Chapter 146
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 146
“Ahem! Hrmph! Please, see the details for yourself. I did my best in my own way, but I’m sure there are many areas where I fell short.”
Lucian chuckled as he watched Hans cough, as if trying to shake off a sudden chill.
“There’s no need for such humility. For your first time serving as the Acting Lord, your handling of affairs was exceptionally clean. I am quite satisfied.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
“You just need to keep performing at this level from now on, so make sure you get a good feel for it. I might have to entrust the position of Acting Lord to you again soon.”
“...Pardon?”
Hans, who had been breathing a sigh of relief, widened his eyes at Lucian’s subsequent words.
He had suffered so much that he never wanted to do it again, and yet he was being told he’d have to do it again later? Just as the horrified Hans was about to protest, Lucian voiced a question.
“By the way, I don’t see Sir Eisen. I thought he would come out to meet us, especially since Felicia is returning after a long time. Is he resting in the castle?”
“....”
At those words, Hans fell silent, his face turning pale.
Noticing the strange atmosphere, Lucian turned his head to examine Hans’s expression.
“What is it? Has something actually happened?”
“The truth is... his health is not very good.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Before Hans could even finish, Felicia cut in with a sharp voice.
“My father was perfectly fine when I left Asagrim. How could his health have declined in such a short time? What on earth happened?”
“N-nothing happened! He has simply lost some of his vitality!”
Hans answered hurriedly at the interrogative tone, but Felicia continued to glare at him sharply.
Seeing the look in her eyes demanding a more detailed explanation, Hans let out a deep sigh.
“Sir Felicia, I understand your concern for him, but truly, nothing happened. Who would dare try to harm the Sword Saint? Setting aside whether anyone has the intent, no one has the capability.”
“Then, the fact that my father’s health has declined is....”
“Please consider his age. It wouldn’t be strange for his health to decline due to old age. It might be disrespectful to say this, but I have never seen anyone older than him.”
In terms of pure age, it meant it wouldn't be surprising if he passed away at any moment.
Unable to find a word of rebuttal, Felicia stepped back with a dark expression.
It was as he said; Eisen’s lifespan had nearly reached the limits of a human being.
However, Lucian felt a sense of confusion at Hans’s answer.
‘How can this be? Sir Eisen should have had about five years of life left.’
In his past life, the Sword Saint Eisen died five years from now.
According to rumors, he had been so healthy that he hadn't missed a single day of swordsmanship practice until the day before his death.
Yet now, he was so frail that he couldn't even come out to meet his cherished Felicia.
“Are you sure nothing happened? You didn't notice any symptoms of illness or anything strange?”
“It’s definitely not an illness... I’m not sure if I should call it a strange sign, but it felt as if he had lost his will to live.”
“Lost his will to live?”
“He often said things like he had accomplished everything and had no lingering regrets. We even found a partially written will.”
Lucian gave a hollow laugh at Hans’s reply.
He felt he finally understood why Eisen, who had lived five years longer in his previous life, had lost his vitality.
Upon returning to the White Palace, Lucian sought out Eisen first.
Eisen, who was lying in bed, wore an apologetic expression at Lucian’s visit.
“Your Grace, congratulations on your return after achieving such a great feat. Please forgive my rudeness in greeting you while lying down, unable to even come out to meet you.”
“What is there to forgive? Don’t try to get up; just rest.”
Lucian gently pressed down on Eisen, who was trying to force his upper body up.
Despite the light pressure, Eisen’s body couldn't resist and sank back into the bed.
Seeing Eisen’s weakened state, Felicia knelt by the bed, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Father.”
“Now, now, child. His Grace is watching.”
Though he uttered a scolding, his eyes were filled with affection.
Seeing Eisen’s loving gaze, Lucian sighed inwardly.
‘As I thought, I was the cause.’
To be precise, the problem was that, unlike in his past life, Eisen no longer had any lingering attachments to life.
In his previous life, the Sword Saint Eisen had regretted his entire life that he hadn't left behind a proper successor.
Naturally, he wouldn't have been able to let go of his attachments until the very moment of his death.
But in this life, Lucian had cleared away all those regrets by introducing him to Felicia.
On top of that, he had lost his lord, Grand Duke Sigmund, and Lucian had become independent enough to no longer need the Sword Saint’s help.
‘Has he found no further reason to live? To think that death would be brought forward because his reason to cling to life has vanished.’
For Eisen, this life was likely several times better than the previous one.
Leaving behind a lifelong grudge just to live five more years would be nothing but agony.
However, Lucian couldn't shake the feeling that he had caused Eisen to die earlier than scheduled.
Eisen, seeing the shadow cast over Lucian’s face, misunderstood something and gave a faint smile.
“Your Grace, do not be so troubled. The frailty of man is unavoidable. Rather, is it not a miracle that I have lived until this day without ever suffering a proper illness?”
“Sir Eisen.”
“If you are truly worried about this old man, then tell me what happened beyond the snowfields. I feel as though my strength would surge if I heard the tales of adventure from Your Grace and Felicia.”
“I would be happy to tell you.”
Lucian sat beside Eisen and calmly recounted the events beyond the snowfields.
The extreme cold that would shock even a Northerner, those who claimed to be descendants of the dragon, and Marius’s prophecy.
The Chieftain’s desperate struggle to cast Lucian out, and the trials that followed.
Eisen, listening with interest, burst into laughter at the part where those who had looked down on Felicia changed their attitude in a single day.
“Hahaha! Those fools who ignored her because she’s a woman knelt within a single day! That must have been quite a sight!”
“It was more than just a sight. Whenever I walked by with Felicia, they worshipped her as if they were meeting a goddess.”
“If only I had accompanied Your Grace, I could have seen that sight for myself. What a shame.”
Eisen, having laughed his fill, wore a pleasant smile, but regardless of his mood, his body seemed short of breath.
Seeing this, Lucian stood up, hiding the bitterness rising within him.
“I still have many stories to tell, but since I’ve only just returned and work has piled up, I must be going.”
“Oh dear, this old man has kept Your Grace for too long. My apologies.”
“Don't mention it. I’m sure father and daughter have much to catch up on, so I’ll leave Felicia here. You can hear the rest of the stories from her.”
“I thank Your Grace for your consideration.”
Lucian responded with a smile to Eisen and quietly stepped out of the room.
As soon as the door closed, he wiped the smile from his face and sought out Hans with a hardened expression.
“Hans.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“I’m asking just in case, but does Sir Eisen know about the situation outside?”
“He does not. I thought there was no need to deliver bad news to someone who is already unwell, so I blocked as much information as possible.”
“You did well.”
There was likely little Eisen could have done about the merchants' pressure on Hans anyway.
Eisen was a Sword Saint, not a politician skilled in intrigue.
Even if he had heard, he would have only worried excessively, which would have further worsened his health.
Conversely, it meant that without Hans’s proactive measures, Eisen’s condition could have been even worse.
“Summon the merchants.”
Lucian turned to Hans and gave the command in a cold tone.
“It’s time to pay back those outstanding debts.”
“T-this humble merchant greets His Grace the Grand Duke, the Master of Asagrim and the rightful heir to the Northern Royal Family!”
“We greet Your Grace!”
The masters of each merchant group who had been summoned knelt before Lucian, trembling.
Because of the sins they had committed, their faces were all deathly pale.
Lucian scanned the bowing guild masters once and spoke dryly.
“Welcome. I assume you’ve heard from others why I summoned you?”
“We heard that you would pay the outstanding debts, but....”
“Indeed. A man must pay his debts. I intend to pay the debt I owe you now.”
At those words, the guild masters’ faces brightened as they lifted their heads.
They had worried he might feign ignorance, but to think he would actually pay the outstanding balances!
However, Lucian’s words did not end there.
“And I must also collect the debt you owe me right here.”
“...!”
“You pressured the proxy I appointed by imposing ridiculous conditions. How lightly did you take my authority to pull such a pathetic stunt?”
“Y-Your Grace.”
“If there is any reason why I shouldn't cut off your heads right now and decorate the castle walls with them, speak up.”
At the voice filled with murderous intent, the guild masters trembled, their faces turning white.
They had felt safe believing Dominic’s words, but now their heads were on the chopping block.
At that moment, Dominic, the only one among the guild masters who maintained a calm complexion, spoke up.
“What excuse could there be? A humble merchant has offended Your Grace’s mood for the sake of a small profit, so I have nothing to say even if I were to die a hundred deaths. However.”
“However?”
“If you would spare this humble life, I wish to serve Your Grace with all my heart and soul to earn forgiveness for my sins. Please, show mercy.”
Lucian barely suppressed the urge to burst out laughing.
Is there anything less trustworthy than a merchant’s oath of loyalty?
Especially when that merchant was none other than Dominic Ryler.
Swallowing his laughter, Lucian put on an interested expression as if he knew nothing.
“Exactly how do you intend to serve me? I have never received a merchant’s oath of loyalty, though I have received many from knights.”
“There are many ways for a merchant to prove their loyalty, but it seems there is only one way for me to prove my loyalty to Your Grace right now.”
“Stop stalling and speak. My patience is not long.”
At Lucian’s urging, Dominic took a deep breath and spoke.
“I shall offer Your Grace a metal comparable to Adamantium. In a quantity sufficient to fully equip an entire force of ten thousand soldiers.”
“...!?”
At Dominic’s unexpected words, everyone let out a silent scream.
A metal with strength comparable to Adamantium?
When on earth had such a metal been discovered?
And it could even be mass-produced enough to arm ten thousand troops at once?
“Are you trying to deceive me now? Stop talking nonsense.”
While everyone else was in shock, Lucian did not withdraw his cold gaze.
Dominic flinched at the reaction, which was colder than expected, but continued in a calm voice.
“I know it is a suspicious tale. Therefore, I wish to prove it directly before Your Grace.”
“You’re just spouting whatever comes to mind because you want to live. What will you do if your words are proven false?”
If he had deceived the Acting Lord, it could end with the head of a single guild master.
But if he deceived the Lord himself—and a Grand Duke at that—it would not end at the level of a single head.
At Lucian’s threat, Dominic spoke with a firm face.
“I shall offer everything belonging to the Dominic Merchant Group along with my head. This will be given to Your Grace as a legitimate right, so no one will be able to object to Your Grace’s authority.”
Having heard the words he wanted, Lucian gave a chilling smile and nodded.
“Do not forget those words.”