The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 244: Starting a New Venture (2)

‘Fenris Arrow Delivery? What’s that supposed to be?’

‘This is crazy. Last time, he gave the cosmetic business a weird name too.’

‘Can’t we do something about his naming sense?’

Even without knowing the details of the business, just hearing the name was enough to give the retainers a headache. As they stared at him with their mouths agape, Ghislain pushed forward confidently.

“Why? What? What’s wrong with it? A name needs to be intuitive so people can understand it easily. Don’t you get it? Last time, I gave in because the cosmetics were meant for nobles. Isn’t that right?”

Ghislain had spent far more years as a mercenary than as a noble. Naturally, he preferred fast, straightforward names over unnecessary, flowery phrases.

He still felt a little regret over giving up the ambitious name “Lovely Bling-Bling.” Back then, the reactions were overwhelmingly negative, and since the product was a luxury item for nobles anyway, he had let it go. But this time, he was determined not to back down.

Claude, who had been listening with a blank expression, finally asked,

“…So, what exactly is this arrow delivery? I think I have a rough idea, but can you explain it clearly?”

“It’s simple. It’s a business where we deliver letters or goods for people.”

“Oh…”

“We’ll set up ‘telegraph offices’ in each town and village, charge a small fee, and ensure the safe delivery of letters and goods. The ultimate goal is to have telegraph offices in every town and village connected by roads.”

“Hmm…”

In the current era, it wasn’t easy for ordinary people to send letters or goods to distant relatives or acquaintances.

Instead of sending them whenever they wanted, they had to rely on travelers, merchants, or the military when they were passing through. That was the limit of the times.

Of course, they could request a merchant guild or hire someone specifically for the task, but that was not an option for the impoverished residents of the fief.

It could take months just to send a single letter.

If the fief could take on the task of delivering items as a formal business, it would allow anyone to send letters and goods with ease.

Ghislain continued speaking as if he wasn’t finished yet.

“Since we need the roads to be connected, we’ll start operations within the fief for now. Even so, there will likely be plenty of users. At the very least, soldiers stationed away from their families will have no choice but to use it frequently.”

The retainers nodded blankly.

“And even in areas without connected roads, deliveries are still possible. It’ll just take longer. For now, we’ll run it within the fief and solidify the basic system. Once that’s done, knights, administrators, and migrants from afar can use it too—though they’ll have to pay higher fees.”

“Oh…”

Everyone looked impressed. It was clearly a plan with significant business potential.

Fenris’ fief wasn’t populated solely by people whose families had lived there for generations.

Due to several wars and territorial mergers, there were people from Ferdium, Digald, and Cabaldi mixed in. Migrants from entirely different regions numbered in the thousands.

Additionally, many knights and administrators had come to Fenris alone at Ghislain’s invitation, leaving their families and relatives behind.

Especially for soldiers stationed away from their families due to their duties, sending letters to check on their loved ones would significantly boost morale.

“And that’s not all. Once the system is fully established, it will be easier for the residents to obtain goods. The faster communication between towns and villages becomes, the quicker we can identify needed supplies and materials.”

As Ghislain finished speaking, Claude broke into a cold sweat, lost in thought.

‘What is this? How did he come up with something like this? This is on a completely different level from the businesses he’s done before. If it succeeds, it could make an enormous amount of money. Toll collection rights and a delivery service spanning half the kingdom!’

Ghislain smirked as he watched Claude deep in thought.

‘I sure did a lot of delivery jobs as a rookie mercenary.’

Even now, nobles and merchants often hired mercenaries to deliver important items. Mercenaries even escorted people, essentially delivering them safely to their destinations.

If bandits or monsters attacked along the way, both people and goods could be lost. Hiring mercenaries was a way to reduce that risk.

The better the mercenaries or the larger the merchant guild, the higher the delivery fees.

‘It was convenient in my past life, though.’

Such businesses had existed in my previous life, though not for profit. Instead, they were an unavoidable communication system established to cope with times of chaos.

Intermediate outposts, initially created for troop movements and supply deliveries between fortresses, had been repurposed for this functionality.

Having already experienced the convenience of such a system, I decided to establish it as a proper, sustainable enterprise at the estate level.

‘It’ll be a tremendous help during civil wars or emergencies. Even when I need to deal with insubordinate fools, it’ll come in handy.’

This wasn’t solely about making money. During peacetime, the system could serve as a delivery service, while in wartime, it could function effectively for military purposes.

Since it was something I’d eventually need to do anyway, I figured I might as well turn a profit in the process.

Watching me brim with confidence, Claude began to strategize.

‘This lord has already pulled off countless outrageous schemes. I get the feeling this one will somehow work out too.’

Building roads was a matter of throwing enough money and manpower at it. Stables and relay stations? Those could also be built with more manpower.

All of that was manageable. However, there was one problem that couldn’t be solved by merely throwing people at it.

“There aren’t enough people who can ride horses. What’s the point of connecting roads if there’s no one to handle the deliveries? Don’t tell me you plan to borrow riders as well. Cavalry are a high-class military unit, and their numbers are limited. No other lord would support such an effort.”

“That’s why I plan to train professional riders. In times of emergency, they can serve as cavalry; otherwise, they’ll work as delivery personnel. I already had plans to develop a cavalry unit, so this fits perfectly. Ha.”

I couldn’t help but marvel as I spoke. Riders would naturally improve their equestrian skills while working. Training soldiers and earning money at the same time—how could I resist such an ingenious plan?

No matter how I looked at it, the idea was simply brilliant. This was why I had gone to such lengths to procure an excessive number of horses.

“……”

The others were left speechless by my shocking statement.

‘This lord really plans to work people to the bone. They’re going to serve as soldiers and delivery workers at the same time?’

‘We need to build roads and train cavalry simultaneously. People are going to collapse from exhaustion.’

‘Why can’t he just live a comfortable life now that our estate is wealthy? Why is everything he does so extraordinary?’

Of course, not everyone was wholly negative. The sheer scale of the undertaking had left many stunned, but there were those who saw the bright side.

‘To safely send letters and goods anytime? If that’s possible, it’ll make an absolute fortune.’

‘As expected of our audacious lord. Delivery personnel? Delivery soldiers? He’s practically inventing a whole new profession.’

‘If this succeeds, it’ll be a monumental achievement. If our estate guarantees its reliability, the entire kingdom will have no choice but to use it. With the Royal Faction behind us, it’s even more feasible.’

At present, there wasn’t a single estate or organization in the kingdom that operated a proper transport business.

No one had even entertained the thought of connecting roads over such vast distances.

In the past, I wouldn’t have dared propose something so audacious. But now, with abundant horses and an increased population of estate residents, it felt like an achievable venture.

Claude, too, acknowledged the business potential in my plan. Although it would add significantly to the workload, the estate now wielded both the influence and resources to make it work.

And ultimately… I wasn’t the kind of lord who listened to objections.

With a heavy sigh, Claude finally relented.

“Understood. I’ll send people to each estate and the capital to present the business proposal. First, we need to start road construction and secure toll collection rights. As for training cavalry, that will inevitably take some time, so in the interim, we’ll incur substantial losses…”

Before Claude could finish speaking, I waved him off.

“What losses? Why would we suffer losses? It only takes a month or two to train cavalry. I’ve got it all planned out.”

“What? How can cavalry be trained that quickly? That’s impossible.”

In response, I flashed a sly grin.

“It’s not impossible. The time has come to make use of the elves.”

—

It had been several months since the elves began their physical training. By now, I figured their basic stamina must have improved considerably.

While I was off on a campaign in the north, I couldn’t check in on things midway. However, I knew that Gordon had been putting in absurd amounts of effort.

Now, as I prepared to move on to the next phase of my plans, I decided to visit the elves with a few retainers.

“One! Two! Three! Four! Five…”

Even from a distance, Gordon’s booming voice rang out. Smiling in satisfaction, I picked up my pace.

When we arrived at the training grounds, everyone who laid eyes on the elves was utterly shocked.

‘Are these… elves?’

‘Why do their bodies look like that…?’

‘No matter how much they’ve been exercising, what on earth have they been eating?’

At first glance, it was hard to tell who was Gordon and who were the elves. They were all so heavily muscled that moving seemed like a challenge.

It didn’t matter if they were tall or short, male or female. Every single one of them had become hulking brutes, their shoulders impossibly broad. Their trapezius muscles bulged so much it looked difficult to turn their heads.

Yet, oddly enough, their lower bodies were underdeveloped. It seemed they’d focused entirely on their upper bodies, resulting in a strikingly disproportionate, inverted triangle physique.

“……”

I blinked in silence at the sight of the elves I hadn’t seen in a while. What had they been doing to end up like this?

Spotting me, Gordon, who had been exercising alongside the elves, greeted me with unrestrained enthusiasm.

“My lord! When did you return? I’ve been rigorously conducting ‘physical training!’ Next, we’ll work on building their lower bodies!”

The elves, noticing me, struck confident poses as if to show off their muscles.

“This is actually pretty fun once you get into it! Hahaha!”

“With these muscles, I feel way more confident now!”

“At first, it was a little gross, but now I think it looks pretty cool! Hihi!”

“……”

I stood silently, watching the elves flaunt their muscles, before turning to the retainers with me and asking:

“Why… did no one stop this from happening?”

Gillian, Claude, and I had been away on the campaign, so we hadn’t been able to monitor the situation. But others could have checked in, couldn’t they?

The retainers avoided my gaze and muttered excuses.

“We’ve been swamped with work…”

“We thought they were handling things well on their own…”

“It didn’t seem like something that required much attention…”

The elves’ training ground was tucked away in a corner of the lord’s castle. Unless someone made a deliberate effort to visit, it was easy to overlook their condition.

The retainers had been too busy with their own responsibilities to spare the time. They had simply provided whatever Gordon requested without question.

Gillian let out a deep sigh and bowed his head to me.

“…I’m sorry.”

After all, he had been the one to recommend Gordon. He had instructed Gordon to focus on ‘stamina training,’ but Gordon had interpreted that as ‘physical training.’ There was no excuse for the oversight.

“I’ll work on reducing their muscle mass.”

“…Good.”

I had planned to mold the elves into a new specialized combat unit suited to their abilities. With their excessive muscle growth, they wouldn’t fit the roles I had envisioned. They weren’t meant to be shield-bearers or shock troops, and such a build would only hinder their agility and endurance.

Excessive muscle could reduce their overall effectiveness, especially when agility and stamina were critical. A heavily muscled physique might suit warriors who relied on raw power, but it was entirely unsuitable for the slender and agile elves.

Unaware of the gravity of the situation, Gordon cheerfully approached me, grinning from ear to ear.

“My lord! What do you think? To prevent muscle loss, I’ve been feeding them nothing but chicken breasts every day—gah!”

Before I could respond, Gillian began pummeling Gordon in silence.

‘Why is it so hard to find competent people?’

The elves, witnessing Gordon’s punishment, quickly stopped flexing their muscles and began nervously glancing around.

Interestingly, Ascon, the foul-mouthed troublemaker, had the most normal physique among the elves. He had maintained a lean, athletic build with well-toned muscles.

It turned out that his habit of slacking off and neglecting training had worked in his favor.

“You see? You should’ve followed my example and kept things moderate. Now look at the rest of you—completely ridiculous.”

Ascon smoothed back his hair with a smug expression, clearly proud of himself.

Shaking my head, I immediately called the elves to assemble.

“We’re stopping the… physique—no, stamina training here. It’s time to move on to the next task.”

“Ugh!”

“……”

Even their responses had become strange. Though elves had adapted to life in the human world, it seemed they had become even stranger during my brief absence.

“From now on, you’ll work with Gillian to rebuild your bodies properly. After that, we’ll begin basic training.”

“Ugh!”

“…And change the way you talk.”

“Ugh!”

“…Ascon.”

At my call, Ascon approached cautiously, his expression wary.

“What do you want?”

“From now on, there’s a task the elves will focus on daily. After morning training, you’ll devote your afternoon time to this.”

“And what exactly… is it?”

“Starting now, all of you elves will become horse trainers. Your job will be to tame the horses quickly so others can ride them.”

Ascon’s eyes widened in disbelief at the sudden order. Horse training? That was entirely foreign to him. He had always traveled comfortably in carriages and had no experience with horses.

“What the hell… How are we supposed to do that? We’ve never raised anything, not even a dog!”

Smiling mischievously, I placed a hand on Ascon’s shoulder.

“No, you can do it. Only elves are capable of this job. You’ll need to use your race’s unique ‘communion ability.”