Chapter 96 Was That Today? (6)
“…What?”
Baron Austin asked in disbelief, but Ghislaine said nothing more and walked out the door.
Still, it didn’t take long for an annoyed shout to be heard from beyond the closed door.
He had realized that Ghislaine was a noble from Ruthania.
Ghislaine stepped outside the castle with the mercenaries who had been waiting in the antechamber.
Feeling the negative vibe from the knight guiding them, Belinda approached Ghislaine and whispered.
“What’s going on? Is something not going well?”
“No, it’s going well. Just wait a little.”
“Then why does that one look like he’s about to die?”
“Right? Maybe he has a stomachache?”
Belinda rolled her eyes at Ghislaine in disbelief.
Just as she was about to say something, a young woman appeared, being led by the knights.
The woman looked shabby and quite haggard.
Seeing the knights’ glances, it was clear she didn’t know why she had been brought here.
One of the knights, suppressing his irritation, said in a low voice,
“You’re free now. That guy paid your ransom.”
“W-who?”
The woman snapped her head up in surprise.
Who could possibly have paid the huge sum of 2,000 gold?
There was no one left who would spend such money on her.
Turning around, she saw a man looking at her.
He looked even worse than before, but she recognized the trembling and teary-eyed man at a glance.
It was her fiancé, whom she had once loved and thought she would never see again.
“Claude!”
“Anna!”
Without waiting for whose turn it was, they embraced and cried out loud.
“Why! Why! Why did you do this!”
“S-sorry… It’s too late, isn’t it?”
Seeing them, Belinda merely pouted.
‘Are they lovers? Or maybe family? Could the Young Master have known all of this?’
There were too many suspicious points.
It was odd that he packed the Runestone to meet someone.
There was no reason to pack such an expensive item for travel expenses.
‘He did say that if he was late, his wrist would be cut off.’
Moreover, he immediately paid the money for Claude, who almost had his wrist cut off upon arrival, without asking what happened.
It felt like he knew exactly what was going to happen and was prepared for it all.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Belinda asked,
“Did the Young Master know this would happen?”
“Well, roughly.”
“How?”
“Just did some research here and there.”
There was no reason not to believe him. The problem was, she had no idea when he did that research.
The only problem is that I don’t know if an investigation was done.
Belinda squinted and examined Ghislaine closely, but she couldn’t uncover his secret.
“So do you know about the relationship between those two?”
“Yeah, they’re lovers.”
“Oh my, is this a cliché about rescuing a captured lover? So romantic.”
Belinda looked at the speechless Claude and Anna, who were shedding tears.
Even without knowing the details, learning that it was about rescuing a sold-off lover made her see Claude in a slightly different light.
There was no way to sugarcoat the part where he ended up gambling to rescue his fiancée, though.
“What on earth happened to those people?”
Ghislaine stroked his chin, pondering for a moment before speaking.
“Claude’s stupid ass caused his mentor’s death.”
“What?”
“But that woman is the mentor’s daughter.”
“What?”
Belinda and the other mercenaries who were eavesdropping were dumbfounded, their mouths agape.
“No way, you said they were lovers? But he kills his lover’s father?”
“He didn’t kill him; it was because of him that he died.”
“That means the same thing!”
“Not at all.”
Ghislaine crossed his arms and took a moment to choose his words.
“That idiot’s mentor was involved with the revolutionary faction.”
“The revolutionary faction?!”
Belinda and the mercenaries jumped in surprise. Just when they thought there couldn’t be anything more shocking, there was.
The revolutionary faction is a well-known radical armed group on the continent that promotes equality and sharing as their principles.
At first, they garnered a lot of support due to their plausible cause, but by now, they had long since transformed into a bandit group of considerable magnitude.
“B-but how are those two still alive?”
Overturning the existing system is the goal of the revolutionary faction.
So there’s no way the kingdom would let anyone related to them go free. Anyone even slightly connected to them would face execution.
Ghislaine explained flatly.
“To be precise, they were framed for being involved with the revolutionary faction. Claude’s mentor was the head of the Seiron Royal Academy.”
Claude’s mentor was not only the head of the academy but also a highly influential scholar politically.
Nobles from the opposing faction found him troublesome, so they concocted false evidence claiming he had ties with the revolutionary faction to pin the blame on him.
And it was Claude who delivered that evidence to his mentor.
“No way, he betrayed his mentor?”
“That’s impossible. Why would a guy with a bright future get mixed up in that? He was just fooled. The kid was so focused on studying that he didn’t understand the world at all.”
Naively, Claude didn’t catch on to the opposing faction’s scheme.
He simply delivered a letter he thought was important to his mentor.
That letter became the evidence that his mentor participated in the revolutionary faction.
Of course, there were more complex tricks and schemes involved, but… anyway, it was Claude who set off the chain of events that led to his mentor getting framed.
‘He was haunted by guilt over that and lived a life full of regrets.’
Ghislaine forced a smile.
“In the end, the mentor who lost in the faction battle died willingly, and the two managed to survive. Anna, being a direct relative, had to pay an additional ransom, but since they couldn’t afford it, she ended up here.”
“Oh geez…”
“Anyway, that’s why Claude can’t help but feel guilty toward his mentor and his fiancée.”
“So the reason he was gambling at the casino was…”
“Because no one would hire him. Who would hire a guy involved in the death of his mentor and conspiracy?”
“Well.”
Some of the mercenaries clicked their tongues and shook their heads.
“I need to save Anna, but I have no way to raise a large amount of money. So I just gave up on life, hoping for a stroke of luck.”
“It only takes a moment for a person to lose their taste for life.”
“The price for realizing how terrifying the world is was too high. I lost my master, my shining future, and even the person I loved.”
“Ugh…”
Belinda felt a lump in her mouth.
She was curious enough to ask, but hearing the story made her feel quite uncomfortable.
She wondered why they were recruiting a gambler, but she didn’t expect such a past.
Once the tears finally dried up, the two were awkwardly fidgeting.
Claude wasn’t at fault for his master’s death. Anna couldn’t blame Claude endlessly, either.
But it was human nature to want to blame someone when disaster struck.
Anna’s expression as she looked at Claude mixed both joy and resentment.
“By the way, Claude, who are these people?”
“This person is… the noble who paid my ransom.”
Claude smiled bitterly.
He didn’t exactly know who Ghislaine was or why he was helping him.
To recruit talent?
If he had money like that, he could easily find someone better without bothering to recruit himself.
Even now, Claude couldn’t bring himself to trust Ghislaine.
Seeing Anna’s troubled expression, Claude was sure she believed that there must be some condition he wasn’t mentioning.
But regardless of any conditions, offering such a large sum was undoubtedly a gesture of goodwill.
“Thank you. Really, thank you.”
Anna kept bowing her head in gratitude as if she were a criminal.
Ghislaine looked at her with somewhat pitying eyes.
Anna was probably thinking that Ghislaine had laid down an unbearable condition for Claude.
In this kingdom, no one would hire Claude. He was indirectly involved in treason, after all.
Even if someone did hire him, most would attach conditions favorable to themselves in exchange for taking the risks.
Though the form might be different, it wouldn’t be much different from being captured by Austin in essence.
“You don’t have to be so polite. I want to help, that’s all.”
Ghislaine didn’t bother to clear up the misunderstanding.
No matter how he put it, it was clear she wouldn’t believe it until she experienced it herself.
*
Without delay, Ghislaine’s party led the two to the inn.
The mercenaries’ bags were now very heavy, loaded with the 1,000 gold Austin had given them.
With enough travel expenses, Ghislaine’s party entered the largest inn next to the Kraken Game Hall.
After securing a room, Claude spoke to Anna with an apologetic expression.
“I know you’re curious about the details, but… let’s talk tomorrow. Right now, there’s something important to discuss with this person.”
“…Alright. Let’s talk tomorrow.”
She looked anxious but soon nodded.
The mercenaries dispersed to either stand guard or take a break, and just as Ghislaine, Claude, Belinda, and Gillian were left in the spacious guest room.
“Ah…”
Claude took a deep breath and asked.
“Why are you going so far for me?”
After a moment of contemplation, Ghislaine decided to be honest.
At this moment, he didn’t want to cover it up with lies.
“Because I owe you.”
“I’ve never met you, Baron.”
“I saw the Baron for the first time this time.”
“Ah, that’s true. But if I owe a debt, then I owe it.”
It was probably something no one could understand.
Belinda’s grumbling could be heard, saying the Young Master was acting stubborn again.
But Ghislaine was sincere.
Claude lost his life while helping Ghislaine, who was consumed by revenge until the end.
Would he really mind a few coins for such a friend?
“I genuinely wanted to recruit you. But if you don’t want to, I won’t force you. Live as you wish. You don’t have to pay the debt back.”
“…Don’t joke with me.”
“Why can’t you trust what people say? I mean it.”
It hadn’t always been like this. He had only thought about dragging Claude along somehow.
But when he actually saw Claude’s face, that feeling disappeared.
‘Right, this guy really worked hard. He ultimately failed, but… he did all he could as Claude.’
In this life, he didn’t want to forcibly tie him down due to his own desires.
That would be something he couldn’t do to Claude, who sacrificed his life for him.
He had seen the face he wanted to see, and he had prevented the loss of his wrist. He had also saved Anna, whom he had longed for.
Now Claude could live in peace.
Though Ghislaine’s revenge failed and Claude died without seeing the end, the Claude from his past at least helped Ghislaine of his own will.
He didn’t want to force him.
Even if he didn’t stay with him, he hoped his old friend would live freely and happily in this life.
That was enough.
“Of course, I haven’t given up either. Living as a tutor in this town would be nice, but… if you ever feel like showcasing your abilities in a bigger pond…”
Ghislaine smiled gently.
“Come to the Penris Territory in Ruthania. I’ll give you wings to unleash your abilities.”
Claude clenched his teeth.
He couldn’t understand what was happening.
It would be easy to dismiss it as the usual caprice of nobles, but those warm, friendly eyes looking at him kept weighing on his mind.
Claude closed his eyes for a moment to think and then slowly lay down on the ground.
“Thank you for saving Anna. I will pledge my loyalty as promised.”
He lifted his head.
There was no longer despair on that face.
He looked as if he had made a firm resolution.
Ghislaine, with a somewhat stiff expression, asked, “You really don’t have to do that. Just live as you wish.”
“This is what I want.”
“You speak well… But deep down, you want to live with Anna, don’t you?”
Claude looked down, as if hit in his weak spot.
“Five hundred gold should allow the two of us to live comfortably.”
“I can’t just accept that much money.”
Ghislaine narrowed her eyes and looked down at Claude.
“You really have made up your mind.”
“Yes. This is for the best.”
Belinda couldn’t understand what the two were talking about.
‘They could just come to the Penris Territory together!’
Before she could ask, the answer came from Claude’s mouth.
“Forgive me, but I have one last request. Please safely send Anna to the Seiron Royal Academy. I will follow the Lord.”
Ghislaine sighed, looking as if she expected this.
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