Chapter 345: I Need to Prepare in Advance (1)

Claude merely snorted at the gloomy faces of the painters.

‘Well, if I push through, it’ll work out somehow. Our lord makes it happen, doesn’t he? What can’t I do?’

One thing Claude had learned while following Ghislaine was to push through no matter what. He was likely the one in the territory who had taken on that trait the most.

But he wasn’t a time-reverser. So he just ended up being someone who stubbornly insisted on things.

People were starting to notice this recently. He acted like a lord, but something about him felt very different.

‘Hah, that guy seems to be going crazier and crazier.’

‘Why does he keep trying to imitate the lord’s style?’

‘Ugh, why am I even doing this?’

The painters were annoyed but stayed quiet, neither protesting nor arguing. They had no choice.

Recently, Penris had been investing heavily in the cultural and artistic sectors as well. As artists, they had to make a good impression on the Chief Officer who handled the investment funds.

Up until now, Penris had prioritized wartime efficiency, so they hadn’t paid much attention to that side of things. In nicer terms, it was simple to the point of being crude; in harsher terms, the territory had zero aesthetic sense.

But a person can’t live on bread alone. The residents’ desire for cultural activities began to grow day by day.

Fortunately, after taking over Desmond Territory, Claude was able to recruit quite a few artists. Count Desmond, being a high noble, had a deep appreciation for such things.

Even Ghislaine couldn’t have guessed that this would become the foundation for Claude to start his “business.”

Wendy, listening to Claude’s conversation with the painters, bit her nails faster.

‘This won’t do; I need to intervene now.’

More and more of the territory’s workforce was being pulled into Claude’s personal business. It was still okay for now, but problems would arise eventually.

Reluctantly, she took out a dagger. She couldn’t win this argument with him. Mixing words would only get her dragged into it. It would be better to simply subdue him with force so that he couldn’t resist.

Just as Wendy was about to poke Claude, the door to the workshop burst open.

The faces of the workers turning to the newcomer went pale. Claude’s face also drained of color as he turned to look.

“Who suddenly comes in at this late hour… L-lord?”

Ghislaine entered, rolling up her sleeves with a fierce expression.

Claude was taken aback but quickly regained his composure, as expected from a master of shamelessness.

“When did you return? And what’s the sudden matter here?”

Ghislaine paused for a moment. She was too calm.

But that guy couldn’t be trusted based on appearances alone. Ghislaine stopped in her tracks and scanned the surroundings.

“Hm, is everyone working late?”

“Yes. There are many official documents to send to each city, and there are quite a few paperwork delays. We were having a meeting with the painters to improve the territory’s appearance.”

This was an office where clerks worked. To avoid suspicion, Claude always tied his dealings into the territory’s business publicly.

Ghislaine smirked and introduced the person who had followed her in, a man awkwardly smiling.

“Do you know this friend?”

“No, I don’t know him.”

Of course, he wouldn’t know. Claude had never seen Dominic in person.

Then Ghislaine called another person.

“Hey, you come in too.”

A man entered with his head bowed and took small steps. Ghislaine placed a hand on his shoulder and asked.

“Then how about this friend? He’s from the Drake Mercenary Group.”

The similarly awkward-looking man was a mercenary who had actually come to Penris Territory to participate in an auction.

When the mercenary saw Claude, he slightly bowed his head and said, “Chief Officer, it’s been a while.”

Claude recognized him immediately and broke into a cold sweat, turning his head away.

“I—I don’t know you. Who are you to act familiar?”

Desperate to avoid dying, Claude decided to play dumb.

There was no way he wouldn’t know. He had seen the big spender who bought quite a few items multiple times and had even spoken with him directly.

The mercenary scratched his head and said apologetically, “I’m sorry, Chief Officer. It’s all been found out.”

“I told you I don’t know you! What do you mean ‘found out’?”

Claude continued to turn his head, pretending to be nonchalant, while the mercenary clearly communicated, “It’s about selling Count Penris’s items. Everything from the auction house to everything else. It’s all been exposed.”

With that one line, Claude grabbed Wendy and shouted, “Let’s run! Quickly, carry me!”

Wendy closed her eyes. She had known this day would come. Then Ghislaine, rolling up her sleeves, approached Claude.

“Come here. Are you doing something behind my back? Wow, you are truly something. With everyone busy, you pulled more manpower for yourself.”

“W-wait a moment! This is a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding could there possibly be when someone sells my belongings without my permission? I just learned that there are weirdos who collect such things this time.”

Dominic looked embarrassed and lowered his head. Claude pointed at him, shouting, “If that crazy guy had just bought something, it wouldn’t have been caught! In any case… Ah, no! Anyway, it’s because I was low on cash that I prepared some emergency funds! It’s all for the territory… Agghhh!”

Ghislaine’s fist was faster than Claude’s excuses.

“Uwaah! Easy! Easy!”

He was dragged to the corner and had to face his ancestors and the parents he never met before he could be released.

Sniffling, Claude heard Ghislaine say, “Where’s the money from selling my stuff?”

Claude gestured, and his deputies brought in a crate.

Thunk!

Ghislaine gasped upon opening the crate. Just a glance showed it was filled with thousands of gold coins.

“Wow… You really…”

Despite having become slightly freer since taking over Desmond, the territory was still busy. For Claude to make money like this in that brief time was quite impressive.

“Since all of this is from selling my belongings, I can take it, right?”

“Sniff… Do as you please.”

Claude rubbed his eyes, sniffling.

He thought he wouldn’t get caught, but here he was. Of all places, he had to meet the auction participants in the West. Talk about bad luck.

Ghislaine clicked her tongue at the crying Claude and said, “Everyone worked hard to increase the ‘territory’s income.’ It’s the fault of the one who ordered it, so I won’t punish you. And I’ll make sure to pay the wage for the work done until today, so next time, focus solely on the territory’s affairs.”

After all, it was work ordered by the Chief Officer. If they worked and didn’t receive appropriate remuneration, there would be complaints.

If that happened, it would delay other operations in the future as well. The money could be drawn from Claude’s emergency funds anyway.

With the lord generously forgiving him, the workers’ expressions brightened. Honestly, they enjoyed making money, but felt a tad resentful as well.

That’s because Claude had almost forced them into it.

“Thank you very much!”

The workers repeatedly thanked the lord and withdrew. All that remained were the sniffling Claude and the downcast Wendy.

Wendy exhaled a small sigh.

‘Well, at least that’s sorted.’

Claude’s business was growing day by day. She felt anxious every day about when it would be discovered.

The lord had been absent, which allowed them some leeway; had it continued like this, it would have eventually been exposed.

‘The Chief Officer doesn’t understand ‘moderation.’’

Now everything was resolved. It was always nerve-wracking to engage in shady dealings. It felt refreshing to have it all out in the open.

Claude’s ambitious venture ended like that.

*

Wendy didn’t get removed from her surveillance and escort duties, considering she had been deceived.

She was simply given more strict instructions to control Claude from now on.

And Claude, true to his optimistic character, returned to his original self the next day.

‘I should try something different next time.’

As a gambler, he was no longer concerned about the lost game. He just had to win next time.

In any case, Claude’s strange “business” was settled, and the Drake Mercenary Group, the largest in the West, joined Penris.

When they arrived in Penris, they were taken aback. Although they had heard rumors, the North was indeed different from before.

“Wow, I came here before, but it wasn’t this lively. There are so many people now.”

“What are all these buildings? They seem to have been built quite systematically. Look, they all look similar.”

“I noticed there’s a lot of construction going on here and there. It really feels like a rich territory now.”

The mercenaries couldn’t help but express their admiration for their new home. A bustling and vibrant territory was rare.

Thanks to Claude’s efforts, most of the Northern mercenary groups had also come under Ghislaine’s command. However, there was still no news from the royal family.

“Why is there still no news? Do they not want to issue a guarantee?”

When Ghislaine asked, Claude replied with a nonchalant expression.

“It seems Marquis Branford is in deep thought. The royal family is probably worried about what kind of trouble our lord might cause after guaranteeing a mercenary group.”

“But it’s useless in the kingdom’s war anyway, right?”

“That’s precisely the problem. They might worry about whether we’ll cause trouble in other countries.”

The kingdom had already split into two factions. Even with the justification of mercenaries, it was challenging to get involved in the wars of other territories. It would just be a charade.

However, wars in foreign lands were different. If the royal family guaranteed it, they could boldly take part in the fray and earn money.

Ghislaine could also participate with her own mercenary group, but that could lead to national disputes. It could give off the impression that they were meddling and wouldn’t take responsibility.

“Hm, that’s not urgent, so let’s wait for now.”

It was an endeavor to prepare for the Age of Turmoil. There would come a time to act without the royal family’s guarantee.

Ghislaine gave Dominic, who had just joined, a new mission.

“Some will operate in the North and the Crown Prince faction’s territories, gather reliable individuals, and head East. Absorb the mercenary groups there. Can you do that?”

“Just leave it to me. I’ll make sure everyone comes under Penris without fail.”

Dominic replied confidently. He already had the experience of building the largest mercenary group in the West. Although there were quite a few renowned groups in the East, he was confident he could gather them all.

The reason he planned to unify the kingdom’s mercenary groups without going South was simple. That place was thoroughly controlled by the Duke Faction, so there were hardly any mercenaries.

The warriors’ tasks were all handled by the merchant groups and armed organizations under the Duke Faction.

Ghislaine looked back at Claude and continued.

“Classify and provide proper accommodations for those who’ve come with us this time. There are some wronged individuals, but there are also genuine prisoners, so investigate carefully.”

Most of the escapees from prison had followed after Ghislaine. Staying in the city wouldn’t allow them to live safely anyway.

“And develop a plan to improve the welfare and treatment of the mercenaries.”

“What? Why suddenly talk about welfare? We’re already giving them a lot of work and paying them well.”

Claude tilted his head in confusion.

The mercenaries who had joined Penris were currently working on many tasks. They had countless tasks, including public order, escorting, transport, road construction, and territorial projects.

It was enough to provide them with work and pay them accordingly. There was no need to give them anything more.

But Ghislaine shook her head in disagreement.

“Mercenaries are people who will be with us in the future. It’s not beneficial to treat them like outsiders. We need to give them a desire to fight under the Penris banner.”

Although they had come under the Penris Mercenary Group, there wouldn’t be a feeling of unity yet. They were mercenaries, but clear belonging had to be instilled.

Otherwise, when they were truly up against a formidable enemy, they would be quick to flee.

No matter how much they were bound by contracts, they had to approach from this side first to instill that sense of belonging.

Claude nodded in agreement.

‘Well, our lord loves the idea of “Let’s charge together!” the most.’

If someone didn’t want to charge when asked, he would be infuriated.

Furthermore, there were still many mercenary groups left in the West. Even though the Drake Mercenary Group was the largest, they weren’t the entirety of the Western mercenaries.

Now that the Drake Mercenary Group had moved North and was doing many things, news would surely spread throughout the West.

They needed to promote and entice more mercenary groups to join during this opportunity.

Ghislaine and her close associates discussed how to incorporate and expand the mercenary group, laying out various plans.

Once they had the framework set, Ghislaine asked something else.

“What’s the Duke Faction’s movement like?”

“They’ve suddenly gone quiet, only gathering troops in territories adjacent to the Crown Prince faction.”

“And the Crown Prince faction?”

“They’re also mustering their troops. I’ve heard Marquis Branford has been having a rough time and is quite upset due to threats from the Duke Faction.”

Ghislaine calmly delved into her memories from her past life.

Back then, the Duke Faction had completely isolated the remaining nobles of the Crown Prince faction and had drawn swords. But now, the situation was slightly different.

Unlike her previous life, most of the Crown Prince faction was still intact. The Duke Faction had to prepare thoroughly to minimize their damage.

In the North, they would surely support Amelia and attempt to block her. And it was clear they would rush to subdue the remaining territories swiftly.

‘There’s still a bit of time left. I must do all I can before then.’

Amelia wasn’t someone who would obediently listen to others. The Duke Faction would surely find it troublesome to deal with her.

‘Then the next place to handle is…’

There was still one sword of the Duke Faction that the others didn’t know about. Before the civil war broke out, they had to dismantle it to weaken their forces.

That place was where a 7th Circle Mage, equivalent to a Swordmaster, was serving as the tower’s master.

‘We need to eliminate the Tower of the Bloody Flame first.’

A chilling smile spread across Ghislaine’s face.