Chapter 97 – The girl’s thread of fate (5)

Scarlett was saved.

It was like a miracle—

The room’s atmosphere became boisterous and it took a long time before the joy abated. No one expected Brendel to come up with a way to save Scarlett from such a dangerous situation.

However, it proved one thing. Their young mysterious lord was omnipotent!

Amandina had countless moments where she had this thought, and this time was no different. She pulled back her gaze from the youth, feeling the burden on her shoulders lift.

Scarlett was looking at the golden apple that was on both her hands in a daze. When she felt Amandina’s gaze on her, she smiled back weakly, and the latter sighed in her heart.

[This foolish girl!]

Amandina shook her head and that the girl in front of her could not be saved any longer. When Scarlett hugged the Golden Apple like it was the greatest treasure in this world, Amandina knew that Scarlett was going to find a way to pay Brendel back her whole life.

Just a few moments ago, Brendel handed the Golden Apple over to Scarlett while Ciel informed everyone that it was the legendary Golden Apple. Scarlett acted like someone who got struck by lightning when she heard that, and the Golden Apple fell out of her hands. If it was not for Brendel’s lightning reactions, this would be the first Golden Apple that smashed to bits in history by dropping onto the ground.

In that moment, Amandina finally realized, just like how Medissa did, that this seemingly tough red-haired girl had an abnormal reliance on other people, as though she was living her life based on other people’s opinions.

The most sorrowful thing for her was that this world was one where most people had to rely on themselves, and it was rare for a stranger to spare a thought for another person.

It was especially so for nobles similar to Makarov. They would never stop moving forward and only stop for profits.

The efforts that Scarlett gave would never be rewarded. If the Grey Wolves Mercenaries and she could see this point, they might feel a little better at Makarov’s betrayal.

Unfortunately, the Scarlett that Amandina knew was a weak but stubborn girl.

The young noble lady glanced at Brendel, feeling fortunate that the lord she was pursuing was an anomaly.

Generous, merciful, and full of humanity.

His every action seemed like it did not match the world of the nobles. Yet, if she was to say that he was not one, she could not convince herself. Only a noble would know so much about that the politics of that world and conduct himself with such dignity.

If she took every event that happened and put it on the table……. This youth was not only a noble but one who had a powerful House backing him.

This was made evident by Kodan’s arrival as a prisoner.

Since she was the person temporarily in charge of Firburh’s affairs after Brendel was gone, she quickly got to meet up with this old guard commander.

She had been studying on the important figureheads amongst the nobles in order to realize Brendel’s future plans, and thus recognized him as one of Count Randner’s best knights.

Kodan was born in a lineage comprising of knights and had participated in the November War, and served beside Count Randner for many years. When she spoke to him, she discovered that his attitude towards Brendel was strange and it made her suspicious.

There was no doubt at all. He recognized Brendel —

When she asked Medissa, she found out that he knew Brendel’s grandfather and even served under him for a period of time. With the bits and pieces of information she discovered that would not interest any normal commoner, she put together a complete image.

Brendel was from a powerful House that had a long history but kept a low-profile.

[Sometimes I wonder if I’m blessed by the gods. I left my dark home in Bruglas and met with this strange youth, and became his advisor just like that.]

At least from the time when she left her home, she had never truly regretted it and felt that she was fortunate to meet him.

[Though, I must say that Golden Apple makes me feel a little jealous.]

It was something that came out from legendary tales and could change a person completely, to the point where it affected an entire kingdom’s destiny.

Before Scarlett’s recovery happened, she had not even considered that this legend was true.

However, the fact that he had this Golden Apple would mean that he could buy off any of the strongest forces in the kingdom, and even become a duke regardless of whether it was the Aouine or Kirrlutz’s kingdom. Even the pope of the Holy Cathedral of Fire would want it. As long as the youth wanted to, he could exchange it for almost anything that he wanted.

That was how priceless it was.

And it was simply given away to a girl whom he had just met for less than a few months. Certainly, Scarlett was a Gold-ranked fighter, but a Golden Apple’s value really had nothing in common with her other than the word ‘gold’. In fact, the Golden Apple was the worth of at least a hundred Gold-ranked fighters.

She did not understand why he did it.

But Brendel had a different perspective in regards to the fruit. The only thing he saw here was that he should not have this item in the first place. Amandina believed there was a powerful House backing him, but he obviously did not.

But even if he did have the power to retain the apple, he would never deal with Aouine’s rotten nobles or make a deal with Kirrlutz who was looking for a chance to take over Aouine.

He was here to change Aouine’s fate, not become part of the kingdom’s problems.

The youth obviously knew how easy it was for him to live comfortably in this world, but that was not part of his goals. It was especially so when he met people like Makarov and Graudin, and his belief only got stronger with each passing day.

Therefore he did not really care about the Golden Apple.

If it could cure Scarlett, he did not mind giving away a hundred apples away to save her life.

But Scarlett also saw things differently from Brendel, and just like Amandina, understood the value of the Golden Apple.

She heard that Makarov, Buga, and two other important nobles nearly started a battle against the Silver Elves over this Golden Apple. The greed in their eyes could not be any clearer.

There was never any doubt that her former commander would choose this Golden Apple over her life a hundred times.

Why would this youth just make such this decision so easily like it meant nothing to him?

She glanced at the people beside Brendel to seek an answer, and her eyes fell onto Medissa who was discussing with Ciel—

“My lord,” Medissa finally spoke, “I understand what you’re trying to do, by using the tremendous Lifeforce from the Golden Apple, you seek to replenish her strength……but…….”

She frowned deeply: “If you do this, this is just like drinking poison to quench a thirst.”

“This is a choiceless solution since there is no other solution. By slowing her condition down, there might be another answer. Still, using the Golden Apple in this manner, I’ll probably drive the people who want this apple mad.” Brendel laughed.

Ciel nodded and also grinned while he glanced at Scarlett: “Indeed, to use this precious material for such a matter.”

Scarlett lowered her head upon hearing Ciel’s words. She also started to feel that it was wasteful when she thought about it. She got to eat the legendary Golden Apple for an incurable disease. It was unthinkable.

Brendel immediately shot a murderous glare at Ciel, and the latter realized his mistake: “Miss Scarlett, don’t overthink this, I’m not saying it’s wasteful, it’s just that the Golden Apple is priceless, and I think…… Ha ha, I suddenly remember something appropriate that’s an equivalent exchange—”

Everyone’s eyes were on him.

Ciel shrank a little, but he giggled: “Well, if this Golden Apple is used as my lord’s dowry for Scarlett’s hand in marriage, then the debt would be offset, right?”

“Hand in marriage?” Scarlett blinked blankly.

“Well, you know, becoming our lord’s wif— ommph!!” Ciel said as he tried to dodge Brendel’s sword hilt, but as a wizard, he would never be able to avoid Brendel’s attack at such a close range. He immediately yelled out in pain as the sword’s hilt sank into his abdomen, causing him to fall over.

Brendel was furious over Ciel’s lips and had attacked him mercilessly, expecting that scoundrel to roll about on the floor for several minutes in pain. Medissa glanced at the writhing wizard and showed a rarely seen ‘you deserve it’ expression.

Scarlett finally understood what Ciel was talking about and her face flushed red.

Brendel was worried about what she was thinking and said: “There’s no need to heed what this idiot’s words. If you want to pay back the investment of this Golden Apple, then make sure you live properly from now onwards. Remember, you’re my most important combat strength amongst my subordinates.”

He took a deep breath: “I believe there’s going to be a huge battle in Trentheim very soon.”

Scarlett paused for a moment but nodded furiously without lifting her head back up.

Medissa discreetly pulled Brendel’s sleeve and spoke into his mind: “My lord, the Golden Apple can only delay the danger temporarily. Do you have a real solution to this?”

Brendel paused for a moment and thought aloud.

[Ser Orthlyss, do you have a solution if we have a couple of years?]

“I did think of a solution when you pulled out that Golden Apple. The solution I had earlier was to destroy the Blood of Gods, but why not try and overwhelm the Blood of Gods now with a mental fight now? The apple gives out Lifeforce that strengthens the soul, and she is in a better position to fight back.” Orthlyss replied.

Brendel pondered for a moment to himself.

[Indeed, the Golden Apple is the best item for Wizards and Elementalists because it enhances the Will stats. But it’s not an easy task for a native of this world. There’s no cheat here where Scarlett can level up with XP, and the Golden Apple would only delay things for a year or two. To be truly effective, she needs to take on a Wizard or Elementalist profession and raise her level to the point where she can gain an Element Power—]

Unlocking an Element Power in two years?

Brendel shook his head inwardly when he thought about it.

Still, it was a solution that was better than no solutions, and it was not as if there were no chances. There were a few extreme methods that he knew of that could unlock an Element power derived from an Elementalist.

Now that things had come to this point, he could only try.

For now, he kept these answers to his heart and threw down a few words that evaded giving a real answer.

“Amandina, take care of Scarlett. The rest of us should leave so that she can rest.” Brendel said.

“Wait, let Romaine sleep a little more,” Scarlett said.

In the end, everyone except Amandina and Romaine left the room, with Brendel closing the door lightly.

Even though Scarlett had recovered, her body was still weak and she needed to rest properly. Brendel was also quite worried about little Romaine. She worked even longer hours than he did in Schafflund and seemed to have accompanied night and day with Scarlett when she returned.

Brendel rubbed his forehead when he thought about the extra ingredients that little female dragon left behind on the Golden Apple. He still had no idea what it was, but at least the matter about the fruit was over and done with.

Felaern soon led him to his room where he took a bath and rested later.

When he woke up, he went to the study to check up on Firburh’s report and spotted Odum in the library.

“Mister Odum, have you found anything interesting?”

“Yes, there are some notes about a drainage system and garbage disposal for a city.”

Odum’s eyes were gleaming slightly.

The Gold Dwarves were famous for mining and digging tunnels. Since they lived underground, they did not really think about hygiene, In fact, they rarely bathed their whole lives. They ate food that was in the soil and the only pollution they cared about was about the water they drank.

However, amongst their complicated maze of tunnels, they had a unique tunnel system to handle garbage.

A city that had hundreds of thousands of people living in it would produce a large amount of rubbish which would pollute water. If the polluted water and rubbish were not handled properly, they would lead to plagues, which was why areas with low levels of civilization did not have large cities.

Odum discovered the direction he should go into.

The drainage system could be developed in the way how the Gold Dwarves handled rubbish, and if he borrowed their methods, it might work out quite well.

As for the walls and gates, he had some architecture skills that he learned from the Mountain Dwarves. By combining his knowledge along with the books and squeezing out his potential as a Rune Dwarf, it seemed like things were not as complicated as they looked.

Brendel was considerably pleased as he exchanged words with him.

However, the people that he called into his study later were a different story.

He reviewed the reports where the mercenaries fought against Lord Macsen, began thinking about the mercenaries, and realized that he did not really have people around that excelled in leading like he thought earlier. Other than his summons and himself, there was really no one else who could lead the war against Count Randner.

“Why didn’t Ciel go along with the rest to at least oversee Lord Macsen’s battle? Did you feel that his expertise is needed elsewhere? Or did you think that it’s enough that the Mercenaries of Lopes led the rest of the mercenaries?” He questioned the commanders who led the battle.

Ciel and Amandina were also called in to listen.

“There are more casualties than your plans anticipated against Lord Macsen. Did you do a review about why it was so?” Brendel continued. Silence answered him, and he rubbed his forehead:

“I’ve been leading the mercenaries against bigger odds ever since Firburh’s battle against the undead and Graudin. Ever wondered why we succeeded? It’s because there are Gold-ranked fighters fighting in crucial areas. I’m not saying that they should hold your hands in every single battle, but at least make sure that they are there to ensure there are no loose ends. You had one for this battle, so why didn’t you at least get him out there? It’s not as if there are reports of enemy armies appearing out of nowhere and Ciel had to stay in the city to defend it.”

In truth, he did not realize he was asking for near perfection. Since he had fought for over a century of in-game years against the nobles and emerged from a sea of corpses, it would not be wrong to say that his experience outmatched against nearly everyone in the kingdom when it came to battles.

[Even though Amandina has strong analytical skills and a broad view of things, I still feel she needs more experience. Yes, she placed most of the scouts correctly around Firburh that would anticipate other enemy movements, but what’s the use if she lets Ciel sit in the city when there’s no need to?]

Amongst the various mercenaries, Amandina was perceived as an impeccable advisor. She was calm and decisive, had her opinions with strong insight in regards to various policies and yet they were never reckless. She could even foresee events that others could not.

There was even her extensive knowledge of monsters and the environment, as though she had insight into everything. They felt like she could even match Ciel, a wizard from the Black Tower, on these aspects.

The mercenaries who got called to her meetings were usually confused when she spoke, yet it sounded like her words made sense somehow. They wondered about her background.

Raban who had a better understanding of the nobles frequently looked at Amandina with an odd gaze. In his eyes, Amandina was like the children who were specifically raised in extremely affluent families to be their children’s loyal companions. Because of his relatively crude background, he had often wondered if she had to meet their lord’s ‘special’ needs.

This conjecture was not limited only to Raban. Many mercenaries had the same thought. Amandina’s authority was far beyond what an advisor would have, and that level of trust could only have one explanation.

Amandina was Brendel’s woman.

Sadly, Brendel was far too busy with his various thoughts to notice the small things like this. Since Amandina ignored the rumors and did not mention it to him despite realizing what they were thinking, it ultimately allowed this misunderstanding to continue.

Brendel continued to lecture Amandina with a dissatisfied tone on the things that she could have done better. It did not mean that she was shunned, instead, the mercenaries believed that she was viewed with importance.

The level of competency that their lord wanted made the mercenaries secretly shake their heads in disbelief. Yet the youth’s words were full of logic and pointed out things that could lead to a serious problem. Everyone could only redraw the line where the word ‘competent’ really pointed to.

A new aura started appearing on Brendel. Everyone thought that he was a scion of an extremely powerful family and was sent out to rule a territory on his own for training.

Eventually, they were all dismissed and Brendel started to ponder about the commanders.

[Raban’s a former cavalry commander of Karsuk. He’s probably the only one who’s stable and disciplined, and he does things better than Jana. But as a mere cavalry commander, his foresight isn’t good enough. Jana is someone who spends too much time on details and can hardly see the bigger picture, but she can be trusted.]

Brendel was satisfied with Jana’s actions in the mines and allowed her to stay in Schafflund to oversee Perkin’s actions. He doubted that she would do anything that would betray him.

[As for Cornelius, he’s too much of a bootlicker. He does have the capability to lead, but unless I solidify my position, I can’t really trust him with too much power since he might get ideas. Even though all of them can become fine commanders, but there really isn’t enough time for them to grow stronger.]

He shook his head. Yes, he was asking for too much, but where was the talented personnel that he needed?

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