Chapter 52

Chapter 52
## Chapter 52

“What in the world are they doing here?!”

The Allied Forces were not the only ones paralyzed by the sight.

Erich, the Sovereign of Krepelt, released a shout of utter bewilderment as he observed the approaching Red Wing Knights.

“Why is the Praetorian Guard appearing at the frontier?! No, more importantly, how could they have traveled this distance so rapidly?!”

“This is not the moment for questions, Your Majesty! Please, retreat before they close the distance!”

“Your Majesty? Did you just address me as ‘Your Majesty’?”

Erich’s gaze turned razor-sharp at the title. Months had passed since he proclaimed his sovereignty, yet his subordinates still addressed him as if he were a subordinate king under the Empire’s thumb.

The aristocrat who had urged the withdrawal realized his slip of the tongue and frantically attempted to fix it.

“You—Your Imperial Majesty… a lapse of the tongue…”

“No, pay it no mind. It has been centuries since the Empire stripped us of our standing. It is only natural to be conditioned to live beneath their heels.”

“That isn’t it…!”

“I will not flee.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Silence! Regardless of the prestige of the Praetorian Guard, there is barely a handful of them! Are you suggesting I run from a single order of knights?!”

No matter how legendary their reputation, they were clearly dwarfed by the sheer mass of the Krepelt military. If he turned back now, the gossip would surely claim he had tucked his tail and bolted in terror of the Imperial lineage’s shadow.

On the contrary, if he annihilated them here, he could broadcast Krepelt’s martial dominance to the entire continent.

“We shall shatter the Red Wing Knights on this spot and seize the First Prince! Prepare the lines for engagement!”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The knights of Krepelt answered their monarch’s command with surging spirits. Though they did not possess the widespread fame of the Red Wing Knights, the men assembled here were Krepelt’s finest. Unless the opposition matched their numbers, they refused to believe they could falter against a group ten times smaller than their own.

“So they choose to hold their ground. They truly are ignorant of their own insignificance. Then again, if they possessed the intellect to realize it, they never would have revolted to begin with.”

The commander leading the Red Wing Knights let out a dismissive snort from behind his visor. Despite being outnumbered ten-to-one, his tone remained entirely unshaken.

“Lances set. Initiate the Dragon’s Tooth.”

Vrrrrm.

With that brief directive, a crimson shimmer began to flicker across the entirety of the Red Wing Knight Order. Dozens of sigils etched into their plate and polearms ignited with vivid light, their brilliance peaking within seconds.

Finally, at the moment the radiance became so blinding it was visible even to the opposition—

“Penetrate.”

Fwooooosh!

A bolt of scarlet light sliced through the heart of the Krepelt formation.

“…!”

The high command of the Allied Forces, Lucian included, stood frozen with their mouths hanging open.

Regardless of how impactful a mounted charge was supposed to be, it was expected to lose momentum when hitting a wall of resistance. However, the Red Wing Knights clove through the enemy ranks as if they were slicing through thin parchment.

It was a display that transcended mere strength; it was a clear violation of physical limitations.

‘Magic…!’

It wasn’t a formula recited by a sorcerer, but enchantment woven into their very gear. Primordial artifacts said to make a basic blade of iron more devastating than a weapon of Adamantium. Lucian had heard the tales, but witnessing a full knightly order outfitted with such relics made the power feel incomprehensible.

‘I think I have a clearer grasp now of why the Imperial lineage perceives mages as such a hazard.’

They held mages in fear precisely because they understood the true potential of magic.

As if to demonstrate they weren’t limited to a single pass, the Red Wing Knights wheeled about instantly and launched a second strike. Once more, they shredded the horsemen in their path, further splintering the opposing units.

“This… this cannot be happening…!”

Erich could only wheeze, unable to even find his voice to scream. Had it been foot soldiers being crushed in this manner, it would be tragic but expected. But these were regiments of mounted combatants—even if they weren’t all knighted. To watch cavalry slaughtered like common infantry was beyond belief.

“Yo—Your Majesty! You must depart! Please, get away now!”

“This is impossible… how… How could my finest men be discarded so effortlessly…!”

“Pardon my rudeness! Protect His Majesty! we must evacuate!”

Erich’s closest counselors grabbed him and bolted from the field. The Red Wing Knights did not bother to hunt the shattered remnants of the Krepelt army and brought their gallop to a halt.

A moment later, the shimmering scarlet mist dissipated entirely, melting into the breeze.

‘So the magical pulse is short-lived?’

Lucian’s eyes gleamed as he noticed the glow fade from the warriors. It was logical; if such overwhelming sorcery could be sustained without end, they would be invincible.

Having driven off the Krepelt forces, the blood-colored knights soon neared the Allied position. The man whose features were obscured by a helm brought his steed to a stop before the First Prince.

Without stepping down, he pulled off his helmet and gazed down at the group.

“I am relieved to find you all unharmed.”

The regional lords turned ghost-white the instant the face within the armor was revealed.

After a heartbeat, Marquis Bernhardt Roglan was the first to snap back to reality. He dropped to one knee and bellowed, “I pay my respects to His Imperial Majesty, Sovereign of the Empire and true scion of the Great Dragon!”

‘What? The Emperor?’

The younger nobles who were unfamiliar with the Emperor’s likeness and the successors acting as stand-ins were paralyzed with dread. Lucian was among them. In his entire previous existence, he had never once laid eyes on the Emperor.

“W—We offer our greetings to His Imperial Majesty!”

Following the Marquis’s lead, the Imperial nobility knelt as one. Lucian quickly followed suit, lowering his head.

Shortly after, the Emperor stepped down from his horse and addressed the lords with a steady voice.

“We remain in the theater of war; why do you ignore your surroundings to fixate on protocol? Ceremonies can be handled once we have moved past the border. Everyone, rise.”

At the quiet but authoritative command, the nobles slowly stood. After surveying the area, the Emperor walked toward First Prince Claude.

Claude stumbled over his words as he spoke to his father.

“Fath—Your Majesty, regarding… this campaign…”

“It is quite alright. I have a general grasp of the circumstances.”

“H—How did you find out? I only dispatched the courier two days ago…”

“I have my resources. For now, let us merely be thankful for your wellbeing.”

The Emperor rested a hand on Claude’s shoulder, his tone a mix of sorrow and kindness. Claude lowered his gaze, seemingly unable to meet his father’s eyes.

After a few steadying pats on Claude’s shoulder, the Emperor shifted his focus to Cedric.

“Cedric, you also exerted great effort to support your brother. I am told you rode across the heat of the struggle; are you without injury?”

“I am unharmed, through the grace of the Eight Gods and the Great Dragon.”

“That is a weight off my mind.”

The exchange wasn’t drastically different from the one with Claude, but the underlying warmth was noticeably absent. While the words for Claude were thick with affection, those for Cedric carried only the chill of official concern.

After checking his sons, the Emperor stepped toward the Marquis.

“Marquis Bernhardt.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“A rapid, decisive strike. It was a sound tactic.”

“Your Majesty, that was…”

“The conflict will persist. Even if the blades are silent, it is not concluded until one side concedes.”

Therefore, you must continue to shoulder the burdens of this campaign. That is, if you do not wish to take the entire weight of this failure upon yourself alone.

Grasping the unspoken warning, the Marquis bowed low, masking his bitter look.

“You are quite right. As long as the struggle continues, House Roglan will not withhold any resources.”

“A satisfactory response. I shall rely on your continued cooperation.”

The Emperor answered with a cold edge before moving once more. Naturally, his next stop was directly in front of Lucian.

Lucian kept his gaze lowered, waiting for the monarch to speak.

‘A lecture or a compliment. I wonder which path he’ll take.’

Either was a possibility. Lucian was mentally preparing for both when the unexpected occurred.

“I am truly in your debt. As the Sovereign of this Empire, and as a father, I offer you my sincere thanks.”

“…!?”

Every person present stared in shock as the Emperor actually bowed his head to show his appreciation.

Lucian stared at the crown of the Emperor’s head with a stunned expression. He had anticipated some praise for his performance, but he never dreamed the Emperor would actually bow to him.

“Your Majesty, this is far more recognition than I deserve. Please, lift your head.”

“You preserved my son’s life, and by doing so, you preserved the Empire’s tomorrow. You are more than deserving of my gratitude.”

“I only performed the duties expected of a subject.”

“No, there is no such thing as ‘natural.’ It is the covenant of lord and vassal for the ruler to provide trust and the subject to return it with fealty. However, even when Claude abandoned that trust first, you still threw yourself into the fray. For that act alone, I am profoundly thankful.”

The Emperor continued to laud Lucian, but Lucian’s face grew slightly rigid. Regardless of the thanks, he could sense the hidden message—the Emperor was making it abundantly clear that he was fully aware of every detail that had transpired on the field.

‘Since he isn’t even bothering to mask it, I suppose this serves as a caution to the other lords as well.’

It was an insinuation that he saw everything, even from a distance. But beyond the posturing, the gratitude he showed Lucian felt genuinely heartfelt.

“If the dignity of the Empire did not rest upon my back, I would have gladly knelt. My only regret is that I can offer nothing more than a bow. Please understand.”

“Understand? Your words are already more than I could ask for—they are overwhelming. So please, raise your head. This is becoming quite an awkward burden for me.”

“If it weighs on you, then I have no choice. It would be a tragedy if my attempt at thanks turned a kind deed into a grudge.”

The Emperor looked up, offering a light-hearted quip to ease the tension. Lucian felt a complicated swirl of thoughts regarding the Emperor’s mastery of dialogue.

‘The final ruler of the Empire, Karl von Bay Astria.’

He had never met him face-to-face, but he had heard tales of this man until his ears were weary in his past life. However, the descriptions were so polarized it was difficult to pin him down.

Some labeled him a failed monarch who sparked the Empire’s collapse, while others claimed that while he lacked talent, his spirit was noble. Some even argued he was a brilliant leader who was simply cursed to be born into the wrong era.

One thing was certain: regarding the matter of his heirs, he had made one mistake after another.

‘I also quietly viewed him as a failure because of that… but seeing him now, he is entirely different.’

The Emperor Lucian saw was more than fit to occupy the Jade Throne. He had analyzed the battlefield from afar, personally rode out to fix the Imperial reputation that Claude had ruined, and subtly warned the other nobles not to underestimate the throne while rewarding loyalty with public gratitude.

‘The Emperor acting so boldly will trigger a lot of gossip, but even with that, he is a capable sovereign. Enough to make me think it might be fine to give him my fealty if this were a time of peace rather than turmoil.’

So why was such a man so incompetent when it came to his children’s succession?

Instead of answering Lucian’s private thought, the Emperor smiled and offered another path.

“If you are willing, I would like to speak with you on a few matters. Will you ride with me?”

“If that is Your Majesty’s desire, I would be honored.”

Lucian accepted the invitation without hesitation. Leaving aside the politics of his family, this was a chance for Lucian to forge a direct link with the Emperor, so there was no reason to decline.

The Allied Forces, their hearts still pounding from the Imperial arrival, began their retreat with significantly more order than before. A short time later, Lucian was riding beside the Emperor at the front of the column, deep in talk.

“I have heard quite a bit about your reputation. Even at sixteen, the stories following you are rather remarkable.”

“They are likely just tall tales, Your Majesty.”

“First you say my thanks are too much, and now your modesty is just as vast. I believe you have already done enough to prove the stories are true.”

The Emperor broke into a laugh, continuing to show his high regard for the boy. Perhaps because the initial meeting went so well, he seemed delighted by everything Lucian had to say.

Eventually, as they approached the Horsen River and the surrounding eyes began to thin out, the Emperor dropped his voice to a whisper.

“I have one thing to inquire… do you have an interest in becoming the Head of a House?”

“Your Majesty, I must apologize, but the internal business of my family is…”

Lucian paused with a look of concern. Regardless of his status as Emperor, meddling in the succession of House Valdek was a serious breach of boundaries.

The Emperor quickly gestured with his hands, indicating that wasn’t his point.

“My apologies. I phrased that poorly. I have no wish to interfere in the inheritance of the Grand Ducal House. When I spoke of being a ‘Head,’ I meant it in a different capacity.”

“A different capacity?”

“Are you perhaps interested in the rank of Margrave rather than Grand Duke? I think it would be an excellent idea for a man of your caliber to establish a legacy as the creator of a new house.”

“…!”

Lucian’s eyes widened at the sudden and massive offer.