Chapter 211
Chapter 211: Just Posted (1)
“Do you have a girlfriend, instructor? Your muscles are so impressive. They just look ridiculously big…”
“How about we start with a drink and talk it out?”
“I want to have a serious conversation about life with you, instructor. What do you think?”
Once alcohol was involved, I was confident I could easily roast someone like Gordon.
The problem was that Gordon doesn’t drink. He was so oblivious he wouldn’t even recognize when he was being tempted.
“I don’t drink! If I drink, I’ll lose muscle mass! Now that we’ve had enough rest, get up! We’re doing it again!”
‘That guy looks like he could drink well.’
When temptation didn’t work, the elves used a different approach. They all started to make sorrowful expressions and tear up.
“I really can’t do this. Let’s take a little more rest.”
“Just three push-ups a day and half a lap running. We’re really weak, you know.”
“Don’t you have any consideration for the weak? You young rascal…”
The elves had gone through everything imaginable in the human world. Their tears were unbeatable.
When beautiful elves put on a tearful act, most humans’ hearts would simply melt away.
Even the clueless Gordon began to feel guilty as if he had been enchanted.
“D-do you think so? Then let’s do it a little easier…”
In that moment, Ghislaine’s warning floated into my mind.
— If you don’t do it right, you know what awaits? You’ll go into special training.
My senses snapped back. The lord’s special training was genuinely terrifying. The fear etched in my mind suppressed my primal instincts.
“Oh no! If we do that, I’ll die, and you’ll all die too! Get up quickly!”
‘Oh man, what a heartless bastard.’
The elves ground their teeth as they stood up. One of the elves could no longer hold back and shouted.
“Since we are elves, let’s just practice elemental magic instead! You know, elves and elemental magic, right?”
“I’ve heard you can’t do that!”
‘How did he know?’
But the elves were not the type to back down. Another elf shouted.
“Then we’ll study magic instead! We’re pretty smart, you know!”
“Isn’t it better to learn magic since you said you’re going to turn us into soldiers anyway?”
“Yeah! Please tell the lord again! We want to become mages!”
Studying while sitting down would be much easier. Physical work was too hard to bear.
“Magic? Majub?”
Gordon was momentarily at a loss for words. What was he supposed to say if they wanted to study magic?
Even he, being clueless, knew that mages were far superior to soldiers.
Should he stop the training and accommodate this?
But he didn’t want to. If they really studied magic, wouldn’t the position he’d just gained fly away?
Plus, he had discovered the joys of managing people. There was no way he’d let that go.
After pondering for a moment, Gordon clapped his hands as if he had a great idea.
“Watch closely, you fools!”
Boooom!
Kaboom!
Gordon slammed his fist down into the ground with all his might.
The ground instantly cracked, sending dust flying.
The elves jumped back in shock. Was he also planning to solve things with his fist like the lord?
Gordon raised his fist and said with an arrogant expression.
“Highly developed muscles cannot be distinguished from magic.”
Is there any separate magic? If it’s hard for the human body, isn’t it all magic?
This was the concept of magic in Gordon’s worldview.
“……”
The elves were at a loss for words at Gordon’s ridiculousness.
At first glance, it seemed like a cool thing to say, but when you dug into it, it was incredibly ignorant and bizarre. Truly no one normal existed in this territory.
Regardless, Gordon was too busy urging the elves along.
“Now, get up quickly! We’re starting again!”
“Yes…”
“What kind of answer is that? You’re lacking spirit!”
“Agh!”
“Good! From now on, all answers must be delivered with spirit! Got it?”
“Agh!”
The elves got up with faces resigned to the world.
Neither temptation nor tearful performances worked. No, it wasn’t just about temptation or acting; he was so ignorant that communication was impossible.
Thus, under Gordon’s guidance, the elves’ hellish training continued every day.
*
The Territory of Penris secured both food and iron ore. Thanks to that, their influence in the North increased beyond all comparisons.
The problem was that resources other than food and iron ore were still scarce.
“Let’s lower the blockade on the Cabaldy region. From now on, let’s actively accept merchant groups and envoys to secure more resources.”
At Ghislaine’s words, all the retainers nodded in agreement.
As the territory expanded and the number of territory residents increased, they needed more resources than ever.
However, conducting transactions only with selected merchant groups led to increasing difficulties in resource procurement.
While it was best to keep the Penris region concealed due to its large-scale farmland, in the Cabaldy area, which had already been significantly exposed, there was no need for secrecy.
It was common knowledge that this place was overflowing with iron ore.
Once news spread that the Territory of Penris was actively initiating trade, numerous merchant groups and envoys from different territories soon flocked in.
“Chief Officer, have you been well?”
“You seem to be gaining more stature.”
“This is my sincerity. I hope for your favor in the future.”
The merchants vied to flatter Claude and provide bribes. The envoys, having learned their lesson from encounters past, tread carefully.
Claude was the second-in-command of the territory, overseeing all its affairs. Making a good impression was essential.
The rumor of him being a bit quirky certainly helped with this.
With an exaggeratedly haughty expression, Claude said.
“Ah, even if you give me this, I can’t lower the prices… but since it’s your sincerity, I’ll graciously accept it. Ahem.”
Claude glanced at Wendy and then, while pretending to be disappointed, cast a sidelong look at the pile of bribes piled beside him.
‘Sigh, that’s all mine.’
Ghislaine didn’t particularly stop the bribes from being accepted. Anyone who offered was allowed to give, but if one person took too much for themselves, she wouldn’t let it slide. That would all be going into the territory’s storage.
‘Ugh, what good is it if the territory becomes wealthy? The lord doesn’t spend money on territory affairs anyway. Ah, I was really happy when I went back to the academy.’
It was quite difficult for her to sneak anything with Wendy watching her like a hawk.
Seeing her, Claude asked.
“Don’t you take vacations?”
“I don’t.”
“No boyfriend? Not getting married?”
“Nope. I’m not.”
Honestly, she seemed consistently responsible and wooden. Claude’s playful side was stirred.
“What about me? I’m a slave, but aren’t I capable and handsome enough? You’re not falling for me, are you?”
Wendy looked at Claude with a gaze full of contempt. It was as if she were looking at a colony of cockroaches.
“……I’m joking. Don’t look at me like that. It hurts my feelings…”
In truth, there was a little truth mixed in to the joke, and it hurt quite a bit.
Shaking off that thought while his nose tingled, Claude skimmed through the list of merchant groups that had come and spoke.
“Well then, since too many of you have come, let’s divide up and talk in smaller groups.”
The first batch of named merchants gathered together. Claude looked at them and continued speaking.
“Before we discuss the transactions, let me explain. The prices of food and iron ore have risen by 30% compared to last month, so please keep that in mind.”
“Excuse me? 30%?”
“Wait, are the prices suddenly rising again?”
“This seems too expensive!”
They had all learned about the rough market price of food being released from Penris, either through word of mouth or experience.
So, when they heard that prices were suddenly going up by 30%, there was no way they could help but be alarmed.
Claude clicked his tongue and continued.
“It can’t be helped. We are gradually running out of our stock. Therefore, the price must rise.”
‘In truth, we have more than enough stock, but there’s no reason to discount it. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else.’
The monstrous Grain was still pouring out vast amounts of food. Just the stock they had bought before could fill the warehouse to bursting.
In terms of the Territory of Penris, unless the ground was suddenly devastated, there was no chance food supplies would dwindle for decades.
The miners were also getting motivated by their improving lives and were working hard with their pickaxes.
So, they were mining far more iron ore than when Count Cabaldy was in charge.
However, the merchants who didn’t know that had no choice but to accept Claude’s demands.
‘Damn, these guys know how to price gouge properly.’
‘I’ll remember this. Once the situation calms down, I’ll definitely get my revenge.’
‘Let’s see how long you can keep being arrogant.’
The merchants all gritted their teeth yet nodded in agreement.
The supply of food and iron ore from the North was firmly under the control of Penris, so unless they forcibly took it, there was no other option.
Of course, not everyone accepted it willingly.
“This is too unfair!”
The one who shouted loudly was Pharil, a middle-aged merchant running quite a significant merchant group in the North.
Claude scratched his ear and asked back.
“What’s unfair?”
“No matter how much you monopolize resources, isn’t this too ruthless? There’s a basic code of trade! Raising by 30% all at once is too much!”
“Pfft!”
Claude laughed in disbelief.
Code of trade? If you have a conscience, you shouldn’t be uttering such things in the Territory of Penris.
Gouging the merchants gathered here was not simply for profit.
They might not realize it, but there were places that took goods for much cheaper prices. There was a reason they didn’t randomly split them off.
‘You all brought this upon yourselves. Our lord may not care much, but he never forgets a grudge.’
Since these merchants were active in the North, it was natural they had dealt with Perdium countless times.
They had repeatedly overcharged Perdium and made hefty profits up to now.
‘The territories providing support would throw in barely edible food… the merchants would swap those goods for more expensive ones… They were even selling common essentials at several times the price!’
Thus, Perdium had no choice but to accumulate debts, small and large, to these merchants.
Treasurer Albert always complained about the debts, which were practically the debts owed to the Northern merchants and other territories.
In the Territory of Perdium, they were far more afraid of these merchants than of the barbarians.
And Ghislaine never forgot the images of her father and retainers restlessly troubled over money.
‘Right now, we have to do business, so 30% is the limit. You all have already caught the lord’s attention.’
Ghislaine had sent someone to Perdium to obtain the list of merchant groups that had overcharged them.
As soon as Albert saw that request, he realized Ghislaine’s intentions and excitedly sent back a detailed list. It was one of those times when they were on the same wavelength.
‘Sorry, but if I just topple Desmond, I’ll disband all of you.’
Ghislaine had no intention of leaving them be. It wasn’t just revenge; it was because she planned to unify the entire North.
For now, since she didn’t have the manpower to act or the resources to spare, the only option was to move forward with the deal while adding a reasonable profit.
However, this was a fact known only to Ghislaine’s closest associates, so Claude silently laughed at the merchants.
“Whatever you say, I can’t lower the prices further, so just know that. I don’t want a long conversation. I prefer not to talk too much. When I was little, my father always nagged me that a person should speak less and listen more…”
As Claude kept talking without pause, Pharil clenched his fist and trembled with rage.
In the past, he wouldn’t have been swayed by such a petty kid.
However, Baron Penris had now risen to be one of the strong men in the North. Because even without food and iron ore, he had made significant contributions to winning the war.
Even though there were rumors about how they had won that bore little truth.
Suppressing his anger, Pharil interrupted Claude.
“Let’s save childhood stories for later and let me meet the lord! I need to speak directly with him!”
“You want to meet our lord?”
“Yes! I’ve done numerous transactions with your lord’s father, Count Perdium! You definitely know me! We’ve even met briefly in Perdium before!”
‘That lunatic is willingly walking to his own death.’
Given that he had continuously overcharged Perdium, he was going in to confront him. Claude, of all people, wasn’t going to stop such an entertaining thing.
“Oh, you’re a friend of Count Perdium. Then you should hurry along. Here, let me guide you.”
With Claude’s friendly tone, Pharil strutted forward, puffing himself up.
When Pharil met Ghislaine, he passionately denounced how unfair the current prices were.
And he also laid on a not-so-subtle threat about how maintaining a good relationship with the merchant groups would benefit the territory.
Listening quietly, Ghislaine waited for Pharil to finish before she flatly interjected.
“50%.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll be increasing it by 50%, not 30%. That just went up.”
At Ghislaine’s words, Pharil’s complexion went pale.
