Fun Territory Defense Chapter 203 (Patreon)

[Another Viewpoint] Gallardo and Sesto

[Gallardo]

Of the Marquis's knights, he was able to take care of 3,000 men. Furthermore, Sesto joins them while they are getting their armaments and supplies for the march.

"Sesto! It's been a while!"

"...It's been a long time, brother Gallardo."

As soon as I greeted him, I noticed that Sesto had a dark expression on his face. His voice was also heavy without a heartbeat.

"What, is something wrong?"

I asked, and Sesto wrinkled his brow and let out a sigh. He seems to have grown a little taller, but now he looks smaller because of his hunched back.

Sesto nodded, his eyebrows contorting pitifully.

"...Father scolded me. He told me that if I had played around thinking I had so much money at my disposal, I wouldn't be able to pay for it even if I doubled the town's tax revenue..."

"Ha ha! You idiot, just because you're the Marquis of Fertio, any merchant association will give you preferential treatment. If you hold a dinner party, even the nobles below the rank of viscount can bring in a fortune on their own. Well, what's done is done, so raise the tax revenue by 50% and get the merchants to look for a way to make a profit."

Gallardo laughed at Sesto's tale of failure and gently told him how to handle it; for Gallardo, his brother Murcia was a strong rival for the head of the family, but Sesto cherished him because he thought he would be his right-hand man later on.

Sesto's susceptibility to temptation and indecisiveness also favor him as an unlikely rival for Gallardo.

Laughing at Sesto's wooziness, he looked down at the map he had spread out in his hand.

Gallardo had just gathered the commanders of the Knights for a meeting in his office. The main purpose of the meeting was to confirm the geography and the strength of the opponents, but Gallardo pointed at the map as if he were already a fierce warrior of the past battles.

"Sesto, this is Scudetto, and here is Jiernetta's fortress, which we took in the last battle. There is another stronghold along the coast, but it is not easy to attack from here. We have the advantage in terms of terrain. Above all, the capture of this fortress has clearly reversed the offensive."

When Gallardo tells him what he has heard, Sesto nods vaguely and replies.

"...This, because we let this fortress fall?"

Gallardo looks at Sesto, who doesn't seem to understand, and laughs, shaking his shoulder.

"Don't you get it? Put yourself in Jiernetta's shoes. What if they invade us again?"

Gallardo slides his index finger across the map as he says this, and Sesto follows it with his eyes, a look of surprise on his face.

"Oh...we'll be isolated. You mean we're going to be pinched and caged in, and supplies won't be coming?"

"That's right."

Gallardo nodded in satisfaction at Sesto's answer. Gallardo opened his mouth as if he were a teacher, even though he had just heard this story a few minutes ago.

"In other words, Jiernetta can't be attacked without taking back this fortress. It is such a key point. On the other hand, we should attack with this place as our axis, but if we leave it unattended, Jiernetta will send in their troops one after another. If left unchecked, Jiernetta would send in their troops one after another, since there are Jiernetta's towns and fortresses in three directions. It would be easy to resupply."

"I see... So you are saying that they will attack Jiernetta again soon?"

Sesto answers, understanding his intention, and Gallardo smiles wryly.

"That's right. That is why we must be ready to go to battle at any moment. The given knights will be equipped with the best equipment and ample logistics. And if there is any surplus power, we will hire mercenary companies and adventurers to use it all for the war effort."

Gallardo tells him, crossing his arms. Sesto looked down with a pitiful expression on his face at that.

"Oh, I'm out of money, I have to prepare..."

Sesto mutters with a pale face. To which Gallardo smiled, showing his teeth.

"Ha ha ha! Don't worry! We can borrow as much money as we want if we have a winning battle ahead of us! Borrow money from the Chamber of Commerce and get ready! This battle is a good opportunity for us to show our military prowess. Don't be too stingy and don't go on the losing side, okay?"

"I understand."

Sesto nodded vigorously in reply to Gallardo's words.

A battle to gain new territory is a chance to achieve great military success. All the nobles were preparing for it as an opportunity to rise to the top, and both the prices of goods and the fees charged to mercenary companies were soaring. It was a time when some things were unobtainable, no matter how much money was spent.

No matter how much the Marquis of Fertio, the expenses would be more than expected, no matter how much the Chamber of Commerce and the mercenary corps made discoveries.

However, Gallardo, who does not doubt his victory, has no intention of sparing any money. In the end, Gallardo not only used up all the money he had, but also borrowed heavily to prepare for war.

[Van].

"Yes, it's the latest mechanical bow!"

"Van-sama! We've already gone through enough people!"

Camsin was loading the new armored war wagon with mechanical bows and arrows, and Van was sitting in the chair behind him, continuing to process the armaments. And Roe is troubled by the endless supply of armaments.

The knights check their equipment with a wry smile at the scene, which is confusing in an unusual way.

"Van-sama's made another new mechanical bow."

"I feel sorry for the people we are fighting."

The knights laugh at such comments, but there is definitely trust in Van in their eyes. All the armor has already been changed to a hybrid type that combines wood block and Mithril. The new armor Van had developed just the other day was light, flexible, and covered with Mithril in key areas, and boasted high defensive performance.

The new armor was lightweight and flexible, yet covered with Mithril in key areas, and boasted a high level of defensive performance. Therefore, in his spare time, Van had been experimenting with new armors and carriages. The carriages already had suspension, and the wheels were made of leather from magic beasts, which was ideal for tires, making the ride one of the most comfortable in the world.

The knights also worked on hunting magic beasts as part of their training, and the residents who had spare time on their hands helped prepare for the expedition by making preserved food. In this way, Van was prepared for battle without any particular expense.

"Van-sama! We have a prospective immigrant coming!"

"Hai! How's their health? If they are hungry, show them where to eat and bathe first."

"Yes, sir!"

When Van heard from the guards that someone had come to visit Seat Village, he responded in a familiar manner. The soldiers nodded as if it were a matter of course, and returned toward the castle gate. In Seat Village, where prospective immigrants come every week, this was a familiar and common sight.

But seeing this, the recently arrived former slave residents, adventurers, and peddlers were surprised.

"...Really, this village is strange."

"Yes, it is. No knights or nobles would be so accommodating to a sudden arrival of a stranger in their village."

"Well, Van-sama is special."

Van heard such a conversation and turned around involuntarily.

"I think the word 'special' is a bit of a misnomer..."

The Lord of the village, described by the immigrants as a paradise on earth, did not like the category of special.