Chapter 16 – The Ruler of All White Things
#1
There are beings in this world who surpass humanity.
Those who protected humanity, comparable to dragons of ancient records.
Such a monster lives in the northern part of the Empire.
He defends the front lines of humanity and rules over all things white.
[Grand Duke Lancel Gaudi].
The Empire’s shield.
The protector of the North and the one who carries the name of the Grand Duke, The King of the North.
He has descended upon this small mining village.
“Are you the undead?”
A tremendous amount of mana vibrated.
If he had been a wizard, he would have been one of the strongest alongside Edward.
Even before Lawrence’s regression, he had heard of the Gaudi family’s renown.
He was said to be the invincible general who had never been defeated—until he lost his son.
“How… how is the Grand Duke here…?”
Could even the undead feel fear?
Damian, who was charging toward Lawrence, stopped and looked back.
A boy who still looked young was blocking his path, making his goal difficult to achieve.
‘No, I must achieve glory. I must follow orders… Ammon’s orders.’
Ignoring the terrifying sound from behind, he began to act as programmed.
Once again, he raised his aura and made a move to sever Loria’s neck.
Shrrrk—!
Of course, Lawrence wouldn’t let that happen.
“Grrk—!”
“Now! Push him back!”
At Lawrence’s shout, the soldiers rushed at Damian.
This should buy enough time.
Just as Damian swung his sword toward the soldier, there was a sickening crack—!
He pointed toward the soldiers wearing red armour and shouted vigorously.
“Well done! Red soldiers! You’re quicker than our own men!”
A large man grimaced as rotten blood splattered across his face.
The master of the North, wearing a wolf-fur cloak, appeared with a sly grin.
Damian’s head flew high into the sky.
Not by a sword, but by a single punch that cut through tough muscle and hard bone.
Crack—
Grand Duke Lancel stretched his joints with a chilling smile.
Lawrence felt both relief and fear simultaneously.
‘Phew… At least my sister won’t die this time.’
The retrieval of the Holy Grail.
Loria’s survival.
And the upcoming bond with the Grand Duke.
The future is changing.
Their enemies must be quite concerned by now.
‘Aren’t you curious?’
Who had been devouring our family from within?
And who was responsible for the deaths of both my mother in the past and Rachel in the future?
Lawrence laughed as he watched Lancel rip out the spines of undead soldiers and black knights.
‘The Grand Duke’s only son will be safe. In this life, at least.’
It would require quite a lot of materials, but still.
The Algeras Knights had been annihilated here.
The Grand Duke brushed the sticky blood off his hands and walked toward them.
Lawrence glanced at his trembling sister and spoke softly.
“It’s all over now.”
“…”
She simply looked at him with a faint smile, saying nothing.
#2
Lancel Gaudi felt a rare sense of stress relief as he looked down at the two children.
My daughter must’ve been about this age.
Time sure flies.
“We almost lost the precious child of Montemer.”
“Thank you for saving me, Your Grace.”
“Don’t be so formal. It’s cold, you’re giving me goosebumps.”
“Well then…”
The Grand Duke continued speaking, still gazing at the two direct heirs.
Though his words were light, his eyes carried the weight of a wolf’s seriousness.
“Just call me Sir Lancel or Grand Duke. That’s enough.”
“Then, I’ll adjust my title. Grand Duke.”
“Which one of you is the older sibling? You must be? You protected your younger sibling well. You’re quite admirable.”
His large hand landed on top of Lawrence’s head.
Yes.
Along with some sticky blood.
Lawrence simply chuckled and shook his head.
What kind of day is this? I keep getting covered in disgusting things…
Lawrence opened his mouth slowly.
“I’m the younger sibling. My name is Lawrence Montemer. It’s an honour to meet you, Grand Duke.”
“What!? You’re… the younger sibling? Wait, Lawrence…”
The Grand Duke wore a curious expression.
After all, the one who had saved the girl behind him was none other than this boy.
He had ears, too.
If Lawrence Montemer’s reputation was anything to go by, this boy had been considered a failure.
“Hmm, interesting. And the little lady behind you?”
“I… I’m Loria Montemer. It’s an honour to meet you, Your Grace.”
“Drop the ‘Your Grace.’ You’ve got some fire in you. But look at this village… it’s in ruins. We’ll have to rebuild later.”
“I’m sorry, Grand Duke. The magic we used was fire-based, so…”
The Grand Duke shook his head with a smile.
His words and actions seemed to reflect his personality completely.
“Haha! It’s fine. If I wasn’t okay with it, you’d already be burning in the flames!”
“I’m relieved to hear that. As you can see, the entire knightly order betrayed us, so…”
“Indeed, there are many things we need to look into. There should be a military academy, no?”
“Algeras is known for training within their own family.”
I see.
The Grand Duke nodded, his expression becoming more serious.
His gaze swept over the village.
Was he bitter about being unaware of the villagers’ plight until things reached this point?
The flames of his anger flickered in his eyes.
His gaze lingered on Lawrence for a while before he turned away.
“Lead the way. Soon, the yeti and the northern barbarians will arrive.”
“Is everyone alright?”
“Yes!”
As expected from the Montemer family, no one was injured to the point of being unable to move.
There were some cases of damaged armour and mana depletion, but no one suffered fatal injuries.
The Grand Duke of the North nodded silently as he watched the soldiers packing up their gear as if they had never fought a deadly battle.
Even though they were stationed inside the Empire, the Montemer family’s power was truly remarkable.
A great family that trained and grew stronger in fertile lands, relatively safe from outside threats.
It was a reassuring, yet unsettling relationship.
‘And that boy…’
The Grand Duke’s gaze continued to follow Lawrence, who was bickering with his sister.
If my son had survived, they would have made great friends.
A bastard son, wasn’t he?
And yet, he seems so carefree.
“Perhaps he’s a blessing in disguise. Or… a disaster.”
There were still several questions left, but they would be addressed once he was confined within the fortress walls.
He couldn’t be allowed to escape, after all.
Yet, for someone so suspicious, he acted too much like a child, and that was the problem.
“Wow, did you hear that? I seem more like an older brother!”
“You’re just tall! Move away, you’re making me look smaller!”
“Heh heh, no way.”
“You little—!”
Looking at them, they really did seem like mere children…
Well, we’ll see soon enough.
After gathering the spoils of war and things to investigate, they headed toward the Grand Duke’s castle in the North.
Fortunately, it wasn’t far, and they arrived quickly.
In the distance, the castle of the Grand Duke of the North loomed.
However, soldiers were swarming around, working to move the enormous castle gate.
“Why is the castle gate being moved?”
“Well, that is…”
The Grand Duke’s castle was not a warm mansion, but a snow-covered white fortress.
The castle, designed to withstand invaders, was enormous and sturdy.
The gate of such a huge castle was not only strong but also incredibly large.
The sight of the soldiers struggling to repair it looked quite serious.
The Grand Duke hesitated, unsure how to answer, but his secret was quickly exposed.
Soldiers coming from afar began shouting loudly.
“Your Grace! How many times are you going to break the gate?!”
“We’re running out of money! At this rate, we won’t be able to fix it when we really need to!”
“Ahem…”
The Grand Duke?
Freya looked at the Grand Duke in disbelief.
He scratched his head awkwardly and laughed.
“Well, it was an urgent rescue mission, you know… Hahaha!”
“…”
It was winter.
***
“Welcome. It’s an honor to have you here. This is Gaudi Fortress, the easternmost front of the North.”
“We’ll provide whatever support we can with our limited forces.”
“Let’s go over the schedule first, then.”
Around a fire, magically conjured for warmth, Montemer and the Grand Duke’s officials gathered together.
The northern border stretched out before them.
Among the various fortresses, Gaudi Fortress, located at the far eastern end, was a natural stronghold nestled between two towering peaks.
Behind it lay the Empire, as well as mines and excavation sites scattered across the region.
As a result, this place was a frequent target of enemy invasions.
Just north of here, barbarians and yetis were waiting for their chance to take over the ruins.
“Soon, the yetis and barbarians will launch their attack. Our goal is to repel them and destroy their forward base.”
“You mean dismantle the structures they built during the warmer months?”
“Exactly. It’s annoying to have to do it every year, but that’s the agreement we have with them.”
Lawrence quietly nodded.
If the Empire wanted, they could launch a large-scale invasion of the North and expand their territory.
However, war required money, and focusing resources in one area would leave others vulnerable.
“As much as I’d like to eliminate them all, what can we do? His Majesty the Emperor has ordered us to prioritize internal stability within the Empire. That’s why you’ve been dispatched here today.”
“We are always grateful for your hard work.”
“Haha, enough with the formalities. Get some rest for now. I’ll brief you on the detailed strategy tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
As always, the Grand Duke directed his guests to rest in their rooms.
Then he said that he would personally guide Lawrence and Loria.
“Young master and young lady, follow me.”
“Understood.”
Without much thought, Lawrence and Loria followed him.
Lawrence, in particular, was deep in thought, considering what he needed to obtain from this place.
The information he had heard, the materials he had combed through for artifact research…
There was certainly much to be gained in the North.
“How curious.”
It was at that moment.
The Grand Duke stopped walking in a shadowy area.
The two children also stopped behind him, staring blankly at his large back.
At the same time, Lawrence noticed something strange about the way the Grand Duke’s mana was moving.
“I heard bastards don’t have mana cores. Was I mistaken?”
“You are not mistaken.”
“Then how can you use magic?”
“…”
The Grand Duke’s eyes gleamed dangerously.
He had seen it in the previous battle.
Lawrence had summoned holy chains in an instant and launched a lightning orb.
He also noticed something else.
Lawrence’s body was more suited to that of a warrior than a mage.
It was all highly suspicious.
They called him the madman trapped in the trash storage, yet he seemed far too intelligent for that.
And no reaction when faced with someone like me?
‘Normally… a kid like you should be trembling in fear.’
He didn’t need to look far for comparison.
Loria was trembling behind Lawrence, like a frightened rabbit.
“Keeping secrets won’t end well. Whether you burn to death by Edward’s hand or get torn apart by me, the result will be the same.”
“Hic.”
Loria’s hiccup, full of fear, could be heard.
She quickly covered her mouth with both hands.
Lawrence, on the other hand, answered calmly.
“That is…”
—
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