Chapter 123

Chapter 123
## Chapter 123

“How is it possible for every one of them to be this gargantuan?”

Five grown men had stepped into view.

Their dense beards, powerful frames, and the animal pelts they wore were remarkably imposing. These hides were of such thickness that they appeared less like mere garments and more like organic shields, capable of defecting both blades and spears.

Yet, even more striking than their rugged clothing was their sheer scale, which far surpassed that of any citizen of the Empire.

“A typical adult man would barely reach the level of their ribcage.”

Had there been only a single individual of such size, it might not have been so shocking. Beings of that magnitude did exist within the Empire, though they were exceedingly rare.

However, every single man who had just appeared shared the same towering height. It seemed that the sort of massive physique one might witness only once or twice in a lifetime in the Imperial lands was simply the standard here.

“Ha, it truly is Lady Helen.”

While Lucian’s companions were caught off guard, the opposing party seemed just as taken aback to encounter Helen. The solitary person who remained composed was Helen herself, as she was already familiar with these men.

“A long time has passed. You seem to have become even more stout since we last met.”

“Stout, indeed. Spare me the hollow praise. Just explain why you have traveled all this way.”

“How unfriendly. Is it truly so bothersome that I, a student of the Master, am traveling this path?”

“If it were only you, you would be greeted warmly. But from my perspective, Lady Helen, it appears you have arrived with several uninvited tagalongs.”

The man sporting a chestnut beard that reached his midsection, Gunstein, scrutinized Lucian’s assembly. Within his gaze flickered irritation, disdain, and a peculiar trace of derision.

“A mere boy, and two frail things pretending to be soldiers with toothpicks. I have no idea why the woman is present, but as for that man…”

“He is my senior fellow disciple. We studied the celestial path together under the tutelage of the Master.”

“Hmph. Then that one is the only person here of any value.”

Gunstein spoke with an air of absolute certainty and shifted his attention toward Colin. It was as though he had decided Colin was the only individual present worthy of being addressed as an equal.

“You there, Guide.”

“G-Guide?”

“Accompany us. We shall provide an escort to your Master.”

Colin, suddenly labeled as the Guide, was visibly unsettled, but Gunstein paid his confusion no mind. Because Colin trained under the same Master as Helen, Gunstein had simply assumed he must fulfill the role of a Guide as well.

Before the perplexed Colin could manage an internal protest, Gunstein grumbled as if voicing a passing thought.

“As for the others, well, we will simply haul them away to serve as laborers. We can select a spouse for the woman at a later time.”

“Hold your tongue! These individuals are guests of both myself and the Master! Even though they are outsiders, they have traveled here by the Master’s own request, so I demand you treat them with the dignity they deserve!”

“Guests?”

Helen’s voice rose in an urgent shout, but Gunstein merely let out a brief chuckle and shook his head.

“I have received no word from the Guide. There was no vision of this, so why should I acknowledge them as guests?”

“What are you talking about—!”

“If they truly are guests, we can simply capture them first, confirm their status, and then grant them their freedom. If they are not, we will just retain them as property.”

“Helen.”

Lucian turned his gaze toward Helen as the dialogue took a sharp, unsettling turn. Detecting the sharpening frost in Lucian’s eyes, Helen hurriedly lowered her head and whispered.

“In their culture, those who do not live as warriors are not seen as equals. Furthermore, it is a custom that anyone who enters a tribe’s lands without authorization can be seized and put to work as a slave.”

“What happened to your assurance that we might circumvent a confrontation?”

“I am deeply sorry. In my memories, he was a man who could be spoken to logically, but…”

Helen let her head droop, overwhelmed by the unforeseen shift in the situation. Whether it was simply misfortune or a lapse in judgment, the fact remained that her confident intervention had yielded no results.

Lucian observed Helen, whose skin was flushed crimson as she avoided eye contact, and he released a weary breath.

“So, the reality is they won’t even acknowledge us unless I demonstrate that I am a warrior.”

“…That is the truth of it.”

“Good grief, forcing me to resort to violence right from the start. Well, I suppose it is a familiar routine, considering my time spent in the North.”

“Hah.”

Gunstein let out a derisive snort as he caught the tail end of their remarks. He failed to grasp the bulk of the conversation, but he clearly understood the part regarding Lucian proving his status as a warrior.

“Don’t bother, brat. You will only end up in a grave. I have no desire to spend my energy breaking a defiant slave, so remain quiet if you value your life.”

“A mutt is yapping.”

“What did you say?”

“With a gaze like a stray dog’s, I imagine you bark at everyone who passes. They say a sturdy stick is the only medicine for a rabid dog. Perhaps after a thorough thrashing, those eyes of yours will find some clarity.”

“Heh, hahahaha.”

Gunstein was momentarily robbed of speech by Lucian’s verbal jab. If such a taunt had originated from a man with a thick beard, he would have flown into a rage instantly. But coming from a youth whose face still bore the softness of childhood, it was merely laughable. To him, it appeared to be nothing more than a reckless boy who was ignorant of the world’s dangers.

Naturally, his amusement did not imply he intended to let the insolent child survive.

“Very well. Die, then.”

*Whoosh!*

In one seamless motion, Gunstein pulled the axe from his back and delivered a swing. He didn’t exert his full power, yet the strike was more than sufficient to decapitate a child.

The instant Gunstein widened his eyes, eager to witness the terror on the foolish boy’s face as death claimed him—

*CLANG!*

A deafening boom of metal striking metal rang out through the clearing. In that same heartbeat, Gunstein’s massive frame was launched into the air.

‘Why am I suddenly staring at the clouds?’

Just as the stunned Gunstein blinked in confusion.

*Thud!*

“Gah!”

The air was driven violently from his lungs as his back crashed into the dirt. His entire body shivered with an agony that suggested his spine had been turned to dust.

“Brother!”

“You dogs!”

*Thwack! Crack!*

He caught the panicked shouts of his followers from behind him, but only for a fleeting second. After several more sounds of heavy impact, a deathly hush fell over the scene.

Gunstein struck his own face with his palm, trying to make sense of the chaos. As his sight finally steadied, the first image he perceived was a dark silhouette towering over him.

“Stand up. You will freeze to death if you choose to nap in a place like this.”

Realizing the shadow belonged to Lucian, Gunstein began to shake. Lucian dropped Gunstein’s axe onto the ground next to him with a frigid grin.

“Now, retrieve your weapon. We aren’t finished yet.”

“What… what did you do?”

Lucian let out a short laugh at Gunstein’s question, which was forced out through waves of pain.

“Do you truly not understand? Or are you merely playing the fool?”

“…”

“You should really look after your axe more carefully. At this rate, how many more strikes do you think it can endure?”

Gunstein winced and inspected his weapon. It was riddled with fractures, appearing as though the metal might disintegrate at any moment. Only then did it dawn on Gunstein that Lucian had blocked his heavy swing with a blade—and that the raw power of that collision had propelled him through the air.

‘Curse it.’

Gunstein barely managed to suppress the swear words rising in his throat. He had perceived the boy as a newborn mouse that lacked direction, but he had actually encountered a hidden predator. He recognized he had provoked the wrong individual, yet he could not retreat now. If he ran with his tail between his legs after a single blow, he could never claim the title of warrior again.

“Fine, very well. Let us see what you are made of.”

Grinding his teeth, Gunstein clutched the splintering axe with all his might. He had no idea what kind of anomaly he was up against, but Gunstein was also a fighter known as a scion of the dragon. He was determined to prove to the boy that he was not someone to be disregarded so easily.

—

*Thump.*

“I surrender.”

Gunstein dropped to his knees before Lucian. His former bravado had vanished entirely. His weapon had shattered into pieces on the second exchange, and everything following that had been a brutal, one-sided beating.

If Lucian had ended his life immediately when the axe broke, it would have been far less degrading. But Lucian, insisting that a contest should be balanced, had cast aside his own sword and proceeded to batter Gunstein with his bare hands.

‘How can such a slight frame harbor such terrifying power…?’

Gunstein groaned as he attempted to bow his head. It felt as though several of his organs were bruised and numerous ribs had snapped from the assault. If his adversary had not tempered his strength, his internal organs would have burst or a broken bone would have dealt a fatal wound long ago.

“You are a true warrior. I failed to see your greatness and behaved with insolence. I beg of you, forgive me.”

“The disrespect was quite extreme. So much so that I have no desire to grant you mercy, regardless of your kneeling.”

“…Then what is your intent? Do you mean to slaughter me here?”

“Brother! Gack!”

The panicked cries of his pinned-down subordinates rose from the rear. But before they could finish their sentences, they were forced back into submission by Lucian’s allies.

Clenching his teeth at the sight, Gunstein stared up at Lucian.

“You are the undeniable victor. My life is in your hands. I am guilty of failing to honor a warrior, so I will not complain of my fate. However.”

“However?”

“You are a foreigner. If you shed the blood of a descendant before even setting foot in the dragon’s territory, it will undoubtedly lead to many complications.”

“Is that meant to be a threat?”

“How could a defeated man threaten his conqueror? View it as a piece of advice. If you unbind me and treat me with the respect due to a warrior, I will declare your prowess to all and…”

“There is no requirement for that.”

It was Helen who stepped in and cut Gunstein off. Before the startled man could utter another word, Helen provided a cold clarification.

“He is a man who failed to recognize a superior warrior and sought to enslave him, only to be beaten in return. Furthermore, since this was a sanctioned one-on-one contest, it would not violate any custom even if you were to take his life right here.”

“H-Hey, wait a minute.”

“There is no cause to fret over unnecessary friction. The Master will personally certify His Highness’s status. Therefore, deal with him as you deem appropriate.”

“Helen! What in the world are you saying!?”

Gunstein bellowed in sheer terror. They were not strangers to one another, yet she was acting as if his life or death were a matter of total indifference, rather than supporting him.

But the look Helen gave Gunstein was more freezing than ever.

“You dismissed my attempts to settle this, insulted a guest of the Master, and lost a legitimate duel. Aside from the fact that there is no logical reason to let you live, there are a dozen reasons to end you. What is there to complain about?”

“No, that is…”

Gunstein tried to find a rebuttal but had to fall silent before he could even form a sentence. It was undeniable that he had ignored the mediation out of his own avarice, so no matter what he argued, it was unlikely to be accepted.

When silence stretched on, Lucian picked up the sword he had briefly set aside.

“Do you have any final words?”

At the sound of a voice that betrayed no doubt, Gunstein squeezed his eyes shut. No matter how he looked at it, this was a pathetic way to perish. It wasn’t a noble death on the battlefield against a foe; he was about to be executed after failing to kidnap a foreign warrior. He would be immortalized for generations as ‘Gunstein the Simpleton,’ the fool in stories meant to warn children.

‘Dammit, there is no other path.’

Inhaling a deep breath, Gunstein finally played his ultimate card.

“It is my failure that I did not see a great warrior for who he was. Since only you can cleanse this disgrace, I desire to enter your service and make amends. I ask you to accept my loyalty.”

“…?”

Lucian cocked his head at the strange request. It sounded as though Gunstein wanted to become his subordinate, but the timing felt completely random. If he wanted to be spared, shouldn’t he have offered a ransom first?

“Helen, what is the meaning of this?”

“That is…”

Helen looked around with a startled expression and then gestured toward the back. It was a sign asking to move to a spot where they could speak without being overheard. Once they had moved to a place where their talk would remain private, Helen explained.

“One who bests a warrior of another clan inherits the same rank as that warrior within their society. It is a tradition where the status of the loser is stripped and bestowed upon the one who proved their strength. It is a primitive custom established to avoid the fury of a powerful warrior and the massacres that would follow.”

“In other words, if that man becomes my servant, I will be treated with the same level of authority he held in his tribe?”

“That is exactly right.”

“And what exactly is his rank?”

At Lucian’s inquiry, Helen leaned in and whispered into his ear.

“He is the son of the Great Chieftain.”