Chapter 88
hziLIt wasn’t just Lucian who was surprised.uEJP1i4
R5lmRWpThe rest of the group was also stunned, their eyes scanning the walls in silence. Among them, the one most shaken was Glenn.thrVz0x
TtT1Jl“Th-this…!”xM2u9
syhPvTuGlenn trembled, unable to continue.p6y
eUrn74kOne of the reasons Tibron was called the jewel of the Empire was precisely its white wall.siJ
k2MAn absolute defense, as if it could stop all the armies of the world.QBBGd
fYATo that was added a beauty and artistic sense capable of intoxicating anyone who gazed at it.AkRiNQ
erCKgdThe moment someone saw the white wall, they would shower it with praise, calling it a supreme and unrepeatable fortification.bZQ0UvT
TpiL‘Why does a wall identical to the white wall exist here?’FOsP8
REvwoDWhile everyone remained frozen, Lucian was the first to regain composure.MaBi
qNy“Raymond.”HB42Iqt
qz96Afg“Yes, my lord.”m57mD
tVqo0u“I ask just in case, but was there ever a trend in ancient times for a style like the white wall?”eMn8Xq
mDG“Probably not. If there had been, there would be many ruins with similar structures.”PJnb
s8LHHowever, until now, only Tibron and Asagrim had walls of that style.S9Rv7
rXZIn other words, even in ancient times, building such a wall was no easy feat.y5C3Y7
A7OThat naturally led to a single conclusion someone built the white wall first, and someone else later imitated it.Jfe
7XiLq“When were Tibron’s walls built?”QrOKLw
bKP“Right after the unification of the continent was completed.”vRZD37
3k8a“And Asagrim?”6zY0UP
7QRTO“That would be after the founding of the northern dynasty, so chronologically…”WdTPw
n9P“Ahem! Aheeem!”eirenlE
K2Iqt2HGlenn blatantly interrupted Raymond’s words with a loud cough.SbzL7
HLzAt such an obvious signal, everyone fell silent, but by now, there was no one who couldn’t guess what came next.fQ9JP
4TRJQH‘Then it was Grimaldi who built the white wall first. The Empire’s white wall was an imitation of the north.’iBvWW
k3fk“Let’s move on! We’ve finally reached the end of this long journey!”75uGPo
qCUZAs if to stop everyone’s thoughts from going any further, Glenn shouted.EgT
IYej9His voice was so loud it was hard to believe he had been silent until now.4mkE
WlIIAs the group nodded quietly and moved toward the gates of Asagrim, something happened.necivr
qYOTpI“What’s the meaning of this!? The sun is still high and they’re saying no more pilgrims are allowed in!”kcODYO
9aM“And just a moment ago they only let in ten people! This is abuse!”4Rin
FR3Around the gate, a crowd of northerners shouted in fury.Uswr
ILcfThe clamor grew to deafening levels, and from inside the wall came a roar.7b8ezOD
vbH1p“Silence! Abuse!? Asagrim is a territory directly governed by the Emperor! You should be grateful His Majesty allows pilgrimages, and you dare speak of abuse!? Do you even know where you are saying such things!?”5sHY1
IHb“Ugh!”4RDlSw
EmsA4OThe shout, loud enough to make ears ring, carried a faint magical charge.DY5wf
lfy8ueRThe civilians, unable to reinforce their bodies with mana, staggered and fell to their knees.jehF61
qAhJ3Only a few sword practitioners able to strengthen their bodies with mana remained standing.2ELipr
0XQgpxAt such a strange technique, Lucian and the others’ eyes gleamed with curiosity.G63
gOp“Can anyone here do that?”mm8
cfB“Not me. From what I can tell, he didn’t just reinforce his voice, he dispersed it like a wave in all directions…”T7vp
htDiF“That’s not a technique you pick up in a year or two. To use it that naturally, he must’ve perfected it through sheer desperation.”ZmVe
7iLPnaU“I think I could do it. Would it be something like this?”yLuWzx1
ZOWobEFelicia cleared her throat and whistled softly. Instantly, a faint magic charged the whistle and shook the air around them.TpZ9wA
PlEaM2Though the scale was smaller, if she turned it into a shout, she could likely reproduce a similar effect.R8FP6d
fU6d“Good heavens! She copied it after seeing it once?”3jW
bOl“I learned a similar technique from my father. He didn’t use his voice, but the sound of his blade scraping the ground. With some adaptation, it’s not hard.”SJwkxq
Gy9“Voice and sword have nothing to do with each other! That’s why geniuses are…!”sB4
tYTtDoWhile the group chatted, Glenn stared at Felicia, speechless. He already knew she was the adopted daughter and disciple of the Swordmaster, so he expected her to have talent.bSJk
1SdwpEBut he never imagined she could instantly replicate a secret technique that only a few within the Nightingale Order could master.yj2ShaU
EFEp‘Even if she’s older than Duke Lucian, she’s still just a girl barely in her early teens… what the hell…?’ygVf776
ySzQwlzHe thought she was a wild beast cub, but now she seemed capable of hunting full-grown predators.gvTy1ts
SFfAnd being so young, she still had room to grow. Imagining her future sent a chill down Glenn’s spine.JYV
Ew7Then, a new shout rang out.029AOG
hjnG“Get out! Anyone who continues protesting from now on will be treated as attempting to invade a territory directly governed by His Majesty the Emperor—and as traitors!”TxWAYk
GudeThis time it was a pure shout, without magic, but remembering the previous impact, the crowd shuddered.4fZk
Qo5In the silence, the knight swept his icy gaze over the people as a warning, and just as he turned to leave—U2xv
zv2S9o“…No. That can’t be.”SL8o
uwlA young man leapt to his feet among the crowd and shouted. He wore worn clothes, but from his movements, he seemed to be the son of a noble family who had received proper sword training.MF6
FF1waP5Seeing him blatantly ignore the warning, the knight’s face twisted in fury.CezUr
d9k8txT“Are you trying to commit treason?”MJ1fRN
8cC5tBe“Treason, my ass! I’ve never invaded the imperial palace or tried to assassinate His Majesty! I haven’t even set foot in Tibron, the capital! What the hell kind of treason are you talking about!?”GJJYcUq
DQWG“Still won’t shut up?! How dare your filthy mouth speak of His Majesty…?!”d43MM
2GwGd“Asagrim is the sacred land of the north! A northerner doesn’t need permission to step foot on northern land! Or am I wrong?!”ghwE
gRl1fThe young man looked to the crowd as if seeking support. Those crouched exchanged glances and, one by one, began to rise and shout with him.46L1Vu
PKcu8M“Exactly! Asagrim is, without a doubt, northern land!”8KelDS
s5de5b1“Since when does a northerner need credentials to visit the sacred land of the north?!”TtaNbl
iG1V5“We’re sick of everything being called treason!”Yqb
NeJMFwjThe atmosphere, which had begun to calm, exploded with even more intensity than before.yG52Z
neidWsFaced with the dangerous turn of events, Lucian, Glenn, and the others were stunned when the knight stepped forward.B6lx
0FawKc2“Archers, prepare for battle! As soon as those traitors move any closer, fire!”eXp
Nmod67Creak.UYL7qL
7Be9Y“…!”8B3Pby
kUygUqvThe arrows being drawn in unison from atop the wall made the pilgrims hold their breath.EiNS3
nuIeN6ZThe soldiers watched them with killing intent in their eyes, ready to fire at any moment.4Pn2kXM
xheThe knight commanding the soldiers at the main gate didn’t hesitate to draw his sword either.sAW
Rj3Wb3K“I swear by the name of His Majesty the Emperor that anyone who continues to defile the imperial family from this moment on will be executed.”HVNDK2
AWZ“….”bL4Qry
GZVy“Leave. This is the final warning.”J6G
9cPThe clamor that had erupted from every direction faded, but the pilgrims did not move.CxEkQ
kLspNo, rather, beneath the surface, the tension was boiling even more than before.S7a3n
neCIt was not a silence born of fear, but a silence in which injustice was being chewed with rising rage.eui
GfcbWAll it would take was one misstep for a massacre to erupt.eX2S
kdky8“That’s enough.”C3x
hzibHhThe one who broke the silence and stepped forward was Lucian.XqAG
jccKThe knight guarding the gate frowned at the appearance of a stranger.kk0AdA
5pV8“Who are you?”uKuG8Rc
tlYn0jsLucian let out a faint laugh at the knight’s question. Though his face was young, anyone could tell from his attire that he wasn’t from a common family—yet the knight addressed him without an ounce of respect.oS1QtC
lm1dJA“Open the gate.”eXJDN
6tuTm4“What did you say?”Fo3L
EBFwEY“Open the gate and let these people in. I authorize it.”JXUQ8T
R2I“You damned lunatic! Do you think this land under the direct jurisdiction of His Majesty the Emperor belongs to you?”ZdeTB1e
cIGK8“It does. At least starting today.”F0VZqQu
G9VaPQ“You bastard!”8Gfha
thn4I2“Duke Lucian! Stop!”TYT
bKBz3RoAs the knight reacted by pointing his sword at him like he was having a nervous breakdown, Glenn came running from behind.cPZlA
vyZWmmhHe had wanted to intervene from the beginning, but Lucian had stopped him. However, the situation was only getting worse.KQXwA
Lb17WHkLucian, on the other hand, smiled even wider upon seeing Glenn and nodded his head.olhqib
nco756“Sir Glenn, you’ve arrived just in time. Let’s hold the official investiture here.”wf9fT
sNQzRER“What are you saying? We’re right in front of the fortress gates!”MD2a
fvNrq“It doesn’t matter as long as we’re on the assigned territory, right? I like this place, so let’s do it here.”IUJa
fo5wK“Haah… if you insist that much…”odQv
4NOF“What the hell are you two talking about? And who the hell are you?”iQo
Wp5ueZcThe furious knight pointed his sword again.BE2r3U
3DnGlenn’s eyes lit up the moment the blade was directed at him.Mj34
oGqqu“You dare point your sword at whom? I am Glenn Lehinard, member of the Black Scale Knights and Imperial Inspector.”51FV3
aqhw“What…!?”SLteFq3
ObgEk“State your name! Are you Lothier, captain of the Asagrim garrison? Or one of his subordinates?”ZYreWE
6sXfZThe knight—Lothier—turned pale and lowered his sword. Upon closer look, he could see the dragon emblem on Glenn’s left chest, the symbol of the imperial inspector.ks1s4qt
YFUAnd he knew both his name and title.aTaa
nVDuThere was no doubt.SBFHt91
dgUmvkU“My sincerest apologies, Sir Glenn! I beg you to forgive my rudeness!”eZrjjBZ
aQZYZ“Responsibilities will be dealt with later, so step aside immediately. Withdraw the archers as well! Or do you plan to silence me right here?”iNB
E7kVnvz“N-no, of course not! Archers, withdraw—now!”YxbtN2
kOyAt Lothier’s shout, the archers atop the wall quickly lowered their bows and disappeared inside.np8GCt
NwWGlenn clicked his tongue briefly, dismounted from his horse, and turned to Lucian.eqf2G4o
cbxOxW6“Duke Lucian.”889
NykCra“I’m ready.”aQtf
vHa“Then, let’s begin.”yrYP9k
dCRJEPUnder everyone’s gaze, Glenn cleared his throat and pulled an imperial letter from his chest.MDpg
s3Rmmy“Direct Imperial Inspector Glenn Lehinard conveys this decree on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor. By this decree, Lucian Grimaldi Valdeck is appointed as Frontier Marquis and granted Asagrim as his territory.”YKXL
9dlQd“…!?”We9
5QM“This decree is proclaimed in the name of Karl von Bey Astria, sovereign of the Empire. Anyone who attempts to revoke it or refuses to acknowledge it will be considered a traitor. Furthermore, he is permitted to retain the dukedom in conjunction with this title…”lhr
YyRliGlenn continued reading the letter, but most people could no longer process what they were hearing.AtVe
8LkFVoQThat a Grimaldi would be appointed as Frontier Marquis was already strange, but to be granted Asagrim?ab0tD
8ZSpBy the time they managed to react, the reading was already coming to an end.jRWbEKw
QJksJNY“…And he is granted the White Palace as his residence. This concludes the decree.”VKUgb
kBRxvLucian carefully received the folded letter and stood up. Turning his head, his gaze met that of the young man who had been the first to stand up earlier.7eKo7
1fNWBmX“Hey, you.”mPj
wFgyD“Y-yes?”kVX0lgM
cli“Do you want to enter Asagrim?”BLBPx1
vq2sJd“Uh… yes.”yOoJdu1
AZnThe young man nodded awkwardly. He didn’t understand what was happening, but at this point, refusing would’ve been ridiculous.hfv
CQLa1Lucian turned again to Lothier.ele
NpYa“Open the gate.”fBzISTU
ybF“B-but this is…”G7zc
0kDhb“My land.”1Hqs1I
V1Jil“…”JKA
bQNwGz“His Majesty the Emperor has granted it to me. Therefore, it’s mine now. Am I wrong?”rQ2
bOSY7“No… you are not.”p3BPQU
oSNcit“Right?”ZIR
lboSmiling, Lucian stepped closer until he was just inches from Lothier’s face.t72K62
uieFxx“Then open it.”eITAx
K8omeq“…”78Jmk
pPpjgLothier tightly shut his eyes. It was humiliating, but there was no way to refuse.W22
Sm3asfTo resist would be practically an act of treason.ZNCft
Ci5“Open… the gate.”CQLqGz1
tJVdoWith his face burning with shame, Lothier spat out the order.L2y
XAi6A few seconds later, the massive fortress gate began to open with a deafening rumble.VJQ
oq9GoRumble!D2GdtQx
sMpEhef“…”XKgh
Nl1CN8The pilgrims stood with their mouths agape as the gate opened at Lucian’s single command. All the earlier chaos felt like a joke.Iswmf
MpxHU“What are you doing? Aren’t you going in?”zzy2BO
6PZs0xdLucian’s voice snapped them out of their daze.s67j
NDRFOSmiling broadly, he spoke to the pilgrims.5xzE2Mx
bP2“As the lord of this land, I allow it. All of you—enter and look around freely.”eFgmu4n
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