Chapter 462
Chapter 462: Are You Working Out at the Fortress? (3)
The King of Ruthania had been bedridden for a long time. That’s why the Chancellor and Marquis Branford were leading the government affairs.
But over twenty years ago, before the Marquis had gained significant power and while the King was still strong, things were quite different.
“There might be records related to this situation with the royal family. The King would know something,” I thought.
There was some basis for that suspicion.
It was precisely the strategy employed by the Duke’s faction.
“The Duke aimed directly at the capital in his past life as well. Back then, the Crown Prince Faction was weakened, so there wasn’t much suspicion…”
Capturing the king in a war is equivalent to determining the victory or defeat of that war. So, at that time, no one particularly suspected the Duke’s intentions.
After all, most nobles had already sided with the Duke, so as long as the capital was captured, it would be over.
“But the situation has changed a lot now.”
Because of me, the Duke failed to naturally swallow the kingdom. Moreover, he was designated as a public enemy of both the kingdom and the church.
So even if they captured the King, they wouldn’t be able to take control of the kingdom.
Still, the Duke’s army had been focusing its strategy solely on the capital rather than the kingdom as a whole. You could tell by how they were moving their forces.
“Over twenty years ago, the Salvation Society attacked the Shadow Knight Group that protected the royal family. They’ve already fought once in the shadows. They are still persistently targeting the royal family. They don’t just want to win the war.”
They probably aimed at the royal family even then. But due to Ghislaine’s mother, they suffered severe damage as well.
I guessed they shifted their plans towards overthrowing the kingdom.
Of course, that was merely a prediction based on intuition. One shouldn’t rashly judge the enemy’s strategy until the war is over.
I knew that in my head, but Ghislaine’s instincts, honed on the battlefield, were telling me something different.
To resolve my doubts, I needed to meet the King directly and ask if he knew anything about the Salvation Society.
“And also about the Shadow Knight Group. Why has one family protected the royal family for generations?”
That part wasn’t clearly laid out in the book I received from Belinda.
With a few questions tucked away in my mind, Ghislaine smiled at Belinda.
“How cool is that? My mother was the strongest in the kingdom and the one who protected Ruthania from the shadows.”
“Surprised, huh?”
“Well, a bit.”
“Your talent seems to have come from Lady Anette. Also, Lady Elena’s abilities.”
Belinda was both proud and relieved. I wondered how long she had wanted to share how remarkable Anette was.
Ghislaine scratched his head a bit and asked again.
“Then my mother’s real name isn’t… ‘Elizabeth Lauren Le Yvonne de Vallière’?”
“Yes.”
“Is there a reason she changed it?”
“She simply wanted to use a pretty, elegant, and grand name. She had thought about it for a long time. So, everything before was fake.”
“…So, my father knows nothing?”
“Yes, he only knows her as a beautiful, bright, and fun person…”
“What was her real personality like?”
“She really was like that usually, but when she got angry… Well, she must have had some similar traits to you, I think.”
Ghislaine easily accepted it. Now he understood why his personality was the way it was.
“Still… Was it necessary to hide everything even from my father?”
If his father found out, it would have been a huge shock. He believed his mother was merely a fallen noble’s descendant.
As a husband, he might feel a bit betrayed.
But Belinda thought differently.
“People tend to want to hide unnecessary or bad pasts. Especially from those they love. There’s no benefit for the Marquis to know about that, right? It could only hurt his pride. It’s consideration, consideration.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
“And there’s another reason. Certainly, Lady Anette’s Mana Circulation Method and techniques would have helped Perdium, but if she had mastered those, it could have put Perdium in danger more quickly.”
“Hmm…”
That made sense. According to Melchior, the Duke seemed to have checked on his mother’s whereabouts several times.
So, his mother would have given up revealing her identity to Perdium.
Belinda smiled brightly.
“It’s refreshing to have everything revealed. If you wish, the book has your vision written in it, so you can learn it anytime. It’s originally yours anyway.”
“Well, I’ll think about that. By the way, how did you meet my father?”
“I was originally planning to take a break in the North and then move to another kingdom. But during my brief stay in Perdium, I met the young Marquis.”
“So you both had eyes for each other?”
“Eyes? The Marquis kept persistently following Lady Anette, pleading to meet just once… No matter how many times he was rejected, he kept chasing her! He was quite a tenacious man.”
“…I see.”
Suddenly, Ghislaine recalled something his father had drunkenly muttered when he had asked about his mother before.
—I confessed that I could even pull out my heart for you. How many times have I heard, during our arguments, when I would pull out my heart…
Seeing, it seemed his father wasn’t someone who could handle that. Still, succeeding in marrying such a person just because of love, in a way, his father was also impressive.
“So, Belinda stayed here to take care of me and Elena.”
“Yes, Lady Anette wished for me to live peacefully here. So, the Marquis entrusted me with you and the young lady.”
Belinda’s eyes filled with tears again as she said that. It seemed she still missed her a lot.
Ghislaine, looking at her sadly, suddenly thought of another question and furrowed his brows.
“Wait a minute, but didn’t the royal family search for my mother? I feel like the Duke and Melchior were also looking for her continuously?”
If such a remarkable person had disappeared, the royal family wouldn’t just sit idle. Yet, there were no records of anyone searching at that time, nor had he heard anything.
Belinda scoffed and replied.
“The Shadow Knight Group, even if it were the King, couldn’t identify themselves. They were a group operated independently. The members are all orphans, raised without families.”
“Does that… make sense? Not even meeting the King?”
“Only the leader met the King while wearing a mask. So even if they wanted to find someone, they couldn’t. They might have even felt relieved to have disappeared.”
A group that collects information and operates without the King’s approval. That was impressive, but it was also a double-edged sword.
If their leader had different intentions, they could easily take the King’s head off.
The royal family might feel quite uncomfortable about the Shadow Knight Group being tied to one family.
“I see. So that’s why the Salvation Society and Melchior tried to take over the Shadow Knight Group. They thought it would be easy to capture the King.”
“Seems like it. But they failed. Still, Lady Anette said she left a letter before leaving.”
“A letter? About what?”
“That the Shadow Knight Group has dissolved, and that a new guardian organization or family should be established. At that time, Lady Anette said she had dealt with all the enemies targeting the royal family, so she had done everything she needed to. Since the knight order has disappeared now, Lady Anette’s presence would only be more dangerous.”
“Right, I see.”
Most of my curiosities had been resolved. I still found it odd how such an organization was created and maintained.
‘That’s something I’ll understand when I meet the King.’
It was fascinating and astonishing to think that his mother had been the leader of such an incredible organization. Furthermore, she was reputed to be the strongest in the kingdom at that time.
Ghislaine shook himself out of his thoughts and spoke to Belinda.
“Let’s call it a day for now. If I have more questions, I’ll ask later. You should get some rest too. We’ll be leaving early tomorrow.”
“What about you?”
Ghislaine smiled subtly as he stood up.
“I still have to convince Elena.”
*
“Ha…”
Ghislaine exhaled, glaring at the mirror.
The red handprint still hadn’t faded. He had intentionally blocked the flow of mana to prevent recovery.
As the heir to Perdium and the lord of Penris, commander of the Northern Army, he wanted to strongly express that Elena had left a mark on his cheek.
Siblings bickering was always destined to be this ridiculous.
“Ugh, I don’t have time for this.”
During his time heading towards Perdium, news arrived that the Duke’s army was also on the move.
As expected, the Delphine Army was advancing from three directions. One of those was towards the Northern Army. They were said to be moving at a rapid pace; they would clash soon.
He had planned for the knights to take a day to rest after their grueling march, but Elena’s situation was a variable.
“I must convince her somehow before today ends.”
Night passed, and morning arrived. He needed to persuade Elena by today if they were to leave tomorrow morning.
Determined to speak earnestly once more, Ghislaine headed straight for Elena. Time was short; he had to make the best of it.
Knock, knock.
As he knocked, a cool voice rang from within.
“Don’t come in.”
Creak.
Ghislaine ignored Elena’s refusal and opened the door. He paid no mind to his sister’s objections.
“Ah! I told you not to come in!”
“Elena, just calm down for a second and listen to me.”
“I don’t want to, no way!”
“You can’t waste your talent in this North. You have the potential to be the best.”
“I’m going to be a graceful noble lady! I’m going to marry a magnificent prince! What on earth is this battlefield!”
In the past, he would have mocked her not to say such nonsense. How could the daughter of a poor lord meet and marry a magnificent prince?
But lately, things had changed significantly. Numerous noble families were sending marriage proposals. Thanks to Ghislaine, the Perdium family had become one of the strongest families in the kingdom.
They were actually in the midst of choosing a match. It’s a problem if the daughter spoiled Zvalter ripped up every proposal that came their way.
Ghislaine said with a slightly sad expression.
“You’re more suited to rampage on the battlefield than for marriage. Like an angry bull. You could become a figure of terror. Doesn’t that sound cool?”
“Ugh! I’m so annoyed! Leave me alone!”
It was a typical sibling conversation, but there was no progress. Ghislaine, frustrated, pounded his chest.
“You could become the ultimate battle weapon! No, even calling you a battle weapon would be insufficient. You’re on the level of siege equipment! Wow, Siege Equipment Elena!”
“I don’t want to do something like that!”
“Why? Isn’t it cool? A human being siege equipment!”
“Not cool at all!”
“It’s all for your sake!”
“Don’t want to!”
“Ah! Please do it!”
Even Ghislaine, the king of persuasion, couldn’t help but get angry when his family wouldn’t listen to him. Or perhaps he should find a weakness to torment her, but nothing came to mind immediately.
Unable to communicate at all, Ghislaine turned on his heel. Cheating, but he decided to try another approach.
“I’ll tell Father and have him send you to the Northern Army.”
“What? What? Are you insane? Hey! Stop! You crazy person!”
Elena chased after Ghislaine with a panicked expression.
Ghislaine held the leash of Perdium. If he forced her to go, it would be tough for their father and the retainers to refuse.
After the assassins had run amok, his retainers were all gathered in a meeting about the damages. They were evaluating the situation and reinforcing the fortress’s defenses.
Thinking it was a good time, Ghislaine immediately spoke to Zvalter as soon as he entered.
“I need to take Elena with me to the Northern Army for training.”
“Hmmm… Do you really have to?”
Zvalter had already received reports. The news that his daughter possessed a remarkable talent for magic was welcome, but he didn’t want her to face the hardships of training and combat.
Moreover, the Northern Army was a force that only roamed battlefields. He couldn’t send his daughter off to such a dangerous place.
“Don’t worry, I’ll place her in a rear base. I’ll personally train her to make her strong quickly.”
“Oh, but it’s still dangerous. I can’t allow it.”
In response to Zvalter’s firm opposition, Ghislaine switched tactics.
“Father, you aren’t someone who would immediately die if an extraordinary person attacked. You can withstand long enough for someone nearby to assist you. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s true, I’ve reached that level now.”
“But Elena and Rachel are not. They could die from a single mistake. I think after this incident, both of them need to be able to protect themselves.”
“Hmmm… But wouldn’t it be better for them to train here?”
“I teach faster. You know that, right?”
“Ugh…”
Zvalter fell into contemplation. In fact, assassination attempts were now extremely rare, but still, it wasn’t incorrect.
While Zvalter was deep in thought, Ghislaine glared at Baron Homern, the Chief Officer, and Treasurer Albert. It was a hint to act accordingly if they wanted to continue receiving his aid.
The two who grasped that meaning stepped forward.
“The Grand Duke’s words are correct. Lady Elena must at least build a minimal level of strength.”
“Of course, we have been neglecting that part. If it’s the Grand Duke, he will be able to provide attribute training.”
The two had no choice but to comply. The Grand Duke would indeed take everything away if things went wrong. They didn’t want to give up this comfortable lifestyle.
All other retainers also expressed their support. Even Zvalter, the doting father, was taken aback.
Seeing Ghislaine’s manipulations, Elena shouted angrily.
“What’s going on! You all seem desperate to kick me out! This is really too much! Is my brother that scary?”
Crack!
The armrest of Zvalter’s chair shattered under Elena’s furious grip. Now she didn’t hold back in showing her strength.
Even Zvalter, who initially opposed it, looked on with a hint of fear.
“I—I think it’s okay for her to go…”
“Eeehh! Are you really going to side with Dad? I’m not going! I’m not going, so nobody come after me! If you do, I’ll make sure you regret it!”
Elena brandished her fist, huffing angrily, making everyone take a step back in caution. She then hurriedly fled to her room.
Zvalter rubbed his forehead and after a moment of contemplation finally spoke.
“I don’t know. You two handle it. After all, I don’t think either of you will listen to anyone else anyway.”
“Thank you. Then I’ll ‘handle it’.”
Ghislaine decided to leave the hidden Elena alone for now and took a rest.
After a full day of resting, Ghislaine and the knights woke up early in the morning to prepare for departure.
Rachel, who came out with her belongings, asked with a slightly fearful expression.
“Uh, what about Elena? Am I going alone?”
Despite the difference in status, Elena and Rachel were the only friends. Since Gillian would surely receive a noble title one day, he didn’t prevent them from becoming close in Perdium.
Rachel gathered her courage to follow Ghislaine’s persuasion that Elena would be going with them.
Gillian was a bit worried too, but he ultimately didn’t oppose it too much, as he could keep his daughter close after such a long time apart.
It was clear that if the Northern Army fell, Perdium would also collapse. Given that, it was better to train her while being together.
Ghislaine smiled as he replied to Rachel’s question.
“Don’t worry. Elena is coming along too.”
Ghislaine pulled out a black cloth from his belongings and tied it under his eyes. Some of the knights followed suit.
Then, a fearsome band of robbers appeared right in front of the castle.
Rubbing the back of his neck a few times, Ghislaine muttered.
“I don’t get why everyone has to use their strength. Wouldn’t it be much better if we could travel gently instead? Don’t you think?”
Sometimes, in life, there are moments when one must resort to plunder—even if it’s against a sibling.
