The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 659

Upon hearing that the mercenary group would be registered under his name, only one word kept echoing in Julien’s head.

"Embarrassing!"

Moreover, the one leading their group right now was Ghislain. She couldn’t understand why it had to be named after him.

With a discontented expression, Julien asked,

“G-Ghislain? Why did you name the mercenary group like that?"

“It has to be this way.”

To Ghislain, it was a perfectly natural decision. Julien had to grow strong, and above all, the world had to revolve around his.

He was the hero meant to save the world.

It wasn't about debuting; once Julien was truly recognized, the world would naturally become curious and would serve his.

But to become a hero, Julien had to make his name known and prove his abilities.

Upon hearing the name of the mercenary group, Deneb and Kyle burst into laughter.

"Yeah, Ghislain’s leaving eventually, so you take over. I’ll concede."

Although it was embarrassing, Julien couldn’t refuse further. Ghislain’s staff kept swaying in front of his face, after all.

During his time with Ghislain, Julien realized something: Ghislain was someone whose words made no sense. He always insisted he was right.

Unable to defeat Ghislain in a battle of words, Julien sighed and gave up resisting.

The manager, noticing their conversation, spoke to Ghislain.

"We need to prove the total gold we can offer. There's no one else to test beyond that. To get a reward, we’ll need to head to a big city."

“Well, that’s enough for now.”

“A 5th-level person can receive a lesson... Are you a 5th-circle master?”

“Not quite, I’m just at the entry level.”

The manager tilted his head. His tone was almost as if he was transcribing a beat.

“Well, as long as entry level is fine... Can you show me some 5th-circle magic?”

Ghislain put on a slightly irritated expression.

“Hey, didn’t you just sense my terrifying mana earlier? And now you want me to show magic again?”

“No, no, I know you have the skills... But I need to know your circle exactly…”

The manager quickly shifted the subject but didn't back down. He knew that mages were eccentric and sometimes timid, but he needed proper confirmation.

“Sigh... The world really lacks trust, doesn’t it?”

Ghislain grumbled, shaking his head. He then drew his staff and this time didn’t create multiple small ones. Instead, he gathered his mana into one large, towering spear.

The manager took a deep breath, sensing the immense power emanating from the creation.

“Whoa... This is incredible. I’ll give you the highest grade I can. But we’ll need to engrave your circle on the mercenary badge... Is this 5th-circle magic?”

“It is.”

“This... I don’t know this magic. Could you show me something more famous?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“My magic… once it’s cast, there’s no avoiding bloodshed.”

Ghislain began to gather his magic. No matter how much they begged him to show it, he couldn’t. But the manager, being subtly persistent, didn’t give up.

“No, we need to engrave the circle on the badge.”

“...I refuse.”

“No, you can’t refuse.”

“...”

Ghislain remained silent and unmoved. The manager, frustrated, slapped his chest and exclaimed,

“Is the 5th-circle magic too difficult? Does it drain too much mana? Then show me at least 4th-circle magic.”

“...”

“3rd-circle? You could at least show me a simple 3rd-circle magic, right?”

“Fine. How about a 2nd-circle fireball? With 2nd-circle, I can give you a mid-level mercenary badge!”

“1st-circle? A light spell is fine, right? Even Light magic, does it require blood?”

The manager, growing stubborn, insisted on seeing at least 1st-circle magic.

But Ghislain, gritting his teeth, kept silent and maintained his stance. Ghislain never loses a battle of will.

Finally, the manager’s suspicions exploded.

“Hey! Are you even a mage?”

Boom!

Ghislain’s summoned magic spear shot forward, smashing the side of the building. The sudden display of power took the manager by surprise.

“Isn’t this magic, then what is it?”

“Well... it’s magic, but I need to show something else since it has to be engraved…”

“I’ve already shown you, but since you keep doubting, I don’t feel like showing you anything more.”

Ghislain continued to smile. Honestly, he really wanted to show more, but he couldn’t.

Fortunately, the image of the mage, whose magic was released earlier, was quite helpful. Magic users had always been evaluated the same way, even a thousand years ago.

The manager, holding back tears, muttered,

“Damn mages, they’re never normal…”

In the end, Ghislain received a mid-level mercenary badge engraved with the 5th-circle symbol.

“Let’s see the others now. Since they’ve received the mid-level badges, just wait a bit.”

Ghislain shook his head.

“These friends can use mana. They’re at the knight level.”

“What? They’re that young?”

“I told you they are. Just check.”

“R-Really? They don’t need any duels?”

Normally, mercenaries assess their rank through duels. However, because they were mid-level mercenaries, they could skip this step and verify their ranks.

Exceptions existed for those who could use mana.

For them, duels weren’t necessary. Just using mana proved their abilities.

Even knights could end up as bandits nowadays. In this era, there were many mercenaries who used mana.

However, most of them were at the level of bandits and were older, middle-aged men. Young and promising ones rarely worked as mercenaries.

The manager’s eyes widened in disbelief, and he waved his hands around.

“Well, let’s see it then!”

Julien placed his sword to his side and channeled mana into it. Kyle did the same.

The blue glow of their mana glimmered on their swords. Even though the manager couldn’t confirm their circles, he knew that this was mana.

“R-Really? No way, how are they so young…”

The manager muttered in excitement, realizing that rare talents had arrived at the mercenary guild.

With a pleased smile, he said,

“Alright, alright. I’ll give both of you mid-level badges.”

The manager started acting familiar with them. Mages were eccentric and hard to get close to, but such powerful figures were a different matter.

Being on good terms with talented and promising people was never a bad thing.

Seemingly impressed, Ghislain pointed to Deneb.

“Give him a badge too. Same rank.”

The manager's eyes turned to disdain.

“Isn’t he… a priest?”

“Yeah. He didn’t go to the testing castle.”

“Wait, can a priest register as a mercenary?”

“Why wouldn’t they?”

Deneb blinked, as there was no law in the doctrine prohibiting priests from working as mercenaries.

Of course, there never had been such a thing. Priests who did mercenary work for money and then used it to help others didn’t exist either.

But if someone insisted, they could consider themselves mercenaries.

The manager, flustered, asked,

“Then, how would we rank them…?”

Mercenary guilds ranked people based on different criteria depending on the kingdom or city. This guild used a specific system, but they had no rule for priests.

Ghislain, unconcerned, responded,

“I told you. Give him a mid-level rank. Being able to use holy power is enough.”

“Holy power? Could I see it?”

At the words of the manager, Deneb stretched out her hand. A faint but clear light emanated from it.

The manager flinched and instinctively took a step back, sensing the undeniable holy power.

"Unbelievable."

It didn’t matter whether the holy power was strong or weak. The important thing was that someone who could use holy power was now part of the mercenary group.

While knights would typically undergo a lot of testing, the mercenaries here appeared like simple mages on the outside, but their ranks were quite impressive.

Moreover, they were all young. If they continued to develop their skills and survive, this group would undoubtedly become a formidable mercenary force.

The manager, becoming even more familiar, extended his hand to Ghislain.

"My name is Jackson. I’ll issue your mercenary badges right away. The registration will be quick too. Let’s get along well from now on. We’ll be friends, alright?"

"You’ve been adding that for a while now? Well, let’s try to get along."

Ghislain gladly shook his hand. Jackson then turned his attention to Julien and Kyle, offering them handshakes as well.

It seemed like the mage in charge was from the staff, but ultimately, the leader of the group was Julien.

After completing the test, Jackson pulled out a simple document and said,

"You’ll need to wait a little for your badges, but I think you’ll enjoy a walk around the area."

"Yeah, once I see what’s on the list."

Jackson showed them the current list of requests in the mercenary guild.

As Ghislain looked through the list, it seemed that something didn’t sit right with him, and he asked with a dissatisfied tone,

"Is that all? Are there no more dangerous jobs?"

Jackson appeared slightly troubled but responded,

"Well, there aren’t any jobs that would bring in that much money right now. This is a small town, so there’s not going to be anything that dangerous, is there?"

It was a small town. Even with enhanced vitality, the area’s risks didn’t extend much beyond nearby benefits.

"Well, we’ll have to wait and see. If nothing comes up, we can move to another city."

"Even if we wait, you won’t find the kind of dangerous job you’re looking for. This is your first request, right? It’s better to take on an easier job and gain experience than risk your life."

"No. I need a profitable and powerful job to become famous quickly."

"Tsk tsk, I’ve seen many people who go to their grave that way."

Jackson clicked his tongue, but Ghislain didn’t budge. He always did things with conviction.

Ghislain and his group received their mercenary badges and spent some time at the mercenary guild. They came and went quite freely, eating and later practicing in the open field.

Jackson gave them hints to leave, but Ghislain insisted they were here for a job request.

Of course, Ghislain didn’t want to be too rude, so he handed over a small amount of money as a fee, which made Jackson leave them alone for the time being.

One day, as they spent time at the mercenary guild,

"Mercenaries! We need mercenaries!"

A young man entered the guild. He had a gentle and soft appearance. His clothes were a little worn, but they were made from quite fine material.

"What do you need them for?"

Jackson stepped forward and asked, and the man quickly responded,

"I need a duel participant. Please introduce a skilled mercenary."

"A duel opponent? For the Raks merchant guild? Lord Leo from the Raks merchant guild?"

"Yes, yes! That’s right. Has the rumor already spread this far?"

Jackson squinted, as if feeling sorry for the man.

"This isn’t going to work. We don’t have anyone suitable for that."

"Please, is there no skilled mercenary here? Time is running out."

Jackson glanced toward the back. Just then, Ghislain’s group finished their practice and were sitting at a table eating.

The food had been brought by a waiter from a nearby inn.

"Ugh... This isn’t even a restaurant…"

While grumbling inwardly, Ghislain approached and asked,

"What’s going on? What kind of request is this?"

"A request for someone to participate in a duel."

"A duel?"

"Yes, the lord of the merchant guild had a disagreement. Now, the lord has requested a duel... Well, this kind of risky business is right up your alley."

"But that’s not what I want. These kinds of duels don’t really help much..."

Ghislain tried to brush it off.

What he was looking for in a risky job was one where they fought in a single location, not some political danger. Such matters were just headaches and tiring.

Besides, in a small-scale area like this, having a duel wouldn’t help raise one’s skills.

Leo urged them with increasing desperation,

"Please, find me a skilled mercenary. There’s not much time left!"

"We’ll accept your request. But, there’s no money for the lord’s side. The job…"

"We’re willing to help, but we have to deal with the fighting and positioning ourselves. Of course, if someone knows the circumstances, they’ll help us."

Leo appealed to their sense of obligation, but Jackson, smiling awkwardly, shook his head.

"I’ll give it to the mercenaries, but it’s not going to be easy. Please prepare yourselves for that."

"Ugh…"

Leo, overwhelmed, started crying out loud. Seeing this, Deneb quietly remarked,

"He seems like someone who’s been wronged..."

"Tsk tsk, there you go again. That’s from his point of view. You always have to hear both sides of the story."

"That’s true."

"Yeah. People always speak from their own perspective. Whether he’s truly wronged or just making excuses, we can’t know for sure. If you’re going to interfere, you have to understand both sides clearly first."

Ghislain said this seriously. No matter what others said, he always prided himself on acting rationally (or so he thought).

Hearing the conversation, Leo shouted with frustration,

"We are truly wronged! We’ve been falsely accused! Don’t speak to us like that if you won’t help!"

Ghislain looked at him, taken aback. He had met countless people in the mercenary business, including greedy ones.

Whenever these people were on the receiving end, they would always shout that they were wronged.

The era was harsher now. Listening to only one side and believing it was naive.

Julien, Deneb, and Kyle admired Ghislain’s calm demeanor.

Until now, they had never thought this way. When someone asked for help, they were quick to offer it without much thought.

"That’s Ghislain for you."

"We need to learn that level of calmness."

"Couldn’t it be that the situation is actually wrong?"

While the three admired him, Leo kept crying.

"Ugh, is there no hope left in this world?"

Leo truly looked wronged. His gentle and innocent appearance made the onlookers feel pity.

Julien and Deneb bit their lips as they looked at him.

They wanted to help. They wanted to solve his problems.

But they knew they had promised Ghislain not to interfere anymore.

If they let Leo go, the Raks merchant guild would likely collapse.

Leo, with a defeated expression, said,

"There’s less than a week left. What do you mean, go to another place and ask?"

"I’m really sorry I can’t help."

Jackson gently declined, and Leo muttered in a voice full of despair,

"If only we hadn’t been robbed of the funds…"

Upon hearing this, Ghislain suddenly stood up.

"Did you say funds?"

"Yes, yes! Most of the funds from our territory have been taken. The lord has accused us falsely to take control of them…"

Ghislain’s expression changed dramatically upon hearing this.
"Such… a ruthless lord, huh?"

"What?"

"We’re a mercenary group that does only righteous work. Our goal is to punish evil. After hearing your story, it seems like you’ve been wronged."

"What? But earlier…"

"Ah, we’ll help you."

At Ghislain’s words, Leo’s eyes widened. Ghislain smiled brightly at him.

"For the sake of justice"