Chapter 142: Waiting is Key. (5)
Raoul felt no sense of danger.
But since the man sitting with him said so, he couldn’t help but believe it.
After all, he was the strongest in the kingdom.
Raoul squinted and asked, “How strong do you think he is?”
“I’m not exactly sure.”
“You can’t gauge his strength?”
When Raoul asked again, the man shook his head in exasperation.
“It just felt off.”
“Off? What do you mean?”
“Every move and breath of his is anything but ordinary. But at a glance, he doesn’t look that strong…”
“So, just how strong are we talking about?”
The man pondered for a moment and bluntly stated, “It seems he really has fought in a war.”
“Hmm…”
Raoul rubbed his chin and muttered.
“A troublemaker with a notorious reputation is that formidable? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
“No, I’m certain. He would be more than capable in war. Even if he lacks physical strength and mana, excellent technique can compensate.”
Hearing that, Raoul sighed lightly.
‘Should I’ve just crushed him now, even if it was a stretch? His fame isn’t that high yet, so I could have handled it.’
Killing him would certainly stir chaos among the Crown Prince Faction nobles, but he was confident he could frame it as an honorable duel.
If he thought the same, Duke Delphine would understand.
Both of them had that much confidence.
Unable to hold back, Raoul complained, “Should I have just killed him today?”
The Masked Man fell silent for a moment before replying, “I too pondered for a bit. He has achieved too much for his age.”
“Then why didn’t you kill him? I could’ve handled the aftermath.”
“…There was no clear opening for a single strike. No, that’s not it; there was an opening, but I lacked confidence. Thinking back, it almost seems like he intentionally showed a gap.”
“What?”
Raoul asked, bewildered. The man continued indifferently.
“If I couldn’t take him out in one strike, then Marquis Branford’s troops would have stormed in. It would’ve created chaos for no gain. So I held back; causing a ruckus now wouldn’t be beneficial.”
“You didn’t feel sure you could take him out in one blow? You?”
“Correct.”
Raoul didn’t believe it. No, he couldn’t believe it.
“That’s absurd. He couldn’t have that level of skill at that age. You must have seen it wrong.”
“That could be, I might’ve been misled by the aura and composure he exuded. But swinging a sword without confidence is a foolish act.”
“But swinging a sword without confidence is just plain stupid.”
Raoul narrowed his eyes, his face still showing clear dissatisfaction.
“Couldn’t we have killed him before the people gathered, even if it wasn’t a single strike?”
The Masked Man briefly recalled memories and slowly opened his mouth.
“Ten times.”
“Ten times, you say?”
“If what I felt was true, you would have needed to swing it at least ten times to kill him. But with that level of skill, he would have fled straight to the banquet hall instead of facing me after just one attack.”
“Then that would have definitely been a problem…”
“Yeah, so forget about it. Another opportunity will come later.”
Raoul clicked his tongue in irritation.
“Is assassination possible?”
The man squinted and glared at Raoul. He spat out in a low voice.
“You aren’t suggesting I do it myself, are you?”
“Of course not. Such a waste of manpower would be ridiculous. I’m just asking if there’s a chance of success.”
“…Depending on the assassin’s skills, it might be possible to succeed. But there’s no point in provoking him. You know that as well.”
“I don’t intend to kill that guy at the cost of making things worse. I’m just saying it out of regret.”
Ghislaine was already the center of attention from the capital nobles while treating the marquis’s daughter.
Attempting an assassination in such a situation could easily leave traces, which would be problematic.
For now, I had to maintain the current status as much as possible while secretly winning over the capital nobles.
“Tch, I should have killed him before joining the Crown Prince Faction. I was too complacent. Who would have thought that the supposedly easiest conquest of the North would be the most delayed?”
“Harold was hit hard too, so he’ll probably act cautiously. He’s capable enough for that.”
“He better be.”
Raoul spat out in a cold tone, lifting one corner of his mouth in a smirk.
If Harold had taken the North before Ghislaine made a name for himself, they wouldn’t be in such a troublesome situation.
That realization was somewhat regretful.
Raoul clicked his tongue and continued speaking.
“We should give Harold a heads-up. Ghislaine Perdium’s own power is strong, so tell him to plan assuming he’s at the level of a territory’s Knight Commander.”
“The North’s Number One Sword.”
“…What do you mean all of a sudden? The North’s Number One Sword?”
“I’m talking about Ghislaine Perdium’s power. He should be considered at the same level as the North’s Number One Sword, Knight Commander Raybold.”
At those words, Raoul widened his eyes in disbelief.
“Isn’t that a bit overly generous? Just getting to the level of Knight Commander at that age is already a stretch.”
“Let’s call it instinct. I know you won’t like hearing this.”
“Hmm…”
Raoul rubbed his chin and chuckled.
“Well, there’s no harm in being well-prepared. I’ll pass it along.”
“Either way, it won’t mean much once we start moving seriously. War isn’t fought alone.”
“Coming from you, who’s called a one-man army, saying that war isn’t fought alone seems quite uncharacteristic.”
In response to Raoul’s sneering remark, the Masked Man quietly replied.
“There’s one more like me in the royal family. As long as that guy and I keep each other in check, the outcome of the war is in the hands of others.”
The man, who had been silent for a moment, muttered cynically.
“I’m so tired of this.”
With that remark, the Masked Man closed his mouth for good.
*
After Raoul left, the banquet continued in a lively atmosphere for some time.
The rookie who had just joined a faction rejected the Duke’s proposal, so the Crown Prince Faction nobles couldn’t be anything but pleased.
Having dismissed the Duke’s proposal, the Crown Prince faction nobles couldn’t help but feel good.
They gathered in small groups, praising Ghislaine’s spirit while drinking.
As the night deepened, nobles, led by the prince and high-ranking nobles, began to leave one by one, and the feast naturally came to an end.
“Phew, I’m tired.”
Ghislaine loosened up his tight collar and shook his head.
He always felt that dealing with people was harder than fighting. Every forced smile sent shivers down his spine; it just didn’t suit his nature.
Just as he was looking for a way to escape, Rosalyn approached him.
“You worked hard today.”
“Yeah, well… I can’t say it was easy. But it wasn’t all bad.”
“Hehe, it’s rare for someone to be in the spotlight at a feast like this.”
“True, I didn’t know I was this popular.”
In fact, after rejecting Raoul’s proposal, the nobles wouldn’t let Ghislaine go.
The connections he built here would someday be useful, but right now, all he wanted was to go back and rest.
Just as Ghislaine was about to cut off the conversation and leave, Rosalyn asked,
“What is the Baron’s goal?”
“Huh?”
“I’m curious about what the Baron is looking at.”
“Well… it’s nothing different from anyone else. My goal is to live well and eat well.”
Ghislaine brushed it off.
Who could he tell his true intentions to?
That his goal was to wipe out the Delphine Duchy and turn everything into a mess, and that he had come back from the future to smash the ones behind it all…
That many people would die in the future.
“If I talk about it, they’ll say Ghislaine Perdium has gone mad.”
He might end up being recorded in history as a war monger and a mass murderer.
Was there really a need to voice such a bloody future?
He could tell no one; he could rely on no one.
The only thing he could trust was himself.
To him, even the powerful figures in the Crown Prince faction were merely tools for achieving his goals.
Just then, as Ghislaine was lost in thought, Rosalyn replied with a peculiar smile.
“That’s a rather ordinary goal. But your deeds seem anything but ordinary.”
“Well, I just prefer to get things done quickly because I’m impatient. What I’ve done ultimately aims to enrich the territory, right? It’s no big deal.”
“Hmm…”
Rosalyn narrowed her eyes, as if she didn’t believe him at all, examining him closely.
Ghislaine felt somewhat uncomfortable under her probing gaze.
“I’m tired, so I’ll be heading off now. Let’s meet again another time.”
As he hurried to leave, Rosalyn spoke in a subtle tone.
“Don’t forget that I’m the Baron’s patron. If you ever need help, just let me know.”
“Thank you. But I don’t think there will be much that would trouble you, my lady.”
Ghislaine firmly drew the line.
He understood Rosalyn’s feelings very well. He even appreciated her sentiment.
But that was it. To achieve his goals, he had no choice but to act more aggressively over time.
He might become a force that threatens the royal family and be watched by everyone.
“To fight the Delphine Duchy, I’ll need to be at that level.”
In the meantime, he didn’t want Marquis Branford or Rosalyn meddling and interfering.
Kindness ended here. It was better for each to take what they needed and go their separate ways.
That’s it for now. It’s better for us to take only what we need and go our separate ways.
I didn’t want to be pulled into his affairs and end up dead for no reason.
“Well, I’ll take my leave now. Today was enjoyable.”
Rosalyn sighed as she watched Ghislaine’s departing figure.
He was probably helping out because he had his own aims, but thanks to that, she had gained a new life.
No matter what she gave in return, it wouldn’t be enough. She wanted to maintain a long relationship and help, but he cut it off so decisively.
As if to question when she had ever watched Ghislaine, Rosalyn quickly turned and headed to her room.
It seemed she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
*
As soon as Ghislaine got on the returning wagon, he sighed out the disappointment filling his head.
‘This is frustrating.’
As expected, the Masked Man was right; Ghislaine was contemplating whether to kill Raoul on the spot.
He could deal with the aftermath later. No, he shouldn’t think about the aftermath and just kill him.
‘Whatever the consequences, it was worth it.’
The Delphine Ducal House had grown as it did now thanks to Raoul’s schemes.
Countless interests had already shifted to the Ducal House, and the number of Lords supporting them across the kingdom was increasing.
Most of the disturbances occurring around the kingdom were also being orchestrated by Raoul from behind the scenes.
‘If it weren’t for that guy…’
Ghislaine clenched his teeth at the thought of the Masked Man.
He had tried to kill Raoul several times during their conversation.
But each time, the Masked Man had interrupted with a forceful presence.
Remarkably, the man read Ghislaine’s slight movements and adjusted accordingly, even giving off a faint killing aura that suggested he would kill if Ghislaine acted carelessly.
So, Ghislaine couldn’t bring himself to attack Raoul.
‘As expected, he’s as good as the rumors say. No, he’s even better than the rumors.’
Ghislaine’s mastery of mana and insight was not much different from his time as a Mercenary King.
There were very few who could interfere with his breathing in the entire kingdom.
Those were typically archmages of 7 circles or higher, or those who had the title of Swordmaster.
‘There are only two Swordmasters in Ruthania.’
One was the Commander of the Royal Knights, always by the King’s side.
And the other…
The most trusted sword of the Ducal House of Delphine, called the kingdom’s strongest in name and reality.
‘Kingdom’s Greatest Sword, Swordmaster Count Valzac.’
Ghislaine covered his face with his hand and laughed silently.
It wasn’t a joyful laugh. It was a laugh to suppress the raging anger within.
He couldn’t stand the blood boiling inside him after letting the ones he needed to kill slip away.
‘If I could just regain my previous life’s skills…’
If that were the case, he would have decapitated them all somehow.
That thought left him feeling continually unsettled.
‘It’s already in the past. Let’s forget it. Right now, I need to focus on becoming stronger and expanding my influence.’
Since returning to the past, he had never been idle for a moment. For him, this was the best he could do at the moment.
It was just that this best was insufficient to take on Count Valzac.
“Ugh…”
Ghislaine channeled his killing intent deep within his chest.
He vowed that he would someday unleash the helplessness and anger he felt today, this humiliation.
‘Next time… it won’t end so quietly.’
The two would undoubtedly meet again.
When he and the Ducal House bet everything in a confrontation.
That would be the moment to determine who truly was the strongest in the kingdom.
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