Chapter 121

Helen withdrew her objection and decided to keep unchanged the group that Lucian had chosen. Once the party was set, everything progressed quickly.

Although it was kept secret from the outside, preparations had already been underway for quite some time.

After explaining the situation to his close aides and defining the plan in detail, Lucian immediately announced his journey.

— I shall return with our ancient brothers from beyond the glacier—and with the heart of the dragon they possess!

At Lucian’s sudden declaration, the people were bewildered. Ancient brothers? Dragon’s heart? What was he talking about?

“Your Highness, we don’t understand. Are you saying there are people living beyond the glacier?”

“To understand my words, you must first know the hidden history of the royal family of the North.”

Lucian calmly explained to the confused administrators that over a thousand years ago, the founder of the northern royal family had emigrated from beyond the glacier.

That, due to perpetual blizzards, contact had been lost for centuries and they had never reconnected with their brethren.

And now, thanks to the help of a mage, it was possible to open a path and bring them once more under his rule.

“Furthermore, they possess the heart of a dragon. If such a treasure exists, isn’t it right to recover it and use it for the prosperity of the Empire?”

“…”

No one could hide their confusion at Lucian’s words. It was strange enough to bring up matters from over a millennium ago, but the content seemed far too implausible.

It could be an invention of a mage, and yet Lucian believed it without verifying anything.

‘Is His Highness ill?’

‘He’s very young… he’s at that age where one falls into heroic delusions.’

‘Someone should stop him.’

‘And who would dare?’

To oppose a ruler’s decision required significant political weight.

Even if not a close confidant, one would at least need to be a trusted vassal.

But there was no one in that position willing to stop Lucian, so there was no alternative.

Lucian’s declaration became a fait accompli, and soon even the departure date was set.

“Your Highness, was it really necessary to announce it so openly?”

Paradoxically, the one most surprised by Lucian’s boldness wasn’t his inner circle—it was Helen.

Even though she had been the one to push for it, she hadn’t expected him to reveal everything without reservation.

“You could have used another pretext without telling the truth. This way, you’ll only become a laughingstock.”

“That may be true—until I succeed. But if I think about the moment when I return triumphant, telling the truth from the start is the right choice.”

Lucian replied casually to Helen’s concern.

“So what if they laugh? If I succeed, they’ll be the fools. What matters isn’t the ridicule now, but the consequences after success. If I explain it now, I won’t need to justify anything when I return with an army.”

Moreover, revealing the truth would raise his prestige even more if he succeeded. What Lucian was about to do was a grand adventure worthy of legend.

Right now, they called him mad—but the instant he returned victorious, it would become an epic tale.

To disguise the start with an excuse would only tarnish that story.

“It’s better to declare from the beginning that it was a planned adventure. If I use another pretext, no matter how much I dress it up, people will always think, ‘It wasn’t his intent, he just got lucky.’”

“That’s true, but…”

“And so you too will do everything in your power to make sure we don’t fail. Right?”

At those meaningful words, Helen swallowed hard. If this failed, Lucian wouldn’t be the only one seen as a fool.

The mages, including herself, would be seen as “snakes who deceive rulers with sweet words.”

If she truly wished to become a proper advisor, she had to ensure Lucian’s success—no matter what.

“I’ll keep that very much in mind.”

“That’s enough. By the way, did you say that once we enter the glacier, we must reach the other side within fifteen days?”

“Yes. We can’t exceed that limit. My master will close the path once the time is up.”

“Your master…”

Helen and Colin’s master. A mage who lived in the lands beyond the glacier.

Someone capable of temporarily suppressing a cold so harsh even knights couldn’t withstand it.

Curiosity stirred again in Lucian, but he chose not to ask further. He would soon see it with his own eyes.

***

Before departing, Lucian called upon Gareth, commander of the Order of the Blue Rose, just in case of any unforeseen events.

Gareth, summoned abruptly, appeared before Lucian with a stiff and tense expression.

“I was told Your Majesty summoned me.”

“That’s right. But your expression isn’t exactly reassuring. Is something wrong?”

“…Your Majesty, I’ll speak frankly. I cannot send the Order into that frozen land.”

“What are you saying? I have no intention of bringing them with me.”

“Huh?”

Gareth and Lucian looked at each other for a moment, both with surprised expressions. Upon realizing the situation, Lucian burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Did you think I was going on an adventure with the entire Order of the Blue Rose? Sorry, but from the beginning, I planned to go only with a few of my closest allies.”

“Ah…”

Gareth’s face turned red as he realized his mistake.

He had been worried about how they would survive in the tundra—when Lucian had never planned to bring them in the first place.

“Well, I understand how you felt. From the outside, it must look insane, so you didn’t want to send your subordinates to certain death.”

“I… I sincerely apologize, Your Majesty.”

“Why apologize? It’s only natural for a commander to want to protect his troops. If you were my direct vassal, that would be different—but you’re not.”

The more Lucian spoke, the deeper Gareth bowed his head. No matter how gently it was handled, what he had attempted bordered on direct disobedience.

Watching him with amusement, Lucian then pulled something from beneath his cloak.

“Anyway, I’m glad it was all just a misunderstanding. Actually, I called you because I wanted to entrust you with this.”

“Th-this is…?!”

Gareth paled at the sight of the object Lucian produced. A white suit of armor, engraved with runes between its plates. It was the same type Felicia had worn in her duel.

“H-how could I be entrusted with something like this?”

“To be precise, I don’t want to entrust it just to you. I want to lend this armor to every member of the Order of the Blue Rose.”

“…?!”

The fact that several of these armors existed was shocking enough—but to lend them to the entire order? Gareth nearly fainted. Lucian, however, spoke with complete calm.

“I don’t know how long this expedition will take. I plan to return as soon as possible, but it could take longer than expected. Mountains without a master attract wolves. I want you all to drive them off using this armor.”

“How can you trust us to such a degree…?”

“Though it might not seem like it, I have a good eye for judging people. Those I’ve seen in the Order of the Blue Rose have lived without staining their honor. If I’m lending equipment to knights of honor, why would I worry about not getting it back?”

Lucian spoke, mixing truth with flattery, his tongue as smooth as silk. While he did trust Gareth’s character, he trusted even more in the agreement he had with the emperor.

If an order sent by the Empire were to steal Lucian’s treasure and flee, they wouldn’t just be labeled as dishonorable thieves—they’d be marked as traitors who broke the bond between the Empire and Lucian.

“Y-Your Majesty!”

Taking Lucian’s words with utmost sincerity, Gareth burst into tears.

Then he knelt before him and cried out in a firm voice.

“I swear before the Eight Gods of the heavens that until the day Your Majesty returns, not a single wretch will set foot in Asagrim!”

“Hahaha, how reassuring to hear. I’ll leave it to you.”

Lucian patted Gareth lightly on the shoulder.

Feeling the faint tremble in the man’s body, Lucian’s smile deepened even further.

He could clearly sense how the heart of the Order of the Blue Rose was growing ever more loyal to him.

***

The day of departure finally arrived. Lucian left Asagrim accompanied by his closest companions.

Shortly after, the Order of the Blue Rose, fully equipped with white armor, followed behind.

They couldn’t go beyond a certain point, but they would at least escort him as far as possible.

Their imposing presence was enough to leave even those who had come only to mock the expedition speechless.

“What’s that armor? It clearly isn’t ordinary.”

“Is he really going out to recruit more soldiers even though he already has a force like that?”

“I get that they’re not his direct troops, but trusting in legends is too much.”

“I don’t know what kind of sweet talk that mage whispered in his ear. That’s why you can’t trust mages.”

Lucian ignored the murmurs and pressed on toward his destination—Laugrad.

Even in the North, where unnatural cold reigned year-round, that place was known as the ice hell. No one who tried to cross it had ever returned alive.

That frozen end of the North was Laugrad.

“Damn… this is brutal.”

Days later, upon entering Laugrad, the curse escaped Lucian’s lips. Even with heat stones warming his body, the cold pierced to his bones.

The curious onlookers had long since turned back, and even the Order of the Blue Rose, who had marched out so gallantly, was nearing their limit.

“Y-Your Majesty… I’m sorry, but it seems this is as far as we can go…”

Lucian looked at Gareth with sympathy as the man chattered through his teeth. He wanted to pat his shoulder, but feared the blizzard would slip in through his sleeve.

“Helen! How much longer are you going to make us wait?”

“Please, just a little more. Almost…”

As Lucian’s irritation reached its peak, Helen clasped both hands tightly, as if waiting for something. Soon after, sensing a signal, she raised her head and shouted.

“It’s opening!”

Whoosh.

“…?!”

The knights of the Order of the Blue Rose looked around in astonishment.

All around them was still wrapped in an impenetrable snowstorm—but directly above them, the wind and snow had completely stopped.

As everyone stood speechless at the miracle, Lucian spoke.

“Thank you all for escorting me this far. As I said before, I now set off to bring back our ancient brethren from beyond the tundra.”

“We wish you good fortune, Your Majesty. Please stay safe.”

“And protect Asagrim well while I’m gone. Even if the regent makes mistakes, be understanding.”

“We will. We’ll give it our all.”

Satisfied with Gareth’s immediate reply, Lucian turned and headed beyond the tundra.

The figure walking a windless path through the storm looked like a hero straight out of a legend.

Only when his silhouette had completely vanished did the Order of the Blue Rose begin their return to Asagrim, determined to fulfill the vow they had made—to drive away any wolf that dared approach a land without its master.