The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 284: Chapter 283: I Didn’t Come Alone (1)



Gillian, with an exhausted expression, gazed at the Desmond forces' pursuit squad before him.

'How persistent they are...'

For several days, Gillian and his knights had launched numerous ambushes. Initially caught off guard, the Desmond forces had become increasingly adept and resilient in their responses. As a result, the effectiveness of their ambushes had diminished. Recently, Gillian had been too busy fleeing from the pursuit squad to launch any effective attacks.

Gillian glanced back.

In the distance, thousands of cavalrymen approached steadily.

Though they were called a pursuit squad, their numbers were immense-around 3,000, comparable to the military strength of an entire territory, all mobilized to hunt them down.

"To command such forces... truly formidable.'

The Desmond pursuit squad had split off swiftly from the main force, blocking every possible escape route for the Fenris troops.

Like hunters herding prey, they had cornered Gillian's group in this open field.

Gillian exhaled deeply.

'Is this the end...'

The plain where they now stood offered no forests or mountains to hide in as they approached the Fenris heartland.

The enemy had advanced more quickly than expected, enduring losses to trap them here.

There was no escape. The only choice left was to fight head-on.

"Prepare for battle."

At Gillian's low command, the knights and soldiers raised their weapons. Their faces were pale and haggard from exhaustion.

When they had fled the fortress, they hadn't even managed to bring their horses, let alone sufficient provisions. They had fought relentlessly without rest, leaving them battered and weary.

Barely half their original number remained after repeated skirmishes.

Still, their eyes burned fiercely. Each soldier seemed determined to take down as many enemies as possible, even in their final moments.

Gillian allowed himself a bitter smile and continued.

"Form a circular formation."

Their formation shifted into a tight circle. For the coming cavalry battle, they raised their spears and shields high.

With no fortifications or natural barriers left to exploit, they would have to fend off attacks from all directions using only their weary bodies.

As the Fenris troops formed their defensive line, the Desmond forces completed their encirclement.

Baron Hutton, leading the pursuit squad, grinned with satisfaction as he looked at the Fenris troops.

"Finally, we've caught those rats."

The ambushes led by Gillian had been swift and ferocious, forcing Desmond's army to slow its advance in caution.

However, the Desmond forces had not allowed themselves to be entirely outmaneuvered.

Though they had suffered significant losses along the way, they had ultimately achieved the situation they desired.

All that remained was to unleash the pent-up fury they had accumulated.

Baron Hutton drew his sword and declared,

"End it."

The Desmond forces began closing in on the Fenris troops, tightening their formation like a

noose.

Gillian, raising his shield to cover the front, stepped forward and shouted,

"They're coming!"

As soon as he spoke, dozens of fireballs flew from the Desmond ranks.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Gillian gritted his teeth and blocked the spells with his shield. The other knights did the same. These spells were manageable; without a 6th-circle mage like Willow among the enemy, they were still within the Fenris troops' capacity to endure.

Whoosh!

In addition to the magic, a barrage of arrows rained down from the Desmond side.

The Desmond forces knew the arrows would have little effect-sturdy armor and dispel magic protected the Fenris troops.

But the purpose of these attacks wasn't to inflict damage. It was to wear down their stamina and mana.

Tat-tat-tat-tat!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With each volley from the Desmond forces, the circular formation of the Fenris troops shook violently. All they could do was hunker down like turtles, enduring the relentless onslaught. After some time, the long-range attacks ceased, and Desmond's cavalry began to advance. The Fenris troops, already battered from the earlier assaults, appeared utterly drained even before the cavalry reached them. Their long exposure to the elements had left them in poor condition.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

As the Desmond cavalry approached, the Fenris knights began to laugh.

Lucas, known for his pretentious dignity and self-proclaimed title as a "genius of

spearmanship," finally voiced his honest thoughts.

"Honestly, I thought about running away halfway through. Those guys are no joke. They're on

a completely different level from anyone we've fought before."

"Hehe, idiot. I knew you'd say that."

"Since it's come to this, let's take down as many as we can before we go. The lord will avenge

us anyway."

Yes, their lord would surely avenge them. He was not the type to let grievances go

unanswered.

This thought gave them the courage to face death with a smile.

Boom!

Finally, the two armies clashed. The Fenris knights deftly dodged the cavalry charges, countering to take down horses and riders alike.

The spearmen held their ground at first, effectively repelling the cavalry.

But the enemy numbers were overwhelming. Their current forces were simply too few to withstand the relentless tide of cavalry.

Boom!

"Argh!"

The next wave of Desmond's cavalry plowed through the Fenris ranks, scattering the soldiers.

Though well-armored, the Fenris soldiers lacked the agility of knights and bore the full brunt

of the cavalry's impact.

After just two charges, the Fenris circular formation was utterly broken.

"Get up! If you stay down, you'll die for real!"

"Stay sharp!"

"Hold on a little longer!"

The Fenris knights fought valiantly, taking down enemy cavalry one by one, but with the

battle devolving into chaos, their disadvantage became insurmountable.

Unlike in the narrow corridors of the fortress, enemies poured in from all directions on the open plain. The Fenris knights began using every last ounce of their strength.

Ziiing-!

This was their final stand. If they were going to die, they intended to take as many enemies as

possible with them.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The Fenris knights fought like men possessed, driven by a fierce and unrelenting will to kill.

Gillian was no exception. Discarding his shield, he wielded axes in both hands and tore through the enemy ranks with brutal efficiency.

He didn't care about the wounds he sustained. He just kept hacking at the enemies around

him.

Slash! Slash! Boom!

The advancing Desmond forces were shredded, leaving blood and screams in their wake.

"Ahh! These monsters!"

"Push harder! They're exhausted!"

"Let's end these damn bastards today!"

The Desmond forces were just as desperate.

These enemies had forced them into reckless operations, deprived them of sleep, and cost

them countless comrades, all while filling them with fear.

As the end of this nightmare approached, the elite Desmond troops refused to falter.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Argh!"

"Yaaaah!"

The battlefield rang with screams and war cries as it descended into madness.

Both attackers and defenders were lost in the fervor of battle, focused only on killing the

enemy before them.

But such intensity couldn't last forever. As time passed, the Desmond forces' momentum

grew stronger, while the Fenris troops weakened.

"Ugh..." Thud.

One of the frenzied Fenris knights let out a bitter laugh before collapsing.

Though his helmet hid his face, the inside was soaked with blood he had coughed up.

Thud.

Another knight fell.

It wasn't just the knights. The soldiers had long since collapsed, their bodies twitching

faintly.

Though their sturdy armor had saved their lives, the accumulated impacts and fatigue had left them unable to rise.

"Get up! Get up and keep fighting!"

Only Gillian continued to shout, killing enemies as he went.

His relentless rampage kept the Desmond forces at bay, preventing them from advancing

easily.

But even the Desmond troops began to sense something strange about the Fenris army.

"Are they finally exhausted?"

"No, something's off about them."

"Is there some kind of problem?"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

As the Desmond forces drew back slightly, the remaining Fenris knights began collapsing one

by one.

Seeing them fall on their own, the Desmond troops halted their assault, opting instead to maintain their encirclement.

At last, nearly all the Fenris knights had either fallen or sat slumped on the ground, blood leaking from beneath their helmets.

Seeing this, Gillian's arms drooped in exhaustion.

He was the only one still standing.

Gillian looked sorrowfully at the collapsed knights, who were coughing up blood, and

muttered,

"Get up... Get up and keep fighting..."

His face looked as though it had aged years in just a few days. The fierce determination in his

eyes was gone, replaced by the weary look of a dying lion.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Swish.

The Desmond forces' ranks parted, and a man stepped forward from within.

"Baron Hutton..."

Gillian gripped his axe tightly. His trembling hands betrayed his exhaustion, but he knew he

had to kill this man, no matter what.

If he succeeded, it would reduce the casualties his allies would suffer in the battles to come.

Baron Hutton unsheathed his sword slowly, his gaze as arrogant and icy as ever.

The two men swung their weapons at each other without hesitation.

Boom!

At the first clash, Gillian staggered and fell back. He was too drained to block Baron Hutton's

powerful

strike.

Boom! Boom!

"Gah..."

Each time they clashed, Gillian was injured and forced to retreat.

Baron Hutton, though not fully recovered, had received proper treatment and rest, leaving

him in far better condition than Gillian.

Clang!

Under the relentless assault, Gillian finally lost his grip on one of his axes.

Boom!

The follow-up attack shattered his remaining axe, which hadn't been sufficiently infused

with mana.

Screech!

Baron Hutton's sword mercilessly tore through Gillian's breastplate.

Thud.

Staggering and coughing blood, Gillian finally collapsed to his knees.

He looked up at Baron Hutton with tired eyes, wondering why the man hadn't delivered a

killing blow when he clearly could have.

Baron Hutton, holding his bloodied sword out, spoke.

"Gillian."

"..."

"Though you're a mere mercenary, it's a shame to waste someone like you in a war like this.

I'll give you one more chance. Surrender."

"...I refuse."

Baron Hutton's brow twitched. He couldn't understand it.

"Why? Aren't you just a mercenary? Why would you risk your life to follow Count Fenris? Is a

contract really that important to you?"

"...It's not about the contract."

At first, it was gratitude. Gillian had followed because the young lord had saved his daughter.

He had been ready to give his life, believing it only fair to trade his life for the life of his

daughter.

But over time, his perspective had changed as he watched Ghislain.

Ghislain was extraordinary.

A noble who didn't care about rank or status.

A man who, though not a mercenary, embodied the truest spirit of one.

A leader who had saved his territory from crisis after crisis with his mysterious knowledge.

Someone who always prioritized the safety of others over his own desires.

A person who achieved what everyone else deemed impossible.

The longer Gillian spent with Ghislain, the more deeply he was moved by these qualities.

At some point, Gillian stopped seeing Ghislain as just a benefactor who had saved his

daughter. He became a master worthy of loyalty, someone Gillian genuinely wanted to follow.

That's why Gillian could never betray him.

It wasn't repayment for a favor or a contractual obligation.

It was loyalty.

Gillian had found someone truly worthy of devoting his life to.

Of course, Ghislain could also be eccentric and unpredictable in ways that were oddly

amusing.

That thought brought a smile to Gillian's face despite his situation.

Baron Hutton, seeing Gillian smile like that, couldn't understand it. Nor could he comprehend

why Count Fenris inspired such loyalty.

"Why? Why follow that inexperienced boy? Do you truly believe Count Fenris can take control

of the north? Do you think he can defeat the duchy?"

"If it's the lord, he'll succeed."

"Ridiculous! That's nothing but the delusion of a naïve child! Dreams are meant to stay as

dreams!"

"The lord's dream..."

Gillian raised his head to look at Baron Hutton again.

This time, his gaze was calm and steady. With what seemed like his final breath, he said,

"...is my dream."

"You bastard..."

Baron Hutton raised his sword. He wanted to end it now, but a strange sense of regret held him back.

'It can't be helped.'

It was a shame, but he needed to kill Gillian quickly and return. The man clearly couldn't be

persuaded.

Just as he made his decision and prepared to bring his sword down-

Whoosh!

Clang!

Sensing an arrow flying toward him, Baron Hutton raised his sword to block it. However, the

arrow shattered his blade and struck his chest.

"Urgh!"

Baron Hutton staggered backward, clutching his chest, and retreated several steps.

The Desmond troops around him were stunned. Even though he was not in peak condition,

Baron Hutton was still a high-level knight. For him to be injured by an arrow? Even Gillian, who had directly fought Baron Hutton and knew his strength, looked shocked.

Who could land a shot like that on such a powerful opponent?

No, there was someone. Someone in the north who could do it.

A person whose depth of skill was unfathomable.

Someone who grew stronger with every passing day, like a monster.

Gillian's heart began to race.

The ground trembled in time with his heartbeat.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

There were no trumpet calls or battle cries. Only the thunderous sound of hooves pounding

the earth.

Gillian slowly turned his head back.

"Ah..."

The sight he had longed for filled his eyes.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

The vast plain was now covered with the red wolf flags. The owner of that flag was everything

to him, the embodiment of his last dream.

And the person he had most waited and longed to see-

"Gillian-!"

With red eyes blazing, he charged toward him faster than anyone else.

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