Episode 161: Is it better to hit first? (3)
Claude spoke urgently to the bewildered Giselle.
“When are you planning to set out? Can’t you take it a little slower? We’ll also watch Count Desmond’s movements and make plans… .”
Jiselle shook her head firmly.
“No. We are already behind schedule. We must begin preparations immediately. We will depart as soon as the next harvest season is over.”
Even if it was the next harvest season, there were only a few months left. It was too urgent.
Claude screamed loudly.
“Why does it have to be then!”
“Because I get to fight whenever I want.”
Jiselle said in a firm voice.
It’s not that I’m rushing just to get there quickly.
It would be nice to get iron ore quickly, but more important is finding the optimal timing.
If you handle things haphazardly because you are in a hurry, the chances of failure only increase.
For Giselle at least, failure, even just once, meant doom.
‘We must win overwhelmingly with minimal damage. The fastest way to reduce the risk and take over the iron mine is… … . Then, just attack.’
It was a plan that only Jisel, who knew the future, could make.
From now on, he must move all situations according to his will. To do so, Giselle brought in the Marquis of Branford and joined the royalist faction.
But if I explain this now, no one will understand or believe it.
As has been the case up to now, even after the results came out, it was likely that they would just chalk it up to luck.
Claude, who had been stamping his feet at Giselle’s firm attitude, said pitifully.
“My lord, would you like to make a bet with me again?”
“What bet?”
“I’m deciding whether I will defend the territory in my own way or go on an expedition as the lord wishes.”
There was a really urgent look on Claude’s face.
In order to protect this territory with my life, I must not be dragged around by the lord’s madness any longer.
A sensible person living in reality should have done so.
Giselle nodded readily at Claude’s voice, which was mixed with tears.
“Okay, tell me more.”
Claude said with relief and excitement in his heart.
“Actually, it is right to unconditionally follow the orders of the Lord… … However, the situation is not very good. Wouldn’t it be better than everyone being anxious?”
Jiselle had no choice but to agree with those words.
There was no point in following the lord’s orders because it was something I had no choice but to do.
Because the enemies we will face in the future can never be stopped with that kind of mentality.
I would have made a bet a hundred or a thousand times to inspire people.
“Okay, then what should we do?”
“I will definitely prepare for the expedition as you said. Instead… … .”
“instead?”
“If everyone can’t handle Mana within two months, cancel the expedition.”
“Cancel the expedition?”
“Yes, and I’m going to focus my energy on Mercury. If I’m ready, I can stop the real Desmond if he comes. I’m sure I have that kind of ability.”
Jiselle clicked her tongue inwardly.
I know Claude is a capable person.
But it was clear that they would not be fully prepared to deal with the Duke.
Even the royal family and the princely faction do not know all of the duke’s capabilities and plans, so how could Claude know and prepare for them?
When the Duke’s full power is revealed, it is too late.
But this was something that Jiselle could not make the others understand no matter what she did.
Fortunately, Count Desmond was still moving, which was enough to create a sense of crisis that would allow for Mercury to prepare for war.
“Hmm… … .”
While Giselle was lost in thought for a moment, Claude looked at her with an anxious expression.
The enemy is openly preparing to invade your territory.
In the meantime, he was gambling with the fate of the entire territory, so even if the opponent was the lord, he couldn’t just go along with it.
As Giselle continued to ponder, Claude quickly continued.
“Oh, is that not enough? Then Alpo and I will each be slaves for ten more years.”
“Hey! You crazy! Why are you walking with me!”
Alphos was startled beside him, but Claude pretended not to notice.
Because it’s more comfortable with two than alone.
Alpoy tried to interfere by making a fuss, but was met with scary looks from the people around him and had to close his mouth.
Everyone was trying to stop the lord’s expedition by hanging Alpoy instead.
‘Ah, this damn territory. I want to go back to the magic tower. That bastard, the general, has to win.’
Jiselle glanced at the sobbing Alpoy and made an amused expression.
“Wow, you’re betting another 10 years? Are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Claude answered with a sincere voice. He had not been staking his life for a day or two, and now he had no idea how much he had been mortgaged.
Still, it is better to live a few more decades and then die, even if it means being treated like a slave, than to die this year.
Jiselle said as if telling him to think again.
“Wouldn’t it be better to do your best to help them succeed? Think about it. Hundreds of people with the power to manipulate mana. Isn’t that amazing? It would be incredible.”
No one could refute that statement.
Even in the county of Ferdium there were less than thirty knights.
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But what if hundreds of people who can manipulate mana are gathered in one territory?
Even if each individual’s power is slightly weaker than that of the existing knights, when they come together, the destructive power will be enormous.
It’s nice to just imagine it, but it’s really only possible in imagination.
Claude threw away all hope. He had lived in a world too harsh and difficult to believe in such things.
“Of course, we will do our best to prepare to win the war. The only problem is that the Lord has a firm will to go on an expedition. So let’s try it, but if the Knights aren’t ready, we’ll give up.”
In fact, it would be rude to go to war and oppose it by walking up to it.
But the other vassals did not point out Claude’s rudeness this time.
Not only had he become quite accustomed to the informal atmosphere, but this time, he took priority over stopping the lord, even if it was rude.
‘Even manners are something that is practiced while alive.’
‘Compared to drawing a weapon and swinging a sword in front of the lord, that’s nothing… … .’
When the other vassals seemed to agree with Claude’s opinion, Giselle nodded willingly.
“Okay, let’s do as the General says. We’ll all feel relieved once we see for ourselves anyway.”
He stopped talking and furrowed his brows.
“But, everyone, don’t you want to stop this bet?”
Normally, if you said you wanted to make a bet, someone would rush over and try to stop you, but now everyone was keeping quiet as if nothing had happened.
Even Gillian, who would jump into a pit of fire if it was the lord’s order, was just staring at the ceiling.
Everyone is hoping that Claude will win this time.
“Hey, I didn’t know everyone had this much faith.”
Jiselle clicked her tongue without realizing it.
No matter how absurd it may be, I never thought anyone would believe it.
“I believe.”
“uh?”
Surprisingly, it was Kaor who took the lead.
In fact, he didn’t particularly trust Giselle either. Still, he was in favor of going on an expedition.
because…….
“I’ve been feeling a bit stiff lately, but if we’re going to fight, let’s go out there and fight hot and fast! I’ll kill you all!”
I was bored because I hadn’t had anything to fight about recently.
As people looked at him with contempt, even the shameless Kaor was momentarily embarrassed.
“What? Why? Did I say something wrong? Hey, do you think your lord’s words are funny? Huh? If you tell me to go, I’ll go. Why are there so many objections? It seems like you have no loyalty.”
The one who looks down on Yeongju the most is the one who even sells Yeongju out because he feels embarrassed.
Belinda and Gillian, who could not stand to see Kaor’s mischief, blocked his path.
“If you’re going to fight for fun, let’s just go and get the heads of Count Desmond and Count Almond.”
“Come on, come on. Come on.”
Kaor flinched as the two men pressed her with menacing eyes.
“Oh, right! Huh? You want to give it a try? Should we drink some blood instead of alcohol today?”
He spoke roughly, but his eyes were downcast.
Because if the two people made eye contact, it would really be a situation where they would have to fight.
Even for Kaoru, it was difficult to deal with two people at the same time.
Jiselle looked at Kaor with a strange look.
There is something in common between me and that guy, but for some reason, it hurts my pride and makes me angry.
He clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Anyway, the conclusion is mine, right? If I win, I’ll definitely go, so just know that. Until then, you have to make sure you’re prepared.”
I knew exactly what people were thinking when they placed their bets, but I had no intention of delaying my departure.
However, Claude, who did not know Giselle’s true intentions, nodded repeatedly with a relieved expression.
“I understand. Whether it’s Mercury or a siege, the things you need to prepare for in order to prepare for war are mostly similar. You don’t have to worry about that.”
It would take a lot of Runestones to create a Mana Focus, but at least it would prevent a bunch of ragtag rabble from being dragged out as knights.
‘With that many runestones, I could arm my soldiers with some really good equipment. Oh, I’d hate to waste them!’
Still, it was better than going on an expedition, so I had to be satisfied with that.
As Claude closed his mouth, Giselle looked around at everyone and said.
“Everyone, just focus on preparing for war and developing the territory as before. I will personally take care of the mercenaries’ mana training. Of course, there are people who need to be busier than they are now.”
The moment they heard the story, everyone’s eyes turned to one side. They realized who Giselle was referring to.
The faces of Alfoy and the wizards who were receiving all of their attention turned pale.
To make your mercenaries learn mana quickly, you need to create a mana concentration camp.
Only wizards can make it.
The problem was that the wizards had a lot of work to do, from the construction of the waterways and reservoirs in the territory to the work on the rune stones in the reclaimed land. There wasn’t even enough time to sleep.
Alpoy asked, trembling.
“Do I… have to do that?”
“of course.”
“There’s… so much work… right now… ?”
“No, you can do it.”
“I can’t!”
Alpoy gritted his teeth and shouted.
“I can’t live like this anymore! I will terminate the contract between the Magic Tower and the Fenris Territory with the authority of the branch manager! I will return to Magic Tower, so don’t stop me! I will really go!”
As Alfoy came out strong, the wizards also rose up.
“Yes! We’re going back! Let’s stop now! I won’t do it! I can’t do it!”
Then, Jiselle made an expression of admiration.
“You’re going to break the contract? Can you handle it? If you go back to the Magic Tower, the owner of the Magic Tower won’t stay still.”
“I’ll think about it later! Anyway, I’m going to break it!”
Jiselle nodded willingly.
“Yes, there’s nothing we can do since someone as big as the branch manager of Matap wants to break the contract. But we still have our personal contract.”
“yes?”
“If you want to leave our territory, you can. The slave traders are coming soon, so you can go with them.”
If you go with a slave trader, there is a very high chance that your destination will not be Matap.
No, not to a high degree, just a 100% certainty that it will go very far away.
“I hate it! I hate it here so much I could die!”
Alfoy and the wizards sat down, covering their faces. The wizards had no dignity or anything.
I don’t know where it all went wrong, but my life is completely messed up.
If I work too hard, I feel like I’ll die from overwork. If I hold out, I feel like I’ll die in war. If I run away, I’ll be sold into slavery. If I return to the Tower, the Tower Lord will kill me.
At that moment, Vanessa, who had been watching restlessly, stepped forward.
“My lord, how many should I make?”
“First, a hundred. The mercenaries will take turns training every day for two months, so we’ll probably have to make a few more.”
The wizards were a little relieved. They were worried because they thought they would be told to make it according to the number of people, but even if it was a hundred, it was still half the amount compared to the last time they improved the wheat grains.
But Jiselle’s demands didn’t end there.
“I have to get it all done within a week so I can get started quickly.”
The wizards’ complexions turned pale again at the murderous schedule.
Others felt sorry for them, but could not bring themselves to take their side.
The lord’s determination was firm, so if he sided with the magicians, the construction and reclamation work on the territory could be delayed.
But Vanessa calmed the wizards down with a confident face.
“Alpoy, you can do it. I will help you. Alpoy is the successor to the Northern First Magic Tower, right? The other wizards are also capable.”
Alpoy pouts at the soothing tone. Her pride is slightly hurt by being comforted by a former maid of the Tower.
Then Claude intervened from the side.
“Hey, bro. You’re the greatest intellectual and wizard! Shouldn’t this be easy? Why are you acting so weak all of a sudden? Are you a little tired these days?”
Other people also started saying things they didn’t mean.
“It’s a lot of work. But if you’re from the Red Flame Tower, it’s possible.”
“Of course, no matter what anyone says, aren’t they the ones who came from the best magic tower and were born with the best talent?”
“I think the future great wizard is being a bit harsh. Hehehe.”
It’s something that’s already been decided to be done. But if the wizards go on strike for no reason and hold out, other people will get tired too.
If I could stop that with a few words, it would be a worthwhile deal.
“Huh, huh! Everyone is flattering… … .”
As people showered him with compliments, Alpoy sat up straight and wiped his nose.
