Chapter 425
Chapter 425: I’m Going to Make It Happen, Even If It Means Forcing It. (1)
“Gah, ugh, this tastes terrible! Hey, what’s wrong with this flavor?”
Maurice gulped down the medicine, smacking his lips in distaste.
As the other nobles looked on in disbelief, Maurice boldly spoke up.
“What? Why? My nephew’s like a kid trying to help us with a plague remedy, and you’re all just questioning it? They say the plague is spreading, right?”
He gestured to a nearby Guard Knight.
“Hey, bring me some water, will you? I need to rinse my mouth.”
When the knight brought the water, Maurice rinsed his mouth and continued.
“Ah, refreshing. Yeah, go ahead and report.”
The knight who came to report hesitated for a moment and then added,
“The plague is spreading rapidly in the regions nearby where the Rift opened. Most soldiers who fought at the Rift are already down with the illness.”
Marquis Branford, eyes closed, asked,
“I specifically told you to isolate the army that fought at the Rift, didn’t I? You’re telling me it spread to other regions?”
“Well… there were quite a few lords who didn’t listen. Since they didn’t create isolation zones, the army got mixed up with the territory residents, and then some moved about, causing further spread.”
“….What idiots.”
Marquis Branford clicked his tongue, suppressing his anger.
He had never thought all the lords would follow his orders. That’s why he had sent documents multiple times to emphasize his points.
Yet here we were, with the plague already spreading.
It seemed he had heard beforehand from Count Penris about what might happen. It wasn’t entirely believable, but it couldn’t be ignored either.
If it were true, it was indeed dangerous, and perhaps preparations were made even at a loss.
Marquis Branford looked around at everyone and stated.
“Do you understand now? That everything Count Penris said is true.”
The nobles, who had been hesitating, finally had nothing to say.
They had only prepared for the Duke Faction’s fight against the Rift, thinking there was no need to panic over something that hadn’t even happened.
They had patted themselves on the back, believing themselves to be cool-headed, but in reality, they were the foolish ones.
At least Count Ailzbur looked relieved, wiping his forehead.
“Phew, I’m glad I listened to my wife. I should entrust everything to her moving forward.”
A huge amount of funds went into producing the plague medicine, so Count Ailzbur had quite a bit of dissatisfaction as well. However, Meriel had actively worked to secure a considerable amount of medicine.
Looking back now, it seemed Meriel was right. Thanks to her, the standing of the Count family would rise even higher.
Marquis Branford coldly declared.
“I’ll overlook what Count Penris did to Count Heseltine. As a warning, I will strip Count Heseltine of his title and promote Baron Spenbel to Count while recognizing the lord’s rights. Any objections?”
“……”
It was already a topic of much discussion regarding what Ghislaine had done. No matter how much authority had been granted over the Rift, stripping away another noble’s rights crossed a line.
He acted like a king, even though he isn’t one; rumors spread that Count Penris should have his powers reduced. Ghislaine’s power and authority now exceeded even Marquis Branford.
However, now that the plague was spreading and Ghislaine’s words had been proven right, it was hard to argue. It was true that Count Heseltine’s failure to follow orders had caused this situation.
Marquis Branford, having silenced the nobles, turned to the knight.
“So, how’s the plague status? Is it serious? What’s the speed of its spread?”
“When infected, patients experience high fevers and develop red spots all over their bodies. The transmission rate is incredibly fast. Most of the infected have collapsed, and the death toll is rising. Divine Power has no effect on it.”
“High fevers? Red spots? And it doesn’t respond to Divine Power? Wait, could it be…”
“Yes, the symptoms are similar to ‘Eternal Punishment.’”
“What? Isn’t that an incurable disease? You’re saying the symptoms are the same? And it’s contagious too?”
“Yes. The symptoms are slightly milder, but it spreads and manifests very quickly.”
“Ah……”
‘Eternal Punishment’ was the disease that Gillian’s daughter, Rachel, had contracted. Ghislaine knew the treatment for that illness and had been able to heal Rachel because the symptoms were similar to the contagion that had spread across the continent after the Rift opened.
Just like in Ghislaine’s previous life, the plague currently spreading on the continent had symptoms identical to ‘Eternal Punishment.’ It could be said to be a variant with relatively milder symptoms but faster transmission rates.
The nobles looked uneasy, their expressions crumpling. The plague, known to be untreatable and said to be a curse, was now circulating.
Count Ailzbur, who had been listening blankly, addressed the other nobles.
“Wait, does this mean that this medicine can also treat ‘Eternal Punishment’? Isn’t it heavily infused with fairy blessings? If we increase that ratio…?”
“W-would that be possible? To treat an incurable disease…”
“No, how could Count Penris know this?”
The nobles murmured in unison.
Even if he received information from priests of the Salvation Society, it was almost prophetic to know about the plague. And to know the treatment methodology as well?
It was hard to comprehend. At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising to think Count Penris had intentionally spread the disease.
As the nobles began to harbor doubts, Marquis Branford spoke up.
“Those are things we can discuss later, once this is over. Now that the plague has become a reality, we must proceed forcefully.”
“What do you mean?”
“I will prohibit the trade of materials needed for medicine within the kingdom. Furthermore, in territories that lack proper manufacturing facilities or are not actively producing medicine, I will forcibly confiscate the materials. Compensation will be dealt with later.”
“Hmm…”
The nobles sighed deeply.
Under normal circumstances, it was better to avoid touching a noble’s private property or imposing trade restrictions. Nobles had their rights guaranteed by the royal family in exchange for loyalty.
But Marquis Branford continued with a chilling gaze.
“If we seek our rights now, we’ll all be dead. Even now, there are plenty of selfish individuals trying to take advantage of the situation. It can no longer be tolerated. Do you understand?”
Everyone nodded. If they continued to be selfish, they would truly all perish.
As the chaos intensified, controlling everything with Marquis Branford’s power was becoming difficult. Stronger measures needed to be adopted.
“Mobilize all available troops to exert force. Strip away the rights of those who seek to take advantage of the current situation and confiscate their properties. And…”
Marquis Branford, taking a deep breath as if he had come to a decision, stated.
“Once everything is over, we’ll discuss the promotion of House Perdium.”
“W-wait, marquis, that…”
Everyone gasped in surprise. To talk about promoting Ghislaine to Count so soon after he had just been promoted was shocking.
Moreover, he had mentioned House Perdium instead of Penris. That meant he was suggesting establishing another unique Duke family in the kingdom.
“Wait, you’re proposing to elevate the marquis to a higher title?”
“Are you saying that we’re breaking tradition to establish a duke family in the North?”
“The rumors that Marquis Branford considers Baron Penris as his heir were true!”
The Ruthania Kingdom has slightly different traditions compared to other kingdoms. The longstanding tradition prohibits the establishment of duke families other than the ‘Delphine Family’ since its founding.
Normally, even royal descendants could hold the title of duke. However, due to the customs established by the founding king, the royal family’s collateral branches were restricted to marquis titles.
Even the most powerful figure, Marquis Branford, had never ascended to duke.
No one knew why. They just accepted it as a matter of course since it had been the norm for so long.
Yet now, those long-standing customs were about to be broken, and the one speaking was none other than Marquis Branford.
For Ghislaine’s sake, no less.
Maurice frowned.
“Wait, that’s a bit… No matter how much he’s my nephew…”
“I’m not saying we should decide right this moment. We can discuss it if the Delphine Duke Family is gone. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Huh?”
Maurice flared his nostrils slightly. Upon reflection, if the Delphine Duke Family disappeared, wouldn’t those customs be rendered invalid?
Then his family too could ascend to dukedom.
“Cough, cough, right. Let’s talk about it later.”
“Ahaha, a McQuarry Duke family, that sounds glorious!”
Maurice grinned slyly. If he could elevate his family to dukedom, it would be something to boast about for generations to come.
“If we could be recognized as the Duke family that ended the civil war, then that would be fantastic. Ahaha!”
With Maurice not voicing any objections, the other nobles also fell silent.
Marquis Branford had set the atmosphere and hammered in the message.
“Convey my intentions to Count Penris. I will take full responsibility, so he can act freely. While dealing with the Rift is urgent, containing the plague is equally important.”
“Ugh…”
The nobles showed troubled expressions but did not argue.
Marquis Branford was clearly determined to support Ghislaine wholeheartedly.
Currently, the army that was moving most throughout the kingdom to fight the Rift was the Northern Army.
Some of the Kingdom Army would likely mobilize to secure resources, but it would be much more effective if the Northern Army moved to gather as they went.
Marquis Branford decided to impose his will through the Northern Army.
And that intention aligned perfectly with Ghislaine’s desires.
*
“Wowaaa! We won!”
The soldiers cheered after destroying another Rift.
The morale of the Northern Army was at an all-time high.
Even though they had eliminated several Rifts, they had suffered virtually no damage.
It was no wonder. Even if there were numerous Rift Beings rushing at them, they were simply swept away by the overwhelming skills and strength of Penris.
In fact, the real problem was dealing with Equidema, not the Rift Beings. There simply weren’t enough capable fighters to take down that superhuman-level monster.
But now Equidema was no longer a difficult opponent for the Northern Army.
“Caaaw!”
“Goddess!”
Piote just needed to close his eyes and sit down in front of Equidema. Then, Ghislaine would shout.
“He took the bait! Let’s catch it quickly!”
Equidema would go berserk the moment it saw Piote, and in the chaos, the other capable fighters could easily take it down.
Moreover, as time passed, they became increasingly well-synchronized, making it even easier to tackle Equidema.
The soldiers looked proudly at Ghislaine and his close associates as they captured Equidema.
“I really feel like we’re the strongest in the kingdom.”
“At this rate, we’ll wipe them all out soon!”
“I hear other armies are just barely managing to hold their own. There’s no one else pushing through like us.”
They were soldiers from the impoverished North, who had only barely managed to survive up until now. They had never felt such pride before.
As they followed Ghislaine, they transformed into elite soldiers. It was only natural as they continuously participated in battles and built their confidence.
As their pride and sense of identity as soldiers of the Northern Army grew, the way they looked at Ghislaine changed.
“I actually wish Count Penris would unify the North.”
“Then we’d be part of Penris too.”
“If Count Penris were to conquer our territory, I would definitely follow him.”
They say times create heroes. Spontaneous traitors were sprouting up within the Northern Army.
They genuinely hoped Ghislaine would conquer the entirety of the North. Their collective desire spread throughout the Northern Army.
As if pouring fuel onto a fire, Marquis Branford’s wishes were conveyed to the Northern Army.
Belinda exclaimed with excitement.
“Are you saying we’re going to discuss promotions again once the war is over? Our young master is becoming a duke?!”
Ghislaine smirked.
“What does a title even matter? First, we need to end the war. And even if promotions happen, my father comes first.”
Ghislaine had no interest in titles at all. But others were different.
Belinda clenched her fists and spoke with intense determination.
“You should lead the entire Northern Army and completely unify the North now. Everyone’s dying to pledge loyalty to you. It’s entirely possible!”
“…Belinda, you have some ambition.”
Ghislaine was inclined to brush it off with a laugh. However, Belinda raised her voice, showing she was serious.
“After that, you’ll ascend to the Duke of the North!”
“What? Duke?!”
“Northern. Duke.”
“…Duke of the North?”
“Of course, it’s something magnificent. It’s a dream!”
“A duke? Is that something you just dream about? No, before any of that, can I even make that happen? The title of duke is only for members of the royal family, isn’t it?”
Belinda and the other close associates looked at him as if they couldn’t believe what he was saying.
A person who had lived his entire life without worrying about others’ opinions was now saying something ridiculous.
“Have you ever done anything so far that you wanted? If you want to be a duke, you can just be one.”
“……”
Ghislaine fell silent, unable to respond. Surely, there were reasons behind everything, but to others, it would appear as though a madman was recklessly doing as he pleased.
Belinda stepped closer to Ghislaine, her eyes shining with ambition. It felt overwhelming, and he wanted to escape from it.
“Since you’re going to do whatever you want anyway, why not? Duke of the North. Just do something cooler than just a duke.”
“…What about my father?”
“He should retire. He’s been through a lot. I think it’s about time he took a break. It always pains my heart to see him working so hard.”
In any case, Belinda took precedence over Ghislaine. And Zvalter, who had always talked about wanting a break, would likely agree.
Ghislaine swallowed hard.
Somehow, the conversation seemed to be veering toward treason tinted with filial piety.
