Chapter 333 – I’ve Always Wanted to Try This (2)
Of course. This man wasn’t someone who would sit still. It was as if he had some sort of disease where he’d die if he didn’t keep doing something.
After calming his mind, Claude asked,
“Why are you forming a mercenary corps?”
“Because it’s necessary.”
“We don’t need anything like that! Why would we do something like that?”
Claude, his temper rising, started to rant.
It wasn’t unheard of for a territory to take up mercenary work. Rarely, there were even cases where a lord and their entire territory operated as mercenaries for foreign nations.
But typically, such territories were small, poor, and lacking in resources.
Fenris, on the other hand, was now hailed as the strongest territory in the North. Its agricultural output alone was immense, and considering the resources gained from the recent expansions, its financial power rivaled that of any lord in the kingdom.
Yet, forming a mercenary corps? Why on earth would anyone do such a thing?
Even as Claude continued his tirade, Ghislain remained calm and firm as he spoke.
“I’m going to bring all the mercenaries in this kingdom under my command.”
“Wow… talk about ambition.”
“We’re already running road construction and delivery services, right? If we add mercenary operations into the mix, it’ll make money too.”
“Ugh… While that might be true, I question if it’s necessary. It just seems like it’ll cause more headaches.”
The truth was, mercenaries were, by nature, a group of people who disliked being tied down. Most of them rejected stable jobs, chasing dreams of striking it rich. While not all were like that, the majority certainly were.
In short, they were people who enjoyed freedom.
On top of that, they were unruly and tough to manage. It would be far more efficient to train a disciplined elite force than to bother with a bunch of mercenaries.
“Sure, having more is always better. But more of anything means spending more money and time. Wouldn’t it be better to focus on more efficient endeavors?”
Ghislain understood why Claude was opposed. It was common knowledge that, despite their individual skill, mercenaries were inferior to regular armies in large-scale battles.
Yet, despite this, Ghislain had his reasons for wanting them.
“Our military growth has hit its limit. No matter how much training we do now, we’re bound to stagnate. And we’re still far from where we need to be.”
“But… isn’t this enough already?”
With the acquisition of Desmond and the absorption of its captives, Fenris’s forces now numbered nearly 20,000.
Though Ghislain had unified them, he was a high-ranking noble holding Fenris, Cabaldi, and Desmond three territories and three titles.
It was rare to see a lord who controlled this much land and manpower on his own.
Combined with cutting-edge technology and unparalleled financial power in the kingdom, it seemed impossible to consider this insufficient.
Yet Ghislain still wore an expression of insatiable hunger.
“This is nowhere near enough to defeat the ducal family. We need to gather even more.”
His tone left no room for doubt.
Most people didn’t truly understand just how formidable the ducal family’s power was.
Even if Ghislain joined forces with the Royal Faction, they wouldn’t be able to overcome the ducal family. Adding the lords loyal to the ducal family into the equation would make a direct confrontation an inevitable defeat.
To grow further, Ghislain would need to conquer additional territories. That was something he intended to do eventually, but not immediately.
‘The ducal family wants to take the kingdom with minimal losses.’
That’s how it was in his previous life. The situation had turned in the ducal family’s favor back then, allowing them to achieve their goal.
But not now.
‘Because of me, they’ll have no choice but to move aggressively.’
The ducal family was now preparing to seize the kingdom by force.
Still, their desire to minimize losses wouldn’t change. It was obvious they would thoroughly prepare to reduce their damages.
‘Before that happens, I need to strengthen our forces as much as possible.’
Ghislain explained the situation to Claude in broad strokes.
Everyone knew the ducal family was the kingdom’s strongest force. However, few understood just how massive the gap truly was.
Hearing the explanation, Claude’s expression turned incredulous.
“Seriously… is the difference really that great? Are you saying they can mobilize over 100,000 troops from the duchy alone?”
“Yes, and that’s just the soldiers. Add the elite knights and skilled mages under their command, and their power is overwhelming.”
If the high lords under the ducal family joined in, they could easily gather an army numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
Even if the nobles of the Royal Faction scraped together every last peasant from their territories, they wouldn’t stand a chance. Ghislain had fought them in his past life and knew this for a fact.
Though still skeptical, Claude couldn’t dismiss the words of his lord. Now, even if it sounded like nonsense, he couldn’t ignore what Ghislain said.
“Ugh… Even if we bring all the kingdom’s mercenaries under our command, wouldn’t the gap still be too large?”
“True. But mercenaries have their own uses. And regardless of how big or small the gap is, increasing our strength even slightly is the right move.”
“Do you… really think we can win?”
Ghislain suddenly let out a smile brimming with murderous intent.
“I must win. That’s why I exist. I’m the only one in this kingdom who can utterly destroy the ducal family.”
It was an incredibly arrogant statement. Yet, for some reason, Claude felt as though it was the undeniable truth.
Ghislain gripped Claude’s shoulders and asked,
“Claude, if we’re facing an enemy stronger than us, what should we do? If we can’t grow stronger faster than them? If, for now, it’s nearly impossible to surpass the ducal family?”
“Uh…”
Startled by Ghislain’s intense demeanor, Claude was momentarily at a loss for words. Ghislain grinned fiercely and continued,
“In that case, we weaken the enemy. We need to make them vulnerable enough for us to fight. We’ll have to divide and conquer, breaking their total strength piece by piece.”
“S-so… does that mean our next target is the Marquisate of Roderick? Are you perhaps planning to target the mercenary corps operating there?”
“Exactly. That mercenary corps is our first objective.”
Claude finally grasped Ghislain’s intentions.
The Marquisate of Roderick was the first target Ghislain intended to strike during the civil war. A key location in the west, it was a hub for numerous merchant guilds and a region where enormous amounts of money circulated.
Naturally, it was also the area with the highest concentration of mercenaries in the kingdom. Beyond escorting merchants, mercenaries there frequently undertook bandit suppression and transport missions, making it a prime spot for their activities.
Although the Ferdium territory also had many opportunities for mercenaries due to battles with the savages, the lack of wealth in the region meant fewer mercenaries were drawn to it.
“T-That’s true. The kingdom’s largest mercenary corps is based there. But how will you bring them over to our side? That corps is known for its close ties to the Marquisate of Roderick.”
“I have my ways. Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle that part. For now, focus on absorbing the small and medium-sized mercenary corps in the North. Can you manage that?”
“Understood. I’ll take care of it. The mercenary corps in the North are all weak now anyway. Leave it to me.”
Claude’s eyes gleamed with determination as he agreed with Ghislain.
The battle against the ducal family was inevitable. Claude had initially thought that by joining forces with the Royal Faction, they could at least put up a decent fight against the ducal family.
But after hearing Ghislain’s words, he realized that wasn’t the case. It was a hard truth to accept and one he didn’t want to believe, but he couldn’t simply dismiss it either.
Regardless, the stronger their territory became, the higher their chances of survival.
Seeing Claude’s fiery resolve, Ghislain smirked.
“Good. Let’s get moving and make ourselves busy again.”
Fenris’s people had a habit of acting immediately once a goal was set.
It wasn’t always like that, but it had become the norm after working with Ghislain.
As Claude passed a mountain of documents over to Lowell, he said,
“You know we’re getting into the mercenary business now, right?”
“Uh… of course.”
Lowell nodded obediently. Ghislain’s closest aides had already been informed of the plan.
Though he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the work, it wasn’t as if he had a choice. When the lord gave an order, they had to comply.
“It’s going to take some time to get royal approval. For now, we’ll focus on establishing a mercenary corps directly under the lord.”
There were two common ways nobles dealt with mercenary corps.
One was to privately sponsor or manage a mercenary corps, which was the most conventional approach. Nobles would use these corps as proxies to handle tasks, conduct various businesses, or even carry out unsavory activities.
The other method involved the lord and their territory’s military acting as a mercenary corps themselves.
Though rare, extremely impoverished or resource-starved territories sometimes resorted to this method. Alternatively, it might happen if the lord was utterly obsessed with combat.
For this approach, the territory required royal approval and guarantees. A territory acting as a mercenary corps could accept payment to participate in foreign wars, necessitating strict royal oversight to prevent them from recklessly intervening in domestic conflicts.
Fenris had already submitted the necessary paperwork to Marquis Branford to obtain a mercenary corps license.
However, since the approval process would inevitably take time, Claude decided to prioritize absorbing existing mercenary corps for now.
“I’ll make a quick round and come back, so take good care of the territory while I’m gone.”
“But… do you really think you can win over all the mercenaries?”
Claude chuckled and formed a circle with his fingers.
“Money can solve anything. Most of the mercenaries in the North are already doing work for us anyway, right? Plenty of them are even helping out as laborers. It won’t be too hard.”
Claude had a point. Mercenaries would work for Fenris as long as they were paid well. That’s how mercenaries operated.
Ghislain himself had once employed a large number of northern mercenaries, and back then, it was also handled entirely through money.
However, incorporating them into the Fenris Mercenary Corps was a slightly different matter.
“Sure, some might join for money, but plenty will refuse, won’t they?”
“Ah, it’s not like we’re making them part of Fenris’s military. We’ll absorb them as affiliated groups under the mercenary corps, maintaining their independence and autonomy as much as possible.”
“Come on, who’s going to believe that? Autonomy or not, if you call them up when needed and demand they share their profits, it’s still a restriction. And these guys love their freedom. A lot of them will reject it outright.”
At that, Claude flashed a smug expression.
“I used to think the same way. But you see, sincerity always works in the end.”
Lowell frowned, clearly uneasy.
‘Sincerity? From this guy? His version of sincerity is anything but normal.’
Unaware of Lowell’s inner thoughts, Claude handed off the estate’s affairs to him and immediately set out.
The mercenary corps scattered across the North were small and impoverished. They were intrigued by Claude’s proposal.
“Fenris Mercenary Corps? The Count of Fenris is creating a mercenary corps?”
“That’s right. It’s already registered. You know we’re the strongest in the North, don’t you?”
“But why would a place like Fenris form a mercenary corps and try to recruit us?”
“Well, to work you to the bone uh, I mean, we’re branching out into the mercenary business. On a massive scale.”
“Ooh…”
Everyone was aware that the Count of Fenris was the most active noble in the kingdom when it came to diverse enterprises.
Fenris was already famous for its large-scale projects, such as the development of the Forest of Beasts, food sales, cosmetics sales, road construction, and delivery services.
“You know that most of the Royal Faction’s territories are now connected by the roads we built, right? And the delivery business is thriving. Naturally, we need more manpower. Mercenaries are perfect for escort and transport work, aren’t they?”
The mercenaries nodded in agreement. Their most common tasks were escorts and transport missions.
Fighting, construction whatever required manpower, mercenaries would take the job as long as they are paid.
“Hmm, sounds good. We’ll join. But the condition is that our mercenary corps remains intact, right?”
“Of course. As an affiliate of Fenris, you’ll only have to act when needed. You’ll earn your pay and just share a small portion of it. In return, we’ll provide support and help secure more jobs for you.”
“Alright. We’ll join the Fenris Mercenary Corps.”
For smaller mercenary groups, it was difficult to secure anything beyond menial tasks. However, joining the Fenris Mercenary Corps meant access to higher-paying and more prestigious jobs.
Fenris was involved in numerous projects, and naturally, they would prioritize offering better opportunities to their affiliates.
While they might be forced to fight on Fenris’s side if war broke out, most of the mercenaries weren’t concerned about that.
‘What could go wrong with the strongest power in the North backing us? Plus, the Royal Faction’s Marquis Branford is supporting them.’
Ghislain’s reputation and authority had risen to unprecedented heights.
Small-scale mercenary groups were easily swayed by the favorable conditions, and they didn’t see it as a loss of freedom. In fact, the benefits outweighed any drawbacks, and they gained a strong patron.
However, not every mercenary corps felt the same way.
* * *
The leader of the Bigfoot Mercenary Corps, a group of about 50 members, adamantly refused Claude’s proposal.
“Haha… I appreciate the offer, but we’re not interested.”
The man was massive, with exceptionally large feet, earning him the nickname “Bigfoot.” His physical strength and growing reputation had made him well-known in recent years.
He was a man’s man, known for his bold and straightforward manner. But he was also notoriously arrogant.
Watching him reject the offer with a smug expression, Claude thought to himself:
‘Did he just reject me?’
Claude, ever the opportunist, couldn’t stand being brushed off, especially by someone with such a condescending attitude.
‘I’ll have to break him.’
If words didn’t work, then force would. That was the most important lesson Claude had learned from Ghislain.