Chapter 121

Chapter 121
## Chapter 121

Helen eventually dropped her protests and agreed to follow the lineup Lucian had assembled.

With the team set, the pace of the operation became lightning-fast. Though the public remained in the dark, internal preparations had been moving forward for some time. After debriefing his closest confidants and polishing the final logistics, Lucian made his departure public.

“I am going to bring back our ancient relatives from the lands past the snowfields, along with the Dragon’s Heart they protect!”

The announcement left the citizenry in a state of total confusion. Stories of long-lost relatives and a Dragon’s Heart were entirely new to them.

“Your Highness, we are lost. Who exactly is living on the other side of the frost?”

“To grasp my meaning, you must first learn the suppressed chronicles of the Northern Royal Family.”

Lucian spoke with composure as he addressed the stunned bureaucrats. He recounted how, over ten centuries ago, the founder of the Northern Royal Family had traveled from the far side of the snowfields. He detailed how the relentless storms had cut off all communication for a thousand years. Finally, he revealed that with the assistance of a mage, a doorway could be accessed, and he meant to bring those people back into the fold of the kingdom.

“Furthermore, they are rumored to hold the Dragon’s Heart. If such a legendary prize exists, is it not our duty to claim it for the glory of the Empire?”

“….”

The officials struggled to mask their disbelief. It was one thing to dig up thousand-year-old folklore, but the claims themselves were preposterous. They found it hard to believe he would chase such a tale without proof—it seemed like a blatant fabrication by a mage.

‘Has His Highness lost his mind? This isn’t his usual behavior.’

‘He’s still quite young. He’s at that age where one catches a deluded hero complex.’

‘Someone needs to intervene. This could end in disaster.’

‘And who has the rank to stop him? How would we even try?’

Challenging a sovereign’s decree was a privilege reserved for the powerful. Only a high-ranking advisor or a member of his inner circle could speak up. But since those closest to Lucian were staying silent, the rest of the court was powerless.

Consequently, Lucian’s plan became an accepted reality, and a departure timeline was established before anyone could object.

“Your Highness, was it truly necessary to be so transparent with the public?”

Ironically, Helen was the one taken aback by Lucian’s boldness, despite being the one who pushed him toward the goal. She hadn’t anticipated him being so candid.

“You could have invented a different excuse without exposing the truth. Aren’t you worried about being mocked?”

“Perhaps, until I succeed. But imagine the moment I return victorious; it is far better to have been honest from the start.”

Lucian brushed off her worries with a shrug.

“Let them laugh. When I actually pull this off, the ones laughing will be the ones who look like fools. Temporary scorn doesn’t matter; the result is what counts. By laying it out now, I won’t have to give tedious explanations when I come back at the head of an army.”

Additionally, the truth would only bolster Lucian’s status once he triumphed. He was embarking on a legendary quest out of a storybook. Right now, he might be viewed as a madman, but success would turn his journey into an epic. If the start of that epic were built on lies, it would lose its luster.

“It is better to define this as an intentional quest from day one. If I use a cover story, then no matter how I frame it later, people will just say I ‘stumbled into luck.’”

“That makes sense, but still…”

“And because I’ve gone public, you’ll work even harder to ensure we don’t fail, won’t you?”

Helen felt a lump in her throat at his sharp point. If they failed, Lucian wouldn’t be the only one disgraced. Helen and her fellow mages would be cast as ‘manipulators who led the ruler astray.’ To prove her worth as an advisor, she had to ensure Lucian’s success at any cost.

“I will remember that.”

“Good. Now, you mentioned we have a fifteen-day window once we enter the snowfields?”

“Yes. We cannot afford a single day’s delay. My Master will shut the corridor the moment the deadline passes.”

“The Master, you say?”

The mage residing in the forbidden lands, the mentor to both Helen and Colin. The person capable of calming the lethal cold that could turn a knight into an ice statue. Lucian felt a flicker of intrigue, but he kept his questions to himself. He would meet the man soon enough.

—

Before departing, Lucian called for Gareth, the Captain of the Blue Rose Knight Order, as a precaution. Gareth arrived looking incredibly stressed.

“I was told you wished to see me.”

“I did. But you look quite tense, Captain. Is something wrong?”

“…Your Highness, I will be direct. I cannot allow my knights to march into those frozen wastes.”

“What are you talking about? I never planned on taking you with me.”

“I beg your pardon?”

The two men stared at each other in silence for a beat. Realizing the gap in communication, Lucian broke into a laugh.

“Hahaha! Did you think I was taking the entire Blue Rose Knight Order on this quest? My apologies, but I only ever intended to take a small group of my inner circle.”

“Oh…”

Gareth’s face flushed a deep crimson. He had been agonizing over the survival of his troops, only to find out he wasn’t even invited.

“I understand your concern. It looks like a suicide mission to anyone looking in, so it’s natural you wouldn’t want to lead your men to their deaths.”

“I—I am deeply sorry, Your Highness.”

“Don’t be. A commander should want to protect his men. It isn’t as if you are bound to me as a personal vassal.”

As Lucian continued to speak kindly, Gareth’s head sank lower in shame. From a certain perspective, Gareth’s initial stance was a form of defiance. Observing him with a hidden sense of triumph, Lucian finally pulled an object from beneath his desk.

“Regardless, I’m glad we cleared that up. Actually, I wanted you to take charge of this.”

“This is…!”

Gareth gasped at the sight. It was a suit of White Armor, its plates etched with glowing runes. It was the same legendary gear Felicia had worn during her challenge.

“Wh-why are you giving this to me?”

“To be specific, I’m not just giving it to you. I want to provide this armor to every single member of the Blue Rose Knight Order.”

“…!?”

The fact that multiple sets of such armor existed was shocking, but lending them to the entire order was unthinkable. As Gareth stood there in a daze, Lucian continued smoothly.

“I don’t know the duration of this quest. I hope to return quickly, but it may take time. When a mountain is without its master, scavengers start to circle. I want your men to wear this armor and keep those scavengers at bay.”

“How can you place such valuable treasures in our hands…?”

“I trust my judgment of character. The men I’ve observed are honorable knights who live with integrity. Why would I worry about the return of my gear when it is in the hands of noble men?”

Lucian’s words were a masterful blend of charm and calculation. While he did respect Gareth’s nature, his true confidence lay in his arrangement with the Emperor. The Emperor had been supporting Lucian to keep him as an ally for the First Prince. If the Blue Rose Knight Order, sent by the throne, were to steal these treasures and desert? They wouldn’t just be viewed as common thieves; they would be traitors who sabotaged the relationship between Lucian and the Imperial Family.

“Your—Your Highness!”

Gareth, however, took Lucian’s words as a sign of absolute faith. Tears began to well in his eyes. He dropped to one knee and pledged at the top of his lungs.

“I, Gareth, swear upon the Eight Gods of Heaven that until you return, no criminal shall ever set foot in Asagrim!”

“Haha, that is what I like to hear. I’m counting on you.”

Lucian patted the captain’s shoulder. Feeling the man tremble with emotion, Lucian’s smile widened. He could sense the loyalty of the Blue Rose Knight Order shifting firmly toward him.

—

On the day of the journey, Lucian departed Asagrim with his selected team. The Blue Rose Knights followed closely, outfitted in their radiant White Armor. Though they couldn’t cross the snowfields, they intended to see Lucian off as far as possible. Their presence was so imposing that the crowds who had gathered to mock the ‘mad prince’ were silenced.

“Look at that armor. That isn’t standard issue.”

“Wait, he’s going to find more soldiers when he already has elites like that?”

“I get that they aren’t his personal troops, but chasing myths still seems desperate.”

“Who knows what those mages told him. You can never trust those charlatans.”

Lucian ignored the whispers and pressed toward his goal: Raugrad. Even in the North’s perpetual winter, Raugrad was a desolate hellscape. It was the absolute frontier, a place where the cold was a death sentence and from which no traveler had ever returned.

“Damn, this is brutal.”

Days later, upon entering Raugrad, Lucian couldn’t help but curse. Even with a warming stone active, the cold bit so deep it felt like his bones were freezing. The curious onlookers had long since vanished, and even the formidable Blue Rose Knights were reaching their breaking point.

“Your—Your Highness. Forgive me, but I don’t think we can go any further….”

Lucian looked at Gareth with pity; the captain’s teeth were rattling uncontrollably. He wanted to offer a comforting gesture, but he kept his hands tucked away to keep the freezing wind out of his cloak.

“Helen! How much longer do we have to stand here?!”

“Just a moment more. It’s almost time…”

Just as Lucian’s patience snapped, Helen gripped her hands together as if waiting for a signal. Suddenly, she looked up and cried out.

“It’s opening!”

Whirrrrrrr!

“…!?”

The Blue Rose Knights stared in awe. In every direction, the blizzard was a wall of white, but right above them, the wind died down and the snow vanished. While the soldiers stood paralyzed by the phenomenon, Lucian spoke.

“I thank you all for your service in escorting us this far. As I stated, I am going to reclaim our people from beyond the frost.”

“We wish you a successful journey, Your Highness. Please, come back safely.”

“Protect Asagrim in my stead. Even if the Acting Family Head makes mistakes, be patient with him.”

“Of course! We will serve with everything we have!”

Lucian gave the eager Gareth a final nod of approval, then turned and walked into the snowfields. His silhouette, moving down a calm path through the heart of a raging storm, looked like a scene from a legend. Only when Lucian was completely out of sight did the Blue Rose Knight Order begin their march back to Asagrim.

True to their oath, they would protect the masterless land from any wolves that dared to approach.