Chapter 300: Chapter 299: Let’s Prepare for What’s Next (2)


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    The administrators of Fenris worked more busily than ever before. With the territory greatly expanded, the workload had also increased significantly.


    ude, along with many officials, relocated to the Desmond region.


    Before arriving, ude had briefly thought, ''Wouldn''t it be better to die than to live buried under all this work?'' However, upon stepping into the Desmond region, he felt a wave of nostalgia.


    "To think that all of this has truly be ournd. I never imagined this day woulde."


    His reaction was far more subdued than when they had taken over the Cabaldi region. Back then, he had been so thrilled that he practically danced with joy. Given that Desmond was muchrger than Cabaldi, he should have been even happier.


    The results were so overwhelming that it felt unreal, and his emotions hadn''t yet caught up. "Is this real? I''m not dreaming, am I? Wendy... pinch my cheek... Oh, right, she''s not here." ude nced around with a wistful expression.


    Memories of his early days in Fenris flooded back. He had assumed Ghiin was some affluent heir to a major territory and had been sorely disappointed upon discovering the truth. He had been dragged to a destitute estate, reduced to the status of a glorified ve, and endured countless hardships. Who would have thought a day like this woulde?


    "I''m still in a wretched position, but... our lord really has be a great lord."


    When faced with monumental events, a person can feel dazed. That was exactly ude''s state of mind.


    Had Ghiin lost, he would surely have perished. He was simply relieved that wasn''t the case.


    But ude''s calm demeanorsted only a moment. As he approached the castle, his self- importance began to swell.


    ''Ahem, I am the head butler of the great estate of Fenris. I must start paying attention to my dignity.'' A sly smile crept onto his face, and he found it difficult to suppress his rising giddiness. Inside the carriage, ude adjusted his voice and practiced wearing a dignified expression as he murmured to himself, "People of thisnd, long oppressed by injustice and tyranny, I, your new head butler, will restore righteousness! Together, we shall forge a new era of prosperity... Ah, how dashing I am! They''ll all be moved to tears!"


    ude chuckled, thoroughly pleased with himself. Lost in his own thoughts, he failed to hear the murmurs of the townsfolk outside.


    "They say the man in that carriage is the new head butler."


    "The so-called ''Bribe King of the North''? I''ve heard he''s utterly corrupt and ruthless. They say every word out of his mouth is a lie-don''t believe a thing he says."


    "There''s also a rumor he''s a gambling addict, maybe even insane. Whatever he is, we should stay out of his way."


    "Ugh, if someone like that ising, how much worse are things going to get? I''m already worried."


    The townsfolk heaved sighs of concern as they eyed ude''s carriage.


    Blissfully unaware of the insults flying his way, ude made a grand entrance into the castle. "The head butler has arrived!"


    Despite being technically a ve, ude held the second-highest position in Fenris. Knights and soldiers stationed outside the castle respectfully bowed to him.


    ude nodded with an air of arrogance, basking in the attention.


    ''Ah, staying was the right choice. I am ude, head butler of the great territory! I live for moments like this.''


    "Oh my, the head butler''s here?"


    Belinda waved at him cheerfully, and beside her, Wendy subtly nodded before stepping toward ude.


    Seeing her, ude''s eyes welled with tears as he cried out, "Wendy! Do you have any idea how scared I was without you? Boohoo!"


    ude ran toward her with arms outstretched, tears streaming down his face. Wendy, maintaining herposure, pushed his head away firmly while ncing around.


    Nearby soldiers and servants stifledughter, their lips twitching with barely contained amusement. Wendy bit her lip, mortified. She had rarely felt strong emotions in her life as an assassin, but ude''s antics consistently pushed her limits.


    "Step... back... please."


    "Boohoo! Don''t leave me again!"


    "For heaven''s sake... just... stop..."


    Wendy''s face turned bright red from embarrassment. Making even a stoic assassin feel this way was a talent in itself.


    After a brief struggle, ude regained hisposure and adopted a haughty expression. "Ahem, shall we go see the lord?"


    Wendy shot him a re as he strutted off with exaggerated confidence, then sighed and followed.


    When Ghiin saw ude, he greeted him warmly, waving. "Hey, ude. Wee."


    "Hahaha! Congrattions on bing a great lord!"


    udeughed heartily as he offered his congrattions. Ghiin raised an eyebrow in mild surprise and asked, "You seem fine. I thought you''d rather die than face more work."


    "Oh, where did you hear such nonsense? I''m far too resentful to die now. I''m saving up to live the high life and die looking good someday."


    Ghiin gave him a bemused look. "Well, I hope that dayes for you."


    "Anyway, enough greetings... You''ve taken care of all the vassals, right?"


    "Yep."


    "Got it. Guess we''ll be the next to drop dead, then."


    ude nodded matter-of-factly. No matter how horrifying the reality, people get used to anything after experiencing it multiple times.


    Ghiin was a warlord. His pattern of expanding territory through conquest was clear, and


    the next step was always the same.


    "Alright, I''ll get started immediately."


    "Good, as al-"


    "Yes, yes, quickly and thoroughly."


    ude waved dismissively, cutting Ghiin off before he could finish. His casual demeanor


    made him seem like a true head butler of a great territory.


    "Hey, I wasn''t done talking-"


    Ghiin called after him, bewildered, but ude left before he could finish. Left alone,


    Ghiin chuckled in exasperation.


    "Well, first things first, stabilizing the territory. We''ll talkter."


    ude immediately gathered the administrators to assess the state of the territory.


    ''Last time, I was caught sneaking things out. This time, I''ll do it properly!''


    Fueled by his ambition, he began by examining the personal wealth of thete Count


    Desmond.


    "Why... is this so poor?"


    Though not entirely destitute, the wealth was no more than what an average noble might have. It was a far cry from what ude had expected for a ruler of such a vast domain.


    "Was Count Desmond secretly a minimalist?"


    That didn''t seem right. While not extravagant, Desmond had always maintained the dignity


    and decorum expected of a noble.


    ude scoured the estates of other vassals and the granaries across the region, only to groan


    in frustration.


    "Why is everything so bare?!"


    No matter where he looked, there was little to find.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    Eventually, as he sorted through mountains of documents, the truth became clear.


    "Wow, they really went all out."


    Count Desmond had funneled everyst resource into his war effort, leaving the region thoroughly depleted. Most of the wealth had been converted into provisions and military


    supplies.


    "Ugh, these supplies aren''t even useful for us."


    While Ghiin had captured Desmond''s supply caravans after defeating the main army, the loot was of limited use to Fenris. Their food stores were already overflowing, and they were transitioning their military equipment to galvanized steel.


    The surplus weapons would need to be melted down, costing bothbor and time. The only somewhat useful items were the siege weapons.


    "Hmm, maybe we could sell these to the royal faction for cheap and score some goodwill?"


    Had there been other resources avable, they could have been leveraged. But with Desmond territory left bare, ude had little choice but to devise a n.


    Even themon folk''s wealth had been heavily taxed, though detailed records indicated


    ns for future restitution.


    "At least Count Desmond wasn''t entirely dishonorable."


    While thorough in his requisitioning, Desmond had avoided outright plundering, consistent


    with his aristocratic pride.


    Having assessed the situation, ude prioritized his tasks.


    "First, distribute food to the people."


    Desmond was a fertile region known for diverse crops, but the recent drought had worsened


    matters. After selling arge portion of their reserves to Ghiin and enduring wartime


    requisitioning, the people were left destitute.


    Stabilizing the popce was always the first step in integrating new territory.


    When ude arrived with carts loaded with food, the townsfolk watched with mixed


    emotions.


    "That was ours to begin with..."


    "They might take even more. Didn''t they say theirnd was poorer than ours?"


    "Damn it, how did we end up losing to such country bumpkins?"


    The faces of the territory''s residents were filled with worry and dissatisfaction.


    Had they won the war, they would have received significant rewards. Count Desmond was a stern man but not someone who broke promises or acted dishonorably. However, with the war lost, all promises of rewards had vanished. Already struggling from the effects of a drought, their situation had be even more dire.


    The truth was that their destitution stemmed from Count Desmond''s overconfidence in a swift victory. He had taken almost everything, leaving behind only enough food for immediate survival. Yet, the residents misced their resentment.


    Instead of ming Desmond, they directed their frustration at Ghiin, believing that the rewards they were promised had vanished because of him. The central residents, in particr,


    were more disgruntled due to their strong sense of pride in the region.


    ude, observing the residents, scratched his head.


    "This is strange. Why do people hate us wherever we go?"


    They''ll like us eventually, though.


    With a sly grin, ude loudly dered, "The rewards promised by Count Desmond will be


    paid by us instead. And we''ll double it!"


    ".....?"


    The residents'' eyes widened in disbelief. They hadn''t expected anything, let alone double the


    promised amount.


    Amid the hesitant crowd, an elderly man, neatly dressed, stepped forward and asked, "Is this


    true? Are you truly nning to keep this promise?"


    "Of course! I''ve never lied in my entire life!"


    The residents collectively gave him skeptical looks. By now, bizarre rumors about ude had


    spread widely across Desmond.


    ude, clueless about why he was already the subject of such distrust, bristled and shouted, "We''ll distribute it immediately! Temporary distribution centers have been set up, so bring the vouchers you received from Count Desmond! Since the contributions varied, we''ll simplify the process by providing everything in food!"


    At his words, the residents'' faces brightened. Food was obviously more beneficial. It would


    immediately alleviate their hunger and could easily be sold to traveling merchants if there was any surplus.


    As word spread, residents cautiously made their way to the distribution centers, still half-


    skeptical.


    "Wow! They''re actually giving it out!"


    "I got more than what I was promised!"


    "Count Fenris is amazing!"


    To these residents, it didn''t matter who ruled the territory. The best lord was simply the one


    who treated them well.


    Unlike other regions in the north, Desmond didn''t have many people on the brink of starvation. Thus, merely distributing food rapidly stabilized the local popce. In the outlying, impoverished viges, the distribution of food sparked even greater enthusiasm than in the central areas.


    While the central residents still retained some loyalty to Count Desmond, many vigers on


    the outskirts barely knew who he was. They simply paid their taxes andplied with demands without much thought.


    When the Fenris lord provided food instead of taking it away, the cries of praise for him grew


    louder by the day.


    "See! I told you they''d give it! Trust me!"


    ude, leaping about excitedly, roamed the Desmond region. His efforts to calm the


    residents gradually diminished their hostility toward Fenris.


    "Hmm, but there''s another problem here."


    Though hostility had lessened, stabilizing the region''s atmosphere wasn''t something that


    could happen overnight. The chaos left in the wake of Count Desmond''s deployment of every


    last soldier had caused a ripple effect. ude, rubbing his tired eyes, delivered a new report to Ghiin.


    "There are way too many criminal groups springing up. Especially since rumors of Desmond''s


    defeat have spread, all sorts of riffraff are emerging. They''re using the instability of the


    upation period to establish themselves."


    "Criminal groups?"


    "Count Desmond pulled every guard he had, so of course it''s happening. Cleaning this up is going to take time."


    "Hmm, the residents must be quite uneasy."


    "Of course. Many can''t even sleep properly because these criminals are after the food we


    distributed. Some have already been robbed. We haven''t fully established administrative control orw enforcement yet."


    This was a problem that couldn''t be solved immediately. The administrative system needed


    to be overhauled, and many new officials were required.


    On top of that, maintaining security across such a vast territory required a substantial military


    presence. Although more recruits were being trained and deployed, there was still a


    significant manpower shortage. Establishingw and order was inevitably a time-consuming process.


    "Hmm... We need to stabilize things quickly."


    Count Desmond was merely one hurdle among many. The territory had to be stabilized


    quickly to prepare for the more formidable foes yet toe. Fortresses needed to be built, viges integrated, and various facilities constructed. If the


    residents remained anxious and unable to work effectively, the losses would be immense.


    "How long do you think this will take?"


    "We''re deploying knights and hunters to secure the area, but it''s not easy. We don''t know the


    geography well, and cooperation with the residents iscking. It will take at least six months


    to sort things out."


    "What? That''s way too long. Do you know how much work we have to do? Spending months


    just chasing criminals is uneptable!"


    "Sigh, it''s not as easy as you think. You can''t just round people up and call it a day."


    After all, they couldn''t just show up and use someone, saying, "You''re a criminal, so


    you''re dead." Criminal organizations thrived on secrecy and persistence. Even when criminals were apprehended, there were procedures to follow: verifying their crimes, determining appropriate punishments, and conducting trials.


    "We can immediately execute those caught red-handed, but it''s the ones who operate in the


    shadows that are the real problem. How do we root them all out? They haven''t technicallymitted any crimes yet."


    It seemed like a minor issue, but it was more significant than it appeared. Without proper procedures, the residents might distrust the lord. Even if the used were criminals, residents could feel uneasy about theck of due process, fearing they might be targeted next. That''s why even corrupt nobles maintained a fa?ade ofw and legitimacy.


    Of course, an outright tyrant wouldn''t care about the people''s fears, but Ghiin couldn''t


    afford to appear as such a ruler.


    "Hmm... But we can''t just leave them alone, can we?"


    "No, we need to strengthen security and ensure they don''t get too bold. Constant suppression


    and monitoring are the only solutions. Things will settle down over time-that''s just how it


    works."


    "That''s too inefficient. It takes too much time, and I don''t like it. Guess I''ll have to step in again."


    "What... What are you nning this time?"


    "The residents just need to think thew is being upheld properly, right? As long as they don''t


    believe the lord is arbitrarily arresting people, we''re good."


    "Well... yes, that''s true."


    "Then it''s simple. An eye for an eye, a crime for a crime."


    "Pardon?"


    ude, sensing trouble, looked at Ghiin with growing unease as he grinned.


    "Bring me my mask. It''s time to deliver divine retribution to these scoundrels."


    As long as no one knew it was him, all would be fine.


    The Raider King and his Forty Thieves would handle the problem.


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