Chapter 393
Chapter 393: Things Have Gone Smoothly (3)
As soon as Ghislaine returned to the territory, he urged the knights.
“Come on! Time is of the essence! Get in quickly in turns!”
These days, the knights were training in the Mana Convergence Circle made from Dragon Heart fragments.
Runestones were now overflowing in Penris. Everyone was capable of using personal Mana Convergence Circles.
However, the Dragon Heart fragments were limited in supply, resulting in about 100 Convergence Circles being created.
The intention was to ensure effectiveness even with limited quantities.
“Ugh… this really hurts.”
The knights groaned as they entered the Mana Convergence Circle.
The Convergence Circles made from Dragon Heart fragments provided significantly more mana than the existing ones. But with that came an increased strain on their bodies.
It was painful, yet they had to endure it to get stronger faster.
“Ughhhh…”
The knights were gritting their teeth as they channeled mana, emitting painful groans.
Mana surged within them as if it would burst their bodies. They had to concentrate and manage it somehow.
Once inside, Ghislaine didn’t need to urge them like before. If they didn’t want to burst, they had to put in the effort themselves.
Still, after coming out once, they could feel that their mana had increased significantly compared to before. That joyful reward made it bearable, despite the difficulties.
It wasn’t only the knights undergoing this painful training.
Boom!
“Huff, huff…”
Ghislaine was also busy strengthening his own body whenever he had the chance.
The solid steel armor he wore had become much heavier than before.
Clank…
The weights attached to the chains connecting his body were now beyond what a human could lift.
Yet, he did not stop swinging his sword and moving to train even in that state.
“I need to strengthen my body more.”
To withstand the rapidly increasing mana thanks to Dark, his body needed to become stronger.
Of course, no matter how much he trained, a human’s body couldn’t surpass the limits of the species.
Thus, the physical training of those who handle mana changes a bit after reaching a certain level.
“Endure it!”
Ghislaine gritted his teeth and swung his sword. It was difficult even to swing once due to the mana being suppressed.
However, he maintained a steady stance, extending his foot.
Boom!
The more he pushed himself to his limits, his organs and veins couldn’t hold out and began to draw mana into them.
It was a principle similar to when Ghislaine attacked himself to make the mana move on its own.
Once the body becomes accustomed to using mana, the ability to endure increases. Mana essentially strengthened the body.
Only when this painful process and realization are combined can a human transcend their limits to become a superhuman.
Now, even Ghislaine had mana flowing through his body as naturally as a dragon. The more he pushed his body, the quicker mana reinforced him compared to others.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
“Just a bit more.”
Even if muscles tore and bones broke, he didn’t care. The mana flowing through his body and his remarkable regenerative abilities would soon heal him.
And through repeating that process several times, Ghislaine’s body increasingly transcended human limits.
Dark, watching from inside, clicked his tongue.
“Wow, this is really not human. To be this strong and still do such training? Truly a tough nut to crack.”
If it were him, he would enjoy life with all this vast territory and overflowing wealth.
“Well… it’s not that I can’t understand it.”
Having glimpsed Ghislaine’s past life memories, Dark understood what thoughts he carried.
That thirst for revenge was so consuming it was something he couldn’t fully grasp. Additionally, he vividly felt the determination to protect something precious.
After all, the Duke Faction and the Salvation Society would inevitably clash with Ghislaine. So, it made sense to train the body to the point of overexertion.
“Still, living on the run would be easier. I’d do that if I were him.”
He understood but couldn’t completely empathize. Dark had always been alone.
Yet being with his master was quite entertaining. There were many amusing fellows around.
After finishing his training, Ghislaine didn’t take a moment’s rest. He proceeded to inspect the territory, closely checking on the progress of each project.
The topic he was particularly focused on was the increasing number of mercenaries.
“How are the recruited mercenaries doing in the fortress?”
“They’re in much better shape. Their morale is unbeatable compared to before.”
Claude answered with a rather proud expression.
He had worked hard on improving the treatment of the mercenaries at Ghislaine’s command. Especially, he generously distributed the overflowing funds to create policies that others could hardly imagine.
“Everyone is clamoring to join our mercenary group.”
Hearing the rumors of the Penris Mercenary Group, all the mercenaries in the kingdom were flocking there. It was no wonder. The treatment was on another level compared to other groups.
“Everything I said is going smoothly, right?”
Ghislaine told Claude about the difficulties he faced while living as a mercenary. These were vague ideas he thought would be nice to have.
And Claude had excellently refined those into policies.
“Of course! First, building hospitals for mercenaries in each area and providing medical services has been well received. The Academy in the territory is continually producing doctors, so we will see an increase in hospitals.”
What mercenaries worried about the most was treatment costs. Priests were fewer in number and their prices were high, making them not even consider seeking treatment.
Most ended up exacerbating their injuries with their poor knowledge, treating themselves.
Thus, the Penris Mercenary Group established facilities where affiliated mercenaries could receive affordable treatment in all territories connected by roads.
Thanks to that, the Penris mercenaries were now able to receive proper treatment at a low cost. The Academy they had previously established continued to nurture talent.
“Good, if you’re sick but broke, it’s genuinely heartbreaking. What’s next?”
“In the Crown Prince Faction territory, we provided at least basic food and living conditions.”
The laborers who had participated in road construction were starting to run out of work and were idling. So, they were again engaged in new construction projects.
Not only hospitals, but they were also building safe living spaces where affiliated mercenaries could rest freely.
Since they could use those spaces anytime during missions or while moving, mercenaries could minimize hunger and fatigue. Saving money was a bonus.
“Are the families of the mercenaries being taken care of as well?”
“Of course! We provide residences for them and offer goods at a low price when delivery requests come in.”
When necessary items arose for their remaining family members, they utilized Penris Arrow Delivery for prompt provision. Thus, it was no surprise that both mercenaries and their families were satisfied.
Ghislaine also smiled with satisfaction.
“Right. If there’s nowhere to go and nowhere to rest, it’s truly miserable.”
During his rookie mercenary days, Ghislaine had often slept on the streets without a place to escape the rain. So, he knew that sorrow and misery well.
Claude understood that sentiment as well. He had once lived as a homeless king due to gambling debts.
“In addition, we are setting up various educational facilities and implementing social security systems.”
Mercenaries typically learned various knowledge and skills from their seniors. However, this often resulted in them learning rather unspecialized subjects.
Thus, Ghislaine had ordered the establishment of educational facilities for mercenaries to assure they could learn the skills they desired properly.
Additionally, there was a social security system being initiated for retired mercenaries who could no longer work due to injuries or age. For those affiliated with the Penris Mercenary Group, it was a system to help them maintain a minimum living standard at the territorial level.
“It’s still in the early stages of implementation, so we need to refine it a bit more, but just having such a system seems to have eased the minds of the mercenaries.”
The senior mercenaries Ghislaine had seen in his previous life mostly didn’t end well.
Since expenses for treatment and living costs were high when working as mercenaries, it was hard to save much money. Those who struggled to retire from mercenary work ended up living off whatever little money remained, often falling victim to scams and ending up broke.
Living comfortably in retirement is known to be possible only for the talented, yet for ordinary mercenaries, it was a tough challenge.
So, Ghislaine made sure to attend to those aspects diligently.
He smiled as he read the report.
“Things are going well. The number of mercenaries has really increased, hasn’t it?”
“There are currently 20,000 affiliated mercenaries. We’re maintaining their independence as much as possible.”
With a policy unique to the continent, mercenaries flocked on their own. Some even moved from other kingdoms.
Thanks to this, the western part of the Ruthania Kingdom was in chaos.
The south had always been fine without mercenaries, but the western lords tended to rely on them. However, since most mercenaries who were active there left, the mood was bound to turn sour.
In the east, the Drake Mercenary Group was active, continuously recruiting new mercenaries.
Initially, it was nearly forced absorption, but once the benefits provided by Penris became well-known, mercenaries took the initiative to come.
In a word, the mercenary community in the kingdom was quickly coming under Ghislaine’s control.
“We’re finally ready to do something.”
The Penris Army was steadily increasing, now reaching 30,000. Thanks to systematic population management in the vast territory.
Having 30,000 men all equipped with Galbarium armaments could be considered an elite force.
Among them, an especially selected 10,000 troops were called the ‘Mobile Army’ and were equipped with mobile catapults as well. They were all elite soldiers who had trained in mounted combat and archery under the guidance of elves.
It wasn’t just the soldiers. The 20,000 mercenaries were currently spread across various regions, yet with Ghislaine’s command, they could gather instantly.
On top of that, there were 400 knights and now 100 mages. Most of the mages had come over under deception, but nonetheless, they were now part of Penris.
With Ghislaine as the master and Vanessa also being a 7th Circle mage, this made two superhumans. There were also several who had reached the highest levels of skill.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that very few lords in this kingdom could stand against Penris alone.
Claude nodded and smiled.
“At this point, we’re really in a position to challenge them.”
When they first arrived, they worried about how to earn money.
Now they were known as the strongest in the north, even aiming for the title of the strongest in the kingdom.
Given all that they had gone through together, Claude and the retainers had no choice but to feel proud.
Of course, objectively speaking, the strength of the Duke Faction was still greater than Penris. But didn’t the Crown Prince Faction and the four great churches stand by them? It wasn’t a situation where they were necessarily at a disadvantage.
Ghislaine nodded and addressed everyone.
“The Duke will be held back by the Crown Prince Faction for the time being. In the meantime, we shall eliminate Marquis Roderick.”
“The preparations for the expedition are complete.”
All essential supplies for conducting war, including soldier armaments, food, and potions, were gathered.
Gillian also added, following Claude’s lead.
“The training state of the soldiers is also fine. Not just the soldiers, but the territory residents are at peak morale.”
Though they currently lived more lavishly than any other territory, the territory residents had all endured poverty before.
That sense of duty to protect this territory naturally settled into everyone’s hearts.
They were unfazed by the rumors of fighting against Marquis Roderick. They were prepared to die alongside this territory.
After a few days, the training of the knights using Dragon Heart fragments came to an end.
“Phew… I feel like I’m twice as strong now.”
At Gordon’s words, the other knights nodded in agreement.
While the process was painful, their mana had indeed increased remarkably. They could now fight longer with greater strength than before.
Ghislaine wore a proud smile every time he checked the status of the territory. The only regret was that Alfoy’s skills hadn’t reached a satisfactory level yet.
“Alfoy! What on earth have you been doing while I was gone?”
“W-well… I was keeping an eye on the wizards…”
“I told you to focus on your studies!”
“It’s not that easy!”
“What’s so hard about it!”
“Alright, I’ll take a short break then…”
“Where do you think you’re going! Get back to your room, quickly!”
“…Yes.”
At the Penris Magic Laboratory, Vanessa’s scoldings could be heard every single day. Currently, Alfoy was barely grasping a few spells of the 4th Circle, let alone the 5th Circle.
He hadn’t studied hard enough, causing his brain to go dull. It was fortunate he learned a few spells just to avoid being scolded.
In any case, there was nothing more to be done immediately. Everyone in Penris was united and doing their best in the current situation—everyone except Alfoy.
As preparations were finishing up in Penris, a messenger rushed in to inform.
“Marquis Roderick has mobilized his army.”
This was something everyone had anticipated. So, no one was surprised.
Hearing the news, Claude asked Ghislaine.
“Should we call up the mercenaries? If we issue a summons now and designate the locations, they could rally during the march.”
“No, there’s no need to gather all the hardworking mercenaries just for ‘merely’ Marquis Roderick. I will let you know when the time comes to summon the mercenaries.”
“Are you thinking of a siege?”
“That would be boring. I’ll take the best 10,000 and head to the west. The rest, respond according to what I instructed earlier.”
As Ghislaine stood up, a chilling smile appeared on his face.
“Let’s go; this time, I’m definitely taking over the west.”
Finally, the 10,000 Penris Mobile Army began to move.
