"Ugh, ah, this tastes awful. Hey, why does this medicine taste so bad?"
Maurice smacked his lips as he grimaced after drinking the medicine.
The other nobles stared at him with bewildered expressions, but Maurice shamelessly replied.
"What, why? A kid like my nephew gave us this plague medicine to help, and it wouldn't look good to keep doubting it, would it? They say the plague is actually spreading."
He gestured to the knight beside him.
"Hey, bring me some water, I need to rinse my mouth."
When the knight brought the water, Maurice rinsed his mouth and said, "Ah, refreshing. Alright, continue with the report."
The knight who had come to deliver the report hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"The plague is spreading rapidly in regions near the opened rifts. In particular, most soldiers who fought against the rift have contracted the disease and collapsed."
Marquis Branford, eyes closed, asked, "Didn't I give clear orders to quarantine the armies that fought? Are you saying it's spread beyond those areas?"
"That… some lords did not listen to the orders. They didn't establish quarantine zones, so their troops mingled with the citizens. Moreover, some of them moved to other territories, and the disease spread from there."
"…Fools."
Marquis Branford clicked his tongue, suppressing his anger.
He hadn't expected every lord to follow orders. That's why he had sent multiple official notices and emphasized the importance of the quarantine repeatedly.
And yet, the plague had still spread.
He had received a warning beforehand from Count Fenris. While he didn't fully trust it, he couldn't dismiss it outright either.
If it were true, the situation would be truly dire, and he had taken measures to prepare despite the risk of loss.
Marquis Branford looked around at everyone and said, "Do you understand now? Count Fenris was right about everything."
The nobles, who had hesitated to follow Ghislain's orders in earnest, now had nothing to say.
They had only been preparing for the war against the duchy and the rift. They had dismissed the need to fuss over something that hadn't happened yet.
They had prided themselves on being pragmatic, but in reality, they had been foolish.
Count Ailesbur, at least, looked relieved and patted his chest.
'Phew, thank goodness I listened to my wife. I should leave everything to her from now on.'
Count Ailesbur had been quite disgruntled about the enormous funds poured into producing the plague medicine. But Meriel had acted proactively and secured a large stock of it.
Looking back now, she was right. Thanks to her, the Ailesbur family's standing would only rise.
Marquis Branford coldly declared, "I will overlook what Count Fenris did to Count Heseltine. As an example, Count Heseltine's title will be stripped, and Baron Spenvel will be elevated to a count and granted lordship rights. Any objections?"
"…"
There had already been much talk about Ghislain's actions. Even though he had been given authority over the rift, stripping another noble's title was crossing a line.
They had accused Ghislain of acting like a king despite not being one, and some even suggested curbing his authority. Ghislain's influence and power had grown to rival even Marquis Branford.
But now that the plague was spreading and Ghislain's warnings had proven accurate, there was no room for argument. It was true that Count Heseltine's disobedience had made things worse.
Silencing the nobles, Marquis Branford turned to the knight.
"So, how severe is the plague? How fast is it spreading?"
"When infected, patients develop a high fever and red blotches all over their bodies. The disease spreads incredibly quickly. Most of those infected have collapsed, and the death toll is steadily rising. Holy power has no effect."
"High fever? Red blotches? Holy power doesn't work? Could it be…"
"Yes, it matches the symptoms of Eternal Punishment."
"What? That's an incurable disease, isn't it? You're saying the symptoms are the same? And it's contagious?"
"Yes. The symptoms are slightly milder, but the transmission and onset are extremely rapid."
"Huh…"
Eternal Punishment was the disease that Gillian's daughter, Rachel, had once suffered from. Ghislain had cured her because he knew the treatment from a past life, when a plague similar to this had spread across the continent.
Just like then, the current plague spreading across the continent shared the same symptoms as Eternal Punishment. This variant, however, was slightly weaker but far more contagious.
The nobles grimaced, visibly uncomfortable. It was a disease known to be incurable, one that people considered a curse upon anyone who contracted it.
Count Ailesbur, who had been listening blankly, turned to the other nobles and said, "Wait, then doesn't this medicine cure Eternal Punishment too? Aren't we using an extremely low concentration of Fairy's Blessing in it right now? What if we increase that proportion?"
"Well, yes? If we could cure an incurable disease…"
"But how does Count Fenris know all of this?"
The nobles began murmuring among themselves.
Even if he had gained information from the Salvation Church priest, predicting a plague sounded like a prophecy. And knowing the cure?
It was hard to comprehend. At this point, it was almost believable that Count Fenris had spread the disease himself.
As the nobles' suspicion grew, Marquis Branford intervened.
"We can address such concerns after this is over. Now that the plague is real, we must proceed forcefully."
"What do you mean?"
"I will ban the trade of materials needed to produce the medicine across the kingdom. Furthermore, in any territory that has not properly established production facilities or is not actively producing the medicine, I will seize the materials by force. Compensation will come later."
"Hmm…"
The nobles groaned in discomfort.
Generally, one did not tamper with noble property or restrict trade. The nobles' loyalty to the crown was rooted in the crown's protection of their rights.
But Marquis Branford continued coldly.
"If we cling to our rights now, we will all die. Even in a crisis like this, there are plenty of people driven by greed. I will tolerate it no longer. Do you understand?"
Everyone nodded. If they continued to prioritize their greed, they truly would all perish.
The greater the chaos, the harder it became for Marquis Branford's authority to maintain control. He had to rule with a firmer hand.
"Mobilize all available forces to enforce this. Strip the rights and confiscate the property of anyone trying to exploit the current situation. And…"
Marquis Branford took a deep breath, as if steeling himself, and declared,
"When all of this is over, I will propose the elevation of the Perdium family to a higher rank."
"W-what? Marquis, that's…"
Everyone was stunned. How long had it been since Ghislain had been promoted to a count? And now they were discussing another promotion?
Moreover, the Marquis had referred to the Perdium family specifically. That meant creating another duchy, something unheard of in the kingdom.
'Promoting him beyond marquis to duke?'
'Are they really breaking the tradition and creating a duchy in the North?'
'The rumors that the Marquis considers Count Fenris as his successor must be true!'
The Kingdom of Lutania had a unique tradition. Since its founding, only the Delphine family had been permitted to hold a duke title.
Technically, royal descendants could hold the title of duke. But ever since the kingdom's founding, tradition had dictated that even royal branches stop at the title of marquis.
The most powerful figure in the kingdom, Marquis Branford, was no exception.
No one knew exactly why, but it had been that way for so long that everyone accepted it as the norm.
Now, however, Marquis Branford was suggesting breaking that ancient tradition—for Ghislain's sake.
Maurice frowned.
"Look here, that's a bit… No matter how much I see him as a nephew…"
"I'm not saying we'll decide this now. If the Delphine duchy ceases to exist, it's something to consider. Didn't you want that as well?"
"Huh?"
Maurice's nostrils flared slightly. If the Delphine duchy ceased to exist, wouldn't that render the tradition void?
In that case, his own family could aim for the duke title.
"Ahem, well, we can discuss it when the time comes."
'Hehe, Duke Macquarie, huh? That's got a nice ring to it.'
Maurice smirked. If he could attain the duke title in his lifetime, it would be a legacy his descendants would boast of for generations.
'And imagine being elevated to duke as a hero who ended the civil war. Heh heh heh.'
With Maurice falling silent, the other nobles also closed their mouths.
Having secured their agreement, Marquis Branford cemented his authority.
"Send my message to Count Fenris. Tell him I will take full responsibility, so he should act without restraint. Resolving the rifts is urgent, but quelling the plague quickly is just as important."
"U-understood…"
The nobles looked troubled, but they couldn't offer any rebuttal.
Marquis Branford was determined to fully support Ghislain.
At present, the army that traveled across the kingdom the most while battling the rifts was the Northern Army.
The Royal Army would also move to secure resources, but it would be far more effective if the Northern Army gathered them as they moved.
The Marquis decided to carry out his will through the Northern Army.
And that aligned perfectly with what Ghislain wanted.
***
"Waaaaah! We won!"
After closing another rift, the soldiers erupted in cheers.
Morale within the Northern Army had reached its peak.
Despite having cleared multiple rifts, their losses were virtually nonexistent.
It was inevitable. No matter how many Riftborn came charging at them, they were simply swept away by Fenris's overwhelming skills and power.
In truth, other armies found the Riftborn less of a problem; the real issue was dealing with Equidema. Few possessed the skill to take down such monstrous, superhuman-level beasts.
But for the Northern Army, even Equidema was no longer a major threat.
"Kaaaaaang!"
"Goddess help us!"
All Piote had to do was close his eyes and sit helplessly in front of Equidema.
Then Ghislain would shout, "It took the bait! Take it down quickly!"
Equidema went absolutely berserk the moment it saw Piote and charged at him. In the meantime, the other skilled fighters swarmed in, making it easy to defeat.
As time went on, they coordinated better and better, and dealing with Equidema became even easier.
The soldiers beamed with pride as they watched Ghislain and his trusted aides return after defeating another Equidema.
"We really are the strongest in the kingdom."
"At this rate, we'll sweep everything clean in no time."
"I heard the other armies are barely holding their ground. No one else is pushing forward like we are."
These were soldiers who, until recently, had struggled just to survive in the impoverished northern territories. They had never felt this kind of pride before.
The more they followed Ghislain, the more they transformed into elite troops. Constant battles had built their confidence—it was only natural.
As their pride and sense of belonging to the Northern Army grew, so did the way they looked at Ghislain.
"I wish Count Fenris would unify the entire North."
"That would make us part of Fenris territory."
"If Count Fenris attacks our territory, I'm following him no matter what."
They say an era creates its heroes. Within the Northern Army, volunteers for betrayal were springing up everywhere.
They genuinely wanted Ghislain to conquer the entire North. Their collective desire spread across the entire Northern Army.
As if pouring oil on the fire, Marquis Branford's intentions were relayed to the Northern Army.
Belinda said excitedly, "They're going to discuss promoting you again after the war? Are you going to become a duke, Young Master?"
Ghislain smirked.
"What does a title matter? Ending the war comes first. Besides, even if there's a promotion, my father would take precedence."
Ghislain had no interest whatsoever in titles. But others didn't see it the same way.
Belinda clenched her fists, her eyes gleaming with a meaningful glint.
"This is the perfect opportunity to lead the Northern Army and completely unify the North. Everyone is desperate to pledge loyalty to you, Young Master. It's entirely possible."
"…Belinda, you're quite ambitious."
Ghislain tried to laugh it off, but Belinda wasn't joking. She raised her voice with conviction.
"After that, you can rise as the Grand Duke of the North!"
"What? Grand Duke?"
"Northern! Grand! Duke!"
"…Northern Grand Duke?"
"Yes, it sounds amazing. That's a dream, you know!"
"Grand Duke? You're dreaming about that? And besides, is that something I can just decide? Isn't the title of Grand Duke reserved for royal family members?"
Belinda and the other aides all looked at him like he was crazy.
Here was a man who had lived his entire life without ever caring about anyone else's opinions, suddenly spouting nonsense.
"Has there ever been anything you didn't do because you weren't allowed to, Young Master? If you want to become a Grand Duke, you just do it."
"…"
Ghislain closed his mouth, unable to respond. There was a reason for everything he did, but to others, it must have seemed like the antics of a reckless troublemaker.
Belinda stepped closer to Ghislain.
Her gaze burned with ambition. It was so intense that he wanted to step back to avoid it.
"You're going to do whatever you want anyway, right? So do it. Become the Grand Duke of the North. It's way cooler than just a duke."
"…And what about my father?"
"He should retire. He's worked hard all these years. It's time for him to rest. My heart aches whenever I see how much he's struggled, you know?"
For Belinda, Ghislain was always the top priority. And besides, Zwalter always muttered about how he wanted to rest every single day—he would probably agree.
Ghislain swallowed hard.
Somehow, the conversation was starting to veer into treasonous rebellion, with a touch of filial impiety.
[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]