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Chapter 84: I Will Negotiate and Return. (3)

Ghislaine chuckled as she looked down at Lowell.

I couldn’t tell if he was bold or just clueless, but it definitely piqued my curiosity.

Unlike those foolish folks who begged for sympathy or only mentioned traditions, this guy was all about flaunting his usefulness.

Just that alone made him different from the others.

Plus, he seemed quite confident in his abilities.

Ghislaine snickered and gestured to Gillian.

“For now, we’ll hold him. Throw him in prison.”

He’d been involved in not just administration but also troop management, so he likely knew a lot about war preparations and processes.

She planned to interrogate him later to see if he could actually be of help.

“Th-thank you!”

Lowell bowed his head as tears streamed down his face, as if he’d just been dragged out of hell.

It might be temporary, but for now, he had saved his neck.

Gordon, who was leading him away, whispered in awe.

“I’ve never met someone as quick-witted as you. If you’re that fast, a little mistake shouldn’t be a problem! Teach me how to do the math later.”

“……”

Gordon seemed genuinely impressed.

Lowell couldn’t find a response and kept his mouth shut.

If he chimed in, he felt like he’d sink to the level of that guy right in front of him.

Classification of personnel continued for a while after Lowell was taken away.

Many had died, and the survivors trembled in fear.

Skoban couldn’t stop Ghislaine. He just paced back and forth, thinking this shouldn’t be happening.

“The guards of the Forest of Monsters will stay here and maintain public order. Soon, my father will send in follow-up troops. For now, keep the remaining soldiers of Digald in prison and just watch over them.”

“Yes, right. Understood.”

There weren’t many soldiers left, so that wasn’t a problem.

Skoban hurriedly replied, stealing glances at Ghislaine.

It seemed she had planned to bring them in from the very beginning.

After finishing the personnel sorting, Ghislaine checked the remaining assets and supplies in Digald’s castle and took a day’s rest.

The mercenaries were worn out, and she wasn’t in great shape either, so she needed to allow for at least a little recuperation.

The way back to the Fortress of Perdium wasn’t as urgent as when they were chasing Tamos, so they moved relatively slowly.

By the time they arrived at the castle two days later, the atmosphere in the Perdium territory had completely changed from before they left.

“Waaah!”

As Ghislaine and the mercenaries appeared, all the residents of the territory rushed out and cheered.

Everyone still looked shabby and poor, but their faces were filled with smiles.

“The Grand Duke has returned!”

“Long live Perdium! Long live the Grand Duke!”

“Please look over here, Your Grace!”

“The mercenaries look great too!”

“The Grand Duke and the mercenaries protected us!”

The mercenaries were taken aback by this unexpected response.

While in Perdium, the residents would often ignore the mercenaries or busily whisper behind their backs.

The mercenaries had become used to that kind of reaction. Rugged mercenaries were never welcomed anywhere.

But seeing the residents genuinely happy and cheering made them stand tall with pride.

“Uh, hmm. This doesn’t feel bad.”

“Well, we just did what we were told.”

“We fought and ran around without even knowing what was going on. Heh heh heh.”

Unlike the dazed mercenaries, Ghislaine waved her hand casually, sporting a smile as if she were quite used to it.

In her previous life, she had experienced this kind of acclaim at all times, so there was no reason to feel flustered.

Only three days had passed since the end of the war, but rumors that the Grand Duke had ended it were flooding the territory.

The survivors had spread the news in various places.

At first, the residents couldn’t believe it, but as similar stories were heard here and there, they eventually had no choice but to accept it.

Details couldn’t be announced to the public, so the rumors only swelled out of control.

– They say the Grand Duke had been practicing magic all along? A hundred circles, they say! A hundred circles!

– You fool! Where in the world is there a hundred circles? No, it’s said he sold his soul to a devil! Apparently, he was acting crazy all this time because of that. A madman’s devil, or something like that?

Ridiculous rumors, indeed, but people were busy propping Ghislaine up even while knowing the truth.

Regardless, thanks to the Grand Duke, they had won the war and their families were able to return alive.

“Your Grace, how do you feel?”

Gillian asked with a smile, and Ghislaine nodded casually.

“Well, it’s not bad. A little more praise wouldn’t hurt.”

“Haha, you’ve returned to your old self now that the war is over.”

It really wasn’t bad.

An inexplicable elation was gradually filling her body. It felt different from the welcoming ceremonies she had gone through in her past life.

‘Hmm, maybe it’s because it’s been a while since I’ve had a welcome ceremony? It’s nothing special, but somehow, I feel good.’

As Ghislaine pondered what was different, she shrugged her shoulders and waved at the residents.

Gillian looked at her with a newfound gaze.

‘It really came true, just as he said.’

When she first came to this territory, there was not a glimmer of hope to be found.

Even trying to improve the territory felt impossible when not knowing where to start due to its dire condition.

– I will surely break the poverty of the territory, not with a drop of water but as a downpour.

When he first said that, Gillian thought of it merely as youthful bravado.

However, Ghislaine’s grand claims were gradually becoming reality.

He had predicted the war and achieved a miraculous victory. The runestones were still left, so the territory could be developed quickly.

She became curious about how far this young lord could go in the future.

‘It’s been a while since my heart raced like this.’

Initially, she had sworn her loyalty out of a desire to repay a debt.

But now, it went beyond that; she wanted to see the future he dreamed of.

*

As they passed through the welcoming crowd and arrived in front of the lord’s castle, an even more astonishing sight unfolded.

“The Grand Duke has returned!”

A knight shouted loudly.

All the soldiers of the territory had lined up on both sides.

Ghislaine hadn’t anticipated such a situation, so her eyes widened in surprise.

“Raise your weapons!”

As the armored knight drew his sword and shouted, the soldiers on either side held their spears with both hands and thrust them forward.

Over a thousand soldiers lined up to clear a path, and the spectacle was something to behold.

Though the soldiers still showed signs of the recent war and appeared a bit ragged, their demeanor was undeniably proud.

“Waaah!”

The residents who followed after Ghislaine began to cheer once more.

Ghislaine moved slowly, taking in the scene.

Behind the rows of soldiers, the knights of Perdium awaited.

There weren’t many of them, but they were the core fighting force of Perdium and held the greatest pride.

Every one of them, who had previously treated Ghislaine with disdain and ignored her presence, was now lined up without exception.

“Glory to the heir of Perdium!”

The knight at the front raised his sword across his chest and shouted.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Then, the remaining knights echoed the same movement in response.

“Glory to the heir of Perdium!”

This was the highest form of respect a knight could show to someone they revered.

Hearing that the Grand Duke had returned, everyone turned out to pay their respects, as if they didn’t need to be told.

A moment of silence passed, then a tremendous cheer erupted from among the soldiers.

“Waaah!”

“Glory to Ghislaine Perdium!”

The Battle of Perdium would go down in history as a record worth remembering.

They had annihilated the overwhelming enemy forces and led a war that no one thought they could win to victory.

It was an accomplishment beyond reproach, an undeniable feat.

What remained was simply to bask in the joy of this thrilling victory and to praise its protagonist.

Now, the Grand Duke was no longer a nuisance or troublemaker of the territory.

The past bad rumors had now vanished, losing their meaning. Everyone genuinely came together with one heart and one mind to pay their respects.

The cheers that started among the knights and soldiers flowed back to the residents.

“Waaah! The best!”

“Long live Ghislaine Perdium!”

“Oh Goddess! Bless the Grand Duke!”

“The sword that protects Perdium!”

“The true wolf of the north!”

The mercenaries wore even more flushed expressions than when they were first welcomed by the residents.

To think they, who were once treated as lowly, were now receiving such reverence from the knights!

Even though the knights were paying their respects to Ghislaine, they too were receiving praises that rivaled his.

“Ah, I’m glad to be alive.”

“They’re welcoming us this much.”

“It’s seriously exhilarating!”

Ghislaine looked around at the excited and joyful faces and closed her eyes.

‘It feels so different.’

In her past life, she had received countless cheers and praises. She had even experienced grander and more splendid welcomes than this.

The Mercenary King was treated like royalty wherever he went, by anyone.

But the end was always filled with profound loneliness and emptiness.

Having saved others, protected them, and fought for them but…

In that place, she possessed nothing of her own.

She had already lost all the loved ones, family, and friends she had.

Nothing could fill that emptiness.

But now, it was different.

Those with disheveled faces smiling brightly and waving their hands.

While it wasn’t a glamorous welcome like before, and the crowd was small and unremarkable, it appeared nothing compared to the previous grandeur.

‘……’

This humble gratitude resonated with her much more than the extravagant praises she had previously received.

“Onii-chan!”

“Your Grace!”

Elena and Rachel came running up to the castle, smiling and waving.

The servants following behind also waved their hands, warmly welcoming her.

There was no fear in their faces as they looked at Ghislaine. They knew the Grand Duke had changed.

“Oooh, Your Grace! You have finally returned!”

Baron Homern approached, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Even he, who always nagged and grumbled at Ghislaine, was smiling with delight.

“Turns out finding the runestones wasn’t just luck. I’ve heard the rumors endlessly.”

“When fighting, you look like a monster. I always thought you just played around, but you must have been secretly training, huh?”

Cold Albert was also smiling, and Randolf didn’t hide his pride either.

And then, slowly emerging from the castle was the one Ghislaine had missed and felt the most guilty about.

“Welcome back. I’m so glad you made it back safely.”

Zvalter smiled wider than anyone else as he welcomed his son.

Ghislaine suddenly felt a lump in her throat and took a deep breath. No words came to mind.

In this moment, she felt a fulfillment she had never experienced in her past life.

The wish he had always hoped for, yearned for, had come true.

‘This is why I came back.’

The people she loved greeted her warmly. It was a sight she had only ever dreamed about.

It was for their protection that she had returned.

From now on, always, for the sake of everyone.

Now, she could finally say it. That one phrase she had so desperately wanted to say but had never been able to articulate.

Ghislaine wore a bright smile on her face that she had never been able to convey in her past life.

“I’ve returned, Father.”

 

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