Chapter 417 – It Can’t Be Closed Yet (3)
“Lord!”
The knights of Fenris rushed toward Ghislain in a panic. Though they were exhausted themselves, none were as severely injured as Ghislain.
Ghislain smiled weakly and spoke.
“You’ve all done well.”
“Are you all right?”
“Yes, though I’ll need some treatment.”
Ghislain pulled out a potion and drank it. Seeing this, the knights hurriedly took out their own potions and began pouring them over him.
As his clothes became soaked, Ghislain waved his hand.
“That’s enough. The external wounds are fine now. It’s the internal injuries that need rest.”
“No, we need to be thorough!”
“Exactly! You’re far too important!”
Some even went as far as uncapping their potions and practically splashing them onto his face. Their actions clearly carried a mix of emotions.
In truth, Ghislain’s face hadn’t been injured much at all.
“…I said stop.”
“…Yes, sir.”
At any rate, once it was confirmed that Ghislain’s life was no longer in danger, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
As his breathing stabilized, Gordon asked,
“What were those things? Why did they all suddenly turn to dust?”
“It’s because that monster died. This place hasn’t been fully eroded yet.”
“Eroded?”
“That rift alters the environment to allow those creatures to exist. That monster was here to carry out that task. They’re beings not permitted in this world.”
“……”
The knights remained silent. They couldn’t understand what Ghislain was talking about.
Noticing their blank expressions, Ghislain shook his head a few times before continuing.
“Just know that much for now. You’ll get used to it over time.”
“Then… what do we do about the rift? Why isn’t it closing?”
The rift still loomed open. The massive monster had been defeated, and the other creatures had vanished, so why did it remain?
People watched the rift with uneasy expressions.
“Leave it for now. We can’t close it yet anyway. Just surround it and keep it under guard.”
“What? Leave it open? Does that mean people can’t live here anymore?”
“Yes. There’s still something left inside. That thing has to be dealt with before the rift can close. It can’t come out yet because the opening is too small.”
The people looked horrified at his words.
The monsters that had emerged already were beyond imagination. Yet, something even worse remained inside?
And it was supposedly trapped because the opening was too small despite the rift already looking this massive.
‘Just how big is that thing…?’
The mere thought was terrifying. Something even stronger than what they had just fought was waiting inside.
Ghislain had been badly injured fighting those creatures, yet it felt like they had lost an entire city regardless.
The knights helped Ghislain to his feet. Getting him to a safer place to rest was the priority.
As they supported him, Ghislain lifted his head and looked back toward the rift.
Swoosh.
Suddenly, a pair of eyes reappeared from within the crack. Bloodshot and menacing, they glared directly at him.
Ghislain smirked at the sight.
“See you again soon.”
As if understanding his words, the eyes slowly faded back into the purple darkness.
And then
Hidden in the shadows, those eyes seemed to curve, as if smiling.
* * *
“What on earth happened?!”
Count Selverk, the newly appointed overseer of the west, was shocked to see the battered state Ghislain was in when he arrived.
Ghislain took Selverk to Linderstein’s office.
Though it was a seat Selverk had grown fond of during his time in charge, he naturally vacated it for Ghislain, the true lord.
After briefly explaining the situation, Ghislain asked,
“Were all the rift candidate sites in the west dealt with?”
“Yes, we barely managed to subdue them thanks to the forces sent by Marquis Branford.”
The Salvation Church, having had its rift locations exposed, was fighting back more desperately, making their elimination increasingly difficult.
However, outside the south, where the armies were advancing, they had no choice but to be defeated.
“There were a few exceptions, but most of the places you identified did have those ‘altars.’”
Initially, the structures were called by various names, but now everyone referred to them simply as the Salvation Church’s altars.
There were rare instances where Ghislain’s information was off, as it came from intelligence gathered before he became the King of Mercenaries. Naturally, some details were outdated.
However, such cases were rare enough that his credibility remained high.
‘There must still be some left.’
“But there must be rifts even in places I don’t know about. Didn’t one already appear in the Barony of Finros?”
Those rifts would soon start opening one by one.
“Hurry and prepare a testimony.”
At Ghislain’s words, the knights from Finros, forcibly brought here, lowered their heads. Ghislain had intentionally brought them to secure direct testimonies from those who had witnessed the rift firsthand.
Shortly after, Count Selverk, upon reading the testimonies written by the Finros knights, was visibly shocked.
“W-What? The creature had superhuman strength? And monsters stronger than ordinary soldiers kept emerging?”
“Yes.”
It was clear the Salvation Church hadn’t offered sacrifices without reason. They must have known something would emerge. But a monster with strength surpassing the superhuman level?
Even one such creature would be enough to wipe out multiple territories in an instant.
Ghislain spoke to Count Selverk.
“Send this letter to all the lords as quickly as possible. I’ll deliver it personally to Marquis Branford.”
“A-All right.”
While Count Selverk summoned a knight to carry out the order, Ghislain skimmed through the documents lying on the desk.
Delivering detailed news about the rift was crucial, but equally important was stabilizing the west as quickly as possible.
Soon after, Count Selverk returned to report on recent matters.
“The remnants have been mostly dealt with.”
“Yes, as soon as we offered food, they surrendered. It’s all thanks to your reputation, Count.”
Ghislain had earned a reputation for treating those who surrendered well and distributing abundant food supplies.
Because of that, the remaining bands of defeated soldiers who had turned into marauders quickly surrendered upon hearing of Ghislain’s control over the west. As a result, Linderstein’s forces had swelled to nearly thirty thousand.
However, even with most of the bandits gone, it would still take time to fully stabilize the west.
The people had been heavily taxed and plundered due to war efforts, but the greater issue lay with a few lords who continued to commit atrocities.
Some were still murdering and pillaging as though it were routine. Simply distributing food would not be enough to resolve the chaos under such circumstances.
“The situation has calmed somewhat, so it’s time to bring proper order.”
“What do you mean?”
“We need to eliminate a few lords who are disrupting stability and turn their lands into direct holdings.”
“…T-That…”
Count Selverk swallowed hard.
The Roderick Marquisate had already become a direct holding of Fenris. However, the surrounding vassals had surrendered and sworn loyalty to Ghislain.
If those vassals were removed now, it would surely draw heavy criticism.
“That would tarnish your reputation significantly, Count. It would also discourage other lords from surrendering in the future.”
“I’m aware. I’m not suggesting we remove all of them only a few particularly vicious ones as an example.”
“…Do you truly have to go that far?”
Fenris already controlled the richest lands in the west. Stabilizing slowly over time could still yield immense benefits.
After all, the border lords who hadn’t sided with the Roderick Marquisate were of minor consequence.
However, Ghislain shook his head firmly.
“I would take my time if I could. But right now, countless lives are at stake. I won’t let a handful of selfish men jeopardize this.”
He was right. The existence of the rifts was now known, and the Salvation Church’s schemes were unfolding openly. A civil war with the ducal families seemed inevitable.
Even if they acted with perfect coordination, there would be enough chaos. Allowing such corrupt figures to remain in power would only worsen the damage for everyone.
Ghislain stared at Count Selverk with unwavering determination.
“Rifts can’t be handled with a half-hearted approach. Everyone needs to be focused and united. This isn’t a personal battle.”
Count Selverk could no longer argue. The rights of the lords mattered, but if they clung to those rights too stubbornly, they might lose everything including their lives.
What was the point of preserving titles and lands if everyone died?
“I have no intention of letting my people suffer because of those monsters’ greed. Do you understand? I will only remove those who are clearly deserving of it.”
Ghislain’s words were more detailed than usual. As the highest-ranking noble in the west, Count Selverk was receiving the best explanation Ghislain could offer.
“…Understood. Then, what should be done?”
Policies flowed endlessly from Ghislain’s mouth.
“Our administrators will select the worst offenders as examples. Send the army to eliminate them immediately.”
“Evacuate people from small villages and relocate them to cities and fortresses in preparation for the rift monsters.”
“All resources should be redirected toward producing food and war supplies.”
“This will create more jobs. Reward the territory’s people with sufficient food.”
“Increase the size of the military. Spare no expense on expanding our forces.”
The policies Ghislain had successfully implemented in Fenris continued to pour out. Count Selverk, listening in silence, grew increasingly pale.
“H-How do you expect to handle all of this at once? The current administrative capacity is barely enough to maintain public order.”
“It’s fine. Our people specialize in this. The administrators from Fenris are already here, aren’t they?”
“W-Well, yes… but they’re still trying to assess the situation and handle the most urgent matters”
“They should be done by now. Hey, summon the overseer.”
At Ghislain’s command, the knights moved. Soon after, a man entered the office with a broad grin.
“Lord, it’s been a while.”
The man smiling confidently was Billy, a longtime administrative officer and a friend of Claude.
He had been brought to Fenris after being swindled by Claude at the academy and had since been in charge of administrative tasks there.
Having faced countless challenges, Billy had become capable of restructuring entire territories with ease.
“It’s been a while. Have you finished the assessments?”
“Yes. We’ve identified several lords to make an example of. Only those who routinely slaughtered their people and embezzled our supplies have been selected, so there should be minimal backlash. The justification is clear.”
“Good. Deal with them accordingly and send more administrators afterward. Count Selverk will provide the necessary military support. What about the rest?”
“We’ve chosen the cities and fortresses for relocation. The available land and population are sufficient, so if we offer proper compensation, the projects will proceed smoothly. We’ve also planned to repair existing facilities and focus on new construction…”
Billy went on in great detail about how he planned to restructure the entire region.
Count Selverk listened, his mouth hanging open in shock.
“A-Amazing… You’ve prepared all of this already? Do the administrators from Fenris even sleep? Come to think of it, the lights are always on, even at night.”
“…”
“If only my staff were as diligent as the Fenris administrators.”
‘They’re barely surviving…’
Billy couldn’t bring himself to speak the truth and blinked back tears.
Not just the administrators, but even the priests dispatched alongside Piote were present in Linderstein to wake the officials whenever they collapsed from overwork.
Regardless, the plans were set. The policies had already proven successful in Fenris, a land that had started with nothing. With more resources and manpower available here in the west, failure was unlikely.
Satisfied, Ghislain nodded.
“For any shortages, request from Fenris directly. The western territories are still suffering from the aftermath of the war, so distribute food generously without holding back.”
“Yes, sir.”
Fenris had risen to become the continent’s leading food producer, surpassing even royal holdings. By flooding the region with food, they could quickly pacify public unrest and mobilize workers for the projects.
Turning to Count Selverk, Ghislain continued,
“Count, focus your military efforts on maintaining security. You’ve heard about the resurgence of bandits near the western territories, haven’t you?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Don’t waste resources trying to hunt them down. I’ll bring the army and wipe them out myself. Concentrate only on defense and keeping the peace.”
“Understood.”
Ghislain then continued planning smaller logistical tasks with Count Selverk and Billy. With Billy’s experience from Fenris, there was little doubt they could stabilize the western territories efficiently.
It was now time to prepare for something even more critical.
“Did you bring the medicine?”
Ghislain’s voice grew firm. Billy nodded gravely.
“Yes, but it’s nowhere near enough for the entire western population.”
Despite Fenris’ frantic efforts to produce the medicine, the quantities were insufficient for full distribution across so many regions.
Ghislain nodded, his expression unyielding.
“For now, prioritize the soldiers participating in battles. The shortage of medicines can’t be helped.”
Count Selverk, his face tense, asked hesitantly,
“We’ve also begun producing the medicine using the formula you provided, gathering the necessary ingredients as best we can… but… is it really true? Will it truly happen?”
Selverk had received Ghislain’s warnings earlier and was following the orders, but disbelief still lingered in his heart.
His skepticism was understandable. Ghislain, however, remained calm.
“Yes. We must prepare for the plague that will soon arrive.”
For it would mark the beginning of calamity.