Chapter 143

Chapter 143
## Chapter 143

The warriors of the Blue Rose Knight Order were baffled by Lucian’s instructions, yet they moved immediately to execute them.

In the world of soldiers, the ability to guess a leader’s hidden motives was a trait for grand tacticians, not rank-and-file knights. Their singular obligation was to carry out their superior’s will with absolute precision, regardless of how puzzling the logic behind it seemed.

“Understood, Your Highness. We will relay your words to the Acting Family Head precisely as you have spoken them.”

“I am grateful for your service.”

“With your permission, I shall remain behind. While you likely have no need for my direction, I have kept my mount with me; I could serve as a swift messenger should an emergency arise.”

“A valid point.”

Lucian gave a small nod to the man who had introduced himself as Moritz.

Having a horse available meant that any critical updates could be transported at a moment’s notice. While Lucian didn’t strictly require the combat prowess of a single knight, having a dedicated liaison was a practical advantage.

As the rest of the Blue Rose Knight Order galloped away, Moritz remained. He stood in silence, watching the tribespeople prepare for their massive journey with a look of pure astonishment.

“I must admit, I observed them as I arrived. Every individual here is of staggering physical proportions. Are these truly the ancient bloodlines from beyond the frozen wastes that Your Highness mentioned?”

“They are. They are the descendants of those who branched off from the original Northern Royal Family lineage over a millennium ago.”

“It seems they are all breaking camp. It appears you have successfully unified them under your command.”

“I benefited from a great deal of fortune. Because of that, our return is ahead of schedule, which is a welcome turn of events.”

Lucian spoke with a casual air, but as they talked, Moritz’s expression became increasingly heavy.

Even a cursory glance told him that these men, if granted proper steel, would possess a raw power exceeding that of most elite imperial divisions. While a single tribesman might not best a trained knight in a duel, an entire tribe armed for war would be as terrifying as any established knightly order.

*We are no longer a necessity for His Highness.*

The realization was bitter.

The Blue Rose Knight Order was a branch of the Imperial military. As long as their oaths were tied to the Emperor, they would eventually be recalled to the capital once their current assignment concluded.

And yet, a hidden part of him yearned to stay in this place permanently.

*This existence is far superior to the years spent cleaning up the scandals and failures of the other Imperial Orders. Here, we have the Prince’s genuine confidence, and we have been granted such incredible equipment.*

Moritz’s fingers brushed against the breastplate of his armor.

The gear issued by the Imperial Palace was of high quality, certainly, but it paled in comparison to the ancient heirlooms of the Northern Royal Family. When combined with the prestige of serving as the inner circle for the Conqueror of the North, no knight could remain indifferent.

*I had hoped that if things proceeded well, we might actually find a permanent home here.*

For a knight, turning one’s back on a sworn liege was a mark of deep shame. However, given the current state of political upheaval, it wasn’t an unthinkable prospect.

The Emperor had vanished, and a clear heir had yet to be solidified. Combined with the throne’s apparent lack of interest in the Blue Rose Knight Order, shifting his loyalty seemed like a rational path forward.

He had imagined that if Lucian offered a sincere, desperate plea for them to stay, they could accept with a show of reluctant duty, shielding their reputations from scandal.

But looking at these giants, a plea seemed unlikely…

“You have become quite somber. What is occupying your thoughts?”

Jolted out of his internal monologue by Lucian’s voice, Moritz bowed his head in a hurry.

“My apologies. I was simply struck once more by the magnitude of Your Highness’s achievement in bringing such people to heel.”

“Your flattery is unnecessary. In any case, the trek begins in five days. Spend that time exploring; once we depart, we shall not return to these lands, so take in the sights while you can.”

Having said his piece, Lucian walked away to oversee the logistics of the move, leaving Moritz to his thoughts.

The knight watched the Prince’s back with a pained, complex stare.

*I must discuss this with the others when they return.*

If they truly desired a place here, they couldn’t sit back and wait for Lucian to beg for their service. Instead, the Blue Rose Knight Order might be the ones forced to plead for the honor of serving him.

—

A migration of this magnitude rarely ended without tragedy.

Depending on the trek’s length and the people involved, the loss of property and life was usually a certainty. Even though it was a move rather than a war, the cause of such loss was straightforward.

A migrating population is not composed solely of robust, young men.

Any community that has lived in one location for generations will be diverse. There were those whose bodies could not handle the rigors of travel—the elderly, the frail, those with disabilities, and the chronically ill.

When such a group is forced to march for weeks or months, the toll in lives is inevitable.

However, the clans of the frozen wastes were an exception to this rule.

“In this climate, we could march for a decade without a problem, let alone a few weeks. A dozen days of walking is little more than a rest for us,” Gunstein noted.

“Surely there are those among you with delicate health?”

“It isn’t that we are never born with weaknesses, but such people are no longer among us. They perished long ago.”

The frozen wastes were a meat-grinder of an environment where the fragile simply did not last. Even with the most devoted family, a body that could not withstand the freezing air would eventually fail. The reality that one’s very breath could freeze the lungs and shorten one’s life was a physical hurdle that love alone could not overcome.

“Those you see walking now are those born with skeletons of iron. You need not fear them dying of exhaustion—only of them killing one another in a bored scuffle.”

“If that is the case, I am heartened to hear it, but—”

—Krrraaaaakh!

As he spoke with Gunstein, Lucian’s attention was snatched by a beast’s predatory scream echoing from the distance.

Concerned, he dispatched an aide to check the situation. Moments later, a tribesman from the rear guard trotted up to explain.

“A snow leopard struck. It tried to ambush the youngsters who had wandered away from the main line.”

“Is there any injury?”

“Pardon? The children slaughtered it where it stood.”

“…”

Lucian was silenced by the tribesman’s expression, which seemed genuinely confused as to why the Prince was worried. To these people, a lethal predator like a snow leopard was viewed as little more than a grumpy rodent.

From that point on, exactly as Gunstein had signaled, the trek moved with incredible efficiency.

Though the absolute lethality of the cold had faded, the mountain passes were still buried in deep drifts. Yet, not a single soul developed so much as a cough while sleeping under the stars. Lucian’s personal retinue was left stunned by the sheer physical endurance of even the non-combatant tribespeople.

“These individuals… in terms of raw stamina, do they not outclass the majority of our knights?”

“It would appear so.”

With such natural immunity and strength, Lucian wondered if these people might be the only ones left standing if a great sickness ever swept the land.

Just as that dark humor was beginning to feel like a factual observation…

“Your Highness, look. Raugrad is visible.”

“…!”

At Raymond’s quiet prompt, Lucian looked toward the horizon.

The threshold of the frozen wastes and the northern border finally emerged after their long absence. Lucian felt a smile spread across his face as they stepped out of the wilderness and back into the domain of the Empire.

“I have returned at last.”

The heavy honors he had temporarily put aside—the titles of Margrave of Asagrim and Duke Grimaldi—seemed to settle back onto his shoulders like a mantle of gold.

—

Even though they were back on Imperial soil, they couldn’t simply sprint for Asagrim with the entire tribe behind them.

The time required for the journey was one factor, but after the trials they had endured, the people required a period of recuperation, however brief.

“No matter how physically resilient they are, the mental strain of such a move must be significant. They need a chance to decompress.”

“You are correct. However, the question is which lord’s land we should occupy. No noble is going to be pleased if we suddenly arrive with a multitude of this size.”

“Quite so. Simply providing the bread and roofs for this many people will cost a king’s ransom.”

There was a reason military forces were often compared to bottomless pits for gold. They consumed resources constantly while producing nothing of immediate value.

And now, a mass of people larger than most provincial armies had appeared out of thin air, requiring food and beds. It would be entirely natural for a local lord, suddenly hit with such a massive financial burden, to suffer a heart attack.

“Therefore, we must seek out those who can either afford the cost gladly, or those whose opinions I simply do not value.”

“The first group will be hard to find. Is there a ruler in this region who fits the second description?”

“There is indeed.”

Lucian smirked and produced a document he had drafted before leaving the frozen wastes.

Since it was written from his own recollections, it wasn’t an exhaustive list, but it was accurate in one regard: every name on it belonged to someone who had previously been a close associate of the House of Calix.

After reviewing the names, Lucian mapped out a route to visit their territories in sequence on the road to Asagrim.

“Y-Your Highness! What is the meaning of this arrival?!”

When Lucian marched into the local lands with the tribes in tow, the provincial lords scrambled out in a state of sheer terror.

Even if they had been a disorganized mob, seeing such a vast number of giants—who looked capable of tearing down a fortress wall with their bare hands—was a sight that sparked immediate panic.

Lucian offered a radiant, charming smile to the trembling lords.

“Do not be alarmed. These are the distant kin who separated from the Northern Royal Family ten centuries ago. I assume word has reached you as to why I traveled into the deep snowfields.”

“Then… these are the people Your Highness spoke of in the reports?”

“They are. They have followed me to offer their loyalty, bringing the Dragon’s Heart with them. These people will become my subjects and my new military force.”

The color drained from the lords’ faces.

The elite units of the White Palace, the Blue Rose Knight Order included, were assets on loan from the crown. Their actions were tied to the whims of the capital, and they could be pulled away at any moment by a decree from the Emperor.

But if Lucian had recruited his own population and was building a private standing army, the power dynamic shifted entirely. He could now point his sword at any target he chose, whenever he chose, without any bureaucratic oversight.

For those who had once been allied with the House of Calix, a sudden, cold dread took hold.

*Curse it all. I thought he had lost his mind playing at being a legendary hero, but to think such titans actually lived beyond the ice.*

*Every one of them towers over a grown man. Where have these monsters been hiding?*

“You all seem lost in deep thought. What is on your minds?”

Startled by Lucian’s soft question, the nobles bowed low in unison.

“W-we were simply so breathless at the sight of Your Highness’s miraculous triumph! Please, overlook our stunned silence!”

“Haha, you shouldn’t rely on such obvious flattery. It would have been impossible without a stroke of luck.”

“Flattery? Not in the least! This is the highest praise we can offer! The legend Your Highness has forged this day will be sung in the Empire for eternity!”

“Is that your honest view? Then I shall grant you all the privilege of participating in this legendary feat.”

“I… I beg your pardon?”

As the lords blinked in confusion, Lucian’s smile sharpened into something more predatory as he delivered his terms.

“As you can see, I am traveling with many followers, and our supplies and housing are lacking. We find ourselves in need of a bit of neighborly charity.”

“…!”

“We aren’t staying for long; it is merely a passing visit. I shall look forward to the generosity of your hospitality during our brief stay.”

The lords’ complexions turned ashen as the reality of Lucian’s demand sank in.

He expected them to feed and house this entire legion for several days? Even as a temporary measure, the cost would be astronomical.

As the nobles stood frozen with their mouths hanging open, Lucian drove the final nail into the coffin.

“I assume you won’t turn us away. You are likely to encounter these people again once they are organized into my army; wouldn’t it be far wiser to ensure they remember you as a kind and generous benefactor?”