The pilgrims exchanged wary glances, then cautiously took their first steps forward.
Just in case, they looked around, but there was not a single person blocking their way.
Only Lothier stepped back with a troubled expression, avoiding their gaze.
Seeing that, the pilgrims gained confidence and entered all at once.
"Ah…!"
Staring at the capital of the former Northern Kingdom, the pilgrims burst into exclamations.
The first things that caught their eyes were the finely constructed buildings and the neatly laid roads.
Though it was a residential district for commoners, the architectural style was as elegant and classical as that of the nobility.
In the distance, the walls of the inner fortress were even more beautiful than those of the outer city.
The crowning touch among them was the palace that raised its head from within the inner fortress.
"The White Palace."
Someone murmured as if entranced, staring blankly at the palace.
It looked less like something built by stacking bricks and more like it had been carved directly from scattered pearls.
Everything around it was beautiful, yet before that white palace, all else seemed to fade.
Pilgrims who had visited before savored its beauty once more, while those seeing it for the first time trembled with awe.
"…It surpasses imagination."
An exclamation slipped from Lucian's lips without him realizing it.
He had heard it was more beautiful than the Imperial Palace and wondered to what extent—but this was on an entirely overwhelming level.
Just what kind of technology had they used a thousand years ago to build something like this?
As Lucian looked around in a daze, he suddenly sensed something amiss.
'The security is far too tight. It's almost on the level of a strategic stronghold…?'
Residence was prohibited, but it was still a city opened as a tourist destination.
Once access had been granted to ordinary visitors, there was no reason for the surroundings to be guarded so heavily.
"Sir Lothier."
"Yes?"
Lucian looked at Lothier, who flinched slightly at being addressed.
"The security seems excessive. For a tourist city that permits pilgrim visits, is there really a reason to be so vigilant of the surroundings?"
"…Your Highness, I apologize, but I am in charge of defending land that is directly administered by the former imperial family. I must not divulge confidential matters to outsiders."
His expression was firm, as though he harbored no personal feelings from the earlier exchange.
Since it sounded reasonable at a glance, Lucian let out a small chuckle.
"You're not wrong. I shouldn't pry recklessly into imperial secrets."
"I am grateful for your understanding."
"However, I have been granted the land you guard as my fief. Remember this well: if there is a clear danger and you deliberately withhold it, causing harm, that responsibility will also fall on you."
When Lucian lightly shot back, Lothier's face twisted.
After all, justification is a matter of how one frames it.
If any incident were to occur in the future, Lucian could simply say, 'So you were hiding this,' and only Lothier would be left in a difficult position.
If he had denied everything from the start, that would have been one thing—but the moment he invoked "confidentiality," there was no room left for excuses.
"Sir Lothier, is it something even I must not be told?"
Even Glen, who had been standing nearby, took Lucian's side and pressed Lothier.
This was a city the Emperor had gifted in order to place the First Prince on the throne.
If a mere knight's personal grudge were allowed to lessen that sense of obligation, the loss would be far from trivial.
"That is not the case, but…"
"If there is no reason to keep it from me, then report it to His Highness. Asagrim is now His Highness's fief, so even matters deemed confidential must be disclosed if they pertain to this land."
Under Glen's continued pressure, Lothier finally spoke with a resigned expression.
"The truth is, we discovered a barrier not long ago."
"A barrier? You mean a barrier of magic?"
"Yes. That very kind."
A protective field installed at a specific location to prevent intrusion or safeguard something.
Usually it only formed a physical obstruction to block entry, but the more dangerous types could fling a person away the instant they made contact.
Among ancient ruins, barriers like these were sometimes found, turning soldiers who explored without thinking into piles of ash.
"For your reference, it is not a dangerous type of barrier. It was installed to protect the city, and its activation can be freely controlled. It seems a magical device was placed in an inconspicuous corner, which is why it went undiscovered until now."
"That is surprising, but such discoveries are not unheard of in ancient ruins… Wait. You said it protects the city? Just how large is it, for it to protect an entire city?"
"It envelops all of Asagrim in a hemispherical shape. Its defensive strength appeared no less formidable than that of other ancient relics."
Lucian's group collectively drew in sharp breaths.
Wasn't a barrier usually limited to blocking an entrance at most?
To think of one that even covered the open sky—
a barrier that protected an entire city.
He had never seen such a thing with his own eyes—nor had he even heard of it before.
"Wait. What does that barrier have to do with this excessive security posture? If it were the kind that flings people away on contact, that would be one thing, but you said it isn't a dangerous type."
"If an outsider were to tamper with the magical device at will, wouldn't there be a chance that we could end up trapped inside? Just in case, we reduced the number of pilgrims and strictly limited access."
"That's strange. Devices of that sort are usually designed to be controllable from the inside. Did someone exploit a blind spot and build it on the outside instead?"
"No. But if the barrier is raised and then the magical device is destroyed, who knows what might happen?"
"No, a barrier is usually—"
Lucian cut himself off mid-sentence.
The other man's reasoning was far too flimsy.
Destroy the magical device that activates the barrier?
Wouldn't that normally just deactivate it and be the end of it?
'That's how barriers in ancient ruins are usually dealt with—so what nonsense is he talking about?'
As a knight, Lothier should be well aware of such basic facts.
At the moment Lucian wondered why he was telling such an obvious lie, one possibility flashed through his mind.
"Sir Glen, there is one thing I would like to ask."
"You have a question?"
"Does Tibrone also have a magical device like the one in Asagrim? I mean a barrier that envelops the entire city."
"That is… difficult to answer. It concerns the defense of the capital."
"I see. My apologies."
He had changed the subject, but judging from the reaction, there was a high chance that no such device existed.
Lucian nodded slightly and glanced at Lothier.
As expected, even though nothing had been said to him directly, Lothier's face had flushed bright red.
'So it was inferiority.'
Any knight belonging to the imperial family would naturally take pride in serving under the master of the Empire, whether in a great or small capacity.
Yet here he had found a city that—setting aside sheer scale—surpassed even the capital where the ruler of the Empire resided.
On top of clear evidence that Tibrone's white walls had been modeled after Asagrim, he had now uncovered a city-defense barrier device he had never seen before.
'It must have felt as though Tibron's—and the imperial family's—prestige was falling, along with his own.'
The strict restrictions and surveillance imposed on the pilgrims were likely meant to prevent any further discoveries.
If something even more astonishing than the barrier device were to be found, Tibron would only appear that much more inferior.
'Ridiculous. That won't make the North greater than the Empire, nor will it place me above the Emperor.'
Having grasped the true reason, Lucian let out a dry laugh.
Knights obsessed with appearances, to the very end.
"From what I hear, there is no justification for maintaining security at this level. Order the soldiers to stand down."
"Your Highness, if we allow outsiders to roam freely and something happens—"
"It is my land. I will take responsibility."
At Lucian's unhesitating words, Lothier was struck dumb.
If the lord of the land approved, what more could he possibly say?
***
"To think I'd be allowed into the inner fortress!"
"Ah, White Palace! The former glory of the North!"
Following behind Lucian, tears of emotion streamed down the pilgrims' faces.
Even when the security had been far laxer than this, entry into the inner fortress had never been permitted, so this was the first time they were seeing the White Palace from such close range.
Some among them even dropped to their knees and pressed their lips to the ground.
"Your Highness, do you intend to proceed to the White Palace like this?"
"Is there some problem?"
"There is no problem per se, but even we are forbidden from entering the interior of the White Palace. I regret to say that it will be impossible for us to guide you inside."
"Then it can't be helped. Take me only as far as the entrance—after that, I'll handle the rest myself."
"Yes. But what do you intend to do about them?"
Lothier shot a glare full of displeasure at the pilgrims following behind.
It seemed he didn't like the way they were shouting in their excitement.
"Surely you don't plan to show them the inside of the palace as well. In such an agitated state, who knows what kind of damage they might cause."
In truth, he probably just didn't like the idea of them taking pride in a White Palace that rivaled the Imperial Palace.
Seeing through Lothier's thoughts, Lucian let out a faint chuckle.
"Of course. Even pilgrims cannot be allowed into the White Palace itself. Still, I intend to let them see it as far as the entrance."
"Truly a most merciful decision."
Lothier bowed his head, uttering words he clearly did not mean.
A short while later, when Lucian's group reached the main gate of the White Palace, everyone came to a halt.
Was this not the moment when the northern holy ground, sealed for hundreds of years, would be opened?
As they all stood tense before what could be called a historic event—
"Ascend the throne!"
A sudden voice shook Lucian's halted group.
Startled, everyone snapped their heads around, only to see the young man who had stepped forward earlier now striding one step ahead, shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Open the gates and reclaim Grimaldi's rightful claim! Ascend the throne! Take the seat of kings!"
At the young man's words, everyone froze in place.
As the castle of the Northern royal house, there would certainly be a throne—both a ceremonial seat and a king's throne—within.
Though his title was only that of a border margrave, Lucian would conduct his affairs from that seat as well.
But deliberately calling it a throne and a king's seat was another matter entirely.
The Empire might invade other nations and turn them into vassal states, but it never appointed new kings.
"Ascend the throne! Take the king's seat!"
"Ascend the throne! Take the king's seat!"
The young man's cry spread among the other pilgrims like wildfire.
To them, Lucian already seemed like the king who would unite the North.
As that frightening momentum swelled, the imperial-affiliated figures—including Glen—grew visibly tense.
"Enough."
At Lucian's single, quiet word, the chanting stopped dead.
In the sudden hush that fell, Glen swallowed hard.
Though they had closed their mouths, their eyes still burned with excitement as they waited for what Lucian would say next.
'Lord Lucian, please—do not get carried away by the atmosphere and say something rash.'
Surely he wouldn't say something as foolish as declaring himself king at the cost of offending the imperial family.
Still, to consolidate his supporters, he might reveal a hint—just a fragment—of ambition.
From Glen's perspective, even the slightest display of such ambition could not be overlooked.
As everyone held their breath, Lucian finally opened his mouth.
"The ancestors of Grimaldi longed for the White Palace. To them, the White Palace was a place they would one day return to—the dream of their forebears."
"For hundreds of years, that wish went unfulfilled, but in my generation, it has finally been realized. It is a deeply moving thing. Therefore—"
Lucian paused, then swept his gaze once over the pilgrims before continuing.
"Today, in remembrance of my maternal grandfather and the ancestors who came before him, I intend to walk the White Palace alone."
"Ah…"
"Though they left this world long ago, their blood still flows within me. So I would have this body serve as their eyes and their hands. For today, at least, I do not wish to be disturbed."
At those words, the pilgrims all lowered their heads with solemn expressions.
They had rejoiced without a second thought at the news that the North had reclaimed the White Palace.
But thinking about it differently, were there not ancestors who had perished without ever witnessing this sight?
Recalling their unfulfilled longing, it was only right to offer mourning and respect.
'I was thoughtless.'
Faces flushed with shame, the pilgrims stepped back.
No more talk of thrones or king's seats followed.
Lucian smiled gently at them, then extended his hand toward the doors.
***
"Truly remarkable, Your Highness!"
Having entered as far as the gardens of the White Palace together with Lucian's retainers, Glen exclaimed in excitement.
Lucian had neither disappointed the northerners by refusing to become king nor provoked the imperial family by revealing ambition.
By invoking his ancestors, he had deftly cooled the fervor, raised support even further, and delivered an answer that satisfied the imperial family as well.
"Truly, you have the makings of a grand duke! With Your Highness, becoming the next head of Valdeck would be no difficult feat!"
"I appreciate the praise, but what I said just now was also my honest feeling. I have wanted, at least once, to walk through the White Palace alone."
"I understand that as well. After today, it will likely be difficult for you to find time to be by yourself."
Though it was his maternal lineage, it was land his ancestors had yearned for over nearly a thousand years.
Even a cold-blooded man would feel something—how much deeper must those emotions be for a normal person?
"Still, just in case, please take at least one escort with you. There may be no one inside, but there is always the chance that some defensive devices remain."
"Then I'll take just one person with me. Sir Glen, would you wait for me at the entrance?"
"I will do so. Please don't concern yourself with me—enjoy your time to the fullest."
As Glen stepped back, Lucian immediately turned his head toward Felicia.
"Felicia, let's go."
"Yes, my lord."
Felicia followed at once at Lucian's call.
At last, it was time to confirm the ancestral legacy that lay beneath the throne.
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