Chapter 299
Chapter 299 – Now, Let’s Prepare for the Next. (2)
The Penris administrators were busier than ever. With the territory significantly expanded, there was much work to be done.
Many administrative officials, including Claude, had come over to the Desmond region.
Before coming, Claude briefly thought, “Wouldn’t it be better to just die than live buried in work?” But upon arriving in Desmond, a wave of nostalgia hit him.
“To think all this will actually be our land now. I can’t believe a day like this would come.”
His reaction was much milder compared to when he conquered the Cabaldy region. He had jumped for joy back then, so one would expect him to be even happier for capturing the much larger Desmond.
The overwhelming success felt so unreal that he couldn’t summon much emotion.
“Is this real? Am I not dreaming? Wendy, pinch my cheek… Ah, I guess that’s not an option now.”
Claude looked around with a hazy expression.
He was reminded of when he first arrived at Penris. He had been greatly disappointed to find out that Ghislaine wasn’t the heir to a Great Territory simply because she had money.
He had been dragged to a miserable territory and had suffered as a slave. Yet, who would have thought a day like this would come!
“Things are still pretty bleak now… but our Lord has truly become a Great Lord.”
When faced with something monumental, people often become numb. Claude felt exactly that.
He thought if Ghislaine had lost, he would have just died too, and he was simply relieved to still be alive.
However, such restraint was short-lived. Upon officially arriving at the castle, Claude began to carry himself with more pride.
Ahem, I am the Chief Officer of the Great Territory of Penris. It’s time for me to pay attention to my dignity.
For some reason, he couldn’t help but smile wider. It was hard to suppress the rising excitement.
Claude cleared his throat in the wagon, putting on a dignified face as he muttered to himself.
“To those who have suffered under injustice and evil for so long, I shall restore justice! From now on, we will create a new era together… Huh, why do I feel so cool? Everyone must be moved!”
Claude chuckled to himself, admiring his own greatness. While he was riding in the wagon, he failed to hear the whispers of the territory residents.
“Did you hear? The one coming is the territory’s Chief Officer.”
“They say he’s the Lord of Bribes from the North? A thoroughly corrupt and vicious man; don’t believe him, he’s just full of lies.”
“I’ve heard he’s addicted to gambling. They say he’s mentally ill too. Anyway, they say we should avoid him.”
“Ugh, how much trouble would such a notorious guy cause us? I’m already worried.”
The territory residents sighed with concern just by seeing the wagon Claude was in.
Oblivious to being insulted the entire way, Claude swaggered confidently into the castle.
“The Chief Officer has arrived!”
Though he was a slave, he was still second in rank in Penris. Knights and soldiers who had been waiting outside the castle bowed their heads to Claude.
Claude arrogantly nodded, accepting their greetings.
“Ha! I’m glad I didn’t run away. I am Chief Officer Claude of the Great Territory! I truly embody this feeling of being a Chief Officer!”
“Oh, Chief Officer, you’re here?”
Belinda waved happily, and next to her, Wendy slightly bowed her head and approached Claude.
Seeing her, Claude’s eyes instantly filled with tears as he shouted.
“Wendy! Do you know how scary it was without you? Waaaah!”
Claude ran over with his arms wide open, sniffling snot. Wendy quickly pushed his head away and checked the surroundings.
Passing soldiers and servants seemed to struggle to hold in their laughter. Wendy bit her lip. She had noticed before that this guy really didn’t know the meaning of shame.
“G-get away… please.”
“Waaaaah! Don’t leave me!”
“Please… just…”
Wendy’s face turned red with embarrassment. Even for her, an assassin who almost never showed emotions, it took some skill to make her react this way.
After a few more moments of wrangling, Claude regained his composure and put on a proud expression again.
Hmph, should we go meet the Lord?
Wendy glared at him as he walked confidently ahead, shaking her head before following behind.
Ghislaine waved her hand at Claude as he approached.
“Hey, Claude, welcome back.”
“Hahaha! Congratulations on becoming a Great Lord!”
Claude laughed heartily as he congratulated Ghislaine, who looked surprised.
“You seem more put together than I expected. Weren’t you just thinking of dying instead of working?”
“Ugh, where did you hear that? I’m too busy being indignant to die! Once the territory settles down, I’ll enjoy life to the fullest before I go peacefully!”
Ghislaine responded with a slightly disapproving expression to Claude’s ambitions.
“Sure… I hope such a day comes.”
“Well, enough of the pleasantries… You’ve taken care of the retainers, right?”
“Yep.”
“Alright, noted. The rest of us are in for it then.”
Following Ghislaine’s straightforward reply, Claude nodded. No matter how shocking the situation, people can only grow accustomed to the same ordeal after experiencing it multiple times.
Ghislaine was a military lord. She had kept expanding her territory through wars. What needed to be done after acquiring a new territory was obvious.
“Then I’ll get right to work.”
“Alright, as always…”
“Yes, yes, quickly and surely.”
Claude waved his hands as if he understood everything, turning away. He looked like a true Chief Officer of a Great Territory overflowing with confidence.
“Hey, you haven’t finished your sentence yet…”
Ghislaine called out in disbelief, but before she could finish speaking, Claude dashed out. Alone, Ghislaine chuckled wryly.
“Right, first, I need to assess the situation and stabilize things. I’ll talk to him later.”
Claude immediately led the administrators to assess the situation of the territory.
Last time, we got caught trying to steal too hastily. This time, let’s make sure to get it right sneakily!
Claude murmured to himself with a solemn heart as he first checked Count Desmond’s personal assets.
“Why… is it so impoverished?”
It wasn’t that they were completely broke, but their wealth was merely on par with ordinary lords. He had expected much more from being the lord of a Great Territory, but compared to Count Cabaldy, Desmond’s wealth was less than half.
“Was Count Desmond really such a paragon of virtue?”
Not to that extent. He wasn’t extravagant, but as a noble, he spent quite a bit on maintaining his dignity.
Claude hurriedly rummaged through the personal wealth of other retainers and the territory’s storerooms.
“What the heck! Why is everyone so poor?!”
In every storeroom, there was hardly anything worthwhile.
In Claude’s mind, Desmond was almost synonymous with evil. So, he thought he should have amassed more wealth than the villainous Count Cabaldy.
“Who the hell stole everything first?!”
Fuming, Claude checked the piled-up documents and finally understood what was going on.
“Wow, these bastards were dead serious.”
In an effort to kill Ghislaine, they had raised war by gathering all the territory’s wealth, even to the spirit. Most of the territory’s wealth had already been exchanged for food and military equipment.
“Ugh, this isn’t much help to us.”
After Ghislaine dealt with Desmond’s main forces, the supply units that followed had surrendered naturally. Thanks to that, they had acquired a ton of military weapons and supplies, but it wasn’t much help to Penris.
Food had already been overflowing to the point of rotting, and all the iron equipment and tools were in the process of being replaced with Galbarium.
Even though they obtained plenty of weapons, it was evident that the cost and time for remelting would be more than they’d be worth again. If they were to salvage anything useful, it would be siege equipment at most.
“Hmmm, the equipment can’t be sold anywhere. No, perhaps I could sell it off cheap while pretending to curry favor with the Crown Prince Faction?”
If there were at least some other resources to utilize, he could find a way to make it work, but now the entire Desmond Territory had become completely financially strapped, which was just a headache.
Moreover, it seemed the residents’ wealth had all been confiscated too. Still, whether they intended to reward later or kept track of how much was taken from each household, everything was carefully documented.
“It seems Count Desmond wasn’t a total scrooge.”
Even while raiding for supplies, he hadn’t taken everything by force. He had a noble mindset and a sense of pride.
After mapping out the general situation, Claude prioritized the tasks.
“Well, first, we need to distribute food to the territory residents.”
Desmond was abundant in food production. Not only was wheat plentiful, but various other crops thrived too. However, after selling a large amount of food to Ghislaine earlier, the situation worsened due to a subsequent drought.
They had also lost a great merchant group, and all that remained stockpiled had been seized for military purposes during the war. So there was no way the residents’ situation would be good.
As always when conquering new territories, stabilizing public sentiment was the top priority.
When Claude appeared with a convoy of large food supplies, the territory residents looked on with mixed feelings.
“That used to be all ours…”
“They might take even more from us. I heard it’s a poorer territory than ours?”
“Damn, how did we lose to those country bumpkins?”
The faces of the territory residents were filled with worry and dissatisfaction.
If they had only won the war, they would have received plenty of compensation. Count Desmond was terrifying, but at least he wasn’t a petty lord who would break promises.
But since they had lost the war, they wouldn’t receive any compensation. With the added aftermath of the drought, their situation had now become dire for survival.
In truth, they had ended up in poverty because Count Desmond had thought he would swiftly win the war, leaving only a bit of food behind. Still, they misidentified the source of their grievances.
They believed the compensation they ought to have received after winning the war was lost because of Ghislaine. In particular, the residents living in the center of the territory had a larger sense of pride about their territory, leading to even more dissatisfaction.
Looking over these residents, Claude scratched his head.
“It’s strange. Why does everyone dislike us when we arrive?”
They would like it later, anyway.
Smirking, Claude soon shouted loudly.
“The compensation promised by Count Desmond will be paid by us instead! And it will be double!”
“…?”
The residents’ eyes widened. It was so unexpected that they couldn’t believe they would receive double.
Amidst those who were watching hesitantly, a neatly dressed old man stepped forward and asked.
“Is that really true? Do you genuinely intend to give us that?”
“Absolutely! I have never lied even once in my life!”
All the residents made faces filled with distrust. The rumors about Claude in the Desmond territory had spread widely by then.
Not understanding why he was getting such looks right after arriving, Claude became annoyed.
“I’ll distribute it right now! Temporary Distribution Centers have been set up everywhere, so bring out the certificates you received from Count Desmond! However, since the items each person contributed differ, we’ll unify it and issue supplies as food!”
At this announcement, the residents’ expressions brightened. Naturally, receiving food was better. It was immediately needed for survival, and what was left could easily be sold to passing merchants.
As rumors spread, the residents approached each distribution center with a mixture of trust and skepticism.
“Wow! They’re really giving it to us!”
“I got even more than what was promised!”
“Count Penris is the best!”
To these residents, it didn’t matter who was the lord of the territory. What mattered was having a kind lord who treated them well.
Unlike other northern territories, there weren’t many people starving to death in Desmond.
So, simply distributing food led to rapid stabilization of livelihoods.
Residents of the impoverished villages on the outskirts of the territory were far more enthusiastic than those from the central regions when the food was distributed.
Unlike the residents of the central areas, who had at least a slight loyalty to Count Desmond, these villagers didn’t even know who Count Desmond was.
They just lived by paying taxes and receiving what they were given.
But now, rather than robbing them, they were being given food, causing praise for Count Penris to rise day by day.
“See! They really are giving it to us! Trust me!”
Claude ran around the Desmond region, trying to appease the residents, which drastically reduced their animosity toward Penris.
“Ugh, but there’s another problem.”
Even if animosity was reduced, the atmosphere of the territory didn’t stabilize immediately. This was due to Count Desmond drawing all his military forces away.
Claude blinked tiredly as he prepared a new report for Ghislaine.
“There have been too many crime organizations emerging. Especially after the rumor of Desmond’s defeat spread, all sorts of characters have come out. It seems they have ambitious plans to take advantage of the chaos during the occupation.”
“So, the number of crime organizations has increased?”
“Well, it’s only natural since Count Desmond pulled all the guards out. This will take some time to sort out.”
“Hm, the territory residents must be quite agitated?”
“Of course. It seems many are unable to sleep because there are quite a few who eye the food we distributed. There are already some who have been robbed. Since we haven’t completely established administration and public order yet.”
It was a field that couldn’t be dealt with all at once. The administrative system needed to be changed to that of Penris, and it would require a lot of management.
Furthermore, to maintain public order in this vast territory, military forces had to be deployed appropriately. While training soldiers were continuously coming in, there were still personnel shortages. Securing public order would ultimately take time.
“Hm… we need to stabilize things quickly.”
Count Desmond was merely one of the hurdles. Without quickly stabilizing the territory, they wouldn’t be able to prepare to fight against more terrifying enemies.
They needed to build fortresses here, integrate the villages, and construct various facilities. But if the residents remained anxious and could not focus on work, it would lead to significant losses.
“How long do you think it’ll take?”
“Even though we’re trying to secure public order with all knight and hunter resources now, it’s not easy. We’re unfamiliar with the geography, and cooperation with the territory residents isn’t going so well either. At this rate, it’ll take at least half a year to organize.”
“Hey, no way. That’s way too long, right? We have so much to do, and you’re saying you’ll spend months just catching criminals!”
“Hah, it’s not that simple, you know? You realize it won’t just conclude by recklessly catching people, right?”
You can’t just walk up to someone and say, “You’re a criminal; die.” This is why crime organizations tend to survive quietly and persistently.
That’s why even lords sometimes turn a blind eye to crime organizations as long as they pay taxes properly. It’s easier to use them for dirty work.
To be fair, even if they blithely catch those who appear harmless, that doesn’t mean it ends there. They still need to confirm if they are guilty, and determine what punishment they should face, which requires a trial.
“The ones who committed crimes can just be caught and beaten to death, but it’s the ones who hide and do bad things that are the problem. How can you weed them all out? Just because they aren’t actively committing crimes right now.”
It may seem trivial, but it’s a crucial issue. Without going through proper procedures, the residents could easily begin distrusting the lord.
Those who are caught might not even be aware of their criminal status, and even if they did, if due process isn’t followed, they might harbor an underlying anxiety and resentment over when the next blind arrow might come back to them.
Thus, nobles must outwardly pretend to uphold justification and law.
Of course, a villainous lord may disregard the residents’ unrest, but Ghislaine mustn’t appear to be that kind of lord.
“Hmmm… but we can’t just leave things as they are either, right?”
“Exactly. We need to strengthen public order and prevent any disorderly behavior. We’ll have to keep repressing and monitoring them. It should stabilize over time. And that’s just how it is.”
“That’s too inefficient. It takes too long, which I don’t like. I guess I have no choice but to take charge again.”
“What… are you planning this time?”
“It’s not as if the lord can enforce the law freely, right? As long as there are no rumors of the lord catching innocent people, that’s all that matters.”
“That’s… right.”
“Well then, that shouldn’t be too hard. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, crime for crime.”
“Eh?”
As Claude replied with anxious eyes, Ghislaine grinned.
“Bring me my mask. It seems it’s time to unleash divine punishment on those bastards.”
As long as it’s not caught that he did it, it’s all good.
The Plunder King and his 40 bandits would solve the problem.
