Even while riding his horse to escape, Thamos felt like he was going mad.

"Why did we fail? We had so many troops! Idiots, I told them from the start to gather and crush them all!"

He still couldn’t understand what had gone wrong. Despite how pathetic they were, he was still the lord of a territory. He had picked up a few things over the years, but he had never seen or heard of magic like that.

"Was there a mage capable of using such spells? Was that even magic?"

Everything was unclear, like a thick fog obscuring the truth.

The magic wasn’t the only strange thing.

"What were those soldiers in black armor? Did Peridum ever have such a force?"

Those black-armored troops had quickly overpowered his soldiers and destroyed the siege towers. Thamos had thought Peridum was nothing, and now he realized how gravely he had underestimated them.

"Damn it! Damn it! I’m ruined!"

He had poured every last bit of his resources into this war. Not only had he lost the battle, but he had also lost the majority of his army. His territory, already insignificant, now lacked people and funds, leaving him wondering how it would even function.

"I need to negotiate the reparations as low as possible."

This wasn’t a territorial war, and since he had managed to escape, his life would likely be spared. The Count of Peridum was known for respecting customs and honor. Besides, Peridum was in a weak position, barely able to manage its own territory. If they tried to swallow Digald, it would choke them.

They would probably settle for moderate compensation.

"Damn it, I barely have any money. What am I going to do?"

He thought about handing over a few neighboring baronies and a portion of his tax revenue for several years, but even that wouldn’t be enough. He would have no choice but to squeeze the people of his land even more.

"That idiot Desmond. Sending such a fool as a commander!"

Thamos cursed internally as he spurred his horse faster. He needed to reach his territory quickly; he still wasn’t safe within Peridum’s lands. Even now, the thought of those terrifying flames and the soldiers in black armor made his legs tremble.

"Faster! Hurry! Run!"

He urged his horse onward, not daring to stop for a break. By the time he reached his castle, the horse collapsed from exhaustion, its tongue hanging out. The sight of their lord returning in such a pitiful state shocked everyone, but Thamos ignored their stares and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Prepare to negotiate our surrender! Quickly!"

His frantic commands spurred everyone into action, though none of them dared to ask what had happened. They had seen him march off with a massive army, so how had Peridum managed to stop him?

As they prepared for the surrender, everyone’s eyes were filled with curiosity and confusion.

Not long after, Ghislain arrived at the Digald territory.

"Oh, they’ve prepared quickly."

From the border of the estate, Ghislain could see white flags hastily raised in surrender. No one tried to stop him or his men as they rode toward the lord’s castle. Outside the castle, a group of people was waiting with white flags in hand.

"Take me to the Count."

The retainers of Digald politely escorted Ghislain into the castle.

Thamos was seated arrogantly on the high chair in the hall, attempting to maintain his dignity as a noble. It was his last stand, trying to cling to whatever pride he had left. Though he had lost the war, part of him still looked down on Peridum.

As Ghislain and his fierce-looking mercenaries entered, Thamos’s expression grew uncomfortable.

'They got here fast. Did they come straight after me?'

Judging by their attire, these were the same black-armored troops. Ghislain looked at Thamos, who was sitting in his chair with an air of arrogance, and couldn’t help but smirk. Even in this situation, he still clung to his pride.

"Have you prepared for the surrender negotiations?"

"Indeed. And who might you be?"

"I am Ghislain of Peridum. I’ve been given full authority by my father to handle the negotiations."

Ghislain’s tone was polite enough, but his eyes and demeanor clearly conveyed his disdain for Thamos. However, Thamos didn’t seem to notice.

"You…?"

Ghislain was infamous in the north, known for being a delinquent, and Thamos was all too familiar with his reputation, especially since Digald was close to Peridum. The idea that this notorious troublemaker had come as the representative of Peridum—and was leading the black-armored troops—was hard for Thamos to believe.

Ghislain’s icy voice cut through his disbelief.

"Take him down."

The mercenaries immediately stepped forward, grabbed Thamos by the arms, and dragged him from his chair.

"What are you doing? How dare you filthy commoners lay hands on me! Release me at once!"

Thamos struggled in vain as the mercenaries easily overpowered him and tossed him to the floor in the middle of the hall. The retainers of Digald were shocked by the mercenaries' brazen behavior, but none of them dared to speak out. The atmosphere was too dangerous.

Step. Step.

Ghislain calmly walked up to the chair where Thamos had been seated, crossed his legs, and sat down. Thamos, now forced to kneel, looked up at him in disbelief.

What kind of insolence was this? He may have lost the war, but he was still a high-ranking noble, a count no less. How could this lowborn scoundrel treat him this way?

"What is the meaning of this? Show some respect! Does the Count of Peridum know you’re behaving like this?"

Ghislain, still smirking, replied.

"Shut up. Did you think your noble status would protect you? You threw countless lives into this war, so now you have to gamble with your own. And my father knows very well that I have no manners."

"W-what? Are you going to kill me?"

"Yes."

"You bastard! I’m a noble, a count! A loyal servant of His Majesty the King! Are you really going to kill me, ignoring the law and tradition?"

"If you wanted to kill others, you should’ve been ready to die yourself. If you lose a war, death is the only outcome."

Ghislain’s cold gaze sent a wave of fear through Thamos. In the kingdom, it was customary not to kill nobles who surrendered or escaped from the battlefield. Nobles would justify it as ‘we cannot harm fellow servants of the same king.’

That’s why Thamos had rushed back to Digald. Once he returned to his own territory, he thought they wouldn’t be able to kill him.

"Are you saying you’ll kill me without even negotiating?"

Thamos was starting to panic. While it wasn’t common, there were powerful lords known for their ruthless behavior who disregarded laws and customs. He had never imagined that Peridum’s heir would act like one of those tyrants.

"Impossible! I demand to speak directly to the Count of Peridum! I won’t negotiate with someone like you!"

"I’m not interested in negotiating with you either. Digald will be annexed by Peridum, and your title will be revoked."

"You madman! You can’t just do whatever you want without the king’s approval—"

Thamos stopped mid-sentence. He realized that Ghislain was serious.

Desperation kicked in, and Thamos quickly changed his approach, pleading.

"T-then I’ll surrender the territory. Just let me leave with ten wagons of my personal belongings, as is customary!"

Thamos intended to flee to the capital and use public sentiment to his advantage. But Ghislain shot down that plan as well.

"You won’t get a single coin."

"T-then I’ll just leave!"

"I refuse. You’ll die here."

"You filthy scum! How dare you—"

"Kill him."

At Ghislain’s command, Gillian swung his axe in one swift motion.

Slash!

Thamos’s head rolled across the floor in the middle of the hall. The retainers of Digald, horrified by the sight of their lord being executed, held their breath. Even though Ghislain was the heir of a powerful noble family, the idea that he would kill a count—a loyal subject of the king—was unthinkable.

This was the kind of madness only a tyrant would engage in.

Ignoring their shock, Ghislain continued in a calm tone.

"Round up every heir of the Digald family and execute them. Bring me the list of administrators and retainers who supported the war, along with the names of the vassals who provided assistance."

At his sudden orders, Ghislain’s mercenaries and the Forest Beast Guards, led by Skoban, sprang into action. The retainers in the hall were quickly bound and forced to kneel.

It wasn’t long before the remaining administrators and retainers from the territory were dragged into the hall as well.

"Please spare us! We’re innocent!"

"We only followed orders!"

Those who had been captured cried out, but Ghislain didn’t even glance at them. He simply accepted a list of names from the terrified administrators and began reviewing it slowly. While he wanted to kill every last one of them, doing so would throw the territory into chaos.

Digald was already impoverished, and the war had drained whatever resources were left. Without a minimum number of officials, the territory would fall into lawlessness.

Ghislain quickly began sorting through the names, deciding who would live and who would die.

An administrator from Digald, trembling with fear, began explaining each person as they were brought forward.

“This is Baron Aseng. He provided a hundred soldiers and two knights for the war, and personally participated…”

“Kill him.”

“No! No! You can’t do this!”

The mercenaries dragged him away without hesitation. Some struggled desperately, but it was no use.

“This is Martin. A commoner, he assisted with the supply chain for the army…”

“Imprison him.”

One by one, they were either dragged away or spared. Those who were imprisoned considered themselves lucky for simply being alive, while others trembled with fear, realizing that their fates were in Ghislain’s hands.

Another man was dragged forward. He was young and had an unusually clean and delicate appearance, though he looked exhausted and disheveled. It seemed he had been part of the war effort alongside Thamos.

“This is Lowell. A commoner who worked as a scribe, but served as a military advisor in this war…”

“A military advisor?”

Ghislain smirked. The bulk of the war planning had been done by Desmond, so what could this so-called advisor from Digald have done? He had probably just stood next to Thamos and watched everything unfold before running away. Moreover, he had originally been a scribe, so it was hard to believe he had the qualifications to serve as a military advisor.

As Ghislain prepared to pass judgment, Lowell cried out in desperation.

“Please, spare me! I can be of use to you!”

“Hm?”

Intrigued by his desperate plea, Ghislain looked down at him with interest.

“What use could you possibly be?”

Sensing that Ghislain was willing to listen, Lowell quickly responded.

“I handled the administrative work under the scribe! No one else was doing their job, so I took care of almost everything! I know all the strengths and weaknesses of the territory! I can stabilize it quickly! Isn’t that what you’re worried about right now, since you’ve been sparing some of us?”

“Hmm.”

Ghislain raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. The man seemed quick-witted and had a good sense of what was needed in the current situation. However, Ghislain kept his expression neutral as he shook his head. It wasn’t as if he was in desperate need of someone like him.

“Digald is a poor, disorganized mess of a territory. What help could you be?”

“T-that’s only because the lord and his retainers constantly plundered it and engaged in corruption! I managed to keep things running, even in such terrible conditions!”

“Hmm…”

Ghislain’s lukewarm response made Lowell look even more desperate, as if he was on the verge of tears.

“I’m the one who created the laws and systems of the territory! I even studied military strategy and took over the management of the troops when the master-at-arms abandoned his post! That’s why the Count took me as an advisor! I couldn’t do much because the army wasn’t ours, but…”

In short, Lowell had single-handedly managed the territory, which is why he had been dragged to war as an advisor. If what he said was true, it was impressive, but Ghislain couldn’t be sure. He might be lying to save his life.

Narrowing his eyes, Ghislain asked, “Do you have any other skills? I like people who are useful.”

Lowell panicked for a moment. As a commoner, what more could he offer? He was already confident that he had more skills than most nobles, but the way Ghislain was looking at him suggested that if he didn’t have something more, he would be killed on the spot.

Without thinking, Lowell blurted out, “I-I heard you acquired Runestones! You’ll need to trade them, right? I-I can help with business too!”

“Oh? You’ve dealt in trade before?”

In reality, Lowell had never been involved in trade. Thamos had never allowed him to handle the money. But Lowell, desperate to survive, just said whatever came to mind.

“I-I’m great with numbers! I’ll definitely be useful!”

Ghislain decided to test him immediately. He threw out a complex calculation, the kind that would stump most people.

“Then what’s 750 multiplied by 1920?”

“230!”

Lowell answered without a moment's hesitation. Ghislain’s expression turned incredulous.

“That’s not even close.”

“But it was quick, wasn’t it?”

“…”

The hall fell into silence. Lowell hung his head, knowing that his life was likely over.

How could a commoner like him survive when even nobles were being executed?

But sometimes, the world throws out exceptions.

“…Ha, you’re a funny one.”