The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

I’m talking about those who were born with decent talents, but ended up losing their lives in vain by heading into the wrong direction.

‘Well, what can you do about it? They should just blame themselves for being born without any common sense.’

Raul leaned on his cane and slowly stood up from his seat.

“I’ve heard your resolve. I can’t guarantee that the atmosphere will be as pleasant the next time we meet.”

“Is that so? I actually think the atmosphere will be quite nice.”

Raul tilted his head and looked at Ghislain, who spoke with a bright smile.

Why did those words sound genuinely sincere?

What was the point of meeting again, especially for someone who had thrown away an opportunity that came rolling in?

Next time, his head would be severed anyway.

Raul clicked his tongue inwardly and extended his hand for a handshake.

“Well, it was nice meeting you. Perhaps we’ll see each other again if the opportunity arises.”

“Yes. I look forward to meeting you again next time.”

Ghislain also stood up and grasped Raul’s hand.

The two of them locked eyes.

Ghislain’s gaze was filled with a burning murderous intent and a desire for destruction.

Seeing that look, Raul realized.

‘This guy, he’s serious.’

He was genuinely determined to join hands with the Royal Faction and oppose the duchy.

But at the same time, a sense of doubt surged within him. No matter how much he had allied with the Royal Faction, it was too excessive for someone who had just arrived from the countryside to openly display such hostility.

‘Could it be… does he know about us?’

Raul shook his head, startled by the suspicion that had risen within his chest.

That couldn’t be. Even the influential nobles of the Royal Faction had no idea where and how they were extending their influence.

That was precisely why they had planned to support the Brivant Estate.

As the two stood silently, still holding hands, a masked man interjected.

“The handshake is taking too long. If your business is done, it’s time to leave.”

“Right, I kept looking because the gaze was intriguing.”

Raul released his grip and started to head outside, but then he paused for a moment.

Half-turning, he glared at Ghislain and spoke.

“Baron Fenris, if you dare look at me with those eyes again, I’ll gouge them out.”

Ghislain didn’t shrink back at all and responded with the same gaze.

“Be careful on your way back so you don’t hurt your other leg.”

Despite the rude remark, Raul was not particularly angry. He just smirked as if he found it amusing.

“The Marquis of Branford seems to have taken a liking to you. I look forward to seeing how much you’ll accomplish.”

With those final words, Raul and the masked man left the room.

As soon as the two of them were gone, the nobles, who had been peeking at the private room, rushed over in a group.

The Marquis of Branford decided to send Toleo instead of staying, instructing him to find out what was discussed and report back.

“Hmm…”

Everyone had gathered, but no one dared to speak first.

It was embarrassing to openly pry into someone else’s conversation.

A brief, awkward silence ensued, and finally, it was Maurice, with his impatient nature, who pressed Ghislain for an answer.

“So, what did that lame fellow say?”

Ghislain hesitated, not answering immediately.

The observing nobles grew more anxious and urged him on.

“Hurry up and tell us! What did you talk about?”

Ghislain glanced around and, letting out a sigh as if he had no choice, spoke.

“He proposed to take me and my father in as vassals of the Delfine Duchy.”

The nobles flinched, their expressions hardening.

To make such a blatant recruitment offer at a Royal faction’s banquet…

It was clear that the Delfine Duchy was completely disregarding the Royal nobles.

Maurice’s eyes flashed with anger as he raised his voice.

“The distance between the North and the South is too great for any proper interaction! You’ll only end up having your taxes bled dry!”

“They said they’d provide new lands in the South, for both me and my father.”

“What!”

New lands? The absurdity of the offer left the nobles momentarily speechless.

Even Maurice was taken aback, lowering his gaze.

The Royal faction couldn’t easily make such offers.

No matter how much they racked their brains, offering such generous terms to a young noble like this seemed impossible.

Redirecting support to Brivant Estate was already their best effort.

‘Offering land even to his father… is this guy really worth that much?’

It would be a serious embarrassment to have a newly joined noble openly taken away.

However, no matter how well-off the ducal family was, they wouldn’t just give away land merely to humiliate the opposing faction.

Maurice murmured quietly before asking in a low voice.

“So, did you accept the proposal? Are you saying you’ve decided to become a vassal of the ducal family?”

It was an offer no young noble would find easy to refuse.

Besides, Ferdium was a barren land, constantly besieged by barbarian attacks.

Rejecting a perfect opportunity to escape from such hardships would be nothing short of foolish.

However, Ghislain casually responded.

“I refused.”

“Of course, you accepted the offer! You, you… huh? What did you say? You refused?”

“Yes, I refused.”

“…Why?”

“I’m already receiving support from the Royal faction, so there’s no reason to switch sides.”

Maurice furrowed his brow.

“Honestly, it’s suspicious. The ducal family would be a powerful backing for you. The terms they offered were far too generous for a youngster like you. And yet, you’re saying you refused their proposal and chose to remain with the Royal faction?”

“What do you mean by suspicious…?”

“I’m asking if you’re lying to us and have already decided to join the ducal family.”

Ghislain gave a bitter smile. For those unaware of his bad blood with the ducal family, it was a reasonable assumption.

“I can see why you might think that. But if I had truly allied myself with the ducal family, I wouldn’t have mentioned receiving their proposal in the first place.”

The nobles present nodded, finding his words reasonable.

“That’s right, Marquis. If he had any ill intentions, he wouldn’t have been so forthcoming.”

“He’s still young and he doesn’t seem to be the type that is swayed by immediate gains.”

“To refuse such an offer…it has been a while since I’ve seen a young man with such loyalty and integrity!”

The nobles exaggerated their praise, almost to the point of flattery.

Lately, there had been a growing trend of nobles aligning themselves with the ducal family.

In this context, Ghislain’s decision to remain with the Royal faction served as a proof that the faction was still a formidable force, not an inferior to the ducal family.

Letting the overly enthusiastic compliments go in one ear and out the other, Ghislain continued.

“They also issued a warning before leaving, so it seems they won’t be leaving my father’s estate or mine alone. I’ll be counting on your support in the future.”

“Hmmm…!”

The nobles murmured once again.

To issue such a blatant threat… it was behavior unbefitting of nobility, utterly lacking in dignity. But if it was the Viscount Joseph, it was no surprise.

‘Helping someone who’s been marked by that man could easily end up dragging us down…’

Some of the nobles, feeling uneasy, observed the atmosphere closely.

Given the risks, it would be wiser to avoid getting entangled with Ghislain, but politics was always a matter of give and take.

After all, this young noble had upheld the Royal faction’s honor, so there was no excuse to turn him away.

Several nobles stepped forward to speak, primarily those aligned with Count Aylesbur and Count Norton’s factions.

“Don’t worry. If the ducal family tries to pull anything, I’ll do my best to help.”

“If you run into any trouble, don’t hesitate to reach out.”

“The ducal family won’t be able to mess with the North so easily.”

Many nobles eagerly pledged their support to Ghislain.

“Thank you very much.”

Ghislain offered his thanks, maintaining an appropriate level of courtesy.

When the time came, it was possible that some of them wouldn’t keep their word, but what mattered now was that he had secured those promises.

These promises would serve as a basis for Ghislain to leverage in the future.

And so, Maurice simply glared at Ghislain without saying anything further.

The noble beside him glanced at him nervously and spoke.

“Still, isn’t it impressive how loyal that young fellow is? To think he would turn down the duchy’s offer.”

“That’s right. You don’t see many young people like that these days.”

“Thanks to him, the Royal Faction saved face, so we should give him some support to some extent….”

However, despite these comments, Maurice still had a dissatisfied expression.

“Enough. I don’t like the idea of a young brat controlling the mood. Since the Marquis of Branford and Count Norton have decided to back him, I’m sure they’ll handle it on their own.”

With those words, Maurice swiftly turned and left.

The nobles who were watching him, also from the same faction, had no choice but to follow him.

Even after Maurice had left, the nobles continued to praise Ghislain without restraint.

Ghislain smiled in satisfaction.

‘An unexpected gain. I’m glad I attended today’s banquet.’

Thanks to Raul’s sudden appearance, he was able to garner support and goodwill from the other nobles.

Honestly, gathering at a banquet like this felt like a hassle, but now he thought it had been worth attending.

‘Quite a shame.’

It wasn’t often that he had the chance to meet Raul in person.

That made their meeting even more regrettable.

If only there hadn’t been any obstacles, he could have killed Raul.

Ghislain consoled himself by remembering the man who stood next to Raul.

‘Who would have thought that guy would be there?’

Everyone probably assumed he was just Raul’s guard, but Ghislain knew well who he was.

‘It just wasn’t the right time yet. Forget it.’

Ghislain let out a deep breath.

Meeting Raul was a significant gain, but seeing the masked man was an even bigger catch.

He hadn’t expected the opportunity to face, and assess the skills of, someone who would become a major obstacle to bringing down the duchy.

‘So that’s how capable you are.’

A flicker of murderous intent briefly crossed Ghislain’s eyes.

* * *

Raul and the masked man rode in a carriage, slowly leaving the marquis’ residence.

After they had traveled some distance, the masked man broke the silence in the carriage.

“So, what do you think? Now that you’ve seen him in person.”

“As expected, no matter how meticulously you investigate and gather information, nothing beats seeing the variable firsthand. He’s quite different from what I have read in the reports. Did Harold make a mistake?”

“That remains to be seen. So, what’s your assessment?”

“Considering his past achievements and age, he’s not bad. I think we can classify him as a mid-level variable.”

“That’s quite a generous assessment coming from you.”

“Well, he still seems young, full of spirit, and unafraid… but that could be a weakness. The way he openly showed his hostility was telling.”

The masked man pondered for a moment before casually saying,

“Raise the danger level by one notch.”

“Why?”

“I’m not entirely certain… but earlier, it seemed like he was trying to kill you.”

Raul’s expression turned incredulous at that.

He tried to kill him? In a place packed with people? What was that young baron planning to do about the aftermath?

“Are you serious?”

“I’m not certain. I just sensed a faint hint of killing intent now and then. Have you done anything to make him hold a grudge?”

“I met him for the first time today. What grudge could there be?”

“Strange. It was brief, but I definitely sensed his murderous intent. And from time to time, he seemed to be gauging my abilities.”

“Your abilities?”

“Yes, he seemed to be calculating whether he could get through me to kill you.”

“….”

Was he really attempting something like that in such a short time?

That guy… he really was crazy as the rumors said.