225: It’s Tasty, Indeed. (1)
After hearing Ghislaine’s large-scale road construction plan, all the retainers nodded in agreement.
Ghislaine, seeing this, asked curiously, “Why aren’t you opposing it this time?”
Claude replied nonchalantly, “A wide and flat road is good for everyone. Roads are like the lifeblood of the territory.”
No one is unaware of the importance of roads. As roads develop, commercial exchanges between regions become active, and the economy grows.
From a military perspective, roads are also very important. Well-maintained roads allow for swift troop movement and supply deliveries.
It’s just that the northern area had more pressing concerns than road construction, so it had been neglected.
Claude glanced at the map, trying to gauge something, and continued, “The scale of construction is so big that it will take some time. Connecting to the northern fortress won’t be easy.”
“I know that. Still, we have to connect somehow. That’s the only way to enable organic cooperation with Perdium. There’s no problem starting the work, right?”
“We’ve got plenty of people to spare. But this means a lot of food and money will be spent. When are we ever going to save up money?”
“I’m more optimized for spending money than saving it. I much prefer spending.”
“…”
There’s nothing to say to that. After all, cosmetics and food payments are coming in well, and soon there will be so much meat to sell, so whatever we spend will come back.
However, to obtain the materials needed for road construction, they would have to spend a lot more money all at once than usual.
“I will gather the merchant groups again. It might be hard to sell the meat yet, but we have plenty of food. Food prices haven’t dropped yet, so I’ll use that money to get more materials for construction.”
“Good, don’t hold back on the money. Speed is the priority, got it?”
“Ah, don’t worry. I understand the lord’s style now.”
Claude grumbled as he retreated from the same old nagging.
To match the suddenly decided plan, Claude called the merchants together earlier than scheduled.
The most prosperous place in the northern fortress was the Penris Territory. At the wave of Claude’s hand, northern merchants flocked like clouds.
‘Ah, this is power. This is why I enjoy being the Chief Officer of slaves.’
It wasn’t just a simple call. They also paid their bribes well and bowed their heads deeply.
Claude urged them to buy resources in bulk again. With an abundance of food and iron ore, they could obtain whatever they wanted.
If there are territories or merchant groups without resources to spare, they diligently brought in population and technicians.
After all, there were many other things needed for territory development apart from the road. With the development speed being fast, it was fine to purchase things a bit earlier than planned.
In the midst of busy transactions, the leader of a sizable merchant group sought him out.
“Hello. I am Brandel.”
After a brief greeting, Claude tilted his head while reviewing information about the group.
“Hm? This is your first transaction with us, isn’t it?”
“Yes, I’ve been primarily active in the eastern region. Though I have conducted some significant transactions in the North.”
Indeed, Lowell’s information corroborated that. Once he had a rough understanding, Claude asked.
“I see, we don’t block any merchant groups from coming. You’re here to trade food, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right. I heard rumors that there’s an abundance of food here. So, we were looking to initiate a trade.”
“Hmm, we might be a bit pricey… How much are you looking to procure?”
With Claude’s words, Brandel flashed a cheeky smile and handed over a piece of paper.
“Is this amount possible?”
“……Huh?”
The quantity Brandel requested was the highest level across all the merchant groups that had ever traded with them.
A single transaction quantity exceeded that of ten other groups combined.
Claude couldn’t believe it and asked again.
“Really… do you intend to trade this much?”
“Yes, I’ve heard you procure a lot of materials. Just let me know what you need, and I’ll bring it accordingly. Or I can take gold coins as well.”
Claude swallowed hard at Brandel’s relaxed smile. If they could procure resources on such a large scale at once, it would make things easier for them.
The demand for resources was high, as they were quickly being consumed due to increased work.
“Payment upon delivery… right?”
“Of course, our merchant group has a high credit rating. You can check the items we bring and then exchange the food. However, there is one condition.”
“A condition?”
“Since it’s a large sum for our first transaction, I would like to meet the Lord directly to conduct the trade.”
“Why?”
Claude asked with a look of disbelief.
After all, all transactions had to go through him. To request a direct trade with the Lord was a blatant disregard for him.
Brandel glanced around and replied.
“Well… considering the amount involved… the rumors about the Chief Officer are somewhat… But if we continue trading in the future, we can handle transactions through the Chief Officer from now on.”
With that, Claude had no retort. He had received substantial bribes in his efforts to stockpile resources for the territory.
If Ghislaine was known as the “Lord of Food in the North,” then Claude’s nickname was the “Lord of Bribes in the North.”
‘Damn… it’s honestly unfair… I haven’t even had any of it…’
But no one else knew that. Claude shook his head a few times and wore a sulky expression.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll discuss it with the Lord.”
With no argument to counter his reputation, Claude went straight to report to Ghislaine.
For Ghislaine, there was no downside in this situation. Quick and plentiful resources could only be good.
If such a significant trade was being proposed, it was customary to at least show one’s face.
“By the way, that name sounds familiar… Get me some information.”
Ghislaine checked the details on Brandel’s group and chuckled, nodding his head.
“Oh, I remember. It’s this one, right?”
“Do you know it?”
“Well, sort of.”
Still smiling, Ghislaine crumpled the document and tossed it aside.
“Agree to it. When the items arrive, I’ll go out myself.”
Hearing Ghislaine’s promise, Brandel left, overjoyed.
Then, a few days later, Brandel indeed brought an astonishing amount of resources needed for the territory.
Seeing that, Claude was left jaw-dropped. He had never imagined they could procure such a quantity in just a few days.
I never imagined I would have to save the sheep.
Brandel couldn’t help but snicker at Claude’s expression.
“Haha, make sure to remember this before you kick the bucket.”
He was the one sent by Count Desmond to assassinate Ghislaine. Naturally, the resources he brought were items stockpiled by Desmond Territory.
Count Desmond was dead set on killing Ghislaine, willing to throw everything else away for that purpose.
Brandel spoke to Claude, who looked dazed.
“Well… we’ll wait here. Does the Lord check the items personally?”
“Uh, well… Let’s tell the Lord right away that Mr. Brandel has arrived.”
Brandel had piled the resources at a spot not far from the castle. Given the quantity, moving everything inside would take all day.
It’s customary to conduct such transactions outside—both the labor needed and the time to move goods cost money.
Brandel was aiming to gather as many usable resources as possible.
Once Claude disappeared into the castle, Brandel set up a negotiation table outdoors and gestured to the dozens of laborers who accompanied him.
Most of them were Desmond’s knights and assassins hired for this occasion. There were actually only a handful of laborers moving the goods.
Four men stood around Brandel as guards, while the others kept a safe distance to secure an escape route.
‘Let’s see how many they bring.’
Even a few wouldn’t matter. Ultimately, they would need to stand close to him to write the contract.
‘They say their skills are quite decent, huh? I wonder how long they can hold out?’
Brandel wore a confident smile.
He was a knight of high rank. Even if Ghislaine was as strong as the rumors suggested, he believed he had a fair chance if he ambushed him with his surrounding assassins.
After making all the preparations and waiting a bit, Ghislaine appeared with only a few guards.
And Brandel felt certain about the success of his operation.
‘What a crazy guy! I heard he’s fearless, but he only brings that many guards!’
Surrounding Ghislaine were just a few knights, including Gillian. It felt like they could take him down immediately with the assassins nearby.
Nevertheless, Brandel forced his racing heart to calm. There was a more certain way to kill him, so there was no need to rush.
He was entrusted with this significant task because he was cautious and collected.
“Welcome, my Lord. I am Brandel.”
“Oh, you really brought a lot! Looks like we have a good trading partner now.”
“Of course. Let’s check the items first.”
As Ghislaine nodded, a few administrators began inspecting the goods. With so much to go through, it would inevitably take some time.
Brandel politely gestured to the table.
“Please take a seat while you wait. You can check the contract in the meantime.”
“Alright, let’s do that.”
Ghislaine sat down and reviewed the contract. The neatly prepared contract was just as he had expected.
“Hmm, it seems fine. I look forward to working with you.”
“Is there any doubt? I look forward to working with you as well. It’s been tough to secure food supplies lately.”
Brandel made small talk, and his smooth conversation made Ghislaine nod along a few times, clearly entertained.
“Ah, it’s an honor to meet you like this. I’ll treat you to a fine drink. Consider it a celebration for our successful deal.”
“Drink? What kind?”
“It’s the continent’s finest specialty, ‘Red Dragon.’ Would you like to take a look?”
“Oh, really?”
‘Red Dragon’ is a high-end liquor not easily available even to high-ranking nobles. Aside from the price, it was extremely scarce.
It’s high-end liquor that can’t be easily drunk. The quantity is extremely limited aside from the price.
Rejecting such liquor is not courteous. Ghislaine readily nodded.
‘Haha, such a simpleton. So expensive automatically means it’s good, huh?’
Brandel, laughing, prepared the poisoned wine.
In truth, poisoning is a method of assassination that has a surprisingly high failure rate.
First of all, administering the poison is the biggest challenge. A poison strong enough to kill outright would inevitably raise suspicion.
Odd colors or smells are problematic, and often the poison is so strong that it burns the food.
Even if all those issues were resolved, nobles usually don’t just eat what others give them. Their servants taste the food first, making successful assassinations quite rare.
But this poison is a bit different.
‘Even if servants taste it first, it won’t matter.’
It has no effect on ordinary people. It only reacts to mana.
The more mana one has, the stronger the poison becomes. Even a high-level knight would struggle to exert their full strength because of the toxin.
Its downside is that it has a strong smell, but that was solved by mixing it with a stronger liquor.
This poison was carefully crafted by the Duke Faction. Within the Duke’s household, fewer than five bottles had been successfully made.
It was that difficult to produce and required so many resources that mass production was impossible.
Harold handed such a precious poison to Brandel without hesitation, solely with the intent to kill Ghislaine.
“Since it’s in front of the Lord, I will drink first.”
To avoid suspicion, Brandel filled his glass with the brownish liquor and gulped it down. He had taken the antidote beforehand, so drinking one glass would be fine.
He then politely poured a drink into the glass before Ghislaine and said,
“It tastes very good. If you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to drink. I’ll leave it as a gift, so please confirm it separately.”
Brandel thought it was fine if Ghislaine didn’t drink. After all, at this distance, he could succeed in an ambush without needing to use poison.
If the knight next to him drank first and felt something was off, he planned to use that moment to attack.
Ghislaine, quietly staring at the glass, smirked.
“It does look tasty.”
Ghislaine slowly began to drink from the glass.
The knights around simply stood by with indifferent expressions.
Watching this, Brandel couldn’t help but clench his fist slightly.
‘Hehe, foolish fools. They say the discipline is a mess, and it seems to be true. They’re just watching while their lord drinks something they don’t even know about.’
Ghislaine downed the drink without leaving a drop and said,
“Wow, this is the second most poisonous thing I’ve ever tasted in my life. What kind of drink is this?”
Brandel’s expression began to darken. The laborers’ gazes shifted as well.
At that moment, Ghislaine poured himself another drink and gulped it down.
“Still delicious, though.”
Brandel felt a burst of joy at Ghislaine’s foolish act of drinking more without knowing what was in it.
‘You’re dead now! How could this go so smoothly? The sky is helping us!’
Even if Ghislaine was a high-level knight, he wouldn’t be able to handle two drinks. Brandel, despite having taken the antidote, already felt his stomach churn.
Just as he was about to raise his hand to signal for an attack, Ghislaine suddenly poured wine into Brandel’s glass and said,
“Have another drink.”
“W-What?”
“I said have another drink.”
Brandel’s face turned stony in the face of this unexpected situation.
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