He just spent like 3 years recreating paper, after being born into a knight family instead of a witch family. He HAD time, and he spent it WRONG.
O great armchair scientist slash strategist, might as well draw up the roadmap that will help them conquer the entire continent in 10 years when you're at it.
He didn't spend the last 3 years just making paper, it's just the mean to secure the fund for his other businesses, because papermaking is easy enough to pick up without any fancy technology required. Resources don't just lie around the corner for him to grab without care, nor everyone will work for him voluntarily without pay.