Chapter 159

Chapter 159: Isn’t It Better to Strike First? (1)

The killing intent that had been swirling around dissipated completely, leaving an awkward silence hanging in the air.

Belinda glared at the newcomers and spoke up.

“Who are you people? Do you want to be kicked out the moment you arrive? Does our estate look like a joke to you?”

“N-no... that’s not it.”

“What do you mean, it’s not? You were practically on the verge of drawing your swords! Should I just throw you all in prison instead of kicking you out?”

Belinda decided she wouldn’t hold back any longer. No matter how she looked at it, someone had to bring order to this chaotic estate.

From the beginning, the position of the castle’s butler wasn’t just about managing the household; it encompassed everything from the nobles’ etiquette to overseeing the manners of the people.

She resolved to wield the authority she had refrained from using up until now.

“What are you doing? Get back to your places already. Or are you itching for a scolding?”

At Belinda’s threat, the reserve troops stepped back with sheepish expressions.

Being the castle’s butler was a position close to the lord. They had just arrived and hadn’t even adjusted yet, so there was no good reason to get on her bad side.

Belinda gave them a strict look, like a teacher scolding misbehaving students, and issued a warning.

“From now on, if any of you act disrespectfully in front of the Lord, I won’t forgive you. Understood? Make sure you at least maintain basic manners among yourselves.”

“Yes, ma’am! Understood!”

Their loud reply made Kaor snicker. Since it seemed like Belinda was siding with him, his shoulders lifted in pride.

“See, look how nice it is when you all behave and tuck your tails. Keep it up like that...”

Before he could finish, Belinda spun around and shouted at him.

“Hey! What’s your problem, picking fights everywhere you go? Are you really that good at fighting? You want to take me on first? Because as far as I can see, you’re just a total weakling.”

“Uh, no, wait, why are you suddenly talking like that...”

Kaor was momentarily taken aback. They’d always bickered, but he’d never seen her get this angry before.

Because of that, he missed his usual chance to retort.

On top of that, if Belinda invoked her position as the butler, it was difficult for him, a contract mercenary, to respond in kind.

As Kaor stood there, his mouth opening and closing in frustration and confusion, Ghislain and Claude blinked in surprise.

It was scary when someone who usually didn’t get angry suddenly blew up...

‘Ah, that could’ve been fun.’

Ghislain clicked his tongue in disappointment. He’d already drawn up a match schedule in his head, but the mood had been completely ruined.

Most of the people who had recently arrived were hot-tempered types, so it was inevitable that someone would have to establish order sooner or later.

Even if they left things alone, Gillian would handle it eventually, but since they were eager to step up, there was no reason to stop them.

Belinda looked at Ghislain, who was smacking his lips, and asked.

“Why does the Lord look like that? He seems a bit disappointed.”

“No, not at all. I’m not disappointed. I just thought, why bother stopping them? I mean, when it comes to establishing hierarchy...”

“Gillian will take care of hierarchy during training. Do you think I don’t know that?”

“Uh... right. Gillian will handle everything.”

Belinda narrowed her eyes and gave Ghislain a sidelong glance.

“Don’t tell me you were already planning to set up a ring, draw up match schedules, and place bets with the Chief Overseer while watching... You weren’t, right?”

“Of course not. As I always say, I’m a non-violent pacifist.”

“Haa, I just wish we could live a normal life for once. I’m busy, so I’ll head off. And everyone, be careful. I’ll be watching.”

Belinda sighed, shook her head a few times, and then left the area.

As soon as she left, an awkward silence enveloped the surroundings once more.

“Ahem.”

“Ahem.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Everyone exchanged nervous coughs, each trying to gauge the others’ reactions.

Even Gillian, who had been outmaneuvered by Belinda, crossed his arms and pretended not to care.

Claude quietly whispered into Ghislain’s ear.

“Quite disappointing. I was planning to bet on about five years this time.”

“Ah, it was a missed opportunity to extend the slave contract period.”

“Are you sure you didn’t mean to say it’s fortunate the period didn’t get shortened? Anyway, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the butler that angry before. Was she always that scary?”

“Oh, she’s always been scary when she’s mad. And that wasn’t the end of it. If she gets even angrier, she draws her sword. After that, it’s poison.”

“Whew, I guess I better be careful.”

“Just don’t cross the line, and you’ll be fine.”

Claude nodded but then tilted his head, realizing something odd.

“...You say just don’t cross the line, but how do you know the next step involves a sword and poison, Lord?”

“Good question, how would I know that?”

Ghislain’s expression softened, as if he was recalling an old memory, then abruptly sharpened again.

“Anyway, it’s about time we start the next task.”

“What? What do you mean, next task? We’re already drowning in work; if we add more, we’re all going to drop dead!”

Claude protested, almost panicking. If they took on any more, it would really be the end of them.

But Ghislain responded with a gentle smile.

“Do you not know that interfering with how someone is educated is incredibly rude?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to.”

As their voices grew louder, Ghislain intervened to calm them down.

“Honestly, I can’t say it’s not because it bothers me... but that’s not the only reason. Claude, can you really not believe it even after seeing the information? Count Cabaldi is currently supplying a massive amount of iron ore to Desmond. At the very least, that clearly means the two are in league.”

Claude had also been suspicious that the Duke’s faction was backing Desmond because of that.

If they weren’t on the same side, there was no way Count Cabaldi would be supporting him to that extent.

However, launching a territorial war based on such assumptions was far too risky.

Claude spoke again, using a tone as if trying to soothe a child.

“My Lord, I understand what you’re trying to say. But... Count Cabaldi is someone from the Duke’s faction.”

“So what?”

“If we strike Count Cabaldi first, it won’t matter if Count Desmond is involved or not—we’ll definitely become enemies of the Duke’s faction! Even now, the Royal Faction and the Duke’s Faction aren’t openly crossing swords yet!”

“The Duke’s faction is already our enemy. We agreed on that, didn’t we?”

“But we haven’t made it obvious yet! I’m saying we shouldn’t give them an excuse to attack us openly! What are you going to do if the Duke’s faction decides to step in directly?”

Ghislain spoke with a tone of exasperation.

“We’re going to have to fight them eventually anyway, so why bother worrying about that now? We can deal with it when the time comes.”

“...”

“Alright, let me explain this in simple terms. Let’s say you’re in a fight, Claude.”

“I’m a dignified scholar; I don’t get into fights.”

“Just assume you are. What’s more advantageous, getting hit first or hitting first?”

“Well... hitting first would be advantageous. There’s that saying, ‘strike first, win first,’ isn’t there?”

“Exactly. So, wouldn’t it be better for us to strike Count Cabaldi before he hits us? No matter how you look at it, this is the better option, right?”

‘He’s finally lost it completely!’

Claude was left speechless by the reckless words that treated war like some kids’ neighborhood scuffle.

Just as he was about to decide whether to curse or not, Ghislain continued.

“If we want to keep waging war in the future, we need a stable supply of iron ore. We absolutely have to take Count Cabaldi’s territory. Count Desmond would never expect us to strike there first. That means he won’t be prepared.”

Count Desmond was currently most preoccupied with Amelia’s rebellion. His next priority was to win over the remaining northern lords and consolidate his control over the north.

He figured he could get rid of someone like Baron Fenris whenever the opportunity arose.

Naturally, he wouldn’t have imagined that Ghislain would be the one to initiate a war.

That was why Ghislain intended to make the most of the current situation and the opportunities to come.

‘It’s only a brief window. I can’t afford to miss such a good chance. If we don’t secure the iron ore now, it will be difficult to sustain a prolonged war.’

Thanks to Amelia, they only had a little more time left.

The moment Count Desmond seized control of the Raypold Estate, he would immediately shift his attention towards the Fenris estate.

But since there was no way to explain this with mere speculation, Ghislain had to let it pass for now.

The lack of persuasiveness was compensated by sheer stubbornness.

Claude spoke with a weary expression.

“My Lord, it’s already extremely risky just to face Count Desmond. Do we really need to make things even more dangerous? If something goes wrong, we could all end up dead.”

“I know. Even one mistake would mean death. Not just for us, but for everyone in my father’s estate as well.”

“And even knowing that, you still insist on attacking Cabaldi?”

Hearing the desolate tone in Claude’s voice, both Belinda and Gillian cautiously joined in.

“Young Lord, the Chief Overseer may be a bit odd usually, but this time, he seems to be making sense. Can’t you just let it go?”

“My Lord, the Chief Overseer is right. Making the Duke’s faction an open enemy in this situation is far too dangerous.”

The retainers all spoke with one voice.

“For now, it would be best to focus solely on blocking Desmond.”

“Even if it takes a bit longer, why not try sourcing the iron ore from another region?”

Despite everyone’s opposition, Ghislain spoke firmly.

“We still have to do it. If we don’t start preparing now, we’ll miss our chance.”

Claude clutched his throbbing head.

Just preparing the defenses and developing the estate was already enough to make his head feel like it would explode.

And now, on top of that, they were planning a preemptive attack.

The Fenris territory was not in a position to do something like that right now.

“I understand your intentions, my Lord. But there are practical issues.”

“Like what?”

“Let’s say we march out. Can we really win? The difference in strength is too significant.”

Like most northern estates, Count Cabaldi’s territory had its shortcomings, but it was wealthy enough to make up for them with money. And it had one special trait.

“Setting everything else aside, Count Cabaldi’s soldiers are probably the best-equipped in the north.”

It was only natural for regions rich in iron ore to develop advanced smelting techniques.

Thanks to that, Count Cabaldi’s estate was known for equipping even its soldiers with high-quality gear.

How could they hope to defeat such a force with their current power?

When Claude posed this question, Ghislain responded with an incredulous look.

“You don’t trust me?”

The others averted their eyes slightly, avoiding a direct answer.