Chapter 159: Isn’t It Better to Strike First? (1)


    The killing intent that had been swirling around dissipatedpletely, leaving an awkward silence hanging in the air.


    Belinda red at the neers and spoke up.


    “Who are you people? Do you want to be kicked out the moment you arrive? Does our estate look like a joke to you?”


    “N-no… that’s not it.”


    “What do you mean, it’s not? You were practically on the verge of drawing your swords! Should I just throw you all in prison instead of kicking you out?”


    Belinda decided she wouldn’t hold back any longer. No matter how she looked at it, someone had to bring order to this chaotic estate.


    From the beginning, the position of the castle’s butler wasn’t just about managing the household; it epassed everything from the nobles’ etiquette to overseeing the manners of the people.


    She resolved to wield the authority she had refrained from using up until now.


    “What are you doing? Get back to your ces already. Or are you itching for a scolding?”


    At Belinda’s threat, the reserve troops stepped back with sheepish expressions.


    Being the castle’s butler was a position close to the lord. They had just arrived and hadn’t even adjusted yet, so there was no good reason to get on her bad side.


    Belinda gave them a strict look, like a teacher scolding misbehaving students, and issued a warning.


    “From now on, if any of you act disrespectfully in front of the Lord, I won’t forgive you. Understood? Make sure you at least maintain basic manners among yourselves.”


    “Yes, ma’am! Understood!”


    Their loud reply made Kaor snicker. Since it seemed like Belinda was siding with him, his shoulders lifted in pride.


    “See, look how nice it is when you all behave and tuck your tails. Keep it up like that…”


    Before he could finish, Belinda spun around and shouted at him.


    “Hey! What’s your problem, picking fights everywhere you go? Are you really that good at fighting? You want to take me on first? Because as far as I can see, you’re just a total weakling.”


    “Uh, no, wait, why are you suddenly talking like that…”


    Kaor was momentarily taken aback. They’d always bickered, but he’d never seen her get this angry before.


    Because of that, he missed his usual chance to retort.


    On top of that, if Belinda invoked her position as the butler, it was difficult for him, a contract mercenary, to respond in kind.


    As Kaor stood there, his mouth opening and closing in frustration and confusion, Ghiin and ude blinked in surprise.


    It was scary when someone who usually didn’t get angry suddenly blew up…


    ‘Ah, that could’ve been fun.’


    Ghiin clicked his tongue in disappointment. He’d already drawn up a match schedule in his head, but the mood had beenpletely ruined.


    Most of the people who had recently arrived were hot-tempered types, so it was inevitable that someone would have to establish order sooner orter.


    Even if they left things alone, Gillian would handle it eventually, but since they were eager to step up, there was no reason to stop them.


    Belinda looked at Ghiin, who was smacking his lips, and asked.


    “Why does the Lord look like that? He seems a bit disappointed.”


    “No, not at all. I’m not disappointed. I just thought, why bother stopping them? I mean, when ites to establishing hierarchy…”


    “Gillian will take care of hierarchy during training. Do you think I don’t know that?”


    “Uh… right. Gillian will handle everything.”


    Belinda narrowed her eyes and gave Ghiin a sidelong nce.


    “Don’t tell me you were already nning to set up a ring, draw up match schedules, and ce bets with the Chief Overseer while watching… You weren’t, right?”


    “Of course not. As I always say, I’m a non-violent pacifist.”


    “Haa, I just wish we could live a normal life for once. I’m busy, so I’ll head off. And everyone, be careful. I’ll be watching.”


    Belinda sighed, shook her head a few times, and then left the area.


    As soon as she left, an awkward silence enveloped the surroundings once more.


    “Ahem.”


    “Ahem.”


    “Mm-hmm.”


    Everyone exchanged nervous coughs, each trying to gauge the others’ reactions.


    Even Gillian, who had been outmaneuvered by Belinda, crossed his arms and pretended not to care.


    ude quietly whispered into Ghiin’s ear.


    “Quite disappointing. I was nning to bet on about five years this time.”


    “Ah, it was a missed opportunity to extend the ve contract period.”


    “Are you sure you didn’t mean to say it’s fortunate the period didn’t get shortened? Anyway, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the butler that angry before. Was she always that scary?”


    “Oh, she’s always been scary when she’s mad. And that wasn’t the end of it. If she gets even angrier, she draws her sword. After that, it’s poison.”


    “Whew, I guess I better be careful.”


    “Just don’t cross the line, and you’ll be fine.”


    ude nodded but then tilted his head, realizing something odd.


    “…You say just don’t cross the line, but how do you know the next step involves a sword and poison, Lord?”


    “Good question, how would I know that?”


    Ghiin’s expression softened, as if he was recalling an old memory, then abruptly sharpened again.


    “Anyway, it’s about time we start the next task.”


    “What? What do you mean, next task? We’re already drowning in work; if we add more, we’re all going to drop dead!”


    ude protested, almost panicking. If they took on any more, it would really be the end of them.


    But Ghiin responded with a gentle smile.


    “Don’t worry. This time, you’ll barely have to do anything.”


    “Really? You’re not giving me more work, right?”


    “Ugh, you’re such a skeptic. I said don’t worry. Have I ever pushed you to overwork? No, right?”


    ‘Wow, look at how shameless he is.’


    ude’s disbelief was tantly written across his face as he stared at Ghiin.


    If this wasn’t overworking, then what was? He could almost picture Ghiin admitting,


    ‘Yeah, it was too much. My bad’, only after ude had dropped dead from exhaustion.


    ude thought about pushing the matter further but decided against it. It wouldn’t irritate Ghiin and risk getting saddled with even more tasks.


    “Fine, let’s just say that’s true. But what’s the next task?”


    “Preparing to secure iron ore. We’re short on that, aren’t we?”


    “…How do you n to get it?”


    “I’ve got a n. I’ll fill you in, so just prepare for the meeting.”


    Seeing Ghiin’s confident reply only made ude more uneasy.


    * * *


    When things are rushed, problems are bound to arise.


    In a ce like the Fenris Estate, where there was hardly anything, securing resources was a significant issue.


    Especially with iron ore, it was notoriously difficult to obtain inrge quantities even if you had the money, making it an even bigger problem.


    But Ghiin wasn’t worried. He had a n in mind for resolving the iron ore issue, one that he’d been considering for a very long time.


    As soon as all his retainers gathered, Ghiin got straight to the point.


    “We’re going to attack the Cabaldi County.”


    It had been a while since Ghiin had said something this insane, and everyone just blinked in silence.


    They’d been told this was a meeting to discuss the shortage of resources, but now he was spouting somethingpletely unexpected. Naturally, they were baffled.


    Count Cabaldi was a key member of the Ducal Faction, and his territory was thergest producer of iron ore in the north. The Count was also diligently supplying iron ore to Desmond.


    ude tilted his head from side to side, scratched his ear, and asked again.


    “Wait, isn’t this meeting supposed to be about how to secure iron ore?”


    “It is. That’s why we’re going to attack Cabaldi County.”


    The Lord was spouting nonsense again.


    ude took a deep breath to calm his rising irritation.


    They were already in the middle of developing the estate and simultaneously preparing for an attack from Count Desmond. Just holding the line and defending themselves was a life-or-death struggle, and now Ghiin was suggesting starting a war? It was absurd.


    Besides, attacking Cabaldi County wasn’t something that could be done lightly. Even if they did, there was no guarantee they’d win.


    “My Lord, the conclusion seems a bit abrupt. Could you exin your reasoning?”


    Realizing that no one understood what he was getting at, Ghiin began to borate.


    After all, they all needed to work together toward the same goal, and adding a few more words to rify wouldn’t hurt.


    “The Cabaldi estate is currently supplying all its iron ore to Desmond. They’re barely selling any to us.”


    “That’s right… You’re not saying you’re attacking there just because it irks you to be on Desmond’s side, are you?”


    “Who would start a war just because something irks them?”


    Ghiin looked at ude with a pitying gaze.


    ‘I’m speaking at your level here!’


    ude felt wronged, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.


    “What do you think will happen if we take that ce? Desmond’s side will lose their iron ore supply, and we’ll end up with an abundance of it. It’s a brilliant strategy that slows down the enemy’s growth while letting us grow quickly.”


    “So… in the end, you’re saying we’re attacking just to steal the iron ore weck.”


    “Well, broadly speaking, yes.”


    ‘Are you a bandit or something?’


    ude clutched his dizzy head, staggering before finally managing to stand upright.


    No iron ore, so we attack a ce with plenty of iron ore—simple yet impressive logic.


    Slowing the enemy’s growth while elerating our own would, of course, be beneficial.


    But attacking a third party, who isn’t even an enemy, just to do that? Only a madman woulde up with such an idea.


    “My Lord, can’t we please do things more sensibly? Count Cabaldi has nothing to do with us right now. We can’t attack someone like that.”


    “He’s not an immediate threat. But in the end, Count Cabaldi is also our enemy.”


    “Why? Because he’s aligned with the Duke’s faction? There’s really no proof that the Duke’s faction is backing Desmond to attack us.”


    “Believe me, they’re behind it. Count Cabaldi and Count Desmond wille at us together. So, let’s reduce the number of enemies ahead of time and, while we’re at it, take the iron ore.”


    It was obvious to Ghiin, who knew the future, but to others, it was nothing short of absurd.


    ude trembled, pacing back and forth in ce a few times before finally speaking up.


    “No, just think about it. There’s someone out there who has never fought with you, doesn’t even know you. But you’re saying you’ll beat him up because he’ll attack you in the future? Does that make any sense!”


    “Now that you put it like that, it does sound a bit odd, but what can I do if it’s true?”


    “My Lord, do you have a problem with your character or something?”


    Unable to hold back, ude brought up Ghiin’s character. At that, Belinda shouted angrily.


    “Why are you trying to dampen our Young Lord’s spirit! Do you know how kind-hearted and gentle he is!”


    “No, listen! Don’t you see how weird this is?”


    “Our Young Lord has always been the type to deal with anything that bothers him first and think about itter!”


    “Just now, you said he was kind-hearted and gentle! If that’s his usual personality, you should’ve taught him to change! What kind of education did you give him?”


    “Do you not know that interfering with how someone is educated is incredibly rude?”


    “I don’t know, and I don’t want to.”


    As their voices grew louder, Ghiin intervened to calm them down.


    “Honestly, I can’t say it’s not because it bothers me… but that’s not the only reason. ude, can you really not believe it even after seeing the information? Count Cabaldi is currently supplying a massive amount of iron ore to Desmond. At the very least, that clearly means the two are in league.”


    ude had also been suspicious that the Duke’s faction was backing Desmond because of that.


    If they weren’t on the same side, there was no way Count Cabaldi would be supporting him to that extent.


    However,unching a territorial war based on such assumptions was far too risky.


    ude spoke again, using a tone as if trying to soothe a child.


    “My Lord, I understand what you’re trying to say. But… Count Cabaldi is someone from the Duke’s faction.”


    “So what?”


    “If we strike Count Cabaldi first, it won’t matter if Count Desmond is involved or not—we’ll definitely be enemies of the Duke’s faction! Even now, the Royal Faction and the Duke’s Faction aren’t openly crossing swords yet!”


    “The Duke’s faction is already our enemy. We agreed on that, didn’t we?”


    “But we haven’t made it obvious yet! I’m saying we shouldn’t give them an excuse to attack us openly! What are you going to do if the Duke’s faction decides to step in directly?”


    Ghiin spoke with a tone of exasperation.


    “We’re going to have to fight them eventually anyway, so why bother worrying about that now? We can deal with it when the timees.”


    “…”


    “Alright, let me exin this in simple terms. Let’s say you’re in a fight, ude.”


    “I’m a dignified schr; I don’t get into fights.”


    “Just assume you are. What’s more advantageous, getting hit first or hitting first?”


    “Well… hitting first would be advantageous. There’s that saying, ‘strike first, win first,’ isn’t there?”


    “Exactly. So, wouldn’t it be better for us to strike Count Cabaldi before he hits us? No matter how you look at it, this is the better option, right?”


    ‘He’s finally lost itpletely!’


    ude was left speechless by the reckless words that treated war like some kids’ neighborhood scuffle.


    Just as he was about to decide whether to curse or not, Ghiin continued.


    “If we want to keep waging war in the future, we need a stable supply of iron ore. We absolutely have to take Count Cabaldi’s territory. Count Desmond would never expect us to strike there first. That means he won’t be prepared.”


    Count Desmond was currently most preupied with Amelia’s rebellion. His next priority was to win over the remaining northern lords and consolidate his control over the north.


    He figured he could get rid of someone like Baron Fenris whenever the opportunity arose.


    Naturally, he wouldn’t have imagined that Ghiin would be the one to initiate a war.


    That was why Ghiin intended to make the most of the current situation and the opportunities toe.


    ‘It’s only a brief window. I can’t afford to miss such a good chance. If we don’t secure the iron ore now, it will be difficult to sustain a prolonged war.’


    Thanks to Amelia, they only had a little more time left.


    The moment Count Desmond seized control of the Raypold Estate, he would immediately shift his attention towards the Fenris estate.


    But since there was no way to exin this with mere spection, Ghiin had to let it pass for now.


    Theck of persuasiveness waspensated by sheer stubbornness.


    ude spoke with a weary expression.


    “My Lord, it’s already extremely risky just to face Count Desmond. Do we really need to make things even more dangerous? If something goes wrong, we could all end up dead.”


    “I know. Even one mistake would mean death. Not just for us, but for everyone in my father’s estate as well.”


    “And even knowing that, you still insist on attacking Cabaldi?”


    Hearing the deste tone in ude’s voice, both Belinda and Gillian cautiously joined in.


    “Young Lord, the Chief Overseer may be a bit odd usually, but this time, he seems to be making sense. Can’t you just let it go?”


    “My Lord, the Chief Overseer is right. Making the Duke’s faction an open enemy in this situation is far too dangerous.”


    The retainers all spoke with one voice.


    “For now, it would be best to focus solely on blocking Desmond.”


    “Even if it takes a bit longer, why not try sourcing the iron ore from another region?”


    Despite everyone’s opposition, Ghiin spoke firmly.


    “We still have to do it. If we don’t start preparing now, we’ll miss our chance.”


    ude clutched his throbbing head.


    Just preparing the defenses and developing the estate was already enough to make his head feel like it would explode.


    And now, on top of that, they were nning a preemptive attack.


    The Fenris territory was not in a position to do something like that right now.


    “I understand your intentions, my Lord. But there are practical issues.”


    “Like what?”


    “Let’s say we march out. Can we really win? The difference in strength is too significant.”


    Like most northern estates, Count Cabaldi’s territory had its shorings, but it was wealthy enough to make up for them with money. And it had one special trait.


    “Setting everything else aside, Count Cabaldi’s soldiers are probably the best-equipped in the north.”


    It was only natural for regions rich in iron ore to develop advanced smelting techniques.


    Thanks to that, Count Cabaldi’s estate was known for equipping even its soldiers with high-quality gear.


    How could they hope to defeat such a force with their current power?


    When ude posed this question, Ghiin responded with an incredulous look.


    “You don’t trust me?”


    The others averted their eyes slightly, avoiding a direct answer.