Chapter 45: Just as I Thought. (3)
At Ghislaine’s words, Randolf yelled out in fury.
“Investment? What are you, a bullfighter? Do you even know what an investment is? You probably just think about eating and taking a dump all day! Nobody stop me now! I’m definitely gonna kill that guy today… Whoa, what the heck is that? Grand Duke!”
Randolf rushed toward Ghislaine but stopped in his tracks, eyes wide open.
At the moment, everyone squinted at the light spreading out and peered into the box.
“Uh, th-that’s…”
“Don’t tell me…”
The expressions of the retainers transformed into increasingly bizarre ones as they gazed at the mixed pile of ores inside the box.
Gillian lightly nodded to Ghislaine and stepped outside the hall, but the retainers were so absorbed in the items in the box that they didn’t even notice his departure.
An oppressive silence engulfed them all.
Zvalter, who finally came to his senses, stuttered as he spoke.
“W-w-what is this?”
Despite knowing what it was, Zvalter couldn’t believe his eyes and sought confirmation from Ghislaine, who simply smiled in response.
“It’s a Runestone. Found it in the Forest of Monsters.”
“R-really? How did you manage that in such a short time?”
“It’s not like we dig through the entire forest. We explored the areas with resources and broke through straight to that location. We’re planning to establish a path and build fortifications to extract steadily.”
Zvalter was taken aback by Ghislaine’s words and couldn’t help but jump to his feet.
“Don’t tell me there are more Runestones?”
“Yes, plenty. This is just a part of it.”
Zvalter was left speechless in confusion.
Baron Homern spoke with a trembling voice.
“T-this is all a lie, right? The Grand Duke isn’t that kind of person! Did you steal this from somewhere? Or did you buy it for 20,000 gold and are just lying about it? Please tell me that’s the case!”
“Why would I lie? There’s plenty more loaded onto the wagon outside; you can check for yourself.”
Ghislaine shrugged casually.
“There’s way more than what we brought this time. If you want to confirm that I’ll continue bringing more Runestones, feel free to do so. Don’t you know? Blessed are those who believe.”
Thud.
Zvalter sat down heavily in disbelief.
He had no idea what to say about his son’s actions.
He couldn’t even distinguish whether this situation was a dream or reality.
He couldn’t even tell if he was dreaming or awake.
The Treasurer, Albert, blinked rapidly as he stared at the Runestone in front of him.
If there really are that many Runestones, cutting off support from Raybold’s territory wouldn’t be a problem at all.
Albert quickly approached the chest, squatted down, and touched the Runestones.
“Is, is this really a Runestone? How much would we get if we sold all of this…?”
“Le, let’s take a look too!”
All the retainers rushed over and huddled in front of the chest.
They couldn’t hide their excitement, touching the Runestones and gasping in admiration.
Seeing them, Ghislaine let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
‘If Amelia had moved just a little bit faster, we would’ve been in huge trouble.’
Just thinking about it was terrifying.
If they had been just a moment late, they wouldn’t have even entered the Forest of Monsters and would have had their hands and feet tied up.
Not only would they lose the money taken from Amelia, but they also wouldn’t have found the Runestones.
The result had turned upside down by a narrow margin.
‘She really is a smart woman. Who would’ve thought to use this method? Is this just the beginning?’
She had no intention of stopping there.
This incident was merely to put Ghislaine in trouble and tie his movements.
She probably thought this was enough to ignore him.
But once Ghislaine found out that he had obtained the Runestones, she would definitely come back to interfere and scheme again.
‘It’s not just Amelia.’
Duke Delphine wouldn’t just sit back and relax either.
They also failed in their attempt to kill Elena.
Right now, they were probably too busy weakening other territories, but once the existence of the Runestones is revealed, all eyes would focus here.
He needed to prepare as much as possible before that.
‘I need to move faster.’
This time, they got through without any issues thanks to moving quickly, but Amelia also moved faster than he anticipated.
He realized something clearly from this incident.
Time is not on his side.
While he moves, the enemies are also moving.
Ghislaine snapped back to reality and hastily closed the chest.
“Alright, that’s enough sightseeing. If you keep looking, it’ll wear out. Hehehe.”
Sure, it was a sleazy tone like a con artist, but the retainers had no choice but to step back, unable to say a word.
Seeing them, Ghislaine wore a expression full of leisure.
“So, what were we talking about? Was it about escorting me to Raybold?”
No one could open their mouth.
Ghislaine had done something utterly ridiculous.
To think of pioneering the Forest of Monsters. They naturally believed it would fail, thought it impossible.
Yet, the Grand Duke randomly marched in with mercenaries and actually succeeded.
In less than a month, that incompetent fool Ghislaine achieved what no previous Lords of Perdium could solve.
Such results in just a few days were beyond their understanding.
It was hard to believe this was done by the Grand Duke they usually looked down upon.
The retainers muttered hesitantly.
“Ahem, um… How on earth did the Grand Duke…”
“Wow, I can’t believe it! There were really Runestones in the Forest of Monsters.”
“Wha, what is this doing in the Forest of Monsters…?”
…
With that, it wasn’t a problem that Raybold made a mess in the territory.
In fact, it was the kind of thing that deserved praise.
Always having to flatter them and go along with their antics was no longer necessary.
While the other retainers weren’t quite grasping the situation, Baron Homern signaled to the knight beside him.
It was a signal to bring in the troops.
He didn’t intend to capture Ghislaine.
The sins committed would be offset by this achievement, and he planned to pressure Runestone and seize authority.
That was the kind of thinking that came from a lifetime in the cutthroat world of nobility.
But there’s always someone above even the best.
Creeeak.
“What, what’s going on!”
“Grand Duke, what is the meaning of this?”
As the door to the great hall swung open, the retainers shrieked in horror.
Armed mercenaries with menacing grins were threatening the soldiers in front of the great hall.
Randolf, unable to hold back his rage, reached for his sword.
He sensed a presence outside but assumed it was just the soldiers.
He never imagined mercenaries would be gathered there.
Baron Homern gritted his teeth and shouted.
“Grand Duke! To bring troops this far, are you insane? Are you planning a rebellion right now?”
Then Ghislaine exaggeratedly shook his head, feigning shock.
“A rebellion? They are only waiting for me! Well, it’s also a precaution to escort me in case something happens.”
More seasoned than Homern, Ghislaine anticipated his reaction and had Gillian fetch the mercenaries.
Of course, the retainers of the territory were not enemies.
But if they believed it was for the good of the territory, they would not hesitate to point their swords at Ghislaine.
That’s the mindset of those who run territories in this age.
They understood loyalty to Perdium, yet Ghislaine had to act in a way so completely disconnected from their thoughts.
In the end, he had no choice but to stage a show of force.
He needed to show that if they touched him, he wouldn’t stay quiet.
The situation was electric, but Zvalter only watched with interest.
‘Huh, Ghislaine can be like that?’
What he was doing now was more surprising than bringing back Runestone.
His son, who had always been timid and knew only how to bully those below him, was displaying an entirely different side.
“Lord! No matter how much of a Grand Duke he is, such rude behavior should not be tolerated!”
“Brother! I will sweep away those insolent fools!”
While Homern and Randolf were in a frenzy, Zvalter leaned back comfortably in his chair.
“Enough. The troops and Runestone are mine, so what can you do?”
“Lord!”
“Brother!”
Homern and Randolf protested in confusion, but Zvalter shook his head.
After all, Ghislaine was the heir who would eventually inherit the territory.
He had previously been worried that once he died and Ghislaine inherited it, it would surely crumble in no time.
‘It’s better for him to act like this than to cower around.’
He even felt secretly pleased that Ghislaine had anticipated the retainers’ actions and prepared for them.
“Even that guy had the appearance of a northern wolf.”
Still, I felt a bit relieved to think that my son wasn’t completely hopeless.
In the end, Zvalter decided to let this incident slide.
He was afraid that if he pressured him too much, his son would revert back to his old self.
If he truly crossed the line, he could always correct his behavior then.
“It’s fascinating that mercenaries follow you to this extent. I’ll let it go this time. But if you defy me again next time, I won’t let it slide.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
As Zvalter generously forgave him, Ghislaine slightly bowed his head and smiled.
Ghislaine wasn’t just mindlessly showing off his power either.
He attempted this knowing his father’s temperament.
What kind of ordinary man would spend his life on the battlefield, having sacrificed everything?
He was certain that he was different from the old lords, who clung to their power like it was the only thing they had.
Amidst the awkward atmosphere, the Treasurer, Albert, started brainstorming on future plans.
“I have to somehow get the Runestone.”
The retainers had all opposed this, and since the Grand Duke had succeeded in the endeavor alone, there was no justification to claim ownership in the territory.
He had considered forcibly taking it, but Ghislaine was the heir of the territory and the family’s firstborn.
In the end, he would be the future lord of the territory.
If they collided here, the long-term losses would outweigh any potential gains.
It seemed better to coax him into giving up the money.
“There’s really nothing to gain from fighting.”
He heard that nearly two hundred mercenaries had been taken, but only a little over fifty had returned.
That meant most had died, which indicated that they wouldn’t be pushovers, having survived in such a perilous forest.
There was no way that that fool leading those mercenaries would hand over money easily.
Albert’s plan was simple.
If they couldn’t snatch the Grand Duke’s money, they’d try to take a share by justifying it in a suitable manner.
Once he finished his thoughts, Albert cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ahem, anyway, congratulations on your success. Still, the 20,000 gold you brought back originally belonged to the territory. Because of that, support was cut off, and the development started with that money, so I think the territory should have some percentage of ownership. Don’t you agree?”
At Albert’s words, the retainers quickly nodded their heads.
After all, trying was the first step to succeeding.
It was certain that they could only attempt the development because of that 20,000 gold.
While there was validity in his argument, the counterpart was the Mercenary King, who had never willingly handed over his own money.
“Hmm.”
Ghislaine leisurely stroked his chin, pondering for a moment, then casually remarked.
“That’s quite an interesting opinion. It makes sense. I was truly impressed.”
“Yes, right? So you should at least give the territory 40 percent… no, 30 percent ownership…”
“How about giving 20,000 gold?”
“Excuse me?”
At Albert’s reply, Ghislaine winked and made a coin shape with his fingers.
“I’m saying I’ll return the 20,000 gold. I’ll even include interest.”
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