“Pwah! Pwah!” Kaor shoved a middle-aged man’s head into a bucket of water and spoke coldly. “Just talk already, will you?” “Puhah! You scoundrel, what is the meaning of this?!” “What does it look like? I’m here for the medicine and supplies.” “You filthy knave! Do you think you’ll escape with your life after—” Splash! The victim of this water torture was none other than the lord of the territory, who had refused to hand over the requested medicines. Kaor, never one for polite negotiation, had ambushed him and jumped straight to coercion. Kaor’s temper had always been foul, but with the Northern Army and Ghislain’s authority backing him, he no longer feared most nobles. After all, he had both “legitimate” orders and authority behind him. The retainers of the domain, pale-faced, protested desperately. “Stop this at once!” “How can a knight stoop to such barbarism?!” “We’ll file a formal complaint with the Northern Army Commander!” Kaor, sitting casually in a chair, replied with a bored expression. “Go ahead, file it. You know who’s behind us, right? Don’t you know this is on Marquis Branford’s orders?” Kaor, like Claude, loved to flaunt Marquis Branford’s name. Though, truth be told, just invoking Ghislain’s name would have sufficed. With his reputation as a Master-level warrior and a ruthless warlord, Ghislain’s name carried far greater weight. But Belinda’s nagging had made it clear: — “Don’t use the young master’s name for this kind of business. Use Marquis Branford’s name instead, got it?” — “Got it...” Thus, Kaor had enthusiastically embraced the use of Marquis Branford’s name. Because of this, the retainers of the domain dared not attempt to subdue Kaor by force. Truthfully, it wasn’t Marquis Branford they feared most—it was the Northern Army. If they ever turned their blades toward this territory, it would be crushed in an instant. So, the knights and soldiers surrounding Kaor could only hesitate, unsure of what to do. “Kill them! Kill them all at once!” the lord bellowed. But his men, gripped with fear, couldn’t act rashly. Still, one courageous soul stepped forward. The captain of the territory’s knights roared and swung his sword at Kaor. “You scoundrel! Release the lord at once!” Slick! Kaor didn’t even flinch. A Fenris knight who had accompanied the assault team drew his sword in an instant and decapitated the knight captain with a single, clean strike. This knight, a former mercenary from the notorious Mad Dog Company, was now a proud member of the Fenris forces. “Guh...” The knight captain collapsed, his head severed in one decisive blow. The onlookers gasped in horror. While they had heard tales of the Fenris knights’ strength, witnessing it firsthand was another matter entirely. These knights didn’t even look the part—careless and unrefined, they hardly resembled traditional knights. “Hmph.” The Fenris knight wiped the blood from his blade with a smirk and sheathed it. The lord’s retainers and soldiers swallowed hard, their faces pale. ‘These Fenris knights are monsters. We can’t provoke them.’ ‘How did a single knight defeat our captain in one blow?’ ‘But... why does he look like he’s in pain? Why is he bleeding?’ Blood poured from the Fenris knight’s mouth, despite not being struck. The truth was, he had overexerted himself for a flashy kill, pushing his strength to its limit. Without such an extreme effort, he wouldn’t have been able to deliver the one-strike kill. The other knights surrounded him and whispered urgently. “Are you insane?” “If you collapsed, they would’ve swarmed us!” “Quit showing off!” Though jealousy played a part, their concerns were valid. Their numbers were significantly smaller. No matter how skilled the Fenris knights were, they couldn’t take on the overwhelming forces surrounding them. After all, they weren’t Ghislain. Still, with the lord held hostage, negotiations were proceeding in their favor. “Fine, fine! Take it all! Just stop this madness!” the lord cried out. Kaor, tying the lord up with rope, remarked casually. “Well, you are guilty, so you’re coming with us. I can’t strip you of your title myself.” Of course, taking the lord hostage was also a precaution to ensure their safe retreat. Kaor continued his rounds, collecting medicine, supplies, and capturing local lords. Meanwhile, Alfoy approached his tasks with a bit more sophistication. As a mage, he took pride in his role. “Ahem, you’re aware of the Northern Army’s strength, yes? At my command, they could be here in an instant. Also, I am a 5th-Circle mage, in case you’re wondering.” ‘What is wrong with this guy? Why is he acting like the commander of the Northern Army? And why is his tone so childish?’ The lord was baffled by Alfoy’s behavior but didn’t dare question him. After all, Alfoy bore the official seal and banner of the Northern Army. The Northern Army’s reputation had become quite sinister recently. Rumors of them seizing supplies and stripping nobles of their titles had spread far and wide. Though he detested the situation, the lord could do little to resist. Secretly, he was coordinating with neighboring lords to cut off support for the Northern Army at the first opportunity. For now, however, he played along. Offering a small bribe, the lord handed Alfoy a box. “This is a small token of appreciation for your efforts in coming all this way. As you know, the territory has been struggling with Rifts and plagues lately. We truly have nothing hidden.” It was a polite way of saying, Take the bribe and leave. Alfoy opened the box and yelled loudly. “What the hell is this?! Do you think I’m Claude?!” The bribe was far too small. While Claude would have accepted anything without complaint, Alfoy had a mage’s pride to uphold. The lord, confused by the outburst, was taken aback. ‘This is strange. I thought mages liked treasures. He even looks like he’d enjoy them!’ The issue was simple: it wasn’t enough. Misinterpreting Alfoy’s anger as disdain for bribes, the lord stammered apologetically. “I seem to have insulted your honor as a mage. That wasn’t my intention.” The lord reached to take the box back, but Alfoy shouted again. “What are you doing now?!” “Huh? I thought I had made a mistake...” “Argh, you idiot!” “Why are you so angry...?” “I’m giving you a second chance, you fool!” Alfoy’s temper got the better of him, his refined demeanor slipping. The lord, now thoroughly offended, motioned to his knights and soldiers. “Enough. Surround them!” “Ugh...” Alfoy suppressed his anger. He could easily defeat everyone here; he had ten 4th-Circle mages and twenty elite knights with him. Hundreds of soldiers were waiting outside. But he preferred to maintain his elegant image as a mage. After much internal struggle, Alfoy came up with an idea. “Let’s settle this with a game of odds and evens.” “What?” “We’ll play a game. If you win, I’ll leave. What will you wager?” The lord, confused, turned to his retainers for advice. “What is this... odds and evens?” One of the soldiers explained the game, and the lord smirked. “Not just one round—several rounds.” “That works for me.” The lord calculated his odds. If he could win even once, he could send them away. Losing some money wouldn’t be a problem. "Then I'll wager this jewelry box first." "Agreed." And so, the two began gambling. Naturally, the lord had no chance against Alfoy, who was secretly using a spell to cheat. “Heh heh.” The jewelry box on the table quickly became Alfoy’s prize. The lord, undeterred, ordered more valuables to be brought in. "Odd." "Even." "Odd." "Even." As the game went on, the lord's expression darkened. He had already lost an enormous amount of wealth. Initially, he had wagered generously, hoping to end things on a positive note. But how could it be possible to lose every single round? This made no sense. "Are you... cheating me somehow?" "Huh? What are you talking about? Cheating? Do you have proof?" "This is ridiculous!" "Why is it ridiculous?" "Do you think it makes sense to lose every single round in a simple odds-and-evens game?!" "Of course, it makes perfect sense." "What?!" As the lord’s face flushed with anger, Alfoy smirked arrogantly. "I’ve even beaten gods with this." "..." The lord now realized he was dealing with an insane, shameless scammer. To be certain, he seated the domain's court mage next to him to monitor for spells. But the mage shook his head. "I... I don’t sense any magic being used." Alfoy’s cheating spell was crafted with painstaking precision, even sacrificing part of his own soul to perfect it. As a 5th-Circle mage, his magic was far beyond what the 4th-Circle court mage could detect. "Enough. I give up," the lord said, raising his hands in surrender. Having lost a fortune, he admitted defeat. There was no point continuing when he couldn’t even prove the obvious cheating. Alfoy stood up with a satisfied grin, having won every round. "It was a pleasure playing with you. I’ll be on my way now." "...What?" "Take care," Alfoy said with a casual wave, turning to leave. He was in high spirits, having won an amount of wealth he had never imagined touching in his life. ‘Ah, what a missed opportunity! I should’ve arranged something like this sooner. Still, today was fantastic.’ But just as he was about to leave, the mages and knights accompanying him blocked his path, scowling. Only then did Alfoy come to his senses. "Ah, right. I’m here on business." Caught up in his excitement, he had almost left without fulfilling his actual mission. Straightening up, he turned back to the lord and addressed everyone. "Search the place thoroughly and find the medicine. We’ve wasted too much time here, and there are other places to visit." Although he wanted to continue gambling, it was becoming clear the stakes were dwindling. With no concern for decorum, Alfoy abandoned his refined act and had the castle thoroughly ransacked. When they still couldn’t find the medicine, he even set parts of the castle ablaze, causing chaos. In the end, with everything burned and the medicine and supplies confiscated, the furious lord glared at Alfoy. "You lot are out of control. You will regret this." Alfoy wasn’t the least bit intimidated. "Regret? I’ve lived through thousands of regrets already. Do you really think yours will matter to me?" Since joining Fenris, Alfoy had been enslaved and beaten down. Regret had been his constant companion every night, until he had finally given up on life itself. Now, nothing could frighten him. Besides, he was traveling alongside people far more terrifying than any noble and fighting battles against enemies much deadlier. "Let’s go! Tie this bastard up! Criminal scum! Evil bastard!" Thanks to Marquis Branford’s authority, they even had the right to arrest lords. Alfoy, fulfilling his mission with dubious dedication, extracted money, medicine, and supplies while capturing nobles. Their efforts rapidly curbed the spread of the plague. Most of the outbreak had centered around territories governed by selfish lords who refused to cooperate. Meanwhile, areas led by responsible lords who had followed quarantine protocols and boosted production of medicine—particularly regions near the capital—quickly recovered from the plague. Ghislain marked another plague zone off the map and remarked, "We’re almost there." Belinda nodded beside him. "Just a few more regions left. We won’t need to worry about the eastern or Royal Army territories." "Yes, Countess Aylesbury and Lady Rosalyn have done excellent work." Both Mariel and Rosalyn had previously proven their reliability during a drought crisis. Once again, their efforts had minimized what could have been a far greater disaster. To Ghislain, they were invaluable allies. Of course, the support from Marquis Branford and the Royalist faction had also been crucial. Without their backing, such aggressive measures wouldn’t have been possible. "What about the situation abroad?" "It’s chaos everywhere. They’re struggling to contain the Rifts, and the plague is even worse." "Hm... Nothing we can do about that." Ghislain and Marquis Branford’s influence didn’t extend beyond the kingdom’s borders. Some foreign nations had heeded Ghislain’s warnings and taken precautions, but others had recklessly experimented with Rifts and paid the price. One kingdom had even fallen under the control of the Salvation Order. Still, compared to his past life, things were much better. Many territories had been able to hold off the Rifts with their own forces, and the existence of a plague cure was a significant advantage. Other nations were likely ramping up medicine production and reorganizing their armies to combat the Rifts. "Even so, we should offer some help." "We’re already busy handling the Rifts here. How can we afford to help them?" "Just send medicine and food." "But won’t it be pointless if they can’t deal with the Rifts? It could delay things significantly." "True. We’ve been able to move quickly because we prepared in advance." Thanks to Ghislain’s extensive preparations, they were handling the Rifts efficiently. Other nations hadn’t been nearly as proactive. But Ghislain dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. "Even so, other nations have their own monsters. They’ll deal with the Rifts, even if it’s slower than we did." "Monsters?" "Yes, people as monstrous as me." Ghislain smirked, but those around him looked doubtful. Other nations undoubtedly had powerful individuals at the top, but none of them seemed to compare to Ghislain. After all, Ghislain had defeated a 7th-Circle mage like Delmuth and even bested a Master like Tenant. Waving off their skepticism, Ghislain continued, "In any case, fighting the Salvation Order isn’t something we can do alone. The more people working together, the better." "So for now, just medicine and food?" "Yes, that’ll make a big difference. Others will step up to deal with the Rifts." Some of those present looked curious. How did Ghislain, who never left the kingdom, know so much about foreign affairs? Ghislain, however, had no intention of satisfying their curiosity. Instead, he smiled to himself, his thoughts elsewhere. ‘I’ll be seeing that guy again soon.’ Returning to the past had its perks, but it also meant losing the good relationships he had built in his previous life. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢 There was one friend he was especially eager to meet again—a friend who had never shown themselves until the Rifts appeared. And there were others as well. People who had remained hidden due to their own circumstances. Meeting them again would be another source of joy. Of course, there were also those who didn’t get along with Ghislain, or who would inevitably end up fighting him. Soon, the other members of the continent’s Seven Powers would begin to reveal themselves one by one.