The rumor that the lord had made a bet with the chief administrator spread quickly.

When people heard the details, they shook their heads and clicked their tongues.

“Tsk, tsk, the lord has gone too far.”

“The chief administrator sure has a temper. Even though it's the lord, he should’ve at least pretended to give in. I hear the lord's close aides are fuming.”

“Well, the lord ordered that no one touch the chief administrator. If anything happens to him, it’ll only damage the lord’s reputation further. Who will want to work for him then?”

Just as the people said, Belinda was seething but unable to touch Claude. She spent all day angrily hitting her pillow instead.

“Ugh! Why did the young master make such a bet? He knows nothing about farming! When is he ever going to fix that temper of his?”

Claude’s words echoed in her mind—this was a problem that no one had been able to solve for hundreds of years.

There was no way Ghislain, who knew nothing about agriculture, could solve it.

Sure, they could ask mages or priests to temporarily enhance the soil’s fertility. But that effect wouldn’t last long.

Buying food with that money would be cheaper in the long run.

“Aargh! And that gambler! He should’ve given in when the lord started acting out! But no, he had to accept the bet, and now he's even asking for protection! The audacity!”

Belinda smacked the innocent pillow once more.

As the head maid, her seething resentment toward the chief administrator began to unsettle the atmosphere in the castle.

Meanwhile, Vanessa, observing the tension, found herself deep in thought.

‘The lord must win. Should I use magic to temporarily boost the soil’s fertility? But managing such a large area by myself is impossible. It would require an enormous amount of mana... which I don’t have... and we don’t have any more runestones...’

Vanessa’s magic couldn’t even manage a small patch of land, let alone the entire area Ghislain planned to cultivate.

‘Should I try to steal mana from Lord Alpoie and the other mages?’

The thought of ambushing them in their sleep crossed her mind, but it was impossible to overpower them alone.

‘My lord, I’m sorry. I’m just a useless person...’

Vanessa grew more gaunt with worry each passing day, and the people around her began to notice.

In contrast, Kaor seemed more cheerful than ever.

Taking advantage of Belinda’s self-imposed isolation, he spent his days drinking with the Cerberus Mercenary Corps.

“Hah, it’ll be fun whether the lord loses or the chief administrator does. Though, I doubt the latter will happen.”

“I wonder what expression that monster of a lord will have if he loses,” one of the mercenaries remarked, causing Kaor to chuckle.

“This time, the lord made a mistake. It’s a bet he’s bound to lose. I knew that stubborn streak of his would get him in trouble one day.”

Ghislain had always tackled challenges that everyone said were impossible.

And every time, he succeeded.

With his sharp instincts and overwhelming power, he forced the impossible to happen.

Because of this, people had grown used to following Ghislain’s lead, but this time, they couldn’t go along with it.

“This time, it’s not about strength. It’s about specialized knowledge.”

Kaor laughed, but his expression suddenly hardened as he noticed Gillian approaching from a distance.

“Oh no, here comes the old man. Hey, everyone, disperse! Move it, you lazy bums!”

Ever since Ghislain made the bet with Claude, Gillian had been walking around with a grim expression.

He believed Claude had deliberately mentioned the casino to provoke Ghislain.

Seeing how bad Gillian’s mood was, Kaor knew that if he was caught drinking, he’d get an earful of complaints.

Kaor and the mercenaries quickly cleaned up and quietly slipped away before Gillian could reach them.

As tension in the castle rose, Claude threw himself into his work with more energy than ever.

Strangely, he didn’t even feel tired despite not sleeping.

“Haha, I’m so close to freedom.”

There was still an enormous amount of work to do, but thinking about the fact that he only had to endure for three months made it much easier.

There’s a huge difference between a task with no end in sight and one with a clear finish line.

“I’ll make sure to finish everything perfectly before I go. Don’t want anyone finding fault later.”

Of course, his motivation had nothing to do with Wendy twirling a dagger behind him.

“You’re not going to stab me in the back or poison my food, right?”

Wendy, flustered by his sudden question, hurriedly put the dagger away.

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“If I die, the lord will be even more humiliated. You know that, right?”

“...I know.”

“Good. So keep a close watch. I feel like someone’s out to get me.”

Claude warned her for the 23rd time and then cheerfully resumed his work.

It wasn’t long before Wendy pulled out her dagger again, and Claude repeated the same question for the 24th time.

Meanwhile, Ghislain reviewed the work Claude had completed and began assembling the mercenaries. It would be faster to deal with the slash-and-burn farmers himself.

“Gillian, you’ll coordinate with the neighboring territories to bring back any runaway serfs. Kaor, you search the northern region. Round up every slash-and-burn farmer hiding out there. I’ll take the southern region.”

Thanks to Claude poking around, the serfs were already on edge.

Armed soldiers scouring the land for them made them fear something big was about to happen.

And now, hearing that the lord himself was leading soldiers to capture them, the serfs were terrified. Morale plummeted, and Ghislain’s reputation fell to new lows.

Rumors spread that the new lord was more ruthless and terrifying than the previous one.

The administrators, concerned, suggested proceeding more slowly, but Ghislain didn’t flinch.

“It doesn’t matter. We don’t have the luxury of time. Even if we have to use force, we need to move quickly.”

In no time, Ghislain found the slash-and-burn farmers hiding in the mountains.

Of course, those he found didn’t come quietly.

“My lord, please let us stay here. At least give us a few days to gather our things.”

“We’ll pay the taxes somehow.”

“If we leave, we’ll have no land. No food. We’ll starve.”

Despite their pleas, Ghislain coldly shook his head.

If he gave them time, they’d only run off to hide somewhere else.

“I’ll provide food and work, so don’t worry. But we don’t have time. You’re coming down now.”

The taxes they could collect from this group were negligible at best.

He wasn’t here for their money; he needed people to work.

Seeing Ghislain’s firm stance, the farmers exchanged glances.

Stalling wasn’t going to work. The lord seemed dead set on this.

He had come with only ten soldiers, including himself. It seemed like a manageable number to take on.

A middle-aged man holding a club stepped forward and shouted.

“Screw it! If we go down, they’ll just exploit us like before!”

“I’m not like that. I’m such a kind person. People around me say there’s no one as nonviolent and peaceful as me.”

Anyone who heard him say that would have tilted their heads in confusion.

Even the mercenaries with Ghislain looked like they had heard something utterly absurd.

The farmers didn’t believe a word.

“We’re not going! Just leave us alone!”

Some of the more rebellious farmers began rallying the others.

“Everyone, let’s fight! It’s hell down there anyway!”

“Yeah, give us freedom!”

“We’ll live here on our own!”

Ghislain chuckled at their defiance.

He wasn’t one for long-winded speeches, and he never wasted time trying to persuade others.

He gave a slight nod to the mercenaries.

“Arrest them all.”

The mercenaries, unsurprised, charged at the farmers.

“Knew it! Nonviolent, my foot!”

“Everyone, grab your weapons!”

“We won’t be exploited anymore!”

The farmers, driven to desperation, put up a surprisingly fierce fight.

Having fled oppression, they weren’t about to yield easily to force.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!”

The farmers were ready to kill the soldiers and run.

It didn’t matter if they died fighting or were slowly worked to death later—it all ended the same way.

With twice the number of farmers compared to mercenaries, they thought they had a chance.

But their hope was quickly shattered.

“Ahhh!”

The mercenaries knocked down the farmers with casual blows, leaving them crumpled on the ground like broken dolls.

“Ugh…”

As the farmers groaned in pain, one of the mercenaries turned to Ghislain.

“What should we do with them?”

Normally, anyone who attacked the lord would be executed for treason.

However, the mercenaries knew Ghislain had a different reason for rounding them up, so they didn’t take any action yet.

Ghislain calmly surveyed the scene.

Nearby, women, children, and the elderly—likely the families of the fallen men—were huddled together, trembling.

“I look like a ruthless lord, don’t I?”

Ghislain chuckled and waved at the people.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to kill you. I’m a nonviolent pacifist, remember? We’re heading back to the estate, so pack only what you need.”

The farmers, having lost the will to resist, slowly gathered their belongings.

Once they had packed their things, Ghislain gave orders to the mercenaries.

“Tear down the houses. Criminals or spies could be hiding here.”

The mercenaries immediately grabbed their axes and got to work.

The shoddy shacks, hastily built by the farmers, quickly collapsed under the strength of the mercenaries.

Watching their homes destroyed, the farmers’ faces grew darker.

They now fully realized that they would never return to this place.

Seeing a child sobbing, Ghislain spoke gently.

“Don’t worry. There’s no other lord in the world as kind and gentle as me. See? Even though you fought me, no one’s dead.”

Of course, his words had no effect.

To the child, Ghislain was nothing more than a cruel lord who had beaten up his father, destroyed their home, and was now forcibly taking them away.

The child bit his lip, his eyes red with anger.

Noticing the boy’s expression, Ghislain shrugged.

There was no point in explaining anything to these distrustful people. The only way was to show them through action.

“Alright, let’s go. It’s cold at night.”

Ghislain turned away with a satisfied smile, having destroyed yet another village.

The people who had fought him were now bound and dragged away like strung-up fish.

Their families, faces full of despair, followed behind.

The farmers wept as they descended the mountain, worrying about the uncertain future.

Had they known this would happen, they would’ve fled farther.

They hadn’t expected Ghislain to track them down so thoroughly, even into the remote mountains.

“We found a good number today. Over forty of them,” Ghislain said cheerfully.

The farmers, teeth clenched, could do nothing but seethe in silence.

When they arrived at the castle, Ghislain whistled at the sight before him.

“Oh, it’s grown quite a bit.”

The farmers were shocked at what they saw.