Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: Doodle
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< Chapter 192: Victory Ceremony (2) >
“Do you remember me? From the nomination ceremony back then...!”
“Ahem! I am Josephine, the commander of the Gale Sword Unit. If you have some time later, perhaps we could share a cup of tea…!”
“Move aside, you lot! Can’t you see I’m first in line? Ahem! I am from the Judgment Hall...”
“You move! What’s the Judgment Hall, which is supposed to maintain neutrality, doing here anyway?”
“You little—!”
“What?”
Before Theo could even sit in the seat designated for him, a swarm of people gathered around him like a cloud, making him scratch his cheek.
He had anticipated some attention but hadn’t expected such a large crowd to form.
‘Because there are rumors that Torkel died in battle, and I survived, it must’ve attracted even more attention.’
Those who had tried to curry favor with Torkel were now left utterly disappointed.
“Theo Ragnar.”
Yet, amidst the crowd, there was one person who stood out the most.
“That, that person is…!”
“Even the Nine Dragons are stepping forward?”
“The commander of the Blue Sword Guard.”
As the murmuring crowd parted in awe, Illusion Dragon approached with a slightly awkward smile and greeted Theo.
“It’s been a while.”
“We met just two days ago during the final briefing.”
“Ah, did we? These days, I’m so old I forget day by day. Haha!”
Though known for rarely expressing emotions, Illusion Dragon seemed unusually soft when dealing with Theo.
-The Blue Sword Guard and White Armored Dragon Cavalry don’t have a good relationship because of the White Tower Incident, do they?
-You didn’t hear the news?
-News? What news?
-The Blue Sword Guard has recently been especially close to the Black Iron Cavalry. That’s probably why.
-Even someone as mighty as Illusion Dragon is wary of political tide, huh?
-Exactly.
Illusion Dragon, well aware of the curious gazes surrounding him, maintained a thick skin and continued.
“I have many things I wish to discuss with you. Would you be free to join me for a meal sometime later?”
“Yes, that sounds fine.”
“Haha, thank you.”
Illusion Dragon sighed lightly in relief, concerned that Theo might still be wary of him due to past events.
At the same time, he felt a twinge of sadness at finding himself fretting over such a young individual.
It was because of something he had heard from Kyle earlier that morning.
- Is it true the Young Lord’s announcement will be made today? Well, perhaps. We’ll see.
If so, the outcome of who would take that position was clear as day.
Illusion Dragon felt as if flames had ignited under his feet.
The decision to establish a successor meant that changes would also occur among the leadership.
He had no desire to step down from active duty at his age!
And the same could be said for the other leaders gathered here.
‘If this boy really becomes the young heir… I wonder how Kinkarnon and Ansio will react.’
He thought this because he knew all too well how hard they had worked over the decades to gain Kyle’s favor.
With that, Illusion Dragon left his seat.
Following him, Julius, the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace, and the Black Dragon approached one after another.
“You seem to be basking in glory today! I must say, I’m good at picking people. Hahaha!”
“Congratulations, ah… son.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
The Lord of Plum Blossom Palace, finding the word -son- awkward, uncharacteristically flushed slightly at the bridge of her nose.
She kept stealing glances, as if unsure how Theo would react.
It reminded her of a moment a few months ago when she had spent some time alone with Cecilia.
- I’ve decided to adopt Theo as my son.
- Is that so?
- Doesn’t that upset you?
There had been talk of Cecilia’s personality softening significantly in recent times.
Still, her jealousy and envy were infamous even within the Ragnar family.
When the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace sought her out, she had braced herself for harsh words.
However—
- It’s a little disappointing, but… is there really a need for that? It’s something your son decided.
Contrary to her expectations, Cecilia readily nodded, even wearing a faint smile.
In that moment, the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace realized something.
Cecilia was no longer the woman she had once known.
- And I have always been grateful to the first lady. Without you, neither Theo nor I could have remained in that position.
Moreover, Cecilia was well aware.
In the past, when everyone disapproved of her and even suggested expelling her from the Rose Palace, the only one who had protected her was the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace.
- Though I cannot walk the path I had once hoped for my son, I have no doubt that you, as the first lady, will guide him along it wonderfully.
The way Cecilia asked her to continue taking good care of Theo was so gentle and considerate.
‘Just as Theo has grown, so too has this woman.’
When Theo responded by calling her -Mother-, the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace smiled warmly.
Why did their smiles look so alike? She felt a pang of jealousy.
“What’s this? Son? So the rumors about him being adopted are true?”
The Black Dragon looked back and forth between the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace and Theo with a surprised expression.
“Well, it just turned out that way.”
“Hah! So you’re making your move like this?”
Julius seemed entirely set on grooming Theo as his successor.
Then what would he be left with?
For a moment, the Black Dragon seriously considered whether he should step back and give Theo the position of Black Snow Lord, instead of merely No Snow.
“There’s some news you’ve been waiting for today, so look forward to it.”
With a cryptic smile, the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace moved to her designated seat.
‘News I’ve been waiting for.’
Theo mulled over those words.
It felt like today might turn out to be a very long day.
* * *
The official ceremony for rewards and recognition began.
“First, Conquering Dragon.”
At Kyle’s call, a large man stepped onto the stage.
His expression brimmed with confidence, exuding an aura as if he could overturn the world itself.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
With each step he took, the stage seemed to tremble.
- As expected of the Conquering Dragon…!
- It’s been so long since he’s appeared in public, hasn’t it?
- I heard he’s been infiltrating the Troyban side under the family head’s orders, keeping tabs on their movements. They say he even took down Granada’s right-hand man recently.
- Incredible as always.
Each murmur from the crowd caused the corners of Conquering Dragon’s lips to twitch upward.
‘He’s the same, both in this life and the last.’
Theo chuckled bitterly and shook his head.
He hadn’t encountered the Conquering Dragon many times in his past life.
However, each meeting left a strong impression.
He loved to flaunt himself and craved attention, clearly someone who thrived on being in the spotlight.
‘And now, that same person has been secretly keeping an eye on me. No, to be precise, he must have been monitoring the situation in the Floating Archipelago while waiting.’
Theo now understood why the Retainer, buried in the sea at the Floating Archipelago, hadn’t reappeared.
When Theo emerged during that time, Conquering Dragon must have been genuinely caught off guard.
He had been observing under Kyle’s orders to sway the Floating Archipelago to Ragnar’s side.
Then, out of nowhere, Theo appeared and took the credit for himself.
As expected, Conquering Dragon slightly turned his head to glance in Theo’s direction.
For a brief moment, their eyes met, and an oppressive silence passed between them.
Theo felt as though his innermost thoughts were being read.
Hmph!
However, Conquering Dragon merely let out a faint snort of disapproval, showing no further interest in Theo.
What kind of assessment did he make of him?
Theo was curious about Conquering Dragon’s thoughts, especially as he was also the mentor of Kishar and Ansio.
“Conquering Dragon, Dante Roll. You have made great contributions to ending this war. As recognition, I grant you the former territory of Count Krunan in the southwest as your area and bestow upon you the <Right of Foundation> to establish a noble house.”
The commotion around them grew even louder than when Conquering Dragon first appeared.
- The Right of Foundation?!
- They’re granting such a monumental reward? Isn’t this something that hasn’t happened in 200 years?
- Is this the birth of the seventh Snow Family…?!
The Right of Foundation.
It was an extraordinary privilege, issued only nine times throughout Ragnar’s long history.
It granted the right to establish a noble house.
Of course, one could technically settle in unoccupied lands or pioneer regions like the Demonic Sea to form a noble house without Ragnar’s explicit permission.
By pledging allegiance to Ragnar, such houses could be recognized as vassals or subordinate families.
However, these subordinate houses were merely protected by Ragnar and received no additional support.
A house granted the Right of Foundation, however, was entirely different.
They received full support for the development of their territory and were officially recognized as a cadet branch, with the right to challenge Ragnar’s throne.
In some cases, they could even become Ragnar itself!
Currently, there were six families in the north that had been granted the Right of Foundation and established noble houses.
These were the Six Snow Families, the last of which was the Ranke family, 200 years ago.
Even Kyle, despite his deep bonds with his sworn brothers, had not granted this privilege lightly.
Yet it was being given to Conquering Dragon?
Moreover, the former territory of Count Krunan was one of the most fertile lands in the north.
Establishing a house there would allow for rapid growth.
It was clear that Kyle valued Conquering Dragon’s contributions exceptionally highly.
Naturally, the people were in an uproar.
“Brother.”
“…This is the first I’m hearing of this. Ha, hahaha… Our brother, truly, I never expected him to drop such a bombshell.”
Julius turned urgently to the Black Dragon, but the Black Dragon could only offer a hollow laugh.
In the end, both of them looked toward the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace.
But the Lord of Plum Blossom Palace merely shook her head, her gaze heavy with resignation.
“I didn’t hear about this either. It seems Kyle intends to empower Ansio… but I have no idea what he’s thinking.”
The three of them had already made it clear to Kyle that they supported Theo.
They had also confirmed that Kyle’s own intentions leaned toward Theo, so they had expected this victory ceremony to solidify the succession.
‘Is he planning to prolong this conflict even further?’
Julius felt suffocated as he observed their inscrutable eldest brother.
He knew full well how ambitious Conquering Dragon was and how greedy Ansio could be.
But they were on the brink of launching a massive crusade against the Sacred Demon Church.
With the eradication of the Apostles ahead, rather than uniting the house, Kyle seemed to be sowing further discord, and Julius couldn’t understand why.
‘Or… could it be?’
A sudden thought crossed his mind.
The former territory of Count Krunan, while fertile, was far removed from both the Demonic Sea and Winterer.
In the context of northern politics, it was effectively an outer area.
Was Kyle perhaps trying to forcibly separate Ansio and Conquering Dragon from Winterer’s central power by relocating them to the frontier?
“I humbly accept the authority granted to me. However, I must decline the territory.”
At that moment, Conquering Dragon, who had been bowing deeply, straightened his posture.
Even as he faced Kyle’s piercing gaze—so intense that even the other Nine Dragons found it difficult to meet—he showed not the slightest sign of intimidation.
“The strength of a noble house comes from its territory. Without one, a house cannot be found.”
“Then grant the Krunan territory to someone else who needs it. As for me, I ask for the land of Troyban. Surely, I am qualified enough to claim it, no?”
The land of Troyban!
It was effectively a demand to hand over dominion over the eastern territories.
The Nine Dragons, including Julius, and the other leaders erupted in shock, many starting to rise from their seats.
But Kyle calmly shook his head.
“Yes. You are more than qualified. In fact, you exceed the requirements. Without a doubt.”
“Then…!”
“But that will not happen. Someone has already been chosen to receive it.”
Conquering Dragon’s brow furrowed deeply.
Was there someone who had achieved more than him in this war?
Kyle’s gaze shifted elsewhere, and Conquering Dragon followed it.
When he saw who it landed on, his expression hardened.
Theo was seated there.
“That land will be given to the young heir.”