Chapter 85
Chapter 85: I’ll Handle the Negotiations. (4)
Zvalter’s eyes were filled with emotion and trust.
‘Look how far I’ve come. I never imagined such a noble sight.’
“Well done. You really worked hard.”
He patted Ghislaine on the shoulder in encouragement.
Beside them, Baron Homern coughed a few times and sent the gathered crowd dispersing.
Despite being told to go home, the territory residents continued to cheer Ghislaine’s name for quite some time.
Only after the soldiers stepped in to take their families home did the surroundings quiet down.
Ghislaine too sent the mercenaries back to the fortress and entered the castle.
As he was about to return to his room to rest, Zvalter caught him from behind.
“How did the surrender negotiations go? Let’s see the draft you brought.”
It was soon time for rewards to be distributed.
He had already decided appropriate compensation based on their contributions, but the amount of reparations received would determine the available funds.
At Zvalter’s half-worried, half-hopeful question, Ghislaine smiled brightly and replied straightforwardly.
“There isn’t any.”
“What do you mean there’s no negotiation draft? Why?”
“I killed them.”
Zvalter blinked for a moment, trying to make sense of the words.
Ghislaine’s attitude was so nonchalant that he wondered if he had heard wrong.
“What? You killed them? Really?”
“Yes.”
Zvalter’s expression hardened.
“…Did you perhaps forget what I said?”
“I didn’t forget. When I went there, I just thought it would be better to wrap things up quickly.”
“Warp things up quickly? What does that mean?”
“If we accept their surrender, they’ll attack us again. We need to prevent troublesome matters in advance.”
Zvalter sighed.
He had warned that his reckless son might cause a disaster, and sure enough, he caused a massive one.
He tried to scold Ghislaine, but looking at his son’s dust-covered appearance, he swallowed his words.
“……”
Now that it was done, what could he do?
It wasn’t something he hadn’t anticipated; the urgency wasn’t high enough to keep his son from rest after a war.
“First, take a break. We’ll talk again later.”
Zvalter shook his head and patted Ghislaine’s shoulder, then started to walk away.
Somehow, his shoulders and back appeared weighed down.
*
The next day, many people gathered in the main hall regardless of status. It was a ceremony for distributing rewards.
“Let’s begin.”
At Zvalter’s words, Homern stepped forward.
He started a speech, spitting out how glorious this victory was.
As the speech continued, the expressions of the people gradually grew dull.
Seeing their bored faces, Zvalter abruptly interrupted Homern’s words.
“That’s enough. Now, I will distribute the rewards.”
While Ghislaine was away, those who had contributed had been noted, so the award ceremony proceeded swiftly.
Rewards began with the lowest-ranking soldiers.
Next were the administrators responsible for military logistics and territory management during the war.
Then the knights, main forces of the territory, received suitable amounts of money and positions according to their contributions.
“I will announce the second-class merit award. Knight Commander Randolf! Military Officer William…”
The commanders were ennobled with second-class achievements.
If it had been any other time, names of those who would have been first-class would have been called, but nobody appeared puzzled or dissatisfied.
Even after the second-class accolades had concluded, people remained in their places with expressions tinged with expectation.
The most important figure was yet to come.
All eyes turned to Ghislaine.
The true hero who led Perdium to victory in this war.
Everyone was curious about how great his reward would be.
“Grand Duke Ghislaine, please step forward!”
As Homern shouted, Ghislaine stepped forward and knelt on one knee.
The crowd fell silent, focusing on the Lord and the Grand Duke.
Silence engulfed the main hall instantly. Zvalter savored the quiet and stood up.
“By unanimous agreement of the retainers, the sole first-class merit goes to Ghislaine Perdium. It is no exaggeration to say that this victory is thanks to him.”
The knights and soldiers who had witnessed Ghislaine’s efforts on the battlefield nodded in agreement.
Some among the retainers still had doubtful expressions, but they could not go against the tide.
“Therefore, Ghislaine is granted 2,000 gold.”
Cheers erupted in the hall at the following words.
“Wow, amazing! 2,000 gold, that’s incredible!”
“That’s enough to live without worry for a lifetime!”
“Our Grand Duke deserves that much!”
Everyone buzzed cheerfully, making a scene.
Even the total amount received by others in rewards wouldn’t equal 2,000 gold.
It was an amount a normal person would never touch in their entire life.
The mere mention of bestowing such a large sum onto one person left those gathered in shock.
However, Belinda, Gillian, and Kaor, who were standing off to the side, wore puzzled expressions.
“……”
Ghislaine looked at Zvalter, who was in high spirits, with a wistful expression.
How poor must the territory be to manage with just 2,000 gold…
*
A person who has lived a thrifty life inevitably has a small disposition when it comes to spending money.
Ghislaine, knowing this, didn’t refuse or argue about the reward being low during the ceremony.
After all, the real reward could be received separately.
The distribution of rewards was over, but there was still more to do regarding the aftermath.
Once the crowd of people was sent away, only the main retainers remained, and Zvalter, with a complicated expression, asked Ghislaine.
“Was it really necessary to kill Count Digald? They struggled in the war, and their troops were already wiped out…”
“Do you really think that way?”
“……”
Caught off guard by Ghislaine’s sudden question, Zvalter could not respond.
“Digald could not marshal such forces from the outset. They reached out from elsewhere. In reality, you know why Count Roges could not come, don’t you?”
“……Yes, I know.”
Zvalter spoke in a grave voice. Ghislaine continued firmly.
“And that’s why I killed them. Even if manipulated, the Count’s family has justification to attack us. If they stay alive, those who invaded us will use them to invade again swiftly. To buy even a bit of time, the Count’s territory must be completely eliminated.”
“That may be true, but…”
“Furthermore, most of the North is made up of independent count territories rather than fiefs. It’s an opportunity to expand the territory directly without troublesome procedures.”
“Cough… cough…”
Zvalter cleared his throat, unable to hide his discomfort.
His son always pursued extreme efficiency.
It wasn’t inherently bad, but he couldn’t ignore the long-established customs.
Thinking about the future where complaints would stream in from other nobles made his head spin already.
“…We could have just demanded reparations or imprisoned them. We hardly have the resources to govern that place, do we?”
Zvalter would not dislike expanding their territory.
The reality, however, was the issue.
With the already poor Perdium, merging with poor Digald would only double the poverty.
The internal situation of Perdium was also not good, waiting for reparations from Digald, and it would be impossible to manage Digald’s territory.
To stabilize it, they would have to pour all remaining resources into Digald.
“Don’t worry. With the runestone remaining, I will help normalize both territories as quickly as possible.”
“Hmm, will that be enough?”
“Absolutely.”
“……Very well. In fact, you’re not wrong. If we can digest Digald, we will become stronger. Since the matter has already occurred, there’s no choice but to move on, but…”
Zvalter looked at him with concern.
“Honestly, I worry. Your actions are becoming more radical.”
“……”
“Be a bit more cautious. You know how terrifying the other nobles and lords can be.”
If one only pursues efficiency, they will inevitably run into opposition from the surrounding people.
In the long run, that could lead to significant losses.
The established power is a scary thing.
It would be better to concede appropriately than to turn everyone into enemies.
Zvalter was pointing out this reality.
Ghislaine, who understood the nature of nobles, nodded in agreement.
His father acted realistically because he did not know the future.
“I will do my best.”
“Ugh…”
Zvalter let out a groan. Considering how he spoke, he would likely continue to act recklessly.
However, even if he wanted to scold him, he couldn’t treat him carelessly anymore.
Ghislaine’s abilities had now transcended his influence.
‘Heh, how did it come to this?’
Suddenly, he had grown up so much that it was hard to keep up. The changes were like a flash of lightning, overwhelming.
His head was spinning, but on the other hand, he felt proud.
What parent wouldn’t be happy to see their child grow up independent and flourishing?
‘Yes, it’s extreme, but it’s probably just youth.’
What had happened was beyond control.
Honestly, he was happier and prouder than anyone else.
He just worried as a father and nagged a bit.
“I only spoke out of concern, so don’t take it to heart. Regardless, you worked hard. You did very well. Now, we need to handle the aftermath, so take a break for a while. A victory feast will be held soon.”
As Zvalter pondered how to stabilize the territory, he suddenly remembered something he had overlooked.
“Wait… won’t that mean we can’t receive reparations immediately?”
A new problem had suddenly arisen.
The Perdium territory was painfully short on funds.
Originally, the reward money was supposed to be distributed after receiving reparations from Digald.
But since Digald’s territory had now belonged to Perdium, they couldn’t easily extract a lot of money for its management.
“Albert… How much money do we have left?”
When Zvalter asked, the treasurer Albert responded with a look as if to say, “What are you on about?”
“We have no money.”
“No money?”
“Yes, not a penny. Why are you asking now? Because of the war, we’ve used up all the resources we had. We routinely have no money.”
“……Then what about the rewards?”
“Weren’t we going to cover them with the reparations from Digald?”
“……Yes, that was it.”
The joy of victory instantly faded.
While retainers could be rewarded a bit later, the knights and soldiers could not.
The longer it took to distribute the reward, the less morale would be.
The belief that if they dedicated themselves, they would receive a reward was the foundation of loyalty. The merit reward was one of the most representative forms of ‘reward.’
“Ah, we must reward those who made contributions!”
Zvalter clicked his tongue while looking around at the retainers. It was an unspoken pressure to think of a source of money.
However, all their gazes were fixed on Ghislaine.
They seemed to have something they wanted to say but could not find the courage.
The territory’s richest person, who had promised a runestone.
And the only first-class merit holder.
“Uh, cough cough! Ah, my throat’s a bit sore.”
After clearing his throat lightly, Zvalter offered a slightly awkward smile.
“Um… Ghislaine? Could you perhaps give us the runestone a bit earlier?”
They were in a situation where they had to borrow money instead of rewarding the first-class merit holder.
