CHAPTER 48: It's a bit dangerous right now (2)

"The estate is in danger? Why?"

Belinda was startled by the sudden statement.

The biggest problem the estate faced—its lack of funds—had been partially resolved with the discovery of the Rune Stone. With that wealth used wisely, they could create a foundation to develop the estate on par with others.

"As long as you don't go spending recklessly, I don't see what could be a danger. You have enough to last a lifetime!"

If the estate was indeed in danger, the biggest risk factor might just be Ghislain himself. He'd always been a troublemaker, and now that he had access to vast sums of money, the potential for even larger problems was very real.

To hear him talk about danger to the estate, was he just announcing a future mishap?

"Hmm, how should I explain this?"

After a brief pause, Ghislain had all the maids and soldiers leave the room, keeping only Belinda and Gillian with him.

If he didn't clarify things now, they'd never truly understand his actions. So far, they'd followed him despite not fully comprehending his motives, but he couldn't be certain that loyalty would last forever. It was time to provide them with at least some explanation.

Since claiming he'd come from the future would only get him dismissed as mad, he decided to stick to events he could prove.

"With the Rune Stone, you think we have enough now, don't you?"

Gillian nodded.

"The Rune Stone we acquired should be enough to resolve the estate's chronic issues. Isn't that what you wanted, young lord?"

"Yes, that's true. But it doesn't mean everything is good now."

"Why not?"

Belinda and Gillian looked puzzled.

They now had the resources to address the estate's problems, so why wasn't that a good thing?

Ghislain paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts, before speaking.

"There are people watching us."

"What?"

Gillian started to wonder if Ghislain was being paranoid. Who could possibly be spying on them?

Then Belinda chimed in.

"Miss Amelia? Is this about taking her money? Can't we just compensate her a little and make peace?"

Gillian nodded, understanding her point. They'd already dealt with the assassins she sent, after all.

But Ghislain shook his head.

"No, these watchers have been observing us long before that."

"Long before?"

"Who exactly…?"

Before they could finish, Ghislain continued.

"This is something even my father and the vassals don't know about. Only my sister, Elena, and I are aware of it. Someone has their eyes set on our estate."

Ghislain explained how Elena had been attacked and how he'd come across the corpse of the heir of Digald. He even told them that he'd destroyed the bodies of the heir of Digald and Frank to prevent their enemies from framing them and starting a war.

As his explanation went on, Belinda and Gillian's faces grew darker. They began to understand why Ghislain had been moving with such urgency.

After gathering his thoughts, Gillian asked in a puzzled voice.

"But, young lord, with all due respect… this estate… I don't see what would make it worth seizing. Occupying it would only bring endless skirmishes with barbarians. There's no reason to weaken it by stirring up conflicts with other estates."

"True. That was the case until now. But what about now?"

"Well, of course, now we have the Rune Stone…"

As he spoke, Gillian realized the problem.

Poor military strength, an impoverished land, a population always on the edge of exhaustion. And yet, they constantly had to fight.

Until now, Perdium was seen as almost worthless.

But with a newly discovered, highly valuable resource, the situation was clear.

Throughout history, when someone wanted what another had, there was always one quick, reliable solution.

Swallowing nervously, Belinda answered.

"W-war?"

Then she shook her head.

"No, that can't be right. We just found the Rune Stone. There's no way the enemy would know about it, right?"

It didn't make sense.

If the enemies had known about the Rune Stone, they would have invaded long ago.

Ghislain nodded.

"Yes, they likely weren't after the Rune Stone in the first place. If they'd known it was here, they would've attacked already. There must be some other reason for their interest in this place."

He smiled bitterly.

"But now that the Rune Stone has been discovered, they'll come for it soon enough. I've accelerated the march to war. It was bound to happen anyway."

Gillian's expression turned grim.

Between Amelia's assassination attempts and now this unknown enemy targeting the estate, things were getting serious.

"Do you have any idea who's behind this?"

Ghislain shook his head.

He was almost certain that Duke Delphine was involved, but he lacked proof.

Since the conspiracy included foreign agents like Idun from his previous life, there was no point in bringing it up now.

"I'm not entirely sure, but as things unfold, I'm confident their identity will become clear. Just be prepared."

Belinda nodded gravely.

The disjointed pieces she'd heard about Jamal and Phillip were now falling into place.

She might have doubted him before, but after seeing his capabilities in the Forest of Demonic Beasts, she trusted him.

Besides, she knew he had no reason to lie about something like this.

Gillian suggested cautiously, "Then why don't we speak to the lord and work out a strategy together?"

"No, not yet. I can't be certain which vassals are allies and which are enemies. Even Elena's escort knights betrayed us, so there are likely spies in our midst."

"The news about the Rune Stone will spread soon, too."

"Exactly. We need to sell it and prepare as much as we can before the enemy learns of it."

Ghislain shrugged.

"And Amelia will keep targeting me, Rune Stone or not. She's more relentless than I'd expected."

"Once they find out we've secured the Rune Stone, they'll definitely make their move."

"That's why we need to prepare for a possible war. Now you understand why I haven't had any time to rest?"

Gillian's brow furrowed with concern.

"If it were another estate, they could prepare for war and advance in just two to three months. But at that time, it's impossible for Perdium to raise a defense force."

Ghislain nodded silently.

When the enemy came, they'd be ready to completely overpower Perdium's military. They'd likely know every detail of its strength.

The best strategy would be to increase their soldiers and improve their equipment, but they were short on both time and funds.

Gillian, understanding the limitations, couldn't hide his worry.

"To recruit and equip a reliable force, we'd need at least a year—maybe six months, at minimum. Even then, it would only allow for basic training."

Belinda, looking exasperated, asked, "So… we're preparing for war, is that it?"

"In simple terms, yes."

"Oh, why didn't you just say that instead of giving me a headache with all this talk? Then I'm joining you in preparations."

"What? Belinda, you need to rest. You're still recovering."

"But if the estate is in danger, we need to prepare. I don't care about war, but if all I need to do is take off their leader's head, I'm great at that."

Ghislain laughed, half impressed, half amused.

"Just hearing you say that is reassuring. You're not wrong, but we can't rely on that alone. Just focus on recovering."

"Thanks to you, I'm feeling much better already. At this rate, I'll be up and about soon enough. But… wait. How are you already up and moving around? Using mana, too?"

"Oh? That's true."

At her observation, Ghislain paused, frowning.

His body felt fine, and he'd been using mana without thinking. But that was strange.

He remembered being severely injured to the point where he could hardly move.

The first day, he'd been unconscious; on the second, he'd barely been able to get up, let alone use mana.

That was why Gillian and Kaor had to handle the Blood Python's body.

Yet now he was moving normally and using mana without any strain.

It wasn't perfect, but he was functional.

Healing this much in three days defied reason.

Belinda looked at him with curiosity.

"Does this have to do with that cultivation technique you developed? Your recovery is incredible."

Gillian also looked at him with interest, thinking that his recovery seemed unnaturally fast given his injuries.

Ghislain shook his head.

This wasn't due to his mana cultivation technique.

While strong mana could aid physical recovery to some extent, he hadn't yet amassed enough mana for that level of healing.

Besides, his technique was more focused on destructive power than healing.

"Strange indeed."

Caught up in matters with his father, he hadn't realized it before, but his injuries should have taken at least two weeks to heal.

Fractured bones, torn muscles, and even traces of the Blood Python's potent venom—healing so soon was unusual.

"My muscles are almost fully recovered already?"

He wasn't fully healed for battle, but now he felt only mild discomfort.

The bones and muscles were nearly mended, and the venom seemed to have disappeared entirely.

"I don't know what's going on myself. I'll take it easy today and monitor my condition."

Belinda looked at him suspiciously.

With how often he kept secrets, she assumed this might be another one.

"Fine, then. If you're taking a break, that's good. Once we're both recovered, let's move together."

"Alright. I'll check my condition and then see if we can work together. Just focus on getting better."

As he turned to leave with Gillian, Belinda asked a last question.

"But wait, you said it'd take at least six months to train even basic recruits. Isn't it already too late?"

Ghislain gave her a knowing smile.

"I already have a force ready."

"What is it? More mercenaries?"

Certainly, mercenaries would be the fastest option.

But Ghislain shook his head with a confident smile.

"We'll bring in mercenaries, of course. But I have another strong force that no one else can access."

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