Chapter 16
Chapter 16: We Need a Variable (1)
“Things didn’t go well with Perdium.”
“What?”
The man with the well-groomed mustache frowned upon hearing his subordinate’s report.
His name was Count Harold Desmond.
The lord of the Desmond Territory, plotting the north’s downfall under Duke Delphine.
“You were supposed to arrange a duel with Digald’s territory. And you failed?”
“That’s correct.”
“You even recruited the Guard Knights, and still failed? Did the Knight Commander catch wind of it?”
Perdium was a territory lacking in funds and talent, but Count Perdium and Knight Commander Randolf were figures worth mentioning.
The subordinate, looking a bit troubled, stammered in response to Harold’s question.
“The Knight Commander is off on an expedition with Count Perdium. However…”
The subordinate cautiously continued, glancing at Harold.
“Rumor has it that two Guard Knights were caught trying to kidnap the young lady and were killed by Grand Duke Perdium. Frank’s whereabouts are unknown—no one knows if he’s dead or alive.”
“Grand Duke Perdium… that troublesome scoundrel? He managed to beat an official knight? Please tell me Frank didn’t fall to that brat!”
“Ghislaine doesn’t have that level of skill. It’s likely that the two Guard Knights ended up injuring each other over the Count’s daughter.”
After a moment of silence, Harold let out a scoff, clearly incredulous.
“Is that what you call reporting? Maybe? Likely? You can’t even grasp what’s happening in that backwoods territory?”
With every word, a ferocious aura began to emanate from Harold’s body.
“I-I’m sorry. The site was completely burned down, so it’s hard to ascertain the situation accurately.”
Looking at his trembling subordinate, Harold slowly opened his mouth.
“The lord and the Knight Commander are off on an expedition, and the knights and soldiers in that meager territory are few. You sent Frank there and recruited the Guard Knights. And yet, you couldn’t manage to kill a single girl?”
Harold raised his voice in annoyance.
“Then, the pathetic excuse is that that useless Grand Duke Perdium killed the knight? When did my subordinate become such an incompetent fool that he can’t even relay proper information?”
The subordinate lay flat on the ground, begging.
“I-I’m sorry. Just give me one more chance, and I will surely succeed.”
“You failed at something so simple, and you want another chance?”
Harold scoffed.
There was little chance that the Grand Duke of Perdium was an unexpected variable as the ridiculous rumor suggested.
Thus, either that subordinate’s abilities were below expectations, or… he had conducted the task half-heartedly.
In either case, such a subordinate was not needed.
Ding, ding.
As Harold picked up the bell on his desk and rang it twice, two knights entered through the door.
He looked down with an expressionless face at the pale subordinate.
“Deal with it.”
“Please, spare me! Just give me one more chance! I beg you! Please! Aaaaaaa!”
As the subordinate was dragged out, struggling, Harold ignored him and shifted his attention to the documents.
“Just dealing with Raybold is already giving me a headache, and now Perdium has to be a nuisance.”
Harold was currently most concerned about Amelia’s rebellion plans.
According to information, Count Raybold was quietly stockpiling food and increasing his troops.
‘Amelia needs to succeed before they grow stronger.’
However, he couldn’t leave Perdium as is.
Suddenly feeling a strange unease, Harold narrowed his eyes.
“Ghislaine Perdium….”
A person he hadn’t even thought about so far now got under his skin. If it were someone else’s name that came up, he wouldn’t feel as irritated.
“I need to send more people.”
Ultimately, after much contemplation, Harold decided to deploy more spies into Perdium Territory.
*
“Young Master, what on earth happened?”
“Oh, just a love quarrel. Seems like Amelia loves me a lot. This popularity of mine, you know.”
Belinda shot a disdainful look at Ghislaine, who was wearing a cocky expression.
“Then why did you ask Lady Amelia for money?”
“I need to spend money on something, and the only person around with money is Amelia.”
“Aha, so you extorted money from your wealthy fiancée?”
Belinda narrowed her eyes at Ghislaine as though he were a madman, while he shook his head as if feeling wronged.
“Oh come on, I’m not that kind of guy. There’s a reason behind it.”
“What kind of reason?”
“Amelia tortured me a lot in my past life. I’m just collecting that debt now. You could say it’s compensation.”
“….”
It was true, but no one would buy that excuse.
“Really, you won’t tell me?”
“No, I’m serious.”
As they left Castle Raybold, Belinda kept pressing Ghislaine for answers.
But no matter how much she grilled him, Ghislaine didn’t offer a proper explanation.
‘Would they even believe me if I told them?’
It was clear that telling her Amelia would become an enemy of Perdium in the future would get him labeled as crazy.
But revealing Amelia’s weaknesses to sabotage her plan would be difficult as well.
If that happens, the Delphine faction will immediately discard her and look for another pawn, making it even harder for Ghislaine.
As long as he could take full advantage of knowing the future, he should keep doing so.
Belinda merely snorted, her expression showing utter disbelief.
“Okay, let’s say that’s true. But isn’t it a bit risky to pull that off? What if Count Raybold finds out? That would be a problem.”
Ghislaine shrugged as if not to worry.
“Don’t worry. Amelia absolutely won’t spill.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Um, it’s a secret for now. I’ll tell you later. Anyway, let’s get going on our next plan.”
Belinda was taken aback by the unexpected words, her eyes going wide.
“Our next plan? Aren’t we returning right away?”
Ghislaine nodded.
“Amelia won’t just sit back.”
Belinda didn’t disagree and nodded in agreement.
She too was well aware of the sneakiness of the nobles.
At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were attacked out of the blue.
“We could send someone.”
“Yeah, we should prepare.”
Having endured enough of Amelia in his past life, Ghislaine knew better than anyone what she was capable of.
Given her personality, there was no way they would just let things go back to normal without interference.
“We need variables on our side too. We need to create a little confusion for Amelia.”
“Variables?”
“Someone who will join us and will be helpful in the future.”
“Who is that? Do you know someone?”
“First, I need to check if they are here.”
Belinda looked flustered and asked again.
“You’re looking for someone you don’t even know is here?”
“I’m a bit hazy on the details too. First, let’s look for them, and if they aren’t here, we can think of a different plan then.”
“What on earth are you thinking…? So, what is the person’s name?”
“Gillian.”
Ghislaine along with the group went around looking for someone named Gillian.
Not long after, a knight came back with information on his whereabouts.
“He’s indeed nearby. Let’s go.”
Ghislaine hastily moved, feeling a sense of urgency.
Gillian was someone he had only heard rumors about while living as a mercenary in another country.
They said he had lived in Raybold for a while and had eventually taken his own life.
‘Good thing he’s still alive before that.’
The despair he felt was what led him to that act.
Ghislaine stood in front of a shabby house on the outskirts of the castle and nodded.
‘It seems the family has completely fallen.’
The house looked so dilapidated it could collapse at any moment. Its location was remote, but it didn’t seem to differ much from the houses in the opposite side’s slums.
“Is anyone home?”
As the accompanying knight shouted loudly while knocking on the door, a man appeared shortly after.
He looked to be in his fifties. Having evidently suffered a lot, his white hair and beard stood out.
Perhaps he hadn’t been taking care of himself, as his hair and beard grew untamed and messy. His eyes seemed dull, resembling the eyes of a rotten fish.
“What do you want?”
With a cracked, weak voice, Belinda and the knight couldn’t hide their disappointment.
To Belinda and the knight, Gillian looked like a shell of a man.
‘Is this really the person we worked hard to find? What’s the point?’
People have a certain aura about them.
Even if they are an ordinary person not using mana, there is a unique atmosphere that can be felt at first glance.
But Gillian… Despite the foul smell of alcohol wafting from him, his presence was even worse than that of a common thug on the street.
Belinda scrutinized Gillian from head to toe, trying to figure out Ghislaine’s intent.
‘Is he just going to use him as a porter? If that’s the case, enslaving or hiring a servant would be better.’
His physique and muscles looked somewhat decent, but if you looked at his wearied expression and slumped shoulders, it was doubtful he could work as a porter.
While the others wore expressions full of suspicion and disappointment, Ghislaine was the only one smiling.
“Gillian, I’ve come to see you.”
“What business do you have with me?”
Gillian addressed Ghislaine politely, even though he appeared younger.
His clothing was different from that of commoners, and with attendants and a maid accompanying him, it was easy to discern his noble status.
“Things are quite tough for you right now, eh? I can help you with your problems.”
Upon hearing Ghislaine’s words, Gillian let out a self-deprecating laugh.
“It seems the young noble has too much time on his hands. Those mere pretensions won’t work on me.”
His words were laced with a sharp tone and disdain.
Such a sudden change in attitude from just a single phrase surprised Belinda and the knight.
But Ghislaine didn’t mind.
“I can help you.”
“Enough, just leave me be. I’ve got a tiresome life, and I don’t have time to dance to the tune of some rookie noble.”
With those words, Gillian turned to leave. It was a grave discourtesy for a commoner to dare act this way toward a noble.
One of the knights stepped forward, wielding his sword.
“You’re quite rude, aren’t you?”
Gillian briefly turned to glare at the knight’s sword and then chuckled as he pointed to his own heart.
“If you want to kill me, go ahead. Do you have the guts? This is my heart, so go on and stab me.”
“You little…!”
The knight gritted his teeth and stepped forward, but he couldn’t bring himself to swing his sword.
Despite the bold challenge, Gillian showed no fear; instead, his attitude only made the knight flinch.
Ghislaine smiled, as if everything was fine, and stepped back the knights.
“Hey, it’s our first meeting, so let’s not be so hostile. Gillian, I can really help solve your problems.”
Gillian turned back to Ghislaine with a hollow look.
That bright expression, cheerful enough to be seen as optimistic, held a firm confidence within.
‘A strange noble indeed.’
His carefree demeanor and dismissive attitude toward authority were reminiscent of past acquaintances.
After a brief hesitation, he finally let out a deep sigh and said.
“…Come in.”
Following Gillian inside, the group was immediately taken aback. Belinda clicked her tongue, taking in the state of the house.
‘Oh, what a dump.’
It was clear that cleaning had been neglected for quite some time, with dust piled high in various places and mold growing in the dark corners.
But even more strikingly, there were weapons strewn all over the house.
‘Is he a blacksmith?’
That seemed plausible given the large frame and the weapons lying around.
Yet, there was no need to go out of the way to look for a blacksmith for this situation.
‘What happened, what’s the plan for the future, why won’t you explain it to me?’
Belinda pouted in dissatisfaction. Ghislaine didn’t explain anything, leaving her with only guesses.
“This way.”
They followed Gillian into a small bedroom.
There, they found a girl appearing to be around Elena’s age, her haggard face displayed as she laid asleep.
“She’s my daughter.”
Belinda and the knights gasped and stepped back at the sight of Gillian’s daughter.
Her faded brown hair looked so fragile it could crumble at a touch, and her lips were cracked and bleeding. She looked almost corpse-like.
The bloodstains on the bedding and the missing fingernails hinted at how much pain the girl had been in.
But more importantly, there were red spots visible all over her face and body.
Belinda, without realizing it, grabbed Ghislaine’s arm and shouted.
“Young Master!”
Ghislaine slowly lowered her hand, nodding.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Young Master, step back. This isn’t a situation you can help with.”
Now Belinda could understand why Gillian’s situation was like this.
A daughter suffering from an incurable disease, the contemptuous and avoiding attitudes of others, the total absence of hope.
As his daughter slowly approached death, he was dying along with her.
After seeing Belinda’s reaction, a faint smile escaped Gillian’s lips.
“You’re saying you can help, but did you even know what disease my daughter has?”
“No, but I do know.”
“If you know, then we can talk straight. My daughter has a disease that cannot be cured.”
“I know too that there are no known treatments for it.”
The tone in which Gillian spoke was so matter-of-fact that he frowned and growled.
“So you still claim you can help? What is your intent towards me…”
Belinda cut off Gillian, stepping in front of Ghislaine.
“Your Highness, step back!”
Her voice rose. The mention of “Your Highness” clearly indicated her anger.
Yet, Ghislaine did not budge an inch.
“It’s fine; that’s not an infectious disease. It has already been dismissed as mere rumor, right?”
“Still, you should step back! It doesn’t hurt to be cautious!”
“No, I’m telling you, it’s not an infectious disease.”
Belinda frowned. She couldn’t comprehend what Ghislaine was so confidently relying on.
The next words were even more surprising.
“I know the treatment for that disease. To be precise, at this moment, I’m the only one in the world who knows the method.”
