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It was a completely different sight from the arrogant attitude he’d shown earlier, as if he’d given up on life.

Ghislain gazed at him with a pitiful expression.

Baron Austern, suspicious, gestured toward Claude.

“Let me take a look.”

Claude hesitantly shuffled forward on his knees and handed over a credit note for 2,000 gold.

Baron Austern’s eyes gleamed with greed as he confirmed the amount and the name of the guaranteeing merchant guild.

‘Where on earth did this scoundrel get such a huge sum?’

The Baron glanced briefly at the well-dressed young man standing beside Claude.

He hadn’t been properly introduced to the man, but it was clear that he was involved with this money.

After a moment of contemplation, Baron Austern tossed the credit note back at Claude.

“I can’t return her.”

“What are you saying! I’ve clearly brought the 2,000 gold as promised, haven’t I?”

Despite Claude’s desperate scream, Baron Austern merely laughed, revealing his yellowed teeth.

“Do you really think it’s still just 2,000 gold? Do you have any idea how much prices have risen? I’ll need at least 3,000 gold.”

“What kind of nonsense is this? She’s a person, not an object! What do prices have to do with anything?”

“I set the price for my goods. It’s not for you to argue.”

To be honest, even 2,000 gold was more than enough.

In fact, Baron Austern would profit handsomely even with just 2,000 gold.

However, there was no reason to settle for that when he felt he could squeeze out even more. After all, he held all the power here.

‘No, wait. Why not just take the money by force?’

That way, he could swallow not only the 2,000 gold but also the 3,000 that Claude would scramble to collect.

‘Heh, yes, that’s the better plan.’

At that moment, Claude, on the verge of tears, pulled out another credit note from his coat.

“I’ll add 500 more gold. I can’t offer any more. This is everything I have.”

“Oh ho, so you had more money after all.”

Baron Austern sneered as he asked,

“Where did you get such a large sum?”

“I agreed to do some work in exchange for it.”

Baron Austern narrowed his eyes.

“For small change, sure, but no one in this kingdom would pay you this kind of money. Tell me the truth.”

“I’m leaving for the Ritania Kingdom. I’ll be working there.”

“What?”

Baron Austern flinched at the unexpected answer.

He hadn’t even considered the possibility of Claude leaving for another country.

“Fine, leave or stay, it doesn’t matter to me. Either way, this amount won’t suffice. Come back when you have the money.”

“You said you’ll keep your promise!”

“I told you, the price has gone up. By the way, is the man next to you the one who gave you the money? What’s your relationship? Are you living together?”

Claude’s eyes flared with anger, realizing the Baron’s true intentions.

As the tension grew, Ghislain, who had been silently observing, stepped forward.

“This is disgusting. Hey, Baron Austern, how about you cut it out?”

The fierce pressure emanating from Ghislain suddenly constricted the entire area.

The knights surrounding Baron Austern panicked and drew their swords.

Their faces were pale with fear.

To suppress the atmosphere with sheer presence alone was something only a truly skilled individual could do.

Though the knights were just from a minor barony, they weren’t so ignorant as to be unaware of the vast difference in skill.

However, it wasn’t like the knights could simply tuck their tails and flee in front of their lord.

The knights pointed their swords at Ghislain.

Normally, they would have charged forward and forced him to his knees, but they couldn’t muster the courage.

“You insolent scum! What nonsense are you spouting?”

“How dare you act like that in front of the lord!”

“We’ll kill you!”

The knights’ voices slightly trembled.

But the clueless Baron Austern failed to notice.

He glared at Ghislain, puffed up with arrogance.

“And who are you? How dare you act so disrespectfully in front of me.”

“What do you plan to do about it?”

Baron Austern’s eyes glinted with greed.

This was a perfect opportunity to accuse Ghislain of disrespecting a noble to extort more money.

Seeing the look in his eyes, Ghislain let out a dry laugh.

“People like you only learn through experience.”

“What?”

“Never mind, it’s too tedious to explain.”

Baron Austern furrowed his brow, sensing something ominous.

Fwoosh!

Ghislain’s eyes turned red.

In an instant, he unlocked his Second Core, and his hand shot out. Threads of mana shot forth like lightning.

“Ugh!”

His target was the knight who had boldly shouted moments ago that he’d kill Ghislain.

Suddenly feeling a powerful force pulling at him, the knight tried to resist by summoning his own mana.

“Oh, not bad.”

As expected, since the knight could wield mana, he wasn’t easily pulled in.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Ghislain unlocked his Third Core.

Boom!

A massive surge of energy exploded from his hand, guided by the mana threads.

The knight could no longer resist. He was helplessly dragged towards Ghislain, who caught him in his grip.

The other knights, stunned by the unimaginable technique, couldn’t move.

“Drop your sword now.”

With his free hand, Ghislain twisted the knight’s wrist.

Crunch!

“Arrgh!”

The knight let out a pained scream as he dropped his sword.

Ghislain, his eyes burning red, glared at Baron Austern.

“Drawing your swords means you want to fight, right? Think carefully. I don’t go easy on anyone who comes at me. I’ll kill every last person in this castle.”

It wasn’t an empty threat.

If it came to it, Ghislain and his mercenaries could easily slaughter all the knights and soldiers in this castle.

The knights’ faces turned ghostly pale.

‘Damn it, there’s no way we can fight this guy!’

‘Is it even possible to pull a knight using only mana?’

He had subdued the knight effortlessly, with his bare hands, in a matter of seconds.

Even if every knight in the castle gathered, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

It was only then that Baron Austern realized something was wrong.

‘These bastards are all scared stiff.’

Glaring at the frozen knights, he clenched his teeth and stared daggers at Ghislain.

“Do you think you’ll get away with insulting a noble like this?”

“What a joke. And what are you going to do about it? Go ahead, try.”

Baron Austern had started off confidently, but now he couldn’t say another word and had to shut his mouth.

Was this what it felt like to face a monster? His knees weakened, and a chill ran down his spine.

Ghislain chuckled softly.

“Yeah, if you want to survive, you should know your place. Instead of worrying about me, you should be concerned whether you will make it out of this alive.”

“If you let my knight go and beg for forgiveness now, I’ll pretend this never happened.”

“I don’t feel like it.”

“Do you really think you can take on all the knights and soldiers of this castle?”

“If you’re curious, give it a try. I’m always up for it. It’s the easiest solution.”

Ghislain was being sincere. If Baron Austern crossed the line, there would be no more holding back.

“If you harm me, the kingdom won’t stand idly by!”

“Do you really think the kingdom cares about someone like you, who isn’t even a high-ranking noble? Who’s going to care about some guy who runs a bar and a gambling den to keep his estate afloat?”

“You… you bastard….”

Ghislain’s words were painfully accurate.

Other nobles in the kingdom subtly looked down on Baron Austern, considering him beneath them for making his fortune from drinking and gambling. They didn’t see him as one of their own, and if he were to die, it wouldn’t cause much of a stir.

Ghislain continued to strike where it hurt.

“And even if they did care, so what? All I have to do is kill everyone in this castle and disappear.”

“There are five hundred soldiers in this estate! If you kill me, they’ll hunt you down!”

Ghislain scoffed.

‘Five hundred? That’s quite a lot for a barony. I guess having money really is the best advantage.’

But that number wasn’t nearly enough to make Ghislain flinch.

“Go ahead then, if you think you can hunt me down. No one’s stopping you.”

“…….”

Though the Austern Estate had more soldiers than expected, Ghislain knew that if he was determined, he could easily escape them. Or better yet, he could just wipe them all out.

Seeing the look on Ghislain’s face, Baron Austern eventually gritted his teeth and took a step back.

“…What do you want? What’s your demand?”

“What do you think? Even your stupidity has its limits…”

Ghislain clicked his tongue in irritation. Baron Austern ground his teeth in frustration but said nothing.

From the beginning, he never had the guts to risk his life in a fight.

He had only been hoping that Ghislain would be intimidated enough to back down.

But there was no way such laughable threats would work on someone like Ghislain.

Biting his lips out of frustration, Baron Austern finally muttered,

“Fine. I’ll take the 2,000 gold and be done with it. Now get out.”

Ghislain sighed, as if disappointed.

“Pity. I was hoping to stretch my muscles a bit. Fine, we’ll do that. But what about this guy?”

“What?”

Ghislain looked up at the knight still caught in his grip and sneered.

“If you’re going to threaten to kill someone, you should be prepared to face the same.”

Ghislain tightened his grasp.

“Ughhh!”

The knight gasped for air, groaning in pain as he struggled to break free.

If Ghislain applied just a bit more pressure, the knight’s neck would snap, killing him instantly.

Baron Austern shouted urgently.

“What are you doing? The deal is already settled!”

“Settled? Nothing’s settled. That’s that, and this is this. If you want me to spare this man, cough up 3,000 gold. Then I’ll let him go.”

“Three thousand gold! Don’t be ridiculous!”

“You were the one who started being ridiculous first. Do you have any idea how much it costs to train a knight? 3,000 gold is a bargain. Or… maybe this guy isn’t even worth that much to you?”

“That… that’s nonsense…”

Baron Austern started to respond but hesitated.

With 3,000 gold, he could easily recruit a knight far more skilled than the one Ghislain held captive.

He wanted to refuse, of course… but too many eyes were watching.

If he rejected the offer and the knight ended up dead, the other knights might also turn their backs on him.

No knight would serve a lord who put a price on loyalty and calculated the cost.

Ghislain had clearly aimed for this vulnerability with his proposal.

It was a devilish trap with no escape.

In the end, Baron Austern gritted his teeth and accepted Ghislain’s demand.

“Fine. Consider the 2,000 gold as paid. I’ll make up the difference.”

“I’ll be taking back what’s mine, too, right?”

Baron Austern spat his order at a nearby knight.

“Bring her.”

The knight nodded silently and left the room.

Ghislain walked over to Claude, grabbing him by the arm and lifting him up effortlessly.

He also didn’t forget to scoop up the 2,000-gold credit note from the ground, tucking it into his coat.

“Huh?”

Claude looked bewildered, to which Ghislain grinned.

“It’s mine, isn’t it?”

Claude, quick to realize, hurriedly snatched up the remaining 500 gold and stuffed it into his coat, fearing he might lose that as well.

Ghislain didn’t stop him. After all, that 500 gold wasn’t part of the knight’s ransom, and he knew why Claude needed the money.

Turning to the pale-faced Baron Austern, Ghislain spoke dismissively.

“We’ll be waiting outside the castle, so make sure you send the goods out properly. I don’t want to stay here any longer than necessary. You wouldn’t want to see my face again, would you?”

“…Understood.”

With that, Ghislain dragged Claude out of the audience chamber.

Before stepping out the door, Ghislain turned back to Baron Austern with a mocking smile.

“If you’ve got any complaints, feel free to come visit me at the Fenris Estate in the Ritania Kingdom. I’ll make sure to give you a warm hospitality.”