Chapter 138

Chapter 138
## Chapter 138

Following a period of deep reflection, Einar made the choice to pledge his sword to Lucian.

In this harsh environment, the avenues for fulfilling one’s ambitions were severely restricted. For a man entering this life, the only pursuits that held any true meaning were the acquisition of authority, the honing of martial prowess, and the carving of a lasting reputation.

Yet, political command had already slipped from his grasp, and when it came to combat capability, the chasm between himself and Lucian was so vast that any comparison was futile. If he harbored any hope of leaving a mark on history, his solitary path forward was to walk behind Lucian.

“Should my Lord uphold his end of our pact, I shall dedicate my entire existence to your service.”

“You have my word on that.”

Lucian received Einar’s formal pledge with a sense of triumph.

Despite his recent loss, Einar remained a figure possessing the true spirit of a leader. He was an exceptional individual capable of unifying the disparate wills of the clans and smoothing over the friction that would inevitably arise during the merging of their peoples.

“Starting now, I place the governance of this territory in your hands. If there are dangers to avoid or insights to share, you must inform me at once. Should the people have complaints, collect their voices and present them to me.”

“As you command, my Lord.”

“My Lord?! Why are you casting me aside to employ this outsider instead?!”

Gunstein was struck with disbelief at Lucian’s decree.

While ‘managing the tundra’ sounded like a diplomatic assignment, the reality was that Einar was being given control over every clan they intended to subjugate. The moment another group was brought to heel, Einar would wield an influence that surpassed even that of Gunstein’s own father, Ivar.

Nevertheless, Lucian was bypassing Gunstein—who had been loyal from the start—to empower Einar, a man who had only just arrived.

“It may have been a brief time, but I was the first to serve you! If you would only trust me with this task…!”

“Are you truly certain you can outperform Einar? From what I gathered, you weren’t even capable of establishing a following of your own.”

“…”

The sharp reality of that statement left Gunstein speechless.

The art of ruling and organizing others was a craft best practiced by those with a history of leadership. There was no scenario where Gunstein, who had failed to even build a faction to rival his own siblings, possessed that level of expertise.

Lucian observed the crestfallen Gunstein, let out a light chuckle, and offered a reassuring pat on his shoulder.

“Do not feel so slighted. Certain roles require specific talents.”

“But still…”

“In exchange, I will grant you a reward upon our return. That single prize will far outweigh the diluted Dragon’s power that your brother claimed for himself.”

“…?!”

At those words, both Gunstein and Einar were visibly jolted by surprise.

Even if that power had proven ineffective against Lucian, it was still the essence of a Dragon. Simply merging with it provided a level of force that was incomparable to standard strength—and Lucian was guaranteeing a prize even more potent than that?

“Does… does a treasure like that actually exist?”

“It does indeed. You can look forward to it.”

The prize Lucian alluded to was, naturally, Nectar.

In a technical sense, a Dragon’s Heart was a far more significant relic than Nectar, but that only mattered if a mortal was capable of utilizing it. For individuals like Ivar and his kin, who could only harness energy in small, flickering amounts, it was far more efficient to bolster their natural reserves with Nectar. Controlling amplified internal energy was many times simpler than trying to master energy forced in from an outside origin.

‘An Authority is a miraculous gift, but even that is merely a temporary advantage unless it is fueled by an immense reservoir of mana.’

Without a way to provide a constant stream of massive mana like Lucian, the activation of an Authority would last only a heartbeat. To ascend to a greater tier of power, it was wiser to consume Nectar and subsequently perfect a legitimate martial discipline.

With Einar’s future established, Lucian called his inner circle together at the leader’s manor.

“Now that the Blue Dragon Tribe is under our banner, we must determine our next move.”

“Our next move? Is it not time to begin our journey back?”

“If the Blue Dragon Tribe were the sole inhabitants of these frozen wastes, we could. However, the issue remains that there are five more clans I have yet to encounter.”

From the primary thirty-five clans, only twenty-four had endured after nine departed, and even those had mostly faded away as the eras passed. Currently, only half a dozen tribes survived, the Blue Dragon Tribe among them.

“I have heard that the Blue Dragon Tribe is the most dominant and possesses the largest numbers. They say the remaining five would struggle to compete even if they united.”

“That is true. However, the population gap isn’t as wide as you might think. Our people are formidable because we have a high concentration of combatants and because our Prophet’s sorcery carries immense weight.”

“Exactly, that is the concern. The fact that their numbers are comparable. It would be a missed opportunity to simply ignore them.”

Following Einar’s briefing, Lucian transitioned to his primary objective.

Lucian was now the master of the Dragon’s Heart and the relic that commanded the frost. It was now within his power to use that relic to clear a path through the tundra and eventually return at the head of a legion.

“If I go back as the leader of the Blue Dragon Tribe, everyone will see the truth of my claims. I could easily subdue the rest with a military force later. But would a people broken by war follow me with the same devotion as the Blue Dragon Tribe does?”

“That would be unlikely.”

Marius was the one to provide the answer. As a man familiar with both the inner workings of the Empire and the customs of the north, he could easily project the fallout of such a path.

“Unlike the people of the Empire, those here do not recognize the concept of state conquest. Even if you force their submission through battle, they will perceive Your Grace as nothing more than a foreign conquerer and will never provide genuine fealty.”

“But I cannot afford to dedicate the same amount of time to each group as I did here. If I leave Asagrim unattended for too long, chaos will break out there as well.”

Hans was currently overseeing Asagrim. Even though Lucian had put him through an intensive half-year of training, it was obvious that Hans was green when it came to managing a territory. The simple fact that he was Lucian’s right hand would keep the commoners in line for a time, but that wouldn’t hold indefinitely.

As weeks turned into months, the people’s trepidation would wane, meaning Lucian had to conclude his business and return with haste.

While the group debated, Einar, who had remained silent, finally contributed.

“I lack knowledge of the lands beyond these storms, but it will not be a hardship for my Lord to bring the five clans to heel.”

“Truly? Why do you say that?”

In response to Lucian’s inquiry, Einar offered a knowing grin.

“Because to them, my Lord will not be seen as a mere outsider, but as a redeemer who will guide them out of this wasteland.”

—

The Blue Dragon Tribe held the peak of power among the clans, but that did not mean they could act without restraint. The other five tribes were rivals, yet they were also the only people they could trade with and the only way to acquire goods from the outside.

Consequently, the surrounding five clans lived in a peculiar state of truce, acknowledging the Blue Dragon Tribe’s dominance while remaining entirely autonomous.

‘It is a fragile balance, and one never knows when it might collapse, but this peace should endure until my time is up.’

Otar, the leader of the Black Hawk Tribe, was fairly content with this status quo in the frozen north. There was nothing more he craved, nor was there anything left for him to dream of.

‘In any event, the children of the snow will eventually be swallowed by the drifts and disappear.’

Otar wasn’t alone in this thought; anyone with eyes could see the writing on the wall. Each passing year, fewer children were born, and those who fell sick rarely recovered. Even when they tried to stay out of conflicts, blood was inevitably shed over trivial grievances or wounded egos.

In a world where plants and animals were becoming a memory, what end was there besides total fading?

‘If this is an existence destined to vanish without a whisper, I might as well live out my days in tranquility.’

Some would label him a failure for such thoughts, and others might sneer at him for being spineless. But what choice did Otar have? Even the mightiest soldier was just a heap of cold meat against the fury of these storms.

Instead of inviting deeper misery by fighting the inevitable, it was more logical to give in and consider how to make the best of his remaining years.

It took less than a single day for Otar’s entire worldview to be dismantled.

“…What was that you said?”

Otar gaped at the envoy from the Blue Dragon Tribe with a look of pure shock. Despite Otar’s piercing stare, the envoy stood his ground without a flinch.

“I said you are to bow before the new King immediately and offer your service. To refuse is to choose your own end, so weigh your words carefully.”

“You have completely lost your senses…!”

Otar balled his fists at the messenger’s arrogant tone. He was seething, but there were so many absurdities in the demand that he didn’t know where to begin his protest.

“Has the new leader of the Blue Dragon Tribe gone insane? Not only does he call himself a King, but he intends to spark a conflict?”

He was aware that the rank of King was a historical concept. A supreme commander, a leader of leaders, who ruled over a ‘nation’ built from the unity of many tribes. However, since no leader had ever been worthy of the title, it was dismissed as a myth.

And yet, someone had not only claimed the title but had sent a formal threat of war.

“Does he want us all to perish together? He surely understands the carnage that results from war in these conditions!”

“Only you and your kin shall perish.”

“What?”

“His Majesty hails from the kingdoms beyond the ice. When the conflict is settled, we shall migrate to the promised lands outside these storms. It is of no consequence if the Black Hawk Tribe is erased.”

“…?!”

Otar went still at the envoy’s claim.

Moving the clans to the world beyond the tundra? They could reach a land of survival where life could flourish, rather than this graveyard of frost?

“Stop… stop feeding me these lies.”

“It is the truth. You are well aware that our Prophet originated from the lands beyond the snow.”

“One or two travelers making the crossing is not the same as moving an entire civilization!”

He had heard the legends of the Blue Dragon Tribe’s Prophet arriving from the outside world. But that was a tale of a few individuals traveling under specific, rare circumstances. If a whole tribe tried to move together, their progress would be agonizingly slow, and they would likely freeze in the thousands during the trek.

“I see now that you are toyed with me! Using such a transparent ruse to try and dominate the five tribes…!”

“The King has the power to silence the blizzards.”

“…”

“Not for a moment, but for good. Do you still believe a migration is impossible?”

Despite the messenger’s condescending air, Otar couldn’t bring himself to be offended. If there was truth to those words, it meant the Black Hawk Tribe also had a path to a future.

Regardless of his claims that he had accepted his tribe’s extinction, did Otar truly want to die out? He had only lived in a state of surrender because there were no other options.

But now, a stranger from another land held the Authority to preserve his people.

“…I cannot give my trust to words alone. I must witness for myself if this man truly wields such command.”

“And if the King demonstrates his Authority? Will you prostrate yourself before him then?”

“I give you my oath. If he truly commands such power, Otar, Leader of the Black Hawk Tribe, will be the first to bow.”

Otar gave his answer without a second of doubt.

The Authority to calm the storms and his prowess as a warrior were two different things, but did that even matter now? If he could ensure the survival of the Black Hawk Tribe, he would willingly serve even a weakling.

Pleased with Otar’s response, the envoy let out a satisfied smirk.

“Do not ever let that promise slip from your mind.”