CHAPTER 159: It's Better to Strike First, right? (1)

The tension and killing intent in the air vanished like smoke, leaving an awkward silence hanging over the group.

Belinda glared at the newly arrived recruits and spoke sharply.

"What do you think you're doing? Do you want to get kicked out the moment you arrive? Do you think our territory is some kind of joke?"

"Ah, no… that's not what we—"

"Not what? You were practically about to put on a sword dance! Should I skip kicking you out and just lock you all in jail?"

Belinda had reached her limit. It was clear that someone needed to establish order in this chaotic territory.

As the head maid, her responsibilities went beyond managing the household. She also oversaw noble protocols and etiquette. Having rarely exercised her authority until now, she decided it was time to wield it fully.

"What are you standing around for? Get back to your places. Or are you asking for punishment?"

Under her sharp reprimand, the recruits reluctantly retreated, looking sheepish.

Belinda's position as head maid made her one of the lord's closest confidants. It wouldn't be wise to get on her bad side so soon.

Glaring at them like a strict teacher scolding unruly students, Belinda issued a stern warning.

"If any of you dare to act disrespectfully in front of the lord again, I won't let it slide. Got it? And at least show some basic courtesy to each other!"

"Yes, ma'am! Understood!"

The recruits responded loudly, trying to appease her.

Meanwhile, Kaor chuckled, feeling vindicated. Belinda seemed to be taking his side, and he puffed up with pride.

"See? Doesn't it look so much better when you all tuck your tails and behave? From now on, just—"

Before he could finish, Belinda whirled on him with blazing eyes.

"And you! Why are you always picking fights everywhere? Do you really think you're that strong? Want to test it out with me first? I bet you're nothing but a pushover!"

"Uh… what? Why… are you suddenly… talking like that?"

Kaor froze, taken aback. While they often bickered, he had never seen her this furious.

He missed his chance to retort as her unexpected outburst caught him off guard. Moreover, as a contract mercenary, Kaor couldn't afford to challenge someone as high-ranking as Belinda without serious consequences.

As Kaor stood there, stunned and unable to respond, Ghislain and Claude exchanged wide-eyed glances.

It was unnerving to see someone who rarely lost her temper suddenly explode like that.

'Ah, it could've been fun.'

Ghislain sighed inwardly, disappointed. He had already planned out the matchups in his head, but the atmosphere was now completely ruined.

The newly arrived recruits were mostly hot-blooded individuals, and a show of force to establish the hierarchy was inevitable.

Ghislain figured it would happen eventually, and there was no harm in letting them settle things amongst themselves.

Belinda, noticing Ghislain's faint smirk, narrowed her eyes and asked sharply.

"And why does the lord look so disappointed? You seem like you wanted something to happen."

"No, not at all. It's just… I figured it wasn't worth stopping. These things usually sort themselves out—"

"'Sort themselves out'? You mean Gillian would've handled it during training? You think I don't know that?"

"Uh… right. Of course, Gillian would've taken care of it."

Belinda squinted suspiciously at Ghislain.

"You weren't thinking about setting up matches, making a betting pool with the head butler, and watching the fights unfold, were you?"

"Of course not. As I always say, I'm a peaceful, nonviolent individual."

"Good grief. Can we please try living like normal people for once? I have work to do, so I'll be leaving now. And everyone else, watch yourselves. I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Belinda let out a long sigh, shook her head a few times, and walked away.

As she left, another awkward silence settled over the group.

"Ahem."

"Mm-hmm."

"Cough."

Everyone avoided eye contact, clearing their throats nervously.

Even Gillian, who had initially been ready to step in, crossed his arms and feigned ignorance.

Claude leaned over to whisper in Ghislain's ear.

"Bit of a shame, isn't it? I was thinking of betting five years of freedom on this round."

"Ah, we missed a chance to extend your contract. Such a loss."

"Did you mean to say you're relieved my contract didn't get shortened? Either way, it's the first time I've seen the head maid this angry. Has she always been this scary?"

"Yeah, when she gets mad, she's terrifying. That wasn't even her worst. If she gets angrier, the knives come out. After that, it's poison."

"Oh, I'd better be careful then."

"Just don't cross the line, and you'll be fine."

Claude nodded but then tilted his head, suddenly suspicious.

"…If the knives and poison only come out if the line is crossed, how do you know about that?"

"Good question. How do I know?"

Ghislain put on a faraway expression as if reminiscing about the past, then abruptly snapped back to the present.

"Anyway, it's time to move on to the next task."

"Wait, next task? We're already drowning in work, and you're adding more? What now?"

Claude protested, visibly panicked. If Ghislain added more responsibilities, they might actually keel over from exhaustion.

Ghislain smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry. This task doesn't involve much work for you."

"Really? You're not going to dump more on me?"

"Of course not. When have I ever pushed you too hard? Never, right?"

'Wow, he really is shameless.'

Claude stared at Ghislain in disbelief, his face openly displaying his thoughts.

If this wasn't pushing someone too hard, what was? At this rate, Claude figured Ghislain might finally admit it was too much when he dropped dead from overwork.

But for now, Claude held his tongue. Arguing might provoke Ghislain into piling on even more work.

"Fine, I'll take your word for it. What's this next task about?"

"Preparing to secure iron ore. You mentioned it's running low."

"…How do you plan on getting it?"

"Don't worry, I have a plan. Just set up a meeting."

Seeing Ghislain's confident grin, Claude felt an ominous sense of dread.

***

When resources are scarce, problems are inevitable. For a barren estate like Fenris, securing materials was a constant struggle.

Iron ore, in particular, was a critical resource that was difficult to obtain, even with money.

But Ghislain wasn't worried. He'd had a solution in mind for the iron shortage for a long time.

Once the council convened, he went straight to the point.

"We're attacking Count Cabaldi's territory."

At this bold declaration, everyone stared blankly, blinking in disbelief.

This was supposed to be a meeting about securing resources. Suddenly, they were discussing an unprovoked attack?

Count Cabaldi was a key member of the Duke faction and controlled the largest iron ore mines in the north. He was also a major supplier of iron to Count Desmond.

Claude cracked his neck a few times, rubbed his ears, and asked again.

"This is supposed to be a meeting about resource procurement, right?"

"It is. That's why we're attacking Count Cabaldi."

Their lord had officially lost it. Claude took a deep breath to calm himself.

The estate was already struggling to fend off Desmond. They had their hands full just preparing for defense. Starting another war was sheer madness.

Moreover, Count Cabaldi's territory wasn't an easy target. Even if they attacked, victory was unlikely.

"Could you… explain your reasoning, my lord? This is a bit sudden."

Realizing his plan wasn't getting across, Ghislain sighed and began explaining.

"Cabaldi's territory supplies iron exclusively to Desmond and barely any to us."

"That's true… So, are you attacking because it bothers you?"

"Who wages war just because they're annoyed?"

Ghislain gave Claude a look of pity, as if disappointed by his lack of understanding.

'You're the one making me say this!'

Claude suppressed his frustration and held his tongue.

"If we take over Cabaldi's mines, what happens? Desmond loses his iron supply, and we gain an abundance of it. It's a great strategy to weaken the enemy while strengthening ourselves."

"So… you're attacking just to take their iron. That's what this is about, right?"

"Well, if you boil it down, sure."

'Are you a bandit?!'

Claude clutched his spinning head and swayed before regaining his balance.

Attacking for resources was as simple as it was insane. While it made sense tactically, it was a move only a lunatic would consider.

"My lord, can we please approach this rationally? Count Cabaldi isn't even involved with us. Attacking him would be completely unprovoked."

"For now, he's not an immediate threat. But eventually, Cabaldi will be our enemy."

"Because he's part of the Duke faction? There's no concrete proof the faction is actively supporting Desmond against us."

"Trust me, they are. Cabaldi and Desmond are working together. Taking him out now reduces our enemies while securing iron for us."

Ghislain's certainty came from his knowledge of the future. To everyone else, it just sounded absurd.

Claude paced back and forth, trembling with frustration, before speaking.

"Think about it. You've never even met Count Cabaldi. You're saying he'll attack in the future, so we should strike first? Does that make any sense?"

"Maybe it sounds odd when you say it that way, but it's the truth."

"My lord, do you have issues with your moral compass?"

Claude couldn't hold back anymore and questioned Ghislain's character outright.

Belinda interjected with indignation.

"How dare you undermine our young master? He's one of the kindest, most principled people I know!"

"Seriously? Are you listening to what he's saying?"

"Of course! Our young master has always been someone who deals with problems decisively."

"Decisively? He's advocating preemptive war!"

"Excuse me, criticizing someone's upbringing is extremely rude."

"I don't want to hear about it!"

As their bickering escalated, Ghislain stepped in to mediate.

"Fine, maybe I don't like Cabaldi, but that's not the only reason. Claude, isn't it obvious from the reports? Cabaldi supplies massive amounts of iron exclusively to Desmond. Doesn't that prove they're allied?"

Claude had indeed found it suspicious. Such a one-sided trade relationship was unlikely unless the two were aligned.

But declaring war based on circumstantial evidence was reckless in the extreme.

Claude softened his tone, trying to reason with Ghislain.

"My lord, I understand your concerns. But Cabaldi is a member of the Duke faction. Attacking him outright would officially make us their enemy. Even the Royalist and Duke factions aren't openly at war yet."

"We're already enemies with the Duke faction. Didn't we agree on that?"

"Yes, but there's no need to provoke them openly. If the faction retaliates directly, how will you handle it?"

Ghislain sighed in exasperation.

"Why worry about that? We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"…."

"Let me make it simple for you, Claude. Say you're about to get into a fight. Would you rather hit first or get hit first?"

"Obviously, hitting first is better. There's a saying, 'First strike wins.'"

"Exactly. So isn't it better for us to strike Cabaldi first? I'm telling you, this is the right move."

He's completely insane now.

Claude stared blankly, his mind reeling from Ghislain's cavalier attitude.

Before he could retort, Ghislain pressed on.

"If we don't secure a steady iron supply, we'll lose the long game. Taking Cabaldi's mines is essential. Desmond will never see it coming, so their defenses won't be prepared."

Desmond was currently preoccupied with Amelia's rebellion and consolidating control over other northern lords. Fenris likely seemed like a low-priority target.

Ghislain intended to exploit this temporary lapse in focus to its fullest.

'A narrow window of opportunity. If we don't act now, we'll regret it later. Without iron, we can't sustain a prolonged war.'

But his logic wasn't something he could easily explain. Instead, he resorted to sheer determination to push his point.

Claude clutched his throbbing head, his patience wearing thin.

"My lord, we're barely managing to defend against Desmond. Adding another enemy will stretch us too thin. One mistake, and we're all dead."

"I know. One slip-up and everyone here, including the people of my father's territory, could die."

"Then why take the risk?"

Claude's tone was almost pleading. Even Belinda and Gillian chimed in cautiously.

"My lord, Claude may be odd, but he's making sense this time. Can't we just leave it alone?"

"Yes, attacking the Duke faction head-on is far too dangerous in our current state."

The council echoed their concerns.

"Let's focus on defending against Desmond for now."

"Maybe we could try sourcing iron from another region, even if it takes longer."

Despite the unanimous opposition, Ghislain remained resolute.

"It has to be done. If we don't act now, we'll lose this opportunity."

Claude sighed heavily, utterly drained.

Defending the territory and developing it were already overwhelming tasks. Adding a preemptive war to the mix felt like sheer lunacy.

"My lord, I understand your determination, but there's another issue."

"What is it?"

"Even if we march, can we actually win? The difference in strength is staggering."

Cabaldi's territory, though limited in certain aspects, was wealthy enough to compensate for any shortcomings. Most notably, it had one significant advantage.

"Their soldiers' equipment is among the best in the north."

With access to abundant iron and advanced smithing techniques, Cabaldi's troops were famously well-equipped.

How could Fenris possibly overcome such odds?

At Claude's pointed question, Ghislain's reply was both confident and maddeningly simple.

"You don't trust me?"

The room fell silent as everyone averted their gazes, unwilling to answer.

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