Chapter 131
l1pJtX“…I don’t know what you’re suddenly talking about. Did you ever say you needed me?”SZlys
ERYbgMarius blinked, stunned.rWTH
wkmjy8He even tilted his head as if he truly didn’t understand what this was about, to the point that it almost seemed like he believed he’d been misunderstood.gy6Hi
n4m1However, no matter how well he controlled his expression, he couldn’t hide the slight tremble at the edge of his brow.JWYmR
9O5“Still, don’t be so harsh. Do I seem that suspicious to you? I may not look like it, but I’m someone who wants things to go well for you.”zRrc
gCTJdZN“I suppose you found it amusing—some kid who knows no world outside the Empire. No matter how capable he is, he hasn’t even lived twenty years, so his experience with the unexpected must be limited.”DI0Ue
yxiLucian didn’t respond to Marius’s words and murmured as if speaking to himself.OWv
nhWgq“You thought that, if you left me isolated and unsupported in foreign lands, I’d end up obeying your will, whether I wanted to or not. Because army or not, first you have to survive.”9Ve
f5Pl“Hey!”5o2Rkcf
CE5ZFFv“But you know it now too. From the moment I arrived here, I haven’t needed to depend on you.”Hhw
PghU7fFMarius’s face twisted, as if Lucian had struck a nerve. Only then did Lucian look him directly in the eye and continue.wLJFW6
co7oMaJ“You already made a prophecy about me. If you go back on it now, your authority crumbles. Whatever I do, you have no choice but to keep supporting me.”fccX
2Dcyh4“…!”OZOSRXs
RbUxaCO“Meanwhile, I have no reason to beg you for anything. All I need to do is pass the trials on my own, and protecting my life isn’t hard. No—in fact, you’re the one who’ll need to worry about keeping me alive.”tyjWP
N6ULFuBecause if I disappear, there’ll be no one left to fulfill your obsession.jFoA
JIhVAt those words, Marius couldn’t refute anything and clenched his fist tightly. There wasn’t a single lie in what Lucian had said.HxzD7Z
JHb‘I was a fool.’4RT
jaNRTNo matter how much of a hero’s star he was, he was still just a boy who hadn’t even turned twenty.dJTT
5NkkjHe thought that if he positioned himself at Lucian’s side, like a wise man next to a young sapling, it would be enough to manipulate him.yESu
OC3MUEspecially here, in a foreign land far from the Empire, where Lucian would have no choice but to rely on him to survive.PZbf1o5
xyp09But once he peeled back the surface, what lay underneath wasn’t a budding hero—it was already a fully grown tree.oNdf
sga6yakThere wasn’t even space to meddle in; if anything, Marius would have to beg to be allowed to rest in its shade.iyF
iENtp7R‘But there was never another way from the start.’l1SEG
yfMro1CUnlike Marius, who could die of old age at any moment, Lucian’s future was bright.fCD6d6s
gr7H5tEven if Marius made a scene to rebuild the magic tower, he wouldn’t get the slightest bit of help.E80
pTceFor Lucian, even if it took a longer path, it was better to build a solid foundation of people loyal to him.Qik1DX
Ba8ttBnHe had no reason to hastily rebuild the magic tower just to fulfill the dying wish of an old mage he had no special ties to.ItUiq
8W53U‘So this is my last chance.’JVBAYb3
yULVljLEven if it meant turning Lucian against him, he had to obtain a card strong enough to move him.1wl
B0hIf he didn’t, he would never live to see the magic tower rebuilt.ogYZ4
Yyx8xd1He knew he was being a burden to future generations, but obsession wasn’t something that could be controlled by reason.e6E9M
4vwyPNMarius steeled himself and looked at Lucian.KGhn
S1VCQOc“Fine, you’re right. I’m no longer necessary to conquer the tundra. But just once—on the next trial—you will need me.”h3bzm
5cAqCzD“The next trial? Are you saying you know what it is?”k4l1Zp
SQYlaUx“Of course I know. At this point, there’s only one thing Ivar could propose.”qm6
uaDPnNxMarius smiled coldly as he held Lucian’s curious gaze.MOvTgSC
tyVz“He’s going to try to tear you apart with the Heart of the Dragon.”nZTk51W
9A0knTT***nBW
YV7sAinar, the chief’s eldest son, respected his father Ivar.nE1DZsc
jTgalIt was true that Ivar was far from a perfect warrior—he was obsessed with power, couldn’t tolerate challenges, and was so stubborn that he never took back his words.xgM91dw
v2PHowever, despite all those flaws, Ivar was the strongest warrior in the tundra and the most trusted chief.R3NUnWh
JrFOs‘There was a time when I believed my father was the strongest man in the world.’IsJ
GvnX4KAinar gave a bitter smile as he recalled the duel that had taken place that very day. It was a fight that completely shattered the image he had held of the “strongest warrior.”2bEuwG6
7gUcrPFrom the fact that the warrior had been a woman, to the realization that a human being could reach such a level—MO1e2
8buRCEverything had been a new shock, and naturally, his father had fallen beneath her.Uhn
U5HoBDFEven so, the respect Ainar felt for his father hadn’t diminished. Since childhood, he had watched him reign from the top of the mountain.0qE2n
oeERwwOThat there might be someone even higher among the clouds wasn’t a reason to lose respect already given, but simply to admire someone else.8ALHaa
B3HBHowever, even Ainar’s respect began to waver.Dfj
h8g“What did you just say?”bZRUPmf
cMhwjR“Didn’t you hear? I said I’ll give you fragments of the dragon’s heart.”kucjFQa
gNKMz8E“Fragments…?”RSjv5M
Tt8Ainar stared at his father, unable to go on.Hw24IMM
JomQLIOnly the chief could approach the dragon’s heart.xfLoy
V0XSjJNo one else was allowed to enter the sanctuary.qtOKNJP
dgKNAnd yet, Ivar was about to break that tribal law with alarming ease.osEMer
kQt“Tomorrow I plan to let them into the sanctuary, under the pretense of checking whether the dragon’s heart accepts their presence or not. You’ll enter the sanctuary and absorb the power contained in one of the dragon’s fragments.”nEJ
bt9ak“Wait a moment, hold on. What do you mean? Absorb?”LV2Ri
IDP7dS“There is still dragon power left in the heart of the dragon. It’s so massive that absorbing it entirely is impossible, but you can take a very small portion.”gIsS5A
0EDJdP“And how do you know that, Father?”2iB8Sg
xf4u6h“Because I also took power from the dragon’s heart in the past.”5C0q
LVu3k“…!”XM8ivPf
5n0PAinar felt as if he’d been struck on the head with a hammer.eEkS
uUi1NrMWasn’t the heart of the dragon just a sacred relic guarded to honor the ancestors?hc0NLfo
7Kpr“Don’t get the wrong idea. The dragon’s heart only became usable in my generation. The previous ancestors didn’t even know how to use it.”HnoL78
RRwIw“‘How to use it’…? What happens when you take a fragment of the dragon?”ylamz4
LbN“You gain unmatched power. You become more resilient, faster, and stronger than anyone else. Of course, only if you take the right amount. If you get too greedy, the body can’t handle it and shatters.”CbeeW
MbyxAfter saying that, Ivar fell silent for a moment with a complicated expression and muttered,RYkb8zQ
SXH“Come to think of it, I misspoke. It would be more accurate to say you become stronger than anyone—except for a handful of monsters.”gDn
5SQAinar understood that Ivar was thinking of Felicia, just as he was.DCci2xz
SdwCteThinking he was the strongest warrior after even gaining a fragment of the dragon, and now surpassed by a woman younger than his own son—he seemed to find that bitter.F7EU
g0igG3lBut Ainar didn’t feel the slightest sympathy for his father.xHSJ
0i9BpmIf it were power gained through one’s own efforts, maybe. But what bitterness could there be for someone who had stolen power from a dragon’s remains?d0dPi6U
L0BaG“Father.”EZV
Sow“Don’t say anything.”WP2
Mw236Ivar cut him off in a sharp voice.hVaoY
yfKM“You’ve always been a rigid man. Too obsessed with the rules. Obviously, my proposal doesn’t sit well with you either.”Fut9
R0E“Even knowing that, you came to me.”cV48w
cW7j“I am the chief of the tribe. Using all possible means for the safety of these lands is my duty. I can’t hand this territory over to a foreigner just to protect your pride.”9Bx2U
BNQk“That…!”kBm7
fpF“I’ve already told Brunda.”9vpicM
6pLdJAinar froze.oEG5
d8TxEBrunda, though better than Gormsen, wasn’t particularly attached to honor either; he tended to prioritize practical benefit.VhyHl0
hhkIf Ivar had spoken to him about gaining power from the dragon’s fragment, he would accept without hesitation.2tB9
ocHwOmNo matter how much Ainar tried to protect honor alone, it would be meaningless.bYea5G
w8I9t1R“If you don’t want to listen to me, do as you please. But in that case, don’t you dare touch the dragon’s heart. The moment you mishandle it, that overwhelming power will tear your body to pieces.”5SIu
ajk“Huff…”RhuU
OfeRlbA short sigh escaped Ainar’s lips.Z8A
KzKIt wasn’t hard to get drunk on the illusion of having protected honor alone. But if he did that, the position of chief would undoubtedly fall to Brunda.4RGZblH
0VeogAnd what future awaited the tribe if Brunda, who would accept this proposal without a second thought, ended up ruling?2nC
CMlpPx3‘Do I really have no choice but to swallow this humiliation for the tribe’s sake…?’wXL
HOsAinar gave a bitter smile as he reflected on his own thoughts.n9R0g7R
JyzgEven he didn’t know if that was sincerity or just an excuse.buQs
onbfrVHAfter making a decision, he looked Ivar in the eyes.xpRyDEx
N1Ny“Tell me the method.”JeA
NBmIbAt his eldest son’s satisfactory answer, Ivar smiled with smug satisfaction.O5byNjA
iU2M1“First…”dNeNti
qZMc1***aM53rD
P2m“Manipulate the artifact in a specific way to regulate the mana being released, and then absorb it, huh…?”16v63
fymxBack at Gunstein’s house, Lucian repeated in a low voice the method Marius had explained to him.AA5LhS
GMt0According to Marius, if the mana was regulated that way, you could absorb just the right amount and gain benefits without risk.glx
bTxKcuiHe had also insisted that if the artifact wasn’t handled properly, the mana would go out of control and the body would explode, so adjusting it was essential.EuZI6X
yrZU— What Ivar took was, at most, the residual mana on the surface of the dragon’s heart. But with this method, you can store a huge amount of mana inside your body and use it whenever you want. To put it simply, it’s like keeping a gigantic spiritual pill inside you.p6729
eebO2cIf everything went as Marius claimed, Lucian would become several times stronger than he was now.dHKP
35kUHThe problem was how much he could trust Marius.IUhfX
Vwp5oQ“Hugo, Felicia. What do you two think about what that old man said?”LoZIJ
L7k“He’s not someone to be trusted.”7kA8g
mM0F2“He’s suspicious.”d61DbhW
9bD44Both responded almost at the same time and then explained their reasons one after another.lGzGHV
rlgWlT8“If he’d said we should use the same method as the tribal chief, I might’ve believed it. But suggesting a different method and claiming it’s better—doesn’t that seem strange?”r8jLIO
e8AA“If Your Majesty follows the advice of a mage and side effects appear, he’ll have to depend on that mage even to recover. Maybe that’s what he’s after.”0zHP
tRmVyGUpon hearing them speak ill of their master, Helen and Colin’s faces flushed, but they couldn’t refute anything.19T
Pk6ZEven the disciples no longer knew what their master was really thinking.Rfwlwd
fYjL25Lucian let out a soft chuckle and nodded at their observations.1ulvG
A9v“You’re right. It seems he tried to stir up my greed in his own way, but he made too many mistakes in how he spoke. All he managed to do was make me feel even more uneasy.”Terk
1vhTo condense inside the body an energy capable of making a person explode—woUhw
UEvjozBThere was no guarantee such a massive mass of mana would remain stable indefinitely.a4x
Feg8ADsIf it burst all at once, the body would explode; and even if it was released gradually, the pain of torn mana channels would make anyone writhe in agony.R1j2uk
dn3A normal person didn’t have channels wide or strong enough to withstand such power.2mtfp
BhKBut Lucian was far from normal.ks8Yo
wqfh“Raymond, what do you think?”1dBoF
Uil2SAt Lucian’s question, Raymond, who had remained silent until then, burst out laughing.2k8p4yq
Sv0ELN“Congratulations, Your Majesty. You’ve finally found something to replace the nectar that was lost back then.”IvZi
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