Episode 630 Then Give Me Some Reward 2

Claude had been through a lot recently.

The subjugation of the remnants of the Salvation Order wasn't particularly difficult. The Ruthania army he commanded was far too powerful for that.

What made it challenging was Amelia, now the Queen of Norvagen.

When Claude first met Amelia after the war, he presented his thoughts on the subjugation efforts. At the same time, he pulled a pouch from his coat.

Amelia, who had been silently observing, asked, "What is that?"

"It's 171 gold coins," Claude replied.

"Why are you showing me that?"

"It's the money I've embezzled so far."

"..."

Claude had been avoiding Amelia until now, but he couldn't escape meetings between their staff.

During the war, the practical work—carrying out strategies, distributing spoils, and negotiating treaty details—had to be managed by their respective teams.

Claude, meanwhile, had been skimming one gold coin at a time from the Actium Merchant Guild during their frequent transactions.

That had happened a whopping 171 times.

Amelia stared at him in disbelief, prompting Claude to bite his lip.

"Tch, so you already knew?"

"Knew what, exactly?"

With a resigned expression, Claude pulled out another pouch.

"523 gold coins."

Amelia's eyebrows furrowed. If he had been taking one coin at a time, how had he amassed this much?

Seeing her expression, Claude protested.

"This isn't bribery! I earned this money fair and square."

"Fair and square?"

"Yes! It was through pure skill!"

Amelia shot a sharp look at Bernaph. Minor bribes might be overlooked as a common practice, but had Claude dared to gamble with public funds behind her back?

And without her knowledge, no less?

Feeling the weight of Amelia's glare, Bernaph stammered, "H-he's just exceptionally good at it..."

"That's not the point!"

Bernaph, realizing his mistake, flailed his arms in panic.

"W-we didn't use public funds! Honestly! Everyone used their personal money!"

In short, anyone who had met with Claude had both paid him bribes and gambled with him.

"Hah..."

Amelia closed her eyes and pressed her temples. Every time she dealt with these Fenris people, she ended up with a headache. Even normal people turned strange after dealing with them.

It was best to finish this quickly.

"So, you want assistance with the subjugation efforts?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. With your kingdom's mighty army, we can completely eradicate the Salvation Order... You would be hailed as a peerless hero for generations..."

Claude laid it on thick with flattery, but his message was clear: the scattered remnants were causing problems, and he wanted help dealing with them.

Amelia nodded. While the remnants near Norvagen had been wiped out, those pushed from other regions were starting to encroach on the borders. Mobilizing the army a few more times would be necessary.

Since she had taken the fallen kingdom by force, Amelia needed solid support from Ghislain to stabilize her rule.

She also needed to display strength to reassure the frightened populace.

Simply ascending the throne wasn't enough. To win the people's trust during these tumultuous times, she had to prove she could protect them.

"Fine. Since you've anticipated this, let's speak plainly. Can you increase the support?"

Former residents of Rayfold continued to migrate to Norvagen, trusting Amelia voluntarily.

If she could resettle them across new lands, her reputation would naturally rise. She also intended to return the western territory gifted by Ruthania once the resources and people were relocated.

While that was the plan, the immediate priority was ensuring the settlers' safety. Stabilizing the chaotic domestic situation required substantial resources.

"Of course. As promised, we've already delivered the first shipment of supplies—food and money."

"Good. Let's deploy the troops immediately."

Amelia saw no reason to make additional enemies after achieving her goal. Her focus was on building a strong kingdom that aligned with her vision.

Claude, delighted by Amelia's quick agreement, grinned widely.

As Amelia stood to leave, a mischievous thought crossed her mind.

"You seem to enjoy gambling. Considering how often you've played with my retainers and won, it must be true."

Claude nodded, smirking. Beating inexperienced gamblers was no challenge for him.

"Heh, I do enjoy the thrill of victory."

"Hmm, I don't dislike such things either. How about a match with me?"

"You, Your Majesty? Do you even know how to play card games?"

"I've learned enough to know what my people enjoy."

Claude's sly smile grew wider. This was too good to be true.

"I'd be honored, but are you sure you want to?"

"It could be a pleasant diversion."

"What should we wager, then?"

"There's no need to overthink it. Didn't you bring a significant amount of military funds? Why not bet a portion of that?"

Claude lowered his head slightly, laughing to himself. The funds he had brought were enormous. Even a small portion would be life-changing.

"If I win, it's all mine," he thought greedily.

"Very well. Let's enjoy a lighthearted game."

As Claude agreed, Wendy grabbed his sleeve and whispered urgently.

"Are you insane? Do you want to die? You can't gamble with military funds! Stop it!"

"Let go! I'm the commander, remember? This is insubordination! I'll win, just watch!"

Wendy bit her lip, glaring at Claude, whose eyes gleamed with reckless ambition.

She turned to Ereneth, who stood silently nearby.

"High Chief, please stop him!"

Ereneth regarded Claude coldly and replied, "That man is mad. He won't stop unless you cut off his hands. If you want, I can do it here and now."

Her chilling words were spoken with complete sincerity, leaving Wendy speechless. Cutting off his hands wasn't exactly an option.

Meanwhile, the table and cards were prepared, leaving no time to intervene.

As Claude shuffled the deck, he said confidently, "Shall I play for real, then?"

"Of course. Don't hold back—it would insult me."

"Very well. I wouldn't dare show disrespect while requesting your support."

"And how do you intend to show respect?"

"I'll take only half of what I win," Claude said, grinning smugly. Even half would still be an enormous sum.

Amelia nodded. "Do as you wish."

And so, the two began their game, wagering military funds.

Moments later, Claude's tearful voice broke the silence.

"Please, can I have back half of what you won?"

"There's no such thing in a fair match."

"But I said I'd only take half of what I won!"

"...Is that what you meant?"

Claude pleaded desperately for the money, but his protests fell on deaf ears.

Amelia stood, declaring, "Make up the missing funds and deliver them as promised."

She then swept out of the room to prepare for the next campaign.

The retainers of Norvagen, who had suffered under Claude's schemes, followed Amelia with satisfied smirks.

Wendy, meanwhile, was furiously slapping Claude's back.

"What now? How are you going to replace that money?!"

"I don't know! Stop hitting me!"

Claude would have to risk everything to replace the missing funds. His only plan was to inflate the next shipment and figure out a way to cover the gap before anyone noticed.

As he trudged through the subjugation efforts in a sour mood, news of Alfoy's achievements reached him.

Hearing it, Claude felt his jealousy boil over.

But who was he? Claude was a master at making Alfoy miserable.

With a wicked grin, he began plotting.

"Keep tabs on Ghislain's schedule. Report back as soon as possible."

Claude sent messengers to track Ghislain's movements, knowing his plan would work best in Ghislain's absence.

Wendy, seeing the mischief in his eyes, asked cautiously, "You know Alfoy won't fall for your tricks anymore, right? He's not that stupid."

"Of course. That's why I'll use force to crush him."

Claude wasn't about to let Alfoy get away. Time was short, and he intended to break him swiftly.

Despite his volatile personality, Claude's abilities were undeniable. With Ereneth's strength and Amelia's reinforcements, the remaining Salvation Order forces were wiped out in no time.

Having survived the dragon hunt, there was little else to fear. Claude focused all his energy on tracking Ghislain's whereabouts.

"He's meeting with allied commanders in Sardina to discuss follow-up measures. The rest of the troops are expected to return to the kingdom ahead of him."

"Oh, really?"

Hearing that only a select few would stay behind with Ghislain while the rest returned to the kingdom, Claude's face lit up. This made things much easier.

After the subjugation of the surrounding remnants was complete, Claude gave a deep bow to Amelia.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I'll take my leave now."

"Make sure to send the lacking military funds and supplies quickly."

"...Yes."

He planned to manipulate the ledgers and fill the gap later. Given enough time, he could earn the money from somewhere.

After all, he had a secret stash of personal wealth he had been hoarding.

Claude's Ruthania army began their withdrawal immediately. He needed to return to the kingdom faster than anyone else.

"Waaaaaah!"

"The expeditionary forces are back!"

"Long live Ruthania! Long live the Grand Duke!"

Although Ghislain hadn't arrived yet, the kingdom's citizens were already in a frenzy.

News of the Salvation Order's fall and the dragon's defeat had spread quickly, filling the people with joy. The long and grueling war was finally over, and peace had returned.

While everyone greeted the returning troops with smiles and laughter, Claude's face was dark with determination.

"Alfoy, I can't wait to see you."

A grand celebration was held by the forces that arrived ahead of Ghislain, as ordered by Zvalter. Everyone feasted, drank, and rested joyfully—except for Claude.

"Prepare everything quickly! Let me know the moment Kaor arrives—I need to discuss something with him!"

He moved busily, knowing that the dragon hunters would be arriving soon.

As soon as the preparations were complete, the hunters returned, along with mages captured from various kingdoms.

These mages, reluctant to return to their homelands after their defeat, had accepted Ghislain's "invitation" to join the research on dimensional rifts.

"Waaaah!"

"The dragon slayers are here!"

"The heroes have returned!"

Those who had participated in the dragon hunt were showered with admiration, but none received more praise than Alfoy.

The hunters who had fought alongside him spoke of his deeds so often that rumors about him spread like wildfire.

"Look, it's the White Alfoy!"

"They say he's the man who defeated a god!"

"I heard he's a 100-circle mage!"

"No way a 9-circle dragon could stand up to a 100-circle mage! That's a 91-circle difference!"

"Is it true he killed it in a single blow?"

The rumors about Alfoy had grown to absurd proportions, turning into outright legends as they passed from mouth to mouth.

Alfoy basked in the attention, his mood soaring as he sat atop his majestic white horse, Kkokko. Dressed in his signature white robes, his expression brimmed with arrogance.

"Alfoy! Alfoy!"

"Master Alfoy, look this way!"

"Show us some magic!"

Alfoy closed his eyes, pretending to be overwhelmed with emotion, though he secretly relished the adoration.

Yes, this was the life he deserved—

A life where nobles were astounded, mages were dumbfounded, and even Claude had to kneel before him.

"That's who I am."

Now that he had shed his slave status, there was nothing to fear. No one could treat him carelessly anymore.

Even Hubert, who had stripped Alfoy of his status as heir to the mage tower, approached with nervous sweat on his brow.

"A-Alfoy, how on earth did you do it? I can't understand..."

"Hmph."

Alfoy's cold reaction made Hubert shrink further.

"About... what happened last time. I'm sorry. I was angry and didn't realize... I didn't know you were so skilled at manipulating mana."

"Hmph... So my 'real' abilities have finally been revealed."

Of course, if he were asked to do it again, he wouldn't be able to—but thankfully, no one was asking.

Alfoy maintained his arrogant demeanor. His recent experience of being treated like a hero only emboldened him further.

But within just a few days,

The lofty pedestal Alfoy had placed himself on began to crumble.