Chapter 267
Chapter 267: Are We Really Preparing for War Again? (2)
Ignoring the reactions of his retainers, Ghislaine continued speaking.
“What’s the most important military status?”
The retainers had already anticipated Ghislaine’s plan to some extent. They had experienced the lord’s troublesome habits more than once.
No matter what the lord needed, he would beat someone up, and something was always prepared by beating someone. With this level of preparation, it was time to get ready to beat someone.
So the retainers simply gave up and refrained from voicing dissent.
“All troops have been fully equipped with Galbarium gear. As per your instructions, we are focusing on cavalry skills, archery, and various weapon techniques without discrimination among the soldier types.”
“We have constructed military facilities, including training camps and barracks, in every city and fortress. However, it seems we’ve built too much compared to the number of troops, leaving many empty spaces.”
“We’re also providing basic training to the territory residents in preparation for conscription.”
Currently, Penris’s military strength, including the recent increase in soldiers and knights, was around 4,000. This number had already surpassed the strength of Perdium, which was held by his father.
It was rare for any place in the kingdom to boast more troops than this.
Objectively, that wasn’t a small number at all, but it was nowhere near enough to compete against the duke’s faction. Not even close; it didn’t even reach half of Count Desmond’s troops.
No matter how much they reinforced the knights and cultivated elite soldiers, overcoming the power gap due to numbers was nearly impossible.
The fewer soldiers there were, the fewer strategies could be employed, and the greater the potential damage during combat.
Ghislaine frowned and asked Claude.
“Why is the troop recruitment so slow? We were supposed to be continuously recruiting, were we not? Is it not going well?”
“Well, there’s just been too much work. We focused on hiring laborers and developing the territory. Also, it seems the territory residents prefer working for money rather than serving as soldiers. There aren’t many who enjoy the military.”
“Right, we need to find a solution for that. Anyway, everyone knows there will soon be a civil war, right? We must prepare thoroughly from now on—especially in terms of soldier training and securing military supplies.”
No retainer was unaware that a war might occur someday, regardless of the lord’s troublesome habits.
As Ghislaine, belonging to the Crown Prince faction, had already captured and killed Count Cabaldy of the Duke faction, intensifying the conflict between the Crown Prince and Duke factions was an obvious outcome.
Claude scratched his head and said,
“Well, we’re always keeping an eye on war preparations. The issue is how we’ll move.”
To withstand a long-term war, the territory had to be prosperous, so everyone focused on developing it.
The residents were reaping the benefits now, but in reality, every project in Penris was aimed at strengthening military power.
Now that Claude clearly understood the enemy’s movements, he had adopted a constant state of readiness for war.
“Good, you’re doing well. How are the movements of the neighboring territories?”
“The most important Count Desmond is accelerating his war preparations. He is now openly gathering troops, clearly intending to attack us, but I doubt he’ll actually strike until the Crown Prince and Duke factions start clashing in earnest.”
“After all, he can’t act alone due to Marquis Branford’s influence. What about Amelia?”
“She’s still at a passive stand-off with Baron Valua. It seems that northern lords are lurking behind her, causing her to be cautious.”
Ghislaine couldn’t help but smile.
Because of him, Harold’s situation had worsened, hastening Amelia’s rebellion while Davin had managed to survive. She must be quite troubled.
With Davin, who had a higher succession right still alive, lords with connections to the late Count Raybold could now invade Raybold’s territory under the guise of justification.
According to the customs of the north, nearby lords would never acknowledge a woman as a ruler.
Moreover, Amelia was at war with Baron Valua. Other lords would be drooling at the prospect of taking a piece of Raybold amidst this turmoil.
“What about the Crown Prince and Duke factions?”
“The former lords of the Crown Prince faction are participating in the road construction, which seems to have annoyed the Duke faction lords. They’ve deployed troops at the borders adjacent to the Crown Prince faction’s territories, while the Crown Prince faction is also positioning troops under the pretext of protecting the roads under construction.”
“Oh, I bet tensions are high?”
“Yes, it seems that a minor dispute could easily escalate into a knife fight. This is all caused by your madness… No, I mean, it’s all because of you, my lord.”
Ghislaine laughed again. The lords of the Duke faction bordering the Crown Prince’s territory were undoubtedly on edge.
Once the road was properly finished, the Crown Prince could assemble his troops at any time for a surprise attack.
Because of him, everything was progressing faster than in his previous life. If things continued this way, civil war could erupt from even a minor incident.
Both factions were being dragged along by the affairs he was leading.
‘I can create the catalyst for conflict whenever I want once I prepare everything.’
Of course, it was unrealistic to confront the Duke faction head-on in his current state. The immediate goal was to definitively deal with Count Desmond first. The rest would inevitably be handled by the Crown Prince faction.
In his past life, the Crown Prince faction had struggled without food and ultimately couldn’t exert their strength during the civil war, losing in the process. However, thanks to him, they had weathered the famine this time.
Even when the civil war began, he’d ensure there was enough time to crush Desmond.
Currently, the soldiers of Penris were enduring harsh training to become elite troops. The production capacity of the territory for armament and food had risen to levels beyond comparison with the past.
‘Still, it’s a bit lacking for now.’
He didn’t desire a victory that came with injuries. If that happened, they would be instantly overwhelmed by the Duke faction.
Thus, more troops and armaments were required. Only then could he decisively bring down Desmond and conquer the north.
Only then would he finally be ready to confront the Duke faction.
Ghislaine smiled fiercely and spoke.
“First, accelerate troop recruitment. The target is 10,000 soldiers.”
It was time to commit fully to preparing for the civil war.
*
Recruitment announcements were sent to all areas of the territory. Since they were already in the midst of ongoing recruitment, the residents were not particularly stirred.
They merely thought that the lord was continuing to reinforce the troops as usual.
So much so that they had become complacent, wrapped up in their peaceful daily lives.
Recruiting troops would naturally take time, so Ghislaine decided to visit Galbarik first.
He wanted to check if the equipment he had commissioned before heading out to hunt monsters had been completed.
“What? It’s still not done? Have you all just been slacking off?”
“J-just a little longer, please. The wizards are all working hard on it now.”
These were high-tech equipment using the best technology of the territory. Simply making a helmet and armor wasn’t the end of it.
They had to incorporate various runestones and engrave responsive magic circles. However, completing that with only a half-baked design was far from easy.
Once the first set was made properly, the subsequent production would be much easier. But the first set that met Ghislaine’s performance expectations just wouldn’t materialize.
Moreover, to be honest, Ghislaine wasn’t there, so it was also true that they had slacked off for several days. Realizing this, Ghislaine visited Galbarik every day.
“Is it still not done yet?”
“Just a bit longer…”
“What about today?”
“A few more days…”
“When will it be ready?”
“Soon…”
It was undeniable that they had let their guard down and slacked off while he was away, but having him rush in every time made it truly unbearable.
‘Ugh, this is so frustrating.’
‘I thought it would be done quickly, but it’s harder than I expected.’
‘Knowing my temper, I shouldn’t have slacked off.’
Galbarik and the dwarves gritted their teeth, dedicating themselves to their work and research. Naturally, the wizards had no choice but to forego sleep and keep up.
When they were making the large incubator, Vanessa had made the dwarves work tirelessly, but this time, things had reversed.
With the workload piling up, Alfoy grilled Galbarik.
“Hey! Are we your subordinates? I’m busy too, so why do you keep calling us to do this and that?”
“What? We helped you every night when you were making the large incubator! And you’ve been slacking off too! You hypocrite!”
“That was because the lord ordered it, so it was only natural!”
“This is also what the lord ordered!”
As the two were about to start fighting, Vanessa stepped in to mediate.
“Alfoy, please don’t! It’s true that the dwarves worked hard to help us! We’re the ones responsible for the magic circle work anyway!”
If Vanessa stepped in, Alfoy had to back down. He scratched his head and muttered.
“Well, since this isn’t going well… I was just wondering if we could handle it… No way. We need to call in more people for this.”
Once Alfoy backed down, work proceeded smoothly again.
In the meantime, Ghislaine kept visiting every day, asking about the progress. A few days of this and everyone was starting to lose their sanity, whether asking or answering.
“Is it still not done? I’m in a hurry!”
“It’s ready! It’s ready! It’s done! You brat!”
“Oh?”
Ghislaine was slightly startled at Galbarik’s shout. He thought it wouldn’t be done today, so he just asked, and it felt like a surprise gift.
Before Ghislaine lay a set of black armor and a helmet. This was the result of the territory’s best craftsmen and considerable investment.
Ghislaine examined the armor with the expression of a child receiving a gift.
Seeing him like that, Galbarik spoke with a serious expression.
“But… now that we made it, it seems like a rather dangerous item…”
Hearing this, Ghislaine smiled with satisfaction.
“Yes, it’s truly a marvelous piece.”
This armor was what only elite knights donned even in his past life. It had been specifically created to fight against beings from the Age of Turmoil.
Galbarik was watching him with a somewhat worried expression.
The performance Ghislaine wanted wasn’t simple. What he handed over was just a conceptual design, but the arrangement of the runestones and magic circles provided the most efficient and powerful effect.
Moreover, it had to require Galbarium and be crafted by a wizard with knowledge exceeding the 6th Circle.
‘By the way, it just so happens that Galbarium is produced here, and there’s a 6th Circle wizard named Vanessa. Come to think of it, both Vanessa and I are people that the lord personally brought here.’
It was as if Ghislaine had foreseen this and prepared the designs in advance.
Galbarik was starting to doubt Ghislaine’s knowledge.
“Until now, I felt comfortable thinking that the lord just studied a lot. But increasingly, there are one or two strange points. It seems as if you’re preparing everything as if you knew beforehand.”
He was right. But Ghislaine merely smiled nonchalantly. After all, he wouldn’t believe it even if he said so, would he?
Without a word, he tried on the armor before him and poured in mana.
Zing.
The armor trembled slightly, and light began to emanate from the crevices all over it.
“Nice.”
The temperature within the armor, which was warmed by his body heat, suddenly dropped to a comfortable level. He felt as if he were free of gravity, his body lightening and strength increasing.
His vision sharpened, and all other senses became more acute.
Just a small amount of mana had this profound effect. Wearing this during battle would allow knights to demonstrate strength beyond their original capabilities.
It was almost like a miraculous item that transformed a novice knight into a seasoned knight instantly.
“Distribute this to the knights right away. For a while, they’ll need to train with it to adjust to the changes in sensation. We need to send some to my friends in the Kingdom of Turian too.”
“If the knights betray us or cause an accident, that would be quite troublesome. A single individual could easily slaughter hundreds of soldiers while wearing this.”
“It’s alright. Just a bit more special training will suffice. We’ll ensure they can’t think of anything else.”
Ghislaine made a fist and grinned, causing Galbarik to click his tongue. Now that he thought about it, no matter how great the armor was, it wouldn’t be effective against a lord.
When the conversation ended, Galbarik suddenly came back to his senses. He shouldn’t have prolonged the conversation with Ghislaine once work was finished.
“Then I’ll take my leave!”
As he swiftly turned to leave, Ghislaine hastily grabbed his shoulder. Galbarik jumped, exclaiming.
“Ah! Why! Again!”
“The conversation isn’t over yet.”
“What is it?”
“We need to make a new bow.”
“Huh? We’re already making plenty of bows. The soldiers are participating in archery training continuously.”
The dwarves didn’t need to make bows; other craftsmen could easily produce good ones.
But Ghislaine shook his head and said.
“No, it’s not just any ordinary bow.”
“What do you mean?”
“A bow that anyone can easily shoot from horseback. It’ll be primarily used by the elves.”
From the beginning, he hadn’t planned to solely use the elves for horse breeding. He now thought of creating new weapons and types of soldiers that hadn’t existed in the territory before.
