Chapter 126
OhLfCUpon hearing the word artifact, Lucian paused for a moment. But it was only for a moment; he quickly nodded, as if he understood everything.bTF8i
EuxWAt such a subdued reaction, Marius blinked.SuvCeRm
V4WvR“What? You’re not surprised? Aren’t you curious about what kind of artifact it is?”YiN
pr2“Of course I’m surprised. And I am curious. But not long ago I had a major disappointment related to artifacts, so I don’t plan on getting my hopes up unnecessarily. Besides…”OddvAi
vFDw8Lucian paused briefly and spoke with a faint smile.s75
4rX“If even with an artifact, you still decided to come to me, then that artifact must have some flaw. Isn’t that right?”GT9NkaX
W9IVHlH“Well I was hoping to provoke you a little, but it didn’t work at all. You’re spot on.”UOHMp
BHzMarius’s confident smile faded, and he let out a long sigh.Oo0D
9fP“To be precise, what I found wasn’t the artifact itself, but the phenomenon it was causing. When I was fleeing from my pursuers and arrived at Laugrad, I noticed something strange about the cold there.”zwedszd
d7U16xAfter investigating while enduring a chill that pierced to the bone, he discovered that around Laugrad, the magical energy was severely distorted.gFf
aHUIt was as if the phenomenon that happens temporarily when using Celestial School magic had become fixed in the environment—something completely outside the bounds of logic.Vucq
VtBMarius discovered that, if done correctly, that distortion could be stabilized, at least temporarily.Tce
rpp6WK4“From that day, I threw myself into research like a madman. If I could stop the cold even for a moment and flee beyond the glacier, the pursuers wouldn’t be able to follow me.”IZ43
Nh4sd8“That sounds reckless. Even if you escaped beyond the glacier, without a way to survive, you’d have starved to death.”ntRFZP
EOeSfN1“Do you think I cared about that when I had a sword hanging over my neck? I just interpreted everything in the most convenient way.”Iox4pG1
YnjIf someone had blocked the path on purpose, then beyond the glacier, there had to be people living.V69n7X
5MbbUReIf he could cross it, somehow he could survive.6ABJZl
hc6pNClinging to that idea, Marius gave it everything he had until he finally managed to open a passage.hO7
DIf1SuIt was unstable and narrow, but wide enough for a person to pass through without freezing to death.hcavkEN
CHD24“I didn’t look back even once and crossed the glacier. Fortunately, I had prepared well, so even sleeping out in the open, I managed to hold on. I’d also learned many useful spells.”Qioes
ZnjzEoz“It’s over ten days from Laugrad to here. How did you survive? Back then there weren’t even the cabins you later built.”8zm6q7o
Uhy“Survive? I wandered aimlessly, stopped when I was exhausted, slept, and woke up just before freezing. Again and again. If I hadn’t been able to use magic, I’d have died long ago.”6nq
v5wGO7VIn the end, Marius didn’t make it across the glacier and collapsed from exhaustion.VhRa3SE
ZSWZll6Had he not been lucky, he would’ve died right there, but fortunately, a tribe living beyond the glacier found him.THgetDH
bSL6jvThey had also come to investigate the strange path that had suddenly appeared.7yMvEIS
iiTvxReaching that point in the story, Marius closed his eyes, as if reliving the past.Ruu
YkJJQ“After that, many things happened. Some welcomed me, others tried to kill me. Some looked at me with suspicion, others with curiosity. They were turbulent days, but after many difficulties, the tribe eventually accepted my presence.”kp8
LJW9aThe fact that Marius’s Celestial School magic was a great help in the glacier also played a role.vSGiw
J41GTIn particular, astrology and weather magic were invaluable to people living in these lands.I4N
gAjThanks to the magic he learned from his master—and a string of lucky breaks—Marius came to be known as the tribe’s guide.l1FSEXP
AZf7K3Z“Guide?”5mOE
r0fq“Something like an advisor to the chief, prophet, and seer. It’s more of an honorary position with no real power, but as a prophet, the intangible authority and influence that come with it are considerable.”woLNyp
tprK“Wow. For an outsider, you rose pretty high.”NekkrwY
pwtoRPw“Rose… you say?”H6NWR
aBRy2kzMarius let out a bitter laugh at Lucian’s words.BFfYj
DLs6QMHe seemed to regret his situation—or maybe he was suffering from his own emotions.tjn
N4Qpp“Yes, you could see it that way. I could have settled down and put down roots here. But I couldn’t. This place was too small to satisfy me.”dBvITqV
My2spIf he had never known the outside world, maybe he could have been content.3zPVwOl
9sUarHBut to Marius’s eyes, this land was nothing more than a miniature garden.0BnXHI
IfvQu1Perhaps for an imperial court mage it would have felt different, but here, no matter how much they revered him as a guide, all he felt was emptiness.UkbD
SM6UOiZ“But I couldn’t do anything about it either. If I left, the pursuers would come after me again. So, though unsatisfied, I had no choice but to keep living.”o8622ti
P81ZNW“For someone who says they’ve settled, your ambitions seem quite large.”oOOuLIN
TruaVO“Because some damn bastard lit a fire in my heart when I was on the verge of death.”sDQ7j
PYYfsjV“A bastard?”DyMfM
SqkTBBs“The Red Axe, Ivar.”o2FwAo
3rRMarius pronounced every word through gritted teeth.nFLZ
dt9wH“He’s the current chief of the Blue Dragon Tribe.”AGYnOy
R1eXy4“Guide!”Y3CP
FIhOxgGunstein shouted without thinking.21hb
EzUuNo matter how revered the guide was, insulting the chief of the tribe was crossing a line.vHHKLf
eq5A82But Marius didn’t react at all.YeiME1
xsII9Lucian stopped Gunstein and asked,eDwX9o
1gP“What did the chief do to make you speak of him like that?”6GX
io5kd7F“When he was still a brat, he came to me with a deal. He said that if I helped him become the next chief, he would give me anything I wanted. So I asked to be allowed into the sacred sanctuary, which only the chief may access.”6b274
XcFf“Sanctuary?”vnNeH
9yfA1L“The altar where the Dragon Heart is kept. At first glance, it doesn’t look like anything special, but if someone enters without the chief’s permission, they’re executed on the spot.”FIL
r3JdN4YThe Blue Dragon Tribe guarded the Dragon Heart, and only the chief had the right to oversee it.UodHix
VrWeMarius didn’t fully believe the story, but if there was even the slightest chance—it was something he wanted to see at least once.Lh1
2I0VNyHIf a real Dragon Heart existed, it could become a weapon capable of standing against the Empire.TAsS
fspVARUsing the influence he had built up, Marius decided to help Ivar to satisfy his curiosity.ngyh
8kFmfc“I used all my influence to make Ivar the chief. And once he was, he kept his promise and let me enter the sanctuary. And then…”npIu
lu9OjIMarius entered the sacred land with his heart torn between doubt and expectation—and nearly fainted.gZ7Qpe
n0lYxWThe moment he crossed into the altar, an explosive amount of magical power, imperceptible from the outside, surged through his entire body.cdeyx
AZgWithin the sacred land were actual remains of a dragon, including its heart—and an artifact still functioning, fueled by that heart’s power.E3Au0X
8hxOOIt was the first time Marius had ever seen an artifact like that, but he understood it instantly.KLmxUV
ho3HFfThat object was, without a doubt, the force controlling the northern climate and sealing the tundra in perpetual snowstorms.8Vhw
ht7Fw“Can you imagine what I felt? Not only was there a dragon’s heart, but also an ancient artifact powered by it. An artifact capable of controlling the weather at will, able to freeze an army of a million soldiers!”Zdez9TT
ViFP5n“…”aZnlN
BhyLucian’s eyes widened.IcSed
P88W2EZIn his mind, he recalled the blueprints of the climate control artifact hidden beneath the White Palace—an artifact impossible to reproduce, but one that, had it been constructed, could have dominated the entire Empire.mZFmFZ5
JWgSQAnd now, that very type of artifact was still functioning, powered by a dragon’s heart.0fq
C2nuLucian realized—just a second too late—that he’d failed to control his expression. Fortunately, Marius, lost in his own excitement, didn’t seem to notice.MSEzK
x8d“I told Ivar that with that dragon heart and the artifact, there was no need to remain trapped in the tundra. That he could leave for a land flowing with milk and honey and become king.”ttr
Xxlyo“And what happened? Did the chief accept your words?”IrLV
npuY“What do you think?”XheRT9
BUdL7IMarius’s cold tone made the answer obvious. If Ivar had accepted, Marius wouldn’t be venting like this.Ev5ELg
rYa4mYAfter grinding his teeth for a long moment, Marius let out a sigh.Qvn6
wgQ“That bastard only wanted to enjoy the power he had just obtained. Instead of aiming higher, he chose to keep ruling as chief in this cramped land. Desperate, I left the tundra and went to the Empire.”OnIlAs
ghNIL3But leaving the tundra didn’t bring him a life of ease.SSCUe
VGrOXQtIn the Empire, the hunting dogs of the imperial palace still had their eyes wide open. As soon as he returned, Marius had to live hiding from imperial surveillance.9UQFJW
S17iNDuring that time, he took in some talented disciples—but the simple joy of training apprentices wasn’t enough to survive in such an environment.3dx
BJ5AH8oIn the end, after more than ten years, he had no choice but to return to the Blue Dragon Tribe.WGAPN
To6sQJ“When I returned in such a pitiful state, Ivar openly looked down on me. He abandoned even the minimal respect he once showed and told me to live out my days spouting prophecies that suited him.”AB1U6k
ic9avBLeft with no other option, Marius was forced to comply with Ivar’s demands.8JiIB1
cPogPRQBut once born, hope never truly disappears. Over time, that hope began to rot and turn into obsession.83W
md8One day, as that obsession festered within him, Marius sensed a change in the stars.ANdXQ
xMxjjjy“I was just performing a reading as usual… but I was shocked. Beside the Emperor’s star appeared a new one—one I had never seen before. A hero’s star so radiant it looked like it would devour all others.”lqPPjMb
NXreng“…You’re saying that star is me?”0piH
xgl7“I won’t ask you to believe in astrology. That’s your choice. But I believed in it—and I wanted to help that hero’s star.”61c
kBeP2nA hero inevitably brings forth a new era. And there was no reason that new era couldn’t also mean a rebirth for mages.RAJ
Xtt9ZConvinced that it was his final chance to achieve his life’s ambition, Marius acted swiftly.RMgg
rav“At first, I thought of leaving it to Colin. But I soon realized that wouldn’t work. With his personality, the moment he secured a stable position, he’d choose the safe path and forget all about the magic tower.”J2VB
gOj“Master!”e0bh
u4R12hP“What? Are you going to say it’s not true?”iy2a35
ZdyN6Colin, who was about to object, lowered his head under his master’s gaze.1oE
Uh4g2In fact, moments ago he had been on the verge of protesting with exactly that mindset—that serving Lucian would be enough to revive magic, with no need to cross such a dangerous bridge.w1PFR8A
hpKmlqBut thinking about it now, what his master said was the same as admitting that he was already too late, and only Colin would benefit from a better era.zLe
t8Gy8Marius clicked his tongue and continued.0xtdFN
WzJOQD“So I used every means available to bring you here. I sent Helen to leak information about the dragon heart, opened the path just when Gunstein’s anxiety peaked, and in the meantime, I spread the prophecy of the king who would unite all the tribes of the tundra.”I8yL9JM
AU2l“You also calculated that Gunstein would lose his position to me?”O2C1HX1
172“Calculated? Don’t exaggerate. A guy who wants to be chief with no clear accomplishments will obviously poke around the moment a new opportunity appears. And I figured that if my guest showed up right then, he’d definitely pounce.”YxJH
9xNSpoken so casually, those words hit Gunstein like a hammer.46Em
lw16dHe had believed everything to be a string of coincidences, only to realize he had been dancing in the palm of an old prophet’s hand.gAk1C4
2JXKiGBefore he could say anything, Marius spoke first.Fxc
UUb“Do you hate me?”zjqZ
k7QEKyt“Guide…!”Xhxd
mZhJ“I didn’t order you to do anything. I simply opened the path, as always. You’re the one who prowled around looking for merit. And you’re the one who, trying to win me over, provoked my guest.”ujDRn
4fd7P“…”o6sF
yKaD“Tell me then—whose fault is it that things turned out this way?”BSPDAW
hGzGunstein trembled and lowered his head. Blaming someone who hadn’t even approached him would’ve been pure shamelessness.P0gjf
l5tZJust as Marius was about to continue, Lucian raised his hand to stop him.UwdrYv
jHxZG“That’s enough. Stop playing the puppeteer.”5eE
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!