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Kane clutched his mouth and rolled on the ground.

‘What the hell? Why is he so good at fighting? Was he always this good? No, that can’t be it.

If he was, there’s no way I would’ve been beating him up all this time! What the hell happened?’

His thoughts were abruptly cut off as Ghislain began an unrelenting assault.

Thud! Thud!

With each punch, the atmosphere around them slowly shifted.

At first, the onlookers had been impressed by Ghislain’s flashy movements. But now, more and more people began to worry about Kane, as the beating had become too brutal.

“Isn’t he going to die at this rate?”

“Shouldn’t someone stop him?”

The spectators murmured in shock.

“Ugh… Keeeek… P-please… s-stop…”

Kane barely managed to open his mouth in between the endless blows, but Ghislain didn’t stop.

Once he started, he never finished things halfway. He didn’t forgive those who bared their teeth at him so easily.

It was a principle he had upheld since his days as the King of Mercenaries.

“Your Lordship, please stop!”

Unable to watch any longer, Kane’s bodyguard rushed forward and blocked Ghislain’s path.

Clang!

In that instant, Ghislain’s sword was at the bodyguard’s throat before anyone noticed he had drawn it.

Ghislain smiled menacingly.

“How dare you interrupt a sacred duel. Are you going to face me instead of your master?”

If Kane had been winning, the bodyguard would’ve said the same thing and left Ghislain alone.

A duel is always sacred, but only when you’re the one winning.

The bodyguard swallowed nervously and spoke up.

“Th-the match is already decided. Please, stop your hand.”

Indeed, Kane was writhing on the ground like a worm.

Ghislain glanced down at him and clicked his tongue.

“Can’t even endure this much. Kids these days are so damn weak. Well, I suppose I’ll end it here…”

Then, turning coldly to the bodyguard, he added,

“When will you repay the money you borrowed from me?”

“L-Lord, I don’t have that much money on me right now. I need to return to the estate.”

“And when, exactly?”

“I-I’ll report back and send it by the end of this month.”

In reality, the amount Kane had extorted from Ghislain didn’t even total 100 gold. He would’ve taken more, but Ghislain hadn’t had enough money on him for that.

Now, all of a sudden, Ghislain was demanding 1,000 gold, claiming it was interest or something.

The bodyguard felt wronged, but he had no choice but to accept.

If he had argued here, that madman might have really killed Kane.

But Ghislain’s demands didn’t end there.

“Oh, and make sure to treat everyone here to drinks and meat. You’ve at least got enough for that, right? Don’t deduct it from the 1,000 gold. That’s the debt, which is the price for losing the duel.”

“How is that fair? You said if you win, you’ll pay! Why do we have to pay?”

With a face full of complaints, the bodyguard clamped his mouth shut, and Ghislain mocked him.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to answer? Don’t like it? Or are you just being stingy? After all the trouble you’ve caused my estate’s people, shouldn’t you at least treat them out of guilt?”

Hearing these words, as if spoken by some champion of justice, coming from someone who had tormented those same people, only made the bodyguard more infuriated.

But with no choice in the matter, he eventually nodded.

“…Understood.”

“You’ve acknowledged your loss, so take responsibility and finish it properly.”

Ghislain sheathed his sword and grabbed the scruff of Kane, who was still sprawled on the ground.

Kane, unaware that the duel had ended, muttered in a dazed state.

“S-spare me…”

Ghislain let out a chuckle and said,

“I’m not going to kill you. Why would I? You can’t even die if you want to until you pay back my money. Got it?”

“Y-you… devil…”

“Devil? Hardly. You should be thankful I’m letting you off this easily. Consider this an educational lesson. Hey, take him out of here and get him treated.”

The bodyguard swiftly hoisted Kane onto his back and quickly exited the training ground.

The crowd, having held their breath in tension, started cheering and clapping one by one once Kane was gone.

They admired the Grand Duke for his impressive duel and felt great seeing the loathsome Kane get crushed.

“Wow! The Grand Duke is amazing!”

“I had no idea he was this strong!”

“Drinks and meat! Time to celebrate!”

As the excitement filled the air, the knights exchanged stern glances with Skovan.

“It was real, wasn’t it?”

“Skovan, you…”

Skovan grinned smugly as he downed the remaining liquor in his cup. Sitting beside him, Elena raised her chin in satisfaction, expressing relief.

“Wooooo!”

Even as Ghislain returned to the castle, the crowd continued to cheer.

Smiling as though he had no choice, Ghislain waved to the people, and his eyes met Skovan’s.

Skovan smiled back and slowly lifted his bottle.

Ghislain grinned and gave him a thumbs-up in return.

“See, didn’t I tell you?”

Elena whispered to her maid next to her and hurriedly followed Ghislain into the castle.

“Brother! Brother, wait!”

She quickly ran over and linked arms with him.

Since the incident on the festival day, Elena has become much more comfortable around Ghislain.

“Brother, what are you planning to do with all that money you won from the duel?”
Elena looked up at Ghislain with wide, expectant eyes. Her previous gloom had lifted, and she seemed brighter now.

Given how poor their estate was, Elena hardly had any fancy clothes or accessories compared to other girls her age.

At balls or banquets, she often shook her head in envy when she saw the young ladies from other estates adorned with beautiful outfits.

But now, with the prospect of Ghislain having a lot of money, it was only natural that she felt a spark of hope.

“I have plans for it,” Ghislain replied with a light laugh, trying to pull his arm away, but she wouldn’t let go.

“Hey, are you working out or something? How are you this strong?”

“Oh, stop changing the subject! Let me guess, you’re planning to buy a present for Amelia, right? You’ve always tried so hard to impress her.”

“What?”

“Your fiancée. Her birthday is coming up soon, right? Aren’t you planning to buy her a gift? Something like an incredibly expensive jewel! Since you’re already buying one, can’t you get me one too?”

Ghislain felt as though he had been struck hard on the head.

Amelia was the young lady of the Count of Raypold’s family.

Although it was established by law that the northern lords had to support Ferdium in exchange for its defense of the borders, Raypold had been providing support beyond what was required.

The engagement between Amelia and Ghislain had also been arranged to signify the alliance between their two families.

In his previous life, after Ghislain ran away, the engagement had naturally been called off.

Considering Raypold’s dissatisfaction with Ghislain throughout the engagement, they must have been thrilled when it was broken.

‘That’s right! There was that option!’

Ghislain’s face brightened, and he nodded repeatedly.

He needed a considerable amount of money to start the business he had in mind right away.

He had been troubled by how to raise the funds, but hearing Amelia’s name sparked an idea.

‘If you don’t have a way to earn money, just get it from someone who does!’

It was the kind of idea a bandit might have, but since Amelia was the target, it didn’t matter.

‘I should squeeze that traitor for all she’s worth.’

Before attacking the kingdom, Ghislain thoroughly investigated the reasons behind his family’s downfall while he was the King of Mercenaries.

Although much of the information had been erased or distorted over time, he had grasped the broad strokes.

Among the records was information about Raypold.

‘They tormented our territory with money.’

While other regions aggressively harassed Ferdium, the Raypold estate suddenly stopped its financial support, causing trouble.

Ferdium had tried to overcome the crisis, but Raypold always worked the hardest to obstruct them.

‘And it was all under Amelia’s orders.’

Amelia would later stage a rebellion and claim the position of Count of Raypold for herself.

When Ghislain uncovered the truth, he had completely razed Raypold’s territory, but he failed to capture the mastermind, Amelia.

After that, throughout the entire year-long war, she had relentlessly tormented him.

Even when he tried to capture and kill her, she was so cunning that she constantly eluded him, driving him to no end of frustration.

‘I was planning to wipe her out anyway…’

Up until now, his plan had been simply to prepare for an attack and crush his enemies, but it seemed like a change of strategy was in order.

Officially, Raypold’s estate wasn’t yet an enemy, and he had no justification to attack.

In that case, it would have been better for him to take everything he could from them before they became complete enemies.

“Elena.”

“What?”

Elena’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Ghislain tousled her hair, smiling.

‘I guess I should give her a gift, at least.’

Since Elena had finally started feeling better after being gloomy for so long, he thought lifting her spirits would be a good idea.

He was also thankful for the reminder about Amelia, whom he had almost forgotten.

“Pick out the clothes and accessories you want.”

“Really? How much can I spend?”

“Five gold.”

“Ugh…”

“If you don’t want to, just forget it.”

“No! No! Okay, I got it. Thank you, oppa!”

Elena quickly changed her expression and acted cute, fearing that he might change his mind.

Ghislain gave a bitter smile as he sent Elena back to her room.

Before the thought that had just surfaced could fade, he hurriedly went to find Belinda.

“Belinda, when is Father coming back?”

“The lord? If you think about it, once he received news from the young lady, he would’ve started preparing to withdraw the troops… It’ll probably take about a week.”

“That’s enough time. I can go and come back.”

“Go where?”

“To Raypold’s estate.”

Belinda flashed a mischievous smile.

“Now that you mention it, Miss Amelia’s birthday is coming soon. There’s bound to be a banquet, so are you going there already?”

“Well… that’s not exactly the reason, but I do plan to meet Amelia. I have other business to take care of as well.”

“Oh my, you really like Miss Amelia, don’t you? How romantic.”

Ghislain shook his head. He felt that he’d just be teased further if he said any more.

“Anyway, I’m going. Just so you know.”

Belinda looked puzzled as she watched Ghislain prepare to leave the castle immediately.

“Why are you in such a hurry?”

“I’m pressed for time. I need to go and come back before Father returns. There’s something I need to discuss with him.”

He gave a vague excuse as he stepped out of the room, but Belinda quickly grabbed him.

“So, who are you going with? Don’t tell me you’re going alone?”

“Of course. If I ride hard without stopping, I’ll get there quickly. It’s fine to go alone.”

“You can’t do that! Do you know how dangerous the world is right now? Why would you travel alone?”

“It’s alright. I can protect myself well enough.”

“Still, no. I’ll go with you.”

“You, Belinda?”

“Yes. You’re heading to Count Raypold’s estate, so at least keep up appearances. I’ll also prepare a few guards.”

“Hmm… alright.”

Belinda had a point about maintaining appearances.

In his past life, he had been so strong that he could travel alone without a problem, but now, he was significantly weaker than he had been back then.

There was no need to refuse guards when they were available.

‘That’s right. I’m not the me of my past life.’

Ghislain silently clicked his tongue at the thought that he almost recklessly went into enemy territory alone without thinking.

It seemed like he would need some time to adjust to the gap between his past and present self.

After waiting for a bit, Belinda reappeared, dressed in a black robe.

Seeing her in different attire was refreshing, given that she usually wore the same practical clothing.

“Let’s go.”

“Dressed like that, you look like a different person.”

“I’m still wearing the same thing underneath.”

Belinda dramatically opened her robe.

Underneath, her usual outfit remained unchanged, but the inside of her robe was lined with numerous daggers.

Seeing this, Ghislain shook his head.

‘Forget the guards; isn’t Belinda alone more than enough?’

Belinda, his tutor and headmaid, had an identity that remained shrouded in mystery.

When Belinda first entered Ferdium, some knights had tried to mess with her. They thought she was just an easy target, a young maid from outside. However, after whatever had happened back then, those knights began avoiding Belinda from the very next day. Rumors spread throughout the castle that Belinda was actually skilled enough to take down knights. Since then, no one dared to treat her carelessly.

‘I didn’t realize it before.’

Although he had heard stories in his past life, Ghislain hadn’t believed them then. Now, however, he could sense that she was more than capable of handling most knights.

No one knew why someone with such skills lived as a maid in a remote estate. The only known fact was that she had accompanied Ghislain’s late mother as a maid when she married into the Ferdium family.

“Fasten it properly. We’ll be riding hard, so you need to be careful.”

Ghislain tightened Belinda’s robe for her. A small smile appeared on her lips. Seeing the once-irritable Ghislain act differently made her feel proud.

‘Who would’ve thought our young master would suddenly mature like this? It must have been just a phase. He still acts strange sometimes, but it’s better than before.’

Ghislain hadn’t just changed his attitude and speech; his skills had improved to the point where he could even defeat Kane. As someone who had watched over him since childhood, Belinda couldn’t be more pleased.

‘He was probably grumpy because of all that secret training. It’s all thanks to my excellent teaching.’

In reality, all Ghislain had learned from her were strange tricks and bizarre facts, but Belinda didn’t see that as a problem.

Despite holding the title of a tutor, Belinda wasn’t exceptionally skilled at teaching. Her way of thinking was somewhat unconventional. In truth, what Belinda had been doing all this time was more akin to the duties of a nanny than a tutor.

“Let’s go if you’re ready.”

“Should we call Sir Fergus as well? He is your personal guard, after all.”

“No need. If we ride too fast, the old man’s heart won’t be able to take it. Just the other day, he suddenly collapsed while talking to me.”

“Understood. Let’s depart, then.”

Ghislain, Belinda, and four knights tasked with their protection quickly left the castle.