Chapter 44

"Ahem, ahem. Sorry, this wine is really strong. It's like wine, but..."

"It's called distilled liquor. How do you find it?"

Einz smiled as he slowly sipped the drink.

"If I had known it was this strong beforehand, I might have gotten used to the burning sensation in my throat. It could become a habit... However, I might get drunk quickly if I drink too much. I'll be careful. By the way, this is..."

"I can't supply much, but I can sell you a little. Let's discuss it tomorrow."

When I said that, Einz bowed his head in apology.

"By the way, was the Dragon Damascus sword useful?"

"Well, I haven't used it much..."

My main weapon was a spear. I only used it to cut off the head of King Ferum. It's better left unsaid.

"By the way, what is the Kirisia Peninsula like? Could you tell me about it?"

I changed the subject a bit, but I was genuinely curious. I had been isolated in the forest for years and was quite unfamiliar with the local situation.

"The Kirisia Peninsula... The climate is almost the same as the Adelnia Peninsula. There are over a hundred city-states on the Kirisia Peninsula, and they constantly form alliances and conflicts with each other."

I see, so it's almost the same as the Adelnia Peninsula.

"Right. The difference is that all city-states are surrounded by stone walls, and if an external enemy invades, they form a truce and fight the enemy together."

"Even though the northern part of the Adelnia Peninsula has been under Gallic control for a hundred years, we in the southern countries are still at war."

North of the Adelnia Peninsula is a place called Gaul. The Roselle Kingdom, ruled by the Gauls, has been invading the Adelnia Peninsula.

The northern half has already been taken, and they continue to advance south. The Domorgal, Gilbert, and Faldarm kingdoms, pressured by the Roselle Kingdom, are moving south, threatening our Rosais kingdom... my territory.

It's like a domino effect.

If the southern Adelnia countries cooperated, they could drive back the Roselle Kingdom, but...

It's impossible.

"By the way, where did you learn Kirisian, Lord Alms?"

"From Tera. She's half-Kirisian."

Before I learned it, it was a blessing.

"Hmm... Your mother..."

Tera nodded at Einz's words.

"Her name is Helena. She was discovered by my father when she was traveling through this As territory."

"Helena...?"

Einz muttered Helena's name while drinking.

"When I hear Kirisia, I imagine a very advanced country... Is there an external enemy?"

Surrounding everything with stone walls is not something many countries on the Adelnia Peninsula can achieve.

If they have such technology, why would there be an external enemy?

"Of course. There are many who target the rich Kirisia. The most representative are the Persis Empire and Pheonia."

"Persis Empire? Pheonia?"

I've never heard of them. Where are they?

I only have the impression that Kirisia is very far away.

"Pheonia is right next to the Adelnia Peninsula. You know the Trisiceria Island a little south of the Adelnia Peninsula? Pheonia is a bit further south from there."

Einz took a sip of the distilled liquor.

"They have been doing maritime trade in the Tethys Sea for a long time... and they don't like that we Kirisians are taking it away. They often start wars. However, the Tethys Sea is becoming our sea."

Einz continued to criticize Pheonia, clearly drunk.

"What about the Persis Empire?"

"The Persis Empire... It's a large country to the east of Kirisia. They are very greedy and have invaded Kirisia twice. The first time with 200,000 troops, and the second with 300,000. Just the numbers. We, the Kirisia Alliance, won both times."

200,000 and 300,000...

The scale is incomparable to the Rosais Kingdom.

Of course, it's not the entire army. Given the size of the country, they probably send tens of thousands of troops to other borders. The total military strength might be around 400,000.

The Rosais Kingdom can only mobilize about 5,000 troops even with the cooperation of all the nobles. There's no way we could win.

But it's a country far from the Kirisia Peninsula, so there's no chance of getting involved. I can rest easy.

"But that's amazing. How did you defeat an army of 300,000?"

"Haha, we have the god of war on our side."

Einz, in high spirits, began to talk about the Kirisia-Persis wars. He was completely drunk.

The banquet continued until Einz passed out.

---

"Ugh... My head..."

"Are you okay? Should I get you some water?"

"Please... Ha, sorry. I drank too much..."

Einz smiled wryly.

"About the distilled liquor..."

"I can't supply much, but I can sell you a little."

We discussed the price and quantity of the distilled liquor. This would be a new way to earn foreign currency.

"What kind of goods do you want?"

"Horses. I want about 300."

"300? That's... No, it's possible to gather them. However..."

Einz hesitated before continuing.

"300 horses would cost around 1,200 gold coins. Can you prepare that much money? And consider the maintenance costs..."

Intuitively, one gold coin is worth about a million yen. So, in Japanese terms, it's a purchase of about 1.2 billion yen.

Obviously, the As territory's income can't cover that much.

"Mr. Einz, I was just a village chief of a small village not long ago. But now, what do you think?"

"...Now, you are one of the top two most powerful nobles in the Rosais Kingdom."

That's right. My rise to power is unprecedented.

"Currently, we are setting up a mass production system for paper in my territory. We can produce a large amount soon."

"...What are you trying to say?"

"Can't we do a loan payment instead of a lump sum?"

When I asked, Einz crossed his arms and thought. Then he spoke.

"150 gold coins per year for 25 years. I'll accept that."

So, it would be 2,550 gold coins in total... twice the amount borrowed.

It's ridiculous.

However, horses are urgently needed. There's no choice.

"Do you have a plan for maintenance?"

"Yes, to some extent."

Without animals, the crop rotation system wouldn't work.

"By the way, what will you use them for?"

"To plow fields, transport goods, and form cavalry... various uses."

I plan to lend horses to the villages. I'll charge a fee each time they are lent.

It's a kind of tax.

Normally, I'll have the farmers around the palace take care of them. In return, they get priority in using the horses.

The first foal born in each village will be returned to the As family, and any subsequent foals can be kept by the villagers. The As family will take care of the foals until they grow big enough, then lend them to other villages.

This way, we can gradually spread the use of horses, just like crop rotation. We can increase the number of horses by several times in no time.

Of course, in case of an emergency, we can gather them for use as cavalry or cargo horses.

"By the way, do you need caretakers? I can offer them at a discount now."

"No, Ria is enough."

Actually, Ria is no longer needed. Soyong has mastered horse raising.

I can have her teach the others, so she's not needed.

Incidentally, Ria, who has been freed from her duties, is now taken care of by Rozward. She apparently does housework at home.

She's also close to giving birth.

"But I want to form cavalry... I need people who can ride horses. Mercenaries or combat slaves. About fifty."

Currently, only thirty can ride horses properly. Another twenty or so can be found among the veterans and experienced riders.

But to form a cavalry of a hundred, I need fifty more. I need to find a way to fill the gap.

"Hmm, mercenaries are tough. I can introduce you, but whether they will come to the Adelnia Peninsula... Combat slaves might be better. Actually, a month ago, we had a skirmish with the Germanis, and some horse riders are available in the market."

"Then, can I have combat slaves?"

Combat slaves are easier to handle. They are expensive, but once bought, you don't have to pay them a salary.

"Understood. Fifty combat slaves would cost 75 gold coins. Do you want to make it a 25-year contract?"

"I'll pay in full."

It's too much to make a 25-year contract for 75 gold coins...

"Then, I'll take my leave."

Einz bowed and left.

Before leaving, he turned back and said,

"If you need weapons, please let me know immediately."

He's still as business-minded as ever.

For some reason, I feel that 'Gaul' doesn't need to be changed... The Latin spelling 'Gallia' sounds too old-fashioned.