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Touching the Forest of Beasts was a completely different issue compared to the previous accidents Ghislain had caused.

“If you stir that place up, only monsters will come out! Why would you even go in there? It’s a total loss! Don’t you understand why we leave it alone?”

Baron Homerne’s words were harsh, completely disregarding any courtesy.

However, no one in the room seemed to care about respecting the young lord.

Albert, with sharp eyes, started calculating the costs and benefits.

“That place is swarming with monsters, so it’s been deemed useless. Even if we try to develop it, the costs would far outweigh any benefits.”

“The young lord seems to be overestimating his own abilities. Does he really think he’s gotten stronger just because he beat Lord Kane? Hah, this is ridiculous.”

When even Randolph joined in the opposition, Ghislain clicked his tongue inwardly.

He had expected opposition, but their reaction was far more resolute than he had anticipated.

‘I knew it, of course.’

With all three of his father’s sworn brothers opposing him, it was impossible to get their approval.

As Ghislain stayed silent without responding, Homerne’s face turned redder, and he yelled even louder.

“Why are you so desperate to poke around everywhere?”

“Brother, you’re getting too worked up,” Randolph said quietly, tugging at his sleeve. But Homerne didn’t care.

“Have you forgotten the kind of trouble this brat has caused? At the very least, he should stop making a mess as a young lord!”

Homerne raised his voice further.

“He secretly sold military provisions to gamble with the money! He almost set the city gates on fire because he was in a bad mood! He butchered a warhorse just because he wanted to eat meat, and he melted down all the knights’ armor to try and forge a so-called legendary sword!”

As Homerne’s tirade continued, Ghislain’s expression grew more awkward.

‘Did I really go that far?’

It had been so long that he had forgotten.

“The young lord has caused too many problems to count! And now, what? The Forest of Beasts? How much bigger a mess are you planning to make? Absolutely not!”

Ghislain avoided their gazes, feigning ignorance.

‘I don’t even remember.’

To them, it was just a few years or months ago, but to him, it was ancient history.

Still, he remembered causing a lot of trouble, so he tried to sound sincere as he spoke.

“You won’t have to worry about anything like that happening again. You trust me, right?”

He even flashed a slight smile, hoping to ease the tension. However, it backfired. Homerne clutched the back of his neck and staggered.

“Ugh, this idiot… How can you be smiling right now…”

Watching the heated exchange from the sidelines, Zwalter let out a sigh and asked.

“Are you trying to develop the Forest of Beasts to make money?”

“That’s right. Right now, the only valuable resource in the estate is the forest.”

“That’s right; this was something we had already considered in previous generations. However, we can’t afford to sacrifice soldiers without being certain that valuable resources exist. Even if we had solid information, we don’t have the capacity to do that right now.”

“Yes, I understand. That’s why I intend to do it myself, without relying on the estate’s resources.”

Ghislain was well aware of the estate’s state, but he had a reason why the development of that area was crucial.

‘Only then can the estate become economically independent.’

In his previous life, the Ferdium Estate had eventually collapsed due to poverty, constantly being manipulated by neighboring territories. Even now, it was clear that if their enemies cut off their financial support, the estate would falter immediately.

To prepare for the events to come, he had to secure a steady income.

However, to Zwalter, who knew nothing of the future, it was an unconvincing reason.

“What are you going to do without money or troops?”

Ghislain confidently answered after glancing at the retainers around him.

“I will secure the money and the troops myself. I know the estate doesn’t have any funds. All I’m asking for is permission to build a base in the territory and recruit soldiers.”

At his words, Albert, the treasurer, quickly jumped in. He was curious to hear how the reckless young lord intended to raise money on his own.

“What money do you have, Your Grace? Development isn’t something you can do with pocket change.”

“I know that. But don’t worry, I’ll take care of the money myself.”

“And how do you plan to…?”

Even the usually composed Albert chuckled in disbelief and trailed off. Ghislain’s speech made it clear that he had no concept of money.

‘Is he planning to resort to robbery? Knowing him, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.’

Before Albert could add anything, Homerne cried out in exasperation.

“Just please stay put! How much more are you going to exhaust us? Can’t you just sit still for once? Please!”

Other retainers, sharing in Homerne’s sentiment, nodded in agreement.

Ghislain crossed his arms and let out a long sigh.

‘Ah, it looks like getting approval is out of the question. Tsk.’

It was an unconscious gesture of frustration, but those who witnessed it frowned even more deeply.

‘That rude brat. How can someone so vulgar be the young lord?’

The others were scowling at him, but Ghislain was lost in thought.

‘No matter how much I think about it, I must do this.’

It was clear what they all wanted: for him to stay quiet and do nothing.

Of course, Ghislain agreed that playing around was easier than working. However, considering the estate’s future, he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

He was the only one who knew what awaited Ferdium in the future.

‘Hmm, but their reaction is worse than I thought.’

The retainers, one after another, looked at Ghislain with cold eyes. It wasn’t just because the idea of developing the Forest of Beasts was absurd, but because it had come from a young lord who had not even a shred of trust from them.

What could they possibly trust him with?

No matter how useless and detestable a person he was, they couldn’t send the heir of the estate to a place infested with monsters.

Seeing a reaction far colder than expected, Ghislain realized that persuading them was pointless.

‘Hah, I would’ve just beaten them all into submission in my previous life.’

Back when he was the King of Mercenaries, anyone who opposed his decisions would have their backs broken—fairly and squarely.

But now, the situation was different.

In the end, Ghislain gave up on trying to persuade the retainers. No matter what he said or did, it was meaningless in the eyes of people who already viewed him with disdain.

Instead, he looked toward his father, the one person who might at least consider his request.

Zwalter was rubbing his eyelids, unable to hide his exhaustion.

‘I don’t know what goes on in my son’s head anymore.’

He had felt a slight sense of satisfaction when the son who always avoided him had finally come on his own initiative. But how had that feeling vanished in less than a few minutes?

His son had shown up only to ask for permission to cause trouble—again. That boldness, typical of the northern people, might have been admirable if only it had been channeled differently.

‘If it had been anyone else, I’d have thrown them in jail. But what can you do? Blood is blood.’

Still, since his son had come to ask for permission, Zwalter had to give him an answer. He sighed deeply and spoke firmly.

“I cannot allow it. If you provoke the forest and the monsters come flooding out, the damage to the estate would be immense.”

“Well, there’s nothing I can do about that. Understood.”

“What? I told you it’s not happening! …Wait, what? You understand?”

“Yes, you said you wouldn’t allow it.”

“Uh, right.”

Zwalter was momentarily taken aback by how calmly Ghislain accepted his decision.

‘This kid’s actually backing down? Why?’

Ghislain had never been one to obey so easily. If words alone were enough to make him understand, he wouldn’t have earned his reputation as a reckless troublemaker.

And yet, here he was, nodding along as if it didn’t bother him at all.

The retainers, like Zwalter, wore puzzled expressions.

“Well then, I’ll be going now. It was nice seeing all of you after so long. Haha.”

Ghislain grinned and turned away without a hint of hesitation.

Feeling uneasy, Homerne urgently shouted after him.

“Your Grace! If you cause trouble again, we will lock you in the tower for real this time! Mark my words! Every single retainer will agree to it!”

“Yeah, yeah, do whatever you want.”

Without even glancing back, Ghislain shrugged and walked out of the room.

After distancing himself from the great hall, he glanced at Gillian, who had followed him out and gave an awkward smile.

“The atmosphere wasn’t great, so I didn’t get a chance to introduce you. I’m not exactly popular around here.”

Truthfully, he wasn’t popular anywhere.

As if that wasn’t the real issue, Gillian shook his head, looking at him with a concerned expression.

“That’s fine. But are you alright, Your Grace? The Forest of Beasts is dangerous, so it’s only natural they wouldn’t grant permission. Please don’t be too disappointed.”

“Why would I be disappointed?”

Ghislain had a truly nonchalant expression. Anyone looking at him would have no choice but to think that he had simply let it go.

But the words that followed immediately after shocked Gillian.

“If I don’t want to get permission, I just won’t. I didn’t come here to get approval anyway. Whether I get permission or not, I was planning to proceed no matter what.”

“What? You’re just going to go ahead with it?”

“That’s right. I was just saying it out of courtesy, you know, just in case. Since I didn’t get permission, I have no choice but to force things forward.”

“Sir, you can’t. The Lord personally ordered that this not be done.”

If Ghislain pushed ahead with something that the Lord explicitly forbade and got caught, no matter how favored he was, he wouldn’t escape punishment.

And it wasn’t just any matter—it was the recruitment of private soldiers.

Even though Gillian anxiously tried to dissuade him, Ghislain only grinned.

“It’s fine. As long as I succeed, that’s all that matters. The results will speak for themselves. The answer is already clear.”

At Ghislain’s shameless and confident attitude, Gillian was at a loss for words.

He couldn’t figure out what this reckless young master was thinking.

“So, how do you plan to proceed? You don’t have any money or forces.”

Ghislain chuckled.

“Ah, you don’t know, do you? I actually have a bit of money. I’m probably the richest person in our estate.”

“What?”

“A wealthy fiancée gave me quite a bit of money as a breakup gift. I’ll use that to start the development project. Of course, I’ll have to spend sparingly until the first profits come in. Now that I think about it, I should really thank her.”

“A breakup gift…?”

Once again, Gillian was left dumbfounded.

A breakup was a huge disgrace in the world of nobility. And yet, Ghislain not only seemed unbothered but even appeared proud of it.

‘Is this just carefree… or is he that broad-minded…?’

From how things looked earlier, it seemed like the people in the estate didn’t even know he had been dumped. The formal breakup process hadn’t been completed yet, but there was no way the marriage would happen, so it was only a matter of time before they split.

And yet, Ghislain hadn’t said a word about the fact that he was breaking off the engagement.

Gillian couldn’t even bring himself to be surprised anymore; his mouth simply hung open.

“And as for the troops… I’ll hire mercenaries.”

“Mercenaries?”

“Yes, since I can’t receive support for soldiers for the development project, I’ll have to use mercenaries. I can’t just form a private army on my own.”

“How many do you plan to recruit?”

“Two hundred.”

Ghislain answered without hesitation as if he had already prepared his response.

Gillian was visibly startled. With two hundred men, a small-scale territorial battle could be possible.

“Are you really planning to go through with the development?”

“That’s right. It doesn’t matter if others oppose it. What matters is that it’s something I must do.”

Ghislain’s words were firm and resolute.

Gillian couldn’t say anything in response.

He started to understand why the retainers often called him a reckless troublemaker.

Though he was worried, Gillian knew that Ghislain wouldn’t listen to him even if he tried to stop him.

Having sworn to serve him after being indebted to him for life, all Gillian could do was protect him as best he could.

“I understand. I’ll do my best to protect you.”

“Just hearing that is reassuring. First, let’s gather the mercenaries.”

“If you try to recruit two hundred at once, you’ll inevitably end up with some riffraff mixed in.”

At Gillian’s concerned words, Ghislain nodded.

“I know. But if we’re going to develop that forest, we need to have a certain number of people, so we don’t have much choice. We’ll just have to pick out the useful ones separately.”

“The useful ones…?”

“In this northern region, which small mercenary group has the best skills?”

Gillian pondered for a moment before his eyes widened in realization.

“Surely… you’re not talking about those mad dogs, are you?”

Ghislain answered with a strange smile.

“That’s right. The Cerberus Mercenary Corps. Let’s see if we can leash those mad dogs.”