Bang!
Gillian threw his massive shield directly into the advancing assassins. They couldn't withstand the impact and collapsed instantly. The remaining assassins faltered, hesitating as fear gripped them.
"This isn't what we were told!"
The middle-aged leader of the assassins shouted in frustration. If he'd known they were up against someone like this, he would have brought more men.
They'd been informed that the entire group was only slightly above the level of ordinary knights, but at this rate, it looked like a single man might wipe them all out.
"Damn it! All of you, charge at once!"
With a furious command, the assassins raised their swords and rushed toward Gillian. They knew they'd have to get past him to reach Ghislain.
"Worthless scum…"
Gillian muttered, picking up a hand axe from the side of the carriage. Without hesitation, he launched himself into the attackers.
Crash!
"Argh!"
Each swing of Gillian's axe cleaved through an enemy's skull, and any attempt to dodge was pointless; his axe followed their every move. Gillian was like a lion among a flock of sheep.
"Die, you monster!"
An assassin, biding his time, seized the moment his comrade fell to thrust his sword toward Gillian. But…
Clang!
"H-How?"
Gillian caught the sword with his bare hand, his grip unwavering and without so much as a scratch.
"How… how is that possible…"
The assassin stood frozen, staring at Gillian in terror. The blade had been reinforced with mana, yet he had caught it with his hand as if it were nothing. The assassin couldn't even fathom the level of skill and power he was up against.
But he wouldn't have time to contemplate it.
Crunch!
With a powerful squeeze, Gillian shattered the blade to pieces. And before the assassin could react, Gillian's axe came down, leaving him lifeless at his feet.
Seeing this, the remaining assassins recoiled in terror, stepping back one by one.
Even the middle-aged leader hesitated, realizing their mission was a failure. Killing Ghislain was impossible with this monster standing in their way.
"Retreat!"
At his command, the assassins scattered in all directions, eager to escape.
"Who said you could leave?"
Gillian, now mounted, gave chase, throwing daggers from his belt faster than the assassins could flee. In mere moments, only one was left standing.
This last assassin had managed to put some distance between them, just enough that he might actually escape. But Gillian hurled his axe toward him.
Thud! Squish!
As the axe embedded itself in the assassin's skull, a dagger pierced his heart from behind.
Gillian turned around, meeting Belinda's smug expression as she lifted her chin confidently.
A thin wire extended from the dagger that had just struck the assassin, trailing back to her cloak.
With a flick of her wrist, the dagger retracted into her cloak, leaving the assassin dead.
"If it weren't for me, that one might have escaped."
Gillian's face remained impassive as he replied, "My axe was faster."
"No, my dagger was first," Belinda shot back with a huff.
Unfazed, Gillian simply approached the fallen assassin, pulled his axe from the body, and walked back to Ghislain, bowing slightly.
"They've all been taken care of."
"Good work."
Ghislain barely suppressed a laugh. Behind him, Belinda glared daggers at Gillian.
She, who usually moved through the manor with an air of strict propriety, now seemed on edge, her feathers clearly ruffled by Gillian. It was amusing to Ghislain.
'Belinda finally met her match.'
The escort knights, feeling somewhat sheepish, exchanged awkward glances. They joined to protect Ghislain, only to end up with little to do.
'At that level, there's almost no one in Perdium who can match him.'
Although they prided themselves on being strong, especially compared to knights of other territories, Gillian was in a league of his own.
One of the knights murmured to another, "Wasn't he the leader of the Ratatoskr mercenary corps?"
"Yeah, I've heard of them too."
"Explains a lot. He's no ordinary man."
"Just how did our young lord find him?"
Ratatoskr was famous enough that even though it was a foreign mercenary corps, they'd all heard the name before. Discovering that Gillian had been its leader was a surprise, but his skills justified his reputation.
Ghislain smiled, satisfied.
While he'd already seen a glimpse of Gillian's abilities when they'd detected a tail earlier, this was his first time watching him in full combat.
Far better than the stories.
Gillian had been a legendary figure, a name Ghislain had heard in passing during his previous life as a mercenary in a foreign land. His former comrades would often tell tales of Gillian, supposedly from a neighboring territory.
Ghislain had always hoped to recruit him, should he get the chance, and fortunately, the timing had worked out perfectly.
At the time, he'd thought the tales were exaggerated. Now, seeing Gillian in action, he realized that they had probably undersold his prowess.
'It was worth moving fast.'
Thanks to his quick actions, he'd secured a powerful ally.
He'd managed to take some money from Amelia and gain a loyal subordinate—truly a successful trip.
After giving Gillian a couple of pats on the shoulder, Ghislain turned to the rest of the group.
"Looks like Amelia hired assassins. She's quite tenacious, isn't she?"
In his previous life, Amelia had been a relentless thorn in his side, constantly interfering and sending killers after him. Despite repeated attempts to kill her, she always managed to evade him, proving an irritant throughout the war.
This time, however, Ghislain had no intention of simply letting her be. Their paths were bound to clash repeatedly.
Belinda began examining the bodies of the fallen assassins, looking for identifying marks.
"Can you tell who they are?"
After inspecting a few bodies, Belinda nodded. "They've got tattoos of three fangs—it's the 'Wildcat Smugglers.' They're a pretty influential group here in Rayfold."
"The Wildcat Smugglers? Strange name."
"They're a gang of smugglers and bandits. They don't just do assassinations; they deal in smuggling and drug trafficking, too. In short, they're a bunch of lowlife criminals."
"And how does a castle-bound lady like you know that, Belinda?"
Ghislain teased, raising an eyebrow.
Belinda hesitated, mumbling, "Well, I learned about them before I came to the castle. They're persistent, so we can't let our guard down even back in the territory."
"Hmm, sounds like Amelia hired some nasty types. I'll have to deal with them eventually."
The "Wildcat Smugglers" were now added to Ghislain's mental list of targets.
Amelia likely had criminal organizations like these as her underlings, and it would be necessary to take down not just the Wildcats but also any others under her control eventually.
Still… How does Belinda know all this?
She'd claimed it was by chance, but Ghislain doubted that explanation. Although he hadn't lived in this region during this period, he'd spent years as a mercenary and had little interaction with criminal guilds.
Yet Belinda, supposedly confined to the castle, knew these guilds by name, understood their methods, and was aware of their reach. That seemed too convenient.
'Now that I think about it, I don't know much about Belinda either.'
All he knew was that she was his tutor, head maid, and strong enough to take on most knights.
Well, there'll be plenty of time to get to know her better.
Pushing his suspicions about Belinda aside for now, Ghislain focused on the immediate task of scavenging the bodies for any valuables or weapons.
With a financially struggling territory, it was only practical to make the most of everything they could salvage.
***
Two days later, after defeating the assassins in the forest, the group finally reached the outskirts of Perdium Castle.
Ghislain felt a sense of relief and nostalgia as the familiar castle of Perdium Family came into view.
It's good to have somewhere to return to.
In his previous life, by the time he'd returned, his family and territory had already been destroyed.
The despair of having no home to come back to was something only those who had experienced it could truly understand.
After that, he'd wandered for the rest of his life, unable to settle, without a place to call his own.
His life had always been a struggle, and even moments of rest felt hollow. He was always anxious, always feeling that he was alone in the world.
Seeing Perdium still standing strong filled him with a deep sense of gratitude.
At that moment, he reaffirmed his silent vow.
'I'll protect it, no matter what.'
He would never allow his territory or his family to fall again.
***
Clang!
"How! How could they fail so miserably?!"
Amelia threw her teacup to the floor, shattering it to pieces.
Meow!
Her cat, Bastet, let out an equally sharp cry, as though mimicking her rage.
Bernaph could only stand there, silent and helpless as he watched them both.
"They probably didn't even serve as a warning. If anything, he probably thinks even less of me now."
Meooow!
Amelia's eyes were bloodshot, veins popping, giving her a fierce, almost wild look. It was a side of her Bernaph had never seen before, as she was usually composed and elegant no matter the situation. He was taken aback.
'She's still pretty!'
Even in her fury, she looked stunning, though intimidating. Bernaph knew better than to try to calm her down now. If he dared, the teacup wouldn't just be thrown at the floor—it would be aimed at his head.
So he remained silent, jaw clenched tight. Bastet, however, let out another sharp meow, almost as if scolding him.
'Damn cat… It's like it thinks it's in charge here. Just wait… I'll get rid of you one of these days.'
Though he was fond of Amelia, her cat's brazen attitude rubbed him the wrong way. It seemed to mimic Amelia's actions and even looked down on him, which was particularly irritating.
Amelia, meanwhile, was seething.
"They've taken my honor and trampled it in the dirt. Thirty men, and they couldn't kill a single one? Just imagine what that bastard Ghislain must think of me now."
Meow!
Bastet chimed in again.
"Quiet, Bastet!"
At her glare, the cat lowered its head, scurrying over to hide behind Bernaph.
Serves you right, he thought, finding a hint of satisfaction in Bastet's retreat.
Taking advantage of the momentary shift in her attention, Bernaph bowed slightly and replied, "I apologize. It seems his escort knights were stronger than anticipated."
Of course, they had no way of knowing that Gillian had joined Ghislain's group. Their tail had been caught, and the hired assassins had been wiped out, leaving no one to report back.
Amelia's fiery gaze returned to Bernaph. "You should have followed him to Perdium if that's what it took to kill him. But no, couldn't even handle one pathetic fool?"
Bernaph held back from responding right away.
Attacking Ghislain outside the Rayfold territory was one thing; doing so within Perdium's borders was entirely different.
No matter how weak the territory, Ghislain was still Perdium's heir, and assassinating such a figure on his home ground was no easy feat. If their involvement was discovered, it could very well lead to a full-blown conflict.
Amelia knew this, of course, but in her fury, she was speaking without much regard for the consequences.
"Keep those Wildcat bastards on standby," she snapped. "Ready to move at a moment's notice. I'll figure out the details myself, but when the time comes, they'd better be prepared."
She clicked her tongue in frustration. "I swear, if they make me look foolish again, there will be consequences. And that includes you, Bernaph. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Bernaph, who was usually the object of her affection, felt a sting of discomfort under her icy glare.
"…Understood. I'll make sure they're fully prepared," he replied, feeling deflated.
She paused, catching her breath, before scooping up Bastet, cradling the cat in her arms.
"At this rate, Bastet would be a better fighter than those fools. Maybe I should have taken the risk and killed Ghislain myself."
Meow.
Bastet acted cute, rubbing its face against Amelia's chest, as if it didn't even remember earlier scolding.
Watching this, Bernaph felt a wave of bitterness as Bastet's gaze met his, almost as if mocking him.
'Damn cat… It's too smart for its own good,' he thought resentfully, stepping back with a sour look.
'Why bother with all this when she's going to break off the engagement anyway?'
He thought it might be simpler to just leave Ghislain alone and consider the 20,000 gold as a parting gift. But Amelia's pride had clearly been wounded too deeply to let it go.
'Idiot… Why'd he have to go and provoke her?'
Even with all the assassins dead, Bernaph was certain that Ghislain would eventually be taken care of.
After all, what Amelia wanted, Amelia always got. In Bernaph's mind, that was an absolute truth.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]