The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations - Chapter 716

Ghislain’s threat left the marquis’s forces completely paralyzed.

This army had been assembled under the direct orders of the Marquis of Falkenheim. If they disregarded his safety, there was no reason for them to exist.

But surrendering was not an option either.

If they yielded now, they would be met with a massacre.

The lords of the subjugation army and the king himself would never allow their enemies to survive and plot revenge.

Count Godif found himself unable to make a decision.

As the marquis’s forces hesitated, the subjugation army erupted in noise.

“Surrender! The marquis has already been captured! What’s the point of this war?!”

“There’s no reason to keep fighting anymore!”

“Surrender! Surrender!”

The subjugation forces were ecstatic.

Thanks to Ghislain, the entire situation had flipped in their favor.

The commanders of the marquis’s army seethed with anger.

“Those lowly bastards…”

“Even the traitors are celebrating now.”

“We should’ve crushed them earlier and negotiated from a position of strength.”

They knew they could win in a fight.

Their side had two transcendent warriors—Count Godif and Count Grozian.

Their mages, led by a 6th-Circle Master, were far superior.

Their soldiers were better trained, better equipped, and vastly more disciplined than the subjugation army’s ragtag forces.

But now, with the Marquis of Falkenheim taken hostage, none of that mattered.

Even as their enemies mocked them, they had no way to respond.

The commanders of the marquis’s army urgently gathered around Count Godif.

“What should we do?”

“We have to negotiate! We can’t fight like this!”

“Do you really think they’ll release the marquis? There’s no way they will.”

“But if we surrender, we’ll all be executed. Surrender is not an option.”

It was a crisis with no way out.

They couldn’t abandon the marquis and fight.

They couldn’t surrender and throw away their lives either.

Count Godif lowered his head, breathing heavily.

“That damned lunatic…”

The subjugation army had been on the verge of collapse.

Yet that man had foreseen everything.

He must have deliberately left the subjugation army as bait while executing his plan separately.

And they had been fools, celebrating their supposed victory while Ghislain had outmaneuvered them.

He should have known better.

A madman with that level of creativity could pull off even stranger tactics.

It was humiliating. It was infuriating.

But there was nothing he could do.

Taking a deep breath, he asked Ghislain,

“What do you want?”

“Surrender.”

“…That is impossible.”

If they surrendered, they would all be executed.

They couldn’t throw their lives away so easily.

In that case, it was better to fight.

But how long would the marquis’s forces last in battle?

Had the marquis been killed, they could have rallied under the cry of vengeance.

But with him still alive, they were bound by hesitation.

Ghislain’s voice boomed across the battlefield.

“If we fight now, the kingdom will plunge into chaos!

As supreme commander, I refuse to allow that!

I have only one goal—peace for the kingdom!”

“…”

Both armies fell silent.

He was the one who had caused all this chaos.

Yet he was standing there, saying such ridiculous words with absolute confidence.

It was so shameless that some began wondering if they were the ones misunderstanding something.

Without caring how others perceived him, Ghislain continued.

“The Marquis of Falkenheim will be executed according to the law!

But the rest of you? You will all be granted amnesty!

Return to your lands and disband your forces!

The subjugation army will do the same!”

Both sides erupted into murmurs.

Everyone wanted to believe it.

More than anything, they simply wanted this whole mess to end.

If they could walk away without losses, it was a deal worth considering.

Ghislain turned to Count Godif with a knowing smirk.

“So? Why not end it here?

The marquis is captured—there’s no need to throw your lives away.”

“…”

“Of course, if you’d rather keep fighting, I won’t stop you.

But first, I’ll toss the marquis’s severed head to you. And then we can begin.”

Count Godif glared at him.

That was the same as telling him to betray the marquis.

But it was also the only escape route.

Still, he couldn’t accept it openly.

The moment he declared his betrayal, he would bear all responsibility.

The commanders of the marquis’s army turned to Count Godif.

If they couldn’t save the marquis, the best option was to retreat.

At least he was still alive for now.

Count Godif ground his teeth.

He couldn’t bring himself to say the words.

The moment he declared their withdrawal, his honor would be utterly destroyed.

Every fiber of his being screamed at him to charge forward and cut down that arrogant mercenary.

But then, Count Grozian—the second transcendent of the marquis’s army—spoke.

“I’ll share the responsibility. Let’s accept the deal.”

“…”

Count Godif looked at him in silence.

Count Grozian met his gaze with a calm, unreadable expression.

They were not just fellow vassals of the marquis.

They were also rivals.

Both had never acknowledged each other.

And Grozian had never been happy about Godif being named supreme commander of this campaign.

Count Godif immediately understood what was happening.

“He wants his own power base now that the marquis is falling.”

The Marquis of Falkenheim’s reign was effectively over.

There was no one left to inherit his vast influence.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

And Count Grozian—who had never been particularly loyal—was seizing the moment to carve out his own faction.

“Does that mercenary bastard… even realize how deep this goes?”

A strange curiosity took hold of Count Godif.

At this point, everything was already in ruins—there was no harm in asking.

“You know, we could crush the subjugation army right now and plan our next steps afterward.”

Ghislain shrugged.

“Yeah, but do you really think everyone here agrees with you?”

“…”

“If you burn through your forces here, you’ll be too weak to defend against whoever rises next.

All these people are just waiting to see who the next power is before choosing a side.”

“…”

“There’s no one here who truly cares about the marquis. We both know that.”

“…….”

“If someone like that existed, we wouldn’t have started this operation in the first place. They would have risked their life to save Marquis Falkenheim.”

“……”

“And… are you really sure you can win this fight? The situation has changed a lot since I arrived, hasn’t it?”

“……”

Count Godif closed his eyes. He had no rebuttal.

With the Marquis captured, morale had plummeted, and the vassals were likely trying to preserve as many of their troops as possible. If they clashed with the suppression army in such conditions, they would suffer devastating losses, even if they won.

Thinking that he lacked military knowledge had been a mistake. That bastard was clearly someone well-versed in war.

After a long period of contemplation, Count Godif finally nodded.

“……I will accept the proposal.”

Sharing the responsibility among other superhumans would lessen the burden. And now, he also needed to form a new power base in order to survive.

The same went for the other lords. This kingdom would soon become a battlefield of competing factions.

The fact that a mere mercenary corps had caused all of this still seemed unbelievable.

In a drained voice, Count Godif continued speaking.

“But if the suppression army isn’t disbanded, we will regroup.”

Ghislain grinned widely and nodded.

“Fine, I’ll disband the suppression army as promised, so don’t worry. Oh, and don’t forget—the marquisate will be absorbed into the royal domain as compensation for the suppression army.”

For Ghislain, this was more than enough. In the end, they wouldn’t be able to unite properly since they’d be too busy keeping each other in check.

Count Godif, wearing a troubled expression, bowed his head toward Marquis Falkenheim.

“My apologies. We had no other choice. Without you, Your Excellency… this army, this fight against the suppression army, all of it would be meaningless.”

“……”

Marquis Falkenheim showed no reaction, as if he had anticipated this outcome. He simply glared at Count Godif with cold, piercing eyes.

If he hadn’t been gagged, he would have ordered them to fight to the death.

Count Godif had expected as much. The marquis he knew was that kind of man.

However, he used the excuse of needing to keep the marquis alive to justify saving his own skin. In the end, he had decided that it was more advantageous to form his own power base.

With the kingdom’s absolute authority crumbling, those with ambition now had an opportunity.

The marquis’ forces slowly began to retreat. Their minds were now preoccupied with figuring out whom they should align with.

Just as Ghislain had expected, there was no one among them who was loyal enough to stake their life for Marquis Falkenheim.

As the marquis’ army withdrew, cheers erupted among the suppression army.

“Woooooah! We won!”

“Hahaha! I can’t believe we actually won like this!”

“Long live the Julien Mercenary Corps!”

The suppression army couldn’t contain their joy. Supplies had run out, and they had barely escaped death, so the allied lords rushed over to Ghislain’s side.

Among them, Count Hurvis, who had temporarily led the suppression army, was the most ecstatic.

“Incredible! Absolutely incredible! I can’t believe this insane operation actually worked!”

“Well, I’ve done it plenty of times before. Haha.”

Ghislain laughed nonchalantly. Even after pulling off such a massive feat, he remained as calm as ever, leaving Andrew shaking his head in disbelief.

Count Hurvis turned to Count Valesant, his surprise evident.

“I had no idea you were on our side! When did you form ties with the Julien Mercenary Corps and come up with such a plan?”

“Well… we’ve known each other for a while.”

“Haha! I had no idea. To think you deceived everyone so flawlessly.”

“Well… for the sake of secrecy? Ahem.”

“To endure such humiliation under a traitor, all for the sake of the royal family! You are truly a loyal subject of the kingdom!”

“Ah, well… you’re making me a little uncomfortable…”

Count Valesant’s face flushed, and he scuffed the ground with his foot as if embarrassed. But inside, he was overflowing with excitement.

‘This is insane. Absolutely insane. Am I about to become the hero of the kingdom? This is completely crazy!’

And so, without even truly fighting, the suppression army secured an effortless victory.

The command structure, which had been on the verge of collapse, was now all smiles, celebrating as if they had never been at war.

Once the excitement settled, Ghislain mounted his horse and addressed the troops.

“Let’s head back! It’s time to announce our victory to everyone!”

“Woooooah!”

The suppression army began their triumphant march home. They were still short on supplies, but they laughed it off.

That said, they couldn’t starve forever. So, they requested ‘donations’ from the lands they passed through.

Count Valesant, who was in an excellent mood after recent events, took charge of the task.

“Aww, my men are well-behaved, but who knows what might happen if they go hungry.”

“That’s right, that’s right. Just a little is fine. We’ll pay you back later.”

“Oh dear, my lord, your hands are so small. How are we supposed to split this tiny amount?”

Like that, the suppression army replenished their supplies through what was essentially glorified begging.

Once they had eaten, the suppression army gradually began dispersing.

Forces that had been conscripted by force had no reason to remain.

The neutral lords also withdrew their troops, taking only their personal guards with them as they headed for the capital.

They hadn’t done much in the battle, but they had risked their lives by participating. Receiving rewards was only fair.

Though the rewards wouldn’t be as grand since they had let the marquis’ forces go, they weren’t too concerned.

What mattered most was that Marquis Falkenheim had fallen, and they could now breathe easily.

And finally, when they arrived at the capital—

“Woooooah!”

“The suppression army has returned!”

“The traitor, Marquis Falkenheim, has been captured!”

“The Julien Mercenary Corps has saved the kingdom!”

The capital erupted into cheers as they welcomed them.

For too long, the high-ranking nobles had remained in the capital, committing countless atrocities. And, of course, all of them had been under Marquis Falkenheim’s command.

Then, out of nowhere, Ghislain had stormed in, arrested all of those nobles, and even captured Marquis Falkenheim himself.

It was only natural for the people of the capital to be ecstatic.

As the suppression army returned, Alex rushed out in a panic to greet them, with Leo beside him looking utterly relieved.

Seeing Alex, Ghislain grinned mischievously.

“Your Majesty! Your humble servant, Astion, has successfully defeated the traitors and captured their leader, Marquis Falkenheim!”

Following Ghislain’s lead, all the lords accompanying him knelt before Alex.

Receiving such a display of respect for the first time, Alex was overwhelmed with emotion.

“O-Oh… E-Everyone… You have done well! Thank you!”

Tears welled up in Alex’s eyes. He was finally free from the fear of death.

As for whether he had truly reclaimed his royal authority… he wasn’t so sure.

The man standing before him—Ghislain—seemed even more monstrous than Marquis Falkenheim.

Still, at least for now, they were on the same side. He had no choice but to believe that.

“Now, now, let’s head inside. We have much to discuss.”

Ghislain smiled brightly. It was time to distribute the rewards.

Of course, as always, he intended to take whatever he pleased.

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