The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

There was no room for rebuttal.

“Uh, Young Lord, because of you, our relationship with Raypold has already soured, making the situation in the estate somewhat difficult…”

“So, are you saying that’s not enough?”

Of course, it wasn’t enough.

For the Ferdium family, having a steady flow of money was more important than a lump sum payment.

This estate had no means to generate income on its own.

It was awkward to demand money while blaming someone for their situation.

With Ghislain holding the money, the balance of power had shifted entirely.

‘Should we also start some kind of development project?’

Baron Homerne wiped away the sweat pouring down his face, lost in thought.

However, Ghislain had already secured the runestone, and searching for other resources would just lead to the same conclusion.

They had to be prepared to take risks and incur losses if they wanted to make any progress.

‘Damn it! How did that bastard end up with such a valuable resource? There’s no way to take it from him!’

Strictly speaking, the Forest of Beasts wasn’t Ferdium’s territory.

It was merely acknowledged as part of their lands because it bordered the estate.

So, unless they forcibly took it from him, there was no other way to secure the runestone that Ghislain had.

As everyone stood there, unsure what to do, Ghislain spoke again.

“Hm, it seems like everyone is in a bit of a tough spot. As the Young Lord, I can’t just ignore the difficulties of the estate.”

Although his tone was sly, the vassals couldn’t help but look at him with a bit of hope in their eyes.

Even Zwalter was drawn in, his expression filled with curiosity at his son’s words.

Seeing everyone’s reaction, Ghislain smiled and continued.

“From the start, I retrieved the runestone for the sake of the estate. I’ll make up for what we lost from Raypold.”

At Ghislain’s words, the vassals nodded, visibly relieved.

If he’d thrown a fit and insisted on keeping it all for himself, they would have had no choice but to fight and take it from him. But since he offered to give at least some, they could breathe a little easier now.

“However, there are a few conditions.”

At those words, the vassals couldn’t hide their nervous expressions.

They were scared to think what kind of conditions this infamously troublesome Young Lord might bring up.

“I noticed Skovan from the guard wasn’t around. I heard he’s been imprisoned. Is that true?”

At this, Baron Homerne nodded.

“He was imprisoned for falsely reporting to the Lord. We plan to strip him of his knightly title as well. For a knight who has sworn loyalty to lie, it’s a grave sin, a grave sin indeed. Ahem!”

Homerne’s voice was noticeably softer than before.

He had clearly realized there was no benefit to pushing or pulling against Ghislain anymore.

However, his response carried the subtle implication that Skovan’s imprisonment was Ghislain’s fault.

Nodding, Ghislain raised one finger and spoke.

“First, release Skovan. I was the one who forced him to act, so he had no choice. He’s probably so full of regret, he’d rather die.”

“Hmm…”

The vassals looked uncomfortable.

Forgiving the crime of lying to the Lord would undermine the Lord’s authority.

However, it wasn’t as if they didn’t have an excuse, and compared to the overall management of the estate, it was a minor issue, so none of them expressed opposition.

Ghislain continued speaking since the vassals remained silent.

“Second, I will officially proceed with the construction of the garrison. Workers and soldiers need a place to stay.”

The vassals nodded in agreement, as it was a reasonable condition.

“Third, as before, the Forest of Beasts will remain off-limits. I don’t want unnecessary casualties in the estate due to reckless greed.”

At that moment, the vassals’ expressions faltered.

‘This bastard! He wants to hog it all for himself!’

‘Why can’t we go in?’

‘You went in even though you said we shouldn’t!’

Of course, they only grumbled internally and didn’t dare voice their complaints.

Since no one said anything, Ghislain brought up the final condition.

“Lastly, from now on, I’ll be in charge of replenishing and managing the mercenaries and security forces, regardless of the estate. It would be troublesome if there’s interference every time I move troops within the estate, so I’ll need that level of authority.”

The vassals began to break out in a cold sweat.

Ghislain had just announced that he would continue to command private soldiers within the estate.

‘The Young Lord is trying to maintain a private army…’

‘Now that he has money, he’s completely out of control!’

‘That troublemaker is going to lead an army?’

The vassals already felt a chill down their spines.

If the increasingly eccentric Young Lord were to lead troops, no one could predict the scale of the disasters that might follow.

Even now, the mercenaries under his command made him hard to challenge.

“Um, Young Lord. I’m not sure about the rest, but leading separate forces…”

One of the vassals gathered his courage to speak up, but Ghislain answered bluntly.

“Then how about we just cancel everything? Should I leave?”

“I-I’m in full agreement. Absolutely in favor.”

The vassal quickly backtracked and retreated to his seat.

“Oh, I thought you were opposing me. I almost got hurt. You know I’m sensitive, right? I was about to walk out.”

‘You jerk, you’re going to do whatever you want anyway!’

The subtle threat made the vassals curse inwardly as they bowed their heads.

“Does anyone oppose?”

Ghislain raised his hand slightly as he asked, but no one dared to respond.

There was no greater act of tyranny, but nothing good would come from provoking the Young Lord.

After waiting briefly, Ghislain smiled in satisfaction and looked at his father.

“It seems the vassals all agree with my opinion. Now, Father, please make your decision.”

For some reason, that smile appeared wicked. Zwalter gave a bitter smile.

‘He’s really changed.’

When complaints came from Raypold, Zwalter had thought Ghislain had caused a major incident again; this time, he planned not to let it slide.

However, Ghislain had accomplished enough through bold actions to offset all those mistakes.

Of course, it was still difficult to fully trust him. Luck likely played a big part in this recent success as well.

How many people had considered developing the Forest of Beasts over the years?

Zwalter knew well, as he had evaluated the risks and benefits himself.

Discovering resources this quickly could only have been done with a stroke of fortune.

‘Though it is true that he accomplished something great…’

Zwalter hesitated for a moment.

Although Ghislain had succeeded this time, there was no guarantee that things would continue to go smoothly in the future.

What good was immense wealth if one were to die young?

Moreover, his son was the heir to both the estate and the family. His life could not be taken lightly.

If Zwalter were to stop him, he would have to strip him of all authority and do so now.

But as a father, he didn’t want to crush the potential his son had only begun to show.

‘It’s an excessive request, but it’s not entirely unreasonable either.’

Ultimately, it came down to whether or not he trusted Ghislain.

His past conduct had been so reckless that it was hard to trust him entirely just based on his recent behavior.

However, if Zwalter refused to trust him and instead forced him into a corner, things could spiral into a disaster.

Even now, Ghislain had come with troops in tow, presenting extreme demands to his father and the vassals.

It was clear that he was prepared for a physical confrontation if necessary.

‘Was my son always this way?’

Zwalter looked at his son again as if seeing him for the first time.

Ghislain stood confidently as if it didn’t matter what decision Zwalter made.

What Zwalter didn’t know was that Ghislain was actually making every effort to handle things as smoothly and politely as possible.

Back in his days as the King of Mercenaries, Ghislain had acted far more ruthlessly and violently than he was now.

After pondering for quite some time, Zwalter let out a deep sigh and spoke.

“Very well. I’ll grant you what you want. Do as you please.”

“My lord!”

“Brother!”

All the vassals turned to Zwalter in shock.

None of them had expected him to agree to all of Ghislain’s conditions so easily.

Zwalter glanced around at the astonished vassals and spoke as if it were no big deal.

“If I’m going to grant him authority, it’s better to give it completely and trust him. Half-hearted concessions would only make things worse.”

Before Ghislain could even express his gratitude, Zwalter’s tone turned sharp, radiating intensity as he continued.

“However, if you cause harm to the estate or hinder the defense of the North… I will strip you of all your authority and confine you to the tower until you come to your senses. Never forget that this is your final chance.”

With such power came a heavy responsibility, and Zwalter wanted to ensure Ghislain understood that clearly.

His words, a mix of a father’s hope and a lord’s concern made Ghislain smile broadly as he bowed his head.

“Thank you. You have nothing to worry about.”

“What do you plan to do with the rest of the money?”

“I have a plan. Once the urgent matters are taken care of, I also intend to use it for the estate.”

Urgent matters. The phrase left a strange impression.

Zwalter was curious about what could be more pressing than the estate’s current situation, but he didn’t ask any further.

“Alright. Do what you need to do. I’ll trust you.”

Though his tone had returned to its usual bluntness, it was filled with an emotion that hadn’t been there before.

No matter what he said, Zwalter couldn’t hide the pride and joy he felt seeing his son accomplish something so significant.

With that, the only ones left in an awkward position were the vassals.

Particularly Homerne, Randolph, and Albert, who had been the most critical of Ghislain. They were now in a much more uncomfortable spot than the others.

Homrne racked his brain so hard it felt like steam might start coming out of his head.

‘Damn it, this is a disaster. Now I’m stuck under that troublemaker’s thumb. How did things end up like this?’

Homrne was the one who opposed Ghislain’s first suggestion of developing the Forest of Beasts the most.

If only he had fully supported and pushed for it back then, he could have secured a stake for himself.

The regret gnawed at him.

‘But seriously, who would’ve guessed he’d go off and succeed like that? It doesn’t even make sense!’

Who could have predicted that the Young Lord, whom he had dismissed as a mere novice, would actually demonstrate such decisiveness and pull off a real success? It still seemed unbelievable.

However, now that the circumstances had changed, Homrne couldn’t afford to act stiff like before.

Suddenly, Homrne’s face broke into a broad smile, and he spoke.

“Oh my, truly splendid. Simply splendid. Does this mean that the Young Lord alone rivals the entire Raypold estate? You’ve grown remarkably well. It seems Belinda taught you well. Hahaha.”

Homrne’s words held not a shred of sincerity, and Albert stepped forward, letting the flattery wash over him.

“I always knew the Young Lord had a keen sense for money. Regarding funding, why don’t we discuss it directly? There are a lot of urgent matters that need immediate attention… Ahem, ahem!”

Randolph, though his face twisted awkwardly, joined in with sweet words.

“I always believed that with the Young Lord’s boldness, you’d achieve great results someday! You know we’re short on troops, right? Well, strong forces are essential to defending the estate, after all. Hahaha. Those fellows outside, they really…”

Watching the three men blatantly change their attitudes and flatter him, Ghislain took a small step back, smiling.

“With you three speaking so highly of me, I’m overwhelmed. I’ll make sure to take good care of you from now on, so don’t worry too much about the estate’s affairs.”

Only then did the three men’s faces brighten with wide grins.

Regardless of the sincerity behind Ghislain’s words, the promise of benefits melted away any lingering bitterness they might have felt.

They couldn’t help but feel that the young man had completely outmaneuvered them, but what could they do?

At the moment, Ghislain holds all the power, so they have no choice but to go along with it.

Their only option was to abandon their pride and cozy up to him.

Homrne, taking the lead, grabbed Ghislain’s hand tightly and said, “We’re looking forward to it. Oh my, our estate has truly been blessed. Truly blessed.”

Ghislain gently pulled his hand away from Homrne’s grip and turned to Zwalter.

“Father, please don’t worry too much about the estate from now on. I’ll handle things so you can continue focusing solely on defending the North, as you always have.”

“Haha, to think you could say something like that.”

Zwalter nodded, a satisfied expression on his face.

The sight of his son, who had grown so much in just a few months, amazed him.

Of course, Zwalter didn’t take Ghislain’s words entirely seriously.

He merely saw them as pleasantries.

However, the expression on Ghislain’s face as he turned to leave was more serious than ever.

‘Everything is going as planned. Now it’s time to prepare for the next step.’

There was something more urgent than developing the estate.

It was time to prepare for war.