Skoban, who had been locked up in the prison, leaned against the wall, letting out deep sighs.

“Ah, I must’ve been crazy. Why did I do that?”

Thinking logically, no matter how skilled the Grand Duke was in swordsmanship, it was impossible to survive the Forest of Beasts. If it were that easy, the territory would have already ventured into the forest to develop it long ago.

But the Grand Duke had been so confident that Skoban had believed him without realizing it.

“There wasn’t a single reason to trust him.”

Because of his false report, the forces sent to track down the Grand Duke had been delayed. Of course, the Grand Duke must have anticipated that and asked for Skoban’s help, but the price Skoban had to pay was being locked up in this prison.

“All because of you, Captain. Look at me now... Sigh...”

Sitting beside Skoban was the handsome Ricardo, who muttered gloomily.

Ricardo had been thrown into prison simply for being Skoban’s deputy.

“Ahem, I’m sorry. But we’ll be released soon.”

In Perdiem, where manpower was scarce, knights and soldiers weren’t given harsh punishments unless they committed serious crimes. Rather than severe punishments to set an example, it was more beneficial for the territory to give light punishments and retain their labor force.

“What’s the point of being released? You’ll be stripped of your knight title, and I’ll be sentenced to hard labor.”

For lazy Ricardo, hard labor was a truly dreadful fate.

“Well, that’s assuming everything goes well. If the Grand Duke dies in the forest, things won’t end so easily. We’ll be executed as well.”

“Ahem, I doubt the Grand Duke is dead. He’s had plenty of luck in the past, even when causing trouble. He’s not one to die so easily.”

If the Grand Duke died, Skoban would be held responsible for his death due to his false report. It would be seen as treason against the lord.

“Well, we can only hope the people who went after him managed to bring him back safely,” Ricardo said, clicking his tongue.

Skoban sighed, frustrated, with no way to release his tension.

After a while, Ricardo, out of curiosity, asked, “Captain, what will you do when you’re released?”

“Hmm… Maybe I’ll just return to my hometown and farm. Being a knight here doesn’t pay well, and it’s exhausting.”

“Where’s your hometown?”

Skoban scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“Actually, it’s here, in Perdiem.”

Ricardo shot him a look of disappointment, his expression practically saying, “Are you serious?”

“...They’re not going to let you farm, you know. The territory is short on people as it is. After a few years in the military, they’ll probably reinstate your knighthood.”

“Yeah, I’ve lived in Perdiem my whole life, but honestly, I’m tired of it. No money, no wife...”

Ricardo raised an eyebrow, perplexed.

“What’s so hard about getting married? You don’t need money to get married. I, on the other hand, worry about the women fighting each other, which is why I haven’t gotten married yet.”

Skoban involuntarily made a face of disbelief.

Turning to Ricardo, he scowled.

“...Lucky bastard.”

For someone as handsome as Ricardo, getting married was probably the least of his worries.

‘Man, if only I were born with that face... And come to think of it, that guy doesn’t even try hard, does he?’

While most soldiers in Perdiem struggled with low wages, Ricardo lived comfortably. Women who adored him even formed a social club to support him, regularly providing him with various things.

Skoban couldn’t help but feel that the world was unfair.

He himself had worked hard, enduring bone-crushing labor to barely become a knight. Meanwhile, Ricardo seemed to get by without any effort.

If good looks were a talent, Ricardo was truly blessed.

As Skoban considered whether or not to smack the back of Ricardo’s head out of jealousy, a commotion started coming from the entrance of the prison.

“Hm? What’s going on?”

Skoban pressed his face against the bars, and Ricardo followed suit.

The group at the entrance, who had been talking with the prison guards, soon began approaching their cell.

When they saw the face of the person leading the group, Skoban and Ricardo’s eyes widened.

“G-Grand Duke!”

“Grand Duke, you’re alive!”

Ghislain stood in front of the bars, waving his hand with a smile.

“Liar Skoban! How’ve you been? And Ricardo, even in prison, your face shines. If being handsome were a crime, you’d be sentenced to death, not imprisonment. Ha ha ha!”

“We’re so glad you’re alive!”

Skoban and Ricardo bowed with genuine relief.

At least now they wouldn’t be punished for letting the Grand Duke die.

Both men were already feeling relieved, but Ghislain had no intention of leaving them in the prison.

Turning to the soldier who had followed him from the entrance, Ghislain gave an order.

“Hey, open this.”

“Huh?”

The prison guard blinked in surprise.

He hadn’t received any orders to release the two prisoners.

“It’s fine. I’ve already gotten permission. You trust me, right?”

“But…”

The guard hesitated.

After all, the Grand Duke had a history of causing trouble, so the guard wasn’t sure if he could believe him.

Besides, wasn’t it because of Ghislain that Skoban and Ricardo had been imprisoned in the first place for lying?

Seeing the guard’s indecision, Ghislain chuckled.

“Wow, you’re treating me like I’m untrustworthy.”

As Ghislain shrugged, Gillian stepped forward.

Crack!

Without hesitation, Gillian grabbed the lock and crushed it with his bare hands.

Though the door was now open, Skoban and Ricardo hesitated to step out.

Skoban could have easily escaped using mana, but he had stayed put for a reason: breaking out would only make things worse.

“It’s fine. Come on out. You’ve both been pardoned.”

Urged by Ghislain, Skoban and Ricardo exchanged awkward smiles before cautiously stepping out of the cell.

“Thank you.”

“Are we really free?”

“Yes, both of you can return to your duties.”

Ghislain gave them a few pats on the shoulder, then reached into his coat and pulled out two pouches.

“Here, take these.”

The two men, curious, opened the pouches.

Inside, they found them filled with gold coins.

“W-Why are you giving us this?”

“Are you really giving this to us?”

Surprised by the sudden generosity, the two men stared at Ghislain, who shrugged nonchalantly.

“You helped me enter the Forest of Beasts without interference, so this is your reward. It’s only natural to reward good work.”

Unlike other nobles, Ghislain didn’t rely solely on loyalty to manage his subordinates.

His mercenary background played a big role, but regardless, Ghislain believed that proper rewards for successful work were essential for earning loyalty.

“Thank you!”

“We’ll put it to good use!”

Skoban and Ricardo grinned from ear to ear as they bowed repeatedly.

They were already relieved to be freed, but being given such a large sum of money was more than they could have hoped for.

“Alright then, I’ll see you both later. I’ll call you again when I need you.”

“Yes, call on us anytime!”

“Take care!”

The two men bowed deeply, their backs at a perfect right angle, as they saw Ghislain off.

‘It’s always nice to deal with people who pay well,’ Ghislain thought to himself, snickering as he left the prison.

Homern would probably scold him later for breaking the prison door, but it was the guard’s fault for not opening it when he was asked nicely.

After Ghislain left, Skoban, who had been fiddling with the pouch of gold coins, asked Ricardo.

“This is quite a bit of money. What are you going to do with it?”

Ricardo thought for a moment, then smiled brightly.

“I’ve been getting free meals every day, so I think I’ll throw a party for the ladies’ club. I should return the favor. With this much, I could throw a really great party.”

“You’re not going to save any?”

“Why save? If I need something later, I’ll just ask the club for it.”

“...Lucky bastard.”

Once again feeling the unfairness of the world, Skoban’s lips twitched in frustration.

While Skoban was experiencing both joy and frustration, Ghislain made his way to visit Belinda, who was still bedridden.

Though her face was still pale, she smiled and welcomed him as he entered.

“You haven’t bathed yet? How’s your body feeling?” she asked with a smile.

Ghislain chuckled and replied, “I’m fine, but you should focus on recovering quickly.”

Belinda was currently unable to move properly due to mana overload.

She had pushed her mana to its limits to block the Blood Python’s attack, but she hadn’t been able to fully absorb the shock.

The injury itself was severe, but the bigger issue was that her mana had been thrown into chaos, making it difficult for her to recover.

The only solution was to rest until her mana stabilized.

“Did you eat? What did the lord say?” Belinda nagged, even in her condition.

She was worried that Ghislain might have been punished for disobeying the lord’s orders and being dragged back to the estate.

“Everything’s been resolved. Don’t worry,” Ghislain said with a relaxed smile, easing her concerns.

Belinda, finally reassured, closed her eyes.

If she knew that Ghislain had brought mercenaries with him and staged a show of force, she would probably faint on the spot.

Ghislain decided it was best to keep quiet for now.

After observing her condition for a moment, Ghislain took Belinda’s hand.

“I’ll help you recover more quickly.”

“Huh? How are you going to help?” Belinda asked, puzzled.

Without a word, Ghislain shrugged and began channeling his mana into her body.

“Wait... What are you doing? Stop! It’s dangerous!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.”

As the foreign mana entered her body, Belinda’s own mana began to resist.

Sweating profusely, Belinda tried her best to suppress the unstable mana inside her. If the mana clashed, Ghislain could be hurt as well.

Meanwhile, Ghislain’s mana gradually wrapped around her turbulent energy, slowly calming it down.

Before long, beads of sweat began to form on Ghislain’s forehead as he focused.

Gillian, who had been standing guard, remained tense, knowing that any disturbance could be life-threatening for both Ghislain and Belinda.

After a while, a red mist began to rise from Ghislain’s body and dissipate into the air.

At the same time, Belinda’s complexion visibly improved.

Amazingly, Ghislain had managed to stabilize her chaotic mana.

“H-How... How is this possible? How did you do that...?” Belinda stammered, her cheeks flushed with color.

Since the disturbance had occurred within her own body, she had felt everything clearly.

Ghislain’s mana control was incredibly delicate.

To manipulate mana with such precision would require an extraordinary level of skill.

Ghislain carefully withdrew his mana and let go of her hand.

“Whew, looks like it worked. If you rest for a few more days, you’ll be back on your feet. Feel any better?”

Belinda, her expression conflicted, looked at Ghislain for a moment before speaking slowly.

“You’re not using the family’s mana technique, are you?”

Perdiem’s family technique didn’t produce the red aura that Ghislain had displayed. Not only was the color of his mana different, but the energy it gave off was far more intense.

It was only natural for mana techniques to have different characteristics depending on their origins, but Belinda couldn’t fathom where Ghislain had learned such a method.

His rapid growth and precise mana control were clearly thanks to this unknown technique.

Ghislain scratched his chin and answered awkwardly.

“Well, I made it myself. Technically, I modified the family’s technique to suit me better.”

“Sigh, if you don’t want to tell me, just say so. There’s no need to make up stories.”

Modifying a family’s mana technique to fit oneself was something that even geniuses couldn’t accomplish easily. Mana techniques were refined over generations, so it wasn’t something one could casually tinker with.

If modifying a mana technique were that easy, families and organizations wouldn’t guard their techniques as closely as they did.

“I’m serious! I’ll teach you later if you want. I can also tweak your technique to make it even better. Would you believe me then?”

“No, thank you. My current technique works just fine.”

“Alright. Just make sure to rest up and get better soon. We’ll be on the move again soon.”

“Right, with all that money you made, I guess we can relax and enjoy ourselves for a while without worrying.”

But Ghislain shook his head.

“No, we’ll only rest for a bit. We’ll need to head out again soon.”

“Huh? Where are we going? Are we selling the runestone?”

“That too, but there’s something else we need to prepare for. Time’s short, so we have to move quickly.”

Belinda blinked a few times before asking again.

“Why the rush? What are we preparing for? You went into the Forest of Beasts, and now you’re acting like we’re on a tight deadline. What’s going on? Can’t we just stop for a while?”

“I’d love to rest too, but things are getting complicated.”

“What do you mean? Tell me.”

Belinda’s voice was tinged with worry. Ghislain smiled faintly and replied.

“Unfortunately, our territory is in grave danger right now.”