Chapter 120
4bK2UJ2“Well, even so, I don’t think she’s helping me out of pure goodwill. Most likely, that mage approached me because she has her own goals too.”wOckMTl
ZXqBut so what? From the beginning, the relationship between lord and vassal is much drier than it seems.1eL
A4joThe knight offers his body and loyalty, and in exchange the lord promises fair treatment and promotion. That’s how the feudal system was born.mJOW
ydUFIf even a traditional relationship is based on mutual benefit, why would a mage be any different? For Lucian, it wasn’t anything new.acRiz4
wIeLwuT“As long as it’s beneficial for both sides, I see no problem in being on the same boat, whatever her plans may be. If she has her own goal, let her pursue it. If I gain something in the process, that’s enough.”zD0
aiGf56K“And what if that mage tries to betray you, Your Highness? What if she intends to accomplish her goal by sacrificing you?”iXG
k95“Is that really something that needs to be said?”XY9H8
Ai4Instead of answering, Lucian gave a cold smile and lightly tapped the sword hanging at his waist.wIlCgDe
WYfBThat gesture said far more than a hundred words. Raymond let out a bitter smile.5B7SA3
OzIz“I worried too much. After all, you’re not the type to let someone crafty live if they tried to play dirty.”7DPY
Rbs“As long as you understand. By the way, where’s Felicia? I wanted to give her the nectar, but I haven’t seen her anywhere.”dmUjso8
7II6“She’s meditating on the north wall. She said she’s learned many things recently and needs to absorb them.”ED2yi
nxlVcM“I see… if I go now, I’d just interrupt her.”qIXY1x
qQuHFelicia had inherited all the teachings of the Swordmaster. That meditation was part of the process to fully integrate those teachings into her body.0laSg
N4uMInterrupting her just to hand her a bottle of nectar could stall years of progress.XVQ3
CsGqsNL“No helping it. Tell her to take the nectar and then come to my office with Hugo. I’m going to call Colin.”MIRIx8
VUENv“Is this a summons? Should I call the others too?”3H9cyEF
Ah491y“No. This time, it’s something I need to say only to you all. It’s a matter that requires a certain level of discretion.”Juo
FhxAfter saying that, Lucian brought his index finger to his lips and left. Raymond watched his back with a confused expression, then smiled faintly.w1c0x
P6EW7He recalled the Lucian from their first meeting, when everything was a secret.y8cvyv
6IJfiLx‘But too many things have changed now.’i8TBRK
ZQpIThe one who was once just the third son of House Valdeck was now a border marquis and duke, solidifying his position as ruler of the north.r6URF
0o9VyHe had also recruited Ian, a genius alchemist, and had Felicia, the future Swordmaster, as his closest ally.xAcQb
azMpidmTo that, add the vast inheritance of the northern royal house and the legitimate right to free mages from their chains, granted by the emperor himself.3Bk7QVz
QldlJIf he also obtained an army absolutely loyal to him, nothing would be able to stop him.zfRXWf
DWc2Z‘Perhaps this will be the last journey I take with my lord.’TEN
rX6The higher someone rises, the greater their power, the heavier their steps become.ECm
eaxvFrom now on, every move Lucian made would shake armies.hrfaHGx
eKIfTIt would no longer be possible to roam freely with just a handful of close companions. Raymond would no longer be just a knight; he’d be required to act as a commander.bYvj
QoYI“Then I’ll have to engrave the last great feat of the Black Lion, Raymond, into my lord’s eyes.”lalk
MgKqejWMuttering that, Raymond drank the nectar in one gulp.a6oY
qQfQKe6Immediately, a refreshing sensation enveloped his entire body, and he opened his eyes wide.PyE
VC4Y***9Y8yoa
iAaq‘At last.’O82xuf
XOSfwsHelen, who had come to the office after being summoned by Lucian, tightly clutched her sleeve, her face flushed.oXV
6cLHAfter so much waiting, Lucian had finally decided to head beyond the tundra. For Helen, who had been growing impatient, it was cause for celebration.Ykf
IHnm‘Calm down. Now is when the real work begins.’oGJbZX
QQmShe placed a hand over her chest and held back her excitement. It wasn’t time to be happy just yet.nwrvCvb
RBydIf she failed, all the trust she had built would crumble in an instant.4uUBE
HO5BUHaving stepped forward with such confidence, she had to ensure that no matter what, she placed a real army in Lucian’s hands.FGNw0Q9
iRXism‘For that, first…’FA8H3
5B7“Hmm? Didn’t I just summon you? You’re here already?”ZcvN
iRkMuLucian’s voice from the door startled Helen, who immediately stood up.9kx8Jyv
OT8Y5zAs she turned, she saw that not only Lucian entered the office, but also her older brother, Colin.yhhX1
frj“My respects, Your Highness.”uE3krB
dLa9AkV“Good, have a seat. As you said, I called Colin and my close aides, but each of them had things to attend to, so they’ll take a while to arrive.”8Wo0S
naXxQ79“What? Did you say Helen summoned me? What’s going on?”PQ7iW
fQMaLwKColin, who had been called without warning, looked at Helen and Lucian in confusion.ojf8eN
oozOsdIt was clear Helen hadn’t told him anything.JpCDVa
Fd9GC7vLucian gave a slight nod, signaling her to explain, and Helen smiled at her older brother before speaking.VAi
XZ3“Calm down. Actually…”xKVa01
CodqUAs Helen explained, Colin’s eyes widened more and more.YF8p2
bc4The barbarian tribes beyond the tundra. Warriors who could immediately become an army. The true king of the north.xBS
JngRX1When Helen finished speaking and closed her mouth, Colin burst out shouting.yEknrc
pOHS“What the hell are you trying to do!? Tribes beyond the tundra? Barbarians that can be used as an army? I’ve never heard of any of that!”pqC
AMO“Of course not. Because I never told you.”55ic
LORxV“That’s not what I’m asking! Why did you decide all this in secret, on your own? Why didn’t you even tell me?”ZqGCaY
2yoH3y0“Because Master told me not to.”igenYT
RTR“…What?”TRjvO
cwM“He’s suffered too much already; I’m sure he longs for comfort now. He said he would definitely try to convince his lord to retire peacefully, so better to leave him out of it.”Qy3bq7u
ckVFAt the mention of their master, Colin was left speechless, his mind blank.GX92dD
LZYpFThere was no trace of the anger from before; only total bewilderment remained on his face.yNo4swu
0pQgmkOLeaving her older brother in that stunned state, Helen turned back to Lucian.Tjs
TAZFDwv“Your Majesty, I’d like to ask if the people currently being gathered are the very ones I mentioned.”8m9evk
2meOEQC“That’s right. It’s a small elite group that will head beyond the snowy plains. They said six was the maximum number to travel safely, so I prepared exactly that.”AzdGH
mNYshw“Then, excluding my older brother, Your Majesty, and myself, that makes three. Are they Sir Hugo, Sir Raymond, and Lady Felicia?”TqjIZP
RNNI“Why? Is there a problem?”Gi0M8ra
mn0PxThat those three were Lucian’s closest aides was something everyone knew.HSoXpv
Tv8BINThere were no more suitable candidates to accompany him to such a dangerous place.ORyQ
alogvCUHowever, Helen, tense to her limit, spoke in a firm tone until the end.3Kc
UoHftOO“Sir Hugo is fine. But I believe it would be better to replace Sir Raymond and Lady Felicia with others.”d1T
EI4H1l“You… what are you saying…?”n0VU
OBaAIColin, still half-dazed, shouted in alarm. Not only was she suggesting reversing a sovereign’s decision without even being a formal vassal yet, she was also asking to remove his closest companions.wGRu0oa
neTEven if she had several heads, they wouldn’t be enough for such boldness.H9jooa1
BbhhEven so, Lucian looked at Helen with interest.MQs68C
CFBpw8q“The reason?”QnY
B57uS4K“In Sir Raymond’s case, the problem is his mana. In Lady Felicia’s case, her gender.”svbwy
iBsQUq“I didn’t think you’d consider gender a problem.”BoNKj
uP7“Mages and knights carry different expectations; therefore, their problems are also different.”UTyCf6
clybX“Very well. Let’s start with Raymond. What do you mean by his mana being a problem?”nx8u2
ZYab“Exactly what it sounds like. Sir Raymond lacks a sufficient absolute quantity of mana.”9mrf
stLuBeyond the snowy plain lies eternal permafrost. It’s frozen all year round, so surviving the cold is no easy feat.xQGiS
6pyblOf course, the warriors of the barbarian tribes must possess enormous amounts of mana.Ccnm4n
WFUUGIf they don’t constantly reinforce their bodies with mana, they quickly become exhausted and die.N4u
3CbmVzv“The barbarian tribes’ techniques are mediocre. That’s why they don’t even compare technical superiority. When they fight, brute strength is all that matters.”Ukl
MFj“I see. No matter how good your technique is, if your mana is lacking, they’ll treat you like a weakling. Seems they value raw power over swordsmanship.”e41
18l2“That’s right. Sir Raymond is undoubtedly an excellent knight, and his swordsmanship is at a high level, but his amount of mana is not enough…”Wc4
nCQ“Your Majesty. Sir Hugo and Sir Raymond have arrived.”xLU
yXofytAs if deliberately interrupting Helen’s words, the guard’s voice came from outside. With Lucian’s permission, the office door opened.VSt28h0
NSiHelen turned her head without thinking—and immediately opened her eyes wide.nQjy4
fX5x‘What is this? His mana just shot up out of nowhere!’voe7Qgf
4WgJAsHugo was the same as always—a colossal amount of mana that would take an average knight decades, if ever, to accumulate.sFz
Kw7What had changed was Raymond, whose mana had barely reached decent levels yesterday.tYqJf
4cs7WewShe had checked it multiple times, but in just one day, it had increased to rival Hugo’s. It was shocking enough to make her fall over.WBMQi6
i0p“Were we interrupting a meeting?”uoY
o9h“More than a meeting, Helen was saying she wanted to change a directive that was recently decided. Specifically, she wanted to exclude Raymond and Felicia.”ST3
WVtW“…”3MlD4u
TFCRaymond looked at Helen with an ambiguous expression. It wasn’t anger, but the kind of look one gives a child who doesn’t know when to speak and when to stay silent.7w2wc
b05ceizFaced with that look, Helen blushed and bowed in apology.98G5h8
SLocqsg“I’m sorry. That was thoughtless of me.”FjOf
K01Hd“Weren’t you so firm in your stance, and now you’re taking it back just because I arrived?”v7L
qRd“It’s not that. The reason I proposed replacing Sir Raymond was solely because of his amount of mana. But now that I see him…”748xJ
tSDH0s“He has a quantity that doesn’t fall short even compared to Hugo’s?”e6s9S
VhlwXdlSeeing Lucian let out a hearty laugh, Helen felt a chill run down her spine.U15Bn4
LJica6eIt was obvious that Raymond’s sudden increase in mana was due to something Lucian had done.FJOwVd
r2W1Ngf‘What exactly did he do? Did he already have some elixir prepared? Or if not…?’rrDqvO
Cj1Helen forcefully shook off those chained thoughts. Unnecessary speculation wouldn’t help at all.MZB7pp
MFxThe only thing that was certain was that, even in a situation where contact with the outside was so difficult, Lucian had the capacity to acquire an elixir and give it to a vassal.Y3Fe
XilYcJust from that, Helen found it impossible to truly gauge the extent of his abilities.PBU
nkHfwN“Well, I’m glad you changed your mind. Now then, explain why I should exclude Felicia.”n2qLPdB
35SdhpAt Lucian’s words, spoken with a slight smile, Helen swallowed hard and lowered her head.OdiOm
2Y5U“Lady Felicia is, without a doubt, a knight with few rivals. But, as I said earlier, the problem is her gender. Just because she’s a woman, the barbarian tribes will oppose her in every way and won’t acknowledge her.”e47
55q“Do they really treat women that harshly? From what I’ve seen, those who live in such harsh lands usually need women’s strength as well, so their voices tend to carry weight.”ow7n
R3VP“Actually, it’s quite the opposite. It’s such a dangerous land that they can’t even imagine a woman doing work that risks her life. To them, a woman can be a prophetess, an advisor, or a shaman—but not a warrior.”AMI9GV
29o0It’s a land where the bodies of those who died frozen form hills. It’s natural they are extremely sensitive about population, and that they value even more the women who can give birth.diO
KgrHxEven if many men die, as long as the survivors take multiple wives, they can always increase their numbers.ZZd8r
uudVy16In other words, there the division of roles between men and women is even stricter than in places where a female knight is seen as something out of a fairytale.pvg3by
dHCcaFs“I’m a mage, so they won’t find that strange. But for a woman, with that body, to call herself a warrior would be a direct rejection of their common sense and traditions.”cyL
3jZjh86“Then let’s use this opportunity to change that common sense entirely. If it’s broken head-on, they’ll change their thinking too.”lGsTtg
6IOj4“These are prejudices that have lasted more than a thousand years. Winning a few times won’t be nearly enough. It would take an impact on the level of heaven and earth turning upside down. Maybe Sir Eisen could do it, but with Lady Felicia’s current strength…”g3lzS9
to3OeHp“Your Majesty. The lady has arrived.”vifhFOW
6YXz5PsOnce again, the guard’s voice came as if perfectly timed. With Lucian’s permission, the door opened in silence.wlHj
k9VwbILDetermined not to back down this time, Helen turned her head.DQq1DZC
B4BAnd in that instant, she was left speechless.0uV
NcV4Xyv‘…What is this?’TG44
Ocn5OHelen knew Felicia was strong. Excluding Swordmaster Eisen, Felicia was the strongest knight she had ever seen.UVltAhV
lBSMz7But the Felicia she now saw was different. Before, her strength was within the realm of what could be measured as human; now, however, it was impossible even to glimpse her limits.kHlZ7
Q4IfZFelicia entered, bowed deeply to Lucian, then looked at Helen with icy eyes.kpUHx
OXgn8“Is my skill so lacking?”yZOMMM
O42SMAt that icy voice, Helen couldn’t say anything; she only lowered her head in silence.LG4R
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