The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 369

Kaor’s dual sword technique wasn’t just a last-minute idea; it had been in a swordsmanship manual Ghislain had given him long ago. Surprisingly, the style suited Kaor perfectly.

"Yeah, the impact feels a bit different, but the movement itself is way more comfortable," he muttered.

Defense was never part of Kaor’s style anyway—he thrived on sharp, precise strikes aimed at the opponent’s vital points. For him, dual swordsmanship was the ideal addition, creating an extra attack route. The thought of not discovering this sooner made him feel like he’d wasted years of his life.

Moving faster than anyone else, Kaor wielded his two swords with deadly precision, mowing down enemies in a blur of motion.

Shick! Shick! Shick!

“What the hell is this guy?!”

“He’s so fast!”

“That must be the Count of Fenris!”

The soldiers, unable to fend off Kaor’s relentless strikes, mistakenly assumed they were fighting Ghislain himself. In the pitch-black night, streaks of blue mana glinted in the air as enemy after enemy fell, their heads severed in an instant.

Kaor’s eyes gleamed with an eerie blue light, the result of intense mana usage. The predatory glow was reminiscent of a beast hunting its prey in the dark.

Kaor’s ruthless assault carved a path straight through the enemy ranks, opening a narrow but vital route.

“Go! Jump down! Use all your strength now!” Kaor shouted, staying atop the wall to keep the way open.

He didn’t descend immediately, opting instead to hold the line. His body was already drenched in blood, though it wasn’t all his own.

Bzzzzt—!

The Fenris knights’ armor lit up, glowing faintly even through their cloaks. The activation of their mana-infused armor amplified their speed and strength significantly.

BOOM! BOOM!

“Aaaargh!”

With their enhanced power, the knights swiftly overwhelmed the surrounding soldiers. Clearing a path through the blockers, they leaped from the walls without hesitation.

Thud! Thud!

Using a technique known as ‘Breaking One Arm but Surviving’ to cushion their fall, and wrapping their bodies in protective mana, the knights landed safely on the ground.

But landing wasn’t the end of it.

“Stop them! Don’t let them open the gates!” screamed the enemy commander.

The soldiers climbing the walls quickly turned back, rushing toward the gate. Those already atop the walls scrambled down the stairs to intercept the attackers.

Kaor, now on the ground, yelled out, “Hold them off! Just a few of you, come with me to open the gate!”

Yet all the knights began following Kaor toward the gate, leaving no one to block the advancing soldiers.

“Idiots! You crazy bastards! Just you and you, follow me! The rest of you block them! They’re coming!”

Kaor hastily pointed at a couple of knights, snapping them out of their overzealous charge. Reluctantly, the others turned back, groaning in frustration as they formed a defensive line.

“Waaaahhh!”

The enemy soldiers charged in waves, forcing the knights to engage them. Unlike atop the walls, the open space on the ground made it easier for the soldiers to encircle them.

CRASH!

Screams and splatters of blood erupted as the two sides clashed. Some soldiers managed to slip past the knights, heading straight for the gate.

Although the knights swiftly pursued and cut them down, gaps in their line were inevitable. No matter how skilled they were, they couldn’t completely block the overwhelming numbers.

Fortunately, the few seconds the knights bought were enough. Kaor and the knights with him reached the gate mechanism, grabbing the crank and turning it with all their might.

Creeeaaak...

The heavy portcullis began to rise as enemy soldiers closed in.

Kaor charged out, cutting them down while shouting, “Hurry up and open the main gate!”

Shick! Shick! Shick!

His swords danced with blinding speed, felling enemies in a frenzy. Having fought countless battles against monsters, Kaor had become a master of chaotic combat.

While Kaor held off the soldiers, the remaining knights finally opened the gate.

Thud!

From a distance, Ghislain watched the gate open, a smile playing on his lips. Raising his hand, he called out.

“You’ve all improved greatly. Let’s go.”

Hiiiiing!

With a piercing neigh, the Black King reared up before bolting forward, its dark form blending seamlessly into the night. The Fenris knights followed, their horses thundering behind him.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of hooves pounding the ground echoed ominously. Focused on the Fenris assault team, the soldiers of Baron Dayker’s estate failed to notice Ghislain and his main force approaching until it was too late.

By the time they realized, the faces of the enemy commanders turned pale.

“Shut the gate! Close it now!” shouted a commander from the walls.

But it was already too late. The soldiers near the gate were still blocked by the Fenris assault team.

Even those who had reached the gate couldn’t close it. The red-haired man standing in their way was a wall of death they couldn’t overcome.

“We just need to wear him down a bit more!” one soldier muttered nervously.

“But he’s not going down!”

“We have to attack now!”

Despite their murmurs, none of them dared to approach Kaor. Covered in blood and smiling ferociously, he stood like a demon guarding the gate. His twin swords glinted menacingly in his hands.

It wasn’t just his appearance that intimidated them; they knew closing the gate with Kaor standing there was impossible. He wouldn’t stand by and let them do it.

As they hesitated, Ghislain, at the forefront of the charging knights, extended his hand.

Whoooosh!

Spears of crimson mana materialized in the air, dozens of them forming and streaking forward like bolts of lightning.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

“Arghhh!”

The soldiers clustered near the gate were impaled instantly, their cries of pain cutting through the chaos.

“It’s a mage! They’ve got a mage!” one soldier screamed, panic spreading like wildfire. The Dayker forces had no mages left; their own had disappeared days ago.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The sound of hooves grew louder as the Fenris knights charged through the open gate. With the gate fully raised and reinforcements pouring in, the defenders’ morale shattered.

“We’re doomed! Retreat! We can’t win this!”

“This place is lost!”

At someone’s desperate shout, the soldiers began to scatter, throwing down their weapons in a bid to escape. Some even discarded their armor to run faster.

But the Fenris knights were faster. Mounted and relentless, they tore through the fleeing soldiers.

CRASH!

“Aaaargh!”

The soldiers, all on foot, had no hope of outrunning the cavalry. Hundreds were trampled as the 350 knights swept through them like a storm.

Rumors had long warned of Fenris raiders who spared no one, even those who surrendered. Terror-stricken, the Dayker soldiers screamed as they scattered in every direction.

Kaor, finally catching a moment of respite, dropped to his knees, exhausted.

“Ugh! Did we really have to do it like this?” he grumbled, though everyone knew who he was complaining about.

The knights who had fought alongside him collapsed nearby, panting heavily.

“Man, today was insane. That was one hell of a training exercise.”

“I haven’t been this beaten up in years.”

“Another minute, and I’d have been dead.”

Despite their exhaustion, the knights laughed and cursed in equal measure. They had pushed themselves to the limit but survived.

They had trusted that Ghislain wouldn’t let them fail. If things had truly gone south, their lord would have intervened directly. His orders to treat this as training had been a quiet assurance of their eventual success.

With the enemy completely demoralized, mopping up the remaining forces was easy. The Fenris knights stormed the castle, swiftly cutting down anyone who resisted.

Most of the soldiers were dead; only a few managed to escape.

“Waaaahhh!”

“We won!”

“Another raid successful!”

The knights who hadn’t been selected for the assault team laughed heartily, their relief palpable. They had avoided the worst of the battle and could relax for the time being.

Just as the group was starting to enjoy themselves, Ghislain gestured toward the castle gate.

“Close the gate.”

Everyone knew there were enemies pursuing them. The knights, snapping back to attention, quickly shut the gate and climbed onto the walls to keep watch.

It wasn’t long before the distant glow of countless torches began to appear, signaling the approach of an army.

It was the forces sent by the Marquis of Rodrick and the surrounding lords. Their timing made it clear—they had been monitoring the battle all along.

“They really want to trap us here and bleed us dry.”

“No, more accurately, they don’t want to let you escape, my lord.”

“Well, they’ve finally gathered. This won’t be easy.”

Armies advanced from three directions, and unlike the forces they had faced before, these included a significant number of knights.

The opposing forces didn’t attack immediately. Instead, they set up camp around the castle, maintaining a tight siege. They seemed content to wait.

Seeing his predictions unfold exactly as expected, Ghislain smirked.

“So, they’re going to starve us out, huh?”

He had to admit, it was a bold strategy, one worthy of a great lord in the kingdom. Sacrificing a castle and 3,000 soldiers as bait was no small gamble.

“First, inspect the castle’s food stores and search for any remaining personnel,” Ghislain ordered.

Seeing no immediate threat of battle, Ghislain turned his attention to fortifying their position.

The knights spread out, thoroughly searching every corner of the castle. After several hours, they returned, dragging a handful of people with them.

“Please, spare us!”

“We’ve done nothing wrong!”

“The lord and his retinue have already fled!”

The captured administrators wailed as they were brought before Ghislain, who asked calmly, “When did they flee?”

“They... they escaped three days ago, taking all the treasure with them.”

“And they abandoned their soldiers?”

“Yes, yes. They only took the knights with them.”

“Then why did the soldiers stay and fight?”

One of the administrators hesitated, glancing nervously at Ghislain before answering cautiously.

“They didn’t know the lord had fled. It was kept a strict secret.”

“And what about you?”

“We... we stayed behind... to keep things running...”

“Be honest.”

Ghislain’s expression hardened, and the administrator, wilting under his gaze, hung his head.

“We... we planned to escape tomorrow. The food supplies are almost gone.”

Ghislain turned to Gillian, who immediately confirmed the information.

“The food stores are empty. They had already distributed tomorrow’s rations to the soldiers. If this had gone on for two more days, the castle would have been abandoned. They also left no siege weapons behind.”

Ghislain shifted his gaze back to the administrator.

“What about food for the civilians?”

“Most of it was confiscated. And most of the civilians followed the lord.”

“Why follow a man like that?”

The administrator hesitated again, then answered carefully, “He spread rumors that the ‘Plundering King’ would kill everyone if they stayed...”

“‘Plundering King’?”

“Yes... that’s the nickname you’ve been given.”

Ghislain let out a dry laugh. He had acted the part of a raider when necessary, but he hadn’t expected the title to follow him so literally into the western territories.

The knights, overhearing, chuckled awkwardly at the absurdity of it.

Shaking his head as if resigned, Ghislain asked, “And they followed him just because of that?”

“If they refused, they were taken by force. The more people he had when he returned, the better his position would look.”

Even in flight, the lord had been scheming for the future, clinging to his ambitions. It was both admirable and pathetic in its way.

“They knew all of this, and the soldiers still stayed?” Ghislain asked.

“They thought the food was being requisitioned for battle preparations and that the civilians were being evacuated for their safety.”

Ghislain shook his head, impressed by the sheer audacity. To deceive his own soldiers so thoroughly, the baron had ensured they would stay behind as bait while he made his escape.

He gestured to his knights, who began dragging the administrators away.

“Wait, please! Spare us!”

The administrators’ quick wits hadn’t been enough to save them. Ghislain ignored their cries, his attention shifting to the forces encamped outside the castle.

“Hmph. Everything’s going as planned... I wonder how long it’ll be before they strike.”

Kaor wiped the blood from his face with a cloth and spoke up.

“We’re going to fight them, right? This isn’t exactly unexpected.”

“Of course,” Ghislain replied. “This is the perfect opportunity to weaken them. It’s rare to have a chance to kill this many without worrying about the consequences.”

“Then let’s rest for a bit and attack at dawn. We don’t have food anyway.”

Ghislain shook his head. “No, we’ll wait for them to make the first move.”

“What? Why?!”

“So the mercenaries can transport the loot safely.”

“Ah!”

Ghislain had raided seven estates so far. Though there wasn’t much left to take from this eighth one, the treasures from the previous raids still needed to be transported. The process required both manpower and time.

Mercenaries stationed nearby were gradually moving the loot, but only about half had been secured so far. With the enemy’s focus squarely on the castle, the operation could proceed without interference.

Smirking, Ghislain looked toward the enemy camp.

“To plunder as much as possible, this is the perfect distraction. Their attention is entirely on us.”

The Marquis of Rodrick had gone all in on this strategy, leaving Ghislain free to raid at will. His forces had avoided pursuit, allowing the mercenaries to work undisturbed.

Ghislain had also instructed the mercenaries to flee at the first sign of trouble, ensuring the operation would continue as long as possible.

With his thoughts in order, Ghislain addressed the knights.

“All right, let’s rest for now. We’ll take it easy for a while. No food? That’s fine, right? You can all hold out, even if you’re hungry, can’t you?”

His cheerful tone made the knights groan, their expressions darkening.