Ghislain ignored the gloomy expressions of vassals and continued speaking.
"What's the current status of our military?"
The vassals already had an inkling of Ghislain's plans. They were well-acquainted with their lord's troublesome habits.
Whenever Ghislain needed something, someone ended up beaten. Whenever something needed preparation, someone also ended up beaten. Now that the preparations were done, it was time for someone to face the consequences.
So the vassals gave up and didn't bother voicing their objections.
"All troops are fully equipped with Galbanium gear. Following your instructions, we've emphasized training in horsemanship, archery, and various combat techniques without distinguishing between unit types."
"We've also constructed training facilities and barracks in every city and fortress. However, given the size of our forces, many of these facilities remain underutilized."
"We've even provided basic training for the estate residents in case recruitment becomes necessary."
Currently, Fenris boasted a force of about 4,000 soldiers, including knights. This already surpassed the military strength of Ghislain's father's estate, Perdium.
Across the entire kingdom, only a few territories could claim to have more troops.
Objectively, this was by no means a small number. However, it paled in comparison to the forces of a duchy. In fact, it was less than half of what Desmond alone could muster.
Even with strengthened knights and elite soldiers, the sheer disparity in numbers was a daunting challenge.
The fewer the troops, the fewer strategies available, and the higher the casualties when battle ensued.
With a dissatisfied expression, Ghislain turned to Claude.
"Why is troop recruitment so slow? Haven't we been actively recruiting? Is it not working?"
"Well, we've had too many other priorities. We focused more on hiring laborers and developing the estate. Plus, most residents prefer working for wages over serving as soldiers. Nobody actually likes joining the military."
"Hmm, we'll have to find a solution for that. Anyway, you're all aware that a civil war is imminent, right? We need to start preparing thoroughly from now on, especially in terms of troop training and stockpiling military supplies."
Regardless of Ghislain's eccentric tendencies, the vassals all knew war was inevitable.
As a member of the royalist faction, Ghislain had already killed Count Cabaldi of the duke faction and seized his lands. At the time, Count Desmond had even mobilized his forces to attack them.
Thanks to Ghislain, the conflict between the royalist and duke factions had only intensified. A civil war not breaking out would have been more surprising.
Claude scratched his head and muttered.
"Well, we've always been preparing for war. The real question is how we're going to approach it."
Everyone had focused on developing the estate because a prosperous territory was essential to surviving a prolonged war.
While the benefits of this development were currently enjoyed by the estate's residents, in truth, every project in Fenris was designed to strengthen its military power.
And now, knowing their enemy more clearly than before, Claude maintained a constant state of readiness for war.
"Good. You're doing well. What's the situation in the surrounding territories?"
"The most significant one is Count Desmond, who is ramping up his preparations for war. He's openly recruiting troops now. It's clear he intends to attack us, but he'll likely wait until the royalist and duke factions are fully at odds before making his move."
"Because of Marquis Branford, Desmond can't act alone. What about Amelia?"
"She's still in a passive standoff with Baron Valois. She seems cautious, probably because northern lords are eyeing her position."
Hearing this, Ghislain chuckled.
Because of him, Harold's plans had gone awry, Amelia's rebellion had been expedited, and Daven had survived. Amelia must be having a hard time dealing with it all.
With Daven, who had a higher claim to succession, still alive, the lords connected to the late Count Rayfold now had the pretext to invade Rayfold's territory.
In northern tradition, female lords were rarely accepted, especially by neighboring lords.
Moreover, Amelia was at war with Baron Valois. The other lords were likely salivating at the chance to carve up Rayfold while she was distracted.
"What about the royalist and duke factions?"
"Royalist lords participating in the road construction seem to have annoyed the duke faction. Duke faction lords have stationed troops along their borders with royalist territories. Meanwhile, the royalist lords are deploying their own forces under the pretext of protecting the roads under construction."
"Oh, sounds like things are getting tense."
"Yes. Even the smallest provocation could lead to bloodshed. And all of it is because of… um, because of you, my lord."
Ghislain smiled again. The duke faction lords bordering royalist territories were undoubtedly agitated.
Once the roads were completed, the royalists could quickly mobilize their armies for a surprise attack.
Because of him, events were unfolding faster than they had in previous life. At this rate, even a minor trigger could ignite a civil war.
Both factions were being drawn into Ghislain's orchestrations.
'The spark will come when I'm ready. Not before.'
Of course, taking on a duchy alone was still impossible. For now, the priority was dealing with Count Desmond. The rest could be left to the royalists.
In past life, the royalists had been weakened by famine and were eventually crushed during the civil war. But thanks to Ghislain, they had now survived the famine.
When the civil war began, they would buy enough time for Ghislain to annihilate Desmond.
The Fenris soldiers, honed by grueling training, were turning into elite troops. The estate's production of weapons and food had also soared to unprecedented levels.
'Still, it's not quite enough.'
He didn't want a pyrrhic victory. Such a result would leave him vulnerable to the duchy.
More troops and weapons were necessary. Only then could he crush Desmond decisively and dominate the north.
That would finally set the stage for a confrontation with the duchy.
With a ferocious smile, Ghislain gave the order.
"Start recruiting troops in earnest. The goal is 10,000 soldiers."
It was time to prepare for the civil war with everything they had.
***
Recruitment notices were delivered across every part of the estate. Since recruitment was already ongoing, the residents weren't particularly surprised.
They merely assumed the lord was continuing to bolster the military, as usual.
They had grown so accustomed to the peaceful routine of their daily lives that they lacked any real sense of urgency.
Since troop recruitment would take time, Ghislain decided to check on Galbarik in the meantime.
He wanted to see if the equipment he'd commissioned before leaving for monster hunting was complete.
"What? It's still not done? You've all been slacking off, haven't you?"
"P-please wait just a little longer. Even the mages are working on it now."
These were the estate's finest pieces of equipment, incorporating cutting-edge techniques. Creating them wasn't as simple as crafting helmets and armor.
The process involved embedding various rune stones and engraving corresponding magic circles. With only rough conceptual designs to work from, completing the first piece was proving extremely difficult.
Once the initial piece was completed, replicating it would become much easier. But achieving the desired performance for the first one was no simple task.
To be fair, they had indeed slacked off during Ghislain's absence. Now they were paying for it as Ghislain visited them daily.
"Still not done?"
"Just a little more time…."
"What about today?"
"A few more days…."
"When will it be ready?"
"Soon…."
They had no excuse for their leisurely pace while Ghislain was away. But now that he was hounding them relentlessly, they were at their wit's end.
'Damn it, we shouldn't have slacked off.'
'I thought it'd be easier than this.'
'I must've been insane to take it easy, knowing how impatient he is.'
Galbarik and the dwarves gritted their teeth, pouring all their energy into the work. Naturally, the mages also had no choice but to forgo sleep and keep up.
Even Vanessa, who had previously driven the dwarves hard during the construction of the large incubator, now found the tables turned.
Alpoi, who was annoyed by the amount of work he had to do, asked Galbarik.
"Hey! Are we your subordinates? I'm busy with work too, so why do you keep calling me and telling me to do this and that?"
"What? We stayed up all night every night to help build the giant incubator! And this time, you played along with us! You shameless brat!"
"It was something I had to do because the lord ordered me to do it!"
"This is also what the lord ordered!"
When the two were about to fight, Vanessa stepped in and stopped them.
"Alpoi, please don't do that! It's true that the dwarves helped us with all their hard work! The magic circle work is our job anyway!"
If Vanessa comes out, Alfoi will be crushed. Alfoi muttered, scratching his head in vain.
"No, this isn't working well.... I was wondering if we could do it.... This isn't working. We need to call someone for this."
With Alpoi's crumpled, work went smoothly again.
In the meantime, Ghislain kept visiting and asking questions every day without stopping. This went on for days, so both the person asking and the person answering were going crazy.
"Not done yet? I'm in a hurry!"
Eventually, after countless sleepless nights, Galbarik finally snapped.
"It's done! It's done! You damn bastard, it's finally done!"
"Oh?"
Ghislain was a little surprised. He had been expecting another delay but was instead greeted with a finished product.
Before him stood a set of black armor and a helmet—the pinnacle of the estate's craftsmanship, created with a massive budget and the best craftsmen.
Like a child receiving a gift, Ghislain eagerly inspected the armor.
Watching him, Galbarik spoke with a serious expression.
"But… now that it's complete, I realize this is quite a dangerous piece of equipment."
Ghislain's smile grew wider.
"Yes, it's a truly magnificent piece."
This armor had been created in his past life for only the most elite knights. It was designed to combat the monsters and catastrophes that arose during times of great tribulation.
Galbarik, however, seemed uneasy.
The specifications Ghislain had requested were anything but simple. Though the conceptual design he'd provided was rough, it yielded the most efficient and powerful configuration of rune stones and magic circles.
Creating it required Galbanium and a mage with knowledge of the 6th circle or higher. Coincidentally, the estate had both Galbanium and Vanessa, a 6th-circle mage.
'It's almost as if he knew this would be possible here. It's uncanny that he had such a design ready.'
Galbarik was beginning to question the source of Ghislain's knowledge.
"I used to think you were just well-studied, my lord. But the more I see, the stranger it seems. It's as if you already know what's going to happen."
He was right, of course. But Ghislain only responded with a sly smile. After all, who would believe him if he told the truth?
Without a word, he donned the armor and channeled his mana into it.
Buzz.
The armor vibrated faintly, and light seeped through the small gaps in its design.
"Excellent."
The temperature inside the armor quickly adjusted to a comfortable level, as though insulated. His body felt lighter, almost as if gravity had lessened, and his strength increased noticeably.
His vision sharpened, and all his other senses became more acute.
He had only infused a small amount of mana, but the effects were extraordinary. Wearing this armor, a knight could perform far beyond their natural capabilities.
It was practically a miracle, instantly elevating a low-level knight to a high-level knight.
"Distribute it to the knights immediately. They'll also need training to adjust to the enhanced senses while wearing it. And I'll send some to my allies in the Turian Kingdom."
"If any of these knights betray us or cause trouble, it'll be disastrous. With this armor, even a single wearer could massacre hundreds of soldiers."
"Don't worry. We'll put them through even stricter training to ensure they don't have time for such thoughts."
As Ghislain clenched his fist and grinned mischievously, Galbarik clicked his tongue. No matter how powerful the armor was, it seemed unlikely anyone could challenge their lord.
Ending the conversation abruptly, Galbarik quickly excused himself.
"Well, I'll be on my way then!"
But before he could leave, Ghislain grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey, wait. We're not done yet."
"What now?"
"Let's make some new bows."
"Bows? We're already making plenty. The soldiers are also regularly practicing archery."
Ordinary bows could easily be mass-produced by the estate's craftsmen, without the need for dwarves. However, Ghislain shook her head.
"Not ordinary bows."
"Then what kind?"
"Bows that anyone can shoot easily while on horseback. They'll be used primarily by the elves."
From the beginning, Ghislain hadn't intended to use the elves solely for horse breeding. He was now envisioning a new type of weapon and a specialized military unit for his estate.
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