Chapter 271: Chapter 270: It’s About to Get Faster (3)


    ?


    "Uwaaaaaaah!"


    "It''s the King of Raiders! The King of Raiders is here!"


    "Run away, quickly!"


    The vigers screamed and ran for their lives. The King of Raiders had be so infamous that everyone kept their belongings packed, ready to flee at a moment''s notice.


    Since they were already preparing to relocate, the people didn''t look back and just fled.


    The militia was no different. They, too, had received orders from the lord to flee if the King of Raiders'' forces appeared, rather than fight.


    Ghiin, holding a club, shouted loudly.


    "Destroy everything and take it all!"


    "Yeah! Let''s loot it all!"


    The knights didn''t really understand why Ghiin was doing this. They assumed it was just because something had annoyed him again or that he was simply bored.


    The knights paid little attention to the governance of the territory, focusing solely on their training.


    Thus, this time, too, they simply followed Ghiin''s lead in utter chaos.


    But as they joined him in raiding the viges, a thought began to form among them.


    "This... is actually kind of fun.''


    ''Maybe I''m naturally suited to being a bandit?''


    ''I don''t know why, but I want to keep doing this!''


    Most of the knights were former mercenaries or from humble backgrounds. Even after bing knights, they couldn''t live as rigidly as knights in other territories.


    Although Fenris was far freer than other territories, it still had rules. Especially under Gillian, who, despite being a former mercenary, was stricter than anyone else.


    He would never tolerate tarnishing Ghiin''s reputation.


    After being bound by the title of knight for so long,mitting these "bad deeds" after such a long time felt oddly liberating and thrilling.


    "Yeah! Destroy everything!"


    "All the food in this vige is mine!"


    "We are the Raiders of the North!"


    Thus, they threw themselves wholeheartedly into the act-not merely pretending but fully immersing themselves in their roles.


    "Hehehehe! Grab them all!"


    "Uwaaah! Mom!"


    A masked knightughed crudely while chasing a fleeing child.


    "No! Please, not my child!"


    The child''s mother screamed in shock. Realizing he had gotten too close, the knight deliberately tripped as though he had stumbled over a rock.


    "Oh... my... goodness! There was... a rock... here?"


    "Oh, thank the goddess!"


    Hugging her child, the mother thanked the goddess and hurriedly fled. The others around her, terrified, didn''t notice the knight''s awkward acting.


    Like this, the King of Raiders and 40 bandits scared away the vigers while feigning pursuit, and then began smashing the houses.


    Bang! Bang! Crash!


    The masked ude urged the knights on.


    "Faster! Break it all down! This is so embarrassing-what if someone sees us?"


    Though ude often behaved recklessly, he was still an academy valedictorian and a former schr. He despised stooping to such degrading acts.


    "Oh,e on! This is fun!"


    The knightsughed and cheerfully destroyed the vige.


    After demolishing the houses, they took the food and materials they had "looted" and returned triumphantly to the castle.


    Of course, on the way back, they changed into clothes they had hidden nearby to avoid suspicion.


    When they arrived, the people of the castle looked at Ghiin and knights with faces full of


    awe.


    "I heard our lord chased away the bandits."


    "They say there were over 500 of them, but now their numbers have dwindled to around 40."


    "Ah, how exhausting it must be to go out like that every day."


    Ghiin waved his hand at the people with a weary expression.


    Seeing him, the people were ovee with emotion and shouted loudly.


    "Lord, stay strong!"


    "We will support you!"


    "I''ll enlist too!"


    How could they stand by idly when their lord was enduring so much for them? Their current peaceful lives were all thanks to their lord.


    Ghiin, looking equally moved, opened his mouth to speak.


    "Just hearing that gives me strength. You all are the hope of this territory. Let''s join forces and drive out the enemies targeting ournd!"


    "WAAAAAAHHH!"


    The cheers shook the castle. With such daily urrences, the enlistment rate continued to


    soar.


    As soon as he entered the castle, Ghiin asked ude.


    "Hey, how much did we gather today?"


    "... It wasn''t much since it was a small vige."


    When ude reported the amount of their "spoils," Ghiin responded with a disappointed


    expression.


    "What? That''s all? See, that''s why I said to hurry up. Did they take it all and run?"


    ude looked at Ghiin and thought to himself.


    "This bastard ispletely hooked on banditry now.''


    The lord had always been an unpredictable person, so it suited him well. But this wasn''t the kind of thing ude wanted to be involved in.


    Though he was forced to participate, he couldn''t help but feel a deep sense of shame every


    time.


    Regardless, thanks to the King of Raiders'' actions, the perception that the territory was in danger had firmly taken hold.


    No one doubted the rumors, as the cities and fortresses were bustling with soldiers constantly


    on the move.


    "Move quickly! There''s news that the enemy is approaching!"


    Thud, thud, thud!


    Watching the busy soldiers, the people grew increasingly anxious.


    "Are enemiesing again?"


    "Our territory has so much food; of course, everyone wants to take it. I can''t believe we didn''t


    think of that until now."


    "Is it the raiders again? Or a scout team from another lord?"


    An old man approached the busy soldiers and asked.


    "What''s going on? Are enemies attacking again?"


    "It seems so. We''ve been ordered to move quickly to the borders."


    The soldier answered seriously. He didn''t know the truth; he was just following orders to


    relocate.


    That''s how the military operates. You don''t question orders; you simply obey.


    Thus, the soldiers moved busily, and the people, seeing this, grew even more worried.


    The army they had blindly trusted seemed to be facing great difficulty. If the territory were taken by outsiders, they''d return to the poverty-stricken lives they once knew.


    To them, it seemed as though the territory was already in a state of war, and the enlistment


    rate only continued to rise.


    Of course, after the soldiers had moved, new orders woulde down shortly after.


    -The lord intercepted the enemy at the border. Return to your posts.


    Relieved, the soldiers praised the lord.


    "As expected of our lord."


    "We should be helping him more."


    "I heard other units fought alongside him."


    Even if they hadn''t fought themselves, rumors spread that other units had. The higher-ups


    restricted information sharing between units, so there was no way to confirm the truth.


    Seeing the growing number of enlistments, Ghiin smiled in satisfaction and said.


    "Good, we''re almost there. Now, for one final performance."


    By now, the forced relocation of all viges wasplete. There were no more small viges


    left in Fenris Territory where spies could hide.


    Every popted area had been consolidated into cities and fortresses.


    This would make mobilizing people during wartime much quicker and easier, as well as


    facilitate logistics.


    It was a n entirely focused on enhancing war efficiency-typical of Ghiin.


    At the same time, they managed toplete the stalled relocation project while boosting


    enlistment rates.


    "Let''s go! Make no mistakes!"


    When Ghiin and knights returned from their final raid, they were covered in bright red


    bandages.


    The bandages had been specially dyed with spicy red seasoning by Belinda to look like they


    were soaked in blood. The pungent, spicy scent made the knights'' noses turn red and their


    eyes watery.


    Seeing them, the people couldn''t believe their eyes.


    "Th-The lord is injured."


    "Isn''t our lord rumored to be a swordmaster?"


    "They said the enemy had too many strong knights."


    The people, looking worried, stamped their feet nervously. Ghiin and knights appeared


    utterly exhausted, with drooping limbs and heads hung low.


    Once a crowd had gathered, Ghiin concentrated mana into his foot and gave ck King a


    sharp squeeze in its side.


    Neighhhhh!


    Startled by the excruciating pain, ck King thrashed and bucked, and Ghiin fell off the


    horse at just the right moment.


    Thud.


    "Urgh!"


    "My lord!"


    As the people rushed forward in rm, Ghiin raised a hand to stop them.


    "I-I''m fine..."


    At that moment,


    lack King, still agitated, out a snort and kicked the fallen C


    the


    side.


    Wham!


    ''You bastard?''


    Rolling on the ground, Ghiin red briefly at the horse, but he couldn''t scold it now, not


    while he was acting. Transforming his anger and irritation into a look of pain, he lowered his


    head again.


    "Lord!"


    The people screamed.


    Their lord had cared for them, fed them, sheltered them-he had done everything for them.


    Seeing him struggle and suffer like this was unbearable.


    Some even copsed, weeping uncontrobly, especially the older residents who had lived in


    the territory for a long time.


    To them, Ghiin was a savior and benefactor.


    At that moment, Ghiin murmured weakly. His voice, oddly clear, seemed to pierce through


    the crowd.


    "Ugh... If only we had more soldiers... The territory''s forces... are too few."


    With those words, he closed his eyes and pretended to faint. The knights, watching, bit their


    lips and feigned outrage.


    ''If Iugh now, I''m dead.''


    ''Hold it in, hold it in... Oh, please, please.''


    ''Mom, Dad, I miss you.''


    Even ude closed his eyes tightly and turned away, as if trying to stifle tears.


    "This is too embarrassing to endure.''


    Next to him, Wendy bit her upper lip and stared at the sky.


    Soon, Belinda and the household staff came running from the castle.


    "Ahhh! My lord! What should we do!"


    Belinda screamed as Gillian picked up Ghiin and carried him into the castle. His face was


    bright red.


    Gillian hated participating in this kind of drama. But since it was Ghiin''s n, he couldn''t


    let it fail.


    He kept his mouth shut, afraid he might slip up, and marched silently. The vigers mistook


    his hardened expression for suppressed anger.


    Meanwhile, Alpoi and Kane, who were moving materials for construction, clicked their


    tongues as they watched the lord and vassals deceive the people.


    "Sheesh. Look at this circus."


    Regardless, the rumor that the lord had copsed from injuries sustained in battle spread


    rapidly throughout the territory.


    A massive volunteer enlistment movement began among the people.N?v(el)B\\jnn


    "We must protect our lord! Let''s support him!"


    "We must defend the territory! If not us, then who? If we lose thisnd, we''ll return to the old


    days!"


    "Every able-bodied man, enlist in the army!"


    The Fenris Army''s service term was 10 years, simr to other territories.


    Though it seemed like a long time, people didn''t care. With determined expressions, they


    lined up to enlist.


    Not long after, ude reported to Ghiin.


    "... Excluding the knights, the number of soldiers is about 12,000. It''s far beyond the target...


    Damn it, why is this even working!"


    ude shouted in frustration, unable to contain his anger.


    He knew the lord was popr, but he didn''t realize it was to this extent. It felt like everyone


    in the territory adored, respected, and cherished him.


    It was infuriating that such tant maniption worked so well. He couldn''t help but feel


    jealous.


    "Ugh... Including the knights, elves, andbor assault corps, the total number of troops exceeds 13,000." Currently, the only territories in the North capable of amassing more troops were Rayfold and


    Desmond.


    Considering the number of knights and the new equipment, their total military strength could rival those two territories, contenders for the title of strongest in the North.


    Of course, the new soldiers were no better than recruits for now. They would have to be


    trained into elite soldiers to achieve that level.


    Ghiin smiled with satisfaction and nodded.


    "See? I told you we have plenty of people." "Yes... How fortunate you are to be so popr. Must be nice."


    "Are you jealous?"


    "Yes,"


    Ghiin clicked his tongue at ude, who was huffing, and continued.


    "From now on, we will begin full-scale training. Gillian." "Yes, my lord."


    "You will oversee the training in the southern region, centered around Stonehaven Fortress.


    I''ll assign you 100 knights to assist you. Work with them."


    "Understood."


    Since the soldiers were spread across the territory, it was impossible for Gillian to train and manage all of them alone. Ghiin had to divide responsibilities to make it manageable. Stonehaven Fortress, located in the southern part of the former Cabaldi territory, was the


    largest and most important strategic point. Any invading enemy would have to pass through


    it.


    Although they had to divide the responsibilities, the lord couldn''t stay away from the lord''s castle for long. Thus, Ghiin assigned Gillian to the more distant southern region. Even overseeing just the southern region would be challenging for Gillian. That''s why


    Ghiin assigned additional knights, who were of a higher level than regr soldiers, to assist him. Ghiin boldly stated her training objectives.


    "The goal is to make all soldiers proficient in horsemanship. After that, we''ll select 2,000


    soldiers who arefortable on horseback and train them intensively in archery, organizing them as archers and mounted archers."


    For Fenris soldiers, horsemanship was now a basic skill. But for Ghiin, that wasn''t enough. "The rest will be trained to master spearmanship, swordsmanship, and shield techniques,


    just like the current soldiers. They should be able to switch roles and fight effectively in any situation." "What''s the timeline for this goal?"


    "The timeline is three months. I know it''s short, but within that time, they must at least be


    ready to participate in battle."


    "I will do my best to carry out your orders."


    Though the timeline was tight, it had to be done. They never knew when the civil war might


    break out.


    Quietly, Ghiin sighed to himself so that no one would notice. Because of his actions, the future was changing, and events were unfolding much faster than in past life. He couldn''t afford to let his guard down for even a single day.


    Looking around at vassals, he spoke firmly.


    "From now on, we''ll put all territorial development and policies on hold and make training


    the soldiers our top priority. Focus all resources on supporting the soldiers so they can train


    without distraction."


    With that, Fenris Territory''s preparations for war officially began. Training the soldiers was


    the first and most crucial step.


    The soldiers might struggle with the intense training, but their morale was incredibly high


    since they had all enlisted with the determination to defend the territory.


    Now, they had to be trained to fight effectively on the battlefield.


    To the level where they could stand against the army of Harold Desmond, known as the strongest in the North.


    Ghiin smiled confidently and spoke. "The day we be the strongest in the North isn''t far away."


    The preparations for dominating the North were steadilying to fruition.


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