Chapter 374: Time to Create One (1)

"Arghhhhh!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Marquis Rodrick screamed as he slammed his chair repeatedly.

Shaking with uncontrollable rage, his entire body trembled violently. His vassals stood in silence, heads bowed, unable to speak.

"20,000! I sent 20,000 soldiers, and you're telling me you couldn't capture that brat?"

One of the vassals mustered the courage to speak.

"L-Lord Marquis, now that it's confirmed Count Fenris has reached the rank of Master, we should consider deploying high-level knights and troops—"

"Do you call that an excuse? Kill him immediately!"

"L-Lord Marquis! That's not what I meant—"

Slash!

Before the vassal could finish his defense, a knight stepped forward and severed his neck. The vassal didn't even have time to scream as his head rolled to the floor.

The audience hall filled with an even deeper atmosphere of terror.

While Marquis Rodrick was known for his cruelty, he usually maintained a composure befitting a great lord. Publicly executing a vassal in the audience hall was an exceedingly rare occurrence.

"Huff… huff…"

The only sound in the hall was Marquis Rodrick's heavy breathing. No one dared to intervene.

It was only after catching his breath for a long while that the marquis spoke again.

"So, the encirclement succeeded, but the mercenaries who were plundering all gathered and struck from behind?"

When the marquis asked, an answer was required. Another vassal, summoning his courage, replied.

"Y-Yes, my lord. We prioritized capturing Count Fenris and ignored the rear, but as a result…"

"And how did that brat manage to call them all together? They arrived just in time for the battle, didn't they?"

"It seems someone slipped out and delivered the message in secret."

At that, Marquis Rodrick's breathing grew heavy again.

"An army incapable of maintaining a proper siege! Tenant! What's the explanation for this?"

Tenant had no excuse. After all, he had personally recommended Howard as commander-in-chief.

"My apologies. This failure is my fault."

Marquis Rodrick glared at him but refrained from ordering his execution. Tenant was the house's strongest knight; killing him now would be shortsighted.

"What about the deserters?"

"Fearing punishment, they've scattered. Some have banded together into groups, while others have fled to entirely different regions."

"Ugh…"

Since the battle at Castle Dacre, bandit gangs had sprung up across the western regions. All of them were deserters who had banded together to raid villages.

Some groups numbered as few as a hundred, while others had grown to nearly a thousand. With close to 10,000 soldiers scattered, this was inevitable.

The real issue was that smaller estates were bearing the brunt of these raids.

"The lords are requesting aid. They're struggling to deal with the bandit gangs with their own forces."

"Urgh…"

The marquis had long suppressed its vassal lords to prevent them from building strong militaries. Instead, the marquis would dispatch troops whenever necessary, a natural obligation of a liege.

But now, instead of pursuing the Fenris forces, they had to form subjugation teams and send them to the afflicted regions.

Marquis Rodrick ground his teeth.

"That brat played me perfectly."

Many estates had been devastated, and now they were left scrambling to recover.

Losing one battle had come at an enormous cost. Losing 20,000 soldiers was a significant blow, even for the Marquis House.

The weakened forces were one thing, but the greater issue was the marquis's tarnished reputation.

"To think I've suffered such humiliation because of that northern brat…"

As a great lord, this was his first taste of such disgrace. Even the royal faction would look down on him now.

The immediate priority was stabilizing the internal situation and appeasing the vassal lords. Demonstrating the marquis's strength was essential to prevent further unrest.

"Tenant, form subjugation teams and thoroughly eliminate the bandits."

"Understood."

"Also, prepare the entire army for mobilization. We will strike Fenris."

"…"

The vassals wanted to object, but no one dared to speak. Opposing Marquis Rodrick now would surely result in facing his wrath directly.

A civil war loomed. The plan was to coordinate with the duchy to strike. Marquis Rodrick's role was to break through the kingdom's western defenses and quickly seize the capital.

Though the capital was geographically closest to the west, the kingdom's main forces were stationed in the south to counter the duchy, leaving the western front relatively vulnerable.

But what would happen if they diverted forces to fight Fenris in the north? The duchy's carefully laid strategy would unravel entirely.

As the vassals remained silent, Tenant finally stepped forward to speak.

"If we act now, the duchy's plans will fall apart. Advancing on the north will provoke the royal faction to move as well."

"And you suggest we leave that brat alone?"

"Taking Cardinia first and proceeding from there will not delay us too much. We can prepare for deployment while sticking to the original strategy—"

"It's too late!"

Marquis Rodrick roared, his voice filled with rage.

"By then, the kingdom's nobles will have mocked me to no end! They'll say I lost 20,000 soldiers to a northern brat and did nothing!"

"Count Fenris is a Master. That will be known soon enough—"

"He brought only 400 troops, and we still failed to capture him! Do you think blaming his rank as a Master will excuse us?"

"…"

Tenant had no rebuttal. No matter how strong a Master was, failing to capture him with 20,000 soldiers defied logic.

Even accounting for the mercenaries' intervention, both sides should have been annihilated. Allowing those mercenaries to wreak havoc in the west was another critical misstep.

Marquis Rodrick addressed Tenant again.

"Are you unaware of the criticism that our army is numerous but undisciplined and untrained?"

While their strength made war unnecessary, this defeat would only fuel such rumors further.

Nobles eager to tarnish the marquis's reputation would undoubtedly amplify the gossip.

As a great lord of the west, Marquis Rodrick's pride was sky-high. He could not let this incident slide.

"Inform the duchy. We will split our forces in two. One will march on the capital, the other on the north. Tell them to proceed with their plans immediately. We will prepare for war without delay."

Tenant closed his eyes.

No matter how strong the marquis' house was, they faced both Marquis Branford and the kingdom's army. Splitting their forces in half would be a gamble.

But Marquis Rodrick's word was law here. If he ordered it, it had to be done.

Tenant bowed his head.

"I will relay your command to the duchy, my lord."

"Good. Send out a summons to all the lords. Tell them to prepare as quickly as possible."

"Understood."

The vassals collectively bowed their heads. Though their concerns remained, victory was still possible.

The royal faction had yet to see the marquis's true strength. Even with half their forces, they could still stand against the kingdom's army.

Thus, the marquis' house began preparing in earnest for war under the furious orders of Marquis Rodrick.

***

"Victory!"

"Our lord has triumphed again!"

"The Unbeaten Conqueror!"

As Ghislain returned to his estate, the people flooded the streets with cheers.

News of his countless victories had already been delivered to the estate via messengers. Now, whenever Ghislain returned from a campaign, the people prepared a festival in his honor.

"I knew he'd win this time too."

"Of course. Our lord is the strongest in the north. They say he's a Master, you know."

"What's a Master?"

"It's like a title for being the best at beating people up. It means he's the Master of beating people up."

"Oh, that's why he always wins."

Ghislain had earned immense trust from his people.

Life was steadily improving, and since taking Desmond, the shortage of daily necessities was being resolved.

Whenever the lord returned victorious from war, he always brought back a tremendous amount of spoils.

At the end of the proud procession entering the estate, there were indeed hundreds of wagons trailing behind.

"Wow, is all of that loot?"

"It looks like way more than last time."

"Our lord is incredible."

The residents had another reason to celebrate. Whenever Ghislain won a war, he never hesitated to share wine, meat, and other goods with the people.

This boosted their morale and instilled a sense of confidence that their lord would always be victorious.

It was one of Ghislain's methods of uniting everyone.

When the people's loyalty was high, productivity naturally increased. If a general mobilization was ever necessary, these residents would make excellent defenders of the estate.

As expected, Ghislain smiled broadly and raised his hand.

"This is all thanks to you, who work tirelessly for the estate! Soon, I will distribute wine, meat, and appropriate rewards, so look forward to it!"

"Yeahhhh!"

"Our lord knows how to spend money the best!"

"I'll work even harder!"

At times like these, Claude would usually throw a fit about the budget, but recently, his attitude had shifted.

The moment he saw the returning procession, Claude gleefully inspected the massive haul of spoils.

"Wow! We've had loot pouring into the estate, but this time, it's incredible!"

"Of course. Since this is the last round, we swept it all up."

"Wait, and the Marquis Rodrick just let you? They didn't pursue you?"

"They're busy chasing deserters. All the nearby forces have been plundered."

"Ha ha ha! Serves them right for needing a beating to wake up!"

Hearing the circumstances, Claude doubled over with laughter. Tenant, who had once come arrogantly to the estate, now had his pride thoroughly shattered.

"Distribute some wine, meat, and other essentials to the people again. Let's keep them motivated."

"Fine, fine. We'll do that."

Though Claude sighed, he didn't throw a tantrum.

The spoils were from no fewer than seven territories. While they were small estates, combined, the amount was substantial.

Additionally, resources obtained from the Forest of Demonic Beasts had significantly increased the estate's income.

On top of that, food production in Perdium had soared. The soil in the Forest of Demonic Beasts was far richer than anywhere else.

In fact, they now had such a surplus of food that some of it risked going to waste.

"What about the Rune Stones? Are we still selling them at the same price to the Scarlet Flame Magic Tower?"

"Yes, continue at the current rate for now."

"Well, we still have plenty, but… with the Crimson Magic Tower out of the picture, is it necessary?"

"Now isn't the time to be stingy. We should use and share everything we can."

The civil war was approaching. Weakening the enemy's forces was important, but strengthening their allies was even more crucial.

The Scarlet Flame Magic Tower would provide significant magic support to the royal faction. To ensure that, they needed to be supplied even more generously than before.

Supporting the royal faction was just as essential. Fenris had already reaped all the benefits they could from food supplies.

Now, the plan was to provide Fenris's abundant resources to the royal faction to bolster their ability to wage war.

Understanding Ghislain's intent, Claude nodded.

"You're right. No point in hoarding and letting it rot. It's time for us to strengthen the royal faction."

"Exactly. If the royal faction holds strong, it'll be easier for us to act. The duchy and Marquis Rodrick have resources that are nearly unimaginable."

"Got it. I'll start making preparations right away."

Despite his usual playful demeanor, Claude was meticulous when it came to important matters. He would handle this well.

"Don't forget to prepare for war."

"Of course."

Having provoked Marquis Rodrick, there was no way the marquis would stay silent. And with their plans repeatedly disrupted, the duchy would likely accelerate the timeline for civil war.

Fenris needed to remain ready to mobilize at any moment, with its soldiers sharp and its forces prepared.

As soon as Ghislain assessed the estate's current state, he went straight to Galbarik.

Galbarik and the dwarves, as usual, greeted Ghislain with weary eyes.

"Ah… Lord, you're back."

"Yes. Is it ready?"

Before leaving for the west, Ghislain had tasked Galbarik with developing a new product.

Galbarik nodded, his tired eyes contrasting with his confident expression.

"Yes, the prototype is complete, and we're ready to begin full-scale production."

"Good. Time is short, so let's ramp up production quickly."

Ghislain smiled with satisfaction.

Once the target quantity was ready, this new product would change the course of the war entirely.

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