CHAPTER 107: I'll settle for a draw (2)

Belinda put aside her duties to stay by Ghislain's side.

She couldn't leave someone who could barely walk on his own unattended.

"I'll be fine soon… cough! Ugh!"

Of course, Ghislain was spitting up blood as he said this nonsense.

Belinda sighed heavily and wiped the blood from his lips.

"How are you supposed to get better? Do you think that kind of potent poison will just disappear? You're practically on death's door!"

Despite her endless scolding, Ghislain only smiled.

To others, he might look like a sick man, but he could clearly feel the energy overflowing within him.

As he had anticipated, his wrecked body completely healed in just two days.

Belinda, who had been waiting outside his room from dawn, was stunned to see him walking out as if nothing had happened.

"What? You're really better? How is this possible?"

Ghislain merely shrugged.

He was still gaunt like a skeleton, but his eyes sparkled with life, and his movements were light, so Belinda had no choice but to believe him.

"Looks like my theory was right."

His mana had increased, and his recovery rate had improved remarkably.

After seeing these results, he couldn't give up on drinking the poison.

And so, the stored vials of venom in the estate's warehouse began to dwindle.

It became obvious that Ghislain was sneaking them away to drink.

Several times, he was found collapsed in the training grounds after drinking poison alone.

Soon enough, rumors spread that Ghislain was furious because Claude wouldn't give in.

"Why does the Head Butler have to be so stubborn? Why is he pressuring our lord over some bet?"

"Our lord was focused on developing the estate—why would he suddenly want to die? It's all because of the Head Butler!"

"We can't lose our lord! Never!"

The townsfolk even obtained portraits of Claude and Alpoi from somewhere and began stabbing them with awls.

Whether due to the townsfolk's curses or the work Ghislain kept piling onto him, Claude's eyes had dark circles that only worsened.

He visited Ghislain every day to try to dissuade him.

"My lord, please, let's end this! I'll call it a draw, okay? Do you know what you look like right now? Even a skeleton would call you 'brother'!"

"Oh, are you scared? Think you're going to lose? Cough!"

"This is insane! It's you who's scared! Are you acting like this because you're afraid?"

"Afraid? Who's afraid? Never mind that. Cough! You're just in time. Look over this and get it processed."

Ghislain clicked his tongue and handed over a pile of documents, causing Claude's face to twist in frustration.

"Damn it… I shouldn't have come. Fine, I'll let it slide since I'm leaving soon."

After a few more times of getting extra work whenever he visited, Claude stopped visiting Ghislain altogether.

Ghislain, glad that the nagging had lessened, happily assigned extra work to others, just as he had with Claude.

While his subordinates were too busy to notice, the incidents of Ghislain collapsing became noticeably less frequent.

"Who'd have thought I'd use it all up this way?"

Ghislain held up the last vial of poison with a dry chuckle.

The Blood Python's venom was gone in just a few days.

Originally, he had set it aside to be diluted for military purposes, but it had all ended up in his stomach.

"Well, it was difficult to use it as intended, so this was a better investment."

Ghislain tipped the entire vial into his mouth.

It was a far cry from the careful few drops he had tried at first.

Now, he could drink an entire vial without any ill effects other than a slight tingling on his tongue.

Most poisons would no longer affect him in any way.

This also meant he could no longer rely on poison to boost his mana levels.

"This ends today."

Ghislain sat down and began channeling his mana slowly.

The venom quickly fused with his mana, spreading throughout his body.

After hours of deep concentration, Ghislain opened his eyes, and for a brief moment, they flashed a dark red hue.

"I'm sick of poison, honestly… but I'll miss it a little."

After absorbing all the poison, his mana levels had increased significantly.

In terms of raw quantity, his mana was more than twice what it had been.

"I got lucky."

Though Ghislain was skilled at handling mana, accumulating this much would typically take a long time.

However, the poison's potency had harmonized well with his mana, drastically reducing the time needed.

'There are few elixirs in the world that could yield such results.'

He rose slowly, taking a dagger and lightly slicing his palm.

The cut on his hand healed instantly, leaving no trace.

Only a few drops of blood on the ground indicated he'd ever been injured.

"Not bad at all."

Clenching his hand a few times, Ghislain smiled in satisfaction.

***

After finishing his poison training, Ghislain's body began to rapidly regain muscle.

His skin looked healthier, and his eyes gleamed with vitality.

Even a layperson could tell he looked much stronger.

"Young Master, why do you look so healthy all of a sudden? Is this a final burst of energy before the end?"

"Why are you so eager to kill me off? It's just because I've been eating well."

"Eating well? You mean eating poison?"

But she couldn't deny he looked visibly healthier.

"Are you really fine? Maybe I should try it too?"

Belinda eyed him up and down with a curious glint in her eye.

Avoiding her gaze, Ghislain muttered under his breath.

"I'm not drinking any more poison, so don't worry."

Claude, standing nearby, shook his head incredulously.

"It's not that you're not drinking it; it's that you can't drink it. There's none left in the warehouse."

He had cleared out every last drop, so claiming he wouldn't drink it now was meaningless.

But Claude felt some relief knowing there'd be no more bizarre stunts.

Even for him, enduring the townsfolk's judgmental stares was becoming unbearable.

"You went to the warehouse? Then you must've seen the state of the grains, too."

"I saw them, alright. They look like something that would sprout a monster."

Claude had been startled when he saw the grains infused with mana by Ghislain.

Each grain had grown to the size of a man's thumbnail and emitted a faint blue glow.

They were just wheat seeds!

They looked far from ordinary, exuding a rather suspicious aura.

"They seem to have grown well. Now it's time for the next step."

"You're actually planning to plant those strange things? There are only two weeks left. What's the point? Give it up already."

Claude gave Ghislain a dubious look, scanning him up and down.

"Or… are you trying to grow some monster to take revenge because you know you're going to lose?"

Ghislain snorted and rose from his seat.

"It's time for the second reclamation project. Start recruiting workers."

'Sigh… he's going to have to be utterly humiliated to finally change that personality of his. After risking his life with poison because he can't bear to lose a bet, he still has the nerve. Fine, do what you want—it's on you if you fail, my lord!'

Claude steeled himself, suppressing his moment of sympathy.

While he arranged for the workers, Ghislain summoned the mages.

"Ugh, what is it this time?"

Alpoi arrived with a face full of irritation and grumbled.

Since Ghislain's poison-drinking stunts, everyone had been pressuring Alpoi to forfeit the bet as well.

Recently, he had even felt a pang in his heart, likely due to someone's curse.

And the workload only kept piling up.

The lord would frequently summon the mages to perform tasks that would take the laborers far too long.

At this point, he wasn't sure if he was a mage or a laborer.

"I need some enchantments on runestones. They're simple spells, but I'll need quite a few."

"What kind of spells?"

"A spell to maintain warmth, a spell to shift mana flow, and another to keep humidity stable… that should cover it."

None of these were particularly difficult spells.

While mana concentration circles required runestones to draw in and fixate large amounts of mana, these simple adjustments to mana flow could last almost indefinitely.

"Those expensive runestones for such cheap spells… Fine. And what will they be used for?"

"They'll be embedded in the reclaimed land. It's almost time to plant the grains."

Ghislain answered casually, and Alpoi's expression twisted.

"You still haven't given up? And what exactly do you expect these runestones to do?"

"They'll alter the soil's properties."

"Ha…"

Alpoi let out a bewildered laugh, rubbing his face in exasperation.

It was painful to watch someone who knew nothing about magic talking as though they did.

'Maybe it's better for my peace of mind to stop asking what he's doing.'

At that moment, Alpoi remembered a wise saying from an ancient sage.

'How can one attain inner peace and happiness?'

'Do not argue with fools.'

'I don't agree with that.'

'Yes, you're absolutely right.'

Alpoi felt a moment of enlightenment.

Without realizing it, he closed his eyes and sat down.

Mana gently flowed around him, embracing him.

The other mages, surprised, quickly stepped back.

Even Ghislain looked puzzled.

"What's going on? Why the sudden enlightenment?"

Though enlightenment often came unexpectedly, who would've thought he'd reach it after a discussion about temperature control?

Clearly, Alpoi was having some strange thoughts.

After a while, Alpoi opened his eyes, a slight glint in them.

It was only a small realization, barely elevating his rank, but he felt a profound sense of calm.

'Indeed, there's no point in arguing with fools. The sage's words hold no flaw. Just agree and move on. Freedom is near—no need to waste my breath.'

Everything Ghislain said was nonsense.

Why waste his energy trying to correct someone who couldn't even recognize he was wrong?

He'd learn his lesson once he failed.

The runestones were a shame, but they weren't his to begin with.

With a serene smile, Alpoi said,

"As you wish, I'll proceed. I'll prepare the necessary amount for the land size."

Ghislain furrowed his brow, slightly unsettled by Alpoi's sudden compliance.

While it was great that his worker, even an unpaid one, had reached a higher level…

Given the person, he couldn't help feeling wary.

But he couldn't exactly question why Alpoi was suddenly cooperating. Ghislain nodded reluctantly.

"Uh… alright, do it as quickly as possible."

"As you command."

After assigning the runestone enchantments to the mages, Ghislain gathered a hundred mercenaries led by Gillian.

The mercenaries, fully armored and mounted, could barely contain their excitement.

It had been a while since they'd had a chance to fight, and they were itching for action.

As the workers approached, they hitched a large cart to each of the mercenaries' horses.

Each cart was loaded with an iron shovel.

One of the mercenaries, feeling a bit uneasy, asked,

"Uh, what's with the carts and shovels?"

Ghislain replied as if it were obvious.

"Isn't it clear? We're going to dig."

"And… where are we going?"

Sitting atop the lead horse, Ghislain grinned widely.

"We're going to the Forest of Demonic Beasts."

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