Chapter 78

‘It’s over.’

Palmir knew it instinctively.

Although many things had changed over the years, the north was still a land of warriors.

No matter what the cause of the duel had been, the weak were always despised.

And even more so when the defeated one had fallen to a mere rank-and-file soldier, something that should never happen according to common sense.

“Tsk, tsk.”

At the sound of the tongue click, Palmir lifted his head without strength.

Lucian’s eyes, looking down at him, were chilling to the point of being unsettling.

“You lost.”

“I-I…”

“Excuses are unnecessary. Do you have anything to say? The duel is already over, so say whatever you want to say.”

“…”

Palmir opened and closed his mouth several times before lowering his head completely.

He had mountains of things he wanted to say, but what use were they now?

After such a miserable defeat, any words had lost their weight.

Even if he tried to negotiate, it was clear they would drag him along from start to finish without giving him any leeway.

‘A negotiation like that is worse than no negotiation at all.’

So there was nothing left for him to do but withdraw.

To leave after the humiliation of losing to a squad captain, having gained absolutely nothing.

To report the situation and face his lord’s anger head-on.

Clenching his teeth at the miserable reality, Palmir muttered,

“This matter… the house of Count Calix…”

“Kuku.”

“…”

“Ah, sorry. Go on.”

At Lucian’s mockery, Palmir lowered his head, his face flushed red.

He had tried, even if only one last time, to rely on his lord’s authority, but he hadn’t managed to intimidate anyone—he had only provoked laughter.

Realizing that any further words would only make him look worse, he turned around and left almost in a run.

“What an insipid fellow.”

Lucian smiled disdainfully as he watched Palmir walk away, then shifted his gaze toward the other spectators.

The looks that until moments ago had been filled with contempt instantly changed to respect as soon as they met his eyes.

Faced with such an extreme reaction, Lucian felt satisfied.

“The grandson of the Grimaldi lineage who defeated a knight of the house of Count Calix. A perfect scenario.”

The humiliation of a single knight would not shake the house of Count Calix.

It was a family that had been rooted in the north for hundreds of years; at most, they would suffer a blow to their prestige.

What mattered was who was responsible for that blow—Lucian.

Lucian had already issued a challenge centered on the name Grimaldi. It was only natural that everyone would watch with anticipation to see how the house of Count Calix would respond.

“They’ll want to crush everything and move on, but the public’s gaze won’t allow it.”

If they pretended nothing had happened, anyone would think Calix had taken a step back. Whether they liked it or not, the house of Count Calix would have no choice but to act to resolve this matter.

“It will be interesting to see how they move.”

Lucian suppressed the smile that threatened to form on his lips and directed his gaze toward his guests.

Until Calix’s response arrived, it was time to start consolidating allies.

***

“Heh, heh…”

A dry laugh escaped the lips of Norvek, the current head of the house of Count Calix. After stroking his beard for a long while, he spoke in a hollow voice.

“So you just came back like that? After losing so pathetically to a mere squad captain, without being able to say a single word?”

Hearing the disappointment-laden tone, Palmir felt a chill run down his spine.

Thinking he would be discarded if he didn’t explain himself, he shouted hurriedly.

“He wasn’t just any squad captain. He was someone who had properly learned a sword style. At his level, he could even be of noble origin fallen into decline…”

“Palmir, you know that’s not what I mean.”

“…”

“What matters is that you were defeated miserably and that, as a result, you couldn’t even begin negotiations before fleeing. And on top of that, you stained the name of Calix.”

“T-that…!”

Palmir tried to add something else, but he froze the moment he raised his head. Norvek’s gaze reflected not only disappointment, but a clear killing intent.

“If you were going to lose, you shouldn’t have fought in the first place. You should have endured no matter how the opponent acted. But you attacked without evaluating the difference in strength and caused this disaster.”

“…”

“Thanks to you, only he benefited. Now he’ll be able to gather allies without any obstacles. I sent you to put a bell around his neck, and you ended up removing even the chains he already had.”

Under the rain of sarcasm, Palmir kept his head lowered, unable to retort.

No one knew better than he did how much Lucian had gained from this incident.

Norvek observed him in silence before clicking his tongue and issuing his dismissal.

“Enough. You’ve worked until now. Go rest.”

“…!”

The ambiguous tone made Palmir shudder. It sounded considerate, but in reality it meant he would never again receive an important assignment.

Terrified, he tried to say something more, but when he saw that all expectation had completely vanished from his lord’s eyes, he left the office without strength.

Tap.

“Fuuu…”

As soon as the door closed, Norvek let out a long sigh.

Finally showing a weakness he never revealed before his vassals, the person who had been by his side the entire time exclaimed in surprise.

“Father, are you all right?”

“How could I be? The situation has become complicated. In the worst case, we could truly lose the name Grimaldi.”

At Norvek’s words, Godfrey, his heir and firstborn, blinked.

“It’s true that he dealt us a blow, but for you to react like this? At most, he’s only just begun to gather strength.”

“The problem isn’t his strength. It’s that the balance of power between him and us has changed.”

“The balance of power? What do you mean?”

“He is Valdeck. No matter how much he tries to look northern, at his core he is still a southerner. That fact itself was our greatest weapon.”

Even if he was the grandson of the former duke, he was still a boy who knew nothing about the north.

He shared only the blood, but completely lacked a northern identity.

It might seem like a minor detail, but it was a phrase capable of shaking the hearts of other lords.

“Think about it. Even if he has legitimate rights, if in essence he is a southerner, do you really think the other lords would side with him?”

“Of course not. No one in their right mind would do something like that.”

Godfrey shook his head immediately.

The north was uneasy precisely because it distrusted the imperial family’s movements.

Handing over the Grimaldi inheritance to someone without northern identity—someone closer to the Empire—would be madness for any northern lord with half a brain.

“Exactly. Even those who deeply hate our family know that siding with the Empire out of spite would be foolish. That’s why I could rest easy until now.”

No matter how hard one tried, one couldn’t change their place of origin.

Even when he heard about the duel where Lucian intended to prove himself as a warrior, Norvek reacted with indifference.

After all, his opponent was none other than Harald, the “Wolf Hunter.” Even if the boy was only sixteen, it was clear that Harald would have no mercy and would charge with killing intent.

“Of course, there was concern that, out of resentment toward us, he might abandon his old convictions and fake a defeat. That’s why I sent Sir Palmir to watch him. But this… this is… Heavens above…”

“Father?”

Bang!

“Why the hell did this crap have to happen!?”

Norvek jumped to his feet, as if about to spit fire. He was so furious that even after kicking the table, he couldn’t calm down and ended up stomping on the floor.

“He’s sixteen! An age where he should barely be trembling after seeing blood for the first time on a battlefield! And he defeated Harald, the Wolf Hunter!? And not just that—Harald even used the family artifact!?”

“F-Father, please calm down…”

“How do you expect me to calm down?! What do you think everyone’s going to say now when they see that southerner?! They’ll call him a hero! A warrior among warriors, the heir of the royal Grimaldi bloodline!”

As if the lingering nostalgia for the old Northern Kingdom weren’t enough, now the royal blood had shown legendary strength.

It was obvious they would revere him relentlessly, claiming that he was, after all, worthy of the Grimaldi name.

For Norvek, this wasn’t just anger anymore—it felt like he was going to cough up blood.

“If only it were just that! Because of that idiot Palmir, now that man and we are on equal footing! He’s become the perfect foil to Calix! Now the feudal lords will flock to him like rats that found food!”

“Even so, he’s still just a boy. It’s true his strength is impressive, but we can’t say he’s skilled in politics. As long as he doesn’t fully understand the north, he’s bound to make mistakes eventually. The best course is to wait calmly.”

“What naive words! We don’t have the luxury of that! There are factions that bear grudges against us because of failures like Torik, and they’re sharpening their fangs against us…!”

“Father!”

Godfrey’s shout startled Norvek. He had been so agitated he almost let something slip that should never be said out loud.

“Cough… cough. Anyway, the point is we have much less time than we thought. If we don’t stop him soon, even the foundations we’ve built could collapse.”

“Then, at this point, let’s take action directly.”

“Directly?”

“I mean, by using tradition.”

Godfrey gave a faint smile when he saw Norvek blink in confusion.

“If that man claims to respect the north so much, shouldn’t he be willing to follow its traditions?”

***

After his duel with Harald, Lucian spent his time receiving visitors who came one after another.

As expected, most were knights sent as representatives of their respective lords.

Generally, these knights could be divided into three groups.

‘Those who support me, those who stay neutral to avoid offending anyone, and those who hate Calix to the bone.’

The first group was easy to understand. They were the ones who viewed the unification of the north under Calix with suspicion, but had no clear plan of their own and were just watching from the sidelines.

Since they already despised Calix from the beginning, as soon as Lucian appeared as an alternative, they didn’t hesitate to approach.

“My lord respects Lucian’s legitimate rights. It’s only natural that the name of Grimaldi belongs to him.”

“That is a truly fair decision. Please extend my thanks to your lord.”

“I will. In fact, we always found it ridiculous that Calix used the name Grimaldi. What right did they have to it?”

Lucian expressed his gratitude, though in reality their support was limited to public declarations.

In the heart of the north, where the name Valdeck carried no weight, what really mattered was military power—so the results felt bittersweet.

Still, their political support was no small gain.

The second group was even more blatant than the first.

“We don’t deny the young lord’s rights, but it’s not as if Calix is completely without claim either. It’s an extremely delicate matter, so we can’t get involved.”

“Sounds like when it’s all over, you’ll just quietly side with the winner.”

“Cough, cough. We merely entrust judgment to the just gods. We pray the Eight Gods of the Sky guide us on the right path.”

Though their intentions were obvious, most of them came from minor domains close to Calix, so their stance was understandable.

This wasn’t just any conflict—it was a clash between Calix, the dominant power in the north, and the third son of the ducal house of Valdeck.

One wrong move could directly affect their own lands and people.

What Lucian hadn’t anticipated was the existence of the third group.

“If you raise the Grimaldi banner right now and punish Calix, my lord and I will follow you without hesitation! Just give the order!”

“!?”

“Do you doubt my words? Then, as proof of loyalty, I’ll cut off this arm right here! If that will earn your trust, this right arm is nothing…!”

“No, wait a moment!”