We Will Be Leaving Soon (1)
Winning the war naturally led to rewards and a victory banquet.
Ghislain first discussed the rewards for those who voluntarily participated in the war with Alex.
"It would be best to first return the marquisate to the royal family and then distribute the wealth gained from it."
The marquisate was isolated from the lands of the neutral lords. The surrounding territories had all belonged to lords who supported Marquis Falkenheim.
Even if they were granted land, it was obvious they wouldn't be able to manage it properly.
Thus, they decided to grant substantial wealth and tax exemptions as compensation instead.
Alex simply nodded at Ghislain's proposal.
In truth, he had never governed a nation before and had no idea how to handle such matters. Rather, he found it fascinating how quickly and decisively Ghislain moved forward without hesitation.
"You are quite remarkable. How is it that you handle such matters so well?"
His status was that of a mercenary, yet his actions were more fitting for someone who had once ruled as a king.
Ghislain smirked and replied,
"I'm just as good at giving as I am at taking."
"…Oh, I-I see."
Alex shuddered slightly. As someone timid by nature, he found the idea of someone being good at "taking" somewhat frightening.
Worried that he might even lose his throne, Alex nervously asked,
"We are leaving soon. So, you need not worry too much about us, your majesty?"
"Huh? Ah, no, there's no need to rush your departure. Where are you planning to go? If you need anything, I can grant you land or a title. You and your group are the true heroes of this war. Why not take the marquisate for yourselves?"
Hearing a definitive confirmation that Ghislain was leaving, Alex felt both relief and fear.
Though he had captured Marquis Falkenheim, he had almost no supporting faction of his own. With the marquis gone, local lords would scramble to seize power, causing chaos.
The same applied to the neutral lords. Most of them had joined the suppression army not for the king's sake, but simply because they despised Falkenheim.
In truth, Alex had no confidence in protecting himself.
As he pleaded, Ghislain shook his head with a regretful expression.
"I would love to stay by Your Majesty's side and protect you, but… we have matters that must be attended to."
"Don't say that. I will grant you anything you desire. Could you not stay a little longer?"
The more Ghislain tried to withdraw, the more desperate Alex became. If Ghislain left now, other nobles would surely start eyeing his throne.
For now, the Yulian Mercenary Corps had to stay. At the very least, they weren't after his life.
Feigning reluctance, Ghislain subtly distanced himself.
"Sigh… This is quite the predicament. It wouldn't be proper for a mere mercenary like myself to meddle in the kingdom's affairs."
"You've been doing whatever you wanted this whole time!"
Alex wanted to retort but swallowed his words. Agitating this lunatic might bring unforeseen consequences.
In the end, Ghislain sighed and held up three fingers.
"I cannot stay, but I will recommend three people who can protect Your Majesty."
"Three people? Who are they?"
"Count Nordhill, Count Lacus, and… Count Balesant. I will personally ask them to ensure Your Majesty's safety."
"Can those three really protect me?"
"Of course. Everyone knows that our mercenary corps is on good terms with them. If needed, they can always call for us."
"O-Oh… I see!"
Alex exclaimed in admiration. In a way, this was the best possible outcome for him. He could minimize the Yulian Mercenary Corps' direct involvement while still leveraging their name.
Moreover, those three men followed Ghislain's mercenaries without question. They would certainly do their utmost to protect him.
Of course, there was no way Ghislain would offer such a service for free.
"But for them to do so, they must have the proper authority. There are many vacant positions in the royal administration—those would suit them well."
"Hmm? What positions are you referring to?"
"Appoint Count Nordhill as the kingdom's Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief. Count Lacus should be the Treasurer, and Count Balesant should take the position of President of the Privy Council."
"..."
Alex couldn't respond immediately. Those were the highest positions in the kingdom's administration, military, finance, and advisory councils.
His original plan had been to fill those positions with his own people to reclaim his authority.
But if he accepted this proposal, the real powers in the kingdom would be those three men. And the true force behind them—would be the Yulian Mercenary Corps.
'This bastard…'
He had always known Ghislain wasn't ordinary, but he hadn't expected him to try swallowing the entire kingdom.
And the worst part? This wasn't a forceful takeover like Falkenheim's. It was an offer—one where Alex had to surrender power voluntarily.
As he hesitated, Ghislain stood from his seat.
"I despise coercion. If Your Majesty is unwilling, you don't have to accept."
'If I refuse, I'm as good as dead!'
Alex was on the verge of losing his mind. Technically, Ghislain wasn't forcing him—but he had no other choice.
Without the Yulian Mercenary Corps' protection, his life would be in danger again. Going along with this was the only option.
At least this side wasn't actively plotting his assassination.
"Hah! Who said I wouldn't agree? There were vacancies in those positions anyway! This works out perfectly."
"Oh, I must have misunderstood since I'm rather impatient. I thought Your Majesty had other candidates in mind. If so, please feel free to appoint them instead."
'No, I refuse. If I say anything, you'll just leave.'
Tears welled in Alex's eyes, but he merely shook his head. This was nothing short of a robbery—just without the blade.
Ghislain understood Alex's frustration but did not retract his words.
In truth, he had no interest in power. He would be leaving soon, so there was no point in holding onto authority.
However, he needed allies who wouldn't hesitate to support Yulian in the future. Ensuring those three men became the kingdom's key figures was essential.
To soothe Alex's distress, he reassured him,
"Those three will never seek to claim the kingdom for themselves. I recommended them because I need people who will actively support our mercenary corps when necessary."
"Is that… truly the case?"
"Of course. Your Majesty should rule the kingdom as you see fit. They will all follow your commands."
Alex blushed with embarrassment and nodded.
After all, it was the Yulian Mercenary Corps who had saved his life. Even if they had demanded the kingdom itself, he would have been forced to hand it over.
Power was a terrifying thing. Here he was, already wary of those who had saved him. For now, repaying his debt to them was the priority.
Having come to a realization, Alex spoke with newfound determination.
"I shall follow your advice. Furthermore, this kingdom will always stand in support of the Yulian Mercenary Corps, so pursue your goals without worry."
Ghislain smiled warmly as he accepted the gratitude.
"Thank you. You will not regret working with them."
Meanwhile, with Andrew and Rio securing the territories of the Crest and Swipel Counties, they could now be considered great lords.
It would take some time to completely stabilize the territories, but with key positions in the kingdom under their control, growth would be much faster.
And no matter where the Yulian Mercenary Corps went, those three would not hesitate to lend their support.
In truth, Count Balesant was practically a bonus. He was a decent man and quite obedient, after all.
Alex wasted no time in officially announcing their appointments to the vacant positions.
"I hereby appoint Count Nordhill as Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the kingdom!"
"Count Lacus shall take the position of Royal Treasurer! And Count Balesant shall be the President of the Privy Council!"
Just like that, the three of them became the most powerful figures in the kingdom. With these key positions under their control, their authority was unrivaled.
The three men, however, were utterly taken aback by the sudden news.
'What? Why? Why do I have two positions? How am I supposed to handle both the chancellorship and the supreme command?'
'W-We're already struggling to manage our territory's finances…'
'Oh my, oh my, I must be dreaming! How did this happen? Do I just sit around chatting with His Majesty now?'
With the high-ranking nobles of the capital either captured or gone, there was no one left to oppose the appointments.
Rumors had been circulating that the three were quite capable, so the news was largely welcomed.
Andrew, who had faithfully trusted (?) Ghislain throughout the war, earned the nickname "Nordhill the Trustworthy."
Rio, who had stuck close to Alex and helped calm him down (?), was dubbed "Lacus the Stabilizer."
For some unknown reason, "Balesant the Elegant" also began making rounds.
With Ghislain's people in the kingdom's most crucial positions, they would act entirely according to his will.
Emboldened by the situation, Alex went a step further and elevated all three to the rank of marquis. There was no opposition, and the thrill of wielding power for the first time had him recklessly handing out titles.
Once again, the three were stunned.
'What? Already a marquis? This is faster than catching a duck!'
'I... I just wanted a quiet life... This is too much responsibility!'
'Oh my, oh my, I must be dreaming! I'm the one who's rising the fastest!'
The three were left in a daze. All they had done was follow Ghislain's lead, and before they knew it, they had become the most influential figures in the kingdom.
At the same time, Alex had gained powerful supporters who would ensure his survival. And it was all thanks to Ghislain.
Once things had settled to some extent, Alex called Ghislain and asked,
"Are you sure there is nothing you want? You've refused land, titles, and even gold. What could I possibly give you?"
"There is one thing I would like."
"And what is that? If it's within my power, I will grant it to you."
Despite everything, Alex felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Ghislain. If there was anything he could give, he intended to do so without hesitation.
With a pleased smile, Ghislain asked,
"Do you happen to have a Dragon Heart?"
"......."
Alex's expression turned to sheer bewilderment. Not because he was reluctant to give it away.
"...Such a thing doesn't exist. How could anyone possibly own a Dragon Heart? The dragons share the burden of protecting the world. There is no kingdom anywhere that possesses one."
'Hmm?'
Ghislain tilted his head. This was very different from the era he remembered.
In his time, there were several kingdoms that had Dragon Hearts. There were also numerous legends about Dragon Slayers.
'Did humans hunt them down after the war, taking advantage of their weakened state?'
As the thought crossed his mind, he suddenly became curious about the Curse of the Adversary, which was said to have driven dragons to extinction.
'No matter how strong a curse may be, it shouldn't be possible to kill or weaken dragons to that extent… What exactly happened?'
Ever since he had gained the ability to manipulate the Will of the World, he had become increasingly intrigued by the nature of curses.
A curse was ultimately the lingering willpower of its caster imprinted upon the world. No matter how powerful that will was, it should have been impossible to eradicate an entire species as mighty as dragons.
Yet, Artherion had undeniably weakened compared to its prime. There had to be a reason for that.
'Well… I'll find out eventually.'
Even after returning Astion's body to him, Ghislain had made sure there was a way to uncover the truth. He had also instructed Astion to leave records at every step, just in case.
Someday, he would unravel all the secrets of this era.
For now, he accepted that there were no Dragon Hearts available and moved on to another request.
"In that case, do you have any other treasures filled with mana, similar to a Dragon Heart?"
"Hmm… To be honest, I'm not sure. I was never allowed direct access to the royal vault. It was always managed by Marquis Falkenheim's people."
"Would it be possible for me to take whatever I need from there?"
"Hah! Is that all? I'll grant you full authority over the royal vault. Take whatever you require, whenever you need it."
Alex handed over the rights without hesitation. Ghislain had saved his life and restored his throne—he wasn't petty enough to cling to mere treasures after all that.
Besides, even if he refused, Ghislain would likely find a way to take what he needed anyway. It was better to surrender it willingly.
"Thank you. I will put it to good use."
Ghislain gladly accepted Alex's generosity.
He still hadn't created many Death Knights. Forming high-level Death Knights required an immense amount of mana.
The black magic tomes he had obtained from Basilud and Ziko did contain methods for gathering magic, but all of them were… unclean.
Since he had no intention of using such tainted methods, he had to rely solely on pure magic, which severely limited his production. He needed to find another way to amass power beyond just Runestones.
The royal vault was bound to contain powerful artifacts. Ghislain intended to make good use of them.
Additionally, the treasures Marquis Falkenheim had hoarded would soon be transferred to the royal vault. Though he hadn't personally inspected them due to time constraints, he had stationed royal troops to secure them when the suppression army withdrew.
Once those valuables arrived, he planned to take what he needed from there as well.
As he inspected the vault, Ghislain let out a satisfied murmur.
"Hoh… There's quite a lot of good stuff here."
As expected of an ancient kingdom, the vault was filled with priceless treasures. Among them were numerous artifacts without a master, left untouched simply out of excessive caution.
They had been hoarded for so long that they had never been put to proper use.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure to put you all to good use."
A sly grin spread across Ghislain's face.
At a glance, he could already tell—he would be able to create a significant number of Death Knights.
Without delay, he began extracting magic from the artifacts to fuel their creation.
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