I Told You, Didn't I? (2)
Boom!
Crack!
A powerful aura spread around Ghislain, shattering the stone floor under the sheer force of his presence.
Several knights and soldiers rushed after him in haste. But the moment they stepped into the great hall, they staggered in agony.
"Ughhh…."
"W-What is this…?"
Clutching their throats, they gasped for breath, desperately trying to steady themselves.
Even moving was difficult in this space. That was how overwhelming Ghislain's pressure was.
"Kh…."
Even Marquis Falkenheim gritted his teeth and bent his waist, feeling as if his body was about to be crushed.
But more unbearable than the pressure itself was—
"You… bastard…."
—the humiliation of suffering such disgrace at the hands of a lowly mercenary.
The knight standing beside Marquis Falkenheim stepped forward to confront Ghislain.
Boom!
"Guhh…!"
Unlike the others, he managed to withstand the suffocating pressure. He was burning even his own life force to resist.
It was not out of loyalty or a desire to win.
It was simply the instinct of a weakling struggling to survive in the presence of a predator.
"Uaaaagh!"
As befitting a high-level knight, he eventually overcame the pressure and moved his body.
Boooom!
But the price was steep—his hair instantly turned white as he ignited all his mana and life force in a desperate explosion.
For a brief moment, the knight unleashed power that surpassed his original limits.
Swoooosh!
His sword cut through the invisible force exuding from Ghislain.
Its fierce blue glow radiated the sheer magnitude of the strength packed within.
Yet, Ghislain did not evade.
Instead, he subtly twisted his body and pulled his right hand back.
Crunch.
Clenching his teeth, Ghislain gathered a surge of mana into his fist. Then, he hurled his punch straight at the incoming sword.
BOOOOM!
A massive shockwave erupted, sending cracks through the pillars supporting the audience hall. The surrounding soldiers coughed up blood and collapsed.
"Guhh…."
A thin stream of blood trickled down the knight's lips.
His sword had been utterly shattered.
Slowly, the knight lowered his gaze to his chest.
A gaping hole had been punched clean through by his opponent's fist.
With a self-deprecating smile, he murmured, "Amazing… I thought I could at least land a single strike…."
He had detonated his entire life force, surpassing his limits for a fleeting moment.
But even that had done nothing against his opponent.
The gap between them was simply insurmountable.
Ghislain calmly pulled his fist back.
The knight collapsed, his life extinguished.
"There really are a lot of rough bastards in this era."
Muttering something no one could understand, Ghislain turned his gaze back to Marquis Falkenheim.
The marquis gritted his teeth as he endured the invisible force crushing down on him.
Thud.
Ghislain took another step forward.
As if an immense weight was pressing down on him, Marquis Falkenheim's knees gradually began to bend.
"Kh…."
He struggled desperately to resist.
But against Ghislain's overwhelming presence, it was impossible.
When Ghislain finally reached him, the marquis collapsed completely.
And yet, his eyes remained unyielding as he growled, "You… just how… did you come up with… something like this…?"
Even as he experienced it firsthand, he couldn't believe it.
How could someone possibly throw away an army of one hundred thousand as mere bait just to get here?
Had there been even the slightest miscalculation, the punitive army would have suffered catastrophic losses.
At this, Ghislain chuckled.
"What does the army matter? This fight was always between you and me."
"...."
Marquis Falkenheim's face turned blank.
Ghislain was right.
This wasn't a war fought under some righteous banner.
There was no noble cause behind it, nor was it a battle to protect anything.
Why had he not realized that?
Why had he been so fixated on fighting the punitive army as a whole?
Why hadn't he recognized that this lunatic was the kind of man who would throw away over a hundred thousand troops like mere pawns?
Yes, this was never a battle between armies.
'It was always a battle between him and me.'
He hadn't seen it.
Had he understood this sooner, he would never have waged war in this manner.
Instead, he would have mobilized his entire army solely to hunt down that one man.
But it was too late.
He had tried to fight a monster with the logic of a normal man.
Defeat was inevitable.
With weary eyes, Marquis Falkenheim opened his mouth.
"Yes, this battle is my loss. But if I fall, the kingdom will descend into further chaos. Do you think those greedy bastards will just sit back and watch?"
"And why would I care about that?"
"…What?"
"Are you under some illusion that I'm fighting for the peace of this kingdom?"
"...."
"I'm just taking revenge because you messed with me. Did you really think I'd just sit still while you tried to kill me?"
"..."
Marquis Falkenheim's expression twisted in disbelief.
This man had toppled the entire kingdom… for personal reasons?
Had he ever truly understood this lunatic at all?
Ghislain shrugged nonchalantly.
"Well, I did save the royal capital, so Count Nordhill and Count Lacus will likely become the kingdom's new leading powers. That's what I wanted, after all. I was wondering how to make it happen, and you just so happened to provide the perfect stepping stone."
"...."
"Don't overthink it. I was just handling my personal business, and cleaning up the kingdom came as a side effect."
Ghislain knew exactly what would come next.
The vassals of Marquis Falkenheim, having lost their leader, would now move on their own.
Even if Alex reclaimed the throne, he lacked the power to command them all.
The nobles would never pledge their loyalty so easily.
They would fight amongst themselves, vying for power, each striving to become the new Marquis Falkenheim.
But that was fine.
While they fought, Nordhill and Lacus would only grow stronger.
And soon enough, the Demon Realm would inevitably rise in this era.
When that happened, the kingdom would have no choice but to unite.
Only someone like Ghislain, who had absolute certainty in the future, could move so decisively.
Marquis Falkenheim's lips curled into a twisted smile.
"I see. You're not wrong. If my forces are torn apart, the king will be safe… at least for now."
"Yeah."
"Then you won't kill me right away. You need to make sure that the hundred-thousand-strong army disbands without rampaging."
"Sharp, aren't you?"
Ghislain chuckled and nodded.
Marquis Falkenheim couldn't be killed just yet. If he died immediately, his army, having lost its focal point, could spiral out of control.
They needed to keep the marquis as a hostage and guide the disbandment of his forces. If they offered his vassals amnesty, they would likely return to their own territories and focus on defense.
Ghislain had no intention of prolonging the battle unnecessarily, either.
Marquis Falkenheim spoke in an icy tone.
"I won't let things go as you wish."
Suddenly, he drew an ornate dagger from his waist and stabbed it into his own throat.
Slash!
"Kh…!"
The dagger stopped just short of piercing deeper into his windpipe.
Ghislain had released a thin thread of mana, catching the blade in place.
"You underestimate a superhuman."
To a being living in a different time frame, the movements of an ordinary person were painfully slow.
Especially at this close range, it was laughably easy to stop him.
"But I'll give you this—you have the pride befitting the kingdom's most powerful figure. You were truly willing to die."
"…Hehe. Spare me the cheap compliments."
In the end, Marquis Falkenheim failed to take his own life.
Bound in restraints, he was handed over to the troops following Ghislain, allowing himself to be led away without resistance.
Yet, his posture remained upright, his steps steady and firm.
His eyes burned with determination—the resolve to seize power again, should the opportunity ever arise.
As he was being escorted away, his gaze landed on Count Balesant, who was standing awkwardly nearby.
According to the reports from the walls, it was because of Count Balesant that the Yulian Mercenary Corps had been able to reach the fortress so easily.
There was no way he could be pleased to see him.
Marquis Falkenheim glared at Count Balesant and spoke.
"I will never forget what you've done."
"..."
Count Balesant flinched and turned his back.
As a timid man, he couldn't withstand the marquis's presence.
All he could do was stare at the wall, sweating nervously.
"N-No, I just… I was only trying to get some rest… I just got caught up in this… Ugh, why is it so hot in here? Do they not conserve firewood? Do they use magic for heating?"
Muttering to himself, Count Balesant continued staring at the wall for a long time.
With Marquis Falkenheim captured and victory secured, Ghislain raised his voice for all to hear.
"Well done, everyone! Once again, we have won!"
At his declaration, the troops erupted into cheers.
"Yeeaaahhh! We won!"
"I can't believe this crazy plan actually worked!"
"As expected, we're the greatest mercenary corps!"
"Count Balesant, hooray!"
The mercenaries grinned, relieved and proud that the plan had succeeded. The soldiers of Balesant's army were simply grateful to be alive.
Kyle and Tyrann shook their heads and let out dry chuckles.
"Wow, this actually worked?"
"I still can't believe it, even though we pulled it off ourselves."
At first, they had been against this insane plan.
The consensus had been to maintain a tense standoff and buy time instead.
But Ghislain had pushed forward relentlessly, leaving them no choice but to follow through.
And in the end, it had succeeded.
Luck had played a part, but even accounting for that, their achievement was nothing short of extraordinary.
Dark smirked arrogantly.
"Hmph. My master has pulled off ambushes against far worse monsters than this. There was a time when he took on the kingdom's strongest swordmaster and a seventh-circle mage at the same time. Of course, I was the key player in taking down that seventh-circle Master."
Naturally, the two men didn't believe him.
They assumed Dark was just spouting nonsense again.
Seeing the skeptical expressions on their faces, Dark fumed.
"What's with those looks?! You don't believe me?"
"Yeah, sure. Wow, a sparrow that took down a seventh-circle master. That's impressive."
Kyle's sarcastic remark made Dark puff up his small body in indignation.
"You insolent brat! I'll curse you!"
"Go right ahead."
As everyone reveled in their victory, Yulian stood silently, his eyes filled with admiration as he observed the scene.
To be honest, even he hadn't expected them to win this easily.
At some point, Ghislain approached him, slinging an arm over his shoulder with a grin.
"See?"
"Ghislain."
"This is how you fight. Always bold, always swift."
Yulian shook his head with a wry smile.
"This only worked because it was you. No one else could pull this off."
"Come on, you just need confidence. A firm belief in yourself."
Whenever he had the chance, Ghislain shared everything he knew with Yulian.
And Yulian, aware of Ghislain's intentions, tried his best to absorb it all.
But it wasn't easy.
Ghislain's methods were so unconventional that he could barely keep up.
For Yulian's sake, Ghislain kept repeating one thing.
"No matter what anyone says, if you believe something is right, push forward. Even if everyone around you tells you not to."
"What if I'm wrong?"
"Hey, you're never wrong. You're destined to be a legendary hero. So have some confidence. You'll be leading everyone soon enough."
Right now, all attention and glory were focused on Astion.
But Ghislain wasn't worried in the slightest.
Once he was gone, this era would inevitably revolve around Yulian.
His words, though playful, carried absolute trust, making Yulian smile despite himself.
Ghislain patted his shoulder a few more times before walking off to chat with the mercenaries.
Yulian watched his retreating back, lost in thought.
'To push forward with what I believe is right….'
It was still difficult.
He wasn't yet sure that his thoughts were always correct.
And he still lacked the strength.
If everyone around him opposed him, it wouldn't be easy to act as he wished.
But there would come a time when he, too, would have to make an important decision.
When that moment came, he hoped he would make the right choice.
And, even if the entire world opposed him…
'I hope I'll have the strength to push forward, like Ghislain.'
Yulian clenched his fists.
Before he knew it, a determined smile had settled on his face.
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