Chapter 158: I Will Take Care of This. (4)


    People were moving so diligently because they had no idea that a war might break out.


    If they found out now that they’d have to fight against the great lord, Count Desmond, they would drop everything and flee, leaving their homes behind.


    However, once people had a house and their lives were stable, their reactions were bound to change.


    ‘At that point, they’ll want to protect their own property. Other estates wouldn’t treat them as well as our lord does. They’d have no choice but to fight to protect Fenris Estate… Surely, that wasn’t the n all along, right?’


    Ghiin hadn’t started this with such intentions. He had simply proceeded because it was necessary for the estate’s development.


    But those actions,bined, had led to unexpectedly positive results.


    ude, half-impressed and half-skeptical, scrutinized Ghiin and spoke with a hint of concern.


    “For now, we’ve managed to solve the lumber issue… but in a few months, we’ll face the same problem again. It’s not just lumber; other materials are also gradually running out.”


    “Still, we’ve secured enough for the immediate projects, right? We can always gather more. What else is in short supply besides wood?”


    “Of course, it’s iron. It’s used in so many ces. Right now, since preparing for war is urgent, most of it is being used to make weapons… but the amount set aside for the residents’ daily goods and building materials is already running low.”


    “Getting iron ore is going to be difficult, I assume?”


    “Yes, even if we have the money, iron ore is hard to obtain. Most of the supply circting in the north is controlled by Count Cabaldi…”


    Ghiin nodded several times before muttering to himself.


    “Alright, it’s time to move on to the next phase.”


    “What? What preparations? We’re already busy to death trying to prepare everything else, and now there’s more to prepare?”


    When ude asked in a startled tone, Ghiin responded nonchntly.


    “If we don’t have it, we need to get it. Especially iron, since it’s a vital resource for war.”


    “Well, you managed to get the wood from Ferdium, but how do you n to get iron ore? Ferdium doesn’t have iron mines, either.”


    “Don’t worry. I’ve got a n. I’ll tell you about it soon.”


    “A n, you say… Right, of course you do.”


    ude couldn’t hide the exasperated look on his face as he nodded.


    Ghiin always had a n, no matter what.


    The problem was that those ns were so bizarre and downright unreasonable that they didn’t make any sense to anyone else.


    ‘Please, I hope this time it’s not another n that involves risking his life. I wish our lord could be a bit more sensible.’


    ude silently prayed fervently to the goddess.


    * * *


    While the estate was bustling, the subordinates Ghiin had been searching for from his past life began to arrive one by one.


    Mercenaries, soldiers, butchers, executioners, hunters… their professions and skills were diverse.


    Those who had been forced into rough jobs due to their circumstances readily epted ude’s offer of employment.


    It would have been strange not to ept when the lord was guaranteeing good pay and stable work.


    As ude scanned the list of neers, he asked Ghiin casually.


    “Not all of the information you gave me was urate, but a lot of it was spot on. How did you find out their locations and personal details? None of them even knew who the lord was.”


    ude was genuinely curious. How could a young noble, who had spent his whole life cooped up in the countryside, know butchers from another kingdom?


    Yet, no matter how many times ude asked, Ghiin never gave him a clear answer.


    “Well, I just happened to find out, somehow.”


    Even if he honestly said he knew them from his past life, they wouldn’t believe him anyway, so Ghiin always brushed it off vaguely.


    Naturally, ude’s suspicions only deepened.


    What made it even stranger was how delighted Ghiin seemed every time one of them arrived.


    It was as if he was meeting an old friend he hadn’t seen in ages.


    It was the same when he greeted thetest arrivals.


    “You’re here! I’m so d! I’ve missed you!”


    The new arrivals looked puzzled by the lord’s excessive hospitality.


    They hade with some anticipation, given the favorable terms, but they were caught off guard by how eagerly this lord, whom they were meeting for the first time, greeted them.


    Seeing their awkward reactions, Ghiin would just smile, as if he had expected it.


    ‘I know they’ll find it strange, but I can’t help being so happy.’


    They had only grown close in the past, fighting through life-and-death situations together. In this life, they wereplete strangers.


    But when had Ghiin ever cared about how others saw him? He rationalized his actions, letting his joy spill out without restraint.


    ude, standing next to Ghiin with a look of contempt as if he were staring at a madman, finally spoke.


    “This is thest of them. Out of the 128 names you listed, 92 people have agreed toe here.”


    “Are you sure no one else wille?”


    “Yes, we couldn’t find some of them at all, and others refused outright. There’s nothing more we can do about that.”


    “I see… It’s a shame we couldn’t bring all of them.”


    “Even getting this many is a miracle. The only reason people who didn’t even know the lord’s face came all the way out here was because they were all in dire straits. How did you manage to single out so many struggling people?”


    ude asked in a sincere voice.


    Most of them had left their hometowns without hesitation, for little more than a bit of money.


    He was curious about how Ghiin had known about these people, but even more puzzling was how every single one of them seemed to be in such dire straits.


    Ghiin replied nonchntly.


    “Life’s not easy, so they’ve all been living on the edge.”


    “What?”


    “That’s how it is. If no more areing, gather them all. I want to see them one more time.”


    “Understood.”


    When the gathered group assembled, Ghiin’s face filled with deep emotion.


    Seeing even a part of them together like this felt just like looking at the mercenary corps from his past life.


    It was a different feeling than when he saw them one by one.


    As he looked at them, a surge of indescribable emotion welled up from deep within his chest.


    “To think I can be with you all again…”


    Even though he was hailed as the King of Mercenaries, not all of the mercenaries under Ghiin had been loyal and honorable.


    In fact, most of them were rough and unruly, typical of mercenaries.


    That was why he had put so much care intopiling the list.


    He had carefully selected, even among the subordinates he remembered, to pick only those who made it to the final list.


    They were the ones who had fought alongside Ghiin to the very end, those he could truly call rades.”


    The foolish ones who, despite being mercenaries, chose to fight for loyalty over money.


    The fiery ones who didn’t run away even when staring death in the face.


    They had all died together in that final battle…


    But it was because of them that he was able to dream of revenge and keep moving forward.


    Ghiin slowly approached and hugged each of them, one by one, saying:


    “I’m sorry.”


    The people were bewildered. From the moment they had arrived, this lord had been acting strangely, and now he was gathering everyone just to say things that made no sense.


    ‘Is this estate… really okay?’


    Even as the people grew anxious, Ghiin didn’t stop. He hugged each person tightly, repeatedly offering his apologies.


    He felt just as much regret as he did gratitude toward them.


    Not because they had lost their lives helping him. Death was something any mercenary had to be prepared for.


    What mattered was how they died.


    “We failed.”


    There was only one thing he regretted: that he had let his desire for revenge cloud his judgment, leading him to rush the war.


    The continent’s most formidable mercenary corps, once feared far and wide, had been annihted because of Ghiin’s impatience.


    “I’m sorry.”


    Their valor and pride had be a mockery to their enemies, and his mercenary corps left no trace of honor, no name worth remembering.


    All that remained was the brand of failure and the ridicule that followed.


    Of course, those events hadn’t happened yet—not in this life.


    But as the one who had led them, Ghiin felt the need to apologize to his fallenrades from that time, those who had disappeared so fleetingly.


    This was his final apology to them, as the King of Mercenaries.


    And it was also a vow not to repeat the same mistakes.


    “There won’t be a second defeat.”


    Yes, there would be no more failures like that.


    These people would grow stronger, faster than they had in the past life, and they would make their name known far and wide.


    Ghiin would ensure it.


    Looking at the bewildered expressions on their faces, Ghiin let out a small chuckle.


    For a moment, he had been swept up by the emotions of the past, but that was as far as he would allow himself to indulge.


    After quickly collecting himself, he began to exin to the people what they would be doing and the benefits they would receive.


    “You’ve probably heard the details already. As promised, you’ll be guaranteed high wages, and we’ll provide housing for you.”


    Having lived difficult lives, they desired stable jobs more than anything else.


    Unlike the other neers, these people were all being employed as part of Fenris’s standing army.


    Since they had been promised far better treatment than at other estates, their faces were filled with anticipation.


    After giving a rough overview, Ghiin introduced the people who would be in charge of them.


    “You’ve already met the Chief Overseer, ude, so you know him… And this here is Gillian. He’ll be your instructor in charge of training.”


    Gillian nodded slightly at Ghiin’s introduction, then stepped forward and scanned the group.


    “They all reek of blood.”


    Suppressing his nervousness, he inwardly clicked his tongue.


    The people standing before him had a fundamentally different air from the usual mercenaries.


    They carried a scent closer to that of wild, hungry beasts—rougher even than the notorious Mad Dogs, who were known for their ferocity.


    “This is going to be exhausting.”


    To keep these kinds of people in line and make them follow would mean countless bouts of violence and power struggles for a while.


    Ghiin continued introducing more of his subordinates.


    “This is Belinda, the head butler of the castle. She’ll be responsible for your daily lives and needs, so if there’s anything bothering you, don’t hesitate to talk to her.”


    “Pleased to meet you. My, you all look quite impressive.”


    Unlike Gillian, Belinda smiled brightly even in the face of their fierce energy.


    For her, having more people to fight and work on Ghiin’s behalf was nothing but a positive thing.


    “And this is Kaor. He’s a mercenary, and for now, he’s in charge of security in the estate.”


    Kaor casually nced around, surveying the crowd. It would have been nice if things ended there, but the problem was that he had gotten a simr impression to Gillian.


    Given his usually foul-mouthed nature, it was unlikely that anything good woulde out of his mouth.


    “I’m the Mad Dog around here. So don’t cause trouble and keep your heads down. If you’ve got a problem,e at me anytime. I’ll be more than happy to crush you,” Kaor said provocatively, making the atmosphere instantly tense.


    Gillian shook his head in disapproval, while Belinda covered her face with one hand, as if embarrassed.


    The people gathered there were all rough types who had seen their fair share of hardship.


    They didn’t immediately push back, given the presence of the lord, but they didn’t bother hiding their displeasure, letting out a fierce, intimidating aura.


    As the air around them bristled with tension, Kaor let out a scoffingugh.


    “Unbelievable. You want to fight right now? Fine, we need to settle the hierarchy anyway. Come on, you bastards. Who’s going first?”


    Kaor stepped forward, radiating his own killing intent.


    In the world of mercenaries, rank was decided solely by strength. Since they recognized Kaor as a mercenary, there was no reason for the others to hold back.


    A fewrge, rough-looking men stepped forward and asked Ghiin directly.


    “It’s a bit embarrassing to start fighting as soon as we get here… but can we give it a try?”


    “If you allow it, we’ll settle the order among ourselves.”


    “And if we win, will you let us switch ces with that guy?”


    Their bold reactions made Kaor grin wickedly. He’d been itching for a fight, and this was exactly what he’d hoped for.


    In situations like this, it was important to establish dominance. If he could beat a few of them down thoroughly, the rest would fall in line.


    “Hey, boss. They need some education anyway, don’t they? Let me take care of it for you. Leave it to me,” Kaor said, further heating up the atmosphere.


    The man who had stepped up first tilted his head and spoke.


    “I’m not sure if it’s okay to kill someone as soon as I arrive.”


    “Idiots who don’t know their ce are the first to die. You’re trying to act tough because you know how to use mana, right? I really don’t want to pick on weaklings,” Kaor taunted.


    Most people who could use mana were knights. If they had that level of skill, they wouldn’t have ended up here.


    In other words, Kaor was trying to assert his dominance.


    But the man just grinned, baring his teeth.


    “Can’t fight without mana? You call yourself a mercenary, huh? Then why don’t we fight with ‘Moriana’s Recognition’? I’ll tear you apart right up close. If you’re scared, you can run away now.”


    “You son of a…”


    Kaor’s expression twisted. Hearing that name brought back painful memories of when Ghiin had thoroughly beaten him.


    The two men were now standing face to face, exuding streams of killing intent.


    If Ghiin gave the nod, they’d draw their swords without hesitation.


    Gillian, who had been watching from the side, scowled as the air around them grew heavier.


    “These fools… how dare they show such hostility in front of the lord…”


    No matter how unruly they were, it was outrageous for them to emit such killing intent right in front of the lord.


    Although Ghiin usually let things slide, this was extremely disrespectful behavior.


    Gillian found it intolerable. He wanted to drag them all to the training grounds and straighten them out.


    “You brats, follow me right this…”


    Just as Gillian was about to intervene, Belinda, who had been silent until now, suddenly burst out.


    “Ugh! I can’t take it anymore! What do you think we are, a gang of bandits? Why do you start fighting the moment you meet? Can’t you show even the slightest bit of decorum? You absolute, pathetic idiots!”


    Her long-suppressed anger erupted like a ze.