The Deal Is Reached

After accepting Viscount Andrew's banquet, Gawain and his party were temporarily settled in guest rooms within the castle. At Gawain's specific request, clean and tidy rooms were available for everyone, including the two soldiers, the maid Betty, and Amber.

After all, Viscount Andrew's castle was quite large.

After dismissing the attendants, Heti couldn't help but ask, "Ancestor, do you think Viscount Andrew can be trusted?"

Although they were "neighbors" with adjacent territories, Heti was well aware of the ways of nobles: they lacked both integrity and honor. While these were the very things they emphasized most, they were precisely what they lacked, especially in this far-flung, wild, and barbaric southern region where noble survival methods were even more deplorable. Now that the Cecil Family had fallen to rock bottom, apart from the sudden appearance of an ancestor which was a bonus, Heti had little confidence in gaining any advantage in dealings with other nobles.

"Trustworthy? I haven't even considered that," Gawain's answer greatly surprised Heti. "I didn't even know what Viscount Andrew looked like a few hours ago."

Rebecca, standing nearby, was startled. "Ah? Then why did you talk to him for so long..."

"Because it's necessary," Gawain looked at Rebecca. "Our current situation can be described as being at the end of our rope – not to mention the displaced vassals who still need to be fed. Look at your own pockets, do you even have money for the next meal? So, we must seek help. That Viscount Andrew is merely a choice we have no other option but to make. Besides him, do you know anyone else in the southern region? As for how reliable he is... I don't know him, nor do I know his family. I only heard about the extent of his territory from you two days ago. How would I know if he's reliable?"

Rebecca felt her mind struggling to keep up. "Then why do you think he'll definitely help?"

It wasn't Gawain who answered, but Amber, who had been stuffing grapes into her mouth while leaning against the table. The half-elf wiped her mouth and shot Rebecca a glare. "Stupid. Because he doesn't want to lose money."

"Doesn't want to lose money?"

"When Knight Philip brought the refugees to Tanzan Town, Viscount Andrew had already made his decision," Amber said unhurriedly. "He could have simply closed the city gates and waited for the refugees to leave on their own or starve outside. Don't bring up mutual aid laws; in these remote areas, the kingdom's laws are less effective than a merchant's gold. Since Viscount Andrew accepted the refugees, it means he intends to collect compensation from the Cecil Family. He has this intention and believes the Cecil Family is capable of repaying the debt. See, the transaction was already established then, and today... it's just expanding the scope of that transaction and clarifying it."

Rebecca stared at Amber, dumbfounded. "You... How do you know these things? Are the standards for thieves this high nowadays?"

Amber bared her teeth. "Is this profound? I don't understand your noble logic and all your rules, but I at least understand the principle that a thief doesn't leave empty-handed. When it comes to interests, what's the difference between you nobles and that thief who doesn't want to leave empty-handed?"

Rebecca was instantly enraged. She drew her staff and summoned a fireball the size of a head. "If you don't watch your mouth, believe it or not, I'll really smash a fireball in your face!"

Amber seemed to be certain that the young lady of the manor wouldn't go through with it, and provocatively said with a smirk, "If you have the guts, conjure an Ice Arrow~~"

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a chill pass by her ear. An Ice Arrow flew past her earlobe, freezing a patch of frost on the wall behind her. Not far away, Heti maintained her posture with one finger raised, her expression cold. "Here's your Ice Arrow."

A drop of cold sweat trickled down Amber's face. The terror caused by the mere distance between the Ice Arrow and her skin was even greater than the Ice Arrow itself. She couldn't help but wonder what kind of magical control it would take to achieve such precision.

Rebecca's mouth twitched slightly. Aunt Heti's offensive magic really never hit its target – just grazing the edges...

Gawain clapped his hands, ending the brief farce. "Alright, let's consider ourselves all on the same side. Restrain yourselves."

The ancestor's words were effective. Whether they wanted to or not, Heti and Rebecca put away their staffs and showed obedience. Although Amber was mischievous and annoying, she also knew when to quit (mainly because the threat of an Ice Arrow was quite significant). She pouted and fell silent.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. After receiving Gawain's permission, the young maid Betty pushed the door open and entered.

"Master, Madam Heti, Miss Rebecca," Betty addressed them one by one, skipping Amber. "Knight Philip is here."

"Oh, we were waiting for him," Gawain nodded, then noticed the frying pan in Betty's hand. "Wait... why are you still holding that?"

Betty blinked and thought for a moment before saying, "Because... we're not home yet, and I was afraid I'd lose it if I put it down randomly."

Gawain rubbed his forehead. "You... alright, do as you please."

A moment later, Knight Philip, who had led the refugees of Cecil Territory through the siege, entered the room.

To Gawain's slight surprise, he was a very young warrior. He appeared to be only in his early twenties, with short, light-blond hair, deep-set eyes, and a high nose bridge. Although his facial features weren't particularly outstanding overall, his heroic aura as a warrior and his upright stature were enough to make him stand out among ordinary people. As it was peacetime, he wasn't wearing armor but a set of casual clothes, with a longsword at his waist. Faintly visible on his exposed arms and neck were unremoved bandages.

He had indeed been injured during the breakthrough.

"Lord, Madam," Knight Philip immediately bowed to Rebecca and Heti upon entering the room. "I am truly happy to see you safe and sound."

"Knight Philip, please get up," Rebecca quickly helped him up. "It's truly thanks to you that those soldiers and civilians were saved."

She noticed the bandages on him. "These injuries..."

"Sustained during the breakthrough, but they are much better now," Knight Philip said hurriedly. "Viscount Andrew arranged for priests and apothecaries for me. But..."

The young knight showed a troubled expression, his face tinged with shame and regret.

"You're talking about the gold and silver you were asked to bring out of the castle," Heti said proactively. "Don't worry about it. That was meant for emergencies. We told you when we let you take it that it was all at your disposal."

"Please don't worry. Actually, the gold and silver taken by Viscount Andrew was only a portion," Knight Philip's expression improved slightly, then he lowered his voice. "Before entering the city, I entrusted a portion of the wealth to several trusted soldiers, and some was buried outside the city. I was worried that if Viscount Andrew became too greedy, at least some money would be left to support everyone, or to allow the soldiers to make a living..."

Gawain nodded slightly. This was a young man with both courage and intelligence. The fact that he could lead a mere dozen soldiers to protect a large group of non-combatant civilians through a breakthrough demonstrated his bravery. Furthermore, before entering the territory of another noble, knowing he couldn't contend with nobility, it was even more remarkable that he thought of how to preserve his master's entrusted wealth as much as possible, and even considered arranging for the soldiers to make their own way.

He then showed a look of approval. "Well done. How many people survived in total?"

Knight Philip had noticed Gawain in the room from the beginning, as the latter's build was indeed quite striking. Hearing Gawain's question now, he finally had the opportunity to ask, "Could you be..."

"It seems Viscount Andrew has already told you," Heti nodded. "This is the ancestor of the Cecil Family, the Founding Grand Duke of Ansu, Li..."

Gawain quickly interrupted before the other could finish. "Alright, alright, there's no need to mention that chuunibyou's title. It gives me goosebumps..."

Before he could finish speaking, Knight Philip knelt on one knee before Gawain. "Duke Gawain! I... I heard the news, but I never thought it was true! You are a role model for all knights. Since I was young..."

"Alright, alright, are we still not done!" Gawain quickly pulled Knight Philip up again. As an outsider occupying someone else's body, he felt more awkward than ever. "Tell me first, how many people survived?"

Knight Philip finally managed to control his excitement, and his expression turned somber with the topic. "Only a little over a thousand people broke through that day. Later, after subtracting those who encountered monster attacks, fell behind due to serious injuries, and died from illness, fewer than nine hundred survived and reached Tanzan Town..."

"Specifically, how many?"

"Eight hundred and seventy-three. Excluding myself, sixteen of them were regular soldiers, thirty were militiamen, and the rest were civilians."

Rebecca swayed slightly.

"Is this the final number of survivors from Cecil Territory..." Heti murmured. "I never imagined..."

Gawain patted Heti's shoulder. "Do you know how many people there were when we first fled from the hinterland of Gondor over seven hundred years ago?"

Heti looked at Gawain. "Back then..."

"Tens of thousands," Gawain sighed. "So, today's situation is indeed quite troublesome."

Heti: "..."

Meanwhile, in Viscount Andrew's office, the Viscount was writing a secret letter.

The letter was addressed directly to the King.

Due to the existence of the Gondor Wasteland, Ansu had designated the southern region as the kingdom's most crucial defensive zone from its inception. Even though the south had been peaceful for a long time, some regulations that had been in place for hundreds of years continued to be observed in this region. For instance, every noble, big or small, in the southern territories was a direct vassal of the Ansu royal family. They all held the right to speak directly with the King and had an obligation to report matters directly to him.

"To His Majesty the King, your direct vassal sends his regards.

"You should have been informed of the disaster that befell Cecil Territory in the southern region in our previous correspondence. Now, new developments have occurred here. This matter is unprecedentedly bizarre, but I have personally confirmed it, and it is indeed true.

"The ancestor of the Cecil Family, the Founding Grand Duke of Ansu, the Leader of the Seven Generals, Gawain Cecil, has recently returned to the mortal world.

"I personally witnessed a divine light descend upon the wastelands of Cecil Territory. All the invading monsters were annihilated by this light, after which a dragon appeared (I will provide a separate, detailed report regarding the dragon matter). I went to investigate and, together with Viscount Cecil, witnessed the phenomenon of a heroic spirit's revival..."