It wasn’t just Lucian who was surprised.
The rest of the group was also stunned, their eyes scanning the walls in silence. Among them, the one most shaken was Glenn.
“Th-this…!”
Glenn trembled, unable to continue.
One of the reasons Tibron was called the jewel of the Empire was precisely its white wall.
An absolute defense, as if it could stop all the armies of the world.
To that was added a beauty and artistic sense capable of intoxicating anyone who gazed at it.
The moment someone saw the white wall, they would shower it with praise, calling it a supreme and unrepeatable fortification.
‘Why does a wall identical to the white wall exist here?’
While everyone remained frozen, Lucian was the first to regain composure.
“Raymond.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I ask just in case, but was there ever a trend in ancient times for a style like the white wall?”
“Probably not. If there had been, there would be many ruins with similar structures.”
However, until now, only Tibron and Asagrim had walls of that style.
In other words, even in ancient times, building such a wall was no easy feat.
That naturally led to a single conclusion someone built the white wall first, and someone else later imitated it.
“When were Tibron’s walls built?”
“Right after the unification of the continent was completed.”
“And Asagrim?”
“That would be after the founding of the northern dynasty, so chronologically…”
“Ahem! Aheeem!”
Glenn blatantly interrupted Raymond’s words with a loud cough.
At such an obvious signal, everyone fell silent, but by now, there was no one who couldn’t guess what came next.
‘Then it was Grimaldi who built the white wall first. The Empire’s white wall was an imitation of the north.’
“Let’s move on! We’ve finally reached the end of this long journey!”
As if to stop everyone’s thoughts from going any further, Glenn shouted.
His voice was so loud it was hard to believe he had been silent until now.
As the group nodded quietly and moved toward the gates of Asagrim, something happened.
“What’s the meaning of this!? The sun is still high and they’re saying no more pilgrims are allowed in!”
“And just a moment ago they only let in ten people! This is abuse!”
Around the gate, a crowd of northerners shouted in fury.
The clamor grew to deafening levels, and from inside the wall came a roar.
“Silence! Abuse!? Asagrim is a territory directly governed by the Emperor! You should be grateful His Majesty allows pilgrimages, and you dare speak of abuse!? Do you even know where you are saying such things!?”
“Ugh!”
The shout, loud enough to make ears ring, carried a faint magical charge.
The civilians, unable to reinforce their bodies with mana, staggered and fell to their knees.
Only a few sword practitioners able to strengthen their bodies with mana remained standing.
At such a strange technique, Lucian and the others’ eyes gleamed with curiosity.
“Can anyone here do that?”
“Not me. From what I can tell, he didn’t just reinforce his voice, he dispersed it like a wave in all directions…”
“That’s not a technique you pick up in a year or two. To use it that naturally, he must’ve perfected it through sheer desperation.”
“I think I could do it. Would it be something like this?”
Felicia cleared her throat and whistled softly. Instantly, a faint magic charged the whistle and shook the air around them.
Though the scale was smaller, if she turned it into a shout, she could likely reproduce a similar effect.
“Good heavens! She copied it after seeing it once?”
“I learned a similar technique from my father. He didn’t use his voice, but the sound of his blade scraping the ground. With some adaptation, it’s not hard.”
“Voice and sword have nothing to do with each other! That’s why geniuses are…!”
While the group chatted, Glenn stared at Felicia, speechless. He already knew she was the adopted daughter and disciple of the Swordmaster, so he expected her to have talent.
But he never imagined she could instantly replicate a secret technique that only a few within the Nightingale Order could master.
‘Even if she’s older than Duke Lucian, she’s still just a girl barely in her early teens… what the hell…?’
He thought she was a wild beast cub, but now she seemed capable of hunting full-grown predators.
And being so young, she still had room to grow. Imagining her future sent a chill down Glenn’s spine.
Then, a new shout rang out.
“Get out! Anyone who continues protesting from now on will be treated as attempting to invade a territory directly governed by His Majesty the Emperor—and as traitors!”
This time it was a pure shout, without magic, but remembering the previous impact, the crowd shuddered.
In the silence, the knight swept his icy gaze over the people as a warning, and just as he turned to leave—
“…No. That can’t be.”
A young man leapt to his feet among the crowd and shouted. He wore worn clothes, but from his movements, he seemed to be the son of a noble family who had received proper sword training.
Seeing him blatantly ignore the warning, the knight’s face twisted in fury.
“Are you trying to commit treason?”
“Treason, my ass! I’ve never invaded the imperial palace or tried to assassinate His Majesty! I haven’t even set foot in Tibron, the capital! What the hell kind of treason are you talking about!?”
“Still won’t shut up?! How dare your filthy mouth speak of His Majesty…?!”
“Asagrim is the sacred land of the north! A northerner doesn’t need permission to step foot on northern land! Or am I wrong?!”
The young man looked to the crowd as if seeking support. Those crouched exchanged glances and, one by one, began to rise and shout with him.
“Exactly! Asagrim is, without a doubt, northern land!”
“Since when does a northerner need credentials to visit the sacred land of the north?!”
“We’re sick of everything being called treason!”
The atmosphere, which had begun to calm, exploded with even more intensity than before.
Faced with the dangerous turn of events, Lucian, Glenn, and the others were stunned when the knight stepped forward.
“Archers, prepare for battle! As soon as those traitors move any closer, fire!”
Creak.
“…!”
The arrows being drawn in unison from atop the wall made the pilgrims hold their breath.
The soldiers watched them with killing intent in their eyes, ready to fire at any moment.
The knight commanding the soldiers at the main gate didn’t hesitate to draw his sword either.
“I swear by the name of His Majesty the Emperor that anyone who continues to defile the imperial family from this moment on will be executed.”
“….”
“Leave. This is the final warning.”
The clamor that had erupted from every direction faded, but the pilgrims did not move.
No, rather, beneath the surface, the tension was boiling even more than before.
It was not a silence born of fear, but a silence in which injustice was being chewed with rising rage.
All it would take was one misstep for a massacre to erupt.
“That’s enough.”
The one who broke the silence and stepped forward was Lucian.
The knight guarding the gate frowned at the appearance of a stranger.
“Who are you?”
Lucian let out a faint laugh at the knight’s question. Though his face was young, anyone could tell from his attire that he wasn’t from a common family—yet the knight addressed him without an ounce of respect.
“Open the gate.”
“What did you say?”
“Open the gate and let these people in. I authorize it.”
“You damned lunatic! Do you think this land under the direct jurisdiction of His Majesty the Emperor belongs to you?”
“It does. At least starting today.”
“You bastard!”
“Duke Lucian! Stop!”
As the knight reacted by pointing his sword at him like he was having a nervous breakdown, Glenn came running from behind.
He had wanted to intervene from the beginning, but Lucian had stopped him. However, the situation was only getting worse.
Lucian, on the other hand, smiled even wider upon seeing Glenn and nodded his head.
“Sir Glenn, you’ve arrived just in time. Let’s hold the official investiture here.”
“What are you saying? We’re right in front of the fortress gates!”
“It doesn’t matter as long as we’re on the assigned territory, right? I like this place, so let’s do it here.”
“Haah… if you insist that much…”
“What the hell are you two talking about? And who the hell are you?”
The furious knight pointed his sword again.
Glenn’s eyes lit up the moment the blade was directed at him.
“You dare point your sword at whom? I am Glenn Lehinard, member of the Black Scale Knights and Imperial Inspector.”
“What…!?”
“State your name! Are you Lothier, captain of the Asagrim garrison? Or one of his subordinates?”
The knight—Lothier—turned pale and lowered his sword. Upon closer look, he could see the dragon emblem on Glenn’s left chest, the symbol of the imperial inspector.
And he knew both his name and title.
There was no doubt.
“My sincerest apologies, Sir Glenn! I beg you to forgive my rudeness!”
“Responsibilities will be dealt with later, so step aside immediately. Withdraw the archers as well! Or do you plan to silence me right here?”
“N-no, of course not! Archers, withdraw—now!”
At Lothier’s shout, the archers atop the wall quickly lowered their bows and disappeared inside.
Glenn clicked his tongue briefly, dismounted from his horse, and turned to Lucian.
“Duke Lucian.”
“I’m ready.”
“Then, let’s begin.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Glenn cleared his throat and pulled an imperial letter from his chest.
“Direct Imperial Inspector Glenn Lehinard conveys this decree on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor. By this decree, Lucian Grimaldi Valdeck is appointed as Frontier Marquis and granted Asagrim as his territory.”
“…!?”
“This decree is proclaimed in the name of Karl von Bey Astria, sovereign of the Empire. Anyone who attempts to revoke it or refuses to acknowledge it will be considered a traitor. Furthermore, he is permitted to retain the dukedom in conjunction with this title…”
Glenn continued reading the letter, but most people could no longer process what they were hearing.
That a Grimaldi would be appointed as Frontier Marquis was already strange, but to be granted Asagrim?
By the time they managed to react, the reading was already coming to an end.
“…And he is granted the White Palace as his residence. This concludes the decree.”
Lucian carefully received the folded letter and stood up. Turning his head, his gaze met that of the young man who had been the first to stand up earlier.
“Hey, you.”
“Y-yes?”
“Do you want to enter Asagrim?”
“Uh… yes.”
The young man nodded awkwardly. He didn’t understand what was happening, but at this point, refusing would’ve been ridiculous.
Lucian turned again to Lothier.
“Open the gate.”
“B-but this is…”
“My land.”
“…”
“His Majesty the Emperor has granted it to me. Therefore, it’s mine now. Am I wrong?”
“No… you are not.”
“Right?”
Smiling, Lucian stepped closer until he was just inches from Lothier’s face.
“Then open it.”
“…”
Lothier tightly shut his eyes. It was humiliating, but there was no way to refuse.
To resist would be practically an act of treason.
“Open… the gate.”
With his face burning with shame, Lothier spat out the order.
A few seconds later, the massive fortress gate began to open with a deafening rumble.
Rumble!
“…”
The pilgrims stood with their mouths agape as the gate opened at Lucian’s single command. All the earlier chaos felt like a joke.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going in?”
Lucian’s voice snapped them out of their daze.
Smiling broadly, he spoke to the pilgrims.
“As the lord of this land, I allow it. All of you—enter and look around freely.”
____
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