Lord of Caldera

Chapter 220

There was a deep rift between Northerners of imperial descent and the clans. Without Ragnar, forced integration might have led to bloody conflict. With his support, all those fears were now unfounded. Bjorn paused, looking down into his glass.

"To be honest, I didn't expect it," he admitted.

"What, Ragnar's decision?"

"No, I mean, I thought his choice made sense," Bjorn clarified. "He's the kind of person who can distinguish between personal ambition and duty."

Bjorn had believed that if Ragnar understood what was right, he wouldn't selfishly pursue his own ambitions.

"But emotion and reason don't always align," he continued. "Sometimes you choose the reasonable path even while your heart bleeds."

"Well, maybe he had just enough to lose that he could still make the right choice," Sylas said with a wry smile.

"When people lose nothing, they think they can just do better moving forward. But when they lose too much, they'll throw away pride and morals for compensation."

"So you're saying Ragnar was caught somewhere in between?"

"Probably."

Ragnar had lost enough to understand his mistakes, but not so much that he couldn't make amends. For him, choosing the right path had been part of making amends. Sylas recalled his life from before—back then, Ragnar had been a tyrant, willing to sacrifice countless lives to conquer dungeons.

Perhaps by then he had already gone too far to turn back.

Though his strength was formidable, he struggled against the Marquis of Serje, who used every trick imaginable: poisoning wells, attacking the families of warriors, assassinating commanders. The marquis justified these tactics with the fear of being overrun by the clans.

Ragnar, bound by his warrior's honor, couldn't bring himself to stoop to those tactics.

Over time, the toll on Ragnar's forces had grown severe, with the losses piling up until they outweighed all his efforts and sacrifices. Perhaps that was why he'd thrown everything aside—just to win, just to claim the honor of being the Northern king.

Lost in thought, Sylas was brought back by Bjorn's voice.

"So, what do you plan to do now, my lord?"

"Me?"

"Yes. You joined the election mainly to support my candidacy, didn't you?"

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"Wouldn't be the first time," Sylas smirked.

Their exchange seemed lighthearted, but the underlying intent was clear to everyone present: this man who had decimated six dragons was not someone to cross. The surrounding nobles shifted uncomfortably, some even feeling a chill up their spines.

I knew they were close, but are they really this comfortable with each other? one noble wondered.

If he's serious about backing the king, even with that warning just now... we'd best tread carefully, thought another.

Sylas then turned to Lord Thorbern, who had also come to see him off.

"Support Bjorn well, Lord Thorbern. There'll be areas where he'll need practical guidance."

"You needn't worry. I'll assist him with all I have," Thorbern replied.

"Help yourself to the rewards, but don't get too greedy," Sylas warned, a faint glint in his eye.

"After witnessing the marquis's downfall, I've no desire to push my luck," Thorbern replied with a thin smile, though the tension was clear in his face.

Satisfied, Sylas nodded. Thorbern knew well that any excessive ambition would lead to consequences, and that he was only safe as long as he respected the boundaries Sylas had set.

"What about Ragnar? Didn't he come to see me off?"

"He's busy managing his people," Bjorn answered. "Or so he says."

More likely, he just wanted to avoid me, Sylas thought, amused. Unlike Bjorn, who had come to see Sylas as a comrade, Ragnar still viewed him as a natural rival. Even though they were no longer adversaries, facing Sylas was a daunting prospect—like a wolf on a small mountain avoiding a tiger.

"Take care, Bjorn," Sylas said.

"You too," Bjorn replied, and they exchanged a long, meaningful look.

When the time comes, call me, Bjorn's eyes seemed to say.

I'll come with everything I have, Sylas's gaze responded.

Finally, Sylas rode to where Toby and Ray waited, and the three of them set off, gradually disappearing over the horizon. Bjorn watched until Sylas was out of sight, his thoughts lingering on his friend's departure.