---

Chapter 22: Crazy Guy, Why Are You Doing That! (2)

At his father’s question, Ghislaine finally snapped back to reality and straightened his posture to respond.

“There’s nothing much. I just had a few things to discuss with Amelia.”

“Is that so?”

Zvalter’s eyes narrowed with curiosity.

Ghislaine had always been busy avoiding and running away from him. Instead of greeting him when he approached, he would frequently make excuses and hide.

The only time Zvalter had seen Ghislaine in person was when he had caused trouble and been brought in.

And now, Ghislaine was the one seeking him out.

That wasn’t all; there was a certain confidence in his words and actions that made him feel unfamiliar, almost unrecognizable.

People tend to grow suspicious when someone behaves unusually.

‘What’s with him? Is he sick or something?’

Zvalter squinted his eyes and scrutinized Ghislaine.

‘Hmm, something definitely seems off.’

As Zvalter remained silent, the atmosphere began to weigh down.

Ghislaine decided to begin with a greeting.

“You’ve worked hard. I heard you managed to hold them off again.”

“No, I should have pushed harder, but I couldn’t due to the territory matters. Still, we dealt quite a blow, so for the time being, they shouldn’t make any hasty moves. I plan to rest a bit and then set out again after I finish reorganizing.”

Ghislaine gazed at his father’s face quietly.

Though unintended, he had already heard outside just how dire the situation in the territory was.

Despite the hardships, Zvalter spoke only of future plans, not revealing any of his struggles in front of his son.

‘As stoic as ever.’

Even after not seeing his son for a long time, Zvalter’s expression hadn’t changed.

To others, he would seem like a man devoid of emotions—an unamusing, stony figure.

As a child, Ghislaine had thought the same. He had despised how rigid and severe his father was.

However, now he understood what lay hidden behind that expression.

It was fatigue, exhaustion, and a sense of responsibility that he could not abandon.

‘Everyone relies on that sense of responsibility.’

The peace that everyone took for granted was, in fact, achieved through Zvalter’s sacrifices.

In his childhood, he had loathed being compared to other nobles’ children who enjoyed a comfortable and luxurious life, wondering why they lived so deprived and difficult in comparison.

Yet now, having realized the weight of responsibility, he felt he understood his father’s heart. He understood how difficult it was to live that way.

Ghislaine found himself lost in thought. Seeing that his son was once again silent, Zvalter decided to ask something that had been on his mind.

“I heard you executed Jamal and Philip yourself. Is that true?”

‘Um, how should I phrase this?’

There had already been enough speculation about the incident, and Ghislaine found it bothersome.

As Ghislaine hesitated, Knight Commander Randolf leaned forward and asked,

“It’s true, isn’t it? People are talking a lot about it. Just be honest. Did you kill them yourself?”

“I didn’t kill them all myself.”

At that, Perdium’s retainers nodded in agreement, their expressions suggesting, “Of course, that makes sense.”

They never believed that Ghislaine had killed the two knights himself in the first place.

Randolf nodded along as he asked again.

“So that means they fought amongst themselves?”

“Yes, they did fight.”

It wasn’t incorrect to say that Frank had killed Jamal and Philip.

“So, the Grand Duke merely finished them off, right?”

“Well, that’s how it turned out, I suppose.”

Including Frank, the remaining ones were all taken down by him, so you could say he wrapped things up neatly.

Randolf appeared satisfied with the honest answer.

In fact, he found it absurd that a traitor emerged from the territory, but at the same time, a knight he supervised had been taken down by such a troublesome character.

“Guess you got lucky. It couldn’t have been easy to deal with those knights. Well done.”

Zvalter, showing a hint of satisfaction, said this to Ghislaine.

It was already quite an achievement for a useless fellow who didn’t help the territory to have accomplished that much.

The Ghislaine he knew would have been the sort to abandon his sister and run away, so it seemed he hadn’t fallen to the worst level just yet.

“I heard you also won against Cain in your sparring match. Keep training hard like that.”

“Understood.”

Randolf didn’t push the matter of Ghislaine beating Cain, content with hearing about it from a knight who had witnessed the match.

The rumors of Ghislaine’s contributions during the Ogre extermination had settled down to just “Ghislaine actively assisted Skoban” after his duel with Cain.

While all disputes were settled, Randolf’s gaze toward Ghislaine still carried unease.

‘If only he weren’t the brother of the Grand Duke, I’d have folded him like a pretzel by now.’

This time, Baron Homern stepped forward.

“Grand Duke, you must always conduct yourself properly. Always be aware of your status as the heir to Perdium. Never lose your honor… for the sake of the territory… your grandfather, Count Dante Perdium…”

Homern’s nagging started to drone on endlessly.

To him, Ghislaine was a burden to the territory and not fit to be an heir.

Thus, he could hardly help but feel discontent every time he looked at him.

In fact, Ghislaine’s rebellious attitude in his previous life had stemmed partly from this nagging. Of course, Homern had no idea.

“Understood. Don’t worry.”

Ghislaine cut off the lecturing abruptly.

‘Ugh, look at him; he’s stopping me because he doesn’t want to hear it. All that talking is pointless.’

Homern closed his mouth, looking disgruntled.

In the past, he would scold him to grow up properly, but now he nagged out of fear he might cause trouble.

As soon as Homern’s nagging ended, Albert jumped in with a single line.

“I’m planning to reduce the maintenance costs for your dignity.”

‘Not even a piece of bread should be wasted.’

Since there was no money in the territory, of course, the first thing to cut was the maintenance cost for the least useful leech.

Unexpectedly, he received a bright response.

“Sounds good.”

‘Huh? Why did he agree so easily?’

Albert looked at Ghislaine suspiciously.

Typically, he would have spewed insults and threatened to demand money, but now…

‘Hmm, something’s fishy.’

Typically, he wouldn’t even scold Ghislaine, merely looking at him like a cow staring at a chicken. The only time he would speak up was when it involved money.

‘Let’s keep an eye on this.’

Albert remained silent, thinking he might just cut more from Ghislaine’s allocated budget if necessary.

These three hadn’t always held Ghislaine in disdain. When he was little, they treated Ghislaine affectionately, almost like their own child.

But after Ghislaine’s antics grew beyond mere childish behavior, they gave up on him.

Now, just seeing his face was enough to stir animosity.

Other retainers took turns greeting Ghislaine, the Grand Duke, too, each wearing expressions that reflected the burdens Ghislaine had caused them in the past.

Zvalter couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

Seeing all his retainers so wary of Ghislaine filled him with fatigue. In a way, he was quite a significant presence as a son.

‘My son is indeed a strange existence.’

Zvalter let out a weary sigh and spoke.

“Alright, it seems like you didn’t just come to greet us. What do you want to say?”

Ghislaine nodded earnestly, knowing this was the crucial part.

“I have something I want to do, and I hope you can give me your permission.”

“You… want to do something?”

“Yes, there’s something I must do.”

“I don’t know what it is, but can’t you just refrain from doing anything?”

Ghislaine frowned and retorted, “It’s something really necessary.”

“…Alright, what is it?”

Zvalter tried to hide his anxiousness as he asked.

Having trained through the battles in the north, he could handle most situations without flinching, but his heart raced whenever it came to his son.

They say children are a parent’s enemy, and perhaps he had quite a few sins from his past life.

Seeing the pent-up tension in Zvalter’s expression, Ghislaine clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘What a sight, a father so tense about his own son.’

Even the retainers were as anxious as if they were facing barbarians.

Despite being treated coldly, Ghislaine couldn’t feel hurt; instead, he found it somewhat amusing.

After years apart, meeting everyone should feel delightful, yet they looked at him like they were seeing a ghost.

To them, Ghislaine had been the troublemaker until recently, so their vigilance was understandable.

‘Well, I suppose this is acceptable enough.’

Perhaps having stirred up too much trouble while sweeping through the kingdom in his past life made him indifferent to the retainers’ reactions.

With how tough things were for the territory, the Grand Duke running around causing mischief only added to their burdens.

But now was different. Ghislaine possessed the knowledge and ability to overcome the dire situation.

‘Anyway, it’s for the good of the territory.’

Ghislaine steadied himself and declared resolutely.

“I will venture into the Forest of Monsters.”

Zvalter’s eyebrows twitched. The retainers next to him looked utterly perplexed.

The air around them became heavy in an instant. It got so quiet that you could hear the sound of blinking.

Homern, who had been too stunned to speak for a good while, finally looked at Ghislaine and asked,

“Did you just say you would venture into the Forest of Monsters?”

“That’s right. I will handle everything. Just grant me permission to build a fortress beside the forest and gather troops.”

The Forest of Monsters, also known as the Dark Forest, the Silent Forest, and other ominous titles, shared the common trait of being ominous.

That vast forest spreading north of Perdium was filled with powerful monsters. No one had ever succeeded in exploring the Forest of Monsters until now.

Even Perdium did not dare to provoke it, only fending off the monsters that occasionally popped out from the woods.

Homern chuckled as if teaching Ghislaine.

“Grand Duke, do you understand what sort of place the Forest of Monsters is?”

Ghislaine slightly nodded and smiled.

“Of course, I know it well. It’s a forest with many dangerous monsters.”

The whispers among the retainers began to grow louder.

There are tasks that can be done and those that cannot. What Ghislaine was suggesting was, in their view, impossible.

They could not understand why he suddenly came to make such a ridiculous demand. They could only think the Grand Duke was causing yet another disaster.

Homern, with a stern expression, replied,

“Not only is it impossible to venture there, but as a noble, you can’t recruit troops or establish a fortress within the territory.”

“Yes, that’s why I came to seek your permission.”

Listening to Ghislaine, who replied as if it was no big deal, Homern felt his temper rising.

Now that Ghislaine had grown older, it seemed he was about to cause an even bigger disaster.

‘In front of the Lord.’

Homern attempted to hold his temper.

But even now, the countless horrifying disasters Ghislaine had caused flashed through his mind, and seeing the perpetrator’s shameless face made it impossible for him to endure.

Before Zvalter could speak up, Homern finally snapped.

“Crazy guy, why are you doing that?!”

 

---