Chapter 45
Chapter 45: Just as I Thought. (3)
At Ghislaine’s words, Randolf shouted in rage.
“Investment? What do you know about investments? You just eat and poop all day! Now, no one stop me! I’m going to kill that guy today… Wow, what’s that? Your Grace!”
Randolf halted mid-charge at Ghislaine and widened his eyes in shock.
Everyone squinted at the spreading light, peering into the wooden chest.
“Uh, that’s…”
“Could it be…?”
The expressions of the retainers, seeing the ores mixed up like a pile of rocks in the chest, twisted in disbelief.
Gillian lightly nodded to Ghislaine and stepped outside, but the retainers were so engrossed in the contents of the chest that they barely noticed his departure.
A suffocating silence enveloped everyone.
Finally snapping back to reality, Zvalter stammered, struggling to speak.
“What… what is this?”
Knowing full well what it was but unable to trust his own eyes, Zvalter looked to Ghislaine for confirmation, who smiled in reply.
“It’s a Runestone. Found it in the Forest of Monsters.”
“R-really? How did you find it in such a short time?”
“I didn’t comb through the entire forest. I sought out the resource-rich areas and broke through directly. We intend to pave the path and build fortifications for continuous extraction.”
Zvalter could only jump to his feet in astonishment at Ghislaine’s words.
“Does that mean there are even more Runestones?”
“Yes, quite a lot. This is just a part of it.”
Zvalter was at a loss for words, stunned into silence.
Homern stuttered, his voice trembling.
“This, this is all a lie, right? Your Grace is not that kind of person! You didn’t steal them, did you? Or perhaps you bought them for 20,000 gold and are lying? Please tell me that’s the case!”
“Why would I lie? There’s plenty loaded on the wagon outside, check for yourself.”
Ghislaine shrugged nonchalantly.
“There’s much more left than what we brought this time. You can just see if I’ll keep bringing more Runestones. Isn’t there a saying that blessings come to those who believe?”
Thud.
Zvalter plopped down on his seat in a daze.
He had no idea what to say about what his son had achieved.
He couldn’t discern whether the situation was a dream or reality.
The Treasurer, Albert, blinked in disbelief, staring at the Runestones before him.
If there really were that many Runestones, it wouldn’t be an issue at all to cut support from Raybold’s territory.
Albert rushed to the chest, squatting down to touch the Runestones.
“T-this is really a Runestone… How much would all of this sell for…?”
“W-we should see too!”
The retainers rushed over, crowding in front of the chest.
They marveled at the Runestones, excitement bubbling over as they touched them.
Watching them, Ghislaine sighed in relief within himself.
“If Amelia had moved just a bit faster, we would have been in a huge mess.”
Just the thought of it was terrifying.
If he had been even a little delayed, he might not have been able to enter the Forest of Monsters, and his hands and feet would’ve been tied.
Not only would he have lost the money extracted from Amelia, but he also would have failed to find the Runestones.
The outcome had turned on a razor’s edge.
“Truly a clever woman. To think she would use such a tactic. Is this just the beginning?”
She certainly would not stop here.
This incident was merely to hinder Ghislaine and tie him down.
They probably thought this was enough to dismiss him.
But once they found out he had obtained the Runestones, they would surely intervene and scheme again.
“And it’s not just Amelia.”
Duke Delphine wouldn’t sit idly by either.
After all, they had failed to kill Elena.
They were currently preoccupied with weakening other territories, but if the existence of the Runestones became known, all eyes would focus right here.
He had to prepare as much as possible before that.
“I need to move faster.”
This time, he managed to pull through without a hitch, but Amelia had moved quicker than he had anticipated.
He realized this time for sure.
Time was not on his side.
While he was busy moving, the enemies were also on the move.
Ghislaine snapped to attention and abruptly closed the chest.
“Alright, the sightseeing ends here. Staring too much will wear it out. Hehehe.”
His tone was like that of a sleazy con artist, but the retainers could only retreat, speechless.
Ghislaine wore a confident smile while looking at them.
“So, what were we talking about? Was it about taking me to Raybold?”
No one could open their mouths.
Ghislaine had pulled off something utterly ridiculous.
To think he would venture into the Forest of Monsters. Everyone assumed he would fail, deeming it impossible.
Yet, the Grand Duke had taken his mercenaries in and truly succeeded.
An endeavor that all previous lords of Perdium had failed to solve, and that incompetent buffoon Ghislaine had managed to finish in less than a month.
To achieve such results in just a matter of days.
Both the actions and results had surpassed their expectations.
It was hard to believe that the Grand Duke they had consistently dismissed had accomplished this.
The retainers murmured amongst themselves.
“Cough, ahem. How on earth did the Grand Duke manage this…”
“Wow, I can’t believe there were Runestones in the Forest of Monsters.”
“W-why were they in the Forest of Monsters?”
With that, it didn’t matter if they had wreaked havoc in Raybold’s territory.
In fact, they should be praised for this achievement.
They always had to cater to others’ whims, but now they no longer needed to do that.
While the other retainers remained dazed, Homern shot a glance at the knight beside him.
It was a signal to bring in soldiers.
He didn’t intend to capture Ghislaine.
The sins would be canceled out by this merit, while he planned to exert pressure to take the Runestones and power from him.
A thought befitting a noble who had survived the political arena.
But there’s always someone above the one who’s jumping about.
Screech.
“What’s this!”
“Your Grace, what is the meaning of this?!”
As the door to the great hall swung open, the retainers screamed in horror.
Armed mercenaries stood outside, grinning menacingly as they threatened the soldiers.
Randolf couldn’t suppress his anger, reaching for his sword.
He sensed a presence outside but thought nothing of it, assuming it to be soldiers.
He never imagined there would be a gathering of mercenaries.
Homern gritted his teeth and shouted.
“Your Grace! You brought troops here?! Are you planning a rebellion?”
Ghislaine feigned exaggerated surprise and shook his head.
“A rebellion? They’re just waiting for me. Well, in a way, it’s also to escort me, just in case.”
Ghislaine, who was more seasoned than Homern, had already predicted his reaction and had Gillian bring in the mercenaries.
Of course, the territory’s retainers were not enemies.
But if these mercenaries believed they were doing this for the territory, they would have no hesitation in pointing their swords at Ghislaine.
That’s the mentality of those who govern territories in this era.
While they understood loyalty to Perdium, Ghislaine had no choice but to act completely contrary to their thoughts.
In the end, he decided to show a display of strength.
To demonstrate he wouldn’t sit idly by if provoked.
In a tense moment, Zvalter instead displayed a glint of intrigue.
“Huh, so Ghislaine has this side to him?”
What was more surprising than Ghislaine bringing back Runestones was his current behavior.
His son, who had always been timid and known only for mistreating those beneath him, was now exhibiting a completely different demeanor.
“Your Lordship! No matter how much of a Grand Duke he is, such rude behavior cannot be tolerated!”
“Brother! I’ll wipe out those insolent bastards!”
While Homern and Randolf were in an uproar, Zvalter reclined comfortably in his chair and spoke.
“Enough. The troops and Runestones are mine for bringing them here, so what can you do about it?”
“Your Lordship!”
“Brother!”
Homern and Randolf protested in panic, but Zvalter shook his head.
After all, Ghislaine was the future heir to the territory.
Previously, he had been worried to no end, certain that after his demise, Ghislaine would certainly ruin the territory shortly after inheriting it.
“Better to have him act like this than to languish about.”
Inwardly, he felt a twinge of joy that Ghislaine had anticipated the retainers’ actions and prepared accordingly.
“That guy did show some of the northern wolf in him after all.”
Yet, realizing that his son was not entirely hopeless brought Zvalter a sense of warmth.
Ultimately, Zvalter decided to let this incident slide.
He was scared to pressure Ghislaine too much, fearing he might revert to his old ways.
If he truly overstepped, he could merely correct his behavior later.
“It’s a surprising thing that mercenaries would follow you this far. I’ll let this one go. But should you break the command again next time, I won’t be so forgiving.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
With Zvalter generously forgiving, Ghislaine slightly bowed his head and smiled.
Ghislaine didn’t undertake the show of force without reason either.
Knowing his father’s temperament, he knew it was a calculated move.
What kind of average man would live dedicated solely to the battlefield while discarding his own life?
He was confident he was different from the dull-witted lords who just clung to their power.
In the awkward atmosphere, Treasurer Albert began to brainstorm his next steps.
“I need to somehow get my hands on those Runestones.”
The retainers had all opposed this notion, and since the Grand Duke had succeeded alone in the venture, there was no justification for claiming ownership from the territory.
He considered forcibly taking them, but Ghislaine was the territory’s heir and the firstborn of the family.
In the end, he would inevitably become the master of the territory.
If a clash occurred now, the losses would far outweigh any gains.
It seemed better to handle this carefully and extract some money instead.
“Fighting would bring no benefit.”
Rumor had it he returned with nearly two hundred mercenaries, but only a little over fifty had come back.
Most of them had died, implying the forest was more dangerous than expected.
There was no way that the mercenaries who had survived in such a perilous forest could be pushovers.
That idiot who commanded such mercenaries wouldn’t easily part with money either.
Albert’s plan was straightforward.
Since he couldn’t snatch away the Grand Duke’s gold, he would receive a share through a reasonable justification.
Having completed his thoughts, Albert cleared his throat and spoke.
“Cough, cough. Regardless, congratulations on your success. Yet, the 20,000 gold that Your Grace received was originally the territory’s funds. It was because of that which support was cut off and led to this development, hence, I think the territory deserves a share. Wouldn’t you agree?”
At Albert’s words, the retainers nodded eagerly.
One must at least attempt something in the hope of success.
Surely it was because of that 20,000 gold that they had been able to attempt the venture.
His argument made sense, but Ghislaine was the king of mercenaries who had never given away his own money, even while taking someone else’s.
“Hmm.”
Ghislaine casually stroked his chin, pondering before casually replying.
“That’s quite an interesting suggestion. It makes sense. Truly, I found that quite moving.”
“Y-yes? So, you should at least grant the territory a 40 percent… No, a 30 percent share…”
“Just give me 20,000 gold, and we’re good?”
“Wha-what?”
At Albert’s surprise, Ghislaine winked and made a coin gesture with his finger.
“20,000 gold, I’ll return it. With interest.”
