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Chapter 48: It’s a Bit Dangerous Now (2)

“Is the territory in danger? Why?”

Belinda was taken aback by the sudden remark.

The money problems that had been the biggest headache in the territory were somewhat resolved by discovering the Runestone.

If only that money was used wisely, a foundation for development comparable to other territories could be established.

“If you don’t just throw money around, what’s so dangerous? It seems like there’s enough to last a lifetime.”

If the territory is in danger, the most significant risk factor is the Ghislaine in front of them.

A person who has always been trouble is now holding a massive amount of money, and there’s certainly a high chance of causing even more havoc.

To hear someone like that say the territory is in danger—are they suggesting an impending disaster?

“Hmm, how should I explain this?”

Ghislaine thought for a moment, then dismissed all the maids and soldiers in the room, leaving only Belinda and Gillian behind.

If left as is, they would never understand why he acted the way he did.

Until now, they had followed Ghislaine without truly understanding him.

But no one knew how long they’d keep doing that.

At some point, an explanation was necessary.

If he mentioned returning from the future, he would be treated like a madman, so he planned to explain based on what had happened.

“You think obtaining the Runestone means we’re all set now, don’t you?”

Gillian nodded.

“With the Runestone we acquired this time, we can solve the territory’s chronic issues. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

“That is what I wanted. But it’s not necessarily all good.”

“Why isn’t it a good thing?”

Belinda and Gillian couldn’t comprehend the implications of Ghislaine’s words.

They had resources to solve the territory’s problems, so why on earth wasn’t that a good thing?

Ghislaine paused to collect his thoughts before saying, “There are those watching us.”

“Pardon?”

Gillian began to suspect Ghislaine had some sort of delusional disorder.

Who the heck is watching whom?

Just then, Belinda nodded and said, “Is it Lady Amelia? Is she upset about the money we took? Can’t we just provide some compensation and resolve it?”

Gillian nodded as if he understood.

They had dealt with assassins before, after all.

However, Ghislaine shook his head.

“No, it’s someone who has been watching us long before that.”

“They’ve been watching us from before?”

“Who in the world…?”

Before the two could finish their questions, Ghislaine continued.

“This is something even my father and retainers don’t know. Only my sister Elena and I are aware of it. Someone is targeting our territory.”

Ghislaine explained about the incident where Elena was attacked, discovering Digald’s corpse, and how they disposed of Frank’s and Digald’s bodies to prevent a territorial war from arising.

As Ghislaine elaborated, Belinda and Gillian’s faces grew darker.

They began to understand why Ghislaine had been acting overly anxious until now.

After a moment of contemplation, Gillian asked with a puzzled voice, “But Young Master, this territory… I’m sorry, but no matter how I think about it, it’s not worth occupying. If anything, occupying it means fighting barbarians, which would lead to losses. There’s no reason to weaken us by starting a conflict with other territories.”

“That’s true, until now. But what about now?”

“Of course, now it’s the Runestone…”

As he spoke, Gillian realized the problem.

Weak military power, a poor territory, and ever-exhausted residents. Yet they are in a position that requires endless fighting.

Clearly, Perdium was practically worthless land.

But now a resource of utmost value had been discovered there.

In that case, the outcome is obvious.

When someone wants to take what you have, there’s only one surefire and quick way to do it.

Belinda swallowed hard and answered for them, “A war?”

She shook her head after uttering it.

“No, that can’t be. The Runestone has just been discovered, so how could the enemies possibly know?”

It didn’t add up.

If they knew of the Runestone, they would have already swept this place clean.

Ghislaine nodded.

“Right, it’s likely that whoever is targeting us isn’t doing so because of the Runestone. If they were certain it existed, they would have attacked already. There must be another reason they’re eyeing this place.”

Ghislaine said with a bitter smile, “But now that the Runestone has been discovered, they will soon set their sights on this place. I’ve effectively hastened the war. It was bound to happen anyway.”

Gillian wore a serious expression.

It was already significant that Ghislaine’s former fiancé was sending assassins; the fact that an unknown enemy was targeting the territory was no small matter.

“Do you have any idea who the mastermind is?”

Ghislaine shook his head.

He was convinced that the hidden figure was Duke Delphine, but there was no concrete evidence to prove it.

With the involvement of unidentified foreign individuals like his previous life’s Aiden, there was no point in mentioning it now.

“I don’t know for sure yet, but if I keep getting involved, the identity will reveal itself. That’s why I’m trying to prepare as quickly as possible.”

Belinda hardened her expression and nodded.

The seemingly jumbled stories of Jamal and Philip were now falling into place.

In the past, it would have been hard to believe, but she’d already confirmed Ghislaine’s abilities in the Forest of Monsters.

There was no reason for Ghislaine to lie to this extent.

Gillian cautiously asked Ghislaine, “If so, shouldn’t we inform the Lord and find a solution together?”

“No, not yet. Among the retainers, we can’t even accurately determine who is the enemy and who are allies. Even Elena’s Guard Knights have betrayed us. There are definitely spies lurking around, even if it’s not among the retainers.”

“The news of acquiring the Runestone will likely spread quickly.”

“Exactly. We have to sell the Runestone and prepare before the enemies find out.”

Ghislaine shrugged and continued speaking.

“Moreover, Amelia will continue to target me, regardless of the Runestone. She’s more persistent than you’d expect.”

“If the enemies find out that you’ve secured the Runestone, they’ll undoubtedly act immediately.”

“That’s right. So we need to prepare for a possible war. Now you understand why I haven’t had a moment of rest?”

Gillian narrowed his eyes with worry.

“If it were another territory, it would take two to three months to prepare for war and advance. But during that time, it will be practically impossible to build up our forces here in Perdium.”

Ghislaine silently nodded.

If enemies were to invade, they would prepare to decisively crush Perdium’s military power. They would know their side’s strengths and weaknesses like the back of their hand.

The best approach would be to increase troops and change equipment, but it was a tight timeframe to gather money and prepare right from now.

Gillian couldn’t hide his worried expression since he understood the situation well.

“To build a viable force and outfit them properly would take at least a year, or minimally six months. And that would only be the extent of basic training.”

Belinda, who had been quietly listening, furrowed her brows and asked, “So… you’re saying a war is going to break out, and we have to prepare for it?”

“Well, to put it simply, that’s it.”

“Ugh, why stretch it out like that? Then I’ll move with you.”

“Wait, Belinda, you need to rest. You’re not well yet; why would you join us?”

“If the territory is in danger, we should prepare together. I’m not really interested in wars, but if I just take the head of the leader, that should suffice, right? I’m good at that.”

Ghislaine chuckled half playfully, half in admiration at Belinda’s confidence.

“Wow, just hearing that makes me feel reassured. While you’re not wrong, we can’t rely solely on that. In any case, recover your health first.”

“Thanks to you, I’m feeling much better. At this rate, I’ll recover soon. You’re moving fine now too, right…? Wait, how are you moving so well already? You used mana earlier and….”

“Ah? You’re right?”

As Belinda pointed it out, Ghislaine tilted his head, his expression turning serious.

His body feeling fine, he had unconsciously used mana without thinking, but now it seemed very strange.

He had been so severely injured that moving was nearly impossible.

On the first day, he had fainted and couldn’t move at all, and the next day he could barely move and didn’t use any mana.

That’s why Gillian and Kaor had dealt with the Blood Python’s corpse.

But now, he could move freely and use mana without any burden.

It wasn’t perfect, but he could at least move normally.

Logically, it was improbable that he could recover this much in just three days.

Belinda’s face lit up with curiosity.

“Could it be related to the Mana Circulation Method you’ve learned? It’s an incredible recovery rate.”

Gillian looked at Ghislaine curiously as well.

In his opinion, Ghislaine seemed to have healed far too quickly for the extent of his injuries.

Ghislaine shook his head.

This wasn’t the effect of the Mana Circulation Method.

While having a strong mana would certainly impact physical recovery to some extent, he hadn’t accumulated that much mana yet.

From the start, his method was optimized for extreme destruction rather than recovery.

“It’s definitely strange.”

He hadn’t paid attention because he was busy seeing his father, but at the very least, he should have been bedridden for at least fifteen days due to his injuries.

His bones were cracked, muscles torn, and he had been slightly poisoned by the Blood Python’s potent venom, so recovering this quickly was, in fact, quite unusual.

“It feels like my muscles are nearly healed already?”

He couldn’t say he was fully healed to the point of being able to fight, but he merely felt some aches in his body.

The bones and muscles had almost healed together.

The effects of the poison seemed to have faded as well.

“I really don’t know what’s going on. For now, I should rest and check my body condition.”

Belinda looked at Ghislaine with a skeptical gaze.

Since he had been hiding so many things, she assumed it was yet another case of that.

“Well, I understand for now. You’re resting too, so that’s good. Let’s move together once you’re feeling better.”

“Right, I’ll check my condition and move together when I can.”

As Ghislaine was about to leave with Gillian, Belinda suddenly remembered something and asked him.

“Wait, you said basic training alone would take at least six months. No matter how fast we prepare, won’t it already be too late?”

Upon hearing her words, Ghislaine wore a meaningful expression.

“There’s a force ready to deploy immediately.”

“What is it? Are you planning to gather mercenaries again?”

Certainly, the only force that could be prepared immediately was mercenaries.

Ghislaine shook his head with a confident smile.

“Of course, we need to supplement the mercenaries. But there’s another viable force we can use.”

 

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