Ch.61Preparation (1)

“Hey, let me say this one more time—”

“I will never run away and will fulfill my mission. Do not insult me or the Saint!!”

“…Fine.”

What are the higher-ups thinking, just releasing such a dangerous criminal?

I sort of understand what’s going on. They want her to cause trouble in the border region with the Empire so they can use it as an excuse to interfere.

But isn’t there a possibility she’ll just run away without causing any trouble? How can they trust someone like her and simply let her go?

Forget it, it’s not my concern. A soldier’s job is to follow orders.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Thank you so much, soldier. May your path always be filled with light.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

The soldier says something he doesn’t mean and leaves Jeanne on the dark roadside. Jeanne watches their backs as they depart and offers a prayer.

……….

“Hmm… this is actually quite good.”

The morning after sending Jeanne to the border region, I went to see the prototype that had just come out of the factory. While the finishing wasn’t perfect, as expected, it was still quite an excellent product considering the circumstances.

To be honest, I hadn’t expected much from the prototype’s quality, but this is good enough to sell right away.

“Compared to ordinary workshops, how much difference is there in production volume?”

“It varies by item, Your Grace. For items that require drying time that can’t be shortened, the increase is at most 10%, but for other items, production is at least 20% higher.”

“…So production has increased across the board?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

This exceeds my expectations.

To be honest, I expected the initial factory to produce less than workshops since it was built too quickly and lacked accumulated know-how.

But not only are they producing items of decent quality, production volume has increased as well?

As expected, division of labor— No, that’s not it.

“It seems the craftsmen on the front lines have put in considerable effort. They deserve a reward.”

This isn’t my achievement.

I merely introduced the concept of division of labor to the craftsmen; all the practical work was done by the craftsmen I hired. I shouldn’t be arrogant.

“Yes, Your Grace. Shall I summon them?”

“Tell them to come when it’s convenient for them. They must be tired from all their work, and they probably wouldn’t appreciate being suddenly summoned by me.”

“Understood.”

To craftsmen who always strive for excellent quality, this level of quality probably looks inferior.

And the fact that I, the Duke, am personally examining such inferior products must have put tremendous pressure on them, to the point of burning them out.

Well, judging by the lights that were on in the factory until late every night, that’s probably why we got such good results.

“Then we’ll sell these goods to the Holy Empire— Wait.”

The Holy Empire is currently in the midst of a civil war against heretics, and foreign powers have even gotten involved.

Merchants, seriously exposed to the threat of plunder, have all holed up in safe places to observe the situation. According to Ines, farmers and city dwellers are all being conscripted, so things are quite bad.

‘…How can I sell goods to the Empire in this state?’

This makes the reason for unifying our currency with the Holy Empire’s currency pointless.

Of course, since it’s the currency of a major power, neighboring countries also use the Holy Empire’s currency, so it’s not a complete loss, but it’s still somewhat disappointing.

‘If I can’t sell to the Holy Empire, then for now it’s the Kingdom of Caroling or across the sea to the Kingdom of Albion.’

With so many goods, we can’t go too far.

The Kingdom of Caroling, which can be reached directly by land, and the Kingdom of Albion, which is across the sea adjacent to the coastal region, will be our main customers.

‘Or I could just release them domestically—yes, that might be the best approach.’

Come to think of it, there was no need to try selling abroad from the beginning.

If I release factory-made products domestically, they will naturally push out foreign products that have become expensive due to transportation costs and tariffs. Eventually, when the domestic market is saturated with factory products, they will overflow abroad, like water spilling from a full cup. The private sector will take care of selling them overseas.

Besides, factory goods are still quite crude compared to artisan products, so they won’t encroach on the craftsmen’s domain.

“I’m thinking of releasing these products domestically. What do you think?”

“Everyone would welcome it greatly. However, since the money would ultimately circulate within the country, we wouldn’t make much profit.”

That’s true.

From my personal perspective as Duke Burgon, selling products abroad would bring much more profit than selling them domestically.

Aside from not being able to import gold, silver, and goods from abroad, the profit that can be obtained domestically is limited, and that profit must be reinvested domestically.

If I didn’t do that and concentrated all the wealth on myself, the capacity of the Duchy of Burgon would plummet beyond rock bottom, straight through the mantle.

“That’s fine. What does it matter if I don’t profit? The lives of the people will improve.”

There’s no use in earning more money here anyway.

Of course, there are many expenses—factory expansion, officials’ salaries, maintenance costs for the standing army, and so on—but the amount that I, as an individual, would spend is very small, almost negligible.

No matter how luxuriously I live, I can only wear one outfit at a time, eat three meals a day, and use one pillow at a time. While a nation’s expenses might be limitless, there’s a limit to what one person can spend.

If I keep it all, it will just rot in the treasury. Rather than seeing that happen, it’s better to circulate it back into society.

‘Besides, that society is mine anyway.’

This is an era where individuals own the state.

As national power grows, it ultimately becomes my strength. I can’t throw away the big picture just because I’m fixated on the gold right in front of me.

“…Yes, that is indeed so.”

“…?”

But Leclerc’s reaction is a bit strange. He spoke with a slightly odd voice, and when I looked at him, he had an extremely impressed expression.

What’s with him now? It’s unsettling.

……….

“Your Grace, the army of the Kingdom of Caroling has sent a letter requesting passage for their holy war.”

Dying is easy, but lending a path is difficult— No, that’s not it.

“I thought they would go all the way around, but fortunately they’re passing through Burgon. Charge them a toll and assign guides to escort them through Burgon.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Also, make sure the Caroling army passes through as many major cities as possible.”

“Of course.”

An army is essentially a massive group that consumes without producing.

It’s no wonder that quartermasters in armies save supplies instead of using them. Since they don’t produce anything, they must conserve resources.

Having such a massive consuming group pass through cities will be a great boon for the citizens.

This will be like rain in a drought for merchants who have been struggling due to the aftermath of war and the situation in the Holy Empire.

‘Speaking of war aftermath, the Kingdom of Caroling is quite bold.’

If I were the King of Caroling, I would have abstained from this heretic eradication war, considering the money lost in reparations and the aftermath of defeat.

Has the King of Caroling already eliminated those aftereffects, showing his competence, or is he just a fool?

No, even if he were a fool, he couldn’t use his military so freely. Even with the king’s will, the nobles would have objected.

‘Relations between Caroling and Burgon are very cold.’

Although our relationship improved slightly from enemies to a cooled relationship when they sent royalty as envoys to the wedding, we can’t even pretend to be on friendly terms.

Moreover, the previous peace treaty didn’t specify a ceasefire period. No one would object if war broke out immediately.

If I were to invade Caroling while they’ve diverted their troops abroad like this, they could somehow defend themselves, but it would be very troublesome—they must know this, right?

‘…Information has leaked.’

A few days ago, I told some of my officials that domestic management was more urgent than responding to the Emperor’s request for support, so we couldn’t afford to pay attention to foreign affairs for now.

If the Kingdom of Caroling discovered this information, it all makes sense.

They’ve judged that since we won’t participate in a war where they could gain all sorts of spoils, the possibility of their kingdom being invaded is very low, even if they divert troops abroad.

“Leclerc, we need to establish an intelligence agency.”

“An intelligence agency… We already have one, but you want a more professional and systematic one, Your Grace. I will see to it.”

Leclerc, who had been standing calmly in place for several minutes watching me think, acknowledges my sudden statement without showing any sign of surprise.

This is why I like Leclerc.

“Brother? We were talking about the Caroling army, why suddenly mention an intelligence agency?”

At that moment, Chloe tilts her head and expresses her confusion at the mention of an intelligence agency.

Judging by her expression, Ines seems curious as well.

“Ah, it seems the Kingdom of Caroling has planted a spy in the castle.”

“What…? The Empire might have spies, but Caroling…”

“No, if information hadn’t leaked, they would have to be cautious of us, so Caroling couldn’t deploy their army so freely.”

“…I see.”

After my repeated explanation, Leclerc, Chloe, and Ines all nod in understanding.

Leclerc frowns, seemingly thinking about what information might have leaked, while Chloe and Ines slightly bow their heads with expressions full of displeasure, apparently somewhat shocked.

That’s understandable. The spy likely observed every move of Chloe and Ines living in the castle, so naturally they would feel uncomfortable.

“It’s alright. I’ll catch that spy soon.”

“…Thank you, my lord.”

My reassurance doesn’t seem to improve their mood. I should give them a gift later to cheer them up a bit.