Chapter 139
rUDThe chief of the Black Hawk tribe, Otar, prepared to depart as soon as the messenger left.NjYt
C43JkjIf there really was a way to escape the tundra, he had to see it with his own eyes.JC3jn
RoAaCSince there had been occasional exchanges with the Blue Dragon tribe, the route wasn’t difficult.qS7ko
xQs9odHowever, Otar was forced to stop at the entrance due to a reception unlike the usual.f6pvZEu
kb3y9“Please wait a moment. The king is not yet ready to receive guests.”x3uBem
BGvD7CGAt that unilateral notice, Otar and his warriors frowned. This was not just any messenger—it was a chief of another tribe who had come in person.t78
E8BlLAnd yet, instead of receiving them, they were simply told to wait until everything was ready.aWkU8
S0Bs“The authority of the Blue Dragon tribe is greater than I had heard. If the preparations are going to take so long, I’d rather return to my tribe and rest. Is there a problem with that?”40mCSM
F7lOtar threw out that line full of intent at the warrior who had come to meet them.IIsRtCb
2l0LiAdIt was a clear warning—if they made a chief wait, there would be no negotiation. However, the warrior nodded without flinching.gko6t3a
i4xeh“If that’s what you wish, go ahead.”COULZ
CYMOlff“What?”NYsJ
erlZ8“If you decide to leave now, we won’t stop you. But the consequences will fall entirely on the chief of the Black Hawk tribe.”nCDDSm
Uwc“Damn…!”6TZaElO
I0QOThe tone, bordering on arrogance, made one of the warriors reach for his weapon.zJs46s6
g0JEven in a situation on the verge of explosion, the opposing side remained surprisingly calm.X83
yYiT73Noticing how strange that calm was, Otar stopped his own warrior and spoke.ecgsU
ufGpeT“Forgive me. I’m tense and spoke out of turn. We’ll wait, so could you show us to lodging?”3E96Y2f
0b5wZI“…Very well.”I3wG0s
H5K3At that quick change in attitude, the warrior from the Blue Dragon tribe looked slightly surprised, but guided Otar without objection to the lodging.R87r
4RokV8lIt was a place built with considerable care, not inferior to the chief’s own quarters.mpmzaAH
sFoOnce Otar settled in, the warrior left saying they would be called when the time came.lq7s4
57XqCWith a dry thud, the lodging door closed. Then, the warriors who had been holding back their anger suddenly stood up.Cgmbfkz
qhkk“Chief, why did you allow such disrespect?”3VRN
PZw“Even if it’s the Blue Dragon tribe, this is too much!”1QLRYkQ
ZBY7“Leave it to me! I’ll take full responsibility and crush them with my axe!”MWo1O8Y
XEeTTThey hadn’t just insulted a warrior—they had slighted the chief himself. That was like belittling the entire tribe, so their fury was inevitable.mQM
EqN7tXHowever, instead of becoming agitated, Otar wore an even calmer expression.RNyMP
suWGR“No. Let’s watch a little longer. Something’s off.”n2r
KlG“Off? What besides the fact that they rely solely on the strength of that guy calling himself king?”YZ13
jrI“That, of course, as well. But as you all know, the power to stop the blizzard is a weapon that can only be used once. After leaving this tundra, that authority becomes worthless.”EVKR1
gFJUTTo someone who’s fallen into a pit with no way out, a rope is priceless. But once you stand on solid ground, that rope loses its value.9W1xcV
GPyThe same applied to the so-called authority of the Blue Dragon chief.h2XE
nS23No matter how much he could control the blizzard, once outside the tundra, there would be no reason to rely on it.eBI9Hq
8Mht“I thought they were demanding a pledge of loyalty to secure a response before leaving the tundra. Once the vow was made, even if the power became useless, the entire tribe would remain bound to him.”CWAlgbQ
SahBzEJ“So now you think that’s not the case?”3W8
9OFQDs“I don’t know.”6sUxFxN
1qqYpEven for Otar, it was hard to answer. There was still the possibility that this was all just a bluff by the Blue Dragon tribe.zqQZFw
t8aiMg6They more than anyone knew the threat from that authority was one-time only.yWU
9q7But for just a bluff, the warrior’s expression had been far too calm.2ABr
Z8Jjp‘Without absolute faith that everything will go according to the king’s will, they couldn’t display such composure.’SDa
UOKOWas there something more beyond that authority? After thinking for a while, Otar sighed and said,V19lTib
uWWSplX“For now, let’s watch. In time, we’ll see what they’re relying on to act this way.”7z67
qnh2LeIf what they were relying on turned out to be nothing significant, then the Black Hawk tribe would have been fooled by a simple bluff.ATd
HZtl4EBut if, on the contrary, the Blue Dragon tribe was hiding a power strong enough to support that confidence—L2pWZ
REyThen the tribe that submitted to the king without resistance would be the victor—the most favored among all the tribes in the new land.5cS
vxRMNc***JsCXA6e
VViRbHx“His Majesty has finished the preparations.”1G5A
m5hEwgThe summons from the Blue Dragon tribe for Otar arrived only at dusk. Tired of waiting, Otar let out a sigh and stood up.7VzQg7C
z76pZ“Finally, I’ll see the face of this king.”zMNm1h
F3trJ“I beg you not to be discourteous. He is the king. He is not someone you, being a tribe chief, can compare yourself to.”zjWk
m0W“…”jZULGgo
vs3At those words, Otar clicked his tongue.H5rZe
GokZThat warrior must have also lived decades in the tundra and therefore knew the inter-tribal relationships well.zV4zWPc
YFnp8PREven so, he placed the so-called king above a chief with complete ease, showing no concern for the consequences of his words.GJ4
Sog“Just asking, but… did you speak like this to the other chiefs too?”Q94xtp3
pNRn4HD“Yes.”FAUB6E
uIFBj“And they just accepted it?”1a6
JEdY“So far, yes.”PukqRDT
kZXE“So far? Am I not the only chief who came to see this king?”1wKWBkJ
27i9B“To be exact, all of them are on their way. The king wished to see you all together.”miPz81
puq5h“…!”mvr
hvhJB6TOtar had to restrain the immediate urge to cut the warrior in two.TXbXgD
9vsU74So that excuse about the king not being ready was just a trick to make them wait until all the chiefs arrived? He planned to line them up before him, not as equals, but as future subjects to be compared?xarcWyQ
l1JSC‘Damn arrogant bastard…’d6Rf
Zx5fqFJEven if he had proclaimed himself king, Otar believed that after taking the position of chief, he’d at least have some common sense.slMbO47
DfjRBut now it seemed clear he was a lunatic who genuinely believed he was a king.8kV
i9Jh68Fury boiled in his chest, but he couldn’t ruin everything after coming this far. Holding his breath, Otar glared at the warrior.l2eJNVF
1i3k1o0“Pray that your king comes out unharmed. I can endure this humiliation, but the other chiefs won’t be so patient.”mJuSF
GErSsCk“No matter how angry a creature gets, it’s still just a creature. Before a dragon, it’s nothing but food.”29ZDu11
HKv“Well… Now I’m really curious. What the hell did you see in this king to talk like that?”g5M
UA1Tk“When you see him in person, you’ll understand naturally. Ah, just in time. They’ve all arrived.”7FHUa
dRRgAt those words, Otar raised his head and saw the chiefs of the various tribes approaching from all directions.yEtAZa
eAkThey too seemed to have only just realized the situation, as their faces were all flushed, barely holding in their anger.AsBM
USaZEQ6After guiding them, the Blue Dragon tribe warriors bowed their heads to the chiefs, who were on the verge of exploding.GakR
ZgDjLUT“Go ahead. You won’t be entering one by one, but all together.”tGSzTy
5PF3Vt“Damn it! Fine, let’s see this so-called king’s face already.”ecrwjq
amvxsP5The first to curse was Broindolf, chief of the Red Wolf tribe. It seemed he had reached his limit, as he strode forward without concern for courtesy.JvW
s4IZThe Blue Dragon warriors hesitated for a moment but did not try to stop him.fM3FLc
sv2Boom!BIiGYb
4zC0G“Come out, you damned usurper! Who do you think you are to dare—!”mV9
KSY47Broindolf threw the doors open, ready to start a fight at any moment, but froze upon seeing the person inside.IvZ3Wv
VVq3h“…A child?”2zFB
K6UAiCTo be precise, he wasn’t exactly a child anymore, but rather a young man.ZzbgOSB
p2fTdAmIn the Empire, he’d already be considered a full adult, but in the tundra, his body two heads shorter than average and his beardless face made him seem like a kid in the eyes of the tribes.NBQTLY
7aF2K1Even so, the young man was unfazed by the comment and smirked disdainfully at Broindolf.ryQQj4d
k0u“And what are you standing there for? If you’re here, stop acting like a fool and sit down.”C3r
mFvdM***UP2Vd
LxmThe five chiefs who entered the residence were speechless upon seeing Lucian seated in the main seat.mzZKNcZ
jd74ilTThey had imagined a battle-hardened warrior or a cunning strategist—not a youth who had barely started growing facial hair.eN4
pDZvBut the most unsettling thing was his attitude.F9xeEu
xHrGxTV“Thanks for coming all this way. You all move pretty quickly. I’m glad—this will be over soon.”ym1Pj9
koXZ“…”XK0Pgm6
WBSw“First, step forward one by one and introduce yourselves. I must know those who will be under my command.”ldZ1ky
bqDovOtar barely managed to stifle an incredulous laugh. They hadn’t even sworn loyalty yet, and he was already speaking as if they were his subordinates.04ObK
xJ3U64“What kind of joke is this? A brat who hasn’t even lost his fuzz calling himself king? Are you mocking us?”qmhTE
0E5Broindolf, the same one who had marched in first, couldn’t hold back anymore and stood up with a shout. Lucian looked at him as if confused.Ftzqi3K
LCW“How strange. I’m sure you said that if I stopped the blizzard, all five of you would swear loyalty. Are you going back on your word now?”Dtgdn
AKoa8“I thought you were a warrior! If you were going to dethrone the former chief Ivar, I expected someone stronger than him! But this weakling—!”SIMlV
F1cgZu“Weakling?”xPKO5Y
m3PLeICLucian smiled, baring his teeth like a wild beast. At the same time, dense mana began to pour out of him in thick strands.nu9g
EIFlF0A wave of suffocating heat swept through the room, making Broindolf instinctively take a step back.bmhJ
rpBQw“The Dragon’s Blessing?”9CKxyn
Mc5TVr7“It’s still too early to be surprised.”UaQh7
RvuzvSjThe more Lucian’s smile deepened, the denser the mana that flowed from his body became.VSMcaY
PpnOIbsThat energy, once like a mirage, transformed into a waterfall, to the point that even breathing in the room became nearly impossible.nm7nvQ
tVknKThe five chiefs raised their own power to endure it, but they could barely stay conscious.3bWQBeg
M91az“Wh-what is thi—?!”LMr1
DdL9dnONone of them could even finish cursing. A single slip in breathing made them feel as if they’d be crushed and die from suffocation.NWUGQv
Mt44K6The pressure of the mana kept rising endlessly until not only breathing but even opening their eyes became torture.sE9ZPA
UAoHCrack, crunch.vD9nF
gruUtThe sound of wood breaking echoed clearly in the ears of the five chiefs.GnZ
KZHUSome furniture couldn’t withstand the pressure and warped. Soon after, even the floor began to creak, and cold sweat beaded on Otar’s forehead.p5tfVC
q9JK4‘Damn it. If someone makes a wrong move here, we all die.’1hfG
XbtZEFThe Dragon’s Blessing could become, depending on how it was used, a sharp storm or a crushing boulder.sld
DY9ZAs long as the king only increased the density, like now, they could barely endure.r1Ugxnc
piOdBut if he ever chose to turn that boulder into a storm—qmha9iy
C86LOzoNot only would the room explode entirely, but everyone present would be shredded to pieces.NTBM4
55kpOM8Crack, crunch.JB6r
kSzAqAuThe floor started to sink little by little, and the bodies of the five chiefs wobbled.Mc76
YCGWThough they could collapse pathetically at any moment, none of them could move.ejKplLD
m6V4bBreathing had been impossible for a while now; the only thing they could do was endure, hoping not to be crushed.yZR
Qq2aa1Just when Otar was about to lose consciousness and fall with his eyes rolling back, the magical pressure vanished all at once, as if washed away.cl4TnBF
TqtA“Hah… hah!”RSc
QnhxI“Huff…!”P8ylB
EY18Vg3Freed from the oppression, the five chiefs gasped desperately for air. Never had a single breath felt so precious.birSqG
8q9zHWhen they finally regained a bit of composure and began to react, a sharp voice cut through them.9mnj4Sf
El4Lw“Repeat it. Who did you say was the weakling?”EBRNXQ
QKXAt the king’s piercing voice, the five chiefs froze completely.qfV0M
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