Chapter 180
Chapter 180
Finally, that time has come. (3)
Before the drought hit, Ghislaine sent a letter to Marquis Branford.
[Looking at the hot weather, a drought seems imminent. Please stock up on food and prepare. Don’t come crying to me later if you don’t.]
It’s neat. Without any convoluted greetings, it was more of a note than a letter.
Naturally, Marquis Branford’s impression of the letter was straightforward.
“…Is this person getting crazier by the day?”
Out of nowhere, he tells him to stockpile food. Just because it’s hot?
Who would take such words at face value? Anyone who believes that must be fortunate to not fall for a fraud.
‘What kind of scheme is this up to now?’
Marquis Branford shook the letter and asked his butler.
“Has he sent this letter to other nobles?”
“From what we’ve gathered, it seems he sent it to Count Ailzbur as well.”
“And their response?”
“Count Ailzbur ignored it, but the Countess is raiding her private funds to stock up on food.”
“Hmm… Does she trust Baron Penris that much?”
The marquis was deep in thought.
Meriel was not an ordinary noblewoman. Her personal involvement was an unmistakable signal.
Still, he had to think carefully about following Ghislaine’s suggestion. If he stockpiled food and nothing happened, it would not only be a loss but also a significant embarrassment.
If it were someone else’s suggestion, he would have ignored it and torn the letter to shreds. But since it was Ghislaine—someone oddly knowledgeable—it made him uncomfortable to dismiss it outright.
“…Prepare a meeting. I need to hear what others think.”
At his words, the butler was slightly startled.
Marquis Branford doesn’t usually convene meetings over trivial matters. This indicated he was confident in his judgment, and indeed, his judgments were mostly correct.
However, dealing with Baron Penris always gave him a headache. No matter the reasoning, he was still a difficult man.
A short while later, the retainers gathered in the meeting room exhibited mostly lukewarm responses upon hearing the news.
“There are no signs of a drought. The harvest season is just around the corner; surely nothing will happen in between?”
“That’s right. It’s just a bit warm; it’s no cause for concern about a drought.”
“Baron Penris is just being overly anxious.”
As negative remarks erupted from various corners, the Marquis’s mood began to tilt sharply.
To prepare for a drought, one would need to hoard an immense amount of food.
Buying food now while the prices are about to drop means that if Ghislaine is wrong, he risks facing great losses.
‘But ignoring it feels bothersome…’
While Marquis Branford struggled with his decision, Rosalyn, who had been quietly listening, stepped forward.
“I think it would be better to purchase food.”
“Why’s that?”
“Baron Penris may be odd, but I don’t think he would play such a cruel trick just to embarrass us. There’s certainly a reason behind what he’s saying.”
“The chances are high that it’s nonsense. Accurately predicting the weather is impossible.”
“But he’s the one who cured my illness and created remarkable products. That’s why Count Ailzbur’s wife is trusting him to buy food.”
“I don’t like to engage in things based solely on intuition without solid evidence.”
“…I won’t deny that. But surely you feel uneasy about just ignoring him? He’s as unpredictable as the weather itself.”
That’s true. He was hardly sane.
After a moment of contemplation, Marquis Branford reopened his mouth.
“Buying now could lead to significant losses.”
“I’ll use the funds from my merchant group for this. That way, even if he turns out to be wrong, you won’t be embarrassed. I can also secure the royal reserves ahead of time.”
“You?”
“Yes, with the investment money I received this time.”
Rosalyn flashed a confident smile. She had already recouped the full 300,000 gold she had given to Ghislaine.
She did this by giving certain nobles a 10-year share of the profits from the cosmetics.
Expanding her storefronts near the capital, the cosmetics sales were increasing rapidly. It was indeed a robust and fail-safe investment.
With the backing of the Marquis’s house and the popularity of the product, numerous nobles had rushed to invest.
Rosalyn had not only swiftly recouped her initial capital, but was also reinvesting the remaining funds to make a profit.
The Marquis’s retainers were busy praising her capabilities, and when it came to monetary matters, everyone deferred to her expertise.
Preparing for a drought could be seen as an investment, and since it was money-related, her words carried even more weight.
After a brief hesitation, Marquis Branford nodded.
“Alright, purchase food within what you deem reasonable. You can use my name if necessary.”
“Thank you.”
“And if Ghislaine’s warning turns out to be mere nonsense, what do you plan to do with the food?”
“Since we are opposing the Duke Delphine’s faction, stockpiling provisions won’t be a bad thing. If we have excess after that, we can share it with the poor to enhance the Marquis family’s reputation.”
“Hmm, that’s not bad, but it’s definitely going to incur losses.”
“Or we could overstock it as Perdium’s support supplies for a few years. We can receive the royal family and Crown Prince faction’s support funds in our stead. Although it won’t greatly help Perdium to only get food, that’s something Baron Penris will have to deal with.”
As Rosalyn casually rolled out multiple strategies, Marquis Branford smiled with satisfaction.
After curing her illness, her acumen shone even brighter.
Her judgment in assessing the situation was commendable, and her follow-up actions were also impressive.
Thanks to Rosalyn, the power of the Marquis family was growing even stronger.
Truly, it was fortunate that Ghislaine came along…
‘Oh, what am I thinking right now?’
Marquis Branford shook his head in horror a few times and then said in a serious tone.
“This matter will be entrusted to Rosalyn, so everyone take heed. Butler, relay Baron Penris’s words to the Crown Prince faction’s nobles. Make it clear that it’s not a demand but left to their own judgment.”
“Understood.”
Following the Marquis’s orders, the information relayed to the nobles of the Crown Prince faction resulted in only a few purchasing food.
Unlike the north, the nobles belonging to the Crown Prince faction had hardly ever faced food shortages. Consequently, they didn’t take Ghislaine’s advice seriously this time either.
Except for a few nobles already planning to stockpile food, only Rosalyn and Meriel actively moved to purchase food.
Although most nobles laughed at Ghislaine, real problems began to arise shortly after.
“The weather is getting stranger by the day.”
“We’re experiencing a heatwave! The rivers are drying up!”
“All over the kingdom, drought conditions are rampant!”
“This is definitely a famine! We need to formulate a response!”
Even the court officials of the royal family were thrown into chaos and began to act.
However, there was no way to change the weather, and with Lake Hodo already dried up, what could they do?
With the harvest season just around the corner, everyone was just pacing anxiously without coming up with any plans.
Meanwhile, the retainers of Marquis Branford sighed in relief.
If Ghislaine hadn’t warned them, or if Rosalyn hadn’t believed those words and prepared, they too would have faced significant losses.
In fact, it was regrettable that they hadn’t taken even more proactive steps.
“How on earth did Baron Penris know about this?”
“Farmers who’ve lived their whole lives farming didn’t know. The weather changed way too suddenly.”
“There are rumors that he’s a master astrologer. He can read the stars!”
Amidst the frenzied chatter of the retainers, Marquis Branford furrowed his brow in contemplation.
Countless wizards and scholars hadn’t foreseen this drought either. That’s how abruptly the weather changed.
‘What in the world… How did he know this?’
He knew Penris was strange, but he never imagined he possessed the ability to foresee the future.
Even after experiencing it firsthand, he couldn’t believe what was happening, and as he clicked his tongue, a chilling hypothetical struck him.
‘We could have all died…’
Had they not prepared ahead of time, the territories of the Crown Prince faction would have been engulfed in food shortages, and the Duke wouldn’t have missed that opportunity.
Yet thanks to Ghislaine, they managed to bear with a little strength.
While the resource-rich Duke could recover without significant damage, the lords dependent on the duke would likely find themselves weakened for a while.
‘Thank goodness. We bought ourselves some time to reorganize.’
If they could just endure this disaster, they could slightly regain ground against the increasingly powerful Duke.
‘I should have ordered them to stockpile food by force.’
Although the majority of the nobles from the Crown Prince faction disregarded Ghislaine’s words, he couldn’t blame them. After all, it was unbelievable for anyone, himself included.
Yet, the royal family, the Marquis family, and Count Ailzbur had amassed enormous supplies, so starvation wasn’t in the cards.
‘There’s no way he anticipated this too, right?’
The regret of not fully utilizing the excellent opportunity Ghislaine provided continued to haunt him.
Had all the nobles from the Crown Prince faction prepared properly, they might have stood on equal footing with the Duke faction.
It was so frustrating and disappointing that, despite receiving advance notice, they were only able to prepare this much.
‘No, that wouldn’t be right. Ghislaine must have had doubts too. If he truly foresaw such an event, he would have acted more firmly.’
Marquis Branford shook off his disappointment.
The Crown Prince faction could have well been completely subdued by the Duke faction, but since it ended like this, it could be considered fortunate.
Thinking this way brought an involuntary smile to his face.
‘Duke Delphine must feel incredibly frustrated. It seems the heavens are on our side, sending such a bizarre fellow our way.’
*
The atmosphere in the Ruthania Kingdom has plunged to the worst it could be.
Crop failures were rampant across most territories due to abnormal weather. It was so dire that everyone wailed it was the worst famine in the kingdom’s history.
Hardly any places, like Penris, had prepared well for the drought.
Food prices skyrocketed madly, and despair echoed throughout the kingdom.
This was the beginning of the ‘Great Famine,’ which was even recorded in history books before Ghislaine’s regression.
‘Hmm…’
Ghislaine fell into deep thought while receiving Lowell’s report.
What some called calamity and others referred to as the great tribulation; a time during which everyone on the continent suffered.
In his previous life, many argued that this drought was a precursor to the turmoil.
This disaster wasn’t confined to the Ruthania Kingdom; it was happening all over the continent.
Still, one couldn’t guarantee that statement was accurate, as there definitely existed places untouched by harm.
As he recalled the period of great tribulation, a strange chill ran down his spine.
‘Indeed, I cannot let my guard down for even a day. I must prepare thoroughly until that day comes.’
To his knowledge, ‘that day’ arrives after a bit more time, in a sudden and secretive manner.
To withstand the shock of it, he needed to prepare far more concretely and thoroughly.
Of course, he needed to survive Duke Delphine before then.
After finishing his regular report, Ghislaine quietly asked Lowell.
“What’s the food situation for the Crown Prince faction?”
“The royal family, Marquis Branford, and Count Ailzbur have secured a certain amount, but… It appears the other nobles failed to prepare properly.”
“That’s a bit disappointing.”
It was somewhat of an expected outcome. If something so massive were to occur, there weren’t many who would believe it without hesitation.
Even Ghislaine himself had lacked the confidence to persuade others, which is why he merely jotted down a rough conclusion and sent it off.
At the very least, he thought Rosalyn and Meriel would act, accepting it as a gamble. They had a good sense for profits.
Indeed, his expectations turned out to be precisely accurate, but nonetheless, it was regrettable.
Still, with this incident, the other nobles would likely no longer dismiss his words so lightly.
‘The nobles affiliated with the Duke will recover quickly.’
In his previous life, after this drought, the Crown Prince faction’s influence became severely strained.
Even in the same disaster situation, the Duke faction’s extensive reserves allowed them to recover much more rapidly.
Deficits from the stockpile were swiftly compensated through trade with other kingdoms.
In fact, the Duke pushed the Crown Prince faction to the brink as soon as their forces stabilized, despite incurring some losses to seize that golden opportunity.
Instead of recovering, the Crown Prince faction found itself rapidly losing power.
The balance of power between the two factions began to tilt completely in favor of the Duke from that moment on.
‘This time, the Crown Prince faction might last a bit longer. The Duke faction will undoubtedly face dilemmas as well.’
Thanks to Ghislaine, the Crown Prince faction had also amassed considerable supplies. This left the Duke in a position where they couldn’t instantly pressure the Crown Prince faction like in his previous life.
Now it was a race to see who could restore their losses first.
As a result, both the Duke faction and Marquis Branford were occupied with distributing food to their respective factions, attempting damage control.
The tension between the Crown Prince and Duke factions temporarily eased into a lull.
Finally, Ghislaine’s desired stage was unfolding.
‘I mustn’t miss this opportunity. I need to move at a timing others wouldn’t expect.’
There was no way he would just sit and wait until the enemy finished preparing.
After Lowell left, Ghislaine found himself smiling unconsciously.
It was indeed fitting to seize the moment of chaos among opponents vying for the iron mine. It was part of a long-term plan.
But he wasn’t merely moving under such pretexts.
‘Count Cabaldy.’
In his previous life, the Duke commanded Count Desmond to annihilate Perdium.
And Count Desmond utilized other lords to conserve his own troops.
Among them was Count Cabaldy’s territory.
In an effort to bring down Perdium, he had sent reinforcements to Desmond and blocked Perdium from securing iron ore.
One of his past enemies and a definite adversary in the future.
The more he recalled the past, the more Ghislaine’s smile turned dark and twisted.
“Finally… it’s time to kill.”
Yes, it was time to systematically eliminate them, one by one.
