Chapter 174
Chapter 174: Not Much Time Left (1)
Clang!
The metal bar on the platform snapped in half and fell to the ground.
“Whoa!”
“He cut it! Gordon actually cut the metal bar!”
Cheers erupted in the demonstration venue as the onlookers witnessed the result.
Although the metal bar’s cross-section was jagged, as if it had been awkwardly sawed, it was undeniable—he had indeed sliced through the iron.
Claude stood there, mouth agape and dazed.
‘Did he really just cut the metal bar with a sword? Has he really learned to use mana in such a short time?’
Claude personally prepared the weapon to ensure there was no foul play reliant on weapon weight.
If he could cut through that thick metal bar with an ordinary longsword he prepped, it was proof that Gordon had genuinely used mana.
A wave of new hope began to flood Claude’s mind.
He had opposed the expedition to ensure greater safety, but this changes everything.
‘Even low-level knights in the hundreds would be an incredible force!’
The number of knights Ghislaine had trained this time was an astonishing four hundred.
Excluding Duke Delphine’s faction, no other territory boasted such a large number of knights.
Though their quality might not match elsewhere, their quantity was indisputable.
‘I need to devise a new strategy. With this many knights, we can do it!’
Just as Claude was about to speak to Ghislaine with his excited, flushed face—
“Uwaaaah!”
Gordon collapsed, vomiting blood.
The servants swiftly rushed to carry the trembling Gordon, who was coughing up blood, on a stretcher.
“……”
The atmosphere instantly turned icy. The cheering retainers fell silent, and Claude’s heart sank like a stone.
Breaking the awkward silence, Ghislaine’s voice rang out.
“What? What’s the problem? Never seen someone vomit blood and collapse before?”
“……”
Everyone struggled to find words and exchanged nervous glances, as every part of the situation seemed wrong but they didn’t know how to express it.
The retainers looked to Claude. When dealing with a quibbler, it’s better to leave it to a fellow master of nonsense.
Claude, ever the expert, quickly organized his thoughts and spoke.
“That’s not a knight! It’s better described as a fraud. No, it’s 100% fraud.”
“What’s fraudulent about it?”
“What kind of war is this? He swings a sword once and collapses!”
“But he used mana, didn’t he? We promised that if he used mana, he could join the expedition. There were no other conditions!”
Claude was left speechless by Ghislaine’s outrageous response.
It wasn’t a wrong statement. The bet’s condition was about ‘being able to use mana,’ not ‘not collapsing after using mana.’
Nevertheless, the feeling of being scammed wouldn’t wash away.
Claude, frustrated and pacing back and forth, turned to Wendy beside him.
“Hey, can you say something? Is that normal? Huh? Is it normal or not!”
“……No, why are you asking me all of a sudden?”
Even Wendy, usually calm and expressionless, took a step back in surprise at Claude’s panic.
She knew the situation was dire, but why pull her into it?
But Claude was desperate.
“Just say something! Honestly, you could beat all of those guys by yourself, right? Right? Just be honest.”
“No, how could I say something like that…….”
“Is war a joke? If this goes on, they’ll all be dragged into war and die! Talk some sense! Even weirdos like them deserve to live!”
Claude’s words contained no lies. He couldn’t see how they could fight normally.
Finally, after a deep sigh, Wendy muttered softly.
“I think I could… beat them all by myself.”
Her words drew sighs of disbelief from the retainers.
Those lying in the infirmary hadn’t come to the demonstration, but there were still over two hundred knights present.
If they were so weak that Wendy could beat them all single-handedly, it was hard to call them knights.
The knights frowned at her dismissive remark.
Even if it was the Chief Officer’s escort, a mere maid shouldn’t be belittling knights!
Lucas, who loved to show off, couldn’t hold his tongue any longer.
“You! How dare you say that to us! Step up for a duel! …Cough! Ugh, it’s frustrating!”
Lucas began to speak, then coughed up blood, collapsing to one knee.
His recent poor health made him prone to nosebleeds whenever he got excited.
The knights beside him supported Lucas, offering advice.
“Don’t get worked up, you’ll raise your blood pressure. Breathe deeply.”
“Hey, just hold on. You can’t win against her.”
“Yeah, she’s incredibly strong. If you charge at her, you’ll just die.”
Seeing the pathetic sight of the knights, Claude sulked and turned to Ghislaine.
“Are there no other troops?”
“You know best that there aren’t, right?”
“You said during the meeting you’d find enough troops if we were short!”
“Oh, everything has its time. Troops will be filled out when the time comes, so don’t worry too much.”
Claude rubbed his forehead.
To be honest, the troops available in Penris territory were predictable. Either ask Marquis Branford for help, or borrow troops from Perdium.
But with the intentions to attack the Duke faction first, it’s unlikely the Marquis would lend troops.
Even the troops from Perdium, needed to block the North, had limitations.
No matter how he thought about it, saying he’d find reinforcements felt like a lie to brush aside opposing opinions. They clearly intended to wage war with only those half-baked knights.
“Are you serious about going to war with those guys? Is that a knight? Where would you even use knights like those?”
But Ghislaine seemed not to worry at all.
“It’s fine. Right now, they’re just pushing themselves hard to learn the Mana Circulation Method. They’ll take a break and recover their stamina soon.”
Unlike the knights in the Northern Fortress, these knights were pumping out mana without a moment’s rest.
Since they had never used mana before, they needed to become accustomed to the very sensation of using it.
They just overdid it and damaged their bodies, but with enough rest, they would recover quickly.
Of course, if they rested too long, problems could arise, but everyone had to work hard to extend their lifespans anyway.
Claude and the retainers, who did not understand the intricate principles of the Infinite Cycle Training Method Ghislaine had developed, continued to object, but Ghislaine remained stubborn.
“Enough. Since the knights have used mana as promised, the expedition plan is confirmed. I won’t accept any further objections. If you argue, you’ll be wrong, so focus on finishing preparations for the expedition.”
The outcome of the bet had also extended the period of Claude and Alfoy’s enslavement by ten years, for good measure.
After several rounds of wrangling with Ghislaine, Claude, who had given up on both convincing her and his own life, asked,
“Are you planning to set out immediately?”
“No, I need to confirm that the items I had made by the dwarfs are finished properly, and the knights need further tactical training. Plus, the timing isn’t right yet.”
“What timing?”
“A good time for fighting. There is such a thing. Just wait a little longer, it will come.”
“…Understood.”
Seeing Ghislaine seem to waver about setting out made Claude feel a glimmer of hope.
She acted so urgently as if she would invade Count Cabaldy’s territory tomorrow, yet maybe she was getting cold feet now that the fight was imminent.
If she canceled the expedition in that way, it would be the best situation he could imagine.
Watching Claude’s expression shift, Ghislaine asked.
“By the way, are the food purchases still ongoing?”
Seeing an opportunity, Claude complained to Ghislaine.
“Um, Lord, wouldn’t it be better to stop buying for now? We already have more than enough to share with Perdium. Plus, the monster wheat is nearing harvest. We expect this yield to be enormous as well.”
Having plenty of food was never a bad thing, but there has to be a limit to it. The quantity of food was accumulating to the degree that storage was becoming a problem.
But Ghislaine shook her head firmly.
“No. We need to scrape up everything to the extent that the people in the North might go hungry. We must buy as much as possible, even if we have to pay a premium, understood?”
“Why on earth are you doing this?! The stock we have could feed both Penris and Perdium for over ten years! Before we can eat it all, it will rot and go to waste!”
Ghislaine was obsessively fixated on food storage.
Even when retainers suggested selling some to raise money, she remained unmoved.
Certainly, selling lots of food would result in substantial profits, yet she was determined to amass as much food as possible, even going as far as arranging alternative funds.
The retainers had no idea why she was like this.
‘Did a ghost who starved to death attach itself to her?’
To Claude’s frustration, Ghislaine replied nonchalantly.
“I have my plans. After all, you won’t believe a word I say, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Exactly, so just keep buying. Until I say stop. It’s a full buyout.”
“Ugh, understood.”
Claude gave up on arguing. He thought to let things unfold as they may.
‘Just do whatever you want.’
In the worst-case scenario, he would take command of the defense himself. Although he wouldn’t have enough troops for an offensive, he could still muster sufficient defenses from Perdium.
Claude had thoroughly mapped out escape routes in case the Lord died in war and Perdium fell apart.
Seeing Claude, who had failed to persuade even the one he trusted most, the retainers could only exhale their frustrations in silence.
Ghislaine smiled at them.
‘Good, everyone is doing very well.’
To an outsider, it might seem like she was issuing impossible orders, demanding the unattainable.
But the retainers, wizards, dwarfs, territory residents, knights, and soldiers were living with complaints on their lips while opposing everything, yet still performing tasks excellently.
Outwardly chaotic, but on the inside, things were being built up surprisingly well.
It was proof of their remarkable abilities.
Plans that couldn’t have been achieved by Ghislaine alone were coming to fruition thanks to them.
‘How fortunate. But let’s keep moving a bit faster.’
Ghislaine’s awaited timing was drawing near.
All preparations needed to be completed before then.
*
The knights were taking breaks to recover, while others were busy with various tasks.
Everyone was bustling about in the development of the territory and gathering supplies for the war.
Amidst all this non-stop work, more delightful news arrived.
“Lord! Lord! It has succeeded! We finally succeed!”
Galbarik and the dwarfs came running to find Ghislaine, tears streaming down their faces.
Seeing them, Ghislaine was taken aback.
“Who… are you?”
“It’s me! Me! Galbarik! You don’t even recognize me with all the work you’ve piled on!”
The one in front shouted in exasperation.
Was it because they had gone through such grueling schedules?
Galbarik and the dwarfs looked so different that she barely recognized them.
They were skinny and exhausted-looking, even shorter, resembling bearded goblins.
Ghislaine laughed, flustered.
“Ahaha, I didn’t recognize you, Galbarik! Oh my, you’ve aged so much in just a few days! I heard dwarfs have long lifespans, but I guess that’s all a lie.”
Galbarik glared at Ghislaine, gnashing his teeth. His beard shook with rage.
“Damn it! Of course, I can’t sleep and keep working! We might all die at this rate!”
Though he had grumbled while working every day to avoid participating in the assault, he truly wanted to escape.
In fact, some dwarfs attempted to flee and got caught, and surprisingly, the most active in their runaway attempts was Alfoy.
It seemed he couldn’t stand to see the other slaves escape either.
“That Alfoy is nothing but a scoundrel! He’s the worst of them all! Just like a lackey to the lord!”
Ignoring Galbarik’s enraged rants, Ghislaine asked,
“Anyway, what did you succeed in?”
Galbarik, looking as if he had never been angry, suddenly broke into a bright smile.
“We’ve finally completed that hot air balloon!”
