Chapter 250
Chapter 250: Our Knights Will Wear It Like This (2)
It’s true that we need to steadily increase our troops and military weapons. However, no matter how much money Ghislaine makes and how much the territory develops, just how much can we actually increase?
‘Compared to the Duke’s troops, this is nothing.’
If we’re only going to take down Count Desmond, then as Galbarik says, just increasing our troops and weapons will suffice. But the troops operated by the Duke’s faction are on a different scale when compared to those of other territories.
Considering the troops of the lords and nobles who follow the Duke, the numbers easily exceed a hundred thousand.
Preparing a force of a similar scale in a short period is simply impossible. So what should we do?
‘Each individual must fight like ten men.’
Four hundred knights must be able to take on at least forty thousand enemies; a thousand soldiers should manage to fight against more than ten thousand foes.
Still, even with such measures, victory cannot be guaranteed when facing the Delphine Duke’s faction.
‘To achieve that, we need to raise our skills to the utmost and equip ourselves with the best gear.’
This armor and helmet will feature lightweight properties, night vision, enhanced strength and agility, and environmental adaptation magic including temperature regulation.
The knights will channel mana into the runestones, activating the magic circles. By doing this, the equipment can be used semi-permanently.
The soldiers will follow suit. They will be equipped with armaments made from Galbarium and undergo rigorous training to become elite warriors.
‘To others, we may appear as a large army… but no matter how many troops we have, we will inevitably remain a small force compared to the Duke’s faction. So we need to create a strong, elite minority.’
Moreover, we will not only have to deal with the Duke’s faction.
Galbarik, absorbed in reviewing the documents, muttered without realizing it.
“Sure, wearing such gear would make us stronger, but… is this really equipment meant for fighting against people?”
It seemed excessive for dealing with people. The amount of technology and money involved was staggering.
Wearing this, a knight could easily take on an ogre alone.
Ghislaine snickered at Galbarik’s words.
“They are so strong that we’re preparing for even scarier foes later on. Regardless, this is a really important task, so make sure you do it right.”
With words that seemed to hide something, Galbarik nodded without pressing further.
‘Given the amount of money involved, it seems like we’re gearing up for monster hunting. Are we planning to head to that Forest of Monsters again? Still, wouldn’t it be cheaper to bolster our troop numbers and train them instead?’
If we consider efficiency, this seems like the worst possible waste of money.
‘Where in the world does this extravagant spending come from?’
At a young age, is he just getting caught up in appearances and throwing money around?
Galbarik thought casually and then asked another question.
“By the way, why is it all black?”
Strangely, the armor and helmets ordered by Ghislaine were all black.
To make it black, special work is needed to prevent silver from showing even as the armor wears down. This requires additional money, so it’s rarely used outside of specific groups.
“It’s convenient for moving at night and ambushing.”
“…Ah, I see. That does suit the purpose.”
He seemed to have really gone mad for fighting after just a bit of war.
To enhance battle efficiency, he’s even thought about covering the knights’ pride—silver armor—in black.
“Oh, and the symbolism isn’t bad either. During the last war, we had those black flags, and they actually had a decent effect.”
During the Battle of Perdium, both Viktor and Count Digald would freak out whenever the Black Brigade showed up.
Black armor might lose elegance, but it certainly had greater momentum than silver armor.
“Understood. I’ll increase the production of Galbarium and work on the armor and helmets together. The wizards are going to be annoyed again.”
The wizards had been rolling around at the construction site and were busy being summoned from all over whenever needed.
They’d surely throw a fit if they found out their workload had just increased.
Ghislaine spoke in a tone as though being generous.
“Once the armor and helmet production is done, we’ll grant them the same vacation as before. The mass production of Galbarium and the building of equipment are top priorities, so everyone should focus on this.”
“Oh! Vacation? Got it! Don’t worry!”
The only joy in this territory was stuffing oneself until bursting and taking a short break. Galbarik and the dwarves had adapted perfectly.
“Always fast and reliable. You know that, right?”
“Of course… You always nag, don’t you?”
That voice had become tiresome to hear. Galbarik grumbled as he left.
Ghislaine smiled watching Galbarik depart. The Galbarium would tremendously elevate the territory’s military might.
The power of this new material was indeed formidable.
While Galbarik might not realize it, Ghislaine was also planning to create other weapons using Galbarium.
Once that’s complete, the very concept of mobile warfare would be completely transformed.
“Finish quickly. Then we can move on to the next task.”
Ghislaine smiled with anticipation.
*
“……”
Claude stared at the financial statement requested by the dwarves in silence for quite some time.
Without changing his expression as he looked at the request, he simply approved it. The dwarves glanced at him in surprise several times before leaving.
Claude remained unresponsive, closing his eyes and sipping tea.
Even Wendy, who usually wouldn’t dare to talk to Claude, found herself unable to contain her curiosity at his unusual behavior.
“Why… were you so quiet?”
Normally, he would have caused a huge commotion, arguing with the lord before finally approving anything.
Even if it was useless, he would oppose it just to awaken a little awareness in the lord.
Because the lord was someone who would spend recklessly if he deemed something necessary. It was intended to make him think once more before spending.
But this time, he wasn’t doing that, so she couldn’t help but wonder.
Claude put his teacup down and replied with a peaceful smile.
“It’s easier to just give up.”
“……”
“This damn territory, whether it goes bankrupt or not, what do I care? It’s not my money.”
“……”
Ghislaine may just push ahead regardless, but it was Claude’s job to calculate the subsequent funds, distribute them, and assign tasks.
No matter how much money was made, the territory’s finances still remained tight, and Claude felt his head would spin trying to grease the wheels in-between.
Even without funds, he had to keep pressing on with the tasks the lord assigned him. It was truly a maddening territory.
The others at least got paid handsomely and were happy, but Claude, a slave without pay, had none of that joy. It drove him insane.
“Ah! I wish war would break out again! What’s Count Desmond doing, why isn’t he here? Is he scared?”
If it’s going to collapse, then just do it already. Claude felt himself slowly losing his sanity.
Wendy looked at him with rare sympathetic eyes before changing the subject.
“Still, that alloy Galbarium seems amazing. The soldiers’ power will increase, and I think people’s lives will change drastically.”
“Yeah, I guess so. We’ll start producing it like crazy from now on.”
He had built many smelters and forges all over the territory. But until now, they had mostly been used for the bare minimum required to maintain the facilities.
The real plan was to kick things into gear after Galbarium was developed.
The blacksmiths were generally doing better compared to other technicians in the territory.
But now that Galbarium had been developed, all the smelters and forges would be extremely busy.
The blacksmiths, who received Galbarium from the dwarves firsthand, were taken aback.
“W-what?! They actually created this alloy!”
“Of course, it’s the dwarves!”
“I heard the lord was the one who taught them the technique.”
It was indeed an extraordinary alloy. A metal with strength comparable to iron but much lighter—this was something they could have never dreamed of.
The dwarves even offered to share the knowledge with them, and the blacksmiths were incredibly excited. Gaining such skills is a huge honor for blacksmiths.
Though they had carefully selected trustworthy individuals, they would ultimately need to recruit more people to scale up production.
And not everyone can be perfect. Some blacksmiths began to have devious thoughts.
‘If I learn this technique and head to another territory, I could make a fortune, right?’
No matter how high the pay might be, it would never compare to selling a skill. Additionally, since it would be a technique known only to them in another territory, they could even sell it at a monopoly.
People are the same everywhere. When treasures are dangled before them, greed is bound to rise.
Learning an already completed technique isn’t difficult. Within days, several blacksmiths had begun to look around cautiously after learning the new skill.
‘The territory’s blockade has been lifted, so if I make a good excuse, I could slip away, right?’
That thought was immediately crushed once the skill training concluded.
“Who… are you?”
“We’ll be escorting someone who has mastered an essential technique of the territory, so we will be watching you for the time being.”
‘What escort? More like surveillance!’
Under the pretext of guarding the blacksmiths, two soldiers were paired with each blacksmith. The blacksmiths were left with no choice but to give up on making an escape. They had to be satisfied with receiving high wages instead.
However, the soldiers’ obsession was over the top.
“Come on! Stop following me! This is the bathroom!”
“Why are you watching me eat!”
“If you follow me to wash up, people will get the wrong idea!”
They clung like leeches, making it hard to even go to the bathroom comfortably. They couldn’t freely drink with friends either.
“It’s getting late, so why don’t you head home?”
“It wouldn’t be good if you got too drunk.”
If they looked like they might get too drunk and start saying foolish things, the soldiers appeared out of nowhere and dragged them away. During the night, two new soldiers would come to keep watch until dawn.
It was a bit bothersome, but it was not intolerable. After all, having personal protection wasn’t a bad feeling at all.
But the blacksmiths felt an uneasy feeling lingering in the back of their minds.
Galbarium was only produced in large-scale smelting areas near the lord’s castle. Once produced here, it was sent to various regions.
And around this smelting area, there were multiple large, splendid houses that stood empty.
“Could it be…?”
They had all passed by without thinking much of it. But seeing the guards now made them feel a sense of foreboding.
Sure enough, their apprehensions were correct just a while later.
“Dear! When did you buy such a fine house? I’m so sorry for only knowing you were struggling to save money and not realizing it. Plus, they’re even assigning guards to our house! When did you become so successful?”
“Wow! Dad is the best! Is this really our house now? It’s huge!”
The child’s mother spoke with a joyful expression.
“Now Dad works nearby, so he’ll be able to come home right after work. If he’s too busy, we can go and see him.”
“Wow! I want to go see Dad working!”
“……”
The blacksmiths, seeing the joyful faces of their wives and children or parents, lowered their heads. They realized they could never escape now.
After finishing work and being forcibly taken home, they found themselves having already moved into a new house without even knowing it.
Seeing how happy their families were, it became difficult for them, as heads of households, to even say no.
One blacksmith’s wife, overcome with emotion, kept wiping her tears.
“Why were you so stupid not to say anything and go through all the hardship alone! I didn’t even know you were that kind of man! I thought about divorcing you… No, sob! Anyway, my husband is the best.”
‘No, please… I haven’t been working hard at all… Please say you don’t like this house. Tell me you want to go back to our original home.’
Without realizing her husband’s true feelings, the wife threw her hair back and looked at him with a provocative gaze.
“Just wait a minute. I’ll wash up quickly.”
“W-wait, what do you mean? Wash up, why?”
The blacksmith stepped back in terror.
Similar events unfolded at the homes of all the blacksmiths responsible for Galbarium production.
They could no longer escape the smelting area. The house was right nearby. Even if they wanted to sneak away to have some fun, their families and the soldiers were watching them closely.
‘This damn… this place.’
Some blacksmiths, wanting to avoid going home, even took up late-night shifts. As a result, the production speed of Galbarium increased further.
The Galbarium that was produced wasn’t just a burden for those making it. The blacksmiths across various regions had to create military equipment and tools for the residents as soon as the Galbarium arrived.
The smelters and forges, which had almost been idle, finally began to hum with activity. The fires burned bright even during the night.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Wow! Why is there so much work!”
The sounds of hammers ringing and the screams of blacksmiths echoed from every corner of the territory.
The first items produced were the armor and weapons for the soldiers. With all the blacksmiths from various regions working hard, an incredible quantity was being churned out daily.
The soldiers, dressed in their new gear, were left speechless.
“Full plate armor? Is this a mistake?”
“We aren’t knights, but infantry!”
“How are we supposed to wear this? We’ll be exhausted in no time!”
Typically, soldiers wear padded cloth armor or, at best, breastplates or leather armor provided by even the wealthiest territories.
Providing every soldier with equipment meant for knights was an impossible task, no matter how much money they had.
And no matter how thin and lightweight it was made, the soldiers weren’t skilled enough to fight while wearing metal armor.
Yet they were now being issued such armor indiscriminately, leaving everyone utterly bewildered.
“It’s good, but… no matter how well-made it is, it’s quite heavy for us to wear…”
Muttering while lifting the armor, the soldier was taken aback and lost his words.
The armor was too light.
