Episode 225 It’s delicious. (1)
All the vassals who heard about Jiselle’s large-scale road construction plan nodded their heads.
Seeing that, Jiselle asked with a puzzled look.
“Why don’t you oppose it this time?”
Claude answered calmly.
“It’s good if the road is wide and flat, right? Roads are like the lifeblood of a territory.”
There is no one who does not know the importance of roads. Roads must be developed to promote commercial exchange between regions and to promote economic growth.
From a military perspective, roads are also very important. Well-maintained roads enable the movement of troops and supplies to be delivered quickly.
It’s just that the northern region was more concerned about making a living than road construction, so they didn’t pay much attention.
Claude looked at the map, made a rough guess, and then continued speaking.
“The scale of the construction is so large that it will take some time. It will not be easy to connect it to the northern fortress.”
“I know. But we still have to connect somehow. That way we can have organic cooperation with Ferdium. There won’t be any problems getting started, right?”
“There are people who are playing around, so there are more. But if we do this, we’ll have to spend a lot of money and food. When on earth are we going to save money?”
“I’m a person who is optimized for spending money rather than saving it. I like spending it much more.”
“… … .”
If you speak so openly, there is nothing to say. The money for cosmetics and food is coming in anyway, and soon there will be an abundance of meat to sell, so the more you use, the more you will receive.
However, to obtain the materials needed for road construction, more money than usual had to be spent at once.
“I will call the superiors together again. Meat is still hard to sell, but there is plenty of food. Food prices have not fallen yet, so I will use the money to buy more materials for construction.”
“Okay, don’t skimp on money. Speed is always the priority. Got it?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I know your style now, my lord.”
Claude grumbled and backed away every time at the same nagging.
To accommodate the suddenly decided plan, Claude summoned the upper echelons earlier than scheduled.
The most prosperous place in the north of the fortress is the Fenris Domain. At Claude’s single gesture, the northern merchants gathered like clouds.
‘Wow, this is power. I am the slave master of this taste.’
Not only does he come running when called, he also bribes well and bows his head deeply.
Claude had them buy resources in bulk again. With food and iron ore aplenty, he could get whatever he wanted.
If there were territories or merchants that had no resources to hand over, they would viciously accept people and technicians.
Anyway, there were many things that were needed for land development other than roads. Since the development was fast, it didn’t matter if they purchased it a little earlier than planned.
While he was busy making trades, a fairly large top stock came to him.
“Hello. My name is Brandel.”
After exchanging brief greetings, Claude tilted his head at the information above.
“Hmm? Is this your first time doing business with us?”
“Yes, I think it’s because our area of activity is more concentrated in the eastern part. Of course, we’ve done some pretty big deals in the northern part as well.”
Indeed, it was written like that in the information that Lowell had brought. After getting a rough idea, Claude asked.
“Yes, we won’t stop you from coming. You came to trade food anyway, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. I’ve heard rumors that there’s an abundance of food here. So we’re thinking of trying to strike a deal this time.”
“Well, we are a bit expensive… …. How much do you want to buy?”
At Claude’s words, Brandel smiled slyly and handed him a piece of paper.
“Is this possible?”
“……omg?”
The amount Brandel was asking for was the highest of any top he had ever dealt with.
The volume of a single transaction was greater than the volume of the other top 10 transactions combined.
Claude asked again in disbelief.
“Really… … Are you willing to make a deal like this?”
“Yes, I heard you’re buying a lot of materials. If you tell me what you need, I’ll bring it to you. Or, gold would be fine too.”
Claude swallowed dryly at Brandel’s leisurely smile. If they could secure resources in large quantities at once, it would be convenient for them too.
As work increased, resources were being consumed quickly.
“Postpaid… right?”
“Yes, our company has a pretty high reputation. You can check the items you brought and hand over the food. However, there is one condition.”
“What are the conditions?”
“As this is my first transaction and the amount is large, I would like to meet you in person and proceed with the transaction.”
“why?”
Claude asked with a bewildered expression.
In any case, all transactions had to go through him. But to deal directly with the lord was to ignore him.
Then Brandel glanced around and answered.
“Well… … . After all, the amount is what it is… … . The Director-General’s rumors are a bit… … . However, if we continue to do business in the future, I will do business with the Director-General from now on.”
Claude was speechless at that. He had already received too many bribes to fill the estate’s warehouse.
If Giselle’s new nickname was ‘The Food King of the North’, Claude’s nickname was ‘The Bribery King of the North’.
‘Miss… … To be honest, it’s unfair… … . I didn’t even eat anything… … .’
Even so, other people wouldn’t know. Claude shook his head several times and then made a sullen expression.
“Please wait a moment. I will go and speak to the lord.”
Claude, who had nothing to say about the reputation, reported it straight to Giselle.
There was nothing wrong with Jiselle’s view. Resources are always better if you can get them quickly and in large quantities.
If you’re offering such a big deal, it would be polite to show your face at least once.
“But the name seems familiar… … . Bring me some information.”
Jiselle checked the information about Brandel’s upper class, smiled and nodded.
“Oh, I remembered. Is this it?”
“Do you know this place?”
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“Well, kind of.”
Jiselle crumpled up the document and threw it behind her with a smiling face and said.
“Tell him I’ll do that. Bring the stuff and I’ll go out myself.”
Brandel, who heard Giselle’s promise, returned with great joy.
And a few days later, Brandel arrived with a huge load of resources that the estate really needed.
Claude was so shocked when he saw that his jaw dropped. He had never imagined that he could get that much in just a few days.
Brandel looked at Claude and laughed inwardly.
‘Haha, take a good look before you die.’
He was the one sent by Count Desmond to assassinate Giselle. Naturally, the resources he brought were items that Desmond’s estate had stockpiled here and there.
Count Desmond was determined to kill Giselle even if it meant throwing them all away.
Brandel spoke to the bewildered Claude.
“Then… … we will wait here. Will you personally check the items, my lord?”
“Well, well… … . First, let’s tell the lord right away that Mr. Brandel has arrived.”
Brandel had stockpiled his resources a little way from the castle. Since there were so many sheep, it would take a whole day to move them into the castle.
In such cases, it is customary to conduct transactions outside, as the manpower to move the goods and the time it takes to move them both cost money.
Brandel has been gathering as many available resources as possible to target it.
As Claude disappeared into the castle, Brandel set up a negotiating table outside and gestured to the dozens of workers who had come with him.
Most of them were Desmond’s knights, assassins hired for this job. Only a few were actually moving the load.
Four people stood around Brandel in an escort formation, while the others kept a suitable distance apart to secure a route of retreat.
‘Let’s see how many people they bring.’
It won’t be of much use if several people come. After all, they’ll have to stand close to you to write the contract.
‘Your skills are pretty good, right? How long can you last?’
Brandel smiled confidently.
He was a knight of the highest rank. Even if Giselle was as strong as rumored, he was confident that he could win if he attacked her by surprise with the surrounding assassins.
After finishing all the preparations and waiting for a bit, Jiselle appeared with only a few escorts.
And Brandel was confident that the operation would succeed.
‘You’re really crazy! You said you were fearless, but you only brought out those kind of escorts!’
There were only a few knights around Giselle, including Gillian. It seemed like they could kill her if they just combined their strength with the assassins around them.
Still, Brandel forced his racing heart to calm down. There was no need to rush when there was a more certain way to kill him.
Harold entrusted him with such a big task because he was careful and calm.
“Welcome, my lord. My name is Brandel.”
“Oh, you really brought a lot. This will give you another good trading partner.”
“Okay, then. Let’s check the items first.”
As Jiselle nodded, several administrators checked the items. There were so many that it would take quite some time.
Brandel said, pointing politely to the table.
“Please sit down and wait. I think you can check the contract in the meantime.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Jiselle sat down and checked the contract. The neatly written contract was exactly as she had expected.
“Hmm, I guess there’s no problem. I’ll be counting on you in the future.”
“Would you mind? I will also be counting on you in the future. It’s so hard to get food these days.”
Brandel chattered and chatted. He was quite talkative, so Giselle listened with interest and nodded several times.
“Oh, it’s an honor to meet you today, and I’ll treat you to a nice drink. You can think of it as a celebration of a successful deal.”
“Alcohol? What kind of alcohol?”
“This is the continent’s best specialty, the ‘Red Dragon’. Would you like to take a look?”
“Oh, really?”
‘Red Dragon’ is a high-class liquor that even high-ranking nobles cannot easily drink. This is because the quantity is extremely limited, regardless of the price.
It would be rude to refuse such a drink. Jiselle nodded willingly.
‘Haha, simple-minded guy. I guess if it’s expensive, it’s always good.’
Brandel prepared the poisoned drink while smiling.
In fact, poisoning is a method of assassination with a higher failure rate than you might think.
First of all, the biggest problem is the poison. A poison so strong that it can kill instantly cannot be unnoticeable.
Not only was the color and smell strange, but the toxicity was so strong that it often caused food to burn.
Even if all those problems were solved, nobles would not eat what others gave them. Since their servants would taste it before they did, successful poisoning was rare.
But this poison is a little different.
‘It won’t be of any use if the servants drink it first.’
It has no effect on most people, as it only reacts to mana.
The more mana you have in your body, the stronger your poison becomes. Even if you reach the level of a high-level knight, it is difficult to exert your power properly because you have to suppress the poison.
The only downside is that it smells strong, but this problem can be solved by mixing it with stronger alcohol.
This poison was made with great care by the Duke. Even within the Duke, only five bottles were successfully produced.
It was so difficult to produce and required so many resources that it could not be mass-produced.
Harold handed over such a precious poison to Brandel without hesitation, with the sole intention of killing Giselle.
“Since you are here with my lord, I will drink first.”
To avoid suspicion, Brandel filled his glass with the brown liquor and drank it down in one gulp. He had already taken the antidote, so it was okay to drink one glass.
He immediately poured some alcohol into the glass placed in front of Giselle and spoke.
“It tastes really good. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it. I’ll leave it as a gift, so please check it separately.”
Brandel thought it didn’t matter if Giselle didn’t drink. At this distance, they would succeed in the surprise attack even without using poison.
If the knight next to me drank first and felt something strange, I was thinking of taking advantage of that opportunity to attack.
Jiselle, who had been quietly looking at the glass, snickered.
“It looks delicious.”
Jiselle picked up the glass and began to drink slowly.
The knights around them just stood there blankly with indifferent expressions.
Brandel, who was looking at that sight, unconsciously clenched his fist.
‘Ku …
Giselle, who had drunk every last drop, put her glass down and said.
“Wow, this is the second most poisonous thing I’ve ever eaten in my life. Is there such a thing as this?”
Brandel’s eyes began to turn gloomy. The eyes of the workers next to him also gradually changed.
Then, Jiselle poured herself another glass and drank it all down.
“But it’s still delicious.”
Brandel secretly cheered at his foolish act of drinking more alcohol without even knowing what was in it.
‘You’re dead now! How could things be resolved so easily! Heaven is helping us!’
Even if Jiselle was a high-ranking knight, it would be difficult for her to endure two glasses. Even though she had already taken the antidote, she felt her stomach was already boiling.
As he slowly raised his hand to signal an attack, Giselle suddenly poured a drink into Brandel’s glass and spoke.
“You have another drink too.”
“yes?”
“Have another drink.”
Brandel’s face hardened at the unexpected situation.
