As dusk settled and the sky outside grew darker, Harold continued tapping his temple, deep in thought.
'The longer this goes on, the stronger Perdium will become. Their forces will surely grow too.'
Runestones were an immensely valuable resource, worth a fortune even on their own, and liquidating them would be no problem. With funds from selling them, Perdium could rapidly build its armies and stockpile supplies.
Starting a conflict with the Digald estate now would be futile—Perdium would recover quickly from any damage and only grow harder to weaken as time went on.
"This isn't something I can decide on my own."
Given time, Harold could devise a strategy to weaken Perdium and create problems for them. But discovering a valuable runestone resource within the perilous Forest of Demonic Beasts was no small matter, and not something Harold could handle alone. He quickly drafted a message to be sent via the fastest courier:
—Perdium has partially cleared the Forest of Demonic Beasts. Runestone discovered. Requesting orders.
Just a few days later, the Duke's answer arrived.
—Eradicate Perdium. The Duke's household will intervene afterward. Use Digald to initiate a territorial conflict, but make sure they are disposable. Some risk is acceptable.
The Duke's orders were as brief as they were clear.
Harold reread the message carefully.
'Eradicate... Make it a land with no lord?'
If an estate had no head or heir, it would automatically revert to the crown. The Duke's promise to intervene meant that he intended to install a new lord himself. The order to "use Digald and dispose of them" made it clear that Digald should not be allowed to actually capture Perdium.
Count Loges, an ally through marriage, also had a tenuous claim to Perdium. But if it came down to it, Harold knew the Duke's influence could handle that—or simply crush Loges' estate as well.
"Finally, it makes sense. It's the Forest of Demonic Beasts that's key here."
Harold understood now why the Duke's orders had always been to gradually weaken Perdium without fully destroying it or letting another estate seize it.
The plan had been to prevent anyone from controlling the Forest of Demonic Beasts. But now that Perdium had breached that boundary, the Duke had decided to deal with them swiftly and brutally.
"Why go to such lengths to control the forest?"
The Duke's faction was moving carefully, preparing for a grand rebellion. If they began a territorial conflict too openly, there was a risk of exposing their hand. Yet despite this danger, the Duke wanted control over the forest. But why?
Even with a runestone deposit, the investment seemed excessive.
After a moment of silent consideration, Harold shook his head.
Setting direction was the Duke's job. Harold's role was simply to minimize risk in executing that vision.
"Whatever the reason, I'll understand in time."
With no time to dwell on motives, Harold began recalibrating his strategy. Calling his advisors to his office, he laid out his new instructions.
"How many of our people do we still have in Perdium?"
"Two vassals and one knight remain."
"Send the two vassals to Digald. Use the excuse of Gilmore's death in Perdium to incite a territorial war."
The advisors looked taken aback, confused by the drastic shift from their previous strategy of gradual attrition.
"Can you explain why our approach has changed so suddenly?"
"The situation has changed," Harold replied curtly.
The advisors, though momentarily surprised, exchanged knowing looks. They had received news of the runestone as well.
"Our objective is to completely wipe out Perdium. We'll be joining the battle ourselves."
The advisors were further stunned.
Starting a territorial conflict was not a decision to be taken lightly. Without a solid pretext, neighboring lords were bound to intervene, sensing a threat.
One of the advisors cautiously voiced his concerns.
"Digald alone likely won't be able to capture Perdium, but we lack a clear justification to participate."
"Then don't. Our forces will join as conscripts and mercenaries under Digald's flag."
Most of Digald's vassals were under Harold's influence anyway, so directing Digald as a proxy wouldn't be difficult.
"Have everything ready within two months. We'll wipe out both Perdium and Digald swiftly."
"Understood. Should we prepare anything else?"
"Send Viktor as well."
The advisors' eyes widened.
Viktor was Harold's finest knight, a carefully honed weapon and his most trusted warrior.
Deploying him now meant Harold was fully committed to Perdium's destruction, a fight they now believed would be impossible to lose.
Unlike the advisors, however, Harold couldn't shake a lingering unease. Again, the name echoed in his mind, like a harbinger of something unknown.
'Ghislain Perdium…'
***
Meanwhile, Amelia was enjoying an afternoon tea with Bernaph under the warm sunshine, absentmindedly stroking her white cat, Bastet, who sat on her lap.
She was in unusually high spirits, having recently manipulated information and public sentiment to sever support for Perdium.
'That Ghislain Perdium... I wonder how he's faring.'
The thought alone brought a smug smile to her lips.
Without Rayfold's backing, the impoverished Perdium estate would struggle to keep itself afloat. Things must be in chaos, and Ghislain, who had caused the mess, was surely being punished for it by now.
Given his past behavior and poor reputation, he was likely under house arrest at the very least. Killing him now would be that much easier—he'd hardly have any serious guards in his state.
Seeing Amelia's good mood, Bernaph couldn't help but comment with a smile of his own.
"Your recent plan was masterful, my lady. Far more elegant than brute force."
Meow!
Bastet, too, seemed to purr approvingly, rubbing its head against her hand.
"When the time is right, have those wildcat bastards take his head. And that handmaid of his, too."
"Understood. I'll see that it's handled thoroughly," Bernaph replied, genuinely impressed by Amelia's tactical acumen.
Despite her vulnerabilities, she had risked exposure to manipulate the truth and lay a trap for Perdium. It was an audacious move, but the gamble had paid off, leading to Ghislain and Perdium's simultaneous ruin.
Amelia hummed happily, offering Bastet a piece of a cookie.
"Here, Bastet, have a treat."
Meow!
Just then, one of her maids approached cautiously, extending a note toward Amelia.
"What is it?"
"It's a message from Perdium, my lady."
"Really?" Amelia smiled, idly wondering if it was news of Ghislain's imprisonment.
But as her eyes scanned the contents, her smile faded, and her expression gradually hardened, filling with an intense, icy anger.
Watching her, Bernaph felt a chill run down his spine. Amelia's face turned red with rage—a reaction he had rarely seen.
She crumpled the paper, her eyes burning with fury.
"Ghislain Perdium!"
Even Bastet, sensing the tension, scurried over to Bernaph for cover.
"How could this happen?!"
Amelia shot to her feet, knocking over the table, spilling tea and cookies everywhere.
Bernaph quickly stepped back and cautiously asked, "What's happened? What did Ghislain do?"
Without a word, she threw the crumpled paper at him. Bernaph caught it mid-air, quickly reading it, and his jaw dropped in disbelief.
"This... He found runestones? Then what does that mean for us?"
"What do you think it means?! Perdium is celebrating, and that wretch Ghislain gets to play the hero!"
Amelia bit her lip so hard it nearly bled.
"Not only that, but he used the twenty thousand gold he stole from me as his initial capital!"
Fury trembled through her entire body.
Ghislain was the first person to humiliate her so profoundly. Not once in her life had she experienced such degradation—having money extorted by nobody from an impoverished estate. It was a disgrace Amelia swore to avenge with his death.
After all her efforts to bury him, he was instead rising to prominence.
If she didn't see him destroyed, she feared the anger would consume her.
"Ghislain! Ghislain Perdium!"
Bernaph wisely held his tongue. He had never seen her so enraged.
Publicly, Amelia was known for her grace and kindness. Even Bernaph had initially believed her to be a genuinely kind person. But there was another side of her—a merciless, vengeful side, one that had seen more than a few quiet executions.
To see her cool composure shattered by Ghislain's name was unsettling, to say the least.
'The wisest course is silence.'
Knowing Amelia's temper, he knew any mistake could put even him in harm's way.
She glared at Bernaph, her eyes still blazing.
"Gather the Wildcats and every other resource we have at once."
"What are you planning, my lady?"
"What are those beggars going to do with those runestones? They're going to sell them! Raid them. Kill them all and bring me those stones!"
Bernaph swallowed nervously.
"Isn't that dangerous? They'll be well-guarded, especially if they're transporting runestones. Perdium might even call the merchants to come directly to them instead."
"Then we'll deal with it when it happens. For now, mobilize every thief and bandit we know!"
"Yes, my lady. Please, calm yourself."
But Amelia's rage refused to subside.
"Ghislain, I will see you dead. Those runestones will be mine."
What had begun as a pleasant afternoon tea had descended into chaos, all because of a single name: Ghislain Perdium.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]