The Blue Rose Knights couldn't fully grasp Lucian's words, but they moved to carry out his orders nonetheless.
Understanding the hidden intent behind a command was the virtue of a strategist, not a knight.
As knights, regardless of whatever lay beneath the surface, their duty was simply to obey.
"Understood. We'll relay your words to the acting lord exactly as instructed."
"I appreciate it."
"However, one of us will remain here. You may not strictly need an escort, but we brought horses—if something arises, it may prove useful."
"That makes sense."
Lucian nodded at the suggestion from the knight who had introduced himself as Moritz.
Having horses meant messages could be delivered swiftly if needed.
He didn't truly require a knight's strength, but leaving behind a liaison, just in case, was prudent.
After the rest of the Blue Rose Knights departed, Moritz—now alone—watched the tribes in the midst of their preparations and let out a low whistle of admiration.
"By the way, I took a look around on the way in, and every one of them is built like a beast. Are these the old kin from beyond the snowfields that Your Highness spoke of?"
"They are. The ones who split from the founder of the northern royal family more than a thousand years ago."
"They all seem to be preparing to migrate. It looks like you've already brought all of them under your command."
"Luck was on my side in many ways. Thanks to that, I'll be able to return sooner than expected."
Lucian spoke casually, but the more Moritz listened, the darker his gaze became.
At a glance, these were people who, if simply handed weapons, would clearly demonstrate strength surpassing even that of elite soldiers.
Individually, they might fall short of true knights—but if every one of them were armed, they'd rival most knightly orders with ease.
So we're no longer indispensable to His Highness.
The thought left a faint bitterness on his tongue.
The Blue Rose Knights were an imperial order.
Their loyalty lay with the emperor, and that meant that someday, once their mission was complete, they would have to return to the imperial palace.
And yet, part of him had quietly wished to put down roots here.
This is far better than the days when we were cleaning up after other imperial knight orders. His Highness trusts us—and on top of that, he's given us treasures like these.
Moritz's hand drifted unconsciously to the armor over his chest.
The armor issued by the palace was fine equipment, but it couldn't compare to the treasures of the old northern royal house.
To be entrusted with such relics—and to be treated as a close aide to the conqueror of the North—was enough to shake any knight's resolve.
If things went well, it might really have been possible to settle down here.
Betraying the lord to whom one had sworn loyalty was a grave dishonor for a knight—but in the current chaotic state of affairs, it wasn't entirely impossible.
The emperor's fate was unknown, and even the identity of his successor remained unclear.
Add to that the empire's indifference toward the Blue Rose Knights, and quietly changing allegiances began to seem feasible.
Moritz had thought that if Lucian earnestly asked him to stay, he could give in without being condemned too harshly.
But now… there won't even be a request.
"You've gone quiet all of a sudden. What's on your mind?"
Startled by Lucian's voice pulling him from his thoughts, Moritz quickly bowed his head.
"Ah—nothing at all. I was simply struck anew by Your Highness's capability in bringing all of them under your command."
"You flatter me too much—it's embarrassing. In any case, the migration begins in five days. Until then, feel free to look around. Once we leave, this will be a land none of us will return to, so it should be a rare experience."
After finishing his words, Lucian left Moritz behind and went off to check on the progress of the migration.
Moritz followed his retreating back with a complicated gaze.
When I return, I'll have to tell the others.
That if we truly want to put down roots here, we can't just wait for Lucian to ask us.
Rather, it might be the Blue Rose Knights who need to beg him to let us serve him.
***
Large-scale migrations rarely end neatly.
Depending on distance and population makeup, property damage and even loss of life are almost inevitable during such movements.
At a glance, it's nothing more than a move on a grand scale—but the reason it so often results in casualties as well as material loss is simple.
Because not all migrants are healthy adult men.
Any community that has settled in one place and lived there for a long time will naturally be diverse in composition.
The elderly, the disabled, the sick—many lack the physical strength to endure migration.
When such people are forced to travel for weeks at the shortest, or months at the longest, deaths are unavoidable.
Yet the tribes of the snowfields were free from such problems.
"At temperatures like this, we could travel not just for weeks, but for years without issue. A mere ten-odd days is like taking a nap."
"Still, there must be some who are physically weak."
"It's not that no one is ever born sickly—but among those who remain now, there are none. They all died long ago."
Such was the snowfields: an environment so hellish that the weak could not survive for long.
Even with family to care for them, if one's own body couldn't endure the cold, how could they possibly live long?
With every breath freezing the lungs and shaving years off one's lifespan, this wasn't a problem devotion alone could solve.
"The ones migrating now are all born with iron bodies. Unless they kill each other fighting among themselves, you don't need to worry about anyone dying from exhaustion."
"That's reassuring, then."
—Kyaaaargh!
While speaking with Gunstein, Lucian's eyes widened at the roar of a ferocious beast echoing from afar.
Wondering what had happened, he sent someone to check. Shortly afterward, one of the tribespeople from the rear approached and explained.
"A snow leopard appeared. It seems to have lunged at some children who had fallen behind the procession."
"Was anyone hurt?"
"…Huh? The children caught it on the spot."
At the tribesman's matter-of-fact gaze, as if wondering what was so strange, Lucian was left speechless.
To these people, a predator like a snow leopard apparently ranked no higher than a slightly aggressive weasel.
After that, just as Gunstein had assured him, the migration proceeded with astonishing smoothness.
Even though the cold had eased, the road was still buried deep in snow.
Yet not a single person caught so much as a cold while sleeping outdoors.
Lucian and his companions could only click their tongues at the incredible stamina displayed by ordinary tribespeople who weren't even warriors.
"These people… if we're talking purely about endurance, aren't they better than most knights?"
"That may well be the case."
With vitality like this, if a plague were to sweep through the land, wouldn't every other territory perish while these people alone walked away unscathed?
What had started as a half-joking remark was slowly turning into a conviction that it might actually come true.
"Your Highness, Raugrad is in sight."
At Raymond's whisper, Lucian lifted his head.
The gateway to the snowfields—and the northern frontier's edge—came into view once more after a long absence.
As he crossed from the land of the snowfields back into imperial territory, Lucian smiled.
"At last… we're back."
It was the moment when the titles he had set aside—the Margrave of Asagrim and Duke of Grimaldi—once again settled over him like a halo.
***
Even after returning to imperial lands, he couldn't head straight for Asagrim with the tribespeople in tow.
Not only would it take time, but after all they had endured, they needed at least a brief period of proper rest.
"Physical toughness aside, their mental fatigue must have piled up quite a bit. We should give them a chance to unwind."
"A sound point. The question is which domain we should visit. No lord would welcome us if we just show up leading them outright."
"True. Just feeding and housing them would cost a fortune."
Why else would armies be called money-guzzling monsters?
They consume endlessly without producing anything.
Now imagine a group even larger than most armies suddenly dropping in and demanding food and lodging.
It wouldn't be strange at all for a lord forced into such sudden expenses to clutch his neck and collapse.
"So we need to go somewhere that can afford to give that much willingly—or to someone who can resent us all he wants for all I care."
"The former will be difficult. Is there a lord in this area who falls into the latter category?"
"Oh, there certainly is."
Lucian grinned and pulled out a list he had prepared in advance before leaving the snowfields.
Because it had been written from memory, the list wasn't very long—but one thing was certain:
every name on it belonged to someone who had once maintained fairly close ties with House Calyx.
After checking the list once more, Lucian decided to visit the territories of those nearest along the route to Asagrim, one by one.
"Y-Your Highness! What in the world is going on here!?"
When Lucian arrived leading the tribespeople, the local lords rushed out in panic.
Even if they were a disorganized mob, handing weapons to that many people would make them capable of storming a castle immediately—how could anyone not be alarmed?
Lucian smiled gently at the lords demanding an explanation and spoke.
"Don't be afraid. They're kin who parted ways with the northern royal family a thousand years ago. I imagine you've at least heard why I crossed beyond the snowfields."
"Then… these are the ones Your Highness spoke of…?"
"Correct. They followed me, together with the dragon's heart, to serve me. These people will become my subjects—and my army."
The lords' expressions darkened.
The elite forces of the White Palace, including the Blue Rose Knights, were all troops borrowed from the emperor.
Depending on political circumstances, their movements could be restricted—or they might one day be recalled outright by imperial command.
But if Lucian conscripted his own subjects and established a standing army, the situation was entirely different.
He would possess a force whose spearheads he could turn wherever he pleased, at any time, without outside interference.
For those who had once been close to House Calyx, the thought sent a chill down their spines.
Damn it. I thought he'd just lost his mind playing hero… but monsters like these really did exist beyond the snowfields.
And every one of them's a head taller than a sturdy grown man—where were giants like this hiding all along?
"What thoughts are you all pondering so intently?"
At Lucian's soft remark, the startled lords hurriedly bowed their heads.
"W-We were simply so astonished by Your Highness's great achievement that we were left speechless! Please forgive us!"
"Haha, there's no need for such flattery. Without a great deal of luck, I could never have done this myself."
"Flattery? Never! These are heartfelt words of praise! Your Highness's feat will surely be passed down throughout the entire empire!"
"Is that so? Then I'll allow you all to play a part in this great deed as well."
"Y-Yes…?"
Lucian gave the bewildered lords a sharp smile and finally got to the point.
"As you can see, I've brought quite a large number of people with me, but we're short on food and places to sleep. We're in need of a bit of assistance."
"…!"
"We won't be settling down—just staying briefly before moving on. For that short time, I'd like to rely on your hospitality."
Once they grasped his meaning, the lords' faces all went pale.
He was asking them to feed all of these people for several days?
Even if it was temporary, the expense would be enormous.
As the lords stood there dumbfounded, mouths opening and closing without a word, Lucian drove the point home.
"I trust you won't refuse. After all, you may one day meet these people again—when they've become my army. And when that time comes, wouldn't it be better to be remembered as a generous benefactor?"