CHAPTER 141: Wait for it (4)

Sometimes, looking at such foolish people was frustrating.

People born with talent, only to take the wrong path and lose their lives in vain.

'Well, what can you do? They can only blame their lack of awareness.'

Raul leaned on his cane and slowly rose from his seat.

"I've heard your resolve. I can't guarantee that our next meeting will be as pleasant as this one."

"Really? I think it'll be a very enjoyable meeting."

Ghislain spoke with a bright smile, and Raul tilted his head.

Why did those words feel so deeply sincere?

What could a man who had thrown away an opportunity possibly hope to achieve by their next meeting?

By then, his head would already be on the chopping block.

Raul clicked his tongue internally and extended his hand for a handshake.

"Well, it was nice meeting you. Perhaps we'll meet again."

"Yes, I look forward to it."

Ghislain stood and clasped Raul's hand.

Their eyes met.

Ghislain's gaze burned with unmistakable killing intent and a desire for destruction.

Seeing those eyes, Raul realized.

'He's serious.'

He was genuinely intent on joining the royalist faction and opposing the ducal house.

But at the same time, Raul was puzzled. No matter how much Ghislain had allied with the royalists, such animosity was excessive for someone who had just arrived in the capital from the countryside.

'Could it be… he knows something about us?'

A sudden surge of doubt flared within Raul, and he shook his head.

Impossible. Even the prominent nobles in the royalist faction had no idea where or how their influence extended.

That's why they had initially planned to support Bribant instead.

As the two men held their handshake in silence, the masked man standing behind Raul intervened.

"This handshake is taking too long. If you're done, let's leave."

"Indeed, his eyes were intriguing enough to keep me watching."

Raul released his grip and turned to leave but stopped halfway.

He turned slightly, glaring at Ghislain, and spoke.

"Baron Fenris, if you look at me with those eyes again, I'll gouge them out."

Unfazed, Ghislain replied with the same intense gaze.

"Be careful on your way back so you don't hurt your other leg."

Despite the rude remark, Raul didn't get angry. Instead, he smirked, as though he found it amusing.

"No wonder Marquis Branford likes you. I look forward to seeing how far you go."

With that, Raul and the masked man exited the room.

As soon as they left, nobles who had been sneaking glances at the private room flooded in.

Even the Marquis Branford didn't remain but sent Toleo to inquire about the conversation.

"Hm…"

Though everyone gathered around, no one spoke first.

It was too shameful to openly pry into someone else's business.

After a brief, awkward silence, Maurice, the most impatient of the group, broke the ice, pressing Ghislain for answers.

"Well, what did that crippled bastard have to say?"

Ghislain hesitated instead of answering immediately.

This made the curious nobles even more impatient, urging him to speak.

"Hurry up and tell us! What did he say?"

Ghislain sighed, looking around as though resigned, and finally spoke.

"He proposed that my father and I become vassals of the Duke Delphine."

The nobles flinched, their expressions hardening.

To come to a royalist banquet and openly make such a recruitment proposal—it was a blatant disregard for the royalist faction.

Maurice's eyes blazed as he shouted angrily.

"The north and south are too far apart for proper interaction! You'd only end up being exploited for taxes!"

"They offered to prepare a fine new estate for both me and my father in the south."

"What!"

The nobles were stunned, unable to respond to such an outrageous offer.

Even Maurice was momentarily taken aback, lowering his gaze.

The royalist faction couldn't afford to make such an offer lightly.

No matter how they calculated it, providing such favorable conditions to a young noble was unthinkable.

Even diverting support meant for Bribant to Ghislain had been their best effort.

'They'd even give land to his father? Does this man have such immense value?'

Publicly losing a noble who had just joined their ranks would be a huge embarrassment.

But no matter how wealthy the ducal house was, they wouldn't give away land just to humiliate the opposition.

Maurice sighed and asked in a low voice.

"So, did you accept the offer? Are you going to become a vassal of the Duke?"

It was an offer no young noble could easily refuse.

Especially considering that Perdium was a barren land constantly battling barbarians.

Rejecting such a golden opportunity would seem foolish.

But Ghislain casually replied.

"I declined."

"So you accepted the offer! You… Wait, what did you say? Declined?"

"Yes, I declined."

"…Why?"

"I'm already receiving support from the royalist faction. There's no reason to leave for their side."

Maurice furrowed his brows.

"Honestly, it's hard to believe. The ducal house would be a strong backing. Their offer was overly generous for someone like you. Yet you're saying you refused and chose to remain with us?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"I'm suggesting that you might already be working with the ducal house and lying to us."

Ghislain gave a bitter smile. Considering his history with the ducal house, it wasn't unreasonable for others to think that.

"You might think that way. But if I had truly joined the ducal house, I wouldn't have mentioned their proposal at all."

His reasoning was sound, and the nobles nodded in agreement.

"That's true, Marquis. If he meant harm, he wouldn't have brought it up."

"He seems too young to be swayed by immediate gains."

"To reject such conditions, this young man shows remarkable loyalty and character!"

The nobles exaggerated their praise, going out of their way to admire Ghislain.

After all, the recent trend had seen more nobles leaning toward the ducal house.

Ghislain's decision to stay with the royalist faction proved that they were still a force to be reckoned with.

Ignoring the overly lavish compliments, Ghislain continued.

"Considering the threats they made before leaving, it seems they won't leave my father's estate alone. I hope you'll lend your support when the time comes."

"Hmm…"

The nobles murmured uneasily.

To make such blatant threats was entirely unbecoming of nobility, yet it wasn't surprising coming from Viscount Josef.

'Helping him could risk dragging us into trouble too…'

Some nobles hesitated, gauging the atmosphere.

While avoiding involvement might seem safer, politics was about give and take.

Since Ghislain had bolstered the royalist faction's image, they couldn't leave him out to dry.

Several nobles, mostly from Count Ailesbur's and Count Norton's factions, stepped forward.

"Don't worry. If the ducal house causes trouble, I'll do my best to assist."

"Feel free to contact us if you need help."

"The ducal house won't easily make a move on the north."

The nobles began offering their support one after another.

"Thank you very much."

Ghislain expressed his gratitude with polite gestures.

Even if these promises weren't fulfilled, securing them now gave him leverage for the future.

Maurice, however, remained silent, glaring at Ghislain.

A noble next to him cautiously spoke up.

"Still, doesn't this young man show great loyalty? Rejecting the ducal house's offer is no small feat."

"Indeed. It's rare to see such integrity in young nobles these days."

"Thanks to him, the royalist faction's reputation has improved. Shouldn't we offer some support?"

But Maurice's face still bore dissatisfaction.

"Enough. I don't like how this kid is playing the room. Marquis Branford and Count Norton are backing him, so let them handle it."

With that, Maurice abruptly turned and left.

The nobles from his faction, following his lead, reluctantly trailed after him.

Even after Maurice left, the other nobles continued showering Ghislain with praise.

Ghislain smiled in satisfaction.

'This was an unexpected gain. I'm glad I came to this banquet after all.'

Thanks to Raul's sudden appearance, he had managed to draw support and goodwill from the nobles.

Though he found such gatherings tedious, Ghislain now felt the trip had been worthwhile.

'But it's still a shame.'

Opportunities to meet Raul in person were rare.

That made this encounter all the more bittersweet.

If only there hadn't been any interference, he could have killed Raul.

Recalling the man who had stood by Raul's side, Ghislain consoled himself.

'To think that guy would be here too.'

While everyone else assumed the masked man was merely Raul's escort, Ghislain knew better.

'It wasn't the right time yet. Let it go.'

Ghislain exhaled deeply.

Meeting Raul was a significant gain, but encountering the masked man was an even greater one.

The chance to see and assess the strength of someone who would be a major obstacle in dismantling the ducal house was invaluable.

'So that's what you're capable of.'

For a brief moment, Ghislain's eyes gleamed with deadly intent.

***

Raul and the masked man slowly left the marquis's residence by carriage.

Once they had put some distance between themselves and the mansion, the masked man broke the silence.

"What do you think? Your impressions after seeing him in person."

"No matter how thoroughly you investigate, nothing beats seeing someone in person. He's quite different from the information. Did Harold make a mistake?"

"That remains to be seen. So, your evaluation?"

"Considering his accomplishments and age, he's not bad. I'd classify him as an intermediate-level variable."

"That's quite generous coming from you."

"Well, he's young, full of energy, and seemingly fearless… but that could also be a weakness. The way he openly showed his hostility, for example."

The masked man pondered for a moment before speaking bluntly.

"Raise his threat level by one level."

"Why?"

"I'm not entirely certain… but I think he intended to kill you earlier."

Raul's expression turned incredulous.

"He intended to kill me? In a place full of people? What would a young baron like him do about the aftermath?"

"Not certain. I just sensed faint traces of killing intent from him at times. Did you do anything to earn his enmity?"

"This was my first time meeting him. How could there be enmity?"

"Strange. Briefly, but I definitely felt it. And it seemed like he was assessing me, too."

"Assessing you?"

"Yes, as though he was calculating whether he could get past me to kill you."

"…"

To attempt such a thing in that short amount of time…

That guy really is as crazy as the rumors say.

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