Chapter 802

The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Release schedule: 2 chapters per week

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The Target is the Imperial Capital. (4)

Even after the battle with the Kingdom of Snowbrur’s army, the Julien Mercenary Corps continued to encounter various royal armies.

However, no more battles broke out like in the beginning.

That was because Viscount Horento had awakened after his near-death experience.

“Out of the way! I’m a messenger from the Holy Empire! The Julien Mercenary Corps has fled! I must inform the Holy Empire immediately!”

An angry voice and an overbearing expression. It was exactly the kind of attitude the Holy Empire usually displayed.

Thanks to his commanding presence, the royal soldiers quickly stepped aside.

Because of that, the Julien Mercenary Corps was able to move swiftly without engaging in further combat.

From behind Viscount Horento, Ghislain smirked.

“Hey, your acting has suddenly gotten a lot better. You should’ve done this from the start.”

“Heh, hehe… Is that so?”

Viscount Horento laughed awkwardly, but inside, he was crying.

The Kingdom of Snowbrur would surely believe he had betrayed them. There was no telling when the news would reach the Holy Empire.

Now, there was only one way for him to survive.

‘I have to get there first!’

He had to guide the Julien Mercenary Corps and flee before the news spread. That was the only way Viscount Horento could save his life.

That was why he had no choice but to put everything into his performance.

From atop his horse, Ghislain spread out the map.

“Hmm… At this pace, we’ll arrive in no time. The encirclement is loosening too.”

The closer they got to the Holy Empire, the thinner the blockade became.

No one had expected the Julien Mercenary Corps to flee in the direction of the Holy Empire.

Dududududu!

After several days of non-stop riding, the group looked like complete beggars. If not for Ereneth calling upon a water spirit to give them a rough wash, they’d have been even worse off.

Ironically, their disheveled appearance made them look more convincing as urgent messengers.

After glancing at the map for a moment, Ghislain spoke.

“From here on, let’s move as stealthily as possible. The path is rough, but it’s better than running into any troops.”

Although the blockade had thinned out, the closer they got to the Holy Empire, the more alert the military forces became. Suspicious gazes were growing sharper as well.

The Julien Mercenary Corps tried to avoid the armies of the kingdoms they had once helped. Even in disguise, someone with a keen eye might recognize them.

Moreover, Ghislain had another plan.

“It’s best not to draw attention until we reach the rendezvous point.”

Before entering the capital, he had arranged to meet a few people. Dark had already moved ahead to deliver the message to them before the group had set off.

It was best to approach the meeting point as discreetly as possible.

Viscount Horento spoke with a worried expression.

“It won’t be easy. We anticipated that you’d try to avoid contact, so the kingdom’s armies were deliberately deployed to be staggered. And regardless of the royal forces, near the Holy Empire, there are countless intelligence units and patrols constantly on the move.”

“I figured as much. In those cases, we just keep up the act. If we get caught, we’ll have to fight.”

Viscount Horento hung his head low and let out a deep sigh.

‘Haa… How did I end up getting dragged along by these lunatics…?’

They could still fool the kingdom’s soldiers in the name of the Holy Empire. But soon, even the imperial troops wouldn’t be deceived by a messenger act.

And yet, they still had to reach the Imperial Capital somehow. The road ahead felt completely shrouded in darkness.

Dudududududu!

The Julien Mercenary Corps drove their horses, doing their best to avoid any military encampments.

Of course, taking detours was no easy feat. Armies didn’t just sit idly in one spot.

They monitored wide areas using mages, and beyond that range, they deployed scouts and rotated them in and out on tightly scheduled shifts.

That was how they could maintain surveillance over such vast areas.

To avoid detection, they had to find routes that threaded through harsh terrain—mountains, swamps, and such—where narrow paths barely existed.

Ghislain, with Dark’s help, managed to find those routes easily. Knowing the positions of the garrisons, he could roughly estimate the range of the mages’ surveillance.

In areas where the scouting zones overlapped, they hid nearby and slipped through quietly under the cover of night.

Thanks to Dark, the whole process went relatively smoothly.

As usual, Ghislain sent Dark ahead to scout. But one day, Dark returned with unexpected news.

— Master, there’s a military unit.

‘What?’

— It’s not a scouting party or anything like that. A full-scale army is stationed there.

Ghislain frowned and asked Viscount Horento,

“Hey, why is there an army stationed where there shouldn’t be one?”

“I-I don’t know. I really don’t. There’s no way I could be aware of all the Holy Empire’s movements!”

“Hmm…”

Ghislain’s expression hardened. Despite all their cautious maneuvering, an unexpected army was lying in wait.

Rumors of the Julien Mercenary Corps’ escape must have already spread far and wide.

Which meant…

‘Someone must have figured out my plan.’

They may have anticipated the route toward the Holy Empire and adjusted their troop placements accordingly. Maybe they had already begun a region-wide encirclement.

As expected of the Holy Empire. For there to be someone capable of seeing through such an absurd and irrational strategy…

Before the thought could even finish, Dark spoke again.

— Master! It’s him! That guy!

‘Who?’

— You know that weird-talking noble from the Kingdom of Plovitz? He’s here again!

‘…Marquis Valesant?’

— Yeah, that’s him! The flag matches too!

“……”

The map didn’t indicate who was commanding each army—it only listed the name of the kingdom.

There was no way Marquis Valesant had predicted their movements. He had probably just lazed around and ended up here by coincidence.

Ghislain chuckled.

“What a coincidence. I wasn’t planning on meeting him right now.”

Given the situation, it seemed best to alter the plan.

“Let’s move at full speed. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a familiar face.”

With that, the Julien Mercenary Corps charged ahead toward Marquis Valesant’s forces.

Meanwhile, Marquis Valesant was enjoying a lazy afternoon after relocating his camp.

“Geez, why’s the weather so nice today? Maybe I’ll take a lovely nap. Hey! Wake me up if someone comes!”

He lay down gently on his floral-patterned bed.

Of course, it wasn’t as if he was just slacking off completely. Since the Imperial Inspector was around, he had set up magical defenses just in case.

While maintaining surveillance magic to monitor the surroundings, a mage reported in.

“A small group is approaching. They’re wearing Imperial military uniforms.”

“Ugh, things always pop up when I’m about to nap. What now? Are they here to deliver some news or something?”

Feeling a bit guilty for loafing around, Marquis Valesant straightened up his clothes and went out to greet them.

Then, with arms wide open and a bright smile, he called out toward the approaching group.

“Oh my! Welcome!”

The Julien Mercenary Corps came to a stop in front of the welcoming Marquis Valesant.

He even rubbed his hands together as he spoke.

“Goodness, you could’ve taken your time. What’s the rush? So, what brings you here?”

Viscount Horento glanced back discreetly.

Soon, Ghislain removed his fake mustache and dropped his disguise.

“It’s been a while, Marquis Valesant.”

“Oh my, do you know me? I don’t think I know anyone in the Holy Empire…”

As he studied Ghislain’s face, Marquis Valesant suddenly stopped talking.

His eyes widened, his body trembled, and then he screamed out loud.

“KYAAAAAAH! AAAAAH! AAAAH!”

“……”

“KYAAAAAH! AAH! AAH!”

Marquis Valesant flailed wildly like he’d just seen a ghost, screaming at the top of his lungs.

Naturally, the nearby knights and soldiers immediately drew their weapons and surrounded the Julien Mercenary Corps.

Even the Imperial Inspector rushed out, alarmed by the commotion.

While Marquis Valesant was writhing in hysterics, his aide grabbed hold of him and asked,

“Marquis! What’s wrong with you?”

“KYAAAAAAAAAH!”

Marquis Valesant could only scream and point his finger at Ghislain.

The aide turned his head and carefully examined Ghislain’s face, and then…

“Waaaaah! Aaaaaaah! Wh-Wh-Wh-Why?!”

The aide screamed as well.

They were both faced with someone they absolutely should not be seeing here. The two of them were so shocked they couldn’t stop screaming.

“……”

Ghislain looked at the two of them with a cold, deadpan stare. Their overreaction hadn’t changed one bit since the last time.

The aide quickly grabbed hold of Marquis Valesant and said,

“Marquis! Deep breaths! Breathe! In! Out! In! Out!”

“Ah, okay. In! Out! In! Out!”

“……”

As the two of them continued their ridiculous flailing, the Imperial Inspector approached and asked,

“You appear to be messengers from the Holy Empire. Which unit are you with, and under whose orders have you come?”

He examined the Julien Mercenary Corps and was slightly taken aback.

“Wait, aren’t you Viscount Horento? What brings you here?”

“……”

Viscount Horento had no authority to speak. He looked toward Ghislain.

Ghislain, in turn, simply stared at Marquis Valesant. Everything depended on how the marquis would respond.

Marquis Valesant glanced at Ghislain, then at the Inspector.

He’d had a similar experience once before.

His deliberation was brief. The Holy Empire was far away, and the Julien Mercenary Corps was right in front of him. And proximity was always scarier.

Marquis Valesant pointed at the inspector and declared,

“Arrest this man immediately!”

“…???”

The inspector wore a baffled expression. The marquis’s troops were equally confused.

But Marquis Valesant shouted again, as if there was nothing strange about the order.

“I said arrest this man!”

The knights immediately moved in, binding the inspector and forcing him to kneel. The inspector shouted in protest, his face full of injustice.

“What is the meaning of this?! I am an Imperial officer!”

“Oh-ho! Silence! You dare not know your own crimes?!”

“W-What crimes?”

“The crime of spying on me.”

“……”

Marquis Valesant turned to Ghislain with a smile.

“Th-This should be good enough, right?”

“Yes. As expected, our marquis truly has an extraordinary sense of empathy.”

“Oh please, it’s just a matter of reading the room.”

Hearing this exchange, the inspector trembled and said,

“Y-You’re not telling me…!”

Viscount Horento nodded with a grim expression.

“These people… are the Julien Mercenary Corps.”

“Th-That can’t be…”

“It’s true. The Imperial army lost to them.”

“……”

The inspector’s jaw dropped. As far as he knew, the Imperial forces sent to capture the Julien Mercenary Corps numbered 10,000 and even included Transcendents.

And they lost? He couldn’t believe it even as he heard it.

But seeing Viscount Horento with them, it was clear he had either been defeated and taken captive, or had switched sides.

Ghislain pulled out his hand axe and said to the inspector,

“You have two choices.”

“Wh-What kind of choices?”

“Cooperation or death.”

“I—I…”

Crack!

“Gyaaaaaaaah!”

The inspector, whose shoulder had just been struck by the hand axe, let out a scream.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Without saying much, Ghislain struck various parts of the inspector’s body with the axe. His expression was as indifferent as a butcher dismembering meat.

“Aaaaaargh!”

As the inspector screamed in agony, Ghislain muttered,

“Such impressive resolve. I have no choice but to respect it. I’ll remember you as a fine fellow.”

Just as Ghislain raised his hand axe to strike the man’s neck, the inspector shouted,

“I’ll cooperate! I’ll cooperate! I’ll do whatever you want!”

“Hmm… Really?”

“Yes! I have no backbone! I often imagine myself giving up everything the moment I’m tortured!”

“Good. Listen carefully to Viscount Horento’s instructions.”

“U-understood.”

Once released, the inspector immediately began receiving instructions on conduct from Viscount Horento. Of course, one mercenary stayed glued to his side at all times in case he needed to be killed.

The Julien Mercenary Corps exchanged greetings with Marquis Valesant, whom they hadn’t seen in a while.

Everyone welcomed the reunion, but Marquis Valesant was more anxious than pleased.

Once the formal greetings ended, Marquis Valesant pulled up close to Ghislain and asked in a low voice,

“W-What is this? What are you trying to do by coming all the way here?”

“What else? The same as always. I didn’t like the Pope, so I came.”

“…You’re planning to start a war with the Pope?”

“He started it first. I’ve got no choice.”

“I see. Then I wish you the best of luck. I’ll be off now…”

Marquis Valesant was planning to lead his troops back to the kingdom. He could come up with some excuse for handing over the inspector later.

Right now, he needed to get as far away from the Julien Mercenary Corps as possible.

Just as he turned to leave, Ghislain grabbed his shoulder with a smile.

“Where are you off to?”

“I-I was just going to head back…”

“Nope. You know how we do things. Since it’s come to this, you’re coming all the way with us.”

“Ha… hahaha… Together, right…”

It was just like when they went to capture Marquis Falkenheim. Common sense didn’t work with the Julien Mercenary Corps.

In the end, Marquis Valesant, now mentally blank, had no choice but to move alongside the Julien Mercenary Corps.

Now that they had a full military unit, the situation changed somewhat.

Viscount Horento and the Imperial Inspector used a new pretext when dealing with other kingdom forces.

“This is a unit assembled by Imperial decree! We’ve been tasked with delivering supplies to the Demonic Abyss, so clear the road!”

With both an Imperial strategist and inspector present, no one doubted their claim. In truth, most kingdoms weren’t all that interested to begin with.

During their journey, the Julien Mercenary Corps also had time to wash up and rest. Their bodies were exhausted from the previous forced march.

After several days of travel, they finally arrived at the location Ghislain had originally intended.

The site he chose was a vast plain large enough to accommodate an entire army and it was also right near the Holy Empire.

Marquis Valesant grew increasingly uneasy.

‘What is this? Why would he come all the way out here? Isn’t this the perfect place for a battle?’

The Imperial army could charge at any moment. If a battle broke out here, his army would clearly be the first to be annihilated.

Marquis Valesant paced nervously, deep in thought.

‘Damn it, what do I do? Should I run? Should I betray them?’

He wanted to, but the Julien Mercenary Corps was far too terrifying to betray.

Eventually, just as Marquis Valesant feared, another army appeared after a few days.

But it wasn’t the Imperial army.

When he saw the new arrivals, Marquis Valesant once again went slack-jawed.

“Wh-What…? Why are they here…?”

Ssssshhhhh…

The ones who appeared were warriors with pointed ears—an elven army wielding massive bows and intricately crafted swords.

They wore armor covered in scale-like leaves and rode enormous deer-like creatures called Elkorns.

The elven army exuded a majestic presence, as if the forest itself had awakened and begun to march.

Everyone stood speechless, entranced by the mystical sight.

Moments later, an elf mounted on the most regal and elegant Elkhorn stepped forward.

The Julien Mercenary Corps also stepped out with delighted expressions.

A soft yet commanding voice echoed toward them.

“It’s been a long time. I’ve missed you all.”

The Great Chieftain of the Elves, Ilaniel, greeted the Julien Mercenary Corps with a serene smile.