Chapter 135
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 135
Ivar found the current situation utterly hopeless.
In both the first and second trials, Lucian had flaunted an overwhelming gap between himself and the others. The tribespeople already considered it a foregone conclusion that Lucian would become the chieftain.
In such a state, if Ivar tried to desperately drag Lucian down, no one would support him. Driven into a corner, Ivar played his final card on the day of the third trial.
"The third trial is a duel. However, it will not be a duel between candidates, but rather a test of your abilities conducted by us."
"…It sounds like I’m the only one being tested here."
"Precisely."
Ivar nodded at Lucian’s pointed question.
"You have already received the Dragon's Selection. It would be ridiculous for such a person to compete for the chieftaincy. However, we also have the right to choose our ruler."
"So, you want me to prove I’m the ruler by beating all of you down?"
"The one who obtained the Dragon's Heart could not possibly lose to us, who have only received mere fragments of it. Is that not so?"
If Lucian were to lose to even one of them, it would mean the Dragon's Selection was a mistake. Having said his piece, Ivar wore a brazen expression, as if there were no possible counterargument to this logical conclusion.
Lucian couldn't help but let out a short, dry laugh at Ivar’s final struggle, masked by a facade of composure.
How pitiful. Then again, pushed this far, he has no other way to deal with me except through a duel.
Lucian’s performance so far had been nothing short of dramatic. Combined with what Marius had prepared in advance, it was as if a figure from myth or legend had stepped into reality.
Thanks to that, he had easily captured the hearts of the tribespeople, but conversely, the expectations for Lucian had skyrocketed. Even if a trial was objectively unreasonable for an ordinary warrior, the people now viewed it as an appropriate level for Lucian.
After all, someone who commanded the strongest warriors and was chosen by the Dragon's Heart should be able to overcome such tribulations with ease.
He knows the tribespeople won't accept it if he tries to drag me down by force, so he’s framing it as a trial. Well, it’s not a bad scheme for something cooked up in a single day.
Legends of a powerful warrior fighting and defeating multiple opponents alone were common—clichéd, even. Though slightly unfair, considering the reputation Lucian had built, it wasn't an impossible test to demand.
Furthermore, Ivar and his two sons had also absorbed fragments of the Dragon's Magic Power. They likely believed that if they fought desperately, they stood a chance, even against Lucian and his Dragon's Heart.
"Hmm, now that I think about it, the chieftain has a point."
"One who challenges a legend requires a trial befitting that power."
"Honestly, I want to see for myself just how great the Dragon's power is."
As expected, the tribespeople seemed rather pleased with Ivar’s proposal. Feeling the expectant gazes from all around, Lucian shrugged and spoke.
"Fine, let's do that. Just to be sure—are you all going to attack at once?"
"Is it too difficult for the one who holds the Dragon's Heart to face three warriors simultaneously?"
"No, I just thought it would end faster that way. Fighting one by one is a bit of a chore."
Ivar grit his teeth at Lucian’s confident reply. He couldn't tell if Lucian truly had the confidence to win a three-on-one fight or if he was just bluffing.
"Unfortunately for you, you will face us one by one in consecutive matches. A warrior does not strike from behind."
Strike from behind, my foot.
They were likely fighting one by one because they didn't know his capabilities. By observing from the sidelines, they hoped to find a weakness.
Lucian swallowed a sneer and put on a disappointed face.
"Can't be helped, then. When do we start?"
"Right here, right now."
"I like the speed. Who’s the first opponent?"
"I am."
At the voice from the side, Lucian turned his head to see Einar stepping forward with an axe slung over his shoulder. Einar looked at Lucian with determined eyes and lowered his axe.
In response, Lucian drew his sword and walked toward Einar. As the two faced each other with a set distance between them, the tribespeople scrambled back to form a makeshift dueling ring.
"Do you have anything to say before we begin?"
At Lucian’s question, Einar blinked in slight surprise and then gave a bitter smile.
"What could I possibly say to you now? I still remember the meaning of shame and disgrace."
Einar, who only a few days ago had treated Lucian as an equal, was now using formal respect. It wasn't the performative respect his father, Ivar, used; it was filled with genuine reverence.
Lucian stared at Einar and said, "If you're so ashamed, you could have just refused. You follow your father's word to the bitter end."
"He is still my family. How could I let go of his hand just to save myself? If I cannot save him, I have no choice but to die with him."
"Even after the time to die together has passed? Would you make the same choice when your other family members are dead and only you remain?"
Einar’s face stiffened at the unexpected words. After a moment of contemplation, Einar let out a deep sigh and raised his axe.
"Let us begin."
A smile spread across Lucian’s lips. It seemed Einar had no intention of answering, likely because he lacked the gall to beg Lucian for his life, though Lucian had no intention of taking it anyway.
He’s too good to let die here.
He was far better than his father, a warrior with a more upright spirit than most knights in the Empire. If brought under his command, Einar could sufficiently serve as a bridge between the tribes of the snowfields and the commoners of the Empire.
Having decided to spare Einar, Lucian let his sword hang low toward the ground.
"Come."
"Raise your weapon."
"I'm sorry, but you aren't an opponent I need to take a stance for. Don't worry about useless things and attack first."
Einar’s face flushed at the words that were practically an insult. Though he couldn't hold his head high because of his sins, having his skill as a warrior disregarded was a separate matter.
"You'll regret this!"
Whoosh!
Einar lunged at Lucian, Dragon's Magic Power erupting from his entire body. His speed and strength were in no way inferior to the top-tier knights of the Empire.
However, Lucian didn't even blink. He simply reached out his hand toward the incoming axe.
"What…!"
Einar was horrified by the reckless move, but it was too late to stop the swing. The axe collided with Lucian’s outstretched hand at a terrifying speed.
CLANG!
"…!?"
The eyes of the spectators widened. What was this thunderous sound of metal clashing, even though the weapon had struck bare flesh?
A moment later, Einar, realizing the source of the sound, gasped in horror.
"This is insane!"
Lucian was holding the axe blade with his hand as if it were nothing. Even though Einar had swung with all his might, Lucian didn't look strained at all.
Shaking the axe blade playfully, Lucian gave a smirk.
"Is this it?"
"…."
Cold sweat poured down Einar’s forehead. At a glance, it was easy to mistake it for Lucian using monstrous strength to catch the blade before it could cut the skin.
But Einar, the one involved, knew the truth.
He didn't snatch it before it hit. He caught it directly with his palm.
The axe had definitely struck Lucian’s palm. Yet, the blade hadn't been able to leave even a tiny scratch on Lucian’s skin.
"Just what did you do?"
"You don't know? It's a power you should already possess."
As soon as he finished speaking, a haze of flame-like aura shimmered from Lucian’s body. Looking closely, Lucian was enveloped in a faint layer of mana.
Only then did Einar realize the nature of the power that had blocked his axe.
"The Dragon's Power…!"
At Einar’s words, Lucian wore a deep smile, as if confirming he was correct.
"Dragon mana is the very essence of a dragon's power."
The previous night, Marius had answered Lucian’s questions with the utmost sincerity. He chose his words carefully, changing terms so that even someone completely ignorant of magic could understand.
Perhaps thanks to his experience raising several disciples, Marius’s explanation was quite easy to follow.
"Everything a dragon can do is achieved through the mana in its heart. Since Your Highness has obtained the power of that heart, you should be considered capable of replicating all the authorities of the ancient dragons."
"Can I breathe fire from my mouth too?"
"Yes. Provided you have firm belief, an organ that can substitute for a flame sac, and the ability to control the flow of the manifesting mana."
Lucian was stunned when a serious answer came back to his half-joking remark. No, really? A human body could breathe fire?
"Is that actually possible?"
"Theoretically, it is entirely possible. The problem is that Your Highness was born with a human body and has become accustomed to human common sense."
A dragon knows what it can do from the moment it is born, and the Dragon's Heart is an organ optimized for such a creature. Naturally, to borrow that power with a human body, one has to mimic a dragon in both thought and action.
There was no way an organ made for a dragon would automatically adjust itself to a human.
"The simplest example is the heat generated when manifesting mana. A dragon has an organ to store that heat from birth, so it can gather it inside the body and then release it, but…"
"Humans don't have such an organ. So the moment the mana manifests, it just leaks out."
"Exactly as you say."
"Then breathing fire or flying through the sky would be difficult. The former carries too much risk in trying to substitute it with another organ, and the latter would require wings, at the very least."
A dragon could lift its massive body into the sky and fly freely with just two thin membrane wings. Such mobility likely came from the heart's power, but to put it another way, even a dragon needed the organ known as wings to fly.
If a human, who lacked dragon-like organs from birth, tried to force another organ to substitute for them, their body would be severely damaged.
"Above all, it's impossible to take breathing fire or flying for granted. It's something I've never experienced in my life."
"That is true. However, moving the body quickly and swinging limbs with strength are things humans experience as well."
"I see. Is that why the physical body becomes stronger just by absorbing the Dragon's Magic Power?"
Because pure physical enhancement automatically met the conditions without having to consciously mimic a dragon.
Having grasped the concept to some extent, Lucian fell into thought. How could he naturally mimic a dragon and draw out its power?
Claws could be substituted with a sword, teeth were out of the question, and poison, like wings, lacked an organ. Among the remaining authorities, there was only one that could be used effectively.
"Can I mimic dragon scales with a human body?"
At Lucian’s question, Marius answered immediately without a hint of hesitation.
"It is possible."
The process of replicating dragon scales was simple. It was just a matter of enveloping the body in mana on top of the physical enhancement that any knight could naturally perform.
The resulting increase in durability was marginal, but the important thing was that the body became harder, even if only slightly.
The key is that the durability increases in the first place. If there's even a slight effect, I can use the Dragon's Power to explode that effect.
As a result, Lucian’s flesh, when shrouded in mana, became so hard it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it dragon scales. To the point where nothing short of a sword swung by Felicia could even leave a scratch.
Naturally, Einar, who was nowhere near Felicia’s level, had no hope of wounding Lucian’s body.
Lucian spoke to Einar, who was still reeling from the shock.
"Is this the end?"