Building a Viking Empire with Modern Industry-Chapter 157: Island

Unfortunately, the strategic synergy between Ragnar and Princess Elfwynn did not last long. Soon after they finished discussing the turbine, Elfrida came rushing into the workshop.

She was practically vibrating with fury. If glares could liquidate assets, Ragnar would be in receivership.

Seeing the hostile look in her eyes, Ragnar immediately began to smirk in the same condescending manner he had done to Eadric shortly before restructuring his spine.

The noblewoman quickly marched up to Ragnar and pointed a manicured finger at his chest before scolding him like an apprentice who had been caught stealing copper wire.

"You! What did you do!? Why did you assault my husband!?"

Ragnar merely laughed at Elfrida while Elfwynn gazed in confusion at the two; after taking his time to enjoy the moment, Ragnar finally responded to Elfrida with a question of his own.

"What exactly did you tell your husband that would make him so enraged to the point where he deliberately searched for me so that he could file a grievance with his fists?"

Elfrida quickly realized what had transpired. She had exaggerated the events from earlier in the morning to her husband, going so far as to accuse Ragnar of... inappropriate conduct in the bathhouse.

Afterward, Eadric was thoroughly outraged by Ragnar’s alleged behavior and sought vengeance on behalf of his wife’s honor (and his own bruised ego), which resulted in the current situation.

However, before Elfrida could spin this event further in her favor, Ragnar broke the silence and added a statement to his question.

"Next time, you should pick a better lawyer; your husband is a worthless asset."

Ragnar turned to Elfwynn, gesturing to the blueprints. "Let’s review these in a more... productive environment."

He began to lead her toward the exit when Elfrida shouted out from a distance.

"You think you can harass my sister, and there won’t be consequences? I wonder what your partner thinks of your actions!"

Elfwynn was quite startled by these accusations and looked at Ragnar with cautious eyes; though she wanted to believe he was purely professional, he had walked in on her earlier.

Seeing Elfwynn staring at him in such a manner, Ragnar’s ire was thoroughly provoked by Elfrida.

Rather than tolerate her slander, he walked up to the woman, towering over her, and tapped the head of his cane against her shoulder before responding to her accusations.

"Libel! First, you try to undermine my authority, then when I reject your husband’s incompetence, you sic him on me! Now you slander my brand! Because you are Elfwynn’s sister, I will be lenient, but this is your final warning.

File another false report, and I will make sure that you and your husband are transferred to the Deep Shaft Mines in Scotland. Now get out of my sight!"

Elfrida was furious, not only at Ragnar but also at Elfwynn, who stared at her with a look of pity behind her spectacles.

After hearing Ragnar’s words, Elfwynn was smart enough to piece together what happened; after all, she knew enough about both Ragnar’s efficiency and Elfrida’s drama to accurately guess what had transpired.

She wouldn’t be surprised if her sister had encouraged Eadric to pick a fight just to stir the pot.

Elfrida rubbed her shoulder where the cane had tapped her. She had never been treated like a subordinate before, and as such, she did not know how to react.

On the one hand, she wanted to report Ragnar to the King.

However, the more rational part of her brain told her that was simply impossible; King Aethelwulf was currently busy losing a war, and Ragnar held all the mortgages.

Thus her actions revolved around fleeing the scene with tears in her eyes and complaining to Bishop Aethelwold. However, Elfrida was utterly unaware that the Bishop was already mindful of her attempts to cook up drama needlessly, and as such, was already intending to give her a thorough sermon.

After Elfrida fled the scene, Elfwynn adjusted her glasses and looked at Ragnar.

Before he could protest his innocence, Elfwynn caught him off guard with a question.

"You really... threatened to send them to the mines?"

Ragnar instantly felt awkward from the accusation and attempted to defend his management style.

"In my defense, the mines are actually quite safe now. Thanks to your new ventilation system."

On the other hand, Elfwynn was more curious about the "harassment" claim and thus inquired about it.

"And the bathhouse incident...?"

Ragnar decided the best course of action was to tell the truth.

"Accidental entry. Steam obscured the view. However, I did notice the water pressure was suboptimal. We should fix that."

Elfwynn reacted in a way that Ragnar had not expected; the young woman was trembling with... laughter. She realized that Ragnar’s first instinct was to critique the plumbing. Not only that, but he had the nerve to bring it up as a work item.

"You really are impossible, Director," she giggled, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Only you would conduct a facility audit while embarrassing your Chief Engineer."

Ragnar smirked.

...

While Elfwynn was returning to her blueprints, Elfrida complained to Bishop Aethelwold about Ragnar’s alleged misdeeds in the chapel.

"Bishop, he threatened us! And when my husband confronted him, the scoundrel had the nerve to break his spirit! Do something about this! Excommunicate him!"

Ultimately Elfrida felt like she could get what she wanted by exploiting the Church’s influence, and that was to break Ragnar’s hold over York.

After all, she was incredibly jealous that her youngest sister was the right hand of the most powerful man in the North.

However, Bishop Aethelwold was not an idiot. He knew his flock, and Elfrida was among the most tiresome he had shepherded... a spoiled noblewoman who thought the world owed her a living. Thus he stared at her with a stoic expression as he voiced his discontent.

"Silence, child. Do you honestly expect me to believe the Director is the one at fault here? Since you have returned to this city with that husband of yours, you have done nothing but stir up trouble with Elfwynn. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

I have permitted your vanity long enough; for Heaven’s sake, you are a Lady; think of your position before you go around accusing the man who pays for the roof over your head!"

Elfrida was stunned. Ragnar had gotten to the Bishop first. She began to pout and plead with him.

"But Bishop, please!"

However, the old man shook his head before reprimanding her once more.

"Do you have any idea who you decided to provoke? Ragnar is a calculating man to those who seek to disrupt his plans. Do you have the slightest clue about what happened to Grandmaster Roland after the man crossed him?"

Elfrida quickly crossed her arms and said in an undeserved smug voice:

"He defeated him in battle at Sandwich!"

Aethelwold stood up from his pew and loomed over her, his voice dropping to a whisper.

"That is the official story. However, what you probably have not heard is that after Ragnar defeated the Grandmaster, he had Roland’s skull cleaned, gold-plated, and turned into a coffee mug which he uses to drink from every day!"

A look of horror spread across Elfrida’s face as she heard the message; such barbarism was unthinkable.

Yet, Ragnar had done it. Only now did the young woman begin to comprehend the monster whose quarterly earnings she had threatened.

Seeing her realizing his intent, Aethelwold continued his efforts to frighten her into submission.

"Tell me, Elfrida, if the man is willing to turn a Grandmaster into kitchenware, what do you think he will do to a redundant noblewoman and her husband? That man will one day own this entire island. Is riling up your sister worth becoming a line item in his liquidation report?"

Elfrida was instantly reminded of Ragnar’s parting threat about the mines and felt a shiver down her spine, forcing her to sit down in the pew as she thoroughly contemplated her portfolio.

It was only then she realized the end of the Bishop’s sentence.

"What do you mean he will own the island?"

Bishop Aethelwold merely shook his head and informed her slightly of the ongoing political battle in England.

"The Mercian Ealdorman is dead. The King of Wessex is bankrupt. Ragnar has already made a ploy to claim the title of Lord Protector of Industry after he drives the West Saxons from the Midlands, and make no mistake, he has the capital to do so! You should apologize to the Director and your sister before you find yourself... downsized."

Realizing the grave mistake she had made, Elfrida quickly became covered in a cold sweat.

She silently made a vow in her heart that even if she had to work in the textile mill to repair their relationship, she would resolve this conflict no matter what the cost.

Of course, Ragnar had no plans for such a thing; now that he had efficient managers by his side, he did not need dead weight. He had always said a lean team was the perfect team.

The only way he would entertain the idea of keeping Elfrida around was if it meant securing a critical alliance with the local nobility.

Instead, it would take some time for him to find a way to exploit Elfrida and her husband’s apology in a way that benefitted his bottom line.

Perhaps... a public endorsement of his new Coal Tariff? Yes, that would do nicely.