Chapter 392
Chapter 392: Things Went Smoothly (2)
While Marquis Branford was gathering the Kingdom Army and preparing for departure, Ghislaine spread out a map and began checking the locations of the rifts.
“We can’t let this opportunity slip away. We need to move as quickly as possible.”
During the Age of Turmoil, all of humanity must come together to fight. Everyone has to prepare together. But until now, the situation wasn’t convincing enough for that.
If he had suggested something like that, he would have been labeled as a true lunatic.
So Ghislaine thought he would take the initiative and lead the Kingdom with strength all by himself.
“Thanks to Raviere, things have gone smoothly.”
Dragging the Crown Prince Faction along while clashing with the Duke Faction wasn’t easy. He braced himself for it being extremely tiring.
But the information he had gained from his past life, combined with everything he had prepared until now and his enemies’ blunders, came together at just the right moment. It truly felt like the heavens had lent him a hand this time.
“First, I need to secure the Ruthania Kingdom.”
Since this was a battle for all of humanity, rifts in other places were also important, but the Kingdom of Ruthania was Ghislaine’s base, so it was of much greater importance.
He had to eliminate the rifts within the kingdom as much as possible, given that persuading other kingdoms could take time.
That way, Ghislaine could continue to fight for a longer period.
“This one’s definitely here… and there’s another one here… was there one here?”
He had of course identified the rift locations during his invasion of Ruthania. He couldn’t remember every rift that had appeared and disappeared from when he was a rookie, though.
For some unfathomable reason, those guys had opened a considerable number of rifts even in the south where the Duke Faction was located.
“Eliminating them did raise public sentiment towards the Salvation Society and the Duke Faction quite a bit, but we suffered a lot of damage too. They probably don’t care about that stuff in the first place.”
They were the sort who set goals that others can’t understand and weave conspiracies. Judging by common sense was a foolish act.
Still, the Duke did manage to protect quite a number of fortresses and castles in the south. Looking back, it felt like everything else was sacrificed.
“I can see the picture forming.”
Combining the information from his past life with the conspiracies he had learned about in reality felt like many questions were being answered.
Ghislaine marked locations not just in the Ruthania Kingdom but throughout the continent as best as he could remember.
While he couldn’t perfectly mark every rift on the map, he mostly recalled the significant places famous during the Age of Turmoil and those that remained until the year-long war.
When he visited Marquis Branford, he immediately handed over the map he had created.
“Hmm… are you saying there are this many in the kingdom?”
“Yes, I’m almost certain.”
“If we don’t find something at this location, then the credibility of the information about the places we just discovered will plummet.”
“You can trust that it’s highly likely accurate. Well, if not, there’s nothing we can do. With the four major churches involved, the situation can’t get any worse.”
“True enough, but…”
As he continued looking over the map, Marquis Branford tilted his head.
“Are you sure there isn’t a single one in the north?”
“Yes, not a single one.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m here.”
“……”
The Marquis let out a deep sigh. It was somewhat unfortunate that he had no counterargument since things were going too well.
Ghislaine, well aware of the Marquis’s inner thoughts, feigned ignorance.
In truth, it was more about the Forest of Monsters than just himself, but it wasn’t wrong to say it was still his territory.
He didn’t need to disclose how much he still didn’t know about the Forest of Monsters, as his reasons for targeting it weren’t yet clear.
Marquis Branford nodded, though he showed a slight expression of unease.
“Alright then, let’s go to the closest one.”
“This is also a small rural village. It doesn’t even appear properly on the map.”
“We can take our troops along as needed.”
Ghislaine’s expression turned slightly ghastly as he looked at the army gathered on the Marquis’s orders.
There were 10,000 Kingdom soldiers and 100 knights from the Marquis’s house, plus 200 knights affiliated with the Kingdom.
That was a bit… excessive for investigating and attacking a small village.
Ghislaine openly showcased his incredulity.
“Someone might think we’re going out for a territorial war.”
“When a lion moves, its momentum must cover the world,” branford said with an expression that implied it was obvious. This was truly the demeanor of the Kingdom’s highest power.
They couldn’t blatantly search the West or South. Therefore, Marquis Branford and the kingdom army headed toward the nearest village to the capital.
It appeared peaceful on the surface. However, as the Kingdom Army surrounded it, the villagers immediately revealed their true forms.
Zzzzt!
The sight of human skins tearing apart to reveal monstrosities was enough to terrify anyone.
“What, WHAT is that?!”
“There are really strange things here!”
“Those are more disgusting than the last monsters!”
Even Marquis Branford and the knights from his house, who usually weren’t easily shocked, were left dumbfounded.
Ghislaine shouted over to them.
“Their combat ability isn’t that strong! However, they do have poisonous blood, so keep your distance when fighting! Knights need to protect themselves with mana!”
Thanks to the information Ghislaine had provided, the knights and soldiers easily dealt with the mutants. After all, they were hiding in a small village, so there weren’t that many of them.
Some holy knights who looked like the leaders were also present, but they couldn’t contend against this many soldiers.
Seeing the bodies of the monsters and mutants, Marquis Branford gritted his teeth, containing his fury.
“I can’t believe such abominations would emerge. This means there must be thousands of corpses of our citizens hidden somewhere in this village.”
He raised his hand and addressed the Knight Commander, Toleo.
“Immediately turn this land upside down.”
“Aye, my lord!”
With a staggering 10,000 soldiers and 300 knights, along with a few royal wizards in tow.
They didn’t just destroy the houses and dig up the ground using conventional means. They literally turned the entire land of this region over in an instant. It was a sight that highlighted the fear of numbers.
“I found something!”
In one fell swoop, they quickly discovered the secret space.
The knights descended first to secure a safe area, and then the Marquis entered with his guards.
“Haah!”
As soon as Marquis Branford descended underground, he let out a heavy sigh.
A truly nauseating smell assaulted his nostrils. The sight of bizarre magic circles and piles of corpses stacked up like trash churned his stomach.
Those who entered before him and those who followed were unable to hide their astonished expressions.
However, the ones who appeared more shocked were the priests from the four major churches who had accompanied them as witnesses.
“W-What is this!”
“Devilish creatures! No, they are surely demons!”
“I can’t believe heretics denying the goddess would run rampant like this!”
The priests were creating the biggest commotion, feeling fear deep within their hearts. This was because there were similar verses regarding the end times written in the scriptures of the four major churches.
[Beasts unseen before rise from the abyss, leading the land to ruin, and those strange beasts will be bought with the blood of men, rewarding them as they work. Soon, when opened, no one can close, and if closed, no one can open…]
“This event matches the content written in the scripture! If we can’t prevent this, an age of doom will truly come!”
“But they didn’t rise up, did they? This magic circle might just be causing mutations!”
“Are you saying that while feeling the sinister energy creeping through your body? No, either way, all those heretic scum must be eliminated!”
The verses in the scriptures could indeed be interpreted based on the results, so everyone began to search for similar passages in the scriptures of their respective religions, sparking theological debates.
The other individuals ignored those priests and focused solely on breaking the magic circles and clearing away the corpses.
Marquis Branford was boiling with anger. He had been so focused on the Duke Faction that he was unaware of such events happening in the kingdom. No one knew.
He turned a deadly gaze towards Ghislaine and asked.
“Ghislaine.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Just based on the number of corpses, this isn’t something done in just a year or two. And you mentioned there are countless places like this across the kingdom and the continent? Even if a cult hides, they can’t possibly do something like this for so long without everyone noticing.”
“That’s correct. It’s possible because there are those who assist them.”
“The Duke Delphine Faction here in the Ruthania Kingdom.”
“Yes.”
“Other kingdoms must also have nobles backing them.”
“Your Lordship is correct.”
Whatever the case, it was clear that the Salvation Society and the Duke Faction had aligned for a specific purpose. Thus, the Duke must have actively helped with the Salvation Society’s operations as well.
Marquis Branford nodded.
“It must have started since the rumors that Duke Delphine went insane and secluded himself.”
The Duke Delphine hadn’t shown himself in a long time. Given the power of the Duke Faction during that time, they could have easily helped the Salvation Society.
Since the Duke had openly revealed his ambition for the throne, the eyes of others had been completely blinded.
Everyone was preoccupied with when the civil war would break out, with no time left to properly check on the well-being of the kingdom’s citizens.
“But it’s truly frustrating. How could no one have noticed all these people going missing?”
“They probably came from the South and West for the most part. And they likely only abducted as many as they needed to avoid drawing attention.”
The poor, the vagrants, the travelers, adventurers, drifters, and even mercenaries and brigands— surprisingly, there were many who could be abducted without anyone knowing.
And the South was firmly under the control of the Duke Faction. There was no problem in steadily supplying humans.
Marquis Roderick in the West also treats lives like they’re nothing. Whenever the Duke Faction requested, he could easily send prisoners or slaves.
“Hah, then they would be doing it in their own territory, but to reach the capital and other regions…”
“They probably intended to collaborate with factions that would stir up chaos during the civil war.”
Even if he provided information about the rifts here, they wouldn’t believe it, and even if they did, it would still be problematic. If they were unlucky, they could find themselves at odds with him during critical moments.
So Ghislaine dodged the topics adequately. For now, it was crucial to eliminate potential rift sites as quickly as possible.
Still suppressing his wrath, Marquis Branford spoke.
“I will swiftly eliminate everything within my influence. And I will send a messenger immediately to inform the other kingdoms about the current situation and locations. What are your plans?”
Marquis Branford was someone who didn’t ask others’ opinions when he made decisions. But now Ghislaine was an exception.
If it weren’t for Ghislaine, the Crown Prince Faction would never have been able to seize this opportunity for a counterattack.
“I will return to my territory right away. Marquis Roderick’s time to mobilize is running out.”
“Are you really planning to fight alone?”
“After all, Marquis Roderick has distanced himself from the Duke Faction. I can also fight without any burdens. My lord, you should prioritize eliminating the magic circles and get ready for battle against the Duke Faction. They probably won’t have any other options left now.”
“Understood. I will do just that. But if you struggle against Marquis Roderick’s forces, we will intervene.”
Encouraged by Marquis Branford’s words, Ghislaine smiled.
“Thank you for your words. However, that kind of thing will never happen.”
Marquis Branford wore a faint smile at Ghislaine’s confident words. In the past, he would have scolded him for babbling nonsense.
But now, he didn’t feel that way. There was concern, but on the other hand, there was also anticipation.
Strangely, he couldn’t imagine that guy losing.
He suddenly realized why his thoughts had changed.
Marquis Branford looked at Ghislaine. His gaze was much warmer than when he first met him.
‘I think I’m starting to understand you a little.’
He had no idea what Ghislaine was thinking while living his life. He always seemed to be precariously balancing on the edge. So he couldn’t completely trust him.
But that was his delusion. Ghislaine had his own plans. And the driving force behind those plans wasn’t foul power or ambition.
He felt he finally understood what Ghislaine truly wanted.
The one who had been smiling suddenly nodded slightly and said.
“I wish for your victory, Count Penris.”
Ghislaine seemed a bit surprised as he opened his eyes wide, then promptly smiled back and replied.
“I also wish for your victory, my lord.”
After bowing to Marquis Branford, Ghislaine immediately led his knights away from the village. Penris now had to fight against Marquis Roderick.
If the Crown Prince Faction, empowered even with the four major churches, should be able to eliminate at least the potential rift sites within their territory.
As Marquis Branford watched Ghislaine’s departing figure, he spoke in a low voice.
“Toleo, once this war is over, I believe Count Penris won’t need to come to me asking for anything anymore.”
“What do you mean? Count Penris will come rushing to you whenever he needs something. Doesn’t he openly ask for resources now?”
“Why would he need to do that? If he needs something, he can just take it.”
“N-No way… your grace, right now…”
As Toleo stammered, Marquis Branford smiled pleasantly.
“Yes, I will make Count Penris my true heir.”
“Your grace! Isn’t there a Grand Duke in the territory?”
“My son? That brat who’s just holed up in the East? How could that one possibly manage the nation’s affairs? He’s even worse than Rosalyn. The others are the same. It’d be a miracle if he successfully inherited the Marquisate.”
“Count Penris isn’t loyal to the royal family. Rather, if the war ends in victory, he’ll become more dangerous than the Duke Faction.”
“I know that. But I can’t seem to find anyone as outstanding as him. And now I feel like I understand what drives him to work so hard.”
“W-What is that?”
“Responsibility.”
Toleo was taken aback by the unexpected answer.
Count Penris was notoriously known for throwing tantrums and causing chaos.
He may have treated the Crown Prince Faction a bit nicely recently, but his history as a reckless youth was still fresh.
And yet, the thought that someone like that would act out of a sense of responsibility felt absurd.
If he had simply been called a lawless ruffian, it would have made sense. But Marquis Branford continued speaking with a gentle smile.
“I recognized it because I’ve lived with that mindset as well. He’s someone who would do anything to protect his territory. Family, friends, countless followers, and residents all on his back.”
“……”
“From what I’ve seen so far, he doesn’t want to give up any of those things. Truly, he’s greedy and stubborn and has a fierce determination.”
“W-What do you mean, my lord…”
Marquis Branford suddenly burst into laughter.
“Yes, thus if I entrust the kingdom to him, he will surely become its guardian deity. That’s all I need. He wouldn’t be the type to openly sever the royal life.”
Marquis Branford seemed relieved.
All thanks to the existence of Ghislaine Perdium.
He could finally dream of retirement.
