Chapter 378: I Brought a Gift (2)

"What are you doing?"

As Ghislain tried to pull away in discomfort, Maurice grabbed his arms firmly again.

"You brat... this dark mage... I thought you were just a fool... but look at you now, growing up to be a Master... bringing gifts like these..."

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Thank you! You brat!"

Maurice, with a look of deep emotion, hugged Ghislain tightly once more.

The other nobles merely clicked their tongues, used to Maurice's simplicity.

Maurice was a straightforward man who had never hidden his emotions in his life. He expressed his likes and dislikes openly and without hesitation.

As Maurice kept clinging to Ghislain in his elation, Marquis Branford pushed him aside and asked.

"Are you really sure about giving us this much?"

"What do you mean, this much?"

"...You call this not much?"

Even at a glance, it was enough to cover several years' worth of a decent estate's budget. The amount could sustain all the kingdom's armies for over a year.

But Ghislain's next words shocked them even more.

"This is just the first batch. I've planned three rounds of support. It's too much to bring all at once."

At those words, the Royalist nobles felt dizzy.

What was already delivered was an enormous quantity at first glance. Yet Ghislain was saying he would bring this amount two more times.

The supplies were worth dozens of times more than what the Royalist faction had ever supported Ghislain with.

"Are you saying you'll provide this much support two more times?"

"Yes."

For Ghislain, these were things he no longer needed, or items so plentiful they would go to waste if left unused. He was simply passing them off under the guise of generosity to boost the Royalist faction's strength.

The more they fought fiercely with the duchy, the better for him.

"Good heavens..."

Marquis Branford couldn't find any more words. The other nobles were busy gawking at Ghislain's gift, swallowing their amazement.

'How much wealth does he even have now?'

'If three batches of this size come, we could fight a war with just that.'

'Even skimming a little from this would make anyone a fortune.'

They all knew Fenris had become the richest in the North, but they hadn't realized just how wealthy he'd become.

The sheer quantity being given away as a gift left no doubt that he had achieved a level of wealth they couldn't even dream of.

Ghislain swept his gaze over the nobles and spoke.

"Marquis, please ensure these are distributed fairly. Make sure no one siphons any off. It all has to be used for war preparations."

"Don't worry about that."

At Marquis Branford's assurance, the nobles licked their lips. With someone as strict as Branford in control, it would be difficult to skim off anything.

If caught, they could face ruin and lose everything they owned.

Once the situation seemed settled, Ghislain gestured again to his soldiers. They brought over a suit of armor from the wagons.

At first, the nobles didn't think much of it, but soon they began to sense something unusual.

'What's this? Are the soldiers just really strong? Why does the armor look so light?'

Even Marquis Branford, looking at the armor brought over, asked.

"What is this? It looks like ordinary armor."

"This is armor developed with a new material. Distribute it to the Royalist knights. It has the durability of steel but weighs less than half as much."

"What?"

Marquis Branford, startled, took the armor in his hands. Even someone without martial training like him could easily lift it.

As he inspected it carefully, Ghislain suggested.

"Why not test it out here?"

Branford nodded and gestured to a knight nearby.

"Check it out."

The knight immediately drew his sword and struck the armor.

Clang!

Feeling the rebounding force, the knight bowed his head.

"The strength is indeed comparable to steel."

"Good heavens!"

Marquis Branford exclaimed in admiration, and the other nobles quickly gathered to inspect different parts of the armor.

"Incredible! Armor this light!"

"When did you even develop something like this?"

"You're actually giving this away?"

The astonished nobles questioned Ghislain, who simply nodded.

"I've brought about a thousand armors this time. It won't cover everyone, but it should be enough for the knights of the core noble families."

This time, no one could speak. Their jaws simply hung open.

The armor was nothing short of a treasure. Its lightweight would allow knights to conserve their stamina and mana for longer periods.

Moreover, it would improve the speed and endurance of their horses. This single piece of equipment could drastically change the dynamics of battle.

And now, a thousand armors were being offered. Everyone stared at Ghislain as if he were insane.

'Has this miser lost his mind?'

'He's just giving away treasures like this?'

'Why on earth would he?'

Equipment like this was essentially the foundation of an estate's power. Giving it away recklessly wasn't advantageous.

None of them could comprehend Ghislain's actions, but he remained unfazed.

'We've got plenty to spare.'

Even the guards in Fenris were equipped with full sets of Galbanium gear. The knights of Fenris wore magical armor embedded with Rune Stones.

To Fenris, this wasn't particularly special.

Still, since he was giving it away, Ghislain decided to make a show of it.

"Don't we all need to join forces to fight the duchy? I'm not someone who holds back on things like this."

Clenching his fist, Ghislain declared firmly.

"For victory, I'm ready to give everything. I absolutely hate hoarding things for myself."

If Claude had heard him, he would've fainted in disbelief. But the nobles, unaware of Ghislain's true nature, were moved.

"Ohhhhh!"

The nobles all cried out in admiration. Some even had tears glistening in their eyes.

'We completely misjudged Count Fenris!'

'Who would've thought he was so thoughtful!'

'I'm ashamed for even thinking of skimming from the supplies!'

Upon reflection, they remembered that Count Fenris had once been rumored to be a saint in the capital alongside Forisco. Back then, they had laughed it off, but now the rumors seemed true.

Maurice, deeply moved, hugged Ghislain again.

"You brat! You duck brat! You've really grown!"

"Why are you doing this again?"

Ghislain twisted his body and pushed Maurice away once more.

Meanwhile, Marquis Branford, having calmed his astonished heart, spoke up.

"Let's go inside. We can finish talking there."

The Marquis' soldiers began unloading the wagons, and Ghislain and the nobles returned to the capital.

Initially, they had planned to question and pressure Ghislain, but after receiving such gifts and hearing his inspiring words, they couldn't bring themselves to do so.

As the awkward silence lingered, Marquis Branford finally spoke first.

"We'll accept the gifts gratefully. They will be of great help."

"Think nothing of it. I've scraped together everything from my estate for this. It's all for the Royalist faction…"

As Ghislain continued his self-aggrandizing remarks, Marquis Branford coughed repeatedly to interrupt.

"Ahem, yes, anyway, thank you. But tell us, what were you thinking? Why did you escalate things with Marquis Rodrick to this extent?"

This was a time to prepare thoroughly for the duchy's inevitable assault. Dragging things out was actually better, giving them time to bolster their forces and defenses.

At Branford's question, Ghislain paused to think for a moment before replying.

"I didn't like it."

"What?"

"I didn't like someone from the West coming all the way to the North and telling me what to do."

"So... that's why you fought?"

"Please, let's get the facts straight. I wasn't the one who started it. They picked a fight first. I merely returned the favor."

It wasn't untrue. Marquis Rodrick was the one who initiated the conflict. He attacked the merchant guild first, and Ghislain simply responded accordingly.

However, from the perspective of the Royalist faction, Ghislain's response had been excessively aggressive. Marquis Branford was about to point out the lack of strategic foresight, but Ghislain spoke first.

"The war would have happened soon enough, regardless of this incident. Waiting idly is not the answer. You have to weaken the enemy's forces whenever you can."

"Weaken the enemy's forces?"

"Yes. Because of me, Marquis Rodrick lost 20,000 troops, and eight of his vassal territories have been devastated. Those vassal territories won't recover easily. This means they'll be unable to participate in the upcoming civil war."

Ghislain had thoroughly stripped the territories of their resources. It would take years for them to rebuild. While the residents of those lands would suffer, there was no room to consider their plight at the moment.

Marquis Branford understood the implication of Ghislain's words. However, it was akin to walking on a razor's edge.

"It's easy to say, but weakening the enemy's forces is no simple matter. Weren't you lucky that the situation worked out this time? And now, Marquis Rodrick has declared open war. His army will move soon."

Ghislain had been planning for this situation since recruiting the Drake Mercenaries, but the Royalist faction had no way of knowing that.

If anyone else besides Ghislain tried to weaken the enemy's forces, it could escalate into an even larger conflict.

Ghislain didn't bother explaining further. He wasn't interested in debating the matter. That wasn't what was important.

"If we have to fight anyway, it's better to strike first."

"Strike first?"

"Yes. Once Marquis Rodrick's army marches, the duchy will no longer sit idly by."

If they wanted to avoid losing Fenris, the Royalist faction would have no choice but to move. And the duchy wouldn't miss that opportunity.

Ghislain pulled a few documents from his coat and handed them to Marquis Branford.

"What is this?"

"The duchy's operatives embedded in the capital and various territories."

"What did you say?"

Marquis Branford examined the documents. The list included prominent merchant guilds as well as obscure organizations he'd never heard of.

"All of these… are under the duchy's control?"

"Yes. Armed merchant guilds, assassin groups, intelligence networks—they'll all cause chaos in the capital and territories as soon as the war breaks out."

Marquis Branford's hands trembled as he read the documents. Some of the listed organizations even had dealings with his own household.

If the information was accurate, it was a grave matter. These operatives had been active in their own backyard, and they hadn't even realized it.

"How... how did you learn this?"

"I conducted a covert investigation."

It was information Ghislain had learned in his past life.

Of course, he didn't know every single operative under the duchy's control. Some were likely missing from the list.

But the ones he didn't know about were likely of lesser importance. Minor groups wouldn't have much influence on the war.

With a sharp look, Marquis Branford questioned Ghislain again.

"Are you certain about this? If you're wrong, it'll cause an even bigger problem later."

"I'm certain."

"Where's the proof?"

"I don't have anything tangible to show. Just trust me."

"....."

Marquis Branford and the other Royalist nobles were too stunned to speak. Without proof, who could trust a mere list of names claiming to expose the duchy's operatives?

But Ghislain couldn't provide evidence from his past life. Nor did he have time to investigate each group and gather proof.

Meanwhile, the duchy would complete their preparations and march. This was no longer the time to worry about evidence.

With a serious expression, Ghislain spoke.

"Marquis, the war has already begun. We need to act first."

"Act first?"

"Yes. I'll handle Marquis Rodrick's army marching toward the North. Since we have to fight anyway, I'll deal with them. In the meantime, I need you to focus on another matter."

"You mean…"

Ghislain nodded.

"Eliminate the hidden pests scattered throughout the territories. We need to start as quickly as possible."

"Without justification… you expect us to strike these places?"

"We're past the point of needing justification."

"Past the point of needing justification?"

At Marquis Branford's words, Ghislain smiled faintly.

"Yes. Now is the time to prove everything with strength alone."

Everything had been prepared to the best of his ability. Fenris could no longer expand rapidly. The duchy was openly mobilizing its forces.

Time was running out. The only option was clear.

Start the war on his own terms and lead it in the direction he desired.

It had to be this way. Only then could he prepare for the tribulations that were fast approaching.

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