447

Episode 447 I am truly an expert in negotiation. (4)

If the Delphine Dukes and the Salvationists were wiped out from the Kingdom, Giselle and the Northern Army would be free to help other kingdoms.

The messengers also understood the argument.

'So this is what they called us for.'

'That is not a wrong statement. If the Kingdom of Rutania falls, everyone will be greatly shaken.'

'We need to continue to support you. To do that, you have to win the civil war.'

I wanted to oppose, but I had already gained a lot. If I oppose, the support I am receiving now will also be cut off.

The messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell, who had finished his calculations, opened his mouth with difficulty.

"We will support you with an army of 10,000 men. In return, you must end the civil war as quickly as possible and help us."

What Jiselle said wasn't wrong. Either way, one thing needs to be sorted out.

When he first agreed, the envoys from other kingdoms also spoke.

"We will also support 10,000."

"We will first provide 5,000. We will return to our home country to check and provide more if possible."

"We will support 8,000."

The envoys told us how many troops they had within their authority to negotiate with.

Jiselle smiled contentedly. It would be better if she could borrow even the superhumans, but it was obvious that she would never give them up just yet.

Even in my previous life, the superhumans, including the seven powers of the continent, only gathered when the situation was more serious than it is now.

In this way, Jiselle received considerable military support as she had hoped. The number was roughly 200,000. The power of the alliance was truly great. If you include the Northern Army and the Fenris Army, the number was close to 300,000.

'Okay, this will be a big help.'

If the Duke of Gongja was the only opponent, then it would be different, but the high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church are people with powers that are on par with superhumans. To deal with them, overwhelming military power was needed.

The heavy atmosphere eased a little as discussions about support were concluded and it was decided to soon draw up an agreement.

In particular, the nobles of the pro-Prince faction, who were preparing for a showdown with the Duke's family, were very pleased.

An army sent from each kingdom! The Duke of Delphine was confident that he could wipe them out in an instant.

Maurice, feeling better, smiled brightly and pointed to Giselle.

"This is my nephew, my niece."

"Hahaha, really? What a blessing for the Marquis."

"He's handsome, and his appearance is extraordinary."

"I heard you are a master. You are truly amazing at such a young age."

The messengers showered him with flattering praise. The Commander-in-Chief of the Kingdom of Rutania was a powerful figure who could not be ignored.

"… … ."

Jiselle just remained silent.

Anyway, the messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell, who thought it was all over now, said with a smile.

"By the way, you said Fenris Mercenary Corps? Isn't the Count taking too many mercenaries? A considerable number of mercenaries have already crossed over from our kingdom."

"That's right. Many of our kingdom's mercenaries also crossed over."

"We need to use this too, but the mercenaries are running dry. Can you stop taking them?"

Everyone was joking, but there was truth in their words.

Because of the benefits of the Fenris Mercenary Corps, mercenaries continued to flock to the Kingdom of Rutania. It was beyond the level of being dismissed as a joke.

Jiselle nodded and said.

"Hmm, so it's hard because all the mercenaries have come over to our side."

One of the messengers replied, "That's right."

"Yes. Isn't this the time when mercenaries are most active? But it's really difficult to abandon our homeland and go through with it all. I think we need some appropriate regulations in the name of our union… … ."

Then Giselle leaned back comfortably in her chair and opened her mouth.

"Why are you making it so complicated? Just hire our mercenary group."

"Huh? Hiring…?"

Jiselle looked around at everyone with meaningful eyes and said.

"The way to keep more mercenaries from coming is simple."

"What is it?"

"We will establish a branch of the Fenris Mercenary Corps in each kingdom."

"Branch… … right?"

"Yes. Let's all join the Fenris Mercenary Corps branch and get active. Isn't that simple?"

"… … ."

So, to put it simply, it means that we will eat all the mercenaries on the entire continent.

Everyone thought the same thing.

'What the heck? Is this kid a traitor?'

Everyone else was blinking and not understanding, but the pro-royal nobles of Rutania were different.

They all nodded and thought.

'Here he goes again.'

As expected, he wasn't the type of person to just pass up an opportunity.

The messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell spoke again in confusion.

"I, I misunderstood. Are you saying that you will gather all the mercenaries from all the kingdoms now?"

"You have to use mercenaries, but didn't you say that they keep coming over to our side and that was a problem?"

'That means don't take it all!'

I felt like something wasn't making sense, so I slowly explained it again.

"We also need to hire mercenaries. We need a lot of manpower not only for combat but also for transportation and disaster recovery."

"That's why I told you to use our mercenaries there."

'Hey, why isn't this kid talking to me?'

"Haven't we already reached an agreement on military support? And now you want us to hire mercenaries separately?"

"Have you ever seen a mercenary fight without being paid?"

"… … ."

The messengers were gritting their teeth. Who doesn't know that? But isn't that the case now? This guy seemed to think of the country and his private mercenary group as separate entities.

Although I was angry, it was difficult to protest. It was difficult to break the agreement here. They were the ones who were more sorry right now.

The messengers who first encountered Jiselle ground their teeth.

'Ugh... ... This guy is really good at using the situation.'

'What is happening now?'

'Do I have to follow all of this?'

When I asked him to stop the mercenaries from crossing over, he said he would instead make all the mercenaries in the kingdom his own.

I have never seen such a greedy person in my life.

The messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell laughed, wiping away his sweat.

"Hahaha… … . I guess you're thinking of becoming the king of mercenaries or something."

Jiselle's eyes sparkled.

"That's a good idea."

'This kid doesn't seem to be normal... ... Is it okay to make a deal with a guy like this?'

The Marquis of Branford also coughed slightly, perhaps feeling a little embarrassed. He was used to Giselle's antics, but not those of the other kingdoms.

"Ahem, shouldn't we provide military support once the civil war is over anyway? Do we really have to go that far?"

"Mercenaries won't move unless they receive money. But we can't just let all the mercenaries flock to the Kingdom of Rutania like they are now, can we?"

"That's true, but… … ."

"So it would be better to create each branch and manage them properly. Since we're creating an alliance anyway, it would be better to have someone manage the mercenaries. In the current situation… … it would be best to have them all belong to the Fenris Mercenary Corps. It would also be good to restrict mercenary activities by law so that only the Fenris Mercenary Corps can engage in them during the war."

When Jiselle spoke with a sly smile, the envoys of each kingdom were speechless.

Something that doesn't make sense, but then makes sense again. It is true that in order to overcome the current difficulties, we need to unify and control our military power.

But what would happen if all the mercenaries on the continent were owned by one person?

The messengers shivered with horror. If that happens, then that guy will really be like a king.

'Is it okay to do this?'

'He's dangerous. He's a dangerous crazy guy. No, is he dangerous because he's crazy?'

Mercenaries do more than you might think. Usually you think of combat, but they actually do more work related to everyday life, like escorting, transport, and construction.

Without mercenaries, the kingdom's bottom-line economy would collapse, as the nobles would not be able to take on such menial tasks.

What if such mercenaries belonged to one huge organization? Depending on their master's words, they could exert enormous influence on the country.

Since no one was able to speak properly, Jiselle smiled and said as if it was nothing.

"Why are you so worried? Don't you all know that mercenaries are worthless? Do you think such a huge organization can survive after the war ends?"

"Umm… … ."

"We have a clear enemy now, so that's why. When the war ends, everyone will pursue their own greed and there will be a series of withdrawals from various places. Until then, wouldn't it be enough if we just move forward as one?"

That made sense. It would be difficult for such a huge organization to maintain itself after the war.

Cost was a particular problem. Now, each kingdom would have to hire a lot of mercenaries to maintain it, but after the war, it would be difficult to cover the maintenance costs with just routine commissions.

"Then… … let's do that for now."

When the messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell, who had a strong presence, spoke, everyone agreed.

Now, we have a lot to gain from the Kingdom of Rutania, and we also have to stop the outflow of mercenaries.

If you make them all part of Fenris and give them benefits, there is no need for mercenaries to move their bases. They will continue to operate in the areas they were active in.

If you wish to leave, Fenris will arrange it for you.

When everyone agreed, Giselle smiled and said,

"I will dispatch the Fenris Mercenaries to various places. Spread the word and encourage them to join the Fenris branch. If we also enforce legal control, things will be sorted out quickly."

"Okay, I understand."

Things that weren't in the original plan are added indiscriminately. The messengers are tied to the leash of support and are not used to this kind of rushed atmosphere, so they have no choice but to keep getting dragged into it.

"Well, now that the union has been formed, shouldn't we elect a representative?"

Then the messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell said in confusion.

"Oh, that's what we suggested… … . If you don't like it, let's discuss it a little more… … ."

"Time is of the essence right now, so when are we going to discuss that again?"

"No matter what, there is a procedure… … ."

"If we keep talking about such things, our response will be delayed. Let's have Marquis Branford do it temporarily."

'Hey kid! Can't you give in on something?'

The messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell blushed, but he could only suppress his anger inside.

"Umm… … ."

The other messengers were again troubled. Marquis Branford simply watched as Giselle did what he did, seemingly amused.

"Wouldn't it be better to put out the fire first and then decide the issue through a vote later?"

Jiselle pushed hard. In her previous life, this was something that was harder than fighting. Everyone was trying to reach a political agreement, so everything was delayed.

This time it couldn't be done. I had to take everything I could.

Under pressure from Giselle, the messengers finally gave up.

In particular, the messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell went this far and planned for the future.

"Okay. Since the Union organization is not properly organized, let's have Marquis Branford take over 'temporarily.' Once everything is properly organized, we will select another person."

"Let's do that."

As all the issues were sorted out in a flash, like roasting beans in a lightning flash, the nobles of Rutania were also dumbfounded.

The negotiations among the nobles do not proceed in this way. They talk in a more sophisticated way and meet the conditions that each party wants.

But that guy, Jiselle, was just being stubborn. He even showed his intention to throw everything away if they didn't listen.

But they are also nobles of Rutania. They know very well how much this will benefit them, so they pretend not to know and keep their mouths shut.

'Oh, as expected from my nephew. I should at least prepare a table of duck meat for him.'

'If we use this opportunity well, we can become the leader of the continent.'

'You did well to listen to your wife and keep pushing.'

While everyone was rejoicing, the Marquis of Branford looked at Giselle and said.

"Don't you have any plans to do it?"

Everyone was shocked by those words. How could they possibly entrust the important position of representative of the Allied Forces to Jiselle?

Especially the expressions on the messengers' faces were like that.

'That kid is crazy, I can't do it!'

Fortunately, Giselle expressed her intention to refuse.

"I still need your fame and power, Marquis."

The Marquis of Branford smirked. Now he was openly saying that he was going to use him.

Certainly, if Giselle were to become chairman, there would be a lot of talk in other kingdoms. No matter how famous she was, she did not have the same authority in other countries as she did.

"Okay, I understand. Just tell me when you need it."

"thank you."

The messengers looked at each other as some uneasy conversation was going on. They felt like things were going in a direction they didn't want.

But it was hard to argue with him because he was given so much food and medicine. It was clear that he was really trying to grab the leash.

'Damn, isn't this what you meant when you spread it in the first place? I feel like I've been caught with a leash.'

'I'm going to get cursed at when I go back to my home country.'

'There is no way right now. We need to continue to receive food and medicine. We also need to receive troops to stop the cracks.'

The messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell, who was feeling uncomfortable in his seat, spoke.

"Then, we will call in the working-level staff for a meeting and write up the details… … ."

"Oh, then it takes time. When do the staff get together to create the content and when do they report and approve it? That alone would take several days."

"Yes? But shouldn't we create a system?"

"Yes, of course. So I have something to show you. Hey, tell them to come in."

As soon as Giselle spoke to the knight next to her, the door opened and several people came in.

The person standing at the very front opened his mouth with a bright smile.

"Hello. I am Claude, the General of the Fenris Territory. Next to me are the Fenris administrators. We have prepared some things to create a union that is truly like a 'family.'"

"hmm?"

When a guy who looked like he was going to harass someone came in, all the messengers looked puzzled.