The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

The moat surrounding the walls was filled with water, making it look like a wide river.

One could sense the imposing majesty that seemed capable of repelling any invading force.

The mercenaries who had followed Ghislain were awestruck, unable to close their mouths at the overwhelming sight they were seeing for the first time.

“Wow… it’s incredible. So this is the Cardenia I’ve only heard about…”

“The castles in other estates were completely like toys. What we had back in our estate wasn’t even a castle. It was just a burrow.”

“It’s not just big, but doesn’t it look different somehow? Doesn’t it seem more impressive? They must’ve spent a fortune building it.”

Cardenia had developed as the capital of the kingdom for hundreds of years.

It was characterized by a unique atmosphere where classical-style buildings mingled with newly constructed ones.

Even though it was better off than Ferdium, the estate they had been living in was still just a poor, remote territory.

They could not have imagined such a gigantic city existed.

Even the usually talkative Belinda was left wide-eyed and silent, and even Gillian, who had long worked as a mercenary in foreign lands, could not help but express his admiration.

“Wow… just looking at it is intimidating.”

The mercenaries gazed up at the walls, sighing unconsciously.

Just seeing it was enough to drain their fighting spirit.

They wondered if they could even scale the walls if something were to happen within this fortress.

No, they doubted they could even leave a scratch on the wall, let alone climb it.

Deep down, they earnestly hoped that their lord would not cause any trouble here.

“Wh- whoa… what’s that?”

The mouths of the onlookers suddenly let out exclamations of awe.

The sky was painted a brilliant red by the sunset.

The crimson light was reflected off the countless spires towering within the city, scattering it in all directions.

It was as if the entire city itself was emitting the red light.

While everyone was lost in awe, captivated by the magnificent sight, only Ghislain glared coldly at the castle.

“Cardenia…”

The impregnable, undefeated fortress, the city blessed by the goddess.

This place, praised in countless ways… had once been utterly crushed by his hands.

The King of Mercenaries’ army had swept over Cardenia the moment they declared war.

Ghislain had broken through all the lords blocking the passage and occupied Cardenia within just a week of the war’s commencement.

It was an unprecedented show of speed and destructive power.

At that time, Ghislain had plotted with his strategists to find the quickest route to the royal palace and pierced straight through. That’s why Cardenia had been breached so helplessly.

Of course, this was only possible because his sole target for revenge was the new king, the Duke of Delfine.

‘It didn’t take long to occupy Cardenia… but in the end, I failed.’

His goal wasn’t to occupy Cardenia; it was to kill the Duke of Delfine.

However, when Ghislain entered the royal palace, the Duke of Delfine was already gone.

Even now, Ghislain didn’t know why the Duke, who had ascended to the throne, wasn’t at the royal palace.

He only knew that he had failed.

Enraged, Ghislain scoured the entire kingdom in search of the Duke of Delfine.

‘It was my mistake. I should have withdrawn and maintained the frontlines.’

He burned the North, trampled the South. He massacred the West and pillaged the East.

From that point on, he was no longer called the King of Mercenaries, but rather a vengeful demon driven mad by revenge.

The Ritania Kingdom didn’t just stand by and take it, either.

Hidden powers emerged to stand in his way.

Grinding.

Lost in thought, Ghislain ground his teeth without realizing it.

The crimson hue of the sunset over Cardenia Castle was reminiscent of the color of the blood shed by Ghislain’s subordinates in those days.

Even now, Ghislain could vividly recall the sensation of his head being severed, along with the emotions he felt at that moment.

‘In this life, I’ll make sure to….’

— Hiiiiing!

“Young Master!”

“My Lord!”

At the urgent calls, Ghislain snapped out of his thoughts and looked up.

The horses, sensing the murderous intent he had unintentionally exuded, were panicking and struggling in fear.

“Whoa, whoa.”

Ghislain quickly reined in his killing intent and calmed the horses.

Belinda couldn’t hide her worried expression as she asked, “What’s wrong all of a sudden?”

Others, too, appeared slightly tense.

They had been sightseeing at a tourist spot, so it was understandable they would be bewildered by this sudden commotion.

Gathering his emotions, Ghislain scratched his head with an awkward smile.

“Well, it’s just….”

“It’s just?”

“Well… I didn’t like the look of that castle.”

“What reason do you have to dislike it?”

“It’s bigger and more impressive than ours. I don’t like that. It’s like it’s showing off.”

Ghislain shrugged and spoke slyly.

The group stared at him with dumbfounded expressions.

“So you’re saying… you exuded killing intent because you were jealous of that castle?”

“You really have a peculiar personality. I can’t understand it.”

Whispers and murmurs slipped out here and there.

It was an absurd excuse, but perhaps because Ghislain had built such an eccentric image up to now, everyone seemed to accept it as plausible.

However, only Belinda and Gillian didn’t fully buy his excuse.

At a glance, Ghislain might seem like he acted on a whim, but if you looked closer, he was a man with his own principles and plans guiding his actions.

Ghislain had never revealed his killing intent for such a random reason before.

Belinda and Gillian seemed like they wanted to say something out of concern, but Ghislain waved them off.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I just got too caught up in my thoughts. Let’s hurry and go inside.”

Since the lord himself said that, there was no point in pressing the issue.

The group couldn’t say anything further and quickly followed Ghislain, who had already moved ahead.

Even though the sun had set, there were still many people gathered in front of the castle gate. They were waiting for their turn to be inspected.

As it was the capital, security was tight, and inspections were conducted thoroughly.

“Please show your identification.”

A knight clad in full armor blocked Ghislain and his group.

He had a stoic expression, giving the impression that not a drop of blood would come out even if he were pricked.

The other knights around him were no different.

They were on a completely different level from the guards at the checkpoint he had seen when heading to Brivant in the past.

The knight took Ghislain’s identification plaque and examined it carefully before pulling out a map from his coat and spreading it wide.

“Vassal of the Margrave of Ferdium, Baron Ghislain Fenris. Confirmed. What business do you have in the capital?”

The knight spoke in an overbearing tone, lifting his chin.

Seeing this, Belinda and Gillian scowled from behind.

Normally, they would have berated him for being rude, but they hesitated, unsure if such behavior would be acceptable here.

They were somewhat intimidated by the imposing aura of the grand castle.

However, unlike the two of them, Ghislain casually nodded his head and spoke with ease.

“I’m here to do some business.”

“Who is the head of your merchant guild?”

The knight, assuming Ghislain was merely accompanying a merchant group he owned, asked the question as a formality.

“I am the head.”

“…You’re saying that the baron himself is handling the business?”

“What, is there a problem with that?”

“No, no, not at all. Then, please provide the details of your companions and the list of goods.”

Ghislain pointed at Claude with a jerk of his chin and replied.

“He knows the details of the group… and as for the goods, there’s not much to list. It’s cosmetics. I made them myself.”

“What?”

The knight furrowed his brow, completely caught off guard by the unexpected answer.

It was such a subtle change that one wouldn’t notice it unless they looked closely.

However, since Ghislain’s group had been carefully observing the knight, they caught that brief shift and felt a strange sense of victory.

‘Yeah, you didn’t see that coming, did you?’

With a dubious expression, the knight began to inspect each of the wagons.

Though he seemed suspicious, he called over soldiers to conduct a thorough search, which secretly impressed Ghislain.

‘They’re well-disciplined. Our estate’s soldiers should be more like this.’

After checking several wagons, the knight cautiously asked, “Cosmetics, you said…?”

“Yes, I made them myself.”

“They’re not toxic, are they?”

“It’s just cosmetics. If you don’t believe me, open one and check it yourself.”

The knight picked up one of the containers and carefully opened the lid.

He sniffed the fragrance, scooped a small amount with his finger, and rubbed it in, but his suspicious gaze didn’t waver.

“Hmm, the scent is nice. It seems fine on the skin as well…”

“Want one? Consider it a souvenir for visiting the capital.”

The knight shook his head. Though the fragrance was pleasant, he didn’t want to accept something so dubious.

Ghislain smirked and asked again, “It’s expensive, you know. Don’t regret not taking it later. It’s a luxury item you can’t afford on a knight’s salary.”

The provocative remark made the knight frown.

“I don’t need it.”

“Fine, if you don’t want it, forget it. Just don’t complain later, okay? No blaming me.”

“There will be no need.”

The knight, caught up in Ghislain’s taunts, glared at him with cold eyes.

Kaor chuckled at the sight.

“Well, now he looks a bit more human. I thought he was a wooden puppet with that unchanging expression.”

The knight turned to Kaor, his gaze now carrying a hint of menace.

The other mercenaries, not much different from Kaor, had amused smirks on their faces.

The knight scribbled a few characters on the entry log, clearly irritated, and barked out, “You may pass!”

Ghislain smirked and gestured to the group. “Alright, let’s go. We got through.”

Belinda followed closely behind Ghislain, giving the knight a sympathetic look before speaking up.

“Sir Knight, you’re going to regret not taking that.”

“What?”

But Belinda didn’t say anything more, slipping past him quickly.

As Claude entered next, he gave the knight a playful wink.

“What’s with those weirdos?” the knight muttered, still baffled, but the group was already too busy marveling at the sight before them as they entered the castle.

“Wow!”

Inside the triple-layered walls, the castle grounds felt like a different world entirely.

It was far more bustling than any estate they had visited before.

Shops selling all sorts of goods lined the streets, and every alley was teeming with people.

“I’ve never seen this many people in one place,” one of the mercenaries said, and the others nodded in agreement.

It was so crowded that just looking around could make you dizzy. The city felt like a living, breathing entity.

Unlike Brivant, where Ghislain’s group drew curious stares, no one here paid them any mind.

There were plenty of others around who looked just like them.

Ghislain let the group wander and take in the sights, and before darkness completely fell, he managed to secure two large inns.

The group was too large to stay in one place, and there wasn’t a suitable spot to store the wagons.

As soon as they settled into the inn, Ghislain called Claude to go over what they needed to do next.

“First, we need to find a proper place to stay.”

With so many people and belongings, it wasn’t practical to keep lodging at inns, and it was costly and inconvenient.

They needed to set up a proper base in the capital, like other merchant groups.

Claude nodded in agreement. “We’ll also need a shop to sell our goods anyway. We should look for a suitable building. After that…it might be time to start marketing. How about attending a banquet to build connections with the nobles?”

Ghislain responded with a disinterested tone,

“Do we have to?”