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Reborn as a Grand Duke: My Revenge Against Hatzfeld (Web Novel) - Chapter 130
Chapter 130
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
Chapter 130
At the western gate of Rehinar, Gillip looked ahead, concern etched on his face.
“Are you sure it’s alright to let him go like that?”
“Do you not trust the Red Poison worm?”
“What if the King of Hatzfeld finds the male worm and kills it?”
“That fool is consumed by greed. He won’t easily admit he’s been taken advantage of. The moment he shows weakness, he stands to lose everything. If he returns from Rehinar only to be found out for having the Red Poison worm forcibly injected into him, he’ll think he’s signing his own death warrant. He’ll be desperate to hide it, so don’t worry.”
“How can you be so sure, Your Grace?”
Gillip's serious gaze was now far removed from the careless expression of a mere information broker.
“I know that fool better than anyone else.”
“Really?”
“There are some things you don’t know. Let’s go back. It’s time to deal with the Meyer Family’s executioners who have walked right into the tiger’s den.”
Kane turned and began to walk away, leaving Gillip staring at his back.
Then, he muttered to himself, “What on earth is he planning? Does he have other information organizations at play?”
The young master always moved with unwavering confidence, and each time, a big catch was reeled in.
This time, he had snagged quite a few big fish, yet he let one little fry go.
It wasn’t an act of mercy; he intended to use that fry as bait.
A bait that would summon its parents back.
Even a small fry was an incredibly valuable catch.
“Is he incredibly bold or just plain reckless?”
As Gillip pondered, Kane’s voice interrupted him.
“Are you coming or not?”
“I-I’m coming!”
Gillip rushed to catch up with Kane.
One thing he was certain of was that, Gillip hadn’t been outsmarted by the young master because he was foolish or weak.
Kane might seem like he was recklessly charging ahead, but there was a hidden intent behind it all.
He had merely fallen into the young master’s scheme.
It was never because he was foolish.
Absolutely not!
***
"Oh, so this is your mansion?"
Gillip’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Rehinar was a place not just anyone could enter freely. While he had visited a few times before, this was the first time he got to explore it thoroughly.
'All my hard-earned money has been poured into this place, huh.'
The hallway was lined with paintings and decorative items—each one valuable. The once-fallen twin-blade family was a thing of the past. Now, Rehinar was on the rise again. And Gillip had played a part in it.
Information.
The Black Crow had been filling the information gap for Rehinar. Of course, it was only responsible for sharing the world's movements, leaving most of the decisions to Kane.
"Sit there."
Gillip sat down on the sofa, glancing around.
"Surprisingly humble, sir."
"What were you expecting?"
"Well, with your reputation for being... ah, I mean, with your keen sense of managing money, I thought your room would be covered in gold."
Kane's room was filled with furniture from T&co—considered mid-range by Gillip's standards. Ironically, the old headquarters of the Black Crow exchange in Philaec had been far more lavish and full of expensive items.
Seeing Kane, who was surely amassing immense wealth, living in such a simple space came as a surprise.
"If you're done looking around, choose one of these."
Kane handed over a piece of paper with writing on it.
"Philaec and Baybond? What are these?"
"Don't ask, just pick one. Which one draws you more?"
Gillip stroked his chin, his expression serious as he examined the paper before making a choice.
"Well, I think Philaec, where I laid my foundations, would be best."
Kane nodded.
"Alright. Then, you’ll be in charge of it from now on."
"What?"
"Don’t want to?"
"...Even if you are the current Rehinar Head, sir, the authority to allot a territory belongs to the Emperor."
"I plan to negotiate with the crown prince using an executioner's head as leverage. I intend to ask for Philaec as my reward."
The executioner from the House of the SUn was a threat to the Fresia Empire. Even just looking at Chief Attendant Ulrich, he was extremely dangerous—a 7th class, no less. Killing three such figures meant he could request a territory as compensation.
"Then, when you asked me to choose between the two, you meant..."
"I was planning to entrust one of them to you."
Gillip's heart raced wildly. Managing an information network was one thing, but governing a territory was another. The unexpected offer left him dizzy with excitement.
"To govern a territory, you’ll need a title. I’ll see to it that your title is restored."
This, too, was within the Emperor's authority.
'The lord is making a difficult request to the crown prince for my sake. But why?'
Gillip was puzzled.
He hadn’t sworn allegiance to the lord for very long, yet here he was, being entrusted with such a significant responsibility.
'Rehinar has many capable people besides me.'
Even if Daniel Lindemann, an elder, was no longer young, he was more than qualified to manage a territory as Rehinar’s chief administrator. Choosing Gillip over him made little sense.
"...What if I were to betray you, sir?"
"Then I would have to kill you."
It was such a simple answer.
But for Gillip, it was anything but simple.
It was the first time the word "death" sounded so terrifying.
"What happens if I fail in rebuilding Philaec?"
"I don’t think you’ll fail, but even if you do, you can just try again."
The lord’s response left Gillip confused.
There would be no punishment for failure—only for betrayal.
‘The lord’s one unforgivable offense is betrayal. That’s the one line I must never cross.’
While he might forgive everything else, betrayal was not something he could overlook. Realizing this brought Gillip a sense of relief.
‘If I were going to betray him, I wouldn’t have sworn loyalty in the first place. And as long as I stick around, treasures will keep falling into my lap, like now. There’s no reason for me to betray him. I’ll stay by his side, leeching off him until the end.’
Gillip made up his mind.
"I’ll take responsibility for Philaec."
"Start working on it before we even get the crown prince’s approval. That way, progress can happen quickly."
"Understood!"
---
[Gillip Tegelo’s favorability has increased by +1.]
[Gillip Tegelo’s favorability has increased by +1.]
[Gillip Tegelo’s favorability has increased by +1.]
...
...
...
[Gillip Tegelo’s favorability has changed to Reverence.]
---
"And take this to the executioners yourself."
"What is it?"
"An invitation. If they’ve come to build relations, it’s only right to host a ball."
Gillip immediately grasped the lord’s intent.
"You want to give them an opportunity, don’t you?"
"It’s easiest to make outside contact when everyone’s attention is focused in one place."
"But will they reach out to the outside? They’ll realize that Rehinar is quite different now."
There was a magic communication device for external contacts—a system that didn't require separate letters.
However, to use it, one had to go to the city’s mana communication office and get approval.
Then, any communication through the magic device would be recorded in the mana office’s logs.
For this reason, direct methods like sending messenger birds were still used.
"I’m preparing in case they try to escape from here. Use the Black Crow Exchange to keep an eye on any suspicious activities."
"I’ll monitor even the tiniest rats!"
Gillip beamed with pride, unable to contain his grin at the thought of taking on such an important task.
Just then...
"I’ll be watching with both eyes wide open. Kane might be lenient, but the Great Guardian Spirit of Demons is no pushover. Got that?"
Blata glared menacingly, issuing his threat.
He hadn’t forgotten how Gillip had tried to lure him with treats.
Marked by Blata, Gillip reached into his pocket to pull out another snack.
But before he could, Blata bit his hand.
"Woof!"
"AAAHHH! WHY IS THIS FAT CAT BARKING?!"
A scream echoed through Kane’s room.
***
The following day, as the sun began to set, the gates of Rehinar swung open.
A delegation of merchants from the Continental Merchant Guild and students from the Antitode school had arrived, which stirred excitement among the Rehinar military academy cadets.
“I can't believe I’m setting foot in the Rehinar estate.”
“They say it’s a place as sacred as a sanctuary. I wonder how grand it is.”
“I’m already excited.”
The perception of the cadets had changed entirely. Mentioning Rehinar’s decline would earn a sharp rebuke, as if it were ancient history. They already believed that Rehinar had regained its former glory.
“Sara, it’s an honor to be able to visit your family estate.”
“Me too, Sis! Do you think we’ll get to see the Guardian Knights when we’re there?”
“I’d love to meet the ‘Blue Flash’ in person...”
“I’m a fan of the ‘Red Dragon Slayer.’ Sir Fabi Isn’t that nickname just too cool?”
Thanks to Rehinar’s newly restored reputation, Sara’s prestige as a member of the renowned twin-blade family rivaled even that of the 2nd Princess Charlotte.
It wasn’t just Sara. Sasha and Rose were receiving the same level of admiration.
“Sasha, why doesn’t Lord Kane use twin blades or twin swords?”
“Which of his three siblings does the young master adore the most?”
“Well, that’s...”
Sasha and Rose were overwhelmed.
On the way to the estate, they were bombarded with countless questions.
For Sasha, who was already shy, the attention made him feel dizzy.
Fortunately, once they arrived at the estate, everyone’s focus shifted elsewhere.
“Wowww.”
“Seeing it up close... The aura is no joke.”
“Why are my hands shaking?”
The cadets were awestruck by the reverence that Rehinar exuded.
While they stood gaping, the merchants and students from the Academy School made their appearance.
“They don’t look like pushovers either, huh?”
“Must be how they’ve survived between the Lycera Theocracy and the Hatzfeld Kingdom.”
The cadets, seeing others their age, couldn’t hide their curiosity.
“It’d be nice to test our skills against them.”
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out.
“That’s a splendid idea.”
It was Kane.
Joseph, who was leading the cadets, approached and bowed deeply.
“Greetings, Young master.”
“You honor me too much.”
After saying that, Kane walked over to the cadet who had just spoken.
“What’s your name?”
The once-confident young man suddenly stuttered.
“H-Hello, I-I’m Bastian of the Schwein family, sir.”
Bastian Schwein was a large figure, standing at 2 meters tall with a considerable build—characteristics typical of the Schwein family, known for their practice of gluttony magic. All those bearing the Schwein name were similarly built.
“You’ve come up with a good suggestion.”
Bastian blushed at Kane’s praise, unsure how to respond.
“N-Not at all, sir.”
“As thanks, I’ll gift you a weapon suited to you. There’s a weapons shop on the western side of the territory.”
“You mean the shop in front of the smithy?”
“Yes. Go there and pick out equipment that suits you.”
“But, I heard that even if you reserve something now, you have to wait six months...”
Rehinar’s weapons were renowned throughout the empire, particularly those sold at the shop on the western side of the estate, known for their unparalleled quality. Nobles were obsessed with getting their hands on them.
Many had sought to purchase in bulk, but without Kane Rehinar’s approval, the shop wouldn’t sell.
Now, Kane was offering him a weapon from that very place.
“Just mention my name, and they’ll help you find the right weapon.”
“T-Thank you so much!”
"I should be the one thanking you. It was an excellent suggestion."
Kane's eyes curved into a crescent moon shape as he spoke, a hint of mischief flickering in his gaze.
Looking up at him, Blata grinned in return.
"Hehe, what kind of scheme are you cooking up this time with that face, Kane?"
[
Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
