"Grrrk…"
Viktor let out his final, strangled gasp.
The light faded from his resentful, wide-open eyes, and his twitching body finally stilled.
Thud.
Ghislain had held his sword deep in Viktor until he was certain he was dead. Only then did he slump onto the ground, exhausted.
"Phew—!"
He took a deep breath, then slowly rose to his feet, glancing around at the aftermath.
The flames had been pushed back by the battle's force but still radiated intense heat all around him.
"Ugh, this is tough."
He tried to rise, but his legs buckled, and he fell again.
Reaching for his mana, he found the flow staggered and erratic.
"Great, just what I needed."
The black inner layer of the Dirus Ent armor had dried and cracked, no longer offering protection from the heat.
Ghislain stripped off the remains of his armor, pushing his remaining mana to shield himself from the heat as best as he could.
The armor was now only a burden, heavy and hot against his skin.
With an unsteady step, he staggered forward.
But wherever he looked, he was surrounded by flames.
"I'll have to get through all of this fire."
The flames seemed to hiss and lick toward him, waiting to consume him.
With each step, his body felt as though it was being carved up with knives.
He felt lightheaded, likely from the blood loss.
Thud.
His legs trembled, and he slumped down again.
"Damn it…"
His body was utterly battered.
If he could only get through the fire, this would be over. But he couldn't think of a way.
"At times like this, someone used to come to pull me out."
In his past life, he had subordinates who handled such situations. Now he had none.
He had his mercenaries, but they could barely keep up with him, let alone rescue him.
Perhaps Belinda would come looking for him if he delayed too long, but she was likely busy tending to the mages he'd assigned her.
"Guess I'll have to bite the bullet and go through the flames."
With his remaining mana, he might be able to keep moving, but not without burning his skin.
"I'd hoped to keep this face unmarred in this life…"
Ghislain clicked his tongue.
Back in his days as the Mercenary King, his face had been scarred beyond recognition.
He had liked his cleaner face since coming back to life, but survival had to come first.
"Here we go."
He forced mana into his muscles to stabilize himself.
As he did, searing heat rushed into his body.
He'd have to get out quickly before he was cooked alive.
Just as he braced himself to press forward, he heard a shout.
"Young lord!"
Whoosh!
Gillian appeared, cutting through the flames with a fierce expression.
"Are you all right?"
'Ah, right. I do have someone here as capable as my former subordinates.'
Ghislain smiled, genuinely relieved.
"I'm fine for now. You came just in time."
"Did you battle that man?"
Gillian glanced at Viktor's corpse.
"The enemy commander. Took a bit out of me to kill him."
"Let's get you out of here, immediately."
"Yes, please."
Whoosh!
Gillian hoisted Ghislain up, carrying him swiftly through the flames.
The scorching heat enveloped them, but Ghislain used his mana to shield himself as best he could.
Within moments, they had emerged from the inferno, and cool air washed over them, soothing their scorched skin.
"Phew!"
Ghislain finally allowed himself to exhale, gulping in the fresh air. It felt like a balm on his burnt lungs.
Gillian carefully set him down and supported him.
Ghislain looked around.
Everywhere, the bodies of enemy soldiers lay scattered.
"Looks like it's all handled."
The mercenaries approached, surprised to see Ghislain looking worse for wear.
"Captain? Why do you look like you've been to hell and back?"
"We had an easy time out here, ha!"
Ghislain gave the laughing mercenaries a weary smile, then turned to Gillian.
"What about Count Digald?"
"He fled early. Quite a quick one, that."
"He's probably running for his life right now."
"The soldiers tried to flee with him, but most were cut down."
"Well, let a few get away to spread the story. It'll help us drive the point home."
Just then, a group on horseback appeared in the distance.
"Young master!"
"Ghislain!"
"Young lord!"
Belinda, Zwalter, and Randolph approached, leading a troop of soldiers who had rushed from the castle.
They had been frantic, watching Ghislain disappear into the flames, then circled around the eastern gate to get to him.
"So, you're all finally here."
Ghislain welcomed them with a hint of humor.
His words seemed like a scolding, but he wasn't serious.
Without the protection of armor, it made sense that they would take a roundabout route.
Had they arrived sooner, things might have become more complicated.
Seeing soldiers leave the castle could have sent the rear guard of the enemy running prematurely.
Belinda leaped off her horse and rushed to his side.
"Young master! Are you all right? Look at your face! Why did you go in there? You're going to be the end of me!"
As she fussed over him, Ghislain raised his hand to reassure her.
"No, I'm fine. Just a bit of heat exposure."
Belinda, still looking distressed, helped him to his feet.
"Are you all right, Ghislain?"
"Young lord!"
Zwalter and Randolph hurried to his side, visibly relieved when he nodded.
"I'm fine. Well done, everyone."
Zwalter let out a sigh of relief, but he couldn't help glancing at Ghislain's mercenaries, their armor covered in patches.
Clearly, he had planned everything in advance.
The details of such an immense trap intrigued him, but there would be time to discuss it after the post-war tasks were underway.
For now, they could simply celebrate their victory.
Zwalter murmured with emotion.
"We truly won."
With support denied and dwindling supplies, they had faced an overwhelming enemy force in what seemed a doomed situation.
But, in the end, it was Perdium that had prevailed.
Zwalter looked at his son with pride.
"You won this, Ghislain."
It struck him how different Ghislain seemed now.
He had cut off enemy supplies, destroyed siege towers, thwarted ambushes, and finally annihilated the enemy with a cunning trap.
In the past, Zwalter had seen his son as a reckless, immature noble.
But this son, now, was a strategic force and a hero who had defended Perdium.
With trembling hands, Zwalter hugged Ghislain tightly.
"Well done. Truly well done. This is all because of you."
"Father…"
Touched by his father's rare show of emotion, Ghislain smiled.
Randolph, unable to contain his joy, raised his sword and shouted.
"We won! Victory for Perdium!"
"Hurrah!"
"Victory! We've won!"
The soldiers, faces filled with relief and pride, raised their weapons high and cheered.
The mercenaries joined in, roaring with satisfaction.
"We did it! We killed every last one of them!"
Ghislain looked around at the faces of his comrades, all laughing and celebrating.
Yes, he had fought for them.
The path to this victory had been exhausting. He had trained relentlessly, sacrificing rest and comfort.
He had often longed for an easier life.
But seeing them alive and laughing made it all worth it.
The fire began to subside, its flames visibly shrinking.
Watching the dying flames, Zwalter let out a joyful laugh.
"Let's return to the castle. As soon as things are in order, we'll hold a victory feast."
Everywhere, voices shouted in triumph.
Zwalter, too, couldn't hold back his smile.
Only Ghislain remained serious, shaking his head as he spoke firmly.
"We need to secure a formal surrender from Count Digald immediately."
"We can have Randolph handle that tomorrow—"
"Tomorrow is too late. I'll go now with the mercenaries."
"Is that really necessary? The war is over."
"No, we need to act now, while we still have leverage. We need reparations under favorable terms. If he seeks refuge with another lord, it'll complicate things."
"I can't believe you've thought so far ahead!"
Zwalter was surprised.
His son's words were perfectly sound.
If Count Digald had time to reorganize or get external support, he could stall negotiations.
If he fled, they'd have nothing to show for their victory.
'It's as if he's a seasoned war leader.'
Awed by his son's quick thinking, Zwalter settled himself.
"You're right. Then Randolph and I will—"
"No, you and Randolph should remain here and reassure the people. We won, but we depleted our resources. The territory's economy will be strained."
"Right. They'll need support."
"Promise them fair compensation and reassure them. I'll provide the funds with rune stones."
"Will you really? Rune stones?"
Ghislain's mention of rune stones made Zwalter's eyes light up.
His son had always been stingy with his hoard of rune stones.
Unbeknownst to him, most of the rune stones were destroyed in the explosions.
"Then I'll secure the surrender and terms. You can take it from there."
"Very well, I'll leave it to you."
Something about his son's presence had changed, and Zwalter simply nodded.
With so much to address post-war, handling the territory and the people's morale was indeed the priority.
Meanwhile, Ghislain's swift action to secure terms was logical.
Zwalter asked one last question, eyeing his son with concern.
"You're clearly not in the best shape. Are you sure you're all right?"
"I can manage."
It was a lie; he'd collapse in bed if he could.
But he had no intention of missing this chance.
"Young master! Let the commander go in your place!"
"Indeed, I can handle it."
Belinda and Gillian protested, but Ghislain shook his head.
"No, I'll go."
His strange resilience had kicked in again; with a short rest, he felt capable of moving.
"Everyone, mount up!"
Ghislain and his mercenaries borrowed the horses from the Perdiam soldiers and mounted.
"Forest Guard, come with us."
"What?"
Skovan and Ricardo looked startled as Ghislain spoke to Zwalter.
"We'll leave the guard at Digald's estate to keep him in line during negotiations."
"Hm, that makes sense. I'll send a follow-up force to secure it soon."
With their lord's approval, the forest guard reluctantly mounted their horses.
As they prepared to depart, Zwalter offered a word of caution.
"Though we fought under tragic circumstances, Count Digald is still a royal noble and long-time ally. Treat him with proper respect."
Zwalter was a man of honor, and he feared his reckless son might act too harshly.
"Understood. Don't worry."
Ghislain gave a respectful nod and raised his hand.
"Onward to Count Digald's estate!"
Thududududu!
Ghislain rode with his mercenaries and patrols at his back.
It was time to conclude this war—properly.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]