Chapter 224
Chapter 224
“C-cock! Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
Alfoy frantically searched for Cocko, looking like he was in a panic.
Then, not far away, he spotted Kane drinking with the dwarves.
“Ah, this is really delicious. Is it because I haven’t had meat in a while?”
Kane, with a satisfied expression, was gnawing on a roasted chicken leg sizzling over the campfire.
Currently, he had been promoted to supervisor, managing 50 laborers due to his recognized hard work.
Initially, being dragged into this tunnel digging gig was miserable, but he got accustomed to the work, and with his subordinates, life in the fortress was somewhat bearable.
Of course, his lingering thought that he should have repaid the thousand gold by now was still stuck in his mind.
Alfoy trembled as he looked at the chicken being roasted in front of Kane.
“C-cock…!”
Memories of Cocko flooded back. He had lovingly fed it when it was just a chick. A bit later, he even cuddled up to it while sleeping.
— Our Cocko is really pretty. Cluck, cluck!
Although quite a bit altered, it was a happy memory for Alfoy. Nevertheless, raising Cocko in such a tough territory was like a new gamble and a source of joy.
That precious pet had now been caught and eaten by that ignorant brat over there.
“Arghhh!”
Gathering mana in his hands, Alfoy unleashed a fireball. The sudden attack startled Kane and the dwarves, making them jump to their feet.
“What, what the hell!”
Kane shouted as Alfoy took another step forward and yelled.
“How dare you! How dare you eat my gamble… No, our beautiful Cocko!”
“What? Cocko? What’s that? Is it food?”
“You’re already eating it! I can’t forgive this! I’m going to kill you!”
“No, damn it! What is Cocko! You crazy bastard!”
Kane was once called a rogue in the north. Additionally, he was big and, being a noble’s son, had also learned the Mana Circulation Method.
When he infused mana into the construction hammer in his hand, it became engulfed in a bluish light.
Infusing mana into such a blunt weapon is much harder than with a sword. However, thanks to being dragged to the construction site and rolling around, Kane easily wrapped his hammer with mana.
He applied strength to the hand holding the hammer. Having drunk earlier, he was not in the mood to assess the situation anymore and just thought about squashing Alfoy with it.
“Come at me, you bastard! I’m the heir of Roges!”
“Only you? I’m the heir of the Tower of the Bloody Flame!”
The dwarves stepped back, saying a good snack had just appeared.
As two prideful heirs were about to clash, something suddenly popped up beside them.
“C-cock! Cock-a-doodle-doo!”
“Cocko!”
Alfoy beamed as he promptly snatched Cocko and held it in his arms. It seemed it had merely escaped from the breeding pen for a bit.
Seeing this, Galbarik cautiously asked, “Is that… really Cocko? Can you even tell? They all look the same. There are many chickens wandering around here.”
Alfoy looked down at the chicken in his arms. Honestly, they all looked similar and it was a bit confusing. But now that he held it in his arms, it would be awkward to deny it.
“Of course! The comb is beautifully shaped! It’s definitely Cocko!”
As Alfoy insisted, Kane twitched his lips several times then sat down.
“Ugh, crazy man.”
The dwarves sat back down and began picking at the chicken again. Alfoy pointed at them and shouted,
“You barbarians! From today onward, I’m going vegetarian!”
“Do whatever you want.”
Fuming, Alfoy returned to his quarters, while Kane and the dwarves busily devoured the chicken.
As the drinkers caused minor ruckuses here and there, Ghislaine had gathered his retainers for a meeting about the next steps to take.
Now that the incubator had been successfully created, the retainers were all praises as usual.
“Being able to obtain meat in bulk is a great weapon for us in the north. The food shortage is still pressing, so we can earn a lot of money.”
“The more they eat well, the greater the help it will be for the soldiers and elves in training. Lady Vanessa has done a tremendous job.”
In the meantime, Claude chimed in.
“Isn’t all of this thanks to the Lord’s foresight? I knew it would succeed without a doubt!”
Everyone, including Ghislaine, stared blankly at Claude.
“What! Why? Why? I didn’t oppose you as much this time, right? Was I wrong?”
Indeed, he had opposed less than usual. In reality, he had simply given up.
Ghislaine flicked his tongue at Claude’s shamelessness and pointed at various places on the map.
“Thanks, everyone. Now, the important thing is to sufficiently supply incubators throughout the territory. You all know this is essential, right?”
“Of course! We plan to set up large hatcheries in each region and propose standards for small incubators to farmers. We’ll also standardize the most successful methods.”
Personal incubators don’t operate automatically. Just like before, farmers must frequently check their conditions.
But simply informing them of the optimal breeding conditions would double the hatching rate, ensuring satisfaction.
During the initial phase, they would consume what the farmers produced within the territory, and in the meantime, build large hatcheries everywhere to produce meat like crazy.
Ghislaine chuckled at Claude’s overly confident reply and then looked at Vanessa.
“Building additional ones in each region won’t be a problem, right?”
“Yes, yes! We’ll need to observe a bit longer, but there shouldn’t be any major issues!”
Despite Ghislaine’s suggestion for her to take a break today, Vanessa disregarded it and insisted on attending the meeting.
Having succeeded in hatching once wasn’t the end of it. It was also important to maintain the conditions inside the incubators without any issues in the long run.
They had modified the machine several times while monitoring the incubators.
Now that one major issue was resolved, Ghislaine felt a bit more at ease.
However, he couldn’t relax too much just because things were going well.
‘The situation has become more complicated because of me. Everyone must be racking their brains hard.’
He was using knowledge from his previous life to change the future. Gradually, the situation was becoming more uncertain by the day.
‘If I misstep, everyone will die.’
Although the Knight Commander had met a clumsy end, the Knights of Cabaldy had all fought to the bitter end, risking their lives.
According to Belinda, they had even advised the castle wall commander to surrender, but he had refused.
Such loyal knights were attached even to a mere vile lord of the north. It was needless to say how the others felt.
‘Not to mention I have to continue fighting against even greater knights. It’s not just Desmond. The knights from the Duke’s faction are superior to those from other territories.’
Having fought without pause in his past life, he knew. Even an enemy like Ghislaine had to admit they were exceptional.
To defeat such beings, there was only one method. Always move ahead of the enemies.
Penris Territory needed to become stronger than it was now.
Currently, they were integrating all the towns of the territory with nearby fortresses and castles. They needed to maintain a wartime system at all times.
‘We need to stockpile enough supplies in every fortress and castle. And to ensure rapid coordination, we need something.’
After looking at the map for a moment, Ghislaine drew lines connecting each castle and village, even Perdium and the Northern Fortress.
The people gathered in the conference room exchanged puzzled looks. After glancing at them, Ghislaine grinned and said,
“It’s time to start large-scale road construction.”
*
Count Harold Desmond was currently in a considerable predicament.
He had lost Cabaldy’s territory, leading to unstable supplies of iron ore.
Moreover, it had been revealed that he was moving his army. He had tried to cover it up by saying it was training, but the Crown Prince Faction would not believe that.
Having played the neutral card while facing suspicion, all his previous efforts were now rendered useless.
“Sigh… That brat has completely ruined everything.”
Originally, he had planned to assist Cabaldy and then immediately push on to Perdium. However, since Cabaldy got crushed without even a proper fight, that plan had turned to dust.
Now, it was even difficult to instigate a war. If he moved recklessly, Marquis Branford would definitely target him.
He had also lost the position of Commander of the Northern Army to that guy. Though it wasn’t a crucial position, it felt terrible losing what he had clenched tightly.
‘What? A Count? That brat has already risen above a Count? His father has become a Marquis!’
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. That brat was steadily gathering everything he needed by exploiting the circumstances.
‘It’s not possible to declare war right now. Yet I can’t just leave that guy, sitting on iron ore, alone.’
He had to find a way to kill him as soon as possible.
With his mind in a whirl, Harold looked around at his retainers and asked,
“Are the spies sending useful information?”
Harold had also gathered information regarding the war movements. But every single report he received was thoroughly unreliable, making him scratch his head in frustration.
The information from the spies was the only somewhat trustworthy detail.
“They’ve blended in well among the immigrants, but… it’s not easy to make contact.”
“Why?”
“The blockade of the territory has eased somewhat, but the surveillance is strict. They’re only able to make contact during trade near the Lord’s Castle. And…”
“And?”
“It’s tough to carve out time since there’s so much work. The pay is good, and everyone has been able to afford their own houses.”
“…”
Harold momentarily lost his words. Why did everything go awry when connected to that brat?
He sent them to be spies, yet they were just working hard instead.
Taking a moment to breathe and suppressing his anger, Harold asked another question.
“Any peculiar updates?”
“They say the food is curiously not decreasing. They’re constantly distributing it to the territory residents and trading steadily.”
That was strange. No matter how much they hoarded, the amount used was far too high. Food should have run out by now.
There was certainly a route somewhere providing food. More information was needed.
“How about sending an assassin?”
“According to the intel, there are over 200 knights, and most of the troops are concentrated around the Lord’s Castle. The Crown Prince Faction has surely sent plenty of knights as support. It doesn’t seem possible for even skilled operatives to approach the castle.”
Harold clicked his tongue. If he attempted an assassination and failed, the defenses around Ghislaine would only become more severe.
He needed to plan carefully, thinking he had only one chance.
‘What the hell kind of situation is this, all because of that brat!’
Gritting his teeth unconsciously, Harold found himself resenting Ghislaine, as his reputation in the Duke’s faction continued to plummet.
After all, Ghislaine had grown so much that Harold’s failings were partly responsible.
If it weren’t for the food crisis, he would have already lost his seat.
One of his retainers cautiously opened his mouth, sensing the atmosphere.
“How about attacking the cosmetics merchants?”
“What’s the point of that? What more impact would it have on the situation apart from some monetary losses?”
If he couldn’t kill Ghislaine directly, then such childish tactics would be of no use.
Besides, cosmetics was a business the Marquis’s house had also dealt with. If things went wrong, it would complicate matters further and only heighten enemy vigilance.
Perhaps the retainer knew this, as he carefully continued.
“According to intel, the Penris Count himself led the merchants this time. If we can capture the moment he acts again…”
“When will that brat move?”
“…”
Since the cosmetics business had stabilized, Ghislaine rarely led the merchants directly. Waiting for an opportunity that could come at any time would take far too long.
Yet the issue was that there were no other options.
“Tell the spies to find out when he plans to move outside.”
“Yes, understood.”
Both Harold and his retainers held low expectations.
How could spies who were too busy to make proper contact discover such schedules?
Even if they managed to, the timing would undoubtedly be off.
‘Should I just ignore everything and attack his territory directly?’
Starting a war first was far too risky. Ghislaine’s forces had also increased significantly, and the 2nd Corps was still glaring nearby.
Plus, Count Raybold was still in a strong position.
It was surrounded by enemies on all sides.
Unless Amelia succeeded in her rebellion and the Duke’s faction started a civil war, Harold couldn’t expect to win without suffering great losses.
‘In the end, I suppose I have to wait until he brings his merchants out… Merchants… Wait? Merchants?’
Harold sank into thought for a moment before asking his deputy beside him,
“Didn’t that Pharil merchant we had on our side negotiate directly with him before?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Just as I thought. If he won’t come out himself, I have no choice but to go find and kill him.”
“Are you suggesting…”
“Throw away one merchant. Convey orders to find a way to meet and kill him.”
Sneaking in would have a high chance of failure. But once close, the chances for a successful ambush were much higher.
To do this, they would need bait that would be tempting enough for Ghislaine to meet in person.
“Make an offer he absolutely cannot refuse. He’ll have no choice but to show himself.”
For this plan to succeed, they had to use a merchant based somewhere else, one whose relationship with Harold had yet to be revealed.
This was quite a costly sacrifice in Harold’s eyes.
Knowing this, the retainers raised their objections.
“If we succeed, the loss is still too great. It took a lot of time to grow that merchant.”
“It’s more harmful to let him live. Send the special wine given by the Duke along with it.”
Harold had a special wine. It was the precious wine sent by the Duke to kill the leader of the Raybold Knights in the north.
It was a rare wine, with only a few bottles in the Duke’s possession.
Using it on Ghislaine instead of sending it to Amelia showed how desperate Harold was.
The retainers could no longer dissuade him. They read the violent determination in Harold’s eyes. If they insisted any further, that violent intent might turn toward them.
Grinding his teeth, Harold said once more,
“Make sure to kill that brat. Deliver that message.”
