The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Rosalyn, her eyes unfocused, kept coughing up blood.

Even though Belinda and Wendy had loosened their grip, she no longer struggled or tried to escape.

She just slumped, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

“Stop it… you madman…”

She muttered weakly, and eventually, her head drooped.

Belinda urgently called out again.

“Young Lord!”

“I know, it’s almost done.”

Ghislain used a small amount of mana to wrap around and protect the torn mana roads.

Leaving mana inside someone else’s body risks clashing with their own mana.

But right now, there was no other option.

Back in his days as the King of Mercenaries, he would sometimes treat people this way when situations were dire.

Things wouldn’t get any worse than they were now.

“Hoo…”

Ghislain released his grip. The treatment would end here. Even if he wanted to proceed further, he couldn’t.

“My lady! My lady!”

As soon as Ghislain stepped back, the butler and the servants rushed to Rosalyn’s side.

The butler, after draining and wiping the blood pooled in her mouth, shouted with a voice full of fury.

“What kind of treatment is this! Are you really trying to kill the young lady!”

Coughing up blood indicated something was wrong internally. How could this have anything to do with fixing her face, turning her insides upside down like this?

‘I must stop this. At this rate, the young lady’s life is in danger!’

“I will speak to the Marquis! Stop this at once!”

“That’s not possible.”

“Stop it! I won’t allow this to continue!”

Even as the butler raised a fuss, Ghislain didn’t bat an eye.

Instead, he responded coldly.

“Are you above the Marquis?”

“W-what did you say?”

“The Marquis gave his permission. Who dares to stop it?”

“No, but still…”

“If she’s left like this, she won’t live long anyway. If you don’t want to see her die young, then don’t interfere.”

“What nonsense are you spouting! And even if that were true, what business is it of yours!”

Ghislain smirked as he answered.

“Why wouldn’t it be my business? There’s a lot at stake in this.”

“Ugh!”

The butler had no authority to stop this. All he could do was vent his frustration.

Ignoring the butler’s angry outburst, Ghislain applied makeup to Rosalyn’s face.

Even as he placed the mask back on, she didn’t react.

She just lay there, breathing shallowly, her eyes vacant.

As he looked down at her, Ghislain spoke in a troubled voice.

“The treatment can’t be stopped now.”

He had already rummaged through her insides thoroughly. If he stopped now, her condition would become worse than it was before the treatment began.

Whether it succeeded or failed, he had no choice but to see it through to the end.

* * *

Before the next treatment session, the butler, fuming with anger, went to find the Knight Commander.

‘He’s dangerous. He doesn’t seem like the kind of man who would be easily captured if things go wrong. The rumors of him being a troublemaker weren’t for nothing. I need to be thoroughly prepared before he causes an incident.’

The butler decided to make arrangements so that if a crisis did arise, they would be ready to subdue Ghislain and his group immediately.

“Sir Toleo! Do you have a moment?”

“Oh, what brings you here?”

Toleo, the Knight Commander of the Marquis’ household, greeted the butler courteously.

Even though his rank was higher, he couldn’t afford to treat the Marquis of Branford’s trusted aide with disrespect.

The butler, as usual, spoke with a stoic expression.

“I have something to discuss regarding the person currently treating the young lady.”

“What is it you need to say?”

“I believe we need to strengthen our preparations a bit more.”

Toleo responded with a look that seemed to ask what the issue was.

“Didn’t we already station soldiers as a precaution in case the treatment fails?”

“I’m afraid that may not be enough. We should bolster the estate’s security and borrow a few knights.”

“Hmm, isn’t that going a bit overboard?”

The butler shook his head and began to explain the situation.

When he heard that the young lady had coughed up blood, Toleo’s expression grew serious.

“Even if Baron Fenris is a scoundrel, his subordinates are those who have just experienced and won a war.”

“It was just a minor skirmish in the borderlands.”

“Call it the intuition of this old man. Some of them seem quite confident, and they weren’t particularly intimidated by the Marquis’ authority.”

The butler issued his warning in a grave tone.

“Hmm, they might just be ignorant northerners unfamiliar with this place… but very well. I’ll make sure the estate is thoroughly surrounded so they can’t escape. I’ll also pick a few skilled men to keep a close eye on them.”

“Thank you. I’ll return to the young lady now.”

As the butler departed, Toleo quietly gestured with his hand. Four knights, noticing the signal, naturally followed behind the butler.

From that point on, the estate’s security was significantly tightened.

Not even an ant could escape.

* * *

As Ghislain was about to re-enter Rosalyn’s room, the butler returned, bringing knights with him.

Seeing this, Ghislain smirked and asked, “Are you planning to interfere?”

“If it gets dangerous, we will intervene immediately.”

“If you disrupt the treatment, the young lady’s life will be at risk. Make sure you judge carefully.”

The butler clenched his teeth.

Interrupting the process while mana was being infused for treatment would be disastrous.

In short, it meant that, for the time being, the young lady was as good as a hostage.

Ghislain entered the room without paying any attention to the butler’s reaction.

Rosalyn was sitting on the bed, leaning back, not throwing a fit as usual.

She was staring blankly into space, as if she was lost in thought, and Ghislain spoke to her indifferently.

“I will begin the treatment. You’ll have to endure it well this time too.”

Belinda and Wendy approached Rosalyn, looking as if they were at death’s door.

Just as they were about to hold her down as usual, Rosalyn finally opened her mouth.

“Wait.”

The two stopped in their tracks and looked at Ghislain, as if asking what to do.

Ghislain gave a slight nod, signaling them to step back.

“Is there something you wish to say?”

“I have something I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“This treatment… I could die from it, right?”

Ghislain was silent for a moment before he quietly nodded.

“Yes. If you can’t endure it, you could die. It won’t just end at being painful.”

As he spoke nonchalantly, the butler’s and the knights’ faces flushed with anger.

How dare he? Here, of all places, he had begun a treatment that could lead to death without revealing the risks!

‘Don’t think you can do as you please.’

The butler’s lips twitched as he took a deep breath.

In contrast, Rosalyn simply nodded without a word.

It was an absurd situation. She had refused the treatment because she didn’t want to die, yet now they were saying it could still lead to death.

Her father hadn’t even bothered to ask her opinion before granting his permission.

And the so-called doctor standing in front of her insisted on going through with it, even though she didn’t want to.

“But… even if I don’t undergo the treatment, I’ll die anyway, right?”

“That’s correct. Your body will continue to weaken, and eventually, you won’t even be able to move.”

She let out a faint laugh at Ghislain’s response.

“You sound like a swindler, so I can’t trust you at all.”

“Whether you believe it or not, it’s the truth.”

Ghislain had no intention of persuading her.

No matter how much you tell someone they’ll die in the future, they don’t believe it.

“I won’t ask why you’re going this far, risking even your family’s life. After all, you want something from my father, so you’re using my illness as a bargaining chip, right?”

“I won’t deny it.”

“But… can I endure this treatment? Earlier, I almost died.”

“If you have the will, you can endure it.”

He didn’t mean that she should simply rely on sheer mental strength.

In her past life, she had endured this treatment—one that was cruder, more painful, and took much longer.

She certainly had the potential to withstand it. The problem was that it hadn’t manifested yet.

With a self-mocking smile, Rosalyn asked,

“If I can’t endure it, I’ll die, right?”

“With a very high probability.”

“What if you put me under before starting the treatment?”

“Then the likelihood of death is even higher.”

If the treatment were to proceed while she was unconscious, her breathing could stop suddenly.

She absolutely had to be conscious, enduring it with her own will.

“…Easier said than done. How much time has passed?”

“It has been three days.”

“Three days… only three days….”

It had been just three days.

Which meant she would have to endure this for over ten more days.

The mere thought was dreadful.

“Then, before we begin, check if my body is in good condition. I still feel unwell inside—are you really sure you can proceed with the treatment?”

Ghislain nodded and approached her.

As usual, he pulled up a chair next to her and took her wrist.

He closed his eyes and slowly channeled mana, carefully examining her body.

‘Not bad.’

The emergency treatment seemed to have worked, and her condition had somewhat improved. It was bearable enough that, with sheer determination, she could grit her teeth and endure.

‘The atmosphere is a little different than usual. Has she changed her mind, realizing there’s no escaping this?’

It would be much better if she just gave up resisting and obediently followed along.

The timing was a bit tight, but as long as Rosalyn could endure, a full recovery wasn’t impossible.

‘I hope today goes smoothly.’

No one else might realize it, but Ghislain was completely drained each time he administered the treatment.

The method was so demanding that it consumed an enormous amount of focus and mental strength.

Just as Ghislain was slowly retracting his mana and about to release her wrist, it happened.

Rosalyn slid her free right hand under the large pillow beside her.

“Hm?”

Completely engrossed, Ghislain had momentarily missed that movement, but he belatedly looked up.

A gleaming dagger, held by Rosalyn, swiftly aimed for his temple.

“Young Master!”

“Lord Ghislain!”

“Guh!”

Belinda, Gillian, and even the nearby butler cried out in shock.

Thunk.

Ghislain casually caught the dagger between his fingers and glanced at his subordinates.

“What? Why?”

“No… We meant, be careful.”

“Oh, come on. Do you think I’d fall victim to an attack like this?”

Rosalyn gritted her teeth and said,

“You’re making cosmetics, you can handle mana, you seem to know swordsmanship… You sure know how to do a lot for someone who claims to be a doctor.”

Ghislain shrugged, feigning modesty.

“I’m quite versatile.”

“This is your last warning. Stop this treatment. This isn’t treatment—it’s torture.”

“Your illness must be treated this way.”

“Treatment? If you keep this up, I’ll really die!”

The two stopped speaking, glaring at each other.

The others around them were at a loss, unable to figure out how to intervene in the standoff.

‘…Hmm?’

Looking into Rosalyn’s eyes, which were partially hidden behind her mask, Ghislain thought this might actually be a good thing.

There was a glint of murderous intent and madness flickering in her eyes.

Ghislain spoke, a strange smile forming on his lips.

“The person who says she doesn’t want to die always keeps a dagger by her bedside, I see.”

“….”

“The truth is, you don’t want to live like this, do you? You’re thinking that you’d rather die than continue living in this state.”

“….”

Rosalyn’s lips twisted into a strange smirk. Her eyes still gleamed with a murderous light.