Chapter 495
I Have Something to Do for a Moment. (2)
People didn’t immediately object as they had before.
The first reason was that Ghislain had given them a heads-up in advance. The second was that, at this point, they all knew trying to dissuade him would be pointless.
So, instead of arguing, they decided to listen to what he had to say first. He had promised an explanation, after all.
Ghislain felt a little disappointed by their reaction.
“Ahem, anyway, I’ll explain. Listen carefully. The King and the Ducal House are trying to exchange something.”
A flood of intelligence was pouring in from the spies he had sent to the capital.
The other retainers might not have been aware of the full picture, but Ghislain and Claude, who received the reports, had a rough idea of what was happening in the capital.
Organizing both the information he had gathered and his own thoughts, Ghislain began speaking.
“What do you think? Doesn’t it seem strange? The Ducal House and the Salvation Church have been relentlessly targeting the royal family, and now, all of a sudden, they’re stopping the war to negotiate? And on top of that, the King is supposed to receive something in return?”
The others nodded as they listened to him. Claude, rubbing his aching face, was the first to speak.
“It’s certainly strange. With the Northern Army out of the picture, the Ducal House and the Salvation Church should have no trouble toppling the royal family. That priest of the Salvation Church could assassinate the King at any time.”
“Exactly. But that bastard is still hovering around the King, flattering him. That means there’s still something he needs to get from him. They’re not even trying to hide it every noble already knows.”
“And there’s no reason to attack a King they’ve already aligned with.”
“That too. From the Ducal House’s perspective, they already have to fight me. There’s no need to fight the royal family as well.”
Ghislain continued, his expression serious.
“Honestly, we could fight the King right now. But I want to find out what he’s giving them. That must be the real reason this war started in the first place. And I’m also curious about what the Salvation Church is giving to the King in return.”
Both sides must be exchanging something of extreme importance. Ghislain wanted to know exactly what it was.
Claude immediately grasped what Ghislain meant.
“So… when you say ‘find out,’ you actually mean you’re going to steal it, right?”
“…That’s right. Glad you understand.”
Just finding out wouldn’t be enough. There was always the possibility of missing something crucial.
The best way to confirm the truth was to take it for himself.
Everyone nodded. If they wanted to know, they would just steal it. It was a very Ghislain-like approach.
“…Are you going to wear a mask?”
“If I do that, they’ll never take the item out.”
“Then how are you planning to do it?”
“I’ll infiltrate and follow them to the negotiation site. If I get a chance before that, I’ll take it.”
“…Is that even possible?”
“If I make it possible, then it is. There’s no such thing as ‘impossible.’”
“…”
Everyone fell silent. When he put it like that, there was nothing more to say.
After all, Ghislain was the man who had accomplished every single thing people had sworn was impossible.
In the quiet, Belinda stepped forward.
“In that case, I’ll go with you.”
Belinda was now a Transcendent. When it came to infiltration and ambush tactics, she was one of the best in the entire territory.
But Ghislain shook his head.
“No. I plan to disguise myself. The more people there are, the harder it is to stay hidden.”
“But it’s too dangerous. What about Lady Ereneth or Parniel?”
Those two were the strongest warriors of the Northern Army. Even just one of them would be capable of tearing through the capital like a storm.
Yet, Ghislain shook his head again.
“I told you, I need to disguise myself and follow them to the meeting. Do you think those two could hide their identities?”
“…”
The others turned their eyes toward the two warriors. Ereneth had pointed ears, while Parniel was massively built. Neither of them had an appearance suited for stealth.
No matter who accompanied him, the more people there were, the harder it would be to remain undetected.
In the end, Ghislain going alone was the best option for staying undercover.
“Don’t worry. I’m a master of disguise. Instead, all of you need to secure my escape route.”
It was certain that powerful individuals from both the royal family and the Ducal House would be at the negotiation. It would be impossible for him to take them all on by himself.
That meant he needed allies to back him up.
“Even if we find out where the negotiations are happening, we can’t bring the entire Northern Army. We need to prepare only the most elite forces.”
Ghislain and his people gathered to strategize.
They needed to prepare multiple plans in advance, as they had no idea whether the negotiation site would be indoors or outdoors or how many people would be attending from each side.
As they brainstormed different scenarios, their worries only grew.
There was neither an excuse nor the time to object. Ghislain had a stubborn nature once he made up his mind, he would push forward no matter what.
In the end, Belinda voiced her concerns in a worried tone.
“You have to be careful. If it gets dangerous, just run away. Do we really need to know what that thing is? There could always be another opportunity later.”
“Got it, don’t worry too much. Lately, I’ve, um… gotten pretty good at your techniques.”
Paah!
Ghislain’s body blurred as darkness spread around him. It was the technique of his mother, Lady Annette.
Whenever he had time, Ghislain practiced his mother’s techniques. Since he had already reached the pinnacle once, it wasn’t particularly difficult for him.
Although he wasn’t as skilled as Belinda yet, he was proficient enough to use it for stealth.
‘The flow of mana feels strangely similar…’
After all, when one reached the highest level, everything seemed to converge into a single point. His mother’s techniques bore a resemblance to the Grimoire magic that had inspired him in his previous life.
Of course, their applications were completely different, leading to opposite results.
Thanks to Ghislain’s demonstration, Belinda felt a little reassured. At this level, he should be able to evade the eyes of most knights.
“I’ll depart first. The Northern Army should move to the first staging point. Once I find out the location of the negotiations, I’ll send Dark, so make sure you’re all ready.”
Without hesitation, Ghislain mounted his horse and rode straight for the capital. Since he would have to abandon his horse along the way, Black King remained with the Northern Army.
Ghislain urged his horse forward at full speed. The sooner he arrived, the better he could prepare his plan.
Once he disguised himself and infiltrated the capital, he concealed his presence and sought out a noble.
A certain noble who had once delivered supplies to the Royalist Faction in the north Baron Andy Shear, a royal secretary.
Ghislain had once bribed him with a small sum of money.
“Y-You are…?”
The moment Ghislain appeared in his office, Baron Shear was startled. He had never imagined that a man branded as a traitor to the kingdom would dare step foot in the capital.
Ghislain waved his hand in greeting and grinned.
“Hey there, how have you been?”
“W-What is going on?! Count, you cannot be here!”
Despite being in his own office, Baron Shear frantically glanced around. If he got caught, he would be executed on the spot.
He had already been nervous about the bribe he accepted before if that got exposed, he was finished.
“I made sure no one was around before I came in. So relax.”
“N-No, even so…”
Baron Shear’s mouth hung open in disbelief. He had always known Ghislain was a fearless man, but to come to the capital alone like this…
Ghislain casually dropped onto a sofa in the office and spoke in a relaxed tone.
“How’s Marquis Branford doing? Everyone else holding up well?”
“Well… I wouldn’t say they’re doing well, but they’re still safe. For now.”
“Good, they’d better be. Otherwise, things would get messy. Though… maybe things will get messy soon?”
There was something chilling about Ghislain’s eyes, making Baron Shear swallow nervously.
“W-Why have you come to see me?”
“I’ll get straight to the point. I need your help.”
“W-What could I possibly do…?”
Baron Shear’s voice trailed off, filled with fear.
Whatever Ghislain wanted, it was definitely not a small matter.
The capital was in anxiety and turmoil these days. One wrong move, and heads would roll. Baron Shear had been keeping his head down, doing everything he could to avoid trouble.
Besides, though he was a noble, he was essentially a fallen aristocrat. In reality, he was just one of many low-ranking secretaries working for the royal court.
His duties were minor at best delivering military supplies to the north and handling official orders.
Seeing how terrified Baron Shear was, Ghislain let out a hearty laugh.
“It’s really nothing complicated. You’ve heard about the negotiations between the King and the Ducal House, haven’t you? Just tell me the date and location.”
“It… It hasn’t been decided yet.”
“Really?”
“Yes. His Majesty is being extremely careful about choosing the time and place. Right now, all the high-ranking officials are entirely focused on that matter.”
Ghislain nodded. That made sense.
Neither side wanted to risk a betrayal, so they would take every precaution in planning the meeting.
‘Looks like I arrived just in time.’
Still, the forces accompanying the negotiation must have already been arranged.
“The troops for the negotiations should be prepared by now, right?”
“Yes, yes. The number of soldiers from both sides has already been settled. Each side will deploy 50,000 troops, and the Royal Knights will also be present.”
Ghislain’s eyes sharpened at that.
“Perfect. Slip me into the escort unit. I’ll hide my identity and blend in with them.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Even a low-ranking secretary like you should have enough authority to sneak in a single soldier, right?”
Baron Shear furrowed his brow in bewilderment. The strongest man in the North, Count Fenris, disguising himself as a mere soldier?
Why?
Then, as he recalled Ghislain’s past actions, Baron Shear quickly caught on to his intent.
“Y-You’re not planning to… cause a disturbance at the negotiations, are you?”
“Yes.”
Ghislain’s response was so casual and confident that Baron Shear momentarily lost the ability to speak.
Once he regained his senses, he furiously shook his head.
“That will get me killed! The moment something goes wrong, they’ll immediately figure out that I was the one who put you there!”
“Then run away.”
“…What?”
Ghislain leaned back comfortably on the sofa and continued.
“Slip out of the capital before the negotiations begin. Your job requires you to travel frequently anyway, doesn’t it? Leaving the city shouldn’t be too difficult for you.”
“Where… where would I even go?”
“You already know that when I promise something, I deliver.”
At the sudden statement, Baron Shear instinctively nodded. Count Fenris was infamous for being frugal, but when he did give, he gave generously.
Ghislain made a circle with his fingers and smirked.
“Come to Fenris. I’ll set you up with a good position. A nice salary, a nice house… If you want, I’ll even give you a retirement fund. Enough to live the rest of your life without lifting a finger.”
Baron Shear gulped.
The capital had become terrifying lately, and he had been dreading the atmosphere.
He had only survived this long because he wasn’t an important noble. He didn’t belong to any particular faction.
‘But that also means I could lose my head at any time.’
He was the definition of a low-ranking administrator just a man who did what he was told, no more, no less.
And now, the wealthiest man in the kingdom, Count Fenris, was inviting him to his territory. Not only that, but he was offering to take care of him generously.
‘This… this is an opportunity!’
Baron Shear had no family. As a fallen noble, he had ended up living alone.
Ever since the King seized power, he had lost all hope and ambition. Every day felt like he was just surviving, waiting to die.
He would be an idiot to refuse this offer.
After clearing his throat a few times, Baron Shear pulled out a document from his bookshelf and handed it over.
“The Second Legion will be part of the negotiation escort. I’ll have you enlisted into the 3rd Infantry Company by tomorrow.”
“And this document?”
“Nothing major just some information on the current state of the capital. This is all I know, since I’m just a low-ranking secretary… Heh.”
Ghislain grinned.
“Damn, I like how efficient you are, Baron.”
“Make sure your disguise is perfect. And don’t cause trouble until you reach the negotiations. Ever since the commanders were replaced, the legions’ atmosphere has been terrible.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve had plenty of experience being a grunt.”
After all, in his past life, he had spent years at the bottom ranks of a mercenary corps.
It was an outrageous statement, but Baron Shear simply nodded. He just needed to run away when the time was right.
“I’ll be heading out soon to check on the prisoner transport records. You’ll learn the date and location of the negotiations once you enlist, but if they decide before I leave, I’ll inform you immediately.”
Ghislain already knew that Berhem was rounding people up in the capital.
The administration was busy ensuring a steady supply of prisoners, and Baron Shear’s job was to verify whether they were actually being delivered.
Ghislain nodded.
“Understood. When you pick a date to escape, let me know. I’ll arrange for knights to escort you. I have a quick way to get in touch.”
At that, Baron Shear’s face lit up.
Since his inspection duties only required a handful of soldiers, escaping wouldn’t be difficult. Those men would just follow him without question.
The real problem was the bandits lurking everywhere. His soldiers alone wouldn’t be able to handle them.
If Fenris knights escorted him, he could escape safely.
“Thank you! I will do my utmost for the sake of this kingdom!”
Humans were truly fickle creatures.
The moment he decided to flee, Baron Shear’s loyalty vanished.
‘Honestly, the Northern Army is probably going to win.’
Count Fenris had obliterated the Kingdom’s army and crushed the Ducal House’s 200,000-strong force.
If he was going to bet his life on someone, it would be Fenris.
Of course, if the Royal Army and the Ducal House combined their strength, things might be different. They still had the Kingdom’s strongest swordsman and the Royal Knights’ commander.
‘If the Northern Army loses, I’ll just run away.’
It would be easy to flee from Fenris to another kingdom. Anywhere would be safer than the capital.
“…By the way, how exactly are you planning to disguise yourself?”
“It’s not that difficult. Pay attention to my new face.”
Duduk! Dudududuk!
Using mana, Ghislain adjusted the muscles in his face.
The technique required constant mana infusion, but the expenditure wasn’t too high.
Within moments, his entire appearance changed.
Baron Shear gawked in astonishment.
‘He really can do anything.’
Even someone who knew him personally wouldn’t be able to recognize him now.
And so, Ghislain officially enlisted as a low-ranking soldier in the Second Legion.
The Royal Army was constantly recruiting new soldiers to prepare for the Northern Army’s attack.
The difficulty had been getting into the right unit but joining the army itself had been easy.
With his enlistment confirmed, Ghislain entered his assigned barracks and reported in.
“This is Duggly, the new recruit! Nice to meet you all!”
“Oh, a fresh recruit!”
“Good, good. I like your spirit!”
“Your voice is full of determination. That’s the right attitude.”
The veterans sitting around grinned.
Having a new recruit was always entertaining.
And within minutes of his arrival, Ghislain found himself in an extremely unpleasant situation.
“Hey! Rookie! Go wash the laundry!”
“Since the atmosphere has been tense lately, we’ll skip the usual initiation. Just wash our clothes and clean our gear.”
The senior soldiers tossed their filthy, reeking uniforms at Ghislain.
“…”
“What are you standing around for? Hurry up! Want me to give you a proper military experience?”
“…”
Ghislain was now experiencing military hazing firsthand.