The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations-Chapter 247: Let’s Get Some Investment (1)

*Thud, thud, thud!*

The courier soldier drove his horse without rest.

This horse was used to the vast lands of the north, so running along the well-paved roads allowed it to reach speeds that other horses couldn’t match.

For exceptionally long distances, the soldier would switch to a fresh horse at each outpost along the way. With that system, endurance was never an issue.

Currently, they could only operate within Fenris, but as the road network expanded and more outposts were established, the service would extend to farther locations.

The courier who departed that morning arrived at the Beast Forest Guard post by the evening.

“This... is from my mother? She sent it this morning?”

“Yes, here at Fenris Arrow Delivery, we aim for maximum speed in all our deliveries.”

Ricardo eyed the courier with a skeptical expression, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

‘Even if it’s from a nearby region, getting a letter here this quickly doesn’t make sense.’

Ordinarily, people would hire merchants or mercenaries to deliver such messages, but that was often costly and slow. Few services would move for a single person without charging an enormous fee.

‘Then again... I’ve heard rumors that the grand duke is causing a stir with some new delivery business.’

Even in Ferdium, roads were being built, with telegraph stations and other facilities popping up. Ricardo vaguely recalled hearing about the delivery service that had been heavily promoted.

‘Well, it’s not like anyone would bother scamming me with something like this.’

The courier in front of him was covered in dust and sweat, too earnest in appearance to be part of some joke.

Ricardo opened the letter, thinking it must have been transcribed on behalf of his illiterate mother. But the content itself was unmistakable.

[When are you going to settle down and get married? Stop dating around and just find someone. My friend’s son is already married with children...]

‘Yup, it’s from Mom, alright.’

It was the same lecture she would give him every time he visited, filled with genuine worry and frustration.

His mother must have been so desperate for him to read this that she used the unfamiliar Arrow Delivery service.

“If that’s all, could you just sign here to confirm receipt?”

“Wait a moment.”

Ricardo wanted to confirm that this was real. He quickly wrote a response letter for the courier to take back.

“It’s free right now, right? You can deliver this to my mother?”

“Yes, our services are currently free. I’ll make sure your mother receives it.”

Although he could have used a telegraph station, Ricardo wanted an immediate confirmation. In his letter, he referenced events from his childhood that only his mother would know, hoping to test if he could truly communicate with her through Arrow Delivery.

The next evening, Ricardo received another letter from his mother, who’d replied right away upon receiving his morning message.

“Wow, this is amazing. The speed is insane!”

The letter contained precisely the details only his mother would know. Everything was genuine.

Having experienced the wonder of Arrow Delivery, Ricardo eagerly shared the news with his fellow Beast Forest guards and couldn’t resist boasting to his female friends about it. His parents, living in Fenris, were equally astonished and spread the word enthusiastically.

At first, people were hesitant. But after sending letters to nearby relatives, they were amazed and couldn’t stop praising the service.

“Wow! This is as fast as an arrow! I’ve already exchanged letters and gifts with my relatives in Ferdium multiple times.”

“Is it because the roads are so well-paved? Packages arrive in a day or two!”

“Have you tried ordering goods? They deliver them right to your door!”

As word spread, people began flocking to the telegraph stations. Soon, the demand was too much for the existing staff, leading to the hiring of more employees and the opening of additional stations in larger towns and cities.

Of all the services, item delivery proved the most popular. People often used it to order goods that were difficult to obtain in local markets or needed in bulk.

Though the range of available goods was initially limited, people could request items from the station’s inventory, which would then be delivered right to their homes.

The public quickly became obsessed with the convenience.

“I can’t live without Arrow Delivery now!”

“The variety of items you can order keeps expanding! The lord said he’d add more soon.”

“Who would’ve thought we’d have something like this in our region? Our lord is amazing!”

With the growing praise, Ghislain held his head high and proudly addressed his advisors.

“See? People value speed and convenience. That’s why I’m always saying, ‘Quick, quick!’”

“...”

Claude and the other advisors were left speechless. People were indeed using the Arrow Delivery service in droves.

This led to a massive increase in workload for the administrative officials. After all, this wasn’t a private business; it was a domain-wide enterprise managed by Fenris.

They were responsible for checking the inventory daily, restocking items quickly across towns and cities, and handling all the logistics.

“Just imagine—this is only within Fenris. When we expand across the kingdom, we’ll have even more goods to deliver, and even more people using Arrow Delivery.”

The advisors nodded, each silently thinking:

‘And we’ll be worked to death.’

They were still awaiting approval for road toll rights and had yet to receive any investment for the business.

Once that was finalized, the entire pro-royal faction could implement the Arrow Delivery service across their domains.

However, regardless of the amount of investment received, the core business entity would still be Fenris. This meant that Fenris officials would have to travel everywhere, recruiting and managing personnel. It was clear their workload would only increase.

Claude, wanting to curb the enthusiasm, cautiously pointed out,

“But we’re running at a severe deficit. The initial infrastructure has been more expensive than anticipated. Even when the free period ends, the low fees will make it difficult to turn a profit anytime soon.”

“It’s fine. A temporary deficit doesn’t matter. The important thing is to establish this foundation. Eventually, we’ll be making enormous profits because we’ll have a monopoly.”

‘Sigh, that didn’t work.’

Claude watched as Ghislain calmly reiterated his points, disappointed but unsurprised.

With a powerful logistics infrastructure, other merchants would have no choice but to use Arrow Delivery. If they refused, they’d have to pay the road tolls.

‘Still, something feels off. It’s like he has an eerie level of certainty. Does he have prophetic dreams or something?’

Every project the lord undertook seemed to be a brand-new concept that had never existed before.

At first, they thought his confidence stemmed from youthful arrogance. But the more they listened to him, the more it was clear that he knew what he was talking about. And it wasn’t just luck that he kept succeeding.

Even as Claude observed Ghislain with suspicion, Fenris continued to grow rapidly.

With the new roads and additional horses, food, meat, and other resources were transported across the domain at incredible speeds.

Receiving daily progress reports, Ghislain beamed with satisfaction.

“Everything is going smoothly. But it’s still not enough. Let’s pick up the pace.”

The telegraph stations, stables, and warehouses for logistics were only part of the transportation infrastructure. To make Fenris even stronger, more facilities were needed.

As Ghislain pushed for faster development, the administrative officials were pushed to their limits, yet the speed of development reached unprecedented levels, and people’s lives became more convenient than ever.

It was unlikely there was another region on the continent where living was as comfortable as it was in Fenris.

With the momentum strong, Ghislain decided to move on to his next goal.

“It’s time to visit Marquis Branford. Let’s get those toll rights and secure some investment.”

Claude and the advisors drafted a comprehensive business plan to maximize efficiency.

This was a project encompassing half the kingdom, something even the royal family wouldn’t have envisioned.

Toll rights? If Marquis Branford supported it, the royal family would have to grant them. The pro-royal faction couldn’t afford to turn down such an offer under the current circumstances.

Once they secured those toll rights, Fenris could control the logistics network, as well as the movement of people. And if everything went according to plan, no one would dare challenge Fenris.

But for such influence, they would need a powerful military presence to prevent anyone from attempting to seize their roads by force.

While they still lacked that level of military strength, having Marquis Branford’s support alleviated some of that pressure for now.

“Our domain’s top priority has always been building a powerful military. And that’s been happening at a rapid pace. The pro-royal nobles aren’t the concern... it’s the impending civil war.”

The Duke was targeting the pro-royal faction. Getting caught up in that conflict could mean the end for Fenris.

But if the pro-royal faction won the war, or if Fenris managed to survive regardless, Ghislain would have achieved his goal of a formidable military force.

“If things go well... we could end up ruling the kingdom in the Duke’s place...”

The thought slipped out, and Claude clamped a hand over his mouth, startled.

When did he develop such ambitions? Up until recently, he’d been content with a simple, comfortable life.

Wendy noticed his reaction and tilted her head curiously.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, nothing at all.”

Being around the lord seemed to be making him reckless. Claude shook his head, brushing off the thought.

For now, there were more immediate matters at hand.

After several days of meetings, they finalized the business proposal. All that was left was to deliver it to Marquis Branford.

The only issue was that Ghislain was too preoccupied with developing the domain to go himself.

After multiple inquiries, Claude finally asked him directly,

“You’re really not going to the capital?”

“Nah, it’s a hassle. I’m super busy—checking on the domain’s progress, training, overseeing drills. Just send someone else. The Marquis will definitely approve it.”

“...”

While sending a letter would be effective, this was a project for Marquis Branford, the kingdom’s most influential noble. The lord himself should be delivering it, but who could they send?

‘I really don’t want to go...’

The memory of Marquis Branford’s icy glare still haunted Claude. The Marquis’s mere presence had been terrifying enough to make him want to wet himself.

Besides, he was already overloaded with work.

Thus, he shifted the responsibility onto Lowell, setting a serious tone as he made the assignment.

“You go to the capital.”

“Me? Why me?”

“Yes, go meet Marquis Branford, explain our business plan, and secure those toll rights. Convince Lady Rosaline and Lady Mariel to invest.”

“How can I possibly manage that? No, I won’t! It’s terrifying, and I’m busy too!”

“You can do it. So hurry up. Or I’ll tell Wendy to deal with you.”

Ignoring Wendy’s withering glare, Claude feigned innocence. He was beginning to understand why Ghislain used such forceful methods to manage people.

‘When someone’s given a task, they should just do it. Why complain so much? This is exhausting.’

Pressed relentlessly, Lowell had no choice but to head for the capital, dreading the pile of work awaiting his return.

Both the lord and his advisor were working him to death.

Holding the business proposal, Marquis Branford stared at Lowell with a chilling gaze.

“A road project? Toll rights?”

“Yes... that’s... what he said... He also mentioned it would greatly benefit the pro-royal faction.”

Lowell stammered, barely able to keep from trembling.

The steely atmosphere in the Marquis’s presence was suffocating, with guards and advisors on either side intensifying the pressure.

The chaotic freedom of Fenris was nothing like this. Here, he felt as though he were balanced on the edge of a blade.

After drumming his fingers on the table, Marquis Branford spoke in a low, displeased tone.

“So, a mere frontier lord dares to propose a business that would span the kingdom?”

“...Y-yes, that... seems to be the case.”

Lowell nodded, trembling.

Ghislain was relentless and would push forward no matter what anyone said. There was no use asking him to step back.

‘Why are you asking me, Marquis? You can’t stop him either.’

As Lowell silently grumbled, Marquis Branford pondered deeply.

‘What a cunning plan. He aims to profit and expand his influence under the current circumstances. The fact he’s even thought of this...’

Other nobles wouldn’t even consider such an idea, fearing the loss involved in building roads in other domains.

The cost alone would deter them from even attempting it. Such large-scale projects would normally fall under royal jurisdiction, not that of a mere lord.

But if it were Ghislain, who had money and manpower thanks to his control over food supplies, it was a different story.

‘This is brilliant. If successful, it will be invaluable against the Duke in the civil war.’

The approaching civil war was unavoidable.

To stand against the Duke’s forces, the royal family and pro-royal nobles would need to work together.

If anyone was attacked, the neighboring regions would need to send reinforcements and supplies swiftly to hold out.

If they could secure the means for rapid movement, they’d have a fighting chance. And with Ghislain at the helm, it was possible.

‘He seems to be planning for after the war, as if he’s certain of victory. What arrogance.’

That confidence wasn’t entirely unwelcome, but the thought of Ghislain growing beyond his control was bothersome.

‘Yet, the royal family can’t undertake this project.’

The effects of the famine were still lingering, and most nobles were struggling to maintain their armies.

Only Ghislain had the means to attempt such an endeavor. And with him leading, the other nobles could contribute just the manpower.

Though he seemed to want substantial investment, that made sense, as no lord could fund a project of this scale alone.

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After deliberating for a long moment, Marquis Branford finally spoke slowly.

“Very well. I’ll permit the project and instruct the nobles to cooperate. The royal family will grant toll rights to the Count of Fenris.”

‘Oh!’

Lowell was taken aback. He hadn’t expected the Marquis to decide on the spot.

‘He really did predict this outcome. Incredible.’

But the Marquis wasn’t finished.

“But...”

“...”

With a sharp gaze, Marquis Branford continued,

“We’ll need a larger share of the profits.”