"Drink up! Cheers!"
"Ricardo, you handsome devil! Look over here!"
"Hail to the Baron!"
"To the victory of Perdium!"
Everyone was joyously intoxicated, their spirits lifted by the wine and camaraderie after the exhausting war. Watching them with a faint smile, Ghislain quietly slipped out of the banquet hall.
'Celebrating victory is well-deserved for those who endured hardship…'
But there were those who couldn't enjoy this joy—the families of those who had fallen.
Compared to the enemy's numbers, Perdium's losses had been light, but there were still those who had died. Their families would be overcome with grief right now, unable to move beyond their sorrow.
Ghislain visited each one of these families, taking their hands and offering his condolences, promising substantial compensation.
It was the duty of a lord, something Zwalter would gladly handle, but Ghislain didn't mind doing it himself.
'I bear some responsibility, after all.'
He had no regrets. If he hadn't done what he did, Perdium would have been destroyed, and the people would have been killed or forced to live in suffering.
But Ghislain also couldn't deny that there were lives lost because of him.
He had pushed forward the timing of the war and amplified its scale.
Since this war had been fought to protect everyone, those who had sacrificed their lives deserved all the comfort and compensation they could receive.
Ghislain traveled from house to house, accompanied only by Belinda and Gillian.
He couldn't do this forever, but… before he left Perdium, he wanted to comfort his homeland's people and honor their sacrifices, even if just once.
"Thank you. Thank you so much, young lord."
Everyone Ghislain met bowed their heads in gratitude, thankful that he, the heir of the land, had come to offer his sympathy in person.
They understood, of course. If they had lost the war, they would have suffered even more.
But the grief of losing a loved one was not something they could easily put aside.
Silently, Gillian followed behind, observing everything Ghislain did.
'I always thought he cared only about efficiency.'
He knew Ghislain took care of his own people, but he hadn't expected him to show such concern for the people of the estate.
After all, Ghislain would be leaving Perdium soon.
There was nothing to gain from doing this, yet he was still going to visit the bereaved families.
"…Are you crying, Belinda?"
"No, when would I ever!"
Belinda, teary-eyed, glared at Ghislain. She, too, had been close friends with many of the soldiers, and their loss weighed heavily on her.
With a chuckle, Ghislain handed her a handkerchief.
"We should head back for now."
Even after returning to the castle, Ghislain didn't go directly to the banquet. Instead, he checked on the wounded and finally visited Vanessa.
"Vanessa, how are you feeling?"
"Ah… young lord."
Ghislain stopped her as she tried to sit up, taking a seat beside her.
"You did wonderfully. We won this war because of you."
At his warm gaze, she smiled softly. She was glad she had been able to help, to repay her debt.
But most of all, she was overjoyed to be recognized as a real mage at last.
As the two exchanged smiles, a strained voice spoke from nearby.
"Good grief… Do I not exist…?"
Alpoi glared at Ghislain, panting heavily. Ghislain feigned surprise, his eyes widening dramatically.
"Alpoi, you're here? Right, you did well too. Good job."
"Ugh… You bastard…"
Grinding his teeth, Alpoi glared at Ghislain.
He'd nearly died from having his mana drained, yet Ghislain was treating him so nonchalantly.
But his curiosity was even greater than his frustration.
"How did you do it? How was she able to use magic… and such high-level magic at that?"
The towering pillar of fire he'd seen explode was something even Alpoi, who had come from the Magic Tower, had never seen before.
He'd questioned Vanessa and learned she'd set off the Rune Stones buried underground, but he still didn't understand how she had managed to cast such powerful magic.
Given that she'd absorbed mana from six people, the amount of mana she wielded must have been vast, but as far as Alpoi knew, Vanessa hadn't even been able to cast a 1st-circle spell.
"When did she suddenly gain the ability to control mana? She couldn't before."
Vanessa had told him that Ghislain had forced her to sense mana, but Alpoi didn't believe it.
How could a backwater scoundrel from some rural estate accomplish something even the Magic Tower had failed to do?
There had to be some hidden secret.
Seeing the desire in Alpoi's eyes, even in his weakened state, Ghislain shrugged.
"It's a method only I know. If you want to learn it, work hard for the estate. Maybe I'll tell you a secret or two."
"What? You… ugh… If I get back to the Magic Tower…"
Ghislain cut him off with a laugh.
"The Magic Tower? I was actually planning on visiting it soon. I'll be sure to put in a good word for you. Might even secure your position as heir to the Tower Lord."
Alpoi smiled involuntarily at the thought.
"Ahem, that would be nice… but why are you going to the Magic Tower? Isn't your contract still ongoing?"
"I have a proposal to make. It'll benefit you too."
"…?"
Alpoi blinked, failing to grasp Ghislain's meaning.
But Ghislain had no intention of explaining further.
He turned to Vanessa.
"Rest well. I'll teach you more when I return."
Vanessa nodded, smiling faintly.
"Wait, hang on! Explain yourself! Hey!"
Alpoi's voice called out from behind, but Ghislain didn't look back.
***
The next day, as soon as the banquet ended, Ghislain led his mercenaries back into the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
In his absence, the stockade and roads had nearly been completed.
Ghislain mined as much Rune Stone as he could, giving half to Homerne.
With money now flowing into the estate, Perdium would stabilize quickly.
'Perdium should be fine for now.'
The enemies would also be preoccupied with recovery and wouldn't have time to interfere here.
'I need to strengthen my forces and prepare for what's next.'
He'd bought himself considerable time, but he couldn't afford to be complacent.
This was his opportunity to weaken his enemies and bide his time.
'Funds, manpower, provisions, alliances…'
There was so much to prepare, and he had to make the most of his time. There was no room for rest.
Ghislain didn't even think about returning to the castle. Instead, he turned his horse.
"To the Magic Tower."
"The Magic Tower? Are you planning to sell more Rune Stones?"
At Belinda's question, Ghislain shook his head.
He still had Rune Stones left, but he had no intention of selling them to the Tower.
"I have matters to discuss with them."
"When will you head to the Fenris estate?"
"After I handle this."
He couldn't leave his new lordship vacant for long, but going to the Magic Tower took priority right now.
Forging a new contract with them would make his future plans much easier.
As soon as he'd received the title to Fenris, Ghislain had sent Kaor and some of the mercenaries to the estate.
They'd be able to hold down the fort for a short time.
Though Belinda seemed uneasy about the Fenris estate, she quietly followed him toward the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower.
***
After several days of travel, they arrived at the Tower's city.
Belinda looked around in awe.
"Wow, this place is still so pristine. It'd be nice if our estate looked like this someday."
Ghislain and the mercenaries nodded in agreement.
The city was always impeccably clean and grand.
"Ah! You're here! Come right in, please!"
The gatekeeper, no longer stiff and formal, eagerly opened the gate as soon as he saw Ghislain.
Sylvain, stationed at the lobby, bowed deeply upon seeing him.
"It's an honor to have you back! I'll inform the Tower Lord right away."
In no time, Sylvain hurriedly escorted Ghislain to the Tower Lord, Hubert, who greeted him with exaggerated enthusiasm.
"Ah! Come in! You won the war, yes? Of course, you must have, or you wouldn't be here. Tell me, what happened?"
Though the Tower had sent mages to Perdium, the Rune Stone trade complicated matters.
Hubert had managed to stay updated on Perdium's status through his own sources and had heard about the war rather quickly.
However, he had no information on the outcome or specifics, so he'd been rather anxious. Ghislain's visit put him at ease.
With a grin, Ghislain teased, "Seems like you were anxiously waiting for me."
"Oh, you have no idea how nervous we were! We never expected war to break out so soon!"
"Don't underestimate the greed of lords."
Hubert nodded solemnly at that.
He had thought war wouldn't break out so quickly, but events had proven him wrong.
For that insight alone, he had to respect this young man's foresight.
"Well, sit down. Did you come to sell Rune Stones? I didn't see any carts. No, wait, how did you even win? Tell me everything."
Ghislain sipped his tea, drawing out the suspense.
Watching him squirm like an anxious dog, Ghislain finally spoke with a relaxed tone.
"It was nothing. I simply buried all the Rune Stones I had in the ground and blew them up."
"…What?"
Hubert blinked in shock, unable to comprehend Ghislain's words.
But then the truth dawned on him, and he gasped.
"You madman! I knew you weren't right in the head, but this… this is insane!"
If he'd known that many Rune Stones would be used, he could have sent half the Tower's mages to help—or at least found some other way to support!
"Why didn't you just hand them all over to us? We could've sent mages along with them!"
Recalling the cartload of Rune Stones from their previous transaction, Hubert let out a frustrated sigh.
Ghislain leaned forward, lowering his voice slightly.
"Would you really have sent mages?"
Hubert paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously.
"Of course! We would have found a way to help!"
It was easy to be generous after the fact, now that the war was over.
If a little flattery kept the Rune Stones coming, then so be it.
At his confident response, Ghislain smirked meaningfully.
With a snake-like smoothness, he continued, "I'm touched by your generosity, tower lord. I didn't expect you cared for me this much. It's truly reassuring."
"Ahem, well, you know… we've built a business relationship, after all. It'd be disappointing if you didn't see it that way, don't you think?"
"As expected of the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower's lord. I didn't realize I was dealing with someone so honorable. I apologize for any past rudeness and hope we can continue our excellent partnership."
Ghislain poured on the charm, his words smooth as silk.
Hubert, slightly embarrassed, cleared his throat awkwardly.
He'd only been humoring Ghislain, but now the man was practically showering him with praise.
That's when Ghislain grinned and continued.
"Since you're so understanding, I feel comfortable bringing this up. I was unsure of how to approach it, but… I'm glad we're on the same page."
Hubert felt a pang of unease.
Now that he thought about it, why had Ghislain come?
Their contract still had plenty of time left.
Could he have come just to boast about the victory?
'No… as odd as he is, he wouldn't travel all this way just for that.'
He remembered their last deal.
Ghislain Perdium was not one to act without gaining something.
This was not the kind of person who would waste days on a mere conversation.
With a nervous tone, Hubert asked, "Wh-what is it? Why are you here?"
"I'm afraid I won't be able to sell any more Rune Stones. I'm so sorry about this."
Hubert's face instantly twisted in dismay.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]