Skovan, locked up in his cell, sighed deeply, leaning against the wall.
"Ah, I must've been out of my mind. Why did I do that?"
Thinking rationally, no matter how skilled the young lord was in swordsmanship, it should have been impossible for him to enter the Forest of Demonic Beasts and come back alive.
If it were that easy, the estate would have developed it long ago.
But the young lord had been so confident that Skovan ended up believing him without realizing it.
"Not a single piece of solid evidence, yet I trusted him."
Because of his false report, the soldiers dispatched to chase after the young lord had moved out a step too late.
The young lord likely knew this and had asked him to do it on purpose. As a result, Skovan ended up imprisoned.
"This is all because of you, Captain. Look at the mess we're in… sigh…"
Ricardo, a handsome man sitting beside Skovan, muttered gloomily.
He'd ended up locked up simply because he was Skovan's deputy.
"Ahem, sorry about that. But we should be out soon."
Due to the scarcity of manpower, the Perdium estate usually refrained from imposing harsh punishments on knights or soldiers unless the crime was severe.
Instead of strict punishment to instill fear, they preferred moderate penalties to maintain their labor force, which benefited the estate.
"But really, what's the point of getting out? Captain, you're going to be stripped of your knighthood, and I'm going to be sentenced to hard labor."
For lazy Ricardo, a sentence of hard labor was a nightmare.
"That's assuming things go well. If the young lord dies in that forest, it won't end that easily. We'll both be dead men."
"Ahem. Surely the young lord hasn't died, right? He's always been lucky enough to escape trouble up to now. Doesn't seem like someone destined to die easily."
If the young lord were to die, Skovan would bear the responsibility for his death due to his false report.
It was almost akin to treason against the lord.
"Well, we'll just have to hope those who followed him manage to bring him back safely," Ricardo replied, clicking his tongue.
Skovan let out another deep sigh, feeling frustrated.
After a long pause, Ricardo turned to him with curiosity.
"So, Captain, what will you do when you get out?"
"Hmm… maybe I'll just go back to my hometown and become a farmer. Being a knight here doesn't pay well, and it's exhausting and stressful."
"Where's your hometown?"
Skovan scratched his head sheepishly.
"Actually… it's here. Perdium."
Ricardo gave him a pitying look.
"…Good luck farming. This estate is already short on people. If you serve a few more years as a soldier, they'll probably reinstate you as a knight."
"Ugh. I stayed in Perdium just because I've lived here my whole life, but honestly, I'm sick of it. I haven't married or saved up any money."
Ricardo looked puzzled.
"Marriage isn't that hard. You can do it without money. I'd get married too, but I'm afraid the women would start fighting each other."
Skovan couldn't help but look at him with exasperation.
"…You're such a pain."
For handsome Ricardo, marriage might indeed be easy.
'If only I'd been born with that face. And it's not like he even tries.'
While other soldiers in Perdium struggled with poor pay, Ricardo had no trouble living comfortably.
A group of women who adored him even formed a social club and regularly brought him gifts.
Skovan thought the world was deeply unfair.
He'd worked hard, pushing himself to his limits to finally become a knight.
But this guy, Ricardo, seemed to get by with no effort at all.
If looks were a talent, Ricardo was truly blessed.
As Skovan debated whether to smack him in the back of the head out of sheer envy, a commotion could be heard from the entrance to the prison.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Skovan pressed his face close to the bars, and Ricardo followed suit.
The people who had been talking to the guard at the entrance soon approached their cell.
When Skovan and Ricardo saw the person leading the group, their eyes widened.
"Y-young lord!"
"Young lord, you're alive!"
Ghislain stood before the bars, waving cheerfully with a grin.
"Skovan, you liar! How have you been? And Ricardo, even in prison, you're still glowing. If looking that good was a crime, you'd be up for the death penalty. Hahaha."
"It's such a relief that you're alive!"
Skovan and Ricardo greeted him with genuine gratitude.
At least they wouldn't be punished for letting the young lord die.
That alone gave them peace of mind, but Ghislain had no intention of leaving them in prison.
He looked back at the guard who had followed him in and gave a command.
"Hey, open this up."
"Pardon?"
The guard blinked, surprised.
He hadn't received any orders to release these two.
"Oh, it's fine. I already got permission. You trust me, right?"
"But…"
The guard hesitated.
The young lord had lied and caused trouble numerous times before, so he wasn't easily trusted.
After all, Skovan and Ricardo were in here because of the young lord's request.
Seeing the guard's uncertainty, Ghislain chuckled.
"Wow, treating me like I'm unreliable."
Ghislain shrugged, and Gillian stepped forward.
With a loud crack, Gillian shattered the lock with his hand.
Even though the door was now open, Skovan and Ricardo didn't immediately come out.
Skovan had the ability to use mana to break out at any time, but he'd stayed put because escaping would only make things worse.
"It's fine, really. Come on out. You're both pardoned."
At Ghislain's urging, Skovan and Ricardo awkwardly stepped out of the cell.
"Thank you."
"We're really free?"
"Yes, both of you can return to your duties."
Ghislain patted them each on the shoulder and took out two pouches from his coat.
"Here, take these."
The two men opened the pouches with curious expressions.
Inside, they found a small fortune in gold coins.
"W-why are you giving us this?"
"Is this… really ours?"
Surprised by the unexpected gift, they stared at him, and Ghislain responded casually.
"I managed to enter the Forest of Demonic Beasts without interference, thanks to you two, so this is your reward. It's only fair to reward good work."
Unlike other nobles, Ghislain didn't rule his subordinates through loyalty alone.
Rooted in his identity as a mercenary, he believed that rewarding success was the best way to secure loyalty.
"Thank you!"
"We'll put it to good use!"
Skovan and Ricardo couldn't stop grinning, bowing repeatedly in thanks.
They were already relieved to be released, and with such a large reward on top, they couldn't be happier.
"Well, I'll be seeing you around. I'll call on you when I need you again."
"Yes, call us anytime!"
"Take care!"
The two men bowed deeply in respect.
A generous paymaster is indeed a good one, Ghislain thought with amusement as he left the prison.
He'd probably get an earful from Homerne about the broken lock later, but… they should've just opened it when he asked.
After Ghislain left, Skovan, still holding his pouch, turned to Ricardo.
"There's quite a bit in here. What are you planning to do with it?"
Ricardo thought for a moment and smiled brightly.
"I think I'll throw a party with the women from the social club who've been looking after me. I should give something back. This much should make for an amazing celebration."
"You're not saving it?"
"Why save it? If I need anything later, I'll just ask the club."
"…You're such a pain."
Feeling that the world was deeply unfair, Skovan pursed his lips.
While Skovan experienced a mix of joy and envy, Ghislain was on his way to visit Belinda, who was lying in bed.
Though her complexion was still pale, she greeted him with a smile as he entered.
"Still haven't cleaned up? How are you feeling?"
Ghislain smiled in response to her words.
"I'm fine, so you just focus on recovering."
Belinda's body was currently unable to function normally due to a mana backflow.
She'd drawn more mana than her body could handle to block the Blood Python's attack but hadn't been able to fully absorb the shock.
Though the injuries were severe, the real problem was that the sudden mana surge had left her mana flow a mess.
In such a state, rest was the only solution until her mana stabilized.
"Have you eaten? What did the lord say?" she asked, nagging Ghislain despite her own poor condition.
Having been hauled in for disobeying his father's orders, she feared he might be punished.
"It's all sorted out. Don't worry."
Seeing his relaxed smile, Belinda finally seemed relieved and closed her eyes.
Her condition was bad enough already, but if she knew he'd marched in with mercenaries to stage a show of force, she'd probably faint.
Ghislain decided to keep his mouth shut for now.
After observing her for a moment, he took her hand.
"I'll help speed up your recovery."
"What? How can you help?"
Belinda looked at him in surprise.
Without answering, Ghislain shrugged and infused his mana into her body.
"What are you doing? Stop it. This is dangerous."
"It's fine."
As the foreign mana entered her body, her own mana began to resist.
Sweating profusely, Belinda tried her best to keep the turbulent mana under control.
If a mana clash occurred, Ghislain would be injured too, so she had no choice.
Slowly, Ghislain's mana began to gently wrap around and suppress the chaotic flow of hers.
By now, he was drenched in sweat, fully focused.
Gillian stood nearby, watching over them intently.
If anyone disturbed them, it could endanger both Ghislain and Belinda's lives.
Hiss!
After a while, a faint red mist rose from Ghislain and dissipated into the air.
At the same time, Belinda's complexion visibly improved.
Remarkably, Ghislain had succeeded in stabilizing her mana flow.
"H-how did you…?"
Belinda's face, now showing a healthy flush, looked at him with wide eyes.
She could clearly feel the changes within her own body.
Ghislain's mana manipulation was astonishingly precise.
To handle mana at this level would require an exceptional mastery.
Ghislain carefully retracted his mana and released her hand.
"Phew, that should do it. A few days of rest, and you'll be up again. Feeling a bit better?"
Belinda looked at him with a complex expression before slowly speaking.
"The technique you're using… it's not the family's mana cultivation technique, is it?"
The Perdium family's technique didn't emit a red glow.
Not only the color but the aura itself was different.
While Perdium's technique was rough but stable, Ghislain's mana was suffused with a dangerous intensity.
It was natural for mana to differ depending on the technique, but Belinda couldn't understand where he'd learned one so different.
His extraordinary growth and fine control over mana were clearly due to the technique he'd learned.
Ghislain scratched his chin, looking a bit troubled.
"Hmm, I developed it myself. Well, technically, I modified the family technique to suit me better."
"Ha. If you don't want to tell me, just say so."
For anyone less than a prodigy, adapting a mana cultivation technique would be impossible.
Mana cultivation techniques evolved over centuries of refinement.
If it were so easy to alter them, families and organizations with proprietary techniques wouldn't guard them so jealously.
"No, really. If I have time later, I'll teach it to you too, and I'll tweak your technique a bit. You'll see."
"Oh, no need. The one I'm using works just fine."
"Alright. Just focus on getting better. We're going to be very busy soon."
"Yes, I suppose you'll have the luxury to relax now, with all that money to spend."
Ghislain shook his head at her words.
"No, I'll only be resting for a moment. I'll have to go out again soon."
"What? Where? To sell the Rune Stone?"
"That's part of it, but… there's more to prepare. Time is always tight, so I have to move quickly."
Belinda blinked, then asked again.
"First it was entering the Forest of Demonic Beasts… why are you in such a hurry? What are you trying to do now? Can't you just… stop?"
"I'd like to rest too, honestly. But the situation's gotten complicated."
"What situation? Tell me," she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Ghislain gave her a small smile.
"Unfortunately, our estate is in grave danger."
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]