Chapter 16
The land of Northern Light, granted by the Emperor, who recognized Ludger as the heir to the throne, was a barren, desolate land where only radishes grew, with nothing but ice and rocks. It had been left abandoned for a long time, without a master.
Whenever a lord was appointed, they would all say:
“Northern Light is a dead land. There’s nothing that can be done here.”
“Even if we bring in a botanist, the only thing that grows is radishes. They’re so terrible that even livestock refuse to eat them!”
“We even brought in one of the continent’s most famous chefs, but there’s no way to save those radishes. Only the people of Northern Light have adapted to eating them.”
They gave up and left Northern Light. But Ludger took responsibility and inspected the land. The young Ludger, granted the land by the Emperor, began by organizing the region. He listened to the stories of the locals who had lived there for a long time and made significant investments.
As a result, he discovered a massive copper mine. Copper was less expensive than iron ore, but it was used for so many different purposes that it consistently sold well. Copper was as abundant in Northern Light as the ice and rocks scattered along the roads.
Ludger sold the mining rights for all but the highest quality mines. Mining rights were a privilege exclusive to royalty.
“To think the mining rights are being sold. I never thought I’d see the day.”
“It’s just copper, not gemstones, so it’s a bit disappointing. But at least it has the advantage of providing steady profits.”
“This is a rare opportunity, and I’d like to buy them right away, but I’m worried about the Emperor’s gaze.”
While the imperial nobles watched from a distance, carefully eyeing the Emperor’s opinions, foreign businessmen who had come to the Empire seized the opportunity. The Emperor was displeased by this, but there was nothing he could do.
The mining rights were a royal privilege. If he were to suddenly change the law to stop Ludger, it could end up being a major problem for him. The foreigners who bought the mining rights didn’t have to worry about the Emperor’s opinions. They began to develop the mines simultaneously with investments from their home countries.
But developing a mine was not just about extracting minerals. It involved building housing for the miners’ families, education facilities for their children, and soon, shops and commercial districts started to open. As the population grew, permission was granted to establish a knight order to maintain security.
Not only that, but recently, the port in Northern Light was also opened. This was a remarkable change for a land that had once been filled only with radishes.
Due to the foreigners purchasing the mining rights, the Empire could no longer collect taxes. Northern Light wasn’t rich, but its people no longer had to run away from the cold or suffer from hunger. They abandoned their nomadic ways of life and settled down, creating families. Northern Light was slowly developing.
Erkin, the steward of Northern Light, was a descendant of the locals who had lived there for many years. He had grown up watching the land transform from an ice-covered wasteland into a city. Naturally, he developed a deep respect for Ludger. He wanted to help Ludger, so he studied hard and became his assistant.
He wasn’t just an employee; whenever Ludger visited, Erkin would be genuinely happy, as if welcoming a long-lost family member. But today, he was feeling unpleasant.
After completing his report, Erkin furrowed his brow.
“I never thought that Refs would have such an attitude!”
The neighboring regions, which had promised to sell food, had all seemingly coordinated to raise the price of grain by tenfold. They made it clear that they wouldn’t sell even a single grain.
Erkin clenched his fist and trembled with anger.
“Of all the places, Refs, which we helped last year, should not have done this! To repay kindness in such a way… they are ungrateful wretches!”
He wasn’t repaying kindness; he was stabbing me in the back!
If they hadn’t agreed to the deal in the first place, I wouldn’t be this upset.
Ludger, who had been listening to his complaints, spoke up.
“Given the change in attitude, it seems the Imperial Family has interfered.”
“…I think so too.”
The northern territories, which weren’t wealthy, had always tried their best to maintain good relations with their neighbors. The sudden change in attitude of their neighbors, who had been peaceful, could only be explained by external intervention. The only external force that could disrupt Northern Light was the Imperial Family.
“It might have been my decision to engage in the deal that was the problem. If you had stepped in, maybe the Imperial Family wouldn’t have interfered.”
Erkin felt a surge of emotion at Ludger’s tone, as if he were to blame.
“Please don’t say that. Is it wrong for a lord to look after his land? Your Highness did the right thing!”
Unfortunately, reality didn’t operate on ideals alone. Ludger tapped the desk with his index finger.
“Like you said, as the lord, I must take responsibility.”
“Do you have any thoughts on the matter?”
“Look at what the Imperial Family wants. It’s about time to check what’s going on.”
The Emperor wanted to see Ludger kneel before him, bow his head, and show that he harbored no thoughts of defiance—that he would only think of the grace of being spared. It wasn’t anything new; the Emperor occasionally did things like this for the sake of venting. However, this time it had gone too far. The Emperor had brought the lives of the people of Northern Light into this to trample Ludger’s pride.
‘It must be because of the Baltara Kingdom issue.’
The Empire had deployed soldiers to the Baltara Kingdom’s borders, citing the deaths of the Eckhart couple as the reason. The number of soldiers stationed there was far beyond what was needed for basic border security. It was a force ready to invade Baltara at any moment. They had prepared everything but had refrained from starting the war because they lacked a good pretext.
‘The deaths of the Eckhart couple aren’t enough to justify war.’
Baltara had done everything to take responsibility and had offered help with the investigation, with the royal family expressing condolences. But Baltara had done their best, and the incident wasn’t enough to turn into a reason for war.
‘The Imperial Family wants to ignite the flames of war.’
If someone were to dirty their hands and strike first, severely damaging Baltara, it would retaliate with full force. The Empire would then have a justified reason to attack, claiming they were simply defending themselves.
Regardless of the outcome of the war, the one who started the fire would be remembered with contempt throughout history. The Imperial Family wanted Ludger to play that role. For now, he had to comply with their wishes. He wasn’t strong enough to resist.
Erkin, biting his lower lip in frustration, spoke up.
“I don’t want to see the Duke of Northern Light being dragged around by the Imperial Family any longer.”
“Are you not preparing to break free?”
“It’s taking too long. By the way, I heard Lady Eckhart is staying at Your Highness’s mansion. Why don’t you consider proposing to Lady Eckhart? The Eckhart family has the power that you need.”
Honestly, the idea of Tessa was too tempting.
The power to destroy the Imperial Family.
It wasn’t just her abilities; her existence reminded him of the carefree, happy days of his childhood. Being with her brought peace.
That’s why he needed to distance himself from her as soon as possible—before his greed grew, and he wanted to keep her by his side.
“Are you suggesting bringing in an outsider?”
“What’s the harm? In fact, Your Highness has already saved Lady Eckhart’s life. As her lifesaver, you can demand anything with confidence.”
But Ludger couldn’t say that with confidence.
Tessa didn’t know that he had saved her life. Ludger was a disaster. Many had died from helping him. The first to die had been Jake, the old dog.
Ludger had taken in the old stray dog and lived with him in a small hut. The dog, wary of strangers, had not easily allowed Ludger to get close. But after walking around the hut and spending many nights together, they had become a family, greeting each other joyfully.
Even when Jake became too old to walk, he would still come to the entrance of the hut and wag his tail to greet Ludger whenever he returned.
Each morning, Ludger would begin his day by finding Jake, pulling him into a hug, and gently stroking his head.
One day, the Emperor invited Ludger to the Imperial Palace, claiming it was for a royal hunting banquet. However, something out of place appeared in the hunting grounds.
“Ah, I mistook it for a deer because it looks so emaciated.”
“…?”
“This old dog of yours? I see it followed its master all the way here.”
The old dog, Jake, was too weak to even go outside and could only wait patiently at the entrance of the hut for Ludger’s return. There was no doubt the Emperor had brought Jake to the hunting grounds. To shoot him.
This was a form of injustice Ludger had never experienced before. Unable to comprehend it, he rushed forward.
“Save Jake!”
“No!”
Ludger’s mother grabbed him and forced his head down as she lay flat beside him.
“I am deeply sorry, Your Majesty. I failed to raise him properly, and he is lacking. Please show us your generosity.”
“I see, he seems to have had inadequate training. I will help with that.”
The Emperor grinned wickedly and ordered the banquet to be prepared.
“I cannot neglect my dear nephew. Let me personally serve the game I hunted.”
The food placed before Ludger was the lifeless body of Jake.
