The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 691

While Baron Nodehill kept the envoy locked away, Ghislain quickly sent word to Leo.

The moment Leo received the message, he wasted no time in mobilizing his troops and heading for Nodehill.

Leo wasn’t foolish. Upon hearing the details, he could immediately anticipate what was coming.

Once Count Crest defeated Count Swipel, his next move would be to consolidate his power.

And his first target? It would undoubtedly be Leo himself, thanks to the gold mines on Raks territory.

Likewise, Nodehill, as Raks’ ally, would also be swept up in Crest’s ambitions.

Rather than waiting to be attacked, Leo saw it as better to join forces and fight now.

“Hurry! Let’s go faster!”

Though Leo personally led his troops, he had no intention of commanding them. He knew full well that he lacked any military talent.

His plan was to hand full control over to Ghislain as soon as he arrived.

“Please, brother, you have to win this.”

All he could do was place his trust in Ghislain and pray for victory.

When Leo arrived with his troops, Andrew greeted him warmly.

“Thank you so much! Having you here gives me great courage!”

“Ah, no, well… I’m just here to help however I can.”

“Hahaha! I’ve decided to leave it all to them as well.”

Andrew’s boisterous demeanor stood in stark contrast to Leo’s cautious one. Yet both men shared the same deep trust in the Julien Mercenary Corps.

The two armies quickly agreed to place all military command under the mercenary group.

Even the retainers who might have opposed the decision were well aware of the mercenaries’ capabilities. They knew there was no point in resisting the inevitable.

Leo cautiously asked, “By the way, where is Brother Ghislain?”

Though Ghislain used the name Astion publicly, within the mercenary corps, everyone called him Ghislain. Leo, initially confused by the dual names, had once asked him about it.

Ghislain had simply explained, “Astion is my external name, but within the corps, I’m Ghislain.”

Leo didn’t understand why it needed to be so complicated, but he accepted it nonetheless. Ghislain was a peculiar man in many ways, after all.

At Leo’s question, Andrew grinned mischievously.
“He went to see Count Swipel.”

“Count Swipel?”

“They say the enemy of your enemy is your friend. He’s gone to convince the count to join the fight immediately.”

“Ah, I see. That makes sense.”

Count Swipel’s domain bordered Crest’s. While it would take some effort to reach them, Swipel’s cavalry could arrive in time if they moved quickly.

As Andrew explained, by the time Leo had arrived in Nodehill, Ghislain was already in talks with Count Swipel.

“So, you’re saying you’re ready to fight Count Crest? And you’ve even detained his envoy?”

Count Swipel regarded Ghislain with an arrogant demeanor. Despite his precarious situation, the count’s expression betrayed nothing but disdain.

If not for the circumstances, he wouldn’t have even considered speaking to a mere mercenary.

Of course, Ghislain didn’t care how Swipel viewed him. His priority was securing what he needed.

“Yes. We’ve refused Crest’s proposal, and I believe it’s in your best interest to join us now.”

“Hmph… But you’re demanding three times the amount the Ironclad Lions were paid?”

“I believe it’s a fair price. After all, you were planning to hire us, weren’t you?”

Swipel scoffed, incredulous at the mercenary’s audacity.

“I heard you’ve already refused Crest’s offer. So yes, we were considering hiring you. But the situation has changed, hasn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“You have no choice but to fight Crest now, whether I hire you or not. You’ve already detained his envoy. So why should I pay you to do what you were going to do anyway?”

“Are you saying you won’t hire us?”

“That’s right. In fact, shouldn’t you be paying me to help you? After all, Nodehill and Raks combined can barely hold off Crest’s forces.”

Ghislain smirked. It was clear that Swipel had started calculating his potential gains the moment the situation shifted slightly in his favor.

While Swipel wasn’t as outright malicious as Crest, he was far from noble. He was simply a slightly less ruthless version of the same breed of greedy aristocrat.

Ghislain decided to spell things out a bit more clearly for him.

“If you don’t join forces with us, you’ll be at an even greater disadvantage.”

“Which is precisely why I don’t see why I should pay you. If we’re going to fight together anyway, there’s no reason for me to pay for it.”

“We could always change our minds.”

“What?”

“We could side with Crest. That would certainly make things easier for us.”

“You dare… Are you threatening me?”

“Threatening? Of course not. I’m merely pointing out the options available to us.”

Swipel glared at Ghislain as though he wanted to kill him.

He had already been on edge due to Crest’s aggressive tactics, and now this insolent mercenary was trying to extort him.

Originally, Swipel had planned to hire the mercenaries, but now that they were acting against Crest of their own accord, he saw no reason to pay them.

He had even considered reneging on any payment if they managed to survive the war.

“Fools. If they had stayed quiet, I might have let them live.”

Swipel had already decided that after defeating Crest, he would eliminate the Julien Mercenary Corps when the opportunity arose.

But first, Crest had to fall.

“Fine. Your point is valid. We’ll hire you for the amount you’ve requested. However, there’s a condition.”

“And what condition is that?”

“I’ll pay only the advance. Depending on how the war goes, I may not be able to provide the rest. I need funds to recruit additional troops immediately.”

On the surface, this sounded reasonable. However, Ghislain knew Swipel’s true nature all too well.

It was clear the count had no intention of paying the remainder once the war was over. In fact, he’d likely try to dispose of the mercenaries outright.

Nevertheless, Ghislain nodded calmly.
“Understood. We’ll proceed with just the advance. However, I trust you’ll honor the agreement once the war is won.”

“Hah, of course. You have nothing to worry about.”

With the deal concluded, the two began strategizing.

Swipel pointed to the map.
“We can’t march directly through Crest’s territory. It would draw his forces toward us. But if we take a detour, we won’t be able to send our full army.”

“How many cavalry can you mobilize?”

“At most, 1,000. Will that be enough?”

“It’ll suffice. Just make sure they arrive on time.”

“And the rest of the forces?”

“They won’t make it in time for the initial battle. Use them to occupy Crest’s key positions and disrupt his supply lines. Even if we lose, you’ll still gain the upper hand.”

Swipel smiled slyly. Ghislain’s suggestion aligned perfectly with what his advisors had already planned.

“Not bad for a mercenary. You seem to know your strategy.”

“Thank you. Now, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

Ghislain departed shortly after. While he had no illusions about Swipel’s trustworthiness, he knew that bringing him into the fight would reduce casualties on his side.

Ultimately, Ghislain didn’t care about Swipel’s schemes—they were irrelevant to his plans.

***

News soon arrived that Count Crest had mobilized his army after the envoy had been released. Ghislain pointed at a specific location on the map and announced, “We’ll fight here.”

Nodehill was a region filled with vast plains ideal for raising livestock, but it also provided the perfect grounds for large-scale battles. Despite the impending clash, Ghislain’s expression remained calm, his finger steady on the map. Andrew, however, wore a worried look.

“You’re planning to face them head-on instead of defending the fortress?”

“We’re not defending anything. We’ll meet them and crush them in the field.”

Ghislain’s confidence silenced everyone in the room. At this point, all they could do was trust him.

Both the Nodehill and Raks forces, along with Swipel’s cavalry, had placed full command of their armies in the hands of the Julien Mercenary Corps.

When the mercenary corps began moving their combined forces toward the designated battlefield, news of their plans quickly reached Count Crest.

Hearing the report, Crest let out a disbelieving laugh.
“They’re not even defending? They’re coming to face me head-on? With that pitiful number of troops?”

Reports had confirmed the addition of Raks’ forces and Swipel’s cavalry to Nodehill’s army, but even so, their combined strength barely reached 4,000.

Meanwhile, Crest’s forces numbered a staggering 12,000. He had brought his entire army, opting for an overwhelming show of force to ensure swift victory.

“Even if Swipel sends reinforcements to their rear, it doesn’t matter. We’ll crush them quickly and turn our forces back to deal with him.”

Crest was confident that their overwhelming numbers would render any strategy the enemy attempted futile.

“Leave the siege engines behind and focus on mobility. Let the supply unit manage the rear.”

Siege equipment was unnecessary for a field battle. It was better to move quickly and finish the fight decisively.

Soon, the two armies faced off in the middle of a vast plain.

Crest turned to his mages.
“There’s talk of a 5-circle mage among the Julien Mercenary Corps. Ensure you completely neutralize any magic.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Crest’s army included several mages, including one at the 5th circle and a few 4-circle mages. Together, they had prepared countermeasures to suppress any enemy magic.

In Crest’s view, the situation was already overwhelmingly in their favor. Without needing to lay siege, their sheer numbers alone would crush the opposing forces.

Raising his hand, Crest ordered his army forward.
“Advance! Show them what overwhelming power looks like.”

Boom. Boom. Boom.

The ground trembled as Crest’s army began to march. On the other side, the combined forces of Nodehill, Raks, Swipel, and the Julien Mercenary Corps gripped their weapons tightly, their nerves stretched thin.

Yet standing far ahead of them, all alone, was Ghislain.

“So many of them,” he muttered to himself, his voice calm.

To him, it wasn’t an overwhelming force. He had faced armies numbering in the hundreds of thousands before. But it was still a significant enough number to cause heavy casualties if fought head-on.

That was why he had stepped forward alone.

Around him, dozens of massive wooden crates were neatly arranged.

He raised his staff and attempted a spell.

Fzzzz…

The spell fizzled out as the opposing mages successfully suppressed his magic.

“Hm. As expected, magic is so inconvenient in situations like this.”

He shrugged. Wide-area magic was indeed powerful in large-scale battles, which was why the enemy had gone to such lengths to block it.

But Ghislain wasn’t bothered. He had other means.

Hummmmmm…

Threads of energy began to extend outward from him in all directions.

This wasn’t magic—it was pure martial power, an unadulterated manifestation of strength that mages couldn’t dispel.

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

The lids of the wooden crates around him began to creak open.

Inside were countless blades. Weapons of all shapes and sizes, painstakingly collected from across the territory.

Even kitchen knives from common households had been included in the haul.

The total number of weapons? Several thousand.

As a smile spread across his face, Ghislain poured even more energy into the threads, each connecting to a weapon.

“They thought they’d crush us with sheer numbers?”

The enemy had clearly underestimated him. He, alone, was capable of creating an army of thousands.

One by one, the weapons began to rise into the air, aligning themselves in neat rows like disciplined soldiers.

The sight was so overwhelming that Crest’s advancing army faltered for a moment.

Raising his arms, Ghislain unleashed the full extent of his power.

“Let me show you what true overwhelming force looks like.”

The weapons, infused with his energy, began to hum, trembling with anticipation as though eager to be unleashed.

With a calm, menacing smile, Ghislain thrust his hand forward.

“I am the One-Man Army.”

And with that declaration—

BOOOOOM!

Thousands of weapons shot forward in unison, tearing through the battlefield like a storm of steel.