Belinda and Gillian couldn’t hide their uncertainty as they listened to Ghislain's talk about recruiting new forces. His plans were always outside the bounds of conventional thinking.

‘It’s hard to believe… but it’s the first time he’s explained anything to us at all,’ Belinda thought.

‘If the young master says so, then I’ll follow,’ Gillian decided.

Neither of them fully understood, but there was nothing else to do but follow his lead. Ghislain had been more considerate by explaining his plan, but it was essentially an announcement of what he was going to do. When had Ghislain ever acted by conventional standards or listened to others properly?

“Well, it seems you have some kind of plan, young master,” Belinda said with a sigh of acceptance.

Gillian nodded. He figured that, just as when Ghislain had treated his daughter, there must be something only Ghislain knew.

“Yeah, so recover quickly. We’ll sell the runestone as soon as we can,” Ghislain said, finally freed from Belinda’s nagging. He patted Gillian’s shoulder and added, “You should get some rest too. It’s about time you saw Rachel again.”

Rachel had been improving in health thanks to the care of the maids and the medicine they had prepared. Elena often visited her as well, and they had become something like friends.

“Thanks to you, she’s doing well,” Gillian replied.

“Still, you should see her while you can. Things are only going to get busier from here on,” Ghislain said with a faint smile.

“Understood. You should rest too, my lord. And don’t forget to finish your treatment,” Gillian responded, returning the smile.

After Gillian left, Ghislain felt the exhaustion hit him like a wave. But even though he was tired, he didn’t go to bed immediately. Despite the excitement surrounding the acquisition of the runestone, Ghislain couldn’t let his guard down.

“How long will it take?” he muttered to himself.

Word had already spread among the retainers about the runestone. By tomorrow, rumors would start circulating throughout the territory, and soon everyone would know.

That meant Amelia and Duke Delfine would hear about it soon too.

As he had told Belinda and Gillian, it was almost certain they had spies planted in Perdiem.

“Amelia may be working with Duke Delfine, but she’s likely acting on her own as well,” Ghislain mused.

The biggest threat to Perdiem was Duke Delfine’s faction, which was undoubtedly plotting to either seize control of the territory or weaken it. But Amelia was targeting Ghislain personally, and in a way, she was like a thorn in his side as he prepared to face the Duke.

“Amelia’s actions could become a wildcard in all of this.”

He hadn’t expected her to move as quickly as she had. If she learned about the runestone, she would likely escalate her efforts even further.

“Two weeks? No, it could all be out in as little as a week.”

While the worst-case scenario would be war, even if that happened, it wouldn’t be tomorrow. The other territories would need a legitimate reason to launch an attack, and any sudden aggression would make them look suspicious to the lords who hadn’t yet sided with them.

Even if they decided to push forward with a flimsy pretext, preparing for war would take at least a couple of months, just as Gillian had predicted.

While a territory as poor as Perdiem might struggle to prepare, the wealthier territories wouldn’t take long to mobilize.

“It’s the perfect time to strike.”

Even though Perdiem had become wealthy overnight thanks to the runestone, it would take time for the territory to fully benefit from that wealth. Right now, Perdiem was still weak and vulnerable, making it an ideal target.

“I’ll have to use all of the runestone we acquired.”

No matter how much planning and preparation was done, the outcome would ultimately be decided by what happened when everything collided. Ghislain paced his room, his thoughts filled with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.

“And Cain… there’s still no word from him?”

In the midst of planning for war and selling the runestone, Ghislain was reminded of the money he still hadn’t collected.

His frustration flared as he stopped in the middle of his room. The deadline had already passed, which meant Cain had no intention of sending the money.

Ghislain despised being cheated out of what was owed to him—especially when it came to money.

Having been a mercenary king for so long, it was only natural. For a mercenary, being cheated out of money was the same as being forced out of business.

Sure, Ghislain had always been more money-driven than most mercenaries, but that was just part of what made him ‘the king.’

‘That guy is bold, thinking he can cheat me out of my money.’

After all the fear he had instilled in Cain, the fact that the man still hadn’t paid up meant Cain must have felt secure in some way.

Ghislain resolved to deal with Cain when the time came. With that thought, he finally went to bed.

He stayed up late, his mind turning over all the details, and only managed to fall asleep at dawn. As a result, he slept in much later than usual.

Although his body had healed quickly, the toll of his injuries still weighed on him.

When Ghislain finally woke up, he was surprised by what greeted him.

“What the hell is all this?” he asked, bewildered.

Two maids standing nearby quickly explained.

“That was sent by Treasurer Albert.”

“This was from Captain Hohmann.”

“This came from the chamberlain.”

“The head scribe brought that.”

“The sheriff left these.”

“And this was sent by the captain of the knights.”

In front of Ghislain, a mountain of gifts had been stacked—alcohol, meat, animal skins, fine fabrics, and all sorts of goods.

While he had been sleeping, various important figures from the territory had come by to leave these gifts.

The maids listed the names of every person of influence in the territory.

Apparently, since Ghislain had been asleep, they had simply left their offerings and gone.

“Well, isn’t this something,” Ghislain chuckled, scratching his head as he looked over the pile.

Now that Ghislain had control of the runestone, the nobles and influential figures were eager to get on his good side. They were practically tripping over themselves to offer him gifts, even though he had been sound asleep.

It was a stark contrast to how he had been treated before he acquired the runestone, when everyone avoided him or outright ignored him.

‘It’s not like I can blame them for sucking up now that there’s money involved.’

Just a short while ago, Ghislain had been the bane of the nobles’ existence, a troublemaker no one wanted to associate with. Now, those same people were desperate to get into his good graces.

‘Well, I dug this grave myself. I’d better lie in it quietly.’

It was better to stay quiet than to stir up trouble by complaining about the gifts.

“The gifts are pretty modest, though.”

As he inspected the items, Ghislain couldn’t help but smile. Even though the gifts were clearly given out of desperation, they weren’t exactly valuable. The nobles of this poor territory didn’t have much wealth to spare, so they had clearly scraped together whatever they could.

While the quality of the gifts didn’t impress him—after all, it was nothing compared to what he had enjoyed during his time as the Mercenary King—he appreciated the sincerity behind them.

“Bring me the list,” Ghislain ordered.

A maid handed him a sheet of paper, listing all the names of those who had brought gifts and what they had offered.

In noble society, it was customary to acknowledge gifts with a proper response. Failing to do so could be seen as a slight against one’s honor.

The maids had meticulously recorded everything, ensuring nothing was overlooked.

After reviewing the list, Ghislain nodded and said to the maids, “Give the alcohol and meat to the mercenaries. Share the fabrics and other necessities with the other servants.”

The maids’ faces lit up as they asked, “Is there nothing here that you need, my lord?”

“No, I don’t need any of it. Take what you want.”

“Thank you!”

The maids bowed repeatedly, overwhelmed with gratitude.

While these items held little value to Ghislain, they were precious to the servants, who, like the rest of the territory, lived in poverty.

‘The rumors must be true! The Grand Duke really has made a lot of money!’

‘It’s true what they say—generosity comes with wealth.’

The maids exchanged excited glances, barely able to contain their joy.

They had already noticed Ghislain’s change in behavior lately. He had stopped yelling at them or making their lives difficult. But now, he was even giving them gifts, which was something they had never expected.

Of course, some lingering fear remained—what if he reverted to his old tyrannical ways? But for now, they were simply happy.

“Make sure to tell everyone that I’ve received their gifts. Let them know I’ll be visiting each of them soon,” Ghislain said.

“Yes, my lord,” the maids responded.

After handling the unexpected flood of gifts, Ghislain checked on his own condition.

“This is strange,” he muttered.

He got out of bed, feeling the lingering soreness in his body, and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

The dark, unhealthy purple hue that had colored his face when he had been poisoned by the Blood Python was gone. He was still pale and gaunt, but his condition had improved far more than he had expected.

Curious, he sat down and began meditating, focusing on his mana circulation.

After a long while, Ghislain opened his eyes with a perplexed expression.

“My mana… it’s changed.”

Mana, as he knew, was influenced primarily by a person’s training method, disposition, and physical constitution.

The mana technique one practiced and how they used it determined the nature of their mana. Ghislain’s mana had always been wild and difficult to control, almost ferocious in its intensity. It was something that manifested clearly when he fought.

But now, there was something else. Beneath the usual turbulence, he sensed a subtle, insidious energy lurking within.

This was something he had never encountered before, not even in his past life.

“Can mana really change like this?”

Once mana was accumulated, its nature rarely changed. Even mages, who could manipulate mana to cast various spells, didn’t alter the core nature of their mana. They only modified it temporarily through rituals or spells.

That’s why some mages were naturally more skilled in fire magic, while others excelled at ice magic. It all depended on their inherent mana traits.

“Could it be… the poison from the Blood Python mixed with my mana?”

It sounded absurd, but it was the only explanation he could think of.

Ghislain raised his hand, trying to extract and control just the sinister energy within his mana. However, the presence was faint and difficult to detect, especially since his body was still recovering.

After several attempts, he gave up with a sigh.

“Alright, no need to rush. I’ll figure it out once I’ve fully recovered. Maybe this is why I’ve healed so quickly.”

Though he was puzzled by this strange development, he didn’t have time to dwell on it. What mattered was that his body was healing much faster than he had anticipated.

“I thought I’d be out of commission for at least two weeks, but I’m getting back on my feet sooner than expected.”

While there was still something off about his mana, it wasn’t strong enough to be a pressing concern. He could deal with it later. Right now, there were more urgent matters to attend to.

Just as Ghislain was preparing to get back to work, someone came to see him.

“Hahaha! Our esteemed Grand Duke is finally up and about! You look much better than yesterday, my lord. Truly, you are in good health. As expected of a knight among knights, the future ruler of the territory! Such a manly figure!”

The boisterous man showering him with exaggerated compliments was none other than Randolph, the captain of Perdiem’s knights.