Episode 91: Was That Today? (1)
Hubert asked, his voice trembling as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Wait, really? You’ve become a Lord…?”
“Yes, through this war, Perdium has taken Count Digald’s territory, and as a reward, I received Baron Penris’ Territory. It’s nearly half the size of a Count’s territory when you combine three Baronies.”
“Wow, just can’t believe you’re a Lord now…”
While the Mage Tower Master was usually treated better than a mere Baron, it was still customary to show respect when someone gained territory and nobility.
Yet, it felt a bit awkward to suddenly start treating each other with formality after they had been on casual terms all this time.
If they had met while he already held a title, that would have been one thing, but changing their behavior out of the blue made things feel ridiculous.
“Ahem, well, congratulations.”
Although he was flustered, the Mage Tower Master was, after all, on equal footing with a Count.
Hubert decided he had nothing to lose and would treat him just like before.
But Ghislaine wasn’t one to pretend not to notice.
He crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, sporting an arrogant expression.
“Now that you’re a Lord, feel free to keep treating me casually. I’m not some high-ranking noble like a Count, and I’m still young, right? Just do as you’ve always done until now.”
Sounded like a warning that he wouldn’t just sit back if Ghislaine’s title went any higher.
Hubert pursed his lips and replied.
“Sure, let’s keep it casual. Just like before.”
He could only hope Ghislaine wouldn’t rise beyond a Baron.
“Well, it looks like we’re truly in this together now. Let’s work well together moving forward.”
“You’ve made a wise decision. You won’t regret the choice you just made.”
Hubert and Ghislaine extended their hands and shook.
They might get caught up in war, but there was simply no other option regarding the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
Better to take a chance with this young guy than to wither away.
Though he spoke boldly, he didn’t trust everything he said; still, he had indeed won the war with a bold strategy, hadn’t he?
Blowing up that precious Runestone still boiled his blood whenever he thought about it.
But the very fact that Ghislaine could come up with such ideas was impressive.
As soon as he got what he wanted, Ghislaine stood up without any delay.
“Well then, I’ll be off now. Contact me when everything is ready.”
“Got it. We’ll start preparing right away. Take care on your way out.”
Leaving the Mage Tower, Ghislaine wore a peculiar smile.
‘You might think it’s a gamble, but this is the only way for the Tower of the Bloody Flame to survive.’
In his past life, the Tower of the Bloody Flame fell victim to the schemes of the Crimson Tower.
Caught in Burin’s tricks, it was a disaster.
In the end, it was almost the same as being ruined in Duke Delphine’s hands.
After all, it was the Duke Delphine who raised Delmood, the master of the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
*
As soon as Ghislaine returned to Perdium, he packed up and gathered his people without exception.
Even Vanessa, who had somewhat recovered, and the Mages were no exception.
He quickly spoke while looking around at everyone.
“Gillian, lead everyone and head to Penris first. Leave the territory management to the existing Administrator, and make sure to pay attention to Public Order with Kaor.”
The people, who had been anticipating they would finally head to the Penris Territory, tilted their heads at the unexpected order.
“Lord… I mean, are you not going with us?”
“No, I have a place to stop by for a bit. I’ll just take a few Mercenaries as escorts and be back.”
“Where are you going again? Are you just abandoning the Territory?”
“It’s something that needs to be done to manage the territory. I need to handle urgent matters first.”
“Where are you going?”
“To the Austin Territory in the Seiron Kingdom.”
Seiron is the kingdom located just west of Ruthania.
It’s a close country that you can easily reach by crossing the border to the southwest, avoiding the mountain range extending down from Digald.
However, the Austin Territory wasn’t on the border.
In fact, it was closer to the capital of Seiron.
Belinda, perplexed by the sudden statement, crossed her arms and stared at Ghislaine intently.
Instead of heading to the designated territory, he was going to a foreign land—she just couldn’t understand what he was thinking.
As she was deep in thought, Belinda seemed to have a light bulb moment and shouted briefly.
“Oh, the Austin Territory is famous for gambling, right? Are you going to gamble, Young Master? You used to love it back in the day.”
At the mention of gambling, the Mercenaries began to stir involuntarily.
Alfoy and the Mages clicked their tongues in disdain.
Ghislaine shook his head and laughed.
“Nope. I’m going to bring someone I know.”
“Who is it?”
“Someone to handle the territory’s administration. He’s really smart.”
“You’re handing over the territory administration to an outsider? Do you really know someone?”
“Yeah, someone I know pretty well.”
The look in Ghislaine’s eyes seemed to hold a hint of nostalgia.
Belinda raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
As far as she knew, Ghislaine had never been abroad before.
So the idea that he knew someone well didn’t make sense.
Really, whatever he was up to seemed fishy.
“Lord, didn’t you imprison a guy named Lowell before? He said he had questions about the territory’s administration.”
“Ah, just let him suffer a bit more in prison. He has to pay for his sins. I’ll see him later and decide whether to take him out or not.”
Gillian nodded and changed the subject.
“I’ll escort you to Austin. I’ve been there before.”
“You need to manage the kids.”
“Toran will take care of them just fine.”
Toran was an older Mercenary who had been around since the Forest of Monsters.
‘Come to think of it, they’re about the same age.’
It seemed that they had become quite close due to their experiences in the war.
If Gillian said it would be fine, there shouldn’t be any major issues.
“Alright, then let’s just take Gillian and a few others with us. If we go with too many, we’ll get stopped at the border.”
“Me! Young Master, I want to go on an overseas trip too!”
“It’s not a vacation, you know.”
“Then I’ll go to keep an eye on you!”
Belinda got up quickly, saying she needed to pack her things.
Ghislaine clicked his tongue but didn’t stop her.
“She hasn’t.”
“Once Belinda starts doing that, there’s no stopping her.”
Toran, who received Gillian’s instructions, also began gathering the mercenaries.
Ghislaine held Vanessa back and said, “If anyone bothers you, be sure to tell me. Don’t keep it to yourself, alright?”
“Y-yes, I understand.”
Vanessa bowed her head deeply in response.
In fact, ever since the war ended, no one had treated her recklessly.
Even Alfoy was sneakily avoiding her like he was walking on eggshells.
“Alright, let’s meet in a few days then.”
“I’ll see you at the territory.”
Ghislaine casually waved off the farewell and immediately spurred his horse.
Belinda, who was packing, suddenly jumped in alarm and rushed to his side.
“Hey, what’s the rush? Did you have an appointment or something?”
“I need to meet that guy before he loses a hand. He’s got a bit of a situation.”
“A hand…?”
“Yeah. He’s the type that lives off the gambling tables, so who knows when he might get cut off.”
Belinda looked dumbfounded as she questioned, “But you said you were going to handle the administration. What are you doing seeking out a gambler at the risk of your territory?”
“It’s fine, he’s a decent guy in his own way.”
Belinda looked like she had a lot to say but kept her mouth shut and just shook her head.
“Just wait and see, he’s good at everything except gambling. Just that.”
Ghislaine chuckled and asserted. A faint smile had appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Due to urgent matters, they had postponed recruiting for a while, but now he was someone they absolutely had to bring in.
‘I’ll see him soon, Claude.’
Claude had been his staff officer in his past life.
The mercenaries under the banner of the Mercenary King weren’t just a few.
Who else could take care of them all if not the one who led and watched over them?
Moreover, during the war, he was the one behind clever strategies that even made the enemy covet him.
A hot-headed guy who couldn’t fight worth a damn but never held back his biting remarks toward the rough mercenaries and even gave Ghislaine a hard time.
Still, thanks to him, a single mercenary band managed to keep the war going for a whole year against the kingdom.
“In his previous life, he couldn’t fully display his abilities.”
No matter how brilliant the strategies he came up with, there were limits to what a mercenary band without a base could achieve.
However, this time things were different. They were about to gain territory and grow their influence.
Claude, who had shown his capabilities even in such harsh conditions, would surely shine even brighter this time.
‘This time, don’t let your life waste away on gambling.’
In his previous life, when Claude joined the mercenary band, he had already lost a hand and torn a tendon in one ankle.
There were reasons why he couldn’t help but cling to gambling even after that.
In his past life, he was already in an irretrievable state, but…
This time, he might just be able to solve the problem before Claude got hurt.
*
As soon as they arrived in Austin after several days of travel, Ghislaine headed straight for the largest gambling house in Austin.
The party, now used to Ghislaine’s habit of acting first and explaining later, followed him without a word.
[Kraken Gaming House]
The large octopus hanging from the sign sparkled.
Just by seeing the expensive magical lights adorning the sign, one could tell how much money this gambling house raked in.
This place was truly the heart of the gambling city, Austin.
Belinda and the mercenaries admired their surroundings. Bars lined the area around the lavishly decorated gambling house.
“Young Master! This place is really amazing! It looks like a blast!”
Gordon, who had been lured in by the tales of a gambling city, rubbed his hands together and laughed.
Gordon, enticed by the talk of the gambling city, rubbed his hands together with a grin.
“Hehehe, seeing this casino makes my blood boil. Shall we show off our skills after a long time?”
Ghislaine shook his head.
“Not a chance. You won’t stand a chance here with just average skills. They’re all frauds.”
“How do you know that, Young Master? Have you been here before?”
“Well, I did come here once a long time ago.”
“But you were only in the territory. When on earth did you come here?”
“I did. A long time ago.”
He had come here in his previous life to solve Claude’s troubles.
Though he couldn’t return the money lost, he aimed to resolve the cause.
Since he was here, he decided to enjoy some gambling while taking a break…
That day, the Kraken Casino met its downfall.
After getting scammed by the continent’s top mercenary king, who would dare to complain?
Even the Seiron Kingdom had no choice but to let it go.
Ghislaine smiled as he recalled nostalgic memories.
“Alright, let’s find that guy.”
Belinda nodded and asked, “Do you know his description? Last time, it took forever to find Uncle Gillian because we didn’t know his face.”
“You just have to wait over there. He might still be inside?”
In his past life, Claude spent every day at the Kraken Casino.
When he ran out of money, he would earn a bit teaching or ghostwriting, and once he had some cash, he would lose it all back at the casino. It was a vicious cycle.
He had lived here until he joined the mercenary group, so if they waited around, he was bound to show up.
They entered the casino.
However, the atmosphere was chaotic.
People were chattering, and some were tidying up in various spots.
“Hmm, did a fight break out or something?”
As Ghislaine muttered, an employee approached and bowed slightly.
“Welcome. I’ll guide you to your seats. Would you like to go to the VIP area?”
The employee must have judged them as nobles based on Ghislaine’s outfit and escorts.
As expected from a casino staff, he had a good eye.
Ghislaine looked around and shook his head.
“The atmosphere seems off. What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing much. Just a bit of a ruckus. It’s quite common in a casino.”
“That’s true.”
Given that it was a place where money was at stake, it would be strange if there weren’t any fights.
Just as Ghislaine was about to brush it off, he heard whispers from the table next to him.
“I knew that bastard Claude would end up like this someday.”
“He’ll definitely lose a hand, right?”
“Of course. He picked the wrong opponent. No matter what, you gotta give him credit for his guts. Hahahaha!”
“But Claude wasn’t the type to play games like that. He’s somewhat educated, you know?”
“Eh, you can never tell with people. Once someone gets into gambling, they all end up the same.”
Hearing the same name from the search party, Ghislaine asked the staff with a serious face.
“Is that the guy who caused a ruckus named Claude? He looks smart, but his eyes are like a rotten fish.”
The employee responded with a puzzled expression.
“Yes, that’s right. Do you know him?”
“What happened?”
“He got caught messing with the head of a notorious gang in this area and has been dragged off.”
“By any chance… what’s the name of that gang leader?”
“The one they call Crank.”
Upon hearing the gang leader’s name, Ghislaine exclaimed in disbelief.
“That was today?!”
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