Episode 86: I have to get half of it. (1)
When the topic of rune stones came up, everyone looked at Giselle with expectant expressions.
Her eyes were so bright that it was burdensome.
It is embarrassing to offer a hand out to the first-ranked contributor, let alone a reward, but I still need to receive the rune stone to help the estate’s finances recover.
It is not something you should hesitate to do because it is embarrassing.
But I couldn’t ask for it outright. The rune stone was something that Giselle had obtained entirely.
In the end, all the vassals could do was use the method handed down from the whales: the relay of compliments, also known as flattery or flattery.
Homer, who had been observing the situation, was the first to step forward and shouted loudly.
“Your Majesty’s deeds will forever be remembered in history! The victory in the Battle of Ferdium is entirely yours! All the bards of the continent will praise and spread the word about your achievements! The previous lord of Ferdium, Count Dante Ferdium… … .”
When it seemed as if Homer would continue speaking for too long, Albert immediately cut him off.
“There are very few war heroes of your age who have been as active as yours. No one in any other territory can match yours.”
“Ahem, the Archduke has certainly accomplished something great. He’s a good fighter.”
As Randolph continued to praise him, the rest of the vassals also began to chatter.
“It’s a huge record.”
“Even the people of Yeongji cannot help but be amazed.”
“The whole territory is filled with rumors about the Grand Duke. It’s truly amazing.”
In fact, the rumors were so exaggerated that the vassals who had not seen Jiselle in action had a hard time believing them completely.
However, those who went to the battlefield all unanimously praised the Archduke, saying, “He played a decisive role in the victory.”
So, what, I couldn’t help but give them some praise for doing a good job. It didn’t cost any money.
In a friendly atmosphere, compliments continued endlessly.
Jiselle, who had been receiving a lot of compliments while smiling, opened her mouth in satisfaction.
“I don’t have the rune stone right now.”
It was a remark that poured cold water. The vassals who had been muttering stopped talking.
Homer asked back, as if he had misheard.
“What? What’s missing?”
“There are no rune stones.”
The servants thought that the Grand Duke was playing a prank again.
Some people looked at Giselle with suspicious eyes. It was obvious that they were suspicious that she was changing her words because she was afraid of losing her temper.
Homer, feeling frustrated, spoke urging him on.
“No, you said you would give it to me. What do you mean you don’t have it? Didn’t you smuggle a lot of it out before the war?”
“Oh, that? I don’t have it.”
“……why?”
“You didn’t know. It all blew up. Boom!”
Jiselle spread her arms and made exaggerated gestures.
“Is it going to explode?”
So many runestones exploded. Where on earth were they used?
Albert, whose head was spinning rather quickly, asked in a trembling voice.
“No way? The fire used for that trap… … No way, with those rune stones?”
Just hearing about the magical fire that Giselle used was incredible.
There were quite a few people who wondered how magic of that level of power could be used.
It was finally the moment when the truth was revealed.
“Yes, I placed a bunch of rune stones underground and then blew them up.”
It was a casual tone, like burning a few pieces of firewood.
All the attendants were so embarrassed that they just opened their mouths and couldn’t say anything.
When Jiselle briefly explained the principle of the trap, the vassals stumbled.
Is there a case where a runestone was blown away just to make a single trap? There probably isn’t one in the entire history of the continent.
That alone is terrifying, but to think that he even used up all that huge amount of data.
It was the same as saying that several cartloads of gold coins had been burned.
That amount would be enough to comfortably sustain even the great lords for several years.
In Ferdium, it was an amount that could last at least ten years, and if you continued to save like you were doing now, even twenty years.
Zwalter, who thought he had become accustomed to his son’s antics, also turned pale.
Homer cried out, beating his chest in frustration.
“No, you’re just going to throw all that into a trap?! Wouldn’t it have been better to give half to Raypold or Desmond and get help from the High Lords? That would have been more realistic! If you gave them that many runestones, the other Lords would have come running!”
“They came from Desmond.”
“What did you say?”
Everyone’s eyes widened as they heard words even more shocking than the news about the Rune Stone.
“How could a poor estate like Digald afford such a force? Desmond provided support.”
“Why would a great lord like Desmond target us?”
“It must be because of the rune stone.”
Actually, there may be another reason, and it is not Desmond but the Duke of Delphine who is behind it.
Jiselle decided not to talk right now, to avoid any confusion.
Zwalter asked back in a trembling voice.
“Really? Is it really Desmond?”
“That’s right. Let me show you the evidence.”
Giselle nodded to Gillian.
A moment later, Gillian arrived, dragging three knights bound in chains.
They were Desmond’s knights who had infiltrated Ferdium and been captured.
At that time, Giselle had deliberately sacrificed her life to take advantage of them.
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“These are Desmond’s knights who infiltrated during the war.”
They looked very tired and had a world-weary look on their faces.
Mana suppression handcuffs made from runestones aren’t very effective to begin with.
It doesn’t work well with the powerful.
Even the ones that Ferdium had were so cheap that they couldn’t even suppress half of the knights’ mana.
To subdue the knights, you had no choice but to equip multiple mana suppression tools.
On top of that, he was tied up tightly in chains, so even if he was a knight, there was no way he would be in good health.
“Please ask yourself.”
Zwalter asked with a mocking expression.
“Who are you?”
A knight opened his chapped lips.
“Desmond’s article is correct.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Explain to me why you attacked our territory!”
At Zwalter’s enraged words, the knight slowly began to explain.
I don’t know the exact reason, but it’s probably because of the runestones. Most of the lords still don’t know about the runestones of Ferdium, so it seems like they’re trying to get them first…
The knight spoke plainly as he knew.
They were holding on to that hope, having received a promise that if they cooperated, they would be released later when the time was right.
In the first place, I was so scared of Giselle that I didn’t even have the courage to lie.
After the interrogation was over, Zwalter and his men all had heavy expressions and were unable to continue speaking.
Even if the war was won, it was very unsettling and burdensome to be at odds with a great lord like Desmond.
No, honestly, I was so scared that my hands were shaking.
Jiselle, who was slowly looking around Daejeon, said.
“From now on, we should keep our distance from Desmond as much as possible. We can’t fight him. Externally, it was only Digald who invaded our side.”
In the end, it’s nothing more than turning a blind eye.
Since Desmond has manipulated his troops into thinking they are Digald’s soldiers, we have no choice but to overlook the slight weaknesses.
“The other lords aren’t fools either. They’ll probably figure it out in time. So they won’t side with Desmond… … but they won’t actively help us either.”
Desmond is a powerful lord in the North. The only territory that can stand up to Desmond is Leipold.
However, the relationship between Leipold and Ferdium was already at its worst.
The attendants all remained silent. Jiselle continued.
“If there is a guarantee that peace will be gained by offering the Runestone, then we should do so. However, once we ask for help, the other party will be greedier. Whether it is Raypold or Desmond. It will be difficult and hard, but we must protect ourselves with our own strength.”
Everyone nodded quietly at the calm voice.
It wasn’t a wrong statement, as there were many realistic difficulties.
“I will bring you the runestones that I have. Since everyone knows that I have runestones, they will wait for a while. If you also inform the people of the territory that relief supplies will be coming soon, the people’s hearts will be quickly restored.”
Zwalter looked at Giselle with a slightly admiring look.
Although it was a shame that I couldn’t receive the rune stone right away, I was surprised and happy to see my son’s new appearance.
I always thought he was just a child, but how can he be so trustworthy?
The vassals also made similar expressions as Zwalter at the sight of the Archduke’s dignified appearance.
However, Homer was both happy and a little afraid of Giselle’s growth.
‘Now there is no one who can stop the Archduke.’
Before, I only asked the Grand Duke for some money.
However, with the help of his activities in this war, and the contribution he made in finding out the mastermind behind the war, the atmosphere of the war began to revolve around Jiselle.
Even now, in this very place, no one among the guests could refute Jiselle’s words and was only nodding.
Of course, this time it wasn’t a mistake, so Homer didn’t say anything… … .
I just wanted to prevent the atmosphere from becoming one where people blindly follow Giselle’s words.
It’s good that the Archduke has changed. But since we don’t know why he changed, who knows when he’ll go back to how he was!
His main belief was that people do not change easily.
‘But… … Now I can’t stop it or stop it.’
Already, Giselle had an absolute, if not enormous, influence on the territory.
Gulp.
A dry mouth came out on its own.
I wanted to know why the Archduke had changed.
Did the war make the Archduke grow like this in an instant? Or was he always like this?
Have you been hiding yourself until now? Or was there some reason for it?
It was frustrating because I didn’t know why it had changed and I couldn’t understand the way of thinking.
In an atmosphere so quiet that not a single breath could be heard, Giselle raised her voice again.
“Send a messenger to Count Loges again and solidify our alliance. This will not end as long as Desmond is the enemy.”
The vassals’ faces were filled with anxiety at the mention of a powerful lord as their enemy.
But Giselle continued speaking without paying attention.
Unlike before, now that a clear enemy has emerged, the territory must also change.
“Besides Desmond, there might be someone else too. Ferdium can’t stop everything alone, so we definitely need someone on the same side.”
We could not continue to depend on the North and neglect our rear, so we needed a force to unite with.
Zwalter nodded heavily.
“Understood. I will send another messenger and have a close talk with Count Rogers.”
He thought for a moment and then continued.
“I will postpone the rewards for the remaining ones for a while. When Jisel brings the remaining runestones, I will give them to the people of the territory first and then reward them.”
Some of the reporters looked slightly disappointed, but most nodded their heads in agreement.
Now, if you opposed it, you would be stoned and dragged away.
Anyway, since Giselle didn’t give me the rune stone, I didn’t have the money to give a reward.
When everyone agreed, Zwalter looked at Giselle and continued speaking.
“I promised to give you 2000 gold, but I guess I’ll just take the money and give it back to you after taking a little bit from it. I don’t think you need the money much. Is there anything else you need?”
Jiselle nodded as if she had been waiting.
Of course, I had no intention of just letting this hardship pass.
Even if the other party is family, a mercenary must be paid according to the work done.
I had no intention of moving on to a reward of only 2000 gold.
Besides, there were so many things needed to prepare for the future.
“Before that, let me ask you one thing. What do you plan to do with the Digald County, Father?”
Zwalter stroked his chin for a moment, thinking.
Since the territory suddenly expanded, there was no way there could have been a detailed plan.
“Well, for now, I plan to send out administrators to govern the territory directly, and then distribute land to vassals who have made some meritorious contributions. Of course, I will have to accept those who have sworn allegiance.”
“Okay, then I’ll tell you what reward I want.”
“Haha, okay, good. Tell me anything.”
Giselle answered Zwalter with a soft smile as he spoke with a friendly smile.
“I will receive half of that land.”
Everyone’s faces, including Zwalter’s, were filled with shock.
