Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Things Are a Bit Dangerous Right Now (3)

Belinda and Gillian couldn’t hide their uncertain expressions after hearing about the reinforcements to be recruited.

The plans Ghislain mentioned were always far beyond common sense.

‘Honestly, it’s hard to believe... but this is the first time Young Lord has explained anything.’

‘If the Young Lord says so, then it must be true.’

Though the two couldn’t fully accept it, they had no choice but to follow along. After all, Ghislain had only explained things out of consideration for them, but it was practically a notification that this was what he intended to do.

When had Ghislain ever acted according to common sense or properly listened to others?

“Well, it seems like the Young Lord has his own plan,” Belinda remarked.

Gillian nodded in agreement.

He thought, just like when Ghislain treated his daughter, there must be something only Ghislain knew.

“Yeah, so hurry and pull yourself together. We’ll be heading out to sell the runestone right away.”

After finally escaping from Belinda’s hold, Ghislain patted Gillian’s shoulder lightly as he spoke.

“Gillian, you should go and rest as well. You haven’t seen Rachel in a while.”

Thanks to the maids who had prepared medicine and cared for her, Rachel’s health had significantly improved.

Elena, who was of a similar age, frequently visited her and spent time with her like a friend.

“She’s been doing well thanks to you, Young Lord. It’s fine.”

“No, you should see her while you have time. Things are going to get busier from now on.”

Gillian faintly smiled.

“Understood. You should rest as well, Young Lord. You need to complete your treatment.”

“Got it. Don’t worry.”

After Gillian withdrew, an overwhelming sense of fatigue swept over Ghislain, but he didn’t go to bed right away.

Even though they had obtained the runestone and everyone was overjoyed, Ghislain couldn’t relax.

“How long will it take?”

The news about obtaining the runestone had already caused quite a commotion among the retainers.

By tomorrow, rumors would start spreading, and it wouldn’t take long before no one in the estate was unaware of it.

This meant that Amelia and the Duke of Delfine would also hear about it.

Just as he had told Belinda and Gillian, they had likely planted people in Ferdium.

“Amelia may be in league with the Duke of Delfine, but... I should assume she’s acting independently.”

The greatest enemy of Ferdium was the Delfine Duchy. Without a doubt, they would move to either take over or weaken Ferdium.

But Amelia wasn’t after the estate. She was after Ghislain.

For someone like Ghislain, who had to fight against the Delfine Duchy, Amelia was like a thorn in his side, constantly irritating him.

“Amelia’s actions could become a significant variable.”

Even this time, he hadn’t expected her to move this quickly.

She would resort to even more extreme measures if she found out that he had obtained the runestone.

“A fortnight? No, if it’s quick, everyone will know within a week.”

The worst possible outcome was, of course, war. But even if war broke out, it wouldn’t be tomorrow. They’d need a justifiable reason to fight.

If they weren’t careful, the lords who weren’t yet allied with them would grow suspicious, so they would likely fabricate some flimsy pretext.

Even if they launched a surprise attack afterward, they’d still need at least some time to prepare for war.

As Gillian had predicted, they would take around two or three months to launch an attack.

While an estate like Ferdium, lacking funds, might take longer, preparing for war wouldn’t require much time for wealthier estates.

“It’s probably the ripest time to strike, too.”

Even though they now had more money, it would still take time for the estate to prosper. Despite the acquisition of the runestone, Ferdium was still a poor and insignificant estate, making it the perfect time for someone to seize it.

“I’ll have no choice but to use all the runestones we got this time.”

No matter how much he prepared and predicted for the future, the outcome would only become apparent after he faced it head-on.

“Give the wine and meat to the mercenaries and divide the fabrics and other necessities among the rest of the servants.”

The maids, their faces brightening, asked,

“Is there nothing you need, Young Lord?”

“No, there’s nothing. You can take it all.”

“Thank you.”

The maids bowed their heads repeatedly.

While the items held no value to Ghislain, for the maids, who were just as poor as the estate itself, they rarely even got a chance to see these things.

‘What’s gotten into the Young Lord? I heard he made a lot of money—maybe it’s true!’

‘Of course, being generous is easier when you’ve got money.’

The maids exchanged glances, unable to hide their delighted expressions.

Recently, the Young Lord had stopped yelling and causing trouble, so they had already noticed a change in him, but to receive gifts like this was almost unbelievable.

Though they still harbored some anxiety, fearing that he might return to being a tyrant at any moment, for now, they were simply happy.

“Tell the visitors that I’ve received their gifts well. Let them know I’ll visit each of them soon.”

“Understood.”

Having dealt with the issues that had arisen while he slept, Ghislain checked his physical condition.

“This is strange.”

Ghislain stood up, wincing from the soreness in his body, and looked at himself in the mirror once more.

The dull, purplish hue that had darkened his face when he had been poisoned was now gone.

He was still gaunt, and his complexion was overly pale, but other than that, there were no major issues.

Puzzled by how much better he felt than expected, he decided to sit down and begin circulating his mana.

After rotating the three cores slowly and observing his body for a long while, Ghislain opened his eyes with a bewildered expression.

“The nature of my mana... has changed.”

Mana is heavily influenced by the training method one uses, their disposition, and their physical constitution.

The nature of mana can differ from person to person depending on the mana cultivation technique one practices and how one wields it.

Originally, his mana was wild and fierce—so uncontrollable that its volatile nature became clear even during battles.

But now, a subtle and insidious energy had crept into that wildness.

It was something Ghislain had never experienced, even in his past life.

“Can the nature of mana really change like this?”

Once mana has accumulated in the body, it is exceedingly rare for its nature to change.

Even mages, who process mana to cast various elemental spells, are no exception.

While mages may use spells to alter the nature of the mana they release forcefully, the intrinsic nature of the mana in their bodies remains the same.

That’s why some mages are naturally better suited to fire magic, while others excel at ice magic, depending on their mana and constitution.

“Could it be... that the poison from the Blood Python mixed with my mana?”

It was an absurd hypothesis, but there was no other explanation.

Ghislain raised his hand, attempting to isolate and move that insidious energy.

However, the energy was so faint that it was difficult to sense unless he concentrated fully, and his physical condition was far from optimal, making it hard to control.

After several more attempts, Ghislain gave up and sighed.

“Alright, no need to rush. I need rest to recover anyway, so I’ll figure it out slowly. Is my improved recovery related to this, too?”

His mind was cluttered with confusion over the unknown phenomenon, but there was no use dwelling on it right now.

“Well, my recovery’s sped up, so that’s a good thing. I’ll be able to move sooner than expected.”

He had thought he’d be bedridden for at least half a month, but things were going better than expected.

Although a strange energy had mixed with his mana, it wasn’t overwhelming, so he figured he could take care of urgent matters first and investigate them later.

Just as Ghislain resolved to take action, someone came to see him.

“Hahaha! So, our Young Lord has finally cleared his throat! You look much better than yesterday—what excellent health! As expected of a true knight among knights, the heir of the estate! Truly manly! Hahaha!”

The man who was laughing heartily while making odd compliments was Randolph, the Knight Commander of the Ferdium estate.