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Food prices have already risen as high as they could, and iron ore is an expensive resource to begin with.

It's hard enough to bear a 30% increase, but you want 50% more? And only for yourself? This was truly unfair.

"Where is that? Didn't you hear what I said? We have been doing business with Ferdium for a long time… … ."

"Double."

"...yes?"

"It just doubled. Where did you get the Ferdium story from?"

"Now, don't joke around, my lord. Even so, don't joke around with this deal… … ."

Giselle laughed as she looked at the flustered Paril.

"A joke? Does what the lord said just now sound like a joke to you?"

Paril broke out in a cold sweat under the cool pressure. He couldn't figure out why Giselle was acting like this.

After thinking about it for a while, Paril suddenly remembered the deal he had made with Ferdium in the past.

'Where did you bring up Ferdium? Surely not now… … .'

Facing an ominous premonition, Paril cried out in a panicked voice.

"Is this because of the previous deal with Perdium? I think there's some misunderstanding. At that time, the transportation cost and labor cost to move it to the northernmost part, and the price at the time were set fairly… … ."

"3 times."

"Yes, my lord… … ."

"Do you still see this place as the poor Ferdium that was dragged around by your tricks?"

Paril couldn't hide his look of despair.

It is certain. The lord in front of me now has not forgotten the past when his father was put in a lot of trouble by the upper class.

The food and iron ore are held in the hands of the Baron of Fenris, and a magnate named the Marquis of Branford has declared himself his guardian.

Baron Fenris was quickly gaining fame as a rising star in the realm and a standard-bearer for the Northern Prince faction.

It was obvious that the future of the upper class would be dark since they were marked by such a person.

"Yes, my lord. I'm sorry. Please give me a 30% discount on the original price… … ."

"We can't communicate. Just drag him out."

As Giselle nodded in annoyance, the soldiers approached and dragged Paril away.

"Oh, my lord! Please! I was wrong! Please reconsider!"

"We have no stock. From now on, we will charge three times the price for the top-end items."

'Hey, you son of a bitch!'

Paril, who was dragged out, regretted it. He came here to ask for nothing and ended up suffering even greater losses.

But at the same time, as much as the regret, perhaps even greater anger was welling up.

'Damn, damn! This little brat! That was the normal price back then! Do you think you could have gotten the goods if it weren't for us, Ferdium? You vicious little brat!'

Paril constantly cursed and insulted Giselle.

No matter how precious food and iron ore were, they couldn't afford to pay three times the price. It would be cheaper to buy what other merchants bought at a higher price.

There was no loss like this. He gritted his teeth and made a pledge.

'We'll see! You said Desmond was moving his army, right? I'll be there and destroy you!'

In any case, there was no other way for the top to survive. Jiselle had to die or perish for him to survive.

In that case, there was no choice but to go find the enemy of the enemy.

Jiselle chuckled as she watched Paril being dragged away.

It's obvious even without looking. The people who were hurt this time will definitely do something.

But it didn't matter. I planned to just conquer the North and eat them all up.

Until then, you just have to quietly gather the necessary resources.

Giselle immediately called Claude and said.

"Sweep up all the loan certificates from the merchants and territories that owed money to Ferdium while handing over food. Without leaving anything behind. Release only a small amount of iron ore for now."

"I understand. I'm sure Count Ferdium will like it. Now he won't have to pay interest."

"Can you get all that interest back?"

"Okay, just leave it to me."

Claude took care of things, first collecting all the debts by selling cheap food at high prices.

After that, they didn't raise the price any further, but they did put a limit on the quantity. If you wanted to buy more than that, they would bribe you and take your money.

The merchants stuck out their tongues. They had made a lot of money by taking advantage of others, but they had never seen such a vicious and corrupt bastard in their lives.

'As the governor, you intend to wield your power however you want?'

'Did you think you'd get away with taking so many bribes?'

'It's already annoying because it's expensive, and since I'm out of luck, I guess I'll have to cut you off.'

Complaints from numerous merchants poured into the castle, but to no avail.

In the first place, if you're colluding with the lord to increase your income through bribery, there's no way that'll work.

Claude worked hard to collect bribes and fill the estate's storehouse, and Giselle smiled happily as she watched him.

* * *

Belinda and Fergus were overjoyed when they heard that Ferdium's debts had been completely paid.

For those two, Perdium was still a place of longing and a sore finger.

"It turned out really well! Isn't our young master so great? I guess I raised him well, after all?"

"Hehehe, right… … . The butler really raised him well… … . Kheheum! Suddenly my heart… … ."

Fergus turned his head away, unable to finish his sentence. No matter how happy he was, it was difficult to say something he didn't mean.

And Homer, the governor of Perdium, who had received all the promissory notes, threw them into the air and shouted:

"Freedom! Finally free from debt! Hahahahaha! I thought the Archduke would start a war on his own and die, but he won and even paid off all our debts! This is something I'll have to live a long time to see!"

The vassals of Albert and Ferdium, the treasurers, also cheered from the side.

"We don't have to pay interest anymore! We can save now!"

"Besides, hasn't the price of the food we received in large quantities from the Grand Duke risen tremendously? Thanks to that, our wealth has increased tremendously!"

"What an unexpected gift! Who would have thought that the Archduke would suddenly pay off my debt like this!"

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They praised Giselle so much that their mouths were watering after a long time.

When the Grand Duke causes an accident, I want to kill him, but when he does something, I want to die.

After going back and forth between hot and cold water so much, I decided to just curse or praise whenever my heart felt like it.

Zwalter and Randolph, who were staying at the northern fortress, were also delighted to hear the news.

"Brother… … . We finally paid off all our debts… … ."

Randolph muttered with tears in his eyes.

Zwalter closed his eyes, unable to answer, as something welled up inside him.

How sad and difficult has it been for you because of debt?

I was deeply moved when my successful son came forward and paid off all the debt.

My heart was pounding. I missed my wife even more today. It was really sad that she wasn't there with me at a time like this.

'Honey… … why did you go so quickly and not even see that troublemaker become so successful?'

My son was growing in fame and success day by day. I was really proud of him.

In fact, when I first heard the news that a war had broken out a while ago, my heart sank.

Without consulting him, he launched a surprise attack on the Cavaldi estate. It was a method completely devoid of noble dignity and courtesy.

But as soon as I heard the news, I was more worried than angry.

This is because he thought it would be difficult for Giselle to win against Count Cavaldi, who was known as the strong man of the North.

He hurriedly prepared to withdraw from the northern fortress and tried to gather Ferdium's troops. He thought about what would happen later and decided to help Giselle first.

As the withdrawal began, news of victory suddenly arrived.

― The Archduke has won! No casualties! He has taken over the County of Cavaldi!

Zwalter still can't forget the feeling he had at that time.

'Wow, that's incredible. I can't believe it. How did you gain so much strength in such a short period of time?'

He can no longer be called a mere baron. At a young age, he has amassed greater power and territory than some counts.

If you borrow the power of the Marquis of Branford, there will be no problem in winning the game.

'You've already surpassed me by quite a bit.'

It was a truth that I knew all along but tried to pretend not to know.

Zwalter himself had no confidence in defeating Count Cavaldi in a siege, let alone in a field battle.

From his ability to make money to his ability to be a mercenary, he had abilities that were not easily seen in someone his age.

'Yeah, now I wonder how far you can go.'

I'm still worried because of the risky and dangerous steps.

But that was the father's heart. Now was the time to believe and watch rather than try to stop him.

Since he wouldn't listen no matter how much I tried to stop him, there was no other way. Rather than wasting my energy on something that wouldn't work out, it was better to just believe him.

Zwalter sighed in resignation and smiled bitterly. But today was a day to be happy and at ease.

It is a monumental day when Ferdium is finally freed from the shackles of debt.

He gathered the knights and soldiers together and shouted loudly.

"We've paid off all our debts!"

"Wow!"

The knights and soldiers cheered loudly. It was a well-known fact that the land was in debt and living a difficult life.

The debts have all been paid off, and the food they received in exchange for the lumber is now overflowing. Given Zwalter's personality, everyone secretly hopes that he will take care of their own lives once he has more money.

Zwalter did not disappoint their expectations. He was a lord who knew how to share what he had generously.

"Starting today, I will pay everyone a much higher salary than they do now. In addition to the salary, I will also give them food, so don't worry! You have all worked so hard!"

"Wow!"

A louder cheer than before rang out. Zwalter looked at the scene with emotion.

My throat tightened at the dreamlike reality. I thought a day like this would never come.

His son proudly accomplished what all his ancestors in the family had failed to do.

Zwalter cleared his throat several times as he continued.

"I sincerely pay tribute to your loyalty for persevering through these difficult times. And… … let us all not forget that it was Jisel, the successor to the estate, who resolved all these difficulties."

"All right!"

A loud voice echoed throughout the surroundings.

The knights in particular could not help but be even more delighted.

After learning the new Mana training method, I felt like I was going to die. I couldn't stop training even while fighting barbarians.

It was definitely getting stronger day by day, but my body and mind were getting tired. No, it felt like even my soul was getting worn out.

When I heard good news at a time like this, I felt a surge of strength. When times are tough, you need to be treated well to be able to endure.

Jiselle was really good at giving medicine and giving sickness to people.

* * *

Jiselle couldn't help but be amazed as she calculated the prices she had traded so far.

"Wow, food prices are higher than before the war. What the heck, they're just wiping out debt for free."

All he had to do was give a little of the surplus food, and Ferdium's debt evaporated.

Not only that, resources needed for territory development, such as wood, herbs, and fabrics, were constantly being sucked into Fenris.

But in reality, the value of Fenris' property was not affected at all. This was due to the food that was continuously harvested and piled up like crazy.

Iron ore, which is sold in small quantities, is a bonus. This is used a lot within the territory, so it is not sold in large quantities.

"Well, it's still not enough."

No matter how much resources you gather, it is always tight compared to the speed of territory development.

Still, I'm scraping it together somehow, so it'll get a lot better after a little more time passes.

Gathering resources and developing territory is not the end. All of this is just the foundation for securing a strong military force.

The condition of the soldiers, including their training and welfare, had to be maintained at the best possible level at all times.

"I guess we need to check our tactical training too."

As soon as Jiselle finished her paperwork, she went straight to the training ground.

It was still too early for the soldiers who had come in under the pretext of food to properly acclimate to the territory. However, Jiselle had no concerns about the training situation.

As the war was won, morale and loyalty greatly increased, and Gillian was also a person who was good at training people.

So, recently I've been focusing only on post-war processing and land development…

While observing the training situation, Jiselle discovered a serious problem.

"Whoa!"

"I, I can't move anymore."

"I'm so tired I feel like I'm going to throw up."

Here and there, soldiers' groans erupt.

Although Fenris' training intensity was higher than that of other territories, it was not as harsh as that of the knights.

However, most of the soldiers were not able to keep up with the training properly.

"How can you possibly protect your territory when you can't even do this much!"

Gillian, who was always reserved, seemed frustrated and kept urging the soldiers. But all they did was stand there with their legs trembling.

"Ugh… … Training here is so hard. My body won't follow, what should I do… … ."

"We didn't do this where we were before. We're not knights."

"We won the war easily, so why do we need to become stronger here?"

The Northern Lords do not train their soldiers to this extent. They should be trained just enough to have a reasonable military discipline.

This is because the role of controlling the people of the territory was more important than war.

But things were different in Fenris. They had to undergo intensive training to become elite soldiers.

So, the soldiers who experienced this kind of training for the first time in their lives had no choice but to look like they were going to die.

'It may be difficult, but it's not like it's impossible to train.'

Although Giselle and Gillian have high standards, they are not stupid enough to overwork people.

The two men developed a training schedule that would allow soldiers to grow step by step through their experiences.

Still, the fact that most people couldn't keep up meant that there was another problem.

Jiselle, who had been quietly observing the soldiers' condition, nodded as if she had realized something.

"I've been living without much food lately."