499

Episode 499 I'll try my best. (4)

Giselle smiled faintly at Baron Share's words.

"When?"

"A month later, they are said to be negotiating on the Heine Plains and exchanging 'things'."

Rumors had already spread that something was being exchanged during the negotiations. Even if they didn't know exactly what it was, they knew that it was being exchanged so that the managers could prepare themselves so that they wouldn't get stabbed in the back.

"It looks like you put a lot of thought into your selection."

The Heine Plains were a place that Giselle knew well. It was close to the southern front and there were not even small forests or hills around where one could hide.

It's literally a wasteland.

If both sides brought 50,000 troops there and met them head-on, it would be difficult to hit them in the back of the head.

Baron Share also nodded.

"Yes. We are constantly conducting reconnaissance missions to see if we are bringing the troops we promised. This means we will continue to check."

"You are really careful."

"It seems like they are taking this negotiation quite seriously."

If the main purpose was armistice negotiations, there was no reason to be so cautious. At this point, even unrelated people began to guess that the 'item' they had agreed to exchange was the real purpose.

Baron Share continued cautiously.

"The Royal Army will depart in a week. After all, there is a long way to go. I will make an excuse to go check on the situation in three days and escape. But… … Are you sure that is okay?"

An army of a total of 100,000 men is expected to gather in the open field. No matter how great Jiselle is, it doesn't seem easy to rob the place and escape.

No, it was questionable whether he could properly take the items from the place where the Kingdom's First Sword and the Royal Knight Commander were present.

But Jiselle answered with an expression as if it was nothing.

"Well… … it won't be easy, but I have to run away with it somehow."

Baron Share, who was looking at Giselle with a look of disbelief, spoke honestly.

"If you fail, Count, I will immediately flee to another kingdom."

To be honest, I didn't really believe it, but since it was a matter of life and death, I had to take that risk. I didn't have much regrets since I was scared of staying in the capital anyway because of the mad king.

Given what Earl Fenris has done so far, it seems likely that he will do it again.

Jiselle nodded with a hearty laugh.

"Do so. I will send a knight to escort you to Fenris."

You can just send Dark and have him send the knights a week later. Jiselle asked after confirming the destination with the Baron.

"Anything else unusual?"

"They say His Majesty will go in person."

"is it so?"

"Yes, I told everyone to stop, but they won't listen. I think you'll have to check the items yourself."

"okay."

Jiselle had a rough idea of the reason. What the king wanted was his own health, and the thing he would receive from the Salvation Church would be the means to achieve it.

So I had no choice but to go and check for myself. If I brought the wrong thing, I would be in big trouble.

The Baron Share, who had passed on the information, stood up.

"Well then, I guess I'll be going now. I hope you succeed."

"Yes, go safely. I'll see you at the estate."

Baron Share couldn't help but laugh at Giselle's confident words. Where on earth does that confidence, that doesn't doubt his success, come from?

I was both envious and dumbfounded.

Baron Share, who was about to leave, suddenly stopped and asked.

"The Marquis of Branford… … will you not see me?"

In fact, there was nothing good to meet. Even though the Northern Army was now the enemy of the crown, the Marquis of Branford was safe because of the nature of the king and the nobles.

Many local lords and nobles, including the Northern Army, are known to still follow the Marquis of Branford.

If you take the Marquis hostage or touch him, they might rise up together, so you should leave them alone until you completely subdue the rest.

But what if someone finds out that the Marquis of Branford has a deeper connection than a political alliance? The chances of them taking the Marquis hostage and blackmailing him increase.

So, those who followed the Marquis of Branford also remained quiet for the time being.

"Well, since I'm already here, I was thinking about saying hello to you when I get to go out. Now that you've given up on politics, how lonely you must be."

Jiselle also knew about the danger. But what did it matter? As long as she didn't get caught, that's the end of it.

Baron Share simply laughed. As expected, his confidence and composure were the best in the kingdom.

"Okay, I'll see you again after I succeed."

After Baron Share left, Giselle returned to the banquet. While the other soldiers were enjoying themselves by drinking and eating a lot of meat and alcohol, he did not get drunk.

Because once the date and location for the negotiations have been set, we have to move quickly.

'Dark, it's starting now. I'll tell you the location, so tell them to get ready.'

- okay!

A crow flew across the dark night sky without anyone noticing.

Giselle, who delivered the news to the waiting Northern Army, was given a leave of absence as a reward the next day.

The place he headed to was the mansion of the Marquis of Branford.

"Hmm, I have to go in without anyone knowing… … Is that possible?"

In the past, I had been going in and out frequently and had checked all the guards' blind spots. However, it was not easy to avoid the magical devices and the knights' aura.

Nobles like the Marquis of Branford place perimeter magic throughout their mansions to prevent even superhumans from sneaking in.

Since the entire space was taken over, even Jiselle was bound to get caught.

"Then… … it would be best to just charge straight ahead."

Jiselle walked confidently to the front gate of the mansion.

He smirked at one of the guards standing guard at the main gate.

'You've been working for a long time.'

The soldier who had previously stopped Giselle from going in was yawning. The treatment was better than expected, so she worked for a long time.

'Well, in a situation like this, it's better to stay with the Marquis of Branford.'

Because if you enlist in a different army for no reason, you never know when you might die.

Jiselle ignored the other guards and approached the soldier, speaking to him.

"Hey, is the Marquis here now? I checked everything out, so don't say he's not here."

The guard tilted his head. This line sounded familiar. It seemed like he had heard it before.

"what?"

Jiselle was dressed in plain clothes. Her face had changed from Dougley's to another face.

At first glance, he looked like a commoner.

The guard frowned. He didn't seem to be a noble, so how could he come here without permission?

But just in case, I answered stiffly as I was taught.

"Once you leave your name and purpose in the guestbook, someone will come and check on your future schedule… … ."

Jiselle smiled without realizing it. How could she be so consistent?

First, he grabbed the guard's shoulder and turned his body so that no one could see him, then he spoke.

"It's me, it's me."

As Giselle's face returned to normal, the guard tilted his head again.

"I feel like I've seen this somewhere… … Hueeeek!"

Jiselle covered the mouth of the terrified guard and quickly changed her face again and whispered.

"Shh, it won't be good if other people know. You'll guide me, right?"

The guard nodded his head wildly. Any fool would know that nothing good would come of causing trouble here.

"Hey, hey, let's go in."

The other guards looked at him suspiciously for his sudden change in attitude and said:

"Hey, what is it? Who are you?"

"Why can't we just let them in?"

When they tried to stop them, the guard spoke nervously.

"I know him! The butler called!"

I said it as it was. I couldn't sell the Marquis' name, so I sold the butler.

At those words, the other guards licked their lips and stepped back.

It was a bit unsettling, but I had nothing to say because it came out like that.

"Come on, let's go quickly. The butler is waiting… … ."

The guard dragged Giselle in like that.

In reality, it was difficult for him, a mere guard, to meet the Marquis of Branford. To meet him, he had to go through numerous procedures.

But the butler was different. He was one of the few people who could meet the Marquis of Branford in person and report to him.

So the guard took Giselle straight to the butler.

"Huh? What's going on?"

The guard approached and spoke very quietly.

"Phe, this is Count Fenris."

"what???"

The butler looked at Giselle with a bewildered look. Giselle smiled and showed him her face again.

"This, this… … ."

The butler, with a puzzled expression, shouted to the soldiers outside the office.

"Everyone, step aside! An important guest has arrived, so I will speak quietly!"

At those words, all the soldiers guarding the front retreated. The guard who had brought Giselle just rolled his eyes, not knowing what to do.

The butler looked at him and said,

"You will be excluded from all work for the time being. I will give you a separate room, so you will stay there alone. Do you understand? In return, I will give you a generous compensation."

"Oh, I understand."

It was decided to keep him in custody for the time being so that rumors wouldn't spread. Still, when the butler handed him the gold coin, the guard smiled and nodded vigorously.

The butler, who had even sent away the guards, asked again with a surprised expression.

"How did you come here?"

"I came to see the Marquis. I wanted to say hello."

"Ugh… … ."

Although the Northern Army did not officially commit treason, refusing the king's orders was a felony.

The Northern Army was now viewed very negatively. There were even rumors that the royal family had concluded negotiations with the Duke and were joining forces to attack the Northern Army.

And in the midst of all this, you appear here alone!

I knew he was a big guy, but I didn't know it was this big.

The butler, who had been exclaiming in surprise, suddenly came to his senses and spoke hurriedly.

"Hey, let's go for now. I'll guide you to the Marquis."

Jiselle followed the butler with a leisurely expression.

The butler took out all the knights and soldiers surrounding the Marquis of Branford's office.

Everyone was puzzled, but they followed the butler's words anyway, because Knight Commander Toleo was inside.

The butler who entered first spoke very cautiously.

"Your Majesty, we have a guest."

"hmm?"

The Marquis of Branford looked up from his book. His face was extremely haggard.

Seeing that face, Giselle smiled bitterly and said with a pitiful heart.

"How have you been?"

"Who are you?"

"I'm leaving."

When Giselle revealed her true face, Marquis Branford and Toleo were very surprised and their eyes widened.

"No, how did you… … ."

"I came to say hello while I was in the capital."

"Heh heh heh… … ."

The Marquis of Branford burst into laughter at Giselle's answer.

I always feel this way, but he was a really funny guy. In a situation like this, he came to the capital alone to find me.

"Bring out the tea. I need to have a chat with a friend I haven't seen in a long time."

At the words of the Marquis of Branford, the butler brought tea.

But the two people who actually sat across from each other didn't really talk much. They just asked each other how they were doing.

Jiselle, who had been spending time chatting about this and that, got up from her seat.

"I'll be going now. I'm glad to see you're safe."

"Are you going to meet that friend, Maurice?"

Jiselle shook her head.

"No, I'll see him later. If you make a fuss about getting drunk, word will spread quickly. I only have time today anyway. I'll see the others later."

Today is the only day I can go out. I can't meet all the people I'm close with. I have to be careful of rumors because I have something important coming up.

The Marquis of Branford asked again.

"What about Rosaline?"

Jiselle thought for a moment and then shook her head.

"Umm… … I'll see you later, Miss. I don't want to upset you unnecessarily."

The Marquis of Branford laughed at those words. As a father with a daughter, he was truly a disgusting man.

The Marquis of Branford asked with a calm expression.

"Okay, have you made up your mind?"

"I decided the moment I heard the news."

"That's just like you."

The Marquis of Branford nodded with a faint smile.

I knew this would happen. It was disheartening, but it was something that could not be stopped. Those who had led the kingdom until now had to step back.

The Marquis of Branford, who had been thinking about something for a moment, looked into Giselle's eyes and said.

"Giselle."

"yes."

"I entrust the kingdom to you."

He, who had always put the royal family first, was now saying that he wanted the kingdom, not the royal family.

There was no one here who didn't know what that meant.

In fact, Giselle had no particular thoughts about the future of the kingdom. He only thought about eliminating the dukedom and protecting Ferdium and Fenris.

But now things were different. To achieve his goal, he had to destroy the royal family.

It was the law that whoever overthrew a king was responsible for the kingdom.

That was why the Marquis of Branford gave his final message to Giselle.

For the future of the kingdom, not the royal family.

After a moment of silence, Giselle bowed deeply to him and spoke.

"Thank you for everything, Your Majesty."

Although he was the one who approached him first, it was the Marquis of Branford who recognized him and gave him his full support.

That wasn't something anyone could do. You had to have the eye to see people and the courage to believe in them.

Giselle was truly grateful to him. If it weren't for the Marquis of Branford and the nobles who followed him, she wouldn't have grown so quickly.

So I was determined to carry out the Marquis of Branford's final wish.

Jiselle slowly raised his head. His eyes now held the ferocity of a beast.

"It won't take long."