Chapter 20
Chapter 20: A Variable is Needed. (5)
Bang!
Gillian threw the gigantic shield straight ahead. The attackers, charging forward, couldn’t withstand the impact and collapsed immediately.
The remaining assassins hesitated, seemingly in shock, and pulled back.
“Ugh! This isn’t what the intel said!”
The middle-aged man leading the assassins shouted loudly.
Had he known there would be such a powerhouse, he would have brought more bodies.
He certainly heard that the whole group was just slightly better than regular knights, but at this rate, they would all be wiped out by one person.
“Damn it! Everyone, rush him!”
At the middle-aged man’s shout, everyone drew their swords and rushed towards Gillian.
They realized they had to get past him to reach Ghislaine.
“How pathetic they are…”
Gillian muttered under his breath as he retrieved a hand axe resting beside the wagon.
Without any hesitation, he charged at the enemies.
Crack!
“AAARGH!”
Every time the axe swung, one person’s head would split apart.
As he raised his sword, heads splintered along with it. When they tried to dodge, the axe would change direction and follow them.
Gillian was like a lion among a flock of sheep.
“This jerk! Die!”
One of the waiting assassins seized the opportunity created by his comrade’s death to stab Gillian with his sword.
But…
Thud!
“H-huh?!”
Gillian simply caught the sword with his bare hand.
His hand was completely unscathed.
“H-how…”
The assassin stood frozen, unable to react, staring at Gillian.
They had evaluated Ghislaine’s group at an intermediate knight level and only brought those who could use mana to ensure their success.
Yet here was a monster who caught a mana-enshrouded blade barehanded. It was beyond comprehension how formidable he truly was.
But there was no time to contemplate further.
Crack!
As Gillian tightened his grip, the assassin’s sword shattered into pieces.
The axe came crashing down on the dazed assassin’s head. The assassin crumpled to the ground, now a cold corpse at Gillian’s feet.
Seeing this, the other assassins stumbled back, retreating hastily.
The middle-aged man leading the assassins could no longer charge forward either.
This operation was a failure. As long as that monstrous figure stood, killing Ghislaine was impossible.
“Phew, retreat!”
At the middle-aged man’s shout, the assassins began to scatter in all directions.
“Who gave you permission?!”
Before they knew it, Gillian had mounted a horse and was chasing after them.
The daggers strapped to his belt flew towards the assassins at a speed quicker than their owner could manage.
Before long, only one assassin remained standing, all others defeated.
The distance between him and the last one had widened significantly. There was a risk of losing him.
Gillian threw the axe he held towards the last remaining assassin.
Thud! Wham!
Just as the axe embedded itself into the assassin’s head, a dagger pierced through his heart.
Gillian turned around.
Ghislaine, locking eyes with him, had a triumphant expression and tilted her chin up.
The end of the dagger that burst from her robe was tied to a thin thread.
As Ghislaine gestured, the dagger that had pierced the assassin’s heart seemed to retract back into her robe.
“I almost missed him without you.”
Gillian replied with a flat expression.
“My axe was first.”
“My dagger was first, you know?”
Ghislaine shot back.
Gillian said nothing in response, approaching the fallen assassin to pull the axe from his neck.
He then walked over to Ghislaine and slightly bowed his head.
“All taken care of.”
“Good job.”
Ghislaine said, barely holding back a laugh.
Behind them, Ghislaine glared at Gillian with a look that could kill.
It was entertaining to see Ghislaine, who always walked around with a strict and aloof demeanor, getting worked up in front of Gillian.
‘Ghislaine has finally met her match.’
The squire knights, who had been standing there awkwardly, exchanged embarrassed glances. They had come with the intention of guarding Ghislaine, but now felt out of place.
‘With this level of skill, hardly anyone in Perdium could match him.’
Though they were strong compared to knights from other territories, Gillian was on a completely different level.
The squire knights whispered among themselves, casting sidelong glances at Gillian.
“Didn’t they say he was the leader of the Ratatosk mercenary group?”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it too.”
“No wonder he’s not an ordinary person.”
“How did the Grand Duke even know to go looking for him?”
Ratatosk was a mercenary group known for operating in foreign lands, so they were famous enough that the name was familiar at least.
The fact that Gillian was the leader of such a group was astounding, and considering his abilities, it made sense.
Ghislaine was secretly delighted.
Though she had already seen his skills back when they established their bond, she was witnessing Gillian fully engaging in battle for the first time.
‘He’s far better than the rumors indicated.’
Gillian had been someone Ghislaine had only heard of as a character while he worked as a mercenary in another country during his previous life.
While Ghislaine was from the same kingdom and a neighboring territory, fellow colleagues and seniors often talked about Gillian.
She had wanted to recruit him if the opportunity arose in this life, and thankfully the timing and luck had aligned perfectly.
Back then, she thought the rumors were exaggerated, but seeing him in action, his abilities surpassed those tales.
‘It was good to have moved quickly.’
Thanks to that, Ghislaine had secured a very reliable ally.
Having bled Amelia for money and gained a loyal follower, this outing was undoubtedly a success.
Ghislaine patted Gillian on the shoulder a couple of times before addressing the group.
“Amelia must have hired those assassins. That girl is quite persistent.”
Even in her previous life, Amelia had relentlessly bothered Ghislaine. No matter how many times Ghislaine tried to kill her, she always managed to escape, causing trouble throughout the war.
Of course, this life would be different; Ghislaine had no intention of abandoning Amelia. Their fates were bound to intersect continually.
Ghislaine rummaged through the bodies of the assassins one by one. It seemed she was checking for their affiliations.
“Do you know where the assassins came from?”
After examining a few corpses, Ghislaine nodded and replied.
“Seeing a tattoo with three teeth painted on it, they belong to the ‘Lynx Smuggling Group.’ They’re a pretty powerful guild in Raybold.”
“The Lynx Smuggling Group? What a strange name.”
“They’re a guild formed by smugglers and thieves. Just a bunch of crude and rough folks. Besides assassination, they deal in smuggling and drug trafficking as well. In short, they’re scum.”
“How do you know so much about them when you’re just in the castle?”
Upon hearing Ghislaine’s question, Ghislaine hesitated and said.
“Well, I found out by chance before I came to the castle. In any case, given their persistence, we can’t let our guard down when we return to the territory.”
“I see. Amelia must be using some tough individuals. I’ll make sure to take care of that place when I get the chance.”
The name of the ‘Lynx Smuggling Group’ was added to Ghislaine’s kill list.
Amelia was surely wielding criminal guilds in Raybold as her subordinates.
Not only the Lynx Smuggling Group but also the other criminal guilds had to be dismantled someday.
‘By the way, how does Ghislaine know all this?’
Though Ghislaine had claimed it was by chance, Ghislaine didn’t believe her words.
Ghislaine wasn’t well-versed in which guilds existed in which territories; after his reign, he hadn’t lived in any other countries nor was he ever involved with criminal organizations.
Even Ghislaine, who had engaged in mercenary work, hadn’t heard much, so it was strange for Ghislaine, who only spent her time in the castle, to know the names, nature, and range of influence of these guilds.
‘Now that I think about it, I don’t know much about Ghislaine either.’
Only that she was his home tutor, the head maid, and strong enough to handle ordinary knights.
That was all.
‘Well, I’ll have plenty of time to find out more. Let’s take things slow.’
Ghislaine pushed the questions about Ghislaine to the back of his mind and decided to first address the more urgent task.
That was to collect all the valuable items and weapons from the corpses of the attackers.
With the impoverished territory needing funds for many things, one had to take what they could get.
*
After defeating the assassins in the forest and traveling for another two days, the group finally approached the vicinity of the Fortress of Perdium.
Familiar sights of the Fortress of Perdium came into view in the distance. A wave of nostalgia washed over.
‘It feels good to have a place to return to.’
When he came back in his previous life, his family had already been destroyed.
The despair that came from having no place to return to was something one would only understand once experienced.
After that, Ghislaine had wandered aimlessly throughout his life, unable to settle anywhere.
Life had always been exhausting, and even when he rested, it felt more like fatigue. There was constant unease and sorrow.
Seeing Perdium standing tall and strong now, he felt a deep sense of nostalgia.
A firm determination blossomed again from the depths of Ghislaine’s heart.
‘I will definitely protect it.’
The Perdium Territory, and his family, will not be allowed to fall again.
*
Clatter!
“How could it be! How could we not kill a single one!”
The teacup Amelia threw shattered into pieces and rolled across the floor.
Meow!
Bastet echoed Amelia’s sentiment with a sharp sound.
Bernap could say nothing but watch their exchange silently.
“This surely didn’t serve as a warning. They probably took us even less seriously than expected.”
Meow!
Amelia’s eyes were bloodshot, veins almost bursting.
It was unimaginable to see her, who was always elegant and composed, in such a state.
Bernap was genuinely taken aback.
‘Even in this rage, she’s still beautiful!’
She always looked beautiful no matter what, but he had never seen her this furious. It was genuinely unsettling.
Saying anything to calm Amelia now would likely result in the teacup flying straight for his head.
He kept his mouth shut. At that moment, Bastet scolded him.
Meow!
‘That damn cat. Who does she think she is, acting like she’s above me? Ugh… I’m definitely getting rid of that little cat.’
While Amelia was tolerable, Bastet, who acted as if she were equal to Amelia, was quite irksome.
“Even if my honor is dragged through the mud, that’s one thing. But to whip it into the dirt is utterly disgraceful! How could you even manage? You sent thirty people and not a single one is dead? Ghislaine must be laughing at me.”
Meow!
“Shut up, Bastet!”
As Amelia glared, Bastet quickly lowered her head and dashed behind Bernap.
‘Serves you right.’
Seeing the cat that had been mischievous getting scolded made Bernap feel a little better.
He seized the moment as an arrow slightly missed its mark and answered.
“I apologize. It seems the skills of the squire knights were better than expected.”
They had no clue that Gillian had joined Ghislaine’s party.
Every one of the assassins they sent was wiped out, and there was no one left to deliver the news.
Amelia’s bloodshot eyes fixed on Bernap.
“You should have gone to kill Ghislaine, even if it meant heading to Perdium Territory! Though, what can a bunch of worthless idiots do? They can’t even take down one insignificant loser.”
Bernap found himself at a loss for words.
Attacking Ghislaine, who was in Perdium Territory, was an entirely different matter than ambushing him while he was leaving Raybold.
No matter how shabby the territory was, Ghislaine was the Grand Duke of Perdium. Killing a key figure from within their base was no simple task.
One wrong move, and the fallout could possibly reveal everything, inciting a territorial war.
Amelia understood this too. Right now, her outburst was fueled purely by her anger.
“For now, have the Lynx scumbags on standby. They should be ready to move at any moment. I’ll figure out a different method. You’d better deliver the message properly next time.”
Amelia clicked her tongue in frustration.
“If you keep treating me like a joke, feel free to anticipate the consequences. And Bernap, you’d best understand what I mean.”
After taking a moment to breathe, she picked up Bastet and said:
“It would be better for you to fight rather than those pathetic losers. Maybe I should have just taken the risk and killed Ghislaine back then? There’s no one useful here.”
Meow.
Bastet, having curled her tail scaredly, seemed to have forgotten entirely, nuzzled into Amelia’s embrace, curling up affectionately.
Bernap, looking at this scene with disdain, found himself making eye contact with Bastet for a split second. It seemed like she was mocking him, making him want to curse inside.
‘…That little furball is intelligent. No doubt about it.’
Having been humiliated and even insulted by a cat, Bernap left with a bitter expression.
‘With the engagement breaking off, why am I still concerned about that damn furball?’
Being given two hundred thousand gold as an engagement gift, it would be best to simply walk away from it all.
But the deeply wounded pride of Amelia couldn’t seem to deal with the humiliation.
‘What a stupid jerk. Of all the women to provoke, why her?’
Despite all the assassins returning as corpses, Bernap still believed that Ghislaine would ultimately die.
Whatever Amelia wanted would come true for her. That was an unshakeable truth for Bernap.
