The time when nobles were talking in full swing. Luke laughed mischievously at Bjorn who came to his dorm.
“How do you feel about being king?”
“I’m not a king yet.”
“Isn’t it just that you didn’t have a coronation ceremony?”
“If the crown prince doesn’t have a coronation ceremony, isn’t he an emperor?”
Seeing Bjorn answer quite smirkingly, a chuckle came out. He used to be a pretty stubborn guy, but he’s changed a lot in the past few months.
‘It’s a good change.’
At least it was much better now than when they first met, when they were buried in their beliefs. Now, the King of the North would be more than enough to handle.
“Anyway, do you really not have to attend the meeting? There must be a lot to coordinate.”
“Anyway, time is overflowing. I’m not going anywhere after leaving the North.”
“That’s right.”
It is the resurrection of the king, who had been vacant for a long time. There will be a lot more to do than you think. It’s not a quantity that can be finished in a day or two.
Then it would be okay to be lazy for a day or so. Luke and Bjorn toasted each other and then emptied their glasses.
“How is the situation with the barbarians?”
“It is quieter than you think.”
Bjorn scratched his cheek as if he still didn’t understand.
“To be honest, I thought the backlash would be huge. The northern nobles would have been similar if Ragnar had become king. But, surprisingly, he accepted it.”
“It must be because of Ragnar.”
Luke remembered the warriors under Ragnar. All of them were deeply fascinated by Ragnar.
Ragnar said that he was a fool who couldn’t see reality, but on the contrary, he was a guy who lived by embodying the utopia of a warrior.
Anyone with a warrior’s heart can’t help but be fascinated by Ragnar.
“I don’t know the relationship between the tribes, but Ragnar is absolutely supported by the warriors. A tribal society is a society that revolves around warriors.”
“Most chieftains are also warriors. There must be many who are fascinated by the warchief.”
“I guess so. Even if there is antipathy, it makes no difference. What if all the warriors around me fell over, except for myself?”
He has no choice but to follow Ragnar even if he cries and eats mustard. If you openly rebelled, the warriors might bring down the chief as a group.
And that was the case even now, when Ragnar swore allegiance to Bjorn.
“In fact, it is thanks to Ragnar that our relationship with the barbarians is so stable. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the best result.”
“I think so too.”
There is quite a gap between the northerners from the Empire and the barbarians. If it hadn’t been for Ragnar, the forced integration would have resulted in bloodshed.
Thanks to Ragnar, all those worries were over, so it was a great result. Bjorn stopped talking for a moment and looked down at the glass.
“To be honest, I was a little surprised.”
“what? Ragnar’s decision?”
“No, it may sound arrogant, but the decision itself was expected.”
In Bjorn’s eyes, the warchief was at least someone who could differentiate between personal ambition and a cause.
And even after he knew what was right, he was not brazen enough to continue pursuing his own ambitions.
I thought that if I just enlightened myself, I would choose the right path for myself.
“However, emotion and reason do not always coincide. Sometimes, even choosing the opposite s*x, there are times when you shed bloody tears.”
“Maybe it would have been if nothing had been lost.”
A bitter smile formed on Luke’s lips.
“People think that if they have lost nothing, they will do well in the future, and if they have lost too much, they will give up their face and morals to get compensation.”
“You mean the Warchief was right in the middle?”
“maybe.”
Lost enough to realize your faults. However, it is still at a level that can be reversed. For Ragnar, that repentance would have been the process of correcting everything.
Luke suddenly remembered what had happened before returning. At that time, Ragnar had the aspect of a tyrant who tried to attack the dungeon even using many people as discards.
‘Perhaps I’ve come too far to turn back then.’
Ragnar, who divided the Marquis and the North, struggled despite his overwhelming power. It was because the Marquis really did everything possible.
Poisoning the well is basic. He did not hesitate to attack the family of a warrior in the rear or assassinate a commander-level figure.
It was because the Marquis was on the defensive, but it was also true that the fear of being conquered by the barbarians justified everything.
‘Actually, Ragnar couldn’t even use the same number because of the warrior’s honor.’
As such a situation continued, Ragnar’s damage accumulated enormously. At some point, the accumulation must have far exceeded the efforts and sacrifices so far.
Maybe that’s why I threw everything away. In order to win somehow, in order to have the honor of being the King of the North, he must have abandoned all his beliefs and honor.
It’s just speculation, but it wasn’t impossible. Luke, who was lost in thought, was awakened by Bjorn’s voice next to him.
“But what are you going to do now, my lord?”
“me?”
“Yes, actually, you participated in the election of the king for my sake, didn’t you?”
Luke nodded. He made many excuses for this and that, but in the end, it was all to put Bjorn on the throne.
There was no reason to be in the north as long as that purpose was fulfilled.
“I’ll have to spend some time and go around and come back. There’s still a little more left until the deadline for the knights ascetics ends.”
“As an ascetic knight, aren’t there too many achievements for a mere ascetic knight?”
From noble mtl dot com
“I should have been fine.”
The two masters and servants looked at each other and smiled. And after a while, Bjorn, who had a serious face, spoke.
“To be honest, I still don’t know what your lord is going to do.”
“… … .”
“But if your lord wants it, the North will always be your lord’s strength.”
Even if it is against the Empire. Behind the scenes that could not be heard came through Bjorn’s eyes.
“Good.”
It was a more satisfactory answer. Luke smiled and raised his glass. That day, the two stayed up all night talking.
* * *
Two days later, Luke mounted his horse to leave the North. There was no such thing as a farewell party because he secretly left without informing the local residents.
Near the gate, only some of the nobles who had been tipped off in advance gathered to see Luke off.
“You can stay a little longer.”
“it’s okay. There is nothing good about staying there for a long time.”
Luke shook his head at Bjorn’s words.
“From now on, you are the main character in the North. If I stay too long, your reputation will be buried.”
Slayed six dragons in one battle. In a way, it is a topic that has a greater ripple effect than the resurrection of the king.
It is said that now the lingering effect of the speech is not lost, and the eyes are on Bjorn, but after a few days, more stories about Luke may come out.
“It is better to leave before then. If there are more stories of heroes than stories of kings before the coronation, write them.”
“Oh, thank you to the point of tears.”
“Can I borrow your handkerchief?”
“Oops.”
Luke smiled at Bjorn’s joke, then tapped his shoulder and said,
“Tell me if someone is bothering you. I’ll smash it.”
“Am I a child? Hurry up and get there.”
“It could be, what.”
On the surface, it seemed like a bad joke. However, the bones in the horse were more terrifying than expected.
The monster scab that slew six dragons is coming to tear apart those who rebel against the king? The nobles around them felt cold sweat run down their backs.
‘I knew the two of them were close, but were they this innocent?’
‘If it’s that close, then what I just said wouldn’t be a joke.’
‘… If possible, I shouldn’t fight in front of the king.’
The sound of nobles spitting was heard in unison. Luke laughed and turned his head toward Viscount Thorburn.
“Please help Bjorn a lot, Gong. From a practical point of view, there will be many things that are lacking.”
“I will tell you this. I will do my best to assist you.”
“Take some rice cakes and eat them. Don’t be too greedy.”
“Even after seeing the Marquis perish, I am not so senile as to be overly greedy.”
Viscount Thorvern said with a smile, but the corner of his cheek was trembling slightly. It was clear that he was nervous about Luke’s warning earlier.
Luke nodded at the satisfied response.
“That’s enough.”
At least, as long as you don’t forget the warning, you won’t turn a blind eye to power. You must know that a person who will destroy all the mountains of power is coming.
“Isn’t there Ragnar?”
“He said he was busy reading the people of his tribe.”
“Excuses.”
Maybe Luke was awkward. Unlike Bjorn, whose perception has changed dramatically, to Ragnar, Luke was his nemesis until the end.
Even now, when the relationship is no longer hostile, they will not want to meet. Just like the wolf that reigned in the small mountain was afraid to face the tiger.
“Goodbye.”
“Have a good day.”
The two looked at each other even as they said goodbye.
‘I’ll call when the time is right, so come out.’
‘I’ll gather all my strength and go.’
Behind-the-scenes words that no one else could hear came through his eyes. Luke mounted his horse and approached Bruno and Ray, who were waiting.
The three of them rode away from the castle. Before disappearing over the horizon, Bjorn continued to stare at Luke’s back.
After running for a while, Bruno asked Luke.
“Master, where are you going from now on?”
“first… … .”
There is little time left until the one year period, which is the period of training articles, is reached. Since I have accomplished all my goals, I should spend the rest of my time as an ascetic knight.
But before that, there was work to be done.
“… Let’s go west and get Max first.”
* * *
Luke and his party turned back the way they came and headed for the Herning family. The landscape of the West was not much different from then.
However, there was one thing that stood out to me.
“There are hardly any monsters.”
“Isn’t it because the elves have become calmer?”
“That might be one of the reasons.”
Luke remembered an incident from a few months ago. Count Valdemar captured the elf princess. As a result, the elves who were searching for the princess wiped out the forest.
As a result, monsters overflowed everywhere, making it difficult to move between territories. Even thinking about it now, the monsters that were overflowing at that time were annoying.
‘I’m glad it ended well in the end.’
Count Valdemar, who was greedy, fell headlong in the hands of the elven grand duke, and Ray, who entered the family as the count’s adopted daughter, swallowed it whole.
In the meantime, it was a bonus that a window with the elves was opened and trade was revived.
“Anyway, it’s strange that there aren’t as many monsters as this.”
“Is that so?”
“Even though the elves have calmed down and the number of monsters has decreased, the West is originally a land of monsters.”
At the time, there were bizarrely overflowing monsters, but it wasn’t that the original number was small. But now the West has been so quiet.
Ray, who lived as a native of the West, also nodded at Luke’s words.
“Usually, you have to run into a few of them to play around here. But now I can’t even feel the slightest hint of it.”
“Has something else happened?”
“Well, if you go to Count Herning’s house, you’ll know.”
If you are Ray’s younger brother and currently the count’s deputy, Leone should know the answer. You’ll find out if you go and ask.
It was when the party, who rode for a long time, arrived at the count’s house.
“Look at the gemstones of the North! There is only one here as big as this!”
“Take a taste of the finest wines made in the South! Even elves fall in love with it!”
“Go away! This item brought in from the capital is not a gift to His Majesty!”
“… … .”
Luke was speechless at the sight of the market floor in front of him.