The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations - Chapter 720

The people all raised their heads. The visible mana quickly began to take on various shapes. Some transformed into birds, others into rats or insects. Some insects were so small they were almost invisible.

Hundreds of mana-made creatures were created and spread around Ghislain, swarming in every direction. It was, in some ways, quite a disturbing sight, especially with the small bugs being the most numerous.

The king looked at Ghislain and asked, “What… are those?”

“They are spirits I control, summoned creatures. I’ve been monitoring everyone in the palace through them,” Ghislain explained.

“Monitoring… you say?”

“Yes. While it may have appeared I was idle, I was actually working hard in the background.”

With a wave of Ghislain’s hand, hundreds of Dark creatures began to chatter loudly.

“The prime minister and the attendant are the main culprits!”

“They ordered the poisoning!”

“The royal mage is also in on it! He hid the poison to avoid detection!”

“The royal mage’s assistant swapped the tea and wine!”

“The court chef was paid a large sum! He knew something was wrong but still added the poison to the ingredients! After all, people died, so he must have known it was poison!”

“The servant in charge of poison inspection is the same! It wasn’t an instant death poison, so they were given antidotes every time!”

“The former minister brought the poison from outside! He handed it over to the aide!”

“And the court physician and the steward helped cover up the evidence…”

Endless details of the crimes, spoken by Dark, spilled from its mouth. Almost half of those working in the palace were involved in the conspiracy, and many of the high-ranking officials were deeply entangled.

They had used their power and positions to carry out the poisoning with incredible precision. Despite all the investigations, no evidence had emerged until now.

Soon, Dark, which had gathered into a bright, unified form, shouted with an air of triumph.

“This is what I’ve seen so far! And while my master was playing, I did all the work… k-krrrk!”

Ghislain swiftly suppressed Dark with a shrug of his shoulders.

“What do you think?”

The king let out a deep breath. The more he heard, the harder it became to keep his composure. So many people, all plotting treason!

“Is this true? Are you absolutely sure?” the king asked.

Dark shouted again, his voice loud and firm.

“I swear on my mother’s life, it’s true!”

“……”

The king, who had been glaring at Dark for a moment, turned to look at the people who had been dragged in. Their faces were pale, and their expressions made it seem like they were indeed the culprits.

Of course, no one was going to blindly accept the words of a spirit they didn’t even fully understand.

“Your Majesty! This is a lie! This is nonsense!”

“How could we believe such words without evidence!”

“This is the work of that mercenary mage! He’s using magic to cloud your eyes and ears!”

They all protested loudly. After all, without evidence, anyone could fabricate such claims.

The king couldn’t entirely dismiss the idea. With Dark’s abilities, it seemed like the truth, but more solid evidence was needed.

The king looked at Ghislain and asked again.

“I believe you. These small creatures could certainly monitor everyone secretly. But there are too many people involved. We need more conclusive evidence.”

Ghislain nodded. He too understood that the culprits would never confess willingly.

With a wave of his hand, Dark started speaking again.

“Search the court chef’s house! If you tear up the floor, there’s a hidden space, and you’ll find enormous amounts of gold coins! There’s no way he could’ve earned that much from his job as the chef!”

“If you touch the second drawer in the royal mage’s study, you’ll find a secret compartment! Inside, there are poisons that have been used in the crimes! And his disciples…”

“There’s a hidden space under the desk in the attendant’s office! It’s filled with records of the poison!”

“The apothecary who traded with the former minister keeps chemical supplies in a secret underground storage! Check ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ his records for proof of the trade…”

“And the assistant and the court pharmacist… they’ve been secretly adding poison whenever they get the chance!”

Dark’s words kept coming, listing where each person had hidden their evidence. As the details kept pouring out, the culprits’ faces turned blue with fear.

Dark sneered at the prime minister and shouted.

“And the most important thing is the documents in the last mansion! The high-ranking officials who took part in this signed their names to secure their loyalty, to prevent betrayal!”

The prime minister trembled uncontrollably.

“No! No way! Where did such a lie come from… Your Majesty! You must not believe the words of such a creature!”

Before the prime minister could finish his words, the king shouted.

“Search those houses and offices immediately! Bring back the evidence!”

Ghislain gave a firm order.

“Our mercenaries will assist in the search. There may be other accomplices we haven’t caught yet.”

“Understood! I give the Julien Mercenary Corps full authority to oversee the process!”

The royal knights moved alongside the Julien Mercenary Corps, ensuring that Dark’s listed locations weren’t overlooked. With the mercenaries keeping watch, no one dared act against them.

Soon, evidence began to surface at each of the places Dark had mentioned.

The royal knights brought the items to the king.

The king spoke in a trembling voice.

“Verify these.”

The unbound mages and apothecaries examined the poison vials and herbs.

After a brief moment, they bowed their heads and spoke.

“It’s… poison. Though it’s a weak poison, prolonged consumption would lead to bodily harm.”

The king stared at the bound culprits with a bitter expression.

They writhed in their restraints, shouting loudly.

“Your Majesty! It’s not true! This has all been fabricated!”

“He’s the one making it up!”

“We’re innocent! Please, verify again…”

But the mood in the room had completely shifted. Even those who had doubted before now realized the culprits were standing before them.

The discovery of hidden wealth at the secret locations had been decisive.

The document found in the prime minister’s mansion, bearing the signatures of high-ranking officials, was the final, irrefutable proof.

With only a few holding on desperately, the rest of the culprits lowered their heads in resignation.

The king clenched his teeth and asked.

“How could so many people be involved in this tragedy?! Why? Why did you do such a thing?”

“……”

“Tell me! Why?! Why didn’t you target me first?!”

Then, Ghislain stepped forward and spoke.

“Their goal was to kill all the members of the royal family, leaving only the third prince alive.”

“Why?”

“Because with the prime minister leading the charge, they intended to take control and act as regents.”

“The meaning of that is…”

“Yes, they planned to poison Your Majesty once the third prince became the sole heir, removing any potential interference from those close to him.”

“Is this… true?”

Dark answered the king’s question.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“I heard everything when the prime minister and the attendant secretly met! I swear on it!”

“These scoundrels…”

The king stood up in fury, but his weakened body gave way as he clutched his neck and collapsed.

Ghislain rushed forward and cast a healing spell.

Swish…

A warm energy enveloped the king’s body, and only then could the king slowly regain his composure. However, the magic was only a temporary fix. His already frail body, compounded by the shock, still showed no sign of improvement.

The king, unable to hide his exhaustion, spoke.

“Lock them all up. And get their families and anyone involved from the outside as well. Once we’re sure, they’ll all be executed.”

Those involved in the poisoning were dragged away by the royal knights and imprisoned.

The king watched for a long while as they disappeared and slowly spoke again.

“Thanks to the Julien Mercenary Corps, this matter could be resolved. If it weren’t for them, we might have ended up attributing it all to an illness and just let it go.”

Initially, the king had thought it was a plague. The people had been sick for a while before they died.

But then, when several members of the royal family fell ill, suspicions of poisoning began to surface.

A major investigation was launched, but no evidence could be found, so the idea of a disease that only affected the royal bloodline started to gain traction.

The prime minister, several high-ranking officials, and royal mages were all involved in manipulating the situation, and as a king, he was powerless to stop it.

The king turned to Ghislain and smiled bitterly.

“Truly, you arrived at just the right time. If it weren’t for you, the entire royal family would have been wiped out, leaving only the third prince alive.”

As the situation was about to be buried, Ghislain had stepped in. After a private meeting with the king, Ghislain confidently promised to catch the culprits. He assured the king to trust him completely.

Still unsure about whether poisoning was truly involved, the king entrusted Ghislain with the investigation.

And in the end, Ghislain had successfully captured all the culprits.

“As promised, I will give you the reward you desire. What do you want?”

At the king’s question, Ghislain slightly lowered his head and responded.

“I would like a copy of the royal mage’s spellbook. As I am also a mage, I need as many spellbooks as I can get.”

“Very well. What else do you need? If you require wealth, I will give you as much as you want.”

“I don’t need any other wealth. However, I do want magical artifacts that are rich in mana.”

“I will provide that as well. Is there anything else you need?”

The king wanted to offer Ghislain a great reward. After all, if it weren’t for him, the royal family might have been doomed, and the situation would have been disastrous.

Ghislain smiled pleasantly and shook his head.

“That should be enough. I hope that from now on, the Arsena Kingdom and I will continue a positive relationship.”

“Of course. How could I neglect someone who saved the royal family? The Arsena Kingdom will always warmly welcome the Julien Mercenary Corps.”

The Julien Mercenary Corps had been traveling from kingdom to kingdom, solving problems and gaining renown. This incident ensured they would also receive support from the Arsena Kingdom.

After the king praised Ghislain several times, he stood up. Still shaken by the events, he needed a moment to recover.

The people gathered in the building began to disperse and return to their positions. As they left, they looked at the Julien Mercenary Corps with a mixture of awe and admiration.

“They really live up to their reputation.”

“I heard there’s no task they can’t solve…”

“The nobles couldn’t do anything; it was true.”

Most of those murmuring were commoners. The nobles lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

The nobles, humiliated by the lowly mercenaries, seethed with anger but had no way to counter them. The Arsena Kingdom was now firmly on the side of the Julien Mercenary Corps. The incident had made them even more distrustful of the nobles.

The Julien Mercenary Corps was no ordinary force. Even a 6th-circle master had been subdued by the deputy commander with a single move.

Other high-ranking officers also had exceptional abilities, and rumors about their skills spread rapidly.

Thus, it was best to avoid getting involved with them. Especially in such a turbulent time.

Once the matter was settled, Ghislain and his group were treated even more lavishly.

After receiving all the rewards he desired, Ghislain was about to leave. However, an odd feeling lingered, holding him back.

“This is strange. Something’s not right.”

“What is?”

Kyle, who had been pacing the room, asked as he noticed Ghislain muttering to himself.

Ghislain paused for a moment, tilted his head, and then asked Kyle in return.

“Isn’t it strange?”

“Strange about what?”

“Everywhere we go, there are incidents. In every kingdom.”

“That’s because you make trouble… Sorry.”

Kyle stopped mid-sentence and turned his head, sensing a bad omen. He had a feeling that if he finished his sentence, something bad might happen.

Osvald, who had been listening to their conversation, spoke up.

“Brother! It’s always been like this! The nobles only care about their own greed, and the people are busy plundering! Even the knights turn into bandits! It’s all corrupt! This world is filthy! We need a revolution!”

“I know, but… there’s something off about it,” Ghislain muttered, lost in thought.

He knew well that the atmosphere in this era was harsh. Everyone valued their own gain, disregarding human life. Just like what had happened with this plot—it was a concerted effort to wipe out the royal family.

But the constant power struggles and conspiracies in every kingdom felt… strange.

“Hmmm…”

At first, Ghislain had thought this was just the way the world was—after all, everyone had clear desires for power. But something about it started to feel wrong, purely based on his instincts.

“I need to meet the prime minister,” Ghislain decided suddenly.

Without hesitation, Ghislain went to the deepest dungeon to meet the prime minister, who had been imprisoned.

Since he had the king’s favor, no one stopped him.

The prime minister was locked in the deepest cell, his spirit already broken. He was so defeated that he didn’t even acknowledge Ghislain’s presence, who was his greatest enemy.

Ghislain stood in front of him for a moment before asking.

“This wasn’t your idea, was it?”

“…..”

Only then did the prime minister slowly turn his head to look at Ghislain.

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