Chapter 52

Chapter 52: The Situation Has Changed. (1)

Ghislain rested for about two more days to recover his strength before immediately summoning the mercenaries.

He wasn’t in perfect condition, but just being able to move at this point meant that he had significantly shortened his recovery time.

As Gillian was lining up the mercenaries, he suddenly hesitated, sneaking a glance at Ghislain.

Ghislain, initially puzzled, quickly realized why. From the direction of the mansion, Belinda was walking towards them at a leisurely pace.

“What’s this? Are you here to see us off?”

Ghislain joked, but Belinda snorted and shook her head.

“See you off? I’m coming with you.”

Ghislain furrowed his brow slightly.

Although her twisted mana had somewhat stabilized, she still hadn’t fully recovered.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to rest more, Belinda? You don’t have to come along.”

“No way. What if you run into some bandits? Anyone who sees a Runestone like mine won’t be able to resist attacking. I’ll be too worried to rest if I don’t come.”

She stated firmly, throwing on her robe.

Ghislain shook his head with a sigh. Seeing her so determined, he couldn’t find it in himself to oppose her.

After all, Belinda had been looking after him since he was young. It wasn’t easy for him to harden his heart against her.

Ghislain sighed and made a promise.

“If it gets tough for you at any point, make sure to say something.”

“I know. Are we heading straight out of the estate?”

“No, we must pick up what we left behind first.”

Ghislain led the mercenaries back into the Forest of Beasts to retrieve the Dirus Ent’s inner bark and the Blood Python’s remaining corpse.

Unlike when they first entered, the group moved quickly on horseback this time.

“Are you planning to collect more Runestones as well?” Gillian asked.

Ghislain shook his head.

“No, we don’t have the time for that. We’ll just gather the corpses and go sell the Runestones immediately.”

At the mention of selling the Runestones, the mercenaries’ faces lit up.

After all, selling Runestones meant they would receive hefty rewards.

“Alright, let’s move quickly.”

Thanks to having rested sufficiently, the mercenaries were full of energy. In just half a day, they had collected all the monster corpses and returned to the estate.

“Since the inner bark won’t spoil, store it as is. As for the python’s corpse, separate the poison, blood, flesh, and skin, and make sure to store them properly so they don’t rot.”

After entrusting the workers with the task of processing and storing the corpses, Ghislain again led the mercenaries out of the estate.

As they hurriedly followed Ghislain, who seemed to be rushing as if something were chasing him, the mercenaries shouted excitedly.

“Wow, the boss seems really antsy!”

“Hahaha, with this many Runestones to sell, we’re going to make a fortune. Just thinking about it makes my heart race.”

Despite the mercenaries’ light-hearted banter, Gillian voiced his concern.

“Young Lord, is there really a need to move so urgently? You’re still not fully recovered; you shouldn’t overdo it.”

Although Gillian knew from Ghislain what the situation was, he hadn’t expected him to be in such a hurry.

They were riding so fast that the wagons loaded with Runestones couldn’t keep up properly.

“That’s possible, but always remember—time is not on our side.”

Even as Ghislain spoke, he didn’t slow down. He reluctantly reduced speed a little when the horses pulling the wagons fell behind.

“Keep the pace as it is. Let’s move as quickly as possible.”

Since the mercenaries had no reason to complain about getting their money sooner, they eagerly followed Ghislain’s lead.

“Wow, our boss really knows how to ride, doesn’t he? Is he a centaur or something?”

“He’s better than most knights I’ve seen!”

“Is there anything he can’t do at such a young age?”

Although horsemanship was considered an essential skill for nobles, Ghislain’s riding was far beyond the typical level of refinement.

But after Delmud, the Tower Master of the rival Scarlet Tower, became a 7th-circle Archmage and gained widespread fame, the situation had completely reversed.

Though the Crimson Flame Tower had been biding its time, hoping to reclaim its former glory, catching up to the now-massive Scarlet Tower was no easy task.

“Uh, you’re not mistaken, are you?”

“The one in Brivant isn’t the Scarlet Tower; it’s the Crimson Flame Tower.”

“With this much supply, we should go to the most successful tower.”

The mercenaries couldn’t help but think that Ghislain had made a mistake. Why would they willingly take a loss when they could earn more money?

As the mercenaries chattered amongst themselves, Belinda furrowed her brows.

She didn’t like how these rude and ignorant men acted brazenly toward Ghislain.

Without him noticing, she jabbed Gillian in the side. When he turned to look, Belinda narrowed her eyes and mouthed, “Teach them some manners.”

However, Ghislain himself didn’t seem to mind their disrespectful behavior at all.

“It’s not a mistake. We’re going to the Crimson Flame Tower. I have my reasons, so just follow me.”

The mercenaries didn’t understand his intentions but stopped talking and quietly followed Ghislain.

Just like in the Forest of Beasts, half of them trusted that Ghislain had something in mind, and the other half didn’t care as long as it wasn’t their loss to worry about.

After passing through several more estates, they finally saw a tall tower in the distance.

The mercenaries began to laugh and joke amongst themselves as they caught sight of the Mage Tower.

Ghislain let out a brief chuckle and spurred his horse forward.

* * *

By the time Ghislain arrived at the Brivant Estate, Count Harold Desmond was staring at a document with trembling eyes, gripping it tightly.

It was a report delivered by the spies he had planted in the Ferdium Estate.

Harold tossed the report onto his desk, sighing in frustration.

“Runestone... Runestone, of all things. And in such large quantities?”

Just as Ghislain had anticipated, the news that he had obtained the Runestone had reached Harold’s ears in just a few days.

With a grim expression, Harold closed his eyes and stroked his mustache, lost in thought.

‘The plan has completely fallen apart.’

He had intended to weaken the Ferdium Estate slowly, but now that they had acquired the Runestone, that wouldn’t be an easy task.

‘Tsk, should I have just forced them into a fight?’

Even though Gilmore Digald’s corpse had disappeared, he could have still found a way to provoke a battle.

However, he couldn’t understand who had taken the body, so he had decided to observe a little longer... but he hadn’t expected things to turn out this way.

‘I thought it was madness when I heard he went into the Forest of Beasts with mercenaries.’

The fact that Ghislain’s name had come up when he lost contact with Frank left Harold with a nagging feeling.

Since then, Harold had been steadily receiving reports on Ghislain’s every move.

While it seemed like Ghislain’s personality had changed slightly, none of the reports indicated that he had grown skilled enough to defeat Frank.

After receiving the report that Ghislain had entered the Forest of Beasts with mercenaries, Harold had wholly stopped paying attention to him.

After all, he had assumed Ghislain would die there.

But now, hearing that Ghislain had successfully acquired the Runestone, his nagging feeling had turned into full-blown anxiety.

‘He wasn’t supposed to be that capable.’

Harold had spent a long time conducting research to swallow up the northern estates.

Naturally, he had investigated all the key figures, and based on the information at the time, Ghislain had been deemed someone unworthy of attention.

Yet now, he had heard his name twice recently. That meant there was a flaw in the information.

Harold issued new orders to the lieutenant standing by his side.

“Gather information on the key figures in the north again. Forget the previous findings; start from scratch.”

“Understood.”

The newly appointed lieutenant was better at gathering information than scheming, so Harold was confident he would handle the task well.

Feeling an odd sense of unease, Harold gazed out the window.

The crimson glow of the setting sun was gradually coloring his room.