Chapter 178

Chapter 178: The Time Has Finally Come. (1)

While the knights devoted themselves to their training, the reinforcement work on the hot air balloon was completed.

Galbarik, who had previously swallowed his pride, pounded his chest and made a confident declaration.

“Everything’s reinforced for sure this time! There’s no chance of an accident now! That is, as long as we don’t get attacked or some blockheaded fool doesn’t try anything weird!”

Perhaps the dwarves had truly put their pride into this project, as the reinforced hot air balloon completed its flight without any issues.

However, the hot air balloon wasn’t the only task entrusted to the dwarves.

Ghislain immediately moved to inspect the rest of the equipment.

“What about the under armor made from the Blood Python? That was supposed to be urgent.”

“That’s all finished. Cutting it was so difficult that even the mages had a hell of a time helping us.”

Working alongside the mages, the dwarves crafted clothing from the Blood Python’s hide to protect critical areas like the neck, chest, arms, and legs.

Due to limited materials, they focused on covering vital points rather than creating full-body protection.

When worn beneath armor, this would ensure most soldiers wouldn’t die from typical attacks.

The Blood Python’s leather was incredibly tough to cut unless one used mana.

“As expected of the dwarves. The knights’ armor is done as well, right?”

“We’ve filled the missing quantity. Honestly, that was the easiest part.”

Galbarik’s sincerity came through in his tone.

Making armor had indeed been the simplest task. It was what they had done most often, and in this case, they only had to repair existing armor or produce additional pieces to make up for shortages.

Ghislain nodded in satisfaction. The basic equipment to supply the knights was complete.

However, this didn’t mean the preparations were finished.

“Now that we know how to reinforce the hot air balloons, we’ll need to produce more. We don’t know when the enemy will strike, so we have to move as quickly as possible.”

The dwarves had arrived late, and a lack of materials had delayed the start of their work, putting them behind Ghislain’s original schedule.

On top of that, reinforcing the hot air balloons had taken additional time.

Ultimately, no schedule is ever perfect when it relies on human effort. Ghislain had accounted for potential delays by setting a tight timeframe, but he was still unhappy with the current situation.

And Galbarik wasn’t pleased about the schedule either.

“What? We’ve built a contraption that will go down in history, and we can’t even take a break? At this rate, we’re all going to drop dead from exhaustion! If this keeps up, we’ll go on strike! Workers’ right to rest! Guarantee it now!”

“No. I’ve told you multiple times we’re out of time. But if you meet this deadline, I’ll give you a vacation.”

“Vacation? Are you serious?”

The mention of vacation made Galbarik’s eyes light up.

Exhausted from barely getting any sleep due to the relentless workload, the idea of a vacation made his heart race.

For someone like him, who wasn’t just treated like a slave in status but was working like an actual one, the offer of a vacation was an irresistible temptation.

“How much time are you offering?”

“A week. Taking a week off in our estate isn’t a common thing.”

Galbarik immediately launched into negotiations.

“Make it a month!”

Since it was true the dwarves were currently handling the bulk of the work, including all the critical tasks, Ghislain nodded readily.

“Fine, I’ll give you two weeks.”

“Three weeks, then!”

“A week it is.”

“Why is it going back down?”

Normally, even if three weeks wasn’t granted, it was expected to land somewhere longer than two weeks, right?

Caught off guard by this unfamiliar style of negotiation, Galbarik was flustered as Ghislain casually replied,

“How about three days instead? Or none at all, which is even better.”

“...I’ll take the week.”

Galbarik’s tone became polite once more.

Getting even a week was fortunate, all things considered, though he could hardly hold back tears.

‘I should’ve just taken the two weeks when I had the chance.’

Still, a week off would at least allow him to catch his breath, provided the workload didn’t increase further.

Before any extra work could be foisted on him as a condition for the vacation, Galbarik quickly fled the scene. He had learned how to handle Ghislain well.

Once Galbarik left, Ghislain reviewed the progress they had made so far.

Since returning to the estate, he had moved tirelessly, preparing a great deal.

Migrants had flowed in, expanding residential areas, workshops, and farmland. Other facilities were also rapidly increasing in number.

With the arrival of the dwarves, the production of various equipment and tools had surged.

At first, Claude had accepted it, knowing that stockpiling food was essential for defensive preparations.

But now, it was excessive—far too excessive. The amount of food stored was enough to last over ten years within the castle, though it would surely spoil long before that.

No matter how many times the retainers tried to persuade Ghislain, he never even pretended to listen. Continuing to argue would only lead to exhaustion.

Ghislain simply nodded a few times before continuing.

“Prepare supplies for a force of 3,000 soldiers. We’ll be marching soon.”

Claude’s face twisted into disbelief.

The estate’s total military strength, even including the hastily assembled knight corps, barely numbered 500.

This confirmed his suspicion.

‘Our lord doesn’t even know basic math!’

* * *

The news of Fenris Estate’s large-scale food purchases soon reached Harold’s ears.

“What? That bastard Ghislain is still buying food?”

“Yes, thanks to him, food prices in the North have risen significantly. He’s even snapping up supplies brought by merchant guilds from other regions.”

Hearing his subordinate’s report, Harold couldn’t hold back his laughter.

“Hahaha, what a fool! The harvest will be over soon, and prices will drop—he can’t even wait for that? So he’s just throwing around the money he earned from runestones and cosmetics without a single thought!”

“Apparently, after trying to improve agriculture and overturning his territory, the harvest has decreased instead. On top of that, with the influx of migrants, it seems they’re facing a severe food shortage.”

“Of course. It was a ridiculous endeavor to begin with. The outcome was obvious. If they don’t want to starve, they’ll have to keep buying food.”

Thanks to Ghislain sealing his territory, rumors about Fenris Estate’s food production hadn’t spread yet. For now, everyone believed Ghislain’s agricultural reform had failed.

‘An increase in harvest? Even I couldn’t accomplish that. There’s no way a greenhorn like him could succeed.’

Harold let out a satisfied chuckle.

The thought of that irksome brat suffering significant losses only brightened his mood.

After mulling it over briefly, Harold asked his aide a question.

“How much surplus food do we currently have?”

“Since Digald handled the supplies during the last war, we still have plenty. With the upcoming harvest, we’ll have even more.”

“Excellent. Then sell off our surplus at a high price this time. Let’s ensure that arrogant fool takes a heavy loss.”

“Understood. I’ll make arrangements with the merchants to prioritize buying from us.”

At the aide’s words, Harold smirked in satisfaction.

Desmond Estate, along with Raypold, boasted the highest food production in the north.

Since selling food was one of their main sources of income, this was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.

“Fortune truly favors us. The budget’s been tight ever since the last war.”

To Harold, this felt like a heaven-sent chance.

The aftermath of their defeat to Ferdium still lingered, and they were pouring vast sums into reorganizing their forces and supporting Amelia.

And that wasn’t all. The cost of trying to bring the northern estates under their control was also enormous.

Even Desmond Estate couldn’t avoid feeling the strain.

If not for the support from the Duchy and Count Cabaldi, they wouldn’t have even been able to rearm.

Their primary export, food, was difficult to sell at high prices with the harvest season approaching.

But now, such a golden opportunity had appeared.

Not only could they replenish their lacking funds, but they could also inflict damage on Ghislain. There was no better outcome.

“It seems his past successes were just a matter of luck. That brat got too full of himself. Now that he’s hit the wall of reality, his limits are showing. He probably doesn’t even understand the importance of food, wasting time on luxuries like cosmetics and frolicking in the capital.”

Harold made an effort to disparage the cosmetics even the Duke had praised. He had to.

Otherwise, his pride wouldn’t let him endure it.

“If we can dominate the food supply, we’ll be able to strangle everyone’s livelihoods. Up here in the north, food is the most crucial resource. Far more than frivolities like cosmetics.”

The food situation in the north was under the control of Desmond and Raypold.

Bringing food from other regions added exorbitant transportation costs, making local dominance inevitable.

Harold wanted to strangle everyone with the food supply outright, but Raypold, his competitor, prevented such a move.

Still, it wouldn’t be long.

“Once Amelia’s rebellion succeeds, the north’s food supply will be entirely ours.”

The northern lords, with their vulnerabilities exposed, would kneel without a fight.

That was why the Duke and Harold were so focused on Amelia’s rebellion.

If not for that, they would have already found some pretext to eliminate someone like Ghislain.

“Heh, for now, I’ll sell you the food, so eat your fill. When the time comes, I’ll devour you myself.”

Harold grinned again. He was feeling exceptionally good.