The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Even Ghislain decided to forget about work for just one day and take a rest.

“I wish I could just relax and have some fun sometimes.”

Ghislain enjoyed having fun.

Back in his days as the King of Mercenaries, he would leave all the troublesome tasks to his subordinates and only pick out the jobs that seemed entertaining.

But now, there was too much to do, and even if he wanted to have a good time, he didn’t have the luxury.

“Tsk, I need to finish everything quickly so I can relax.”

Despite grumbling, Ghislain had a broad smile on his face as he leisurely made his way to the banquet hall.

The banquet hall at Fenris Castle wasn’t particularly large, but there were relatively few vassals and servants, so there was no issue in hosting the event.

A few vassals objected, arguing that it would be undignified to let the servants in, but Ghislain didn’t care and pushed forward with his plans.

His philosophy was that if you were going to have fun, everyone should join in and make some noise together.

“It’d be fun to build a huge plaza later and invite all the residents of the estate.”

Ideally, he would have liked to invite the estate residents this time as well.

But no matter how small the estate’s population was, he couldn’t possibly bring everyone into the castle.

Out of regret, Ghislain distributed free alcohol and meat to every household.

The estate residents, who received free drinks and meat, as well as the servants who got to experience a banquet usually reserved for nobles, all praised their lord with joy.

Since it was a poor estate with little entertainment, everyone, young and old, eagerly looked forward to the day of the banquet.

Everyone except for one group, that is.

Claude and the mages gathered in a corner of the banquet hall, whispering among themselves.

Their faces were dark and somber.

“Please, just one person…”

“There’s bound to be someone showing side effects.”

“We can’t miss even one. We must find them and force a draw.”

They were desperately scouring the crowd, hoping to find anyone displaying side effects, clinging to even the slightest hope.

It wasn’t the sort of behavior expected from those who usually prided themselves on logic and rationality, but it was a sign of just how anxious they were.

‘Even if the goddess didn’t send the Demon King, maybe she sent at least a pimple or two.’

Claude widened his eyes and stared intently at the entrance to the banquet hall.

He was determined to scrutinize the faces of everyone entering.

* * *

By the time the basic food preparations were complete and the hastily assembled band had taken their place, Ghislain arrived at the banquet hall.

“Hasn’t it started yet? Just go ahead and start. Why’s there so much fuss about having fun?”

Typically, the highest-ranking person would be the last to appear, but Ghislain didn’t care about such things.

When the lord plopped down in a chair and started tearing into the meat, the vassals shouted in surprise.

“Hurry up and start!”

The band hastily began playing a tune.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeeeeak!

Since they had been quickly assembled, none of them were particularly skilled. They barely managed to hit the right notes under normal circumstances, but with no time to prepare, even that was a struggle.

Clang!

As soon as the doors opened, the people who had been waiting for the banquet to start surged in.

They weren’t dressed as extravagantly as nobles, but everyone was wearing clean clothes, clearly having put some effort into their appearance.

Another thing they all had in common was that their faces gleamed brightly, shining with a healthy glow.

“Ah, ah…”

Claude turned his head away.

The reason his eyes stung was definitely because of the lighting.

It wasn’t because he was on the verge of tears from the impending loss!

“Damn it…”

Claude cursed under his breath, scanning the people entering the banquet hall.

Here, clean. There, clean. Smooth and polished everywhere.

There were differences in skin tone and wrinkles, but not a single person had skin that looked unhealthy.

The only ones looking worse for wear were the mages standing next to Claude, glancing around anxiously.

Once almost everyone had gathered, Ghislain raised his hand to stop the music.

To be honest, it was hard to listen to because it was so grating.

“Thank you all for giving your best efforts in managing the affairs of the estate. Things will continue to be busy, so take this time to rest until tomorrow.”

It was a simple, straightforward speech, but everyone nodded in agreement.

By now, it was well-known that their lord was not the type to indulge in excessive formality like a typical noble.

Ghislain then gave a peculiar smile as he addressed Claude and the mages.

“As you all know, the Chief Overseer and the mages made a bet with me.”

At the mention of the cosmetics, the hall fell as silent as if a mouse had died.

It was finally time to confirm the outcome of the bet, which had a seemingly obvious result.

“Opinions on cosmetics can be quite subjective. I believe most of you here have tried the product.”

Ghislain leaned back in his chair, speaking in a relaxed tone.

“If anyone has experienced side effects, please step forward. I will ensure you are compensated.”

No one stepped forward.

After all, even if someone did have side effects, who would dare step forward before their lord?

Fortunately, it seemed there truly were no side effects.

“It does look like there aren’t any issues. I’ll leave the judgment of this bet to those present. Please, speak honestly about the cosmetics that this estate has created.”

At first, people hesitated and looked around nervously, but soon, one by one, they began to speak up.

“The effects are truly remarkable. I’ve never seen a product like this before.”

“My skin has improved significantly. It really does seem to work.”

“There were no side effects! This is a flawless cosmetic product!”

“Could you give me just one more? Please!”

Once one or two people started sharing their opinions, the crowd quickly became lively, showering the cosmetics with praise.

With the product’s effectiveness proven, many expressed their disappointment at the thought that they might not be able to get it again in the future.

Eventually, the praise for the cosmetics shifted into admiration for the lord himself.

“It’s truly incredible! It was amazing when you showed us the new farming method, and now you’ve made a product like this!”

“This is going to be a huge hit! It’ll become our estate’s specialty!”

“Please make more products! We’ll trust anything you create from now on!”

The compliments kept coming.

Ghislain reclined arrogantly in his seat, wearing a satisfied expression, as if encouraging them to keep praising him.

When the people started to tire and the flurry of compliments died down, Ghislain glanced over at Claude and the mages.

“Well? I think we have our answer.”

“Ugh, ugh…”

Claude and the mages’ faces turned pale in an instant.

After all their praying, not a single person had a breakout!

To think that he had actually managed to create an effective cosmetic product.

Now, they couldn’t even argue their way out of it.

Claude’s eyes trembled as he looked around. Everyone in the banquet hall was staring at him, waiting for his declaration of defeat.

“Sigh…”

Claude let out a deep breath, staring up at the ceiling for a moment before breaking into a self-deprecating smile.

“Well, it can’t be helped. Who would have thought the lord would succeed again? Where on earth did you learn to do things like this?”

No matter the reason, he had to accept his loss.

Because that was… being a ‘gambler.’

Of course, it was utter nonsense.

“Fine. I admit defeat.”

He was now bound to twenty years of servitude.

Well, it was only natural, considering he had gambled with his life on the line.

When Claude nodded readily and acknowledged his loss, murmurs of admiration rose around him.

To accept twenty years of servitude so calmly—it was no wonder he held the position of Chief Overseer of Fenris Estate. Though, it also hinted that he wasn’t quite sane.

With a resigned, almost helpless smile, Claude shook his head.

He extended his fist slightly toward Alfoi and spoke.

“I lost, but it was a good fight. Still, it was a great match, wasn’t it, bro?”

Alfoi, who had been standing there in a daze, slowly turned his head.

He saw Claude’s face, smiling brightly despite acknowledging his defeat.

“Heh.”

Alfoi smirked and brought his fist toward Claude’s… then suddenly spread his hand wide open.

Whoosh!

Flames burst forth from Alfoi’s palm, flickering wildly.

“Ugh!”

Wendy quickly yanked Claude back by the collar.

Though his face was spared from being burned, he ended up falling onto the floor.

“Hey, bro! What the hell was that all about?”

Claude rubbed his backside as he looked up.

Alfoi and the other wizards had terrifyingly cold expressions on their faces.

“Huh, huh? Wait a second. Are you going to attack? Right in front of the lord? Today’s supposed to be a joyful day!”

“I’m going to kill them.”

Alfoi and the wizards began to draw out their mana.

Realizing how serious the situation had become, Wendy quickly grabbed Claude and fled the banquet hall.

No matter how capable she was, she couldn’t face twenty-six wizards head-on.

“Catch them and kill them!”

Alfoi and the wizards rushed after them in a stampede.

People were left stunned, their expressions frozen in bewilderment at the sudden turn of events.

Ghislaine waved his hand lightly and spoke.

“Now, don’t worry about them. Enjoy yourselves. I’ll go after those guys myself.”

With even the lord leaving, the guests were able to relax and enjoy the banquet.

Wendy, grumbling internally over missing out on the party, carried Claude on her back and ran around the estate.

“Run! If we get caught, we’re dead!”

“Shut up.”

The enraged Alfoi and the wizards pursued them without rest.

The chase finally ended when Ghislaine intervened and subdued everyone.

* * *

“We have a problem.”

Now a twenty-year slave, Claude spoke with a serious expression.

He looked a mess, as if he’d been beaten up somewhere.

“There’s never a day when you don’t have a problem, is there? Alright, what is it this time?”

“The success of the cosmetics is worth celebrating. Anyone who tries it can’t help but be amazed. I’d like to have a few to send to Anna.”

“What’s the issue if it’s a success?”

“The cost of the ingredients is too high to produce in large quantities. But if we produce only small amounts, it’s too slow. That’s the problem.”

These cosmetics used a lot of herbs.

The most expensive among them was a flower called “Fairy’s Blessing”.

It was the same flower that was used to treat Gillian’s daughter, more valuable than gold of the same weight.

Although only a small amount was actually used, the production cost was still significant.

“It’s fine. We’ll just sell them at a higher price to the nobles. That product’s main market is the nobles anyway.”

“High-end strategy, I get it. But we still need the nobles to buy it to make a profit, right? Even the castle staff refused to use it. Gillian used it out of loyalty, but the nobles won’t be like that.”

“That’s where the marketing comes in.”

“How? There aren’t any nobles here in this rural estate.”

Ghislaine nodded, as if he’d already planned something.

“I’m going to the capital.”

“What?”

“All the nobles who love socializing are gathered there, aren’t they? I’m going to build connections and sell cosmetics there.”

“Sigh… Capital nobles are notoriously picky. What makes you think they’ll buy your product? If it doesn’t sell well, you’ll just lose money and not even make back what you spent.”

“What if I make them use it by force?”

“What?”

Claude’s eyes widened. Forcing nobles to use something? Was that even possible?

“I’ll kidnap them for about two weeks, lock them up, and then release them once their skin improves.”

“Are you insane?”

“But won’t they be grateful once their skin looks better?”

“Thank you? What the he… No, never mind. Let’s just think about it after we kill them. They’ll realize it too late. ‘Huh? So this wasn’t poison?’”

“Hm, so it’s still not good, huh.”

“Of course not. Let’s try to be reasonable, please.”

In truth, even Ghislain had realized after this incident that there was definitely a problem.

Unless they had the kind of reputation like the Delfine Duchy, it would be extremely difficult to sell this to the nobles.

“Let’s think about that when the time comes. We have to keep making the product anyway, so keep ordering the materials.”

“Ugh… Well, it’s not like we can develop something like this and not sell it.”

Claude wasn’t entirely against selling the product.

There wasn’t anything on the continent as effective as this.

The best approach would be to have it gain popularity among the nobles in the capital.

After all, they were the ones who set the trends in the kingdom.

Once it started selling to the nobles, they would be rolling in a mountain of money.

All they needed was for a few people to use it at first. If they managed that, others would come flocking with money in hand. But getting those first few was the problem.

“Since it’s obvious it won’t sell well in the beginning, why don’t we produce less until it catches on?”

“No, stockpile it for now. As soon as someone starts using it, it’ll sell like crazy. If we start preparing then, it’ll take too long.”

“That’s true, but… the more it doesn’t sell, the deeper our losses will be. The unit cost is too high. If it doesn’t sell properly, we won’t even break even. There’s also a limit to how much we can store.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll go to the capital and see what I can do. If the worst comes to worst, I’ll do door-to-door sales. There are people who sell that way, aren’t there?”

“…Your sales strategy is giving me a headache.”

Claude doubted anyone would buy cosmetics from some country bumpkin going door-to-door.

It would be one thing if they were just promoting the cosmetics properly, but knowing Ghislain, he might actually pull out a knife and threaten people to buy it.

If word of this got out, it wouldn’t just damage Ghislain’s reputation; it would tarnish everyone around him.

“Let’s think a bit more about the door-to-door sales. It might be better to just build relationships with the nobles.”

“I’m already considering that too. Ha, making friends isn’t easy.”

“…Right. It’s not easy.”

Claude didn’t bet on this venture.

The product’s effectiveness was undeniable, so it was bound to catch on eventually.

And when that happened, there would be nobles wanting to buy it, and connections would naturally follow.

The problem was that it wouldn’t happen quickly, and until then, they’d be stuck with surplus stock, leading to losses, which was what concerned him.

“So, when will you be leaving? It’s going to take some time to build up enough stock.”

“I’ll leave once we have enough to sell. We’ve been making more during testing, so it shouldn’t take too long.”

“Phew, got it. Have a safe trip. Make lots of good friends, okay? Oh, I hope it sells well.”

Claude struggled to hide his joy and put on a sympathetic expression.

Just the trip to the capital would take a month.

Considering the time needed to promote it, the lord would be away for quite a while.

Claude was planning to take advantage of Ghislain’s absence to get some rest and soothe his weary mind and body.

‘Please just hurry up and leave.’

But the response he got from Ghislain was like a bolt out of the blue.

“What do you mean, ‘have a safe trip’? You’re coming with me.”