The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 309

Episode 309 I trust you and walk. (3)

“Hey hey, let’s go quickly.”

“Oh, this damn territory. I’ll never go north again.”

“It was a very disgusting territory for a very disgusting lord.”

Those who were grumbling and packing were Max and the Fixers who had been captured since the Cavaldi War.

Those who worked in the estate to earn money were not easily released. Even if they worked every day, they only deducted the daily wage of the laborers, so it was difficult to reveal the amount they received.

But I didn’t think about spitting out the money. The money I received from Rosalind and Marielle was so huge that I felt it was a shame to just throw it away.

While I was struggling without being able to do anything, the war with Desmond broke out.

Max and the troubleshooters finally gain their freedom by joining as commanders of a labor assault team.

“We are free!”

“Wow!”

The troubleshooters cheered at Max’s shout. Now, this is truly the end of this damn territory.

Today is a special day. While Max and the troubleshooters were washing up and shaving their bushy beards, Claude came to visit.

“Hey, are you leaving now? You’ve all had a hard time.”

“Uh, um… …Is the general here?”

Max greeted Claude with a trembling expression. The one who caught them was Giselle, but the one who sent them to the construction site and treated them mercilessly was Claude.

He was acting so recklessly that I felt like I was actually going to assassinate him. But I didn’t dare try because I thought I’d be caught for life if I got caught.

Despite Max’s trembling expression, Claude spoke gently.

“Okay, so what are you going to do when you go back now?”

“I’ve had a hard time lately, so for the time being I’m thinking of looking for something moderate rather than difficult.”

It was a harsh remark, but Claude shamelessly pretended not to know.

“Oh my, isn’t it a waste to do such trivial things with your skills?”

“I’m going to save a little more and retire. I can’t keep doing this, can I? I’m going to buy some land and live comfortably.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a shame to think that way.”

In fact, Max and the troubleshooters were quite good. That’s why they were given the mission to rescue Giselle and also took on the role of commander of the labor brigade in place of Kaor during the war.

Claude spoke as if he really felt sorry, and he let out a little sigh.

“Then you’ll need a lot of money. Don’t you want to try making a lot of money at once?”

“A lot of money? How?”

“This time, the lord made something… … .”

Claude tried hard to explain to Alfoy that it was a ridiculous product. Max and the troubleshooters agreed with him.

However, the skills that Yeongju had shown so far were scary. Although they had never personally seen the process of making improved wheat and cosmetics, they had heard enough rumors about it.

The sight of Jiselle fighting on the battlefield was also shocking to them. That was also the reason why they did not dare to run away.

But you want me to make a bet with such a lord? Max immediately shook his head.

“No, we’ll just go back. We don’t want to get involved with this estate any more.”

It was a natural reaction. Claude nodded as if he had expected that much.

“20 thousand gold.”

“……!”

“If we win, each person will receive 20,000 gold.”

Max and the troubleshooters’ eyes widened at the enormous amount of money. With that amount of money, they could retire right away.

It was a trembling amount of money, but Max didn’t give it up right away. He is a leader of troubleshooters who has been through a lot.

“Why… … are you saying that to us?”

The strange powdered food that the Lord had created was clearly destined to fail. But why would he tell foreigners about such a great opportunity?

Claude met Max’s suspicious gaze and spoke in a soft tone.

“Have you been resenting me a lot lately?”

“……little.”

“I couldn’t help it. The territory was short on manpower. That’s why I had no choice but to pretend to be a villain. I always felt sorry for you.”

“Your Majesty… … .”

“You are a leader in a small group, but you know how hard it is to lead people.”

Max nodded without saying anything. The rumors are bad, but didn’t the general seek out people for the territory?

Now that it was time for me to leave, I could understand his feelings a little.

Claude took Max’s hand and continued speaking.

“It’s nothing. I just wanted to give you a fair amount of money before you leave. I can’t give you that much money without an excuse like this.”

“Your Majesty… … .”

Max and the troubleshooters felt a bit irritated. It felt like their noses were getting tingly. They thought he was a bad guy, but he was actually a kind-hearted person.

Claude didn’t speak with logic or reason. He appealed to Max and the other troubleshooters’ emotions.

Claude, who had been looking at Max with warm eyes, turned his gaze slightly into the distance and said.

“And this is also for the Lord’s sake.”

“Your Majesty?”

“Yes, our lord is certainly an outstanding person. He has overcome difficulties and achieved many successes. However… … the problem is that he has never failed until now.”

“That… … why is that a problem?”

“Because as time goes by, you become more and more arrogant. At a young age, you have to experience failure and hardship to grow more. It’s better to suffer a big loss now before more time passes.”

“Why is now a good time?”

“Honestly, even if this fails, the lord will only be slightly embarrassed and that will be the end of it. However, if he loses a lot of money, he will come to his senses. His pride will also be greatly reduced.”

“Umm… … .”

“Think about it. What would happen if the next war broke out while you were still arrogant? War is a place where you lose your life with just one mistake. You need to correct your lord’s character now. It would be cheaper to lose money.”

“iced coffee…….”

Max and the troubleshooters understood what Claude meant. It was no longer a secret that Giselle had been targeted by the Duke.

If you become complacent and drunk on success while a powerful enemy is lurking around, you will surely suffer great humiliation.

Max has seen this a lot in his work as a troubleshooter. Pride eventually leads to trouble, especially when you have a lot of enemies.

There was nothing wrong with what Claude said.

‘You were a loyal subject!’

‘We didn’t even know he was this kind of person… … .’

‘Ah, such a great man must be the governor of such a great territory.’

Max and the troubleshooters were moved. Claude was a loyal subject who took all the blame and insults on himself and only thought of his lord and the territory.

I feel sorry that I only found out when it was time to leave.

Of course, that’s what it is, and a bet is a bet. There’s nothing wrong with Claude’s logic, but Max still couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease. The intention was good, but wouldn’t it be a big deal if he lost?

Claude smiled as if he knew Max’s feelings.

“All the wizards of the ‘Matap’ have decided to participate. The wizards have already completed the verification. There’s no need to worry.”

“Oh!”

The troubleshooters let out exclamations. If the wizards had finished verifying it, there was no need to say anything more.

In particular, the wizards are from the Red Flame Tower, once known as the best in the North. Vanessa is a wizard who has reached the 6th circle.

Even verified wizards are participating? It would be foolish not to participate.

This was the reason why Claude deliberately persuaded the wizards first. He emphasized that the smart wizards who participated were experienced in the world and not easily overcome.

Of course, I never said that Vanessa was no longer a member of the Tower and was not participating in the betting.

“Let’s try!”

As Max shouted out curiously, all the troubleshooters agreed. In this way, Claude had tied up both the wizard and the troubleshooters.

‘Phew, it’s just getting started. Don’t worry, we’re going to win anyway.’

Still, he’s a little more advanced than before.

Although he succeeded in luring the people, he did not go straight to Giselle.

With the authority of the general, he stole a small amount of the sample powder, mixed it with a solemn expression, and drank it.

“Hmm… … The taste is pretty good.”

Although I felt a little bloated after eating it, it wasn’t too uncomfortable. Rather, I felt a little full.

He worked like that until the evening.

“Are you hungry?”

It was natural that he would feel hungry after drinking the powder mixed in water. He took another sip, then closed his eyes for a moment and continued his work.

“Oh, I’m hungry. This is no use.”

I’m hungry. I want to eat something delicious and chew it. As I thought about that, I suddenly felt hungrier.

He decided to give up eating the powder and said after eating his fill of food.

“It’s not like I’m going to starve to death. I could never fight after eating this. Hahahaha!”

He tried it for just one day and gave up. He was so hungry and wanted to eat something that he couldn’t stand it.

This time, I was sure that the lord had failed.

Wendy spoke cautiously, looking at the arrogant Claude.

“But isn’t it a bit much to decide in just one day? You should try it for at least three days… … .”

“Aww, that’s enough. I’m so hungry I can’t live on this alone. This is a failure, a failure.”

“… … The Lord always produces unexpected results.”

“Not this time, and even if I lose, it doesn’t matter.”

“……?”

Wendy looked a little surprised. You want freedom so badly, but you don’t care if you lose?

Was it really intended to warn the lord of his pride?

Claude turned his head as she stared at him with a puzzled look.

And he muttered while looking out the window of his office.

“I have nothing… … My life is already f*cked up, so I have nothing to lose… … .”

“…….”

Claude had nothing to risk, so he had to drag other people’s lives into his place.

Wendy, who thought that maybe he had become a person, just stared at the ceiling of the office.

* * *

The contract was quickly signed. The wizards and troubleshooters put their lives on the line, demanding freedom and money in return for winning.

It was only natural that Giselle readily accepted.

Renewing the contracts of 46 wizards and recruiting 10 new troubleshooters? I absolutely cannot stand this.

Claude looked at Giselle and spoke confidently.

“I’ll take care of it. I don’t want you to secretly feed me anything.”

“Okay.”

“Hehehe, don’t regret it.”

“You… … No, you have nothing to regret.”

The rumor that the lord and the governor had made another bet quickly spread throughout the territory.

Belinda, Gillian, and other close associates who had always tried to dissuade Giselle did not try to dissuade him this time.

This is because I know that there is no use in trying to stop it because of the learning effects from before.

And it was true that there was an expectation that Jiselle would succeed this time too.

The old Fenris landowners, who had seen this wager several times before, predicted that Jiselle would win.

I didn’t think that way based on any particular knowledge. I just believed that since Jiselle always won, she would do the same this time.

“The General is attacking you again?”

“Tsk tsk, I don’t know why I always lose.”

“I heard that this time it’s a little different. I heard that all the wizards are participating?”

“Hey, it’s no use. Didn’t wizards participate in the past?”

Because Giselle was so popular, the number of people making fun of Claude increased.

But Claude didn’t care. This time, he was really confident that he would win. Or not.

Claude was brazenly holding out, but he wasn’t one of the ones who were supposed to participate in this test.

“what’s this!”

“You want me to last a month just by eating this?”

“And then you do a mock battle?”

“How do you do that!”

The drafted knights and soldiers started a game by looking at the powder they were given every day.

What was the advantage of this territory? The only advantage was that even though the training was difficult, you could eat your fill.

There was really an abundance of food. Especially these days, the people of Fenris were developing various sauces to make their food a little more delicious.

It wasn’t a change that was specifically instigated by Jiselle. It was a natural phenomenon that occurred as food resources became abundant.

In a situation where there was so much to eat, I had to endure by only drinking water mixed with powder and training as I was supposed to. I couldn’t help but get angry.

Gordon and Lucas, who were considered the most senior of the drafted knights, were the first to become angry.

“Don’t eat this kind of stuff and don’t train! You’ll lose muscle mass!”

“This is a conspiracy by those who are jealous of my genius! I won’t let this go!”

The elves’ reactions were similar. Ascon happened to be among the drafted personnel.

“Hey, you little shits! How old am I to be eating this kind of stuff! XXX! XXXXX! XX! XXXX! XXXXX!”

The swearing was so bad I couldn’t listen to it.

They tried to rise up, but were immediately subdued by Gillian and the rest of the knights who were guarding the perimeter.

In particular, the knights who did not participate in the experiment were even more diligent in preventing participants, fearing that they would be dragged in instead.

All the participants shouted in anger.

“The general’s son said to do this?”

“Ah! Whoever wins, what does it matter to us?”

“Why do you always do things so extreme?”

Even if it wasn’t a bet, the experiment would have been done. But it wasn’t going to be like this.

Originally, Jiselle had planned to divide the days into several days to check her physical condition little by little. After all, this was not a normal meal, but an emergency combat ration.

It was enough to safely confirm the effect while doing other things.

But Claude pushed to the extreme to win the bet, nitpicking on the fact that Giselle said a month.

In the end, the participants’ resentment could not help but be directed at Claude. They really had to endure for a month by eating only water and powder.

People’s complaints and criticism poured in, but Claude didn’t even blink an eye.

‘I’m not hungry.’

He was a man of such mental strength.

Anyway, the betting began. Claude began new preparations to ensure a more certain victory.

Taking advantage of the betting and experimentation going on, Giselle decided to try a training technique she had been contemplating for a long time.

[Transparent Sword Master]

This is a practice based on inspiration from a book written by Gordon.