Chapter 91
Chapter 91: Was That Today? (1)
Hubert asked, his voice trembling in disbelief.
“Wait, really? You’ve actually become a Lord…? ”
“Yes, through this war, Perdium has taken Count Digald’s territory, and as a result, I was granted Baron Penris’ Territory. It’s about half the size of a Count’s territory, combining three Baronies.”
“Wow, you’ve really become a Lord…”
When it comes to someone like the Mage Tower Master, a mere Baron would be regarded as insignificant, but if a person has gained territory and title, they deserve some respect.
Still, suddenly trying to show courtesy after casually interacting until now felt a bit awkward.
Had we met with titles from the start, it would have been different, but now it felt ridiculous to act formally.
“Ahem, anyway, congratulations.”
Though flustered, the Mage Tower Master was in a position to be treated at the same level as a Count.
Hubert decided to treat him as usual, thinking he had no reason to feel inferior.
However, Ghislaine wouldn’t be oblivious to this change.
He crossed his legs, leaned back in his chair, and wore a smug expression.
“You’ve become a Lord, but you can still treat me casually like before. I’m no high-ranking noble like a Count, and I’m not that old, am I? Until then, just carry on as you have.”
It sounded like he was hinting that he wouldn’t let things slide if Hubert acted all formal after becoming a Count.
Hubert pouted and replied,
“Yeah, let’s keep it casual, as we always have.”
He just hoped Ghislaine wouldn’t rise above Baron’s status any further.
“Anyway, looks like we’re truly in the same boat now. I look forward to working with you.”
“You made a good decision. You won’t regret this choice.”
Hubert and Ghislaine shook hands.
Although they might get caught up in the war, there was no other way against the Tower of the Bloody Flame.
Instead of drying up, it might not be bad to take a gamble on this young fellow.
While he couldn’t believe everything Ghislaine said, he had indeed won with bold strategies in the war.
Every time he thought about the valuable Runestones that were blown up, his anger flared anew.
But just being able to think like that was impressive.
As soon as Ghislaine got what he wanted, he stood up without delay.
“Well then, I’ll be off. Let me know when everything is ready.”
“Understood. We’ll prepare right away. Take care.”
As Ghislaine left the Mage Tower, he wore a peculiar smile.
‘You might think it’s gambling, but this is the only way for the Tower of the Bloody Flame to survive.’
In his last life, the Tower of the Bloody Flame had fallen for the schemes of the Tower of Crimson.
Ultimately, it had been ruined by Duke Delphine.
The Duke of Delphine was the one who raised Delmood, the master of the Tower of Crimson.
*
As soon as Ghislaine returned to Perdium, he packed his bags and gathered his people without exception.
Vanessa, who had recovered to some extent, and the wizards were no exceptions either.
Looking around at everyone, he spoke quickly.
“Gillian, lead everyone to Penris first. Let the current administrator handle the territory, and pay attention to public order with Kaor.”
Those expecting to finally depart for the Territory of Penris were baffled by the unexpected command.
“Your Highness… I mean, Lord, aren’t you going with us?”
“Yeah, I have a quick stop to make. I’ll take a few mercenaries with me for protection.”
“Where are you going? Aren’t you leaving the territory behind completely?”
“I need to do something crucial for managing the territory. I have to take care of urgent matters first.”
“And where exactly are you going?”
“To the Austin Territory in the Seiron Kingdom.”
Seiron is a kingdom located to the west of Ruthania.
It’s close by, just crossing the border southwest while avoiding the long mountain range descending from Digald.
However, the Austin Territory wasn’t on the border.
In fact, it was located closer to the capital of Seiron.
Belinda, perplexed by his unexpected statement, folded her arms and stared at Ghislaine.
He preferred to visit a foreign land rather than the territory, and she couldn’t understand his reasoning at all.
After a moment of contemplation, Belinda suddenly shouted, as if something clicked.
“Oh, the Austin Territory! It’s famous for gambling, isn’t it? You’re not going there to gamble, are you? You used to love gambling!”
At the mention of gambling, the mercenaries involuntarily stirred in excitement.
Alfoy and the wizards clicked their tongues in disdain.
Ghislaine shook his head and chuckled.
“No, I’m going to bring someone over.”
“Who is it?”
“A person to manage the territory. He’s very sharp.”
“You’re going to entrust territory management to an outsider? You know someone there?”
“Yep, a guy I know very well.”
There was a hint of nostalgia in Ghislaine’s eyes as he said this.
Belinda raised a suspicious eyebrow.
As far as she knew, Ghislaine had never been abroad.
So the idea that he had someone he knew there didn’t make sense.
Really, whatever he was up to seemed suspicious.
“My Lord, didn’t you throw that guy Lowell in prison before? You said you were going to ask him about territory administration.”
“Ah, that guy should suffer a bit longer in prison. He needs to pay for his sins. I’m planning to deal with him later.”
Gillian nodded, then changed the subject.
“I’ll accompany you to Austin. I have been there before.”
“You should take care of the kids.”
“Toran will handle them just fine.”
Toran was an older mercenary who had been following him since the Forest of Monsters.
‘Come to think of it, they seem to be of similar ages.’
It seemed the two had become quite close through the war.
If Gillian said so, there likely wouldn’t be any problems.
“Okay, then let’s just take a few people with Gillian. If we take too many, we’ll get stopped at the border.”
“Me! My Lord, I want to go on an overseas trip too!”
“It’s not a vacation.”
“Then I’ll keep an eye on you to see if you’re playing around!”
Belinda quickly jumped up, saying she had to pack her things.
Ghislaine clicked his tongue but didn’t stop her.
Once Belinda started like this, there was no point in trying to stop her.
Toran, instructed by Gillian, also began organizing the mercenaries.
Ghislaine pulled Vanessa aside.
“If anyone bothers you, be sure to tell me. Don’t keep it to yourself, okay?”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
Vanessa replied, her head bowed deeply.
In truth, since the war had ended, no one had dared to treat her carelessly.
Even Alfoy had been cautious and avoided her.
“Alright, let’s meet in a few days.”
“I’ll see you in the territory.”
Ghislaine brushed off the farewells carelessly and immediately rode off.
Belinda, startled, rushed to his side.
“What’s the rush? Did you have an appointment or something?”
“I have to meet that guy before his hand flies off. He’s got a problem.”
“His hand…?”
“Yeah, he’s a gambler, so he could get kicked out at any moment.”
Belinda was baffled and asked,
“You’re entrusting him with administration? What if he gambles away the territory?”
“It’s fine, he’s a good guy in his own right.”
Belinda looked like she had a lot to say but merely shook her head.
“He might be good at everything but gambling; just wait and see. He’s only bad at that.”
Ghislaine declared while chuckling, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
Due to urgent matters, the recruitment had been postponed, but now he had to bring in a valuable talent.
‘I’ll see him soon, Claude.’
Claude had been his advisor in his previous life.
He had plenty of mercenaries under the banner of the Mercenary King.
Who else could he trust to manage the territory other than the one who led and took care of them?
Not only that, but during the war, he had demonstrated exceptionally cunning strategies, coveted even by the enemy.
He was a hot-tempered fellow who couldn’t hold back when it came to fighting, even challenging Ghislaine at times.
Yet, thanks to that temper, the small mercenary group had managed to drag the war out for a whole year against the kingdom.
‘In his previous life, he couldn’t fully unleash his abilities.’
No matter how exceptional the tactics and strategies were, there were limits to what a mercenary group without a base could accomplish.
But this time around, the circumstances were different. He had gained territory and was ready to build influence.
Claude, who had shown his abilities even in that harsh environment, was sure to thrive this time.
‘Don’t waste this life on gambling.’
In his previous life, when Claude joined the mercenary group, he had already lost one hand and even had a torn tendon in one ankle.
There were circumstances leading him to cling to gambling despite that state.
While it was too late to change things in the past…
This time, Ghislaine would ensure the issue was resolved before Claude got hurt.
*
The moment they arrived in Austin after several days, Ghislaine sought out the largest gambling house in the area.
His companions had gotten used to Ghislaine’s habit of taking action without explanations and followed him without a word.
[Kraken Casino]
A giant octopus sparkled on the sign.
Just looking at how many expensive magical lights adorned the sign alone spoke volumes about how much money this place raked in.
This was indeed the heart of the gambling city, Austin.
Belinda and the mercenaries marveled as they took in their surroundings. Pubs lined the area surrounding the gaudily decorated casino.
“My Lord! This place is really something! It looks perfect for having fun!”
Gordon, drawn in by the mention of a gambling city, rubbed his hands together and smiled.
“Hehe, seeing this casino gets my blood boiling. Should I show off my skills after a long time?”
Ghislaine shook his head and replied,
“Don’t get your hopes up. You won’t stand a chance here without serious skills. These are all frauds.”
“How do you know that, My Lord? Have you been here before?”
“Well, I came once a long time ago.”
“You’ve only been in the territory! When exactly did you come here?”
“I did, a long time ago.”
In his previous life, he had indeed come here to solve Claude’s problems.
He couldn’t return the hand already lost, but he wanted to resolve the reasons behind it.
Since he was here, he had planned to relax and enjoy some gambling…
That day, the Kraken Casino met its demise.
The seven strongest in the continent, having been scammed by the Mercenary King, got smashed, so who would dare complain?
Even the Seiron Kingdom had no choice but to let it slide.
Ghislaine smiled in nostalgia at the memories.
“Now, let’s find that guy.”
Belinda nodded and asked,
“Do you know what he looks like? Last time we searched for Gillian, we spent ages because we didn’t know his face.”
“You can just wait over there. He’s probably still inside.”
In his previous life, Claude had been living in the Kraken Casino every day.
When he ran out of money, he would make some pocket change being a ghostwriter or teaching lessons, then lose it all gambling again.
He’d been living like this until he joined the mercenary group, so he should show up if they just wait around.
Ghislaine and the others entered the casino.
However, something felt off in the atmosphere.
People were whispering here and there, and some were cleaning up spaces.
“Hmm, has there been a fight or something?”
As Ghislaine mumbled to himself, a person who appeared to be an employee approached and bowed respectfully.
“Welcome! Allow me to guide you. Would you like to go to the VIP room?”
The employee seemed to have noticed their noble attire and bodyguards, instantly treating them like nobility.
He had a keen eye, as expected of a casino staff member.
Ghislaine surveyed the area and declined.
“The atmosphere seems off. What happened?”
“It’s nothing serious. There was a bit of a ruckus. It’s something common in casinos.”
“That’s true enough. ”
In a place where money is played with, not having fights would be unusual.
Just as Ghislaine was about to brush it off, he heard people nearby whispering.
“I knew that bastard Claude would end up like this someday.”
“One hand will probably get cut off.”
“Of course. He picked the wrong opponent. He’s got guts, I’ll give him that. Hahaha!”
“Still, Claude wasn’t the type to mess around. He was quite the learned fellow, right?”
“Eh, you never know with people. Even a learned guy can end up like that if they fall into gambling.”
Hearing the same name as the person they were looking for made Ghislaine’s expression harden as he asked the employee,
“Is that guy who caused trouble Claude? He seems smart, but his eyes look like a rotten fish.”
The employee responded with a puzzled expression.
“Yes, that’s correct. Do you know him?”
“What trouble has he caused?”
“He got caught messing with the leader of a well-known back alley gang in this area and is currently being dragged away.”
“Could it be… what’s the name of that leader?”
“They’re called Crank.”
As soon as Ghislaine heard the name of the leader, he exclaimed in disbelief.
“Was that today?”
