Chapter 196
Chapter 196: A Very Good Gift (1)
“Wow! Baron Penris has won!”
The nobles of the so-called ‘Victims of Investment Association’ cheered all at once in the banquet hall upon hearing the news of Ghislaine’s victory.
They had no interest in how Ghislaine won, whether by luck or skill.
What mattered was that Ghislaine won and that they weren’t ruined.
“Fantastic! Cosmetics are still thriving!”
“Can we invest more?”
“Of course! With the guarantee of Marquis Branford, what is there to fear?”
Human psychology is such. When faced with an unexpected outcome while thinking nothing could be salvaged, trust begins to blossom.
The nobles surrounded Rosalyn, clamoring to make additional investments.
Rosalyn smiled elegantly, as if this outcome was to be expected.
“There’s no need to worry too much. Behind Baron Penris stands the House of Marquis Branford. I’ve always said there wouldn’t be a problem, right?”
The nobles responded with relaxed smiles now.
“Of course, we believed in you.”
“Is there any need to make such a fuss over a small war at the border?”
“I told you good things would come. Hohoho.”
Amidst such a cheerful atmosphere, Rosalyn discreetly wiped the cold sweat from her brow.
“Damn… I made it, I really made it. I was so close to dying.”
Since recovering from her illness, she had been keeping her temper in check, but having faced death made her curse slip out naturally.
Stressed from the nobles’ relentless demands, she found her hair falling out in clumps every day. It was a miracle she hadn’t cursed out loud.
“I almost ended up unable to go outside and trapped at home again. And how on earth did we win the siege war so quickly… What a mystery of a person.”
She didn’t know how they won, but it was a fortunate outcome nonetheless.
Plus, defeating Count Cabaldy proved they had some military might.
No matter how famished, Count Cabaldy was not an insignificant noble.
“Phew, but the Duke Faction won’t stay silent. I need to find a way before that happens.”
Count Cabaldy was openly affiliated with the Duke Faction. Although they had nominally agreed not to interfere with each other, they were surely sharpening their blades behind the scenes.
To keep the cosmetics business from collapsing, they absolutely needed to protect Penris.
“I never thought I would be dragged into this much. Soon, I should visit Penris and ask about their cosmetic manufacturing techniques.”
Just in case, she needed to find a way to produce cosmetics even if Penris fell apart.
Otherwise, they might not be able to manage if another accident occurred in the future. Such nerve-wracking experiences were surely enough for a lifetime.
As Rosalyn contemplated this internally, Meriel approached with a beaming smile.
“I’m so relieved! Things turned out better, didn’t they? We’ve been swamped with inquiries to invest more.”
“Ha, yes… It is a relief. None of us expected it to end so quickly.”
“Exactly. I never imagined my brother would boast so much about winning his own fight, but here we are.”
“Well… he’s always one to relish in his own glory.”
Looking back on the time she was being treated, that was certainly true. He always thought he was right, no matter what.
It was the first time she had met someone so stubborn, and it was even more ridiculous when, later on, she found out he was indeed correct.
At the sincerity in Rosalyn’s words, Meriel laughed even harder, then suddenly said wistfully.
“If I had known this would happen, I wouldn’t have had to spend so much money to hire people. Right?”
“True. Those people just took our money and did nothing. They’re probably on their way back, thinking it all went smoothly.”
Rosalyn gave a wry smile.
She had spent a fortune sending priests and resolvers to save Baron Penris. Yet now it had all become unnecessary.
But asking for a refund was out of the question. Doing so would only tarnish their reputation and spread bad rumors.
“Ah, in the end, he’s such an unpredictable person. I wasted money for nothing.”
It was indeed a rare occurrence for her to waste money so thoughtlessly.
Rosalyn sighed to calm her sour stomach.
*
Before the news of victory reached the capital.
Ghislaine, who had taken Count Cabaldy’s head, turned to look at the knights and soldiers.
As silence fell over the battlefield, Ghislaine couldn’t help but smirk. It was finally time to savor the joy of victory.
No further words were necessary. Ghislaine simply raised his hand slowly and clenched his fist tightly.
The knights were the first to rush to Ghislaine’s side and cheer.
“We did it! We won!”
“We killed Count Cabaldy!”
“Waaaah!”
The surviving soldiers also expressed their joy to the fullest. The once tranquil battlefield was instantly filled with the cheers of the Penris Army.
Ghislaine beamed, satisfied by the scene.
“Good, this was a very fitting experience that needed to happen.”
The victory in this war was crucial. Not just because of the iron ore.
The knights had risked their lives enduring hellish training. However, they had never experienced whether such half-hearted strength would hold up in battle.
No matter how thoroughly prepared, one could never fully erase fear.
“Transforming fear into confidence is based on belief in oneself.”
The overwhelming defeat of Count Cabaldy, known as a strong man of the North, had built confidence.
The self-assurance gained from this experience would greatly aid the knights’ growth.
Before long, Belinda, who had taken off her mask, couldn’t hide her joy either.
“I’m so relieved. We suffered almost no losses. Can you see the morale of the soldiers? They’ll adapt to the territory in no time.”
“Yeah, it was an extremely important battle for them.”
The anxiety faced by the soldiers, who suddenly arrived in Penris and were thrown into battle immediately, must have been considerable.
But through this war, they would take pride in their achievements and show even greater loyalty to the territory.
Belinda was busy showering Ghislaine with compliments.
“Our young master has truly done it all. From now on, do whatever you want. Shall we go catch that Count Almond or whatever? Hohoho.”
She had been so proactive in opposing the war, but now that they won, her attitude had completely flipped. Seeing her act so over-the-top made Ghislaine chuckle.
“It’s quite different from when you were quietly taking enemy heads.”
It was oddly fascinating to observe. Seizing the opportunity, Ghislaine casually inquired.
“You were using a technique I’ve never seen before. Where did you learn that? Was it from our mother’s family? I thought mom could do that too?”
Belinda shot Ghislaine a sideways glance and replied mischievously.
“Oh dear, haven’t I told you several times that it’s not polite to ask a woman about her past? So long as you don’t ask elsewhere and get called petty, don’t forget it. Now, I’ll be off to tidy up.”
Leaving behind a cheeky response, Belinda vanished, and Ghislaine could only shake his head with a resigned smile.
Gillian approached, slightly bowing his head, and said.
“Thank you for your hard work. Now, leave the aftermath to us and please take a rest.”
It was a short yet heartfelt remark. He was still as reliable as ever.
“Yeah, thank you too, Gillian. After tidying up the battlefield, let’s head to the Lord’s Castle.”
Thanks to Gillian’s tremendous destructive power, the operation had become much smoother. Acquiring this man had truly been the best decision.
Kaor sauntered over, eager to show off.
“My lord, did you see my skills? Did you see how quickly I climbed the castle wall? Hah, I’m this strong!”
Ghislaine clicked his tongue but still played along. Though he had his quirks, he was useful during war.
“You were quite the fighter today, huh? Seems like you’ve been training hard?”
“I’m always great at fighting!”
After boasting with his usual brashness, Kaor quickly added.
“By the way, our lord is really lucky. How does he buy food and right when there’s a drought? You’re really a person blessed by the heavens.”
After observing Ghislaine for quite some time, Kaor indeed thought this time he was incredibly fortunate. It wouldn’t make sense if it was mere luck otherwise.
Rumors circulated that he had studied astrology to read the stars, but Kaor never believed it.
“That’s not someone who would dedicate themselves to studying. He’d be the type to close the book after the first page due to a headache.”
His keen instincts as a hunting dog were apparent. Ghislaine smirked at Kaor’s cocky expression.
“I can see exactly what you’re thinking.”
Just as he was about to say something, other knights rushed in to boast about their deeds.
“Did you see how my sword took off ten heads in one swing?”
“Is that all? You barely put in any effort today; you’re going to have to pull a night watch. I took down a hundred with one swing.”
“Ha, you guys are so pathetic I want to die. I took down five hundred by myself, bruised only a finger.”
Everyone was spewing bravado even while blood ran from their mouths. Most were mercenaries, so their exaggerations were anything but mild.
As Ghislaine enjoyed the atmosphere cheering on the knights, Belinda, who had vanished, reappeared.
“Your lordship, someone has come to see you.”
“Who? Count Cabaldy’s retainers?”
“No, they said they came from the capital.”
“From the capital?”
They had just finished the war and were in the midst of capturing prisoners and collecting weapons.
It was still too early for anyone from the capital to come, having heard the victory news.
As Ghislaine turned his head in curiosity, a man approached.
With a solid build and numerous scars, he had a mercenary-like vibe.
“Congratulations on your victory. My name is Max. I work as a resolver. I’ve come with a total of ten resolvers and one priest.”
A group of men who followed him bowed their heads to Ghislaine.
“Resolvers? Just call yourselves mercenaries; why do you have to dress it up so grandly?”
Max seemed at a loss for words and bowed deeply. Ghislaine clicked his tongue and continued.
“So, what do you want with me?”
“The Countess Ailzbur and the Young Lady of Marquis Branford sent us. They instructed that if you were ever in danger, you must rescue him by any means necessary.”
How thoughtful of them. It was likely because of the cosmetics business, but still, it took a lot of political risk to send out such a large sum of money.
“Hm, but isn’t it a bit too late? We’ve already won.”
Max gave a somewhat embarrassed smile and replied.
“We rushed as quickly as possible, given the level of risk we presumed, but we couldn’t have anticipated the war ending so fast. Truly remarkable.”
“Well, you know… sometimes it happens that way.”
“Regardless, we’re relieved you are safe. We’ll head back now to relay this joyful news to our clients.”
Max smiled brightly and bowed his head once more. They were lucky to have made it through without major issues.
But that was just him not knowing Ghislaine well.
“Where are you going?”
“Excuse me? Now that the situation has concluded, we’ll go back and report to our clients…”
“What do you mean, concluded? If you received payment, then you need to earn it.”
Max looked confused as Ghislaine questioned him.
“I’m not sure what you’re saying.”
“Just what I said. If you’re a mercenary, then act like one and earn your pay.”
“We’re resolvers, not mercenaries…”
“Pfft, it’s all the same, isn’t it?”
“Ahem, our mission was to safely rescue the Baron if he was ever in danger. Now that you’ve won and confirmed your safety, our mission is over.”
“Uh, I was in danger, so why didn’t you rescue me?”
“Um, well, that is…”
Max and the resolvers were in a panic. They arrived only to find that the war had already ended, so how could they rescue anyone?
But Ghislaine didn’t care about their circumstances. What mattered was whether they did what they were paid for or not.
“Oh, so these guys are frauds.”
Ghislaine gestured, and the knights and soldiers nearby quickly surrounded the resolvers.
“If you don’t want to earn your pay, then refund me and pay a penalty. If not, we won’t be having any fun.”
Max and the resolvers looked around in a panic.
Suddenly labeled as frauds and surrounded, they felt like they had just been struck by lightning when they were about to leave happily.
‘W-What? Is this guy insane? What kind of noble is this unreasonable? Can’t we just settle this quietly behind the scenes? And why does he want the penalty and refund money for himself?’
Seeing Max flustered, Ghislaine wore a significant smile.
“You took my money but did nothing and plan to leave? That certainly isn’t allowed in this town. And I am a very resolute person when it comes to dealing with frauds.”
If you take money, you need to provide a return service. That was the ironclad rule of the mercenary king and his belief.
He had no intention of letting excellent labor come to him willingly and then just sending them away.
