Chapter 125

Chapter 125
## Chapter 125

Following the abrupt and baffling proclamation, Lucian’s companions shifted their attention toward Gunstein.

Noticing their skeptical expressions and the silent demand for an explanation, Gunstein shook his head with desperate intensity.

“I—I am just as much in the dark as you are.”

“You truly have no knowledge of this?”

“Had I known, I would have informed you at once. A king? What is the meaning of this…?”

His stunned look was one of absolute, unfeigned bewilderment.

While the group remained paralyzed, struggling to process the turn of events, the local villagers began sinking to their knees, one after another.

“O—O Great King…”

“Our sovereign…”

The fervor directed at Lucian surged forward like a breaking tide.

As the mood took hold, even those who had not originally spoken the word “king” felt compelled to bow their heads in reverence.

Just as the entire settlement was on the verge of full prostration before Lucian—

“Cease this madness at once!”

A thunderous shout, thick with indignation, echoed from the heart of the village.

At the sound of that voice, the villagers who were mid-bow froze in clumsy, crouched postures.

Looking back, they saw a middle-aged fighter glaring at the crowd, his complexion crimson with fury.

“Who are you hailing as a king?! Get up! How can those who boast the Dragon’s blood yield to a total stranger we’ve never laid eyes on?!”

“B-but the words of the prophecy…”

“Silence! To hell with the prophecy! If you speak such idiocy again, I’ll crack your skull open myself!”

The man who had dared to speak shrank back at the fighter’s aggression.

The rest of the villagers also began to sheepishly return to their feet, throwing nervous looks at the warrior.

Now that the spell of worship was broken, the warrior turned a murderous gaze toward Lucian.

“Foreigner, you have trespassed upon our domain. By our statutes, those who violate our borders are reduced to slaves. You will labor until your final breath, cursing the hour you chose to cross into this land!”

“Hold your tongue! What kind of nonsense are you spewing?!”

Gunstein was the one who leapt forward to challenge the warrior’s declaration.

His face flushed with resentment, Gunstein leveled a trembling finger at the man.

“Can you not recognize the attire my Lord is wearing?! He is the man who bested me! By our sacred laws, you must accord him the same honor as a Chieftain’s own son!”

“There are heirs, and then there are failures! There is no requirement to show hospitality to a disgrace like you!”

“Wh-what did you say?!”

“I am simply giving this foreigner the treatment you deserved from the start! Now step aside! You have been stripped of your rank, so you possess no authority to meddle in this!”

“You absolute wretch!”

Gunstein’s temper snapped at the profound insult.

Grabbing an axe from one of his followers to replace his shattered weapon, Gunstein was about to charge the warrior when—

“That is enough.”

*Thump!*

“Urgh!”

“Gah!”

Accompanying a brief but commanding voice, a massive weight bore down on the shoulders of Gunstein and the warrior alike.

Feeling as though a mountain had been dropped on them, both men were slammed into the dirt on the spot.

As they fought for breath, unable to even groan, the sound of a sharp tongue-click reached them.

“Tsk, tsk. Having spirit is well and good, but jumping straight to murder…”

““Master!!””

Colin and Helen cried out in unison at the sight of the elderly figure who had appeared.

Lucian watched as the old man approached, supporting himself with a long wooden staff.

Looking at his slight frame, it was obvious he was not a local but had been born within the Empire.

“Gah! What is this, Guide?!”

The warrior, struggling to draw air under the crushing force, shouted out in defiance.

The elder gave no verbal reply; he merely struck the base of his staff against the earth.

The invisible pressure intensified instantly, driving the warrior’s face deep into the soil.

“Shouting the loudest doesn’t make you right. Why do you cry foul while ignoring your own arrogance? If you are incompetent at political maneuvering, you shouldn’t attempt it at all.”

“The… the fallout… how can you possibly manage the fallout?!”

“I will deal with my own consequences. You should spend your energy worrying about yours.”

“Ack!”

The warrior pinned to the dirt let out a choked cry and went still.

He had apparently lost consciousness, unable to endure the spiritual weight.

Only then did the elder release the pressure holding Gunstein and the warrior down.

Observing this, Lucian felt a flicker of internal admiration.

‘Impressive. He has touched the summit, though through a path entirely different from Sir Eisen.’

A knight who has attained the peak of the blade carries a presence as heavy and solid as a cliffside.

However, the elder before him was the polar opposite.

His aura was nearly imperceptible, as if he weren’t an individual human at all, but a part of the natural world like the wind or the rain.

Even while staring at him, it felt as mundane and expected as looking at the horizon.

“The ancient prophecy is realized.”

Having suppressed the chaos, the old man spoke with a voice far more resonant and solemn than before.

Then, ignoring his two students whom he hadn’t seen in years, he locked his gaze onto Lucian.

“A sovereign from a distant realm shall emerge from the frozen wastes. In the year of the shifting sun, he shall earn the right to defy the heavens; he is our King, destined to rule this land and guide us toward a future of triumph and serenity.”

Concluding his declaration, the elder bowed low and placed his staff on the ground before Lucian’s feet.

Then, lifting his palms in a ritual of devotion, he cried out for the village to hear.

“Marius, the ancient Guide, pays homage to the King!”

—

Marius, the mentor of Helen and Colin, escorted Lucian’s group to his dwelling.

It was remarkably large compared to the surrounding huts, offering enough space for the entire party to gather.

“I am to have a private audience with the King; let no one come near.”

At Marius’s stern order, the locals did not dare to protest.

After ensuring they were not being overheard, Marius shut the door and dropped to one knee before Lucian.

“Let me present myself properly once more. I am Marius, the teacher of those two idiots and the Guide of this clan. O King, if there is anything you wish to know, I am yours to command.”

“M-Master.”

The two students were utterly floored by their teacher’s bizarre, subservient behavior.

However, Marius acted as though his disciples were invisible.

Lucian studied the strange tableau for a moment before he spoke.

“Old man.”

“I am listening, O King.”

“Drop the act.”

“Pardon me?”

“There is no genuine devotion in your eyes. No matter how much you adjust your stance or polish your vocabulary, if the heart isn’t in it, the truth bleeds through.”

“…”

“Didn’t you tell that warrior earlier? If you’re poor at playing politics, don’t do it. I’m giving you that same advice right now.”

Marius blinked, startled by Lucian’s bluntness.

He looked caught off guard, perhaps unsure of his next move.

After a heavy pause, a self-deprecating smirk touched Marius’s lips.

“Was my performance truly that transparent?”

“It was sufficient to trick someone who lacks guile. But I am a man of many schemes. You won’t catch me with that level of theater.”

Lucian laughed softly as Marius’s tone became abruptly casual.

It was the demeanor of a man who finally felt he could speak his mind.

Seeing that Lucian wasn’t offended by the sudden shift, Marius shook his head in a gesture of surrender.

“Frightening, truly frightening. This is the first time in my life someone has peered into my soul so effortlessly.”

“I can assure you there are many others who could have seen through it. You’ve simply been dealing with simpletons for too long, which gave you a false sense of your own acting talent.”

“You certainly have a knack for twisting the knife. If you push any further, I might actually die of embarrassment, so let’s leave it there.”

“As you wish.”

the subordinates watching the exchange were stunned.

The sudden pivot in attitude was shocking enough, but Lucian’s lack of concern was even more so.

To a casual observer, it sounded like two old comrades catching up after decades apart.

However, the lighthearted mood vanished quickly.

“Now, let us get to the heart of the matter.”

Lucian focused on Marius, the mirth drained from his features.

Marius nodded, his own expression turning grave in return.

“Very well. What is it you desire to learn?”

“First, tell me exactly what you are offering me.”

“It is as Helen described. The chance to wield the people of this land as your personal legion, and the relic known as the Dragon’s Heart.”

“And what is the price? What do you want from me?”

“Restore the Magic Tower.”

The atmosphere turned icy at the mention of the Magic Tower.

It was the institution that nearly every sorcerer in the Empire had served before the uprising three centuries ago.

It had been the hub of all arcane learning and the cultivation of talent, but also the very center of the civil war.

Marius had spoken a forbidden name—a name that even the Emperor had avoided mentioning to Lucian.

Lucian stared directly into Marius’s eyes.

“Are you aware of the weight of what you just said?”

“I am fully aware that I am proposing something that is completely forbidden by the laws of the Empire.”

“And yet you have the audacity to say it to my face.”

“It is my life’s work. A vision that was once shattered. Now that my remaining days are few, it has transformed into a haunting obsession. I cannot abandon it, even if I wished to.”

“Even if the consequence is failing to achieve the small things you could have won, all for the sake of an impossible dream?”

“If a man could weigh the odds and make a detached, logical choice, it wouldn’t be called an obsession in the first place.”

“Master!”

No longer able to remain silent, Colin broke into the talk.

Having been pushed aside while they spoke in riddles, his frustration finally boiled over.

“What are you thinking?! You kept this from me and used Helen to lure His Grace here, and now you mention the Magic Tower?! I finally achieved my dream of being a mage and—ack!”

*Whack!*

“You loudmouthed brat, I can hear you perfectly! And where are your manners, cutting in while your master speaks to his Lord?!”

“Is this really the time for manners—ack, ga-ack?!”

Colin, who had been shouting his protest, stumbled back after being hit by Marius’s staff.

Despite the pain, Colin tried to argue again, but he was met with a rapid-fire series of strikes from the wooden pole.

By the time a massive knot had swelled on Colin’s forehead, Lucian, who had been watching the comedy in silence, held up a hand.

“Enough. Provide me with a proper explanation. I am interested in your history as well, not just Colin.”

“Tsk, I suppose there is no avoiding it.”

Only then was Colin spared the wrath of the staff.

Even as he nursed his throbbing head, his eyes were filled with a sense of betrayal.

Marius sighed at his pupil’s look and spoke.

“Don’t look so wounded, boy. I didn’t tell Helen the whole truth either.”

“What?”

“This is the first time Helen has heard of the Magic Tower as well. If you doubt me, look at her.”

When Colin looked over, he saw Helen standing with a ghostly pallor, her fingers digging into her sleeves.

Her shock at the mention of the forbidden tower was evident in her trembling frame.

After ensuring his student was silenced, Marius turned his focus back to Lucian.

“So, where should I begin my tale?”

“Begin where your obsession took root.”

“At the very start, then. Well, that is appropriate.”

With a subtle nod, Marius began his history.

“The start was nothing extraordinary. I was born to a starving farmer in a tiny hamlet, met my own teacher, became obsessed with the arcane, and became his pupil. By the time I had gained enough skill to survive on my own as a mage, the Imperial Family had discovered my master’s hideout.”

The Imperial hunters were merciless.

They didn’t just execute his mentor; they sought to find Marius and erase him from existence as well.

Marius did everything in his power to evade them, but they were like hounds that never lost the scent.

“I kept fleeing south to escape them until I hit the very edge of the Northern reaches. But those relentless bastards tracked me even there. Just as I believed my life was at its end, an ancient legacy revealed itself to me.”

“An ancient legacy?”

At Lucian’s query, Marius broke into a wide grin.

“A powerful artifact.”