Chapter 46: As Expected. (4)
The retainers were speechless and kept their mouths shut.
There was no rebuttal possible.
“Um, Grand Duke, because of you, the relationship with Raybold has soured, and that’s making the situation in the territory a bit difficult…”
“Are you saying that’s not enough?”
Of course, it’s not enough.
In Perdium, consistent income was more important than a lump sum.
There was no means to make money here.
It was awkward to demand money while blaming him.
The one holding the purse strings was Ghislaine, and the roles had completely reversed.
‘Should we start exploring too?’
Baron Homern was sweating bullets and deep in thought.
But since the Runestone was already secured by Ghislaine, looking for other resources would only lead to the same old conclusion.
They had to move forward with the determination to risk danger and incur losses.
‘Damn it! How did such a precious resource end up in that guy’s hands? There’s no way to steal it!’
Strictly speaking, the Forest of Monsters didn’t belong to Perdium.
It was merely recognized as territory because it was adjacent to the land.
So there was no way to secure the Runestone Ghislaine possessed other than forcibly taking it.
While everyone was at a loss, Ghislaine opened his mouth again.
“Hmm, it seems everyone is a bit troubled. As a Grand Duke, I can’t turn a blind eye to the difficulties in the territory.”
Though his tone was slick, the retainers looked at him with a glimmer of hope.
Zvalter also listened with curiosity to his son’s words.
Ghislaine smiled at everyone’s reactions and continued.
“The reason I brought back the Runestone was for the territory. I will support you for what you’ve lost from Raybold.”
Hearing this, the retainers nodded in relief.
If he were to hoard it all for himself, they would’ve had to fight him for it, but since he offered to give at least a bit, they could breathe a sigh of relief for now.
“However, there are a few conditions.”
At his next words, the retainers couldn’t hide their tense expressions.
They were genuinely scared about what the foul-mouthed Grand Duke might demand.
“I noticed the guard Skoban is missing. I heard he was locked up in prison, is that right?”
Baron Homern nodded his head.
“He has been imprisoned for giving false reports to the lord. He is also set to have his knight qualifications revoked. It’s a grave sin for a sworn knight to lie, indeed. Ahem!”
Homern’s tone was definitely more subdued than before.
He had clearly realized that playing tug-of-war with Ghislaine would only lead to loss.
Trying to play tug-of-war would only end up being a loss, and he realized that for sure.
However, his response subtly hinted that Skoban’s capture was because of him.
Ghislaine nodded and raised a finger.
“First, please release Skoban. It was something I forced him into, so he had no choice. He’s probably feeling quite wronged and might want to die.”
“Hmmm…”
The retainers looked a bit uncomfortable.
Forgiving the crime of lying to the lord was a matter tied to the lord’s authority.
But it wasn’t without a justification, and compared to managing the territory, it was a small issue, so they didn’t particularly voice any opposition.
Seeing that the retainers were silent, Ghislaine continued speaking.
“Second, the construction of the fortress will now officially proceed. Laborers and troops need to stay there, after all.”
Once again, the retainers nodded, as the conditions were acceptable.
“Third, the Forest of Monsters will remain off-limits as before. I don’t want any unnecessary casualties in the territory out of greed.”
At that moment, the gazes of the retainers wavered.
‘This bad guy! He’s trying to take it all for himself!’
‘Why can’t we go in there?’
‘You said not to go in, but you went yourself!’
Of course, they only grumbled inside their heads and didn’t dare to voice it out loud.
As everyone remained silent, Ghislaine brought up the final condition.
“Lastly, I will recruit and manage the security troops, including mercenaries, regardless of the territory. It would be troublesome if there were interruptions every time I moved troops within the territory, so I’d like to have that authority.”
The retainers began to sweat bullets.
Right now, Ghislaine was declaring that he would continue to command private soldiers within the territory.
‘The Grand Duke wants to have his own army…’
‘Now that he has money, he’s going completely wild!’
‘That reckless one leading troops?’
The retainers felt a chill running down their spines.
If the increasingly unpredictable Grand Duke leads troops, who knows what kind of disaster he could cause?
It was already becoming difficult to touch him due to the mercenaries he commanded.
“Uh, Grand Duke, if nothing else, leading a separate army…”
One retainer mustered the courage to speak up, but Ghislaine replied gruffly.
“Then shall we forget everything? Should I just leave now?”
“I mean, I support it! Of course, I support it!”
The retainer immediately tucked his tail and slinked back in his seat.
“Oh, I thought you were going to oppose, and I was almost hurt. You know I’m timid, right? I almost walked out!”
‘Damn it, you’re going to do whatever you want anyway!’
With an implicit threat, the retainers bowed their heads in silence.
“Is there anyone who objects?”
Ghislaine raised a hand and asked, but no one could answer.
There hadn’t been such blatant power abuse, but it wouldn’t be good to annoy the Grand Duke.
After waiting a moment, Ghislaine smiled satisfactorily and glanced at his father.
“It seems that the retainers all support my opinion. Now, Father, it’s time for you to make a resolution.”
Somehow, that smile looked sinister. Zvalter forced a bitter smile.
‘He’s really changed.’
When complaints came in from Raybold, he thought they had finally caused a major disaster. This time, he was determined not to let it slide.
But Ghislaine’s boldness had accomplished enough merit to offset all those mistakes.
He achieved a feat that could offset his mistakes.
Of course, it’s also true that it’s hard to believe completely at this point. This time, he was just lucky.
How many people had considered exploring the Forest of Monsters so far?
Zvalter knew well because he had weighed the risks and efficiency.
Finding resources this quickly requires heavenly luck on your side.
‘Still, it’s true that he accomplished something huge…’
Zvalter pondered for a moment.
He succeeded this time, but there was no guarantee that things would continue to go smoothly and safely in the future.
Even if he gained immense wealth, what good would it do if he died young?
Moreover, his son was the heir of the territory and the family. Life shouldn’t be taken lightly.
If he were to stop him, he needed to revoke all his powers right now and block him.
However, as a father, he didn’t want to stomp on his son’s potential, which had just begun to change.
‘It’s an excessive request, but it’s not entirely impossible to grant.’
In the end, it was a matter of whether to trust Ghislaine or not.
Just looking at the briefly changed appearance now, it’s too much to believe entirely when considering his past behavior was a total mess.
If he didn’t believe and applied force instead, the situation could spiral into the worst case.
Even now, Ghislaine was coming with troops and presenting excessive demands to his father and retainers.
This meant he was prepared for armed conflict.
‘Was my son like this?’
Zvalter looked at his son anew.
Ghislaine was standing confidently, seemingly indifferent to what decision he would make.
What Zvalter didn’t know was that even now, Ghislaine was trying his best to keep courtesy and handle matters softly.
During his days as the Mercenary King, he used to be incomparably more brutal and aggressive.
After a long contemplation, Zvalter finally exhaled deeply and said,
“Fine. I’ll grant you what you want, so give it your all.”
“Lord!”
“Brother!”
All the retainers looked at Zvalter in shock.
They had never expected him to readily accept all the conditions.
Looking around at the surprised retainers, Zvalter said nonchalantly, “If I’m going to grant the authority, it’s better to do it properly and trust. Just giving it half-heartedly is worse than not giving it at all.”
Before Ghislaine could express his gratitude, Zvalter shot a commanding glance and continued,
“However, if you cause harm to the territory or hinder the defense of the North… I will strip you of all your powers and confine you in the tower until you come to your senses. Never forget that this is the last chance I’m giving you.”
With such authority comes significant responsibility. Thus, Zvalter sent a clear warning.
Ghislaine, reflecting his father’s mixed feelings of expectation and concern, smiled and bowed his head.
“Thank you. Don’t worry about it.”
“What do you plan to do with the remaining money?”
“I have some things in mind. Once the urgent matters are resolved, I plan to use it for the territory as well.”
Urgent matters. That statement left a strange aftertaste.
He was curious about what could be more urgent than the situation in the territory, but Zvalter chose not to ask further.
“I understand. You’ll handle it well. I’ll trust you.”
His tone returned to its usual bluntness, but it was layered with emotions that were different from before.
After all, he felt proud and happy about his son accomplishing such a significant feat.
A son’s appearance was both admirable and joyful.
With this, the retainers found themselves in a predicament.
In particular, Homern, Randolf, and Albert had pressured Ghislaine so much that they ended up in a more difficult situation than the other retainers.
Homern rolled his eyes to the point of steaming, lost deep in thought.
“Darn it, this is serious. Now I have to live under this troublemaker. How did it come to this?”
Homern was the one who had protested the most when Ghislaine had proposed to develop the Forest of Monsters.
If only he had actively supported and backed him then, he might have secured a stake in it.
He regretted it deeply.
“No, who would have thought he’d boldly go and actually succeed? That doesn’t make sense!”
No one could have predicted that the Grand Duke, whom he thought of as a rookie, would show such initiative and really pull it off. He still couldn’t believe it.
But now that the tables had turned, he couldn’t act stiffly like before.
Suddenly, Homern displayed a broad smile and said, “Oh, truly impressive. Just fantastic. This means Your Grace is on par with the Raybold Territory, right? You’ve really grown up. It seems Belinda has taught well. Hahaha.”
Albert stepped forward, ignoring the insincerity of Homern’s words.
“I know Your Grace is very meticulous about money. Regarding the support funds, let’s discuss it moving forward. There are immediate needs… clears throat!”
Randolf’s face twisted strangely, but he poured out sweet words nonetheless.
“I absolutely believed that Your Grace’s bold actions would yield great results someday! You know we are lacking troops for the territory, right? After all, having a solid military is how we defend our lands. Hahaha. Those on the outside…”
Seeing the three of them completely change their expressions and blatantly flatter him, Ghislaine chuckled while keeping some distance.
“Thank you for saying that, I hardly know how to respond. I will generously take care of you three, so please don’t worry too much about the territory affairs.”
Only then did the three men beam with smiles.
Whether sincere or not, knowing he’d take care of them made their hearts melt a little.
They felt completely outmaneuvered by a rookie, but what could be done?
For now, Ghislaine held the power, so there was no choice but to act friendly.
Homern gripped Ghislaine’s hand tightly and said, “I look forward to it from now on. Ah, such great fortune has befallen our territory. Such great fortune.”
Ghislaine subtly pulled his hand away from Homern and looked at Zvalter.
“Please don’t worry about the territory affairs going forward. I will handle things so you can just focus on guarding the north like before.”
“Haha, you can say such things now, huh.”
Zvalter nodded, looking satisfied.
It was amazing to see his son grow so significantly compared to a few months ago.
Of course, he didn’t take Ghislaine’s words seriously.
He thought it was just a formality.
However, as Ghislaine turned to leave, his face was more serious than ever.
“It’s going as planned. Now it’s time to prepare for the next step.”
There was something more urgent than developing the territory.
Now, it was time to prepare for war.
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