The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

---

Chapter 634: How About Coming to Our Territory? (2)

Ghislaine subtly glanced at Marquis Gideon and quickly continued speaking.

“Since we’re going to have fun anyway, let’s do it in our territory. Once we gather some information, we can go after those guys right away.”

“Hmm…”

“Parniel has agreed too. The Salvation Society has completely vanished, right? It’s better to use our network than wandering around alone looking for them.”

“That’s a reasonable point.”

“Right? Anyway, everyone we know has decided to come to our territory, so wouldn’t it be nice if you joined us?”

Gideon still looked skeptical as he asked in concern, “Yulien won’t be overburdened, will she?”

The Ruthania Kingdom, especially the Territory of Penris, was notoriously busy with tasks.

Moreover, Gideon had watched Ghislaine handle work several times.

Her manner of working was nothing short of chaotic. The results were always correct, but the process was agonizing.

Knowing this perception, Ghislaine chuckled.

“Oh, it’ll just be about having fun and eating. There won’t be any risks or busy tasks now, right?”

Ghislaine wasn’t lying.

Once they returned, they planned to develop the territory and eradicate the Forest of Monsters to unveil past truths.

However, Ghislaine considered it a camping trip to enjoy the forest and nature with friends.

The military power of Penris was at its peak throughout the kingdom’s history.

And if Yulien participated? The Forest of Monsters would be no more challenging than a goblin woods.

Given that, it could indeed be described as just having fun and eating, couldn’t it?

Unaware that the definitions of “fun and eating” differed, Gideon was persuaded by Ghislaine’s earnest attitude and nodded.

“I think it wouldn’t be bad, Yulien. I’ll stabilize things domestically while you stay in Penris for a while.”

Yulien was already disliked by the king. During the process of securing the rewards for the soldiers, the king’s hostility towards Yulien and the nobles had only grown.

Gideon hoped they wouldn’t interfere with Yulien.

Yulien had strong support from the soldiers, and public sentiment was firmly on her side. They should be grateful that she had no interest in power.

“I will take care of everything.”

Gideon thought he had to seize strong power for Yulien.

He had enough strength for that.

While he stabilized the country leading the army, it seemed that Penris would be the only comfortable place for Yulien to rest.

Yulien fell into thought for a moment.

“Which path should I choose?”

Her intuition was clearly telling her to find Gathros. But upon hearing Ghislaine’s suggestion, her mind wavered a little.

The feeling of needing to find Gathros was stronger, but she couldn’t be sure if that feeling was correct.

Having lost trust in her supernatural instincts, Yulien pondered for a moment before nodding.

“Alright, I’ll rely on you for a while.”

When unsure how to judge, she follows Ghislaine’s judgment. That had been the principle Yulien established while in war.

Hadn’t she always said she would trust Ghislaine’s judgment?

And personally, it seemed like a better option. At least the people of Ruthania didn’t seem particularly uncomfortable around her.

In fact, they even treated her with a level of comfort that was sometimes incomprehensible. Especially Alfoy and Claude.

“You’ve made a good decision. Let’s make the most of it.”

Ghislaine grinned. It would be a waste for someone like Yulien to use her strength on trivial matters. That power should be used for “proper” pursuits.

Moreover, Yulien didn’t exactly have anywhere special to invest her feelings.

Ghislaine had seen many instances in her past life where the King of Turian would regularly provoke Yulien and refuse to cooperate on matters related to her.

If her father treated her that way, how would the other nobles act? They had undoubtedly plotted countless schemes behind the scenes to pull Yulien down.

“It’s better to come to our territory and be together.”

That was her sincere feeling. Wouldn’t it be unacceptable for a friend who fought for the world to be treated like that?

When Yulien accepted Ghislaine’s proposal, Gideon felt slightly relieved.

Having Yulien in the Turian Kingdom, where icy winds would blow, wouldn’t be beneficial.

Thus, Ghislaine moved with Yulien towards the Ruthania Kingdom.

*

“Wowwwww!”

“The Grand Duke has arrived!”

“The hero who saved the continent!”

The streets of the capital, Cardenia, overflowed with people.

In every corner, from windows to rooftops, people were gathered. It was as if the entire city was alive, the cheers spreading out like waves.

“Our savior!”

“Long live the Grand Duke!”

“The protector of Ruthania!”

The countless voices resonated together in a roar like thunder.

Children rode on their parents’ shoulders, waving small hands, while elders reddened their eyes with deep bows.

Petals constantly fluttered in the sky. Some were tossing them from windows, while others from balconies in handfuls.

Red rose petals, white lily petals, and yellow marigold petals danced down on the spring breeze.

“Wooowwww!”

“Look over here!”

“O goddess! Bless the Grand Duke!”

With each pass of Ghislaine on the Black King, the crowd erupted into even more fervent cheers.

The congratulatory banners hanging throughout the streets fluttered in the wind. The grand celebration music played by the band resounded.

Bouquets thrown by people piled up around the feet of the Black King.

The famine, the rift, the plague, the civil war, and the wars entangled with all the nations of the continent. Everyone had suffered for a long time.

The deep wounds had still not completely healed, but for today, it seemed everyone had forgotten their pain.

The streets of Cardenia were filled with the heat of celebration. The faces of the people bore genuine joy for the first time in a while.

At the center stood Ghislaine. Thanks to Ghislaine, people had been able to hold onto hope amidst their suffering, and at last, their perseverance was rewarded with the joy of victory.

“Wooooowwww!”

Amidst the cheers, an old lady by the road smiled while holding her grandson.

“Peace will come now…”

It was a wish everyone sincerely hoped for. The people filling the streets engraved this moment deeply in their hearts.

The historic moment when the war ended and peace began.

The procession of people continued all the way to the royal castle. By the time Ghislaine arrived in front of the castle, someone was already waiting for him.

Dismounting, Ghislaine walked forward.

“Ghislaine!”

Zvalter approached with sparkling eyes, appearing emotional. Next to him were Homern, Albert, Randolf, Fergus, and others from Perdium.

“My son, my son has finally returned.”

With a trembling voice, Zvalter smiled, still looking simple after all this time even though he had become a king.

“I’m back, Father.”

“Yes, yes. You’ve worked hard. Really hard. Let’s go inside.”

Ghislaine definitely fought harder against the Salvation Society than anyone else. As a father, Zvalter felt proud of that, but it was also true he had worried about him every single day.

When Elena returned first, she had run out barefoot, tears streaming down her face.

Now, thinking of his son in the Grand Duke’s position, he was doing his best to maintain dignity.

Seeing his father’s face that had aged so much in such a short time, Ghislaine let out a hearty laugh.

“No, it looks like you’ve suffered more than during the war.”

“Don’t even mention it. I feel like I shouldn’t have become a king. It makes me want to throw it all away and go home.”

Zvalter shook his head.

For someone without a sense of responsibility, the throne is an endless source of pleasure. But for those with responsibility, the throne is an endless source of pain.

Zvalter was the latter. He had been toiling day and night to save the kingdom ravaged by continuous disasters.

His retainers under him felt the same. Homern, Albert, and Randolf spoke with drawn faces.

“Can we just go back home?”

“It seems tougher than when we were poor.”

“Ah, I just want to throw everything aside and go home!”

They had clamored about wanting to sit in higher positions, yet now they wanted nothing more than to quit. Other retainers from Perdium felt the same.

It was an impossible task for them from the start. Managing just the Territory of Perdium was on a completely different level than managing the entire kingdom.

The only reason they had managed to hold on thus far was because so many people had helped.

“Grand Duke, I’m really glad you returned safely.”

Meriel and Rosalyn smiled warmly as they greeted.

Ghislaine returned their smiles cheerfully. It was no exaggeration to say the kingdom stabilized rapidly thanks to the two of them.

Managing a vast financial system of the kingdom required at least two people with experience, after all.

Meriel looked at Ghislaine with a nostalgic smile.

‘It feels like just yesterday we were selling cosmetics.’

That was already a few years ago. The greenhorn noble from the outlands had now become the most influential man on the continent.

Meriel had recognized the potential of that cosmetic early on and wholeheartedly supported Ghislaine. The same went for the subsequent wars.

Thanks to her keen insight, the Ailzbur family had become the most prestigious noble family in the capital.

After exchanging greetings happily, Meriel subtly nudged Rosalyn toward Ghislaine.

Ghislaine smiled again at Rosalyn.

“Thanks to the two of you, I’ve heard the kingdom has stabilized rapidly. I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, it’s just what I’m supposed to do.”

Rosalyn seemed a bit shy, which wasn’t like her at all.

But Ghislaine didn’t take much notice. As they entered the castle, he began asking Rosalyn about his curiosities first.

“How is the sales of cosmetics going?”

Rosalyn was in charge of everything related to cosmetics; even Claude wasn’t well-versed in it. They had taken a significant hit in sales due to the war.

The corners of Rosalyn’s mouth slightly trembled. But she couldn’t show any anger in front of the king and ministers. She replied calmly.

“Since the collapse of the Salvation Society, sales have started to increase again. We’re currently considering trade with other kingdoms, so it should ramp up even more in the future.”

“Oh! That’s truly great news.”

Ghislaine beamed. Finally, cosmetics were about to spread globally. As expected from Rosalyn, she had been fully prepared.

Considering the costs of the reconstruction ahead, the more money, the better.

Ghislaine took the opportunity to walk side by side, questioning various things he had been curious about.

“What about the Arrow Delivery and road construction?”

“It’s still ongoing. We’re employing as many laborers as possible as part of our economic stimulus policy…”

The projects run at the kingdom level had a lot of Rosalyn’s touch involved. After all, she was currently serving as the kingdom’s treasurer along with Meriel.

Rosalyn was exceptionally good at handling jobs. No matter what Ghislaine asked, she answered smoothly.

“What about the costs for soldiers’ armaments…”

“The distribution of wheat and meat is also…”

“Since rifts still remain, the production of medicine must continue…”

As their discussion went on, Rosalyn’s face grew more expressionless. It was because Ghislaine kept bringing up financial matters.

In the increasingly chilly atmosphere, Zvalter awkwardly coughed.

“Ahem, Ghislaine. Everyone hasn’t seen you in a while. Can’t we talk about work later? For now, shouldn’t we unpack and have dinner…”

Even though he was the king, addressing Rosalyn, the daughter of Marquis Branford, still required caution.

But Ghislaine was the kind of person who prioritized what he wanted to do.

“Just a moment. This is important, so I need to gather some information first…”

At Ghislaine’s words, Meriel shrugged her shoulders and slightly pulled back.

After that, Ghislaine continued to ask about important financial matters, nodding satisfactorily.

“I see. Now I feel it’s more comforting. Anyway, the kingdom’s ‘finances’…”

Just as financial discussions were about to come up again, Rosalyn finally exploded. She suddenly stopped and shouted.

“Hey! Do you have anything to say to me other than about money! Why do you keep talking about money the moment we meet? What else! What else do you want to ask? Is it because the finances seem tight! Since there are too many tasks, is the finance lacking? Should I bring the ledgers here?”

“…Thank you for taking charge.”

“…”

A moment of awkward silence passed. Indeed, one should listen to a person till the end.

Everyone quietly stood still, staring at Rosalyn.

Taking a big breath, Rosalyn bowed her head towards Zvalter.

“Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness. I may have lost control for a moment.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I understand you’re working tirelessly day and night for the kingdom. I can fully appreciate your feelings, so don’t worry too much. After all, he’s my son, but he’s usually just a bit weird.”

Rosalyn once again bowed and took out her fan.

Swoosh.

Covering her face, she shot a glare at Ghislaine before quickly fleeing the scene.

At this moment, everyone stared at Ghislaine. He coughed awkwardly, feeling embarrassed.

“Later… I’ll apologize. Somehow.”

People clicked their tongues. It was quite clear that he had no interest in anything other than fighting and work.

Zvalter shook his head.

“You really… Sigh, who will deal with that? When are you ever going to get married?”

“…”

Now that the war was over, everyone had to care about Ghislaine’s marriage problem like before. He was no longer just the heir of the kingdom.

Of course, Ghislaine still had no interest in such matters. He had so much to do.

Worried that the topic of marriage would come up again, Ghislaine cut in.

“I’ll take my leave first.”

“Where are you going? It’s been a while, and we should catch up and talk, right?”

“I’ll come until the dinner. There’s someone I need to meet right away.”

“Who? Everyone will be at dinner anyway, so what’s the rush?”

“I’ll go meet the Elf Great Chief.”

Ereness had returned to the Ruthania Kingdom with Claude and was living alone in a certain place.

She hadn’t participated in any kingdom events and had refused all requests for meetings from nobles, completely avoiding the outside.

She would probably skip dinner as well. So Ghislaine thought of visiting her first.

‘Arterion was definitely not normal.’

She needed to ask more details about the past when meeting with her.

Why the dragon had gone insane.

And whether she knew anything about the mysterious energy that had invaded Yulien’s body.