Chapter 226
Chapter 226 Delicious, Indeed. (2)
‘Wha-what’s going on? Why is there no reaction at all?’
Brandel furrowed his brow, forgetting his plan for an ambush. Even he, after consuming the antidote, was feeling the effects surely after downing two glasses, so there was no way the other guy was fine.
As he stood there in a daze, he heard Ghislaine’s voice.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to drink?”
“Ah, yes, yes.”
He had missed the timing to ambush due to the sudden situation. Flustered, Brandel decided to down one more glass before striking Ghislaine.
Grrr…
The response within his stomach became all the more pronounced. It meant he had exceeded the limits of what the antidote could handle.
‘Ugh, the poison isn’t a problem. Is that guy just slow to react to toxins?’
The degree to which each person reacts to poison varies. For Brandel, thinking so was the best course of action.
However, Ghislaine poured another glass and gulped it down in one go.
‘Now, this will surely provoke a reaction…’
“It’s delicious. Here, have another drink.”
Brandel’s complexion visibly paled. His hands began to tremble.
‘C’mon, stay calm. Can’t make a mistake here.’
The knights beside Ghislaine were looking at him with sour expressions. Hesitating now would only raise their suspicions.
‘I’ll pretend to drink and hit him right away.’
Brandel forced a smile and raised the glass. A quick glance at Ghislaine revealed his expression was utterly calm.
This couldn’t be right. Just as he was panicking, a sudden thought struck Brandel.
‘I’ve been deceived by rumors! This guy either has no mana or an extraordinarily low amount! That’s why there’s no reaction!’
His prior achievements were surely inflated.
Of course, results existed so he couldn’t deny everything, but while he might have remarkable command skills, his own combat ability was undoubtedly poor.
Brandel slowly began to draw up his mana. A sharp pain shot through the core area due to the poison. He couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
Had he raised his glass too slowly? He heard Ghislaine’s voice again.
“Aren’t you going to drink? Can’t handle your liquor?”
Then Claude butted in with a snarky comment.
“If you don’t want to drink, can I have yours?”
To Claude, the two who had already downed several drinks looked completely fine, so he thought it would be okay to drink. After all, such high-end liquor was hard to come by.
Noticing the drool dripping from Claude, Ghislaine chuckled.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but it seems like you’re being toyed with, so you should probably pass on drinking.”
Brandel, hearing this, threw down his glass and reached out to Ghislaine.
That was the cue for the four assassins lurking as his bodyguards to spring into action.
“Ughhh!”
At the same time as Claude screamed, Wendy grabbed him by the nape and hurled him away. His body was sent spinning as he toppled back.
The first to act, Brandel, had a sword shoot out from his sleeve aimed at Ghislaine’s head.
‘Success!’
The moment Brandel moved, he had no doubts about his success. There was no way a guy with virtually no mana could block this strike.
‘Huh?’
In that split second while thrusting forward with the sword, Brandel noticed Ghislaine yawning.
He had aimed squarely at Ghislaine’s brow, but suddenly realized his sword had veered off to the side.
Thud.
Before he could even grasp the situation, something flew and embedded in his neck. It was the pen he had kept for signing contracts.
‘Wha…? Even a guy without mana…’
Before Brandel’s consciousness faded completely, he heard Ghislaine’s languid voice in his ear.
“My pen is stronger than your sword.”
Ghislaine pulled the pen out of Brandel’s corpse and placed it on the contract. The trickle of blood that fell covered some of the text written on it.
“The contract is canceled. I’ll need to collect a penalty.”
The assassins who had moved alongside Brandel paid no mind to him.
Gillian and Wendy were already busy dispatching the enemies.
Kahng!
Wendy deftly blocked a sword swung by an assassin attacking Claude with her dagger.
“You little—!”
As the assassin prepared to attack again, Wendy swiftly lunged into his arms and reached out.
From her ring, several sharp fangs shot out and pierced the assassin’s neck.
Puh!
“Grrr…”
As the powerful poison-laden fangs struck him, the assassin fell, foaming at the mouth.
Swoosh.
Without delay, after killing the enemy, Wendy retreated. As the place she stood was targeted, another assassin’s sword came flying at her.
Chaang!
The blade whipped past her waist and returned to its original position as Wendy now held two daggers.
Whoosh!
Kahng! Kahng!
The assassin parried the rapidly approaching daggers. Having deflected both daggers in haste, the assassin prepared to retaliate against Wendy.
Puh!
If it weren’t for the third dagger that lodged itself in his forehead.
“What the hell… when…?”
He muttered those words before collapsing.
Seeing this, Claude also chimed in.
“You’re really strong, huh? Seems a bit unfair though…”
Wendy shot Claude an icy glare. He pouted, looking away with downcast eyes.
The two other assassins nearby fell with even less of a fight.
Gillian didn’t bother evading the attacks, instead getting closer and reached out with his hands.
Thud!
He didn’t even draw his weapon. He simply grabbed the faces of both men and smashed their heads together forcefully.
Crash!
The assassins couldn’t even put up a decent fight and fell, their heads split open.
The knights of Penris, watching this scene, were left in awe.
‘What kind of old man is getting stronger by the day?’
‘What on earth has he been eating?’
‘Look at those muscles rippling! Did he have some sort of revival?’
Gillian’s skills had been growing exponentially since meeting Ghislaine.
He was originally strong, but Ghislaine had filled in his gaps.
The insights shared with him by Ghislaine, who had ranked among the top seven in the continent, had proven much more beneficial than mere training for someone of Gillian’s strength.
In no time, Brandel and the assassins were dealt with. The nearby knights of Penris had no tasks left and made no effort to help.
Why would they intervene when monsters were just beside them?
Moreover, they had no concern for what the lord consumed.
‘If someone can handle the poison of the Blood Python, it’s not like they’d be affected by much else.’
It was already a well-known fact among close associates that Ghislaine’s stomach could digest steel.
The assassins, disguised as laborers, pulled out their weapons from various places. They intended to target the officials who were checking the number of supplies first.
Or at least that was the plan.
Puh!
Suddenly, the officials drew weapons from their clothes and ambushed the assassins first.
Among them, there was a particularly large man whose head gleamed as he ripped his clothes and shouted.
“I am Gordon, the Muscle!”
“Ugh! So that’s why he was bigger than a regular official!”
The assassins fell into chaos. Seeing the situation, it seemed the enemies were already aware of the scheme and prepared.
Despite ambushing the assassins, the officials struggled to handle them easily. That’s because the highly skilled Desmond knights were mixed in among them.
As the prolonged battle turned the surroundings into a mess, Ghislaine spun her arms around while laughing.
“Alright, it’s time to collect the penalty. Now all of this belongs to us, right? Let’s quickly sweep up the rest. Our kids will be getting hurt.”
Having gained vast resources for free, it was only natural for her to be in high spirits.
Ghislaine already knew that the owner of Brandel’s merchant group was Count Harold Desmond. This was a widely-known fact back in her previous life.
Since the Duke’s faction had succeeded in rebellion and Harold had taken the north, there was no reason to hide it.
But the owner of that merchant group wanted to meet her personally? Since there was so much at stake, he suggested they meet outside?
“Well, that’s obvious.”
Even if Brandel hadn’t known his identity, she wouldn’t be easily deceived. The enemies didn’t have an accurate grasp of her true power either.
The same went for the poison. Ghislaine was already immune to most poisons. Thanks to her exceptional mana manipulation ability, she could separate and contain poison components within her body.
However, after drinking the Blood Python’s poison, there was no longer any need for that. Drinking it simply turned into flesh and blood.
“I should finish that off later.”
It was quite a potent toxin, as it had a slight but noticeable boost in her mana.
Once Ghislaine got involved, the assassins were swiftly swept away.
She exerted a bit more strength than necessary to ensure the knights of Penris, still at a beginner level, didn’t suffer too badly. Therefore, the assassins stood no chance.
The last fallen assassin, trembling, spoke.
“So, the rumors were true.”
They were overwhelmingly strong. Even they, boasting considerable power and pride, were being handled like children. It was simply monstrous.
While they had heard stories about having smashed through a castle gate alone, they never believed it. It was normal for truly outstanding individuals to be widely recognized from a young age due to their talent with a sword.
However, the rumors about Ghislaine merely labeled her a reckless brat, implying that she would be somewhat lacking in swordsmanship.
Still, they had meticulously selected capable individuals and practiced several times in advance.
They never envisioned they would easily fall into a trap.
Puh!
Ghislaine casually severed the assassin’s neck without saying anything.
Once the cleaning up was finished, Claude rushed over breathlessly to ask.
“How did you know? Why didn’t you tell me? You disguised the knights as officials just in case since it was your first deal, right? You knew what would happen this time too, didn’t you?”
“Yeah. But if I’d said we were going to fight in advance, you’d have shown your inclination to flee by plotting some escape.”
“……”
He was frustrated, yet couldn’t rebut. In truth, since the moment knights had disguised themselves as officials, he had seriously considered whether to come at all.
Feeling bashful, Claude changed the subject.
“Anyway, this is all free, right? It’s totally amazing!”
Ghislaine was quite satisfied, just as Claude was overjoyed. She had profited while Harold would incur a considerable loss.
With this amount of resources, it was inevitable that their finances would wobble temporarily. Plus, the real laborers didn’t perish, so troublesome rumors would likely emerge there as well.
She intended to throw them some consolation money while inciting rumors here and there.
‘By the way, they are now openly targeting me. In that case…’
The fact that Harold had discarded such resources and precious merchant groups meant something else entirely.
‘Amelia has presumably given up on that side. Either preparations have concluded… or authority has been delegated.’
Raybold’s rebellion was one of the most critical duties assigned to Harold. There was no way he would relinquish it as a duke, so if Harold stepped back, it meant Amelia would soon move as well.
Even though quite a bit of the future had changed, this was still not far off from Ghislaine’s anticipated timeline.
“Oh, speaking of which… Looks like the rebellion will commence on the same day as in my past life.”
Nodding her head several times, Ghislaine mumbled while gazing at the towering pile of resources.
“If it’s Amelia, she’ll succeed no matter what interference she faces. I have some gratitude towards that woman, but still, I need to keep her a bit restrained.”
Imagining Amelia getting irritated made Ghislaine chuckle.
*
Road construction continued without a hitch. As the road network densely spanned between each castle, fortress, and village, Claude raised another issue.
“The construction is progressing smoothly, but it seems hard to use immediately.”
Ghislaine was already aware of what the problem was.
“Is it due to transportation?”
“Yes. Most of the territory’s horses are being used as military mounts. There’s a significant shortage of them.”
No matter how good the roads were, if there weren’t quick horses, they wouldn’t serve much purpose.
However, horses were a precious resource. They were expensive and hard to obtain.
They were extensively used in various fields, such as combat, transportation, and agriculture.
Still, having a road is better than having none at all.
“Yet, it will definitely help with the army’s movement and supply.”
“Hm, true. For a transportation revolution to happen, horses are essential. That way, the economy can also be stimulated further.”
Seeing Ghislaine’s seemingly indifferent response, Claude cautiously inquired.
“Do you perhaps have plans for obtaining more horses?”
If they couldn’t make them nor have any to seize, what could a lord do? Yet, having asked out of hope, Ghislaine replied dismissively.
“Of course, I have plans to procure horses.”
“Oooh! As expected of our lord! What is it? I won’t oppose this time, so please tell me!”
“Are you really not going to oppose?”
Her tone had a slightly anxious undertone.
In the recent incubator creation and road construction endeavors, there hadn’t been any significant opposition. Yet, the fact she was double-checking now sparked a nagging sense of dread.
However, seizing the opportunity, Claude stubbornly pressed on when the topic of horses arose.
“Yeah! I won’t oppose!”
At that, Ghislaine cracked a smile. Even if he said that now, once she taught them her plans, they would certainly foam at the mouth and raise objections.
Thus, she had no intention of divulging anything just yet.
“I’ll share it with you later. I have some tasks to complete beforehand.”
‘Damn, not telling makes me more curious? What’s so intriguing about this?’
Claude licked his lips in disappointment.
“What’s the task you need to do beforehand?”
“Let’s host a banquet. Invite some young nobles from the surrounding territories.”
“A banquet?”
Claude and the retainers tilted their heads in confusion.
Ghislaine didn’t particularly enjoy stiff gatherings among nobles. Even if she were to host a banquet, she preferred mingling and having fun with the territory residents.
Naturally, they couldn’t help but be perplexed at her suddenly wanting to hold a banquet with nobles.
“It’s just to let the young people bond a bit. We’re grown up now, aren’t we?”
“Hmm, that’s true. It’s indeed time for the lord to manage connections.”
Even if he was merely a nobleman for now, most were people who would inherit something. It wouldn’t hurt to socialize and build networks with them while they were still young.
While Claude was mumbling incoherently, Ghislaine flashed a sly smile and emphasized.
“However, there’s someone you must invite. No matter what it takes, bring him in. Even if you have to kidnap him.”
Before securing horses, she intended to distract the enemies a little first.
