The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 368

“Lord Ghislain, it seems the Marquis’ forces are on the move.”

“They’re approaching as if to surround this place.”

“As expected, it looks like they’re planning to end things here.”

Hearing the reports from the knights who had gone on reconnaissance, Ghislain nodded.

Despite raiding no fewer than seven estates so far, the enemy hadn’t attempted proper pursuit or even set up defensive lines.

No matter how lax the Marquis’ forces might be, they weren’t that incompetent. If they were, they wouldn’t have conquered the western territories in the first place.

It was clear they had been preparing, biding their time to capture him once and for all.

“How many have we identified so far?” Ghislain asked.

The knights responded promptly, without hesitation.

“About 4,000 troops are approaching from the north. All of them are infantry.”

“From the west, around 3,000. Half are cavalry, and the rest are infantry.”

“Another 3,000 are coming from the south, mostly siege engines, archers, and infantry.”

The knights, who had been through numerous battles with Ghislain, were entirely different from their former selves. While they still acted like carefree mercenaries in peacetime, all traces of that demeanor vanished during combat.

Ghislain nodded again and asked another question.

“Their numbers are significant this time. What about their speed?”

This time, Gillian answered.

“They could’ve arrived by now if they wanted to. They’re deliberately moving slowly. They’re also employing scouts to keep an eye on us.”

Ghislain narrowed his eyes at the information.

If they intended to save the castle, they wouldn’t move so leisurely. The logical move would’ve been to rush in and coordinate with the castle’s forces for a pincer attack.

The fact that they were advancing slowly could only mean one thing.

“They’re trying to isolate us.”

Ghislain quickly deduced the enemy’s plan: lure them into a trap, surround them completely, and exhaust their strength within the castle walls.

He turned to look at the distant castle.

“Hmph, there are quite a few of them this time.”

Using his enhanced vision, he could see soldiers packed tightly along the castle walls.

Their reputation had clearly preceded them, so the heightened vigilance wasn’t surprising.

Pulling out a small booklet, Ghislain began flipping through its pages.

“Let’s see... Baron Dayker’s estate... about 3,000 troops, give or take? Almost no knights, though.”

The book contained detailed information about the Marquis of Rodrick’s territories and the surrounding estates. While some of it had been gathered by his own forces, the majority came from Dominic of the Drake Mercenary Corps.

The Drake Mercenaries, who had originally been based in the west, had done plenty of dirty work under the Marquis’ banner, making them an invaluable source of information.

Ghislain closed the booklet and tucked it away, speaking once more.

“Not many knights, but plenty of soldiers. Looks like we’ll have to put in some effort today. To secure our rear, we need to crush this place first. At night, we’ll strike. Understood?”

Gordon glanced between the castle and Ghislain before voicing his concern.

“What about the forces coming to trap us? If they close in while we’re fighting, it could be a disaster.”

Some of the other knights also looked visibly uneasy. If 10,000 troops encircled them during battle, even Ghislain’s abilities as a Master wouldn’t guarantee success.

Even if they somehow won, many knights would be dead or gravely injured by the end.

But Ghislain simply smiled as if to dismiss their concerns.

“This place is just bait. Their plan is to trap us here. They won’t attack while we’re fighting—they’re too worried we might escape. So, let’s play along and make this worth our while.”

“Ah...”

The knights, who had spent a great deal of time with Ghislain, quickly understood his intentions.

“To make sure they catch you, they’d need to trap you securely, right?”

“So it’s better for them to surround the castle after we’ve gone inside.”

“There’s no way they’d go to all this trouble just for a group of 400 raiders. Their real target is you, my lord.”

The knights, once clueless about warfare, had grown sharper thanks to their time with Ghislain. Though they hadn’t formally studied military strategy, their experience had honed their intuition and judgment.

This insight would be invaluable in future battles. The ability to make the right decisions in critical moments often meant the difference between life and death.

Ghislain, pleased with their growth, smiled and nodded.

“Exactly. Their goal is to capture me. Ordinary methods won’t work, so they’ve gone to great lengths to set this trap. Hah, it’s exhausting being so popular.”

“...”

The knights exchanged awkward looks.

“There he goes, full of himself again…”

“But, well... he’s not wrong.”

“Must be nice being so famous. I wish I were famous too…”

“What’s with those faces? Anyway, let’s go along with their plan this time. We can win this easily, so don’t worry.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Reassured by Ghislain’s confidence, the knights let go of their concerns and responded enthusiastically. When their lord spoke with such certainty, it meant victory was assured.

All they had to do was focus on battle and looting, just as they always had.

“Let’s give them a proper raid today.”

“Best part is the loot. Nothing feels better than eating well after a fight.”

“And this place is bigger, so there’s bound to be more to take.”

Grinning wickedly, the knights could barely contain their excitement.

While they’d practiced raiding during drills, this was their first time carrying out a real one. It had been clear from the start that looting came naturally to them.

The estates they’d targeted so far had barely any soldiers or knights, making it all too easy—and all the more enjoyable.

Just as the knights were gleefully anticipating the raid, Ghislain issued a new order.

“This time, we’ll do things a little differently. The assault team will go in and open the gates. Pick 50 men.”

Kaor looked startled.

“What? Why? We’ve always attacked together! That place has 3,000 soldiers!”

“If we all go in and take the castle, the enemy will encircle us before we can withdraw. We can’t afford to lose our horses. Once the gates are open, we’ll ride in.”

“So what if we lose a few horses? There’ll be more inside! We can just bring them back after we’ve taken the place!”

“No. I won’t leave Kong behind.”

At that, the Black King whinnied proudly, flicking his mane dramatically.

“...”

Kaor stared at the horse in silence before sighing.

“So... because of the horses, you want me to take just 50 men and open the gates?”

“Exactly. Consider it training. That’s the assault team’s job, isn’t it? If you don’t want to, Gillian can do it.”

Gillian bowed immediately. “I’ll open the gates without delay.”

Kaor hurriedly backtracked.

“No, no! I’ll do it! It’s nothing! Hey, guys, you can handle this, right?”

The 50 knights assigned to the assault team sighed in unison.

“Why couldn’t we just send the old man…”

“This is going to be exhausting…”

“If we’re unlucky, we might not make it back…”

Even though they were strong, fighting 3,000 soldiers wasn’t an easy task. They’d have to kill as many as possible at the start to open the gates, or they’d risk being overwhelmed.

As dusk fell, Ghislain stood and gave the signal.

“The sun’s down. Get moving and open those gates.”

The knights donned their hoods, ready to blend into the shadows.

From the beginning, Ghislain had planned a night raid, down to their attire.

Kaor’s assault team approached the castle silently. Every member had learned stealth and concealment techniques from Belinda.

While they weren’t assassins, their training allowed them to avoid detection from ordinary guards.

Kaor, however, still bore a grudge against Belinda for all the bruises he’d received during lessons.

As they neared the castle, Kaor muttered under his breath.

“Damn... this time we’re definitely going to get spotted.”

The enemy was already aware of their tactics, and the castle’s defenses were on high alert. Soldiers patrolled the walls in tightly packed formations, and torches illuminated the area, leaving few blind spots.

Though Ghislain, Gillian, and Kaor could move through the shadows with ease, most knights couldn’t.

Eventually, one of the sharper-eyed guards spotted faint, flickering shadows below the walls.

"Something... Something’s coming! Something is approaching!"

The cry from the guard sent tension rippling through the soldiers. They raised their spears, prepared their defensive weapons, and fortified their positions to ensure no enemies could scale the walls.

But before they could deploy their siege defenses, a grappling hook clanged against the wall.

Clink.

"Huh? Wh-what’s this?"

The soldier closest to the hook froze, his mind going blank as he panicked, unsure of what to do.

"You idiot! Get rid of it!"

A veteran soldier rushed toward the grappling hook to cut it loose, but he was too late. Kaor had already ascended, pulling himself up the rope in a single motion.

Planting his feet on the wall’s edge, he hefted his massive greatsword and let out a sinister grin.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve arrived.”

“Enemy on the wall!”

The soldiers shouted in alarm, thrusting their spears at Kaor without hesitation.

BOOM!

Kaor dodged the spears with fluid ease and swung his greatsword in a wide arc.

CRASH!

“Arghhh!”

The soldiers blocking his path were cut down in an instant. Kaor chuckled as he surveyed the carnage.

"Ah, big weapons really are the best for mowing down weaklings."

While he laughed, the sound of commands and cries echoed around him.

“Get him!”

“There’s only one!”

The guards on the wall, numbering in the hundreds, converged on Kaor’s position. It was an impressive sight—3,000 troops mobilizing—but Kaor wasn’t alone.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

Dozens of grappling hooks latched onto the walls as knights began scaling the ropes with practiced efficiency.

“Charge!”

“Kill them!”

“There aren’t many! We can stop them!”

The soldiers of Baron Dayker’s estate relied on their overwhelming numbers, confident in their ability to overwhelm the attackers. After all, there were only about fifty knights climbing the wall, and the defenders numbered in the thousands.

Seeing the flood of enemies, Kaor shouted urgently, his tone slightly panicked.

“Get down to the ground! Move quickly!”

To descend, however, they first needed to clear the soldiers blocking their way. Kaor and the knights sprang into action.

CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!

The Fenris knights cut down dozens of enemies in moments, but their progress was limited. The sheer number of soldiers made it impossible to advance far.

Kaor gritted his teeth. The wall wasn’t particularly wide, but the narrowness only worked against them—enemy reinforcements were arriving faster than they could cut them down.

He muttered under his breath, “Damn it… what do we do?”

The reinforcements continued to stream up the walls, packing the space so tightly that even the soldiers waiting below couldn’t climb up. Kaor’s group was quickly becoming surrounded.

Think, think…

His mind raced, but all he could come up with was to charge forward. No other solution came to mind. Exhausted by the mental effort, Kaor’s thoughts turned to the absurd.

What if I just kill all 3,000 of them?

It was an entertaining idea, but even for him, it was impossible. Sure, if he and the fifty knights fought to the bitter end, they could probably take down about 2,000 enemies—but that would end in a glorious death for all of them.

Kaor wasn’t interested in such a foolish demise. Breaking through the soldiers ahead seemed like the only viable option.

“Hey! Block the flanks! The rest of you, follow me and push forward!”

The well-trained Fenris knights responded immediately. Half the group formed defensive lines on the left and right, holding off the swarming soldiers, while Kaor took the lead and charged forward with the rest.

He hurled his greatsword ahead of him.

BOOM!

“Arghhh!”

A cluster of soldiers fell like dominoes as the massive blade tore through them. Kaor exhaled deeply, the weight of the situation pressing down on him.

“Whew… I guess there’s no choice but to fight seriously now.”

He couldn’t deny it—recent battles had been far too easy. And while he understood why Ghislain had put them in this situation, it didn’t make it any less stressful.

The tension kept their senses sharp. Kaor grudgingly agreed that this kind of challenge was necessary to maintain their edge in combat.

He drew two swords from his waist with a metallic clang.

Ghislain had made it a rule for all Fenris knights to be proficient with multiple weapons. Kaor, taking this to heart, had chosen to focus on dual-wielding swords—a suggestion Ghislain himself had made.

“You don’t use shields much anyway. Why not train with two swords?”

“Two swords? But I’m not good with my left hand.”

“That’s why you need to practice. If you lose your right hand in battle, are you just going to die?”

“…”

“Besides, wielding two swords doubles your attack power. Makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Huh… That actually makes a lot of sense.”

At the time, Kaor had nodded, finding Ghislain’s reasoning surprisingly persuasive. After all, even Gillian used two axes when dealing with weaker enemies.

Not wanting to be outdone, Kaor had thrown himself into mastering dual-wielding techniques.

Thanks to his rigorous training, he was now fairly adept with two swords. Gripping them tightly, he smiled as the soldiers charged to fill the empty space.

“Time to double my attack power.”

Shick! Shick!

Kaor moved like lightning, his blades dancing in the air. His strikes were precise and deadly, cutting down multiple enemies with every movement.

The soldiers who had charged forward with confidence now found themselves retreating in terror. Kaor’s laugh echoed across the wall as he carved a path through the chaos.