"Hmm? Sir Knight Commander, what brings you here?" Ghislain asked, feigning ignorance.

He had already checked the list of gifts sent to him earlier in the morning, and Randolph's name was among the contributors. It was clear that the knight commander couldn’t wait for a reply and had come in person, clearly anxious and desperate.

Randolph swallowed dryly as he looked at the indifferent expression on Ghislain’s face.

‘This guy is as cold-blooded as they come,’ Randolph thought bitterly. ‘How could he be so greedy, keeping all of that for himself? What a selfish brat!’

Despite his inner curses, Randolph forced a wide, cheerful smile.

"After seeing how gallant you were yesterday, my lord, it filled me with hope for the future of our territory. But, my lord, can the territory really thrive if you're only focused on personal gains?"

Ghislain tilted his head as if confused.

"Personal gains? I clearly stated I’d be supporting the territory in place of Rayfold, didn’t I?"

Randolph shook his head.

"No, my lord. Financial aid alone can’t fix everything. It’s the knights that need attention."

In truth, being the commander of the Perdiem knight order was a thankless task. Constant battles in the north and an abysmal salary made it a less-than-ideal position. The knights were always in short supply, and recently, with deserters like Jamal and Philip, things had only gotten worse.

Randolph had been the angriest when those two defected, but he also understood them better than anyone.

‘Who in their right mind would want to stay as a knight here?’

Knights are valuable assets. Without talent, one can’t become a knight, and even with talent, it takes years of training. Other territories offered high salaries, and some lords even granted small estates to their knights, allowing them to collect taxes.

In Perdiem, however, knights fell into two categories: those still loyal and those who had a twisted desire to fight barbarian hordes in the north.

But even loyalty disappears when one starves long enough. Randolph put on a sorrowful expression as he said:

"To maintain the knight order, my lord... a small donation or, perhaps, a development fund would go a long way."

In short, he was asking for extra money beyond taxes and regular support.

But Ghislain looked genuinely confused.

The term "development fund" was something Ghislain liked to use when demanding money from Amelia, but he hated hearing it himself.

"I have no money," Ghislain said with a perfectly straight face.

Randolph nearly lost his temper but managed to restrain himself, pretending to scratch his head.

‘Calm down. I need to find a way to squeeze money out of him,’ he thought.

"Haha, my lord, saying you have no money is like a bandit claiming he won’t rob anyone," Randolph said, his metaphor thinly veiling the aggression behind it.

Ghislain, though taken aback by the audacity of the statement, matched Randolph’s smile.

"Well, I have things to spend it on. So in that sense, I already don’t have any. Haha."

Randolph rubbed his forehead, trying to keep his composure.

‘I mustn’t lose it. There's no other source of funds,’ he reminded himself.

He had already tried talking to Albert, the treasurer, but Albert always claimed there was no money. And even when funds were available, they were immediately allocated elsewhere, leaving the knight order in perpetual poverty.

Even with Ghislain’s support replacing Rayfold, it was still the same situation. There was never enough left over for the knight order.

Randolph was determined not to miss this chance.

"My lord, how could you possibly spend all that money by yourself? You need to invest in the territory! For the sake of the territory!"

Ghislain nodded, seeming impressed by the commander’s passion.

"For the sake of the territory. Absolutely. I’m planning to spend it all on the territory."

Randolph narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"And how exactly will you do that, my lord?"

"I have a plan," Ghislain said nonchalantly.

"Does that plan include supporting the knight order?" Randolph asked cautiously.

"No," Ghislain answered, his eyes wide with innocence. "No, it doesn’t."

Randolph bowed his head, trying to hide his mounting frustration.

‘He’s really planning to keep it all to himself. Should I resort to threats?’

Just as Randolph was contemplating more extreme measures, someone else arrived. It was Albert, the treasurer.

"Ahem, I see someone’s already here. Lord Ghislain, are you well?" Albert asked.

Randolph immediately stood in Albert’s way, glaring.

"Brother, or should I say Treasurer, what are you doing here? You should be working. I’m already in the middle of an important conversation with Lord Ghislain. You can come back later."

Randolph tried to nudge Albert away, but the treasurer held his ground.

"Tsk, tsk. Shouldn’t the knight commander be out training instead of lounging around here? Remember, every drop of sweat shed during training saves a drop of blood in war."

"And what do you know about training? Go back and count your money, Treasurer," Randolph retorted.

"It’s hard to count money when there’s none to count," Albert shot back.

Despite the polite words, their eyes locked in a silent battle.

Watching the two bicker, Ghislain shook his head. Clearly, neither of them was planning to leave.

Finally, Ghislain turned to Albert and asked, "Did you come here for a donation or some kind of development fund as well?"

Albert cleared his throat, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Well, my lord, you are perceptive. Only someone as sharp as you could retrieve the runestone. Truly, you are destined for greatness," Albert said, laying on the flattery.

Despite the treasurer’s attempt at praise, it was no better than Randolph’s.

Unfazed, Ghislain allowed Albert to continue.

"I’m grateful for your support to replace Rayfold’s funds, but we have an urgent matter. A large sum is needed to resolve some outstanding debts."

Ghislain nodded. "You’re talking about the territory’s debt, correct?"

"Yes, exactly. I believe paying off the debt is the most pressing issue. After all, as the heir to Perdiem, you’ll inherit the debt, my lord. The territory’s debt is your debt, and your money is the territory’s money, is it not?"

Albert smiled warmly, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.

Ghislain’s expression shifted to one of disbelief as he replied firmly.

"No, it’s not."

"Excuse me?" Albert asked, blinking in confusion.

"My money is my money."

It was clear that Ghislain had no intention of being conned. His matter-of-fact response left Albert speechless, and for a moment, his carefully crafted expression crumbled.

‘This guy is a complete money grubber! I didn’t expect him to be this bad.’

Albert, too, cursed Ghislain in his mind but quickly regained his composure.

"Ahem, regardless of whose money it is, it’s unthinkable that you would ignore the territory’s struggles, my lord. Just paying off the debt would improve the territory’s finances tremendously. It’s all for the good of Perdiem."

Ghislain realized, perhaps for the first time, just how many expressions Albert could make. Normally, the treasurer was cold and indifferent, but now his face contorted in frustration, surprise, and forced smiles.

Not really paying attention to the content of Albert’s plea, Ghislain finally responded with a shrug.

"Didn’t I tell you? I have no money."

Albert’s face twisted in the same way Randolph’s had earlier.

One word at a time, he ground out his response.

"Why… don’t you… have money?"

"I already told the knight commander. I’ve allocated it all. So, I don’t have any left."

Albert, barely holding back his temper, tried again.

"And what, exactly, are you spending all of it on? Shouldn’t you discuss something that important with us first?"

"Why would I? It’s my money. I’ll handle it myself," Ghislain said, his tone dismissive.

Albert’s voice rose in frustration. "How can we ignore this, my lord?"

Ghislain was getting tired of the back-and-forth and finally snapped, "It’s for the good of the territory. You don’t need to worry about it."

Of course, neither Albert nor Randolph believed him for a second.

Based on Ghislain’s track record, they were convinced he’d squander the money on something frivolous, just as he had before. There was no way they could let him throw away such a massive sum.

They both raised their voices in protest.

"How is there anything more urgent than paying off the debt? Aren’t you bothered by the amount of interest we’re paying?"

"What nonsense! The knight order comes first. Look at other territories—no matter how much debt they have, they always maintain a strong knight order. That’s the foundation of any territory!"

"Nonsense! If we stop paying interest, we can use that money for so many things. Forget the knights!"

"Ha! You’ve been locked up with your books so long, you’ve lost touch with reality. If we don’t have the strength to fight, it won’t matter how much debt we pay off—we’ll be wiped out!"

"Tch, there’s an order to everything!"

"Yes, and that order starts with building the knight order’s strength!"

Before long, they weren’t even talking to Ghislain anymore but had begun arguing with each other, voices rising as they shouted back and forth.

Ghislain let out a deep sigh, contemplating how best to get rid of the two when a knight arrived.

"My lord, your father, the duke, is requesting your presence."

"Oh, really? Then I’d better go."

As soon as the knight delivered the message, Ghislain stood up, ready to leave.

Seeing him prepare to leave, both Albert and Randolph tried to follow, but the knight stepped in.

"The duke specifically asked for Lord Ghislain to come alone," the knight said sternly.

With the duke’s orders, the two had no choice but to stay behind, continuing to bicker with one another.

"How can they take him away when we need him to pay the debt?!"

"I’m telling you, the knight order is more important! If you don’t fund it, I’ll make sure to sabotage every project you try to push through!"

Leaving the two behind, Ghislain made his way to his father’s study, feeling relieved. Another minute with those two, and he might have gone insane.

The guards opened the door to the duke’s office as Ghislain approached.

Squeak.

A cold, eerie air hit him the moment he stepped inside. The atmosphere was heavy, filled with tension like the calm before a storm.

His father, Duke Zubaltor, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window.

Sensing the odd mood, Ghislain cautiously spoke.

"You called for me?"

"Yes. How is your body?" Zubaltor asked, still facing the window.

"I’m fine, father. It wasn’t a severe injury, so I’ve recovered quickly."

"Good. You must take care of yourself, especially now that you’ve begun handling such important matters."

"Of course, father."

Though Ghislain responded respectfully, he couldn’t shake his confusion. His father had never shown this much concern before, not even when he’d suffered worse injuries in the past.

Zubaltor continued to look out the window as he spoke.

"The weather is quite pleasant today. So, have you thought about what you will do with the runestone?"

"Yes, father. As I mentioned before, I will use part of it to cover Rayfold’s deficit, and the rest I’ll use for my own plans."

After a long silence, Zubaltor spoke again.

"Very well. I trust you’ll use it wisely for the good of the territory."

"Yes, father."

"You’ve caused quite a few incidents growing up. Many of them hurt this territory."

"…Yes."

"There were times when the retainers demanded I lock you up, but I always forgave you. That’s a father’s heart."

"Yes… well…"

Ghislain felt increasingly confused by the conversation. Was this about his injury, or was his father dredging up old complaints? He couldn’t tell what the point was.

Zubaltor repeated himself once more, his tone pointed.

"No matter what you do, I trust you’ll use it for the territory’s sake."

Ghislain’s eyes narrowed as he began to understand where this conversation was headed.