FL - Chapter 38: Bradley Arrives at Crimson Tide Territory

Though spring had come, the Northlands remained bitterly cold. Even with a heavy cloak wrapped tight, it was hard to ward off the bone-deep chill.

"My lord, we're nearly there." A knight reined in his horse and reported in a low voice to the elderly man at the head of the column.

Bradley inclined his head slightly. His expression didn't change. He rode on across the frozen earth in silence.

The column pushed through the desolate Northlands without a word of complaint.

Not because they were content with the task, but out of sheer deference to Bradley.

He was Duke Calvin's senior steward. A man of considerable authority, whose standing within House Calvin rivaled that of some branch-family nobles.

Even if the knights harbored doubts, none dared voice them casually in his presence.

Along the way, they had passed several colonization territories. Every last one had been broken and barren.

Even Frostspear City, the seat of the Northlands Governor's Manor, struck these southerners as little more than a shabby military outpost.

No one expected Crimson Tide Territory to be any different.

Bradley was no exception.

In his mind, Louis was merely one of the Duke's twenty-some children. A son of middling talent and mild temperament, even a bit dull.

He'd been ignored since childhood. A few months ago, the Duke had shipped him off to this frozen wasteland to sink or swim on his own.

And yet, the letter Louis had written to the Duke claimed that his territory was orderly and well-governed, that development was progressing smoothly. He'd even discovered a rich vein of Mana Marrow Ore.

Bradley regarded the contents of that letter with deep skepticism.

A young man not yet twenty years old, with almost no resources to speak of, had turned a patch of barren wilderness into a model territory?

It strained belief.

What's more, Mana Marrow Ore had always been an extremely scarce resource in the Ironblood Empire. So scarce the Empire was almost entirely reliant on imports from the Emerald Federation.

And this colonization territory of his had supposedly uncovered large quantities of it?

There was almost certainly some exaggeration at play.

But regardless, he had come. He had carried out the order without complaint or slackness.

Because he was Bradley. The most loyal steward of House Calvin.

He would see for himself whether this young lord could truly back up everything he'd described in that letter.

If Louis showed the promise of someone worth investing in, Bradley would serve him with everything he had.

If Louis disappointed him, he would not hesitate for a moment to withdraw every scrap of support.

In the cold wind, the outlines of Crimson Tide Territory came into view.

On the mountain road ahead, Louis sat astride a black warhorse, wrapped in a thick wolf-pelt cloak, his dark hair tousled by the wind.

He bore a strong resemblance to the Duke, seven parts out of ten. But where the Duke carried gravitas, Louis's features leaned more toward refinement and youth.

At his feet stood a lean, well-built Ice Wolf cub, radiating an untamed, wild spirit.

The sight quietly elevated Bradley's estimation of Louis by a measure.

At the very least, he was far better than the useless wastrel of a young master Bradley had imagined.

The knights were similarly surprised. They'd expected to be greeted by a bedraggled young noble trapped in a barren fief, barely holding himself together. Instead, the figure before them was utterly composed.

He'd even tamed an Ice Wolf.

Louis spurred his horse forward and offered Bradley a respectful salute. "Sir Bradley, you've had a long and difficult journey. Welcome to Crimson Tide Territory."

Bradley returned the gesture with the standard etiquette of a steward. His manner wasn't warm, but not a single fault could be found in it. "Young master is too kind. His Grace the Duke has sent me with some supplies. I hope they may be of some small assistance."

"I will remember my father's concern," Louis replied.

Bradley studied Louis in silence. His opinion of the young lord had already shifted by several degrees.

After all, in this barren and brutal frontier, carrying oneself with such unruffled poise was no small feat.

Louis rode forward at a measured pace, his eyes sweeping over the retinue and supplies Bradley had brought. A quiet stir ran through his chest.

Three Elite Knights, ten Formal Knights, thirty Apprentice Knights.

Dozens of craftsmen, physicians, and other skilled professionals.

Several cartloads of provisions: wheat flour, dried meat, pickled vegetables.

Seeds for cold-resistant crops, several dozen head of Black-Horn Cattle, Coldland Sheep, cold-hardy warhorses...

He hadn't held out much hope for his father's support. As a son the family barely acknowledged, his expectations had been low.

But looking at it now, this shipment had already far exceeded anything he'd anticipated.

The old man really had coughed up some coin after all. Though this amount was still a drop in the ocean for House Calvin.

Bradley spoke in a measured tone. "Young master, these things are modest in scale. Consider them your opportunity."

He paused, then repeated the Duke's words verbatim.

"If you manage the territory well, the family will invest further. But if you show even a hint of incompetence, the family will withdraw all support immediately."

Louis merely smiled. "I will treasure this opportunity."

While Louis inspected the supplies, Bradley was inspecting Crimson Tide Territory.

At first glance, the land looked no different from any other Northlands territory. Desolate, barren, lifeless.

Bradley nodded inwardly. *Just as I expected.*

But as the column pressed deeper into the territory, his expression grew more and more complicated.

The first thing that caught his eye was a vast stretch of crops growing with startling vigor. Beside them, swaths of newly cleared wasteland.

The settlers worked with fierce energy, sweat and dirt mingling on their skin. Yet their faces showed no resentment, only hope.

*This isn't right. How was this accomplished?*

In every other colonization territory across the Northlands, most were still in the seeding stage. And Crimson Tide Territory's crops were already nearing harvest?!

Even new land reclamation was proceeding at the same time.

What did that mean?

It meant that in agricultural management, Louis was far ahead of every other colonization lord.

Bradley noticed the half-sunken longhouses lining both sides of the road. Crude as they were, every single one was a new structure.

Clearly, they'd only recently been completed.

In other words, Crimson Tide Territory hadn't just solved the problem of survival. It had expanded its infrastructure in a remarkably short span of time.

That alone put it ahead of territories that had been developing for years.

As he traveled further, Bradley saw more and more.

...

Detail after detail carved deeper furrows into Bradley's brow.

But what truly shook him were the people along the roadside.

The way they looked at Louis. There was genuine, heartfelt adoration in their eyes!

Not the cringing fear of commoners before a noble. Not mere gratitude toward a benefactor. It was something closer to devout faith.

*Could this boy be a born ruler?*

A tremor ran through Bradley's heart. He began to reassess this unremarkable young master of his.

One could say Louis's hold over Crimson Tide Territory was even more absolute than the Duke's rule in the south.

In his letter, he'd claimed he was governing ably. Looking at the reality now, that letter had drastically undersold the truth.

Everyone had underestimated him. And it seemed everyone had read him wrong.

Perhaps he could never inherit House Calvin. But his future achievements would be anything but small.

At that thought, the corner of Bradley's mouth lifted ever so slightly. A flicker of unexpected pleasure stirred in his chest.

*At the very least, the Northlands won't be boring.*