Chapter 16: A Necessary Variable (1)
“Perdium has failed.”
“What?”
The man with the magnificent mustache frowned at his subordinate’s report.
His name was Count Harold Desmond.
The lord of the Desmond territory, plotting the northern upheaval under Duke Delphine.
“I was supposed to engage Digald’s territory. And you say that’s failed?”
“Yes.”
“You managed to enlist the Guard Knights, and yet it failed? Did the Knight Commander get involved?”
Perdium was a territory without money or notable figures, but at least Count Perdium and Knight Commander Randolf were worth acknowledging.
The deputy hesitated, seeming a bit flustered by Harold’s questioning.
“The Knight Commander is currently deployed with Count Perdium. However…”
The deputy glanced nervously at Harold and continued.
“Rumor has it that two Guard Knights were caught attempting to abduct the Young Lady and ended up killed by Grand Duke Perdium. Frank has gone missing, and we don’t know if he’s alive or dead.”
“That reckless troublemaker Grand Duke? He actually overcame a proper knight? Could it be that Frank fell to him as well?”
“Ghislaine doesn’t have that kind of skill. It’s likely that the two Guard Knights ended up taking each other out over who got to capture the count’s daughter.”
After a moment of silence, Harold let out a derisive chuckle as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Is this what you’re reporting? Probably? Expected? You can’t even get a grip on what’s happened in that minor territory?”
As his words continued, a fierce intensity began to radiate from Harold.
“I-I’m sorry. The site was completely burned down, making it difficult to ascertain what actually happened.”
Looking down at the trembling deputy, Harold slowly opened his mouth.
“With the lord and the knight commander off on a campaign, and the knights and soldiers sparse, you sent Frank there and managed to recruit the Guard Knights as well. And yet, you couldn’t even kill a single girl?”
Harold raised his voice irritably.
“And now you’re saying that the pathetic Grand Duke was the one who killed a knight? Since when is my deputy incapable of reporting such straightforward information?”
The deputy flattened himself on the ground, begging.
“I-I’m sorry! If you give me just one more chance, I will definitely succeed.”
“You’re asking for another chance after failing such an easy task?”
Harold scoffed.
The ridiculous rumor that Perdium’s Grand Duke might be an unexpected variable was extremely unlikely.
Then it was clear that either the deputy’s abilities were below expectations or he had been careless in his tasks.
In either case, such a follower was unnecessary.
Ding, ding.
Harold grabbed the bell on his desk and shook it twice, and two knights stepped through the door.
He looked down at the pale deputy with an emotionless expression and said, “Handle it.”
“Please, spare me! Just give me one more chance! Please! Please! Ahhhh!”
As the deputy was dragged away, struggling, Harold shifted his attention back to the documents without a care.
The deputy was dragged out, struggling, but Harold ignored it and shifted his gaze to the documents.
“Dealing with Raybold is already giving me a headache, and now I have to deal with Perdium on top of that.”
Harold was currently most interested in Amelia’s rebellion plans.
According to the information, Count Raybold was quietly stockpiling food and increasing his troops.
‘Amelia needs to succeed before they gain more power.’
But he couldn’t just let Perdium be as it was.
Suddenly feeling an odd discomfort, Harold narrowed his brows.
“Ghislaine Perdium…”
It was a name that until now had not crossed his mind, which made it even more irritating. If it had been someone else’s name, he probably wouldn’t feel this way.
“I need to send more people.”
In the end, after much deliberation, Harold decided to send more spies into the Perdium territory.
*
“Young Master, what on earth happened?”
“Oh, just a lover’s quarrel. I guess Amelia loves me too much. What can I say, I’m quite popular.”
Belinda shot a glare at Ghislaine, who wore a haughty expression.
“Then why did you ask Lady Amelia for money?”
“Well, I have some things I need to spend money on, and she’s the only one around here with plenty of it.”
“Ah, so you squeezed some cash from your wealthy fiancée?”
Belinda squinted at Ghislaine as if he were a lunatic, while he shook his head, looking wronged.
“Hey, I’m not that kind of guy. There’s a reason.”
“What kind of reason?”
“In my past life, Amelia bullied me a lot. I’m just collecting that debt now. You could say it’s like a compensation.”
“…….”
It was the truth, but there was no way that would be accepted.
“Really, you won’t tell me?”
“No, I’m serious!”
As they exited Raybold Castle, Belinda kept pressing Ghislaine for answers.
But no matter how much she nagged, he didn’t provide a satisfactory explanation.
‘Would they even believe it if I told them?’
Telling that Amelia would become an enemy of Perdium in the future would only get him labeled as crazy.
And revealing Amelia’s weaknesses to sabotage her plans was just as tricky.
If that happened, the Duke Delphine would drop her in a heartbeat and look for other long-term pawns, making it even harder for Ghislaine to prepare.
It was better to take full advantage of the knowledge of the future for as long as possible.
Belinda, of course, snorted in disbelief.
“Fine, let’s just go with that. But is it really okay to borrow money like that? It could be a problem if Count Raybold finds out.”
Ghislaine shrugged, as if to say not to worry.
“It’s fine. Amelia won’t say a word.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Umm, it’s a secret for now. I’ll tell you later. Anyway, let’s get ready for the next task.”
Belinda’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected statement.
“A next task? Aren’t we going back right away?”
Ghislaine nodded.
“Amelia won’t just sit quietly.”
Belinda didn’t deny his words and nodded in agreement.
She was well aware of how cunning the nobles could be.
Right now, it wouldn’t be surprising if a dagger flew at them from any direction.
“We might need to send people.”
“Yeah, we should prepare.”
Having dealt with Amelia enough in his past life, Ghislaine understood her better than anyone.
With her personality, she wouldn’t let them leave without a fuss.
“We need some variables on our side. We need to throw Amelia off a bit.”
“Variables?”
“People who will be with us. And who will continue to be a strength in the future.”
“And who might that be? Do you know anyone?”
“First… let’s confirm if they are already here.”
Belinda asked back, looking confused.
He asked in bewilderment.
“You’re looking for someone whose existence you’re unsure of?”
“I can barely remember myself. For now, let’s find out if he’s around. If he isn’t, we’ll think of the next plan.”
“Really, what are you thinking… So, what’s that person’s name?”
“Gillian.”
Ghislaine, along with his companions, began inquiring around various places in search of this Gillian.
Before long, a knight came to report the man’s whereabouts.
“So, he really was around here. Let’s go.”
Ghislaine hurriedly started walking faster, anxiety swelling inside.
Gillian was someone he had only heard rumors about when he was mercenary in a foreign land.
From what he heard, he had spent some time in Raybold and eventually ended his own life.
“Fortunately, he hasn’t died yet.”
If he was going to commit suicide, that meant his situation was utterly hopeless.
Ghislaine stood in front of a ramshackle house on the outskirts of the castle, nodding his head.
“Indeed, the once glorious family has completely fallen.”
The house looked as if it would collapse at any moment. It was not much different from the houses in the opposite poor district of the castle, merely isolated by its location.
“Is anyone home!”
The knight called out loudly and knocked on the door, and a man appeared after a moment.
He looked to be in his fifties. It seemed he had endured a lot, with stark white hair and a beard that caught the eye.
His neglected hair and beard were unkempt as if no one had taken care of them. His eyes were sunken, resembling the eyes of a rotting fish.
“What do you want?”
With a cracked and weak voice, Belinda and the assigned knight couldn’t hide their disappointment.
To Belinda and the knight, Gillian appeared nearly as a husk of a person.
“Is this really the person we searched so hard for? What on earth is going on?”
Every person has a certain momentum about them.
Even a commoner not using mana possesses a unique aura that can be felt at a glance.
But Gillian… Though he did have the smell of alcohol around him, his dispirited presence was even less imposing than that of a gangster from the market.
Belinda scanned Gillian up and down, trying to gauge Ghislaine’s intentions.
“Is he really planning to use him as a mere porter? If so, finding a slave or a servant would be better.”
While he seemed to have a somewhat capable build and muscles, his weary expression and slumped shoulders made her doubt his ability to do even porter work.
As her companions wore expressions filled with doubt and disappointment, only Ghislaine smiled.
“Gillian, we’ve come to see you.”
“What do you want from me?”
Gillian spoke politely, treating Ghislaine with respect despite the latter looking younger.
His clothing was distinct from that of commoners, and with the knight and maid accompanying him, it was evident at a glance that he was noble.
“You’re in quite a tough situation, aren’t you? I can solve your problems.”
Gillian let out a sardonic laugh at Ghislaine’s words.
“Seems the young noble is bored. Save that facade for somewhere else.”
His words dripped with an irritated sharpness and mockery.
Belinda and the knight frowned at the sudden change in attitude provoked by a single sentence.
But Ghislaine brushed it off.
“I can help you.”
“Leave me be. I’m tired of this life and don’t have the leisure to entertain a rookie noble’s whims.”
With that, Gillian turned away. It was disrespectful for a commoner to act so towards a noble.
One of the knights stepped forward, sword in hand.
“What a rude fellow you are.”
Gillian momentarily turned to glare at the knight’s sword, then chuckled, pointing at his own heart.
“If you want to kill me, go ahead. Do you have the guts? This is my heart; try stabbing it properly.”
“You little—!”
The knight grit his teeth and took a step forward, but couldn’t bring himself to swing the sword.
Faced with a calmness that seemingly invited death rather than fear or retaliation, he hesitated.
The attitude of just wanting to kill was rather sharp.
Ghislaine smiled as if everything was fine and stepped back from the knights.
“Hey, since we’re just meeting for the first time, let’s not be so harsh. Gillian, I can really solve your problem.”
Gillian turned to Ghislaine with vacant eyes.
His expression was bright enough to seem optimistic. That gaze was filled with straightforward confidence.
‘What a strange noble.’
With such a carefree atmosphere and a disregard for authority, he reminded Gillian of old acquaintances.
After a moment’s hesitation, he finally sighed and said,
“…Come in.”
The group that followed Gillian in immediately got a whiff of the smell. Belinda clicked her tongue inwardly and looked around the house.
‘Ugh, this is a real dump.’
Dust was piled up everywhere, and there was even mold growing in sunless corners.
But more noticeable than that were the various weapons scattered all around the house.
‘Is he a blacksmith?’
Given his large build and the weapons strewn about, that seemed like a pretty reasonable guess.
But there was no need to go out of their way to look for a blacksmith in this situation.
‘You could just tell me what happened and what you’re going to do next; why aren’t you sharing anything?’
Belinda pouted in dissatisfaction. Without Ghislaine providing detailed explanations, she had no choice but to guess.
“This way.”
They followed Gillian into a small bedroom.
There lay a girl who looked similar in age to Elena, her gaunt face barely showing as she slept.
“This is my daughter.”
Belinda and the knights gasped in surprise and took a step back at the sight of Gillian’s daughter.
Her faded brown hair looked so brittle it seemed it would break if touched, and her lips were all cracked and burst. She was practically a corpse.
The bloodstains on the bedspread and the missing fingernails hinted at the girl’s immense suffering.
But the bigger problem was the red spots visible all over her face and body.
Without realizing it, Belinda grabbed Ghislaine’s arm and shouted.
“Young Master!”
Ghislaine slowly pulled her hand down and nodded.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Please step back, Young Master. This isn’t a situation you can help with.”
Now it was clear to her why Gillian was in such a state.
A daughter suffering from an incurable disease, the contemptuous and avoidant attitude of those around them, an invisible hope.
He was dying together with his daughter, who was gradually moving closer to death.
Seeing Belinda’s actions, Gillian let out a faded smile.
“You say you can help, but you don’t even know what illness my daughter has?”
“No, I know.”
“If you know, then let’s get to the point. My daughter is suffering from an incurable disease.”
“I’m aware there are no known treatments for it, of course.”
His tone was so nonchalant that Gillian frowned and growled.
“Yet you still said you could help? What’s your intent with me…?”
Belinda interrupted Gillian’s words, blocking Ghislaine’s way.
“Your Highness, please step back!”
Her voice was loud. The fact that she used the title “Your Highness” was clear proof that she was genuinely angry.
But Ghislaine didn’t back down at all.
“It’s fine, it’s not an infectious disease. It’s already been revealed as just a rumor, hasn’t it?”
“Still, step back! It’s better to be cautious!”
“No, it’s not an infectious disease, I’m telling you.”
Belinda frowned. She couldn’t understand what confidence Ghislaine had in being so sure.
The next words were even more astonishing.
“I know the treatment for that disease. To be precise, I’m the only one in the world who knows the treatment right now.”
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