Chapter 78
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 78
‘It’s over.’
Palmyr could feel it instinctively.
Though much had changed compared to the old days, the North was still a land of warriors. Regardless of the cause of the duel, the weak were destined to be ignored—especially when the one who lost was a knight defeated by a mere soldier who, by all logic, should never have won.
“Tsk, tsk.”
At the sound of a tongue clicking, Palmyr feebly raised his head. Lucian’s eyes, looking down at him, were utterly cold.
“You lost.”
“I, I...”
“Save the excuses. Do you have anything to say? The duel is over, so if there’s something on your mind, speak up.”
“....”
Palmyr’s mouth hung open, but he eventually hung his head low. He had a mountain of things to say, but what did it matter now? Having suffered such a pathetic defeat, any words he spoke would carry no weight. Even if they were to negotiate, it was obvious he would be dragged along, having lost all initiative in the conversation.
‘Such a negotiation would be worse than none at all.’
He had to return. He would go back having suffered the disgrace of losing to a squad leader, with nothing to show for it. He would have to report the situation and bear his lord’s fury in its entirety.
Gritting his teeth at the miserable reality before him, Palmyr muttered, “This matter... the House of Calix will...”
“Pfft.”
“....”
“Ah, my apologies. Please, continue.”
At Lucian’s mockery, Palmyr’s face turned beet-red as he looked down. He had tried to borrow his lord’s prestige one last time, but instead of being a threat, he had only invited ridicule. Realizing that anything he said would only make him look more pathetic, Palmyr turned his back and fled.
“What a tedious man.”
Watching Palmyr disappear into the distance, Lucian let out a short laugh and turned his gaze toward the other onlookers. The eyes that had been filled with contempt until moments ago shifted instantly to respect the moment they met Lucian’s.
Lucian felt a sense of satisfaction at the polar opposite reactions.
‘The maternal grandson of Grimaldi who repelled a knight of the House of Calix. A perfect narrative has been established.’
The House of Calix wouldn’t crumble just because one knight was disgraced. As a family that had been rooted in the North for centuries, it would likely end with nothing more than a slight dent in their prestige.
The important thing was that the one who had dented that prestige was Lucian.
Lucian had already thrown down the gauntlet using the name of Grimaldi. The people could only wait with bated breath to see how the House of Calix would respond.
‘The House of Calix would love to just ignore this, but the public eye won’t allow it.’
If they said nothing about today’s events, everyone would assume Calix had taken a step back. Whether they liked it or not, the House of Calix was now in a position where they had to act to resolve this.
‘I look forward to seeing how they move.’
Lucian suppressed the corners of his mouth from twitching upward and turned his attention to his guests. While waiting for Calix’s response, it was time to start making allies in earnest.
“Ha, ha.”
A dry laugh escaped the lips of Norbeck, the current head of the House of Calix. After stroking his beard for a long time, he finally spoke in a hollow voice.
“So, you’re saying you just came back? After being pathetically defeated by a mere squad leader who isn’t even a knight, without saying a single word?”
Palmyr felt a chill run down his spine at the voice dripping with disappointment. Fearing he would be discarded if he didn’t make some sort of excuse, he shouted urgently.
“He wasn't an ordinary squad leader; he was someone who had mastered proper swordsmanship. Judging by his skill, he might be from a fallen noble family...”
“Sir Palmyr, I believe you know that isn’t what I meant.”
“....”
“The point is that you were utterly defeated, and as a result, you tucked your tail and ran without even being able to start a negotiation, let alone finish one. And you dragged the name of Calix through the mud in the process.”
“That is...!”
Palmyr tried to add something more, but he froze the moment he looked up. Norbeck’s cold gaze held more than just disappointment; it felt like pure bloodlust.
“If you were going to lose, you shouldn't have fought in the first place. You should have endured no matter how he provoked you. But to pick a fight without even gauging the difference in skill and cause this disaster...”
“....”
“Thanks to you, everything has gone his way. He’ll be busy gathering allies without any interference. Honestly, I sent you to put a bell on his neck, but you ended up unlocking the shackles he already had.”
Palmyr hung his head, unable to say a word against the pouring sarcasm. He knew better than anyone how much Lucian had gained from this incident.
Watching him in silence, Norbeck eventually clicked his tongue and issued a guest expulsion order.
“At any rate, you’ve worked hard. Go and get some rest.”
“...!”
Palmyr trembled at the meaningful tone. It sounded like a consideration, but it clearly meant he would never be entrusted with an important task again. Terrified, Palmyr tried to offer more excuses, but seeing the lack of expectation in his lord’s eyes, he left the office dejectedly.
Click.
“Whew!”
As soon as the door closed, Norbeck let out a deep sigh. Godfrey, his eldest son and heir, who had been watching from the side, was startled by this display of weakness his father never showed before his retainers.
“Father, are you alright?”
“How could I be alright? Things have become complicated. In the worst-case scenario, we might actually lose the name of Grimaldi.”
Norbeck shook his head at Godfrey’s words. Godfrey blinked at his father’s face, which was full of worry.
“It’s true we took a hit, but is it enough for you to react like this, Father? At most, he’s just starting to gather a following.”
“The problem isn’t his following. It’s that the dynamic between him and us has changed.”
“The dynamic? What do you mean by that?”
“He is a Valdek. No matter how much he mimics a Northerner, his roots are Southern. That fact itself was our weapon.”
He might be the maternal grandson of the late Duke, but he was still a greenhorn who knew nothing about the North. An outsider who only shared the bloodline but had no identity as a Northerner. It might seem like nothing, but there was no better rhetoric to sway the hearts of other lords.
“Think about it. No matter how legitimate his rights are, if his essence is that of a Southerner, would the other lords really want to stand by his side?”
“Of course not. Who would make such a choice unless they’d lost their mind?”
Godfrey shook his head immediately. The reason the North was currently in an uproar was because they were wary of the Imperial Family’s movements. But to let someone who lacked a Northern identity and was closer to the Imperial Family take Grimaldi’s legacy? No Northern lord in their right mind would do such a thing.
“Yes, exactly as you say. Even those who despise our family would be foolish to side with the Imperial Family out of a grudge. That is why I have been at ease until now.”
No matter how much he struggled, there was no way to change his place of birth. Norbeck had been indifferent even when he heard the news of the duel where Lucian intended to prove himself as a warrior. If it were anyone else, it might be different, but the opponent was Harald, the ‘Wolf Slayer.’ It was obvious he would charge in with the intent to kill, even if his opponent was a sixteen-year-old brat.
“Of course, I was worried that Harald might break his long-held convictions and stage a defeat because of his grudge against our family. That’s why I dispatched Sir Palmyr to keep watch, but this... of all things...”
“Father?”
Slam!
“How the hell did this mess happen?!”
Norbeck stood up abruptly, looking as if he were about to spit fire. He was so enraged that even after kicking the table, he couldn't contain his fury and began stomping his feet.
“He’s sixteen! He’s at an age where he should be trembling at the sight of blood on the battlefield! And yet he defeated Harald the ‘Wolf Slayer’?! Even when Harald used his family’s relic?!”
“F-Father, please calm down...”
“Is this something to be calm about?! What do you think the others will say when they look at that Southerner now?! They’ll call him a hero! A warrior among warriors, a descendant of the royal family who inherited the blood of Grimaldi!”
The people already harbored a deep nostalgia for the old Northern Kingdom. Now that a royal bloodline had displayed legendary martial prowess, they would be busy worshiping him, saying he was a true Grimaldi. Norbeck felt like he was about to vomit blood from the sheer frustration.
“If it were just that, it would be fine! But because of that idiot Palmyr, he and we have become equal competitors! He has emerged as the perfect counterweight to Calix! Now the lords will flock to him like a swarm of field mice that found food!”
“He’s still just a brat. His martial skill is certainly impressive, but he can’t be considered skilled in politics. Since he doesn’t know the North well, he’s bound to make a mistake somewhere. Let’s just wait patiently.”
“Don’t be so complacent! We don’t have the luxury for that! Because of failures like Torik, there are factions out there gnashing their teeth at us...!”
“Father!”
Norbeck flinched at Godfrey’s shout. It seemed he had let something slip that should never have been spoken aloud in his agitation.
“Ahem, cough! Anyway, what I’m saying is that we have less time than you think. If we don’t stop him immediately, the very foundation we’ve built might crumble.”
“In that case, since it’s come to this, let’s take the direct approach.”
“The direct approach?”
“I mean we should use tradition as well.”
Godfrey smiled broadly at Norbeck, who was blinking in confusion.
“If he respects the North that much, wouldn’t he naturally follow tradition?”
Following his duel with Harald, Lucian dealt with a succession of guests. Naturally, the majority of them were knights sent as proxies for their lords. These knights generally fell into three categories.
‘Those who support me, those who remain neutral but don’t want to be on my bad side, and those who extremely despise Calix.’
The first group was easy to understand. They were those who felt uncomfortable with Calix’s unification of the North but had stayed quiet because they had no alternative. Perhaps because they had hated Calix from the start, they rushed over as soon as an alternative like Lucian appeared.
“My lord respects your legitimate rights, Lord Lucian. It is only natural that the name of Grimaldi returns to you.”
“That is a truly wise decision. Please convey my gratitude to your lord.”
“I shall. In truth, it was ridiculous for Calix to use the name of Grimaldi in the first place. What right did those people have?”
Lucian expressed his gratitude to them, but in reality, they offered little help beyond public declarations of support. In the heart of the North, where the name Valdek held no sway, military power was desperately needed, so it was a somewhat disappointing result. However, their support alone was a significant help politically, so it was certainly a gain in its own right.
The second group was even more blatant than the first.
“We do not deny your rights, Young Master, but it cannot be said that Calix has no rights at all. It is a truly difficult matter, so there is no room for us to intervene.”
“It sounds to me like you’re saying you’ll quietly side with the winner once everything is over.”
“Ahem! We simply leave the judgment to the impartial God. We hope the Eight Gods of Heaven will lead us all onto the right path.”
It was a transparent excuse, but since most of them were from small territories relatively close to Calix, it wasn't incomprehensible. This was a conflict between the House of Calix, the true power of the North, and the third son of the House of Valdek. If things went wrong, the aftermath could reach their own lands and people, so they had no choice but to be cautious.
What Lucian hadn't expected at all was the third group.
“If you raise the banner of Grimaldi right now and punish Calix, my lord and I will follow you! Just give the command!”
“...!?”
“Do you doubt my words? Then I shall cut off this arm as a token of my trust! If it can buy your confidence, what is a mere right arm...!”
“No, wait!”