Chapter 244
Chapter 244: I Will Start a New Business (2)
‘Penris Arrow Delivery? What’s that?’
‘This is insane. Last time they put some weird name on cosmetics, too.’
‘Can’t they come up with better naming sense?’
No matter the business details, just hearing the name made my head spin. As the retainers gawked with their mouths agape, Ghislaine went into defense mode.
“What? What’s wrong? The name needs to be intuitive so that people understand it easily! It has to be that way! Last time, I conceded on the cosmetics name because it was for the nobles. Right?”
Ghislaine had spent more time as a mercenary than as a noble. Naturally, she preferred quick and intuitive names to unnecessarily fancy phrases.
I still felt a bit regretful about missing out on “Lovely Blingbling.” The initial reaction had been so poor, and since it was a luxury item meant solely for nobles, I let it slide, but this time I couldn’t back down.
Claude, still with a dazed expression, asked, “So what is this arrow delivery exactly? I have a rough idea, but could you tell me what you plan to do?”
“It’s simple. It’s a business to deliver people’s letters and items.”
“Oh…”
“We’ll create ‘Telegraph Offices’ in each city and town, charging a small fee to safely deliver letters and items. The ultimate goal is to establish telegraph offices in every city and town connected by roads.”
“Hmmm…”
In this era, it wasn’t easy for commoners to send letters or items to distant relatives. You couldn’t just send something whenever; it had to go through travelers, merchants, or the military when they were on the move, which was a significant limitation.
Of course, one could hire a merchant or pay someone to send it, but that was difficult for poor territory residents to use.
Thus, it could take months just to send a letter.
If it could be established as a business of the territory to transport messages instead, everyone could easily send letters and items.
Ghislaine didn’t stop there.
“Since the roads need to be connected, we’ll only operate within the territory for now, but there will still be a decent number of users. At the very least, soldiers separated from their families due to duty will frequently need it.”
The retainers nodded vacantly.
“And in fact, even in areas without connected roads, we can still deliver the items. It’ll just take a bit more time. For now, we can operate from within the territory, and once the basic system is established, knights and administrators from afar, as well as immigrants, can use it too. We’ll have to charge more for those, though.”
“Oh…”
Everyone wore expressions of admiration. It was indeed a plan with business potential.
The Penris territory wasn’t only inhabited by locals; wars and territorial annexations had mixed in people from Perdium, Digald, and Cabaldy. There were also thousands of immigrants from entirely different regions.
Many knights and administrators who responded to Ghislaine’s invitation came alone to Penris, away from their families and relatives.
Especially soldiers who were separated due to duty would boost morale by frequently sending well-being letters to their families and close relatives.
“That’s not all. Once this system is firmly in place, it will become easier for territory residents to acquire goods. The faster communication between cities and towns becomes, the quicker we can identify the necessary goods and materials.”
As Ghislaine finished speaking, Claude broke out in a cold sweat, deep in thought.
‘What is this? How did she come up with such an idea? This is on a whole new level compared to past businesses. If successful, we could make a fortune! A delivery business spanning half the kingdom with the right to collect road usage fees!’
Seeing Claude’s deep contemplation, Ghislaine chuckled.
‘Back when I was a rookie mercenary, I used to do a lot of deliveries.’
Even now, there are nobles or merchants who would use mercenaries to send important items. In fact, mercenaries are the ones who provide protection while delivering things.
If they got attacked by bandits or monsters along the way, both the goods and the people would be lost, hence the need to hire mercenaries to mitigate the risks.
Thus, the more skilled the mercenaries or the larger the merchant groups, the more they charged for delivery fees.
‘It was certainly convenient in my past life.’
In my previous life, such a business did emerge. It arose out of necessity to respond to disasters rather than for profit.
The intermediate bases established for military movements and the supply of goods to each fort were utilized in that way.
Having already experienced the convenience of such a system, Ghislaine was determined to set it up as a sustainable business on a territorial level.
‘It would prove immensely beneficial during civil strife and disasters. It could also be useful for dispatching troops to deal with rebellious individuals.’
It wasn’t solely for profit. During peacetime, it would operate as a delivery business, but in wartime, it would serve military purposes as well.
Since it was something that would need to be done eventually, it was a way to earn money too.
Seeing Ghislaine’s overflowing confidence, Claude’s mind was working rapidly.
‘This lord has a track record of pulling off ridiculous schemes. Maybe if we push this, it might actually work.’
Laying down the roads is just a matter of pouring in money and manpower, and building stables and telegraph offices could also be done with manpower.
All good and well, but there was one thing that couldn’t just be done with manpower.
“We lack riders, right? Even if the roads are connected, what’s the point if there are no one to deliver the goods? You’re not planning to borrow them, are you? Cavalry are a high-tier unit and there aren’t many in the capital. Other lords wouldn’t support this.”
“That’s why I plan to train professional riders. When urgent, we’ll use cavalry, and otherwise, they’ll work in delivery. We were already planning on training cavalry anyway. Hehe.”
Ghislaine let out a cheer without realizing it. Training while working would naturally improve riding skills. The idea of training soldiers while earning money was truly irresistible.
It was a brilliantly conceived plan, without a doubt. For this, she went out of her way to acquire more horses than necessary.
“……”
No one could respond adequately to Ghislaine’s shocking declaration.
‘Looks like she’s dead set on using people. So they must train as soldiers while working?’
‘She wants to build roads and train cavalry at the same time? Everyone’s going to drop dead.’
‘Why is it that every task is so extraordinary? Now that we’ve become wealthy, can’t we just live comfortably?’
Of course, it wasn’t just negative thoughts. The size of the operation was staggering, causing some to be left in a daze, while others had a more positive outlook.
‘If we can safely send letters and goods at any time? If that’s possible, we could make a fortune.’
‘This is truly the bold thinking of an unrestrained lord. A delivery department? Delivery soldiers? She’s even considering creating an entirely new profession.’
‘If it gets completed, it could become a great achievement. If we back it from the territory level, every single person in the kingdom will have to use it. And with the Crown Prince faction behind us, we have solid backing.’
There wasn’t a single territory or group in this kingdom operating a proper delivery business.
In the past, no one even thought of connecting roads this far.
In earlier days, they would have never dared to tell Ghislaine not to talk nonsense. However, with so many horses and residents, there was an expectation that they could attempt it.
Claude also assessed Ghislaine’s plan as having business potential. Surely the workload would increase, but with her connections and power now, pouring the territory’s capabilities into the plan seemed likely to lead to success.
And… he figured that despite any persuasion, she would refuse to listen.
He sighed deeply and said, “Understood. I will send people to each territory and the capital to convey the business plan. First, we need to start construction on the roads and secure the right to collect usage fees. It stands to reason that training cavalry will take time, so there may be significant initial losses…”
Before Claude could finish, Ghislaine waved her hands dismissively.
“What are you talking about? Why would we incur losses? It only takes a month or two to train cavalry quickly. I’ve got a plan for that!”
“What? How can you train cavalry that quickly? That’s impossible.”
Ghislaine then smiled slyly.
“It’s possible. The time has come to utilize the elves.”
*
Months had passed since the elves began their endurance training. Ghislaine thought a few months ought to raise their basic fitness somewhat.
She hadn’t had a chance to check in between because she’d been away on northern expeditions, but she knew Gordon was working exceptionally hard.
Ghislaine set out with some retainers to visit the elves to gradually move onto her next plan.
“One! Two! Three! Four! Five…”
Gordon’s booming voice could be heard from a distance. Ghislaine walked forward with a satisfied smile.
However, upon arriving at the training grounds, everyone was struck with shock at the sight of the elves.
‘This is… an elf?’
‘What happened to their bodies…?’
‘No matter how much they’ve been training, what on earth have they been eating?’
They were unrecognizable from their old selves. Muscles bulged to the point where moving was difficult.
It didn’t matter whether they were tall, short, male or female. They were all like bodybuilders now. Their trapezius muscles were so pronounced it seemed hard to even turn their heads.
But their lower bodies were surprisingly weak. Had they just focused on upper-body training? They all had that inverted triangle physique.
“……”
Ghislaine could only blink at the sight of the elves after so long, unable to speak. What on earth had they done to undergo such a transformation?
Gordon, who had been working out with the elves, spotted Ghislaine and greeted her excitedly.
“Lord! When did you come back? I’ve ensured they’re definitely undergoing ‘physique’ training! I’m going to start on their lower bodies next!”
The elves struck impressive poses for Ghislaine, seemingly eager to show off their muscles.
“This is quite fun! Hahaha!”
“Now that we have muscles, we’re feeling confident!”
“At first, it was a bit gross, but now I think it looks awesome! Kyaaa!”
“……”
After watching the elves boast about their muscles for a moment, Ghislaine looked around at the retainers and asked, “Why… did none of you say anything until they got this way?”
Ghislaine, Gillian, and Claude had been out, so they hadn’t had a chance to check. Others could have done so if they wanted to.
Everyone avoided her gaze and mumbled in unison, “We were too busy…”
“I thought they would manage it well on their own…”
“This was something you said didn’t need much attention…”
The elves trained in a corner of the lord’s castle. Unless someone made a point to visit them, it would be hard to notice their state.
The retainers were simply too busy with their own work to have reason to visit them. Gordon would only request what he needed and nothing more.
Gillian sighed deeply and bowed towards Ghislaine.
“…I’m sorry.”
He had been the one to recommend Gordon. After instructing them on ‘endurance’ training, he had ended up with ‘physique’ training. There wasn’t even a reason to make excuses.
“I’ll trim down some of that muscle.”
“…Okay.”
Ghislaine was planning to create a new special unit that would suit the elves. They weren’t shield soldiers or assault soldiers; excessive muscle growth would have adverse effects.
If their muscles became too bulky, they wouldn’t be able to exert proper strength. Especially agility and endurance would significantly drop.
There are indeed individuals suited for such training, but it’s only fitting for those who fight with a focus on strength and destructive power. It certainly wasn’t suited for the slender elves.
Unaware of the gravity of the situation, Gordon came running with a big smile.
“Lord! How does it look? I only feed them chicken breasts every day to prevent muscle loss… Kek!”
Before Ghislaine could respond, Gillian silently started to smack Gordon.
‘Seriously, there’s not a single decent one among them.’
The elves too, upon seeing Gordon get hit, stopped boasting of their muscles and started to act timid.
Surprisingly, Ascon’s physique seemed the most normal. He maintained a lean figure while also having solid muscle.
It seemed not properly training turned out to be a stroke of luck.
“See, you should’ve trained just like me. Everyone besides me looks terrible.”
Ascon proudly tossed his hair back, clearly pleased with himself.
Ghislaine shook her head and immediately called the elves.
“We will halt ‘physique’… no, endurance training here. We’ll move on to the next task.”
“Ugh!”
“……”
Their responses became quite strange. No matter how accustomed the elves had become to the human world, they seemed to have become even stranger in their absence.
“……In the mornings, we will rebuild our bodies together with Gillian, and then begin basic training.”
“Ugh!”
“…Change your speech, too.”
“Ugh!”
“…And Ascon.”
As Ghislaine called him, Ascon slowly approached, glancing nervously.
“What is it?”
“From now on, there is something every elf must do. After morning training, they will solely focus on that work in the afternoon.”
“What is it…?”
“From now on, all elves will become horse breeders. Train the horses as quickly as possible so that others can ride them too.”
Ascon’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden pronouncement. He had never even considered such a thing. He had always just ridden in comfortable wagons and didn’t know how to ride a horse.
“No, seriously… how are we supposed to do that? None of us have even raised a proper dog.”
Ghislaine smiled as she grabbed Ascon’s shoulder.
“No, you can do it. This is something only the elves can do. It requires your race’s unique ‘empathy’ ability.”
