"…What?"
Baron Auston asked in disbelief, but Ghislain offered no further explanation and left the room.
He wasn't entirely hopeless, though; after a moment, a frustrated shout echoed from behind the closed doors.
The baron had finally realized Ghislain was a noble from Lutania.
Ghislain gathered the waiting mercenaries in the reception room and led them outside the castle.
Sensing something off in the demeanor of the knight escorting them, Belinda sidled up to Ghislain and whispered.
"What's going on? Did things not go well?"
"No, everything went fine. We just need to wait a bit."
"Then why does that guy look like he's seen a ghost?"
"Who knows? Maybe he's got a stomach ache?"
Belinda shot Ghislain with a disbelieving look.
Just as she opened her mouth to say something, a young woman appeared, escorted by knights.
The woman looked disheveled, her clothes worn, and she seemed bewildered, casting glances at the knights as if she had no idea why she was there.
One of the knights who had brought her spoke in a voice thick with irritation.
"You're free now. These people paid your ransom."
"W-Who?"
The woman lifted her head, startled.
Who in the world would pay such an enormous sum of 2,000 gold for her?
She thought there was no one left who'd do that for her.
She turned to see a man looking at her.
Though he looked much more downtrodden than before, she recognized him immediately as the man she'd once loved and thought she'd never see again—her fiancé.
"Claude!"
"Anna!"
Without hesitation, they rushed into each other's arms, weeping.
"Why? Why did you do it?!"
"I… I'm sorry. I'm so late, aren't I?"
Watching the tearful reunion, Belinda just pursed her lips.
'Are they lovers? Or family? Could the young master have known about all of this?'
There were too many strange things to ignore.
Even before meeting them, he had brought a valuable rune stone with him.
That wasn't the sort of thing you'd bring just to cover travel expenses.
'He did mention something about a risk of losing a hand.'
Then, upon arrival, Ghislain had immediately sought out Claude, whose hand had nearly been severed, and offered the money without even asking questions.
It was as though he'd anticipated everything that would happen and prepared for it.
Unable to hold back her curiosity any longer, Belinda asked.
"Young master, did you know this would happen?"
"More or less."
"How?"
"I did a bit of research here and there."
It was plausible enough. The only odd thing was that she didn't know when he'd done such research.
Belinda narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Ghislain, but couldn't glean any secrets from him.
"And did you know about their relationship too?"
"Yes, they're lovers."
"Oh, so it's the classic 'rescue the captured lover' trope. How romantic."
Belinda looked over at Claude and Anna, both crying uncontrollably.
Even without knowing the details, it was clear that Claude's gambling had been a desperate attempt to save his fiancée.
Of course, nothing could really excuse his choice of resorting to gambling.
"So… what exactly happened between them?"
Ghislain rubbed his chin thoughtfully before answering.
"Because of that bastard Claude, Claude's teacher died."
"…What?"
"And that woman is the teacher's daughter."
"Wait, what?"
Belinda, along with the other mercenaries who had been eavesdropping, were left with their mouths agape in shock.
"Hold on. They're lovers, but he's responsible for her father's death?"
"He didn't kill him. The teacher died because of something Claude did."
"That's basically the same thing!"
"Not quite."
Ghislain crossed his arms, choosing his words carefully.
"Claude's teacher was associated with the Revolutionary Group."
"The Revolutionary Group?!"
Belinda and the mercenaries jumped in surprise, as if this couldn't get any more shocking.
The Revolutionary Group was a notorious, radical organization that promoted equality and communalism.
Though they had garnered support at first, they had long since devolved into little more than continent-wide bandits.
"Then… how are those two still alive?"
The Revolutionary Group's goal was to overthrow the established system.
The kingdom wouldn't have spared anyone connected to them. Anyone even slightly linked to them was sentenced to death.
Ghislain continued matter-of-factly.
"To be precise, he was framed as being associated with them. Claude's teacher was the head of the Royal Academy of Seiron."
Claude's teacher had been both the academy's head and a renowned scholar with considerable political influence.
However, nobles in a rival faction found him to be an obstacle and schemed to implicate him with the Revolutionary Group using falsified evidence.
Claude was the one who unwittingly delivered that fabricated evidence to his teacher.
"You're saying he betrayed his teacher?"
"Not on purpose. Why would a promising young man like him get involved in such things? He was just naïve and got tricked. He was book-smart, but clueless about the world."
Claude, being naive, hadn't noticed the trap set by the opposing faction.
He'd simply been told to deliver an "important letter" and handed it to his teacher without question.
That letter ended up as evidence implicating his teacher in ties with the Revolutionary Group.
Of course, there were other layers of schemes and political maneuvering involved. But ultimately, Claude's actions had been the starting point for his teacher's downfall.
'That guilt haunted him his entire life, leaving him in perpetual regret.'
Ghislain let out a wry smile.
"In the end, his teacher accepted his fate, allowing them both to live in exchange for his own execution. Anna, as a direct family member, had a ransom that no one could pay, which is how she ended up here."
"Ugh…"
"That's why Claude feels so guilty toward both his teacher and his fiancée."
"So… he ended up in the gambling dens because…"
"No one would hire him. Who's going to employ someone accused of treason and indirectly responsible for their teacher's death?"
A few mercenaries clicked their tongues and shook their heads.
"He needed to free Anna, but there was no other way for him to raise that kind of money. So he gave up on his life and clung to gambling, hoping for a miracle."
"Life can fall apart so easily…"
"The price he paid to understand how harsh the world can be was far too high. He lost his teacher, his future, and the woman he loved."
"Geez…"
Belinda felt uneasy.
Her curiosity had driven her to ask, but now that she'd heard the story, it left her feeling disturbed.
She'd wondered why Ghislain would recruit a gambler, but now she understood the reason.
Once the couple's tears finally ceased, an awkward tension settled between them.
Claude wasn't directly responsible for his teacher's death, and Anna likely didn't fully blame him.
But when disaster strikes, it's human nature to want to find someone to blame.
Anna's expression held both joy and resentment as she looked at Claude.
"But, Claude, who are these people?"
"This man… is the noble who paid for your ransom."
Claude gave a faint, bitter smile.
He wasn't exactly sure who Ghislain was or why he was helping him.
To recruit him?
If Ghislain could spend this much money, surely he could find someone better than himself.
Even after all this, Claude couldn't bring himself to fully trust Ghislain.
Anna, seeing his conflicted expression, sensed that there had to be some kind of condition attached, even if Claude hadn't mentioned it.
But no matter what those conditions were, the fact that he'd willingly paid such a large sum was undoubtedly a favor.
"Thank you. Truly, thank you."
Anna bowed repeatedly, expressing her gratitude as if she were a criminal.
Ghislain looked at her with a hint of pity.
She likely thought Ghislain had imposed some unbearable conditions on Claude.
In this kingdom, no one would hire Claude; he was indirectly linked to treason.
Even if they did hire him, they'd likely impose conditions heavily in their own favor to make it worth the risk.
It wouldn't be much different from being under Baron Auston's thumb.
"There's no need to be so formal. I helped because I wanted to."
Ghislain didn't bother to dispel her suspicions.
No matter what he said, he knew she wouldn't believe him until she experienced it herself.
***
Wasting no time, Ghislain led the pair to an inn.
The mercenaries' bags were now significantly heavier, courtesy of the 1,000 gold Baron Auston had provided.
With enough money for the journey, Ghislain's group checked into the largest inn beside the Kraken gaming hall.
After arranging rooms, Claude turned to Anna with an apologetic look.
"I'm sure you want to know everything, but… can we talk tomorrow? There's something important I need to discuss with him."
"…All right. But you'll tell me everything tomorrow?"
She seemed anxious but nodded her agreement.
The mercenaries dispersed to rest or stand guard, leaving only Ghislain, Claude, Belinda, and Gillian in the large suite.
Claude took a deep breath and asked.
"Why are you doing all this for me?"
After a moment's hesitation, Ghislain replied honestly.
This was one moment he didn't want to dodge with a lie.
"Because I owe you a debt."
"We've never met before today."
"Well, that's true, but if I say I owe you, then I do."
No one could truly understand what he meant.
Belinda muttered to herself, thinking the young lord was being as stubborn as ever.
But Ghislain meant it.
Claude had helped him pursue his revenge to the end, ultimately losing his life in the process.
Could any amount of money make up for that?
"I meant what I said about recruiting you. But if you don't want to, I won't force you. Live however you want. You don't need to repay me."
"…Stop joking."
"Why do you find it so hard to believe? I'm serious."
That wasn't his initial intention. He'd been determined to bring Claude back with him.
But seeing Claude's face changed his mind.
'Yes, this guy really did give it his all, didn't he? Even if it ended in failure… Claude did all he could.'
He didn't want to bind Claude to him again in this life just to satisfy his own ambitions.
It would be wrong to trap a friend who had once willingly sacrificed his life for him.
He'd seen Claude's face again, saved him from losing his hand, and even rescued Anna.
Now, Claude could finally live in peace.
Although he hadn't succeeded in his revenge, Claude had helped him until the very end in their previous life.
He wanted Claude to be free this time.
That was enough for him.
"Of course, I haven't given up entirely. Living as a tutor here in town might be nice, but… if you ever want to reach your full potential on a grander stage…"
Ghislain gave him a gentle smile.
"Come to the Fenris estate in Lutania. I'll give you the wings you need to soar."
Claude gritted his teeth.
He couldn't understand this situation.
It didn't seem like the typical whim of a noble, especially with the warm, friendly gaze that made him feel strangely unsettled.
Claude closed his eyes, thinking deeply, then slowly lowered himself to the floor.
"Thank you for saving Anna. I will honor my word and devote myself to your service."
He looked up, and his face no longer held any trace of despair.
He looked as if he had finally made peace with his decision.
Ghislain's expression hardened slightly as he asked.
"You really don't have to do this. Live however you want."
"This is what I want."
"You're good with words… but I'm sure you'd rather live with Anna."
Claude looked down, clearly struck by the accuracy of Ghislain's remark.
"With 500 gold, you two could live comfortably."
"I can't accept such a large sum without giving something in return."
Ghislain narrowed his eyes, studying Claude.
"You've truly made up your mind, haven't you?"
"Yes. This is the best path for me."
Belinda couldn't make sense of what the two were discussing.
'Why not both of them just come to Fenris together?'
Before she could voice the question, Claude answered it himself.
"I hate to impose further, but… would you see Anna safely to Seiron's Royal Academy? I will follow you, my lord."
Ghislain sighed, as though he'd expected this answer all along.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]