Chapter 120
Chapter 120: Just Here for Some Trade (1)
The capital of the Ruthania Kingdom, Cardenia, was massive, showcasing the might of a great power.
The moat surrounding the castle walls was filled with water, resembling a wide river.
It exuded an aura that made one feel like it could withstand any invasion.
The mercenaries following Ghislaine were so overwhelmed by the sight they had never seen before that they couldn’t close their mouths.
“Wow… Amazing. This is Cardenia, the place I’ve only heard of…”
“The castles from other territories were like toys. What we have in our territory isn’t a castle; it’s just a cave.”
“It’s big, but it looks a bit different too, doesn’t it? It seems more impressive. It must have cost a lot to build.”
Cardenia had developed as the kingdom’s capital for hundreds of years.
It was characterized by a unique atmosphere, blending classical-style buildings with newly constructed ones.
Although it was better than Perdium, the territory they came from was ultimately just a poor frontier land.
They had never imagined such a gigantic city could exist.
Even the talkative Belinda was blinking in disbelief and couldn’t open her mouth, while Gillian, who had lived long as a mercenary in foreign lands, was also in admiration.
“Ugh… just looking at it makes me feel small.”
The mercenaries sighed unconsciously while gazing up at the castle walls.
The sight was one that made all confidence fade away.
If something were to happen within the castle, one might wonder if they could even scale the walls.
In fact, it seemed unlikely they could even scratch the surface of the walls.
On the other hand, the hope for their lord to avoid causing trouble here grew even stronger.
“W-whoa… What’s this?”
Suddenly, awe erupted from the mouths of the onlookers.
The sunset painted the surroundings a reddish hue.
That red glow reflected in the windows of the countless spires rising high within the city, scattering everywhere.
It felt as if the entire city was emitting red light by itself.
While everyone was captivated by the astonishing sight, only Ghislaine was glaring at the castle with cold eyes.
‘Cardenia…’
An impregnable, invincible fortress, a city favored by the goddess.
This place, praised in countless ways… was mercilessly shattered by his hand.
The army of the Mercenary King invaded Cardenia the moment they declared war.
In just a week after the onset of conflict, Ghislaine pierced through all the local lords along the way and occupied Cardenia.
It was an unprecedented speed and destructive force in history.
At that time, Ghislaine, along with his staff, found the quickest route to penetrate the royal castle. That’s why Cardenia fell so helplessly.
Of course, this was only possible because his target for revenge was just Duke Delphine, who had recently ascended to the throne.
‘Though occupying Cardenia didn’t take long… in the end, I failed.’
His goal wasn’t to capture Cardenia, but to kill Duke Delphine.
However, by the time Ghislaine entered the royal castle, Duke Delphine was already gone.
Ghislaine still did not know why the newly crowned Duke wasn’t at the royal castle.
He only knew he had failed.
In his rage, Ghislaine tore through the kingdom searching for Duke Delphine.
‘It was my mistake. I should have retreated and maintained my frontline.’
He burned the North and trampled the South. He slaughtered the West and plundered the East.
From then on, he was no longer known as the Mercenary King but called a vengeful evil spirit driven mad by revenge.
The Ruthania Kingdom wasn’t just sitting back idly either.
Hidden powers emerged to block him.
Grind.
Lost in thought, Ghislaine unknowingly ground his teeth.
The red glow of the sunset cast over the castle of Cardenia resembled the color of the blood shed by his followers back in that time.
He could still vividly recall the sensation of his head being severed, even the emotions felt at that moment.
‘In this life, I will definitely make you pay…’
― Heeiiih!
“Young Master!”
“Lord!”
At the urgent voices calling him, Ghislaine snapped back to reality and lifted his head.
The horses sensed the murderous intent he emitted and were frantically rearing in fear.
“Whoa, whoa…”
Ghislaine quickly reined in his murderous intent and calmed the horses.
Belinda couldn’t hide her worried expression and asked.
“Why did you suddenly act like that?”
Others also seemed slightly tense.
It was understandable; they were caught off guard by the sudden uproar while sightseeing.
Stabilizing his emotions, Ghislaine scratched his head with an awkward smile.
“Well, it’s just…”
“Well?”
“Um… I didn’t like that castle.”
“Why wouldn’t you like it?”
“It’s bigger and fancier than our castle. That’s why I don’t like it. It feels like it’s just showing off.”
Ghislaine shrugged and made a casual excuse.
His companions stared at him in disbelief, their faces blank.
“So, you mean… you unleashed your murderous intent out of jealousy for that castle?”
“His personality is really peculiar, you know? I can’t understand it.”
Murmurs of disbelief emerged from all around.
It was a ridiculous excuse, but given that Ghislaine had built such a strange image, it seemed everyone accepted it.
However, Belinda and Gillian didn’t believe his excuse at face value.
At a glance, Ghislaine seemed like he was acting on a whim, but upon closer inspection, he was a person with his own principles and plans.
He had never shown his murderous intent for such a random reason before.
The two were about to say something worriedly, but Ghislaine waved a hand to stop them.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. I just got too caught up in thinking about something else. Let’s get moving.”
Once the lord said that, they couldn’t press further.
The group fell silent, hurrying to follow Ghislaine.
Even as night fell, there were many people at the castle gate. They were waiting in line for inspections.
As it was the capital city, vigilance was tight, and the inspections were thorough.
“Show me your identity tags.”
A knight clad in armor stood in front of Ghislaine and his group.
His expression was so unyielding that you’d think he wouldn’t bleed even if you pricked him.
The other knights around him were no different.
They were on a completely different level than the soldiers they had seen at the checkpoint in Brivant before.
The knight took Ghislaine’s identity tag, examining it closely before pulling out a map from his bosom and unfolding it.
“Vassal of the Duke of Perdium, Baron Ghislaine Penris. Confirmed. What brings you to the capital?”
The knight raised his chin, speaking assertively.
Seeing this, Belinda and Gillian frowned from behind.
Under normal circumstances, they would have shouted at such rudeness, but hesitated to do so here.
It was because they felt pressured by the imposing presence of the enormous castle.
However, unlike the two, Ghislaine casually replied while nodding his head.
“Just here for some trade.”
“Who is the main person in charge of the merchant group?”
The knight asked, thinking Ghislaine was merely accompanying someone from the merchant group.
“I am the main person.”
“…You, the Baron, are personally dealing in trade?”
“Why? Is there something wrong with that?”
“No, no, there isn’t. Please provide the personal information of your companions and the list of goods.”
Ghislaine gestured with his chin towards Claude as he answered.
“He knows their details… Well, there’s no list of goods. Just cosmetics. I made them myself.”
“Excuse me?”
The knight frowned at the unexpected response.
It was such a trivial matter that it was barely noticeable unless observed closely.
However, Ghislaine’s companions, who were glaring at the knight, sensed that fleeting movement and felt a strange sense of victory.
‘See, you’re just as dumbfounded as us, right?’
The knight, with a dubious expression, started inspecting the wagons one by one.
Even while he thought it was strange, he was thorough with the soldiers mobilized alongside.
Ghislaine was secretly impressed.
‘They’re disciplined. Our territory’s soldiers should be like this too.’
After checking several wagons, the knight cautiously asked.
“You said… cosmetics?”
“Yeah, I made them.”
“They aren’t toxic products, right?”
“They’re just cosmetics, alright? If you don’t believe me, just open one and check it yourself.”
The knight carefully picked up a container and opened the lid.
Sniffing it, he took a little with his finger and rubbed it, yet still held a suspecting gaze.
“Hm, the scent is nice. It seems fine for the skin…”
“Want one? Just as a memento for coming to the capital.”
The knight shook his head. The scent was pleasant, but he didn’t want to receive such a suspicious item.
Ghislaine smirked and asked again.
“That’s a pricey item; don’t regret it later. It’s a luxury product you couldn’t even dream of on your knight’s salary.”
The provocation made the knight scowl.
“I don’t need it.”
“Sure, if you don’t want it, fine. Just don’t say something else later, alright? I don’t want any blame to come my way.”
“That won’t happen.”
Caught in Ghislaine’s teasing, the knight shot him a cold glare.
Kaor watched this and snickered.
“Wow, now you look somewhat human. Your expression was so unchanging that I thought you were a wooden puppet.”
Hearing this, the knight turned his glowering gaze toward Kaor.
Other mercenaries, who looked much like Kaor, also had their lips curling up slightly.
The knight grumpily scribbled several letters in the entry list and barked out.
“Pass!”
Ghislaine chuckled and gestured to his companions.
“Alright, let’s go. We passed without any issues.”
Belinda, trailing behind Ghislaine, glanced at the knight with pity and couldn’t help but interject.
“You’ll regret not taking it now, Sir Knight.”
“What?”
Belinda didn’t say another word and slipped past.
Claude, coming in behind, winked at the knight.
“What’s up with those strange guys?”
Regardless of the knight’s incredulity, as soon as they entered the castle, the group was bustling with admiration.
“Wow!”
The inside of the castle they entered past its three-layered walls was truly a paradise.
It was a bustling place that far surpassed any territory they had ever visited.
The streets were filled with shops selling all sorts of items, and people were swarming in every alleyway.
“I’ve never seen so many people before.”
At one mercenary’s comment, everyone nodded in agreement.
There were so many people it felt dizzying. The city felt alive like a single organism.
Unlike Brivant, Ghislaine’s group seemed to attract no attention even as they chatted noisily.
That’s because there were countless people similar to them around.
Ghislaine let his companions explore to their heart’s content and secured two large inns before complete darkness fell.
There were too many people to stay in one place, and they didn’t have a proper spot to store their wagons.
Now, they needed to establish a suitable base in the capital as other merchant groups did.
As soon as Ghislaine unloaded their luggage at the inn, he called Claude to check what needed to be done.
“First, we need to arrange where we’ll stay.”
With so much luggage and people, staying at the inn for long would be costly and inconvenient.
They needed a proper base in the capital, just like others.
Claude nodded in agreement.
“Since we’ll need a shop to sell our goods too, we should look for a decent building. After that… we should start promoting slowly? What do you think about attending a feast to build connections with the nobles?”
A lackluster reply came back.
“Do we really have to?”
