Chapter 298
Chapter 298 – Let’s Prepare for the Next Step. (1)
Harold kept failing, and it seemed the Duke’s faction was starting to take measures against him.
That’s why an anxious Harold moved faster than expected. After all, it must have bothered his pride that the Duke’s faction had chosen someone else.
Ghislaine, having her curiosity satisfied, wondered if there was more to ask.
“Is that it? Nothing else? Who were you planning to send?”
“Shut up! This land belongs to the House of Count Desmond! You’re the one who made a mistake! Do you think your pathetic self can stop the Duke’s faction just because you’re with the Crown Prince’s faction? You’re done for! You worthless, good-for-nothing punk!”
Ghislaine frowned slightly. It seemed that there was nothing more that he knew.
“Your language is quite harsh.”
“Your father is the beggar, Zvalter Perdium, and your mother is a fallen noble who doesn’t even know her roots! Do you really think that just because you gained the title of Count and won the war, your origins change? How dare a trash family like yours look down on us Desmonds!”
Such arrogance was second nature for him. He still looked down on Perdium and Penris.
Zvalter bristled with rage and approached, but Ghislaine was faster at pulling out the hand axe from his belt.
Splat!
Before the Commander of Desmond could say anything more, his head cracked open and he collapsed.
Watching him fall and bleed, Ghislaine muttered, “It’s a bit inappropriate to insult someone’s parents in front of them.”
At the sudden attack, the territory residents of Desmond, who had been watching with bated breath, held their breath.
What kind of lord carries around an axe and kills people in broad daylight? Though the Commander’s words were extreme, fear is still fear.
Ghislaine felt the unease of the territory residents.
“Oops, I should not have caused such a misunderstanding from the start.”
He sheathed the axe and smiled brightly. “I’m not that bad of a person, so you don’t have to worry.”
The territory residents began to tremble. Usually, those who say such things are truly terrible people.
It felt like a monstrous human had taken over this place.
In stark contrast to the frightened territory residents, the faces of the Penris army were filled with pride.
They had fought excellently against the so-called strongest of the North, Desmond.
Though they received help from the Kingdom Army and the Perdium Army, the fact that the Penris army was the main force in the victory couldn’t be changed.
Now back on the Black King, Ghislaine looked over the soldiers filling the area.
Due to Amelia, he had no choice but to delegate the cleanup of the battlefield to others and move briskly. They had seized Desmond’s territory, but everyone was so busy that they probably wouldn’t feel the gravity of the situation.
War does not simply end with a victory. The one who takes the lead in the war has to declare the end.
It was now truly time to declare “victory.”
Ghislaine beamed for a moment, then raised one hand and shouted.
“With your devotion and strength, we have emerged victorious in the battle against Desmond!”
All the soldiers of Penris stood tall. Especially the three spies who had defected from Desmond stood prouder than anyone.
“We have seized this powerful territory! This is not just a victory in battle. We have shown this kingdom how strong we are, proving that we can subdue any enemy with our power!”
Ghislaine’s voice grew louder and louder.
“From now on, this place will symbolize our might and determination. I thank you for your hard work and sacrifices that led us to victory! Now…”
Pausing momentarily, Ghislaine surveyed all the assembled knights and soldiers of Penris.
Soon, his low voice echoed clearly in everyone’s ears.
“Penris is the strongest in the North.”
“Wooooaaaah!”
The soldiers responded to Ghislaine’s words with loud cheers. Their faces displayed pride and confidence as they looked at each other.
Especially the three former spies from Desmond embraced each other and cried out in joy.
Soaked in the joy of victory, all the soldiers directed their respectful gazes and cheers towards their lord.
With the soldiers’ cheers fading behind him, Ghislaine and the major figures who participated in the war moved towards the castle.
From now on, they had to deal with the aftermath.
Zvalter looked at Ghislaine with eyes full of emotion.
“You really… you really did win… it turned out just like you said…”
“It’s all thanks to my father’s help. He timed it perfectly.”
“No, no. If it weren’t for what you’ve done, how could we have fought like that?”
Zvalter’s eyes glistened with tears. If it weren’t in front of others, he would want to hold his son tightly.
This was the House of Count Desmond, which had maintained the position of Grand Lord in the North for a long time. Harold wasn’t incompetent either, so Desmond was at its peak.
In the past, even the name Perdium would make them tremble in fear.
Yet, the heir to Perdium taking the Desmond territory and becoming the Grand Lord who covers the North!
‘Honey… why did you have to go so fast…’
Zvalter missed his deceased wife more than ever today. She would have been happier than anyone else to see their son like this.
Unlike Zvalter’s great joy, the Commander of the Kingdom Army’s 3rd Corps, Baron Clifton, and the Baron of the Investment Noble Alliance, Baron Etherian, wore nuanced expressions.
Especially Clifton’s feelings were incredibly complicated.
‘I was just trying to save him and bring him back… but he’s this remarkable of a person.’
Being a member of the Crown Prince faction, he knew well the public’s view of Ghislaine.
A lucky little brat with a bit of cunning, supported by Marquis Branford.
But what he saw in Ghislaine during the war was not a being deserving of such a trivial evaluation.
‘He’s a monster. There are few who can rival him. This guy truly is the Greatest Sword of the North.’
Clifton kept an eye on the Penris army fighting centrally while battling the Desmond army. In the worst-case scenario, he had to ensure Ghislaine survives.
But that worry itself was arrogant. Ghislaine’s strength and tactical ability were beyond his reach.
‘And to think he has archer cavalry and 6th Circle Mages… even us, on his side, didn’t know about Penris properly!’
Ghislaine was gaining a surprisingly great power. But the high-ranking nobles of the Crown Prince faction, unaware of that, still looked down on him.
Nobles behind Marquis Branford, who supported Ghislaine, also began to slander him.
Clifton himself had been subtly looking down on Ghislaine. Although he had risen to the title of Count, he thought he was just a lucky brat.
But now, it’s different. Clifton felt more scared the more he looked at Ghislaine.
He sweated coldly and slightly bowed his head towards Ghislaine.
“Congratulations on your victory, Commander of the Northern Army.”
Ghislaine, although nominally, held the position of Commander of the Northern Army. The command structure was different, but still, in wartime, it was a higher rank than the commander of the Kingdom Army.
Clifton was treating Ghislaine as someone definitively above him.
Ghislaine smiled slightly and replied.
“Thanks to you, we were able to achieve victory. I will not forget the help of the royal family and the Crown Prince faction. I will definitely repay you. I will also make sure to appropriately compensate the family of the 2nd Corps Commander.”
“Thank you. That friend will be able to close his eyes in peace.”
Baron Dorren, also a friend of Baron Clifton, felt happy about Ghislaine’s thoughtfulness but couldn’t shake off the heavy heart.
‘Can we really control the interest?’
With the power of Marquis Branford and the Crown Prince faction, they might be able to. They had to. That was the very reason they had supported Ghislaine so far.
But a strange sense of unease slid through Clifton’s chest. After witnessing Ghislaine fight, the fearsome, demonic figure was unforgettable.
Such a person is not someone who would be under anyone. The more you try to hold the reins, the more fiercely he would rebel and bite back.
‘No, this is not my judgment to make.’
He was a soldier. He just had to be loyal to the royal family and follow their orders. He would only swing according to the black master’s wishes, never making his own judgments.
As soon as Clifton’s greeting ended, Baron Etherian approached this time.
“Ahem, my introduction was delayed. I am Baron Etherian of the Investment Noble Alliance… no, the victims of the investment.”
“Thank you. I won’t forget the help from the investors.”
“Indeed. We brought only our soldiers this time, so we incurred a bit of a loss…”
These were nobles sensitive about money. They had tried to avoid losses by sending armies, but with many of their soldiers dead, they could call that a loss too.
Understanding well, Ghislaine nodded happily.
“We will make sure to prepare plenty of food for your return.”
At those words, Baron Etherian smiled broadly. Food prices were still sky-high, even though the drought was receding and recovery was slowly occurring.
He knew that when the Count of Penris gave something, he would definitely deliver, but receiving confirmation made him all the more delighted.
“Hahaha, thank you so much! I appreciate it and look forward to working with you in the future!”
“Not at all. We’ve always been in this together, haven’t we?”
Having invested money diligently, it was true they were in it together. Baron Etherian nodded eagerly.
“Of course, of course. We should be together for life.”
Baron Etherian had abandoned the thought of pulling back his investment. With Marquis Branford supporting Ghislaine and now having taken the Desmond territory, who would dare touch Penris?
He felt that he could trust and continuously invest moving forward.
With that, the atmosphere became half heavy and half friendly.
After discussing the handover issue appropriately, they dispersed for a break. They would need time to check casualties and reorganize. Everyone would likely be busy for several days.
Just then, as Ghislaine exhaled a sigh of relief, Belinda approached him.
Ghislaine thanked her, saying, “Thank you. Thanks to you, I could delay Amelia’s advance. If Amelia had arrived first, it would have been quite a headache. She tends to stick around once she settles in.”
“It was easy to prepare since you informed me in advance. Speaking of which, it’s surprising. How did you know again?”
“Well, I know Amelia quite well.”
“Whoa, did you chase after her because you liked her back in the day?”
“…That’s not it. Or is it?”
Thinking back, it did seem like he had chased after her in his past life. Although it was to kill her.
Belinda laughed for a while before continuing.
“You won’t believe how much the dwarves grumbled about being dragged here suddenly.”
Galbarik and the dwarves were pulled over right after finishing bow production and had a hard time building traps.
Belinda had calmed them down somewhat with her fists and prepared everything. Otherwise, they would have ended up with only a half-hearted victory.
Even though Ghislaine asked her to trip Amelia up, he entrusted that method entirely to Belinda.
‘It definitely feels suspicious when looking at the past.’
Ghislaine thought that just as she wouldn’t reveal anything despite asking several times, he too chose to give up and chuckled.
“Well, anyway, I’m glad it’s all resolved. Now let’s prepare for the next step.”
“Yes, we need to quickly take control and integrate the newly acquired territory as well. The administrator is going to cause chaos again, isn’t he? Almost all the retainers here have died, right?”
“Honestly, I can’t spare any of them. They’re mostly the Duke’s lackeys.”
This place was not filled with retainers who had only taken bribes like in Count Cabaldy’s territory. There were truly minions of the Duke clustered here.
So, they needed to weed them all out for sure. Even the lower administrators couldn’t be used until their identities were properly verified.
As usual, the administrators of Penris would do their work while fainting.
“Hm, we’re going to run short on manpower again. It would be tough for Piote to revive them all by himself. At least they were cultivating more administrators continuously at the Academy, so that’s a relief.”
“Still, this time, Bishop Porisco sent ten priests along, right?”
“That’s true. Let’s treat them well. Since they came, we should make sure they can stay for a while by building small temples here and there.”
“Exactly! That would be great! Our Young Master is really smart!”
With the territory having expanded immensely compared to before, there were plenty of places to send them. He was thinking of keeping distance from Piote since he would feel uncomfortable meeting him.
Neither Ghislaine nor Belinda had the slightest thought of giving up on Porisco.
In this regard, the two always clicked wonderfully.
“Now, if we want to handle things quickly, we should also move Claude’s residence here. I hope he doesn’t whine again about not wanting to come.”
Unlike other northern territories, Desmond was a region with ample resources. Expanding from here is correct, but for that, Claude needed to come.
Ghislaine thought that Claude was whining alone, but the reason was quite different from what Ghislaine imagined.
Not yet having heard the battle’s outcome, he was biting his nails in anxiety.
“Oh no, what should I do? Should I run away now? But how can I go alone?”
No matter how he thought about it, he felt he wouldn’t be able to win. The lord was indeed formidable, but Count Desmond was no slouch either. The difference in troops was too great.
Indeed, it would be wise to escape at the right moment.
“But I want to escape right now!”
He had lived by the belief that the outside world was dangerous. He had not an ounce of confidence in returning home alone.
Furthermore, his guards, who had always protected him, were gone now.
“Damn it! I should have left Wendy behind!”
Now, his guards consisted of a few remaining soldiers and trainees left in the territory. Naturally, they were far less trustworthy compared to Wendy.
All the time, he always thought it would be nice if she just disappeared, nagging him every day. But now that she was gone, he felt an unbearable emptiness.
And he was also very scared. He was a cowardly man.
“Ugh… if they come here, they will definitely kill me first!”
He was the one known as the “Lord of Bribes of the North,” who had done all sorts of things to annoy his opponents. There was no way Count Desmond would let him live.
If only Wendy had been there, they could have escaped together at the first news of defeat. That would have made him feel secure.
Claude had even begged Belinda, anticipating any possibility of escape.
— I can’t live without Wendy! Please don’t take her away!
— Oh, what? You’ve been together every day, so are you two like that?
— That’s not it! I mean literally, I’d die!
Even after such pleas, Belinda just scoffed and took Wendy away.
As Claude was wilting away in anxiety, the news he had been waiting for finally arrived.
“Your lord has achieved victory! A great victory!”
The messenger shouted loudly while running through the territory. With a beaming smile, he seemed intent on spreading the word to everyone in the territory without taking a break.
“Wowaaaaah!”
Everyone, including the castle’s retainers, servants, and territory residents, burst into loud cheers. And Claude yelled out joyfully more than anyone.
“Uwaaaah! I’m alive!”
Just as Claude was celebrating, another messenger rushed in breathlessly.
“Commander!”
“What is it?”
“Your lord says to come immediately!”
“What? Already? Why? We just captured the place!”
“He says there’s too much to do.”
“…How much?”
“He said it’s piled up like a mountain.”
Claude, who had just been joyous about surviving, bowed his head deeply.
He suddenly wanted to die.
