The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Ghislain took Rosalyn’s hand and steadied his breath.

‘Compared to her past life, her willpower and mental strength must be lacking, and the short treatment period will make the shock even greater. I wonder if she’ll be able to endure it…’

Just like a sword, a person becomes stronger when they are tempered through trials.

Even he, who had once been a reckless fool, had only gained mental fortitude after going through such a process.

The current Rosalyn was merely a timid and fragile young noble lady, nothing more.

‘I’ll have to proceed with utmost care.’

Ghislain slowly channeled mana into Rosalyn’s body.

“You will feel a foreign energy once I infuse my mana. It will be painful, but you must endure it. That’s the only way to cure your illness.”

“What?”

“I’ll begin now.”

Rosalyn swallowed nervously at Ghislain’s sudden serious tone.

‘Could it be… Is this dangerous?’

With a trembling voice, Rosalyn asked, “What am I supposed to endure? What’s going to hurt?”

Ghislain didn’t answer and focused solely on moving his mana.

No matter how potent a tonic is, the body can never absorb its energy completely. Only a minute amount remains within.

‘I must capture the energy before it disperses.’

Ghislain’s mana swiftly spread throughout Rosalyn’s body, chasing down the essence of the medicine.

‘Now, to pierce through.’

Ghislain’s mana, mixed with heat, began to forcefully penetrate the cold energy that had solidified in various parts of her body.

Crack!

Rosalyn felt a shock, like something inside her was shattering.

Immediately, a wave of excruciating pain followed.

“Aaaaaaah!”

Overwhelmed by the agony, she let out a scream before she could stop herself.

It felt like a heavy force was stabbing into her body from all directions.

No, “stabbing” wasn’t enough to describe it. It felt as if a sharp, pointed spear was tearing through her insides, ripping them apart.

The nauseating taste of the medicine she had taken earlier vanished from her mind in an instant.

Never in her life had she experienced such pain. If she had known it would be this bad, she would have run away beforehand.

Desperately, Rosalyn twisted her wrist out of Ghislain’s grasp, struggling to escape from him.

“Aaaah! W-wait!”

The butler and servants, who had been standing by to assist, were startled by the scene.

Why was she in such agony while receiving treatment?

Could he really be a quack?

“Young master! Are you sure this is okay?”

Belinda tightly held down Rosalyn’s writhing body, squeezing her eyes shut.

Ghislain, sweating as he struggled to control his mana, spoke.

“If you struggle, it will hurt more and become dangerous. Please trust me and endure this.”

“No! Please! Please stop! Aaaaaaah!”

From the start, there was no trust between them. No matter how much he told her to trust him and endure, it wasn’t going to be easy.

Watching her writhe in pain, Ghislain’s expression hardened as well.

‘As expected, this isn’t easy.’

Even though he had confidently begun because he knew the solution, that didn’t mean it was simple.

‘I’m using a method that’s both time-efficient and effective, but… the pain remains the same.’

He couldn’t be sure if she would be able to endure it until the end.

Blood burst from Rosalyn’s tightly bitten lips. However, the other pain was so intense that she didn’t even notice the wound on her lips.

“Ughhh!”

Her body trembled violently. Ghislain, after checking her internal condition, immediately withdrew his hand.

If he pushed any further at this point, Rosalyn’s condition could become dangerous.

He had no choice but to stop after clearing far less than his original goal.

He had calculated a two-week period to account for the possibility of such setbacks, but now it seemed even that might be cutting it close.

“We’ll stop here for now. You did well to endure.”

Although he hadn’t made as much progress as expected, it was still just the first day.

With a little more speed, he could still finish within the two weeks.

The real issue was whether she could endure until the end.

“I’ll resume the treatment this evening.”

Rosalyn was gasping for breath and couldn’t even respond.

As Belinda and Wendy carefully released her restraints, she collapsed onto the bed.

Once the treatment seemed to be over, the butler quickly spoke.

“Hurry, check on the lady.”

The servants rushed over and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

After they had tidied up, Ghislain scooped up a generous amount of cosmetic cream and began to slather it thickly on Rosalyn’s face.

He applied so much that at this rate, it seemed like they would need a jar every day.

The butler, seeing this, cautiously asked,

“Excuse me, isn’t that a bit too much?”

“She needs this much.”

Rosalyn, lying as if she were unconscious, muttered weakly in a barely audible voice.

“I tried… but it didn’t work… You quack bastard…”

“It’s because the internal energy wasn’t properly controlled. This cream will help by retaining heat in the skin, speeding up the recovery until the treatment is complete.”

While the effect wasn’t a lie, there really wasn’t a need to apply so much.

‘This is an opportunity to secure some additional income, and I can’t pass it up.’

Ghislain secretly smiled.

If they used this much cream every day, it would require a significant supply.

Ghislain planned to demand the treatment fees without any compromise once Rosalyn’s treatment was finished.

Since it was a wealthy household, they would likely pay for a few jars of cream without a word.

Watching Ghislain secretly delight in this, Rosalyn ground her teeth.

Applying the cream wasn’t the issue. She could do it for a year, not just two weeks.

She even felt ready to swallow that foul medicine if necessary.

But this pain… this was something she simply could not endure.

“You’re… doing this again?”

“Yes.”

“For two whole weeks…?”

“Yes.”

“Get lost… Please… stop…”

She had no strength left to move, so all she could do was mumble through her tear-filled eyes.

How was she supposed to endure such agony for two weeks?

All she could think was that she wished someone would come and kill this bastard right in front of her.

Ghislain acted as if he hadn’t heard her, placing the mask back over her face and said,

“Then, I’ll see you again this evening. Make sure to keep a close watch on the young lady’s room.”

The mercenaries took turns guarding the door to ensure that Rosalyn couldn’t leave the room.

The butler felt uneasy about whether they should really continue with this, but he didn’t intervene.

Thanks to the butler’s attentiveness, Ghislain and his companions were treated to the utmost hospitality.

During meals, only the finest dishes were served, and the clothes provided for them to change into were all luxury items.

Whatever they desired was prepared immediately at the slightest gesture.

However, even though they were treated like they were in paradise, the companions spent each day feeling as though they were sitting on a bed of thorns.

“Aaaaaaah!”

It was all because of Rosalyn’s agony.

As Ghislain continued to break through her blocked mana paths, her screams only grew louder.

“Stop! Please, stop! Aaaaah!”

“Just hold on a little longer!”

No matter how much Ghislain spoke, none of his words reached her ears.

She couldn’t understand why she had to endure such pain.

There was no way this could be called treatment.

“I’m going to kill you! I swear I’ll kill you! Aaaaah! Stop!”

“If we don’t fix it now, you will actually die.”

“I don’t care, just stop!”

She continued to resist and threaten, but Ghislain didn’t blink an eye.

Seeing that, she shifted her target.

“Stop bringing me that damn medicine. Before I kill you in two weeks.”

The servants, who had been preparing the medicine, turned pale at her threat.

The Marquis of Branford had instructed them to cooperate with Ghislain, so they couldn’t refuse his requests.

If they quit and ran, they’d be defying the Marquis’s orders and would face death.

But if they continued, the young lady would kill them.

“Please, spare us!”

The servants quickly dropped to their knees, pleading.

The butler, watching from the side, intervened to stop Ghislain.

“Perhaps we should take a break for now. The young lady is struggling so much and clearly resisting, so it might be best to consult with the Marquis again…”

Ghislain placed a hand on the butler’s shoulder, cutting him off mid-sentence.

“Stop for a while? Refuse? Consult again?”

He flashed a cold smile.

“Do you still not understand the situation? Do you think you can just stop this now?”

“W-Well…”

“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m risking not just my life but my family’s honor on this.”

He had no intention of wasting time negotiating and trying to convince everyone.

But he couldn’t just stand by and watch as everyone remained paralyzed by indecision.

Looking around at the servants, Ghislain spoke.

“Bring all the herbs and tools into this room. From now on, I will personally prepare the medicine.”

“Personally… you, sir?”

The butler hesitated, looking awkwardly at Ghislain.

If it became known that a noble like Ghislain was handling such menial tasks, it would greatly damage the Marquis’s household’s reputation.

But with the young lady resisting so fiercely, there really was no other choice.

“Ugh…”

Rosalyn glared at Ghislain with eyes full of murderous intent.

Her orders meant nothing to this man.

Even if he were a prince of a nation, he wouldn’t dare treat her like this.

“Stop it! Don’t you understand? I’m telling you to stop!”

“I will begin the treatment.”

“I don’t need it! It’s my face! I don’t need it! Get out! Who brought this quack here?!”

Ghislain wasn’t someone who would entertain such trivial quarrels.

He immediately grabbed Rosalyn’s wrist.

“Let go! Let go of me! I’ll kill you! Call my father! Call him right now!”

She struggled again, but with Belinda and Wendy restraining her, it was futile.

Just as he had before, Ghislain forced the medicine down her throat and began the treatment.

“Aaaaaah!”

Any resolve she had to resist crumbled under the pain tearing through her body.

Rosalyn, overwhelmed, gave up completely, letting everything go.

“Ugh… ack!”

Then, blood began to seep from Rosalyn’s mouth. Her eyes, which had been rolling back, now fluttered shut under her eyelids.

“Young lady!”

The butler, who had been anxiously watching from the side, screamed in horror.

“Uuugh…”

She let out a groan, almost like a scream, as if she felt death closing in on her.

‘No more… I can’t take any more…’

At that moment, Ghislain’s expression twisted as well.

‘Damn it, if I push any further, she’ll die.’

Ghislain gritted his teeth and slowly reduced the flow of mana.

It wasn’t that he had made a mistake. It was that her mana paths couldn’t withstand the pressure and had ruptured.

Her body, already weakened from prolonged confinement, had been further shaken by the shock, causing internal turmoil that couldn’t be helped.

‘She’s given up entirely.’

Rosalyn had resisted the treatment so far, which meant she at least still had the will to avoid what she didn’t want.

But the continuous pain had weakened even that resolve, making it impossible for her to endure the shock.

It was clear that Rosalyn’s body and mind had reached their limits.

Now, he would have to proceed much more carefully and slowly to ensure she didn’t die.

‘This is dangerous. At this rate, I won’t finish in time.’

Had he miscalculated the timeline?

No, the time wasn’t insufficient.

Was her condition worse than the records suggested?

It was worse than expected, but not beyond the point of being treatable.

There was only one answer.

The problem was Rosalyn’s will.

Since she had no intention of enduring the treatment, her body was giving up before it even reached its limit.

Belinda, who had been holding onto Rosalyn, shouted urgently.

“Young master! You have to stop!”