Chapter 445: I Am the Negotiation Specialist (2)

Anyone who gets involved with Ghislain changes, for better or worse.

Gillian, after his daughter's illness was cured thanks to Ghislain, transformed from a rough mercenary into a loyal knight.

Kaor also changed, from a wild and free-spirited mad dog to a hunting dog bound by a leash.

Even timid Vanessa gained confidence, while the once arrogant and neat Alpoi and the mages stopped caring about living in ragged conditions.

Even Arel, who was always diligent, changed after coming to Fenris.

Mercenaries turned knights, elves, and dwarves — all of them, after coming to Fenris and working with Ghislain, changed little by little.

Among them, Piote's transformation was perhaps the most dramatic.

'I, I swore?'

Piote was utterly shocked by the curse that had slipped out of his mouth. He had occasionally thought of Alpoi with words like this bastard, that bastard, bad bastard, but he had never uttered such blatant profanity before.

'Oh goddess, forgive my sin! I have cursed!'

Closing his eyes tightly, Piote repented immediately. Surely, it was a demon. A demon had infiltrated his heart.

As he tightly shut his eyes and clasped his hands in prayer, the soldiers around him erupted into cheers once more.

"The saint is receiving the goddess's power!"

"It must be a prayer before smashing the enemy to pieces!"

"It's like a preparatory ritual to send them to the afterlife!"

'That's not it!'

Because of the ridiculous chatter around him, Piote couldn't even concentrate on his prayer.

With no other choice, Piote stopped praying and clamped his mouth shut.

'Fine, they said everyone changes a little when they come to this territory. I'm just adapting.'

In truth, there was one person who hadn't changed.

Claude, the Head butler of Fenris, was famous for his unchanging character.

At any rate, due to Ghislain's new strategy, Piote was put at the forefront in the fight against Equidema.

Roaaaar!

As expected, Equidema, who went berserk at the mere sensation of holy power, lunged straight at Piote.

Tenant, who flinched, ready to jump in as usual, was stopped by Alpoi.

"Whoa there, you lowly human. You think you can intervene in a fight of goddesses? Perhaps someone like me could, but not you."

"…"

Tenant found Alpoi incredibly irritating, but as he was just an outsider here, he held back.

Thwack!

Equidema's attack didn't harm Piote at all. Taking advantage of the moment, Piote grabbed onto Equidema's leg and began climbing up, just as before.

'Ugh, how did it come to this…'

Even as he climbed, Piote ground his teeth.

Since that day, during marches, Ghislain had forced him to train in hand-to-hand combat. He had strength and speed in abundance thanks to his overflowing holy power.

Enduring the hellish training, Piote's gaze had grown a little sharper. In any case, he had become a combat priest fitting for Fenris.

"Aaaaaaah!"

Piote, who climbed to Equidema's neck in the blink of an eye, shouted loudly and swung his fist.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Roooaaaar!

Ssssssssssshh!

Equidema's screams echoed as Piote's hair turned silver.

His fist, filled with holy power, burned Equidema's flesh as it pounded relentlessly.

"Whoa! The goddess punch!"

Alpoi exclaimed in admiration, reconsidering whether he should pick a fight with Piote again.

Rooooar!

Equidema tried desperately to shake off the cursed bug clinging to its neck. But no matter how much force it used, the bug wouldn't fall off.

Seeing Piote successfully latch onto Equidema's neck, Ghislain shouted.

"Now, distract it completely!"

The more Equidema attacked Piote, the less time Piote would be able to hold out. Thus, the others needed to keep attacking and provoking it to divert its attention.

Pow!

Others circled around Equidema, attacking it without pause. Its body began to crack all over, blue smoke pouring out.

Rooooaaaaar!

Equidema was losing its mind. No matter how much shock it delivered, the bug on its neck wouldn't die or fall off. It couldn't understand what was happening.

Meanwhile, other bugs kept attacking endlessly from all directions, driving it to the brink of madness.

Eventually, Equidema, distracted by Piote, became covered in wounds.

Grooowwwl!

"Now!"

At Ghislain's shout, Vanessa hurled the panting Piote into the air.

Swish!

Immediately, Belinda extended a rope to catch and pull Piote back.

From there, the hunt ended surprisingly easily. Ghislain leaped in, exploding with power, and pierced through Equidema's already tattered neck.

Grkk…

Thud!

Equidema, still glaring only at Piote, finally collapsed.

The soldiers were at a loss for words even after the monster fell. Who would have thought such a powerful beast could be taken down so easily?

Of course, it was thanks to exploiting Equidema's weakness and nature. Combined with their accumulated experience and the gathering of top-tier forces, it was possible.

Even so, the stark difference in difficulty compared to the past left everyone amazed.

"Whoooaaaa!"

"We won again!"

"These bastards aren't so tough after all!"

Knights and soldiers fighting against the riftborn shouted in joy.

The Northern Army were suffering fewer casualties by the day. Even Equidema was no longer a difficult target.

The rift, once a source of terror, was no longer feared. Naturally, morale soared.

Watching the cheering soldiers, Ghislain smirked bitterly.

'If it were this easy, we wouldn't have suffered so much in my previous life.'

Stronger monsters were still out there. The priests of the Salvation Church, and the nobles colluding with them, also remained threats.

To fight them, everyone needed to grow even stronger. Not just the soldiers, but also more powerful superhumans were necessary.

But Ghislain kept these thoughts to himself. Maintaining the soldiers' high morale was equally important.

"Alright, let's move out. We need to clear the rifts within the kingdom as quickly as possible."

With their morale at its peak, the Northern Army swiftly dealt with the remaining rifts in the west.

Now that Equidema could be easily defeated, the speed of their operations increased. Before long, the rifts in the western and central regions were completely cleared.

The Northern Army weren't just dealing with Equidema and the riftborn. The rifts themselves hadn't been completely eradicated. More would emerge.

To buy time, Ghislain ordered the mages to set up mana-blocking fields in the surrounding areas.

"Install them meticulously. That's how we'll buy more time."

Following Ghislain's orders, the mages spared no effort, using rune stones and magic power freely.

Rifts grow by absorbing surrounding energy. But by blocking mana, the rifts' growth noticeably slowed.

"Now, let's head to the east. The rifts there are far fewer, so it should be easier than before."

At his words, the Northern Army moved with even greater vigor. They feared nothing now.

Ghislain had a guess as to why the eastern rifts were fewer in number.

It was partly due to the influence of Marquis Branford. However, it was also likely that the duchy, with their priority advance strategy targeting the east, had deliberately kept the number low.

'They'll likely advance through the east this time as well.'

The duchy's plan would be aimed at targeting the capital, but Ghislain couldn't defend every region.

'I'll leave that to Amelia.'

She would need to block the duchy first if she wanted to pursue her ambitions.

Amelia likely already guessed the duchy's strategy. She probably thought it was better to expand her power in the east. It was impossible for her to gain influence in the north under the current circumstances.

When the Northern Army arrived in the east, the soldiers of the territory holding back the rifts cheered.

"Whoooaaa! The Northern Army is here!"

"Count Fenris has arrived!"

"We're saved! We're saved!"

As they fought against the rifts, no one awaited the Northern Army more eagerly than these people. Naturally, they welcomed them with joy.

Of course, Ghislain hadn't left them entirely on their own. He had been providing them with support all along.

"Lord! You've arrived!"

Dominic, the vice-captain of the Fenris Mercenary Corps, greeted Ghislain warmly.

The Fenris Mercenary Corps had grown to a staggering 30,000 members. At this scale, it could be said that nearly every available mercenary had joined Fenris.

This was the result of constant recruitment efforts and a steady stream of promotions drawing mercenaries from all over.

"Dominic, you've worked hard. You've held out well."

"Not at all, Lord. We've been able to manage, as long as we kept reducing the number of riftborn. Didn't 10,000 mercenaries already make their way here?"

Dominic laughed heartily, brimming with confidence.

Since the death of Marquis Rodrick, he had felt an unparalleled sense of relief. Because of this, he could devote himself passionately to the tasks Ghislain assigned him.

Currently, 10,000 members of the Fenris Mercenary Corps were under Dominic's command, assisting in holding back the rifts.

The rest were engaged in various efforts, such as restoring damage across the region. Fenris's influence was spreading throughout the entire kingdom.

Dominic, upon seeing Ghislain for the first time in a while, gave a backlog of reports.

"We're continuing to recruit mercenaries. Mercenaries from other nations are also joining our ranks."

"Good. Just as expected."

The overwhelming benefits offered to mercenaries, combined with spreading their reputation, had all been part of the plan.

The war against the rifts was dangerous. Other kingdoms had no choice but to hire large numbers of mercenaries as well.

However, news had spread that the Fenris Mercenary Corps handled rift suppression safely while offering excellent pay and benefits. Naturally, mercenaries from other nations flocked to join them.

Thanks to this, the Fenris Mercenary Corps was expanding rapidly.

"Don't stop recruiting mercenaries. Right now, numbers are important, so take anyone who comes. The more, the better. Request whatever you need from Claude."

"Understood."

"Also, select personnel to dispatch to other kingdoms. I have something in mind, and word will come soon."

"Got it!"

"Alright, let's move out."

Currently, the primary objective of all forces fighting the rifts wasn't to eliminate the rifts entirely but to deal with Equidema. Since they couldn't close the rifts immediately, their goal was to prevent them from expanding.

Among these forces, the northern army had become the natural predator of Equidema, a relentless hunter.

Roaaaar!

One by one, the Equidema in the east began to fall. The armies of the lords breathed a sigh of relief as their morale soared.

The soldiers of the eastern territories, who had only heard rumors of Fenris's reputation, were awestruck by Ghislain's feats.

"So this is the strongest force in the north…"

"They call him a Master, and now I see why."

"To handle the rifts we've barely been holding back this quickly…"

Everyone praised Ghislain and the Northern Army. Feeling the difference in their capabilities, this reaction was only natural. However, the reactions of the lords and nobles were a little different.

"This is dangerous. Public opinion is shifting entirely toward Fenris."

"If he decides to turn against us, the kingdom will be in peril."

"Should we align ourselves with Fenris now?"

Their feelings were complicated. Just a few years ago, they hadn't even spared a thought for this young upstart. Now, he was a force they couldn't ignore.

And what about his power? Judging by his record, even if all the remaining kingdom's forces united, it seemed unlikely they could defeat him.

Their only advantage was the number of their soldiers, but the Northern Army were the ones dealing with far more riftborn than anyone else.

The northern army is a force of monsters.

This rumor had spread so widely that the name "Northern Army" alone inspired immense awe.

On top of that, there were even rumors that Count Fenris might soon become a duke. The lords who had once dismissed him as an upstart now felt bitter, unable to handle this rising figure.

Of course, Ghislain paid no attention to such rumors. He was too busy strategizing while dealing with the eastern rifts.

"It's time for them to move, but they're not. Did something happen?"

Though news came that the duchy was also dealing with the rifts, their exact progress was unclear, as the south was nearly sealed off. Even Count Mowbray, who had remained neutral, found it difficult to act.

'Still, there are things I can see now that I couldn't in my past life.'

It seemed the duchy couldn't control the rifts in the south, or there were issues with their management.

Ever since learning of the Salvation Church's involvement, Ghislain had begun to question the duchy's true motives. Even when applying information from his past life, he couldn't quite piece it together.

'The duchy, rebellion against the kingdom, the Forest of Demonic Beasts, the Salvation Church, the rifts…'

There was no way such unrelated elements were all connected by coincidence. There had to be something tying all these threads together, but the link was elusive.

As Ghislain mulled over this, someone came to see him — a knight from the royal palace.

The knight saluted and immediately spoke.

"Marquis Branford, Minister of the Royal Palace, has requested your presence, Commander of the Northern Army."

"What's this about?"

"Delegations from various kingdoms have arrived."

Ghislain nodded, recalling the preparations he had ordered Claude to make. Things had wrapped up faster than expected.

In just two months, they had managed to summon delegations from several kingdoms.

Ghislain asked for confirmation.

"Do you know why they've come?"

"They wish to form an alliance. It seems detailed negotiations are required."

"That makes sense."

In truth, an alliance had also been formed in his past life, though it had occurred in a different kingdom.

This time, Ghislain had taken the lead and initiated it first.

"Alright, let's leave immediately."

Even if Ghislain hadn't taken the lead, Marquis Branford would have had no choice but to summon him.

Ghislain was not only a specialist in rift suppression but also the commander of the kingdom's strongest army.

Moreover, thanks to his extensive knowledge and thorough preparations, Fenris and the Lutania Kingdom had suffered significantly less damage compared to other kingdoms.

Thus, there was no one more suited to lead the allied forces than Ghislain.

And most importantly…

"I, after all, am the negotiation specialist."

Ghislain had no intention of missing out on such a pivotal role.

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