Chapter 345: Time to Prepare (1)

Claude snorted dismissively at the painters, who wore grim expressions on their faces.

'Well, if I push hard enough, it'll work out somehow. Our lord can do anything, right? So what's stopping me?'

One of the things Claude had learned from following Ghislain around was to tackle everything head-on. In Fenris, he was perhaps the one who most resembled Ghislain in this aspect.

However, Claude was not a regressor. He was simply a guy who stubbornly bulldozed his way through things.

People have started to notice this about him lately. While he acted like the lord, there was something distinctly different about him compared to Ghislain.

'Hah, that bastard seems to be losing his mind more and more.'

'Why does he keep imitating the lord's style?'

The painters were frustrated, but they neither protested nor complained. They had no choice but to keep quiet.

Recently, Fenris has been investing heavily in culture and the arts. As artists, they couldn't afford to upset the head butler who managed the funds.

Fenris had previously prioritized military efficiency, neglecting such areas entirely. At best, one could describe the territory's aesthetics as plain and simple, while at worst, utterly lacking in artistic sense.

But people cannot live on bread alone. The demand for cultural life among the residents had been growing day by day.

Fortunately, after acquiring Desmond's territory, Fenris managed to recruit many artists. This was partly because Count Desmond, being a high-ranking noble, had a deep appreciation for the arts.

Even Ghislain hadn't anticipated that this would become the foundation for Claude's "business ventures."

Wendy, overhearing the conversation between Claude and the painters, began biting her nails more furiously.

'This can't go on. I have to stop him.'

More and more of the territory's resources were being pulled into Claude's private ventures. It was fine for now, but it would eventually lead to problems.

With no other option, Wendy pulled out a dagger. She knew that arguing wouldn't work with him; he was a master of twisting words and dragging people into his pace. It was best to deal with him decisively, using force if necessary.

As Wendy prepared to stab Claude, the door to the workshop suddenly flew open.

The workers turned pale upon seeing who entered. Claude, too, froze, his face drained of color.

"Who would come barging in at this hour—oh, my lord?"

Ghislain walked in, rolling up his sleeves with a murderous expression.

Claude, though startled, quickly regained his composure, as expected of someone with his shamelessness.

"When did you return, my lord? And what brings you here so suddenly?"

Even Ghislain hesitated for a moment. His calm demeanor was almost too perfect.

But he knew better than to trust his outward appearance. Scanning the room, Ghislain asked,

"Hm, is everyone working overtime?"

"Yes, my lord. There's a backlog of documents to process and official letters to draft for various cities. I was also consulting with the painters about improving the aesthetics of the territory."

This was the office where the scribes worked. To avoid suspicion, Claude always tied his schemes to legitimate administrative tasks.

Ghislain smirked and gestured to someone behind him. A man with an awkward smile stepped forward—it was Dominic.

"Do you know this guy?"

"No, I don't think so."

Of course, Claude didn't recognize him. He'd never met Dominic in person.

Ghislain then called another person.

"Hey, you, come in."

Another man entered, walking timidly with his head bowed. Ghislain placed a hand on his shoulder and asked, "How about this guy? He's from the Drake Mercenary Corps."

This man, also smiling awkwardly, was Dominic's subordinate—a mercenary who had attended the auction in Fenris.

The mercenary slightly bowed his head and addressed Claude.

"It's been a while, head butler."

Recognizing the man immediately, Claude began to sweat and turned his head away.

"I-I don't know who you are. Why are you pretending to know me?"

Claude, who didn't want to die, decided to stick his feet out for now.

In fact, there was no way he didn't know. He was a big shot who had bought quite a lot of things, so he had seen his face often and had talked to him in person.

The mercenary scratched his head apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, head butler. We've been caught."

"I said I don't know you! What do you mean, caught?"

Still feigning ignorance, Claude tried to play innocent. The mercenary, however, delivered the killing blow.

"Selling Count Fenris's belongings. The auction house and everything else—just everything. I spilled it all."

At those words, Claude grabbed Wendy and shouted, "Run! Carry me out of here!"

Wendy closed her eyes, resigned. She had always known this day would come.

Meanwhile, Ghislain rolled up his sleeves further and walked toward Claude.

"You sneaky little rat. Selling my belongings behind my back? Unbelievable. You even had the audacity to allocate people from their busy schedules."

"W-wait! This is a misunderstanding!"

"A misunderstanding? You're selling things I've used without my permission, and you call that a misunderstanding? I didn't even know weirdos who collected such things existed until now."

Dominic, visibly embarrassed, lowered his head. Claude pointed an accusing finger at him and yelled,

"If that lunatic bought them, couldn't he at least not get caught? Seriously, of all the luck… I mean, no! I just needed some emergency funds! It was all for the territory—aaaaaaaargh!"

Claude's excuses were cut short by Ghislain's fist.

"Ahhh! Not so hard! Not so hard!"

Dragged to a corner, Claude saw not only his deceased parents but also ancestors six generations back before he was finally let go.

Sniffling, Claude looked at Ghislain, who asked, "So, where's the money from selling my stuff?"

At Claude's gesture, his aides brought in a large chest.

Thud!

Opening it, Ghislain's eyes widened. Inside was a mountain of gold coins, easily worth several thousand gold.

"Wow… you really…"

Despite having slightly more free time after acquiring Desmond's territory, Fenris was still a busy territory. Yet, in that time, Claude had managed to amass such a fortune.

Ghislain felt a strange mixture of annoyance and admiration.

"This is all from selling my stuff, so I guess I can take it, right?"

"Sniff… do whatever you want."

Claude wiped his teary eyes.

He had been so confident he wouldn't get caught. But to think he'd run into someone from the auction all the way in the west—his luck was truly terrible.

Clicking his tongue, Ghislain looked at the crying Claude and said, "You all worked hard to increase the territory's revenue. The one who ordered it is at fault, so I won't hold you accountable. You'll also be paid fairly for your work, so focus solely on the territory's affairs from now on."

Since they had done legitimate work under orders, withholding proper compensation would only breed resentment.

The workers, moved by Ghislain's fairness, expressed their gratitude repeatedly before leaving. Only Claude, still sniffling, and Wendy remained.

Wendy let out a small sigh as she kept her head bowed.

'Well, at least it's over now.'

Claude's business had been growing out of control, and the constant fear of discovery had been exhausting.

'If only the head butler knew the meaning of 'moderation.''

Now everything was out in the open, and the weight on her chest lifted. Bad deeds always carry a sense of dread. Having it exposed was almost a relief.

And thus, Claude's ambitious "business venture" came to an end.

***

Wendy's circumstances were taken into consideration, as she had been deceived, so she was not removed from her role as Claude's watcher and escort.

She was, however, warned to exercise stricter control over Claude in the future.

And, true to his optimistic nature, Claude returned to his usual self in just one day.

'Next time, I'll try something different.'

As a gambler at heart, Claude didn't dwell on lost battles. All he had to do was win the next one.

Thus, Claude's strange business venture came to an end, and the Drake Mercenary Corps, the largest in the West, joined Fenris.

Upon their arrival in Fenris, they were astonished. Although they had heard rumors, the reality of the northern lands was entirely different from what they had imagined.

"Wow, I've been here before, but it was never this lively. There are so many people now."

"Look at all these buildings! They're so uniform, like they were planned out carefully. See? They all look similar."

"I noticed on the way here that there's a lot of construction going on. It really seems like this place has become a wealthy territory."

The mercenaries couldn't stop marveling at their new home. A territory as bustling and dynamic as this was rare to see.

Most of the northern mercenary corps had also come under Ghislain's command, thanks to Claude's efforts. Yet, the royal family remained silent.

"Why haven't we heard anything from them yet? Do they not want to provide their endorsement?"

When Ghislain asked this, Claude replied with a bored expression.

"It seems that the Marquis Branford is worried. They're probably worried that if the royal family guarantees the mercenary corps, you'll stir up more trouble, my lord."

"But it's not like this would be useful in the kingdom's internal conflicts, right?"

"And that's precisely the problem. They're worried you might cause trouble in foreign wars."

The kingdom was already divided into two factions. While the mercenary corps could act as a pretext, it was challenging to interfere in other territories' conflicts. It would merely be an act of turning a blind eye.

However, foreign wars were different. If the royal family provided their endorsement, Fenris could openly participate in wars abroad for money.

Though Ghislain's mercenary corps could theoretically act independently, doing so could lead to accusations of inciting international disputes.

Other kingdoms might view it as Fenris shirking responsibility while meddling in their affairs.

"Well, it's not urgent, so let's wait for now."

After all, this was just a precaution to prepare for times of chaos. They would move when necessary, even without royal endorsement.

Ghislain issued new orders to Dominic, who had just joined them.

"Have some of our forces operate in the North and the Royalist territories. Meanwhile, assemble trustworthy individuals and send them to the East. Absorb the mercenary corps in that region. Can you handle it?"

"Leave it to me. I'll make sure they all come under Fenris."

Dominic responded with confidence. He had already built the largest mercenary corps in the West. Even though the East had several well-known corps, he was sure he could bring them all in.

There was a reason they weren't heading to the South. The Duchy maintained such strict control over that region that there were hardly any mercenaries to recruit.

Most tasks that mercenaries might take on were already handled by the Duke's commercial and military organizations.

Ghislain turned to Claude again and continued.

"Make proper arrangements for those who came with us this time. Some are victims of injustice, but others are genuine criminals. Investigate thoroughly."

Most of the escapees from the prison had followed Ghislain. Staying in that city would have only spelled doom for them.

"And come up with a plan to improve the welfare and treatment of the mercenaries."

"Excuse me? Welfare all of a sudden? We're already giving them plenty of work and paying them well."

Claude tilted his head in confusion.

The mercenaries under Fenris were already doing a lot of work—security, escort services, transportation, road construction, and territory development. There was no shortage of tasks, and they were paid accordingly.

From his perspective, there was no need to add anything more.

But Ghislain shook his head.

"These mercenaries are now our comrades. Treating them like outsiders will do us no good. They need to feel a sense of camaraderie under Fenris' flag."

Even though the mercenaries were under the Fenris Mercenary Corps, they likely didn't feel unified yet. Giving them a sense of belonging was essential.

Otherwise, they might scatter when faced with truly overwhelming enemies.

No matter how binding a contract was, fostering loyalty and unity required genuine effort from their leaders.

Claude nodded in understanding.

'Well, our lord does love rallying everyone to charge together.'

If someone refused to charge when told to, it would certainly infuriate Ghislain.

Additionally, there were still many mercenary corps left in the wealthy West. The Drake Mercenary Corps might be the largest, but it didn't represent the entirety of the West's mercenaries.

Now that the Drake Mercenary Corps had moved to the North and begun working, the news would soon spread across the West.

This was an opportunity to further promote Fenris and entice other mercenary corps to join.

Ghislain and his close aides began discussing methods to recruit and expand the mercenary corps. They outlined several plans.

Once they had a solid framework, Ghislain asked another question.

"What's the Duchy up to?"

"They've stopped all activity for now. They've only gathered their forces in territories bordering the Royalists."

"And the Royalists?"

"They're also mobilizing their armies. Apparently, the Marquis Branford is furious after being threatened by the Duchy."

Ghislain calmly recalled memories from his past life.

Back then, the Duchy had completely isolated the remaining Royalist nobles and drawn their swords. But things are a bit different now.

Unlike in the previous life, most of the Royalists remained intact. The Duchy would need to prepare meticulously to minimize their losses.

In the North, they would undoubtedly support Amelia to hinder Ghislain. Meanwhile, they would likely aim to quickly subdue the remaining territories.

'There's still a little time left. I need to accomplish everything I can before then.'

Amelia wasn't someone who would obediently follow others' orders. The Duchy would surely have their hands full trying to handle her.

'Then, the next target to deal with…'

The Duchy had another hidden weapon that no one else knew about. Before the civil war could break out, Ghislain needed to neutralize it to weaken their power.

The Crimson Tower, home to a 7th-circle mage as powerful as a Swordmaster, had to be destroyed.

A cold smile spread across Ghislain's face.

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