I Am a Villain, So What?-Chapter 193: Winterguard
The next morning, the warm, jovial atmosphere from last night’s dinner had completely vanished.
"No. Absolutely not. You are not going there. You will step foot in that frozen hell over my dead body, Lucien."
My mother’s voice rang through the dining hall, sharp and entirely devoid of her usual warmth. She slammed her teacup down onto the saucer with enough force to crack the porcelain.
Sitting at the head of the table, Count Darius let out a long, heavy sigh. He didn’t disagree with her.
"I admire your newfound courage, son," Darius rumbled, his scarred face grim. "But your mother is right. That is a violently dangerous place. It is not a playground for academy students on vacation."
I sat quietly, looking down at my half-eaten breakfast.
Sigh... What should I do? They are so vehemently opposed.
The situation was simple, yet incredibly complicated: I had just asked for formal permission to travel to Winterguard.
Winterguard was the absolute northernmost stronghold of the Aurelian Empire. It was the final fortress standing between humanity and the uncharted, frozen Wilderness—a desolate, hyper-lethal zone where monster outbreaks were practically a daily weather condition. The mortality rate there was terrifyingly high.
The Ashborne County had been solely responsible for defending this frozen hellscape for centuries. The sheer military might required to hold that line was exactly why a mere ’Count’ of the frontier stood toe-to-toe with the central Duchies in terms of raw power. But because they were constantly bleeding in the North, the Ashbornes were practically cut off from central politics.
Well, I was diverting from the main point.
Winterguard was a cold, desolate meat-grinder. It was a place where if you didn’t sleep with one eye open, you were as good as dead. But I had to go there.
According to the game’s lore, there was a specific, immensely powerful artifact buried deep in the Wilderness just beyond the stronghold. I needed to retrieve it before the mid-game disasters began.
"I’ll pretend I didn’t hear this ridiculous request," Darius said, his deep voice pulling me back to reality. He picked up his napkin, signaling the end of the discussion. "Since breakfast seems to be over, you should head straight to the training grounds and—"
"Father."
I cut off his words.
It was a terrifying gamble to interrupt the Lord of the North, but I had to convince him right now. If I missed this window, he would lock down the northern gates, and I wouldn’t be able to sneak out.
Darius’s lone eye widened by a fraction of an inch. Today might be the day I see expressions on his scarred face that the original Lucien had never witnessed.
"I know I have been a disappointing son to you in the past," I continued, keeping my voice steady and respectful. "But I am a child of the Ashborne family. My blood belongs to the North. I must go to the boundary beyond humanity and see the true frontlines. That is my duty."
Darius’s expression hardened into pure, freezing stone.
"Duty?" he scoffed, his voice vibrating with suppressed anger. "Lucien, as I said last night, you have changed, but you are still a child. Do you take the ’Outside’ as a joke?! Do you think you’re suddenly invincible because you’ve improved a bit recently?"
He leaned forward, casting a massive shadow over the table.
"The little hero games you have been playing down in the Capital mean absolutely nothing in front of Winterguard! The monsters out there will tear you apart before you even draw your weapon!"
Lyriana immediately chimed in, her maternal instincts fully flared. "Your father is right, Lucien! I am incredibly proud of how much you have grown, and I am so happy you found a lovely girlfriend, but that is not a place a seventeen-year-old boy should go! Please, just stay here where it’s safe!"
"I’m not doing this for fun, Mother," I insisted, gripping the edge of the table. "I need to understand what our family protects. I need to experience the Wilderness."
Lyriana looked at me, her dark eyes swimming with a mix of deep concern, worry, and absolute pity. To Darius and Lyriana, it must have genuinely seemed like I was asking for permission to commit suicide.
"Why are you so willing to throw your life away?" she whispered, her voice trembling. It was as if she were looking at a man standing on the edge of a cliff.
"Who’s dying?" I replied firmly. "I’ll come back just fine."
"Then why are you going to Winterguard?!" she pleaded.
Hmm. That is the real question, isn’t it?
I couldn’t exactly tell them I was going out there to loot a legendary item to prevent a demonic apocalypse. To me, the Wilderness was a high-risk, high-return zone. To them, it was just an incredibly high-risk zone with absolutely no return. It was a ’Die-Risk’ area.
"Because if I am to inherit this territory, I cannot lead men into a frozen hell I have never seen myself," I lied smoothly, using the perfect aristocratic logic.
Darius froze.
He stared at me for a long, heavy minute. The anger in his lone eye slowly receded, replaced by a deep, calculating assessment. He was looking at my posture, the absolute certainty in my gaze, and the lack of any underlying fear.
Darius let out a slow, rumbling exhale.
"...Fine. I will agree to your request."
"Darius! What are you thinking?!" Lyriana shouted, instantly standing up from her chair, her hands hovering protectively over her pregnant stomach. "You can’t send him—!"
Darius raised a massive, calloused hand, cutting her off. "Calm down, Lyriana. I am not finished yet."
He slowly turned his gaze back to me. The aura of a Platinum-Rank Knight began to leak into the room, making the air feel thick and heavy.
"I will not send a boy to die," Darius rumbled, his voice dropping to a dangerous, predatory baritone. "First, I will test your skills myself. I will be the absolute judge of whether you are suitable to go to Winterguard, or if you are just a foolish boy playing soldier."
"Darius, absolutely not! You’ll break his bones!" Lyriana protested, grabbing his arm.
Darius gently but firmly pulled his arm away, looking at his wife with a solemn expression.
"Lyriana... he is the heir to this County," Darius said quietly, the weight of the frontier in his voice. "If he wants to stand on the edge of the world, he must prove he has the strength to survive it."
He looked back at me, his lone eye flashing with martial challenge.
"Meet me in the main training courtyard in ten minutes. Bring your weapons."
*****
Ten minutes later, the sprawling main training courtyard of the Ashborne Keep was completely packed.
Despite the freezing northern wind, not a single knight or squire had returned to the barracks. The entire garrison formed a massive, wide circle around the sparring ring, their breath pluming in the cold air as they watched the spectacle unfold.
Whispers and frantic murmurs rippled through the armored crowd.
"Are you serious? The Lord is actually going to fight the Young Master?"
"Yeah, it seems so. I heard from one of the manor maids that the Young Master actually asked for permission to deploy to Winterguard."
Gasps.
"Winterguard? Is he insane? He couldn’t even handle a basic hunting trip last year without throwing a tantrum!"
"The Lord is going to completely thrash him. This is just a brutal lesson to put the arrogant brat back in his place."
I stood on one side of the snow-dusted ring, exhaling slowly. I ignored the whispers. I unbuttoned my heavy winter coat, tossing it to the side, and drew my heavy combat knife in my left hand, keeping the Reaver shotgun securely in my right. I had loaded the chamber with non-lethal, highly compressed kinetic sand-slugs—though against a Platinum-Rank Knight, even live explosives would barely qualify as a distraction.
On the other side of the ring stood Count Darius Ashborne.
He hadn’t bothered to put on armor. He simply stood there in his tunic and heavy boots, holding a massive, dull wooden practice greatsword resting casually on his broad shoulder.
"The rules are simple, Lucien," Darius’s voice boomed effortlessly over the howling wind, silencing the entire courtyard. "I will not use my full strength. I will not even use half. You have five minutes. If you can land a single, solid blow on me, you have my permission to ride North. If you cannot, or if you yield, you will stay in this Keep until you return to the Academy."
"Understood," I said, dropping into a low combat stance.
Darius didn’t move. He just looked at me with his lone eye. "Begin."
BANG!
I didn’t hesitate. I aimed the Reaver and fired a kinetic slug directly at his chest, instantly triggering my spatial footwork to close the distance behind the projectile.
Flash!
****
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
