Chapter 430: I Will Save You All. (4)
“Blub! Blub!”
Kaor shoved a middle-aged man’s face into a water bucket.
“Ah, hurry up and talk, will you?”
“Puhaahk! You scoundrel, what do you think you’re doing?!”
“What do you think? I’m here for the medicine and herbs.”
“You bastard! Do you think you’ll walk away alive after this… Blub, blub, blub!”
The man being waterboarded was the lord who refused to hand over the medicine. Kaor didn’t bother with negotiations and launched straight into torture.
Kaor had always been foul-tempered, but now, backed by the Northern Army and Ghislain’s authority, there was no need to hold back. Honestly, most nobles weren’t even intimidating anymore.
Besides, didn’t he have a perfectly legitimate order and justification for this?
The lord’s retainers, pale as ghosts, shouted in protest.
“S-stop this!”
“How can a knight behave like this?!”
“We’ll lodge a formal complaint with the Northern Army’s commander!”
Kaor, lounging in a chair with a bored expression, replied flatly.
“Go ahead. File your complaint. You know who’s backing us, right? Marquis Branford gave the order. Or did you miss that?”
Kaor used Marquis Branford’s name as effectively as Claude did.
Honestly, just using Ghislain’s name would have been enough. As a Master of martial power and a notorious warlord, his name alone carried enough weight to strike fear into anyone.
But then there was Belinda’s nagging.
“When doing rough work, don’t use the Young Master’s name. Use Marquis Branford’s instead, got it?”
“Got it…”
So, Kaor actively used Marquis Branford’s name instead.
Because of this, the lord’s retainers didn’t even dare consider subduing Kaor with force.
In truth, it wasn’t even Marquis Branford they feared most it was the Northern Army. If those forces turned their blades toward this estate, it would be trampled in an instant.
Thus, the knights and soldiers could only surround the area, unsure of what to do.
“Blub, blub! Strike them down! Kill them! I said kill them!”
Even as the lord screamed, no one dared to move.
Still, there was one brave enough. The estate’s knight commander roared and swung his sword toward Kaor.
“You scoundrel! Release the lord this instant!”
Swick!
Kaor didn’t even flinch. A Fenris Knight who had accompanied the assault team drew his sword in a flash and beheaded the knight commander in a single stroke.
He was a former mercenary from the Mad Dogs unit.
“Urgh…”
The knight commander’s head fell with just one strike.
The onlookers were horrified. They had heard Fenris Knights were strong but this strong?
Outwardly, they all seemed relaxed, barely resembling knights at all.
“Hmph.”
The Fenris Knight who had beheaded the commander gave a faint smirk and sheathed his sword.
The estate’s retainers and soldiers swallowed hard.
“The Fenris lot really are monsters. Best not provoke them.”
“How could a mere knight take down our knight commander in a single blow…”
“But… why does he look like he’s in pain? And why is he suddenly bleeding?”
Blood poured from the Fenris Knight’s lips, despite not having taken a single hit. He had overexerted himself, pushing his power too far in one go.
Had he not, he wouldn’t have been able to decapitate his opponent in a single strike.
Other knights in the assault team quickly gathered around him, whispering:
“Hey, are you crazy?”
“If you collapsed, they all would’ve rushed us.”
“Stop showing off so much.”
Part of it was jealousy over his flashy move, but their concern was genuine too.
They were seriously outnumbered here. No matter how strong the Fenris Knights were, they couldn’t handle this many soldiers alone.
They weren’t Ghislain, after all.
Still, holding the estate’s lord hostage had made negotiations easier.
“F-fine! I’ll hand everything over! Just… just stop! Blub, blub!”
Kaor, after securing the medicine and herbs, tied the lord up with a rope.
“You’ve committed a crime, so you’ll be coming with us. I can’t strip you of your title, after all.”
Of course, taking the lord as a hostage was also a precaution for a safe retreat.
Kaor continued his rounds, collecting medicine and herbs while binding the lords.
Alfoi, on the other hand, handled things a bit more diplomatically than Kaor. As a mage, he maintained a sense of professional pride.
“Hmph. You’re familiar with our Northern Army, aren’t you? One gesture from me, and the entire force will march here. Oh, and did I mention? I’m a 5th-circle mage.”
“What’s with this guy? Why’s he acting like he’s the Northern Army’s commander? And why is his tone so childish?”
The listening lord was puzzled, but held his tongue. After all, Alfoi bore the official Northern Army insignia and banner.
The rumors about the Northern Army lately were terrible. They were said to be forcibly seizing medicines and herbs while also stripping nobles of their titles.
It was displeasing, but with his current lack of power, there was nothing he could do. So, he had been secretly exchanging messages with the neighboring lords.
The plan was to cut off support to the Northern Army during a crisis and refuse to assist them.
Still, he couldn’t afford to offend them at the moment. He had already heard what had happened to Count Grafton.
‘But this guy… he’s not Count Fenris.’
That meant there was a way. He handed Alfoi a box and spoke.
“This is a small gift for the trouble you’ve taken to come here. As you know, our territory is struggling with the recent Rift and the plague. I’m truly not hiding anything.”
In short, it meant: take the bribe and leave. However, when Alfoi opened the box, he shouted loudly.
“What do you take me for, bringing out something like this?! Do you think I’m Claude?”
It was far too little.
Claude would have taken anything without discrimination, but Alfoi was different. He had pride as a mage.
The lord who offered the bribe was flustered.
‘Strange? I heard mages love wealth. Just look at his face he seems like he’d be happy with it…’
Yes, it was because the bribe was too small.
However, from a noble’s perspective, who always spoke indirectly with grace, Alfoi’s outburst could only be seen as a rejection out of disdain for bribery.
“Hm, it seems I have insulted your honor as a mage. That was not my intention.”
The lord, now visibly regretful, retrieved the box. But then Alfoi shouted again.
“What are you doing?!”
“Huh? I thought I had made a mistake…”
“Ugh! Seriously!”
“Why…?”
“I’m giving you another chance, you fool!”
Alfoi’s temper flared, revealing his true colors. The lord also grew offended.
“I showed you respect as a mage, but now you are being unreasonably rude. I am a noble.”
At the lord’s gesture, knights and soldiers surrounded them.
“Ugh…”
Alfoi calmed himself down.
Honestly, he could win against everyone here. He had brought along ten 4th-circle mages and twenty knights for protection. Not to mention the hundreds of soldiers waiting outside.
But he wanted to maintain the image of an elegant mage. Even as the knights and mages with him smirked behind him, Alfoi held his head, thinking.
He wanted to complete his mission gracefully and show off his skills. But greed stirred within him.
‘I want that box of jewels too…’
Lately, no one had been willing to gamble with him, and he was short on cash. He craved wealth.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind. He proposed something to the lord.
“Let’s settle this with a game of odds and evens.”
“What?”
“If you win, I’ll leave quietly. What will you wager?”
The lord turned to his retainers for advice.
“What is… odds and evens?”
A soldier familiar with the game explained it, and the lord grinned.
“Not just one round, but multiple rounds?”
“That’s fine with me.”
The lord thought carefully. If he could win just once, he could send Alfoi away. Losing a bit of money wasn’t a big deal.
“Then I shall wager this box of jewels.”
“Agreed.”
And so, the gambling began.
Of course, there was no way the lord could win against Alfoi, who was using cheating magic.
“Heh.”
Alfoi immediately secured the box of jewels.
The lord, undeterred, ordered more treasures to be brought forward.
“Odd.”
“Even.”
“Odd.”
“Even.”
The lord’s face gradually darkened.
He had already lost a tremendous amount of wealth. He had even been generous, hoping Alfoi would leave satisfied.
But losing every single round? That was ridiculous!
“Are you… perhaps cheating?”
“Huh? What are you talking about? Cheating? Do you have any proof?”
“This makes no sense!”
“Oh, why doesn’t it make sense?”
“Do you truly believe it’s possible to lose every round of such a simple game?”
“Of course, it makes perfect sense.”
“What?”
Watching the furious lord, Alfoi smirked arrogantly.
“I even beat a god with this game, you know.”
“……”
A madman. The lord realized he was dealing with a crazy con-artist. He even called over his court mage to watch for a foul play.
But the mage shook his head.
“I-I cannot detect any magic.”
Alfoi’s cheating spell was so perfectly crafted that even a 4th-circle mage couldn’t detect it. And Alfoi himself was already at the 5th circle.
“Ugh, I give up.”
Having lost a fortune, the lord finally raised his hands in defeat. It was obvious Alfoi was cheating, but there was no way to prove it.
Satisfied with his absolute victory, Alfoi rose with a smug smile.
“That was fun. I’ll be going now.”
“Huh?”
“Take care.”
Alfoi gave a light bow and turned to leave. He was in an excellent mood after winning such a massive fortune.
It was more wealth than he had ever touched in his life.
‘Ha, I’ve been missing out! I should’ve done this sooner. Today’s a great day.’
But just then, the mages and knights who had accompanied him blocked his path, frowning. Only then did Alfoi snap back to reality.
“Ah, right… I came here for something else.”
He was so elated that he almost just left. Now that he had no more business with the lord, he addressed everyone.
“Hurry up and search everything. Let’s grab the medicine and leave. We’ve spent too much time here already, and there are other places we need to visit.”
Honestly, he wanted to win more, but if he stayed any longer, they would be up all night. Besides, the stakes were getting smaller by the minute.
Alfoi, having already finished his business, threw away all pretense of decorum and ransacked the castle. Yet when he still couldn’t find what he was looking for, he went as far as setting the castle on fire, creating utter chaos.
In the end, with everything burned down and all the herbs and medicines stolen, the lord glared at Alfoi and said,
“You lot have gone too far. You’ll regret this. I promise you.”
Alfoi wasn’t the least bit intimidated.
“Regret? I’ve already lived through hundreds, thousands of regrets. Is there anyone in this world who’s regretted more than I have?”
He had become a slave in Fenris. Every night was filled with regret, to the point he had given up on life entirely. There was nothing left to fear anymore.
Besides, he was now surrounded by people far scarier than this noble, and he had faced even more terrifying enemies in battle.
“Hey, let’s go! Tie this bastard up! Criminal scum! You filthy wretch!”
Thanks to the Marquis of Branford, they now had the authority to arrest lords. Alfoi continued his task diligently, winning money and securing medicine from the lords he encountered.
Thanks to their efforts, the plague began to subside quickly. After all, it had primarily spread in the domains of the greedy lords who refused to cooperate.
In the regions governed by more responsible lords who had followed the quarantine orders and produced medicine diligently, as well as near the capital, the plague was swiftly brought under control.
Ghislain, marking off plague zones on a map one by one, remarked,
“Just a little more to go.”
Belinda nodded beside him.
“Only a few areas left. We don’t need to worry about the eastern regions or the royal army.”
“Yeah. Countess Aylesbur and the Marquis of Branford’s daughter handled things well.”
Mariel and Rosalyn were the ones who had trusted Ghislain during the previous drought. Back then, and even now, their assistance had significantly minimized the damage that could have been far worse.
From Ghislain’s perspective, they were invaluable allies.
Of course, the fact that the Marquis of Branford and the royal faction had backed him also played a significant role. Without their support, he wouldn’t have been able to act so aggressively.
“What about the situation in other kingdoms?”
“It’s a mess everywhere. They’re struggling to contain the Rifts properly, let alone the plague.”
“Hmm… Not much we can do about that.”
Ghislain and the Marquis of Branford’s influence didn’t extend beyond their kingdom. Some territories had heeded his warnings and prepared, while others had foolishly chosen to experiment.
There was also a kingdom where the Salvation Church was gaining power.
Still, the situation was much better than in his past life. Some regions had managed to hold back the Rifts with just their local forces, and there was now a cure for the plague.
Other kingdoms were likely ramping up their production of medicine and reinforcing their armies to combat the Rifts as they spoke.
“Even so, we should lend a hand.”
“But how? We’re already busy dealing with the Rifts in our own kingdom.”
“Just send medicine and food. That’s enough.”
“Won’t it be pointless if they can’t deal with the Rifts? It’ll probably take them a while.”
“True. But we’ve been able to move quickly because we prepared in advance.”
Ghislain had been exceptionally thorough in his preparations, which was why they could handle the Rifts so swiftly. The other kingdoms hadn’t been as ready.
However, Ghislain reassured them with a calm smile.
“There are monsters in those kingdoms too. They’ll handle the Rifts, though they’ll be slower than us. What matters is that they can handle them.”
“Monsters?”
“Yeah. Monsters on my level.”
Ghislain smiled. People exchanged doubtful glances.
Sure, other kingdoms probably had their share of powerful warriors. Yet somehow, it felt like none could match Ghislain.
After all, Ghislain had defeated Delmud, a 7th-Circle mage, and Tenant, a Sword Master.
Unconcerned with their doubts, Ghislain simply waved his hand dismissively and continued.
“Anyway, fighting the Salvation Church isn’t something we can manage alone. We need as many people working together as possible.”
“So for now, just providing medicine and food will be enough?”
“Exactly. Supporting them with supplies will make a huge difference. Other forces will start taking care of the Rifts soon.”
People still looked curious. How could Ghislain, who hadn’t left this kingdom, know so much about the situation in other nations?
Ghislain had no intention of satisfying their curiosity. He simply smiled to himself, lost in old memories.
‘I’ll be seeing him again soon.’
Returning to the past had been a blessing, but he still missed the precious bonds he’d formed in his previous life.
There was a friend he was determined to meet again in this life. A friend who had never revealed himself until the Rifts appeared.
Of course, there were others too, hidden away for their own reasons. The thought of seeing them again brought him a different kind of joy.
And soon…
Even those with whom Ghislain had clashed his rivals and the other members of the Seven Strongest on the Continent would start emerging one by one.