“Kke-eek!”
Cain clutched his mouth and rolled on the floor.
‘What’s going on? Why is he so good at fighting? Was he always this strong? No way, if that were true, he wouldn’t have taken a beating from me until now! What in the world happened in between?’
His thoughts were cut short. Ghislaine had commenced a brutal beating.
Puh-uck! Puh-uck!
As the fistfight continued, the atmosphere around them gradually began to change.
Initially, people admired Ghislaine’s flashy moves, but now, they were worried for Cain due to the excessive beating.
“Isn’t he going to die like that?”
“We should stop this.”
The onlookers whispered in panic.
“Cough, Kke-eek… please… st-stop….”
Cain, who was getting pounded relentlessly, barely managed to open his mouth, but Ghislaine wouldn’t stop.
Once he started, he didn’t end things half-heartedly. He never easily forgives those who showed him their teeth.
It was a principle he had upheld since his days as a Mercenary King.
“Sir, please stop!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Cain’s Guard Knight rushed over and blocked Ghislaine.
Clang!
In that instant, Ghislaine’s sword tip was at the Guard Knight’s throat.
Ghislaine wore a chilling smile.
“How dare you interrupt a sacred duel? Will you take your master’s place and face me instead?”
If Cain had been winning, the Guard Knight would have said the same thing and let Ghislaine be.
A duel is only considered sacred when I’m the one winning.
The Guard Knight swallowed hard and opened his mouth.
“The, the outcome has already been decided. Please stop your hands.”
Indeed, Cain was lying on the ground writhing like a bug.
Ghislaine glanced down at him and clicked his tongue.
“You can’t even endure this much. The youth these days have become so weak. It can’t be helped; I suppose I’ll end it here….”
Then he turned coldly to the Guard Knight.
“When are you going to repay the money you borrowed from me?”
“W-We don’t have that kind of money right now, Your Excellency. We need to return to the territory.”
“So until when?”
“I-I’ll report that it will be sent by the end of this month.”
In reality, the money Cain had taken was less than a hundred gold. Even if he wanted to take more, Ghislaine didn’t have enough to give beyond that.
But suddenly, he was demanding a thousand gold under the pretext of interest.
The knight felt unjust but had no choice but to accept.
If he argued now, that lunatic might really kill Cain.
But Ghislaine’s demands didn’t end there.
“Ah, serve drinks and meat to everyone here. You brought enough for travel, didn’t you? This isn’t deducted from the thousand gold. That’s the debt you owe, and this is for losing the duel, you see.”
‘What kind of nonsense is that! If you win, it’s on you! Why do we have to pay for it!’
Ghislaine teased the Guard Knight, who had tightly pursed his lips with a thoroughly disgruntled expression.
Ghislaine teased the Guard Knight.
“What are you doing? Not answering? Don’t like it? Are you hesitating because you feel guilty? After tormenting our people in the territory, shouldn’t you step up and take responsibility?”
Hearing such words from someone who had been tormenting the territory’s people made him even angrier.
However, with no choice but choice, the knight finally nodded.
“…Understood.”
“So you’ve acknowledged your defeat, huh? Make sure to wrap this up properly.”
Ghislaine picked up her sword again and grabbed Cain by the back of the neck, who was collapsed on the ground.
Cain mumbled in a dazed state, unaware that the duel was over.
“Pl-please… spare me…”
Ghislaine chuckled softly and replied, “I won’t kill you. Why would I? You can’t die until you repay my money. Got it?”
“Ugh… Damn… m-mas…”
“What do you mean demon? Be grateful that I’m ending it here. Consider it a lesson. Hey, take him away and treat him.”
The Guard Knight quickly hoisted Cain and dashed out of the training ground.
People, who had been holding their breath in tension, erupted into cheers and applause as soon as Cain was gone.
They admired the Grand Duke for the splendid duel while feeling satisfied seeing the unsightly Cain get smashed.
“Wow! Grand Duke is the best!”
“I never knew he was this strong!”
“Let’s celebrate with drinks and meat! It’s a new festival!”
Amidst the cheering atmosphere, the knights turned to Skoban with stern faces.
“Was it real?”
“Skoban, you…?”
Skoban downed the remaining alcohol and wore a triumphant grin.
Elena, sitting next to him, proudly lifted her chin, looking pleased.
“Woahhhh!”
The applause didn’t stop until Ghislaine was about to enter the castle.
With a forced smile, Ghislaine waved to the crowd as her eyes met Skoban’s.
Skoban smiled and slowly raised a bottle of alcohol.
Ghislaine grinned back and gave him a thumbs up.
“See? I told you I was right.”
Elena whispered to the maid next to her and hurriedly followed Ghislaine into the castle.
“Brother, brother! Wait a minute!”
She quickly ran over and linked her arm with Ghislaine’s.
Ever since the incident during the festival, Elena had become much more comfortable around Ghislaine.
“Brother, what are you planning to do with that large amount of money you bet on the duel?”
Elena looked up at Ghislaine with sparkling eyes, in stark contrast to her previous gloomy demeanor.
Being from such a poor territory, Elena hardly had any fancy clothes or accessories compared to her peers.
There had been several occasions at balls or feasts where she had envied the young ladies from other regions.
Now that Ghislaine had a large sum of money, it naturally sparked her expectations.
“I have my reasons.”
Ghislaine chuckled lightly and tried to pull her arm away, but it wouldn’t budge.
“No, are you seriously working out? Where’s all this strength coming from?”
“Hey, don’t dodge the question! Can I take a guess? You’re planning to buy a gift for Amelia, right? You’ve always tried to get on her good side.”
“What?”
“Your fiancée, remember? Since it’s her birthday coming up, you’re going to buy her a gift, aren’t you? Something super expensive like jewelry! If you’re going to buy something, can’t you buy me one too?”
Ghislaine felt as if she had been hit hard in the head.
Amelia was the daughter of Count Raybold.
Although the law stipulated that the northern lords would support Perdium in exchange for guarding the border, Raybold was supporting Perdium beyond what was required.
The engagement between Amelia and Ghislaine was also meant to prove the alliance between their two families.
In her previous life, Ghislaine’s elopement had naturally led to the cancellation of their engagement.
Raybold’s side must have been very pleased to see the engagement end, as they had never looked kindly upon Ghislaine during the entire engagement.
Ghislaine must have been absolutely thrilled to have the engagement called off, given how he felt about it.
“Got it! That’s the way to go!”
With a cheerful expression, Ghislaine kept nodding his head.
To start the business he wanted right away, he needed a significant amount of funds.
He was troubled about how to get the money, but upon hearing Amelia’s name, a brilliant idea popped into his head.
“If there’s no way to make money, then just take it from someone who has it!”
It sounded like something a bandit would think of, but since it was Amelia, it seemed fine.
“I should really squeeze that traitor for all she’s worth.”
Back in his mercenary days, Ghislaine had meticulously investigated the reasons for the downfall of the family before attacking the kingdom.
Time had passed and many facts had faded or distorted, making the investigation quite challenging, but he could grasp the general picture.
Among his findings was information about Raybold.
“They harassed our territory with money.”
While other territories oppressed Perdium with military force, the Raybold territory did so by suddenly cutting off support.
Perdium tried to overcome the crisis somehow, but each time, Raybold was the one who obstructed it the most.
“It was all Amelia’s orders.”
Amelia would later stage a rebellion and seize the title of Count Raybold for herself.
Upon discovering the truth, Ghislaine completely turned the Raybold territory into chaos, but he ended up missing the very culprit, Amelia.
After that, she continuously tormented Ghislaine throughout the year-long war.
Even when he tried to catch and kill her, she cleverly evaded him, which drove Ghislaine to the brink of frustration.
“At any rate, I was planning to wipe them out…”
He only intended to prepare for an attack and crush the enemy, but it seemed he needed to think a bit differently.
For now, the Raybold territory wasn’t officially an enemy, and he had no justification to attack.
If that’s the case, it would be more beneficial to squeeze out whatever he could before they became complete enemies.
“Elena.”
“What?”
Elena’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Ghislaine tousled her hair and smiled.
“I should give her at least a gift.”
Since Elena had finally perked up after being gloomy for a while, he thought a little pick-me-up would be nice.
He felt grateful for the way she reminded him about Amelia, whom he had almost forgotten.
“Pick out some clothes and accessories you want.”
“Really? How much can I spend?”
“5 gold.”
“What…?”
“Unless you want to quit.”
“No! No! Okay. Thank you, big brother!”
Elena quickly changed her expression and began to flirt, hoping his mind would change.
Ghislaine forced a smile while sending Elena back to her room.
And before the thought that had just sparked in his mind faded away, he hurriedly searched for Belinda.
“Belinda, when will Father be back?”
“Lord? I think it’ll take about another week since he’s preparing to retreat as soon as he gets your message.”
“That’s good enough. I’ll be able to go by then.”
“Where to?”
“Raybold territory.”
Belinda made a teasing face.
“By the way, Amelia’s birthday is coming up soon. You’re going to visit even though there’s going to be a feast anyway?”
“Well… that’s not the only reason, but I do plan to meet with Amelia. I have some business to attend to.”
“Oh my, do you like Amelia that much? So romantic.”
Ghislaine shook his head. Continuing this conversation would only lead to more teasing.
“Anyway, I’m going. Just know that.”
Seeing Ghislaine getting ready to leave the castle so quickly, Belinda was puzzled.
“Why are you in such a hurry?”
“Time is short. I need to go before Father returns. I have things to discuss with him.”
As he was making up an excuse to leave the room, Belinda hurriedly caught him.
“Then who are you going with? Are you really going alone?”
“Of course. If I ride non-stop, I’ll arrive quickly, so it’s fine to go alone.”
“I’ll be there soon, so it’s okay to go alone.”
“You can’t do that. The world is so dangerous these days; why would you want to go alone?”
“It’s fine. I can protect myself.”
“Still, it’s not okay. I’ll go with you.”
“Belinda?”
“Yes, since we’re going to Count Raybold’s place, you should at least have some backup. I’ll prepare a few guards.”
“Hmm… alright.”
Belinda’s reasoning that one should have backup made sense.
In his previous life, he had been strong enough to go alone, but now he was significantly weaker than before.
There was no need to avoid having guards when he could have them.
“Right. I’m not the me from my past life now.”
Thinking about how he almost went alone into enemy territory without a second thought, Ghislaine clicked his tongue silently.
It seemed he would need some time to adjust to the disparity between his past and present life.
After a moment, Belinda appeared wrapped in a black robe.
It was refreshing to see her in different clothing, as she usually dressed for convenience.
“Let’s go.”
“Dressing like that makes you look like someone else.”
“I’m wearing the same clothes underneath!”
Belinda dramatically spread her robe.
While her outfit beneath was the same as usual, the inside of the robe was adorned with daggers hanging like ornaments.
Ghislaine shook his head at that.
“Honestly, is there really any need to bring more guards? Just having Belinda is more than enough.”
Belinda, who was both his tutor and head maid, had an unclear identity.
When she first entered Perdium, there had been a few knights who tried to mess with her.
They had underestimated her as a young maid from outside.
But whatever happened then, the knights who had bothered her started avoiding her from the next day.
Rumors spread in the castle that Belinda was formidable enough to take down knights.
After that, no one dared to treat her carelessly.
“I didn’t know back then.”
He had heard tales of her before in his past life but hadn’t believed them; seeing her now, it was clear she could handle any knight easily.
No one knew why such a skilled person was living as a maid in a remote territory.
The only fact revealed was that she came with his late mother when she married into Perdium.
“Pull your robe together. You’ll have a bumpy ride on the horse, so be careful.”
Ghislaine tightened Belinda’s robe.
A small smile graced Belinda’s lips. It made her proud to see Ghislaine, who was usually moody, showing such concern.
“Who would have thought our Young Master would suddenly become so mature? I guess it was just a phase. He’s still strange sometimes, but it’s better than before.”
Ghislaine had not only changed in behavior and speech but had also vastly improved his skills to the point he could take on Cain.
For Belinda, who had cared for him since he was young, it was a heartwarming sight.
“The anxiety he showed was probably because he was secretly training hard. This is all thanks to my excellent teaching.”
In reality, what Ghislaine learned from her were bizarre grappling techniques and strange common sense, but Belinda remained blissfully unaware.
Despite being a tutor by title, Belinda lacked true teaching talent; her way of thinking was quite unique.
What she had been doing all this time was more akin to a nursing role than teaching.
“If you’re ready, let’s go.”
“Should we call Sir Fergus too? He is our personal guard knight, after all.”
“No need. If we ride fast, it might strain the old man’s heart. He suddenly collapsed the other day while talking to me.”
“Alright. Let’s depart.”
Ghislaine, Belinda, and the four knights assigned to guard them quickly left the castle.
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