From the beginning, the option of sparing Ivar’s life didn’t exist.
A former ruler would never acknowledge a new one, so there was no choice but to eliminate him.
However, Ivar held a certain prestige among the members of the tribe. Even for Lucian, killing him immediately could provoke visible or silent resistance.
‘That’s why I tried to make the outcome as overwhelming as possible—something everyone would be forced to accept…’
He never imagined that, beyond reverential respect, he would end up provoking fear.
The effect had been so strong that it became excessive.
‘In the short term, it’s not bad for suppressing any rebellion, but if this atmosphere drags on, it won’t bring anything good. I’ll have to ease up when the time is right.’
Those who live oppressed by fear cannot voice even the slightest complaint.
In the short term, it allows for quick progress, but if that resentment quietly builds up, it eventually rots from within.
To solve the people’s problems, you have to know what they are first.
‘Well, for now it’ll be convenient. Since we’re already here, might as well finish everything at once.’
Even though the atmosphere wasn’t what he had planned, once it had formed, the most sensible thing was to make use of it.
Lucian spoke calmly, in a loud voice so that everyone could hear.
“I gave Ivar several chances. I offered him the chance to step down and serve me, following the dragon’s will. But even after losing his blessing, the chief couldn’t let go of his obsession and kept trying to cut my throat.”
“…”
“There is nothing more vile than clinging to a right that has already been lost. That’s why I’ll use their necks as a lesson. Pass this truth down to future generations.”
“…”
What happens to those who cling to a throne that no longer belongs to them, even when the true king has arrived?
What fate awaits those who confuse someone else’s right as their own?
At Lucian’s words, the members of the tribe lowered their heads even further.
To them, Ivar had been a great warrior—but the one speaking now was a king comparable to the rebirth of a dragon.
If he claimed to have seen truths they could never understand, who would dare argue?
However, a brave man from the tribe dared to raise a doubt.
“T-then… why did you spare Ainar’s life…?”
“Ugh!”
The man suddenly collapsed, slamming his forehead against the ground with a dull thud.
His pale wife had struck the back of his neck with all her strength.
“Dear! Are you insane? How dare you question the king’s words…?”
“It’s fine. Let him be. I was just about to explain it.”
Lucian smiled faintly, as if it were nothing.
“Because only Ainar felt shame for Ivar’s greed. He never intended to win. He only wanted to atone for his guilt by dying alongside his family.”
“S-so that’s what it was…?”
“Do you doubt it?”
“No, no! Not at all!”
Terrified by Lucian’s sharp gaze, the man once again pressed his forehead to the ground.
He had already committed the blasphemy of questioning the king; doubting even that explanation was practically asking to die.
Once the man finally went quiet, Lucian looked around again and continued.
“Only Ainar knew shame and humiliation and chose to die by his own will. That is why, as king, I have decided to give him one last chance.”
The same opportunity that had also been given to his father—and that the father ultimately rejected.
Perhaps it was excessive mercy, but in Lucian’s eyes, Ainar had earned it.
“Take Ainar inside. When he wakes up, I’ll ask him a question.”
Whether he would choose to serve the new king named Lucian of his own free will—or decide to follow his family to death.
Faced with the king’s firm declaration, the members of the tribe could only bow their heads deeply.
***
‘…Am I still alive?’
Ainar blinked within a hazy, whitish vision.
There was no need to pinch his cheek to check if he was alive or dead.
His whole body throbbed as if he had rolled down from the top of a snowy mountain.
‘If everything hurts, I guess I’m still alive.’
“You’re awake?”
The voice that sounded beside him made Ainar flinch. Forcing his aching body, he turned his head to see who it was and muttered with a groan.
“The foreign king…”
“Is that how you’ve always seen me? What a generous evaluation.”
At that title coming from a still-dazed Ainar, Lucian let out a faint laugh.
For him to call him king in that state meant he already acknowledged him as such. Barely regaining his senses amid the pain, Ainar spoke with difficulty.
“What happened to my father and Brunda?”
“They died. I beheaded both of them.”
“You were the one who executed them?”
“Who else would it have been?”
“I see.”
Ainar exhaled deeply and lay back on the ground.
It wasn’t an unexpected outcome, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth.
If he had accepted reality earlier and acknowledged Lucian as king… if he had forced the other two to kneel before him—even if by force—could he at least have saved their lives?
“Don’t think such nonsense.”
Lucian’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
“You think things would have changed if you’d acted differently? If they couldn’t accept the outcome of their own free will, they would’ve eventually bared their fangs again. Even if things had gone well by some miracle, I still would’ve dealt with them myself.”
“…Then why did you spare me? If you didn’t want future trouble, shouldn’t you have eliminated me too?”
“Why? Are you thinking of avenging your father and brother?”
Ainar couldn’t respond. As a son, he should seek vengeance—but he didn’t feel the impulse.
Their deaths had essentially been the consequence of their own actions. After a brief silence, he let out a sigh.
“It’s not something I desire.”
“Then the answer is clear. Serve me, as Gunstein does.”
Ainar’s eyes widened. Ever since he had been spared, he had vaguely imagined it—but was Lucian really planning to take him under his command?
“Are you out of your mind? You killed my father and my brother.”
“And you said you have no intention of avenging them.”
“No, that’s true, but… what if I change my mind later?”
“Would you?”
“No, that’s not it. That’s not what I meant!”
Frustrated, Ainar unknowingly beat his chest.
He didn’t know if Lucian was a fool—or simply had too big a heart.
“That’s why I don’t like you. Fortune lands at your feet, and you still hesitate, unsure of what to do.”
Hearing that familiar voice, Ainar flinched. He didn’t know when he’d gotten there, but Gunstein was sitting in a corner in a crooked posture, glaring at him with disdain.
Before Ainar could say anything, Gunstein sneered with scorn.
“This is why I couldn’t give up the right of succession. I figured it’d be better to become chief myself than serve under you all.”
“What are you suddenly talking about? From the beginning—”
“Do you really like staying so clean? Are you that afraid of staining your name?”
Ainar didn’t understand. Wasn’t it natural for a warrior to value honor?
But Gunstein, as if he didn’t want to hear any objections, continued attacking.
“What is it that you actually want? No—do you even want anything? Are you content to die leaving behind a clean name after living without purpose?”
“And what’s wrong with that? Is it so bad to want to live with honor as a warrior?”
“Of course it is!”
“What?”
The response, so blunt and baffling, left Ainar speechless. But Gunstein continued, more resolute than ever.
“Who decided what’s right or wrong? Our ancestors! Not us, living in this era!”
“Are you saying our ancestors were wrong?”
“No! I’m saying that what they never experienced can’t be judged as right or wrong. You only know once you live through it.”
“What are you even saying…?”
“Are you that afraid of following a lord and facing an order you’ve never known?”
‘…!’
Ainar felt as if he’d been struck in the head with a hammer. Gunstein had pinpointed a fear he himself hadn’t even recognized. Seeing that, Gunstein clicked his tongue.
“Of course you’re worried. You’ve lived your whole life as a great warrior. Under the tundra’s law, with more honor than anyone… isn’t it natural to be afraid of stepping into a new world?”
“…”
“That’s why you keep rejecting this opportunity. You’d rather die as a glorious warrior of the snows than risk the honor you’ve built in an unknown world.”
No. That single denial got caught in his throat.
As time passed, Gunstein’s words pierced him like thorns.
‘Is that really it?’
Unable to stop his family, he wanted to shoulder the guilt and die with them.
Even after surviving, he thought he had no right to serve the king.
But was that truly how he felt? Or, as Gunstein said, was it just a noble excuse masking a desire to die an honorable warrior?
“I can’t live like that. Warrior’s honor or whatever—I’ll make sure the name Gunstein is carved into people’s minds. If I serve my lord, opportunities won’t be lacking.”
With that, Gunstein leapt to his feet and left the room—as if to say that while Ainar was left to rot there, he would keep moving forward.
Even after he was gone, Ainar remained still for a long time. Lucian waited silently until he spoke.
After more than ten minutes, Ainar’s deep voice finally broke the silence.
“I just want to ask one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“If I refuse your offer and die buried in this land… will my name remain in your history?”
“Do you think it would?”
Lucian replied without hesitation.
“What do you think this place is? A sacred land of those chosen by the dragon? A great territory I must claim at all costs? It’s neither. This is just a stepping stone on my path.”
“…”
“As long as my name remains in history, what I did here will be recorded too. But yours won’t. At most, a single line mentioning your actions—and nothing more.”
As the chief’s son who died alongside his father resisting Lucian.
Ainar closed his eyes.
He had wanted to live with honor all his life, to be an example for others. But now the tribe would follow a new king and abandon the tundra.
Ainar, bound to the laws of the snow, would be forgotten along with that land. What point was there in keeping a clean name?
“The decision is yours.”
Lucian’s voice echoed once more in his ears.
“If you despise the dishonor of serving the man who killed your father and brother, die here. But if you still want to live and leave your own legacy—follow me.”
“…If I follow you, can I leave behind a legacy even beyond the tundra?”
At Ainar’s trembling voice, Lucian smiled broadly.
“I’ll make you an immortal legend—one that will never be forgotten.”
____
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