Chapter 328
Chapter 328: How About That? Am I Right? (2)
Just from the runestones I obtained before, I managed to lay the groundwork for becoming the strongest in the North.
Honestly, I’ve used them quite resourcefully. I created farmland, traded with the Mage Tower, and set up the Mana Convergence Circle… I basically used magic for everything!
I’ve burned through the runestones, but on the flip side, it meant I had more than enough runestones to develop the territory.
But to find even more runestones than what I had at that time! And on top of that, I discovered the Fairy’s Blessing, which is just as valuable as the runestones.
Everyone was left dumbstruck in an entirely unbelievable situation.
“Ahhhhh!”
Belinda reacted a bit late, realizing the situation and screaming with excitement. She hadn’t confirmed if there were really a lot of runestones, but the mere sight of the Fairy’s Blessing was enough to make her happy.
Her joy stemmed entirely from Claude.
“That Chief Officer! He won’t bother us about being broke anymore!”
Since Giselle was the one instructing all the big tasks in the territory, everything had to be executed without question.
However, not everything in the territory operated strictly on Giselle’s orders. Countless small tasks were still floating around.
Giselle couldn’t possibly keep track of all those trivial matters. So everyone did their best on their respective duties.
But in order to work, you need money. And the one who dispensed that money was none other than the Chief Officer, Claude.
He absolutely refused to hand over financial management to anyone else.
“Every day he pinched us tight about the budget, huh? Just wait and see!”
Belinda was the castle’s butler. Naturally, she’d need money to manage the servants and run the castle.
There was a household fund she could use, but she couldn’t utilize it for public affairs. Hence, she had no choice but to plead with Claude every day.
It wasn’t just Belinda who was begging.
Gillian, flaunting a heart strong enough to face thousands of soldiers, Vanessa wielding world-turning sabotage, Galbarik the great blacksmith, Piote who performs miracles of the goddess, and Lumina, transcending worldly affairs while bonding with nature.
When everyone went to collect their pay, they had no choice but to bow down to Claude.
And that guy knew exactly how to use his power just right.
“Now the hardship is over! Money is overflowing!”
At Belinda’s shout, everyone else also wore expressions of relief.
They had been treated too miserly by Claude until now.
Of course, he was still the Chief Officer responsible for dispensing funds, but now he wouldn’t be as stingy and tight-fisted about it.
If that were the case, Belinda would truly burst with overflow of joy.
The people were happy and started chopping down surrounding trees and building palisades. They watched over everything carefully from a distance, fearing they would step on any flowers.
Gillian, overseeing the construction site, spoke to Giselle.
“The laborers responsible for fortifying the fortress have arrived.”
“Really? Then let’s move to the next location. Get everyone ready.”
“Understood.”
In this way, Giselle steadily secured the territory and kept moving.
There were plenty of laborers, so it hardly took any time. Queen Grex’s territory was so vast that monsters rarely appeared.
The few wandering monsters that did show up were quickly turned into mincemeat due to overwhelming numbers.
Having already crossed significant hurdles, the pioneering group moved on without any worries, eventually arriving at their destination, the runestone extraction site.
When the people saw the runestones, they were too astonished to even react, just standing there with their mouths agape.
Only Giselle maintained a relaxed smile and said, “How about that? Am I right?”
Confirming the location of the extraction site was the priority, so the area was still dense with trees, creating quite a shadowy atmosphere.
Even in such a dark forest, the extraction site glowed brightly.
“Ru, runestones are this abundant…”
“There were plenty last time too, but this seems to be almost twice that amount. Or even three times?”
“This is insane! I can’t even find the words!”
Runestones, which were hard to come by and worth their weight in gold outside, were littered all over the place.
Even the knights who had previously followed Giselle to gather runestones were amazed.
The wizards were just trembling. To them, runestones were the greatest treasure.
“Now I understand why this forest feels abnormal.”
“It’s practically a reservoir of magic, here.”
“It’s no wonder everything is so bizarre.”
Though others might not notice, the wizards could feel an overwhelmingly dense magic energy swirling around. It was obviously natural for strange phenomena to occur in an area concentrated with such magic.
“Wowwwww!”
The people erupted in cheers, late to the realization that they had achieved this unbelievable result.
Of course, these runestones were not theirs, but everyone knew that when the lord decides to give, he certainly delivers.
Indeed, Giselle didn’t betray their expectations.
He didn’t fuss and nitpick when it came to giving something away. He only tightened his budget during transactions.
At this point, he roughly thought, “If we made this much, then we should give this much, right?”
“Thanks to you all, we made it this far. If you’ve worked hard for the territory, you deserve your pay. When we return, I’ll give you three years’ worth of salaries as bonus pay.”
“Wowwwww!”
“Truly, bragging about money is the best when it comes from our lord!”
“Thank you!”
Everyone threw down their weapons and shouted in delight.
However, Belinda’s complexion turned pale.
“Aah! That’ll mean spending a ton of money, and the Chief Officer will just whine again!”
They had brought over 4,000 troops. Matching their three years’ salary would result in unimaginable expenses.
If Claude started whining, getting any money out of him would be even tougher.
But what can she say? That’s the charm of the Young Master.
The late arrivals among the laborers were also overjoyed to receive promises of triple pay, while Belinda’s wrinkles deepened.
Alfoy watched this scene and muttered to himself.
“That guy definitely has a thing for threes. He demanded triple payment before, and now he gives in threes too.”
The soldiers and laborers were filled with excitement and focused on their work. As usual, Gillian stepped up to issue stern warnings.
“Don’t touch a single crumb. If caught, you’ll be dealt with according to military law.”
Some wizards and mercenary knights showed slight expressions of disappointment. Still, the knights who had come into the woods before were unresponsive and dedicated themselves to the work.
However, at one moment, Gordon was dragged off to a corner and started being beaten by the knights.
“Ah! I was just trying to get my bonus early! Ouch! Stop hitting me!”
It seemed he had been caught hiding something in his groin again. Following him, Alfoy, Ascon, and a few wizards were also dragged away tied up.
While one part was creating such chaos, the runestone extraction work was proceeding smoothly overall.
For now, they would haul in cartloads as before, but soon, a defensive wall would be built here, allowing it to function as a proper territory.
Watching the bustling people, Giselle finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Finally, we’re claiming this place.”
It had once been something beyond their reach. Making only narrow paths and extracting runestones was all they could manage.
They hadn’t claimed all of the Forest of Monsters yet, but they had secured enough land to be considered a small territory.
From now on, Perdium would secure tremendous food resources from here and create job opportunities.
“Now, the real beginning starts.”
They had acquired various resources, including runestones and the Fairy’s flower. The value of these two was so great that it slightly overshadowed everything else, but they also obtained plenty of herbs and timber.
All of this would serve as a foundation for developing the territory. Giselle had now become wealthy enough not to fall short of any noble within the Duke Faction.
That strength would undoubtedly fuel their continued conflict against the Duke’s House.
News of Giselle’s success in pioneering the Forest of Monsters quickly spread throughout Perdium.
“Oh! Our Grand Duke has accomplished something incredible again! I knew it! I just knew it!”
“Don’t forget the promise to lend us this place? It’s free, right? It’s free, right?”
Baron Homern, Chief Officer of Perdium, and Treasurer Albert came to flatter Giselle and reaffirm the promises.
The people of Perdium were all busy praising Giselle.
“Of course, it’s our Grand Duke!”
“Who could believe we’d see a day when the Forest of Monsters is pushed back like this… It really is true that the Grand Duke is the strongest in the North.”
“They say the 100-circle Wizard came along too! Such an amazing person follows our Grand Duke, right?”
Everyone was excited, chattering only about Giselle. The laborers involved in the work were adding flavor to the rumors, making them spiral out of control.
Consequently, Giselle’s reputation soared to incredible heights.
He assigned several managers to oversee the territory’s development while handing off the rest of the minor tasks necessary for pioneering.
He had already solved the most challenging aspects himself. Simply securing the territory and building defensive walls were tasks even the managers could handle.
As for the farming business, it was entrusted to Perdium, who would manage it accordingly. He planned to take only a portion of the yields from there.
Now that he had secured the necessary resources, it was time to prepare for the next task.
With a satisfied smile, Giselle said, “Now it’s time to return to the territory.”
*
The brain of the Duke Faction, known as the ‘Lame Devil,’ Raoul received a new report. It was about investigations into Penris.
The very first thing he had ordered to investigate was information regarding key figures in the Penris territory.
Raoul valued information about people. He believed that understanding an opponent’s tendencies and abilities allowed him to manipulate them as he desired.
Despite being busy dealing with the Crown Prince Faction, he couldn’t just leave the emergent powerhouse of Penris unchecked.
In case of civil wars, he needed to be thoroughly prepared to sweep them away quickly.
“Hm… That was faster than I anticipated.”
At Raoul’s words, one of his staff members bowed his head.
“Yes, it wasn’t hard to gather information about key figures since they aren’t particularly hidden. Some individuals have already become well-known among the territory residents.”
“Really? Is there a significant difference compared to the information Harold provided?”
There already existed a report from Harold in the Duke Faction, but it was quite outdated. Furthermore, prideful Harold might have kept the truly important information under wraps.
That was why Raoul had ordered a re-investigation.
The staff member nodded fervently, confirming Raoul’s thoughts.
“Yes. Given that quite a bit of time has passed and Count Penris has newly recruited individuals, there are indeed notable differences. However…”
“But…?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I think you’ll need to read this directly.”
Raoul opened the first page of the report with an indifferent expression.
“The White Lion of Penris, Gillian…”
The name of a promising individual appeared right from the start.
He had heard the news before. The one who trapped Desmond’s army at Stonehaven Fortress.
A title embodies a person’s characteristics. Being called the White Lion suggested he was exceptionally skilled and brave.
Truly, the report detailed his exploits in depth.
“Hooh… So this guy was on par with Baron Hutton? Close to the strongest sword in the North?”
“As far as we can gather, that’s the case. Since Jurgen was killed by Amelia, we can’t make a direct comparison, but if we estimate based on Baron Hutton’s strength, he shouldn’t be far off.”
“Right, right. Baron Hutton was an exceptional knight.”
Then I could estimate this Gillian’s combat power to be at the level of the strongest sword in the North and respond accordingly.
Knowing the strength would make it easier to handle him. I just need to send someone who can definitely kill him.
“A mercenary, huh… He’s been active in foreign lands. He was quite the skilled mercenary back then… Hm, Count Penris really acquired a good man.”
The report also contained information about when Gillian started following Giselle and what achievements he had made. It detailed the tasks he was assigned, his personality, and even what food he likes.
Such details were pretty well-known, leaving little room for suspicion.
At this point, I could say I had a rough understanding of who Gillian was.
Raoul turned the pages of the report with a satisfied expression.
But his face twisted in shock at the next page.
[Lord of Bribes in the North, Gambling Addict, Storm’s Investigator, Lies at the Drop of a Hat, Missing Truth, Money Tracker, Defeated Gambler, Gangster and Blood Brother, Lifelong Slave……]
There were absurdly many peculiar nicknames. Raoul rubbed his eyes a few times and looked again at the name of the person.
[Chief Officer Claude.]
“……”
Raoul couldn’t speak for a long moment. His staff member anxiously watched his reactions.
Now, the territory being called the strongest in the North is Penris. And the Chief Officer of that renowned territory has such nicknames attached to him?
After regaining his senses, Raoul grimaced and asked.
“What is this? The nicknames attached to the Chief Officer of a great territory are like this? Are you sure you’re not mistaking a lowlife gang member from the marketplace for him?”
“Ah, no. It’s certainly the Chief Officer.”
“Surely? Is this kind of person really holding the position of Chief Officer?”
“It’s certain! All the residents of the territory are shouting it.”
“What kind of absurdity is this?!”
Raoul glared coldly as the staff member shouted defensively.
“Those guys over there are all messed up in the head!”
