"Uh-huh! Uh-huh!"
Kaor shoved the face of a middle-aged man into a bucket of water and spoke.
"Hey, I told you to talk quickly, didn't I?"
"Gasp! You bastard, what are you doing?!"
"What does it look like? I'm here for the medicine and ingredients."
"You insolent wretch! Do you think you'll walk away alive after this… Blub! Blub!"
The man being waterboarded was a lord who refused to hand over medicine. Kaor didn't bother negotiating—he simply attacked and began the torture.
Kaor had always had a nasty temperament, but now he had the power of the Northern Army and Ghislain to back him up. To be honest, most nobles no longer intimidated him.
On top of that, he had justification and orders to lean on.
The lord's vassals turned pale and shouted.
"S-stop this!"
"How can a knight behave this way!"
"We will formally protest this to the Northern Army Commander!"
Kaor, sitting lazily in a chair, responded with an uninterested expression.
"Go ahead. Protest all you want. You know who's behind us, don't you? Haven't you heard that Marquis Branford issued the order?"
Kaor, much like Claude, shamelessly used Marquis Branford's name.
In reality, just invoking Ghislain's name would have been enough. Ghislain's reputation as a Master and a brutal warlord made his name far more effective.
But Belinda's nagging was the issue.
— "When you're doing something rough, don't use the Young Lord's name. Use Marquis Branford's name instead. Got it?"
— "Yeah, yeah, I get it."
So Kaor actively used Marquis Branford's name.
Because of this, the lord's vassals couldn't even think of using force against Kaor.
Truthfully, they feared the Northern Army far more than Marquis Branford. If the Northern Army turned its blade toward them, they would be crushed in an instant.
Thus, even though knights and soldiers surrounded Kaor, they only hesitated.
"Blub! Kill them! Attack them now! What are you waiting for?!"
Despite the lord's screams, no one dared to act.
However, there was one knight with enough courage. The commander of the lord's knights shouted and swung his sword at Kaor.
"Release the lord this instant!"
Slash!
Kaor didn't even move. A Fenris knight who had accompanied the assault corps drew his sword in an instant and severed the knight commander's neck.
He was a former mercenary from the Mad Dog Corps.
"Ugh…"
With a single strike, the knight commander of an entire territory was decapitated.
Everyone was horrified. They had heard of the Northern Army's strength, but they hadn't expected this level of power.
On the surface, they didn't even look like proper knights, with their carefree and cocky demeanor.
"Hoo."
The Fenris knight who had killed the commander smiled lightly and sheathed his sword.
The vassals and soldiers gulped nervously.
'The Fenris knights really are strong. I better not fight them.'
'How did a single knight take down our knight commander so easily…'
'But why does that knight look like he's in pain? And why is he suddenly bleeding?'
The Fenris knight, despite not being touched by anyone, was bleeding heavily from the mouth. He had overexerted himself in one flashy move, just to look cool.
If he hadn't, he wouldn't have been able to take down the knight commander in one strike.
Other knights from the assault corps gathered around him and whispered.
"Hey, are you crazy?"
"If you'd collapsed, they would've all attacked us!"
"Stop showing off so much."
Their words were partly out of jealousy, but they were also right—it had been reckless.
Their numbers were far smaller here. No matter how strong the Fenris knights were, they couldn't face all the soldiers in the territory.
They weren't Ghislain, after all.
Still, with the lord held as a hostage, the situation was under control.
"Fine, fine! I'll hand everything over! Just stop this madness! Blub!"
Kaor, after receiving the medicine and ingredients, tied the lord up with a rope and said,
"You've committed a crime, so you're coming with us. I can't strip you of your title myself, after all."
Of course, he also took the lord as a hostage to ensure a safe escape.
Thus, Kaor went from territory to territory, collecting medicine, ingredients, and dragging lords along.
Alpoi, on the other hand, was slightly more diplomatic than Kaor. As a mage, he had a sense of pride to uphold.
"Ahem. You know the Northern Army, right? With a flick of my hand, they'll come running here. Oh, and I'm a 5th-circle mage."
'What's with this guy? Why is he acting like he's the head of the Northern Army? And why does he sound so childish?'
The lord listening to him was baffled but refrained from pointing it out. After all, Alpoi had appeared with the Northern Army's flag and seal.
The Northern Army has a bad reputation lately. They were said to seize medicine and strip titles by force.
The lords were secretly coordinating with each other to stop supporting the Northern Army during emergencies.
Still, they couldn't risk offending them now. They had already heard what happened to Count Grafton.
But this man wasn't Count Fenris himself.
This meant there might be a way out. The lord handed Alpoi a small chest and said,
"This is a humble gift for your trouble in coming all this way. As you know, the rift and plague have left my territory in dire straits. I really have nothing left to hide."
In other words, he was offering a bribe to make Alpoi leave.
When Alpoi opened the chest, he shouted, "What do you take me for, offering this? Do you think I'm Claude?!"
It wasn't enough.
Claude would have taken it without complaint, but Alpoi had his pride as a mage.
The lord, confused, thought.
'Strange. I heard mages love wealth. And this guy looks like he'd enjoy it…'
He was right—it simply wasn't enough.
But to a noble accustomed to smooth-talking, Alpoi's shouting made it seem like he was offended by the bribe itself.
"My apologies, Mage. I didn't mean to insult your honor."
The lord retrieved the chest, looking contrite.
At that, Alpoi shouted again.
"What are you doing?!"
"Pardon? I thought I made a mistake…"
"Argh! Seriously!"
"Why…?"
"I'm giving you another chance, you idiot!"
Alpoi, now visibly frustrated, let his true nature slip. The lord, feeling slighted, frowned deeply.
"I've treated you with respect as a mage, but you're being extremely rude. I am a noble."
With a wave of his hand, the lord signaled his knights and soldiers to surround Alpoi.
"Ugh…"
Alpoi calmed himself down.
Truthfully, he could easily defeat everyone here. He had brought ten 4th-circle mages and twenty escort knights. Outside, hundreds of soldiers were waiting as well.
But he wanted to maintain his image as a dignified mage. The mages and knights accompanying him were already smirking at his predicament.
Clutching his head, Alpoi pondered.
He wanted to resolve the mission impressively and show off. But now, greed was getting the better of him.
'That chest of jewels… I want it.'
Lately, no one would gamble with him, so he had run out of money. He desperately wanted wealth.
Suddenly, an idea struck him. Turning to the lord, Alpoi proposed,
"Let's play a game of odds and evens."
"What?"
"If you win, I'll leave quietly. What are you willing to bet?"
The lord turned to his vassals and asked, "What is this… odds and evens game?"
One of the soldiers explained it to him. Smiling, the lord said, "Not just once, but we'll play several rounds."
"Fine by me."
The lord was calculating in his head. If he could win just one round, he could send Alpoi packing. Losing a little money wasn't the real problem.
"Then I'll bet this jewelry chest first."
"Agreed."
Thus, the two began their gambling match.
Of course, there was no way the lord could beat Alpoi, who was using cheating magic.
"Hehehe."
Alpoi quickly claimed the jewelry chest before him.
The lord, unfazed, called for more treasures to be brought.
"Odd."
"Even."
"Odd."
"Even."
As the game continued, the lord's expression stiffened.
He had already lost an enormous amount of wealth. He had wagered generously to send Alpoi off in good spirits.
But how was it possible that he hadn't won even once? This made no sense.
"Are you… cheating somehow?"
"Huh? What nonsense is that? Cheating? Do you have any proof?"
"This is absurd!"
"How is this absurd?"
"Do you really think this is fair? It's just a simple odds-and-evens game, and I haven't gotten a single one right!"
"Of course it's fair."
"What?"
Seeing the furious lord's face, Alpoi smirked arrogantly.
"I even beat a goddess at this game."
"…"
The lord realized he was dealing with a lunatic—an absolute cheat. In desperation, he had his estate's mage sit next to them to monitor for magic.
But the mage only shook his head.
"I-I can't tell. I don't sense any magic being used."
Alpoi's magic had been honed to cheat perfectly without detection. And at the 5th Circle, his skill was far above the lord's 4th Circle mage.
"Ugh, enough. I'm done."
The lord, having lost a tremendous amount of wealth, raised his hands in surrender. He was sure Alpoi was cheating, but he couldn't prove it, so winning was impossible.
Having won every round, Alpoi stood up with a satisfied grin.
"That was fun. I'll take my leave now."
"Huh?"
"Well then, take care."
Alpoi offered a light bow and turned to leave. He was in an excellent mood after winning such a large sum of wealth.
It was the most money he had ever held in his life.
'Ah, I've been missing out. I should've done this sooner. What a great day!'
But then, the mages and knights who had accompanied him blocked his path with stern expressions. It was only then that Alpoi snapped out of it.
"Ah, right, I came here for something else."
Overcome with excitement, he had nearly forgotten his mission. Now that he was done with the lord, he turned to his group and said,
"Search everything quickly. Let's find the medicine and get out of here. We've wasted too much time already."
Honestly, he wanted to keep playing, but at this rate, they'd be up all night. Besides, the stakes were getting smaller.
Having finished his "business," Alpoi abandoned all pretense of dignity and began ransacking the castle. When he still couldn't find the medicine, he even set parts of the castle on fire in a frenzy.
In the end, after losing everything—his castle, the medicine, and the ingredients—the lord glared at Alpoi and said, "You lot are out of control. You will regret this."
Alpoi couldn't care less.
"Regret? I've lived my life regretting things hundreds, thousands of times. Do you think anyone's regretted more than me?"
Since becoming a slave in Fenris, Alpoi had spent countless nights in regret until he'd eventually given up on life. Now, nothing scared him anymore.
After all, he was fighting alongside people far scarier than this noble, and he faced enemies far more terrifying.
"Hey, let's go! Tie this guy up quickly. You criminal scumbag! You're a bad guy!"
Thanks to Marquis Branford's authority, they even had the right to arrest lords. Alpoi diligently carried out his mission—meeting lords, gambling for their wealth, and seizing medicine.
Because of their efforts, the plague began to subside rapidly. The disease had primarily spread in territories where greedy lords refused to cooperate.
In regions where lords diligently produced medicine and followed quarantine orders—or areas near the capital—the plague was swiftly contained.
Ghislain marked off infected areas on a map, one by one, and said,
"Just a little more, and we'll be done."
Belinda nodded beside him.
"Not many places remain. We don't need to worry about the east or the royal army."
"Right, Countess Ailesbur and Marquis Branford's daughter did well in preparing things."
Meriel and Rozalin had trusted Ghislain's judgment during the drought. Thanks to them, the damage that could have escalated this time was also mitigated.
From Ghislain's perspective, they were invaluable allies.
Of course, Marquis Branford and the royalists providing him with power had also been a tremendous help. Without their support, he wouldn't have been able to act so aggressively.
"What's the situation in other countries?"
"It's chaos. They can't contain the rifts properly, and the plague is spreading even worse."
"Hmm… That can't be helped."
Ghislain and Marquis Branford's influence didn't extend to other kingdoms. While some heeded Ghislain's warnings and prepared, others foolishly experimented or ignored the threat.
There were also kingdoms dominated by the Salvation Church.
Still, things were far better than in his previous life. Some regions were holding back the rifts with their armies, and this time, there was a cure for the plague.
By now, other kingdoms would be ramping up medicine production and mobilizing their armies.
"It would still be better to help them a little."
"How can we help when we're so busy dealing with rifts here?"
"We just need to send medicine and food."
"Wouldn't that be pointless if they can't deal with the rifts? It'll take them a while to catch up."
"True. We were able to move quickly because we were prepared."
Ghislain's preparations allowed him to deal with the rifts so efficiently. Other kingdoms hadn't been as ready.
But Ghislain spoke reassuringly.
"There are monsters in those kingdoms, too. They'll handle the rifts, one by one. It'll be slower than us, but they'll get the job done."
"Monsters?"
"Yes. Monsters like me."
Ghislain smirked. The others looked incredulous.
Sure, other kingdoms probably had powerful individuals, but it was hard to imagine anyone being on Ghislain's level.
After all, Ghislain had defeated both Delmud, a 7th-circle mage, and Tenant, a Master.
Ghislain waved dismissively and continued.
"Anyway, the fight against the Salvation Church isn't something we can do alone. We need as many people working together as possible."
"So for now, we just send medicine and food as aid?"
"Exactly. Sending medicine and food will help a lot. As for dealing with the rifts, others will start to take action soon."
The others looked curious. How did Ghislain, who stayed within this kingdom, know so much about the state of other nations?
But Ghislain had no intention of answering their unspoken questions. Instead, he smiled, lost in memories of his past life.
'I'll see him soon.'
While returning to the past was a blessing, Ghislain regretted losing the bonds he had formed in his previous life.
There were friends he dearly wished to meet again—friends who had never revealed themselves until the rifts appeared.
Of course, there were others, too, who had remained hidden for their own reasons. Seeing them again would bring its own joy.
And then…
There were those who didn't get along with Ghislain—people he would inevitably have to fight.
The rest of the Seven Strongest of the Continent would soon begin to appear, one by one.
[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]