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“What’s the most critical update on our military status?”

The retainers already had a good idea of Ghislain’s plans. They were all too familiar with their lord’s peculiar habits after experiencing them multiple times.

When the lord needed something, someone would get beaten. When he prepared for something, someone would also get beaten. Since preparations were now complete, it was time for someone to get beaten.

Resigned to this inevitability, the retainers didn’t bother voicing objections.

“All soldiers are fully equipped with Galvaniium gear. Per your orders, they’ve been training extensively in horsemanship, archery, and various combat techniques, regardless of their unit.”

“We’ve constructed military facilities such as training grounds and barracks in every city and fortress. However, we’ve built so many that there are more empty spaces than we can use, considering our troop numbers.”

“We’ve also begun providing basic training for the citizens in preparation for conscription.”

Fenris currently had a force of about 4,000 soldiers, including the knights and soldiers recruited over time. This was already a greater force than his father’s Ferdium estate could muster.

Across the entire kingdom, few estates could rival this level of military strength.

Objectively, this was by no means a small number, but it was far from sufficient to challenge a ducal family. No, it was barely half the size of Count Desmond’s forces.

Even with the knights being strengthened and elite troops being cultivated, it was hard to overcome the sheer disparity in numbers.

The smaller the army, the fewer strategies available, and the higher the casualties in battle would be.

With a displeased expression, Ghislain turned to Claude and asked, “Why is recruitment so slow? Haven’t we been actively recruiting? Is it not working?”

“Well, there’s just been too much going on. We’ve prioritized recruiting laborers and developing the estate. Plus, most of the citizens prefer working and earning money over serving as soldiers. Not many people are eager to join the army.”

“Hmm, we’ll need to come up with a solution for that. Regardless, everyone knows that a civil war is inevitable, right? From now on, prepare thoroughly. Focus especially on training the soldiers and securing military supplies.”

Despite the lord’s peculiar habits, none of the retainers doubted that war was coming.

Ghislain, a staunch supporter of the Royal Faction, had already killed Count Cabaldi of the Ducal Faction and seized his lands. In response, Count Desmond had attempted to mobilize his army to strike at Ghislain.

Ghislain’s actions had only deepened the conflict between the Royal and Ducal factions, making the prospect of civil war almost a certainty.

Claude scratched his head and remarked, “Well, we’re always keeping the possibility of war in mind. The real question is how we’re going to act.”

To endure a potentially prolonged conflict, the estate needed to remain prosperous, which was why everyone had focused so heavily on its development.

While the citizens were currently enjoying the benefits, every project in Fenris was ultimately designed to bolster military strength.

Now that Claude was fully aware of their enemies, he ensured that preparations for war were always a priority.

“Good, keep it up. What’s the situation in the neighboring estates?” Ghislain asked.

“Count Desmond is accelerating his war preparations. He’s openly gathering troops. It’s clear that he intends to attack, but he’s unlikely to make a move until the Royal and Ducal factions are fully at odds.”

“Desmond won’t act alone, not with Marquis Branford in the picture. And what about Amelia?”

“She’s still locked in a standoff with Baron Valois. She seems to be cautious, likely because the northern lords are waiting for an opportunity to strike.”

At that, Ghislain laughed.

Thanks to him, Harold’s plans had been derailed, Amelia’s rebellion had been hastened, and even Daven had survived. She must be dealing with quite the headache.

With Daven, who had a stronger claim to succession, still alive, the lords who had ties with the former Count Raypold had a legitimate excuse to invade Raypold’s territory.

According to northern customs, female lords were rarely acknowledged.

Moreover, Amelia was already at war with Baron Valois. Other lords were likely salivating at the chance to carve up Raypold’s lands during the chaos.

“And what about the Royal and Ducal factions?” Ghislain pressed.

“Royalist lords are focusing on road construction, which seems to have irritated the Ducal faction lords. They’ve stationed troops along the borders of territories adjacent to Royalist lands. In turn, the Royalists are deploying soldiers under the pretext of protecting the roads under construction.”

“Oh, tensions are running high, aren’t they?”

“Yes, a single spark could ignite a fight. And it’s all because of your crazy—no, I mean, our lord’s actions.”

Ghislain smiled again. The lords of the ducal faction, whose territories bordered the royalist faction, must be feeling immensely irritated right now.

Once the road was fully completed, the royalist faction could mobilize their forces for a sudden attack at any time.

Thanks to me, everything was progressing faster than in my previous life. At this rate, even a minor trigger could spark a civil war.

Both the royalist and ducal factions were being drawn into events orchestrated by me.

“I can create the spark for conflict whenever I’m ready and fully prepared.”

Of course, it was unwise to directly confront the ducal faction on my own right now. The immediate goal was to deal with Count Desmond decisively. The royalists would naturally handle the rest.

In my previous life, the royalist faction had been continuously pushed back by famine, and during the civil war, they couldn’t even put up a proper fight and were ultimately defeated. But this time, thanks to me, they had managed to endure the famine.

Even if the civil war began, they would buy me enough time to completely crush Desmond.

Currently, the soldiers of Fenris are undergoing grueling training, becoming an elite force. The production output of weapons, food, and other resources from the territory had also risen to an incomparable level compared to before.

“Still, it’s not enough.”

I didn’t want a victory marred by injuries. That would leave me vulnerable to being overwhelmed by the ducal faction in one swift move.

More troops and weapons were needed to achieve an overwhelming victory against Desmond and seize control of the North.

Only then could I prepare a proper foothold to fight against the ducal faction.

Ghislain’s lips curled into a fierce smile as he spoke.

“First, accelerate the recruitment of soldiers. The target is ten thousand troops.”

It was time to fully commit to preparing for the civil war.

* * *

Recruitment notices were distributed throughout all regions of the territory. Since enlistment was an ongoing process, the residents of the land didn’t react too strongly.

They merely assumed that the lord was continuing to reinforce the army, as always.

Life was so peaceful for them that they had grown complacent and lost much of their tension.

Recruiting troops naturally took time, so Ghislain decided to visit Galbarik first.

He wanted to check if the equipment he had commissioned before leaving for the monster hunt was completed.

“What? It’s still not done? You all must have been slacking off!”

“P-Please wait a little longer. All the mages are working on it with everything they’ve got.”

The equipment involved the highest level of technology the estate could provide. Simply forging helmets and armor wasn’t enough.

It required embedding various runestones and engraving corresponding magic circles. However, completing it with only a loosely drafted blueprint was no easy task.

Once the first piece was made correctly, it would be much easier to replicate through repeated processes. But achieving the level of performance Ghislain demanded for that first piece was proving extremely difficult.

And to be honest, they had slacked off for a few days while Ghislain was away. Knowing this, Ghislain visited Galbarik daily.

“Still not done yet?”

“Just a little longer….”

“What about today?”

“A few more days….”

“When will it be ready?”

“Soon….”

The workers, who had taken their time leisurely while the lord was away, now found themselves under constant pressure.

‘Damn, I shouldn’t have slacked off.’

‘I thought it’d be easy, but it’s way harder than I expected.’

‘Knowing his temper, I must’ve been out of my mind to slack off.’

Galbarik and the dwarves gritted their teeth, dedicating themselves entirely to the work and research. Naturally, the mages also had no choice but to push through sleepless nights to keep up.

When they had built the large incubator, Vanessa had relentlessly driven the dwarves to work. This time, however, the situation was reversed.

Annoyed by the increased workload, Alfoi complained to Galbarik.

“Hey! Do you think we’re your subordinates? I’ve got my own work to do, so why are you constantly bossing me around?”

“What? When we built that large incubator, we stayed up every night to help you! And don’t act like you didn’t slack off with us this time, you hypocrite!”

“That was because the lord ordered it, so of course I had to do it!”

“This is also an order from the lord!”n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

As the two seemed ready to argue, Vanessa stepped in to mediate.

“Master Alfoi, please don’t argue! It’s true the dwarves worked hard to help us back then. Besides, the work on the magic circles is something we need to handle anyway!”

Whenever Vanessa stepped in, Alfoi had to back down. Scratching his head awkwardly, he muttered.

“It’s just… this isn’t working. I’m starting to wonder if we can even do this… Maybe we need to call in some help for this.”

When Alfoi backed down, the work resumed smoothly.

During that time, Ghislain continued to visit every day without fail, asking the same question. After several days of this, both the person asking and the person answering were on the verge of losing their sanity.

“It’s still not done?! I told you I’m in a hurry!”

“It’s done! It’s done! It’s DONE, you bastard!!!”

“Oh?”

Ghislain was slightly startled by Galbarik’s outburst. He had assumed it wouldn’t be finished today either and had asked out of habit, only to receive an unexpected surprise.

In front of Ghislain was a set of black armor and a matching helmet. This was the equipment created by the best artisans of the estate and funded by an enormous budget.

Like a child receiving a gift, Ghislain eagerly examined the armor.

Watching him, Galbarik spoke with a somewhat serious expression.

“But… now that we’ve made it, this seems like a rather dangerous piece of equipment….”

Ghislain smiled in satisfaction.

“Yes, it’s a truly impressive creation.”

This armor had been worn only by the elite knights even in his previous life. It was designed to fight against beings that had appeared during the age of chaos.

Galbarik looked at him with a face filled with concern.

The performance Ghislain had demanded was anything but ordinary. Although he had handed over only a conceptual blueprint, the placement of the runestones and the engraved magic circles were designed for maximum efficiency and power.

It required Galvanium, and only a mage with knowledge exceeding the 6th Circle could craft such armor.

‘And conveniently, Galvanium is produced here, and there’s Vanessa, a 6th-Circle mage. Come to think of it, both Vanessa and I were brought here personally by the lord.’

It almost felt as though Ghislain had anticipated everything and prepared the blueprint accordingly.

Galbarik found himself growing increasingly suspicious of Ghislain’s knowledge.

“So far, I’ve comforted myself by thinking that the lord must have studied a lot. But the more time passes, the more it feels… odd. It’s as if you know everything in advance and are preparing for it.”

He was spot-on. But Ghislain only offered a faint smile. What was the point of explaining something he wouldn’t believe anyway?

Without a word, Ghislain donned the armor and infused it with mana.

Ziiing.

The armor vibrated slightly, and light began to emit from the seams.

“Good.”

The temperature inside the armor, which had been warmed by his body heat, quickly dropped, becoming refreshingly cool. He felt as though gravity itself had lessened, his body growing lighter, and his strength surging.

His vision sharpened, and all his other senses heightened.

This was all from just a small infusion of mana. If knights fought wearing this armor, they would exhibit strength far beyond their natural abilities.

It was practically a miraculous creation, transforming novice knights into top-tier knights in an instant.

“Distribute this to the knights immediately. They’ll need training to adjust to the enhanced sensations while wearing it. Also, send some to my friends in the Kingdom of Turian.”

“If any of the knights betray you or cause trouble, it could be disastrous. Even alone, someone in this armor could massacre hundreds of soldiers with ease.”

“That’s fine. We’ll conduct additional special training to ensure they don’t even think of betraying me.”

Ghislain raised a fist and grinned wickedly, prompting Galbarik to click his tongue. Upon reflection, no matter how extraordinary the armor was, it would still be no match for the lord himself.

When their conversation ended, Galbarik abruptly snapped back to his senses. Spending too much time talking to Ghislain after finishing work was never a good idea.

“Well, I’ll be off now!”

As he quickly turned to leave, Ghislain grabbed his shoulder. Galbarik flinched and shouted in alarm.

“Ah! What? Again?!”

“I’m not done talking yet.”

“What now?!”

“Let’s make a new bow.”

“Huh? We’re already producing plenty of bows. The soldiers are constantly participating in archery training.”

Making bows didn’t require dwarves. Other craftsmen could mass-produce good quality bows just fine.

However, Ghislain shook his head.

“No, not ordinary bows.”

“Then what kind?”

“Bows that anyone can easily shoot from horseback. They’ll be used primarily by the elves.”

From the start, I had no intention of using the elves solely for horse breeding. Now, I planned to create new weapons and unit types that didn’t exist in the territory before.