Chapter 198

Chapter 198 – I’ll Keep Him Around for a Long Time (1)

“Please spare us!”

“We can help stabilize the territory!”

“You can’t do this to us!”

The retainers of Count Cabaldi wailed desperately, but Ghislain didn’t so much as blink.

Gillian and the Fenris Knights, on the other hand, were already accustomed to such situations.

After all, they had already experienced carrying out large-scale purges when they occupied the Digald County.

“Arghhh! Please, I beg you, spare me!”

“I’m a noble, damn it! Let me go! I said, let me go right now!”

“You lawless bastard!”

The retainers screamed as they were dragged away. Once Gillian and the knights left, Belinda cautiously approached and asked.

“Young Master, are you really sure about this? That territory is far bigger than Fenris’. Our administrative resources are severely lacking.”

“It doesn’t matter. Keeping them alive would only lead to bigger trouble later.”

Had Claude and the other Fenris officials been present, they would have been horrified and would have tried to stop Ghislain.

After all, as Belinda pointed out, managing the Count’s territory would require far more manpower than they currently had.

However, Ghislain had no intention of letting them live.

The retainers of this region were practically accomplices to Count Desmond.

Keeping them around would only give them the opportunity to betray him at the first chance they got. Even if it would be difficult now, it was better to purge them thoroughly while he could.

“Belinda, for now, take the people and confiscate all the retainers’ assets. Claude will take care of the rest once he gets here. Also, make sure the soldiers know not to harass the locals.”

“Understood.”

The people of Cabaldi’s territory were trembling in fear and unease. Their lives would depend entirely on what kind of ruler the new invaders turned out to be.

Having suffered greatly under Count Cabaldi, it was only natural for them to be wary.

But their fears turned out to be unwarranted, as the Fenris occupying forces carried out their duties quietly and without incident.

All they did was secure the battlefield, inventory the assets of Count Cabaldi and his retainers, and maintain their position.

Several days passed in this state until Claude finally arrived, bringing along a handful of officials.

“Hey, Claude, you’re here.”

“Haha! We won! We really won! Absolutely incredible!”

Having been consumed with worry every day, Claude burst with joy as soon as he saw Ghislain.

Seeing this, Ghislain let out a small chuckle.

“You’re that happy?”

“Of course I am! We’ve seized a county! And not just any county, but the North’s largest iron mine as well!”

“You were against it at first.”

“Well, that was because I was afraid we’d lose. And I was also worried about the repercussions from the Ducal families.”

“And now you’re not scared anymore?”

“To be honest, I’m still scared. But what can we do about what’s already done? I’ll worry about tomorrow’s problems when tomorrow comes.”

Claude answered cheerfully. After all, Ghislain had already clashed with the Ducal families long before he joined him.

Now that there was no way to restore relations, Claude decided to focus purely on the joy of what they had gained.

Expanded lands, resources, and population. Any lord would be thrilled by such acquisitions.

Ghislain chuckled at Claude’s playful remarks and continued speaking.

“How about it? Do you believe in my abilities now?”

“Yes, yes. I believe in you. Two battles, two victories—a 100% success rate. Do whatever you want, my lord.”

Ghislain clicked his tongue. No matter how he looked at it, it sounded like sarcasm. But since it was a day of celebration, he decided to let it slide.

“Alright, start by assessing the state of the territory. We need to stabilize and begin development as soon as possible, so do it quickly. Belinda should already have gathered all of Count Cabaldi’s and his retainers’ assets.”

“Leave it to me! I’ll get started right away!”

With an enthusiastic response, Claude immediately led the officials to begin evaluating the situation.

The first thing they checked was Count Cabaldi’s personal wealth, and Claude’s jaw dropped.

“A-a-a-amazing! Insane! This is crazy!”

Gold coins and priceless artworks were piled so high in the warehouse that it was overflowing. The fortune amassed from monopolizing the North’s iron mines was truly beyond imagination.

Without thinking, Claude stuffed a handful of gold coins into his pocket and mumbled to himself.

“I-I’m rich now! No, wait, we are rich—our territory is rich. Huh?! What am I doing?!”

Startled, he quickly turned around to find Wendy and the other officials glaring at him with disdain.

“This—this is a misunderstanding! Don’t look at me like that! I’ve lived in poverty for so long that I just... acted without thinking....”

Under their sharp, accusing stares, Claude sulkily returned the coins to their original place.

“Let’s get an exact tally of these assets. If anyone is caught embezzling even a single coin, I will never forgive them.”

“...Understood.”

A few junior officials began compiling an inventory of Count Cabaldi’s wealth. Claude also checked the confiscated assets of the retainers.

“Wow... these people were out of their minds.”

The hidden fortunes of the retainers were also substantial.

How much exploitation of the territory’s people and how many bribes would it take to amass such wealth?

As someone who had lived a clean and upright life without taking a single coin of bribes—even as a slave—Claude couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy.

‘We’ve already got nothing left to take...’

The miners were, relatively speaking, treated better than the other residents of the territory.

After all, the miners who extracted iron ore were the backbone that supported the prosperity of the estate.

But when the drought came and war broke out, even the supplies sent to them were cut off. What little they had was also confiscated by the army.

‘Damn bastards...’

‘If only you hadn’t invaded...’

‘Filthy invaders!’

Though the miners glanced around cautiously, they ground their teeth in secret.

Normally, it would have been natural to curse Count Cabaldi, the corrupt lord of the estate. That was how they had lived until now.

But the invaders had made the situation even worse, so resentment naturally took root.

They didn’t even dare to hope that the food would be distributed to them. The drought had been so severe that everyone knew even the nobles were struggling.

From their perspective, it was only natural to assume that the invading army was simply going around the territory, seizing whatever little was left.

Claude chuckled as he observed the miners’ reactions.

Sigh, it’s always like this at first.

Even the people of the Fenris Estate had shown the same powerless expressions and gazes filled with hostility in the beginning.

For people who had been oppressed by a tyrannical lord, such reactions were inevitable.

Breaking the awkward silence, Claude gestured to the soldiers standing behind him.

“Start distributing the food. Make sure to give them plenty. Oh, and by the way, there’s almost no meat. That’s been really hard to come by these days.”

The miners, receiving sacks filled with flour and a small amount of provisions, stared in dumbfounded disbelief.

Giving away food during such hard times? Wasn’t it normal for them to be the ones taking everything away?

When the miners remained silent and frozen in place, Claude grinned slyly.

“What? Is it not enough? Hey, hand out one more sack to each of them. Just give it out generously. If we hoard it all, it’ll just rot away.”

“Gasp!”

At Claude’s words, the miners audibly gasped in shock.

Receiving even this much already felt like a dream, but now they were being told they’d get more? They couldn’t believe it.

However, when the soldiers came forward and handed out an additional sack of flour to each miner, the miners immediately dropped to the ground in gratitude.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

Heartfelt expressions of thanks erupted from all around.

Claude clicked his tongue as he watched them. Just how badly had Count Cabaldi worked these people to the bone that they now behaved no differently than slaves?

Tsk, tsk, tsk. No wonder people say Northern nobles are ruthless. And come to think of it, the Ferdium Count is truly remarkable. Despite struggling so much, he never exploited his people even once.

Of course, it was unlikely that Count Cabaldi had deliberately tried to turn these people into slaves.

After all, he would’ve needed them to pay taxes. Instead, he had probably used soldiers to continually pressure and suppress them.

Driving people to such a miserable state... It was clear the man wasn’t just cruel—he was exceptionally cruel.

“From now on, this place will be vastly different under the leadership of the new lord. All you need to do is keep working hard at what you’ve been doing. You’ll be paid fairly, so you don’t need to worry about that, either.”

Even at Claude’s assurance, the miners hesitated to show any signs of trust.

Instead, they clung tightly to their sacks of food, warily glancing around.

The fact that they were afraid of having their food stolen by those around them was proof of just how utterly their trust and goodwill had been destroyed.

Claude, having seen many people in similar situations before, furrowed his brow and issued a stern warning.

“Anyone caught touching another person’s food will be executed on the spot. Don’t ever forget that.”

In circumstances like this, leniency was pointless. Punishing offenders harshly and setting an example was often more effective.

At Claude’s chilling warning, the miners bowed their heads.

“We will keep that in mind.”

They were not oblivious. They knew better than to provoke the occupying force that had taken control of the territory.

If starvation forced their hand, they might steal from others, but with full stomachs, they would behave—at least for now.

Similar scenes played out across the estate. Claude and other administrators visited even the smallest villages to distribute food.

The reactions of the estate’s residents were no different from those of the miners. With the drought so severe, they couldn’t believe the food distribution would continue for long.

‘Tsk, tsk. This is going to take more time.’

Although distributing food had quelled the immediate unrest, it wasn’t enough to dispel the deep-seated anxiety completely.

Even in Fenris, it had taken several months after a successful harvest and regular food distribution for the people to begin trusting their new leadership.

To unite the entire estate and prepare them to stand against a powerful enemy, consistent support and building trust in the new lord were the only options.

After receiving Claude’s report, Ghislain nodded in agreement.

“Considering they’ve lived through nothing but exploitation, it’s only natural that they’d be skeptical. Once they see that there’s plenty of food and their lives begin to improve, they’ll change—just like the people of Fenris.”

“Yes, this process will inevitably take time, so we’ll continue to provide steady support.”

“Good. Then, shall we move on to the next task? After all, we’ve gained both resources and a larger population now, haven’t we?”

“Of course, we should start with that, right?”

At Claude’s question, Ghislain nodded.

“Naturally, that’s where we begin. The Cabaldi County has more than most other places, but even that won’t be enough. We’ll need to increase productivity several times over.”

Settlements, farmland, and public facilities would need to be constructed gradually over time.

However, after taking control of the estate, an even more crucial task presented itself—one far more important than building those basic facilities.

It was the construction of large-scale smelting facilities and forges capable of producing iron weapons and tools in massive quantities.