Count Cabaldi could not hide his confusion as he met Ghislain's gaze.
It wasn't the gaze of a victor. Inside it, there was an indescribable hatred and anger.
That's why he couldn't understand.
He hadn't built any animosity with this brat. He had only planned to build it in the future.
Count Cabaldi blinked rapidly and asked:
"You… You didn't come here just out of simple greed, did you? What is it, what's your purpose in coming after me?"
"I have many purposes. One of them is to kill you here."
"Hah, haha, kill me? Do you think you and your father will escape unscathed if you do that? Your family and your territory will be wiped out, not a single blade of grass will remain!"
"You're quite confident."
"Yes, so I suggest you retreat now. You know who's behind me, don't you? The royalist faction will never protect you."
Count Cabaldi continued, his voice full of mockery.
"I acknowledge your strength and cunning. But you're still young and don't understand politics well. The Duchy will never stand by and let this go. If you kill me, there will be no way to fix this."
"..."
"This is your last chance. If you spare me, I'll promise to give you half of the iron ore production for the next twenty years as part of a surrender negotiation."
Ghislain listened silently to Count Cabaldi's desperate plea.
Count Cabaldi was sure Ghislain would accept his offer.
Though he had lost the battle, he was a member of the Ducal faction, a noble of great standing in the North.
If Baron Fenris took this territory, the Duchy would inevitably suffer. Other nobles, especially the Ducal faction, would not sit idly by.
Even the most foolish of men would be able to understand that much.
"Killing me would be less beneficial for you. No matter how much we oppose each other, there's no benefit in killing a surrendered noble. It's half, half of the iron ore production!"
Had Ghislain been an ordinary nobleman, and if this war had been a simple conflict, he might have accepted the offer.
It would ease the political burden and bring a tremendous benefit. Gaining fame for defeating the North's strongest would be a bonus.
But Ghislain hadn't come here for such a purpose.
"Why? Do you think it doesn't matter because there will soon be a civil war?"
"W-what?"
Count Cabaldi was taken aback. The fact that there was a rebellion brewing in the Duchy was a secret that could not be spoken so openly.
Though the conflict with the royalist faction was intensifying, it couldn't be acknowledged so easily.
"W-what are you talking about? The factions' conflict is just a power struggle…."
"Stop fooling around, Count Cabaldi. Did you think I wouldn't know?"
"What are you saying…?"
"Have you not heard that Count Desmond, the neutral party, has been swallowing up the Northern territories one by one under the orders of the Duchy?"
"W-what…?"
Count Cabaldi's face turned pale with shock. How could this brat be so certain about something that even the royalist faction wasn't sure of?
But Ghislain's words didn't end there.
"Do you think this is just a guess? Want me to say more? What about the Crimson Magic Tower being the Duchy's hidden blade? It was raised to strike the royalist faction at the right time, wasn't it?"
"You, you…."
"What about the plans to incite rebellion within Rayfold and take control? Amelia was also being supplied with iron ore and arms, wasn't she?"
"W-well…."
"More than half of the Northern Lords have unknowingly fallen under Count Desmond's influence. Their vassals are all on his payroll, and their weaknesses have been exploited."
"Y-you, who are you really… How do you…?"
Count Cabaldi's body broke out in a cold sweat.
This wasn't a guess. This brat knew everything about the schemes Count Desmond had been orchestrating for years.
Ghislain glared at Count Cabaldi with a terrifying look in his eyes and continued:
"Surrender negotiations? Twenty years? Do you think I don't know that you and Count Desmond are planning to attack Perdium? You cut off the iron ore supply and trampled on us, intending to turn us all into slaves."
When Count Cabaldi saw Ghislain's gaze, his head started to spin.
Now he understood why his opponent was looking at him with such intensity.
No one could forgive someone who was trying to kill them.
'But how did he know? Is there a traitor in our ranks? Either way, this is dangerous, a dangerous man. He must be killed. I must kill him for sure.'
Baron Fenris knew everything, everything that the royalist faction hadn't even fully figured out. All their plans were being exposed.
He had to somehow get this information to the Duchy. If they weren't careful, they might end up playing right into his hands.
'Wait? If I play this right, I could….'
For a moment, Count Cabaldi's thoughts wavered, but then something in his eyes lit up.
So what if the plans had been uncovered?
Their power was the strongest in the kingdom. They could crush any petty tricks with brute force.
A man with political instincts, he quickly regained his composure, and with a sly grin, he spoke:
"Well, you really are a smart one. You're right. I don't know how you figured it out, but given the circumstances, I'll give you one last real chance."
"A chance?"
"I understand you wanted to demonstrate your ability through this show of force. If you're that smart, you must be aware of the power of the Duchy… No, you don't even need to go that far. You understand the power of Count Desmond, don't you?"
Ghislain smiled without speaking. Who in the North didn't understand the power of Count Desmond?
Seeing Ghislain's smile, Count Cabaldi grew even more confident and continued:
"I'll tell the Duke about your brilliance. Come into the fold of the Duchy. If you do, you and your father will be safe and will enjoy eternal wealth and glory. What do you say? Will you join us?"
Count Cabaldi believed Ghislain wouldn't refuse the offer.
To know their secret plans meant he must surely know their power as well.
If Ghislain wanted to live, he had no choice but to join them. That was the only way.
Ghislain let go of Count Cabaldi's hair and straightened his back. Naturally, Count Cabaldi had to look up at him.
This position was highly displeasing, but now was the time to calm this brat down.
Ghislain nodded and continued:
"Yes, I know well how powerful Count Desmond is in the North. No need to go to the Duchy."
"Hehe, you really are sharp. I'll overlook my rudeness today. From now on, we'll rule the North together. Now, release me and lift me up."
Count Cabaldi grinned. After all, no matter how impressive, a brat was still just a brat.
This kid would be played and discarded, but at least he'd survive. He could take his time repaying today's humiliation later.
Looking down at Count Cabaldi, Ghislain spoke in a cold voice:
"But I'm not planning to join you."
"What?"
"Why bother going through the trouble when I can just kill you all?"
"What are you saying…?"
Swoosh!
Before Count Cabaldi could finish his sentence, Ghislain's sword moved like lightning.
Even as his head flew off, Count Cabaldi's face was filled with shock and confusion.
Before his consciousness fully faded, Ghislain's final words reached his ears:
"Go ahead and wait. I'll send Count Desmond to you soon."
***
Boom!
The armrest of the chair was shattered by a punch from Count Desmond.
His expression was cold, as though his anger had been suppressed deep inside.
The heavy silence in the audience hall made all the vassals present too afraid to speak.
After a moment of silence, Harold turned to the adjutant standing before him and asked:
"Say it again."
"Baron Fenris… has ambushed and surrounded Count Cabaldi. Currently, Baron Fenris has 3,000 troops…"
The adjutant repeated the detailed report.
Listening with a terrifying expression, Harold soon closed his eyes.
He didn't mock or belittle Ghislain as he usually did. Instead, he calmly thought about the situation, suppressing his anger as best he could.
Though he was furious enough to want to destroy everything, he had to conserve his strength now.
'Did I make a mistake?'
He had left it alone, thinking there were more urgent matters at hand. It had been annoying, but he'd assumed he could crush him whenever he wanted.
In hindsight, perhaps it was because Harold couldn't accept his own failure, and thus dismissed the other side's luck.
Objectively speaking, nothing Ghislain did was ordinary.
He developed the Forest of Demonic Beasts, won the Siege of Perdium, created cosmetics, gained the support of the Royalist Faction, and even purchased massive amounts of food as if he had foreseen the drought.
While Harold had been focused elsewhere, that man had steadily and fearfully grown, taking every opportunity to his advantage.
'This is my mistake. There's no one else to blame.'
When Raul evaluated him, Harold should have taken it more seriously. He should have eliminated him, even if it meant taking a risk.
Even now, Harold still believed that much of Ghislain's success was due to luck rather than skill. After all, no one could predict the weather.
It was sheer coincidence that Ghislain's efforts aligned with the migrant plan, leading to great success.
'But he isn't someone who survives on luck alone.'
Harold had to admit it now. Luck favors those with the skill to seize it.
Ghislain didn't let his fortune slip away but struck Count Cabaldi at the perfect time. His judgment and decisiveness were far from mere luck.
Harold felt his head grow cold.
'A wolf that bites into its opponent's weaknesses.'
Count Cabaldi undoubtedly possessed strong, well-armed troops.
But in a state of starvation, he wouldn't dare to fight. A single defeat would mean the end.
It was far more likely he'd barricade himself in the castle, waiting for reinforcements.
'Count Cabaldi cannot withstand a siege.'
The Cabaldi County was already a land with poor food supply conditions. There was no way they could have enough reserves to endure a war.
Normally, they should have sent large amounts of food to Cabaldi long ago. But because they had sold all their reserves to Ghislain, they were busy trying to recover internally.
They had to stabilize their situation before they could help anyone else.
And in that brief window of time, Ghislain had struck.
'Yes, that was his doing, too.'
Because of one brat, everything had started to go awry. At first, it was just a minor disruption, but now it had snowballed into an uncontrollable disaster.
This was a clear indication that the priorities had been misjudged.
'I was complacent. The Duchy was complacent, too.'
Even Raul, who had assessed Ghislain highly, hadn't considered him as important as Amelia's affairs.
Everyone had underestimated him, and now the consequences of that underestimation were coming back as a heavy burden.
'He even has the Royalist Faction behind him. Before he grows any further, we must completely crush him now.'
The chaotic state of the Northern region had to be sorted out. Harold made an independent decision to reorder his priorities.
Regardless of the Duchy's orders.
There was no need to submit a report. Reporting this and waiting for new discussions would waste too much time.
Looking at the adjutant in front of him, Harold asked again:
"Amelia said she would prepare and proceed with the rebellion if given permission, didn't she?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Tell her to do so. I'll grant her decision-making authority. Tell her to request anything she needs."
"Pardon? My lord, wasn't that matter designated as the highest priority by the Duchy? Entrusting her with decision-making authority…"
Harold interrupted the aide's words and spoke in an emotionless voice.
"From now on, our top priority is the destruction of Fenris and Perdium."
[T/L: Please support me and read 115 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]