Chapter 16: We Need A Variable (1)


    “Ferdium’s side has failed.”


    “What?”


    A man with a splendidly groomed mustache frowned upon hearing the report from his subordinate. His name was Harold Desmond, the lord of Count Desmond’s territory and a man plotting the Northern overthrow under the Delfine Duke.


    “You were trying to pit them against Digald’s territory in a territorial war. And that failed?”


    “Yes, sir.”


    “Even after winning over their knights? Did the knightmander get in the way?”


    Ferdium might have been a territory without wealth or notable figures, but at least Count Ferdium and their Knight Commander, Randolph, were respectable enough.


    At Harold’s question, his lieutenant hesitated awkwardly before replying.


    “The knightmander had left for a military campaign with Count Ferdium. But…”


    The lieutenant nced at Harold, gauging his mood before continuing.


    “Rumor has it that two of the escort knights tried to kidnap the count’s daughter and got caught. They were killed by Ferdium’s heir apparent. Frank has gone missing, and no one knows if he’s alive or dead.”


    “Ferdium’s heir apparent… that bratty troublemaker? He defeated trained knights? Could Frank have fallen to him, too?”


    “Ghiin doesn’t have that kind of skill. We’re assuming… the two escort knights fought each other to im the count’s daughter, and it ended in mutual destruction.”


    Harold remained silent momentarily before letting out a derisive chuckle as if the situation were utterly ridiculous.


    “Is that what you’re reporting to me? ‘Assuming’? ‘Guessing’? Are you saying you can’t even figure out what’s happening in that tiny territory?”


    The more he spoke, the more Harold’s body radiated an intimidating aura.


    “I-I’m sorry, sir. The site waspletely burned down, so it’s been difficult to get urate information.”


    Harold stared down at his trembling subordinate and spoke slowly.


    “The lord and the knightmander were both away on campaign. It’s a territory with few knights or soldiers. We sent Frank there and even won over their escort knights. And yet, you couldn’t manage to kill a single girl?”


    His voice rose in frustration.


    “And now you’re telling me that the pathetic heir of Ferdium killed those knights? Since when did my lieutenant be so useless he can’t even gather proper information?”


    The lieutenant threw himself to the ground, groveling.


    “I-I’m sorry! Please, just give me one more chance, and I will surely seed!”


    “You want another chance after failing at such a simple task?”


    Harold scoffed.


    The odds that Ferdium’s heir could be some unexpected variable, as suggested by those ridiculous rumors, were incredibly low. If that were the case, then it was likely the lieutenant was simply ipetent… or he had conducted the mission carelessly.


    Either way, Harold had no use for such subordinates.


    Jingle, jingle.


    Harold reached for the bell on his desk and rang it twice. Two knights entered the room.


    Harold looked down at the now-pale lieutenant with an expression devoid of any emotion.


    “Take care of him.”


    “P-please! Spare me! Just give me one more chance! Please! I beg you! Aaahhh!”


    The lieutenant screamed as he was dragged away, but Harold didn’t pay any attention and shifted his gaze back to the documents on his desk.


    “I’m already burdened with keeping an eye on Raypold, and now Ferdium is bing an annoyance.”


    Right now, Harold’s greatest focus was on Amelia’s rebellion n.


    ording to the information, Count Raypold had been quietly stockpiling food and increasing his forces.


    ‘Before he grows stronger, Amelia needs to seed.’


    That didn’t mean he could just leave Ferdium as it was.


    Suddenly, Harold furrowed his brow, feeling an odd sense of unease.


    “Ghiin Ferdium…”


    It was particrly annoying because Ghiin had been a figure he hadn’t even cared about until now. He wouldn’t have felt so disgusted if it had been anyone else’s name.


    “I’ll have to send more people.”


    After much deliberation, Harold decided to deploy more spies to the Ferdium estate.


    * * *


    “Young Master, what on earth was that all about?”


    “Oh, just a lovers’ quarrel. Looks like Amelia loves me a bit too much. Damn, I’m so popr.”


    Belinda red at Ghiin, who was wearing a smug expression.


    “And why did you ask Lady Amelia for money?”


    “I needed some money for something, and Amelia was the only person around with a lot of it.”


    “Ah, so you squeezed money out of your rich fiancée?”


    Belinda narrowed her eyes at Ghiin, looking at him like he was insane. He shook his head as if wronged.


    “Hey, I’m not that kind of guy. I had a reason.”


    “And what reason is that?”


    “In my past life, Amelia tormented me a lot. I’m just collecting on that debt now. You could call itpensation.”


    “……”


    It was true, but there was no way such a story would be epted.


    “Are you really not going to tell me the truth?”


    “No, I’m serious!”


    As they exited Raypold Castle, Belinda continued to badger Ghiin.


    But no matter how much she pressed, Ghiin wouldn’t offer any real exnation.


    ‘Like she’d believe me anyway.’


    Even if he told her that Amelia would be Ferdium’s enemy in the future, it was obvious he’d just be dismissed as crazy.


    That didn’t mean he could reveal Amelia’s secrets and ruin her ns.


    If he did, the Delfine Duchy would discard her immediately and find another pawn. That would only make things more difficult for Ghiin.


    It was better to continue doing so as long as he could use his knowledge of the future to his advantage.


    Belinda snorted, clearly unconvinced.


    “Fine, if you say so. But is it really okay to keep squeezing money out of her? Won’t there be a problem if Count Raypold finds out?”


    Ghiin shrugged as if to say not to worry.


    “It’s fine. Amelia will never say anything.”


    “How can you be so sure?”


    “Hmm, that’s a secret for now. I’ll tell youter. Anyway, let’s get on to the next task.”


    Belinda widened her eyes in surprise at his unexpected words.


    “The next task? You’re not going back right away?”


    Ghiin nodded.


    “Amelia won’t sit still.”


    Belinda didn’t deny it and nodded in agreement.


    She also knew well about the underhanded ways of the nobles.


    It was a situation in which it wouldn’t have been strange if a de flew at them from anywhere at any time.


    “They might send someone.”


    “Yes, we need to be prepared.”


    Thanks to all the experiences he’d had with Amelia in his past life, Ghiin knew her better than anyone.


    With her personality, there was no way she would just let them walk away unscathed.


    “We need a wild card on our side. We have to throw Amelia off a little.”


    “A wild card?”


    “Someone who can join us. And someone who will continue to be of help in the future.”


    “Who is that? Do you know someone?”


    “Well… First, we need to check if they’re even here.”


    Belinda, looking puzzled, asked again.


    “You’re searching for someone when you’re not even sure they’re here?”


    “My memory’s a little hazy. Let’s look for them first, and if we can’t find them, we’ll think of another n.”


    “Honestly, what are you thinking… So, what’s their name?”


    “Gillian.”


    Ghiin and hispanion went around several ces asking about this person named Gillian.


    Not long after, a knight returned with information on his whereabouts.


    “As expected, he’s around here. Let’s go.”


    Ghiin, feeling a sense of urgency, hurried his steps.


    Gillian was a person Ghiin had only heard of through rumors during his mercenary days in another country.


    From what he had heard, Gillian had stayed in Raypold for a while before eventually taking his own life.


    ‘Thankfully, he hasn’t died yet.’


    The fact that he hadmitted s*****e was proof of how dire his situation had been.


    Ghiin stood in front of a shabby house on the outskirts of the castle and nodded to himself.


    ‘As expected, his family haspletely fallen.’


    The house looked as if it could copse at any moment. Aside from being somewhat isted, it didn’t seem much different from the houses in the slums on the other side of the castle.


    “Is anyone there!”


    The knight apanying them called out loudly and knocked on the door. After a moment, a man emerged.


    He appeared to be in his fifties. His white hair and beard had clearly turned that way from years of hardship.


    Since he hadn’t been taking care of himself, his hair and beard were wildly overgrown and disheveled. His sunken eyes looked like those of a dead fish.


    “What do you want?”


    His cracked and weak voice left Belinda and the knight unable to hide their disappointment.


    To them, Gillian seemed like nothing more than a broken man.


    ‘Did he really go to all this trouble just to find someone like this? What could he possibly be thinking?’


    There was something called presence in a person.


    Even those who couldn’t use mana had a certain aura that others could feel as soon as they met them.


    But Gillian… Sure, the smell of alcohol was expected, but the atmosphere he exuded was no more imposing than that of a lowly thug from a marketce.


    Belinda scanned Gillian up and down, trying to understand Ghiin’s intentions.


    ‘Does he just want to use him as a porter? If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better just to hire a ve or a servant?’


    While Gillian’s build and muscles seemed somewhat usable, his exhausted expression and drooping shoulders made her doubt whether he could even carry loads.


    As the others wore expressions of doubt and disappointment, only Ghiin smiled.


    “Gillian, I’vee to meet you.”


    “What business do you have with me?”


    Gillian, despite Ghiin appearing young, treated him respectfully and courteously. The boy’s attire differed from that ofmoners, and with knights and maids apanying him, it was clear that he was a noble at a nce.


    “This must be quite a difficult situation, right? I can solve your problem for you.”


    At Ghiin’s words, Gillian let out a self-deprecatingugh.


    “It seems the young nobleman is bored. You can unt your pretensions elsewhere.”


    His words dripped with sarcasm and irritation. His sharp change in attitude from just a single sentence caused Belinda and the apanying knights to frown. However, Ghiin didn’t seem to mind.


    “I can help you,” he repeated.


    “Just leave. My life is already tiring enough, and I have no energy left to y along with a young noble’s whims.”


    With that, Gillian turned away. It was an act of rudeness that amoner should never show to a noble.


    One of the knights gripped his sword and stepped forward.


    “This man is incredibly disrespectful.”


    Gillian briefly nced back at the knight’s sword, then chuckled and pointed to his chest.


    “If you want to kill me, go ahead. Do you have the guts for it? My heart is right here—stab it properly.”


    “You bastard!”


    The knight gritted his teeth and stepped forward again, but he couldn’t bring himself to swing his sword. Instead, Gillian’s defiance—his invitation to kill him—unsettled him.


    Smiling as if to calm things down, Ghiin motioned for the knights to step back.


    “Come on, it’s our first meeting. Let’s not be so hostile. Gillian, I really can solve your problem.”


    Gillian, with hollow eyes, looked back at Ghiin. His bright expression seemed almost cheerful, and in his eyes shone unwavering confidence.


    ‘What a strange nobleman.’


    He didn’t seem to care about the authority or dignity typical of nobles, which reminded Gillian of old acquaintances. After hesitating for a moment, he sighed and spoke.


    “…Come inside.”


    Following Gillian inside, the group immediately covered their noses. Belinda clicked her tongue as she surveyed the house.


    ‘Hah, this is aplete dump.’


    The house was a mess, with thickyers of dust everywhere from theck of cleaning, and mold had even formed in the darker corners. However, the variety of weapons strewn about the house stood out more than the filth.


    ‘Is he a cksmith?’


    Given hisrge build and the weapons lying around, it seemed a usible guess. But Belinda couldn’t understand why Ghiin had gone out of his way to find a cksmith in such a situation.


    ‘Why doesn’t he just exin things? Why do I have to guess?’


    She pouted, frustrated by Ghiin’sck of exnation.


    “This way,” Gillian said.


    They followed him into a small bedroom. Inside, a young girl about the same age as Elenay with a gaunt face, fast asleep.


    “She’s my daughter.”


    Belinda and the knights stepped back, startled by the sight of Gillian’s daughter. Her once brown hair had faded and be so brittle it seemed like it would crumble at a touch. Her lips were cracked and split, making her look almost like a corpse. The bloodstains on the bed and her missing fingernails hinted at how much pain she was enduring.


    But the most rming thing was the red spots that covered her face and body.


    Belinda grabbed Ghiin’s arm without thinking and shouted, “My lord!”


    Ghiin gently took Belinda’s hand off his arm and nodded.


    “Yes, I know.”


    “My lord, you need to step back. This isn’t something you can help with.”


    Now, they could understand why Gillian had been acting that way. His daughter, suffering from an incurable disease, and the disdainful or fearful looks of those around them—any hope had already vanished. As his daughter slowly inched toward death, so too did he.


    Seeing Belinda’s reaction, Gillian let out a bitterugh.


    “So, you came here iming to help without even knowing what disease my daughter has?”


    “No, I know.”


    “Then you should understand. My daughter is suffering from an untreatable disease.”


    “I know there’s no known cure,” Ghiin replied, his tone matter-of-fact.


    Gillian’s face twisted in a grimace, his voice filled with a growl. “Yet you still said you could help me? What is your real intention,ing here—”


    Belinda interrupted, standing in front of Ghiin. “Lord Ghiin, please step back!”


    Her voice was loud, and the fact that she had called him “Lord” was proof of how angry she was. But Ghiin didn’t retreat at all.


    “It’s fine. It’s not contagious. It was already revealed to be a false rumor, remember?”


    “Even so, step back! There’s no harm in being cautious!”


    “I’m telling you, it’s not contagious.”


    Belinda frowned. She couldn’t understand what made Ghiin so confident. What he said next left her even more astonished.


    “I know the cure for this disease. To be exact, I’m the only one in the world who knows how to treat it.”