Chapter 248
Chapter 248: Let’s Get Some Investment. (2)
Marquis Branford would accept the proposal as it benefitted the Crown Prince Faction, but he had no intention of reducing Ghislaine’s influence even a little.
He wanted to prevent a new Duke faction from emerging after winning the civil war.
He believed the chances were low, but when it came to that Ghislaine, he couldn’t make any hasty conclusions.
‘The military power is growing too rapidly. Leaving it alone now is good for us, but… the problem is after the civil war. We can’t let that guy keep flowing funds.’
If the royal family and he backed the road project, it would certainly succeed. He needs to seize as much profit as possible to bolster military power.
That way, even after the civil war, he could contain Ghislaine’s reckless ambitions.
“How much stake would be acceptable?”
In response to Lowell’s question, Marquis Branford answered with a nonchalant expression.
“I’ll raise it from the 20% proposed by Count Penris to 40%, double that. If you don’t accept, convey that it’s off the table. Once you contact them and have a decision, come back.”
“No, there’s no need to contact them. I’ll go with what you said.”
“……?”
Marquis Branford looked puzzled at the agreeable response. They doubled the amount, and yet a mere administrator accepted the proposal?
“Have you received full authority? Are you sure you can decide here?”
“Yes, I have full authority. We will proceed as discussed.”
In fact, Lowell had already received a hint from Ghislaine. He assured that the stake would increase, as long as it didn’t exceed 50%, he was to accept it unconditionally.
What Ghislaine cared about wasn’t really the profit. While it would be nice to have funds flowing in, it was merely a supplementary element that made filling the coffers a bit easier.
— The important thing is the justification that I am the owner of the road.
As long as he gets the announcement once, he can crush anyone who resists later on.
For now, Marquis Branford and the Crown Prince Faction had much more power than Ghislaine. Hence, he thought that even with similar profits, he could adequately control Ghislaine.
But that was not the case. What Ghislaine needed was just time. With enough power, he could sweep everything away without any justification.
He was merely employing this strategy to reduce that time. If he was to confront the Duke faction, he needed to build his strength faster than now.
Unbeknownst to Marquis Branford to Ghislaine’s thoughts, he looked at Lowell with suspicion.
‘It’s as if he expected how I might respond and prepared an answer. Is he really handing over profits so easily? Why?’
From what he had seen of Ghislaine, he was obsessed with money. Or rather, it was about his own interests.
Thus, he was convinced that Ghislaine’s donation under Bishop Porisco’s name was not out of pure goodwill.
It felt suspicious. Very suspicious, and the lack of understanding about his intentions made it even more unsettling.
‘This is undoubtedly a business that benefits us too. If that guy with deep pockets leads, it will be even better. So why do I feel so uncomfortable?’
It was suspicious what his intentions might be, but it also felt like his thoughts were being read, which made him feel worse.
Getting involved with that guy always led to this subtly unpleasant feeling.
He couldn’t shake the sensation of being led around the board that he set up.
But Marquis Branford wasn’t a person to act on emotion. He calculated the current situation and benefits, making a realistic decision to choose the best outcome.
“Alright. I will grant the right to collect fees in the name of the royal family and pass it on to each lord, so convey that the rest should proceed as they see fit.”
“Thank you. With the noble Marquis’s grace, we have resolved this difficult matter. I will always remember Marquis as our greatest supporter and follow your will.”
Marquis Branford smirked and continued.
“You’re quite the smooth talker. For the remaining investment matters, consult with Rosalyn.”
“I will do just that.”
After stepping back before Marquis Branford, Lowell immediately sought out Rosalyn.
She thoroughly reviewed the business plan and nodded with satisfaction.
“If the house of Marquis helps out, this business stands a good chance of success. Great! I’ll persuade Lady Meriel and the noble investors of our circle. Has the stake negotiation with my father concluded?”
“Yes, it has.”
“Did Count Penris mention anything else? Anything other than money?”
“No, nothing.”
“…….”
Rosalyn felt heat rising to her face again and took a deep breath. Since she fell ill, her face became hot whenever she got angry.
‘That jerk really has nothing to say to me other than money!’
Seeing her grumbling in annoyance, Lowell slightly tensed and leaned back in his seat.
‘Why is she like this? What’s bothering her?’
Rosalyn chewed her lips and spoke.
“I’ll send the investment as soon as it’s secured along with the cosmetics payment. We’ll recruit laborers for the capital and surrounding territories and start the work.”
This was a business that would take a hefty 40% share of the profits. Furthermore, it wasn’t just Rosalyn who was involved, but the house of Marquis itself was handling it, so she couldn’t be careless.
She didn’t like that Ghislaine only talked about money, but she wasn’t the type to let personal feelings interfere with work either.
With Rosalyn’s prompt decision, Lowell beamed and bowed deeply.
“I understand. Thank you for your swift decision, young lady. We will begin work immediately.”
After Lowell left, Rosalyn quickly recruited nobles for investment.
“Oh! A business run by the house of Marquis is trustworthy.”
“If the royal family and Marquis both support it, then it’s bound to succeed.”
“We absolutely have to invest! Anyone who doesn’t would be a fool!”
With all the noble investment proposals flooding in, they had to be selective about who to take in.
While Ghislaine was the principal behind the operation, no one saw him as the owner. If Marquis Branford were involved, it belonged to the house of Marquis.
The reputation and trust that Marquis Branford had built were significant enough for Rosalyn to gather an astonishing amount of investment.
Since it was a business entangled with the house of Marquis, nobody dared to sabotage or delay the work.
The lords of each territory were hesitant but couldn’t refuse either.
“Geez, that punk is getting into all sorts of trouble.”
“It’s frustrating to see him acting confidently because he trusts Marquis Branford. Can’t they just put him in his place?”
“We need to correct his behavior later. For now, we can’t help it since it’s an important business.”
Despite grumbling, they still supported the laborers. After all, the costs for hiring laborers were covered by Penris, so spending wouldn’t be a concern.
With the construction of roads connecting the Penris territory to the nearby territories underway, the road construction began in the capital under Rosalyn’s command.
In each territory, the overseers and engineers dispatched from Penris supervised the laborers in building the roads.
An immense number of laborers were mobilized simultaneously for the road construction. Given the influx of funds and manpower, it was no surprise that the work progressed rapidly.
Most laborers participating in the road construction were quietly focused on their tasks, but there were three who whispered among themselves without pause.
“Foreman, what’s going on? We’ve been working all day without a break. I’ve never seen a territory work like this!”
“Count Desmond wouldn’t push us this hard. At this rate, we might not even have the stamina to escape.”
At the words of the two, a middle-aged man with an unremarkable appearance replied gloomily.
“Right… Why isn’t the work finishing? Why are we stuck here laboring all the time?”
They were spies dispatched by Count Desmond.
For some time, the spies had been unable to enter the Penris territory due to territorial blockades.
However, as immigrants were being accepted all over the kingdom, they managed to blend in successfully among them.
Among the immigrants, many poor individuals without identification mixed in, making it impossible for Ghislaine to weed out all the spies.
The foreman of the spies sighed as he continued speaking.
“The workload is heavy… but we can’t help it if we want to obtain information. We just have to work hard.”
“However… we still can’t manage to sneak out any of the cosmetics or incubator technology, right? Can we even do that?”
“That… let’s put that on hold. We need to find ways to access those technologies or tasks.”
While working in the Penris territory, the spies uncovered some astonishing facts.
Strangely, supplies weren’t dwindling. Rumors suggested there was some kind of monster grain involved.
They also learned of the existence of a large incubator that churned out chickens. Cosmetics had been on their investigation list even before they arrived, as they were well-known products.
But they hadn’t managed to glean any production techniques. The only thing they could find out was that monster grains were being produced in large quantities in the old Penris area, but again, they couldn’t uncover any detailed information.
Even if they wanted to investigate more, reality was proving harsh.
“Getting out later will be a problem, but the bigger issue is that we aren’t getting any useful information. No one lets anyone rest.”
“What if we just say we can’t work anymore because it’s too hard and quit? Then we’d have some time to investigate.”
“Oh no, it’s far riskier for someone with no ties like us. It’s better to continue working. Have you ever seen anyone who came in with us unlucky enough to get dragged off as soldiers? They end up dead. They’d have to fight our territory’s army. No matter how great Count Penris is, he can’t possibly defeat Count Desmond.”
Ghislaine took special measures with the new migrants entering after lifting the territory blockade.
Anyone idling around with no ties, or those whose identities were ambiguous, were all arrested and thrown into forced labor brigades.
Criminals serving sentences in the territory were likewise sent off to labor brigades, called the oddly named ‘Labor Assault Corps’.
The ones managing that corps were Kaor, rumored to be a “Mad Hound,” and former members of the Mad Hound Knight Order.
The spies shuddered at the thought of those dragged off to the labor corps. They absolutely did not want to end up there.
“Ugh… that’s true, but… this is just too exhausting…”
For the spies, the most crucial point was being recognized as residents of the territory. It was so they could collect information freely.
How delighted they had been to infiltrate without suspicion thanks to the immigrants!
But they soon realized that simply entering the Penris territory wasn’t the end of the problem.
They learned of the existence of cosmetics, large incubators, and remarkable technologies, but they needed access to actually find out more!
They had started working at the construction site to avoid being caught as spies, but that had turned out to be a colossal mistake.
“I’m about to die. My whole body aches.”
“I’m too busy trying to sleep. What information? You need free time to gather that.”
“Can’t we just run away right now? Since we got dragged into road construction, we can’t even contact the merchant group.”
The spies murmured with gloomy expressions.
They had been forced to do road work because they had supported the construction workers. None of them had ever experienced such hard labor, leaving them at a total loss and utterly drained.
Still, staying under suspicion was the priority, so they were working diligently.
The proverb “the thief’s foot hurts” might as well apply to this.
“Having carried materials all day, I can hardly lift my arms.”
“Seems like everyone else is working hard too. Why are we the only ones feeling so sore and worn out?”
Since they were just working hard without any know-how, it was only natural they would feel tired.
As the team members began to grumble, the foreman glanced around cautiously and whispered quietly.
“What if we quit being spies and just lived here?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“What are you talking about? We’ve been making good money and could buy a house here…”
“What does that even matter?”
“Think about it. Do any of you have a house back in Count Desmond’s territory?”
At the foreman’s question, all the members shook their heads.
“No, I came here living at my parents’ house. Our territory has expensive housing.”
“I have one, but it’s just a shabby cabin in a small village.”
The foreman’s eyes lit up, seizing the opportunity.
“Right, so how about we just live here? We have a place and are making plenty of money, right? This is way better than being spies!”
“No way! What are you saying? What about our families?”
“That’s right! If they catch on to our betrayal, they’ll definitely not leave our families alone!”
No territory sends spies without taking some precautions. Naturally, they put shackles in place to prevent betrayal. The most commonly used method is taking family members hostage.
As the members raised their voices, the foreman waved his hands urgently.
“Shh, shh! As long as they do well where they are, we’re fine. We can just pretend to be dead if we get caught. That way, no one will touch our families. They’re just observing our families to be ready for when we betray them.”
“Crazy traitor….”
The member was about to continue but halted. Noticing a commotion nearby, it seemed someone important had arrived.
The foreman subtly lowered his head and murmured.
“Looks like a lord has come. Let’s talk later. For now, let’s lay low and avoid drawing attention.”
Soon, Ghislaine appeared on the construction site. It was well-known that the lords inspected various works daily without fail.
Ghislaine meticulously checked around and then spotted the three hunched up in a corner.
“Hmm? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere? Where was it?”
At Ghislaine’s mutter, the foreman broke into a cold sweat. Although they hadn’t committed any serious crimes yet, the fact they were here for a major one made them understandably tense.
After pondering briefly, Ghislaine nodded and spoke.
“Aha, you’re those friends I saw during the residence work. But I recall you three were constantly gathered together back then too?”
At those words, the spies turned pale.
