Chapter 419
Chapter 419: Conversation, Empathy, Persuasion. (2)
The one-armed man, Tenant, asked in a subdued voice.
“Why did you save me? No, how on earth did you save me? I was definitely dead…”
“There’s always a way.”
Ghislaine smiled. Honestly, it was partly luck.
Ghislaine had channeled dark energy into Tenant’s neck.
At that time, Tenant had already exhausted all his mana, and his Aura Blade had vanished. Left to his own devices, he would have fainted from exhaustion anyway.
While this was happening, the dark energy that entered his body not only clothed his wounds but also clogged his airways, causing Tenant to faint.
Tenant, drained of all strength, accepted it as part of the dying process without feeling any discomfort.
At the time, Ghislaine thought simply.
‘If he dies, there’s nothing we can do.’
Tenant was stubbornly wishing for death. Back then, persuasion was impossible, so Ghislaine had no choice but to resort to such measures.
In the end, Tenant survived by the thinnest sliver of breath. Ghislaine immediately used a potion for first aid and brought him to the territory to entrust him to Piote.
Still smiling, Ghislaine asked.
“How’s prison life? Is it bearable?”
“…This is too much for a guy like me.”
“You’ve changed a lot.”
He, who once flaunted confidence as the strongest in the West, had now become a bundle of guilt, endlessly blaming himself.
Having lost in war and killed his lord, it was understandable. He was a man who knew honor as much as he was arrogant.
Thus, even after being imprisoned, Tenant didn’t cause any ruckus. He made no attempts to escape, nor did he try to take his own life.
He simply spent each day gazing with regretful eyes.
Ghislaine, dropping her smile, said solemnly.
“Tenant, let me be direct. Though it’s only the beginning, you are now at the level of a master. I need your strength.”
“So that’s why you saved me?”
“Yes, the rift is opening and monsters are emerging. We need all the help we can get.”
Tenant bowed his head and replied.
“I’m not deserving of that. Please, kill me.”
“You were the one who requested the duel. The treatment of the loser is up to the winner, right? You can’t die without my permission.”
“…”
Tenant had no words. A duel’s loser must follow the winner’s decree. That’s why duels are permitted; at times, territorial disputes can be settled through duels.
Having already borne all shame, he couldn’t even dare to reverse the result of the duel.
If Marquis Roderick had died at the hands of the Penris Army, he could’ve used that as justification to fight until the end, but he had no such excuse.
“If I… join, many will be uncomfortable.”
“We’ve always lived uncomfortably. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“…”
Ghislaine’s words made the knights nod silently. With a few sane individuals in the territory, discomfort was just commonplace.
Honestly, even though Gillian and Kaor shared the space, interacting with them was uncomfortable. The same went for Claude and Alfoy; elves and dwarves were not worth mentioning.
Everyone was uncomfortable with each other, yet everyone just accepted it because of Ghislaine’s overwhelming power and authority. That was Penris.
Even adding one enemy, who was once an opponent, wouldn’t change much.
“The Drake Mercenary Group isn’t pursuing any issues, as Marquis Roderick is dead. His heirs died in the war, too. They didn’t have a grudge against you, so you don’t need to worry.”
Hearing Ghislaine’s words, Tenant sighed.
“Even so, how could you consider using me, having directly killed my lord and lost my honor?”
“Tenant, you must pay the price.”
“Pay the price… What do you mean?”
“Your loyalty will be acknowledged by anyone. But could your life truly be called honorable?”
“…”
“Marquis Roderick may have been your lord and savior, but to the territory residents, he was the worst tyrant. Do you really think you bear no fault for pretending not to know that as his retainer?”
“That’s…”
“Yes, the territory residents are the lord’s property. But do you really think that’s right? If you’re truly a knight who knows honor, ask yourself.”
Tenant bowed his head silently again. He had no rebuttal on this matter.
It was also a knightly fault not to protect the weak and to give unbidden advice.
Yet, Tenant pretended not to know that, putting forward the shabby shield of loyalty to his lord.
To Tenant, Ghislaine said.
“Those who have suffered under Marquis Roderick’s exploitation are now suffering from the monsters of the rift. If you’re truly an honorable person…”
Thwack!
Ghislaine stabbed a sword in front of Tenant. She firmly continued.
“Now, lift the sword for the people.”
Tenant stared at the sword stuck in the ground for a long while before asking.
“What if… I refuse?”
“I’ll tie you up and throw you in front of the monsters. If you wish to die, you can do so miserably there.”
At those words, Tenant smiled wryly. After a few shoulder shakes, he grasped the sword.
At the same time, the knights behind Ghislaine tensed, placing their hands on their swords.
Slowly drawing the sword and rising, Tenant declared.
“I will not pledge my loyalty to you.”
“Doesn’t matter. Just fight where I tell you to fight.”
“I’ll help the people, and once the turmoil ends, I’ll hide away.”
“A guy who can only fight during peaceful times is of no use. If you’re going to offer a meal, I see no reason to decline.”
The two exchanged smiles. Tenant joked while grinning.
“If you intended to use me, why not leave my arm intact?”
“Consider it the price of learning humility.”
Tenant smiled again and made his last request.
“Please bring me a mask. It’ll be hard to go around with my bare face.”
“Sure. Even if you cover it, everyone will recognize you.”
Many soldiers had seen Tenant lose his arm and be defeated in the duel. No matter how much he covered his face, they would all know who he was.
Tenant recognized that, yet he didn’t retract his request. At least he could hide his embarrassed face.
Thus, a new superhuman joined the Penris territory.
*
“Wow, the situation in the royal kingdom is chaotic.”
“That’s putting it mildly. How did social gatherings come to create such messes…?”
“Isn’t it fortunate they haven’t appeared in the North? That’s actually better for us.”
At someone’s remark, others burst into laughter.
Gathered on the huge platform outdoors, the northern lords were chattering in small groups.
Ghislaine summoned the northern lords under the authority of the Northern Army Commander. They couldn’t find a reason to refuse and had gathered, leading their territory armies.
Everyone had a rough idea why Penris had called them together.
“That guy seems to be gathering an army to deal with the rift…”
“Is that all? It’s obvious he intends to use our forces in the fight against the Duke Faction as well.”
“There’s no way we can just hand them over. We’re all thinking the same thing, right?”
“Of course, in a situation like this, we should conserve our strength. Let’s find excuses and support as little as possible.”
The other territorial lords of the kingdom were in chaos. They had to deal with the rift and fight the Duke Faction, which meant they would incur enormous losses.
However, the relatively safe northern lords didn’t want to take risks. They might even use this opportunity to make a fortune.
Naturally, they planned to conceal and conserve their full power.
One lord, sounding a bit worried, asked.
“Will Count Penris settle for something reasonable? Everyone knows he’s a lunatic. He’ll probably demand the maximum allowed by royal law, which is half.”
“He took quite a bit of troops last time for food procurement. It was a huge hassle to recover from that.”
“He’ll probably threaten again with that.”
The lords grumbled. During the last procurement, they had been tied by the neck with food and iron ore, so they had no choice but to comply.
Now, the situation was slightly better, but being on Count Penris’s bad side could still risk limitations in food procurement.
The lord of Zimbarr, directly next door to Perdium, spoke up.
“Back when he was younger, he was called a reckless fool, not this promising individual… Tsk tsk. But this time might be different.”
“What do you mean?”
“That kid is now facing a fight with the Duke faction and dealing with the rift too. It won’t benefit him to fight us all.”
“So…”
“If we gather even just the soldiers we have with us, we’ll number in the thousands. No matter how much of a lunatic he is, I doubt he’ll want to fight here directly. If we unite our strength and go hard, he won’t have a choice.”
“Of course. But wouldn’t he retaliate later during food procurement?”
“We can deal with that later. Are we really going to sacrifice half our army because we’re afraid of retaliation? Can we do that? He’ll definitely ask for the maximum.”
“Hm…”
All the lords nodded in agreement.
In wartime, the regional commander could conscript up to half the soldiers from all the lords. This meant they were to defend their territories with only half.
But sacrificing half the army would lead to immense losses for the lords, as they’d also have to bear the costs and supplies for running those soldiers.
Who would want to do that when their territory might wobble right now?
Zimbarr’s lord subtly suggested.
“How about we form a strong alliance among ourselves during this opportunity?”
“An alliance?”
“Yes. Otherwise, we’ll just be tossed around by Count Penris.”
“Sounds good. We must protect our rights!”
All the lords agreed. Poor northern territories may seem modest, but united they could form a force not to be underestimated.
Just like that, the ‘Northern Alliance’ was mysteriously born.
The first alliance leader was the Zimbarr lord, who had proposed the idea first.
“That kid’s father, Marquis Perdium, has known me for a long time, so he can’t act carelessly. After all, our territory has supported Perdium for a long time.”
“Of course, of course. Let’s show that brat that we won’t be a pushover.”
The other territories, excluding the North, were caught in turmoil. The northern lords, separated from immediate threats, found themselves with the leisure to scheme such plans.
“By the way, why hasn’t that little brat called the grown-ups yet?!”
One lord grumbled irritably. As if on cue, the Penris Army appeared in the distance.
Knights guarding the lords shouted from various places.
“Count Penris has arrived!”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Leading was Ghislaine, on the Black King, followed by her close associates and about two thousand cavalrymen.
As they observed the approaching Penris Army, the soldiers of the other territorial forces wore tense expressions.
The overwhelming aura alone was intimidating, and the reputation of the strongest in the North made other armies shrink in size.
The lords gathered on the platform gulped down nervously.
‘Was that brat like that before?’
‘Something feels… different…’
‘Why does he seem so strong?’
As Ghislaine came closer, the lords’ tension mounted. While they had allied with other lords, Ghislaine was such a lunatic that they felt apprehensive about facing her.
From atop her horse, Ghislaine swept her gaze over the lords.
“It’s been a while, everyone.”
Some of the lords recognized her, while some had previously been part of the Duke faction but had since fallen out. Others had unwittingly seen their retainers transfer to the Duke faction.
But none of it mattered now. Anyone rejoining the Duke faction would be the first targeted.
‘Amelia hasn’t come.’
Well, that girl wouldn’t listen to him. Besides, that cunning woman had finished negotiating with the Crown Prince faction to act independently before Ghislaine could even activate the authority of the Northern Army Commander.
‘Well, that doesn’t matter.’
Either way, Amelia would be dealing with quite a headache now. She’d have to adjust all her plans thanks to the Salvation Society.
In other words, it meant they had no reason to fight each other now.
Once Ghislaine dismounted and took a seat at the empty spot, she addressed everyone.
“You all know why I, the Northern Army Commander, called you here.”
The answer came from Zimbarr’s lord, the leader of the Northern Alliance.
“Ahem. Are you trying to coerce us into participating in the war under the authority of the Commander?”
“Correct. While it’s a civil war, we also need to prevent the rift from expanding. Since the North hasn’t suffered damage from the rift, you should be able to mobilize your armies without any burden.”
“Cough! Cough! Since the kingdom is in crisis, we can’t pretend not to notice. So, before the Commander came, we had already discussed our support among ourselves.”
“Support? This isn’t support; this is conscription under royal law.”
“Ahem, well, isn’t that the same thing? At any rate, we will be participating.”
Ghislaine nodded.
“Is that so? I’m glad the discussion went quickly. Then you’re saying the decision has been made?”
“Yes, we’ll be providing about a third of our forces and costs from each territory. That should be sufficient, right?”
Certainly, that much would create a considerable scale of troops and would cost a corresponding amount. The lords thought they were being quite fair with that.
But Ghislaine frowned and said.
“Are you joking? The kingdom is in crisis, and you plan to give ‘just’ that little while securing your own safety?”
“Hey! Just that little? We’re giving our best here! Are you seriously planning to take everything?!”
“Yes, I will take it all.”
“That kind of request is only feasible when a kingdom is under threat from an invasion! That’s not the situation now, is it? Saying half should be taken is merely a precaution for a worst-case scenario…”
In an instant, Ghislaine interrupted Zimbarr’s lord’s words.
“Half? Who said half?”
“The maximum set by law is half of the territory’s army, isn’t it? Aren’t you referring to that?”
Ghislaine grinned incredulously, leaning back in her chair.
“I think there’s some misunderstanding here.”
“What misunderstanding…?”
“Bring them all.”
“What?!”
Ghislaine gazed around coldly at the lords.
“I’m saying to bring everyone except the minimum necessary to maintain public order. Do you understand?”
The lords momentarily felt their heads spin, unable to respond.
