The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 243: Starting a New Venture (1)

The savages gathered at the negotiation table, drawn by the bait of food, all expressed their agreement. Though there were some voices of dissent, Woroqa’s persuasive words managed to sway everyone.

After all, his tribe held the most power, and opposing him would yield no benefits.

At another negotiation held a few days later, Woroqa spoke confidently.

“The allied tribes have all agreed. For five years, we will cease our attacks and raids on the Ritania Kingdom. As for the minor tribes that aren’t part of the alliance, I will personally ensure they refrain from raiding.”

“You’d better keep them under control. If I have to see you again because of this, there will be consequences. Send an annual tribute of horses to the Northern Fortress.”

At Ghislain’s arrogant remarks, Woroqa’s lips twitched. He wanted nothing more than to split this insolent man’s head open with his axe, but the risk of battle was too great.

To be honest, he didn’t even want to think about the names Ferdium or Fenris.

“To think that I would one day fear the name of Ferdium…”

He had never imagined such a day would come. Until now, he hadn’t spared a thought for Ferdium, focusing solely on unifying the tribes.

To bow his head before those he had previously ignored was a bitter pill to swallow.

Of course, he had no intention of letting things end this way.

“Just wait. If I can unify the North… not only Ferdium but also the Ritania Kingdom will kneel before me. I will never forget today’s humiliation.”

Seeing Woroqa’s face twisted with discomfort, Ghislain let out a faint chuckle. It was obvious what was going through his mind.

“Tsk, tsk. You’ll never get the chance.”

Running a tribe and governing a nation were entirely different matters. While Woroqa had managed to establish a unified nation in the past life, he failed to handle the myriad problems that arose.

Lacking not only food but also infrastructure, the nation had no chance of functioning properly.

Had Ghislain not waged war at the time, Woroqa would have been unable to hold out and would have attacked the Ritania Kingdom out of desperation.

“And then Duke Delfine would have had his head for it.”

At that time, the Ritania Kingdom, wielding absolute monarchy and subjugating all nobles, was terrifyingly decisive and powerful.

Only someone like Ghislain, one of the Seven Strongest on the Continent, could stand against the kingdom. Woroqa’s abilities would never have allowed him to survive.

“If only I had more time, I would have wiped them out completely. It’s a bit of a shame.”

To annihilate not just the tribes allied with Woroqa but all the other tribes would take more than a few months.

But Ghislain couldn’t afford to linger here indefinitely because of Harold. He had to wrap things up quickly and return, though it left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Well… this isn’t the only opportunity I’ll get.”

Once the civil war was over, Woroqa would have to make a definitive choice.

Submit completely—or face total annihilation.

In any case, the negotiations concluded successfully. Zwalter was relieved that the relentless battles with the savages had ceased, and Ghislain was pleased to have acquired the vast number of horses he needed and ensured the stability of his rear.

As for Claude, he was just sad that Wendy wouldn’t carry him on her back.

With over 10,000 horses, including those obtained as spoils of war, Ghislain began the return journey to his domain.

—

The sight of the horses entering the castle in long lines left the estate’s residents wide-eyed with amazement. They had never seen so many horses in their lives.

“Wowww! Incredible!”

“That many horses? Is that even possible?”

“Amazing! Truly, our lord is extraordinary!”

Given the staggering price of a single horse, it was nearly unheard of for any estate to possess this many.

The domain quickly took on a festive atmosphere. The roads had been in disrepair, and the lack of horses had hindered proper transportation.

But now, there was an abundance of horses. Even after allocating some for military use, thousands could be reserved for transportation.

Ghislain gathered his retainers to boast of his achievements.

“Look at this! After enforcing some discipline, we’ve acquired an enormous number of horses!”

The most excited of all was Belinda. She was more thrilled by the news of the savage tribes being thoroughly beaten than by the acquisition of horses.

“Of Course, That’s our Young Lord!”

“As expected of our young lord! I wish I could have gone along and helped beat them up!”

As the estate continued to develop, Belinda found it increasingly difficult to make time for such adventures. Managing the ever-growing number of staff took up most of her schedule.

Ghislain, understanding her situation, decided to involve her only in critical battles from now on.

The other retainers nodded approvingly at the results, as if they were only natural.

“He’s completely become a bandit now.”

“If he needs something, he just takes it.”

“But since his opponents are savages, no one can really criticize him.”

When iron ore was needed, they seized a mine. When horses were needed, they took horses. Now, the thought of what Ghislain might decide to secure next was almost terrifying.

But each action came with a reasonable pretext and justification, so no one could object.

Ghislain truly was a lord who did whatever he wanted while earning surprisingly little resentment.

“Now that we’ve got the horses, how about starting a transportation revolution?”

Ghislain spoke with confidence, but Claude quickly stepped in to rain on the parade.

“There’s a problem.”

“….”

“I said, there’s a problem.”

“…Do you have some kind of problem spirit attached to you? Why is there always a problem? Were you cursed somewhere?”

“It’s your fault! You! YOU! YOU! Everything is always rushed and chaotic because of YOU!”

Even though he had voiced his frustration many times before, it never sank in with Ghislain. Claude just sighed and buried his irritation.

“…Anyway, there’s a problem.”

“Fine, what is it now?”

“Horses are great to have, and that’s why I didn’t oppose this expedition. But… you’ve brought back far more than we can handle.”

“Isn’t having more better?”

“It’s better if it’s reasonable. Right now, we can’t even manage the sheer number of horses we have. We don’t have enough stables or people to care for them.”

Claude had a point. Simply bringing the horses back and leaving them unattended wouldn’t work. Maintaining over 10,000 horses required an enormous amount of resources.

Ghislain, however, brushed off the concern with ease.

“Just build more stables and hire more people. Problem solved.”

“…And where is the money for that supposed to come from? Digging it out of the ground? Right now, a massive amount is already being spent on estate development and military expansion. Keeping those horses will cost even more.”

Although they were raking in money through the sale of food and cosmetics, there were limits. Much of the income was being reinvested into purchasing resources.

Additionally, the quantities of food and cosmetics they could sell were finite.

Food, in particular, was being consumed at an alarming rate. Not only did it pay laborers’ wages, but it also fed the residents of both the Fenris and Ferdium estates.

In short, they needed a new source of income. With that in mind, Claude offered a suggestion.

“How about selling half of the horses we acquired? Even with just half, we’ll have more than enough for transporting materials and training cavalry. Plus, horses fetch a high price, so we could secure the funds we need.”

“No.”

Ghislain’s firm rejection left Claude inwardly sighing.

“…Of course. I knew you’d say that. You never listen to reason!”

Still, Claude refrained from exploding. Instead, he aimed to exploit Ghislain’s dislike for unnecessary expenses.

“Well, we can manage to keep them if we push ourselves. We just need to sell more food to cover the costs. But for now, they’re of no immediate use to us.”

“Why not?”

“Because we don’t have enough people who can actually ride them. What’s the point of building roads and stockpiling horses when we don’t have enough manpower to operate them?”

“Hmm…”

“And besides, our estate is already overwhelmed. Even now, material deliveries—let alone food and meat—are getting delayed. Most of these horses will just end up idling in the stables. Damn it! I’m jealous of them already!”

It wasn’t enough to simply own horses. They needed trained people to handle them. But among the formerly impoverished estate residents, few had experience with horses.

The soldiers were mostly infantry, providing little help in this regard.

So far, they had managed material transport by scraping together anyone who could drive carts or ride horses. In emergencies, even knights had been drafted into transport duties.

“Two Problems, One Solution”

“Because of these two issues, we simply cannot handle such a large number of horses at the moment. They’re just a drain on our resources. We need to sell the ones we can’t use immediately and increase their numbers again later as needed.”

Claude smiled confidently, believing this time even Ghislain would have no choice but to concede.

Doing things on a massive scale just for the sake of it wasn’t always wise. It was crucial to act according to the situation. Expanding resources prematurely could lead to greater losses—a simple truth.

But who was Ghislain? He was someone who would force situations to bend to his needs if necessary.

Can’t use all the horses right away? Then create circumstances where they’re needed.

“Build more stables, hire more caretakers, and train more riders,” Ghislain said matter-of-factly.

“And when exactly do you plan on training them?”

Training skilled riders wasn’t a simple task. It required professional equestrian training, not just basic riding but the ability to maneuver quickly and freely.

That’s why the plan to develop cavalry had been in place for a long time, something the other retainers were well aware of. But even that plan required only about half the horses they currently had. Having more was excessive and impractical.

Still, Ghislain interrupted Claude and continued to speak.

“This isn’t a problem. I already have a plan to solve everything.”

“What plan?”

“First, we’ll launch a new business using the roads.”

“Roads… a new business?”

The retainers, including Claude, looked at Ghislain with uneasy expressions. Solutions and projects from Ghislain’s mouth were rarely normal.

Ghislain ignored their wary looks and went on.

“The roads in our domain are mostly complete, right?”

“Yes, except for some smaller villages and remote areas. Most of the cities, castles, and towns are connected. That includes Ferdium as well.”

“Then we’ll expand and connect these roads to the capital and the domains of the royal faction and neutral lords. Leave out the ducal faction and any suspicious characters.”

It was an enormous undertaking, the kind of thing one might expect from an emperor in history. No matter how abundant their resources and labor, it was a project few would dare to attempt.

“…Connecting all the royal faction lords’ domains and the capital could take years,” Claude said cautiously.

“Not necessarily. Road construction is straightforward. Simple tasks like that can be completed much faster than you’d think.”

“How?”

“By throwing money and manpower at it. You’ve all seen how effective that is, haven’t you?”

“…”

The retainers had no rebuttal. After all, Fenris had developed at an astonishing pace by literally pouring money and people into its projects.

But there was another issue.

“Even if it works, will the lords allow us to build roads through their domains? It’s not like we can just decide that on our own.”

“Why would they refuse? Roads benefit them. And if they do refuse, so what?”

“…What do you mean, ‘so what’?”

“If the royal family and the Marquis of Branford tell them to allow it, what choice do they have?”

That was a fair point. The Marquis of Branford wouldn’t deny Ghislain’s request. Properly built roads could also serve military purposes, making them advantageous for defensive measures.

While some lords might hesitate to allow roads out of fear they could facilitate invasions, connecting the royal faction’s domains would make it easier to call for reinforcements. They would have little reason to object.

Hearing Ghislain’s grand vision, Claude felt a headache coming on. The scale of connecting all these domains was mind-boggling.

“Where will we get the money and manpower? Even with our resources, we can’t fund such a massive project on our own!”

“That’s where the other lords come in. Each lord will provide labor from their own domain, while we cover the financial costs. In return, we’ll charge a toll for road usage. We’ll get the royal family’s approval for a road toll collection license. Can you imagine how much money that will bring in?”

Gulp.

Claude swallowed involuntarily.

Well-paved roads were rare, making transport and travel slow and inefficient.

If a network of fast, reliable roads was established and tolls were charged? The flow of goods and people across those roads would turn directly into money flowing into Fenris.

On paper, it was a groundbreaking idea—if it could actually be implemented.

“Let’s say we secure labor from the lords. Do we even have the funds to back this?”

Ghislain grinned confidently, as if it were no big deal.

“We’ll use some of our own money and get investments by splitting shares. Rosalyn and Mariel can handle that. I heard they’re part of some noble investment group. We’ll draw in all their money. The Juana Order will help too. You know how construction speeds up when priests get involved.”

The Order of Juana would indeed need to send priests to support the weary laborers—or risk being accused of heresy and burned at the stake.

“…”

Ghislain spoke without hesitation. For others, this would be impossible, but for someone with his extensive connections, it seemed achievable.

As the retainers sat dumbfounded by the sheer scale of the plan, Ghislain added with a serious tone.

“And second, the road toll business won’t be the end of it. Once the roads are complete, we’ll start a delivery service using all those extra horses.”

“…A delivery service?”

“That’s right. I’ve already come up with a name.”

“What is it…?”

The retainers watched Ghislain with a mix of anticipation and dread. Savoring their reactions, Ghislain smirked and declared:

“Fenris Arrow Delivery. How’s that?”

The blatant and crude name made everyone facepalm in unison.