We Will Be Leaving Soon (2)
The artifacts in the storage were such incredible treasures that their true value was hard to determine, but Ghislain didn't care at all.
He wasn't the type to rely on the power of treasures, and he believed it was better to put them to use rather than let them rot away in a warehouse.
"Alright, with this, I can create a few more high-level ones."
Among the knights who had died in this war, those with considerable skill had all been stored in the subspace.
Their numbers were so great that even if he ground up every treasure in the storage, he still wouldn't be able to turn all of them into Death Knights. But what mattered was that he could create even one more.
As long as he could find a way to replenish mana, he planned to continue creating them indefinitely.
Not long after, a massive amount of wealth confiscated from the Marquis Falkenheim was brought into the capital. Ghislain selectively took only the items imbued with mana.
"I'm taking these, anyone object? If you want a share, speak quickly."
"...."
Ghislain tolerated freedom of expression, but he did not guarantee freedom after expression.
Understanding his nature, everyone—from the royal family to the lords—remained silent.
Besides, they were satisfied with just splitting the remaining wealth among themselves.
Thus, Ghislain scraped together the artifacts and devoted himself to creating Death Knights.
"They'll all be in for a surprise later, won't they?"
Creating a Death Knight wasn't easy. But Ghislain was grinning the entire time he worked.
This was his own hidden power. Unless something extraordinary happened, he had no intention of using it against humans.
However, once he returned to reality, it would prove invaluable in dealing with the remaining Rifts and the Adversary.
"If the Rifts open again, I'll have to push through with sheer numbers too."
As long as there was enough mana, Death Knights were immortal warriors who would fight endlessly. The reason Hellnik could face the Rift alone was thanks to his army of the undying.
Having secretly admired him, Ghislain was now forming his own immortal army.
His real body contained far more mana than Astion's. That was because he had absorbed Morbus' poison in the Forest of Demonic Beasts.
Moreover, he had yet to use the fragmented Dragon Heart of Artherion.
"If I absorb that too… I might have the greatest mana reserves in history."
If Ghislain, who had already mastered magic, absorbed it, he would truly command the most formidable undead army ever seen.
Since he was entirely focused on his work for several days, everyone else could do nothing but wait. Only after he was done did the victory banquet finally begin.
The capital was filled with minor nobles who had been living in silence, neutral lords, and their subordinate nobles.
The executives of the Yulian Mercenary Corps, the main force behind this war, also attended.
Naturally, the nobles flocked to the stars of the victory—no, to Yulian himself.
"Lord Yulian, please look this way!"
"You're the captain of the mercenary corps, right?"
"You are truly incredible!"
The young nobles, in particular, surrounded Yulian, eager to flatter him and curry favor.
Most of the nobles present were from weak factions. To them, Yulian was a highly desirable talent.
On top of that, he was handsome, so it was inevitable that chaos ensued.
Status didn't matter. With the skill level of the Yulian Mercenary Corps' executives, they could earn a noble title anytime.
Some looked down on them for lacking noble lineage, but those voices were few and weak.
Unused to this situation, Yulian only responded with an awkward smile, seemingly embarrassed.
His mild and gentle smile only made the nobles approach him more aggressively. Something about it put them at ease.
As competition intensified, some nobles even turned their attention to other mercenary corps executives.
Deneb, Kyle, Tyrann, and even Osval found themselves surrounded by quite a few nobles.
This was simply because the name "Yulian Mercenary Corps" held immense power in the kingdom.
Watching the scene while conversing with Alex, Ghislain smirked.
"I should let them experience this kind of thing more often."
They were all being dragged around by the nobles, embarrassed and unsure how to handle the attention.
They were good at fighting, but they had no resistance to social events like this.
Then, out of nowhere, Astion, who had woken up, suddenly shouted.
— Me too! Me too!
'What?'
— Let me build connections with those noble ladies too!
"...."
— You never know what might happen! At least introduce me so I can form some ties! Stop talking about business all the time!
Astion had resolved to stop being a recluse and was determined to pursue romance. He was now nagging Ghislain to introduce him to noble ladies.
Ghislain chuckled. At the moment, he was only talking about national affairs with the king and the lords who had participated in the war.
From Astion's perspective, it was frustrating to watch. After all, all of his companions were mingling with young nobles.
"Alright, I can at least do that much."
Ghislain confidently stood up.
It wasn't exactly something to boast about, but even in reality, he had always been quite popular at banquets. Introducing a few friends to Astion wouldn't be a problem.
He first decided to approach the most popular figure—Yulian. That way, he could naturally blend into the conversation with the surrounding nobles…
'Huh?'
As he walked toward Yulian, something felt off.
With every step he took, the people… seemed to subtly move away.
'Am I imagining things?'
Ghislain tilted his head in confusion.
He had the eerie feeling that the distance between him and the crowd wasn't closing.
Surely, it was just his imagination. Right now, everyone was trying to befriend the Yulian Mercenary Corps.
So he smiled warmly and took another step forward.
Shff.
"...."
The nobles took a step back, precisely in sync. The space around Yulian cleared in an instant.
It even seemed to have gotten quieter. Ghislain tested it again, stepping sideways.
Shff.
Then he stepped in the opposite direction.
Shff.
Each time he moved, the nobles subtly backed away. Annoyed, Ghislain moved left and right repeatedly.
Shff, shff, shff.
"...."
With every step he took, the nobles were pushed further away, as if an invisible force repelled them.
Was this what it felt like to be isolated from the world?
In the sudden silence, he overheard whispers.
"It's the mad superhuman, Astion."
"Shh, quiet. If he hears you, you'll die."
"Don't make eye contact. Your entire family could be ruined."
All sorts of murmurs reached his ears, each one dripping with fear.
'…What do I do now?'
Only then did Ghislain realize the stark difference between his standing in reality and here as Astion.
No matter how crazy he acted, Ghislain was still the heir to Perdium, a noble. He was also backed entirely by Marquis Branford, a staunch royalist.
Many nobles were jealous and envious of him, but that also meant many were drawn to him.
Eventually, he even became a hero who saved the continent. With such a narrative behind him, his popularity was inevitable.
But what about Astion?
'They probably see me as just a crazy mercenary from the countryside.'
Even if he behaved exactly as he did in reality, here, he was nothing more than a mad commoner who killed nobles.
He hadn't saved the world yet. He had simply founded a mercenary corps and destroyed anything that stood in his way.
It was only natural for nobles to fear getting involved with him.
Even the king and the war-participating lords were wary of him. Lesser nobles, who lived without power, could hardly be any braver.
"...."
Ghislain wasn't oblivious to social cues.
He quietly returned to Alex's side.
The only ones who welcomed him were the middle-aged lords, now drunk and too fearless to care.
"Urp! The acting commander-in-chief is here!"
"You can't have proper conversations with young folks these days, can you? It's because they've never done any real hard work!"
"As expected, the acting commander-in-chief has experience! Even though he looks like a kid!"
"...."
As Ghislain returned to the king's side, the banquet hall regained its lively atmosphere. Laughter and chatter filled the air once again.
"...."
Ghislain remained silent. Astion was having a meltdown.
— You, you, you, it was you! It's your fault I became a recluse!
"...."
— Look at them, they're terrified! They're all scared of me! I didn't even do anything! My body was just taken over, so why do I have to be seen as some monster?!
'…They just don't know your charm yet. Once they do, they'll warm up to you.'
— How am I supposed to make friends if I can't even start a conversation?!
'I… I don't mind not having friends.'
— Well, I doooo!
'…At least you're popular with the drunk old men. You're kind of cute to them.'
— That's even worse!
"...."
Ghislain crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He wanted to comfort Astion, but he couldn't find the right words.
Then, Dark snapped at Astion.
— You pathetic fool!
— What do you mean, pathetic?!
— Whining just because you don't have friends! Life is supposed to be lonely!
— What the hell are you even saying, you crazy sparrow?!
— What?! I have tons of friends! Unlike you!
The two immediately started bickering.
With a headache brewing, Ghislain simply tuned out their voices.
They'd keep fighting in his consciousness until they got tired.
Ghislain felt a little guilty about Astion's situation, but… they were leaving this kingdom soon anyway.
He'd make new friends in the next kingdom. And if he kept saving the world, surely, his popularity would grow too.
That's how he decided to think about it.
As Ghislain packed his things, Tyrann asked,
"You're really leaving? We're already the strongest mercenary corps in the kingdom. We could just settle down here."
Tyrann had, unintentionally, achieved his dream sooner than expected. He wasn't the leader, but he had still become one of the vice-captains.
And yet, Ghislain planned to leave with only a small group to another kingdom.
Tyrann already knew about it, but he still felt the need to ask again.
Ghislain nodded.
"Yeah. One kingdom isn't enough. If we're going to make Yulian the King of Mercenaries, we need to be known across the entire continent, don't you think?"
"Hah…"
Tyrann let out a disbelieving chuckle.
Ghislain's ambitions were on a scale he couldn't even begin to comprehend. Even after taking over the kingdom's mercenary world, he still considered it "not enough."
Well, that level of thinking was probably why he had managed to turn the kingdom upside down.
Ghislain grinned and patted Tyrann's arm.
"Make sure to organize the remaining mercenaries properly. Train them so they can mobilize at a moment's notice. We'll be setting up branches in different kingdoms."
"Tch, got it. You don't have to worry about that."
Most of the Yulian Mercenary Corps members were staying behind to absorb the kingdom's remaining mercenaries.
Ghislain entrusted that task to Tyrann. Since they were already the strongest mercenary corps in the kingdom, expanding their numbers wouldn't be difficult.
And Tyrann was a trustworthy comrade. Before leaving, Ghislain handed him a gift.
"Here. You're weak, so train hard with this."
"You…."
Tyrann's eyes widened as he took the booklet from Ghislain.
It contained a revised version of his mana cultivation method, with new techniques added and properly structured.
Even at a glance, Tyrann could tell it was extraordinary. If he continued training, he might even reach the realm of superhumans.
The fact that Ghislain gave something like this away so casually… once again showed his overwhelming generosity.
Tyrann laughed.
"You sure about this? I might end up stronger than you."
"That'd be great. Fighting strong guys is my favorite thing. Though, in the end, I'll still win anyway."
The two laughed and bumped fists—a greeting only mercenaries used.
The departing group wasn't large. Along with the original four who had been with him from the start, Ghislain selected ten former bandits who needed more rehabilitation.
Once they finished packing, Osval beamed and called out loudly.
"Take care, everyone! The great Osval will remain here, standing strong, waiting for your return!"
"Oh, right. I almost forgot about you. You're coming with us too. You're strong, aren't you?"
"T-The great Osval… has flat feet, so long journeys are tough…"
"Go pack."
"…Yes, sir."
And so, with tears in his eyes, Osval was forcibly added to the departing group.
With everything in place, Ghislain's party was finally ready to set off for another kingdom.
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