Chapter 89: The First Half (4)


    “Uhaha! Pour it! Drink up!”


    “Handsome Ricardo! Look over here!”


    “Young Lord! No, Baron, hooray!”


    “For the victory of Ferdium!”


    Everyone, drunk and cheerful, shouted with excitement.


    After the hardships of war, nothing beats alcohol and food to soothe the weariness.


    With a smile, Ghiin watched them, then turned away and quietly left the banquet hall.


    ‘It’s only right for those who endured the hardships to enjoy the joy of victory…’


    But there were also those who couldn’t share in this joy—specifically, the families of those who had sacrificed their lives.


    Although Ferdium’s casualties were fewerpared to the enemy’s scale, there were still those who had died.


    Their families would not be able to ovee their grief anytime soon.


    Ghiin sought them out, holding their hands and offering words offort. He also promised them substantialpensation.


    It was a duty that originally fell to the lord, and Zwalter would have dly taken on the task, but Ghiin acted without hesitation.


    ‘Because part of this responsibility is mine.’


    He didn’t regret it.


    If he hadn’t done so, Ferdium would have fallen, and the people of thend would have either died or suffered in torment.


    Yet, he couldn’t deny that sacrifices had been made because of him.


    He was the one who had hastened the war and expanded its scale.


    Since it was a war he had initiated to protect everyone, the victims deserved adequate constion andpensation.


    Ghiin, apanied only by Belinda and Gillian, visited the families of the fallen.


    He couldn’t do this forever…


    But before leaving Ferdium, he wanted tofort his people at least once andpensate them for their sacrifice.


    “Thank you. Thank you, Young Lord.”


    Every person Ghiin met bowed their heads to him in gratitude.


    They were thankful to the heir of the estate who hade all the way to offer his condolences, ensuring they were not forgotten.


    They understood that it would have been far worse had they lost the war.


    But the grief of losing a loved one could not be easily ovee.


    Gillian quietly followed Ghiin, observing everything from behind.


    ‘I thought he was someone who only cared about efficiency.’


    He knew that Ghiin took good care of his people, but he didn’t expect him to go this far for the people of thend.


    Ghiin would soon be leaving Ferdium.


    Even though there was nothing for him to gain by doing this, he took it upon himself to meet with the bereaved families.


    “Sniff.”


    “What’s wrong, Belinda? Are you crying?”


    “No? When did I ever?”


    Belinda red at Ghiin with eyes welling with tears.


    To her, the soldiers of thend were like friends, so the sadness was all the greater.


    Ghiin chuckled softly and ced a handkerchief in Belinda’s hand.


    “Let’s call it a day and head back.”


    Even after returning to the castle, he didn’t go directly to the banquet hall but instead checked on the wounded before finally seeking out Vanessa.


    “Vanessa, are you feeling any better?”


    “Ah… Young Lord.”


    Ghiin gently stopped Vanessa from trying to rise from her bed and sat beside her.


    “You did really well. Thanks to you, we were able to win the war.”


    Under his warm gaze, she smiled softly.


    She was happy to have been of help, to have repaid the favor.


    But above all else, she was most delighted that she had finally been recognized as a magician in her own right.


    As the two smiled at each other, a voice, barely clinging to life, came from the side.


    “Damn it… Am I invisible…?”


    Alfoi, panting heavily, red at Ghiin. Ghiin feigned surprise, widening his eyes.


    “Alfoi, you’re here too? Right, you did well too. Good job.”


    “Ugh, you damn bastard…”


    Alfoi ground his teeth, ring daggers at Ghiin.


    It was thanks to him that his mana had beenpletely drained, nearly leading him to death, yet Ghiin acted so nonchntly.


    But now, more than anger, curiosity filled Alfoi’s mind.


    “How did you do it, anyway? How did that woman manage to use magic… and such high-level magic at that?”


    The sight of the massive pir of fire erupting was something even Alfoi, a former member of the tower, had never witnessed before.


    He had managed to get Vanessa to admit that she had triggered an explosion using the Runestone buried in the ground, but he still couldn’t understand how she had used magic at all.


    Though she had drawn on the mana of six people, giving her an immense amount, Alfoi knew that Vanessa couldn’t even properly cast a 1st-circle spell.


    “She couldn’t even use mana before—when did she be capable of controlling it?”


    Vanessa had said that Ghiin had forcibly made her sense mana, but Alfoi didn’t believe it.


    The idea that a mere troublemaker from a rural estate could do what even the magic tower couldn’t? Impossible. There had to be another secret behind it.


    Alfoi believed that if he uncovered that secret, he could grow even stronger.


    Seeing the dying man’s eyes gleaming with desire, Ghiin shrugged.


    “I have a method only I know. If you want to learn it, work hard for the estate. Maybe then, I’ll tell you one or two things.”


    “What… What did you say? You… ugh… Once I return to the magic tower…”


    At this, Ghiin interrupted him with augh.


    “Oh, the magic tower? As a matter of fact, I’m nning to visit soon. I’ll make sure to pass along your story. It might even solidify your position as the Tower Master’s sessor, who knows?”


    At the mention of putting in a good word, Alfoi couldn’t help but smile slyly.


    “Hmph, well, that’s appreciated… But why are you going to the tower? You still have time left on your contract.”


    “I have a proposal to make. It’ll benefit you as well.”


    “…?”


    Alfoi blinked, notprehending Ghiin’s words.


    But Ghiin wasn’t inclined to exin further.


    He turned back to Vanessa.


    “Rest well. I’ll tell you more when I get back.”


    Vanessa gave a small smile and nodded.


    “Hey, wait! Exin what you mean before you go! Hey!”


    Alfoi’s shout echoed behind him, but Ghiin didn’t look back.


    —


    The next day, as soon as the banquet concluded, Ghiin took the mercenaries back into the Forest of Beasts.


    In his absence, the palisades and roads had nearly beenpleted.


    Ghiin mined arge number of Runestones and handed half of them over to Homerne.


    With the influx of funds, the Ferdium estate would quickly stabilize.


    ‘This should be enough for Ferdium for now.’


    The enemies would be too preupied with recovering from their losses to turn their attention this way anytime soon.


    ‘I need to quickly build up power and prepare for what’s next.’


    He had managed to buy some time, but that didn’t mean he could afford to becent.


    He needed to seize this opportunity to weaken the enemy’s forces and find a chance to strike back.


    ‘Funds, military strength, food supplies, alliances to form…’


    There was so much to prepare. He had to make the most of the time avable. There was no time to rest.


    Ghiin didn’t even consider returning to the castle; he immediately turned his horse around.


    “We’re heading to the tower.”


    “The tower? Are you going to sell more Runestones?” Belinda asked.


    Ghiin shook his head.


    There were still Runestones left, but he had no intention of selling them to the tower.


    “I have something to discuss with the tower.”


    “When will you head to the Fenris Estate?”


    “After I take care of this first.”


    He knew he couldn’t leave the lordship vacant for too long, but right now, visiting the tower was more urgent.


    Forging a new agreement with them would make things smoother going forward.


    As soon as Ghiin had received the Fenris barony, he had sent Kaor and some of the mercenaries there.


    They would be able to maintain some order for a while, preventing the estate from falling into disarray.


    Belinda, worried about the Fenris Estate, furrowed her brow but silently followed Ghiin towards the Crimson me Tower.


    —


    After several days of travel, they arrived in the tower city.


    Belinda nced around, letting out an admiring sigh.


    “Wow, it’s as clean as ever here. I hope our estate can be like this someday.”


    Ghiin and the mercenaries nodded in agreement.


    No matter how many times they visited, it was always a remarkably clean and impressive city.


    “Oh my! You’ve arrived! Please,e right in!”


    The gatekeeper, who had once been stiff and formal, promptly opened the doors as soon as he spotted Ghiin.


    Sylvain, who had been stationed in the lobby, immediately bowed at a steep angle upon seeing Ghiin.


    “It’s an honor to have you visit again! I’ll send word right away.”


    Sylvain hurriedly led Ghiin to the Tower Master.


    Hubert, the Tower Master, greeted Ghiin with an exaggeratedly emotional expression.


    “Oh my! Come in! Did you win the war? Well, you must have, otherwise you wouldn’t be here. What happened?”


    There had been magicians dispatched to Ferdium, but given the sensitive matter of the Runestones, Hubert had been keenly keeping up with the news through his own channels.


    Thanks to this, he had quickly learned that a war had broken out.


    However, he hadn’t yet heard the oue or the detailed events, and the uncertainty had made him anxious. Seeing Ghiin arrive in person brought him a great sense of relief.


    Ghiin responded to the overly enthusiastic wee with a yful smile.


    “It seems you’ve been eagerly waiting for me.”


    “You don’t know how worried we were, wondering if we’d be caught in the crossfire. I never expected the war to break out so soon.”


    “You should never underestimate the ambitions of the lords.”


    Hubert nodded in agreement.


    He hadn’t thought that war would break out so easily, but events had unfolded in direct contradiction to that belief.


    In this regard, the insight of this young man was something to bemended.


    “Well, take a seat. Did youe to sell Runestones? I didn’t see a wagon with you. No, more importantly, how did you manage to win? Tell me all about it.”


    Ghiin leisurely sipped his tea, drawing out the moment.


    Hubert fidgeted impatiently, like a dog with its tail on fire.


    Ghiin, satisfied with Hubert’s reaction, spoke leisurely.


    “It wasn’t much. I just buried all the Runestones I had gathered in the ground and detonated them.”


    “…What?”


    Hubert blinked, struggling toprehend the shocking statement.


    Soon, understanding the full scope of what had happened, Hubert shouted in disbelief.


    “This is insane! I knew you weren’t in your right mind, but I never thought it was this bad!”


    With that many Runestones, if they had gone over there themselves… Even if they couldn’t directly assist, they surely would have found another way to help!


    “You should’ve just handed them all over to us instead. We could’ve brought a team of magicians with us!”


    Hubertmented, recalling the cart full of Runestones from their previous transaction.


    Ghiin lowered his voice subtly and asked, “Were you really nning to send magicians to help?”


    Hubert hesitated for a moment before nodding vigorously.


    “Of course! We would’ve found a way to assist, without a doubt!”


    Now that the war was over, there was no harm in saying whatever sounded good.


    ttering Ghiin a bit and keeping the flow of Runestones was all that mattered.


    Ghiin responded with a knowing smile at Hubert’s confident words.


    In a voice as smooth as a serpent’s, Ghiin said,


    “I’m truly moved by the Tower Master’s generosity. I never imagined you’d think of me so fondly. It’s really reassuring.”


    “Ahem, well, it’s nothing. We’ve established a good working rtionship, after all. I’d be disappointed if you didn’t see it that way, right?”


    “As expected from the master of the Crimson me Tower. To think you’re such an honorable figure—clearly, I must have misunderstood you before. I apologize for any disrespectful behavior on my part. I’d be thrilled if we could continue our mutually beneficial rtionship in the future.”


    Ghiin’s words were as slick as oil, smooth and ttering.


    Hubert, feeling a bit embarrassed, coughed awkwardly.


    He had tossed out some empty words just to keep Ghiin in good spirits, but now Ghiin was turning the praise back on him.


    Then, Ghiin added with a broad grin, “With such an understanding nature, it makes it easier for me to speak openly. I was worried about how to bring this up… but it’s great to see we’re on the same page.”


    Hubert suddenly felt a twinge of unease.


    Come to think of it, thest time he made offhand remarks, it had cost him…


    ‘Why did hee here, anyway?’


    The contract with the tower still had plenty of time left.


    Could it be that he had juste to boast about winning the war?


    ‘No, that can’t be. He’s strange, but he wouldn’te all this way for such a trivial reason.’


    He’d learned that much from their previous dealings.


    Ghiin Ferdium was not the kind of person to ept a loss.


    He wouldn’t waste days talking about something that wouldn’t profit him.


    With a trembling voice, Hubert asked, “W-What is it? What did youe here to say?”


    “It seems I won’t be able to sell any more Runestones. I’m terribly sorry about this.”


    Hubert’s face crumpled instantly at those words.