Chapter 49: It’s a bit dangerous right now. (3)
Belinda and Gillian couldn’t hide their skeptical expressions after hearing about the reinforcements.
Ghislaine’s plans were always out of the ordinary.
“Honestly, it’s hard to believe… But it’s the first time the Young Master has explained anything.”
“If the Young Master says so, it must be true.”
Although they didn’t fully understand, they had no choice but to go along with it.
After all, he had explained it out of consideration for them, which was pretty much equivalent to a notice.
When had Ghislaine ever acted rationally or listened to others properly?
“Well, it seems like the Young Master has some sort of plan.”
Gillian nodded.
Just like when he was treating his daughter, he thought Ghislaine must know something.
“Yeah, so hurry up and get ready. We’re heading to sell the Runestone right away.”
Finally freed from Belinda, Ghislaine lightly patted Gillian’s shoulder.
“Go rest too, Gillian. You should see Rachel’s face after such a long time.”
Thanks to the maids preparing medicine and taking care of her, Rachel had significantly improved in health.
Elena, who was about the same age, often visited her, treating her like a friend.
“I’ve been doing well thanks to the Young Master.”
“No, you need to make time to see her. Things are going to get busier from now on.”
Gillian smiled faintly.
“Understood. You should rest too, Young Master. You need to finish your treatment.”
“Got it. Don’t worry.”
After Gillian left, a wave of immense fatigue hit Ghislaine, but he didn’t go to bed immediately.
Even though everyone was happy about retrieving the Runestone, Ghislaine couldn’t let his guard down.
“How long will it take?”
The commotion among the retainers about the successful retrieval of the Runestone was already underway.
By tomorrow, rumors would spread rapidly, and soon, no one in the territory would be ignorant of the news.
This meant that it would also reach Amelia and Duke Delphine.
Just as he had mentioned to Belinda and Gillian, they were certainly planting people in Perdium.
“Well, Amelia and Duke Delphine are on the same team, but… I’d say they’ll act independently.”
“But… I guess I’ll have to act independently.”
Perdium’s biggest enemy is Duke Delphine. They will certainly move to seize or weaken Perdium.
However, Amelia was targeting Ghislaine, not the territory.
For someone who has to fight against Duke Delphine, Amelia would inevitably be a thorn in his side, like a thorn in his shoe.
“Amelia’s movements could be a variable.”
In fact, I didn’t expect her to move this quickly again.
If Ghislaine finds out that he obtained the Runestone, she will resort to even more radical methods.
“A fortnight? No, it’ll probably all be out in a week at the latest.”
The worst outcome is indeed war, but even if a war breaks out, it won’t happen tomorrow. You’ll need justification to fight.
If things go awry, the lords who are not yet on their side will be very cautious, so they’ll come up with some flimsy justification.
Even if they ambush and advance afterward, they’ll need some minimal time to prepare for war.
As Gillian predicted, they would probably attack in two to three months.
Unless it’s a territory like Perdium that lacks money, other territories wouldn’t need such a long time to prepare for war.
“Now is probably the best time to strike.”
Even if there’s more money, it still takes time for the territory to prosper.
Although there’s a Runestone now, it’s still a poor and insignificant territory, so this is indeed the most opportune moment to pillage.
“I’ll have to use all the Runestones I’ve gained this time.”
Even if you anticipate and prepare for future events, the outcome can only be known by confronting it.
Will things go as I planned? Ghislaine wandered around the room, half-expecting, half-worried.
“Wait, I haven’t heard anything from that Cain guy yet?”
Thinking about preparations for war and where to sell the Runestone brought to mind the money that hadn’t been collected.
Ghislaine suddenly burst with anger and stopped right in the middle of the room.
The fact that the promised time had passed without any money being sent meant there was no intention to send it.
Ghislaine really, really hated being cheated out of his own money.
‘It’s only natural after working as a mercenary long enough to be called a ‘King’.’
For a mercenary to be cheated out of their money is essentially a signal to hang up their hat.
Of course, Ghislaine was, to be fair, unusually fixated on money for a mercenary… but that was just part of being ‘Kingly’.
‘That guy is quite audacious. Trying to cheat me out of my money, huh?’
Even after instilling that much fear, not sending the money suggests there’s something reliable about him.
Ghislaine resolved to create an opportunity to meet again soon before going to bed.
He tossed and turned for a long time after lying down, finally falling asleep only when dawn came, so he ended up sleeping in late for the first time in a while.
Even though he recovered quickly, it could be attributed to him still not feeling well.
Upon waking up, he was shocked to see the situation unfolding before his eyes.
“What the hell is all this?”
As he stood there dumbfounded, the two maids beside him answered.
Two maids answered.
“That was sent by the Treasurer.”
“This one was sent by the Chief Officer.”
“That was personally delivered by the Chief Officer…”
“This one is from the Secretary…”
“And that one is from the Chief of Public Order…”
“Not to mention the Knight Commander…”
In front of Ghislaine was a mountain of gifts piled up, including alcohol, meat, animal hides, and various fabrics.
While he was asleep, several people had come by to drop off their presents.
The names of those who wielded some power in the territory spilled from the maids’ lips.
It seemed they all just left the presents since Ghislaine was snoozing away.
“Well, look at that, life really has its quirks.”
Ghislaine scratched his head and chuckled as he looked at the gifts.
Everyone was eager to curry favor with him, their eyes wide with excitement, even going so far as to visit and leave gifts while he was sleeping.
Considering how he was treated before getting the Runestone, it was a significant change.
Back then, everyone avoided him or completely ignored him.
“Can’t really blame them for coming after money, right?”
Not too long ago, the guy was a nuisance, so the retainers must be feeling uneasy about buttering up to him.
In the end, Ghislaine was the one who dug his own grave. It was better to stay quiet and not poke the hornet’s nest.
“By the way, these gifts are rather cute.”
As Ghislaine examined each present, he couldn’t help but smile.
How much money could the poor retainers from a struggling territory really have?
They probably scraped together whatever they could find in their empty coffers to bring something. Still, none of it was particularly valuable.
Frankly speaking, compared to the riches he enjoyed during his days as the Mercenary King, this stuff didn’t even come close, but he couldn’t overlook the goodwill of those who brought it.
“Bring me the list.”
One of the maids handed him a piece of paper.
It was a list of the visitors and the gifts they had given.
Receiving gifts and replying in kind was a matter of nobility’s honor, so the maids had diligently recorded everything.
After going through the entire list and nodding, Ghislaine said to the maids,
“Send the alcohol and meat to the mercenaries, and share the fabrics and other necessities with the other servants.”
The maids, beaming with joy, asked,
“Is there nothing you need, Grand Duke?”
“No, I don’t need anything. You all take it.”
“Thank you very much.”
The maids bowed their heads repeatedly.
What seemed worthless to Ghislaine was, much like the territory itself, something rare and hard to come by for the poor.
‘What’s gotten into the Grand Duke? They said he made a lot of money, and it seems that’s true!’
‘Looks like having money brings kindness too!’
The maids exchanged glances, unable to hide their joy.
Though they felt he had changed since he no longer cursed or bullied them, it was hard to believe he was giving gifts like this.
Of course, they still nervously wondered when he might snap back to being a tyrant, but for now, they were simply happy.
“Let those who came know I received their gifts well. Tell them I’ll visit each one of them soon.”
“I’ll come visit each of you soon.”
“Understood.”
While he was sleeping, Ghislaine hastily dealt with the problems that had arisen and checked his physical condition.
“That’s strange.”
With a throbbing body, Ghislaine got up and looked in the mirror again.
The dull purple hue that appeared on his face when he was poisoned was no longer visible.
His cheeks were simply sunken and a bit pale.
Surprised by his surprisingly improved condition, he decided to sit down and begin the Mana Circulation Method.
After slowly rotating three cores and contemplating his body for a while, Ghislaine opened his eyes with a perplexed expression.
“The property of the mana… has changed.”
Mana is most influenced by the person’s practiced Mana Circulation Method, temperament, and constitution.
Depending on what Mana Circulation Method one learns and how it’s used, each person develops different properties.
Originally, his mana was wild and unruly, to the point that it was hard to control.
Even when he fought, that characteristic was very apparent as mana burst forth.
However, now, a secretive and gloomy energy was hidden within that wildness.
It was something he had never experienced in his previous life.
“Can the nature of mana change?”
It is extremely rare for the nature of mana to change once it accumulates in the body.
Even mages, who process mana to use various properties of magic, are no exception.
They simply forcibly transform the properties of the mana they release outward through incantations.
Because of this, there are mages specialized in fire magic or ice magic depending on the properties and constitution of their mana.
“Could it be… the poison energy from the Blood Python mixed with my mana?”
It was an absurd hypothesis, but there was no other explanation.
Ghislaine raised his hand to try to draw out that gloomy energy separately.
However, that energy was so weak that it was difficult to feel without concentrating and, with his poor condition, it wasn’t easy to do.
After several more attempts and then giving up, Ghislaine let out a sigh.
“Right, no need to rush. I need to rest to recover anyway. I can figure it all out slowly. Could this be the reason why my recovery ability has improved so dramatically?”
His head was filled with confusion over the unknown phenomenon, but he couldn’t just keep worrying.
“Well, since my recovery ability has gotten better, that’s great! I should be able to move a little faster.”
He thought he’d be stuck resting for over two weeks, but things had turned out better.
Even though there was strange energy mixed in his mana, it wasn’t that strong, so he figured he could handle urgent matters first and check later.
Just when Ghislaine decided to spring into action, someone came to find him.
“Hahaha! Our Grand Duke has finally coughed up! You look much better than yesterday. You must have been born healthy. Truly a knight among knights, the heir of the territory. So manly! Hahahaha!”
The man laughing heartily and oddly flattering was Randolf, the Knight Commander of Perdium.
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