Whoooosh—
Hugo stared blankly as a blue haze wavered around his body.
It wasn't a hallucination caused by the refreshing sensation spreading through him.
This was tangible, manifested magical power—something not only he, but others could see with their own eyes.
"This is insane…!"
Shhhhaa—
Even as he spat out the curse in shock, the magical power swept through his entire body.
The sensation of the once-narrow paths of magic being forcibly expanded by the flood surging through them was beyond description.
The rampant magic didn't stop at widening the channels—it seeped in threads through his muscles and even his bones.
What in the world is this…?
Hugo's fingertips trembled.
Despite the overwhelming sense of clarity and exhilaration coursing through his entire body, unease rose before joy.
The excessive potency made him feel as though he might be transforming from a human into something else entirely.
This isn't an elixir. Absolutely not.
For Hugo, who had once been nothing more than an underworld boss, an elixir was something he had never seen in his life.
But even so, he could tell that this was nothing like the elixirs he'd only heard about in rumors.
Enhancing the purity of one's magic, smoothing the pathways, and slightly healing internal injuries?
This was far beyond something that could be dismissed as merely that.
Shraaak—
"Huuugh!"
With his entire body resonating from the magic now filling it to the brim, Hugo let out a long breath.
As he did, a dark indigo, murky smoke flowed out of his mouth, carrying a foul stench.
Instinctively, Hugo understood what that dark-blue smoke was.
'Was this… my original magic? I'd been circulating something this impure inside my body all this time?'
A hollow laugh escaped him.
The magic he had once treasured so dearly seemed pitiful when compared to the new power now flooding his body.
"How do you feel?"
At Lucian's words, Hugo flinched and reflexively grabbed one ear.
It wasn't the sudden question—it was because the tone of Lucian's voice sounded incomparably clearer than before.
"I-It's strange… This… this is…"
Unable to continue, Hugo closed his mouth midway and ran his hands over his face.
It wasn't just his hearing.
Including his sight, all five senses felt far more vivid than before—and among them, his sense of touch had become exceptionally sharp.
If someone were to swing a sword, he felt he could sense the flow of its magical energy in advance.
"C-Could I… swing a sword?"
"Of course."
At Hugo's trembling request, Lucian handed him his sword.
Drawing the blade slowly, Hugo swung it through the air, performing several techniques from the third-rate sword forms he always used.
Whooong—
'I can see it.'
His expanded senses conveyed everything vividly—the sword's reach, the power contained within it, even the minute changes at the tip of the blade.
So this was how those said to have talent with the sword saw the world.
Carried along by the surge of emotion, Hugo continued to swing the blade.
Fwoosh!
Though he was using the exact same techniques, the power behind them was incomparable to before.
Unlike when he'd merely mimicked the stances like a monkey, his body now instinctively found the most efficient movements.
By the time Hugo finally lowered the sword, he had used every technique he knew without holding back.
"Huuuh!"
Clap, clap, clap.
"Excellent. Your sword forms have become far sharper than before, haven't they?"
"…!"
As Hugo wiped the sweat from his brow, the sound of applause from beside him snapped him back to his senses.
Not only had he drawn a real blade before the lord he'd sworn loyalty to, he had even gone on swinging it for quite some time.
Realizing his mistake belatedly, Hugo hurriedly dropped to one knee.
"Young Master, I'm sorry! I completely lost myself…!"
"It's fine. I understand how you feel. More importantly—how's the elixir's effect?"
Unable to find the words, Hugo closed his mouth.
How was the effect?
It was beyond astounding—to the point where he wanted to ask how something like this was even possible.
But more than that, what truly troubled him was Lucian's intention in handing over such an elixir without hesitation.
He said I was the first.
This was a treasure so extraordinary that it rendered everything previously called an elixir little more than junk.
If put up for trade, it could be worth its weight in gold; if used to secure loyalty, it could sway even a heart of stone.
And yet Lucian had given this incredible elixir to Hugo as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Even compared to the knighthood he had once promised, this single vial was worth many times more.
"Am I really worth this?"
The question slipped from Hugo's lips before he could stop himself.
It was an awkward thing to say, but Lucian merely shrugged lightly.
"You'll be working by my side for the rest of your life. An investment like this is nothing."
Lucian's casual attitude only made Hugo's chest tighten.
It was said so matter-of-factly that his question now felt unnecessary—almost foolish.
Yes. I'll stay with you until I crumble into a corpse on the battlefield.
He had already sworn his loyalty more times than he could count.
Saying any more would only cheapen the weight of his words.
So this was merely a vow he made to himself.
A resolve that, even if he failed to give his lord what he desired, he would never leave his side.
"So then—how's the effect?"
"It's incredible. The magic just whoosh—spreads through my entire body…"
As if they'd never been having a serious conversation at all, the two of them slipped back into their usual manner of speaking.
Leaving behind only a small, quiet change within Hugo.
***
A few days later, Lucian finished preparing for his departure to the north.
There was no grand marching ceremony like the one held during the previous rebellion's suppression.
The matter in the north was closer to a personal affair of Lucian's than an issue of the house itself.
Even so, he still received a personal send-off from his father, the Grand Duke.
"Go well. Don't push yourself too hard. And if things truly seem impossible, you must know when to retreat."
Grand Duke Sigmund spoke with a stern expression as he looked at Lucian.
There was concern in his eyes for his son—but more than that, it was the gaze of a head of house worried about the safety of his successor.
"They stole your inheritance, but looked at another way, it means they needed it desperately. If you try to strip them of their justification, they may resort to extreme measures."
"In that case, they'll incur the wrath of both Valdeck and the imperial family."
"Of course. But nobles are not always wise. At times, they're blinded by petty greed and commit unforgivable mistakes."
Lucian felt he understood what the Grand Duke was getting at.
If the current head of House Calyx truly harbored ambitions far beyond his station, then Valdeck or anything else might no longer factor into his thinking.
In the worst-case scenario, he might even try to dispose of Lucian himself—if that was what it took to seize the Grimaldi legacy.
It would be an utterly foolish act, with tremendous repercussions—but humans were capable of acts of stupidity that defied imagination.
"There's no such thing as absolute certainty in this world. You must assume that their foolishness could be limitless, and if the situation turns dire, you need to pull back. Even if all karma is repaid, those who've already been sacrificed will not return."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Lucian bowed his head, committing the Grand Duke's advice to heart.
As he mounted his horse, those accompanying him on this journey all turned to look at him at once.
Hugo and his squad of ten, Felicia—the future Sword Saint—and Raymond, now formally his vassal.
It was a truly modest force, but for swiftly crossing the harsh northern lands, it was just right.
"Let's move."
With Lucian's brief command, the group headed beyond the inner walls.
Lucian glanced back at the receding lord's residence and met eyes with Jordi, who stood out on the balcony.
After staring at Lucian expressionlessly for a moment, Jordi turned and went back inside.
What is he thinking…?
Lucian felt a sense of unease at Jordi's strange gaze, but soon decided to put it out of his mind.
From here on, the north was effectively enemy territory.
Unlike before, when the name of Valdeck guaranteed his life, he had no room to spare for unnecessary distractions.
"The north, huh. It's been a long time since I last went there."
As if to ease the tense atmosphere, Raymond spoke up.
Intrigued, Lucian's eyes lit up.
"Sounds like you've been there before?"
"About ten years ago, I wandered the north for a short while as a knight-errant. It was nothing but hardship—but it wasn't a bad place."
"Oh?"
Lucian, too, had traveled all across the continent, but he had never been to the north.
He had, however, associated with many northerners—but they rarely spoke of their homeland.
Many of them had left after enduring harsh experiences there, so they tended to avoid the topic deliberately.
"That works out well, then. If there's anything I should know before we arrive in the north, tell me now—everything from precautions to customs I should be careful about."
"There's not much to warn you about, really. Just keep in mind that it's brutally cold, and that their attitude toward nobles is a bit… casual."
"Casual? I'd heard that northerners are taciturn unless it's someone they acknowledge."
As Lucian asked, recalling the northern mercenaries from his previous life, Raymond burst out laughing.
"That's only true when they're outside the north. When they're in another region, they naturally have to watch their words unless they're with someone they trust. But the north is their home—why would they mind their manners there? It's the outsider who has to be careful."
"…Now that you mention it, that does make sense."
Finding the reasoning entirely sound, Lucian nodded unconsciously.
Did that mean northerners spoke freely with just about anyone in their homeland?
Thinking of how the northern mercenaries had behaved in his previous life, it was hard to imagine.
"And as for how they treat nobles—this is something that's hard to explain unless you see it for yourself. But unlike the other domains of the Empire, they won't fawn over you even if they know your status."
"Are you saying commoners in the north can be rude to their lord?"
Felicia, who had been listening nearby, asked sharply, sparks flashing in her eyes.
If anyone dared to slight Lucian, she looked ready to cut them down on the spot.
"Not exactly. To be precise, in the north, the boundary between commoners and nobles is a bit more… blurred."
"Blurred? Does that even make sense?"
"It may sound absurd, but it's true. You'll understand once you see it for yourself."
Raymond waved his hand with a wry smile.
It seemed difficult for him to explain it in any greater detail.
"Even if commoners seem a bit rude when dealing with their lord, please don't punish them hastily. In the north, it's simply the norm."
"Honestly, you're only making me more curious. Still, I get what you're trying to say, so don't worry."
Lucian was someone who, in his previous life as a mercenary, had endured every kind of mistreatment imaginable.
There was no reason for him to lose his temper over a few commoners being impolite.
If anything, the more he listened to Raymond, the more his curiosity grew.
A place where nobles didn't get their fill unless commoners groveled—and yet the social boundaries were loose?
I'd really like to see that for myself.
For Lucian, who had once lived at rock bottom as a commoner, it was a sight he couldn't help but look forward to.
****
"Ugh, it's freezing to death."
"I'd heard my ears would bleed from how cold the north is—but this is seriously cold."
Fifteen days after departing from Kelheim, Hugo's squad of ten reached the outskirts of the north, shivering as they complained.
Even wrapped in the thick winter clothing they'd bought before departure, the cutting wind seeped through to their skin.
"Ahh, this incredible weather… it's just as I remember. I missed it."
"…What in the world is going on? Is it even possible for it to get this cold so suddenly?"
Rather than the cold itself, Lucian was thrown off by how abruptly the temperature had dropped.
He knew the north was cold, but if it were simply due to geography, the temperature should have fallen gradually.
Instead, the moment they crossed into a certain boundary, the cold became absurdly sudden.
"I agree—this isn't a natural kind of cold. For it to differ this much over just a few steps…"
Felicia frowned and scanned the surroundings, as if trying to locate the source of the chill.
With her keen senses, she seemed to feel the sense of wrongness more strongly than the others.
"Well, it is definitely a strange cold. That's why, in the north, some people consider it an ancient curse from time immemorial. There are so many legends that it's hard to say how credible they are."
"Whether it's a curse or not, it's clearly related to magic. There's no way a climate like this could form naturally…"
Clang—
It was while Lucian's group was discussing the bizarre cold of the north.
A sudden metallic sound rang sharply in everyone's ears.
"What was that?"
"Sounds like weapons clashing."
Clang!
As if to confirm it, the metallic noise rang out again.
It grew steadily louder, closing in on Lucian's group.
A moment later, as it drew closer, human voices became audible amid the clash of metal.
—You worthless bastard! You trusted that snake's words and struck your own father in the back!?
—Father, enough already. It's time for you to go meet our ancestors! I'll see to it that your funeral is held in grand fashion!
At the absurd exchange drifting in from afar, Lucian's party stared wide-eyed.
What in the world kind of scene of utter filial impiety was this?
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