Chapter 332: This Is Something I Really Wanted to Try (1)

When Ghislain had come looking for her, thinking back on the image he had shown, it was clear that even during the time he acted like a worthless fool and was called the Northern Scoundrel, he had been hiding some of his skills.

However, knowing about the Forest of Demonic Beasts had nothing to do with swordsmanship.

"It's not something he figured out on his own. That's not the kind of place where that works."

Even Count Perdium at the time, who is now a marquis, knew nothing about the Forest of Demonic Beasts. If he had known anything, he would have started developing the forest much earlier.

That means Ghislain must have obtained the information from somewhere else.

One thing was certain: at least in the entrance area of the Forest of Demonic Beasts, Ghislain had accurate information.

The difference between having information and not having it was huge. If she knew what kind of monsters would appear, she could have developed the Forest of Demonic Beasts herself.

Amelia thought back to Ghislain's actions. Beyond developing the Forest of Demonic Beasts, the things he had accomplished so far were not things he could have thought of alone.

The development of techniques could have been assisted by dwarves. Predicting the drought could be dismissed as luck.

However, most of the other things he achieved were difficult to succeed in without information.

"Does he have someone backing him? Or did he discover some ancient records?"

Perhaps he found records in the Perdium family about attempts by his ancestors to develop the Forest of Demonic Beasts.

Ghislain might have discovered and attempted something that all the northern lords had given up on and forgotten.

For now, that was the most plausible hypothesis.

Otherwise, it could mean that someone like a mage or a sage was beside him, offering advice.

"What's certain is that he has excellent access to information that others don't."

Predicting her rebellion and acting on it would have been difficult without information.

Whether the source was a hidden faction or an information organization, it was clear that Ghislain had something.

If only she could figure out how he obtained his information, it would be a great help to her. She could exploit it or even take away his informational power.

"I'll need to be careful. He might already be monitoring my every move."

Amelia could not have imagined that Ghislain was a regressor. However, realizing that he possessed extraordinary access to information was significant.

When she replaced the incredible luck and coincidences she had dismissed with informational power, everything started to make sense.

Of course, even if he had the information, achieving those feats still seemed questionable.

"What a truly intriguing man."

Amelia smirked with a mix of irritation and amusement. From now on, she had to move while keeping in mind that Ghislain might be watching her every move.

"Fine, then I'll have to act unpredictably."

If the opponent was unconventional, she needed to act unconventionally as well.

Not yet, though. Fighting Ghislain now would bring her no benefit.

She had no interest in being the strongest in the north. What she wanted existed far above that.

For now, she needed to be wary of Ghislain but saw no need to pour effort into opposing him.

"It should be about time."

Ghislain wasn't the only one watching her. The duchy that had lost Harold was trying not only to monitor her but also to control her.

She had to move unpredictably in that regard as well.

"First, I'll deal with the proxy they sent."

A cold, murderous intent spread across Amelia's face.

***

"Wow! My Lord, you're the best!"

Claude screamed in delight the moment he saw Ghislain.

News of the development's success had already arrived via a messenger. When he heard about the types and quantities of resources obtained, he nearly fainted.

"We're saved! We're finally saved!"

They had run out of rune stones, and their cash reserves were drying up. Despite the enormous income from cosmetic sales, food sales, delivery services, and road construction, it wasn't enough.

Funds were tight, and the growth of the territory had started to slow. With so many projects ongoing, expenses were astronomical, and the income hadn't caught up yet.

But now, with so many resources gained, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Watching Claude bouncing around, Ghislain chuckled faintly.

"Happy?"

"Of course! Do you know how much my head hurt as the money kept running out?"

As Claude made a fuss, Ghislain replied indifferently.

"That's good. But first, take care of rewarding those who participated in the development."

"Of course. I'll assess things and—"

"No, I've already told you how to handle it."

"...How?"

Claude's face grew anxious. He knew that when Ghislain spent money, he spent big.

Sure enough, Ghislain smiled brightly as he said,

"The development team gets three years' worth of salary in one lump sum. The workers get three times their usual bonus."

"…"

"Get it done quickly."

"…We don't have that kind of money right now."

"We just brought back a lot, didn't we? And we'll keep bringing more. We have enough to pay them now, don't we?"

"But that's all in raw materials… To pay the rewards, we need to convert them to cash…"

"I don't care. Just get it done."

"…"

Ghislain said his piece and disappeared into the castle.

Claude stared after him in disbelief, clutching his head.

"Why can't I ever be happy?"

Just when he thought they were saved, thanks to acquiring valuable resources, they were about to lose an enormous amount of money again.

What made it worse was that the rewards had to be distributed immediately.

The Lord himself had promised the rewards to those who worked hard. If they weren't given on time, it would damage the people's trust in the Lord and foster resentment about the work in the territory.

With no choice, Claude called the administrators and ordered them urgently.

"Contact the merchant guilds and the magic towers now!"

Fenris was the northern powerhouse and the center of food production. The call from the head butler of such a place was no small matter.

The merchant guilds around Fenris dropped everything they were doing and rushed over immediately.

When the guild masters gathered, Claude, with a smug expression, crossed his legs and spoke.

"I will not take a commission fee this time."

The notorious bribe king declared he would not accept any bribes, leaving the guild masters puzzled.

"Instead, buy as much as you can."

When they saw the goods Claude presented, their jaws dropped.

In addition to the usual food and iron ore, the collection also included a wide variety of medicinal herbs.

Despite being in urgent need of cash, Claude refrained from selling the rune stones or Fairy's Blessing.

Rune stones were critical for negotiations with the magic towers and the territory's most strategic resource, so he couldn't release them.

Fairy's Blessing was reserved for special uses Ghislain had mentioned, so Claude dared not touch it.

Unaware that the most valuable resources were excluded, the merchant guilds competed fiercely to buy up the rest of the goods.

"You usually limit food and iron ore sales even when we ask for more. But now you're offering so much."

"I heard they went to develop the Forest of Demonic Beasts? Maybe the rewards for the soldiers are needed."

"Well, at least he's not taking bribes this time. Guess they really need cash."

"Right? Look at the size of these mandrake roots. They're twice the size of ordinary ones. Where did they find these?"

Claude's refusal to take bribes was a rare event. The merchants left satisfied after completing their purchases.

The news that large quantities of rune stones were secured in Fenris reached the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower as well.

The tower, which had been forced to reduce its rune stone purchases due to food expenses, was thrilled to hear they could now buy more rune stones.

The elders fussed over this news and suggested to Hubert:

"Tower Lord! It seems they've brought back a lot this time!"

"We haven't visited in a while. Perhaps you should pay them a visit?"

"Maintaining good relations requires showing your face often!"

Despite their nagging, Hubert turned his head away with a sullen expression.

"No… I don't want to…"

"What? Why?"

"That guy's a count now… and the strongest in the north. I have to act all formal when I meet him…"

"That's it?"

"That's it? How could you say that's nothing?!"

Hubert, known for his petty and immature personality, threw a fit.

Although Ghislain had repeatedly humiliated him, he had managed to maintain his dignity thanks to his position as a tower lord.

Now, however, Ghislain's status had surpassed his, leaving Hubert reluctant to meet him.

"I'm not going! I'll never meet him again! I have my pride too!"

The elders, well aware of Hubert's stubborn and childish nature, shook their heads in resignation.

Count Fenris had saved their struggling tower. Yet, seeing Hubert's obstinacy, they could only sigh.

In the end, the elders themselves decided to visit Fenris with various magic tools as gifts.

Thanks to Claude's resourcefulness, Fenris quickly secured an enormous amount of cash.

It was a result of the extensive network Claude had built among the merchant guilds.

"Take it away quickly!"

He distributed the development rewards to the soldiers and workers, albeit in a bad mood. Some chose to receive part of their payment in food.

Once the reward distribution was complete, the territory was filled with a festive atmosphere.

"Wow! I've never seen so much money in my life!"

"Following the Lord was the best decision ever. Our territory is the best! The Lord is the best!"

The soldiers and workers of the development team spent their days praising and cheering for Ghislain.

A few years ago, such a scene would have been unimaginable.

Some people had struggled to eat daily, while others were denied fair compensation even for their hard work.

Life in the north had been hopeless.

But after Ghislain became the lord, everything changed. For the people, it was as if the world itself had transformed.

These changes led to an incredible effect.

"Even if I die, I'll protect this territory."

"This is the only place where we have hope."

"As long as we follow the Lord, everything will be fine."

Receiving fair rewards allowed people to accumulate wealth. Naturally, their quality of life improved.

In turn, their outlook and attitude changed. People who had something to protect, whether it was money or family, grew stronger.

Especially their loyalty to Ghislain—it skyrocketed.

Those who received large sums of money spent generously within the territory. Merchants from nearby guilds brought luxury goods and alcohol, creating a bustling atmosphere.

The thriving economy brought unprecedented vitality to the territory.

"Our Lord is truly amazing! He fought through an army of a million enemies alone! Incredible!"

"Really? There were a million monsters?"

"Yes, a million! And I helped take them down!"

Rumors always tend to grow with time. Before long, Ghislain was known as a superhuman who had defeated an army of a million monsters.

The soldiers didn't know the exact number of Greggs they faced. They just remembered there were countless of them.

As exaggerations spread, the territory buzzed with energy, but Claude's complexion darkened.

"We're out of money… again…"

The rewards had drained their cash reserves completely.

There were still plenty of resources, and more would continue to come in. Turning them into cash with time wouldn't be difficult.

The problem was that even the merchant guilds had exhausted their cash reserves due to the recent transactions. With no immediate funds, Claude was stressed.

"Ugh! I'm so annoyed! Tell everyone to tighten their belts for this month. We have no money!"

Watching Claude grumble daily, Belinda, Gillian, Vanessa, and Galbarik couldn't help but tread carefully around him.

"Imagine a territory overflowing with resources yet constantly out of money. How frustrating."

As others reveled in joy, Claude muttered under his breath while reviewing documents.

"Hmm… We'll manage somehow. In two or three months, we'll secure cash again."

With abundant resources, the issue was only a matter of time. Claude reassured himself that if they endured a little, everything would stabilize.

"With the businesses now entering a stable phase… Surely the Lord won't start another project."

They were merging Desmond's territory, strengthening their military, and steadily increasing production. Improving the people's lifestyle and culture was a long-term goal. As long as they maintained the current path, all would be well.

Claude couldn't imagine Ghislain introducing yet another plan.

"Good, the Lord can just sit back and watch—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ghislain burst into the office.

"It's time to start the next project."

"…What is it now?"

"We're founding the Fenris Mercenary Corps."

Claude clutched his forehead and let out a deep sigh.

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