so it didn’t even have a name.
“Damn it, are we going to have to eat like this the whole time we’re here? No vegetables?”
“If you’re healthy, what do you need vegetables for? If you get sick, go see the healer.”
“This is insane. I was already sick of eating nothing but meat on the way here.”
“Enough. Sit down. Looks like the others are arriving.”
Flap. Just as he finished speaking, a group of people entered the tent. Judging by the smell of blood and the scars covering their bodies, they were clearly experienced warriors.
Among them, Lucian’s gaze locked onto the warrior at the front.
‘They’re brothers.’
The face, even the light brown beard, were so similar that one glance was enough to see the relation.
The difference was the scar running across his right eye—and that he was a head taller than the rest.
The warrior scanned the inside of the tent, and his eyes soon met Lucian’s.
“Oh.”
He deliberately murmured loudly, making sure everyone could hear.
“They say my younger brother was defeated by a great warrior—and it seems they were right. Just seeing your face, you can feel the aura of a warrior. No wonder my brother lost.”
“Brunda…!”
Hearing the words of his older brother, Brunda, Gunstein clenched his teeth.
Lucian’s appearance didn’t match the typical image of a snowland warrior at all.
He was small, clean-shaven, and didn’t have a muscular build.
Calling him a warrior just based on his face? It sounded more like mockery than praise.
However, Lucian didn’t flinch and calmly responded while looking at Brunda.
“In comparison, you look rather fragile. Seems like your muscles are hollow—you should work on your foundation. Looks like I could poke you and you’d break.”
Brunda’s mocking smile froze in an instant.
____
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