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328th Episode: How About It? Am I Right? (2)

With just the runestone I acquired before, I laid the groundwork to become the strongest in the North.

I really used it in all sorts of clever ways. I created farmland, made deals with the Mage Tower, set up the Mana Convergence Circle… I pretty much used it for anything that involved magic.

Since I splurged, I’ve already used up all the runestones, but on the flip side, that just means I had enough runestones to develop the territory in the first place.

But to think I found even more runestones than I originally got! Plus, I discovered a fairy’s blessing that’s just as valuable as the runestones!

Everyone was left dumbfounded by this unbelievably bizarre situation.

“Kyahhh!”

Belinda finally caught on and screamed out in excitement. She couldn’t check how many runestones were truly there, but just the sight of the fairy’s blessing was enough to make her happy.

And her joy was all thanks to Claude.

‘That Chief Officer! He won’t be pestering us for money anymore!’

All the big tasks in the territory are dictated by Ghislaine, so we have no choice but to carry them out.

However, not everything runs on Ghislaine’s orders. There are countless small tasks to take care of.

Ghislaine couldn’t possibly keep track of all those little things, so everyone gave their best to their assigned duties.

But to work, you need money. And the one handing out the money is none other than Chief Officer Claude.

He never delegated financial management authority to anyone else.

‘He’s been stingy every day saying there’s no money, huh? Just you wait!’

Belinda is the head butler of the castle. Naturally, she needs money to manage the servants and the household of the castle.

There is a secret fund controlled by the butler, but it can’t be used for official matters. So, she’s forced to put on a sad face every day in front of Claude.

She’s not the only one putting on a sad face.

Even Gillian, who boasts a heart strong enough to stand against thousands in battle, Vanessa, who pulls off revolutionary feats, Galbarik, the great blacksmith, Piote, who performs miracles of the goddess, and Lumina, who has transcended the mundane world alongside nature.

Everyone had to bow and scrape when it came time to collect their pay from Claude.

And he knew just how to use his power perfectly.

“Now, the hard times are over! Money is overflowing!”

Belinda’s shout brought smiles to everyone’s faces.

After all, Claude had been exceedingly stingy with them until now.

Of course, he’s still the one executing the funds, but he won’t be as stingy and tight-fisted now.

If he does, Belinda will really let out all her frustrations.

People began happily felling trees and building fences, cautiously watching to avoid stepping on any flowers.

Gillian, who was overseeing the construction site, said to Ghislaine:

“The workers who are fixing the fortress have also arrived.”

“Really? Then let’s move to the next location. Everyone, get ready.”

“Understood.”

In this way, Ghislaine moved steadily, securing the territory.

With so many laborers available, it didn’t take much time. The territory of Queen Grex was vast, with not many monsters appearing.

The occasional wandering monsters were easily crushed under overwhelming numbers and turned into minced meat in no time.

With the significant obstacles already overcome, there was nothing left to fear. After a while, the pioneering team finally reached their destination—the runestone mining site.

Upon seeing the runestones, people couldn’t react as they did when discovering the fairy’s blessing. They just stood there, mouths agape in silence.

Only Ghislaine maintained a relaxed smile as he said:

“So, what do you think? Am I right?”

Since confirming the location was the priority, the area was still densely forested and pretty dark.

But even in that dark forest, the mining site shone brightly.

“Is there really this much… runestone?”

“There was a ton last time too, but this looks almost double that. Or is it triple?”

“This is insane! I can’t even describe it, it’s just crazy!”

Outside, runestones, which are usually hard to come by and exorbitantly priced, lay scattered everywhere.

Even knights who had previously followed Ghislaine to gather runestones were shocked.

The mages were simply trembling. For them, runestones are the ultimate treasure.

“I see why this forest is unusual.”

“It’s simply a trove of magic here.”

“This is why everything is so bizarre.”

While others might not notice, the mages were feeling an overwhelming concentration of magic. With such a dense gathering of magic in one area, bizarre phenomena were bound to occur.

“Wowww!”

People erupted into cheers belatedly. They had achieved this incomprehensible outcome.

Of course, these runestones weren’t actually theirs, but they all knew that when the lord decides to distribute, he surely would.

As expected, Ghislaine did not betray their expectations.

He doesn’t calculate out every detail when giving things away. He only gets stingy when it comes to deals.

With a casual “Well, I’ve earned enough, so I should give at least this much,” he declared:

“Thanks to you all, we’ve made it here. If you’ve worked hard for the territory, then you deserve your reward. When we return, I’ll provide you with an extra allowance equal to three years of salary.”

“Wowww!”

“Indeed, no one boasts about money better than our Lord!”

“Thank you!”

Everyone was too busy throwing their weapons aside and erupting in cheers.

However, Belinda’s complexion turned pale.

“Ahhh! Then it’ll cost a huge amount, and Claude will start whining again!”

He had brought over 4,000 troops. Matching their allowances for three years would be an unimaginable expense.

If Claude starts whining, getting more money will become difficult again.

But what can she do? That’s just the charm of the Young Master.

The latecomers among the workers were also thrilled to receive triple their allowances, their joy palpable. Meanwhile, Belinda’s worries deepened with another wrinkle on her forehead.

Alfoy, witnessing this, muttered to himself:

“That guy definitely has a thing for triples. He always asks for threefold when he wants something, and now he’s giving out threefold as well.”

The soldiers and workers were excitedly focusing on their tasks. And, as always, Gillian stepped up to set things straight.

“Don’t touch even a scrap. If you do, you’ll face military discipline.”

A few mages and mercenary knights showed slight disappointment. However, knights who had ventured into the forest before had already experienced the drill and focused on their work without any reaction.

But then, at some point, Gordon was dragged into a corner and started getting hit by the knights.

“Ah! I was just trying to get an early bonus! Ouch! Stop hitting!”

It seemed he had once again hidden something in his groin and got caught. After him, Alfoy, Ascon, and a few mages were also dragged away, tied up.

While chaos erupted in one corner, the runestone mining proceeded smoothly overall.

For now, they would load a wagon to the brim just like before, but soon, a proper defense wall would be erected, and it would function as a genuine territory.

Seeing the busy people, Ghislaine finally let out a sigh of relief.

“We’ve finally taken this location.”

It was something he couldn’t even imagine attempting before. Back then, it was all about just clearing the way and mining the runestones.

They hadn’t fully taken control of the Forest of Monsters yet, but they had secured enough land to constitute a small territory.

Now, Perdium would secure massive food resources here and create jobs.

“From now on, the real beginning starts.”

Having obtained the runestones and the fairy’s flowers, among various other resources, the value of the two was enormous, slightly dimming everything else, but they also collected a plethora of herbs and timber.

All of this would serve as the foundation for expanding the territory. Ghislaine’s wealth was now rivaling that of any noble in the Duke Faction.

And that power would undoubtedly be the driving force to keep fighting against the Duke Faction.

News about Ghislaine’s success in pioneering the Forest of Monsters quickly spread throughout Perdium.

“Oh my! Our Grand Duke has accomplished something big again! I knew it! I just knew it!”

“Don’t forget, you promised to loan it to us, right? It’s free, right? It’s free, right?”

Baron Homern, the Chief Officer of Perdium, and Treasurer Albert came to express their flattery while reaffirming the promises with Ghislaine.

Everyone from Perdium was busy singing Ghislaine’s praises.

“As expected, it’s our Grand Duke!”

“To think I’d see a day when the Forest of Monsters would be pushed back like this… Truly, the Grand Duke is indeed the strongest in the North!”

“I heard a 100-circle mage is also accompanying him? Such an esteemed figure follows our Grand Duke, right?”

Everyone, excited, could only talk about Ghislaine. Workers who participated in the task added embellishments and exaggerated stories, and the rumors spiraled out of control.

As a result, Ghislaine’s fame climbed higher and higher.

Ghislaine stationed a few officials and entrusted the remaining minor tasks necessary for the expansion.

He had already handled the toughest parts himself. Simply securing the territory and erecting defenses were tasks even the officials could manage.

The agricultural production project had also been entrusted to Perdium; they would manage it themselves. He only intended to take a portion of the harvest from there.

With the necessary resources secured, it was time to prepare for the next task.

Ghislaine, with a satisfied smile, said:

“It’s time to return to the territory.”

* * *

The brain of the Duke Faction, known as ‘The Crippled Demon,’ Raul, received a new report. It was the investigation findings concerning Penris.

The first thing he instructed to investigate was information about the key figures in the Penris Territory.

Raul places great importance on information about people. He believes that knowing the disposition and abilities of others is crucial to maneuver them as he wishes.

Although he was busy dealing with the Crown Prince Faction, he couldn’t simply overlook Penris, which had risen as the strongest in the North.

If a civil war broke out, he needed to be prepared to wipe them out quickly.

“Hmm… they came back faster than I thought.”

One of his aides bowed his head at Raul’s words.

“Yes, information about the key figures wasn’t hard to come by as they weren’t exactly hidden. Some had even already become well-known among the territory residents.”

“Really? Is there a significant difference from the information Harold gave us?”

The Duke Faction already had a report submitted by Harold, but it was too outdated. It was also possible that the prideful Harold held back some crucial information.

That was why Raul had ordered a re-investigation.

The aide nodded vigorously, as if confirming Raul’s thoughts.

“Yes. It seems quite some time has passed, and Count Penris has recently recruited some new figures, so there’s definitely a noticeable difference. However…”

“But?”

“Oh, no, you should probably read it for yourself first.”

Raul nonchalantly opened the first page of the report.

“Gillian, the White Lion of Penris…”

A promising name appeared right from the first page.

He had heard about him. The one who held back Desmond’s Army at Stonehaven Fortress.

A title succinctly implies what kind of person it pertains to. The fact that he goes by the nickname White Lion naturally leads one to expect that he is exceptionally skilled and valiant.

Indeed, the report detailed his exploits thoroughly.

“Oh… so he was a powerhouse to the extent of standing equal with Baron Hutton? Almost on par with the strongest in the North?”

“At least from what’s been gathered. Since Jurgen was killed by Amelia, we can’t compare them directly, but judging by Baron Hutton’s abilities, they wouldn’t be too far apart.”

“Yeah, right. Baron Hutton was an excellent knight.”

In that case, they could rate this Gillian’s martial prowess to the level of the strongest knight in the North.

Knowing his abilities made it easier to strategize. They could simply send someone who could definitely take him down.

“Ex-soldier… so he was active in other countries back then. Apparently, he was quite the talented mercenary… hmm, Count Penris has acquired a fine individual.”

Additionally, the report contained details about when Gillian started following Ghislaine, what tasks he accomplished, his character traits, and even what food he likes.

That sort of thing seemed to be fairly well-known, and there were hardly any suspicious aspects.

At this point, one could say they had a decent grasp of who Gillian was.

Raul turned the page with a satisfied expression.

Then the contents on the next page made his face pale.

[Lord of Bribes of the North, Gambling Addict, Storm Hunter, Lies at Every Turn, Missing Truth, Money Tracker, Defeatist Gambler, Blood Brothers with Gangsters, Lifelong Slave……]

There were an absurd number of strange nicknames. Raul rubbed his eyes multiple times and stared at the name.

[Chief Officer Claude.]

“…”

Raul couldn’t speak for quite a while. The aide fidgeted nervously, trying to gauge his mood.

Now, Penris Territory was called the strongest in the North. The Chief Officer of such a truly great territory has such nicknames attached to him?

Raul snapped back to reality, grimacing as he asked:

“What is this? You’re telling me these are the nicknames of the Chief Officer of a great territory? Are you sure you didn’t just bring back a rogue from the streets?”

“Oh, no. I assure you, it’s the Chief Officer.”

“Assured? Someone with these kinds of nicknames is serving in the capacity of Chief Officer?”

“I’m sure of it! All the residents are shouting it out.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

At Raul’s cold glare, the aide shouted defensively.

“Everyone over there is a bit odd!”