Amelia frowned at the words of Conrad, the head of the Actium Merchant Guild.
"Fenris requested food supplies again?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Is the situation in Fenris and Perdium really that bad?"
"I don't think so. They've already received support from the northern lords and the Royalist faction, haven't they? If I had to guess, it seems they're trying to secure resources in advance because of the immigrants."
"How much support did the Royalist faction provide?"
"It was a sudden decision, so I can't say the exact amount. But since Marquis Branford was involved, it should be enough to last them through the year."
Conrad regularly reported to Amelia whenever something significant happened during his dealings with Fenris. This case was no exception.
Initially, she hadn't thought much when they sold food supplies, but the more she observed, the stranger things seemed.
Despite receiving substantial support from the Royalist faction, Fenris continued to purchase food supplies at an extraordinary rate.
The sheer amount of food they were buying caused the price of food in the north to rise, making it impossible for Conrad not to report the matter.
Amelia lowered her gaze, lost in thought.
'What could he be planning this time?'
The harvest season was approaching. Even in the barren north, food prices were bound to drop after the harvest.
Yet, Ghislain, who already had sufficient reserves, wasn't even waiting for that short period and kept buying, enough to drive up prices. This piqued Amelia's curiosity.
"What about the other merchant guilds? What are their movements?"
"They're excitedly selling food supplies. They're sure prices will drop soon, so they're trying to make a quick profit while they can."
Whenever other regional merchant guilds sold food, they inevitably passed through the north.
Even after deducting transport costs, they could sell at far higher prices here than elsewhere.
Given that prices had risen more than usual this year, it was clear every merchant would be eager to seize this opportunity.
After a brief silence, Amelia asked another question.
"What's the weather like these days? How does the harvest look this year?"
"It's been slightly drier than last year, but nothing alarming. This type of weather isn't uncommon."
"Hmm…."
Although the north often experienced poor harvests, Rayfold and Desmond rarely faced such issues.
Even in bad years, they usually only lacked enough surplus to sell elsewhere, but their people never went hungry.
That was why Conrad could confidently say, "It's not a concern."
However, despite this reassurance, Amelia pondered deeply before resolutely raising her head.
"Stop selling food supplies. Not just to Fenris but to anyone. Store everything away for now, in secret. And start buying as much as you can from other guilds as long as we have the means."
Conrad was startled by the sudden order and hesitated before responding.
"Once the harvest begins, prices will drop quickly. Selling now will maximize our profits. We can store our own supplies, but buying from other guilds will cause significant losses."
"Stop making excuses and just do as I say."
"…May I ask why you're giving this order?"
"Since when did you start questioning my instructions while working for me?"
"…I apologize. I'll execute it immediately."
Amelia clicked her tongue as she noticed Conrad's tense expression. Since he was a trusted subordinate, she figured a little explanation wouldn't hurt.
"There's something I need to confirm."
"Confirm what?"
"Whether that man's past successes were simply due to luck or truly earned through skill. Take the losses if necessary, but proceed as I said."
"…Understood."
Conrad gave up trying to persuade her. He knew Amelia rarely reversed her decisions once she made them.
Even for cherished subordinates, she had previously executed those who crossed the line by questioning her decisions.
Left with no choice but to comply, Conrad inwardly sighed at the anticipated losses.
After Conrad left, holding his troubled thoughts, Amelia continued pondering.
'Ghislain... What are you plotting this time? Let's find out.'
***
When told to prepare supplies for 3,000 people, Claude burst out laughing.
"My Lord! Even counting the knights, our forces barely reach 500! Three thousand? Hahaha! Wendy, it seems the head maid didn't teach you numbers! Ow!"
Claude only calmed down after Belinda smacked him on the head. Rubbing his sore temple, he asked again.
"Is it really for 3,000 people?"
"Yes."
"But we don't have that many troops."
"As I said before, I'll bring the rest."
"From where? Perdium doesn't even have such a large force, and if they do, they can't spare them due to the northern border."
"Don't worry. Plenty of places will lend them. Soon, they'll offer to do so themselves."
"Ugh… There he goes again."
Without special connections or substantial compensation, no lord would lend their troops. Even the Royalist faction, which handed over territory, refused to send soldiers.
Yet, the lord seemed confident about securing reinforcements, leaving Claude baffled.
Too tired to argue further, Claude confirmed, "Weren't we planning a defensive stand? Was that just my misunderstanding?"
"I never said that."
"You did during the hot air balloon incident!"
Claude raised his voice but stopped mid-sentence.
Come to think of it, the lord never explicitly said so. It was just something he'd assumed on his own.
"…Right, it was just my mistake. So, when will you bring the troops?"
"Very soon. Almost there. Just wait a little longer."
Claude sighed deeply.
It seemed the much-talked-about "time" was finally approaching.
What kind of event warranted such confidence? He planned to watch closely to see for himself.
If it turned out to be nothing special, he was ready to mock the lord with all his might.
'But if 3,000 troops really do arrive….'
Even if most of them were unskilled, the knights alone numbered about 400 capable fighters.
Adding 3,000 soldiers would significantly improve their odds of success.
'Though if Count Cabaldi decides to hole up and wait, we can't guarantee anything….'
Claude shook his head, trying to clear his complicated thoughts. For now, nothing was certain.
"Fine. I'll prepare everything for a force of 3,000. With our abundant food supplies, it won't be an issue."
"Good. We're almost there. Everyone, make sure to stay focused on your duties."
The vassals bowed, their faces filled with unease. Judging by the lord's tone, they were about to march into battle soon.
Though the lord had made plenty of preparations and spoken of reinforcements, no one knew the details.
Confusion and disbelief loomed, yet they had no choice but to obey. Only someone like the head butler could speak so freely before the lord.
Watching the uneasy vassals, Ghislain smiled faintly.
'You'll understand soon enough.'
As Ghislain predicted, strange occurrences began to catch the attention of Fenris' people.
"What's with this heat lately?"
"I don't recall it being this bad in recent years."
"Do you think we'll have a severe drought?"
Farmers, attuned to the weather, grew anxious. Their livelihoods depended on it, and any unusual changes could spell disaster.
As days passed and the air grew hotter and drier, the people grew fearful.
Having lived through hunger before, they knew the terror of a drought all too well.
But their concerns didn't last long.
"Ah, I worried for nothing. It's just a little hot, I guess. Maybe my body's just weak."
"Look at the wheat! It's thriving. We'll have another harvest soon."
The monstrous wheat developed by the lord thrived, unaffected by the heat and dryness.
In fact, it seemed ready for harvest already.
Additionally, the recently renovated irrigation systems ensured an abundant water supply.
Unlike Fenris, however, other territories began falling into chaos.
Lowell, responsible for intelligence gathering, reported daily in the audience hall.
"The weather seems unusual. It's a sign of a major drought. Many lords are worried."
Initially, the reports were mild. Since the wheat in Fenris was growing well, the vassals didn't feel the impact.
Their reservoirs and storage tanks were filled to the brim, leaving them unconcerned.
They assumed Lowell was being overly cautious.
But Lowell's reports grew more alarming by the day.
"The river levels are rapidly dropping! Crops are deteriorating!"
"Merchant guilds are scrambling to secure food supplies! They seem to be running out."
"F-food prices are skyrocketing!"
Hearing these escalating reports, the vassals stared at Ghislain, wide-eyed.
While Fenris was overflowing with food to the point that they had to expand their warehouses, other territories were facing food shortages.
If there was indeed a drought, it would make sense. The north's food supplies had already been absorbed into Fenris, with no surplus for other guilds.
But for vassals who hadn't left Fenris, Lowell's words were hard to believe.
Just yesterday, they'd complained about having too much food, worried it might rot. Now they were being told there was a food shortage?
'Isn't this a lie? Are you sure the lord didn't order him to fabricate this?'
'Even low-quality crops have seen price hikes. Could this drought be real?'
The vassals wavered between skepticism and belief, but a new report days later left no room for doubt.
"Famine markers have appeared in multiple areas! The drought is confirmed! It's severe!"
Famine markers, placed in rivers to signal droughts, indicated that water levels were critically low.
This kind of drought was a once-in-decades disaster, even for the arid north.
Worse still, the drought wasn't confined to the north but was affecting regions nationwide.
"The kingdom is under a severe climate anomaly. Crops are failing across the kingdom and neighboring territories. This is the worst drought on record."
This was no ordinary bad harvest; it was a catastrophe.
The vassals were in shock.
Fenris, overflowing with food and water, felt no impact. Yet, chaos reigned in other territories.
The lord's relentless preparations seemed almost prophetic.
Claude trembled as he asked, "My Lord, what's going on? Did you predict this drought?"
All eyes turned to Ghislain.
Until now, his actions could be dismissed as luck or foresight. But predicting the weather? That was entirely different.
In stunned silence, Ghislain leaned on his chin and smirked.
How should he answer? Should he claim to know the future?
Though he couldn't say it outright, the thought amused him.
As Ghislain silently smiled, Claude pressed him for an answer.
"Stop laughing! How did you know there would be a drought?"
After a long pause, Ghislain casually replied.
"It was hot."
"What?"
"When it's too hot, a drought happens. It's been hot lately, hasn't it?"
"Are you seriously saying you prepared all this just because it was hot? That's ridiculous!"
"Well, it was hot. What else could I do? I hate the heat."
"…."
His absurd reasoning left everyone speechless.
'So you're telling me you panicked over the heat and prepared for a drought, and it just happened to work out?'
Only someone prone to extreme worrying could come up with such an idea.
Though it was hard to believe, it was slightly more plausible than predicting the future.
If he had been wrong, Fenris would've suffered significant losses with all that surplus food. He would have faced plenty of criticism too.
Enjoying the silence, Ghislain turned to Lowell.
"What's Perdium's status?"
"Uh… It's different from other areas."
"Explain."
Lowell flipped through his reports and replied with a bitter expression.
"Baron Homerne, Perdium's head butler, received reports on the drought and said…."
"And?"
"Ahem. 'Ah, another bad harvest this year. But we always have bad harvests, don't we? We have plenty of food now, so it's fine. If we run out, we'll just ask the young lord for more.' …That's what he said."
"…I see. How's their water situation?"
"Their reservoirs are lower, but thanks to streams from the Forest of Demonic Beasts and the reservoirs you built, they're managing better than others."
"Good. It seems there's no major issue."
Perdium, already accustomed to hardship, took the drought in stride.
While prolonged droughts could strain their water supplies, they would likely manage.
Ghislain wanted to provide more reservoirs and irrigation, but as it was his father's territory, his interference was limited.
Satisfied that Perdium could hold out, Ghislain asked about other territories.
"What's the situation elsewhere?"
"It's dire. Rayfold and Desmond will barely harvest half of their usual yields. While they have reserves to last, other territories face mass starvation."
"That's unfortunate."
"Everyone is desperate for food. If we sell now, we could charge ten times the usual price."
Lowell's words made the vassals' eyes sparkle.
The north's barren lands couldn't withstand the drought.
Fenris, however, had unimaginable food reserves, with more on the way thanks to the monstrous wheat.
With this opportunity, Fenris could become one of the wealthiest territories in the kingdom.
But despite their hopeful looks, Ghislain shook his head.
"I have no plans to sell right now."
Claude suddenly recalled the "time" Ghislain kept mentioning.
"My Lord… is the 'perfect time' you spoke of for… war?"
With crops failing, Count Cabaldi's soldiers would go hungry, their morale plummeting.
Ghislain grinned and confirmed.
"Yes, the time has finally come."
[T/L: Please support me and read 90 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]