The one-armed man, Tenant, asked in a subdued voice, "Why did you save me? No, how did you even manage to save me? I was certain I was dead…."
"There are ways."
Ghislain smiled. Honestly, it had been half luck.
He had cut Tenant's throat and infused it with the power of Dark.
At the time, Tenant had already completely exhausted his mana, and even his aura blade had dissipated. Left alone, he would have collapsed from exhaustion anyway.
Dark's energy that entered his body simultaneously stopped the bleeding and blocked his windpipe, causing Tenant to lose consciousness.
With all his strength drained, Tenant hadn't sensed anything unusual and simply accepted it as the process of dying.
At the time, Ghislain had thought simply, "If he dies, so be it."
Tenant had stubbornly desired death. Since persuading him had been impossible, Ghislain had no choice but to resort to this method.
In the end, Tenant barely survived. Ghislain had immediately treated him with a potion, transported him to his territory, and entrusted him to Piote.
Still smiling, Ghislain asked, "How's life in prison? Bearable?"
"…For someone like me, even this is more than I deserve."
"You've changed a lot."
The man who had once exuded arrogant confidence as the strongest in the west was now a bundle of self-loathing, endlessly blaming himself.
After losing the war and killing his lord, it was only natural. Tenant was as proud as he was honorable.
Even so, he had made no fuss during his imprisonment. He hadn't tried to escape, nor had he attempted suicide.
He merely lived each day with eyes filled with regret and remorse.
Dropping his smile, Ghislain adopted a serious expression.
"Tenant, let's get straight to the point. You may be at the beginning stages, but you've now reached the level of a master. I need your strength."
"…So that's why you saved me?"
"Yes. Rifts are opening, and monsters are emerging. We need every ounce of power we can get."
Lowering his head, Tenant replied, "I'm not worthy of it. Kill me."
"You're the one who requested a duel. The fate of the loser is determined by the winner, is it not? You're not allowed to die without my permission."
"…."
Tenant had no response. The loser of a duel was bound to obey the victor. That was why duels were sanctioned and why territorial disputes were sometimes resolved through a single duel.
Having already borne the weight of his disgrace, Tenant couldn't bring himself to overturn the duel's result.
If Marquis Rodrick had been killed by Fenris's forces, Tenant might have had an excuse to fight on. But that wasn't the case.
"If I fight alongside you, it will make many people uncomfortable."
"We've always lived with discomfort. Don't worry about it."
"…."
The knights behind Ghislain silently nodded in agreement. Fenris was full of people who were barely sane, so discomfort was just a part of daily life.
In truth, even Gillian and Kaor were awkward to deal with, despite living together. The same was true of Claude and Alpoi, not to mention the elves and dwarves.
Everyone found one another uncomfortable, but Ghislain's overwhelming strength and authority kept them in line. That was just life in Fenris.
Adding one more former enemy to the mix wouldn't make much of a difference.
"The Drake Mercenary Corps has also decided not to make an issue of it now that Marquis Rodrick is dead. His heirs perished in the war as well, so there's no one left to hold a grudge against you. You don't need to worry about that."
At Ghislain's words, Tenant sighed.
"Even so, how can you trust a man who killed his own lord and lost all his honor?"
"Tenant, atone for your sins."
"…Atonement, you say?"
"Anyone would recognize your loyalty. But can you honestly say your life was honorable?"
"…."
"Marquis Rodrick may have been your lord and benefactor, but to the people of his lands, he was the worst kind of tyrant. Do you truly believe you bear no responsibility for ignoring that as his vassal?"
"That's…."
"Sure, serfs may be a lord's property. But do you really think that makes it right? If you're truly a knight who understands honor, ask your conscience."
Tenant lowered his head in silence, unable to respond.
Failing to protect the weak and refraining from offering candid advice were indeed failings for a knight.
Yet, like many other knights, Tenant had turned a blind eye to these issues, hiding behind the flimsy excuse of loyalty to his lord.
As Tenant remained silent, Ghislain spoke again.
"Those who suffered under Marquis Rodrick's tyranny are now suffering again because of the Rift monsters. If you truly know honor…."
Thud!
Ghislain stabbed his sword into the ground before Tenant and continued firmly.
"…Then pick up your sword and fight for the people."
For a long time, Tenant stared at the sword embedded in the ground. Finally, he asked, "And if I refuse?"
"I'll tie you up and toss you to the monsters. If you want to die so badly, go ahead and perish miserably there."
At that, Tenant chuckled. After a few moments of shaking with laughter, he grabbed the sword.
The knights behind Ghislain tensed, their hands instinctively reaching for their weapons.
Slowly drawing the sword and rising to his feet, Tenant said, "I will not pledge my loyalty to you."
"I don't care. Just fight where I tell you to fight."
"I will save the people and retire once the chaos is over."
"Anyone who only knows how to fight is useless during peacetime. If you're offering to lighten my burden when this is over, I have no reason to refuse."
The two men exchanged smiles. Tenant, laughing, added a jest.
"If you were going to use me anyway, you might as well have left my arm intact."
"Consider it the price of learning humility."
Tenant laughed again before making one final request.
"Bring me a mask. It'll be hard to walk around with my face uncovered—it's too shameful."
"Sure. Not that it'll make you any less recognizable."
Everyone had seen Tenant lose the duel and have his arm cut off by Ghislain. A mask wouldn't change that.
Even so, Tenant didn't retract his request. At the very least, it would let him hide his shameful face.
And so, a new superhuman joined the Fenris territory.
***
"Whew, the kingdom's situation is in shambles these days."
"Indeed. How did the Salvation Church manage to create such monstrosities…?"
"Well, at least nothing has appeared in the north. That's good news for us."
Hearing this, others burst into laughter.
Gathered on a massive outdoor platform, the lords of the north were conversing in small groups.
Ghislain, leveraging his authority as commander of the northern army, had summoned the northern lords. Unable to find an excuse to refuse, they had assembled with their forces.
Everyone had a rough idea why Count Fenris had called them.
"It seems he's planning to gather troops to deal with these Rifts…."
"And no doubt he'll use them in the fight against the duchy as well."
"We can't just hand over our troops. Surely you all feel the same?"
"Of course. In times like these, we need to conserve our strength. Let's find excuses and provide as little support as possible."
While other lords across the kingdom were in turmoil—fighting the Rifts and the duchy—northern lords were relatively safe.
They had no desire to risk their forces and were even considering how to profit from the chaos.
One lord, looking somewhat worried, asked, "Do you think Count Fenris will let us off so easily? Everyone knows how stubborn he is. He'll probably demand the maximum allowed by law—half of our forces."
"Last time, during the food negotiations, he took a significant number of troops. It was a struggle to recover from that."
"He's sure to use that as leverage again."
The lords grumbled, frustrated by the leash Fenris held through his control of food supplies and iron ore.
Though the situation was somewhat better now than before, the northern lords still feared that offending Count Fenris, now a great lord, might result in restrictions on purchasing grain.
The lord of Zimbar, a territory adjacent to Perdium, spoke up.
"That boy was once known as a delinquent—no one thought he'd become such a promising figure… tsk tsk. Still, this time might be different."
"What do you mean?"
"He has both the fight against the duchy and the battle against these so-called Rifts to contend with, doesn't he? It won't benefit him to fight all of us as well."
"In that case…"
"If we combine the soldiers we've brought here, they number in the thousands. No matter how brash that boy is, he wouldn't dare pick a fight here. If we band together and present a united front, he'll have no choice but to back down."
"Well, that may be true, but won't he retaliate later, with something like restrictions on grain purchases?"
"We'll deal with that when the time comes. Are you willing to hand over half your army out of fear? Can you afford that? It's obvious he'll demand the maximum allowed."
"Hmm…"
The lords all nodded in agreement.
The regional commander could legally ask up to half of each lord's forces during wartime, leaving only the other half to defend their territories.
But handing over half their armies would cause immense strain on their territories—not just from losing the soldiers, but also from bearing the costs of their deployment and supplies.
Who would willingly endure such hardship when their fiefdoms would teeter on the brink of collapse?
Count Zimbar spoke slyly.
"This is the perfect opportunity for us to form a solid alliance among ourselves."
"An alliance?"
"Yes. If we don't, Count Fenris will continue to dictate terms to us."
"Good idea. We must protect our rights!"
The lords all voiced their agreement. Though the northern territories were modest and impoverished, their combined strength was no small matter.
Thus, the Northern Alliance was formed on the spot.
The first leader of the alliance was naturally Count Zimbar, who had dared to suggest the idea.
"That brat won't dare push me around. I've known his father, Marquis Perdium, for a long time. Our territory has supported Perdium's for years, hasn't it?"
"Indeed, indeed. Let's show that boy we're not to be trifled with."
While the rest of the kingdom was embroiled in chaos, the northern lords—relatively unscathed—had the luxury to concoct such schemes.
"But why is that brat keeping us waiting after calling us here?"
A lord grumbled impatiently, and as if on cue, the Fenris forces appeared in the distance.
The knights guarding the lords' assembly shouted from various posts.
"Count Fenris has arrived!"
Thump, thump, thump!
At the head of the column, Ghislain rode the Black King, followed by his trusted aides and approximately 2,000 cavalrymen.
As the Fenris forces approached, the soldiers of the other lords' armies grew visibly tense.
It wasn't just the imposing aura of the approaching troops; the reputation of the North's strongest force alone was enough to cow them.
The lords standing on the platform gulped nervously.
'Was that boy always like this?'
'Something about him… seems different…'
'Why does he look so intimidating?'
The closer Ghislain came, the more palpable the tension among the lords became. Though they had formed an alliance, they couldn't help but feel uneasy about facing Ghislain's notorious obstinacy.
Seated atop his steed, Ghislain surveyed the gathered lords.
'It's been a long time, everyone.'
Some of the faces were familiar—lords who had once sided with the duchy but later defected, or those whose vassals had inadvertently aligned with the duchy.
But that no longer mattered. Anyone who reconnected with the duchy now would be the first to fall.
'Amelia isn't here.'
Not that he'd expected her to be. That cunning woman wouldn't heed his summons. She had already negotiated independently with the royalist faction, securing her position before Ghislain could invoke his authority as Northern Commander.
'Well, it doesn't matter.'
Amelia undoubtedly had her own headaches to deal with—her plans disrupted by the Salvation Church.
In other words, they wouldn't be clashing anytime soon.
After dismounting, Ghislain sat in the vacant seat prepared for him and addressed the gathering.
"You all know why I, as Northern Army Commander, have called you here."
Count Zimbar, the head of the Northern Alliance, was the one to respond.
"Ahem, I presume it is to compel us to join the war effort under the authority of the Northern Army Commander."
"Correct. Beyond the civil war, we must also halt the expansion of the Rifts. The North has remained untouched by these Rifts, so you should be able to mobilize your forces without much burden."
"Ahem, ahem," Zimbar cleared his throat again before continuing.
"We, too, recognize that we cannot turn a blind eye to the kingdom's plight. That's why we discussed our support among ourselves before you arrived."
"Support? This isn't about voluntary support. It's a recruitment mandated by kingdom law."
"Well, well, call it what you will. The point is that we will participate."
Ghislain nodded.
"Is that so? Then I take it you've already reached a decision?"
"Yes, we've agreed to contribute one-third of our forces and the associated costs from each territory. Surely, that should suffice?"
One-third was no small sum—it would form a substantial army and incur considerable expenses. The lords believed they had been more than generous.
But Ghislain frowned and said, "Are you joking? The kingdom is in crisis, and you intend to secure your safety with just 'that much'?"
"Ahem! How can you call that 'just that much'? We're doing our utmost here! Were you truly planning to take everything?"
"Yes, I intend to take everything."
"That's only permitted in cases of foreign invasion! The situation isn't that dire yet! Taking half of our forces is only for the worst-case scenarios—"
Ghislain cut off Count Zimbar mid-sentence.
"Half? Who said anything about half?"
"Kingdom law allows a maximum recruitment of half a territory's forces, doesn't it? Isn't that what you were referring to?"
Leaning back in his chair, Ghislain let out a dry laugh.
"It seems there's been a misunderstanding."
"What kind of misunderstanding…"
"I'm taking everything."
"…What?"
Fixing the lords with a chilling gaze, Ghislain clarified.
"Everything, save for the bare minimum needed to maintain order in your territories. Bring it all. Do you understand?"
For a moment, the lords were too stunned to respond, their minds reeling from Ghislain's demand.
[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]