161 Chapter It’s better to strike first, right? (3)
Claude urgently spoke to the astonished Ghislaine.
“When are we setting out? Can we slow down a bit? We can watch Count Desmond’s movements while planning…”
Ghislaine shook her head firmly.
“No. We’re already behind schedule. We absolutely have to start preparing right now. We’ll depart right after the next harvest.”
Even saying “next harvest” meant there were only a few months left. It was too urgent.
Claude screeched in frustration.
“Why does it have to be then?!”
“Because I need to fight on my own terms.”
Ghislaine said with a resolute voice.
It wasn’t just about wanting to seize that place quickly.
Gaining Iron Ore would be nice, but what was more important was finding the optimal timing.
If you handle things recklessly because you’re in a rush, the chances of failure only increase.
For Ghislaine, even a single failure meant doom.
“I must achieve an overwhelming victory with minimal damage. Reducing the risks and seizing the mine the fastest way… that means attacking then.”
This was a plan only Ghislaine, who knew the future, could devise.
She had to control every situation according to her intent going forward. To do that, she brought Marquis Branford in and joined the Crown Prince Faction.
However, explaining this now would mean nobody would understand or believe it.
Just like before, even after the results come out, there was a good chance they’d just chalk it up to luck.
Claude, who had been anxiously pacing due to Ghislaine’s resolute demeanor, said pathetically.
“My Lord, how about we make a bet again this time?”
“What kind of bet?”
“We’ll decide whether to defend the territory in my way or to set out in the way you think.”
Claude’s face clearly showed his desperation.
To protect this territory with his life, he couldn’t just be dragged along by the Lord’s craziness anymore.
A sensible person living in reality would have to do just that.
At the sound of Claude’s voice, which was choked with emotion, Ghislaine nodded willingly.
“Alright, tell me more.”
Claude, feeling relieved and excited, replied.
“While it is correct for me to always follow the Lord’s orders… The situation is just too dire. Wouldn’t it be better than everyone feeling anxious?”
Ghislaine had no choice but to agree with that.
Following the Lord’s orders out of obligation had no meaning.
The enemies she would face moving forward could never be stopped with that mindset.
To instill enthusiasm in the people, a bet like this could be made a hundred or even a thousand times.
“Alright, so what shall we do?”
“I assure you that we will prepare for departure as you said. But…”
“But?”
“If within two months, everyone isn’t able to handle mana, please cancel the departure.”
“You’re saying we should cancel the expedition?”
“Yes, and focus all our efforts on defense. As long as we prepare properly, even if the real Desmond attacks, I can somehow fend him off. I have that much capability, you know?”
Ghislaine clicked her tongue inwardly.
She knew Claude was a capable person.
But it was clear he couldn’t possibly prepare enough to face the Duke Faction.
After all, even the royal family and the Crown Prince Faction couldn’t grasp the full strength and plans of the Duke Faction—how could Claude know and prepare for that?
It would be too late when the Duke’s power was fully revealed.
Yet that was something Ghislaine couldn’t explain to the Retainers no matter what.
Fortunately, since Count Desmond was actually on the move, he had created enough urgency to prepare for defense.
“Hmm…”
While Ghislaine fell into thought, Claude watched her with a worried expression.
The enemy was openly preparing to invade their territory.
In the midst of this, betting the fate of the entire territory seemed too reckless—even if the opponent was a lord, they couldn’t just agree without question.
As Ghislaine took longer to contemplate, Claude quickly continued speaking.
“Oh, is that a bit lacking? Then I’ll wager another ten years of slave life, alongside Alfoy.”
“Hey! You crazy! Why are you betting me!”
Alfoy gasped from the side, but Claude pretended not to hear.
It’s more comforting to have someone else along.
Alfoy struggled defensively but fell silent when met with the terrifying gazes of those around him.
Everyone was trying to convince them to stop the lord’s expedition by using Alfoy as a bet.
‘Ah, this damn territory. I want to go back to the Mage Tower. That Chief Officer better win.’
Ghislaine found it amusing as she glanced at Alfoy, who was almost in tears.
“Wow, betting another ten years? Are you sure about that?”
“I don’t mind.”
Claude replied sincerely. He had been gambling his life for days now and had no sense of how deep in debt he truly was.
But living a few more years—even as a slave—was better than dying this year.
Ghislaine suggested thinking again.
“Wouldn’t it be better to do our best to assist for success instead? Think about it. There are hundreds of people capable of handling mana. Isn’t that incredible? It could be phenomenal.”
No one could refute that statement.
In the count’s territory, Perdium, even there, the knights barely numbered thirty.
But if hundreds who could wield mana were gathered in one territory?
Even if their individual power was slightly weaker than existing knights, if they banded together, their destructive power would be immense.
Just imagining it was delightful, but it was truly something that could only happen in dreams.
Claude cast aside such empty hopes. He had lived too hard and rough of a life to believe in such fantasies.
“Of course, I’ll do my best to prepare to win this war. The problem is our lord’s firm resolve to go on the expedition. So let’s try, but if the knights aren’t ready, we should give it up.”
In reality, it would be rude to oppose a lord who’s made up their mind for war while still taking a bet.
But this time, the other retainers didn’t point out Claude’s rudeness either.
They were quite used to the informal atmosphere now, and this time, even if it was rude, stopping the lord took priority.
‘Courtesy needs to be alive until the end.’
‘Compared to drawing weapons and brawling in front of the lord, this is nothing…’
Seeing the others seemingly agree with Claude’s opinion, Ghislaine nodded readily.
“Alright, let’s do as the Chief Officer suggests. After all, everyone will feel reassured once they see it for themselves.”
He paused mid-sentence and narrowed his eyes slightly.
“But isn’t anyone going to stop this wager?”
“Is this bet really happening?”
Usually, when someone proposed a bet, there’d be a rush of people stepping in to intervene, but now, everyone was silent as if nothing had happened.
Even Gillian, who would dive into a fire if the lord commanded, was just staring at the ceiling for no good reason.
Everyone was united in hoping that Claude would win this time.
“Geez, I can’t believe how little faith you all have.”
Ghislaine clicked his tongue without realizing it.
No matter how outrageous the situation, he didn’t expect that nobody would believe in him.
“I believe in you.”
“Huh?”
Surprisingly, it was Kaor who stepped up.
In truth, he wasn’t particularly believing in Ghislaine, but he was leaning toward supporting the expedition.
Because…
“My body’s been itching a bit, and if we’re going to fight, let’s just get it over with and dive right in! I’ll take care of everything!”
He was just bored since there hadn’t been any fights recently.
When the people shot him disdainful glances, even the brazen Kaor was momentarily taken aback.
“What? Why? Did I say something wrong? Hey, do you think our lord is a joke? Huh? When he says let’s go, we go! Why are there so many oppositions? You lot with no loyalty at all!”
The guy who looked down on the lord was trying to use the lord to save face.
Just then, Belinda and Gillian stepped in front of Kaor to put a stop to his nonsense.
“If you want to fight for fun, let’s just go chop off Desmond’s or Almond’s head.”
“Shut it, will ya?”
As the two pressured him with terrifying gazes, Kaor fidgeted.
“Ah, c’mon! Huh? Are you challenging me? Should I drink some blood instead of alcohol today?”
His words were coarse, but his eyes were narrowed.
If he made eye contact with the two, it could really turn into a fight.
Even for Kaor, facing both of them at the same time would be tough.
Ghislaine looked at Kaor with a strange expression.
There was some strange connection with this guy, but somehow it pricked his pride and frustrated him.
He clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Anyway, the conclusion is that I’ll win, right? If I win, we’re definitely going on the expedition, so remember that. Until then, we should prepare well.”
He could clearly read everyone’s thoughts about making a bet, but he had no intention of delaying the expedition.
However, Claude, unaware of Ghislaine’s true feelings, nodded repeatedly with a relieved expression.
“Understood. Whether it’s defense or offense, the preparations needed for war are generally quite similar, so you don’t have to worry about that.”
To create the Mana Convergence Circle, an astounding amount of Runestone would be used, but at least he managed to stop the ragtag group from being called a knight order.
‘At least with that amount of Runestone, I could equip the soldiers with some really good gear. Ugh, what a waste!’
Still, it was better than not going at all, so he had to be satisfied with that.
When Claude fell silent, Ghislaine turned to everyone and spoke.
“We all just need to focus on war preparations and territory development as usual. I’ll personally oversee the Mana training of the mercenaries. Well, there might be some people who will have to work even harder than now.”
At that moment, everyone’s gaze shifted toward one direction. They realized whom Ghislaine was referring to.
Alfoy and the mages, now under the spotlight, turned pale.
To quickly teach the mercenaries about Mana, they would need to create the Mana Convergence Circle.
Only the mages could make that happen.
The problem was that there were a ton of tasks piling up for the mages, from waterway and reservoir construction to the cultivation Runestone work. They barely had enough time to sleep.
Alfoy trembled and asked, “Do we… really have to do that?”
“Of course.”
“There’s… just too much work right now…?”
“No, you can do it.”
“I can’t!”
Alfoy shouted through gritted teeth.
“I can’t live like this anymore! I will annul the contract with the Mage Tower and Penris Territory with the Branch Leader’s authority! I’m going back to the tower, so don’t stop me! I’m really going!”
As Alfoy took a strong stance, the mages began to rally behind him.
“Yes! We’re going back! Let’s stop this! We’re not doing it! We can’t!”
Then Ghislaine made an admiring expression with a hint of envy.
“You’re going to annul the contract? Can you handle the consequences? The tower lord won’t just let you leave if you return.”
“I’ll think about that when the time comes! Anyway, I’m going to annul it!”
Ghislaine nodded cheerfully.
“Well, there’s not much we can do if a Branch Leader of the Mage Tower decides to annul the contract. But we still have our personal contracts, don’t we?”
“What?”
“If you want to leave our territory, you are free to go. The slave traders are supposed to come soon, so you can go with them.”
Going with the slave traders meant there was a very high chance the destination wouldn’t be the Mage Tower.
No, not just high; it was a 100% certainty they would be going somewhere very far away.
“I don’t want to! I can’t stand being here!”
Alfoy and the mages collapsed with their faces in their hands. They had no pride left as mages.
Somewhere along the line, everything in life had completely derailed.
Working felt like it would kill them from overwork, enduring seemed like it would lead to death in a war, fleeing might lead to being sold into slavery, and returning to the Mage Tower would mean death at the hands of the tower lord.
At that moment, Vanessa, who had been anxiously watching, stepped in.
“Lord, how many do we need to make?”
“For now, a hundred. The mercenaries will be training in shifts over the next two months, so we might need to make a few more.”
The mages felt a little relief. They had worried they would be told to make enough for the number of people, but a hundred was still half the amount from the last grain improvement.
However, Ghislaine’s demands didn’t end there.
“You have to make them all within a week. That way we can start quickly.”
The brutal deadline turned the mages’ faces pale again.
Others sympathized but couldn’t openly support them.
Since the lord’s resolve was firm, taking the mages’ side might push back the territory’s construction and cultivation works.
But Vanessa, with a confident face, reassured the mages.
“Alfoy, you can absolutely do this. I’ll help you. You’re the heir of the North’s number one Mage Tower, right? The other mages are capable too.”
Being consoled by someone who used to be the tower’s maid slightly bruised Alfoy’s pride, and he pouted his lips.
Just then, Claude chimed in from the side.
“Hey, bro. You’re the strongest intellect and mage, right? This should be a piece of cake for you! Why are you suddenly showing weakness? Feeling a bit tired these days?”
Others began to chime in with insincere compliments.
“There is a lot of work. But if those from the Tower of the Bloody Flame are here, they can certainly manage.”
“Of course, no one can deny you’re from the greatest tower, born with the greatest talent, right?”
“It seems like the future grand mage is being a bit melodramatic. Hehe.”
It was a decision already made to go through with it. But if the mages stalled with a strike, it would only tire everyone else out.
If a few kind words could prevent that from happening, it was worth it.
“Hmph! Everyone’s just flattering…”
As praises poured in, Alfoy subtly straightened his back and wiped his nose.
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