Chapter 118
NZpS“Colin, you’re human too, so of course you’d want to prioritize your fellow schoolmates. But asking me to hire someone who brings nothing to the table just because she’s your classmate is…”PWq6oEF
Lclkn4“No, that’s not it! She’s the one who came to me asking for a meeting with you, my lord!”wUrnt2X
b9GzaAt Lucian’s words, Colin panicked and waved his hands frantically.ceUh4
FdvxCUIt wasn’t that he wanted to introduce a classmate for personal gain, but rather that he had an unavoidable reason.x2ky
XAKo4Y“I know my lord doesn’t believe in astrology! But I owe her a debt from the past that I couldn’t ignore!”apk
g24iby“A debt? What kind of debt?”uBfQWIr
H7m“A debt for a prediction. When I first met you, my lord, I mentioned it… do you remember?”k6Lj
1WKpfuA“Ah, that.”SpGoBk
KGnSThe day Colin first met Lucian. After burning Godfrey alive, he had immediately begged Lucian to take him in.wcMGa4x
wKahwEgWhen Lucian asked how he dared to do such a thing, Colin replied that it was because of a prediction.1f0z
rGMNkHe clearly remembered how absurd it had seemed that someone would rely solely on another mage’s fortune-telling to make such a decision.MnqnGgR
AS2mOte“You said if I didn’t accept you, I’d become a reaper, and if I did, I’d become a benefactor?”YhC5Zyn
iLX2“Exactly. I clung to you, my lord, relying solely on that prediction.”IFGlVUv
2A4u“And in the end, the prediction came true. Thanks to that, you’re now the chief mage of Asagrim.”phKN
qctnsg6“That’s the problem. If the prediction had failed, there would be no debt. But since things turned out exactly as she said, I’m still in her debt.”R4xYs
F45“I see.”kgY
RR0WLucian stroked his chin thoughtfully. To be honest, he still didn’t believe in divination nor had any intention to.vXiv8
ozFjBut Colin was no longer just a subordinate—he was one of his trusted men.M1QrLN
7ofViKuIf it was to settle the debt of a close subordinate, there was no harm in meeting a fortune-teller once.dphI
svv“Fine. I’ll meet her once.”eHKY
yttgs51“Thank you for your mercy, my lord!”oVv1v
ak4dzot“But make this clear. It’ll be just one meeting. There’s no place for fortune-tellers in the White Palace. If she wants to work here, she’ll have to prove skills unrelated to divination.”nexsxl
gBCjlW“I’ll make that very clear.”8Rk7
lEdColin bowed several times and ran out.0Mb
h18MK***dnxN9mf
oGwShortly after, Colin returned accompanied by a woman. The woman, with striking red hair, knelt before Lucian and spoke.LzMDrh
7TaCLo“It’s an honor to meet Duke Grimaldi. I’m Helen, I studied alongside Colin at the School of Celestial Astronomy.”zBLlVfG
eovXGM“Alright, nice to meet you. I heard you requested to see me. Why is that?”wr7Vicm
4pmtnO“Though I’m someone without achievements, I’ve come because I wish to serve the duke. I beg you to accept me.”DPcE
c6EIHXAt Helen’s request, Lucian looked at Colin. His gaze clearly asked whether he had properly explained the situation.n6cpq
7NEfoNColin nodded firmly. Seeing that, Helen smiled gently and continued.NcR
mZ4X“My older brother explained everything to me. That the duke does not believe in fortune-telling or consult it.”JspkJMy
v0e“I see you understand well. But then, what does it mean for an astrologer to want to enter my service? Are you suggesting I use you for intrigue?”0UiXHj
ev2oLucian didn’t believe in fortune-telling, but he knew many people did. Even street charlatans had fanatical followers.gcrVQmZ
BxIIf it was a prediction made by a mage, people might become even more obsessed. Using that against superstitious enemy lords wasn’t impossible.WPfT
8Yup“Of course, it would only work once. As soon as a false prediction is revealed, your head would roll. But if you still want that role, I might consider it.”MA3
VOWy0“I’m sorry. This may sound arrogant, but I don’t lie in my predictions. Whoever tries to hide the truth they’ve seen in the palm of their hand ends up unable to see even what they once did.”vwM
BCbwM“Sorry, but I’m not interested in fortune-telling. If you want to work as an astrologer, look elsewhere.”ef9
m7gR“I didn’t come to work as an astrologer. I wish to serve as a counselor and offer my wisdom.”WzQx5Q
6Tt“Counselor?”DSB
oVALucian smiled wryly while tapping the armrest of the throne. An astrologer counselor—it was a scene far too familiar.zaqhUX2
we1in“As far as I know, kings who trusted in fortune-telling usually had astrologers as advisors. And most of those kingdoms ended in ruin.”15FQqPk
iBrzN“I’m not speaking from a prediction, but from my own opinion. If you don’t trust me, at least listen to the advice I’ll give now.”WL5SCp
KZKC“Speak. But don’t complain if I choose to ignore it.”lNBKN
7XZ6LO“I’ll provide you with an army.”HK2Qq
hCrAoJrLucian blinked. An army, just like that.4gvA
jFFY9“I don’t need an army. Asagrim is protected by the elite forces sent by the Empire and the Order of the Blue Rose. Creating one of my own would only consume the budget unnecessarily.”yChK8
cZgw“The troops loaned by the Empire are not your army. They are loyal to the Empire, not to you, and will return the moment they’re summoned. Isn’t what you need now an army that’s absolutely loyal to you?”HYd
3Mfn2“Hmm.”mzQ
FAZjL44It wasn’t a wrong statement. In fact, he had originally planned to form an army once the territory stabilized.Gtcb5
mfYMSBmAlthough he had changed his strategy upon noticing the Order of the Blue Rose’s discontent with the Empire, from an outsider’s perspective, her analysis wasn’t bad.ZvRr
2P3nLucian gestured with his chin for her to continue, and Helen went on.Bxzoo
pU5“Of course, Your Highness must already know that, so surely you have a plan in mind. However, regardless of the method chosen, training elite troops always takes time.”pka9
tXF4N85“That’s obvious. Don’t tell me that, to shorten that time, you’re thinking of bringing in soldiers from elsewhere.”aUIO0
pUTmHzLucian’s gaze turned cold instantly. The reason he was willing to spend years training elite troops wasn’t arbitrary.Fk6
IRo7T5LDuring that process, soldiers developed a much deeper loyalty to the lord who had supported and trained them from the ground up.oEk
5KLg0uIn contrast, veteran soldiers knew their own worth and demanded appropriate treatment from the start.waH
rX2fFor them, there was no emotional debt of having been raised by their lord.wefuNms
JhqiThere was a reason Lucian treated both the Order of the Blue Rose and the elite Imperial forces with the utmost respect.FkP
XAhe“Exactly. The situation is too chaotic to turn a disorganized group into elite troops.”gjsCv
imMKEven sensing the change in atmosphere, Helen nodded without flinching. Lucian was about to respond with disappointment when she continued.OkUGitE
ZcU“Beyond the ice fields, in the frozen land that few can now access, there are still people who share your lineage and that of your ancestors.”eIEPdo
QESU“…What?”9LO
6XUdGThe unexpected statement left Lucian stunned. At the same time, he recalled his last conversation with Norvek.hTv
jKkQpf— Before our ancestors settled in Asagrim, when they still lived as barbarians, there were thirty-five tribes in the snowy plains far to the north.zoWll
3ECrIA secret that most northerners didn’t know. The true origin of the northern royal line.JTIQ
KsnWAnd they were still alive?9tUREhl
cREffpWhile Lucian remained dazed, Helen’s voice echoed in his ears.qwONwy
dof“Welcome the tribes beyond the snow—and become the true King of the North.”XIl
wfp***13Wl
hSpFQLucian decided to put Helen’s proposal on hold for the time being. The most important thing now was the settlement of the citizens, not obtaining an army.Knt
D8ojfGHelen agreed with that decision.810Z4G1
FM4FVj“I don’t mind waiting, but I don’t want to become a useless burden. If there’s any work available, no matter how small, please assign it to me.”V2NKG3T
7xO3“Could you handle magical research alongside Colin?”8nj
bDrK“I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible. Although we’re both mages, what he and I studied is far too different.”0UWW
P9Gyvk“I was under the impression you both belonged to the same school. Is it that different?”YM8q
quq3Bae“It’s like the difference between a soldier who throws a spear and one who operates a catapult.”J8X4S
enh8TIGPut that way, Lucian had no way to refute it. But outside of magic, there wasn’t much else he could assign her.X6e
nTelZKAstrology was out because he didn’t want it, and physical labor was impossible with those thin arms.yViNY2x
7rtgThe only thing left was administrative work for the territory.Jazy
2tzSKxW“Do you know anything about territorial administration?”xXGBNNQ
3Ph9X“Not much, but I dare say I received a basic education comparable to that of any civil official.”EE4lEY
Wej“Then take charge of gathering the minor reports and sorting them by department. With basic knowledge, that should be enough.”5JJTHPz
xQcxMThough he said it like that, Lucian didn’t have high expectations. Administrative work was rarely neat in practice.Mu6l
bE1WKONot because officials were incompetent, but because solving one issue often brought up tasks related to other departments.3UNSIZE
lM3A5fIt was a kind of overstepping, but when the issue was minor, it was more efficient to resolve it immediately and apologize afterward.6sM1zTP
KSWD2‘Asking for everything to be coordinated one by one would be a waste of time. As soon as one task is delayed, everything else gets jammed up too.’dpW1SbW
BEbNLucian knew this well, but for him, people mattered more than paperwork.zA2J
JkAzdHe preferred a slightly disorganized system that was quick, over a neat one that caused confusion among the citizens.9of7GO
PHo6In other words, if the classification failed, the delay would be serious, and responsibility would immediately fall on whoever was in charge.eR4sZ
kDIW‘If she really aspires to be a counselor, she should at least be capable of handling this.’vuxgMrg
heiMwBringing surprising information and having true ability were two different things. If she didn’t prove her worth, there was no reason to give her an important position.K4AR
yCLoRAnd a few days later, when Lucian went to check on the state of the officials, he received praise from all sides.f2vr
Z6r“The number of useless reports dropped drastically! Before, we wasted ages filtering out absurd requests.”0E2uPA
nbCRiGI“Just in case, I reviewed the discarded documents, and the important ones were perfectly classified and set aside.”4vDQoD
Z2uB6“Looks like we’ve got someone very competent. I’d like to train her as a successor. Could you assign her under my supervision?”0pzM
ZgY“…I’ll consider it.”OEnUp6
TSJLucian responded vaguely and then called Colin aside.IfRvtjs
CkwW“Do they teach territorial administration in mage training? Could you handle the work like that?”FRAGz
qL2“Of course not! I’m the most surprised of all! I never imagined Helen had that level of skill.”ZO9iz
cjP“But you belong to the same school.”mX9laI
7Zk0Up“Just the same school! What we learned was completely different. Our master said that if someone not yet mature tried to learn both things, they’d end up destroyed, so I didn’t even dare study it in secret.”Q7lcv6
kWJIn short, not even Colin knew exactly what Helen had studied.aw9
l9SNRsbAfter a month passed, Lucian summoned her again.DCPJ
rzDFcOpIf she were just a chatty fortune-teller looking for a position, it wouldn’t be worth it. But someone who had already shown real ability deserved a deeper conversation.nmUaQT6
VZn4“There’s something I want to ask you. As I understand it, crossing beyond the snowy plains is so dangerous that doing it without sacrifices is impossible.”W8BM
2Mc“That’s right. Due to the extreme cold, only a handful of mages can open the path, and even then, only temporarily.”lEOZFk
9i89“Then how am I supposed to cross? Even if I managed it, it would be pointless if those tribes can’t follow me back to Asagrim.”G3ppQ8e
moMCAt Lucian’s question, Helen smiled calmly.3sTpm
mWaksFv“It’s simple. You only need to obtain the heart of a dragon.”p57ea
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