"......What?"

Baron Austern asked in disbelief, but Ghislain said no more and simply walked out the door.

It wasn’t long before an angry shout echoed from behind the closed door, indicating that the baron had finally realized Ghislain was a noble of Luthania.

Ghislain gathered the mercenaries who had been waiting in the lounge and led them out of the castle.

Sensing the unpleasant mood of the knight leading them, Belinda approached Ghislain and whispered, "What’s going on? Did things not go well?"

"No, it went perfectly. We just need to wait a little."

"Then why does he look like he's on his deathbed?"

"Who knows? Maybe he has a stomachache?"

Belinda glared at Ghislain, her irritation evident.

Just as she was about to say something more, a young woman appeared, being dragged along by the knights. She looked disheveled and was wearing worn-out clothes, giving her a haggard appearance. Judging by her expression, she had no idea why she had been brought here.

One of the knights who had brought her, speaking in a barely controlled voice, said, "You’re free now. They paid your ransom."

"Wh-Who?" The woman looked up in shock.

Who would have paid such a hefty amount for her? A sum of 2,000 gold wasn’t something anyone would spend lightly, especially not for her.

She turned and saw a man standing there, gazing at her. Although his appearance had become much more humble than she remembered, she recognized him instantly. He was the man she had once loved and thought she would never see again—her fiancé.

"Claude!"

"Anna!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, they rushed into each other’s arms, weeping loudly.

"Why! Why! Why did you do it?"

"I... I'm sorry... It’s too late, isn't it?"

Watching the two embrace and cry, Belinda just pouted.

‘Are they lovers? Or family? Could it be that the young master knew about this all along?’

There were too many suspicious things. From the moment he grabbed the rune stone, claiming to have someone to meet, to now. There was no logical reason to carry such an expensive item on a simple errand.

‘He even said something about losing a hand if he was late.’

Then, as soon as they arrived, he found Claude, whose hand was about to be severed, and without asking any questions, paid the money.

It was almost as if Ghislain had known exactly what was going to happen and had prepared everything in advance.

Unable to hold back her curiosity, Belinda asked, "Did you know all of this was going to happen, young master?"

"More or less."

"How?"

"I did a bit of research."

It wasn’t an unreasonable answer. The only question was when exactly he had done such research.

Belinda narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Ghislain, but she couldn't uncover any secrets.

"So, do you know the relationship between those two?" she asked.

"Yes, they're lovers."

"Oh, a classic tale of rescuing a lover. How romantic."

Belinda gazed at Claude and Anna, who were still weeping and unable to speak. Even though she didn’t know all the details, realizing that Claude had done this to rescue his captured lover made her view him in a slightly more positive light.

Even if she couldn’t excuse his reckless gambling.

"What exactly happened to them?" she asked.

Ghislain rubbed his chin thoughtfully before answering.

"Claude’s master died because of him."

"What?"

"And that woman is his master’s daughter."

"What?"

Both Belinda and the mercenaries eavesdropping nearby were so shocked they couldn't help but gape.

"Wait, weren’t they lovers? And he killed her father?"

"He didn’t kill him directly, but it was because of him."

"Isn’t that basically the same thing?"

"It’s not the same at all," Ghislain said, folding his arms as he chose his words carefully.

"His master was involved with the revolutionaries."

"The revolutionaries?!"

Belinda and the mercenaries jumped in surprise. Just when they thought nothing more could shock them, something else did.

The revolutionaries were a famous armed group across the continent, advocating for equality and sharing. Initially, they had widespread support, but by now, they had long been labeled as continent-wide criminals.

"Then how are those two still alive?"

The goal of the revolutionaries was to overthrow the current regime. Naturally, the kingdom would never allow anyone even slightly involved with them to live. Anyone associated with the group was executed without exception.

Ghislain calmly explained, "To be exact, they were falsely accused of being connected to the revolutionaries. Claude’s master was the head of the Ceylon Royal Academy."

Claude’s master wasn’t just the head of the academy; he was a renowned scholar with significant political influence. However, noble factions opposing him found him too troublesome and fabricated evidence linking him to the revolutionaries, framing him.

And it was Claude who had unwittingly delivered the false evidence to his master.

"Did he betray his own master?"

"Of course not. Why would someone with a bright future get involved in something like that? He was tricked. He was so focused on his studies that he didn’t understand how the world worked."

Claude, being naive, didn’t suspect a thing. He had simply passed on what he thought was an important letter, unaware that it would later be used as evidence of his master’s involvement with the revolutionaries.

There had been other complex schemes at play as well, but ultimately, it was Claude’s actions that triggered the false accusations against his master.

‘He lived with the guilt and regret for the rest of his life because of it,’ Ghislain thought, a bitter smile on his face.

"In the end, his master chose to die quietly as a way to protect those two. Anna, being his direct family, had to be ransomed as well, but they couldn’t pay, so she ended up here."

"Oh no…"

"That’s why Claude has always carried a heavy sense of guilt toward his master and his fiancée."

"So the reason he was gambling…"

"No one would hire him. Who would want to employ someone involved in treason, indirectly or not?"

A few of the mercenaries clicked their tongues and shook their heads.

"He needed to save Anna, but had no means to gather that much money. So he just gave up on life, hoping for a miracle."

"It only takes a moment to ruin someone’s life."

"He learned the hard way how harsh the world could be. But the price he paid was far too steep—his master, his bright future, and the woman he loved."

"Yeah…"

Belinda’s mouth felt dry.

She had asked out of curiosity, but hearing the story left her feeling uneasy. So that was why Ghislain had decided to take in a gambler with such a past.

Claude and Anna had finally stopped crying, but now they were acting awkward around each other.

It wasn’t Claude’s fault that his master had died, and Anna likely knew that she couldn’t completely blame him. But when disaster strikes, it’s human nature to want to blame someone.

Anna’s expression, as she looked at Claude, was a mix of relief and resentment.

"But Claude, who are these people?" she asked.

"This man… is the noble who paid the ransom."

Claude gave a slightly bitter smile. He didn’t fully understand why Ghislain had saved him.

To recruit talent?

If Ghislain had that much money to spare, he could easily find someone better to hire.

Even now, despite everything, Claude couldn’t bring himself to fully trust Ghislain.

Seeing the uncomfortable look on Claude’s face, Anna was certain there had to be some condition attached.

But whatever the condition, she still felt immense gratitude to the man who had paid such a large sum for their sake.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

Anna repeatedly bowed her head in gratitude, almost as if she were a criminal seeking forgiveness.

Ghislain looked at her with a hint of pity. She likely thought he had placed an impossible condition on Claude.

In this kingdom, no one would hire someone like Claude, tainted by even indirect ties to treason. Even if someone did hire him, it would only be to exploit him, offering unfavorable conditions in return for taking the risk.

In essence, it wouldn’t be much different from being held captive by Austern.

"There’s no need to be so formal. I did it because I wanted to," Ghislain said, choosing not to correct her assumptions.

No matter how he explained it, she wouldn’t believe him until she experienced things for herself.

Without wasting time, Ghislain and his group led Claude and Anna to an inn.

Their bags were now much heavier, thanks to the 1,000 gold they had received from Austern.

With plenty of money for travel, Ghislain and his group checked into the largest inn next to the Kraken game house.

After they settled in, Claude turned to Anna with an apologetic look.

"I know you’re curious about what’s going on, but… can we talk tomorrow? I need to have an important conversation with this man."

"…Alright. Just promise me we’ll talk tomorrow."

Though she seemed anxious, she eventually nodded.

The mercenaries scattered to either rest or stand guard, and soon only Ghislain, Claude, Belinda, and Gillian remained in the spacious guest room.

"Haah…"

Claude let out a deep breath before asking, "Why are you doing all of this for me?"

Ghislain paused for a moment before answering honestly. At that moment, he didn’t feel like lying.

"Because I owe you a debt."

"This is the first time we’ve met."

"That’s true, but if I say I owe you, then I do."

No one would understand such a statement.

Belinda’s grumbling could be heard in the background, saying that the young master was being stubborn again.

But Ghislain was sincere.

In their past life, Claude had helped Ghislain with his revenge, sacrificing his life in the end.

Was spending a few coins now really a big deal in comparison?

"I really do want to recruit you. But if you don’t want that, I won’t force you. Live however you want. You don’t need to repay me."

"…Don’t joke with me."

"Why can’t you believe me? I’m serious."

That wasn’t his intention from the start. He had simply intended to take Claude with him, no matter what.

But seeing his face in person made him change his mind.

‘Yes, this guy worked really hard. Even though he ultimately failed… he did everything he could.’

He didn’t want to force Claude to stay with him again in this life, knowing that the man had given everything in their previous life.

He had seen Claude’s face, saved his hand from being cut off, and rescued Anna, whom he so longed for.

Now, Claude could live a peaceful life.

Although Ghislain’s revenge had failed in their past life, and Claude hadn’t lived to see the end, the man had still chosen to help Ghislain of his own free will.

He didn’t want to bind Claude again.

Even if they didn’t stay together, he wished for his friend to live freely and happily in this life.

That was enough.

"Of course, I’m not giving up either. It might be fine to live as a tutor in this town, but if you ever want to spread your wings and reach your full potential…"

Ghislain smiled softly.

"Come to Fenris territory in Luthania. I’ll make sure you have the wings to fly."

Claude clenched his teeth.

He couldn’t understand the situation.

It didn’t feel like one of those whimsical noble decisions. The warm, familiar look in Ghislain’s eyes was what bothered him the most.

Claude closed his eyes in thought for a moment before slowly lowering himself to the floor.

"Thank you for saving Anna. As promised, I will devote my loyalty to you."

He looked up.

There was no longer despair in his face. Instead, his expression seemed lighter, as if he had made a decision.

Ghislain’s face hardened slightly as he asked, "You don’t have to do this. Live how you want."

"This is what I want."

"You’re good with words… But don’t you really want to live with Anna?"

Claude’s gaze dropped, as though Ghislain had struck a nerve.

"With 500 gold, you two could live comfortably."

"I cannot accept that much money for free."

Ghislain narrowed his eyes and looked down at Claude.

"You’ve truly made up your mind."

"Yes. This is the best path for me."

Belinda couldn’t follow what they were talking about.

‘Why not just come to Fenris territory together?’

Before she could ask, Claude answered the unspoken question.

"Please, I ask one last thing of you. Please send Anna safely to the Ceylon Royal Academy. I will follow you, my lord."

Ghislain sighed, as if he had expected this.