FL - Chapter 87: Crimson Tide Territory, Your Lord Has Returned

"I've awakened a Bloodline Talent."

"What?"

Lambert stopped short, struck speechless by the revelation. Then the shock passed, leaving only heartfelt joy for Louis.

"Tell no one," Lambert said, his voice low in warning. "A Bloodline Talent… in a critical moment, it can save your life. Keep it hidden for as long as you possibly can."

Louis nodded. "I know."

He understood perfectly well that the fewer people who knew, the better. He had told Lambert for one reason only: trust.

Lambert was far more than an Elite Knight. To the body's former owner, he had been both teacher and father, the man who had taught him combat since childhood. As a high-stage Elite Knight of House Calvin, Lambert could have remained with the family and lived in comfort. Instead, he had followed Louis into the frozen, dangerous Northlands and stayed beside him through his lowest moments. That loyalty placed him beyond doubt.

There was also, admittedly, one small additional reason.

And, admittedly, awakening a Bloodline Talent was too satisfying not to share with someone he trusted.

Lambert's own emotions were more complicated.

Before coming to the Northlands, in his eyes, Louis had been nothing more than an introverted young noble of thoroughly unremarkable talent. In all honesty, Lambert hadn't held out much hope for him. When he'd followed Louis north all those years ago, his only thought had been to protect the life of this child he'd watched grow up—to keep House Calvin from disgrace. That was all.

He had never imagined that the young lord who once hid in a corner of the training yard would flourish amid this war-torn land. Louis had brought order to his territory, led troops to victory, won the hearts of his people, and become a true lord. Now he had even awakened a Bloodline Talent.

Lambert was proud of him from the bottom of his heart, though the scale of Louis's transformation left him with a faint sense of unfamiliarity.

"Right." Louis seemed to remember something suddenly. He turned toward Lambert with a smile.

"We hunted three Frostmane Tundra Hares today. I ate one—broke through on the spot." His tone was casual, offhand. "You've been stuck at the high Elite threshold for nearly five years now, haven't you? Take one. Eat it."

Lambert's eyes flew wide. For a moment, he couldn't produce a single word.

After five years at the bottleneck, Lambert had considered using outside resources to break through. Frostmane Tundra Hares, however, were rare and precious beyond anything he could hope to obtain.

"I…" He dropped sharply to one knee, the rims of his eyes reddening. "My lord… my deepest gratitude…"

Louis sighed and reached down to lift him up. "After all these years—do you really need to stand on ceremony with me?"

That night, Lambert quietly drank down his bowl of hare stew.

Battle Aura boiled through him, and his bloodline shook with the force of thunder. At last, a low, ragged roar tore from his throat.

The bottleneck that had held him for five years shattered.

Lambert had ascended to Supernal Knight!

The first Supernal Knight in Crimson Tide Territory history.

Had Louis possessed an attribute panel, Lambert's loyalty would have been at its absolute limit.

……

On the journey home, though there were scattered gains, no resource as precious as the Frostmane Tundra Hares appeared again. So the party did not delay further. They set out directly for Crimson Tide Territory.

By then, Crimson Tide Territory was already in an uproar.

News that their lord had survived and returned with magnificent battle honors electrified the territory. For the first time, the town granted everyone a day of rest. People gathered at the gates and lined the main roads until the whole settlement felt like a festival, though unease still lay beneath their anticipation.

They feared that Louis might have died or returned crippled, leaving the territory to sink back into cold, hunger, and helplessness. They waited for him with hope bordering on faith.

Until this moment. When he appeared.

Louis rode high in the saddle, draped in a crimson-and-black military cloak. His figure was straight and commanding.

The crowd fell into deathly silence.

Then—thunderous cheers detonated outward.

"It's our Lord Louis!"

"He's back!! Our sun has returned!"

"It's him! It's really him! Our hero lord!"

The human roar was deafening. People wept openly, tears of joy streaming down their faces. Some even dropped to their knees with clasped hands. Children perched on their parents' shoulders, waving strips of red-edged cloth.

Old Steward Bradley emerged from the crowd. His hair was white as snow, but his stride was steady. His eyes were red-rimmed with emotion. "Welcome home, my lord," he said, his voice low, joy barely held in check.

Bradley, too, had feared Louis would die in battle. When the report arrived, its brilliance had seemed almost impossible. He had always believed the young lord would rise one day; he simply had not expected it so soon.

Louis dismounted, opened his arms, and embraced him lightly.

"You've worked hard, Bradley." Louis's voice was soft. "I'm home."

Bradley drew a deep breath. The corners of his eyes were wet. "You're home… that's all that matters, my lord. All that matters."

After a brief exchange, Louis remounted. Bradley personally took the reins and walked alongside him. As Louis advanced toward the residential district of Crimson Tide Territory, the cheers lining both sides of the street swelled ever louder.

Flower petals showered down from the rooftops, falling like rain onto the road ahead of Louis's horse. The people of Crimson Tide Territory were welcoming their hero in the most devout way they knew.

In the crowd, Weir stared at the commanding figure on horseback. Lord Louis was the man he intended to follow for life, and Weir had devoted himself to earning that place. Two months ago, he had stumbled through the training yard, mocked for barely holding a sword. Now he was a high-stage Apprentice Knight.

The Formal Knight instructing him had been stunned. "Among all the knights I've taught, no one has had your talent. And no one has worked as hard as you."

Weir had only smiled. Then he'd gone back to swinging his sword. Because he had a goal. A clear, shining goal.

"One day…" Weir murmured under his breath, his voice drowned in the roaring crowd. "I'll wear the crimson-and-black riding cloak too. I'll become a knight at Lord Louis's side."

At the center of town, Louis dismounted and surveyed the fervent crowd.

He raised a hand and pressed it downward, signaling for silence.

And the seething sea of people—incredibly—quieted within the span of a few breaths.

"Crimson Tide Territory. Your lord has returned."

No grand speech. Just a single, simple sentence.

And the entire town erupted like a volcano. Applause, cheers, shouts, sobs—they wove together, sweeping outward wave upon wave.

"LORD LOUIS!! WELCOME HOME!!"