Chapter 183

Chapter 183: How About It? You Found It Quickly, Didn’t You? (3)

Everyone’s good mood quickly plummeted. The open declaration of taking their soldiers wasn’t something anyone could feel good about.

‘This guy is really crossing the line now.’

‘Who in the world demands soldiers in exchange for food?’

‘How many does he even want? No, whatever the number is, our lord would never agree to it.’

If military strength was weak, it would be hard to fend off external threats, not to mention maintaining control over the discontented populace of their estate. In many ways, military power was the foundation of sustaining an estate.

But it was difficult to outright refuse here. Those who spoke carelessly had just been chased out right in front of their eyes.

As the gathered representatives found themselves caught between a rock and a hard place, Ghislain spoke gently.

“Oh, I’m not asking for much. The minimum is fifty soldiers. For small baronies, just send that amount, and for larger estates, send a bit more. Let’s keep things within a reasonable burden. In exchange, I’ll provide six months’ worth of food, tailored to the scale of each estate.”

Compared to the initial demand for soldiers, it was a surprisingly reasonable proposal. At the mention of six months’ worth of food, some of the envoys nodded their heads.

For a small barony, fifty soldiers weren’t a trivial number.

But it’s not that many that it would be utterly impossible to spare them.

In fact, providing fifty soldiers and receiving six months’ worth of food could be seen as a profitable trade.

The game of glances and calculation began again.

A representative from a small barony, having quickly finished his mental arithmetic, raised his hand immediately.

“We will provide fifty soldiers!”

“I like quick decisions. Since you spoke first, I’ll give you eight months’ worth of food.”

“Thank you!”

The atmosphere now completely shifted in Ghislain’s favor. Envoys who had missed the first opportunity scrambled to shout out.

“We will provide a hundred soldiers!”

“That’s a count’s estate, isn’t it? For a territory of that size, only a hundred? Make it two hundred.”

“Uh, well...”

“If you’re unwilling, forget it. Leave.”

“No! We’ll do it as you say!”

Once the flow was set, nothing could stop it.

Everyone began competing to offer soldiers appropriate to their estate’s size.

In the midst of this fervent atmosphere, there was one person who couldn’t bring themselves to speak.

Ghislain noticed the hesitant man and spoke to him with a knowing look.

“Hey, it’s been a while. Are the Count and your aunt doing well?”

“L-Lord Ghislain—no, Baron, it’s been a long time.”

The man who greeted him nervously was none other than the Chief Overseer of Count Rogues’ estate.

This was the estate where Kane, Ghislain’s cousin and former dueling opponent, was the heir. The Chief Overseer of Rogues Estate was sweating profusely as he stammered out his words.

“How many soldiers should we send?”

The Count Rogues’ estate was as impoverished as Ferdium, though not because they had to fend off Northern barbarians or guard the Forest of Beasts, like Ferdium.

They were simply poor because they had nothing.

Their standing army numbered less than a thousand, and even with conscripts, their forces barely reached two thousand.

Despite such circumstances, Rogues had supported Ferdium in his past life, and they had both been destroyed together. Ghislain hadn’t forgotten their loyalty and kindness.

“Well, we’re family, so I can’t be too harsh. I’ll just give Rogues a year’s worth of food.”

“O-Oh!”

The Chief Overseer of Rogues beamed with delight. It seemed there was indeed a reason people constantly talked about the importance of connections.

Others around them displayed expressions full of envy.

Yet, they couldn’t complain. It was clear that Count Ferdium’s sister was the Countess of Rogues, giving the gesture sufficient justification.

“Oh, but just giving it away feels a little awkward, so I’ll take exactly one soldier in return.”

The Chief Overseer of Rogues nodded cheerfully. Receiving that much food in exchange for a single soldier, not even a knight, was hardly an issue.

It was nothing more than a token gesture.

Watching the Overseer’s reaction, Ghislain smirked wickedly.

“Kane. Send the heir of Rogues here. That guy still owes me money.”

“He owes you money?”

The Chief Overseer looked puzzled, clearly hearing this for the first time.

“Yes. He borrowed a thousand gold from me and hasn’t repaid it. This is why people say never to lend money to family. Really, it’s disappointing.”

“A t-thousand gold?”

A thousand gold! How could anyone even borrow such an enormous amount?

The Chief Overseer’s gaze turned suspicious.

He was well aware of Ghislain’s past reputation as a troublemaker. Stories of him roaming around the estate with Kane, tormenting people, and causing mischief were legendary.

So, it was difficult to believe if his words were true.

Driving the point home, Ghislain added firmly:

“It will take time to relocate the residents, so send the soldiers as quickly as possible. If they don’t arrive within two weeks, the deal is off.”

“U-understood.”

“And send properly trained standing troops. If you send substandard soldiers, I’ll send them right back.”

“Understood.”

The envoys, who had considered filling the ranks with hastily conscripted recruits, abandoned the thought. If Ghislain found fault with them and canceled the deal, their entire territory would starve.

The envoys quickly began preparing to return. With time running short, they couldn’t afford even a moment’s delay.

Once all the negotiations were concluded, Ghislain turned to Claude with a satisfied expression.

“How about that? Solved it in no time, didn’t I? Easy, right? And we’ve got a lot more people now, too.”

“....”

Claude, who had witnessed the entire process, found himself at a loss for words.

It was a remarkable display of negotiation skill. Securing people, something money often couldn’t buy, had been accomplished in an instant.

What’s more, unlike the previous migrants, these newly acquired soldiers—despite some variance in combat capability—were trained professionals.

The combined forces of the territory exceeded 3,000 soldiers. True to his word, he had assembled the promised troops.

No matter how he thought about it, achieving this without foreseeing the drought would have been utterly impossible.

In the end, Claude had no choice but to acknowledge it. Whether it was luck or genuine capability, this bastard was truly remarkable.

So this time, instead of sniping back, Claude raised a thumbs-up.

“Do as you please.”

Wearing an arrogant smile, Ghislain issued new orders to Gillian.

“Train the newly arrived soldiers in drill exercises so they can quickly adapt to command. Mix the units indiscriminately, regardless of their origins. It’s clear they’ll only send infantry anyway.”

“Yes, sir.”

The lack of soldiers had been filled. Although they were half-trained, hundreds of knights had been created as well.

Both the Royal Faction and the Duke’s Faction were too busy minding their own affairs to pay attention to this place.

There could be no better opportunity. Everything had been steadily prepared for this moment.

With a cold smile, Ghislain spoke.

“Now, we begin the war.”

* * *

The soldiers dispatched from various territories arrived swiftly. The lords, finding themselves under pressure, endured their displeasure and hurriedly finalized their dealings.

The soldiers, hastily uprooted from their homes, looked dazed. Such confusion was natural, given the sudden change in their living situation.

However, their bewilderment was short-lived. The moment they saw the abundance of provisions, their faces brightened.

“Wow, they weren’t lying about the food supply.”

“We’re going to live here from now on? Is this a dream or reality?”

For those who had been starved of proper supplies due to dwindling rations, Fenris was a dream-like territory.

Having lived under cruel lords, where starvation and poverty were their only memories, they quickly abandoned any lingering attachment to their homelands.

The more they ate to their hearts’ content, the more attached they became to their new territory. Especially when they heard that their families would soon join them here.

It was impossible not to feel good about this situation.

Satisfied soldiers were far easier to manage. The relocated troops adapted to military discipline in just a week.

Since they were already trained in the basics, it wasn’t too challenging. The only task was acclimating them to Fenris’ military code.

As expected, nothing beats keeping them well-fed and rested.

However, their moods plummeted within days. Ghislain had announced a campaign, summoning all soldiers.

“War already? Who are we even fighting?”

“This is crazy. But, wait... don’t we have quite a lot of men?”

Unlike the nervous soldiers, Ghislain looked pleased as he reviewed the assembled forces.

The marching force, including knights, numbered an impressive 3,000. Though the majority were infantry, no other northern territory, save for the great lords, could field such numbers.

Even the soldiers, realizing their numbers were greater than expected, seemed somewhat reassured.

Walking beside Ghislain as he inspected the army, Claude cautiously asked, “Uh... this all seems fine, but are we really attacking without declaring war?”

“Of course. Why give them time to prepare? This war depends on speed and timing. It has to end before anyone else can interfere. We’ll deliver the declaration once we’re there.”

“Urgh...”

It wasn’t wrong. But launching an attack without a proper declaration of war would invite severe condemnation.

The bigger issue was that it would give their enemies justification to do the same. That was why even such seemingly pointless formalities were observed.

A declaration of war allowed political maneuvering, requests for assistance, and time to prepare.

But Ghislain truly didn’t care. Soon enough, it would be an era of barbarity where such courtesies wouldn’t matter.

Claude looked at Ghislain with an expression of incomprehension, shaking his head several times before speaking again.

“By the way... are you really taking him with us?”

Off to the side of the camp, Kane Rogues, the indebted heir of the Rogues Estate, stood with a devastated expression as if the world had ended.