Ghislain took a couple more days to rest and recover before calling for the mercenaries to assemble.

Though he wasn’t in peak condition, the fact that he could move at all had significantly shortened his recovery time.

As Gillian arranged the mercenaries into formation, he suddenly paused, glancing over at Ghislain with a questioning look. Ghislain, confused at first, quickly realized the reason. Belinda was slowly walking toward them from the mansion.

“What’s this? Are you here to see us off?” Ghislain teased, a smirk on his face. Belinda snorted and shook her head.

“See you off? No, I’m coming with you,” she declared.

Ghislain furrowed his brows slightly.

Though her mana had somewhat stabilized, she still hadn’t fully recovered.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to rest more, Belinda? You don’t have to come along,” Ghislain suggested.

“No. What if we run into bandits along the way? Anyone who sees those runestones will definitely want to take a shot at them. I won’t be able to rest if I don’t come along,” Belinda insisted firmly, adjusting her robe.

Ghislain sighed, shaking his head. When she became this resolute, there was no point in arguing. After all, she had taken care of him since childhood, and he couldn’t help but feel soft toward her.

“Fine. But promise me you’ll speak up if you feel unwell,” Ghislain relented.

“I will. So, are we heading out of the estate right now?” she asked.

“No, first we need to pick up what we left behind,” Ghislain said as he led the mercenaries back into the Monster Forest. They were going to collect the remaining materials: the hide of the Dirus Ent and the corpse of the Blood Python.

Unlike their previous trip into the forest, the group rode horses, allowing them to move swiftly.

“Are you going to gather more runestones while we’re there?” Gillian asked.

Ghislain shook his head. “No, we don’t have time for that. We’ll grab the corpses and go sell the runestones immediately.”

Upon hearing the word "sell," the mercenaries’ faces lit up. They knew they would be receiving a hefty reward once the runestones were sold.

“Alright, let’s move quickly.”

Thanks to their rest, the mercenaries were full of energy. They managed to collect all the monster corpses and return to the estate in just half a day.

“The hide won’t rot, so store it as is. As for the python, separate the poison, blood, flesh, and skin to keep it from spoiling,” Ghislain instructed the laborers, leaving them to process the corpses while he led the mercenaries back outside the estate.

As they moved, the mercenaries, filled with excitement, cheered.

“Wow, the boss seems restless, huh?”

“Heh, I bet his heart is pounding at the thought of how much money he’ll make selling all those runestones.”

While the mercenaries joked among themselves, Gillian spoke up with a hint of concern.

“Your Lordship, do we really need to move this quickly? You’re still not fully recovered. Perhaps we should slow down.”

Though Gillian understood the urgency of the situation, he hadn’t expected Ghislain to move this fast. He was pushing the horses so hard that the carts carrying the runestones were struggling to keep up.

“Maybe, but time isn’t on our side. Always remember that,” Ghislain said, though he didn’t slow his pace. Only when the carts fell too far behind would he grudgingly reduce their speed for a short while.

“Let’s maintain this pace. We need to move as fast as possible.”

The mercenaries, eager to get their pay sooner, dutifully followed Ghislain’s lead without complaint.

“Wow, the boss is a natural on horseback. Is he part centaur or something?”

“He’s riding better than most knights I’ve seen!”

“Not only is he young, but he seems to excel at everything.”

Though horsemanship was considered an essential skill for nobles, Ghislain’s riding ability far surpassed mere noble etiquette. Even the seasoned mercenaries, who had seen countless battles, were impressed by his control over the horse.

Whether he noticed their admiration or not, Ghislain silently continued to lead them southward.

It wasn’t until much later that the mercenaries realized something strange.

“Wait, why are we heading this way?”

“Yeah, if we’re looking for a large merchant guild, Rayfold would be the fastest route.”

“Is he just riding without thinking?”

Rayfold was the wealthiest territory in the north, and its numerous merchant guilds made it the easiest place to sell goods quickly.

However, Ghislain had bypassed the Zimbar estate and was continuing further south.

As the days passed and the journey dragged on, murmurs of confusion grew louder among the mercenaries.

Finally, Kaor, representing the group, approached Ghislain.

“Your Lordship, where exactly are we going? We’ve already passed several estates with large merchant guilds.”

Ghislain smiled faintly. “We’re headed to the Brivant estate.”

The unexpected destination left Kaor and the other mercenaries stunned.

“Why go all the way there?”

“Is there a major guild in Brivant?”

The Brivant estate was small, but it was widely known throughout the kingdom.

As the murmurs among the mercenaries grew, they suddenly realized why Brivant was famous and let out gasps of realization.

“Brivant… Oh, wait. Are we going to that place?”

Ghislain nodded.

“Yes, we’re heading to the Magic Tower.”

Upon hearing the words "Magic Tower," the mercenaries instantly understood Ghislain’s plan.

“So, you’re not selling to a merchant guild but directly to the Magic Tower? That means we’ll get more money for the runestones!”

“Right! The Lord is more frugal than I thought!”

Only a handful of guilds in the north were capable of purchasing large quantities of runestones, and they would naturally take their cut. However, selling directly to the Magic Tower was a different story.

Runestones were a key resource in magical research, and the wizards at the Magic Tower were always eager to buy them in bulk. Not only would they purchase all the runestones, but they would also offer a higher price than any merchant guild.

The mercenaries, mostly simple folk from the northern countryside, were thrilled at the idea of seeing the famous Magic Tower in person.

With both money and sightseeing in mind, they were glad they had followed Ghislain on this journey.

However, Kaor, after a moment of contemplation, raised another question.

“Your Lordship, the Magic Tower in Brivant is the Red Flame Tower. Wouldn’t it be better to go to the Crimson Tower instead? They’d offer an even better price.”

“Ah, right! We don’t really need to go all the way to Brivant, do we?”

“Exactly. These days, the Crimson Tower is the most powerful in the north. They’d definitely pay more.”

The mercenaries began chattering again after hearing Kaor’s point.

If they were going to sell to a Magic Tower, it made sense to sell to the one that would offer the highest price. The smaller towers wouldn’t be able to handle the quantity of runestones they had, so going to the largest and most influential Magic Tower, the Crimson Tower, seemed like the smartest move.

But Ghislain shook his head.

“No, we’re going to the Red Flame Tower.”

“What? Why?” Kaor and the other mercenaries asked, clearly confused.

The Red Flame Tower had once been the wealthiest and most powerful tower in the north. However, that changed when Delmood, the tower master of the Crimson Tower, ascended to the rank of a 7th-circle archmage, reversing the balance of power entirely.

Although the Red Flame Tower was still striving to regain its former glory, it had a long way to go before catching up with the now-dominant Crimson Tower.

“You’re not making a mistake, right?”

“You do know it’s the Red Flame Tower in Brivant, not the Crimson Tower, right?”

“With this many runestones, we should definitely sell to the top buyer.”

Belinda frowned at the rude, disrespectful way the mercenaries spoke to Ghislain. Their lack of decorum irritated her, and she jabbed Gillian in the side, glaring at him as if to silently demand he train them better.

However, Ghislain himself didn’t seem bothered by their impudence.

“I’m not mistaken. We’re going to the Red Flame Tower for a reason. Just trust me and follow,” Ghislain said calmly.

The mercenaries, unable to understand his reasoning, nonetheless stayed quiet and obediently followed.

Half of them trusted that Ghislain had some plan, much like he had in the Monster Forest. The other half didn’t care about the details as long as they got paid.

After passing through a few more estates, the towering structure of the Magic Tower finally came into view.

The mercenaries, wide-eyed, began chatting excitedly at the sight of the tower.

Ghislain smirked and urged his horse forward.

By the time Ghislain arrived at the Brivant estate, Count Desmond Harold was sitting in his office, nervously gripping a report.

It was a document from the spies he had planted in the Ferdiem estate.

Harold tossed the report onto his desk with a frustrated sigh.

“Runestones… And in such large quantities?”

As Ghislain had anticipated, the news of his acquisition of runestones had reached Harold in a matter of days.

Harold stroked his mustache, deep in thought, his expression grim.

“This completely ruins my plans.”

He had intended to gradually weaken the Ferdiem estate, but with Ghislain now in possession of runestones, things had become far more difficult.

“Tsk, maybe I should’ve forced a confrontation.”

Even though Gilmore Degald’s body had disappeared, Harold could have still instigated a fight if he wanted to.

However, he had held back, hoping to understand who had stolen the body before making any rash moves… But now that decision seemed to have backfired.

“I thought he was crazy, taking those mercenaries into the Monster Forest.”

The mention of Ghislain’s name had nagged at Harold ever since his contact with Frank was severed.

After that, Harold had carefully tracked Ghislain’s every move.

Though Ghislain seemed to have changed somewhat, there hadn’t been any reports suggesting he had the strength to defeat Frank.

When Harold received word that Ghislain had entered the Monster Forest with mercenaries, he had written him off entirely, assuming he wouldn’t survive.

But now, hearing that Ghislain had not only survived but had come out with runestones in hand, Harold’s unease turned into full-blown anxiety.

“He wasn’t supposed to be this capable.”

Harold had spent years investigating the northern estates, including all key figures, in his plan to take control. Based on his earlier research, Ghislain had seemed insignificant, not even worth paying attention to.

Yet, this was now the second time in recent weeks that Ghislain’s name had come up. Clearly, his initial intelligence had been flawed.

Turning to his newly appointed lieutenant, Harold issued a new order.

“Gather updated information on all key figures in the north. Ignore previous findings—start fresh.”

“Yes, my lord,” the lieutenant replied. Unlike his predecessor, this new aide was more skilled at gathering information than plotting strategies, so Harold trusted him to do the job well.

Harold gazed out of the window, a strange sense of foreboding gripping him as the setting sun cast a red glow over his office.