Chapter 226: It's Quite Tasty. (2)

'What… what is this? Why isn't there any reaction?'

Brandel momentarily forgot his intention to launch a surprise attack and looked perplexed. Even he, after taking the antidote, was experiencing the effects of the poison. There was no way someone who had consumed two full glasses could remain unaffected.

As he sat there in a daze, Ghislain's voice broke the silence.

"What are you doing? Aren't you drinking?"

"Oh, yes, yes."

Caught off guard, Brandel missed his chance to strike. Flustered, he decided to drink another glass and then attack Ghislain.

Grrrrrr…

His stomach churned more intensely this time. It meant the poison was exceeding the limit that the antidote could neutralize.

'Damn, it's not poison. Does this guy have a delayed reaction to poison?'

People react differently to toxins. Brandel thought that was the only plausible explanation and chose to move past it.

But then, Ghislain poured himself another glass and downed it in one go.

'This time, he'll definitely react…'

"Tasty. Here, have another drink."

Brandel's face visibly paled, and his hands started to tremble.

'Stay calm. I can't afford to make a mistake here.'

The knights standing beside Ghislain were watching him with expressionless faces. If he hesitated now, it would only raise their suspicions.

'I'll pretend to drink and then strike immediately.'

Forcing a smile, Brandel raised his glass. He glanced at Ghislain's face, but his expression was as calm as ever.

This didn't make sense. Just as Brandel was panicking, a sudden realization struck him.

'I've been fooled by the rumors! This guy either has no mana or an exceptionally low amount! That's why there's no reaction!'

It was clear that his feats had been exaggerated.

Of course, there must have been some truth to the rumors since the results spoke for themselves. But while his leadership might be exceptional, Brandel was now certain Ghislain's personal combat abilities were pathetic.

Brandel began to slowly draw upon his mana. The poison caused a sharp pain around his core, signaling he couldn't afford to delay any longer.

Had he been too slow in lifting the glass? Ghislain's voice came again.

"Not drinking? Are you bad at handling alcohol?"

At that moment, Claude interjected with a teasing grin.

"If he doesn't want it, can I have it?"

From Claude's perspective, both had been drinking without issue, so it seemed safe enough. Besides, high-end liquor like this was hard to come by.

Ghislain chuckled at the sight of Claude salivating.

"Whatever it is, it feels like he tried to pull something shady. I'd avoid drinking it if I were you."

The moment Ghislain said that, Brandel hurled his glass aside and reached out toward Ghislain.

At that signal, the four assassins disguised as Brandel's guards sprang into action.

"Waaaah!"

As Claude screamed, Wendy grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw him aside. His body flew back, rolling across the ground.

Brandel, who had moved first, drew a blade from his sleeve and aimed it straight for Ghislain's head.

'Success!'

From the moment he began his move, Brandel had no doubts about his success. There was no way someone with little to no mana could block this attack.

'What?'

In the instant his blade shot forward, Brandel saw Ghislain yawning.

Even though he was clearly aiming for the space between Ghislain's brows, his blade veered off to the side before he could comprehend what was happening.

Thunk.

Before he could process the situation, something pierced his neck. It was the pen Ghislain had been using to sign the contract.

'What… is this? A guy with no mana…?'

As Brandel's consciousness faded, Ghislain's languid voice reached his ears.

"My pen is stronger than your sword."

Ghislain pulled the pen out of Brandel's corpse and placed it back on the contract. Red drops of blood smudged parts of the text.

"The contract's void. I should probably claim some damages."

He paid no attention to the assassins who had moved alongside Brandel.

Gillian and Wendy had already stepped in, swiftly taking down the enemies.

Clang!

Wendy easily blocked the blade of an assassin attacking Claude with her dagger.

"You wretch!"

As the assassin tried to strike again, Wendy darted into his space, extending her hand.

From her ring, sharp needles sprang out, piercing the assassin's neck.

Thunk!

"Grrrk…"

The assassin foamed at the mouth and collapsed, succumbing instantly to the potent venom on the needles.

Swish.

Wendy wasted no time and retreated. The moment she vacated her position, another assassin's sword sliced through the air where she had just been.

Clang!

By the time Wendy's feet touched the ground again, she had two daggers in her hands.

Whoosh!

Clang! Clang!

The assassin deflected the rapidly thrown daggers and prepared to strike back.

Thunk!

A third dagger embedded itself in his forehead.

"When did she…?"

Muttering his last words, he crumpled to the ground.

Claude, watching the scene, mumbled in astonishment.

"You're really strong. But isn't that a bit underhanded…?"

Wendy shot him a look of pure contempt. Pouting, Claude averted his eyes.

The other two assassins fell even more anticlimactically.

Gillian, rather than dodging, stepped closer to them and grabbed their faces with his bare hands.

Wham!

With a single motion, he smashed their heads together, killing them instantly.

The knights of Fenris who witnessed this clicked their tongues.

'What's with this old man? He just keeps getting stronger.'

'What does he eat?'

'Look at those muscles twitching. Is he reversing time or something?'

Gillian had been growing stronger ever since meeting Ghislain. Already powerful, the gaps in his skills had been filled by Ghislain's guidance.

Receiving enlightenment from someone who once stood among the Continent's Seven Strongest was far more effective than training for someone like Gillian.

In an instant, Brandel and the assassins were dealt with. The knights of Fenris, standing idly nearby, saw no reason to intervene.

After all, with monsters like these around, what was the point of stepping in?

Moreover, there was no worry about Ghislain consuming anything dangerous.

'This is the same guy who survived the poison of the Blood Python. What couldn't he handle?'

Among Ghislain's closest associates, it was common knowledge that his stomach was strong enough to digest even steel.

The assassins disguised as workers began drawing their weapons, targeting the administrative officers inspecting the resources.

Or at least, they tried to.

Thunk!

Suddenly, the officers drew weapons hidden in their robes and struck first.

One particularly large, bald man tore off his cloak and roared.

"I am Gordon, the Muscle Lord!"

"Damn it! No wonder he looked too big for an administrative officer!"

The assassins fell into chaos. It felt as though the enemies had anticipated their plans and prepared in advance.

Despite their counterattack, the administrative officers struggled to finish the assassins quickly. Among them were highly skilled knights from Desmond's forces.

The prolonged battle turned the area into a mess. Ghislain rotated his shoulders and laughed.

"Well, time to collect those damages. All this is ours now, right? Let's clean up the rest quickly before our people get hurt."

Elated at the massive windfall of resources, Ghislain couldn't contain his excitement.

He had already known that Brandel's guild belonged to Harold Desmond. In his previous life, this fact was widely known after Harold's rebellion succeeded, and he seized the North.

So when the guild master insisted on meeting him in person and suggested conducting business outside due to the sheer volume of goods, the intent was obvious.

"Well, it's not like it wasn't predictable."

Even without knowing Brandel's identity, Ghislain wouldn't have been easily caught off guard. His true abilities were something his enemies had yet to fully grasp.

The poison, too, was no exception. Ghislain's advanced mana manipulation allowed him to isolate and neutralize toxins within his body.

After ingesting the Blood Python's poison, even that precaution became unnecessary. He could now absorb toxins, converting them into strength.

"I should finish the rest of that drink later."

The poison was potent enough to slightly boost his mana, making it a worthwhile addition to his training.

With Ghislain entering the fray, the remaining assassins were wiped out in moments.

Concerned that the beginner-level knights of Fenris might suffer casualties, Ghislain had gone all out, leaving no chance for the assassins to counter.

The last assassin, trembling violently, muttered as he fell.

"The rumors… were true."

Ghislain was far too strong. Even these skilled individuals were treated like children.

Stories of him breaking down a castle gate alone had been dismissed as exaggeration. Usually, those with exceptional swordsmanship earned their reputations young.

But Ghislain's only widely known trait had been his reputation as a scoundrel, leading to assumptions about his martial skills.

Even so, they had meticulously chosen capable individuals, practicing the operation repeatedly.

Yet they had been utterly overwhelmed.

Thunk!

Without a word, Ghislain decapitated the assassin.

As the cleanup ended, Claude hurried over, panting, and asked.

"How did you know? Why didn't you tell us? You disguised knights as administrative officers just in case it was their first trade, didn't you? You knew about it this time too, didn't you?"

"Yeah. But if I told you there'd be a fight, you'd overthink it and make it obvious you were trying to run away."

"...."

As much as it annoyed him, Claude had no argument to counter. In fact, the moment he saw the knights disguised as administrative officers, he had debated not coming at all.

Feeling embarrassed, Claude changed the subject.

"Anyway, all of this is free, right? This is amazing!"

As excited as Claude was, Ghislain was equally satisfied. While he gained immensely, Harold suffered a significant loss.

With this volume of resources, Harold's finances were bound to take a hit, at least temporarily. Furthermore, since the actual workers—who weren't assassins—had survived, rumors unfavorable to Harold would undoubtedly spread.

Ghislain planned to fan the flames by giving the displaced workers some compensation, encouraging them to share their experiences far and wide.

'So, they're openly targeting me now. If that's the case…'

The fact that Harold had gambled such valuable resources and an elite guild meant something more.

'It must mean he backed off from Amelia's side. Either they've completed their preparations… or handed over authority.'

The rebellion of Rayfold was one of Harold's most crucial tasks. The duchy wouldn't abandon that, so if Harold had stepped away, it could only mean Amelia was about to act.

Even though Ghislain had drastically altered the future, this development was still unfolding at roughly the same time he had anticipated.

"Oh, now that I think about it… the rebellion will still happen on the same day as in my previous life."

Nodding a few times, Ghislain muttered to himself as he looked at the towering pile of resources.

"If it's Amelia, she'll succeed no matter how much I try to interfere. I do owe her a bit of gratitude, but… I'll have to trip her up a little."

Imagining Amelia's reaction, Ghislain chuckled softly to himself.

***

The road construction progressed without pause. As a dense network of roads connected castles, fortresses, and villages, Claude brought up another issue.

"The construction is proceeding smoothly, but it seems it'll be difficult to put it to immediate use."

Ghislain already had an idea of what the issue was.

"It's the transportation, isn't it?"

"Yes. Most of the estate's horses are used as warhorses. The number of horses is severely lacking."

No matter how good the roads were, they were of little use without fast transportation.

But horses were a precious resource. They were expensive and not easy to acquire.

They were widely used for combat, transportation, and agriculture, among other things.

Still, having roads was better than not having them.

"On the other hand, it will definitely help with military movement and supply lines."

"Hmm, true. A transportation revolution requires horses. That's the key to further boosting the economy."

Claude, noticing Ghislain's seemingly casual response, cautiously asked.

"Do you have a plan to acquire horses?"

If there were no horses to be bought, a lord could always create opportunities—or seize them by force. But no matter how he thought about it, there was no way to make horses, and no places to plunder them from.

Still, holding onto a sliver of hope, Claude hesitantly asked. Ghislain replied nonchalantly.

"Of course, I have a plan to get horses."

"Wow! As expected of our lord! What is it? I won't oppose it this time, so please tell me!"

"Really? You won't oppose it?"

Something about Ghislain's tone was subtly unsettling.

The recent incubator manufacturing and road construction projects hadn't faced significant opposition. Yet Ghislain's insistence on confirming his stance made Claude's unease creep back in.

Still, Claude pushed forward with feigned confidence.

"Yes! I won't oppose it!"

At that, Ghislain let out a faint chuckle. He knew that while Claude might be saying that now, the moment he explained his plan, they'd all foam at the mouth in opposition.

For that reason, he had no intention of revealing his plan just yet.

"I'll tell you later. There's something else that needs to be done first."

'Damn, now I'm even more curious! Why does this make me so curious?'

Disappointed, Claude smacked his lips and asked.

"What is it that needs to be done first?"

"Let's hold a banquet. Invite young lords from the surrounding territories."

"A banquet? Really?"

Claude and the vassals tilted their heads in confusion.

Ghislain wasn't particularly fond of the stiff, formal banquets favored by nobles. Even when he held banquets, he preferred mingling casually with the people of his estate.

For someone like him to suddenly plan a noble's banquet was naturally puzzling.

"It's just to build some camaraderie among the younger crowd. Our estate has grown quite a bit, hasn't it?"

"Hmm, that's true. It's about time for you to start managing your connections, my lord."

Though they were currently only heirs, most of them would eventually inherit something. Building relationships with such individuals while they were young could only be beneficial.

As Claude was mulling over the idea, Ghislain grinned and added with emphasis.

"But there's one person you absolutely must invite. By any means necessary. Even if you have to kidnap him."

Before securing the horses, Ghislain planned to throw his enemies off balance first.

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