Chapter 112

The postwar period progressed without setbacks.

Norvek was returned to the underground dungeon of the White Palace, and the soldiers accepted the new lord without offering much resistance.

Among them, there were more than a few who seemed even happier knowing they could now move to Asagrim.

Gareth, who had been sent to take possession of the territories occupied by Calix, returned shortly after with a bright expression.

“Just as you said, Your Highness. It was so easy I felt stupid for worrying. They opened the fortress gates without resistance.”

“And what about the citizens’ reaction? Was there no confusion over the change in ruler?”

“They were actually on the verge of chaos due to the security vacuum, but we contained it in time.”

Just as Lucian had foreseen, Norvek had dragged even the smallest security forces off to war.

It was inevitable that a huge breakdown of public order would occur, and the territories were on the brink of unrest.

Fortunately, the knight order arrived before the situation spiraled out of control.

‘Good thing I sent the Blue Rose Order first.’

If he had relaxed even a little, the administrators would have taken advantage of the chaos to vanish without a trace. Acting quickly had been a providential decision.

“Since there were no security forces available, we decided to provisionally recognize some of the civilian militias organized by the citizens themselves.”

“Militias? Isn’t that dangerous?”

Militias sound good as local defense, but in the end, they’re usually impulsive young groups.

If given authority carelessly, they could end up becoming gangs that oppress the citizens themselves.

Sensing his concern, Gareth smiled confidently.

“Don’t worry. I made it very clear what would happen if they forgot their duty or crossed the line. If they have any common sense left, they won’t dare to try anything foolish.”

“Hmm… in that case.”

Lucian finally relaxed. It wasn’t blind confidence, but certainty based on experience.

‘That’s strange. The Blue Rose Order is an imperial order—why are they so skilled in postwar management?’

Postwar administration is crucial, but it’s also one of the most detested tasks among knights. The “flower of the battlefield” lies in the vanguard, not in cleaning up after others have taken the glory.

That’s why, among knights, postwar duties are often seen as thankless work to be pushed onto someone else.

‘Don’t imperial orders usually delegate these tasks? Why does Gareth seem so used to them?’

Lucian almost asked but held back. If they had voluntarily taken on a job no one else wanted, there was probably a story behind it.

Better to wait for him to bring it up himself.

“Well done. Soon you’ll have to go out again to stabilize the occupied territories, so rest well.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Thank you for your consideration.”

Gareth bowed and left the office.

Once alone, Lucian leaned back in his chair and murmured softly.

“With this, the preliminary conditions are complete.”

The hostile forces remaining in the north had been completely eliminated with this war.

Furthermore, communication with the empire was cut, so no one would interfere with what he did.

He had even officially received full discretion from the emperor over the use of magic.

‘Now I can finally research magic seriously without anyone giving me trouble.’

Lucian felt a tingle of excitement in his chest and gave a slight smile.

It was time to bring to light the legacy of the ancient royal family of the north, which had slumbered for nearly a thousand years in the underground darkness.

***

That same night, Lucian gathered his vassals again. As soon as they arrived, they began bombarding him with questions.

“My lord! Is it true you gave Lady Felicia an incredible suit of armor? They say it’s even mass-produced! Where did you get it?”

“Was the Grimaldi family’s inheritance really that impressive? I thought they’d fallen into ruin!”

Faced with the avalanche of questions from Hans and Ian, Lucian let out a bitter smile.

“I see they’ve already told you.”

“Sorry. Since the war is over, we thought there was no harm in mentioning it…”

“No, you did well. I called you here to talk about that anyway. But first, there’s someone I want to introduce to you.”

Lucian clapped his hands lightly. Then, someone outside entered, clearly nervous.

“A… mage…”

Hans muttered unconsciously upon seeing Colin. Under the concentrated gazes of everyone present, Colin bowed his head with a tense expression.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again. It’s been a long time since the Swordmaster last visited the White Palace.”

“Hm.”

The vassals accepted the greeting, but their sharp stares didn’t waver.

They had heard that Lucian valued his abilities highly and had given him the position of court mage.

However, being hired and being invited here were entirely different things.

It meant he was no longer seen as just a useful subordinate but as someone truly worthy of trust.

‘Is this suspicious mage now a vassal like us?’

That doubt was clearly visible in their eyes. Unlike them, who had served Lucian since his days as the third son of the Valdeck family, Colin was an outsider.

And not just any outsider—someone who had once been hired for an assassination attempt by Count Calix and then surrendered.

Even a common knight would have been viewed with suspicion, let alone a mage of unknown origin.

“Your face looks familiar. You were beside His Highness when he came to greet me.”

It was Eisen who saved Colin from the oppressive atmosphere. Stroking his beard, he spoke in a gentle tone.

“You were shrinking so much even as you greeted me that it was frustrating. I was about to tell you to straighten your back and speak more confidently.”

“I-I’m very sorry.”

“From what I see, you seem to have some pride in your skills. So why do you go speechless before me? Do I scare you?”

At the direct question, Colin hesitated for a long time. As the silence dragged on, Lucian answered for him.

“It seems he feared Sir Eisen would view him negatively. Especially knowing he was involved in the witch hunts.”

“I figured, so that was it. The witch hunts aren’t pleasant memories.”

Seeing Colin frozen like a statue, Eisen gave a bitter smile.

A faint discomfort appeared on his face, as if it truly was an unpleasant memory.

“They called it a witch hunt, but most of them were mediocre mages who couldn’t even resist. They weren’t even worthy of being called apprentices.”

It wasn’t that cruel or monstrous mages didn’t exist. Some could launch fire from their hands or freeze entire rivers.

But those were the minority. The vast majority could barely spark a flame.

“Women abandoned by their masters due to lack of talent, children who accidentally learned magic and could barely make a flash of light, men who gave up magic but didn’t know how to hide their mana—each had their own story.”

To Eisen, most hadn’t been corrupted by greed; they had simply stumbled upon magic.

They were people who, if left alone, probably wouldn’t have caused any problems.

But the witch-hunting brigade knew no mercy.

“Even if I wanted to let them go, I couldn’t. We always acted as a group, so I had no room to make decisions on my own. That’s why I saw many things I’d rather not have seen.”

“…”

“When people hear I was part of the witch hunts, they imagine heroic tales of defeating dangerous dark mages. But in reality, it was nothing more than a hunt and a massacre.”

Eisen’s words made the vassals lower their heads solemnly.

Felicia remained calm, but Raymond stood with his mouth slightly open, as if he’d just woken from a dream.

He seemed shaken to learn what lay behind the heroic tales of his childhood.

“Your name was Colin, right?”

“Y-yes!”

“Always watch your behavior and be grateful to His Highness. This is a salvation that came like a miracle. If out of reckless ambition you drag yourself and your people into the abyss again, you won’t be able to bear that sin.”

Colin trembled at the stern warning—not out of fear, but from the emotion of receiving genuine concern from a Swordmaster.

“Thank you for your words. I’ll carve them into my heart.”

“Oh, thank His Highness, not me.”

Eisen’s joke slightly lightened the mood. The looks toward Colin weren’t as harsh as before; the prejudice against mages had eased somewhat.

“If we’re going to share secrets, it’s best to accept him as one of the vassals.”

“If our lord trusts him, we’ll trust him too.”

“If he has any shame, he’ll repay that trust with his life.”

Raymond, Hugo, and Felicia each added a sentence. Unlike the recently arrived vassals, they seemed to know something more.

Before more questions could arise, Lucian stood up.

“Let’s go. I’ll show you the royal family’s legacy.”

**

Lucian led the vassals toward the throne. They didn’t move secretly—they passed a few servants along the way, but it wasn’t an issue.

‘It’ll be public soon anyway. No point hiding it now.’

The legacies hidden underground weren’t objects Lucian could use at will.

They were technologies whose true value could only be revealed through open research and public development.

‘Though that doesn’t mean I’ll let them into the vault.’

After clearing the area around the throne, Lucian took out the key. When he touched it like before, a bright light ran along his wrist.

Click.

“This is…!”

“Go ahead.”

Faced with the passage under the throne, the vassals entered one after another, still in disbelief.

“By the heavens…!”

“Am I dreaming?”

“…”

Hans and Ian were completely stunned.

Colin was on the verge of fainting, unable to speak.

The only one who remained composed was Eisen, who had already seen part of the treasure.

“Now I understand where those treasures come from.”

“An ancestral legacy I stumbled upon by luck.”

Lucian spoke with false modesty and gave the vassals a soft clap, prompting them to scatter toward whatever interested them most.

Hans examined coins and jewels. Ian observed seedlings and herbs. Lucian approached Colin, who was inspecting ancient books.

“How is it? Can you understand what it says?”

Last time, Lucian had only been able to confirm they were methods for creating magical tools, but the terms were too technical.

An expert like Colin should be able to read them fully.

“M-my lord…”

Colin looked at Lucian with trembling, unfocused eyes.

“What is it? Are the magic tool techniques that impressive?”

“…It’s not magic tool techniques.”

“What?”

“What’s written here are methods for creating artifacts. Not just sturdy weapons, but ancient weapons capable of erasing mountains and evaporating rivers.”

“…?!”

Lucian froze.

Artifacts. Ancient weapons feared even in past eras, capable of destroying kingdoms in a single day and reshaping the geography itself.

“And the required materials?”

The rest could wait. What mattered was whether the materials still existed.

“Dragon horn, giant heart, fairy dust… and mermaid essence.”

“…”

Lucian clenched his fist and slowly lowered it.