Chapter 67 : Northern Conference (3)
Chapter 67: Northern Conference (3)
The lords gathered from all across the North glanced around, gazing at the widely spread tables and chairs.
“Thanks to the Heir of the Frostfire, we even get to have such a rare experience.”
“Indeed. When would we ever get to leisurely enjoy scenery inside the mountain range like this?”
As the lords paired up and exchanged conversations, Kyle revealed himself.
When the Family Head Terrius rose from his seat and bowed his head, Kyle asked,
“Is everyone here?”
“Not all of the invitations have been retrieved.”
“I think waiting any longer would be no different from wasting the lords’ time.”
“I share the same opinion. Then we will proceed immediately.”
The Northern Conference.
The last time it had been held was a hundred years ago.
At the news that a conference, which had not been convened even once during all that time, was to be held, all the major families attended without exception.
“I will preside over the proceedings.”
“Please do so.”
The Family Head Terrius stood up from his seat and spoke politely to Kyle.
As the start of the Northern Conference was announced, the lords straightened their posture and closed their mouths.
“From this moment, the Northern Conference will begin. The agenda is the replacement of the Head of the Ragnar Family.”
Kyle, who had been seated at the highest seat, placed a hand on his chin and tilted his head.
No matter how much the Terius Family was Pramo’s maternal family, this had gone too far.
At that moment, Pramo, having seen Kyle about to rise, stepped forward before him and asked the Family Head Terrius,
“Do you believe the northern lords have the authority to decide on the replacement of the Head of the Ragnar Family?”
“For hundreds of years, Ragnar alone did not guard the mountain range. The lords also defended the range, and for a long time, they have settled and lived in the North. Therefore, I believe they have that level of authority.”
At the words of the Family Head Terrius, the lords who knew little nodded their heads.
However, the expressions of Viscount Rak and the other lords twisted.
They had not expected that the Family Head Terrius, who had made remarks disregarding the Rak Family, would press his claim so strongly from the very start.
In response, Kyle let out a soft scoff and shook his head.
“Since when was Ragnar a puppet of the North?”
The respectful demeanor Kyle had shown toward the Family Head Terrius was nowhere to be found.
Startled by the sudden change, the Family Head Terrius narrowed his eyes.
“……This is a conference. I ask that the Heir of the Frostfire observe proper decorum.”
“Decorum…… are you really asking me for decorum right now?”
“I will say it again. This is a conference.”
“I have no intention of dragging this conference out.”
“……A conference is not a joke.”
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Kyle and the Family Head Terrius glared at each other as if they wanted to kill one another.
Meanwhile, the lords who had attended the conference without understanding the situation revealed their confusion.
On the other hand, the lords who stood on the Terius Family’s side abruptly rose from their seats, as if they could no longer tolerate it.
“No matter if you are a successor, isn’t this far too discourteous!”
“That’s right! If you were going to be this uncooperative, we wouldn’t have come at all!”
Despite the intensifying backlash, Kyle merely lifted the corner of his mouth.
“None of you are even qualified to attend this conference.”
“What did you just say?”
“When Ragnar fell into crisis, what did you do? I’d like to ask just how you tried to save Ragnar.”
“We also did our best in our own way. Protecting each territory—”
“Wasn’t that something you did personally to protect the lands you owned, and to protect your own interests?”
Territories long established in the North, and the lords who ruled them.
Of course, those efforts were acknowledged, but to begin with, there were not many among the lords present who actually possessed the authority to attend this conference.
“To bring up tradition while talking about qualifications to replace the Head of the Ragnar Family. It’s laughable enough to make a passing ork burst out laughing.”
“Kyle Ragnar!”
“This place was not made to seek your permission. It is a place to notify you.”
Kyle rose from his seat and raised his hand, releasing his momentum.
At that, the orks and the Dwarf Clan who had been waiting at the mountain pass revealed themselves.
At their forefront, Yul and Iron stood proudly, staring straight at the lords.
“T, this is…….”
“The old rules have lost their meaning. I hereby declare to the lords participating in the Northern Conference. I proclaim that an alliance between Ragnar, the orks, and the Dwarf Clan has been concluded.”
Former enemies they had been fighting until recently were suddenly allies; the lords’ faces were filled with shock and fear.
In particular, the Family Head Terrius stood with his mouth agape, unable to close it.
Meanwhile, led by Viscount Rak, the lords who supported Ragnar rose from their seats.
“The Rak Family will follow Ragnar’s will.“
At the sight of the lords echoing Viscount Rak’s declaration one after another, the Family Head Terrius closed his open mouth and bit down on his lips.
He wanted to resist, but overwhelmed by the pressure of Yul and Iron, he was rendered unable to say a single word.
Kyle looked down at him and spoke in a cold voice.
“Do you have something to say?”
“……Why are you doing this? You clearly said you understood me!”
Even if he conceded a hundred times, he could understand not helping Rai.
But he could not understand not helping Ragnar, with Pramo as its head.
“I said I understood that you did not help my father and instead sought the future. But the Terius Family privately used what Ragnar had provided, and despite knowing of Ragnar’s crisis, you turned your head away.”
The Terius Family had grown only after Rai and his daughter married; originally, it was nothing more than a small northern territory.
Ragnar had supported them materially and otherwise so that they could coexist…….
Yet under the pretext of acting for the family, the Family Head Terrius pretended not to know of Ragnar’s crisis.
“That is…….”
“As if that weren’t enough, you even tried to forcibly drag Pramo to Terius territory by sending only knights to save him? It’s utterly absurd.”
As Kyle continued to press him, the Family Head Terrius glared at Pramo.
“Was this the will of the family head?”
“My affiliation is not with the Terius Family, but with the Ragnar Family.”
“Family Head!”
“Do you desire it?”
“……What do you mean by that?”
“Did you not want to seat me as the heir of the Terius Family and exert your influence from behind?”
“……How could you say such a thing? To me, you are my grandson.”
“You know very well that I am nothing more than a grandson and a tool.”
It was not as if there was no proper successor to inherit the Terius Family.
Ail Terrius, whom Pramo had met yesterday.
He was the son of the eldest son of the Family Head Terrius.
When the Family Head Terrius’s eldest son died early, Ail was granted the qualifications to rise as the successor.
But with the will to seat Pramo as the successor, he went so far as to appoint Ail as the lord of another territory.
That too, Ail, whose martial prowess was so outstanding that he bore the epithet Ghost of the North.
Having carried out everything under the pretext of acting for the Terius Family, he now wore a wronged expression before Pramo.
“Why will you not understand this old man’s heart?”
But there was no way his appeal would get through.
Pramo was smart.
Though he possessed no martial strength, he was the one who, with nothing but his brilliant mind, laid the foundation to set the collapsing Ragnar back on its feet.
“I will leave the Terius Family alone. However, I cannot tolerate Grandfather maintaining the position of family head.”
Grit!
The Family Head Terrius ground his teeth, his face flushing red.
He had tried to exert influence over Ragnar, only for the Terius Family to end up being influenced by Ragnar instead.
“How can Ragnar attempt to exert influence over the Terius Family?”
“Then do you think what Grandfather has done until just now makes any sense?”
At Pramo’s sarcastic words and gaze, anger filled the eyes of the Family Head Terrius.
Soon after, clenching his fist, the Family Head Terrius slowly swept his gaze over the surrounding lords.
“……If you will not understand my heart even to this extent, then it cannot be helped. As the head of the Terius Family, I declare this. We will neither involve ourselves in nor support Ragnar becoming a dynasty.”
Kyle, who had been quietly listening to the Family Head Terrius, lifted the corner of his mouth and extended his hand.
Then, from Kyle’s hand, a red jewel floated up into the air, spewing tremendous heat.
The heat drove away the chill of the mountain range blanketed in snow, and the surrounding temperature gradually rose as well.
“It is the Dwarf Clan’s divine artifact, the Everlasting Flame. With this level of heat, it means the North can now engage in agriculture.”
At Kyle’s words, the lords began to stir.
After sweeping his gaze over their faces, Kyle once again fixed his eyes on the Family Head Terrius.
“Those who will follow the Terius Family may leave the mountain range. However, it will be considered an act of defiance against Ragnar’s will, and you will never again receive any benefits from what Ragnar will achieve in the future.”
A land where snow never melted for 365 days—looked at another way, it meant soil more fertile than any other.
If an appropriate temperature could be maintained, it possessed the soil strength to easily allow three harvests a year.
With Kyle reviving the Everlasting Flame, Ragnar had secured the conditions necessary for farming.
As the snow melted and warmth spread, the eyes of the lords who had been half-doubting grew unacceptably wide.
Even Viscount Rak could not hide his shock.
“Ah, of course, even if you can leave this place, the head of the Terius Family will be changed.”
“……Kyle Ragnar!”
“If you are prepared to wage war, then do so. If you wish to struggle, I will accept all of it. However, the moment war begins, I hope you will not forget that you yourself must bear that responsibility.”
At Kyle’s icy gaze, the Family Head Terrius shuddered.
“Do you think Ragnar can survive after turning all the northern lords into enemies!”
“If my father made one mistake, it was trusting the good faith of the Terius Family. Those things were not given to threaten Ragnar in such a manner.”
Yul and Iron, who had been listening to the exchange, spoke briefly and firmly.
“Such a shameless human.”
“I agree.”
After delivering words that pierced to the core, Yul and Iron looked at each other and nodded.
Soon, as the two rulers turned their gaze, they met Kyle’s eyes.
“The Ork Clan will do its utmost to erase the enemies of the alliance.”
“The Dwarf Clan will do the same.”
At their responses, Kyle nodded.
“As the Heir of the Frostfire, I declare this. The punishment of the orks and dwarves is over. From now on, both clans may freely move throughout the North.”
At the words that they could escape the prison that had been maintained for two hundred years, Yul and Iron nodded their heads vigorously.
They were now able to leave the mountain range that had been like a prison.
However, the Family Head Terrius alone seemed unable to accept Kyle’s will.
“How can you make such an absurd decision all by yourself?”
“Because I am the Heir of the Frostfire. Do you not know that I possess the authority to revoke the punishments imposed upon the rulers and their clans?”
“How long do you think the two races will remain friendly to Ragnar? Just like two hundred years ago, the time will come when they fight each other again!”
“That is not something you need to worry about.”
“No! As one who lives in the North, I cannot acknowledge this!”
“Now you are just being unreasonable?”
“It’s not unreasonable, it’s……!”
As the Family Head Terrius’s appearance grew increasingly unsightly, Ail, who had been watching, finally stepped forward.
The Family Head Terrius frowned as he looked up at Ail, who had blocked his way.
“Ail!”
“Family Head, please stop.”
“You wretch! Where do you think you are, to dare step forward like this!”
“I am also the lord of a territory. I have more than enough authority to step forward.”
If Kyle had not used the Everlasting Flame to lower the temperature, the lords would have been swayed by the Family Head Terrius’s words.
But Kyle had proven it.
The hope that the North could survive on its own without help from the interior.
Having been given that hope, Ail could not simply stand by and watch.
Then, at that moment.
“Ail Terrius, listen.”
Pramo, who had been silent, stepped forward.
At the voice calling him, Ail bowed his head.
“Please speak, Family Head.”
“The head of the Terius Family is now you.”
At Pramo’s radical declaration, Ail recalled the last words he had spoken while taking a walk yesterday.
― No matter what is said at the Northern Conference, accept it. I hope you understand that is the way for the Terius Family to live.
There was a saying that no human could surpass the weapons created by the dwarves.
To that extent, the dwarves handled iron masterfully and possessed extraordinary understanding of minerals.
If such a clan formed an alliance with Ragnar, it meant that weapons forged by the dwarves would soon flood the North.
Moreover, the anxiety the northern lords always carried was the issue of food.
The Everlasting Flame was the hope that would resolve the North’s chronic problem.
‘The moment the Terius Family turns its back on Ragnar, the family will be finished.’
Having finished his thoughts, Ail slowly knelt on one knee before Pramo.
“I will act according to the Family Head’s will.”
“Ail! You dare push me aside and……!”
Rising from his seat, Ail turned his body and looked at the Family Head Terrius—no, the man who now held only the title of viscount.
“I merely sought the way for the family to live. You always spoke of acting for the family and for the sake of family while securing justification. Now I will return that justification to you exactly as it is. For the family, and for the family members, you must accept it.”
This was not something Ail could choose.
For the family to survive, he had to accept Pramo’s words unconditionally.
Ail bowed politely toward the Viscount Terrius, whose face was reddened and stained with rage.
“You have worked hard all this time.”