Chapter 429: I Will Save You All. (3)
The girl returned with Ghislain. Her mother was still lying down, barely able to breathe.
Ghislain immediately administered the medicine to the girl’s mother.
It was a cure capable of treating even the ‘Curse of Eternity’ within a day. Though diluted, the disease’s symptoms had also weakened and lost their contagion, so the medicine’s efficacy was more than sufficient.
After a few minutes, the girl’s mother visibly regained her color, and the spots on her skin began to fade.
“Mom…”
The girl, eyes brimming with tears, clutched her mother’s hand. It was clear that she had passed the critical stage.
Relief and joy overwhelmed her at the sight of her mother surviving.
Slowly, the girl’s mother opened her eyes and asked,
“What… what happened…?”
“Mom? Are you okay?”
“Yes… My body feels so much lighter.”
“A n-noble came! He saved us!”
“A… noble…?”
“Y-yes! From the north? He’s a count! Ah, Fenris! He said he was the lord of Fenris!”
“Fenris?”
The girl’s mother widened her eyes. She had heard rumors about Fenris before.
Among the nobles, Ghislain was rumored to be a demon incarnate, but among the common folk, the stories were entirely different.
It was said that in Fenris, no one went hungry, and no one was treated unfairly.
Hearing such rumors, it sounded like a paradise, but there was no way to verify it. Movement was restricted for commoners.
She had always wondered if the rumors were true and had longed to see Fenris for herself.
Yet now, the lord of that land had come to save the people of this city!
“Ah…”
The girl’s mother turned her head and looked at Ghislain, who stood before her.
She struggled to rise and bow to him, but Ghislain raised his hand to stop her.
“That’s enough. There’s no need for formalities.”
“B-but…”
“Just focus on recovering.”
The girl’s mother was flustered, but Ghislain had never been one to care for etiquette or status.
He immediately turned to Gillian and instructed,
“Gillian, the people must be weak. Make sure every house receives food, and have the soldiers cook for them directly. Restoring their strength is the priority.”
“Understood.”
“And it would be wise to start cleaning and repairing the city at the same time. On the way here, it looked like the filth could spread another disease.”
“We’ll take care of it quickly.”
Gillian and the soldiers moved at once. Before leaving, Ghislain patted the girl’s shoulder, met her eyes, and said,
“Take good care of your mother. I need to go help the others now.”
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
The girl bowed repeatedly, trying to lower herself to the ground, but Ghislain waved his hand to stop her, so she could only bow her head deeply instead.
Seeing her gratitude, Ghislain smiled and said,
“I only did what had to be done. Keep the cloak as a gift.”
The girl clutched the red cloak he had draped over her even tighter.
As Ghislain turned to leave, the girl suddenly shouted,
“I… I will definitely!”
“Hm?”
When Ghislain looked back, the girl clenched the cloak and declared,
“I will definitely repay this kindness someday!”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Ghislain gave a faint smile before turning away again. The girl couldn’t take her eyes off his back as he left.
To her, Ghislain was no less than a savior of this world.
But he hadn’t just saved her family.
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
Countless carts and soldiers began pouring into the city.
The Northern Army, following Ghislain’s orders, moved swiftly to rescue the people.
Most of those who remained in the city were too weak to move on their own. The soldiers searched every house and alley, finding those in need.
“Hey, move quickly!”
“There’s someone still alive here!”
“Bring blankets and clean water!”
It hadn’t been long since the plague started spreading. While some with weaker constitutions had succumbed, the majority were still alive.
The soldiers personally administered medicine and cooked food for the people.
They cleaned the streets for hygiene, removed corpses, and repaired homes.
A staggering ten thousand soldiers had entered the city. With their coordinated efforts, the crisis was resolved in the blink of an eye.
At first, the people thought it was their own lord who had come to save them. But they soon realized that wasn’t the case.
“Oh… Count Fenris…”
“The Northern Army we only heard about in rumors has come…”
“It really was him…”
The people were deeply moved. The lord to whom they had paid taxes had abandoned them, and yet, a lord from the far-off North, with no connection to them, had come to save them.
At that moment, Ghislain’s name was engraved deeply in their hearts.
“The rumors about him being a crazy scoundrel were obviously lies.”
“It must have been gossip spread by jealous nobles.”
“I heard the Chief Overseer there is incredibly upright too. They say he knows nothing of gambling or bribery.”
“They don’t even have any slaves there. I also heard they have an outstanding heir to the magic tower.”
“That’s all because the lord himself is clean. His retainers follow his example. Isn’t it obvious, just from this?”
The problem – if there was one – was that incorrect rumors were spreading alongside the truth.
While the soldiers worked to save the city under the citizens’ misconceptions, Ghislain spread out a map and discussed the next plans with his close aides.
This city had merely been the closest, so he came here first. He planned to make it the central hub for eradicating the plague before moving to aid other regions.
“Dark, contact Claude and have him send several administrators. There are too many abandoned cities. Also, order all remaining supplies and medicine to be sent here.”
When the plague broke out, the nobles and administrators had been the first to flee, leaving no one to manage the cities.
As soon as Dark transformed into a crow and flew off, Ghislain continued speaking, pointing to various spots on the map.
“These are the most urgent locations. Split the forces and deliver the medicine and food as fast as possible. I’ll assign each of you some specific tasks.”
All these places were suffering because their lords had failed to properly distribute the necessary medicines, allowing the plague to spread further. They needed to contain the outbreak quickly before it worsened.
Ghislain informed the commanders of the Fenris forces about the new troop deployments and specified the quantities of medicine and food that must be distributed.
After hearing the plan, Gillian cautiously asked, “What about the Rift?”
The Rift was expanding relatively close to the city. The local estate forces had been steadily losing ground and had finally requested aid from the Northern forces.
It wasn’t something they could leave alone either.
“If we use cavalry, transporting the medicine won’t take long. While the Fenris forces deliver the supplies, the remaining Northern troops can hold the line against the Riftspawn.”
“Then who will command them…?”
Ghislain turned his gaze to Tennant.
“Tennant, you’ll lead the Northern forces and hold the line. You can manage that much, right?”
Everyone was shocked. Entrusting such a large force to someone who had not only joined recently, but had previously been an enemy?
Even Tennant seemed slightly flustered as he asked, “Are you sure you can trust me with the troops? What if I have other intentions?”
Ghislain replied, looking almost incredulous.
“You think the Northern troops would follow you if you tried to pull something?”
“…”
Tennant had no response. Indeed, the loyalty the Northern forces felt toward Ghislain was unwavering.
Realizing he had spoken out of turn, Tennant gave a bitter smile and nodded.
“Understood. I will hold the defensive line.”
“Good. Holding out is all you need to do.”
Tennant was a capable commander. Though he had lost to Fenris, he had experience leading a large army. Given the overwhelming power of the Northern forces, establishing and maintaining a defensive line was well within his capabilities.
Tennant promptly set out with most of the Northern troops, heading toward the Rift.
Ghislain scanned his remaining aides before pointing to Kaor and Alfoi.
“Kaor, Alfoi. I’ll give you a list go collect medicine and ingredients from the other lords. Think you can handle that?”
Kaor grinned. “Hah, now that’s my kind of job. I’ll shake them down thoroughly.”
“Can I just take over one of the estates and become a count myself? I’d make a great one.”
These two were the least suited for helping others. They were far better suited for extracting resources from the remaining lords.
The rest of the commanders also moved into action.
“Get them in the air, quickly!”
Hundreds of hot air balloons carrying mages and soldiers began to rise into the sky. Ghislain planned to use the same methods he had relied on in his past life.
For regions connected by roads, cavalry could swiftly deliver the medicine and food. However, for areas without proper roads or with rough terrain, using hot air balloons was far more effective.
Although the balloons could only carry limited supplies and couldn’t cover many locations at once, they could prioritize the farthest and hardest-to-reach areas.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The Fenris soldiers, all skilled riders, spread out with carts filled with medicine and food.
Mounting the Black King, Ghislain said, “Gillian, stay here and guard the area. Claude will send the medicine and food here.”
He had decided to personally visit the smaller villages in the region. Splitting the forces into too many separate units would be inefficient.
“Do you really have to go yourself, my lord?”
“It’s the fastest and most effective way.”
“…Understood.”
Surprisingly, Ghislain chose to move with only a few knightly attendants and a small force.
And there was only one reason he could afford to do so.
“Let’s go!”
Hiiiiing!
The Black King let out a loud cry and surged forward.
Over a hundred carts began moving on their own, following behind Ghislain.
Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!
It was Ghislain, pulling the carts along with threads of mana.
Witnessing this astonishing sight, those around him stood agape.
Kaor, in particular, was both impressed and disturbed.
‘Wow, he’s a real monster. How am I supposed to beat that?’
Kaor had grown far stronger than when he had first met Ghislain. Perhaps he had even surpassed the Ghislain of that time.
But that monster was growing stronger at an even faster pace, day by day.
‘Ugh… I’ll have to deal with that old man first before thinking about this.’
Lately, Gillian’s abilities had become hard to gauge. It seemed he had widened the gap between them once again.
And then there was Tennant, or whatever his name was. That newcomer had reached the level of a master.
‘I don’t like him.’
Supposedly, he had been renowned as the Swordmaster of the West. His status was higher than Kaor’s, and he was older, so it made sense that his skills might surpass Kaor’s as well.
But, as always, Kaor refused to accept that he was weaker.
‘The Chief Overseer, Alfoi, even Vanessa… she’s already a 7th-circle mage…’
Whenever he felt like he was finally catching up, they were already advancing even further. As a result, his presence in the group was starting to blur again.
Kaor found that quietly infuriating.
‘Just wait. I’ll catch up to all of you.’
Though he lacked patience, he had a fierce determination. He grumbled to himself but was already plotting ways to grow stronger.
For now, he could vent his frustration on the lords who had refused to hand over the medicines. Kaor quickly led his assault team into action.
Alfoi, though equally surprised by Ghislain’s display of power, wasn’t as emotionally affected as Kaor.
‘I’m a mage, after all.’
They were in different fields altogether. Once he ascended to the title of Magic King, he was confident he could surpass even Ghislain and break free from his slave contract.
‘Heh heh heh, when that happens, I’ll be a lord and become a Count myself.’
Despite once being brilliant enough to become an heir to the magic tower, Alfoi had… changed since joining Fenris. It was a place where simplicity was often a necessity for survival.
Leading a small group of mages and a few knights as his escort, he was already daydreaming about how he would bully the lords into submission.
With such swift and relentless movements, medicine and food were rapidly distributed to various areas.
The lives saved by this effort filled the people with deep gratitude.
“Thank you! Truly, thank you so much!”
“Our family owes its life to the Count!”
“We will never forget this kindness!”
The regions Ghislain had saved were mostly neglected places either abandoned by their lords out of greed or unprepared for the plague’s outbreak.
These were people who had despaired, abandoned by their own rulers. The pain of the plague had long since eroded their loyalty to their lords.
Instead, that loyalty shifted elsewhere.
“Blessings of the Goddess upon the Count of Fenris!”
“It was the Count of Fenris who saved us!”
“He is our true savior!”
Around the towns and villages Ghislain had rescued, new rumors began to spread. That he was not only ending the chaos, but was destined to save everyone.
Some even whispered that the Count of Fenris had been chosen by the Goddess. They cited the old rumors from the capital, where he had been mistaken for a Holy One, making the claim all the more believable.
Of course, Ghislain knew perfectly well that it had been a staged performance, coordinated with Porisco.
‘A savior, huh…’
It was a word uncomfortably similar to Salvation Church. Still, there was no way to stop people from calling him that if they wished to.
Suddenly, Ghislain turned his gaze toward a certain direction.
The Shadow Mountains, teeming with monsters.
That was where the Kingdom of Turian had been battling against monsters for a long time.
‘Savior…’
That title didn’t belong to him. Not in this life, nor in the last.
There had been someone else back then who truly deserved it.
‘It’s about time for him to return to the world.’
One of the Seven Strongest on the Continent from his past life
The one who would soon reemerge.