The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 274: Chapter 273: He’s Already Making a Move? (3)



"I refuse."

At Ghislain's firm words, the envoys were visibly flustered.

"Why? Do you still believe that Rayfold is a territory capable of rivaling Desmond and the strongest in the north? That would be a grave misunderstanding."

"Why?"

"First, the usurper Amelia is a woman. She has no experience managing a territory, let alone leading an army. She was nothing more than a lady who knew how to hold a teacup gracefully. Her rebellion succeeded purely by chance, thanks to ambushing during a banquet."

"Hmm..."

"Look at her now, fighting Baron Valois. It's been months, and she still hasn't captured the castle. This is despite having an army five times the size of her opponent's."

At these words, Ghislain chuckled.

Baron Valois was a brilliant tactician, and Amelia was intentionally keeping the confrontation minimal. A prolonged war was inevitable under such circumstances.

If the envoys had given it any real thought, they wouldn't have made such claims.

Mistaking Ghislain's chuckle for agreement, the envoy continued his persuasion enthusiastically.

"We were once allied with the Rayfold family. The rightful heir, the fourth son Daven, is still alive, so we have sufficient justification. If we attack, Baron Valois will surely come out of his castle to support us."

"And you think you'll win?"

"Of course! How could that woman, who can't even handle Baron Valois, possibly stop our allied forces? This is an excellent opportunity for you to take part."

Ghislain waved his hand dismissively, looking bored.

"No, I'm not interested. You can do it yourselves."

"The rightful heir of Rayfold is still alive. Allowing a usurper to remain sets a dangerous precedent. Moreover, in the north, women have never been recognized as lords. This situation is absurd and unprecedented."

The reasons for the lords forming an alliance to attack Rayfold were many.

First, they couldn't let a rebellion go unchallenged, as it would set a dangerous example.

They needed to demonstrate that lords wouldn't tolerate a usurper. This would deter any similar attempts within their own territories.

The fact that Amelia was a woman also bothered the northern lords.

In the harsh and rugged north, strong men were expected to lead and rule. Their traditions and customs were rooted in this idea. For a woman to become a lord, and through rebellion no less, was an affront to those values.

They couldn't allow such an event to influence others. Even small incidents like this could accumulate and eventually change public perception.

Lords, always eager to maintain their power, didn't take such risks lightly.

But above all, their primary motive was something else entirely.

"Rayfold is a vast and fertile land. If we support the fourth son Daven, we could claim parts of the territory as a reward, in accordance with tradition."

This was the real reason. They wanted to exploit the chaos in Rayfold to divide the land among themselves. Amelia's apparent incompetence only emboldened their decision.

Despite their passionate persuasion, Ghislain laughed again.

'Kill Amelia? With the likes of you?'

In his previous life, even the Mercenary King couldn't kill Amelia. If he could have, he would've done so immediately after returning to the past.

Desmond was after Perdium and had left her alone only because he couldn't act right away.

That's how dangerous she was. It was unimaginable that such incompetent people could defeat her.

Besides, Amelia's ambitions wouldn't end with merely becoming Count of Rayfold.

However... for Ghislain's current strategy, these fools might actually prove useful. They could

help him buy time while exploiting Amelia's ambitions to the fullest.

"I won't participate in the war. But I'll support you in another way."

"And what would that be?"

"You're here for provisions, aren't you? I'll supply you with food."

Hearing this, the envoys beamed with delight.

In truth, they didn't need Fenris's troops. They were confident that the combined forces of their six territories were more than enough to defeat Amelia.

However, securing enough provisions to feed their army had proven challenging. They had come prepared to convince Ghislain, even if it meant offering him the best parts of the land.

Now, with Ghislain offering provisions himself, they no longer needed to make such concessions.

'Ha, the young lord must be scared of Rayfold's reputation.'

"That reputation was only valid when the former Count and his heirs were alive. What's so frightening about an army led by a mere woman?'

'Since he's not participating directly, we can divide the best parts of the land among ourselves. We'll just give him a token reward.'

Satisfied with Ghislain's promise, the envoys left in high spirits. Their war preparations were nearly complete, and they planned to move as soon as they received the provisions.

After sending them off, Ghislain sank into deep thought.

'I just hope they buy us enough time until my preparations are complete.'

Those fools were bound to lose. Amelia would have anticipated this situation.

In his past life, others had also tried to attack Amelia while she was at war with Baron Valois. None of them had succeeded.

If Ghislain got involved, the outcome might change, but for now, he couldn't afford to act.

'Not much time left.'

Everything was happening faster than in his previous life because of his actions. This also meant the civil war was approaching.

Count Desmond's mobilization of an army was proof of that. Ghislain couldn't waste his

strength fighting Amelia now.

He needed to buy as much time as possible and complete his preparations to the desired level. Amelia could be dealt with afterward.

'I need to keep her from pulling any tricks in the meantime.'

She was a master of betrayal. That's why Ghislain planned to support Baron Valois and other territories to tie her hands. This would limit her options.

'Just wait a little longer, Harold.'

Everything was falling into place as Ghislain intended. The only thing left was his showdown

with Count Desmond.

'Because of me, everything in the north is tangled. There's no way the duchy or Harold will sit still.'

When the civil war began, Desmond would undoubtedly target this estate first. After all, Ghislain's forces had become the strongest royalist faction in the north.

There was still a little time left, though. In his past life, the duchy hadn't initiated the civil

war in the north.

Even if the war started in the north, the kingdom's forces were monitoring Count Desmond, so an unexpected attack was unlikely.

During this brief window, Ghislain needed to complete all preparations. If successful, he

could crush Desmond as soon as the civil war began.

'When the war starts, I'll kill him first.'

At the thought, Ghislain's heart began to race.

The duchy might have been the root cause, but it was Count Desmond who directly destroyed

Perdium.

In his past life, Ghislain had mutilated Desmond's corpse countless times, venting his immense rage to the point where his subordinates had to stop him.

Even though Perdium's destruction had been averted, Ghislain and Count Desmond were destined to clash. To unify the north, Desmond had to die.

'Not much longer now. Once preparations are complete, I'll achieve an overwhelming victory.'

With that determination, Ghislain silently focused on war preparations and training his

soldiers.

Not long after, one day during a meeting with his vassals, a messenger burst into the audience

hall in a panic.

"Count Desmond has mobilized his army! They are advancing toward us!"

Ghislain's face hardened. His preparations were still incomplete.

"That bastard... he's already making a move?'

There had been no signs of activity from the duchy. The man who always moved cautiously,

following their orders, was now acting on his own.

And this, despite the kingdom's army watching his every move.

For the first time since his return, an event occurred that disrupted Ghislain's carefully laid

plans.

***

"Hurry up! Move quickly! We've received word that Count Desmond is mobilizing his army!"

Viscount Dorren, commander of the 2nd Corps, had been awakened in the middle of the night by the urgent news and was now hastily moving his troops.

Their destination was a different position than the one they had defended during Ghislain's attack on Count Cabaldi. They needed to reach it first, set up camp, and block the way. That

was his assigned mission.

'Damn it... what's going on?'

Viscount Dorren couldn't wrap his head around the situation. There had been no

communication, no justification for starting a war.

Count Desmond had simply mobilized his forces and started marching toward Fenris.

Such an action showed no regard for the dignity of a noble.

And yet, that disregard made Viscount Dorren even more frightened.

For the greatest lord in the north to abandon all pretense? It meant he was prepared to use any

means necessary.

Turning to his adjutant, Dorren asked, "They said his speed isn't very fast, right? Maybe it's

just a show of force toward Fenris? Let's hope that's all it is!"

"I don't think it's just a show of force."

"Why?"

"His army is said to be 30,000 strong. That's why they're slow."

"... Oh." Viscount Dorren was momentarily dumbfounded. Could such numbers even be possible? Even

for a great lord?

The staggering figure made him feel weak in the knees.

Regaining his composure, he shouted in frustration.

"Damn it! How are we supposed to stop 30,000 troops with just the 2nd Corps?"

He had no confidence in defeating them. The Desmond forces were known as some of the

strongest in the north.

With the soldiers who had been assisting in road construction back, they now had 5,000

troops. While that was enough to crush most northern lords, it was nowhere near enough against 30,000. "Please, let this end peacefully. Maybe he's just demanding something."

They had received orders to prepare and inspect their forces in case of a civil war. But there

had been no news from anywhere else.

This suggested that Count Desmond was acting alone. Viscount Dorren clung to that hope. "He wouldn't be stupid enough to fight the royalist faction alone. Even if he occupies Fenris, we'd eventually force him to retreat. This must all be a misunderstanding. Right?"

Despite Dorren's optimistic questions, his adjutant had no answers.

The adjutant, like his commander, was completely in the dark. "Damn it! Just move faster! Their massive army is slow, so we can get ahead and block their

path. I'll sit him down with some tea and ask what's wrong. I'll hear him out, promise to

address his grievances, and send him away."

As they moved, Viscount Dorren couldn't stop talking, his unease evident.

Thud thud thud thud!

The distant sound of galloping hooves grew louder. Hearing it, Viscount Dorren felt a sense of

foreboding.

"Why do I hear cavalry charging at full speed?"

The 2nd Corps consisted mostly of infantry. While they were marching briskly, they couldn't

match the speed of the cavalry.

The cavalry, too, were moving at the infantry's pace. There was no reason for the sound of

full-speed galloping.

Thud thud thud thud!

Viscount Dorren wasn't foolish. He was a commander of the kingdom's army and quickly

understood the implications.

"It's an ambush! Everyone, prepare for battle!"

At his shout, the soldiers immediately formed ranks, ready for combat. Their swift response

showed why the kingdom's army was considered elite.

Thud thud thud thud!

The sound of hooves grew closer. But they weren't coming from just one direction.

"This... this can't be..."

Suddenly, the sound of galloping came from behind them as well. This meant the enemy had

timed their movements to surround them.

"They let the first sound be heard to force us into formation, then planned a rear ambush...'

Thud thud thud thud!n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Soon, the sound of hooves came from their sides as well. Viscount Dorren's brow twitched.

Traveling at night made it difficult to scout their surroundings properly, and the enemy had exploited this perfectly.

Assessing the situation quickly, Dorren shouted an order.

"Extinguish all lights! Make it dark and force them into close combat!"

All the surrounding lights were extinguished. The first charge would be inevitable, but in

close quarters, the cavalry would lose their momentum, and chaos would ensue.

That was their only hope.

"Damn it... why is the moonlight so bright tonight?"

But luck wasn't on Dorren's side. The moon was exceptionally bright, and it seemed the

enemy had anticipated his response.

Fwoosh!

Suddenly, countless torches flared to life on one side, their numbers nearing a thousand.

Seeing this, Viscount Dorren murmured in despair.

"They had an ambush prepared..."

The enemy was serious. They truly intended to crush the kingdom's army and attack Fenris.

Fwoosh!

Flaming arrows began raining down on the kingdom's soldiers.

Watching the sky light up with fire, Dorren muttered.

"Count Desmond has truly gone mad."

He didn't get to say anything else. The flaming arrows fell mercilessly.

Thwack thwack thwack!

"Ahhhh!"

The 2nd Corps soldiers, caught off guard, were helplessly struck down. They had been

marching and were in no position to defend themselves.

No one had expected the enemy to act so recklessly without any prior notice.

To openly fight the royalist faction alone? It was unthinkable. The only conclusion was that

Count Desmond had lost his mind.

Thud thud thud thud!

The fires spread, illuminating the area. The sound of galloping grew louder.

Cavalry swarmed into the chaotic ranks of the 2nd Corps from all directions.

Boom!

"Ahhhh!"

"Reform the ranks immediately!"

"Force them into a melee somehow!"

Officers shouted orders, but it was no use. Desmond's forces tore through the elite 2nd Corps

with terrifying ease.

Viscount Dorren had no choice but to acknowledge the truth.

"Incredible... as expected of Desmond."

The enemy had anticipated when, how, and where they would move and prepared everything

in advance.

Even now, the main force was slowly advancing toward Fenris.

According to the initial reports, the cavalry had been part of the main force. This meant they

had broken off at high speed and successfully executed a perfectly timed ambush. Only one person in Desmond's forces was capable of such a feat: the renowned master of

maneuver warfare in the north.

"Emerson."

He was the same man who had failed to block Ghislain's attack on Cabaldi. If Emerson was

leading, everything made sense.

"So... surrender isn't an option."

No doubt, Emerson harbored a grudge from that previous encounter.

Sure enough, Emerson, with a sinister grin, was charging toward Dorren.

"Viscount Dorren!"

Hearing Emerson's shout, Dorren sighed and raised his sword. It seemed he wouldn't make it

out alive tonight.

He had already given up on his life.

But...

"What about my daughter's academy tuition..."

That was the only concern left in his mind.

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