"General John Maslow, I've been waiting for you."
The speaker was a sharply featured young man who, upon closer inspection, still retained a trace of youthful immaturity.
He had the typical appearance of someone from the Empire's north. His short golden hair resembled waves of wheat, and fury and grief that had never faded burned in his azure eyes. Yet his golden brows remained tightly furrowed, making him seem somewhat restless and impatient.
He was tall and powerfully built, his physique honed by years of military training. Yet he still lacked the composure of an old noble. He was more like a young lion with tensed muscles, ready to pounce at any moment.
He wore an ornate count's formal attire, though it was currently covered by an old but well-preserved wolfskin cloak. He wore no unnecessary accessories, save for a pair of iron gloves on his hands bearing obvious signs of repair.
The moment he saw him, John recognized his identity:
Lothar West.
The eldest son of the West Family, known throughout the Empire's Northern Frontier as the "Imperial Winter Wolf." After his father was slain by a Sword Saint on the northern front, he had assumed the position of head of the West Family in haste at the age of eighteen three months ago, carrying the grief of his father's death. He was the young leader of the Winter Wolf Family.
Likewise, in the original storyline, he would become the first person to join the Imperial New Mage Corps expansion plan several years later, and the first to successfully fuse Siegfried's special magic circuits.
Relying on the Red Scar Oath Formula held by the West Family among the descendants of the Thirteen Heroes, he would rise in one stroke to become the strongest combatant among the Empire's Twelve Guardians.