Chapter 126
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 126
Lucian paused for a moment at the mention of an artifact.
However, it was only for a second; he soon nodded as if he understood. Marius blinked at the reaction, which was far more subdued than he had expected.
"What? Not surprised? Aren't you curious about what kind of artifact it is?"
"I am surprised enough. And curious. It’s just that I’ve been deeply disappointed by artifact-related matters recently, so I’m trying not to get my hopes up. More importantly..."
Lucian trailed off, a thin smile playing on his lips.
"Seeing as you approached me even after getting your hands on it, there must be some kind of defect with this artifact. Am I right?"
"Hah. I was going to tease you a bit, but you didn't fall for it one bit. You're exactly right."
Marius let out a deep sigh, his previous triumphant grin vanishing.
"To be precise, what I discovered was a phenomenon caused by an artifact. The moment I reached Raugrad while fleeing my pursuers, I realized there was something unnatural about this cold."
After investigating while enduring the bone-chilling frost, he discovered that the mana around Raugrad was severely distorted. It was an irrational sight, as if the temporary warping of the environment that occurs when using Celestial School magic was being maintained indefinitely.
Marius figured out that, if he played his cards right, he could stabilize this distortion, even if only temporarily.
"From that day on, I threw myself into research like a madman. If I could stop the cold for just a moment and escape across the snowfields, my pursuers wouldn't be able to follow."
"That was reckless. Even if you escaped across the snowfields, you would have starved to death if you had no way to make a living."
"When a blade is hovering at your throat, do you think you'd care about that? I interpreted everything in the most positive light possible."
If someone had intentionally cut off the path, then surely someone must be living beyond it. If he could just cross these snowfields, he would find a way to survive.
With that thought, Marius worked desperately until he finally succeeded in opening a path. It was unstable and incredibly narrow, but it was enough for a person to pass through without freezing to death.
"I headed across the snowfields without looking back. Fortunately, thanks to my thorough preparations, I was able to survive for a long time even while sleeping rough. I had also mastered quite a few useful spells."
"It's more than a ten-day journey from Raugrad to here. How did you endure it? There wouldn't have been any of the huts you built back then."
"Endure? It was just a cycle of pushing forward until I collapsed from exhaustion, resting, and waking up just before I froze to death in my sleep. If I hadn't been able to use magic, I would have died long ago."
In the end, Marius collapsed from exhaustion before he could cross the snowfields. Had luck not been on his side, he would have died right there, but fortunately, a tribe living beyond the snowfields discovered him. They had come to investigate, finding the sudden opening of the path strange.
Marius closed his eyes as if reminiscing.
"A lot happened after that. Some welcomed me, while others tried to kill me. Some were wary, while others looked at me with curious eyes. Eventful days followed, but after many twists and turns, the tribespeople accepted my existence."
The fact that Marius’s school, the Celestial School, was of great help in the snowfields also played a part. In particular, his astrology and weather-manipulation magic were invaluable to those living in such a harsh environment. Thanks to the magic he learned from his master and a fair amount of luck, Marius eventually became the tribe's Guide.
"A Guide?"
"Think of it as an advisor, prophet, and diviner to the Chieftain. It’s more of an honorary position with no real practical power, but due to the nature of being a prophet, the intangible authority and influence are considerable."
"I see. You've risen quite high for an outsider."
"Risen high, you say..."
Marius gave a self-deprecating laugh at Lucian's words. He seemed to be lamenting his own situation, or perhaps struggling with his own emotions.
"Yes, I suppose you could see it that way. I could have been satisfied and put down roots here. But I simply couldn't. This place was too small to satisfy me."
Perhaps if he hadn't known the wider world, he could have been content. But in Marius's eyes, this land was nothing more than a small model garden. It might have been different if he were a Court Mage of the Empire, but being worshipped as a 'Guide' in such a cramped land only brought him a sense of self-loathing.
"But it wasn't as if there was anything I could do. If I left, I’d just be hunted by my pursuers again, so I had no choice but to live here, however dissatisfied I was."
"For someone who claims to have been resigned to his fate, you seem to have quite a bit of ambition."
"Some bastard set a fire in my dying heart."
"A bastard?"
"Ivar of the Red Axe."
Marius spat out each word, making no effort to hide his resentment.
"The current Chieftain of this Blue Dragon Tribe."
"Guide!"
Gunstein shouted before he could stop himself. No matter how much of a Guide he was, insulting the Chieftain was crossing the line. However, Marius didn't even blink at Gunstein's outburst.
Lucian stepped in front of Gunstein and asked, "What did the Chieftain do to you?"
"Back when he was just a green boy, he offered me a deal. He said if I helped him become the next Chieftain, he would give me anything I wanted. So, I asked him to let me enter the Holy Land, a place only the Chieftain is permitted to enter."
"The Holy Land?"
"The altar where the Dragon's Heart is kept. It looks ordinary on the outside, but the moment anyone enters without the Chieftain's permission, they are subject to summary execution."
The Blue Dragon Tribe possessed the Dragon's Heart, and only the Chieftain had the authority to manage it. Marius hadn't fully believed the stories, but he desperately wanted to see it if the opportunity arose. If, by some miracle, a real Dragon's Heart existed, it would be a weapon he could use against the Empire.
Given the influence he had built up, Marius was more than willing to help Ivar in order to satisfy his curiosity.
"I used every bit of influence I had to make Ivar the Chieftain. Once he took the position, Ivar kept his promise and let me into the Holy Land. And then..."
Marius, who had entered the Holy Land with half-doubts, felt like he was going to faint. The moment he stepped inside the altar, an explosive amount of mana—which couldn't be felt from the outside—swept through his entire body.
In the Holy Land, there were the actual remains of a dragon and its heart, and there was even an artifact that continued to function using the heart's mana. Though it was an artifact he had never seen before, Marius knew the moment he laid eyes on it. That object was the very thing that controlled the climate of the North and blocked off the snowfields with blizzards.
"Can you imagine the awe? Not only was there a Dragon's Heart, but there was an artifact running on that heart as fuel. An ancient legacy that could manipulate the weather at will—something that could freeze a million-man army to death!"
"...!"
Lucian's eyes widened. The blueprints for the weather control device he had seen in the basement of the White Palace flashed through his mind. It was an artifact that was impossible to replicate, but if it could have been made, it could have ruled the entire Empire. And to think that such an artifact was still functioning, fueled by a Dragon's Heart.
He realized a moment too late that he had failed to maintain his poker face, but fortunately, Marius was too caught up in his own emotions to notice the change in Lucian.
"I told Ivar. With this Dragon's Heart and the artifact, we wouldn't have to live trapped in the snowfields. We could go to a land flowing with milk and honey and he could become a king."
"And? Did the Chieftain accept your proposal?"
"What do you think?"
Lucian remained silent at Marius's cold tone. He could tell just by the way Marius was ranting that the offer had been rejected.
After grinding his teeth for a while, Marius finally managed to suppress his anger and let out a sigh.
"The fellow was only interested in enjoying the power he had finally obtained. Rather than seeking more, he wanted to live as the big boss in this tiny patch of land. In my despair, I left the snowfields and headed for the Empire."
However, leaving the snowfields didn't lead to a rosy life. In the Empire, the Imperial hounds were still watching with sharp eyes. As soon as he returned, Marius had to live with bated breath, hiding from the Imperial family. He took in a few talented disciples during that time, but the satisfaction of teaching the next generation wasn't enough to sustain him in such an environment.
In the end, Marius had no choice but to return to the Blue Dragon Tribe over a decade later.
"Since I was the one who came crawling back, Ivar openly looked down on me. He threw away even the minimal respect he used to show and told me to just live my life giving him prophecies that favored him."
Having no other choice, Marius succumbed to Ivar's demands. However, the hope that had once been sparked did not disappear; as the years passed, it began to turn into an obsession. One day, while harboring this festering obsession, Marius felt a change in the stars.
"I was just trying to perform a divination as usual, but I was shocked. Next to the Emperor's star, a new star had appeared, one I had never seen before. A hero's star, so dazzling and intense that it seemed to swallow all the other stars."
"...Are you saying that's me?"
"I won't tell you to believe in astrology. That's your choice. But I believed in it, and I wanted to help the hero's star."
A hero is destined to open a new era. And there was no rule saying that this new era couldn't be a golden age for mages. Thinking that the final chance to achieve his lifelong ambition had arrived, Marius moved quickly.
"At first, I thought about leaving it to Colin, but then I realized I couldn't. Given my disciple's personality, once he settled down, he'd surely choose the safe path regardless of the Magic Tower or anything else."
"Master!"
"What? Are you going to tell me I'm wrong?"
Colin, who was about to say something, lowered his head at his master's gaze. It was true; he had been about to protest for that very reason just moments ago. He had wondered why they were crossing such a dangerous bridge when a golden age for mages would surely begin just by being loyal to Lucian.
But thinking about it again, his master's words meant that since it was already too late for him, he was just going to ensure Colin had a good life.
Marius clicked his tongue briefly and resumed his story.
"So, I used every means at my disposal to bring you here. I sent Helen to leak information about the Dragon's Heart, and I opened the path when Gunstein's anxiety reached its peak. And in the meantime, I spread the prophecy of a king who would unite all the tribes of the snowfields."
"Was Gunstein losing his position to me also part of your calculation?"
"Calculation? Hardly. He's someone who covets the Chieftain's seat but has no achievements to show for it. It was obvious that once the path opened, he would go poking around to see if there was anything to gain. I simply figured he would pounce if my guest showed up."
Gunstein was deeply shocked by the casual way Marius spoke. He had thought everything was a coincidence, but he had been dancing in the palm of an old prophet's hand.
Before Gunstein could say anything, Marius spoke first.
"Do you resent me?"
"Guide...!"
"I didn't make you do anything. I simply opened the path as I always do. You were the one loitering around trying to find achievements. You were the one who picked a fight with my guest to try and drag me into it."
"..."
"Tell me. Whose fault is it that you ended up like this?"
Gunstein trembled before hanging his head low. If Marius had whispered something in his ear, it might be different, but it was too shameless to blame someone who hadn't even come near him.
Just as Marius was about to say something more, Lucian raised a hand to stop him.
"That's enough playing the mastermind."