The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations-Chapter 248: Let’s Get Some Investment (2)

Marquis Branford decided to accept Ghislain’s proposal, recognizing the potential benefit to the pro-royal faction. However, he intended to reduce Ghislain’s influence, determined to prevent the rise of a new ducal family after the civil war.

Though he doubted that Ghislain could reach such power, he was cautious about this particular man.

‘His military force is growing too quickly. While it benefits us now to leave him be... the real issue will be after the war. I can’t let him amass continuous funding,’ the Marquis thought.

If both the royal family and Branford’s faction backed the road project, it would certainly succeed. Marquis Branford planned to funnel as much of its profits as possible into his own military, ensuring Ghislain remained manageable after the conflict.

“How much of a stake would be acceptable, Marquis?” Lowell inquired.

The Marquis, keeping a detached expression, replied, “Double the share Fenris proposed—up to 40%. If they decline, consider the deal void. Return with their decision once confirmed.”

“No need to wait, we accept the terms as you stated,” Lowell answered immediately.

“...?”

Marquis Branford raised an eyebrow, surprised by Lowell’s readiness to accept. It was unusual for an administrative officer, not even the lord himself, to consent to such a significant increase in share.

“Do you truly have the authority for this decision?” Branford questioned, eyeing Lowell skeptically.

“Yes, I have full authority. We will proceed as you’ve instructed.”

Lowell had already received instructions from Ghislain. If Branford raised the share up to but not exceeding 50%, they were to agree without hesitation.

Profit wasn’t Ghislain’s primary goal. While income was welcome, it was merely a supplementary benefit.

― “The essential point is establishing that I own the roads. Once it’s acknowledged, I can deal with dissenters by force.”

Currently, the pro-royal faction and Marquis Branford wielded far more power than Ghislain, allowing Branford to assume that even with a similar share, he could control Ghislain. But Ghislain needed only time. With sufficient power, he wouldn’t need justification to deal with those who opposed him.

Marquis Branford, however, was unaware of Ghislain’s long-term intentions, and so regarded Lowell with suspicion.

‘It’s as if they anticipated my move and were ready to comply... Why would he easily give up profits like this?’

Ghislain had always struck the Marquis as a man obsessed with profit—more precisely, with his own advantage. So when he’d made charitable donations under Porisco’s name, Branford had assumed an ulterior motive.

The Marquis found the proposal unsettling but couldn’t quite place why. Perhaps it was because he felt like he was playing along in Ghislain’s grand game.

Nevertheless, Marquis Branford was a practical man. He had analyzed the situation, assessed the benefits, and made the most strategic choice.

“Very well. I’ll grant the toll rights in the name of the royal family and inform the other lords. Proceed accordingly.”

“Thank you, Marquis. Your generosity has resolved a difficult matter for us. We’ll never forget your support,” Lowell said, bowing deeply.

The Marquis allowed himself a small smile. “You have a smooth tongue. For the remaining investments, speak with Rosalyn.”

Lowell soon found Rosalyn, who examined the business proposal thoroughly and nodded in approval.

“With the Marquis family’s involvement, it has solid potential. I’ll work with Lady Mariel and the noble investors to secure funding. Have you finalized the profit shares with my father?”

“Yes, we have,” Lowell confirmed.

“And did the Count mention anything... other than money?”

“No, nothing else.”

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“....”

Suppressing a flare of irritation, Rosalyn exhaled slowly. Since her illness, her face had begun to heat up every time she got angry.

‘That wretch... he has nothing to discuss with me besides money!’

Lowell shifted back in his seat, sensing Rosalyn’s growing agitation.

‘Why is she so upset? Did I say something wrong?’

With clenched teeth, Rosalyn finally spoke. “Once the funds are secured, I’ll send them along with the payment for the cosmetics order. We’ll also recruit laborers from the capital and surrounding domains to begin construction.”

The project would yield a 40% share of the profits, and with the Marquis family overseeing it directly, there was no room for negligence. While Rosalyn was annoyed at Ghislain’s single-minded focus on profits, she wasn’t one to let personal feelings interfere with business.

Relieved by her prompt decision, Lowell smiled and bowed.

“Thank you, Lady Rosalyn. We’ll begin immediately as well.”

After Lowell departed, Rosalyn rallied the nobles and quickly gathered investments.

“The Marquis family’s backing makes this trustworthy.”

“With the royal family and the Marquis supporting it, this will surely succeed.”

“You’d be a fool not to invest!”

The response was so enthusiastic that Rosalyn had to be selective about whom she allowed to participate. Though Ghislain was the face of the project, everyone assumed it was the Marquis who was truly in charge.

With the Marquis family’s reputation lending credibility, Rosalyn amassed an impressive amount of funding.

Thanks to their involvement, no one attempted to sabotage the project or delay progress. Even the lords of various regions, though resentful, didn’t dare refuse to assist.

“Ugh, that brat is up to all sorts of things.”

“Strutting around under Marquis Branford’s protection... Disgraceful.”

“We’ll have to deal with his arrogance eventually. For now, it’s an important project, so we’ll let it slide.”

Grumbling as they did, the lords sent their laborers to support the project. Since Fenris was covering labor costs, they’d lose little money and even gain some from taxing their workers.

Road construction commenced from Fenris and began stretching toward neighboring domains. Rosalyn led the effort in the capital and surrounding territories.

Officials and engineers from Fenris coordinated the laborers in each domain, ensuring the roads were built efficiently.

Hundreds of laborers worked tirelessly to meet the project’s demands, accelerating progress through sheer manpower and resources.

Amidst the construction crew, three men stood out, whispering discreetly to one another.

“Boss, what’s going on here? We’ve been working nonstop. I’ve never seen a place where they work us like this.”

“Count Desmond doesn’t push us nearly this hard. I don’t think we’ll have any energy left to escape.”

The man leading the trio—a middle-aged fellow with an unassuming face—sighed.

“Yeah... Why is there no end to this? Why are we still working?”

These men were spies sent by Count Desmond.

Until now, Fenris’s border restrictions had prevented any spies from entering. But when Ghislain began accepting migrants from all over the kingdom, they successfully slipped in with the crowd.

Given that many migrants lacked identification, Ghislain hadn’t been able to weed out every spy.

Their leader sighed and continued, “It’s a lot of work, but we need to blend in to gather intel. Let’s keep going.”

“But we haven’t managed to steal any cosmetic formulas or incubation technology yet. Is it even possible to get our hands on them?”

“That will have to wait. First, we need to figure out how to access those areas.”

While working in Fenris, the spies had encountered many astonishing things.

They’d heard rumors about a mysterious type of grain that never seemed to deplete and had even learned of a massive incubator used for poultry production. The cosmetics, being a famous product, had been a target for investigation even before their infiltration.

However, they had uncovered none of the production secrets. They’d only managed to find out that the special grain was produced in large quantities in the former Fenris territory.

Still, accessing any more detailed information proved nearly impossible.

“It’s one thing to worry about escaping later. But we’ve got nothing to report so far. They don’t let anyone rest.”

“What if we just claim exhaustion and quit for a while? That would give us some time to investigate.”

“Not a chance. It’s too risky for people without local ties like us. Staying here and working is safer. Did you see what happened to those guys forced into the army? They’ll end up fighting our own forces. Count Desmond may be impressive, but even he can’t defeat Fenris.”

Since lifting the border restrictions, Ghislain had implemented a unique policy for the new migrants.

Anyone who loitered around suspiciously or seemed untrustworthy was conscripted into a labor battalion. Criminals were also assigned to the so-called “Workforce Battalion,” managed by the infamous “Mad Dog” Kaor and former Bloodhound knights.

The spies shuddered at the thought of joining that battalion. They had no desire to end up there.

“Yeah, you’re right... but this is grueling...”

For now, their goal was to be recognized as residents, which would grant them the freedom to gather information more openly.

They’d been delighted at how easily they’d blended in with the migrants. However, entering Fenris turned out to be only the beginning of their challenges.

The technology for cosmetics and incubation was undeniably advanced. But without access, there was no way to learn anything.

To avoid suspicion, they’d started working in construction, though this had proven a critical miscalculation.

“I’m dying here too. My whole body aches.”

“I’m so busy sleeping whenever I get the chance that I can’t gather any information.”

“Can’t we just flee now? We haven’t even been able to make contact with the merchants since we started road construction.”

The spies muttered despondently.

Having volunteered for the construction crew

, they’d been conscripted into labor without choice. With no experience in manual labor, they found the work almost unbearable.

Still, they threw themselves into it, hoping to avoid suspicion.

“After carrying materials all day, my arms can barely move.”

“Why does it seem like everyone else can handle it just fine? Are we the only ones struggling?”

Having no techniques for conserving their energy, they were left exhausted.

Their leader glanced around, then lowered his voice and suggested, “How about we stop spying and just settle down here?”

“What are you saying?”

“I mean, we’re making good money, and we’ve even bought a house...”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Think about it. Do any of you have homes back in Count Desmond’s lands?”

One by one, the men shook their heads.

“No, I was living with my parents. Houses are expensive in our domain.”

“I have one, but it’s just a tiny log cabin in a small village.”

Sensing an opportunity, the leader’s eyes lit up.

“Exactly. So why not settle here? We’re earning more than enough, and it’s better than being a spy, right?”

“No! What about our families? What would happen to them if we deserted?”

“Right! If they find out we’ve defected, our families won’t be spared!”

No territory would deploy spies without precautions. Most ensured loyalty by holding spies’ families hostage.

The others’ voices rose in panic, prompting the leader to hush them.

“Shh, calm down! Our families will be fine. We’ll just fake our deaths if we’re caught. That way, they won’t be touched. Desmond’s men are merely keeping an eye on our families in case we defect.”

“You traitorous scoundrel...”

One of the men was about to argue but stopped when he noticed a commotion nearby; it seemed someone important had arrived.

The leader whispered urgently, “The lord is here. We’ll talk later. For now, keep your heads down and stay out of sight.”

Soon, Ghislain arrived at the construction site. Known for inspecting various projects daily, he was thorough in his assessments.

As he examined different areas, Ghislain noticed the three huddled together and cocked his head.

“Hmm? I think I’ve seen you before. Where was it...?”

Sweating, the leader paled under Ghislain’s gaze. They hadn’t committed any grave offenses yet, but they had certainly come with the intent to do so.