Chapter 134
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134
‘This is insane!’
Standing before the Dragon’s Heart, Ivar was caught between a rock and a hard place.
He had no idea how Lucian was holding the heart with his bare hands, but he could still feel the immense power radiating from it. Now that it was completely detached from the artifact, touching it would mean certain death; his body would surely explode, unable to withstand the influx of power.
However, with the tribespeople watching, he couldn't simply reject Lucian’s proposal without a reason.
‘Damn it, what am I supposed to do?’
It was impossible for Ivar to produce a dramatic effect like Lucian had, so the outcome of this "favor" was practically predetermined. Even if he couldn't absorb the heart’s power, he at least had to show himself holding it safely. Only then could he prove he was a warrior who had once been chosen by the heart.
But if he claimed to have held it safely in the past, only to have his body explode upon touching it now? He would be exposed as a fraud who had never been chosen, a thief who had merely stolen the heart’s power.
‘If the lies I’ve told until now are exposed, it won't end with just my name being dragged through the mud. Even my sons might suffer the consequences.’
No matter how great a child might be, it is difficult to shake off a parent’s infamy. Whatever achievements they might reach, they would be despised for the rest of their lives, with people whispering that the blood of a fraud still ran through their veins.
Furthermore, Einar and Brunda had even taken the dragon’s power using the method Ivar had taught them. People would assume the entire family had been complicit in Ivar’s deception since the very beginning.
‘To think this would happen right after I revealed everything...!’
Trapped in a checkmate with no way out, Ivar squeezed his eyes shut. Since things had come to this, it was impossible to escape without any damage. He had to give up what he must and somehow conclude this with minimal losses.
“What is the matter? Go ahead and take the heart. I am trying to give you a chance.”
At the sound of Lucian’s voice, which was thick with mockery, Ivar took a deep breath. There was only one thing he could sacrifice right now to minimize the overall damage.
It was his pride.
“I appreciate your consideration, but I am fine. I can see the result without having to hold the heart.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I hear the Dragon’s voice. A voice telling me not to linger, for it has already chosen its master. Even if I were to hold the heart now, nothing would happen.”
Ivar did his best to steady his trembling cheeks and put on the expression of a sage. From a distance, he looked like someone who had reached enlightenment, a man with no lingering attachments to the heart.
“Even if it is a sacred relic our tribe has kept for a long time, it is only right to return it once its master has appeared. As a warrior who was once chosen, I intend to fulfill that duty.”
“Are you acknowledging me as the master of the heart?”
“I am. Take it. The heart is yours now. However, remember that the Dragon’s selection and the Chieftain’s Trial are separate matters. You still have the third trial remaining.”
“Ho.”
Lucian let out a sound of admiration at Ivar’s quick thinking.
If Ivar touched the heart, his body would explode; if he refused, he would face the suspicion of the tribespeople. An ordinary person would have had their mind go blank, unable to do anything. Yet, Ivar had promptly given up the heart and turned the situation into a heartwarming tale. He had framed himself not as a loser rejected by the heart, but as a great man following the natural order.
On top of that, he even managed to preserve his image of fairness by drawing a line between the Dragon’s choice and the Chieftain’s Trial.
“You’re sharp. You gave up your pride but saved everything else.”
Ivar didn't even blink at Lucian’s whisper. He seemed intent on moving past this as if nothing had happened.
However, the words that followed jolted Ivar’s spirit.
“Well then, shall I make the same offer to your sons?”
“...!”
Ivar, who thought he had finally caught his breath, froze on the spot. If Lucian held out the heart now, his two sons would either have to touch it and die, or acknowledge Lucian just as Ivar had.
The problem was that the situation for the two sons was different from Ivar’s. In the middle of a competition for the position of Tribal Chief, acknowledging Lucian as their superior was tantamount to surrender. If they were swept up in the atmosphere, Lucian might even be acclaimed as the third chieftain right then and there.
“P-Please...!”
His breathing grew ragged, and Ivar could barely squeeze out those few words. As cold sweat soaked his entire body, Lucian’s voice reached his ears.
“Let’s conduct the third trial fairly. Without any of these petty tricks. Understood?”
Ivar nodded frantically at Lucian’s words. Only then did Lucian smile with satisfaction, raising the Dragon’s Heart high as he shouted.
“Even one who was once chosen by the Dragon has acknowledged me, so how can anyone deny my right! I am the rightful master of this heart, and from this day forward, the Dragon shall be with me!”
Waaaaaaaah!
The tribespeople erupted in cheers for Lucian all at once. Even though their sacred relic had fallen into the hands of a stranger, not a single person looked uneasy. They all believed without a doubt that Lucian would become their new king.
*
Gunstein couldn't wrap his head around the series of major events occurring like a storm. It was only yesterday that he had been left speechless by Felicia’s unbelievable level of mastery. And yet, in just one day, the owner of the sacred relic the tribe had kept for ages had changed.
‘...I’ve been surprised so often that I don't think I’ll even flinch at most things anymore.’
He felt like he finally understood why Lucian’s inner circle was so nonchalant. If their lord was someone who always brought about such massive events, they would naturally grow accustomed to it.
In a sense, Gunstein was feeling a bit proud, thinking he had grown a little closer to the other subordinates, when—
“Good heavens.”
As if to mock his previous thought, Gunstein let out another cry of shock. It was only natural, for that arrogant Guide was kneeling before his lord, Lucian.
“Marius, the second son of a farmhouse, offers his greetings to the rightful heir of Valdek and the Duke of Asagrim. Please, forgive my insolence until now.”
“...”
Marius’s actions left not only his two disciples but even Lucian’s subordinates speechless. Marius was the man who had reached the highest level among all living mages. Though he wasn't recognized due to the Empire’s policy of persecuting mages, in the old days, he would have been treated as an equal to a Sword Saint.
That was why they had more or less accepted his arrogance until now, but to see him acting so humbly all of a sudden...
“M-Master! Why are you suddenly doing this?!”
Despite Colin’s stammering voice, Marius remained still with his mouth shut tight. It was as if he wouldn't even dare lift his head without Lucian’s permission. Lucian frowned at the sight of him posed like a peasant having an audience with a noble.
“I don't like looking at this. Lift your head.”
“I am overwhelmed by your grace.”
“Grace, my foot. Why did you suddenly stop acting like a sage and start imitating a peasant? Are you mocking me?”
“No, I am simply...”
Marius’s lips moved a few times before he closed them again. He had remembered that nothing ever went well when he ran his mouth. Lucian clicked his tongue and sat in a deliberately crooked posture. He looked ready to get up and leave at any moment if he didn't like the answer.
“What are you trying to do? Now that your plan has crumbled, are you going to bow your head to try and win my favor?”
“I have simply come to a realization.”
Marius finally spoke in response to Lucian’s question. In that short span of time, Marius’s face seemed to have aged ten years.
“I thought my wish was an obsession. An obsession I couldn't give up even if I died—one where dying was better than giving up.”
“But it wasn't?”
“Yes. It was all my misunderstanding.”
Marius spoke with a self-deprecating smile.
“It was a dream I had because I thought it was achievable, because I thought there was a possibility. If there had truly been no possibility at all, I would have compromised from the beginning.”
One of the mercenaries Marius had met long ago said that if he couldn't have everything, it was better to just let it all crumble. He said that getting something halfway finished brought no joy and felt like nothing more than cheap pity, which only made him feel worse. Marius had deeply empathized with those words and thought he was the same type of person.
“But when I was faced with a situation where I truly couldn't achieve anything, I found I couldn't bear it. I was not the kind of person who could give up everything just because my greatest dream was frustrated.”
“So? Since your dream of rebuilding the Magic Tower is dead, you’re going to dream a different dream?”
“Yes.”
“Interesting. What dream is that?”
“Please allow me to work as the Chief Mage under Your Grace.”
“Ha.”
A snort came from Hugo, standing behind Lucian. It was pathetic to see him trying to snatch the Chief Mage position that belonged to his disciple now that his dream of rebuilding the Magic Tower had vanished. Felicia and Raymond also wore absurd expressions, though they didn't laugh openly.
Only Lucian remained calm, asking back without any reaction.
“You want the position of Chief Mage?”
“I do. But if that is not possible, please let me work in another position beneath it.”
“And if I say no to that as well?”
“Then please entrust me with magic research. It would be fine to let me take on the role of an educator to raise the next generation of mages.”
“And if I don't want that either?”
“Your Grace.”
Marius’s voice trembled violently. When people turned their heads in surprise, they saw Marius with an expression that looked like he was about to burst into tears. He stopped bowing according to etiquette and began rubbing his hands together, like a tenant farmer begging a landlord.
“I beg of you... I am pleading like this, so please...!”
“...”
At the sight of their great master’s groveling, Colin and Helen quietly lowered their heads. Despite reaching an incomparably high level as a mage, Marius had spent his entire life being hunted like a witch. Even though he was in a position that deserved the same respect as a Sword Saint, he had received nothing but hatred and fear, so how could he not feel resentful?
That was likely why he had dreamed such an excessively grand dream of rebuilding the Magic Tower—to resolve that resentment all at once.
But Marius’s plan had failed. He hadn't become a necessary existence to Lucian, nor had he built any personal rapport. Far from achieving his dream of rebuilding the Magic Tower, he was in a position where he wouldn't even leave a name in history.
Since his last chance depended entirely on Lucian’s whim, all Marius could do was engage in miserable begging.
“...”
“...”
The sight of a powerhouse on the level of a Sword Saint begging was so wretched that even Lucian’s subordinates were at a loss for words. Felicia, in particular, squeezed her eyes shut involuntarily. She felt that if she hadn't met Lucian and had grown old without achieving anything, she might have looked no different from Marius.
After staring at Marius in silence for a long time, Lucian spoke quietly.
“For someone so desperate, you aren't offering anything.”
“Pardon?”
“You haven't said a single word about what you can do for me or how much help you can be. Even though you were talking so big not too long ago.”
“...”
“I like that about you.”
At the sound of Lucian’s voice, which now held a hint of amusement, Marius snapped his head up. Lucian was looking down at Marius with a much softer expression than before.
“If you had said I should use you because you can do this or that, or that I must use you because you’re helpful, I was going to cast you out immediately. But I’ve changed my mind.”
“Y-Your Grace.”
“I’ll trust you one last time, as I highly value the fact that you left everything to my decision. Do not disappoint me this time.”
Hot tears streamed from the corners of Marius’s eyes. Despite living his whole life running like a sewer rat, he had been unable to let go of his meager pride, leading to a life of repeated mistakes in how he handled himself. To think that the path would finally open only after he cast aside all his pride and humbled himself before another.
A lament that he should have let go sooner and the joy of having caught his final chance swirled within his chest.
“Thank you, Your Grace! Thank you...!”
“Save the thanks. Since you’ve entered my service, I have a few questions, so answer those first.”
“Anything! Please, ask anything!”
Whoosh.
A flame created from the Dragon’s mana flared up in Lucian’s hand. He then gazed at the eager Marius and asked:
“This Dragon’s mana—how do I use it?”