Outside the castle, Gillian, who had been waiting, bowed his head to Ghislain and spoke.
"All preparations for the expedition are complete."
"Good. Deliver Daven and the provisions to Baron Valois as quickly as possible, before Amelia makes a move."
"Understood."
Before Daven could fully grasp the situation, Gillian dragged him to join the procession.
The forces of Fenris moved as quickly as possible without rest, heading toward Baron Valois's territory.
At the same time, Amelia, hearing the report that Ghislain had taken Daven, gritted her teeth.
'How? How did he manage to anticipate the timing and smuggle Daven out beforehand?'
She was well aware that Ghislain had a deep understanding of her. Even when he extorted 20,000 gold from her, it hadn't seemed like a mere shot in the dark.
However, she hadn't imagined he would predict her actions so accurately as to move Daven out in advance. To top it off, he had even held a banquet as a diversion?
'That bastard Ghislain….'
Amelia's insides burned with anger.
She had always thought of him as an extraordinary individual but still someone she could deal with whenever necessary.
This time, however, Ghislain had struck a decisive blow, forcing her to acknowledge that her assessment had been entirely wrong.
Even though she had been monitoring Ghislain's actions closely ever since he seized Count Cabaldi's territory, she had been thoroughly outmaneuvered.
'The gap in intelligence is too great. No… it's more than just intelligence.'
It was as if Ghislain had directly observed and predicted both her and Harold's movements.
Amelia reflected on Ghislain's past accomplishments.
The reclamation of the Forest of Demonic Beasts, the victory at the Battle of Perdium, the development of cosmetics, the prediction of the drought, the rumored flying machine, and the many knights under his command.
'Could one person really achieve all this in such a short period?'
A chill ran down her spine.
It was unthinkable. Based on his achievements alone, Ghislain could be compared to mythical founding heroes.
She even began to wonder if his preparations for the drought had been a matter of foresight rather than luck.
Could she act as Ghislain had?
Impossible.
Neither ordinary knowledge nor experience would suffice. One would need unparalleled insight into everything, coupled with extraordinary luck.
Grit.
Her teeth clenched involuntarily.
A strange sense of defeat settled over her. The fact that Ghislain had predicted her actions and countered them was maddeningly frustrating.
But now was not the time for such sentiments.
'It's already happened. There's no use regretting what's done. I just need to repay him.'
'Think. Think. What is that bastard planning?'
'He's no ordinary opponent. I have to anticipate him.'
'If I were Ghislain, how would I use this situation?'
Once she had secured Rayfold entirely, she would attack Ghislain in conjunction with Harold. After all, to Harold, Ghislain was the largest obstacle to dominating the northern region.
Ghislain would undoubtedly anticipate this and take measures to prevent her from allying with Harold.
'If he uses Daven, he gains a pretext to attack.'
Amelia considered this possibility but quickly shook her head.
This was the same miser who extorted 20,000 gold from his fiancée. Would someone like that accept the cost of using his forces?
Absolutely not.
'Then….'
The answer was clear. He would entrust Daven to someone likely to oppose her.
"Bring me the map!"
Rustle!
Amelia's eyes quickly scanned the surrounding territories of Rayfold.
Among the seven baronies under Rayfold, she had secured the loyalty of four through a mix of persuasion and intimidation.
That left three remaining. Amelia's mind raced.
'Where is it? Where could it be?'
The act of smuggling out an heir meant Ghislain intended to provoke internal strife within Rayfold. His goal was to bog her down and weaken her forces.
She absolutely had to prevent that.
'Not here.'
One of the three baronies was too close to Rayfold Castle and too weak militarily to be a safe haven for Daven.
That left two options.
Both were relatively far from Rayfold. In fact, they were closer to Count Cabaldi's territory, which Ghislain controlled.
Biting her lip, Amelia's gaze fixed on one spot on the map.
The southernmost tip of Rayfold. A place known as the Shield of Rayfold.
The territory of a steadfast and loyal vassal of Rayfold.
'Baron Valois!'
If she were Ghislain, she would undoubtedly send Daven there.
With enough provisions to sustain a long-term siege.
Amelia motioned urgently to Bernaph and spoke.
"Form a pursuit team immediately…."
She stopped mid-sentence and bit her lip. Her clenched fist trembled.
'It's already too late.'
Even if she gathered forces and set out now, it would be too late.
If Daven had traveled alone, he might already have arrived at Baron Valois's territory, rendering pursuit futile.
If provisions had accompanied him, then a significant force must also have been dispatched. A hastily assembled small force would have no guarantee of victory.
Her opponent had moved with thorough preparation. If she rushed now, she would lose.
Ghislain was no longer an opponent she could underestimate.
Closing her eyes, she took a moment to calm herself and soon regained her composure.
"Bernaph."
"Yes."
"Notify the two remaining lords besides Baron Valois that they have one month. If they do not swear loyalty to me within that time, I will march on them with my army."
"And Baron Valois?"
"There's no point in contacting him. Begin preparations for an assault. He will hole up in his castle, so focus on siege equipment. I will personally lead the attack and crush him."
At this, Conrad, the leader of the Actium Merchant Guild, cautiously offered his opinion.
"Baron Valois is a renowned strategist. Would it not be better to attempt negotiation?"
"He will fight to the end. That's the kind of man he is. And…."
Amelia's gaze turned icy as she continued.
"Daven will also be there. I need to go and sever his head myself."
***
"Good. Things are going well."
When Gillian returned, having safely delivered Daven, Ghislain smiled with satisfaction.
Amelia would inevitably have to go to war with Baron Valois.
While that conflict lasted, she wouldn't have the bandwidth to meddle in Ghislain's affairs or try anything underhanded.
Baron Valois wasn't an opponent one could easily deal with while distracted.
Meanwhile, Harold was under scrutiny from the royalist faction, leaving him unable to start a war.
'After their failed assassination attempt, they'll be scrambling to figure out a new plan.'
Neither side could act rashly. Ghislain intended to use this opportunity to focus entirely on developing his territory.
Currently, the territory's giant incubators have multiplied, resulting in a massive increase in chicken production.
With meat in abundance, the residents of the territory were overjoyed to the point of tears.
"As expected of our lord!"
"How did he even think of something like this?"
"Meat in such abundance! I never thought I'd see the day!"
For the residents, meat was a luxury they could hardly dream of. Even bread was scarce, let alone meat.
Previously, the limited supply of meat was reserved for nobles and knights. Even they struggled to enjoy it after the drought, as livestock had been severely impacted.
Yet suddenly, meat was everywhere. Even though it was only chicken, the people were ecstatic.
The elves undergoing physical training were especially emotional, enjoying a feast of meat for the first time in ages.
'Damn it… why does this make me so happy? It's not like I got some luxury item.'
'We used to eat only high-class food….'
'This wretched territory is driving me insane….'
They wept while eating, unable to reconcile their feelings. Watching Gordon devour 100 chickens by himself only added to their frustration.
"All right! Now that you've eaten, it's time to exercise! You need to absorb it quickly to build muscle! Let's work hard today! No muscle loss!"
Hearing such inhuman declarations, the elves closed their eyes in despair.
'I'm going to throw up….'
'Can't we just work out normally….'
'Another long day ahead.'
As expected, Ascon, the master of anger management, stood up and began cursing.
"You little shit! Do you think everyone has a stomach as robust as yours? When you get older, digestion slows down, you moron!"
He was skilled at knowing exactly whom he could insult without consequences.
'Crazy lord, pretty priest, head butler, nagging head maid, maid mage, the old master, and the cranky elder. As long as I avoid those, I'm fine.'
Everyone else bore the brunt of Ascon's swearing. Especially Kaor, whose reactions were priceless every time he got insulted.
Unable to kill him outright, Kaor would throw wild tantrums alone, and watching him flail around was incredibly entertaining.
Ascon had tried provoking others too, but every time, he was summoned by the lord and faced hell. The last time he was called in, even his great-grandfather and the World Tree had come to greet him.
'Especially that priest, what was his name? Piote? Anyway, that pretty priest is a special case. Off-limits. They're definitely on a protected list. It's a shame though, because making him cry with insults was the best.'
The time Ascon made Piote cry with a few well-placed barbs had nearly gotten him permanently buried in the dirt.
But Gordon, standing before him, seemed like fair game. If he could insult Kaor to his heart's content, Gordon would be no challenge.
Indeed, even as Gordon gritted his teeth and trembled with rage, barely restraining himself, Ascon kept at it.
Killing him was out of the question. Severely injuring him was off-limits too. At best, Gordon could land a few hits, but nothing more.
And yet, Ascon seemed suspiciously tough. No matter how many times he was hit, he'd spring back up with more insults. The more Gordon listened, the angrier he became, to the point where he felt like losing his mind.
"Stop insulting me!"
In the end, Gordon threw another punch.
"Gah!"
Even as Ascon went flying, he didn't stop swearing.
"Your mom's soup was garbage! I puked after eating it, you bastard!"
"Don't insult my mom! You damn elf!"
Gordon's fist flew again, but Ascon's tirade continued unabated.
The watching elves shook their heads. Wasting time like this would only cut into their sleep and delay their training.
Lately, with so much meat in their diets, their stamina had improved significantly, but Ascon's antics had only grown worse, leaving them just as exhausted.
Not only the elves but also those living near the lord's castle had grown much healthier thanks to the surplus of meat.
Still, the giant incubators hadn't yet been installed across the entire territory. The cost of production was astronomical, making widespread distribution difficult.
The materials required were substantial, and the construction process required the involvement of mages, which took considerable time.
Yet, they needed to build these in Perdium as well.
Ultimately, distributing giant incubators to every village was deferred for later. For now, they had to focus on supplying the main cities, which could then distribute resources to nearby villages.
And the first essential infrastructure for that was roads.
Under Ghislain's orders, numerous workers were mobilized for road construction, and the work progressed rapidly.
Perdium also actively supplied soldiers and laborers, so the roads connecting major villages and castles were largely completed.
However, the challenge lay in properly utilizing these roads.
Gathering his vassals, Ghislain spoke.
"Now that we have roads, it's time to revolutionize transportation. Faster transportation means faster development for the territory."
At this, Claude asked.
"So, are we finally bringing in large numbers of horses, as you mentioned before?"
"Exactly. Right now, the horses in the territory are almost exclusively used as warhorses, right? With so few horses, transport is inevitably slow."
Food, meat, and construction materials were all too bulky to be moved by hand.
Given the size of the territory, the shortage of horses made timely transportation impossible.
In fact, the biggest delays at construction sites across Fenris were caused by waiting for materials to arrive.
Thus, Ghislain had concluded that it was time to secure more horses. Not just for transportation.
"To train large-scale cavalry units, we'll need far more horses."
Increasing military strength required a significant expansion of cavalry. Currently, most of the territory's forces consisted of infantry.
Claude, sensing an opportunity, brought up a previous question.
"So, how do you plan to secure them? You said you'd explain later."
"You won't object, will you?"
"Of course not! Everything you've done so far has worked, so why would we oppose you?"
Even Claude had grown bolder. After witnessing so many unconventional but successful ventures, he had resigned himself to letting things unfold as they would.
The other vassals felt the same. They agreed with hollow expressions.
"Horses are absolutely necessary."
"If it's our lord, he'll have a plan."
"Our lord can do whatever he wants."
Ghislain smiled with satisfaction. Sincerity, after all, would eventually be understood. Now, he could cut down on unnecessary complaints and delays.
Encouraged, he decided to go all in with his explanation.
"You know how my father spent years stationed at the northern fortress?"
"Yes, of course. He endured a lot, constantly fending off barbarian raids and monitoring them. All that while lacking funds and troops."
"Exactly. Our ancestors suffered greatly because of those barbarians. They kept the territory perpetually poor. It was already poor, but they made it even worse."
Claude said nothing, his eyes darting nervously.
This was unsettling. Why such a long preamble for acquiring horses?
The lord often made outrageous remarks, but they always turned out to have a purpose. If he was elaborating this much, it suggested something risky.
As Claude continued to watch cautiously, Ghislain casually dropped a bombshell.
"Prepare for an expedition."
"Why? Why are we suddenly going on an expedition? What does this have to do with getting horses?"
With a determined expression, Ghislain elaborated.
"We're going to teach those barbarians some discipline."
'Why do YOU have to be the one to do it?!'
Claude's head throbbed in disbelief.
[T/L: Please support me and read 245 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]