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Ghislain, too, confidently lifted his head and met the Marquis’ gaze head-on.

“Don’t back a worthless fool and get yourself stripped off of everything. Hand over everything you’ve prepared to me.”

Ever since the Delfine Duchy had started extending its influence everywhere, the Royalist faction had been scrambling to strengthen their own presence in the northern regions.

After a considerable amount of deliberation, they had carefully selected Brivant Estate as the place to focus their efforts.

“The place itself is fine, but the problem is it’s already dancing in the palm of the Delfine Duchy.”

Even in his previous life, the Royal family and the Royalist faction had poured an immense amount of resources into the Brivant Estate.

They had even gone so far as to transfer the population from the royal demesne.

However, the Duke of Delfine had long predicted that the Royalist faction would make such a move.

He had meticulously worked to weaken the Crimson Flame Tower to diminish the power of the Royalist faction in the long run.

“The Tower is still breathing because I supplied them with Runestones… But when the entire estate has already been taken over, what good will the Tower do?”

Most of the vassals and retainers of Brivant Estate had already been swayed by the Duke’s influence.

In this situation, no matter how much support was provided to Brivant Estate, it would be like pouring water into a bottomless pit.

But what if the Royalist faction were to back Ghislain instead?

The time and money the Delfine Duchy had spent would become utterly meaningless. It would be as if all their efforts had been in vain.

“Don’t think about nurturing someone slowly over time. Give everything you’ve been preparing to me. Fighting on your behalf is my specialty.”

As he looked at the confident Ghislain, the Marquis of Branford’s mind churned with complex thoughts.

The Count of Brivant was kind, but lazy and timid. In the Marquis’ eyes, he was nothing more than a parasite, relying on the taxes and technology of the Tower.

“But this guy…”

He had thought Ghislain was merely looking for a patron to make things easier for himself by leveraging some power.

But now, it was clear that Ghislain had thought even further—he had accounted for the fact that the Marquis was the head of the Royalist faction.

There might be some noise, but it wasn’t difficult to change the recipient of their support to Ghislain, even now.

There was a justification: he would be a talent backed by the leader of the Royalist faction.

In any case, it wasn’t as if the Royalist faction had chosen Brivant Estate out of particular fondness. The other northern estates were in even worse shape, leaving them with little choice but to settle on Brivant.

“So that’s why you’ve thrown yourself into this, even at the risk of your life.”

He was starting to like this guy more and more. He was far better than the lazy Count of Brivant. If they were going to throw their support behind someone, it was right to support someone like this.

However, regardless of how much he liked him, the Marquis couldn’t make decisions that would move the entire faction on his own whim.

Moreover, the potential risks could not be ignored.

“If this guy is actually a pawn of the Duchy, it would be dangerous.”

If they were to pour all the Royalist faction’s resources into nurturing someone who turned out to be a spy, it would only end up strengthening the Delfine Duchy.

“I understand what you’re saying. But it’s too risky to trust and support you.”

Ghislain responded bluntly.

“Can you trust Count Brivant?”

“I’ve conducted thorough investigations on the Count.”

“And you’re well aware of me, too, aren’t you?”

“…It’s clear that you’re very different from the usual evaluations.”

The main reason the Marquis couldn’t trust Ghislain was precisely this. He couldn’t understand why Ghislain had been hiding his true self.

‘Ugh, should I just blurt out that I’m from the future?’

Suppressing his frustration, Ghislain spoke calmly.

“If you can’t trust me, how about trusting my father instead? I’m the heir and vassal of Ferdium.”

“Hm.”

The Marquis stroked his chin, sinking into deep thought.

Indeed, Count Ferdium was someone he could trust.

For many years, he had quietly defended the borders and remained loyal to the royal family.

Some nobles within the Royalist faction had even suggested that they should invest in the responsible man rather than the lazy Count of Brivant.

The only reason he had been taken off the list of candidates was because the Ferdium Estate was so impoverished that supporting it seemed meaningless.

‘This is absurd. To think that I’m considering moving the entire faction because of one guy.’

The Marquis of Branford chuckled inwardly.

The idea of deliberating over such an absurd option seemed laughable to him, but what was even more absurd was something else entirely.

He was actually tempted by the outlandish option this guy had presented.

As he pondered, Ghislain spoke up once more.

“You must have heard reports about the war between Ferdium and Digald.”

“Why are you suddenly bringing that up?”

“You seem rather uneasy. That war… It seems that someone was moving Digald from behind the scenes. I don’t have any evidence to show you, but… I believe Count Desmond provided them with military support.”

He did have evidence. The knight from Desmond, whom they had captured back then, was still under Ghislain’s control.

However, he couldn’t reveal that person publicly just yet. There was a specific use he had in mind for him later.

Still, even the circumstantial suspicion would be enough to convince the Marquis.

“…That means…”

“Count Desmond is a suspicious character. We may very well have the same enemy.”

In any case, news that Ghislain had aligned with the Royalist faction would spread soon enough. Thus, there was no need to hide the fact that he was at odds with the Duke of Delfine.

The Marquis of Branford gestured to his butler.

“Bring me the documents regarding the war in Ferdium.”

The Marquis meticulously reviewed the materials the butler brought over.

There was nothing particularly unusual; it was a typical territorial skirmish of moderate scale, the kind that frequently happened in the northern regions.

There was just one suspicious detail.

“The scale of the forces sent from Digald was larger than we had anticipated…”

It had been reported that this was due to excessive conscription and the heavy hiring of mercenaries, but the report’s author had added a personal note suggesting there were suspicious movements from Desmond.

If Count Desmond had indeed assisted Digald, it would fit the puzzle perfectly.

The Royalist faction was already suspicious that Count Desmond might have sided with the Duchy.

The Marquis of Branford closed his eyes again, deep in thought.

Everyone else remained silent, tense with anticipation.

Claude, in particular, bit his lip, unable to hide his anxiety.

“The biggest issue we couldn’t resolve with our own power was the population problem. If the Marquis of Branford would just lend a hand, we could solve the issue in a matter of years, an issue that would otherwise take decades to solve. It’s an incredible opportunity.”

Even after bringing down the mountain villagers, they were still short of workers.

No matter how much money they earned, the population issue couldn’t be easily addressed.

“Most are serfs, so unless they run away, they can’t come to our estate.”

Even though there were rumors that Fenris Estate was a good place to live, unless they were granted the status of free citizens, they couldn’t move freely.

It was also difficult to reclaim the estate citizens who had previously fled from Fenris Estate. Neighboring lords kept making excuses, refusing to return them.

“Just how did he manage to get such information, especially when he’s been stuck within the estate all this time?”

Claude looked at Ghislain, as if seeing something unfamiliar.

The Marquis of Branford, who had been deep in thought for a long while, finally opened his eyes and asked,

“Do you have any other requests?”

“Yes. Ferdium has not long recovered from the war. No matter how much money we make, it will take some time to stabilize the estate.”

“And?”

“I ask that you grant a three-year deferment on tax payments for Ferdium and its vassals.”

“…”

The retainers furrowed their brows and began murmuring among themselves.

To think he would ask for a deferment on taxes while raking in money like a glutton!

No matter how powerful a grand lord might be, none would claim they couldn’t pay their taxes. If they didn’t, they would face criticism from many nobles and officials.

More than just a matter of reputation, the royal family certainly wouldn’t stand by idly.

It would mean making enemies just to save a bit of money.

“He doesn’t seem like someone who’d ask out of mere greed…”

The Marquis clicked his tongue inwardly, unable to discern Ghislain’s intentions.

Up until now, Ghislain hadn’t come across as foolish, but the Marquis hadn’t spent enough time with him to guess what he was aiming for.

However, Claude, who had been outwitted by Ghislain on multiple occasions, instinctively sensed a more complicated future ahead and wore a grim expression.

“Not paying taxes?”

Ghislain wasn’t the type to save money in such a way.

This clearly meant he had a plan that required a significant amount of funds—enough that he needed to conserve even the money meant for taxes!

“Sigh, I’m going to die from exhaustion again. We just need to sell the cosmetics now, so why does he keep stirring up more trouble?”

Why can’t I, Claude, ever be happy!

The Marquis of Branford chuckled at the sight of Claude, whose face was turning pale with dread.

Seeing his subordinate react so strongly, he guessed that Ghislain’s request might not be for a trivial reason.

At this point, he became curious about just how far this young man intended to go.

“Do you need anything else?”

“For now, this should be enough. If Your Lordship grants my earlier requests… the rest of the issues will be resolved on their own.”

If he had to name one thing he needed, it would be to fend off the criticisms from the other nobles.

Receiving estate citizens from the royal demesne and deferring tax payments were both reasons that could provoke complaints from other aristocrats.

But if the Marquis of Branford backed him, no one would dare utter a word of dissent.

That’s why Ghislain didn’t even need to ask for his protection.

The Marquis understood the implication behind Ghislain’s words and smirked.

“So, you had no choice but to come to me.”

Convincing the royal family and the Royalist nobles to change their supported estate, deferring tax payments, and serving as a shield against attacks from other nobles—there was practically no one else who could do all that.

It was clear that Ghislain planned to use the pretext of needing a patron to seek further assistance in the future.

“He’s got guts, that’s for sure.”

Whether it was a grand lord’s position or even greater power, it was evident he intended to use the Marquis for something.

Even if it hadn’t been about Rosalyn, Ghislain would have found some other extraordinary way to come to him.

The Marquis was certain—this young man would do exactly that.

He stroked his chin, deep in thought. Since things had come this far, it seemed wise to solidify their relationship a bit more.

“I hear you have a younger sister.”

“Yes.”

“How would you feel about arranging a marriage with a prominent noble family from the Royalist faction? It would be fine to establish a connection with our house. If you’re agreeable, I’ll find an appropriate match from a collateral branch.”

Everyone who heard this was stunned.

The aloof and calculating Marquis of Branford was offering to play matchmaker himself!

For a small, struggling family like Ferdium, it was an incredibly prestigious offer that would be difficult to refuse.

Everyone assumed Ghislain would accept it without hesitation.

But Ghislain, without answering, bowed his head and rubbed his forehead.

To think he’d make such an offer… This was essentially a way of taking his sister as a hostage.

After chuckling and shaking his shoulders, he lifted his head and spoke.

“I appreciate the offer, but I must decline.”