The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

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Chapter 333: I Really Want to Try This. (2)

Of course. This human was not the type to stay idle. It seemed he had caught a disease where he felt like he would die if he didn’t do something.

After calming his mind, Claude asked.

“Why are we creating a mercenary group?”

“Because we need to.”

“We don’t need that kind of thing! Why would we do such a thing?”

As he spoke, Claude began to get heated and started to lose it.

It’s not that there were no territories engaging in mercenary work, though. It was rare, but sometimes the lord and the territory would have their own mercenaries to fight for a foreign country.

Usually, those territories were small, poor, and lacked any resources.

But right now, Penris was a territory known as the strongest in the North. Its food production alone was enormous, and when considering the resources gained from this new land development, it could compete financially with any lord in the kingdom.

So why on earth would they create a mercenary group?

Ignoring Claude’s outrage, Ghislaine spoke confidently.

“I will have all the mercenaries in this kingdom under me.”

“Wow… What an ambition…”

“Right now, we’re involved in road construction and delivery services. If we bundle the mercenary business with that, it will be profitable.”

“Hmm… That’s true, but I question whether we really need it. It seems like it would just give us more headaches.”

Honestly, most mercenaries are the kind of people who don’t want to belong to any faction.

They refuse stable job offers because they’re chasing quick riches, which is why they become mercenaries. It’s not everyone, but most of them fit that mold.

In other words, they enjoy freedom.

Plus, they are generally unruly and hard to control. It would be better to raise an elite force than to take in such people.

“Sure, whatever is fine. The more, the better. But it’ll take time and money. Can’t we use those resources for something more efficient?”

Ghislaine understood why Claude was opposed. While individual skills of mercenaries can be outstanding, they’re generally weaker than regular troops in group battles.

However, there was still a reason they needed mercenaries.

“Our military power has now hit a limit. At this rate, no matter how much we train, we can only progress slowly. We still have a long way to go.”

“Isn’t this enough for us?”

They had taken control of Desmond and taken in all the prisoners. Now, the Penris troops were almost approaching 20,000.

Though they were officially unified, Ghislaine was a grand noble who held territories of Penris, Cabaldy, and Desmond.

It was rare for a lord to possess this much territory and military force alone.

Moreover, their technology and financial strength were unrivaled in the kingdom. And yet, they still felt they were lacking?

With a hunger for more, Ghislaine continued speaking.

“With this level, we cannot beat the duke faction. We need to gather even more.”

Ghislaine expressed her decisive assessment.

People do not truly understand the extent of the duke faction’s power.

Even if she and the Crown Prince faction joined forces, they could not take down a single duke. Plus, with the lords following the duke, it would be a definite loss in a direct confrontation.

To grow further from here, they would need to conquer another territory. They would do that eventually, but it wasn’t something they could act on right now.

‘Dukes want to seize the kingdom with as little loss as possible.’

It had certainly been that way in her past life. The circumstances had favored the duke faction, allowing them to achieve their goal.

But it wasn’t the same now.

‘Because of me, they will reluctantly have to move aggressively.’

The duke would now be preparing to snatch the kingdom by force.

Still, their tendency to avoid losses wouldn’t change. They would thoroughly prepare to minimize damage.

‘Until then, we must enhance our strength and prepare as much as possible.’

Ghislaine briefly explained the situation to Claude.

Everyone knew the duke faction was the strongest in the kingdom. However, not everyone realized just how large the gap was.

After hearing Ghislaine’s explanation, Claude wore an expression of disbelief.

“Really… Is the gap that wide? You’re saying they can mobilize more than 100,000 just from the dukedom?”

“Sure, that’s just the soldiers. If you count the numerous high-level knights and wizards below them, it’s an overwhelmingly powerful force.”

Adding together the great lords under the duke, they could easily summon hundreds of thousands of troops.

Even if the Crown Prince’s nobility gathered all the territory residents, they would still be no match for that massive army. Having fought himself in his past life, he felt there was no room for dissent.

Claude still found it hard to believe, but these words came from a lord. Even if he was just spewing nonsense, it couldn’t be ignored.

“Hmm… Then even if we command all the mercenaries in the kingdom, it would still be hard to narrow the gap?”

“That’s true. But mercenaries have their own usefulness. Regardless of the power gap, increasing our forces even a little is the right thing to do.”

“Really… Can we win?”

Then, Ghislaine suddenly smiled menacingly.

“We must win. That’s why I’m here. Only I can smash the duke faction in this kingdom.”

That was an incredibly arrogant declaration. But for some reason, Claude felt an inkling that it might actually be true.

Ghislaine grasped Claude’s shoulders and asked.

“Claude, how do we deal with a stronger enemy? If we can’t get stronger fast enough? If it’s going to be difficult to surpass the duke faction right away?”

“Uh…”

Startled by Ghislaine’s powerful demeanor, Claude suddenly lost his words. Ghislaine then laughed fiercely and continued speaking.

“Then we weaken the enemy. So we can fight them. We must break them down to lower their overall fighting power!”

“T-then… our next target is Marquis Roderick’s Territory, right? You’re not suggesting we think of the mercenary group operating there, are you?”

“Exactly, that mercenary group is our first target.”

Only then did Claude grasp Ghislaine’s intentions.

Marquis Roderick’s Territory was Ghislaine’s first target during the civil war. It was a crucial point in the West where countless merchants moved around, and a tremendous amount of money circulated.

Naturally, it was also the place where the most mercenaries operated in the kingdom. There were plenty of jobs for mercenaries, from guarding merchants to hunting down thieves and escort missions.

The Perdium Territory also had a lot of work for mercenaries due to fighting with the barbarians, but the lack of money in the territory meant mercenaries weren’t very attracted to it.

“I see. Since there’s the kingdom’s largest mercenary group there. Wait, how are we going to take that mercenary group? It’s rumored to have close ties with the House of Marquis Roderick.”

“There’s always a way. Don’t worry about that. I’ll handle that; you focus on absorbing the smaller mercenary groups in the North. Can you do that?”

“Understood. I’ll do it. The mercenary groups in the North are just weaklings anyway, right? Leave it to me.”

With shining eyes, Claude agreed with Ghislaine.

After all, fighting the duke faction was a foregone conclusion. Still, Claude believed that with the Crown Prince faction’s assistance, they could stand their ground against the duke faction.

But after listening to Ghislaine, that didn’t seem to be the case. It was hard to believe, and he didn’t want to, but he couldn’t brush it aside.

In any case, as the territory grew stronger, their chances of survival increased.

Seeing Claude brimming with enthusiasm, Ghislaine smiled broadly.

“Good, let’s get busy again from now on.”

*

The Penris people had a habit of acting immediately once their goal was set.

It wasn’t originally like that, but it had developed that way while being with Ghislaine.

Handing a pile of papers to Lowell, Claude said.

“You know we’re also starting a mercenary business, right?”

“Uh… Of course.”

Lowell nodded obediently. Ghislaine’s close associates had been informed of the plans ahead.

Honestly, he didn’t want to do this since he was busy, but it had to be done because the lord commanded it.

“It might take some time to get royal approval. So for now, we’ll prioritize establishing the mercenary group under the lord’s banner.”

Nobles typically handle mercenary groups in two ways. One is to privately sponsor or manage a mercenary group, which is the most common method.

Such nobles use mercenaries as their proxies to do work for them or for various businesses. Sometimes for dirty work too.

The other method is for the lord and the territory army to themselves operate as a mercenary group.

It’s not common, but extremely poor or resource-depleted territories may resort to this. Or if the lord is someone who has a penchant for fighting.

To use this method, it requires royal approval and endorsement. If a territory moves as a mercenary group, the lord can receive money and intervene in foreign wars.

They impose severe restrictions to prevent easy involvement in domestic wars as well. Without those restrictions, they could involve themselves everywhere and cause trouble.

In Penris, they were preparing various documents to obtain permission for the mercenary group and had sent them to Marquis Branford.

However, since it would take time to process, Claude decided to proceed with absorbing the mercenary groups first.

“I’ll take a round and be back, so take good care of the territory.”

“But… can you really seduce all the mercenaries?”

Claude chuckled and made a circle with his finger.

“There’s nothing money can’t do. After all, the Northern mercenaries are already working for us, right? Many of them supported as laborers, so it won’t be difficult.”

Claude had a point. If enough money was offered, they would work for Penris. That’s what mercenaries do.

Ghislaine had also hired many Northern mercenaries before. She handled everything with money back then too.

However, integrating them into the Penris mercenary group was another issue.

“Some may join for the money, but many will probably refuse, right?”

“Ah, they’ll be brought in as a subsidiary group, not part of Penris’s military, so we’ll maximize autonomy and independence for them.”

“Hey, who would believe that? Autonomy or whatever, when they need you, they’ll be expected to roll in and turn over some income. Besides, these guys love their freedom, so any restriction will likely be met with refusal. There’s bound to be quite a few who’ll turn us down.”

At that, Claude spoke with an arrogant expression.

“I thought the same at first. But when you convey your sincerity, everything works out.”

Lowell wore a very uneasy expression at those words.

‘The sincerity this guy refers to isn’t exactly normal.’

Unaware of Lowell’s true thoughts, Claude left the territory affairs to him and got moving.

The Northern mercenary groups were all small-scale and impoverished. They looked intrigued by Claude’s proposal.

“A Penris mercenary group? Count Penris is starting a mercenary group?”

“Of course, we’re already registered. You know we’re the strongest in the North, right?”

“Wait, but why would you start a mercenary group in such a place and recruit us?”

“Well, we’re looking to gear up… I mean, we’re branching into various businesses, right? Now we’re also entering the mercenary business. Big time.”

“Whoa…”

Everyone knew that Count Penris was the most actively diversifying his business in the kingdom.

From the development of the Forest of Monsters, food sales, cosmetics sales, road construction, delivery services, etc., he had gained fame through major enterprises.

“You know that our constructed roads practically link all the territories of the Crown Prince faction? Plus, the delivery business is thriving. Therefore, we’ll need a lot of manpower. Especially for escort and transport jobs, mercenaries are ideal, right?”

The mercenaries nodded at Claude’s words. Those were indeed the jobs they took up the most.

Whether it was fighting, construction, or just needing people anywhere, mercenaries would charge to go.

“Hmm, sounds good. We’ll join in. But our mercenary group must remain intact, right?”

“Oh, of course. When needed, we can operate together while remaining under Penris. Also, after receiving payment, you’ll just need to give us a certain tribute. In return, we’ll back you up and find you various jobs.”

“Understood. We’ll join the Penris mercenary group.”

After all, small mercenary groups struggled to find good jobs outside of menial tasks. But if they joined the Penris mercenary group, they would be able to secure better/paying work.

Since Penris was handling many diverse tasks, they would surely want to prioritize decent jobs for their subsidiary groups.

Of course, if a war broke out, they would inevitably be dragged into it, but they weren’t particularly worried.

‘We’re the strongest in the North. What could possibly go wrong? Plus, we’ve got the Crown Prince’s Marquis Branford backing us.’

Ghislaine’s fame and authority had risen to levels far beyond the past.

Very small-scale mercenary groups easily came on board with just a few good conditions. They didn’t feel their freedom was being infringed upon.

In fact, they saw it as a beneficial deal. They now had solid backing.

But not every mercenary group thought the same way.

Jake, the leader of the ‘Bigfoot Mercenary Group’ with about 50 mercenaries, clearly expressed his refusal to Claude’s proposal.

“Haha… Thanks for the offer, but we don’t want to do that.”

He was a very large man, especially with very big feet, earning him the nickname “Bigfoot.” His size also translated to strength; he had made quite a name for himself recently.

Known for his manly demeanor, he was also quite arrogant.

Seeing him speak so presumptuously, Claude thought.

‘Who dares reject my proposal?’

Being the epitome of a snob, Claude didn’t like that Jake had outright refused his proposal with such an arrogant expression.

‘I need to teach this guy a lesson.’

If they didn’t listen, they needed to be dealt with. That was the most dependable lesson Claude had learned from Ghislaine.