Chapter 71
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 71
“What should we do?”
Hugo stepped forward, speaking for the group as he looked to Lucian.
Interfering in someone else’s business usually meant inheriting their headaches. However, if played right, this could be an opportunity to gain allies in the North.
“Let’s go.”
After a moment’s thought, Lucian headed toward the sound of clashing steel. They were heading this way regardless, so a confrontation was inevitable. It was better to take the initiative and assess the situation than to be caught off guard.
Clang! Screech! Thud!
“Over there.”
Lucian’s party reached the crest of the hill and looked down. Below, about thirty men were embroiled in a chaotic struggle. To be precise, the entire group was swarming a single man.
“You northern disgraces! Do you have no concept of a warrior’s honor?!”
Crunch!
“Gah...!”
A white-haired old man roared, his axe burying itself in a charging soldier. Despite his constant grumbling, the way his muscular frame tore through the enemy was nothing short of absurd.
“Damned old man. All that talk about being a warrior, and he really did train himself into a monster.”
In contrast to the muscular elder, the man commanding the soldiers looked like a refined nobleman. His high-quality suit and white gloves, more suited for the capital, momentarily brought to mind a ballroom rather than a battlefield.
“You piece of filth! Hiding behind common soldiers—is this what I taught you?! If you want your father’s head, come and take it yourself!”
“Are you still clinging to those outdated notions? If this were a ruse to bait me, I might be impressed, but the fact that you’re serious is just pathetic.”
“You... Urgh!”
Slash!
As the enraged old man shouted, a soldier’s spear grazed his forearm. Seeing blood spill from those iron-like muscles, the soldier cried out in excitement.
“I—I stabbed him! I actually...!”
“An elder is speaking! Where are your manners?!”
Splat!
An axe swung like a bolt of lightning, taking the cheering soldier’s head off in a single blow. It was so fast that the soldier died with a smile on his face, unaware of his own demise.
The nobleman clicked his tongue as he looked at the head rolling on the ground.
“Tsk, tsk. No gold coin for that one. He should have just stabbed and retreated.”
“You dare... Gah!”
The old man tried to roar again, but he swayed, overcome by a sudden bout of dizziness. Upon closer inspection, his body was already covered in numerous small wounds. Seeing the old man on the verge of collapse, the middle-aged nobleman burst into laughter.
“Warrior or not, it seems you can’t escape old age, Father! Though, I suppose you’ve held out quite long for your years.”
“...Let me ask you one thing. Do you truly believe that viper can restore the North’s former glory?”
Perhaps sensing his end was near, the old man let go of his anger and asked with genuine curiosity. The nobleman laughed even louder and shook his head.
“What does that matter? Northern glory or whatever—I couldn’t care less.”
“What? Then why...!”
“What matters is that the House of Calix is restructuring the North, and more people are siding with them than you’d think. If the North is being rebuilt, isn’t it better to stand with them early and pick up the crumbs?”
“You... to the very end!”
Blood trickled from the old man’s clenched teeth. He seemed more devastated by his son’s rejection of tradition than by his lack of filial piety.
“I’m tired of the lectures. Stop talking and go quietly. Like the warrior you love so much.”
With a sneer, the nobleman gestured, and three knights who had been conserving their strength stepped forward. Their horses snorted, tensing as if ready to charge at any moment.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“...!”
Lucian’s voice rang out from the hilltop where he had been watching. The nobleman frowned at the sudden intruder.
“Who are you to interfere in the affairs of another family?”
“And who are you to interfere in the affairs of another family?”
“...?”
The nobleman looked as if he had misheard. They were the ones who had just interrupted, yet he was being accused of interfering?
“What nonsense is this! Are you trying to play word games with me?!”
“Hardly. I’m asking in earnest. Why do you keep bringing up the House of Calix? Those people are using the Grimaldi name without my permission.”
“...!?”
The nobleman’s face twisted in bewilderment. A complete stranger was suddenly claiming the Grimaldi name?
“Who exactly are you?”
Lucian gave a thin smirk at the confused question.
“My name is Lucian Valdek. I am the third son of House Valdek, and the maternal grandson of the last head of House Grimaldi.”
“....”
“....”
When Lucian revealed his identity, a heavy silence fell over the nobleman and his knights. The knights, in particular, looked even more shaken than the nobleman, glancing at each other in confusion.
“...Are you truly of the Grimaldi bloodline?”
“You’ve heard my name; I believe it’s your turn to introduce yourself.”
“Ahem, my apologies. I am Torik Osgor, the current head of the House of Osgor.”
“Don’t make me laugh. When did I ever pass the title to you?”
Torik scowled at the old man’s rebuttal. He shot his father a look that told him to shut up, but the old man ignored him and shouted up to Lucian.
“I am Harald Osgor, the true head of the House of Osgor! Are you truly the maternal grandson of His Grace, Duke Klaus?!”
Klaus Grimaldi.
At the mention of his grandfather’s name, Lucian nodded.
“I swear by the Eight Gods of Heaven, I am his grandson by blood.”
“Then why have you come to the North now? I have never seen you before!”
The wounded Harald stared at Lucian with piercing eyes. His tone was accusatory, as if asking why someone who had never set foot in the North was suddenly appearing now.
Lucian spoke clearly and firmly to Harald.
“I have come to reclaim the Grimaldi name, which was originally mine, and to punish the thief who dared to use it without permission.”
“Do you, a non-Northerner, have the right to interfere in Northern affairs?”
“Regardless of where I was born, I am his grandson. What other qualification do I need to reclaim what is mine?”
“And if the people of the North refuse to acknowledge your right?”
Harald’s muscles twitched as if he were ready to hurl his axe at any moment. But Lucian didn’t even blink; he simply gave a cold smile.
“Then I suppose I’ll have to ask every Northerner what right they have to interfere in my family’s business.”
“Bwahahaha!”
It was an answer that bordered on sheer arrogance, yet Harald burst into a fit of boisterous laughter. Blood welled from his unclosed wounds, but he couldn’t stop laughing.
“Ha... you are definitely his grandson. This brings back memories.”
“Are we finished with the questions?”
“We are. Welcome to the North, descendant of Grimaldi. And...”
Harald spun his axe once and glared at Torik.
“I hate to ask, but could you lend a hand? It’s embarrassing, but I’ve been backstabbed by my own flesh and blood, and I’m in quite a state.”
At Harald’s request for aid, Torik shouted urgently.
“You have no reason to get involved in this! This is our family’s business, so pretend you saw nothing and leave!”
“And if I refuse?”
“What!?”
“That conversation earlier was quite interesting. What was it? You’re looking to pick up crumbs from the new order the House of Calix is building?”
Damn it!
Torik’s face crumpled in rage as he quickly scanned Lucian’s party. Soon, his composure returned, and a smirk played on his lips.
“You intend to challenge me with that pathetic force? How absurd.”
“What’s wrong with my force?”
“I see one washed-up knight, one mercenary girl playing at being a knight, and ten pieces of rabble. Oh, and I suppose I should count one sheltered young master?”
“Ho.”
Lucian’s lips curled upward at Torik’s mockery. So, that’s how they looked to him?
“Raymond, Felicia. Clear the path. Hugo, lead the Ten-Man Squad and cover their rear so they aren’t surrounded.”
“Yes, my Lord.”
The moment the command was given, Raymond and Felicia stepped to the front, with Hugo and the Ten-Man Squad fanning out behind them. Seeing the common soldiers move with such perfect discipline, Torik flinched, but he forced a smile.
“You’ve trained them well, it seems. But no matter how elite they are, with only ten men—”
“Charge.”
Ignoring Torik, Lucian gave the quiet command. Simultaneously, the Black Lion and the future Sword Saint drew their blades and descended the hill.
“....”
Torik blinked blankly. He couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.
The soldiers blocking the charge had fallen like stalks of wheat, and before he knew it, cold metal was pressed against his throat.
“Move and you die.”
At Felicia’s voice, Torik swallowed hard. As his Adam’s apple bobbed, the blade seemed to bite deeper into his skin.
“Tell your soldiers to drop their weapons.”
“That’s...”
“Do you want to die?”
“Drop your weapons! Everyone, drop your weapons now!”
Terrified as the blade drew blood, Torik screamed the order. The surviving soldiers immediately threw down their arms. Once they were disarmed, Torik looked at Felicia with trembling eyes.
“W-what do you plan to do with me?”
“That depends on my Lord’s whim.”
“Ransom! I’ll pay a ransom! So please...”
“Shut up.”
Silenced by Felicia’s murderous aura, Torik had no choice but to obey. His eyes darted around until they landed on his three knights, now mere corpses.
When did they...
He had seen one fall clearly. The man who looked like a washed-up knight had cut down his knight in just three exchanges. The problem was the other two.
I didn't even see the swings.
The moment the female swordsman flicked her blade, the two knights were already falling from their horses. It was only after seeing the blood soaking the ground that Torik realized their throats had been slit.
Cold sweat poured down Torik’s forehead as he realized who the true monsters were.
W-what did I just say to them?
“Tsk, tsk.”
Two shadows fell over him along with the sound of clicking tongues. Lucian and Harald, who had been watching from behind, were now standing before him.
“You talk so much about the 'tide of the times,' yet you can’t even smell the blood right under your nose. Is this the 'politics' you spoke of?”
“....”
Torik turned beet-red with shame, his body trembling, but he could only hang his head in silence. Harald didn’t say anything more, merely letting out a heavy sigh.
“What would you like to do?”
Lucian asked Harald, his tone much more polite than before. it was a gesture of consideration for an elder and respect for a titled noble. During the previous rebellion, Lucian had held the title of Acting Family Head, but now he was simply the third son of a Duke with no official rank.
Harald recognized Lucian’s courtesy and softened his own tone.
“Just in case, do you happen to have any rope?”
“We do. We brought plenty, as we heard people often get stuck in the snow in the North.”
“Bind them all. I wish to take them as prisoners.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Harald gave a bitter smile at Lucian’s question.
“He’s pathetic and a traitor to his blood, but he is still my son. I do not wish to take his head here.”
“If that is your wish.”
Lucian ordered the Ten-Man Squad to bind the disarmed soldiers. It was a surreal sight—ten men taking more than twice their number captive.
Harald watched the soldiers being tied up before turning back to Lucian.
“You said you were Duke Klaus’s grandson? Let us talk.”