The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 688

The King of Mercenaries.

Under normal circumstances, Tyron would have laughed in his face. Such an idea was absurd and utterly impossible.

A King of Mercenaries? That kind of nonsense was laughable. No such figure had ever existed in history.

Had he not lost the duel, he would have punched the fool for spouting such nonsense.

But…

Why, for a brief moment, had his heart stirred at those words that seemed so out of reach?

Tyron stared at Julien with a stern expression.

Ah…

He, too, had once entertained such thoughts as a child.

Nobles exploited people under the pretext of fighting the magical beasts that plagued the land, while those who resisted became bandits, preying on the weak.

The powerless were left to live lives devoid of dreams or hope, reduced to preying on each other for survival.

There were a few decent lords, but their number was so small that they were soon devoured by their more ruthless peers.

If only I had power…

As a child, he had vowed that if he ever gained power, he would never live like them.

But what about now?

He had become nothing more than a noble’s dog, preying on others to maintain his own survival. The resolve he’d had as a child was long gone, replaced by an insatiable hunger for power and wealth.

After all, those with power lived this way. It was only natural.

And yet, here stood someone stronger than him, proclaiming his intent to save the world and lead all mercenaries.

Of course, Tyron still thought it was nonsense.

But…

The unwavering gaze of the man before him made him wonder: could someone like this truly change the world, even just a little?

Tyron shook his head vigorously, then glared at Julien with a growl.

“Big dreams for a mere mercenary. Hah, what a joke. Who do you think you’re fooling?”

Julien didn’t respond, his calm demeanor unchanged.

Tyron sighed deeply. No matter what fanciful ideas the man in front of him spouted, there was one undeniable truth: he had lost the duel.

Many mercenaries had witnessed it. Continuing to argue or act dishonorably would only make him look pitiful.

“I’ve lost. As promised, I’ll join the Julien Mercenary Corps. Do whatever you want—save the world, become the King of Mercenaries, I don’t care.”

He wasn’t petty enough to deny the outcome of the duel. While it was painful to let go of his ambitions, he decided he would pursue a new goal.

“Well, it’s an impossible dream, but I guess it’s at least a meaningful one.”

Julien smiled at Tyron’s reaction.

He loosened the ropes binding their wrists and extended a hand to Tyron.

For a moment, Tyron stared at Julien’s outstretched hand before finally grasping it and pulling himself up.

At that moment, a thunderous cheer erupted from the Julien Mercenary Corps.

“Yeahhhhh! The commander won!”

“Commander Julien is the best! He’ll be the King of Mercenaries!”

“The Julien Mercenary Corps is the strongest!”

The scene was absolute chaos. The strongest mercenary in the region, Tyron, had lost to their commander.

Watching their commander fight, drenched in blood and risking his life, had left a profound impact on them.

They realized today that one didn’t need mana to fight with extraordinary courage and resolve.

This victory was bound to change how people viewed the Julien Mercenary Corps.

“This is it! I, the great Osvald, will follow Commander Julien for the rest of my life!”

“Wooooo!”

The mercenaries of the Julien Corps cheered and chanted endlessly. Meanwhile, the members of the Ironclad Lion Mercenary Corps stood in shock, their expressions blank as they looked at Tyron.

To them, Tyron had been the strongest, an unbeatable force. They had taken immense pride in serving under him.

But now, he had lost the duel. The reality that their mercenary corps would disband because of a single duel was hard to believe.

Tyron looked at his men with a hint of regret before speaking firmly.

“I’ve lost the duel. As promised, the Ironclad Lion Mercenary Corps will disband, and we will join the Julien Mercenary Corps. If anyone cannot accept this, they are free to leave.”

While the corps itself would dissolve, individuals were free to leave or stay—it was the unwritten rule of the mercenary world.

More criminal-like mercenary groups might force their members to stay, but the Ironclad Lions had never been that kind of organization.

The Ironclad Lions finally began to accept the reality of their situation.

They knew that someone as proud as Tyron would never stoop to denying the duel’s outcome or breaking his word.

“I… I will stay,” said Zark, the deputy commander, breaking the silence.

One by one, the other members of the Ironclad Lions also decided to join the Julien Mercenary Corps.

It was better to remain with a powerful mercenary corps than to start over elsewhere.

With their decisions made, the transition was swift. The Julien Mercenary Corps was buzzing with excitement.

“Yeahhhhh! We’re the biggest mercenary corps now!”

“Commander Julien is the best!”

“Haha, that ended quicker than I thought!”

In the midst of the celebration, Ghislain stood off to the side, watching Julien with a peculiar expression.

The King of Mercenaries?

That’s supposed to be my title.

He had spent years drilling into Julien’s head that he needed to become the center of this era, but he hadn’t told him to become the King of Mercenaries.

Julien was meant to be the savior of this world, not its mercenary leader.

Still, it seemed that Julien had set his own goals to become the center of this era. Thinking about it, Ghislain didn’t mind.

Ghislain smiled warmly.

A goal you set for yourself will always be stronger.

He was someone who would eventually leave this world. He didn’t know how long he could continue deceiving people and staying in this era, but as Astion grew stronger, the time of their parting grew closer.

And now Julien had finally set his own goals. It was something Ghislain couldn’t help but be proud of.

Fine, then. You be this era’s King of Mercenaries. It’s a good start.

After all, their mercenary work was meant to establish a foundation. If they were going to do it, becoming the most influential mercenary corps in the world wasn’t a bad idea.

“Julien! Julien!”

The mercenaries continued chanting Julien’s name. Julien smiled shyly but soon collapsed, his legs giving out.

He had lost too much blood, and dizziness overcame him.

“Julien!”

Deneb cried out in alarm, rushing to his side. She poured her divine power into him, her face filled with worry.

“Are you okay? Are you really okay?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry so much.”

“Are you sure? You’re covered in wounds!”

“I told you, I’m fine.”

Deneb’s face crumpled with concern, while Julien continued to smile softly.

A strange atmosphere seemed to form between them.

Deneb always looked after others, so it wasn’t unusual for her to worry. But something about her demeanor when Julien was in danger felt… different.

Ghislain narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he watched the two.

Something is definitely going on here. Could it be…?

Ghislain stared at Deneb, piecing things together.

Astion, sensing his thoughts, muttered, “Didn’t you notice? You’ve been with them for two years.”

“Notice what?”

“That they like each other.”

“What? Seriously?”

Astion’s voice carried a note of exasperation.

“…You really didn’t notice.”

“When did this happen?”

“It’s been going on for a while. Since they were kids, probably.”

Astion briefly recounted their childhood. Julien had been an orphan, treated like an outcast. It was Deneb who had always cared for him, looking after him when no one else would.

— Think about it. No matter how gullible Julien is, do you think a kid who went through all that suffering and got stabbed in the back by their own village would dream of saving the world? It’s a miracle he didn’t turn out completely twisted.
“Hmm...”

— Whenever Julien started going astray, it was Deneb who pulled him back. That’s why Julien grew up the way he did.
“And Deneb?”
— Who knows? She was just born like that. A genuinely good person. Maybe that’s why she awakened divine power. Even Kyle used to say that the Star of the Gullible shines upon Deneb.
“Hm...”

In short, it was mostly thanks to Deneb that Julien developed such a kind-hearted nature.
‘So that’s why he ended up dreaming of saving the world?’
— That... is because of me.
‘Ah.’
— Originally, Julien just wanted to help people and live kindly. He wanted to make sure no one would suffer or feel wronged. That was it.
‘And then you filled his head with your lofty ideas about saving the world and whatnot?’
— Exactly. As I kept sharing my knowledge and helping him grow stronger, his dreams naturally grew bigger too.
‘Ah...’

It all made sense now. Julien, who had simple, ordinary dreams, ended up aiming for something grand because Astion kept feeding his ambitions.
And somehow, that grand ambition ended up becoming reality—thanks to a couple of kids from the countryside.

This wasn’t unusual in this world. It almost felt like there was some massive, incomprehensible flow of destiny at play.

While Ghislain was contemplating such high-level thoughts, Astion clicked his tongue and said,
— Seriously, how can you not see it? Are you that oblivious? You’ve never been in a relationship, have you?
“...”
— Just be honest.

Ghislain hastily defended himself.
“...I’ve had a fiancée. I’m not some amateur like you kids. I was an adult, after all.”

Technically, they had been engaged, though their relationship was one of mutual hostility. But Astion, with his sharp perception, wasn’t buying it.
— No, I mean, have you ever been in a real relationship?
“...”

Astion’s brutal truth hit hard, and Ghislain was left speechless. Dark, standing nearby, chimed in.
— Master’s never been in a relationship! He only cares about fighting! I’ve seen everything, even his memories before birth. He’s always been alone!

Dark, who had access to even pre-birth memories, confirmed it. To Ghislain’s dismay, his illustrious record of zero relationships was undeniable.
“...”

With Dark around, Ghislain couldn’t even lie. Astion and Dark gleefully teased him, sensing an opportunity.
— Hahaha! No wonder you’re clueless about this stuff! You’re not good at everything, after all!
— All you know is how to fight and eat! What would you know about understanding a woman’s heart?
“...”

Ghislain felt wronged. It wasn’t that he lacked interest or awareness; it was that he simply never had the time.

Before regression, he had been consumed by his quest for revenge. Afterward, he had poured all his energy into stopping the Duke’s faction and the Salvation Order.
And just when it seemed like he could catch his breath, he was thrown into another timeline. He didn’t even know when he might be forced out of this world, so training Julien was his top priority.

There was simply no time for romance. Yet here they were, mocking him for something they didn’t understand.
“I just... didn’t have time for relationships.”
— Oh, come on, that’s such a lame excuse. Just admit you’ve never been in one.
— Master, that’s a cowardly excuse. If you had time to fight, you had time to date!

Ghislain strategically went silent. He refused to give them any more ammunition. Instead, he withdrew into his mental space, slamming the metaphorical door shut.
— Agh! Hey! This is my body! Don’t lock me out!
— Let us out! We’re sorry!

Finally, it was quiet. Taking a deep breath, Ghislain calmed his frustrated heart and turned to Kyle.
“Do they know they like each other?”
“Yeah. Why? Didn’t you already know? They’ve been like that forever.”
“...I mean, yeah, I knew.”

Of course he knew. He’d just been too busy to focus on it. It wasn’t that he was oblivious to these things. Absolutely not.

“Hmm... Well, it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

If they liked each other, who was he to interfere? In fact, their mutual affection would probably make them more determined to protect one another, which was a good thing.

People become stronger when they have someone to protect. Ghislain knew that better than anyone.

Julien and Tyron were soon carried to the infirmary. Ghislain used his potions to heal most of their external wounds, but they’d lost too much blood and needed rest.

The merged mercenary corps had been awkward at first but quickly grew close. They’d be working together moving forward, and the leadership of the corps was so strong that there was no room for disdain or rejection.

Meanwhile, Julien held repeated meetings with the corps leaders to establish structure and plan their next moves.

Once the organization was mostly in order, Tyron spoke up.
“We had originally planned to join Count Crest in an upcoming territorial war. The formal request should arrive soon. What’s the plan?”

Ghislain replied nonchalantly.
“It doesn’t matter. We hadn’t signed the contract yet, so we’re not obligated. Even if we had, the Ironclad Lion Corps is dissolved. There’s no reason to uphold it.”
“Count Crest isn’t going to let that slide. He’ll try to recruit us by any means necessary.”
“And if he doesn’t? Will we fight him? Then we just accept and move on.”

“...”

Tyron was momentarily speechless. Count Crest was the most powerful lord in the region, commanding respect and fear alike. No mercenary would refuse him. Yet Ghislain casually entertained the idea of fighting him without a second thought. How fearless was this man?

As Tyron’s expression stiffened, Ghislain chuckled and added,
“Then we’ll face his test.”
“Test... is a good thing?”
“Yeah. War is the best opportunity to grow our mercenary corps. If the other side gives us the justification, it’s a perfect chance to move quickly.”

If they could conquer the Count’s territory, it wouldn’t take long to extend their influence into the kingdom.

That way, Julien could quickly rise to the center of power in this kingdom.

Ghislain genuinely believed this was the perfect opportunity to accelerate their plans.

But to Tyron, Ghislain’s boldness sounded insane.

‘Is this guy really nuts?’

Tyron found himself questioning whether joining Julien’s mercenary corps had been a mistake.