Chapter 309: The Power to Make a Choice

“Then should I still go and become a mercenary?” Hode could not help but ask.

He had already changed into the equipment delivered from Greenwood—a finely crafted leather armor made from the hide of a Snowfield Berserk Bear.

The hide of the Snowfield Berserk Bear was currently the best material that could be standardized for equipment.

A single bear’s hide was enough to produce five sets of exquisite leather armor. When paired with chainmail, its toughness was enough to withstand the strikes of a Second-Rank Lower Warrior.

Of course, if one truly took the blow head-on, the armor might not break, but the bones beneath would likely be shattered.

The Snowfield Berserk Bear could rival a Fourth-Rank Knight. Ordinary beasts with sheer physical strength reached only this level at most, and beyond that, there were only Magical Beasts.

But precisely because of the bear’s immense power, their numbers were scarce. Even though the price of a complete hide was set at three hundred gold coins in the Mercenary Tavern, few dared to take such commissions.

Mercenaries preferred to accept hunting missions for Icefield Wolves.

After all, no Northern Warrior had yet managed to single-handedly slay a Snowfield Berserk Bear. Even if teamwork made it possible, the slightest mishap could still lead to injury or even death.

Ultimately, Northern Warriors found banditry far freer than mercenary work.

As bandits, no one gave them orders, while as mercenaries, they had to obey the commands of the weak—something they could not tolerate.

Thus, although a single Icefield Wolf was worth only around fifty gold coins, these Second- and Third-Rank creatures were far more numerous in the North, and much easier for mercenaries to hunt.

Aureus raised his eyes at Hode and said, “Of course you must become a mercenary. This is your bargain with them.”

Hode hesitated and said, “But as you said, their intentions toward the North are not friendly.”

After speaking, Hode closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. When he opened them again, he exhaled heavily and said, “In truth, I am very lost now. I don’t know if I should continue following what I once thought.”

Aureus asked, “Because you realized things are not as simple as you imagined?”

Hode nodded. “I once believed the fall of the North was already inevitable, and that the Northern Kingdom would become history. Naturally, Hoover should also return to the earth with the North’s destruction.”

Aureus said, “But now you realize the North might still endure. At most, the Northern Kingdom would be swallowed, and they would still need nobles to help govern this land separated from their political center by the vast Northwind Mountains.”

Hode sighed. “And even though the Church stripped me of my knighthood, compared to other nobles, I am closer to Greenwood and better able to adapt to their rules. Perhaps this matter is not merely the ‘bargain’ that the senator spoke of.”

Aureus’s lips curved with a faint smile. “And also Bishop Marl.”

“Yes,” Hode replied, “his involvement as well. His aim may simply be to make use of my noble bloodline. After these years of reforming Greenwood, the so-called nobles have already become tools of their new order. Compared to rallying the commoners and waging an uncertain and bloody counterattack against the nobility, it is easier to simply coerce the nobles into submission.”

Leaning back against the throne’s backrest, Aureus exhaled lightly and said, “And you are precisely the transition from Northern noble to Greenwood noble—a natural point of reference for others, just like those three nobles in the Greenwood Senate.”

Hode nodded, then continued, “So I feel lost. I don’t know if I should follow their will. If I do, I might gain great prestige, but I would become their tool for remaking the North. And since I cannot produce an heir, it would only make things easier for them.”

Hode sighed. “If I didn’t know so much, perhaps I wouldn’t feel so lost. Perhaps I’d be like Cooper, with only the honor of a Northern Warrior in my head.”

Aureus asked, “Is it that you are unwilling to betray the North?”

Hode fell silent.

With a calm tone, Aureus said, “Then let me put it another way. Between Greenwood and the North, whose rules do you think are better? Or rather, if you had to choose, where would you rather live?”

Hode remained silent.

Aureus said, “Sometimes, silence is the answer. And Hode, you must understand something. The North’s reverence for martial prowess produced glorious Northern Warriors. But in this world, every nation has its own system, and every region has its own culture. These too can be seen as ‘reverence for strength, pursuit of might.’”

“Just as in the North, where the strong dominate the weak—that is Northern culture. But in the rules of the world, it is even harsher. The weaker, inferior cultures are inevitably replaced by stronger, superior ones. For all men worship ‘the strong’ and yearn to become ‘the strong.’”

“And now, it is clear that the martial culture of the North has already been quietly invaded by Greenwood’s civilization. Yet our marquises still indulge in the pleasures of new luxuries, dreaming of becoming the Supreme King. They don’t even realize they’ve been invaded. They only see that tax revenues have grown, fortresses hold more treasures, and their warriors are better equipped.”

“So the thing you are lost over is unnecessary. The outcome is already set. If you still wish to live, if you still care about Hoover’s future, or about finding meaning for yourself, then you face only two choices: one, to passively follow Greenwood’s will, abandoning needless thought; two, to move forward on your own and fight for a future for the North.”

Hode asked, “Fight for a future?”

Aureus said, “Whether the Northern Kingdom perishes is of no concern to me. This bitter, frozen land has never been a paradise for the Fernando Family. Every king must live in fear of ambitious lords suddenly rallying troops to storm Frozen Furnace Castle.”

“Compared to the crown, the prospect of becoming a baron of Greenwood with fertile lands holds far greater appeal.”

“There, there are laws, rules. I need not fear great nobles pushing open my fortress gates to strike me down. As long as I remain clear-headed, I will have the freedom and security I desire.”

“I will be frank with you: the Fernando Family came from the Woodlands. Our ancestor was only a scholar who, through trickery against Castag, achieved the great feat of making the family kings of the North. By relying on Castag’s power, the family’s bloodline avoided being assimilated. So even though I am king of the North, the North’s martial worship disgusts me. As you know, every generation of the Fernando Family avoided the Northern coming-of-age ritual.”

“I was once Castag’s friend. Though it was somewhat dim-witted, the world it described to me was far more alluring. Perhaps this is the curse of a scholar. But I was the most gifted of my generation in the Fernando Family. To prevent the North from falling into chaos, to preserve our family’s line, I had no choice but to take this throne and balance the realm with wisdom and strength.”

“For generations, the Fernando kings have searched for the North’s future. And in my generation, this pursuit has even ended the bloodline.”

“So for me personally, the fall of the Northern Kingdom matters little. The collapse of this martial culture of the North matters little.”

“But you were born here, with noble Northern and royal blood. You have lived through Greenwood’s reforms, and you were once part of the Church. So I now give the right of choice to you.”

“Shall the North’s culture fade into history—or shall you fight for its future?”

Hode was at a loss.

There was the shocking truth of the Supreme King’s birth revealed by Aureus, and there was the calm gaze with which Aureus pressed him to decide.

At first, Hode had only wanted to live. Then, he had wanted to kill the werewolf. Then, he had wanted to preserve some honor of the Hoover Family. And now, all of a sudden, he was made to decide the North’s future.

He could not help but ask, “Am I worthy? And even if I choose, what can I do?”

Aureus chuckled and said, “Since I give you the choice, naturally I will help you.”

Hode fell into silence again. He thought of his coming-of-age ritual, when as a boy he had faced an Icefield Wolf alone. It was perilous, but killing the wolf and earning his family’s praise had been the happiest moment of his life.

But afterward? Reflecting on his life in the North, he suddenly realized that it had been nothing but killing, fighting, and debauchery without payment.

“Is it that in the North, all that remains in your memory is killing and rutting?” Aureus suddenly asked.

This remark stunned Hode as he recalled.

Aureus gestured at the pile of books stacked on the small table beside the throne. “These are stories and words smuggled in over the past month by Greenwood’s people. They contain no substance. Every page is either killing or rutting. I find them meaningless, but I am certain they will make the blood of Northern men boil.”

“Not merely because they are entertaining, but because the desires they overflow with stir men’s minds to frenzy.”

“That is why I say Northern culture, to me, has no value to preserve. It is too fragile.”

Hode shook his head. “Not only that. To me, there is also joy and family.”

Aureus only smiled faintly and did not respond.

Hode rose from his seat and said, “I need time to think. I wish to see the North truly, before I make my choice.”

Aureus said, “According to the Rat Path’s informants, at most two years remain before the Lord of Annihilation makes his move. And my time is short.”

Hode bent deeply and said, “I thank you for your generosity, great King Aureus.”

Aureus waved his hand lightly. “Go and do what you must.”

Hode bowed again, then turned and left.

The hall fell silent, leaving only Aureus and the two guards beside his throne.

Suddenly, Aureus said, “Quinn, Calon.”

The two guards dropped to one knee, lowering their heads.

Aureus said, “After I die, Hode shall be the one you all must serve.”

Without hesitation, the guards replied, “Yes, Your will.”

Supporting himself on the throne, Aureus rose and murmured, “Sometimes, no answer is already an answer.”

He would not truly wait for Hode’s reply before acting.

If one only looked, one could always find beauty within any culture. Otherwise, Aureus would long ago have unleashed Castag and abandoned the North.

As Greenwood’s hierarchy said, whether as a Fifth-Rank Grand Knight, a Fifth-Rank Inscription Mage, or a High Scholar, Aureus would be acclaimed wherever he went.

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