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“R-Really? You’re saying you’ve become a lord… for real?”

“Yes. Through this war, Ferdium has taken over Digald County, and in recognition of that, I was granted Baron Fenris’ land as a fief. By combining three baronies, it now amounts to nearly half the size of a county.”

“Hah, to think you’re a lord now…”

Being a Tower Master meant that a baron’s rank was hardly impressive. However, if someone had gained both land and title, becoming a noble, one was naturally obliged to show proper respect.

But it felt a bit awkward to suddenly start being polite to someone with whom he’d been informal all along.

Had they met when the title was already in place, it would be different. But now, trying to show deference felt absurd.

“Ahem, well, in any case, congratulations.”

Although taken aback, Hubert reminded himself that a Tower Master was treated on par with a count, so he didn’t feel particularly diminished. He decided to continue acting as he always did.

But Ghislain wasn’t the type to let such things slide unnoticed.

He crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, putting on a smug expression.

“Although I’ve become a lord, you may treat me as you have before. I’m not some high-ranking noble like a count, and I’m still young, aren’t I? So, until then, feel free to continue as you always have.”

It sounded as though he was warning Hubert that he wouldn’t tolerate it if he continued acting like that once Ghislain became a count.

Hubert, pursing his lips, replied with a smile.

“Sure, let’s keep things casual. Just like before.”

He could only hope that Ghislain’s title would stop at baron and go no further.

“Anyway, it seems we’ve truly ended up in the same boat. Let’s work well together from here on.”

“You’ve made a wise choice. You won’t regret the decision you’ve made today.”

Ghislain extended his hand, and they shook hands.

While they might get caught up in a war, the Crimson Flame Tower didn’t really have any other options left.

Instead of withering away, it didn’t seem like a bad idea to take a gamble on this young man.

Even though everything Ghislain said couldn’t be taken at face value, hadn’t he still won the war with a bold strategy?

Though he still fumed at the thought of that precious runestone being detonated, the mere fact that Ghislain had thought of such a plan was impressive in itself.

Having secured what he wanted, Ghislain wasted no time standing up from his seat.

“I’ll take my leave then. Do contact me once the preparations are complete.”

“Understood. We’ll get ready at once. Take care on your way.”

As Ghislain left the tower, a strange smile spread across his face.

‘They may think it’s a gamble, but this is the only way to save the Crimson Flame Tower.’

In his previous life, the Crimson Flame Tower had collapsed, falling victim to the schemes of the Scarlet Tower.

In the end, it was almost as if the Delfine Duchy had destroyed the Crimson Flame Tower themselves. After all, the one who had nurtured Delmud, the Master of the Scarlet Tower, was none other than the Delfine Duchy.

* * *

As soon as Ghislain returned to Ferdium, he quickly packed his things and gathered all of his people without exception. This included Vanessa, who had recovered to some extent, and the other wizards.

Ghislain looked around at everyone and spoke swiftly.

“Gillian, take the people and head to Fenris first. Leave the management of the estate to the current administrator, and make sure to focus on security along with Kaor.”

Those who had expected to depart for Fenris Estate now were puzzled by the unexpected orders.

“Young Master… no, my Lord, aren’t you coming with us?”

“No, I have somewhere else I need to stop by. I’ll just take a few mercenaries with me as an escort.”

“Where are you going this time? Are you abandoning the estate entirely?”

“There’s something essential I need to do to manage the estate properly. I need to handle this first.”

“Where are you headed?”

“To Austern, in the Kingdom of Seiron.”

Seiron was a kingdom located to the west of Ritania. All he had to do was cross the southwestern border, skirting the long mountain range that extended down from Digald. It wasn’t far.

However, Austern wasn’t some borderland.

In fact, it was much closer to Seiron’s capital.

Belinda, arms crossed, stared intently at Ghislain, puzzled by his sudden statement. He wasn’t heading to the estate, but to a foreign country now? She had no idea what he was thinking.

Then, something seemed to dawn on Belinda, and she exclaimed briefly.

“Ah, Austern is famous for its gambling, right? Don’t tell me you’re going there to gamble? You used to enjoy gambling a lot back in the day.”

At the mention of gambling, the mercenaries perked up, their bodies stirring with excitement. Meanwhile, Alfoi and the wizards clicked their tongues in disdain.

Ghislain laughed and shook his head.

“No, I’m going to bring someone back with me.”

“Who?”

“Someone to oversee the estate’s administration. There’s a brilliant fellow I know.”

“You’re entrusting the estate’s management to someone from outside? You know someone there?”

“Yeah, someone I know very well.”

As he spoke, a strange sense of nostalgia flickered in Ghislain’s eyes.

Belinda’s expression turned skeptical. To her knowledge, Ghislain had never been abroad. It made no sense for him to have someone he knew well there. Truly, he was a man who seemed suspicious no matter what he did.

“My Lord, didn’t you once imprison a man named Lowell? You said you’d question him regarding the estate’s administration.”

“Ah, that guy can rot in prison a bit longer. He needs to pay for his crimes. I’ll deal with him later, when I decide to take him out myself.”

Gillian nodded and then changed the subject.

“I’ll escort you to Austern. I’ve been there before.”

“You need to keep an eye on the others.”

“If we leave it to Toran, it should be fine.”

Toran was an older mercenary who had been following them since the Forest of Beasts incident.

‘Come to think of it, the two of them are about the same age.’

It seemed the two had gotten quite close after going through the war together.

If Gillian was saying so, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

“Alright, then let’s take just a few people with Gillian. If we bring too many, we’ll be stopped right at the border.”

“Me! Young Lord, I want to go abroad too!”

“We’re not going on a trip.”

“Then I’ll go to keep an eye on you, just to make sure you’re not having fun!”

Belinda quickly got up, saying she needed to pack.

Ghislain clicked his tongue but didn’t stop her.

When Belinda got like this, it was impossible to stop her anyway.

Following Gillian’s orders, Toran also began gathering the mercenaries.

Ghislain grabbed Vanessa and spoke.

“If anyone bothers you, make sure to tell me. Don’t bottle it up. Got it?”

“Yes, yes. I understand.”

Vanessa responded, bowing her head deeply.

In truth, no one had mistreated her since the war ended.

Even Alfoi, who once picked on her, now cautiously avoided her, sneaking away whenever possible.

“Alright, I’ll see you in a few days then.”

“I’ll see you at the estate.”

Ghislain barely acknowledged the farewells and immediately kicked his horse into motion.

Belinda, who had been packing her things, was startled and hurried to his side.

“Hey, what’s the rush? Did you have an appointment or something?”

“I need to meet the guy before he loses a hand. He’s got a bit of a situation.”

“Loses a hand…?”

“Yeah. He lives in the gambling dens, so you never know when it’ll get cut off.”

Belinda asked incredulously.

“You’re planning to put him in charge of administration? What if he gambles away the entire estate?”

“It’s fine. Despite everything, he’s a good guy.”

Belinda looked like she had a lot more to say, but she closed her mouth and simply shook her head.

“Except for gambling, he’s good at everything. Just watch. It’s only gambling that he’s bad at. Just that.”

Ghislain chuckled, confidently assuring her. A faint smile had already crept onto his face.

Because of urgent matters, he had delayed recruiting him, but now it was time to bring him in.

‘I’ll see you soon, Claude.’

Claude had been his strategist in his previous life.

There had been no shortage of mercenaries under the King of Mercenaries.

But Claude had been the one to lead and take care of them all. Who else could he trust to manage the estate?

That wasn’t all. During the war, he had devised brilliant, unpredictable strategies, making even enemy commanders covet him as the strategist of strategists.

Even though he couldn’t fight, he never held back his sharp tongue against the rough mercenaries, and he even clashed with Ghislain himself on more than one occasion.

But thanks to him, what was once just a small mercenary corps had managed to wage war against a kingdom for a full year.

“In his past life, that guy couldn’t fully utilize his abilities.”

No matter how brilliant his tactics and strategies were, there had been a limit to what he could accomplish with a mercenary corps that lacked a solid base of operations.

But things were different now. He had gained territory and was poised to grow his influence.

Claude had showcased his talents even in those harsh conditions. This time, he would be able to make an even greater impact.

“Don’t waste your life in this lifetime on gambling again.”

In his past life, when Claude joined the mercenary corps, he had already lost one hand, and the tendons in one of his ankles were severed.

There had been reasons why he couldn’t help but cling to gambling even after ending up in such a state.

In that past life, it had already been an irreversible situation…

But this time, I could resolve the issue before Claude got hurt.

* * *

After several days of travel, as soon as we arrived in Austern, I sought out the largest gambling house there.

The rest of the group, by now used to my tendency to act first without much explanation, followed silently.

[Kraken Game Hall]

A large octopus sign blinked brightly above the entrance.

Just by looking at the expensive magic lights adorning the sign, it was clear how much money this gambling house was raking in.

This was the heart of Austern, the gambling city.

Belinda and the mercenaries looked around in awe. The area surrounding the lavish gambling house was lined with bustling taverns.

“Young Master! This place is amazing! It looks like the perfect place to have fun!”

Even Gordon, who had tagged along after hearing it was a gambling city, rubbed his hands together with a grin.

“Haha, just seeing the gambling house makes my blood boil. Shall I show off my skills for the first time in a while?”

I shook my head and said, “Don’t bother. You won’t stand a chance here with average skills. They’re all swindlers.”

“How do you know that, Young Master? Have you been here before?”

“Well, I came here once in the past.”

“You’ve always stayed in the territory. When did you even come here?”

“I have. A long time ago.”

I had also come here in my past life to resolve Claude’s problem.

I couldn’t restore his already lost hand, but I had at least wanted to eliminate the cause.

While I was here, I decided to enjoy some gambling as a way to relax…

That day, the Kraken Gambling House was destroyed.

The Seven Strongest of the Continent—who could dare protest after getting scammed by the King of Mercenaries and ending up completely crushed?

Even the Kingdom of Seiron had no choice but to let it slide.

Ghislain smiled as he recalled the fond memory.

“Well then, let’s go find that guy.”

Belinda nodded and asked, “Do you know what he looks like? Last time, we had to search forever for Uncle Gillian because we didn’t know his face.”

“Just wait over there. He’s probably inside even now.”

In his past life, Claude practically lived at the Kraken Game Hall.

When he ran out of money, he’d earn some petty cash by ghostwriting or teaching, only to lose it again as soon as he went back to gambling. It was a vicious cycle.

He’d said he lived there until the day he joined the mercenary corps, so if they waited around, he would eventually show up.

Ghislain and his group entered the game hall.

Something about the atmosphere felt off.

People were murmuring here and there, while others were tidying up the place.

“Hmm, did a fight break out or something?”

As Ghislain muttered to himself, a man who seemed to be a staff member approached and gave a slight bow in greeting.

“Welcome. May I guide you to a seat? Would you prefer the VIP room?”

The staffer must have assumed Ghislain was a noble, judging from his attire and the people escorting him.

He had sharp eyes, fitting for someone working at a gambling den.

Ghislain glanced around and shook his head.

“The mood here seems off. Did something happen?”

“It’s nothing serious. Just a small commotion. It happens all the time at a place like this.”

“Well, that’s true.”

It would’ve been stranger if there weren’t any fights in a place fueled by money.

Just as Ghislain was about to let it slide, he overheard some people at a nearby table whispering.

“That bastard Claude, I always knew he’d end up like this.”

“Think they’ll take one of his hands?”

“Of course. He messed with the wrong person. You’ve gotta give it to him for having guts though. Haha!”

“Still, Claude wasn’t the type to pull cheap tricks. The guy’s educated, after all.”

“Hey, who knows what’s going on in someone’s head? Even if you’re educated, once you get hooked on gambling, that’s how it goes.”

Hearing the same name they were looking for, Ghislain’s face hardened. He turned to the staffer and asked, “The person who caused the trouble… Is his name Claude? Looks sharp, but his eyes are like dead fish.”

The staff member replied with a hesitant expression, “Yes, that’s him. Do you know him?”

“What kind of trouble did he cause?”

“He tried to pull a fast one on the leader of a notorious local gang and got caught. They just dragged him off.”

“By any chance… that leader’s name wouldn’t happen to be?”

“They call him Crank.”

As soon as he heard the name, Ghislain muttered in disbelief, “So it was today?”