The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations - Chapter 286

Chapter 286: I Didn’t Come Alone (4)

Harold looked noticeably haggard. He had been on edge lately because of Gillian.

However, his gaze burned more intensely than ever.

“Ghislain… Ghislain… That damned brat has finally shown himself before my eyes.”

Harold’s feelings were no different from Ghislain’s. Both of them had been eager to meet one another.

To sever each other’s necks, that is.

Clop. Clop.

A knight from the Fenris forces, bearing a white flag, approached Desmond’s camp.

The knight tossed something swiftly and bolted away.

When Desmond’s soldiers saw what had rolled across the ground, they were horrified and immediately brought it to Harold.

Harold squinted at the item the soldier presented.

“Baron Hutton…”

What the Fenris knight had thrown was none other than Baron Hutton’s severed head, claimed by Ghislain. The baron’s expression, frozen in death, was one of pure bewilderment, as if he still hadn’t grasped what had happened.

The news of Baron Hutton’s death had already been reported by the knights and soldiers who had managed to escape the pursuit.

Though Harold had prepared himself for this possibility, being confronted with the tangible reality reignited his fury.

“Ugh… Ghislain! Ghislain, you bastard!”

The wretch who always seemed to interfere with his plans had once again appeared out of nowhere to kill one of his most formidable allies.

While Harold commanded a cadre of exceptional knights, Baron Hutton had been among the best. His death would severely weaken his army.

He had made a mistake. Sending an injured man into the pursuit force had been a blunder. He should have ensured Hutton fought under safer circumstances with better protection.

Clutching his head in frustration, Harold’s bloodshot eyes blazed as he spoke.

“Make sure that bastard has no escape. Form the lines properly.”

He had to stay composed. After all, the man he had longed to kill was now right in front of him.

This was better than laying siege to a fortress. All they needed was to win this one battle.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

As Desmond’s vast army encircled the Fenris forces, gradually closing the distance, Gillian urgently cried out.

“My lord! Please retreat! You must get to safety immediately!”

“Seems unlikely now, doesn’t it? Running and getting caught would only make things worse.”

“I will hold them back again! Please, return to the rear and prepare for defense! Hey, you lot! A hundred of you, follow me!”

Gillian turned to address the knights, but they all wore indifferent expressions.

“What are you doing?! Escort the lord to safety—”

“Enough, Gillian. Are you telling me to run away while others sacrifice themselves? Do you think we’re going to lose? With me here?”

“My lord!”

Gillian shouted in frustration. He knew well how strong the Fenris forces were. Led by Ghislain, their 300 knights and Galvaniium-equipped cavalry wielded devastating power.

But their glaring weakness was also clear: sustainability. The longer the knights drew power from their armor, the faster they’d burn through their mana.

“I know how strong we are. I’ve fought against forces like these before. But once we’ve taken out half of them, we’ll be too exhausted to go on. You know as well as I do the greatest strength of a large army!”

“I can fight longer. Until every one of them is dead.”

“What good is that if you’re the only one left standing? Even if we win, we’ll suffer near-total losses!”

“Hmm, you make a valid point.”

“Then please retreat and prepare for the defense! I will hold them back!”

At that moment, Gillian understood why Belinda always nagged at Ghislain. He’d known his lord was fearless, but this level of recklessness was absurd.

Even so, Ghislain replied with a calm demeanor.

“What’s the point of that?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m asking, what’s the point of me surviving at the cost of you and everyone else?”

“You must survive, my lord! You are not alone in this fight!”

“Whoa, careful with those words. People might get the wrong idea. I’m still single, you know.”

“My lord! That’s not what I meant! You bear responsibility for so many others—”

Ghislain cut him off.

“I don’t want to lose you, Gillian. Not just you—any of them.”

At those words, Gillian’s eyes reddened, and he clenched his teeth.

It was truly a heartfelt statement. For a subordinate to hear such words from their lord was the highest honor.

But this wasn’t right. There was a reason they were willing to sacrifice themselves—to buy time to save more lives.

A leader of many must remain composed. They must take what is necessary and abandon what must be abandoned. That was the virtue of a ruler who guided others.

However, Ghislain seemed entirely indifferent to such notions as he continued.

“The reason I always give my all is so I won’t lose my people.”

“My lord…”

“There’s nothing I need to gain if it means losing someone. There’s nothing I want to gain by losing someone.”

Losing those dear to him was Ghislain’s greatest trauma. He had suffered it enough in his past life, endured enough pain to last several lifetimes.

That was precisely why he was determined to fight against the ducal families—to ensure he would never experience such loss again.

“The responsibility I believe in isn’t like that.”

It wasn’t about sacrificing someone to protect and save many others.

It was about burning his own life force to protect and save as many as possible.

That was the responsibility Ghislain believed in.

“And I don’t intend for us to be annihilated. Like always, I’ll secure victory with minimal losses.”

With those final words, Ghislain mounted the Black King and raised his hand, signaling that there would be no further discussion.

“All forces, prepare for battle.”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The Fenris knights and cavalry lowered their visors. Even as they faced the overwhelming forces of Count Desmond, there wasn’t a trace of fear among them.

Fighting alongside their lord was as good as a guarantee of victory for them.

Gillian gritted his teeth and spoke.

“Then I will fight again. Bring me my weapon! I don’t care if it’s an axe or a spear—anything will do!”

At that, Gordon, standing beside him, jabbed him in the chest.

“Ugh!”

“Ha! What are you trying to do with that battered body? You’d lose to me in a fight. No, actually, you’d probably lose to that chatterbox Chief Overseer!”

“Bwahahaha!”

The other knights burst into laughter, clutching their sides. Seeing the formidable Gillian so weakened was apparently the height of amusement for them.

“You scoundrels! Cough!”

Gillian’s frustration boiled over, but it only caused him to cough up a handful of blood. Fighting relentlessly until now had pushed his body to its absolute limits.

Seeing this, Gordon exaggeratedly gasped.

“Oh no! Our instructor’s going to die at this rate. Hey, take good care of him!”

In the end, Gillian was restrained by the medics, unable to move. Even if he wanted to resist, he had no strength left to do so.

All he could do was stare blankly at Ghislain, who had mounted the Black King.

Ghislain, noticing Gillian’s gaze, smiled faintly before issuing his next command.

“Form ranks and prepare to hold positions.”

Though their rear was open, retreating that way would only invite the full force of Desmond’s army in pursuit. A battle they might have won would then surely be lost.

Of course, Ghislain had no intention of retreating. His plan was to end everything here and now.

He calmly waited for the right moment as the opportunity approached.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Desmond’s forces stopped at a suitable distance.

In situations like this, there was typically one reason for such a halt: to inflict damage with long-range attacks.

As expected, powerful mana began to concentrate at the forefront of Desmond’s lines.

Crackle!

The very air shimmered and wavered as if the space itself was being distorted. Bright flashes of light appeared, accompanied by small arcs of lightning.

It was Willow, a 6th-circle mage within Desmond’s army, casting a spell.

Spotting Ghislain at the front of the Fenris forces, Willow decided to launch a surprise magical attack at him. Rather than using an area spell that might be weakened by their black armor, he chose a fast and powerful single-target spell.

“Heh, foolish bastard. He doesn’t even realize what’s coming.”

Willow smiled confidently, his spell now fully prepared.

“Lightning Rod.”

As he spoke the activation words, a brilliant explosion of light erupted. Countless bolts of lightning intertwined and surged toward Ghislain at breakneck speed.

At that moment, a calm voice rang out from the rear of the Fenris forces.

“Reflect Shield.”

Simultaneously, a massive magic circle materialized right in front of Ghislain.

BOOM!

The lightning was deflected entirely, ricocheting back toward Desmond’s lines.

Willow, the caster, shouted in panic.

“W-What is this?!”

The Reflect Shield was a 6th-circle spell, but it consumed an enormous amount of mana.

To reflect a spell, it required far more mana than the spell being cast, which meant it wasn’t something anyone could use recklessly unless they had an abundance of power.

Yet, that very spell had been cast from the Fenris forces.

Willow frantically waved his remaining hand to dispel the magic. He could feel chunks of his mana draining rapidly.

‘A mage of higher rank than me is here.’

Cold sweat dripped down his back. For someone to deflect his spell so effortlessly meant they were at least a 6th-circle master.

‘A 6th-circle mage in Fenris? All the mages of this level in the North are accounted for, aren’t they?’

As far as he knew, Fenris didn’t have a mage of that caliber. There were rumors that Alfoi, the successor to the Master of the Crimson Flame Tower, was staying in Fenris, but he was only a 4th-circle mage.

‘A high-level mage we don’t know about has appeared.’

Willow immediately reported to Harold. Harold, who had been preparing for a large-scale magical assault, twitched his eyebrows.

If Willow’s report was accurate, the magic units would need to hold back and focus on countermeasures rather than attack recklessly.

What they didn’t realize was that Vanessa had reached the 6th circle. Nor did they know about the mage next to her who was foaming at the mouth and unconscious, drained of all his mana.

Vanessa had deliberately unleashed a powerful spell to sow confusion among the enemy. Thanks to her actions, Desmond’s mages were now hesitant to act recklessly, unsure of the Fenris forces’ magical capabilities.

In such a situation, preserving mana for defense was the only cautious approach.

Harold ground his teeth and gave his orders.

“Cease magical assaults for now. Tighten the encirclement and move slowly. Wear them down with pressure.”

Desmond’s army began to advance once more, their movement methodical and deliberate. They resembled hunters cautiously herding a wild beast.

This was one of the advantages a large army could exploit. Enemies overwhelmed by superior numbers often struggled to decide where to focus their defense.

Over time, such tension would wear them down, even before any real fighting began. It was a tactic often used by hunters to exhaust their prey.

Harold was a skilled commander. Despite commanding a massive force, he intended to kill Ghislain slowly and surely.

“Archers, move closer. Mages, prepare to attack again.”

The archers positioned behind the spearmen inched closer to the Fenris forces. Meanwhile, the mages in the main formation followed behind the soldiers, gradually gathering mana.

At a command, they would rain arrows and spells upon the Fenris troops, exhausting them with relentless barrages.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Both sides braced themselves, Desmond’s forces advancing steadily while the Fenris forces awaited their orders. The tension between them continued to rise.

Though Desmond’s troops vastly outnumbered their opponents, their prior experiences with Gillian’s exploits had taught them to respect the Fenris forces’ strength.

Meanwhile, the Fenris forces, though confident in their lord, had never faced such a massive army before. The weight of the situation pressed heavily upon them.

At that moment, Ghislain suddenly opened his mouth, as if he’d just remembered something.

“Oh, there’s something I forgot to tell Gillian.”

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

In the distance, the sound of galloping horses began to echo.

Desmond’s soldiers turned to look around, confused by the sudden noise.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The sound grew louder and louder. Finally, Desmond’s forces spotted an army charging from their right flank.

Bwoo-oo-oo-oo!

The blare of horns rang out, drawing everyone’s attention. Harold stared at the scene and muttered instinctively.

“The Kingdom’s Army?”

At the forefront flew the royal banner, carried by none other than the Third Legion led by Viscount Clifton.

Behind them, an army bearing the banners of various noble families followed—a coalition of nobles led by Viscount Iderean, representing the victims of the investment scheme… or perhaps better termed the Noble Alliance Army.

Before Harold could issue new orders, a thunderous cheer erupted from another direction.

“Waaahhhh!”

He whipped his head around to see where the sound had come from. On his left flank, another army was charging.

“That’s… Ferdium?”

The white wolf banner fluttered high above the advancing troops. The Ferdium Army had arrived, perfectly coordinated with the Kingdom’s Army.

Ghislain grinned as he watched the armies appear on both sides.

“You see, I didn’t come alone.”

In the rear, Gillian widened his eyes as he looked at the new arrivals, turning his gaze back and forth between them.

He had forgotten—Ghislain was no longer the solitary figure he used to be.

Now, he had people who stood by his side.

Gillian, who had been with Ghislain since the days when he had nothing and was scorned, felt his chest swell with emotion, his eyes growing misty.

While Desmond’s army reeled in confusion, the armies on both flanks moved into position, surrounding them.

Ghislain, lowering his spear, spoke calmly.

“Let’s go.”

Clop, clop.

The Black King lifted its head proudly, striding forward slowly. Ahead of them, Desmond’s massive army stood in an imposing formation.

Looking at them, Ghislain smirked.

“After today…”

No, perhaps even before the day was over.

“…we’ll be known as the strongest in the North.”

His words were brief, but no further explanation was needed.

Hiiiiiing!

With a resounding cry, the Black King surged forward, charging towards the enemy.