CHAPTER 97: You should have left when you were told to go (1)

The next morning, Anna stood nervously in front of the inn, looking around anxiously as if searching for someone.

Her expression was desperate, clutching a 500-gold promissory note in her hand, pacing back and forth, close to tears.

Gordon and five mercenaries stood by her side.

After exchanging a few words with Gordon, she gripped his arm and sat down, pleading fervently, but Gordon only shook his head repeatedly.

In the end, she broke into tears.

Watching her from his hiding spot, Claude gave a bitter smile.

Belinda, furrowing her brow in confusion, asked, "Why don't we just go with her? She's obviously desperate to see you."

Claude was silent for a moment before responding in a self-deprecating tone.

"Anna probably knows it wasn't really my fault. We're both victims here."

"Then, why not just stay with her and make a life together? Our territory has fresh air and clean water," Belinda suggested.

Claude shook his head slowly.

"I love Anna, but every time I see her, the painful memories resurface. I'm sure she feels the same."

"Anna knows it wasn't your fault, though. She'd be fine."

"Even if Anna says she's okay… what right do I have to stay by the side of the person whose father I unwittingly caused the death of?"

"But you didn't have a choice! It's not like… oh, sorry."

Belinda clapped a hand over her mouth, shocked by the blunt truth she'd let slip.

Claude just chuckled softly instead of getting angry.

"True. I've always been foolish. My teacher wanted me to become a great scholar for the kingdom… but look at me now, a broken gambler."

"But if you run away like this, that's all you'll ever be. It's better to make a fresh start."

Despite Belinda's criticism, Claude only lowered his head and let out a quiet sigh.

After a long silence, he whispered softly, "Maybe if we bury ourselves in the past… over time, we'll learn to live with the pain. I can only hope Anna finds peace."

Belinda looked away, dissatisfied.

In the distance, she could still see Anna crying, her face buried in her hands.

Though she didn't agree, she could understand Claude's perspective.

Even if they loved each other, could they truly be happy, living side by side, when he was indirectly responsible for her father's death?

Even if they convinced themselves they could move on, resentment could always creep back in.

Claude would carry the weight of guilt for the rest of his life.

It was an unimaginable burden for anyone but those involved.

So she could no longer criticize him.

Ghislain, gazing out the window quietly, asked, "Do you regret it?"

"Of course. I regret every night that I allowed myself to be so foolish. I'll never fall for a shallow trick like that again."

"That's all that matters. I felt the same way once."

"So, my lord has also had his share of mistakes? You must have been quite the troublemaker. You certainly look like one."

"Well, now I'm doing my best to set things right."

Claude, shrugging off his earlier somber mood, flashed a sly smile.

"Seems like the mood's a bit too heavy. I'm not usually the one to ruin the atmosphere."

Ghislain chuckled, nodding.

"I know. You complain a lot, but you get things done well. I'm counting on you."

"I don't see why you'd expect much from me. Don't expect me to pay you back; I'm broke, you know."

"Don't worry. I'll find plenty of ways to get my money's worth."

"That's terrifying."

Claude chuckled, watching as Anna and the mercenaries set off.

Anna would devote her life to compiling the history of Seiron Kingdom, carrying on her father and her teacher's legacy.

It was something Claude once shared with her… but now he'd be left behind.

He wasn't too worried, though. There were professors at the academy who respected his teacher, and they would take good care of her.

"It feels like a weight's been lifted. I think I can finally start moving forward."

Claude took one last glance at Anna's retreating figure before turning away, hoping she would find happiness and eventually forget him.

He allowed his memories and regrets to drift away.

***

As soon as Anna departed, Ghislain's party also set off for Fenris territory.

Having been away from the estate for too long, they needed to return as quickly as possible to put things in order.

Claude tried to calm his heavy heart by imagining his future home.

'If he can throw around thousands of gold so easily, he must come from a very wealthy family.'

He glanced at Ghislain's back, sizing him up.

'And he's already a lord at such a young age. His family must have given him this estate, so his father must be at least a count, maybe even a duke.'

Even if he wasn't a duke, Ghislain's father was likely an influential lord.

Claude ran through the names of high-ranking nobles in Lutania that he knew, then shook his head.

'It's a bit overwhelming. If his family is so powerful, he must have no shortage of talented people.'

He was a little apprehensive, but he wasn't frightened.

He may have wasted time in the gambling dens, living like a wreck, but now he was finally free of all his shackles.

He was in a position to focus solely on his work.

There was no need to lose confidence before he'd even begun.

Claude tried to ask Ghislain about the estate, but Ghislain just brushed him off, saying he'd see it for himself soon enough.

He then tried casually asking Belinda, but she only shrugged it off too.

"Oh, it's just a place with nice air and fresh water."

"Could you be a bit more specific? I'm curious to see just how grand this estate is."

"Well, you'll see soon enough. I don't know that much about myself."

Claude chuckled to himself, watching Belinda dodge his questions.

'Yeah, right. They just want to surprise me with a lavish estate, expecting a country bumpkin like me to be dazzled.'

It was obvious. They were clearly hoping he'd be blown away by the grand, wealthy estate.

'They sure are confident. Well, let's see just how impressive it is.'

Claude clenched his fist, steeling himself.

Noticing this, Belinda quietly whispered to Ghislain, "He doesn't seem too stable right now."

"Leave him be. He's got a bit of a temper, so try not to provoke him."

"A guy who talks back to nobles? Yeah, I figured."

Belinda shook her head with a sigh.

"Are you sure he'll be okay? I'm worried he'll run off when he sees the state of the estate."

"He's got too much pride. If we just prick his ego, he'll stick around. Don't worry."

Ghislain chuckled mischievously.

Belinda inwardly clicked her tongue, feeling a bit sorry for Claude, who was so eager yet completely unaware.

After several days of riding, they finally crossed into Lutania.

Claude hadn't thought much of it yet.

'Even if it's a powerful kingdom, the outskirts don't look too special.'

It didn't seem much different from the outskirts of Seiron Kingdom.

Border areas tended to be less developed, so he dismissed it.

But as they traveled further, doubts began creeping in.

'Something's off. It feels like we're heading north… and the further we go, the more rundown everything seems.'

Claude didn't know exactly where Fenris was, so he assumed they were simply passing through this impoverished territory.

The small villages they passed looked poorer than even the slums of Auston.

Claude's brow furrowed involuntarily.

'Wow, I can't believe there's a territory this impoverished. What kind of lord would let it get this bad? Or rather, it seems like he's been bleeding it dry.'

Glancing around at the pitiful state of the nearby villages, he made a suggestion to Ghislain.

"When the opportunity arises, we should consider conquering this area."

"What?"

In his past life, Claude had been known for his bluntness.

Ghislain had always appreciated his straightforwardness, but...

"The lord of this place is trash. I'd spit on his face if I saw him."

"…"

"The people here are miserably poor. It's proof the lord is incompetent. Their military is probably weak too… and while there's little infrastructure, we could use this land as a rear base if we take it over."

"Oh… uh… right."

"Of course, we'd have to gradually raise the standard of living. It would be hard and costly at first, but in the long run, it would be worth it."

"Right… We seem to think alike."

"Glad to hear it. Let's plan to behead the local lord when we have the chance."

"Well… maybe not that."

Claude's eyes gleamed as he insisted.

Ghislain couldn't help feeling at a loss.

The lord he's talking about beheading… that would be me.

"I know you come from a wealthy estate, so this might seem unimpressive to you. But a true high lord doesn't overlook even a single grain of rice."

"Well, I'm not actually that wealthy… or high-born."

Ghislain tried to clarify, but Claude was too engrossed in his rant to listen.

"If you give me the go-ahead, I'll come up with a pretext for war."

Just as he was fervently stating his case, Belinda stretched and spoke cheerfully.

"Look, we're almost there!"

Claude snapped his head toward her so quickly it looked like his neck might break.

"Almost where?"

Belinda answered casually, confused by his reaction.

"The lord's estate. We've been in our territory since we crossed the border. Didn't you know? We're nearly at the lord's manor now."

"This is… ours?"

Belinda just nodded.

Claude stared at her, dumbfounded, and then asked again in disbelief.

"Why?"

"Uh… because it's our territory?"

Claude turned to Ghislain, his face an expression of complete confusion.

"You're… joking, right?"

"Nope. This is all mine."

Ghislain grinned.

That smug expression made Claude shout in exasperation.

"This is absurd!"

"What is?"

"How can the lord have so much money with such a poor territory? Don't tell me you've been squeezing the peasants dry?"

"Of course not."

Claude looked around frantically at the others.

Belinda, Gillian, and the mercenaries were all standing there, simply watching him.

No one was acting like this was a prank.

Trying to hide it, his voice trembled slightly.

"Uh… so what does your father do?"

"My father is the Margrave of Perdium, further north than here."

Claude let out a small sigh of relief.

A margrave was essentially a high-ranking noble, treated almost like a marquis.

Margraves had more military authority and autonomy than other lords.

"A margrave… so Perdium must be better off than this place?"

Ghislain paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, before smiling brightly.

"It's slightly better, but it's still notoriously poor. Hard to develop when you've got the Forest of Demonic Beasts and barbarians all around."

Only then did Claude realize what Belinda had meant earlier.

— "Oh, it's just a place with nice air and fresh water."

'Of course there's fresh air and clean water; there's nothing here!'

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

It wasn't an issue that he'd mistaken the estate for being wealthy.

It was embarrassing, sure, but understandable.

The real problem was that he'd been spouting off about how terrible the local lord was, suggesting they beheaded him—right in front of him.

'I still have a lot to learn.'

He thought he'd learned how dangerous the world was, but clearly he still had a ways to go.

Claude gave a nervous laugh and started edging away.

'At times like this, running away is the best option. Even a gambling den is better than this. Anna, wait for me! I'll be back soon!'

Seeing his intentions, Ghislain smiled slyly.

He didn't mind the insults or calls for his own beheading. After all, he agreed the estate was indeed a wreck.

'But I can't just let him run away.'

With a signal from Ghislain, the mercenaries quietly moved into position, surrounding Claude.

Gillian blocked his path to the left; when he tried to slip right, Belinda stood in his way.

Claude's face broke out in a cold sweat. There was no way out.

Ghislain strolled up to him casually, draping an arm over his shoulder.

"I hear you loud and clear. I love your enthusiasm. Let's make this work together."

Claude hung his head at the sound of Ghislain's devilish whisper.

'I should have left when I had the chance. Anna, I miss you.'

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