The vassals who heard Ghislain's plan for large-scale road construction all nodded.
Seeing this, Ghislain asked, seeming puzzled.
"Why aren't you opposing it this time?"
Claude answered indifferently.
"Well, everyone knows that wide and flat roads are good. Roads are like the lifeblood of a territory."
No one is unaware of the importance of roads. Roads must be developed to activate commercial exchanges between regions and to allow the economy to grow.
From a military perspective as well, roads are very important. The roads need to be well-paved for troop movements and supplies to be carried out swiftly.
However, in the northern region, making a living was more urgent than road construction, so they couldn't pay attention to it.
Claude glanced at the map, roughly estimating something, and continued speaking.
"The scale of the construction is too large, so it will take some time. Connecting all the way to the Northern Fortress won't be easy."
"I know. But we have to connect it somehow. That's the only way to have organic cooperation with Perdium. There shouldn't be any problems starting the work, right?"
"We have plenty of idle people. But in that case, we'll be spending a lot of food and money again. When on earth will we save up money?"
"I'm a person optimized for spending money rather than saving it. I like spending much more."
"..."
When someone says it so openly, there's nothing more to say. Anyway, the payments for cosmetics and food are coming in well, and soon there will be surplus meat to sell, so the more they spent, the more would come in.
However, to procure the materials needed for road construction, they had to spend much more money at once than usual.
"I will summon the merchant guilds again. It's still difficult to sell meat, but we have plenty of food. Since food prices haven't dropped yet, I'll use that money to procure more materials needed for construction."
"Good, don't spare any money. Speed is the top priority. Got it?"
"Ah, don't worry. I know your style now, Lord."
Claude grumbled at the same old nagging and withdrew.
To match the suddenly decided plan, Claude summoned the merchant guilds earlier than the scheduled date.
Currently, the most prosperous place in the North is the Fenris estate. At a mere gesture from Claude, the northern merchant guilds gathered like clouds.
'Ah, this is power. I endure being a slave Head butler for this pleasure.'
Not only did they come running at a single call, but they also offered bribes generously and bowed their heads deeply.
Claude urged them to purchase large amounts of resources again. With an abundance of food and iron ore, he could obtain anything he wanted.
If there were estates or merchant guilds that didn't have resources to hand over, he tenaciously accepted their population and technicians.
Anyway, there were many things needed for estate development besides roads. Since the development speed was fast, it didn't matter if they purchased it a bit earlier than planned.
While they were busy conducting transactions like that, the leader of a fairly large merchant guild came to see him.
"Hello. I am Brandel."
After exchanging brief greetings, Claude looked at the information on the guild and tilted his head.
"Hmm? You're someone trading with us for the first time?"
"Yes, our area of activity is more focused on the eastern side. Of course, we have done quite large transactions in the North a few times."
Indeed, it was written that way in the information Lowell brought. Once he had a general understanding, Claude asked.
"I see, we don't block any guilds that come. You're here to trade food, right?"
"Yes, that's right. I've heard rumors that there's an abundance of food here. So we wanted to open a transaction this time."
"Hmm, we are a bit expensive though... How much are you looking to get?"
At Claude's words, Brandel handed over a piece of paper with a sly smile.
"Would this much be possible?"
"...What?"
The amount Brandel requested was the highest among all the guilds they had traded with so far.
The volume of a single transaction was more than the combined transactions of ten other guilds.
Claude couldn't believe it and asked again.
"Really... you want to make a transaction of this scale?"
"Yes, I heard you're purchasing a lot of materials. Tell me what you need, and I'll bring them accordingly. Or gold coins would be fine as well."
At Brandel's relaxed smile, Claude swallowed dryly. It would be convenient for them to secure a large amount of resources at once.
Because as work increased, resources were also being consumed rapidly.
"Payment... is after delivery?"
"Of course, our guild has quite a high credit rating. You can check the goods we bring and then hand over the food. However, there's one condition."
"A condition?"
"Since it's the first transaction and a large amount, I'd like to meet the Lord directly and proceed with the deal."
"Why?"
Claude asked with an expression of disbelief.
All transactions had to go through him anyway. Wanting to trade directly with the Lord was an act of disregarding him.
Then Brandel, slightly gauging his reaction, replied.
"Well... it's just that, given the amount involved... There's some rumors about you, Head butler... But if we continue trading in the future, we'll proceed with you from next time."
At those words, Claude had nothing to say. He had received too many bribes under the pretext of filling the estate's warehouses.
If Ghislain's new nickname was 'Food King of the North,' Claude's nickname was 'Bribe King of the North.'
'Damn... Honestly, it's unfair... I haven't even taken anything...'
No matter what, others didn't know that. Claude shook his head a few times and put on a sullen expression.
"Please wait a moment. I'll go inform the Lord."
Having nothing to say about his reputation, Claude immediately reported to Ghislain.
It wasn't bad from Ghislain's perspective either. It's always good to procure resources quickly and in large quantities.
If they proposed such a large transaction, it would be courteous to show his face at least once.
"But the name sounds familiar... Bring me the documents."
Ghislain checked the information on Brandel's guild, snorted lightly, and nodded.
"Ah, I remember now. It's here?"
"Do you know them?"
"Well, somewhat."
With a still smiling face, Ghislain crumpled the document and tossed it back, then said.
"Tell them we'll do that. When they bring the goods, I'll go out personally."
Hearing Ghislain's promise, Brandel returned greatly pleased.
And a few days later, Brandel truly brought an enormous amount of resources needed by the estate.
Claude was so astonished that his jaw dropped. He couldn't imagine that they would procure that amount in just a few days.
Seeing Claude's reaction, Brandel inwardly sneered.
'Heh heh, take a good look before you die.'
He was someone sent by Count Desmond to assassinate Ghislain. Naturally, the resources he brought were items that Desmond's estate had stockpiled here and there.
Count Desmond was determined to kill Ghislain, even if it meant giving up all those resources.
Brandel spoke to the dazed Claude.
"Then... we'll wait here. Will the Lord be inspecting the goods personally as well?"
"Well, I'm not sure... For now, I'll inform the Lord that you've arrived, Mr. Brandel."
Brandel piled the resources a little away from the castle. Given the sheer volume, it would take all day to move them into the castle.
In such cases, it was customary to conduct the transaction outside. The manpower and time required to move the goods all cost money.
Brandel had planned for that, gathering as many resources as possible.
Once Claude disappeared into the castle, Brandel set up a negotiation table outdoors and gestured to the dozens of workers who came with him.
Most of them were Desmond's knights or assassins hired for this task. There were actually only a few workers to move the goods.
Brandel signaled them to secure the surroundings and began to prepare.
'Let's see how many people they bring.'
No matter how many come, it would be useless. After all, to sign the contract, they would have to stand close to him.
'They say his skills are quite good? Let's see how long he can last.'
Brandel smiled confidently.
He was a high-level knight. Even if Ghislain was as strong as rumored, he was confident that if he attacked suddenly along with the surrounding assassins, he had a good chance of winning.
After completing all preparations and waiting a bit, Ghislain appeared with only a few escorts.
And Brandel was convinced of the operation's success.
'He's truly a madman! They said he was fearless, but to come out with only that few escorts!'
Around Ghislain, there were only a few knights including Gillian. It seemed they could kill him just by joining forces with the nearby assassins.
Still, Brandel forced his pounding heart to calm down. There was a more certain way to kill him, so there was no need to rush.
It was because he was cautious and composed that Harold entrusted him with such a big task.
"Welcome, Lord. I am Brandel."
"Oh, you've brought a lot indeed? It seems we have gained a good trading partner."
"Of course. First, please check the goods."
When Ghislain nodded, several administrators began checking the goods. Since the volume was so large, it inevitably took quite some time.
Brandel politely pointed to the table and said.
"Please have a seat while we wait. In the meantime, you can also review the contract."
"Sure, let's do that."
Ghislain sat down and reviewed the contract. The neatly written contract was no different from what he had expected.
"Hmm, there seems to be no problem. I look forward to working with you in the future."
"Of course. I also look forward to it. It's been so hard to procure food these days."
Brandel chatted about various things, jesting. His conversational skills were quite good, so Ghislain listened with interest, nodding several times.
"Ah, it's an honor to meet you like this today, so I'd like to offer you a fine drink. Think of it as a celebration of our successful big transaction."
"A drink? What kind?"
"It's the continent's finest specialty, 'Red Dragon.' Would you like to see it?"
"Oh, really?"
'Red Dragon' is a high-quality liquor that even high-ranking nobles cannot easily drink. Not to mention the price, the quantity is extremely limited.
Refusing such a drink would be impolite. Ghislain readily nodded.
'Heh heh, simpleton. He must think anything expensive is good.'
Brandel smiled as he prepared the poisoned drink.
In fact, poisoning is an assassination method with a higher failure rate than expected.
The biggest problem is getting the target to ingest the poison. A poison strong enough to kill instantly cannot go unnoticed.
The unusual color or smell is a problem, and sometimes the toxicity is so strong that the food gets scorched.
Even if all those issues were resolved, nobles don't readily eat what others give them. Servants usually taste it first before they eat, so successful cases of poisoning are rare.
However, this poison is a bit different.
'Even if the servants taste it first, it won't matter.'
It has little effect on ordinary people. It reacts only to mana.
The more mana one has in their body, the stronger the toxicity becomes. Even a high-level knight would struggle to exert proper strength while suppressing the poison.
The downside is that it has a strong smell, but mixing it with an even stronger liquor solved that problem.
This poison was painstakingly created by the duke's family. Even within the duke's family, they had succeeded in making fewer than five bottles.
It was that difficult to produce, and it required so many resources that mass production was impossible.
Harold handed such a precious poison to Brandel without hesitation. Solely with the determination to kill Ghislain.
"Since the Lord is here, I will drink first."
To avoid suspicion, Brandel filled a glass with the brownish liquor and drank it in one gulp. Since he had taken an antidote beforehand, one glass was okay.
He immediately poured the liquor into the glass in front of Ghislain and said politely.
"It tastes very good. If you feel uneasy, you don't have to drink it. I'll leave it as a gift, so you can check it separately."
Brandel thought it didn't matter if Ghislain didn't drink the liquor. At this distance, they could succeed in a surprise attack even without using poison.
He also had a plan to attack in the gap if the knight next to him drank first and felt something was wrong.
Ghislain, who was quietly looking at the glass, smirked.
"It does look tasty."
Ghislain picked up the glass and began to drink slowly.
The knights nearby just stood there with indifferent expressions.
Watching that scene, Brandel unconsciously clenched his fist slightly.
'Heh heh, foolish fellows. They say their discipline is a mess, and it's true. Their master is drinking something unknown, and they're just watching.'
Having finished every drop, Ghislain set down the glass with a click and said.
"Wow, this is the second strongest thing I've ever tasted in my life. What is this?"
Brandel's eyes began to turn cold. The eyes of the workers nearby also began to change.
At that moment, Ghislain even poured himself another glass and drank it down.
"But it does taste good."
Brandel inwardly rejoiced at the foolish action of drinking more without knowing what's in it.
'You're dead now! For things to go this smoothly! Heaven is helping us!'
Even if Ghislain were a high-level knight, it would be hard to withstand two glasses. Even though he had taken an antidote beforehand, he already felt his stomach churning.
As he slowly raised his hand to give the attack signal, Ghislain suddenly poured liquor into Brandel's glass and said.
"You have another drink too."
"Pardon?"
"I said, have another drink."
At the unexpected situation, Brandel's face hardened.
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