Chapter 428: I Will Save You All. (2)
As soon as Ghislain finished speaking, the two men threw themselves to the ground and shouted.
“We, we are innocent! We opposed it!”
“It was all the Count’s orders!”
Unfortunately, Count Grafton was not a figure worthy of loyalty. The Chief Overseer and Treasurer were already prepared to confess before any torture began.
As Ghislain approached, the two, still prostrated, shouted again.
“We know where it is!”
“It’s not far from here!”
Upon hearing this, Count Grafton’s face turned pale as he screamed.
“You fools! Shut up! Keep your mouths shut!”
But it was already too late. The two spilled every detail they knew to Ghislain.
Count Grafton had secretly built an underground warehouse in a nearby village to store medicinal ingredients. He had even established a production facility there to manufacture the medicine.
After hearing the full explanation, Ghislain nodded.
“Gillian, take a unit immediately and confirm the location. Use these two as your guides.”
“Understood.”
Gillian took the Chief Overseer and Treasurer with him. Even then, Count Grafton continued his desperate outburst.
“Argh! What are you all doing? Attack them! The Northern Army is all outside the outer wall! Strike these bastards and prepare for war!”
If he was going to lose everything anyway, there was no reason to avoid a fight.
The knights and soldiers were obligated to follow Count Grafton’s orders, but none dared to move. Despite the fact that their numbers far exceeded Ghislain’s, no one could bring themselves to attack him.
‘Fight the Count of Fenris, who has reached the level of a master? Insane!’
‘He’s one of the strongest in the kingdom!’
‘Even if we all charged at once, could we really win?’
A Master was still human, so perhaps overwhelming numbers could prevail. But who would be the first to charge? The first one would surely lose his head.
Besides, the Northern Army had gained immense fame after handling the rifts. Not to mention, the Fenris forces were already renowned as elite troops.
Though only a few were present here, there were eighty thousand Northern soldiers outside. If they stormed in, those present would be crushed in an instant.
No one was loyal enough to Count Grafton to make such a sacrifice. The Knight Commander, bounded by his pride, only hesitated before stammering.
“W-We should wait for the results, as it involves enforcing the kingdom’s law…”
“You crazy fool! And you call yourself my loyal knight? Results? What results are you waiting for?!”
The absurdity of the situation made Ghislain chuckle as he sat back down.
Crossing his arms, he closed his eyes and murmured.
“I really don’t like using force.”
People didn’t believe him, but as a former mercenary, Ghislain truly valued freedom.
It was just that the world, the era, and circumstances kept pushing him this way. Really.
While Ghislain waited for Gillian’s return, Count Grafton continued his tirade.
“Kill him! I should never have let these people into the castle! If you touch me, the other lords will oppose you! Are you planning to go to war with the entire kingdom’s nobility?”
He was rambling on and on. Yet, no one listened. Not even his own men.
Had they attacked Ghislain from the start, the momentum might have led to a fight. But the situation had already spiraled to the point where no one could move.
After some time, Gillian returned and reported.
“We’ve found it.”
“How much is there?”
“I’ll need to verify the exact amount, but at a glance, there are tens of thousands of bottles of the manufactured medicine. The ingredients are also stockpiled in large quantities.”
“They sure stuffed themselves well.”
Ghislain smiled as he rose from his seat. With cold eyes, he glared at Count Grafton and declared.
“I strip you of your title, Grafton. Lock him in the dungeon. The fief will be confiscated by the royal family and later awarded to someone who earns enough merit.”
Count Grafton’s face turned deathly pale. What kind of law was this?
This couldn’t be happening. Losing his land without even a single battle?
Northern soldiers bound and raised him to his feet, but Count Grafton kept screaming.
“Attack them right now! What are you doing?! Strike them down! This injustice cannot stand! I am the lord here! Not even the king can treat me this way!”
The retainers and the escort knights merely stood by, reading the mood in silence.
Ghislain’s actions did seem a bit extreme, but it was their lord who had broken the law first.
After all, the authority of a lord was granted in exchange for fulfilling obligations to both the royal family and the people of the domain. Count Grafton had been the one to forsake that duty first.
‘Things have gotten out of hand, but our lord really did go too far.’
‘People are dropping dead from the plague. Everyone’s already struggling just to hold back the rift.’
‘Honestly, isn’t the Northern Army handling the rift? We were just lucky to be away from it.’
Everyone justified the situation this way, turning a blind eye. None of them felt loyal enough to Count Grafton to risk their lives for him.
If anything, they were more worried about being dragged down with him.
Ghislain pointed directly at a few of Count Grafton’s knights and commanded,
“Go to the nearby territories immediately and report this properly. Tell them to prepare while we distribute the medicine. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
The territories Ghislain directed them to were outside the rift’s reach but had been hoarding medicinal herbs or refusing proper cooperation.
Once they heard about this incident, they would likely prepare as instructed. The information had already been gathered, so denying it would be pointless.
If they resisted to the end, force would be the only remaining option, just as it was now. There was no time for leniency anymore.
Ghislain then turned back to the retainers of Count Grafton and spoke again.
“This crime will be held against your lord alone. If I were to take all of you, the domain would face significant issues. Until a new lord is appointed, Fenris’ administrators will oversee this place. Cooperate properly.”
“Y-yes, understood.”
Who would dare refuse such an order? The retainers of House Grafton all bowed their heads.
Turning away, Ghislain spoke to Gillian.
“We need to figure out a fast way to distribute the reclaimed medicine. Let’s start by identifying the places where the plague has spread most severely.”
Having made his point clear, it was time to move again.
* * *
The plague was spreading with terrifying speed.
Many of the domain’s residents had come into contact with soldiers who had fought the Riftspawn. Worse still, some of those infected had begun moving from place to place merchants, couriers, adventurers, and mercenaries alike.
The plague was spreading faster than the medicine could be distributed.
Even though Ghislain had preemptively prepared production facilities for the medicine, it wasn’t working as planned. The lords refused to trust him, fearing losses, and acted half-heartedly.
Still, once the plague began spreading in earnest, the medicine production finally started but by then, more and more cities were being abandoned to the disease.
In those forsaken cities, the people cried out in agony.
“Ugh… What is our lord even doing…?”
“I heard there was medicine… Why won’t they give it to us…?”
“We’ve been abandoned… Completely abandoned…”
Seemingly healthy people collapsed under the fever. Others avoided the afflicted, but the plague, already incubating within them, eventually struck all the same.
The nobles and officials of the city had long since fled, spreading the disease further into neighboring territories.
The cities, towns, and villages were left to rot.
Production ceased. No merchants came. The economy collapsed, and people began starving.
Bodies piled up in homes and on the streets.
Those who were still in the early stages of infection covered their mouths with rags and tried to dispose of the corpses. But they, too, soon succumbed.
A shadow of death loomed over the entire city.
Even despair required strength. The people no longer had the energy to despair.
All they could do was slowly and painfully die in hunger, disease, and despair.
“Mom…”
A young girl placed her fingers under her mother’s nose as she lay on the bed.
She was still breathing, faintly. Her body was covered in red blotches, burning with fever, but a fragile breath could still be felt.
‘There’s no food…’
The food had run out long ago. At this rate, they would starve to death before the plague claimed them.
The girl staggered to her feet.
‘I need to find something to eat…’
No merchants came, and the lord had abandoned the city. Food was nowhere to be found.
So, she ventured outside.
Her body was already marked with red spots, her fever rising. But she could still move, for now.
‘It’s so cold…’
Despite the weather not being cold, chills ran through her body. Her fever was burning hot, yet she shivered so violently it was unbearable.
Still, the girl kept moving.
‘Please… someone…’
She wished for someone to help, but everyone was barely able to take care of themselves.
The fruit vendor who always shouted loudly, the kind sister from the general store who greeted her with a smile, even the thugs who occasionally caused trouble in the streets all were gone.
They had all collapsed from the plague.
The streets were silent. Trash was piled up, flies buzzed, and in one corner, a rotting corpse lay abandoned.
‘I need to get out of the city…’
There was nothing left here to be found. Everyone had collapsed, and everything was rotting away.
She had to leave the city and try to hunt even a weak animal. It wasn’t something a young girl could easily do, but she had to try.
Her sunken eyes focused on that single thought as she took another step forward.
Leaving the city wasn’t difficult. Even the soldiers had collapsed there was no one left to guard the gates.
‘So cold…’
The girl wrapped her arms around herself, but the cold didn’t subside.
Her head grew increasingly dizzy, and the world seemed to spin.
Thud.
Barely beyond the city walls, the girl collapsed.
‘Mom…’
She had heard that the lord and nobles possessed medicine. Rumors said they would bring food and medicine if everyone just waited a little longer.
But no one came. No matter how long they waited, no one came to save them.
They had been abandoned.
“Ugh…”
The girl struggled to rise, but her body refused to move.
She hadn’t eaten in days, and the sickness had left her weak and feverish.
‘I have to get up…’
She was the only one who could save her mother. Desperately, she fought to stand, but her body wouldn’t respond. All she could manage was to keep her eyes from closing entirely.
‘Please…’
In her despair, the only thing left was to pray to the gods.
‘Please… someone…’
She silently cried out in her heart over and over until, finally, her eyes closed.
Flutter.
At that moment, something warm wrapped around her body.
At the same time, something cool trickled into her mouth. It was instantly absorbed, spreading through her body and rekindling her strength.
“Ah…”
The girl slowly opened her eyes. She was wrapped in a luxurious cloak and cradled in someone’s arms.
“W-Who…?”
The man holding her answered,
“I am Ghislain of House Ferdium, Lord of Fenris and Supreme Commander of the Northern Army.”
The girl didn’t fully understand what those words meant. But the man who held her was clearly different from the people in the city. His hair was smooth, his skin clean, and his clothes were of fine quality.
And judging by the long string of titles following his name, he must have been a very important noble.
So, the girl pleaded desperately.
“Please… help us…”
The man remained silent.
The girl, growing more desperate, begged again in a trembling voice.
“Please… please help us… My mother… the people… they’re dying…”
At last, the man nodded and spoke in a calm, gentle voice.
“Hush, child. All will be alright.”
There was such confidence in his voice, a certainty that he could solve any problem, no matter how dire. There was even a trace of arrogance, as if no difficulty could challenge him.
Yet, the girl’s fear wouldn’t entirely subside.
Everyone was dying. Could this nobleman truly save everyone alone?
The girl bit her lip and clung tightly to his arm.
“We… we were abandoned. No one came for us. Please, tell someone… medicine… food…”
The man shook his head.
“No, you have not been abandoned. Look behind me.”
The girl, her breath trembling, turned her head in his arms.
And then, her eyes widened in shock.
An army so vast it filled the entire horizon marched forward, banners fluttering in the wind as far as the eye could see.
Clank, clank, clank.
On either side of the man, endless carts loaded with food and medicine rumbled by.
Seeing this overwhelming sight, the girl began to cry without realizing it.
“Ah…”
They had not been abandoned.
Someone had come to save them.
The girl turned back toward the man, tears blurring her vision so much she could barely see his face. But his voice was clear and unwavering.
“I will save you all.”