I should have gone when you said you’d send me episode 97. (1)
The next morning, Anna stood in front of the inn, looking around restlessly.
He had an anxious expression, as if he was looking for someone.
She was stamping her feet in frustration, holding a five hundred gold note in her hand.
Standing next to him were Gordon and five mercenaries.
Anna exchanged a few words with Gordon, then sat down, grabbing his arm.
Despite my earnest appeal, Gordon continued to shake his head.
Eventually, she burst into tears.
Claude, who had been watching the scene from hiding, smiled bitterly.
Belinda asked, her brows furrowed as if she did not understand.
“Can’t we just go together? You’re looking for me so desperately.”
Claude was silent for a moment, then answered self-mockingly.
“Actually, Anna knows that it’s not my fault. We’re all victims.”
“So, you two can live well from now on! Our territory has good air and water.”
Claude shook his head slowly.
“I love Anna, but every time I see her, painful memories come back to me. I guess Anna feels the same way.”
“You know it’s not your fault, Anna. It’ll be okay.”
“Even if Anna is okay… … what right would I have to stay by her side after causing my master’s death?”
“You couldn’t help it, right? That’s just because you’re stupid… … . Oops, sorry.”
Belinda, who had said what she really wanted without thinking, also covered her mouth in surprise.
Claude didn’t get angry, he just chuckled.
“That’s right. I was always stupid. The master wanted me to live and become a great scholar of the kingdom… … But instead, I became a loser and a gambling addict.”
“But if you do this, you’ll end up running away. It’s better to do better in the future.”
Despite Belinda’s accusations, Claude lowered his head and let out a soft breath.
After a long silence, he whispered softly.
“If we just bury each other in our memories… … and live like that… … there will come a time when we can become indifferent to that pain. I just hope that Anna will be like that too.”
Belinda turned her head away, displeased.
In the distance, Anna could be seen still crying, covering her face.
Although I didn’t like it, I understood what Claude was saying.
No matter how much you love someone, can you live the rest of your life looking at the man who killed your father?
Even if you think it’s okay, you won’t be able to stop yourself from feeling resentful from time to time.
Claude too will be plagued by guilt for the rest of his life.
It’s a pain that’s hard to imagine unless you’re the one experiencing it.
So I couldn’t blame him anymore.
Jiselle, who was quietly looking out the window, asked.
“Do you regret it?”
“Yes, I regret it every night, thinking I will never live so foolishly again. I will never fall for such shallow tricks again.”
“That’s enough. I did that too.”
“I guess you’ve been through something like that too, Your Majesty. You seem to have caused a lot of trouble. Your face looks exactly like that.”
“Well, I’m trying to fix that regret now. I’m trying my best.”
Claude shrugged his shoulders and made a sarcastic expression as if to say, “When has he ever felt bitter?”
“Oh, the mood is really bad. Actually, I’m not the type of person to ruin the mood like that.”
Jiselle also smiled and nodded.
“I know. He’s a guy who complains a lot. But he’s also good at his job. I look forward to the future.”
“I don’t know what you believe in and expect so much. Even if you tell me to return it later, I can’t return it. I don’t have the money.”
“Don’t worry. There are many ways to get it.”
“It’s scary, it’s scary.”
Claude watched Anna and the mercenaries leave with a smirk.
Anna will dedicate her life to compiling the history of the Kingdom of Ceylon.
It was also the legacy of the man who was her teacher and father.
Originally, Claude was also involved in this… … .
It was a shame that I couldn’t do that anymore.
But I wasn’t too worried.
There were still many professors in the academy who respected their teacher.
They will take good care of Anna.
“I feel relieved. Now I feel like I can finally take a step forward.”
Claude glanced at Anna’s back as she walked away, then turned around.
I hope she will be happy in the future and that I will be forgotten.
I slowly let go of the memories and regrets of the past.
* * *
As soon as Anna left, Giselle and her group also set off for the Fenris territory.
It had been a long time since the estate had been vacant, so I had to return as quickly as possible and organize the estate.
Claude shook off his melancholy thoughts by imagining the estate he would inhabit in the future.
‘If you can afford to shell out thousands of gold coins, you must come from a fairly wealthy family.’
He glanced at the back of Giselle’s head as she walked ahead.
‘Besides, he ascended to the position of lord at such a young age. He must have been given the family fief, so the lord’s father must have been at least a count. Maybe a duke?’
Even if he wasn’t a duke, he was definitely a great lord.
Claude shook his head as he counted the names he knew among the high-ranking nobles of Rutania.
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‘It’s burdensome. If it’s such a great family, there must be many talented people.’
Although he was a little worried, Claude was not scared.
Although I wasted a bit of my life by living like a loser in a gambling house, I am now free from all shackles.
From now on, you just have to focus on work.
There was no need to lose confidence from the beginning.
Claude asked about the territory in advance, hoping to find out a little bit about it, but Giselle said she would find out when she got there, avoiding the question.
I asked Belinda slyly, but she had the same reaction.
“Oh, it’s just a place with good water and good air.”
“Please tell me a little more. I’m looking forward to seeing how great the territory is.”
“Hmm, go and see for yourself. I don’t know either.”
Belinda seemed uncomfortable with the constant questioning and ran away.
Claude laughed bitterly.
‘What do you not know? It seems like you are expecting me to be surprised when you see Yeongji living well… … . Do you think I am a country bumpkin?’
It was obvious. It was obvious that he was just trying to make a country bumpkin look surprised at the sight of a large, wealthy estate.
‘You guys are so confident. Let’s see how good you are.’
Claude clenched his fists and strained his eyes.
Belinda, who had been watching the scene, quietly asked Giselle.
“That person doesn’t look very well.”
“Leave him alone. He’s secretly a bit of a temper breaker, so don’t provoke him unnecessarily.”
“How much more so must he be, when he is the kind of person who even tells nobles to kill him.”
Belinda shook her head.
“But are you really okay? I wonder if you’re running away after seeing the state of your spirit.”
“I told you he’s a hothead. Don’t worry, if you scratch his pride a little, he’ll get angry and come running at you.”
Jiselle whispered, giggling.
Belinda clicked her tongue inwardly at the sight of his smiling eyes.
I felt a little sorry for Claude, who was burning with enthusiasm without knowing anything.
* * *
After riding for several days, we finally crossed the border of Rutania.
Until then, Claude had no particular thoughts.
‘Even a powerful country has nothing special in its borders.’
It didn’t look any different from the outskirts of the Kingdom of Seiron.
Since the area near the border was originally a backward area, Claude also passed it over.
But the farther we got from the border, the more doubts we began to have.
‘Something feels strange. Why does it seem like we keep heading north? And the further we go in, the more it seems like there’s nothing there.’
Claude didn’t know where the Fenris domain was. In reality, he was already in Giselle’s domain, but he thought it was just a domain he was passing through.
The small towns we occasionally saw along the way seemed poorer than the slums of Austin.
Claude frowned without realizing it.
‘Wow, there are so many poor estates. How on earth does the lord rule them? No, it would be more correct to say that he didn’t rule them, but rather took them away.’
Claude looked around the surrounding village with a sad look on his face and said to Giselle.
“If we get the chance in the future, I don’t mind taking over this place.”
“what?”
Even in his past life, Claude was known for being outspoken.
Jiselle also really liked him because he expressed his opinions openly without worrying about what others thought… … .
“The people here are trash. If I saw their real faces, I would want to spit on them.”
“… … .”
“The fact that the people of Yeongji are this poor is proof that the lord is incompetent. Naturally, the military power is weak… … There are no facilities, and what we have is outdated, so there’s nothing left to eat. There’s a lot of empty land, so it would be good to occupy it and use it as a rear supply base.”
“Oh, really?”
“Of course, we need to raise our standard of living little by little. It may cost a lot of money and be difficult in the short term, but it will be beneficial in the long term.”
“Oh, um… … . Right. We think similarly.”
“That’s fortunate. Let’s take this opportunity to cut off the lord’s head.”
“Oh, that’s a bit.”
Claude insisted strongly, his eyes shining.
Jiselle looked embarrassed.
That neck you told me to cut, that’s my neck, right?
“Your Majesty, you grew up in a wealthy estate, so you probably wouldn’t be interested in a poor estate like this. However, a great lord must look after every single grain of rice without fail.”
“I didn’t grow up that rich and prestigious.”
Although Giselle objected, Claude was busy saying what he wanted to say.
It seemed like he had no intention of listening to what Giselle had to say.
“If you allow me, I will somehow come up with a pretext for war.”
Claude was very vocal about his opinions, but Giselle had nothing to say.
“Oh, okay… … . I’ll look forward to it.”
Claude was getting tired of Giselle’s lukewarm attitude.
He tried to change Giselle’s mind by cursing the owner of the estate.
At that moment, Belinda stretched and exclaimed in relief.
“Wow, we’re finally here!”
Claude, who had been talking so loudly that his mouth was about to burst, turned around and looked at her with such force that it seemed as if his neck was about to snap.
“What are you bringing?”
Belinda answered, puzzled.
“You’re saying we’ll be arriving at Yeongju Castle soon? Didn’t you know that it’s been our territory since the border? Well, it’s the combined territory of three baronies, so it’s quite large.”
“Not somewhere else, but here?”
Belinda nodded silently.
Claude asked again with an expression that said he couldn’t understand.
“why?”
“This is our territory, so we call it our territory, but if you ask why… … .”
Claude, with a sad face, looked back at Giselle.
“Are you… joking?”
“No, this is my territory.”
Jiselle chuckled.
Claude shouted at that mean expression.
“Oh, that doesn’t make sense!”
“what?”
“If Yeongji is so poor, how can the lord have so much money? Could it be that the lord is the one who squeezed the people of Yeongji?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Claude looked around at his companions anxiously.
Belinda, Gillian, and the mercenaries all stood in their places, staring blankly at themselves.
It wasn’t a playful atmosphere.
I tried not to show it, but my voice was trembling.
“Excuse me… What does your father do, my lord?”
“My father is the Count of Perdium, further north than here.”
Claude felt a little relieved.
A marquis is a high-ranking noble who receives the treatment of a marquis.
The Counts mostly held stronger military power and autonomy than other lords.
“Byung-baek… … Then Ferdium must be more developed than this territory?”
Jiselle stroked her chin for a moment, thinking, then smiled brightly.
“It’s better than here, but it’s also known for being poor. It’s hard to develop because of the forest of demons and the barbarians.”
Only then did Claude realize what Belinda had meant.
– Ah, it’s just a place with good water and good air.
‘Since there’s nothing, of course the water and air will be good!’
Cold sweat ran down Claude’s spine like a waterfall.
The idea that Youngji is wealthy is not a problem in itself.
It’s a little embarrassing, but it was understandable to be mistaken.
However, the problem was that because of that misconception, he talked nonsense in front of me, saying that I should cut off the head of the evil lord.
‘Oh, I still have a long way to go.’
I thought I had fully realized how scary the world was, but it seems I still lacked self-discipline.
Claude smiled awkwardly and slowly backed away.
‘In times like this, it’s best to just run away. A casino would be better than here. Anna, wait! I’ll be back soon!’
Jiselle noticed his intentions and snickered.
I heard rude things like, “The territory is ruined,” or “Let’s kill the lord,” but I wasn’t that angry.
He agrees that this place is really shitty.
‘But I can’t forgive you for running away.’
As Giselle gestured, the mercenaries moved stealthily and surrounded Claude.
If you try to turn left, Gillian will block you, and if you turn slightly to the right, this time Belinda will block you.
Claude broke out in a cold sweat. He couldn’t see any way out.
Jiselle approached him and put her arm around his shoulder.
“I’ve heard your thoughts. I really like how motivated you are. Let’s do our best in the future.”
Claude lowered his head at the voice that sounded like the devil’s whisper.
‘I should have gone when you said you would send me. I miss you, Anna.’
