The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 298

Episode 298 Now let’s prepare for the next one. (1)

As Harold kept failing, it seemed that the Duke’s family was slowly trying to do something to him.

That’s why Harold, who was getting impatient, moved faster than expected. Of course, Harold’s pride must have been displeased with the duke’s choice.

Jiselle, whose curiosity was satisfied, asked if there was anything else.

“Is that all? Is there anything else? Who were you trying to send?”

“Shut up! This land belongs to the Earl of Desmond! You made a mistake! Do you think you can stop the Duke just because you’re with the royalist faction? You’re finished! You damned piece of shit with no foundation!”

Jiselle frowned slightly. It seemed like the guy didn’t know anything else anyway.

“You have a bit of a foul mouth.”

“Your father was a beggar named Zwalter Ferdium, and your mother was a fallen noblewoman who didn’t even know her roots! Do you think that your roots will change just because you’ve won the war and become a count? A family of trash dares to attack our Desmond!”

He was a man so accustomed to arrogance. He still looked down on Ferdium and Fenris.

Zwalter approached in a fit of rage, but Giselle was quicker, pulling out the hatchet from her waistband.

Phew!

Desmond’s general fell down with his head cracked before he could say anything else.

Jiselle muttered as she watched him collapse, bleeding profusely.

“It’s a bit much to curse your parents in front of them.”

Desmond’s people, who had been watching from the surrounding area, held their breath at the sudden attack.

What kind of lord would go around with an axe and kill people in broad daylight? The governor’s words were harsh, but they were still scary.

Jisel also felt the anxiety of the people of Yeongji.

“Oh no, we shouldn’t have had this kind of misunderstanding from the beginning.”

He put the axe back and smiled brightly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not that bad of a person.”

The people of Yeongji began to tremble. Usually, the person who says something like that is a really bad guy.

It felt like some kind of ruthless human had taken over this place.

In contrast to the terrified people of the territory, Fenris’s face was filled with pride.

They fought brilliantly and won against Desmond, who was called the strongest in the North.

Although they received assistance from the Royal Army and Ferdium Army, it was an unchanging fact that the Fenris Army was the main player in the victory.

Jisel, who was once again riding the Black King, looked around at the soldiers filling the area.

Because of Amelia, I had to leave the battlefield cleanup to others and move quickly. I took over Desmond’s territory, but everyone was moving around so frantically that it didn’t feel real.

A war doesn’t end simply by winning. It ends when the one who started the war says it’s over.

Now it was time to truly declare ‘victory’.

Jiselle smiled briefly, then raised one hand and shouted.

“With your dedication and strength, we have won the battle against Desmond!”

Every soldier in Fenris stood tall. The three spies who had defected from Desmond stood taller than anyone else.

“We have taken over this powerful territory! We have not only won the battle, we have shown this kingdom how strong we are, and that we can subdue any enemy with our power!”

Jiselle’s voice grew louder and louder.

“From now on, this place will be a symbol of our strength and determination. As your lord, I express my gratitude to you who have achieved victory through hard work and sacrifice! Now… … .”

After pausing for a moment, Giselle looked around at all the knights and soldiers of Fenris gathered here.

Soon his soft voice was heard clearly in everyone’s ears.

“Fenris is the strongest in the North.”

“Waaaaaaaaaah!”

The soldiers responded to Giselle’s words with loud cheers and shouts. They looked at each other with expressions of pride and confidence.

In particular, the three of Desmond’s spies were sobbing and hugging each other.

The soldiers, all of whom were filled with the joy of victory, endlessly sent respectful glances and shouts to their lord.

Leaving behind the shouts of the soldiers, Giselle and the major figures involved in the war moved to the castle.

Because from now on, we have to do real post-processing.

Zwalter looked at Giselle with eyes filled with emotion.

“You… … You really won… … . It really happened just as you said… … .”

“Thanks to my father’s help. He really did it at the perfect time.”

“No, no. If it weren’t for what you did, how could we have fought like that?”

Zwalter’s eyes welled up with tears. If it weren’t for the others, he would have hugged his son tightly.

The Desmonds have been the lords of this northern land for a long time. Harold was not without ability, so Desmonds were at the peak of his power.

If it had been the old Ferdium, I would have trembled just hearing its name.

But who would have thought that Ferdium’s successor would take over Desmond’s domain and become a great lord who would rule the North!

‘Honey… … . Why are you going so quickly… … .’

Zwalter missed his wife, who had left earlier today, more than anyone else. If he had seen his son like this, he would have been happier than anyone else.

Ferdium, which had been poor for generations, is now beginning to experience a great revival thanks to Giselle. It may be that there has never been a time in the history of the family when things were this good.

Unlike Zwalter, who was very happy, the commander of the 3rd Army Corps of the Royal Army, Viscount Clifton, and Viscount Etherian of the Investment Nobles’ Union had subtle expressions.

In particular, the feelings of Viscount Clifton were indescribably complex.

‘I tried to take him alive somehow… … but I didn’t know he would be this kind of person.’

Since he is also a member of the royal family, he is well aware of the public opinion of Jiselle.

He is said to be a rather lucky and somewhat resourceful young man, who is looked after by the Marquis of Branford.

But the Giselle I saw in the war was not a child who deserved such a low evaluation.

‘He’s a monster. There aren’t many who can stand up to him. He’s the true Northern Swordsman.’

While fighting Desmond’s forces, Viscount Clifton continued to watch over the Fenris forces fighting in the center. In the worst case scenario, he had to somehow save Giselle.

But even such worries were arrogant. Jiselle’s military power and tactical ability were beyond his ability to keep up with.

‘There’s a cavalryman and a 6th circle magician there… … Even we, who are on the same side, didn’t know much about Fenris!’

Jiselle was growing incredibly strong. However, the high-ranking nobles of the royalist faction, who were unaware of this, still looked down on Jiselle.

The number of nobles who cursed the Marquis of Branford behind his back for pushing Giselle also increased.

Viscount Clifton had also been secretly ignoring Giselle. Even though he had ascended to the rank of earl, he thought of her as just a lucky child.

But now it was different. The more he looked at Viscount Clifton, the more frightening he felt towards Giselle.

He bowed his head slightly to Giselle, sweat dripping down his face.

“Congratulations on your victory, Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Army.”

Jiselle is the nominal commander of the Northern Army. Although the chain of command is different, in any case, in times of war, she ranks higher than the commander of the Royal Army.

Viscount Clifton was now clearly treating Giselle as someone superior to himself.

Jiselle answered with a slight smile.

“Thanks to you, Commander, I was able to win. I will not forget the help of the royal family and the royalist faction. I will definitely repay you. I will also fully reward the 2nd Commander’s bereaved family.”

“Thank you. I hope he can rest in peace.”

Viscount Doren was also a close friend of Viscount Clifton. Although he was pleased with Giselle’s kindness, he could not help but feel a little heavy-hearted.

‘Can we control interest rates?’

The power of the Marquis of Branford and the royalist faction can be controlled. It has to be. That’s why I’ve been pushing Giselle up until now.

But a strange sense of unease passed through Viscount Clifton’s heart. After seeing Giselle fight with his own eyes, he could not forget that terrifying, demonic appearance.

This kind of person is not someone who should be under anyone. Rather, the more you try to rein him in, the more violently he will rebel and bite.

‘Okay. It’s not for me to judge.’

He is a soldier. He is loyal to the crown and only follows its orders. The sword is swayed by the will of its master and does not make its own judgments.

After Viscount Clifton finished his greetings, Viscount Etherian approached.

“Ahem, sorry for the late introduction. I am the Etherian Viscount of the Capital Nobles’ Union… … no, the victims of the investment.”

“Thank you. I will not forget the help of investors.”

“That’s right. This time, we only brought private soldiers, so we suffered some losses… … .”

They are all nobles who are sensitive to money. They sent an army to avoid losses, but since many of their private soldiers died, it could be said that it was also a loss.

Jiselle nodded, fully understanding, and said happily.

“I will make sure you have plenty of food on your way back.”

At those words, Count Ederian smiled brightly. The drought has passed and recovery is slowly underway, but food is still as expensive as gold.

I knew that Earl Fenris was a man who would give when he gave, but I couldn’t help but be happy to receive confirmation.

“Hahaha, thank you so much for this. I hope to work with you in the future.”

“Don’t worry. Aren’t we always meant to be together?”

Since we invested a lot of money, it is only right that we go together. The Etherian Count also nodded earnestly.

“Of course, of course. We should go together for the rest of our lives.”

The Etherian Viscount has withdrawn his intention to withdraw his investment. With the Marquis of Branford pushing for it and now taking over Desmond’s lands, who can touch Fenris?

I felt like I could trust and continue to invest in the future.

In this way, a half-heavy, half-cheerful atmosphere was created.

After discussing the post-war process, they dispersed to rest for a while. They needed time to check on the casualties and organize things right away. They would probably be busy for a few days.

Only then did Belinda approach Giselle, who had taken a deep breath.

Jiselle looked at her and gave her a grateful greeting.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to delay Amelia’s advance. If Amelia had arrived first, it would have been quite a headache. She’s the type of person who won’t leave her room unless she settles down.”

“What, I was able to prepare it easily because the master told me in advance. It’s really amazing when you look at it. You’re not going to tell me how you knew this time either, are you?”

“Well, I know a lot about Amelia.”

“Oh my, is that because you kept chasing me around because I said it was good in the past?”

“… … That’s not it. No, is that right?”

Now that I think about it, I think I was chasing you in my past life too. I was trying to catch you and kill you though.

Belinda laughed for a long time and then continued.

“I don’t know how much the dwarves grumbled about being suddenly dragged in.”

As soon as the bow was finished being made, Galvarik and the dwarves were dragged in and had a hard time making traps.

Belinda was the one who prepared to half-ass it with her fist. In any case, if she hadn’t been active, it would have been a half-victory.

Although Giselle insisted on holding Amelia’s ankle, she left the method to Belinda.

‘As expected, the past is suspicious.’

Since he didn’t tell her no matter how many times she asked, Jiselle just gave up and snickered.

“Okay, I’m glad it worked out well. Now let’s get ready for the next one.”

“Yes, here too, we need to quickly take control of and integrate the newly acquired territory. What if the General is causing trouble again? Almost all the people who went here were killed.”

“We can’t keep them alive anyway. Most of them are the Duke’s puppets.”

This is not a place where vassals who only took bribes like in the County of Cavaldi gathered. It is a place where those who were truly the Duke’s lackeys gathered.

So, it was necessary to weed them all out for sure. Even lower-level officials could not use them until their identities were properly verified.

As always, the administrators of Fenris have no choice but to work while fainting.

“Hmm, we’re going to be short-handed again. It’ll be hard for Piote to revive him on his own. At least the Academy is continuing to train administrators, so that’s a good thing.”

“But this time, Bishop Porisco sent 10 priests.”

“Yes, take good care of them. Since they’re here, we should build small shrines here and there so they can stay for a long time.”

“Yes! That would be great! As expected, our master is really smart!”

The territory has become much larger than before, so there are many places to send them. I was thinking of dropping them all because I thought it would be uncomfortable for Piote to meet him.

Porisco didn’t even think about giving it, but Giselle and Belinda were talking about it as if it was a given.

In this regard, these two people always got along really well.

“Well, to get things done quickly, I guess we should move Claude’s residence here too. I don’t know if he’ll whine about not wanting to come again.”

Desmond is a vast and resource-rich region, unlike other northern territories. It is right to develop this place as a center, but to do that, Claude must come.

Just as Giselle had thought, Claude was whining alone, but the reason was very different from what Giselle had thought.

He had not yet heard the results of the war and was biting his fingernails in anxiety.

“Oh, what should I do? Should I run away now? But how can I go alone?”

No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think I can win. The lord is a great man, but Earl Desmond is also quite capable. The difference in force is also too great.

After all, it was a wise choice to run away when the opportunity arose.

“But I want to run away now!”

He lived by the belief that the outside world was dangerous. He had no confidence whatsoever in returning home alone.

Moreover, the guard that had always protected him was no longer there.

“Damn it! I should have left Wendy behind!”

Those who were escorting him now were the few soldiers and trainees who remained in the territory. It was only natural that they were inferior to Wendy.

When it was there, I always thought it would be nice if it disappeared because it would nag me and watch over me. But when it actually disappeared, I felt incredibly empty.

And it was very scary. He is a very scared man.

“Ugh… … If those guys come here, they’ll definitely kill me first!”

He was called the ‘Bribe King of the North’ along with Giselle, and he did all sorts of things to piss off his opponents. There was no way Count Desmond would let him live.

If Wendy had been there, we could have run away together as soon as we heard the news of defeat. That would have been very reassuring.

Claude had begged Belinda, anticipating a situation where she might run away.

― I can’t live without Wendy! Please don’t take me away!

– Oh my, what’s going on? You two are stuck together every day, so that’s how you ended up like this?

– No, that’s not it. I mean, literally, you die!

Despite her pleas, Belinda just laughed and dragged Wendy away.

As Claude was withering away with worry, the long-awaited news finally arrived.

“The Lord has won! It is a great victory!”

The messenger roamed around the territory, shouting loudly. With a smile on his face, he moved tirelessly, ready to deliver the news to everyone in the territory.

“Wow!”

The vassals, servants, and even the people of the castle all cheered loudly. And Claude shouted louder than anyone else in joy.

“Eww! I’m alive!”

Another messenger ran up to Claude, who was so happy, and said:

“Your Majesty!”

“why!”

“The lord demands that you come immediately!”

“Already? Why? Didn’t we just take over?”

“They say there is too much to do.”

“……how much?”

“They say it piled up like a mountain.”

Claude, who had been happy to be alive, hung his head.

I suddenly felt like I wanted to die.