At the completely out-of-the-blue declaration, Lucian's group turned to look at Gunstein.
At their questioning stares—do you know anything about this?—Gunstein shook his head vigorously.
"I–I have no idea what this is about either."
"Really? You don't even have a single guess?"
"If I did, I would've said so immediately. A king—what in the world…?"
The confusion on his face was plainly genuine.
As everyone stood frozen, unable to make sense of the situation, the residents began to drop to their knees one by one.
"O–our king…"
"Our king…"
The reverence directed toward Lucian spread like a wave.
Once the atmosphere took hold, even those who hadn't dared utter the word king began to bow their heads.
Just as the entire settlement was about to prostrate itself before Lucian—
"Stop this at once!"
A roar filled with fury burst out from deeper inside the settlement.
At that voice, the residents who had been bending down froze mid-kneel, left awkwardly suspended in place.
When they turned their heads, a middle-aged warrior glared at them, his face twisted with fury.
"Who dares call someone a king?! Stand up! How can those who carry the blood of the dragon bow to some foreigner they've never seen before!"
"B-but the prophecy—"
"Silence! Prophecy, my ass! Say another word like that and I'll split your skull open first!"
At the warrior's threat, the man who had been about to speak flinched.
The other residents, watching the warrior's expression, cautiously began to rise as well.
Once the atmosphere shattered, the warrior fixed Lucian with a murderous glare.
"Foreigner. You have trespassed upon our land without permission. Those who violate our territory are made slaves by our law. You will serve until the day you die and regret ever setting foot here!"
"Shut your mouth! What kind of bullshit is that?!"
The one who stepped forward to refute him was Gunstein.
His face flushed red, Gunstein jabbed a finger again and again.
"Can't you see the garment our lord is wearing?! He is the one who defeated me! By tradition, he must be treated with the same respect as the chieftain's son!"
"Even among the chieftain's sons, there are differences! Someone like you doesn't deserve any special treatment!"
"W-what did you say—!?"
"I am simply giving this foreigner the treatment you should have received! Step aside! You've lost your status— you have no right to interfere in this matter anymore!"
"You bastard!"
At the utterly excessive insult, Gunstein's eyes rolled back in rage.
Snatching an axe from one of his subordinates to replace his broken one, he was just about to charge at the warrior—
"Enough."
Kuuung.
"Ghk!"
"Kuh—!"
Along with the short but forceful shout, an overwhelming pressure crushed down on the shoulders of Gunstein and the other warrior.
It felt as though a massive boulder had slammed onto their bodies, forcing both men to their knees on the spot.
With their breath knocked out of them and unable to speak, they heard the sound of someone clicking their tongue.
"Heh. Being hot-blooded is one thing, but jumping straight to bloodshed, are we?"
"Master!!"
Colin and Helen cried out at the same time upon seeing the newly arrived old man.
Lucian looked at the elderly figure approaching with the aid of a long staff.
Judging by his small frame, he was clearly not a native of this land, but someone born in the Empire.
"Ghk! What is the meaning of this, Pathfinder!?"
The warrior protested as best he could while struggling to breathe under the pressure.
The old man didn't answer; he simply struck the ground sharply with his staff.
At once, the pressure intensified, and the warrior was slammed flat against the ground.
"Yelling first doesn't mean you've won. Why are you lecturing me while conveniently leaving out your own faults? If you can't handle political maneuvering, then don't do it at all."
"Th–then the aftermath… how will you deal with the aftermath…!"
"I'll handle my own aftermath. So don't worry about me—worry about dealing with your aftermath instead."
"Ghk!"
With a brief cry, the warrior went limp.
Unable to withstand the pressure, he had apparently lost consciousness.
Only then did the old man withdraw the force pressing down on Gunstein and the warrior.
Watching the scene unfold, Lucian couldn't help but admire it inwardly.
'Remarkable. He's reached the pinnacle in a completely different way from Sir Aizen.'
A knight who has reached the extreme of swordsmanship possesses a presence like a mountain, despite being human.
But the old man before him was the opposite.
Rather than a single being, he felt like a phenomenon fused with nature itself—his presence indistinct and elusive.
Though Lucian was looking right at him, it felt as natural and unremarkable as facing the earth or the wind.
"The prophecy has been fulfilled."
Having calmed the turmoil, the old man spoke in a tone far heavier than before.
Ignoring even the two disciples he had not seen in years, he fixed his gaze squarely on Lucian.
"Beyond the snowfields, a foreign ruler shall come.
In the year when the sun changes, he shall gain the right to challenge the heavens.
He shall conquer all of this land and lead the path of glory and peace—our king."
After finishing his words, the old man bowed deeply and laid his staff before Lucian.
Then, raising his hands in reverence, he proclaimed loudly for all to hear,
"May the old Pathfinder, Marius, pay homage to the King!"
Marius—master of Helen and Colin—guided Lucian's group to his home.
It was conspicuously spacious compared to the others, with more than enough room for the entire party.
"I am to have an audience with the King. Let no one approach."
At Marius's solemn declaration, the residents did not dare voice a single objection.
After surveying the surroundings once, Marius closed the door and knelt before Lucian.
"Allow me to introduce myself once more. I am Marius, the master of those foolish youngsters and the Pathfinder of this tribe. Your Majesty—ask whatever you wish."
"M-Master…"
Seeing their master behave in a way they had never witnessed before left the two disciples utterly flustered.
Marius, however, continued to act as though he couldn't see them at all.
Lucian watched the strange scene for a moment, then spoke.
"Old man."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Let's stop."
"…Pardon?"
"There's nothing in your eyes that could truly be called reverence. No matter how much you adjust your attitude or dress up your words, if there's no sincerity behind them, it always shows."
"You said it yourself earlier, didn't you? If you're bad at political maneuvering, don't do it at all. That's exactly what I want to say to you now."
At Lucian's words, Marius blinked.
He looked shocked—or perhaps unsure how to respond.
After a long pause, a bitter smile crept onto Marius's stiff lips.
"Was my act really that poor?"
"It was good enough to fool someone who isn't particularly cunning. But I'm a very cunning man. That level won't fool me."
Lucian burst out laughing at Marius's suddenly unguarded tone.
It was the attitude of someone who finally felt a real conversation could begin.
Seeing Lucian entirely unfazed, Marius shook his head as if conceding defeat.
"Terrifying. Truly terrifying. This is the first time in my life someone has seen through me so easily."
"I can guarantee you I'm not the only one who could've seen through it. You just happened to meet easy opponents until now, so you convinced yourself your acting was superb."
"You even have a knack for digging into a man's wounds. If you pry any further, I'll die of embarrassment—so let's stop there."
"If you wish."
The aides listening in were utterly dumbfounded.
It was startling enough that Marius had abruptly changed his attitude, yet Lucian seemed not to care in the slightest.
To an outsider, it might have looked like two old friends reuniting after a long separation.
But the cordial mood didn't last long.
"Then let's get to the point."
Lucian wiped the smile from his face and fixed Marius with a steady gaze.
Marius, meeting that look, nodded and grew serious as well.
"Very well. What is it you want to know?"
"First, tell me what you can offer me."
"Just as Helen told you. The chance to use the people who live here as an army, and the treasure known as the Dragon's Heart."
"And in return, what do you want from me?"
"Rebuild the Magic Tower."
At the words Magic Tower, the air froze solid.
It was the organization to which nearly every mage in the Empire had once belonged before the rebellion three hundred years ago.
The center of all magical research and education—and the very heart of the uprising.
A cursed name that even the Emperor had never once mentioned to Lucian.
Yet Marius had spoken it aloud without hesitation.
Lucian met Marius's eyes directly and said,
"Do you understand what you're saying right now?"
"I know it's a proposal the Empire could never accept by its standards."
"And yet you chose to say it anyway."
"It's the wish of my lifetime. A dream that was once shattered. Now that I don't have long left to live, it's closer to an obsession. Even if I try to give it up, I can't."
"Even if that means you'll end up achieving not your lifelong wish—nor even the smaller hopes you could have attained?"
"If I were capable of calmly weighing possibilities and making a rational judgment, it wouldn't be an obsession to begin with."
"Master!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Colin burst into the conversation.
Having been sidelined the entire time—and now hearing words he could barely comprehend—it seemed all the pent-up resentment finally exploded.
"What on earth are you thinking?! You secretly used Helen to draw His Majesty in, and now you're talking about the Magic Tower!? Mages only just barely—khk!"
Smack!
"You little wretch, I'm not deaf! And where did you learn that it's acceptable to interrupt when your master and your lord are speaking?!"
"This isn't the time to worry about etiquette—khk, k-khehk?!"
As Colin vented his frustration, Marius struck him with his staff, sending him stumbling.
Despite his master's scolding, Colin lunged again, but he couldn't withstand the staff coming down on him repeatedly.
By the time a large welt had formed on his head, Lucian—who had been watching quietly—raised his hand.
"That's enough. Explain it properly. Not just for Colin's sake—I'm curious about your circumstances as well."
"Tsk… can't be helped."
Only then was Colin spared further blows from the staff.
Even as he clutched his swollen head, his eyes brimmed with indignation.
Seeing his disciple's expression, Marius let out a sigh.
"Don't feel too slighted, you fool. I didn't tell Helen everything either."
"…What?"
"The talk about the Magic Tower is the first time Helen's hearing it too. If you don't believe me, look behind you."
At Marius's gesture, Colin turned his head.
Helen stood there, pale as a sheet, gripping her sleeve tightly.
Just from her expression alone, it was obvious how shocked she was by the mention of the Magic Tower.
After confirming that his disciple's resistance had subsided, Marius turned back to Lucian.
"Very well. Where would you like me to begin?"
"From where your obsession began."
"From the very beginning, then. That's fine."
Marius nodded lightly and began his story.
"It started with nothing special. I was born the son of a destitute farmer in a small village. Then I met my master, became fascinated by magic, and took him as my teacher. By the time I'd studied hard enough to stand on my own as a mage, my master was caught by the imperial court."
The imperial hunters were relentless.
As if killing his master weren't enough, they uncovered Marius's existence as well and sought to erase him completely.
Marius did everything he could to shake off the pursuers, but they refused to give up and kept closing in.
"I fled southward to escape them, eventually reaching the far northern edge of the world. Even then, those damned bastards followed me all the way there. Just when I thought everything was over, an ancient legacy appeared before me."
"An ancient legacy?"
At Lucian's question, Marius grinned.
"An artifact."
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