Chapter 179

Chapter 179: The Time Has Finally Come. (2)

Amelia frowned at the words of Conrad, the head of the Actium Merchant Guild.

“Fenris requested food again this time?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Are things that bad for Fenris and Ferdium?”

“I don’t believe so. The northern lords have already provided support, and they’ve received aid from the Royal Faction as well. If I were to guess, they’re likely trying to secure resources in advance because of the influx of immigrants.”

“How much did the Royal Faction provide?”

“It was a sudden decision, so I don’t have the exact amount. However... since the Marquis of Branford is involved, it should be enough to last through this year.”

Conrad reported to Amelia whenever there was anything noteworthy regarding their dealings with Fenris. This was no exception.

When they first sold food, she didn’t think much of it. But the more she observed the situation, the more peculiar it seemed.

Despite receiving considerable support from the Royal Faction, Fenris continued to buy food at an alarming rate.

The amount they were purchasing even caused northern food prices to rise, leaving Conrad no choice but to report it.

Amelia lowered her gaze, deep in thought.

‘What’s their plan this time?’

The harvest season was approaching. No matter how barren the northern lands were, food prices were bound to drop right after the harvest.

Yet Ghislain, who already had sufficient food reserves, couldn’t even wait for that short period. Instead, they kept buying at prices high enough to inflate the market. This made Amelia suspicious.

“What about the actions of other merchant guilds?”

“They’re eagerly selling their food. They know prices will drop soon, so they’re trying to make a profit while they can.”

When merchants from other regions sold food, the North was always a stop on their route.

Even after deducting transportation costs, food sold here fetched a much higher price than in other areas.

And now, with prices higher than usual compared to previous years, it was only natural that merchants wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity.

After a brief silence, Amelia asked something else.

“What’s the weather like these days? How’s the farming outlook for this year?”

“It’s been a bit drier than last year, but not enough to raise significant concerns. We’ve seen weather like this often before.”

“Hmm...”

The North frequently suffered from poor harvests, but Raypold and Desmond territories rarely experienced such hardships.

Even during lean years, they might not have had surplus food to sell to other estates, but the people of the territories never went hungry.

That was why Conrad could confidently say, “It’s not enough to worry about.”

However, even after hearing his response, Amelia deliberated for a long time before finally raising her head and speaking decisively.

“Stop selling food. Not just to Fenris but to everyone. For now, stockpile everything separately. Make sure no one finds out. Also, purchase whatever food is available from other merchant guilds, as much as we can afford.”

Conrad was slightly taken aback by the sudden order and responded cautiously.

“When the harvest begins, prices will drop quickly. Selling now is the only way to maximize profits. While it’s fine to stockpile our goods, buying food from other guilds would result in significant losses.”

“Just do as I say, no more arguments.”

“...May I ask why you’ve made this decision?”

“Since when did you start questioning my orders while carrying them out?”

“...I apologize. I’ll begin immediately.”

Seeing Conrad’s stiff expression, Amelia clicked her tongue. She valued him as one of her trusted subordinates, so she figured offering an explanation wouldn’t hurt.

“There’s something I need to verify.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“Whether that guy’s success so far has been due to sheer luck or genuine skill. I’ll accept the losses, so proceed as instructed.”

“...Understood.”

Conrad gave up on persuading her. He knew well that once Amelia made a decision, she almost never reversed it.

Even her most trusted subordinates had, on occasion, been executed if they crossed the line by challenging her authority or questioning her decisions.

Though he had no choice but to comply, Conrad inwardly clicked his tongue at the thought of the significant losses they would incur.

After Conrad reluctantly withdrew with a heavy heart, Amelia remained seated, deep in thought.

‘Ghislain... Let’s see what scheme you’re up to this time.’

* * *

The order to prepare supplies for 3,000 men sent Claude into fits of laughter.

“My lord! Including the knights, we have a total of 500 troops! Three thousand? Hahaha! Wendy, it seems the steward forgot to teach you proper arithmetic! Ow!”

Claude only stopped laughing after receiving a sharp blow from Belinda. Rubbing his sore temple, he asked again, this time more seriously.

“Is it really for 3,000 men?”

“Yes.”

“But we don’t even have that many troops.”

“I’ve already told you—I’ll take care of it.”

“And where exactly are you going to get them? Ferdium doesn’t even have that kind of manpower, and even if it did, they couldn’t spare any due to the northern border.”

“Oh, don’t worry. There are plenty of places willing to lend us troops. Soon enough, we’ll have offers pouring in.”

“...Here we go again.”

No lord would willingly lend out troops unless they had a special relationship or received an appropriate compensation. Even the Royal Faction, which had given up their own people, hadn’t sent any troops.

Yet here was their lord, confidently claiming they could secure forces. Claude simply couldn’t understand it.

This level of drought was a disaster so rare that it might only occur once in several decades, even in the harsh northern lands.

The problem didn’t stop there. The drought was affecting not only the northern region but other areas as well.

“The entire kingdom... abnormal weather patterns have blanketed the entire kingdom. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to harvest crops properly... And it’s not just Ritania. The neighboring territories in countries adjacent to our kingdom are experiencing the same. This is the worst... drought.”

This was far beyond a simple poor harvest.

A drought causing a widespread famine across the entire kingdom was an exceptionally rare event.

The retainers were left in a daze.

In Fenris Estate, where food supplies were overflowing and water resources were abundant, the situation felt almost surreal. Meanwhile, other territories were thrown into disarray due to the drought.

It almost seemed as though the lord had foreseen this catastrophe and prepared for it by ruthlessly driving his people to work.

Claude, trembling with both bewilderment and anxiety, asked, “M-my lord, what is going on? How did this happen? Did you... did you really anticipate a drought?”

Everyone silently agreed with Claude’s question and turned their gazes to Ghislain.

Up to this point, the lord’s actions could be chalked up to luck or having heard rumors from somewhere.

But predicting the weather? That was an entirely different matter.

Foreseeing the future was something attributed only to prophets from legends.

While everyone was stunned, Ghislain simply leaned on his hand, closed his eyes, and smiled.

What should he say? Should I tell them I know the future?

He couldn’t actually say that, of course, but just imagining it amused him.

As Ghislain continued smiling without answering, Claude impatiently pressed him for a response.

“No, don’t just smile! How did you know there’d be a drought?”

After a long pause, Ghislain casually threw out his answer.

“Because it was hot.”

“...What?”

“When it gets too hot, droughts happen. It’s been hot for a while now. Don’t you think so?”

“You’re saying... you made us prepare like this just because the weather was hot? Does that even make sense?”

“Well, what was I supposed to do? I don’t like the heat.”

“......”

Everyone fell silent at Ghislain’s absurd logic.

‘So, he just got worked up about the weather being a little warm, prepared like crazy, and happened to be right?’

It sounded like the kind of thinking only someone consumed by worry could come up with.

It was still hard to believe, but at least it seemed more plausible than the idea of him predicting the future.

If his guess had been wrong, Fenris Estate would have been left with heaps of rotting food and suffered significant losses. That much was still infuriating.

After savoring the silence for a moment, Ghislain turned to Lowell and asked, “What’s the situation in Ferdium?”

“Well, uh... it’s a bit different from the others.”

“Explain.”

Lowell flipped through his reports, his expression souring as he answered.

“The Chief Overseer of Ferdium, Baron Homerne, received reports on the territory’s situation and...”

“And?”

“Hmm, hmm. ‘Ah, we’ve failed at farming again this year. But we fail every year anyway, right? We have plenty of food for now, so it’s fine. If we run out, we can just ask the Young Lord for more.’ ...is what he said.”

“...I see. And what’s their water reserve situation like?”

“The water levels have dropped significantly, but thanks to the river flowing from the Forest of Beasts and the reservoirs we provided, they seem to be holding out. Their situation is better than other estates.”

“Good, it seems there won’t be any major issues.”

Ferdium had always been a poor territory, so they seemed to be treating this drought as just another ordinary hardship.

If the drought persisted, water scarcity could become a problem, but they would manage somehow.

Truthfully, Ghislain wanted to build more reservoirs and irrigation systems for Ferdium, but since it was his father’s estate, his ability to interfere had its limits.

After confirming that Ferdium could hold on for now, Ghislain asked about other territories.

“What about the other estates?”

“It’s disastrous. Raypold and Desmond are expected to harvest less than half of what they do in a normal year. They may hold out for a while because of their reserves, but... in other regions, starvation deaths are expected to skyrocket.”

“Hm, that’s unfortunate news.”

“Everyone is scrambling to secure food supplies. If we sell now, we could get over ten times the usual price.”

At Lowell’s words, the retainers’ eyes lit up.

The northern region, already known for poor agricultural productivity, had no chance of withstanding such a drought.

Meanwhile, Fenris had an almost unimaginable surplus of food. On top of that, the monster wheat fields were about to yield another massive harvest.

If this opportunity was handled properly, Fenris Estate could very well become one of the wealthiest territories in the entire kingdom.

Despite the hopeful glances from the retainers, Ghislain shook his head.

“I have no intention of selling right now.”

Claude suddenly recalled Ghislain’s constant mention of the “timing.”

“My lord... could it be... that the perfect timing for war... is now?”

With crops shriveling and dying, Cabaldi Estate would surely struggle to feed its soldiers.

Starving troops would have low morale and would barely be able to put up a fight.

Ghislain smirked and replied, “That’s right. The time has finally come.”