"Unbelievable. People these days have no faith," Ghislain clicked his tongue at the lukewarm reactions around him and continued.
"I've never lost a war that I personally commanded. Not even once."
It was an incredibly arrogant statement. No renowned general would dare make such a claim. But Ghislain said it without a hint of shame—because it was true. After earning the title of Mercenary King, he had never tasted defeat in battle.
Though he had lost his life in the final war of his past life, that didn't count anymore since he had returned to the past.
Hearing his confident declaration, Belinda stifled a laugh, covering her mouth.
'Aww, my young master is so cute. He's only been in one war... but hey, he won, so technically, he's not wrong.'
Others had similar thoughts. One victory in one war gave Ghislain a 100% official win rate, no matter how much they begrudged admitting it.
Ghislain, sensing the thoughts running through their heads, clicked his tongue again.
'This is real. I've never lost a war, but they don't believe me.'
Claude, casting Ghislain a slightly pitying look, finally spoke.
"My lord, I've heard you're a capable fighter. But you're not planning to invade by yourself, are you? Even if we recruit every able-bodied person among the immigrants, we won't muster more than a thousand soldiers."
While thousands of immigrants had come to Fenris, most were too old, too young, or otherwise unfit for combat. The estimate of a thousand was optimistic at best.
"Even if we train every single one of them, they'll just be rabble. Untrained troops like that can't win a war."
"You're right. Even with my strength, leading such a force would be challenging. It's not impossible, but there's no reason to waste lives unnecessarily."
"Exactly! So let's hold off on this war until—"
"But we can fix the lack of soldiers. I'll bring in reinforcements, and we'll turn our existing forces into something as powerful as an army of thousands."
Claude's heart sank at the absurdity of the statement. If that were possible, why would other lords bother pouring resources into increasing their troop numbers?
Especially now, with time so short, training a strong force seemed like a pipe dream. Just as Claude opened his mouth to argue, Ghislain's casual voice cut him off.
"We're forming the Fenris Knight Order."
The gathered vassals stared at Ghislain, blinking in confusion as they processed what they had just heard. For a moment, they wondered if they'd misheard.
A knight order? In Fenris? Where there wasn't a single knight?
Knights were more than just warriors; they were strategic assets capable of turning the tide of battle. Wars were often decided by the quality and number of knights in an army.
It took at least several dozen knights to call it an order. As such, a knight order was not only a symbol of a territory's military strength but also a point of pride and prestige.
And now, in a war council, their lord had declared out of nowhere that he would form a knight order.
Does he think slapping a name on a bunch of peasants will make them knights?
Knights need to know how to use mana at the very least. How many people in this territory can even do that? Surely the lord knows that much.
Knight orders were typically the privilege of large, wealthy territories. In smaller territories, even having a handful of knights to protect the lord was considered an achievement.
Fenris didn't have a single formally recognized knight. The very notion of creating an order seemed laughable.
Claude didn't bother hiding his incredulity.
"How do you plan to form a knight order without knights?"
"By making them, of course. We'll train the mercenaries we have and the newcomers who are willing to join. We'll formally knight them once they're ready."
"You're going to make knights?"
"Exactly. Two months should be enough."
'Knights aren't loaves of bread that you can just bake in two months…'
Knights had to understand and use mana at a basic level to even be recognized as such. How could untrained soldiers achieve that in such a short time?
"But… even the lowest-ranked knights need to know how to use mana. Wait… no… you don't mean—"
Claude's thoughts trailed to the expensive mana-concentration circles they had used for cultivating monstrous crops. Originally, those circles were meant to train knights.
Ghislain, as if reading his thoughts, nodded.
"Yes, we'll force them to learn mana. Reaching higher levels is hard, but getting them to the basic level of a knight isn't impossible. I'll personally teach them a mana cultivation method."
"No, absolutely not!"
Belinda's sharp voice interrupted, startling Ghislain.
"Whoa, what's with you?"
"You're planning to teach them the Perdium family's mana cultivation method, aren't you?"
As far as Belinda knew, the only cultivation technique Ghislain practiced was the one passed down through the Perdium family.
Sharing such a technique outside the family was unthinkable—it was a sacred rule of this era.
Ghislain shrugged nonchalantly.
"That's exactly what I intend to do. What's the big deal? We need mana cultivation methods to create knights."
"But that's the family's secret technique! You can't just spread it around!"
Mana cultivation methods were the cornerstone of a family's power, often regarded as their greatest treasure. Sharing it recklessly could weaken their influence and prestige.
However, Ghislain had no patience for such concerns. If holding back meant everyone would die, what good was honor or tradition?
"Secret or not, we'll use what we need. This is about survival."
"It's still wrong! You know better than anyone that family techniques shouldn't be leaked!"
"Leaks happen all the time. Through distant relatives, private students—bits and pieces get out anyway. And honestly, do you think all the knights out there came up with their own techniques? Half of them probably stole someone else's."
"That's… not the same! Those are isolated cases!"
While secretive teaching agreements occasionally led to techniques spreading, it was usually on a much smaller scale. What Ghislain proposed—teaching hundreds of people at once—was unprecedented.
"Who hands out family techniques to hundreds of people?!"
"I do."
"…."
Belinda could only sigh, realizing how hopeless it was to argue with Ghislain.
He used to be so petty as a child. Now he's gone to the other extreme.
Desperate for backup, she turned to Fergus, the old knight who silently guarded Ghislain's side.
Fergus was officially the lord's knight, though in practice, he was treated more like an elder statesman. He was deeply respected, and Ghislain personally helped maintain his health with mana treatments.
"Sir Fergus! Please, say something! He's about to leak the family's technique to the masses!"
To Belinda's dismay, Fergus merely chuckled.
"Let the young master do as he pleases."
Fergus's gaze was warm, as if watching a beloved grandchild. Ghislain could have burned down the estate, and Fergus would probably still have smiled proudly.
Belinda's heart sank further.
'This is pointless! He's completely smitten with him! He'd probably call it adorable if the young master plucks out all his beard!'
Fergus did add one caveat.
"However, young master, I urge you to approach war with caution. It's not something to take lightly."
"Sure, sure," Ghislain replied dismissively, not even looking at him.
Fergus sighed, recognizing the stubborn streak in the boy he had watched grow up. Ghislain wouldn't listen once he'd made up his mind.
With Fergus's tacit support, Ghislain stood taller, emboldened.
Belinda tried another tactic.
"Even if you swear them to secrecy, mastering mana isn't easy. It takes years of training to properly harness it. How do you expect to achieve that in just two months?"
She had a point. Mana cultivation required talent and rigorous training. Even if Ghislain provided the method, not everyone could use it effectively.
Ghislain dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand.
"I'll modify the method. It'll be fine. We'll force them to learn, like I did with Vanessa."
"You're going to force them to… learn mana?"
"Alright. I'll teach Father and the Perdium knights my improved version. We're done with the Perdium family's mana cultivation method—it's honestly mediocre. I feel a bit sorry for our ancestors, though."
Belinda instinctively put a hand to her forehead.
'He's gone mad. That doesn't even make sense!'
She understood Ghislain's reasoning—there was no point in holding onto rules and honor if everyone was dead.
But this? Promising to train hundreds of knights capable of wielding mana in just two months?
That was unheard of in all of history.
To make matters worse, he didn't just criticize the long-standing cultivation method that had protected the Perdium family for generations; he was talking about outright replacing it. Not just modifying it—a complete overhaul.
"Young Master, do you realize what you're saying? If you tamper with the cultivation method and fail, the consequences could be catastrophic! Only a rare genius could do something like this!"
After all, the legendary creators of famous cultivation techniques were always exceptional geniuses or once-in-a-lifetime heroes.
Cultivation techniques weren't crafted overnight—they were refined over decades and centuries. Anyone without immense talent who dared to alter such methods would likely cause more harm than good.
At worst, a flawed method could cripple or kill its practitioners.
"Why not? You used to call me a genius all the time when I was a kid."
"That's because…!"
Belinda stopped herself mid-sentence. There were things she couldn't say in front of others.
'That's because we exaggerated to boost your confidence when you stopped wetting your pants!'
Ghislain glanced at her worried expression and shrugged.
She doesn't need to worry at all.
In his past life, Ghislain had been one of the seven strongest people on the continent. He had transcended human limits and modified countless cultivation techniques, tossing them to his subordinates without hesitation.
"Relax. Remember how I helped Vanessa sense mana for the first time? I know how to improve it. Don't you trust me?"
His tone was so confident that Belinda almost found herself convinced.
'Now that you mention it, his mana technique… It wasn't quite the same as the Perdium family's method.'
Belinda debated with herself, momentarily swayed. But then she shook her head vigorously.
"Trust me" is exactly what all the swindlers say!
"This is completely different!"
Vanessa was a prodigy, someone who had trained for years in the magic tower.
Teaching mana to mercenaries who knew nothing? That was an entirely different challenge.
'I know the young master is skilled and has special talents, but this is insane. He's letting success go to his head. It's making him delusional!'
Knights are not loaves of bread you can churn out in two months!
If that were possible, the Perdium family would have conquered the kingdom long before Ghislain was even born.
Claude, who had been quietly watching their exchange, finally interjected.
"My lord, please think this through. We're already in a dire situation with so much to do. You were the one who first brought up the looming war with Count Desmond, weren't you?"
"And?"
"Preparing for war and developing the territory will require an enormous amount of money, won't it?"
"Huge amounts. Everything we've earned and everything we will earn probably won't be enough."
"Then how can you justify not selling those expensive runestones and using them in the mana concentration circles instead? If you can't produce knights in two months, that's time and money wasted!"
Claude raised his voice desperately.
He acknowledged Ghislain's achievements and even his mysterious knowledge. But trusting him just one more time?
'What a joke! One mistake and we're all dead!'
This wasn't something he could afford to gamble on. Lives were at stake.
Even if they used every last coin efficiently, there was no guarantee they could withstand the might of Count Desmond's army—northern nobility's most formidable force.
Risking two months and a fortune on Ghislain's plan was out of the question.
"If this fails, we'll be in even greater danger! Please, can't we prepare rationally for once?"
Claude's plea seemed to resonate with the others, who all looked to Ghislain with hopeful, pleading eyes.
But Ghislain brushed them off casually.
"It'll work. This is common sense to me. Have I ever been wrong? I'm not the kind of guy who spouts nonsense."
Silence fell over the room, and everyone's gaze sharpened on him.
If the territory held a competition for who said the most nonsense, Ghislain would win first place without contest.
Though many of his schemes had surprisingly worked out, they had all begun as ridiculous ideas.
Feeling the weight of everyone's stares, Ghislain muttered under his breath.
"Unbelievable."
[T/L: Please support me and read 15 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]