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Baron Austern asked in disbelief, but Ghislain did not explain further and walked out of the room.

Still, it seemed the baron wasn’t entirely clueless, as it didn’t take long before an irritated shout could be heard from behind the closed door.

He had realized that Ghislain was a noble of Ritania.

Ghislain left the castle, accompanied by the mercenaries who had been waiting in the lounge.

Noticing the grim expression on the knight guiding them, Belinda approached Ghislain and whispered.

“What’s going on? Did things not go well?”

“No, everything went smoothly. We just need to wait a little.”

“Then why does he look like he’s about to die?”

“Who knows, maybe he has a stomachache?”

Belinda gave Ghislain a sidelong glance, baffled.

She was about to say something when a young woman appeared, led by the hands of the knights.

The woman was dressed in shabby clothes and looked quite haggard.

Judging by her anxious glances at the knights, she seemed to have no idea why she had been brought here.

One of the knights who had escorted her spoke in a voice barely suppressing his annoyance.

“You’re free now. Those guys paid your ransom.”

“W-Who did?”

The woman looked up, startled.

Who on earth had paid such a hefty sum of 2,000 gold?

There was no one left who would spend that kind of money on her.

As she turned, she saw a man standing there, looking at her.

Despite his much more disheveled appearance than before, she recognized him immediately—the man trembling and on the verge of tears was someone she had once loved, someone she thought she would never see again, her fiancé.

“Claude!”

“Anna!”

Without hesitation, the two ran into each other’s arms, holding on tightly as they wept uncontrollably.

“Why! Why did you do it!”

“I-I’m sorry… I was too late, wasn’t I?”

Watching the two, Belinda pouted slightly.

‘Are they lovers? Or family? Did the Young Lord know all of this?’

There were too many suspicious things.

The fact that he had brought the Runestone, claiming he had someone to meet, was odd from the start.

There was no reason to carry such an expensive item just for travel expenses.

‘He also said that if he was late, his hand would be cut off.’

And as soon as they arrived, he found Claude, who was on the verge of losing his hand, and paid the money without even asking why.

It was as if he knew exactly what would happen and had everything prepared in advance.

Unable to suppress her curiosity, Belinda asked.

“Young Lord, did you know this was going to happen?”

“Well, roughly.”

“How?”

“I just did some research here and there.”

There was no reason to doubt it, but the problem was that she had no idea when he had conducted such research.

Belinda squinted her eyes and scrutinized Ghislain, but she couldn’t uncover his secrets.

“So, you even knew the relationship between those two?”

“Yeah, they’re lovers.”

“Oh my, is this one of those clichés where the lover rescues the one who was taken? How romantic.”

Belinda gazed at Claude and Anna, who were still crying and unable to speak.

She didn’t know the full details, but realizing it was to save his captured lover, she couldn’t help but see Claude in a slightly better light.

Gambling in an attempt to save his fiancée was something that could never be justified, no matter how one looked at it.

“What on earth happened to those two?”

Ghislain stroked his chin, pondering for a moment before he spoke.

“It’s because of that bastard Claude. His master died because of him.”

“What?”

“And that woman is the master’s daughter.”

“What?”

Both Belinda and the other mercenaries who had been eavesdropping were so shocked that their mouths hung open.

“Wait, aren’t they lovers? And yet, he killed her father?”

“He didn’t kill him, but he died because of him.”

“That’s basically the same thing!”

“It’s completely different.”

Ghislain crossed his arms, choosing his words carefully for a moment.

“His master got involved with the Revolutionary Group.”

“The Revolutionary Group?!”

Belinda and the mercenaries jumped in surprise. They didn’t think they could be more shocked, but it turned out there was more.

The Revolutionary Group was a notorious radical organization on the continent, advocating for equality and shared wealth.

They started out with noble ideals, gaining a lot of support in the beginning, but now they had long since fallen into the ranks of continent-wide bandits.

“But how are those two still alive?”

The goal of the Revolutionary Group was to overthrow the existing system.

There was no way the kingdom would leave anyone involved with the group untouched. Anyone even remotely connected to them was executed without exception.

Ghislain explained calmly.

“To be exact, they weren’t really involved. His master was framed. Claude’s master was the dean of the Seiron Royal Academy.”

Claude’s master had been not only the dean of the academy but also a highly influential scholar politically.

Nobles from an opposing faction had found him troublesome, so they hatched a plan to fabricate evidence that he was in contact with the Revolutionary Group and pin the crime on him.

And the one who unwittingly delivered that evidence to his master was Claude.

“Wait, he betrayed his own master?”

“Of course not. Why would a kid with such a promising future get involved in something like that? He was simply deceived. That guy had his head buried in books, so he didn’t know much about the ways of the world.”

Claude, being naive and sheltered, hadn’t caught on to the plot of the opposing faction.

He was simply told it was an important letter and handed it directly to his master.

And that letter became the damning evidence that tied Claude’s master to the Revolutionary Group.

Of course, there were other more intricate schemes and plots involved… but at the root of it all, it was Claude who triggered the false accusation against his master.

‘Because of that, he was tormented by guilt, regretting it for the rest of his life.’

Ghislain gave a bitter smile.

“In the end, his master, having lost in the factional power struggle, accepted death peacefully, allowing the two of them to barely survive. Anna, being a direct relative, had to pay a ransom, but when they couldn’t afford it, she was sold off here.”

“Ah…”

“So that’s why Claude carries all that guilt towards both his master and his fiancée.”

“And the reason why he ended up in the gambling hall..?”

“No one will hire him. Who would want to employ a man implicated in his master’s death and tied to treason?”

Some of the mercenaries clicked their tongues and shook their heads.

“He needed to save Anna, but he had no way of getting the money. So, he gave up on his life. He was just hoping for a stroke of luck, that’s all.”

“People lose their sanity in an instant.”

“The price I paid for realizing how scary the world can be was too high. I lost my teacher, my bright future, and even the one I loved.”

“Tsk…”

Belinda felt uncomfortable in her mouth.

She had asked out of curiosity, but hearing the story left her feeling unsettled.

She had wondered why they were bringing in a gambler, but to think there was such a past behind it.

The two of them were acting awkwardly now, after finally managing to stop their tears.

The death of his teacher wasn’t Claude’s fault. Anna wouldn’t be able to resent him forever, either.

However, it’s human nature to want to blame someone when disaster strikes.

Anna’s expression, as she looked at Claude, carried both warmth and resentment.

“But Claude, who are these people?”

“This is… the noble who paid my ransom.”

Claude let out a slightly bitter smile.

He didn’t know exactly who Ghislain was, or why he was helping him.

To recruit talent?

If he could spend that kind of money, he could easily find someone better than Claude to bring in.

Even after everything that had happened, Claude couldn’t fully trust Ghislain.

Seeing Claude’s troubled expression, Anna was convinced that there was some condition attached that he hadn’t shared.

But no matter what conditions were put forward, offering such a large sum of money was clearly a generous act.

“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”

Anna kept bowing her head in gratitude, as if she were a sinner.

Ghislain looked at her with a slightly pitying gaze.

Anna was likely thinking that Ghislain had placed an impossible condition on Claude.

In this kingdom, no one would employ Claude. After all, he had been indirectly involved in treason.

Even if someone did hire him, they would surely attach conditions favorable to themselves in exchange for taking on the risk.

In essence, it wouldn’t be much different from being held captive by Austern.

“There’s no need to be so formal. I did it because I wanted to help.”

Ghislain didn’t bother to clear up the misunderstanding.

No matter what he said, it was obvious that they wouldn’t believe him until they experienced it firsthand.

* * *

Without delay, Ghislain’s group led the two of them to an inn.

The mercenaries’ bags had become considerably heavier, thanks to the 1,000 gold they received from Austern.

With plenty of travel money on hand, Ghislain’s party entered the largest inn located next to the Kraken Game Hall.

It was only after securing a room that Claude, wearing a slightly apologetic expression, spoke to Anna.

“I know you must be curious about the details… but let’s talk tomorrow. I have some important things to discuss with this person right now.”

“…Alright. But make sure to tell me tomorrow.”

She looked uneasy but eventually nodded.

The mercenaries dispersed to either stand guard or rest, and only Ghislain, Claude, Belinda, and Gillian remained in the spacious VIP room.

“Whew…”

Claude took a deep breath and asked.

“Why are you going this far for me?”

Ghislain, after a moment of thought, answered honestly.

At this moment, Ghislain didn’t want to lie.

“Because I owe you a debt.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever met you, Baron.”

“Ah, yes, that’s true. But if I say I have a debt, then I do.”

It was a statement that no one would understand.

Belinda muttered under her breath, complaining that the young master was being stubborn again.

But Ghislain was sincere.

Claude had helped him in his last life, even to the point of losing his own life while assisting Ghislain in his revenge.

Could he be stingy about a little money for a friend like that?

“I genuinely wanted to recruit you. But if you don’t want to, I won’t force you. Live as you wish. You don’t have to repay the money.”

“…Please don’t joke with me.”

“Why don’t you believe me? I’m telling the truth.”

It hadn’t always been this way. At first, Ghislain had been focused solely on dragging Claude with him, no matter what.

But when he saw Claude’s face, that feeling vanished.

‘Yeah, this guy worked really hard too. In the end, he failed… but he did his best as Claude.’

In this life, Ghislain didn’t want to bind Claude to him out of selfishness.

That would be a disservice to the friend who had sacrificed his life for him.

He had already seen the face he longed to see, and he had prevented Claude from losing his hand. He had even saved Anna, as he had wished.

Now, Claude could live peacefully.

Though Ghislain’s revenge had failed, and Claude had died without seeing it through in the last life, at least Claude had chosen to help him of his own free will.

Ghislain didn’t want to force Claude into anything.

Even if they didn’t walk the same path, Ghislain wished that his friend could live freely and happily in this life.

That was enough for him.

“Of course, I’m not giving up either. Living here as a tutor is fine… but if you ever feel like showing your abilities on a bigger stage.”

Ghislain smiled warmly.

“Come to Fenris Estate in Ritania. I’ll give you wings to help you soar.”

Claude gritted his teeth.

He couldn’t understand what was happening.

It was hard to dismiss this as some whim of a noble when those warm and familiar eyes looking at him kept bothering him.

After thinking for a moment, Claude slowly knelt on the floor.

“Thank you for saving Anna. As promised, I will devote my loyalty to you.”

He raised his head.

His face no longer showed any despair.

It even looked as if a weight had been lifted, like he had come to a decision.

Ghislain asked with a slightly hardened expression.

“You really don’t have to. Live as you wish.”

“This is what I want.”

“You’re good with words… but truthfully, don’t you want to live with Anna?”

Claude lowered his gaze as if Ghislain had struck a nerve.

“With 500 gold, the two of you could live comfortably.”

“I can’t just take that much money.”

Ghislain narrowed his eyes as he looked down at Claude.

“You’ve really made up your mind, haven’t you?”

“Yes. This is the best course of action.”

Belinda couldn’t understand what the two of them were talking about.

‘Why don’t they just both come to Fenris Estate?’

Before she could ask, Claude answered the question.

“Forgive me for my impudence, but I have one last request. Please ensure Anna arrives safely at the Seiron Royal Academy. I will follow you, my lord.”

Ghislain sighed, as if he had expected this.