Chapter 115
ligMtmK“Are you talking about the marriage that once took place between Calix and Grimaldi?”fjQq7
rJUAs far as Lucian knew, that had been the only time royal blood had mixed with the Calix family. However, Norvek snorted mockingly at his words.OWg
71tL13y“With something like that, I wouldn’t claim legitimacy. What I’m talking about is a much more fundamental right.”Bzj7B
kiwgPw“What are you talking about?”ogi
xyW0gNorvek lifted his chin and looked down at Lucian as if he were beneath him, clearly intent on dragging the moment out just to provoke him.Zds9sEz
v9TSy1Faced with such a cheap provocation, Lucian let out a brief laugh.7GWMg
vQmOxJ“I’ll give you ten seconds.”Opv8
Ky3V“What?”e5a
dtYtOzY“If you have something to say, say it now. If not, I’m leaving.”MTv
WKiNorvek stared at him in disbelief. They were talking about nothing less than the origins of a noble house.bGj
5gu47Any normal aristocrat would have demanded an immediate explanation—if only to dispel any doubts about their legitimacy.DCQBdBv
tUFQqx“Are you really a noble? You don’t even know where your own family comes from, and you haven’t bothered to find out?”7RQqf
qipZP“If you’ve got nothing to say, forget it. Your execution’s coming up soon anyway—better make sure your neck is clean.”I5mX
AApizF5Lucian finished speaking and turned to leave. Seeing this, Norvek lunged desperately against the bars.qyuT
A98ziuFrom the firmness of his steps, it was clear Lucian would really walk away without asking anything else.nID8qf
BaycF2q“I’m talking about what happened before the Grimaldis became the royal family!”X9D
ICQ“Hm.”DPY
5LrAs if his curiosity had been piqued, Lucian stopped. He returned to the cell and tilted his chin, signaling him to continue.fcZ4r
sHlTrembling with humiliation, Norvek slowly began to recount a secret from the past.vZYoAll
wu3Kl“Before our ancestors settled in Asagrim—when they still lived as barbarians—there were thirty-five tribes living in a snowy wasteland far to the north of these lands. Grimaldi and Calix were just two of them.”qL8Xy
88aYBAccording to Norvek, life in that tundra had been hellish.2sSN
LIRFood was always scarce, stealing from others was routine, and still, some died of hunger. The cold grew harsher each year; the furs that worked as coats one winter became useless the next.DYO
lUY“All the tribes knew it. If they stayed, they’d die of cold and hunger. But even knowing that, no one dared migrate.”Hv5
SyymU“Was there some powerful enemy stopping them?”DOHO
cXy1“No. The problem was that the cold had become so extreme that traveling long distances was impossible.”gg9jn
OpJ1ffThe worsening climate was unnatural. Regions that had once been easily passable had become certain death by freezing.D19Cp
ON2J8If even strong adult men couldn’t survive, then certainly neither could women or children.lLUqzt
LLtMWhile everyone hesitated, the chief of one tribe gathered the other thirty-four and said.1zU4g
C0bl2z— If we stay here, we’ll all die. I’ll lead my tribe and clear the path. Anyone who wants to migrate with us, bring your food and follow me.gGl1
xTMIt wasn’t pure goodwill—it was a deal. Take on the risk in exchange for shared provisions.Bbgzbm
H7LAjW9Most tribes scoffed at the offer, but eight decided to follow him.ocCCt
TQkRThus began the great migration of nine tribes who bet their lives.OuB3Ltx
pzR“As feared, the cold was brutal. In the first month, half the people from the nine tribes died. In the second, half of the remaining died. Among the dead was the chief who had proposed the migration.”a0FIsns
VeNfBefore dying, that chief entrusted leadership of the nine tribes to a friend. Grieving, the new leader took his place and continued to guide them.pt5W
I7oWhen their food ran out and the survivors began collapsing from exhaustion, they noticed something—the cold was no longer so extreme.vqj
ArieVY“The nine tribes had successfully migrated. They settled in a land where plants grew and food could be gathered. But that land was already inhabited, and the local people saw those from the north as outsiders.”o0iq
VdOSpTThough more habitable than the tundra, it was still a poor region. With few resources, the newcomers were quickly rejected.5yuN
4GEThe nine tribes realized they needed to unite and decided to choose a king to rule them all.RQgKaof
cjKgg0“There were two candidates the son of the chief who had started the migration, and the friend who had inherited leadership. Fortunately, the friend gave up the throne to the son, and there was no major conflict.”MHF4x
Vc0emThe problem started after that.EX0Pb53
COcXaThe tribes didn’t obey the new king. They followed orders half-heartedly or ignored them entirely.Qdo
ugbxsi7However, when the friend who had given up the throne appeared, everyone moved diligently as if nothing were wrong.DpZqdS
YX0WeoI“That’s when the king understood. The throne had not been given in goodwill, but out of formality. The real power had already been decided, and they had forced him to accept the crown just to humiliate him.”5HKC
bdCTrapped in that reality, the king had no way out. To continue like that would mean becoming a puppet king—or worse, risk assassination.JHJ0m7
UrkIn the end, the first king of the nine tribes handed the crown over with his own hands to his father’s friend.P9Yvbtp
oheAdV1“Then comes the typical founding story. The leader of the nine tribes conquered and unified the native peoples, founded a kingdom, and became its king. Thus began the bloodline of the old northern royalty.”ELhY
DObgar“An interesting story.”zsCI
BbigjvBLucian murmured.cSk
iGnUnSIf Norvek’s tale was true, then the Grimaldi royal family wasn’t, as history claimed, native to the north.W7GzT
o9AThey were outsiders—and descendants of barbarian tribes that had lived beyond the snowfields. The history had simply been polished to sound better.4kZjNWJ
cpq0RAFor some, that might sound like an insult to the royal family, but to Lucian, it was just the tale of an old man.mROpOKI
Cqo“Well, I’ve heard your story. But I still don’t see how any of that proves your claim of having royal blood.”JIBl7St
MbE4KRs“Because I descend from that first king.”6RnX6M
o0d“What?”gXp4YQW
zaIvzj“The one who led the nine tribes and began the great migration across the snows is the ancestor of Calix.”AjD5
LtyM“…Ha.”ZFvqkiT
KnZcoCIA disbelieving laugh escaped Lucian’s lips.pwF
HOtSo, if you traced things back to the tribal era, the cowardly friend of the tribal chief—the one who ended up with the throne—was the ancestor of the Grimaldis. In other words, Lucian’s.kOzS
XqQCsPAnd Norvek descended from the man who had been chosen as the first king but lost the throne through schemes.xVhpuLY
YvSasLucian stood silently for a moment, trying to find something to say, and in the end, he spoke with complete bluntness.2FIk
BfY8F“Are you out of your mind? Are you seriously trying to claim legitimacy to the throne based on something that happened before the Northern Kingdom even existed, when you were all still barbarian tribes? Has your brain really rotted with age?”8Yw6V
iMGKevsIt was a crude, almost vulgar insult, but nothing else came to mind.TC5n
0MpiLucian had never imagined Norvek’s ambition went so far as to aspire to the throne.7UPk
i793FAHe had thought Norvek’s goal was to become the most powerful family in the north—the representative of the feudal lords. But king?wZZt
DnzlAs Lucian stared at him in disbelief, Norvek’s voice ground out through clenched teeth.CxS
61jP0“And what about you? The Northern Kingdom fell a thousand years ago. And yet you still stir people’s minds talking about the glory of the north and who knows what other nonsense. If a specter from a thousand years ago still causes such a stir, why can’t I make a claim like this?”EcVEfqU
zSs“…”i7qqR
nomIz4oLucian was at a loss for words.yt6qAbd
NdpBzZJNot because the argument was valid, but because he finally understood Norvek’s mindset.hFBIxK
ChNxFAn old man who had always harbored, somewhere deep in his heart, the fantasy that maybe he was the one who should’ve been king.bBy
sIS7MVIf the world had been either fully at peace or completely in chaos, that fantasy would’ve died with him.HTJp
cjwIn peaceful times, causing conflict is a crime; in times of war, surviving is hard enough.V6zc
mNMBut, as if by some cruel twist of fate, Lucian had appeared and ushered in an ambiguous era.H83Xr
aGZRQPeaceful enough that survival wasn’t the only concern, yet chaotic enough that no one could demand accountability.yM0C
zK5ZNoTo the old man standing before him, that ambiguity must’ve felt like his final chance.kKY1
OmB9elE“…”ZLD2O
P0UZKILucian stared silently at Norvek.OBx
8JGHad the world fallen into true chaos, perhaps Norvek would’ve accepted his failure and simply protected his family until the end.Dcp
UPEJBut now, there was nothing left but a pathetic old man still clinging to the belief that his delusion could become reality.J0jTNcs
8qDiIeLucian let out a deep sigh and turned away.cFD
q934NE“What a miserable man.”mg0Mg9
E4N5“…!”6T6vo4
QD3Q8MfAt those sincere words of pity, Norvek’s eyes trembled violently.JeMn
DGJJbdMoments later, the sound of rattling bars and a desperate scream echoed through the prison.1ecMc
W62er“You bastard! You—someone like you—how dare you…?!”SXuPxpY
t7shWLucian ignored the shouting and left the prison.b8Rj
fFQKqTelling an old man who had lost everything that his dream was just a fantasy was, in its own way, a form of cruelty.xiD
RSH***i22Kq7J
xYLZDays later, just as scheduled, Norvek’s public execution took place.0Ffi
zY6OCNorvek faced death without a trace of fear. Everything was over—what point was there in clinging to life now?Esy
JwrK6wlAnd yet, even in that moment, one thing still haunted him.Op9H9YE
uBhKb‘How will the others react to my death?’0Xo
rNwWould they cheer and celebrate? Or mourn and regret his end?lcPEC
rHXepmHe was especially curious about the genuine reaction of the common people, free from political interests. After all, the opinion of the people was the true measure of a ruler.VpwbS
3pQ‘Whatever happens, I won’t show a pathetic image at the end.’T29xqzB
sGbMIyoWith that resolve, Norvek stepped proudly toward the scaffold when the time came. But no one was impressed by his composure.Wz64nUn
StWd9The crowd simply watched with indifference, waiting for it all to be over.0WVYQ
VMhn“After squeezing us dry down to the last copper, this is how it ends.”IxtAhY
s30T“Better for us. I heard taxes are going down. Maybe now we can actually live.”adnd3e2
6VfI“I always said he got too ambitious in his old age.”x2Cy
UFy9W“Don’t know if I should pity him or just see it as the inevitable result.”lNtO
ss4GMpMost of those murmuring had lived in Calix territory.K5w
mG5WJJTo them, Norvek hadn’t been a particularly cruel lord—but he hadn’t been a good one either.FH90Gz
nKwaMHe did his duty, yes, but at the cost of heavy taxes and constant conscription.OyeZwa
wNF2AThey weren’t celebrating his death, but they didn’t mourn it either.lJdx
n4FD“Ha…”1QSUlLL
u7fA hollow sigh escaped Norvek’s lips. His back, which had remained straight until now, slumped, and the light faded from his eyes.U8Mqla
wlZHe looked like a man who had lost his final hope—or someone who had finally woken up from a long dream.GQF
EVFYtX“What a miserable man…”nvj
I1KHcqHe muttered the words Lucian had said the day before.GULNf
2Qe7bA soldier gave him a light push on the back.xQLefS
Fgkhr“What are you doing? Don’t stop—keep walking.”zbg4dT
OiqTRAs if under a spell, Norvek looked around one more time as he climbed the scaffold.qFJw
tiB1WThere was no joy or sympathy in the eyes watching him. Only people calmly accepting that their lord had changed.DL1sz
nUPov‘Hah… I wish I had stayed in my dream until the end.’Mmflk
QPkta60Norvek knelt before the executioner and exposed his neck. The raised axe caught the light in a chaotic glint. As he saw that gleam descend, Norvek muttered softly.FQH2Uol
VhxTg“Reality… is cruel…”vrxS
YaNSlash.fLKvNO
aRtWith a single clean stroke, Norvek’s head fell to the ground.ayN
O9S1NJAnd still, there were no dramatic reactions.b7yl
cC2JlReceiving neither cheers nor mourning, the old dreamer left the world.iXpR
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!