309 – I’m Trusting You and Walking (3)
“Hey, hey, let’s hurry up.”
“Ugh, this annoying territory. I’ll never set foot in the North again.”
“It was such a disgusting lord and a disgusting territory.”
Complaining, the ones packing their things were Max and the resolvers, who had been captured since the Cabaldy War.
To earn their keep, they had worked in the territory but couldn’t get released so easily. Every day they worked, but only enough was deducted to pay the laborers’ wages, making it hard to make ends meet.
Still, they had no intention of spitting out the money. The sum they received from Rosalyn and Meriel was too significant to just give up.
Stuck in a bind, suffering, war broke out with Desmond.
Max and the resolvers decided to participate as commanders leading the Labor Assault Team, finally obtaining their freedom.
“We are free!”
“Waaah!”
In response to Max’s shout, the resolvers cheered. It was truly the end of this annoying territory.
Today was a special day. While Max and the resolvers were cleaning up and trimming their wild beards, Claude showed up.
“Wow, so you’re leaving now? You all worked hard during this time.”
“Uh, um… Chief Officer, you’re here?”
Max greeted Claude with a sulky expression. The one who had detained them was Ghislaine, but it was Claude who had ruthlessly sent them to the construction site.
He rolled them around so badly that they felt like assassins, though they didn’t dare to attempt it for fear of being trapped for life.
Despite Max’s sulky expression, Claude spoke warmly.
“So, what are you going to do once you go back?”
“Well, I’ve suffered a lot lately, so I’m thinking of finding something less strenuous for a while.”
It was a straightforward statement, but Claude shamelessly pretended not to understand.
“Ugh, with those skills, isn’t it a waste to be doing trivial tasks?”
“I’m planning to save a bit more and retire. I can’t keep doing this kind of work forever, can I? I want to buy some decent land and live comfortably.”
“Well, thinking like that is a bit unfortunate.”
In reality, Max and the resolvers had quite impressive skills. They had even been assigned the mission of rescuing Ghislaine and took command of the Labor Assault Team during the war in place of Kaor.
Claude spoke as if genuinely regretting it and slyly hinted.
“Then, you’ll need quite a bit of money. How about making a large sum at once?”
“A large sum? How?”
“This time, the lord made something…”
Claude fervently explained it was a ridiculous product, just as he had told Alfoy. Max and the resolvers agreed.
But the lord had shown fearsome skills. They hadn’t directly seen the process of making improved wheat and cosmetics, but they had heard enough rumors.
Seeing Ghislaine fight on the battlefield had shocked them. That’s why they hadn’t dared to run away.
But to bet against such a lord? Max shook his head immediately.
“No, we’re just going to leave. We don’t want to get involved with this territory anymore.”
That was an expected reaction. Claude nodded as if he anticipated it.
“20,000 gold.”
“……!”
“If you win, each of you could take home 20,000 gold.”
At the staggering amount, Max and the resolvers’ eyes widened. With that amount, they could retire right away.
Though it was an amount that made their hands tremble, Max didn’t jump at the offer. He was a seasoned leader of resolvers who had been through thick and thin.
“Why… are you telling us this?”
The strange powdered food that the lord supposedly made had a high chance of failing. But why would he tell outsiders like them about such a good opportunity?
The strange powder food was certainly more likely to fail. But why would they tell complete outsiders about such a great opportunity?
Claude, catching Max’s suspicious gaze, spoke softly.
“Have you resented me all this time?”
“…A little.”
“I couldn’t help it. There’s a shortage of manpower in the territory. So I had no choice but to take on the role of a bad guy. I’ve always felt sorry for you.”
“Chief Officer…”
“You know, even though you’re a small group, as a leader, you must realize how hard it is to lead people.”
Max nodded silently. The rumors were bad, but after all, hadn’t the Chief Officer pressured people for the sake of the territory?
As the time to leave approached, he began to understand his feelings a bit.
Claude took Max’s hand and continued speaking.
“It’s nothing special. I just wanted to fairly give you a hefty sum before you leave. I can’t really provide that kind of money without this excuse.”
“Chief Officer…”
Max and the resolvers felt a lump in their throats. It was as if their noses were tingling. They thought he was a bad guy, but it turned out he had a deep sense of consideration.
Claude didn’t speak with logic and reason. He stimulated the emotions of Max and the resolvers.
Looking at Max with warm eyes, Claude turned slightly away and said, “And this is also for the Lord.”
“For the Lord?”
“Yeah, our Lord is undoubtedly an outstanding person. He has overcome difficulties and achieved a lot. But… the problem is that he hasn’t faced failure until now.”
“Why is that a problem?”
“His arrogance has been growing. At a young age, one must experience failure and trials to grow more. It’s better to incur a significant loss before time passes.”
“Why is now a good time?”
“Honestly, even if this fails, it will only slightly embarrass the Lord. But if he loses a lot of money, he will definitely pay attention. His arrogance will decrease, too.”
“Hmm…”
“Think about it. If he remains arrogant when the next war happens, what could happen? One mistake can cost lives in war. We need to correct the Lord’s mindset now. Losing money will be a bargain in comparison.”
“Ah…”
Max and the resolvers understood Claude’s words. It was no longer a secret that Ghislaine was marked by the Duke Faction.
If a powerful enemy lurks and he becomes consumed by success and arrogance, there would surely be dire consequences.
Max had seen many cases like this while working as a resolver. Arrogance ultimately brings calamity. Especially for those with many enemies.
There was nothing wrong with Claude’s words.
‘He truly is a loyal subject!’
‘We didn’t even realize he was this kind of person…’
‘Ah, someone of such stature must indeed be the Chief Officer of this Great Territory.’
Max and the resolvers were moved. Claude was a loyal subject who bore all the shame and blame, thinking only of the Lord and the territory.
It was only as they were about to leave that they realized this. They felt a wave of regret.
Of course, that was that, and a wager is a wager. Although Claude’s logic had no flaws, Max still couldn’t shake off a feeling of discomfort. The intention was good, but wouldn’t it be a huge problem if they lost?
As if understanding Max’s feelings, Claude smiled.
“The mages from the ‘Mage Tower’ have agreed to participate as well. The mages have already completed their verification. So there’s no need to worry.”
“Whoa!”
The resolvers gasped in admiration. If the mages had already completed their verification, there was no need to say more.
Especially since the mages were part of the Tower of the Bloody Flame, once known as the best in the North. And Vanessa was a mage who had reached the 6th Circle.
They were the members of the Tower of the Bloody Flame, which was referred to as “work.” Among them, Vanessa was a Mage who had reached the 6th Circle.
“Are confirmed Mages also participating? It’d be foolish not to get involved.”
This was precisely why Claude deliberately persuaded the Mages first. The seasoned Resolvers, who had a wealth of world experience, would not be easily swayed, so he emphasized that smart Mages had joined in.
Of course, he never mentioned that Vanessa was no longer part of the Tower and wasn’t participating in the bet.
“I’ll do it!”
As Max boldly declared, all the Resolvers agreed. With that, Claude had entangled both the Mages and the Resolvers.
“Phew, it’s just the beginning. It’s fine, we’ll win anyway, so everyone shouldn’t worry.”
Still, he had developed a little more than before.
While he succeeded in enticing people, he didn’t immediately rush to find Ghislaine.
Using the Chief Officer’s authority, he discreetly pocketed a bit of the prototype powder and, with a solemn expression, mixed it and tasted it.
“Hmm… the taste isn’t bad.”
It made his stomach feel a bit bloated, but it wasn’t a major discomfort. In fact, it provided a slight sense of fullness.
He continued working until dinner time.
“I’m feeling a bit hungry?”
It’s only natural to feel hungry after drinking the powder mixed with water. He consumed some more, then took a short nap before returning to work.
“Oh, I’m hungry. This is useless.”
His stomach growled. He wanted to eat something delicious and chew on it. Just thinking about it made him feel hungrier.
He decided to quit eating the powder and have a hearty meal instead.
“I’m not going to starve to death over this. I definitely can’t fight after eating this. Hahaha!”
After just one day of eating it, he gave up. He was too hungry and couldn’t resist the urge to eat something.
He was convinced that the Lord had failed this time.
Wendy cautiously spoke as she observed the overly complacent Claude.
“Still, deciding after just one day seems a bit off, doesn’t it? At least try it for three days…”
“Ah, enough. I’m too hungry; I can’t live on just this. It’s a failure, a failure.”
“The Lord has always produced unexpected results.”
“This time it won’t happen, and even if I lose, it doesn’t matter.”
“…?”
Wendy looked surprised. How could he say it was okay to lose while desiring freedom?
Was he truly intending to warn against the Lord’s arrogance?
Seeing her astonishment, Claude turned his head.
He muttered while gazing out the office window.
“I have nothing to lose… I’m already in a messed-up situation; I have nothing to lose…”
“……”
Claude had nothing to stake. So he had to pull others’ lives into the bet instead.
Wondering if she had been a bit too thoughtful, Wendy simply stared at the ceiling of the office.
*
The contract was quickly sealed. The Mages and Resolvers bet their lives and demanded freedom and money if they won.
It was natural for Ghislaine to accept without hesitation.
An extension for 46 Mages and the recruitment of 10 new Resolvers? He couldn’t resist something like this.
Claude looked at Ghislaine with confidence.
“I’ll handle the stewardship. We can’t let anything be eaten secretly.”
“Very well.”
“Hehehe, don’t regret it.”
“You should… No, you have nothing to regret.”
The rumor that the Lord and Chief Officer had made another bet spread quickly throughout the territory.
Those close to him, like Belinda and Gillian, who always tried to dissuade Ghislaine, decided to let him be this time.
After all, they knew from past experiences that trying to stop him was futile.
It’s because of that.
And it’s true that there was also an expectation of whether Ghislaine would succeed this time.
The old residents of the former Penris Territory, who had already seen these bets several times, predicted Ghislaine’s victory.
It wasn’t based on any particular knowledge. They just believed that since Ghislaine always won, she would do so again.
“The Chief Officer jumped in again, huh?”
“Tsk tsk, I don’t get why he keeps doing that when he’s always losing.”
“This time, there’s a rumor that all the Mages are participating!”
“Psh, as if that matters. Didn’t the Mages not participate in the past?”
Ghislaine was so popular that more and more territory residents began to mock Claude.
But Claude didn’t care. This time, he truly believed he would win. Or not.
Claude was acting shamelessly, but the ones participating in this test were not like that.
“What is this!”
“You’re telling me to survive a whole month on just this?”
“And then we have to do a mock battle?”
“How are we supposed to do that!”
The summoned Knights and Soldiers were having a fit while looking at the powder given to them every day.
What’s great about this territory? The only advantage was that even though training was hard, they could eat their fill.
There was plenty of food. Recently, the residents of Penris had been trying to develop various sauces to make their food at least a bit tastier.
It wasn’t exactly a change pushed by Ghislaine. It was a natural occurrence as the food resources became abundant.
So, with so much food available, they had to endure while training, just drinking water mixed with powder. It’s no wonder they were getting angry.
Gordon and Lucas, the most senior among the summoned Knights, were the first to explode in anger.
“We can’t train eating this crap! We’ll lose muscle mass!”
“This is a conspiracy by those jealous of my genius! I won’t let it slide!”
The Elves reacted similarly. Of all the summoned members, Ascon was among them.
“Hey, you bastards! How old do you think I am to eat this and survive! XXX! XXXXX! XX! XXXX! XXXXX!”
It was so vulgar that it was hard to listen to.
They tried to revolt, but they were quickly suppressed by Gillian and the other Knights keeping watch.
Especially the Knights who didn’t participate in the experiment were even more diligent in stopping the participants, fearing they’d be dragged in next.
The participants all shouted in anger.
“Didn’t the Chief Officer suggest this?”
“Ugh! Who cares who wins, anyway!”
“Why does it always have to be this extreme?”
Even if it wasn’t a bet, an experiment would have happened. But it wouldn’t have been done like this.
Originally, Ghislaine wanted to monitor her condition by dividing the days, slowly checking her status. After all, this was an emergency combat food, not normal meals.
It would have been enough to safely confirm the effects while doing other tasks.
But Claude pushed it to extremes to secure victory in the bet, nitpicking something Ghislaine had said about it taking a month.
In the end, blame from the participants could only fall on Claude. They truly had to survive for a whole month on nothing but water and powder.
People’s complaints and blame rained down, but Claude didn’t blink an eye.
‘I’m not hungry.’
He was that strong-willed of a man.
Anyway, the bet had begun. Claude set off on new preparations to ensure victory even more securely.
Seizing the opportunity while the bet and experiment were taking place, Ghislaine decided to attempt the training she had been pondering over for a long time.
[Transparent Swordmaster]
It was a training based on inspiration from a book written by Gordon.
