Lucian sent Hugo to the place where rumors of Aizen were circulating, then calmly waited for a reply to arrive.
What needed to be done had already been taken care of, so rather than moving rashly, this was the time to watch the situation until a clear result emerged.
"The same goes for the mages hiding in the shadows—and Norbek, who escaped from prison not long ago. The ones in a hurry right now aren't me, it's them."
As long as the initiative remained in Lucian's hands, it would be more than enough to observe the other side's reactions and respond at leisure.
Humans, after all, tended to expose their mistakes the more desperate they became.
Even so, there was still one problem left to deal with.
"Sir Lothier, what do you intend to do now?"
The former captain of the Asagrim garrison, Lothier, was unable to give any answer to Lucian's question.
And it was no wonder—he had no idea what he should do from this point on.
Lucian deliberately let out an exaggerated sigh and spoke.
"Let me be clear: your positions have already been revoked. You are neither under my command nor carrying out an imperial mission. As things stand, you're nothing more than an armed group with no purpose."
"…I understand."
"Then this should be quick. It's time you reached a conclusion. Will you disarm yourselves and remain in Asagrim? Or will you keep your arms and depart for another territory?"
Lothier clenched his teeth.
Ordering them to disarm was absolutely out of the question.
The garrison had already lost imperial support and been reduced to standing on their own.
If they were to lay down their arms as well, they wouldn't even be able to protect themselves.
"Damn it. If I'd known this would happen, I should've at least earned some goodwill. I let my pride come first, and now I'm surrounded by enemies on all sides."
He regretted his past conduct of never avoiding friction with the people of the North.
Just counting the pilgrims who had been mistreated by Lothier would amount to entire villages.
Now that contact with the imperial court had been cut off, if even a fraction of them decided to seek revenge, something horrific would surely occur.
"Even if we make it out of the North safely, it's still a problem. Without supplies, how are we supposed to make it all the way to Tibron?"
Just as Lucian had said, the garrison was now nothing more than an unaffiliated armed group with good equipment.
With no backing, if they moved around en masse, no territory would take them in.
To secure food and lodging in other domains, they would inevitably have to disband and scatter in all directions.
The problem was that the safety of the garrison soldiers could not be guaranteed during the journey home.
"I don't even expect cooperation from the surrounding lords. It would be enough if the imperial court at least showed some anger when one of the garrison soldiers met with an accident…"
No matter how he thought about it, the current imperial court didn't seem capable of that.
Wasn't it already failing to properly support even the bare necessities required for their return?
Would it really step forward to do something that demanded even greater effort?
"Have you still not reached a conclusion?"
At Lucian's renewed prodding, Lothier squeezed his eyes shut.
A moment later, having steeled himself, Lothier met Lucian's gaze.
"Your Highness, I have one request. Please allow me and the other garrison soldiers to remain here indefinitely, until the imperial court is restored to normal."
"I refuse. Do you honestly think that makes any sense?"
"Instead, I will tell Your Highness the secret of Asagrim."
"The secret of Asagrim?"
At the unexpected words, Lucian flinched.
Could it be that this man knew something about the royal family's legacy?
"You must have seen the barrier-generating device I claimed to have discovered some time ago. In truth, Asagrim's defensive functions include several others besides that device."
"…Oh?"
Lucian let out a sigh of relief inwardly, even as his eyes gleamed.
So it wasn't a royal legacy, but functions forgotten in the passage of time.
"I discovered them by chance. I only confirmed their existence and hid them, so none of the other garrison soldiers know."
"I don't need them."
"That's to be expected. But if you'd like me to open my mouth— …Pardon?"
"I said I don't need them. That's enough. Just leave."
Perhaps he hadn't expected that response—Lothier stared blankly, his mouth opening and closing.
Seeing that, Lucian let out a short chuckle.
"Did you think I'd beg you to tell me? Sorry, but I have no intention of doing so. I won't torture you, nor will I appeal to duty or morality. Leave with your mouth shut and keep the secret to yourself. That's all I ask of you."
"Y-Your Highness! Please, just hear me out for a moment! This isn't something that can be brushed aside so lightly!"
"I decide how serious a matter is. Not you."
"Your Highness!"
"If you can't give me an answer, I'll take my leave for now. I'll grant you a little more time—so when we meet again, I expect a proper answer."
Lucian coldly shook off the clinging Lothier.
As he stepped into the corridors of the White Palace, a chilly smile rose to Lucian's lips.
"Ridiculous. He wants to make a deal with me? What do I have to be desperate about?"
There was no enemy nearby who could launch a siege at any moment, nor was the White Palace in any danger of falling.
Norbek—the only one openly hostile to Lucian—was already on the verge of destroying himself without any help.
Even if Lothier didn't tell him, Lucian could always take his time and investigate later.
It would be troublesome if he knew nothing about magic, but Colin was there, and Lucian was planning to hire more mages anyway.
"For me, it's enough just knowing that this castle has additional defensive functions."
Lothier probably thought it was an attractive piece of bait, but from Lucian's perspective, it was simply foolish.
Why bite with your mouth at bait you could take with your hands?
More than anything, the one who was desperate right now wasn't Lucian—it was Lothier.
If Lucian did nothing at all, the situation would naturally tilt in his favor, so there was no reason to agree to a deal right away.
"How long will it take for his attitude to shift from bargaining to begging?"
Once he realized that the terms only grew harsher with time, it wouldn't take long.
Still, given that knight's personality, he probably wouldn't come back again within the next few days.
***
The Sword Saint's visit to the North.
The unprecedented event turned the North upside down—in a good way.
It was a region where the martial spirit of revering the strong still remained.
And this wasn't just some famous knight, but the Sword Saint, the strongest of the age.
"The Sword Saint is coming to Asagrim? What on earth for?"
"I heard the duke's—no, His Highness's—female knight at his side was the Sword Saint's adopted daughter."
"What? So she wasn't just a decorative figure, but the real deal?"
"That's not all—they say she's a genius who could even inherit the title of the next Sword Saint."
"Then shouldn't we go and build some ties with her, even now…!"
"It's too late to visit at this point. Can you really afford to leave your territory unattended any longer?"
"How could that be possible? Damn it—nothing ever seems to go right."
The northern lords couldn't help but feel regret, but they were forced to depart from the White Palace.
As both clan heads and the rulers of their territories, it was already a burden to remain away from home any longer.
After the lords left and Asagrim grew quiet, a letter from Hugo soon arrived.
—Hans and Ian, along with a few men who used to serve under me, are with the Sword Saint. They've also joined up with the two people you sent along the way. We're hurrying, so we should arrive soon.
At the long-awaited good news, Lucian let out a breath he'd been holding.
Setting aside everyone else, he had especially hoped that Hans and Ian would be safe.
With his greatest worry eased, Lucian immediately began preparations to receive the Sword Saint's party.
"The Sword Saint dislikes grand and flashy affairs, so we'll hold a simple ceremony with just the Blue Rose Order of Knights. Will you cooperate?"
"Of course! I've wanted to meet him myself—thank you for telling us first!"
Gares, the commander of the Blue Rose Order of Knights, thumped his chest with an excited expression.
As a knight, the chance to meet the Sword Saint in person clearly thrilled him.
As preparations for the ceremony continued, Lucian also summoned Colin, who had recently become the chief mage.
"Since things have turned out this way, you should come along and pay your respects too."
"M-me? You mean me?"
"You're the chief mage of Asagrim now. Of course I have to introduce you."
"Well, that's true, but…"
Seeing Colin hesitate with an anxious look in his eyes, Lucian tilted his head in curiosity.
Judging by his attitude, it seemed that rather than the ceremony itself, Sir Aizen was what made him uncomfortable.
At that moment, Raymond, who was standing nearby, stepped closer to Lucian and whispered in his ear.
"Sir Aizen cooperated with the imperial witch hunts several times in his younger days."
"…That's the first I've heard of it."
"Well, it's not exactly something to boast about, is it? The witch hunts' reputation is infamous enough."
Lucian nodded absentmindedly.
After all, there were cases where an entire territory was laid waste just to capture a single mage.
Given Sir Aizen's personality—someone who valued honor—it made sense that he wouldn't want to bring it up.
"Well, I've never heard the story directly from him, so who knows what he truly thinks."
In any case, now that Colin was working at Lucian's side, the two were bound to meet at least once.
Regardless of what had happened in the past, Lucian didn't want to drag things out by having them avoid each other.
If Sir Aizen couldn't accept Colin, Lucian would simply deal with it appropriately when the time came.
Lucian had just finished making preparations and was waiting for the Sword Saint's arrival before the white castle walls when—
"Your Highness!"
At Felicia's cry, Lucian lifted his head.
Focusing mana into his eyes, he could see multiple figures approaching in the distance.
At the very front were Lesta and Thorkel, whom Lucian had sent ahead.
Behind them followed the Sword Saint Aizen, along with Hans, Ian, and the others.
Noticing Lucian's gaze, Aizen curved his lips into a gentle smile and spoke, moving only his mouth.
—It's been a long time, Third Young Master. You've grown even more imposing.
Lucian smiled at Aizen's demeanor, which was no different from when he had left the family.
The ceremony ended quickly.
It had been prepared lightly from the start, but more than that, there were simply too many stories piled up between them to waste time on empty formalities.
As soon as Lucian entered the White Palace, he dismissed the others and called out loudly.
"Thank you for coming all this way, Sir Aizen! And I truly appreciate you rescuing my retainers!"
"Haha, I'm glad this old body was of even a little help to the Third Young Master. Ah—though I suppose you're no longer the Third Young Master, but His Grace the Duke."
Aizen looked at Lucian with wistful eyes.
Not long ago, he had been nothing more than a noble's son, yet now he was a duke and a border margrave, addressed as Your Highness.
"Truly remarkable. You always surpass my imagination, Your Highness."
"You flatter me. None of this was achieved by my own ability—it's all thanks to His Majesty the Emperor's benevolence."
"No matter how large a piece of meat is, if one's throat is too small, they'll choke trying to swallow it. Isn't it precisely because you were a fitting vessel that His Majesty so willingly granted it? His Grace the Archduke surely also—"
Aizen's expression darkened before he could finish.
The Archduke who had once bound them together was now nowhere to be found.
In the heavy, sunken atmosphere, Lucian turned his gaze to Hans.
"Hans."
"Yes, Young Mas— Your Highness."
"What exactly happened? Did Jordi really stage a rebellion?"
At Lucian's words, Hans nodded with a grim expression.
"To be honest, I was half in doubt myself—but he really went through with it. Even so, I don't know the details of how everything unfolded."
"What do you mean? Weren't you at the family estate when the rebellion broke out?"
"Strictly speaking, I fled the family estate before that. They let me go surprisingly easily, so I thought everything was fine—but then they suddenly came after me and dragged me back. After that, I was kept imprisoned the whole time, and only managed to escape thanks to Sir Aizen."
As he listened, Lucian frowned.
They let him go without resistance, then suddenly chased him down and captured him again?
To Hans and the other retainers, it must have seemed baffling—but Lucian could roughly guess how things had played out.
"That bastard… he only decided to use Hans as a hostage after I took possession of Asagrim."
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