Chapter 250: Our Knights Will Wear It Like This (2)
It’s true that we need to steadily increase our troops and weaponry in the capital. But no matter how much money Ghislaine makes and how much she develops the territory, just how much can she really increase?
‘Compared to the Duke’s forces, it’s nothing.’
If all we’re going to do is take down Count Desmond, then according to Galbarik, just increasing the troops and weaponry would be fine. However, the forces operated by the Duke’s faction are on a different scale entirely compared to other territories.
Considering the troops of the lords and nobles who follow the Duke, we’re easily talking in the hundreds of thousands.
Preparing a similar scale of troops in a short period would be impossible. So then?
‘Each one must fight like ten men.’
Four hundred knights need to be able to fight against at least 40,000 enemies, a hundred times their number. A thousand soldiers must be capable of facing over ten thousand enemies.
Even so, victory can’t be guaranteed against the Duke of Delphine.
‘To do that, we need to raise our skills as much as possible and equip ourselves with the strongest gear.’
This armor and helmet will not only be lightweight but also inscribed with adaptation magic for night vision, strength and agility enhancement, and temperature control.
When the knights breathe mana into the runestones, the magic circle activates. This way, the equipment could be used in a semi-permanent manner.
The soldiers would do the same. They too would be equipped with armaments made of Galbarium and would undergo harsh training to become elites.
‘To others, it may look like a grand army, but no matter how many troops I gather, it will always be a small force compared to the Duke’s faction. Therefore, I need to create a powerful elite unit.’
And the target is not just the Duke’s forces.
As Galbarik was scanning the documents, he unconsciously muttered to himself.
“Certainly, if we wear this kind of equipment, we’ll become much stronger… But is this really meant for fighting against other people?”
No matter how he looked at it, it felt excessive for battling humans. It would require far too many techniques and much money.
With this gear, a knight could probably handle an ogre without breaking a sweat.
At Galbarik’s words, Ghislaine chuckled lightly.
“The enemies we’re facing are incredibly strong. Well, eventually, I do plan to take down things scarier than people. In any case, this is really important, so make sure to do it right.”
With her slightly secretive words, Galbarik nodded without asking more questions.
‘It must really take a lot of money, so maybe she’s thinking of hunting monsters. Is she planning to go to that Forest of Monsters again? Still, it’s probably cheaper to use this money to reinforce and train our troops.’
If efficiency is considered, this is basically the worst kind of money waste.
‘Where on earth does this kind of extravagance come from?’
Being young, is she just getting carried away and throwing money around?
Galbarik thought comfortably and moved on to ask something else.
“By the way, why is the color black?”
Strangely, all the armor and helmets that Ghislaine ordered were black.
The armor and helmets were all black.
To make them black, special work had to be done so that the armor wouldn’t shine silver even if it wore down. It costs more money, so it’s hardly used unless it’s a specific group.
“It’s good for moving at night and ambushing.”
“…Ah, yes. It does suit the purpose.”
It seemed he’d really gone crazy with fighting after wandering around in the war.
Considering raising combat efficiency and covering the knights’ pride, the silver armor, with black.
“Oh, and the symbolism isn’t bad either. Back in the old wars, I found it quite effective to wear black.”
When the Black Brigade appeared during the Perdium workshop battle, both Viktor and Count Digald would freak out.
Indeed, while black armor might compromise elegance, it definitely had a better momentum than silver armor.
“Understood. I’ll increase Galbarium production and create armor and helmets together. The mages will surely get irritated again.”
The mages were rolling around at the construction site every day, being called here and there as needed, with no time to rest.
If they found out their workload was being added, it was obvious they’d throw a tantrum.
Ghislaine spoke in a tone as if showing kindness.
“Tell them that once the armor and helmets are finished, they’ll get the same holiday as before. Prioritize Galbarium mass production and the armaments, so everyone focus on this.”
“O! A holiday? Understood! Don’t worry!”
The only joy in this territory was eating like there’s no tomorrow and resting for a bit. Galbarik and the dwarves had truly adapted perfectly.
“Always quick and sure, right?”
“Sure, sure… You’re annoyingly verbose.”
That phrase had become tiresomely familiar. Galbarik grumbled and left.
Ghislaine smiled as she watched Galbarik go. Galbarium would significantly boost the territory’s power.
As strong as that new material was, Ghislaine had plans to create other weapons using Galbarium.
Once that was complete, the concept of maneuver warfare would turn completely upside down.
“Finish up quickly. Then we can move on to the next task.”
Ghislaine smiled with anticipation.
*
“……”
Claude stared at the funding request from the dwarves for a long time without saying a word.
He simply approved it, looking expressionless. The dwarves, taken aback, glanced at Claude a few times before leaving.
Claude just closed his eyes and sipped tea without reacting.
Even Wendy, usually hesitant to talk to Claude, couldn’t help but ask, curious at his calm demeanor.
“Why… were you silent?”
Normally, he would’ve raised all sorts of ruckus before finally approving after a showdown with the lord.
Even if it didn’t matter, resisting a bit was to awaken the lord’s awareness, even if just a little.
The lord was someone who spent money brutally when he thought it needed it. It was to suggest thinking it through one more time before spending.
But this time wasn’t like that, which sparked curiosity.
Claude set down his teacup and replied with a peaceful smile.
“Giving up is easier.”
“……”
“This damn territory, whether it goes bankrupt or not, what do I care? It’s not my money.”
“……”
Ghislaine could just push through, but calculating, distributing money, and assigning work fell on Claude’s shoulders.
No matter how much money was made, the territory’s finances were still tight, and he was about to lose his mind just trying to oil the gears in between.
Even without money, whatever the lord said had to be done. It was truly a mad territory.
At least others were content getting ridiculously high pay while he, the unpaid slave, got none. It was driving him insane.
He didn’t even have that. It was driving him crazy.
“Ah! I wish a war would break out again! What’s taking Count Desmond so long? Is he scared or something!”
If it’s going to be ruined, do it quickly. Claude was losing his mind.
Wendy looked at him with a rare sympathetic gaze before changing the subject.
“Well, that Galbarium alloy seems amazing. The soldiers’ performance will increase, and people’s lives will change drastically.”
“Yeah, I guess. We’re going to mass-produce it like crazy now.”
He had built tons of smelters and blacksmiths all over the territory, but until now, they were mostly unused except for the minimal work required to maintain the facilities.
That was because they were waiting to start operating in earnest after producing Galbarium.
The blacksmiths were also relatively relaxed compared to other technicians in the territory.
But now that Galbarium had been developed, all the smelters and blacksmiths would be bustling with activity.
The blacksmiths who first received Galbarium from the dwarves were astonished.
“C-Can you believe this! To produce such an alloy!”
“Indeed, they are dwarves!”
“I heard a rumor that the Lord shared the technique with them.”
It was an incredible alloy. A metal as strong as iron but much lighter—something they could have never dreamed of.
The blacksmiths were extremely excited to hear the dwarves say they would share their techniques with them. Learning such a technique was a great honor for a blacksmith.
They had selected reliable people, but for mass production, they ultimately had to keep recruiting more workers.
And, of course, not everyone could be perfect. Some blacksmiths started to have sneaky thoughts.
‘If I master this technique and move to another territory, can’t I make a fortune?’
No matter how much they were paid, it couldn’t compare to selling techniques. Moreover, since it was a technique known only to them in other territories, exclusive sales were possible.
People are all the same. When a treasure is in front of you, greed is bound to arise.
Learning a technique that was already completed was not difficult. A few blacksmiths who learned the new technique over a few days started to get ideas.
‘Now that the territorial blockade is lifted, can’t I find a good excuse to sneak out of the territory?’
Those thoughts were quickly crushed right after the technical training ended.
“Who… are you?”
“Since you’ve learned an important technique for the territory, we will be escorting you for the time being.”
‘What escort? More like surveillance!’
Under the pretense of escorting the blacksmiths, two soldiers were assigned to each blacksmith. Reluctantly, the blacksmiths gave up trying to escape. They had to be satisfied with just receiving high wages.
But the soldiers’ obsession was excessive.
“Damn it! Stop following me! This is the restroom!”
“Why the hell are you watching me eat!”
“If you follow me even to wash up, people will get the wrong idea!”
They followed them like leeches, making it hard to even go to the restroom comfortably. They couldn’t even drink to their heart’s content with friends.
“It’s getting late; let’s head home?”
“If you get too drunk, it won’t be good at all.”
If someone looked like they were about to spill secrets from being too drunk, the soldiers would show up like lightning to drag them away. At night, new soldiers would appear to watch over them until dawn.
It was a bit of a nuisance, but it wasn’t unbearable. After all, having a personal escort didn’t feel too bad.
However, the blacksmiths had a sense of unease.
Galbarium was only produced in a large-scale smelting area near the Lord’s Castle. It would be produced there and sent to each region.
And around this smelting area, there were several large, beautiful houses that were empty.
“No way….”
Everyone had passed by without a second thought until now. But seeing the escort accompanying them, a foreboding feeling began to grow.
It passed by without a word. But seeing the guards accompanying it made me feel a sense of foreboding.
And soon after, their instincts were proven right.
“Honey! When did you buy such a nice house? I’m so sorry for only bothering you while you worked so hard to save money. Plus, they say we’ll have bodyguards at our house! When did you become so successful?”
“Wow! Dad, you’re the best! Is this really our house now? It’s so spacious!”
The child’s mother spoke with a joyful expression.
“Now that Dad works right next door, he can come home quickly after work. If he’s busy, we can go visit him.”
“Wow! I want to go see Dad at work!”
“……”
Seeing the happy face of the wife and children, or the parents, the blacksmiths lowered their heads. They realized they could no longer escape.
After finishing work and being forcibly dragged away, they found themselves unwittingly moved into a new house.
It was hard to deny it as the head of the family when the family was so happy.
One blacksmith’s wife, overcome with emotion, kept wiping her tears.
“What an idiot! Why did you suffer alone without saying a word? I didn’t even know you were that kind of man before wanting a divorce… No, ugh! Anyway, there’s truly no one like my husband.”
“No, please… I didn’t work much during that time… Tell them I don’t like this house. Tell them I want to go back to the old one.”
Unaware of her husband’s heart, the wife whipped her hair back and looked at him provocatively.
“Wait a moment. I’ll wash up quickly.”
“H-Honey, what do you mean? Wash up? Why?”
The blacksmith took a step back in fear.
Similar events unfolded in the homes of all the blacksmiths responsible for producing Galbarium.
They could no longer escape the smelter area. Their new homes were right next door. Even if they wanted to sneak away, their families and soldiers were watching with keen eyes.
“Really… this is… bullshit. This territory.”
Some blacksmiths didn’t want to go home and volunteered for overtime. This caused the production speed of Galbarium to increase even more.
The produced Galbarium was sent to various local forges.
It wasn’t just the ones producing Galbarium suffering. Blacksmiths in different regions also had to create military weapons and tools for the territory residents as soon as the Galbarium arrived.
The smelters and forges, which had been almost stagnant, finally began to busily operate. The lights didn’t even turn off at night.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Ahhh! Why is there so much work!”
The sounds of hammering and the screams of blacksmiths echoed throughout the territory.
The first things made were armor and weapons for the soldiers. Since all blacksmiths across the regions were participating, tremendous numbers were being produced daily.
Soldiers receiving the new armor looked dumbfounded.
“Full plate armor? Isn’t this a mistake?”
“We’re not knights, we’re light infantry!”
“How are we supposed to wear this? We’d tire out immediately!”
Ordinary soldiers usually wear padded cloth armor. Even a wealthy territory might provide just a breastplate or leather armor.
Providing knight-level gear to all soldiers was difficult no matter how much money they had.
And no matter how thin and light you make it, they still lacked the skill to fight in metal armor.
Yet, giving such armor to every type of soldier left them all baffled.
“It’s nice but… even if it’s well-made, it’s pretty heavy for us…”
Mumbling as he lifted the armor, one soldier was stunned into silence.
The armor was so light, it almost defied belief.
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