Chapter 144

The lords, in the end, had no choice but to prepare food and lodging, even if reluctantly.

Ideally, they would have made do with some watery gruel and old mats, but the guest was none other than the conqueror of the North.

If they showed even the slightest lack of care here, they didn’t know what consequences they might face, so they had to take on huge expenses and tend to every detail.

“How much food and how many spices are left in the stores?”

“We have enough to last about ten days without issue. The problem is that we don’t have enough hands to cook…”

“Even if it takes time, prepare the food properly. If we serve dried, poorly made meals, the duke won’t sit idly by.”

“And the lodging? No matter how much we want to, it’s impossible to fit all those people inside the castle.”

“There’s no choice but to set up tents outside the walls and hand out blankets. If they’re wool, they’ll be warmer than in any decent inn.”

“Wool blankets? That’s a luxury item! We don’t have that many!”

“Bring every single one! If it’s not enough, buy them from the merchants, and if they still fall short, request help from other territories!”

To host guests who had arrived without warning, the lords ran around non-stop.

At the same time, they watched their gold coins disappear like a waterfall and felt as though their hearts were bleeding. All the money they had worked so hard to gather!

However, the tribe members receiving their hospitality had no idea of that suffering and couldn’t stop marveling.

“By the heavens. Look at this, it has chunks in it I’ve never seen before! There’s an incredible amount of food!”

“Were vegetables this easy to get? And what’s this spicy flavor that lingers on the tongue?”

“This is crazy. Feeding this many people in a single day — how many resources must they have?”

No matter how much effort the lords had put in, it was still just a stew you could find in any ordinary household.

But even such a simple stew was enough to cause a huge impact on the tribe members.

It wasn’t food reserved for rulers, and yet it was full of ingredients.

“And it’s not just that. Look at those massive stone walls. Just by closing the gates, it feels like they could stop any army in the world.”

“And the metallurgy? The tip of the gate guard’s spear is way sharper than my own weapon — and I’m a warrior.”

“To think that a land like this existed less than fifteen days away… if the king hadn’t guided us, by now…”

When one of the warriors left the sentence unfinished, the entire tribe shuddered.

They pictured themselves starving and freezing to death, while now they were patting their full bellies just a short distance away.

In the heavy silence, someone raised a steaming bowl of stew high and shouted.

“Glory to the king who led us to the land of salvation!”

“…Long live the King of Prophecy!”

“May he be blessed by the great ancestors!”

Once it started, the cry spread like a wave throughout the tribe.

The thunderous cheers echoed even within the walls, enough to make the castle’s inhabitants nervous.

The lords, still busy attending to the tribe, grimaced upon hearing the praises directed at Lucian.

‘Damn it, we’re the ones feeding them.’

‘We provide the money, and someone else gets the praise.’

‘Just endure it. If we show any displeasure here, the duke might remember our faces well.’

It was dirty and humiliating, but after having been connected to Calix in the past, they had no choice.

Swallowing their bitterness, the lords kept spending their money to attend to the tribe, watching how all their effort turned entirely into loyalty toward Lucian.

***

Lucian continued ascending toward Asagrim at the head of the tribe members.

As expected, all the expenses incurred along the way fell entirely on the lords who had once had ties with Calix.

The tribe members, amazed by the food and lodging they kept receiving, continued to sing praises without end.

Before long, Lucian was able to reach his own territory, which was closer than Asagrim.

“Welcome, Your Highness. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Fritz?”

Lucian opened his eyes in surprise at the appearance of an unexpected person. Fritz, whom he had appointed as a messenger officer in Asagrim, had come out to meet him.

“Why are you here? You should be in Asagrim.”

“The lord regent sent me. He said the number of people Your Highness was bringing was no small matter, and since none of them are familiar with the Empire’s customs, my help would be necessary.”

The messenger officer was a role in charge of diplomacy.

In other words, his job was to venture alone into unfamiliar cultures and successfully negotiate.

That’s why his ability to analyze and understand foreign customs was far greater than that of any ordinary official.

“He said that, even if managing outsiders isn’t exactly my specialty, I could still handle it much better than other officials, so he ordered me to go ahead and assist Your Highness.”

“Well, what a thoughtful man.”

Lucian said that, but he couldn’t hide his smile.

Making up for a lack of proper personnel by using the available talent was also a skill of a good administrator.

In that regard, Hans’s judgment had been flawless.

He hadn’t sent a simple bureaucrat, but a diplomatic officer used to dealing with people from different cultures.

‘If he had just a bit more experience, he wouldn’t have fallen for Dominic’s tricks… the timing just wasn’t right.’

It was unfortunate, but people grow through trials. As unpleasant as it was, this experience would help Hans mature further.

After sorting out his thoughts, Lucian looked at Fritz and asked.

“What’s the current situation in Asagrim? Has anything unusual happened?”

“As Your Highness ordered, all exclusive trade rights were granted to the Dominic Company, and all transactions are being done on credit.”

“Has the Dominic Company or any other company shown dissatisfaction with that?”

“There seem to have been some disputes over the monopoly, but strangely, there’s been no reaction regarding the credit. To be honest, it’s suspicious.”

Fritz frowned, as if he couldn’t make sense of it. No matter how favorable, merchants were usually extremely wary of credit.

There were many cases where people received goods on credit and then pretended not to owe anything.

However, the Dominic Company, despite having accumulated an enormous sum on credit, remained eerily quiet.

“This is just my opinion, but I think they’re hiding some kind of plan. I urge Your Highness to be cautious.”

“No need to worry. I already know what they’re planning.”

“Eh? What do you mean…?”

“If I tell you now, it ruins the fun. Better to see it with your own eyes later. By the way, is there still space in Asagrim? If possible, I’d like to resettle everyone there.”

Lucian wiped the playful smile from his face and asked seriously.

“Hmm, I’m afraid it’s impossible to move them all. During Your Highness’s absence, quite a few new people settled there.”

“What about distributing them properly among nearby territories?”

“That seems doable. The areas left empty when the residents of the former Calix domains were relocated still haven’t been fully repopulated.”

“Good. Then we’ll do that.”

Lucian called Ainar and tasked him with selecting which tribe members would be distributed to other territories.

Since they were going to be separated, it was better to keep familiar faces together.

If they were randomly mixed and families or close people split up, problems would surely arise later.

“I’m entrusting you with full authority over the five tribes. Choose and assign the people who will be dispersed. If you need the former tribe chiefs, call on them and use them.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Helen and Marius will stay here and explain the situation so that the tribes being split off don’t feel anxious. It would be a problem if they thought I had abandoned them.”

“We’ll make sure to calm them and prevent any confusion.”

“Fritz, consult with Ainar about the tribe’s culture, but make sure Helen or Marius is always present. If it’s just the two of you talking, something could easily be misunderstood.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

At Lucian’s clear and direct orders, his allies bowed in unison.

After establishing the detailed plans, Lucian selected the people he would take to Asagrim and set off once more.

The minor matters were resolved; only one thing remained.

“The rest will return with me to Asagrim. Prepare yourselves.”

“Yes!”

Upon hearing the firm reply from his companions, Lucian looked in the direction of Asagrim.

It was the moment when the master of White Castle returned home.

***

Ainar selected those who would be dispersed among the five tribes, excluding the Blue Dragon Tribe.

Specifically, he chose most from the Red Wolf Tribe. The tribe members, who suddenly found themselves separated from the main group, were confused.

“Why are we the ones staying here?”

“There’s not enough space in the capital where the king resides, so there’s no other choice.”

“Why us, though?! We want to serve the king up close too!”

“Everyone feels the same. The issue was your former leader’s behavior.”

“What do you mean?”

“The tribe chief who ruled over you before was extremely disrespectful toward the king. He almost gathered his followers with the intent to harm him.”

“…!”

“I can’t tell who among you followed him and who is loyal to the king, so I had no choice but to separate all of you.”

Though that was his explanation, it was only half true. What did the former chief’s absence have to do with the tribe members?

However, if he didn’t give them a reason for why they were at a disadvantage compared to the others, resentment would build up. What mattered was where to direct that resentment.

“I didn’t want it to be this way either. If you’re going to hold a grudge, hold it against the tribe chief you used to serve.”

“Damn it…!”

The tribe members, furious at not being able to follow the king, stomped the ground in frustration.

Even though they came from a tribal society, they weren’t ignorant of the rules of the human world. The closer you were to power, the greater the benefits.

Now that they were distanced from Lucian, it was obvious those benefits would decrease.

“Useless tribe chief!”

“What about that oath of loyalty you swore the moment you saw the king?! Was it all a lie?!”

“What the hell did you say to him?!”

“You weren’t the only one who was rude!”

Naturally, all the resentment fell on the former tribe chief who had disrespected the king. Broindolf, the ex-chief of the Red Wolf Tribe, was about to go mad from the injustice.

He hadn’t been the only one to object; all the chiefs had. Why was he the only one singled out?

“The others did it too! All of us acted the same!”

“So you admit you were rude to the king?”

“No, that’s not what I…”

“See? Just as we thought!”

“It’s all your fault!”

Broindolf’s excuses were useless.

No matter what he said, if he had behaved better from the beginning, none of this would have happened.

For the tribe members, regardless of the reasons, Broindolf had created the excuse — and that was enough to blame him.

The former chiefs of the other tribes swallowed hard at the sight of Broindolf becoming the scapegoat.

‘If we make a wrong move, won’t we end up the same?’

‘Of course we will. If needed, the king wouldn’t hesitate to offer us as sacrifices.’

‘…To hell with power. Better to live quietly for the rest of our lives.’

The former tribe chiefs decided to completely let go of whatever ambition they had left. Without even realizing it, Lucian had already completed the internal cleansing.

Lucian then headed to Asagrim’s White Castle, ready to sweep out the unwelcome guests who had trashed his house while the master was away.