Chapter 447: I Am a Negotiation Specialist -4
If the Duke of Delfine's faction and the Salvation Church were eliminated from the kingdom, Ghislain and the Northern Army could freely assist other nations.
The envoys understood this argument.
‘So this is why we were summoned.’
‘He’s not wrong. If the Kingdom of Ritania collapses, it’ll send shockwaves everywhere.’
‘We need their continued support here. To ensure that, we must win this civil war.’
Although they wanted to object, the benefits they’d already received were significant. Opposing now would risk losing the aid currently flowing in.
After careful calculation, the envoy from the Kingdom of Grimwell reluctantly spoke up.
“We will provide an army of 10,000. In return, resolve the civil war as quickly as possible and come to our aid.”
Ghislain’s logic wasn’t flawed. It was better to thoroughly handle one matter at a time.
Once he agreed, the other envoys chimed in as well.
“We’ll also provide 10,000 troops.”
“We can commit 5,000 for now. I’ll confirm with our government upon my return, and we may increase the support.”
“We will contribute 8,000 troops.”
The envoys pledged the military forces they were authorized to negotiate.
Ghislain smiled contentedly. While borrowing Master-level individuals would be ideal, it was clear they wouldn’t offer them yet.
In his past life, even the Seven Strongest on the Continent were only mobilized when things had grown far worse than now.
Thus, Ghislain successfully secured significant military support. The total force amounted to roughly 200,000 troops. Indeed, the alliance’s strength was impressive. Including the Northern Army and Fenris’ forces, the number approached 300,000.
‘Good, this will help immensely.’
While the duke’s faction alone might be manageable, the high priests of the Salvation Church were individuals with strength rivaling that of supersoldiers. Dealing with them required overwhelming military power.
With discussions about support concluded, agreements were soon drafted, and the tense atmosphere began to lighten.
The royalist nobles preparing for a confrontation with the duke's faction were especially jubilant.
Armies from various kingdoms! It gave them confidence that the Duke of Delfine could be swiftly crushed.
In high spirits, Maurice grinned broadly and gestured to Ghislain.
“This young man here is my nephew, my nephew.”
“Haha, is that so? The marquis’ family is truly fortunate.”
“He’s incredibly dashing. Even his appearance is extraordinary.”
“I’ve heard he’s a master. Achieving such heights at a young age is remarkable.”
The envoys showered Ghislain with flattery, as he held significant sway to the Supreme Commander of the Ritania Kingdom’s military.
“……”
Ghislain remained silent.
Thinking it was all over, the envoy from the Kingdom of Grimwell laughed as he made a comment.
“By the way, the Fenris Mercenary Corps Count, aren’t you taking too many mercenaries? Quite a number have already moved to your kingdom from ours.”
“That’s right. Many of our mercenaries have also crossed over.”
“It’s becoming difficult for us. The mercenaries are vanishing, and we need them too. Could you refrain from taking so many?”
Though they couched it in jest, their words carried weight.
Because of the Fenris Mercenary Corps’ benefits, mercenaries were flocking to the Kingdom of Ritania. It had become a serious issue beyond mere jokes.
Ghislain nodded slightly and replied.
“So you’re saying you’re having difficulties because all the mercenaries are moving to us.”
One envoy seized the opportunity to respond.
“Exactly. This is the ideal time for mercenaries to thrive. But they’re abandoning their homelands to flock to your kingdom it’s a real problem. I think some sort of regulation under our alliance’s name might be necessary…”
Leaning back in his chair, Ghislain spoke.
“Why make things so complicated? You could simply hire our mercenary corps.”
“What? Hire… your corps?”
Ghislain glanced meaningfully at everyone as he continued.
“The solution to stop mercenaries from leaving is simple.”
“And what would that be?”
“We’ll establish Fenris Mercenary Corps branches in each kingdom.”
“Branches… you say?”
“Yes. Let all your mercenaries join and operate under Fenris’ mercenary branches. Wouldn’t that simplify things?”
“……”
In short, he was proposing to absorb every mercenary on the continent.
Everyone had the same thought.
‘What the hell? Is he insane?’
While most were bewildered, blinking in confusion, the royalist nobles of Ritania thought differently.
They nodded knowingly.
‘Here he goes again.’
This man was not one to let an opportunity slip by.
The envoy from the Kingdom of Grimwell, flustered, spoke again.
“Pardon me, but I must be misunderstanding. Are you saying you plan to take control of all the mercenaries across all kingdoms?”
“Didn’t you say the problem was mercenaries leaving your nations and flocking to ours?”
‘What I meant was for you to stop taking them!’
Realizing there was a communication gap, he slowly explained again.
“We also need to hire mercenaries. Not just for battles, but for tasks like transportation and disaster recovery. These require a significant workforce.”
“That’s why I’m telling you to use our mercenaries.”
‘Why doesn’t this guy understand anything?’
“Haven’t we already finalized the military support agreement? And now you’re saying we need to hire mercenaries separately?”
“Have you ever seen mercenaries fight for free?”
“……”
The envoys ground their teeth internally. Of course, everyone knew that. But the current situation was different, wasn’t it? This man seemed to treat the kingdom and his private mercenary corps as entirely separate entities.
As infuriating as it was, they couldn’t openly oppose him. Breaking the agreement here wasn’t an option since their side needed the help more urgently.
The envoys who encountered Ghislain for the first time ground their teeth in frustration.
‘Ugh... This guy knows how to exploit the situation perfectly.’
‘What is even happening right now?’
‘Do we really have to go along with this?’
They had asked him to stop taking their mercenaries, yet now he wanted to monopolize all mercenaries on the continent for himself.
They had never encountered someone so blatantly ambitious.
The envoy from the Kingdom of Grimwell wiped his sweat nervously and laughed.
“Haha... It seems you’re aspiring to become the King of Mercenaries.”
Ghislain’s eyes gleamed.
“That’s an excellent idea.”
‘This guy... he’s clearly not normal. Can we even trust a treaty with someone like this?’
Even Marquis Branford, familiar with Ghislain’s antics, cleared his throat awkwardly. While he was accustomed to Ghislain’s behavior, representatives from other kingdoms were not.
“Ahem. Isn’t military support necessary once the civil war ends? Is all this really necessary?”
“Mercenaries won’t move without payment. And you can’t just let all the mercenaries flock to the Kingdom of Ritania, can you?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“So, it’s better to establish branches to manage them properly. Since we’re forming an alliance army, someone must oversee the mercenaries as well. In the current situation, it’s most effective to affiliate them all under the Fenris Mercenary Corps. We could even enforce a law allowing only Fenris-affiliated mercenaries to operate during the war.”
As Ghislain grinned slyly, the envoys fell silent.
It didn’t entirely make sense, yet it also did. To overcome their current predicament, consolidating military power and ensuring tight control were indeed necessary.
But what would happen if one man owned all the mercenaries on the continent?
A chill ran down the spines of the envoys. In such a case, that man would essentially become a king in his own right.
‘Is this even okay?’
‘Dangerous. This guy’s dangerous a lunatic, even.’
Mercenaries were more than just combatants. While people often thought of them as fighters, they were far more commonly employed for escort missions, transport, construction, and other essential tasks tied to daily life.
Without mercenaries, the basic economy of a kingdom would collapse. Nobles weren’t about to stoop to such menial work themselves.
But what if all those mercenaries belonged to a single massive organization? Their leader could wield enormous influence over nations.
As the envoys struggled to respond, Ghislain chuckled as though it were no big deal.
“Why are you so worried? You all know mercenaries are a stubborn bunch. Do you really think such a massive organization would survive after the war?”
“Hmm...”
“Right now, there’s a clear enemy, so this works. But once the war ends, greed will get the better of them, and they’ll start leaving one by one. Don’t you think it’s fine to have them unified until then?”
That argument held weight. A massive organization like that wouldn’t be sustainable after the war.
Especially because of the costs. For now, kingdoms needed mercenaries enough to bear the expenses, but after the war, routine contracts wouldn’t suffice to cover the maintenance costs.
“Alright, let’s proceed for now.”
When the influential envoy from the Kingdom of Grimwell agreed, others quickly followed suit.
Currently, they owed much to the Kingdom of Ritania and needed to prevent the outflow of mercenaries.
By affiliating all mercenaries with Fenris, they could provide benefits and discourage them from relocating. Mercenaries could continue working in their respective regions while Fenris would handle any conflicts.
When everyone agreed, Ghislain grinned and spoke.
“I’ll dispatch branches of the Fenris Mercenary Corps to each region. Spread the word and encourage enrollment in Fenris. With legal measures in place, it’ll be resolved quickly.”
“Ugh... Understood.”
Unexpected additions to the original plan kept piling up. The envoys, tethered by the leash of aid and unaccustomed to this kind of relentless pressure, couldn’t help but get swept along.
“Well, since the alliance has been formed, shouldn’t we also elect a representative?”
The envoy from the Kingdom of Grimwell hesitated before responding nervously.
“Uh, well, as we proposed… If that’s not satisfactory, we could discuss it further…”
“When will you have the time to discuss this in detail? We’re in a race against the clock.”
“Still, there is such a thing as proper procedure…”
“Focusing on that will only delay our response. Let’s appoint Marquis Branford as the temporary representative for now.”
‘You bastard! Can’t you compromise on even one thing?’
The envoy from the Kingdom of Grimwell flushed with anger, but swallowed his frustration.
“Hmm…”
The other envoys fell into silent contemplation. Marquis Branford simply watched Ghislain’s antics with amused interest.
“Wouldn’t it be better to put out the immediate fire and hold a vote later to decide formally?”
Ghislain pressed them further. In his previous life, dealing with this type of negotiation was far more exhausting than battle. Everyone was so caught up in political wrangling that everything moved at a snail’s pace.
That couldn’t happen this time. He needed to take everything he could while the opportunity was ripe.
Under Ghislain’s relentless push, the envoys finally gave up.
The envoy from the Kingdom of Grimwell, grinding his teeth, reluctantly agreed, planning to address the matter later.
“Fine. Since the alliance’s framework isn’t fully established yet, let’s have Marquis Branford serve as the ‘interim’ representative. Once things settle, we’ll elect someone officially.”
“That works.”
With decisions flying at lightning speed, the nobles of Ritania were left stunned.
This wasn’t how noble assemblies typically worked. Usually, everything was worded diplomatically, with conditions adjusted to satisfy all parties involved.
But Ghislain was bulldozing through everything, showing clear intent to upend it all if his terms weren’t met.
Even so, the nobles of Ritania kept silent, well aware of how much this would benefit them.
‘Ah, my nephew. I should treat him to a feast of roast duck.’
‘If we leverage this opportunity, we could establish ourselves as the continent’s dominant power.’
‘Good thing I kept pushing for him on my wife’s advice.’
While they reveled in their own thoughts, Marquis Branford turned to Ghislain and asked:
“Do you have any intention of taking on the role yourself?”
Everyone froze at the unexpected question. Entrusting the position of alliance representative to Ghislain? The audacity!
The envoys’ faces said it all.
‘Not that lunatic!’
Fortunately, Ghislain declined.
“For now, we still need your reputation and authority, Marquis.”
Marquis Branford chuckled faintly. It was clear that Ghislain was openly stating his intent to use him.
If Ghislain were to take the chair, it would undoubtedly stir controversy among the other kingdoms. Despite his growing reputation, he didn’t yet command the same level of authority abroad when compared to the Marquis of Branford.
“Very well. Let me know if the need arises.”
“Thank you.”
The conversation left the envoys uneasy. Things were continually shifting in directions they didn’t want, but they couldn’t protest. They had already accepted too much food and medicine to object now. It was clear Ghislain intended to tighten the leash.
‘Damn it, so this is why he was so generous in the first place! I feel like we’re being completely shackled.’
‘I’m going to get an earful when I report this back home.’
‘There’s no other option. We still need food, medicine, and military support to stop the rift.’
The tension in the room made the envoy of the Kingdom of Grimwell speak up.
“Well, then, let’s have our respective teams draft the specifics and work out the details in subsequent meetings”
“Oh, come now. That’ll just take forever. When will the teams convene, draft the agreement, and wait for approvals? That alone could take days.”
“Uh, but surely we need a proper system”
“Of course we do, and that’s why I’ve prepared something. Hey, let them in.”
At Ghislain’s command, the door opened, and several individuals entered the room.
Leading them was a man with a bright smile, who began speaking immediately.
“Greetings. I’m Claude, Chief Overseer of the Fenris Estate. These are administrative officers from Fenris. We’ve prepared materials to establish a truly ‘familial’ alliance.”
“Hmm?”
The envoys frowned in confusion as they sized-up Claude, a man with a sly air who looked like he was about to deliver some sarcastic remarks.