Chapter 784

The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Release schedule: 3 chapters per week

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So You Know Who I Am. (1)

“Hey! This kind of stuff is for the youngest!”

Lionel constantly asserted dominance over Marika.

Even over trivial matters, he would tag on the word “youngest” to force menial tasks on her.

Each time, Marika quietly carried out the task. For someone as patient as her, the chores of the mercenary corps honestly didn’t even count as work.

And because she genuinely wanted to help the corps, she didn’t shy away from anything—from cooking to cleaning.

The Julien Mercenary Corps clicked their tongues as they watched Lionel’s incessant posturing.

‘Wow, what’s with the hazing? He’s even worse than we were.’

‘Wasn’t he the imperial knight who acted all high and mighty, trying to seem refined?’

‘Now he’s completely turned into a merc.’

Even as the mercenaries gave him subtle glances, Lionel didn’t care. Truthfully, he’d bottled up a fair bit of resentment during his time as the youngest.

So, he put effort into bossing Marika around whenever he could. Not that Marika cared much—it was all too trivial for her to be bothered.

Watching the two, Ghislain found himself smiling unconsciously.

‘These two end up founding the Kingdom of Ritania together, huh?’

He didn’t know exactly what process would lead to that, but seeing them now made the idea feel oddly surreal.

Perhaps it was a feeling only someone who knew the future could understand.

As thoughts of Ritania’s founding crossed his mind, something else suddenly surfaced.

― The founding king, the family of the Shadow Knights’ commander, and the Duke of Delfine together established this kingdom!

Berhem had said that before he died. And based on everything so far, that statement had a very high chance of being true.

‘Hmph…’

The identity of the Duke of Delfine was still unclear.

He hadn’t even appeared in Ghislain’s dreams. Even though a fair amount of time had passed since he’d come to the past, he still hadn’t encountered anyone suspected to be the duke’s ancestor.

Still, the Delfine Ducal House had clearly played a major role in the founding of Ritania.

― That’s why the rank of duke was a privilege allowed solely to the House of Delfine in this kingdom. And the ducal house had the authority to overthrow the royal family whenever necessary!

‘Who in the world could it be…’

If they had founded a kingdom together, it meant they were very close.

Whether that person was currently part of the Julien Mercenary Corps or someone he would meet later—there was no way to know.

‘Tch, do I have to wait again this time.’

While traveling with the Julien Mercenary Corps, Ghislain had always ended up meeting the people he was meant to meet. So, he believed he’d eventually encounter the founder of the Delfine house too.

‘I might even want to kill them once I do…’

With that thought, Ghislain let out a faint chuckle and shook his head.

The people of the past had done no wrong. And if he were to kill the founder of House Delfine here, who knew how the future might change?

If he had completely traveled back in time like during his regression, that would be one thing—but his current body still remained in the future.

That might have meant he served as a link between past and future.

Which was why he had to avoid doing anything that might greatly impact his fixed future.

‘Hmm, wait a second.’

Now that he thought about it, wasn’t there someone else in the exact same situation as him?

Ghislain glanced at Ereneth. She was still seated proudly on the cart, eating fruit.

Then, as their eyes met, she winked at him with one eye.

‘…Seriously?’

What did she plan to do if they met again in the future?

‘Come to think of it…’

Did she remember the things happening now?

She had known his name, Ghislain, from the very beginning—was she just pretending not to?

Or perhaps…

Maybe the events happening now have altered her memory in the future.

It wasn’t certain, but given that the future where ” Grand Duke of Fenris, Ghislain Ferdium” existed was already fixed, the latter seemed more likely.

If the past changed and Ereneth in the future also changed as a result…

‘That’d be interesting.’

Whether she’d be happy to see him again or feel embarrassed—it was hard to tell.

Lost in thought as he moved along, Ghislain suddenly came to a halt.

“Hm…”

The other mercenaries also stopped in their tracks. With sharp tension in the air, they slowly drew their swords.

A man was standing, blocking the narrow path. He was dressed like a traveler, just like Marika.

At a glance, he looked like an utterly ordinary middle-aged man. So much so that, had they passed in a crowd, he wouldn’t even be remembered.

Soon, others began to appear one by one from the surroundings, encircling the Julien Mercenary Corps.

There was no bloodlust in them—but they were clearly targeting Marika and her subordinates.

Ghislain, who had already guessed their identity, asked with a smile,

“State your affiliation and name. Politely.”

“…”

The man blocking the road twitched his lips several times. Ghislain twirled his staff slightly and spoke again.

“You gonna answer or not?”

“I… I am Darents, commander of Crips.”

“Alright, Darents. What’s going on? You’re supposed to be guarding her in secret, so is it really okay to show yourself like this?”

At that, Darents bit his lip.

Revealing oneself in front of the escort target was practically taboo. But since Marika had obviously told them everything, hiding was pointless.

From what the man in front of him just said, it was clear he knew everything.

Darents’s mind was in chaos.

‘Damn it… I didn’t think that woman would pull something like this.’

As soon as the request came in, all officers and members were mobilized. This mission was one that could determine the survival of the entire organization.

But the problem was the sudden rampage of black mages and monsters across multiple areas.

If the inexperienced members were sent through dangerous routes, they wouldn’t even be able to locate the escort target.

That’s why the lower-ranked squads were dispatched through relatively safe paths. The goal was to at least identify the escort target’s location.

What they didn’t know was that those “safe paths” had become that way only because the Julien Mercenary Corps had already swept through them.

In any case, a lower squad eventually reported that they had found the target. Once the other squads received the message, they mobilized with everything they had.

But then…

— What? Marika attacked the escort target?

When Darents received that report, he was utterly stunned.

It wasn’t enough that she revealed herself—she even attacked.

He couldn’t comprehend why she would do such a thing. Then suddenly, a single hypothesis came to him.

‘Don’t tell me… she knew I was the one who killed her family?’

If that weren’t the case, there was no way she’d do something so insane.

If her actions ended up incurring the Pope’s wrath, the organization would be wiped out in an instant.

Still, he needed to confirm it. Since the situation had already gone awry, Darents boldly chose to reveal himself.

“I wish to speak with Marika.”

“Oh, you mean our newest member?”

“She… really joined the mercenary corps?”

“I’m telling you, she did. So, you’d better treat her with respect—unless you feel like getting chewed out by His Holiness.”

“…”

Darents exhaled roughly through gritted teeth.

What he really wanted was to kill her on the spot.

But now that she’d joined the Julien Mercenary Corps, he couldn’t lay a hand on her.

It was infuriating. Still, he needed to hear why she had done what she did.

“Marika, what is the meaning of this? If something was bothering you, you should’ve told me directly.”

Marika, who had been staring at Darents for a long while, finally spoke in a cold voice.

“How long did you think I’d stay under the man who murdered my family?”

Darents closed his eyes. That one sentence was more than enough.

‘So, she knew.’

He regretted it. He should’ve just killed her when he had the chance. It was a mistake to take her in on a whim.

Just as she said, it was he and the other officers who had murdered her family.

Then they took in the only survivor—young Marika—and raised her.

He had assumed she wouldn’t remember, since it had happened when she was so young, but somehow, she had found out.

Ghislain also gave a small nod after hearing their exchange.

‘They are enemies, then.’

Since the man didn’t deny it, it had to be true.

Though he was curious about the details, he didn’t ask.

Those stories were the kind that surfaced naturally, in due time.

In any case, Darents couldn’t say another word. He merely clicked his tongue.

‘Tch… this has become troublesome.’

He wanted to kill her right now. He had the ability to do it, too.

With all of his organization’s members gathered around the area, he was confident he could even wipe out the entire Julien Mercenary Corps.

No matter how powerful the Julien Mercenary Corps was, there were only a few of them here right now.

The problem was that they couldn’t be touched.

‘If it weren’t for the Pope…’

The Pope was, without question, the highest authority on the continent. Disobeying his orders was no different from asking to die.

Eventually, after some hesitation, Darents spoke.

“I would like to speak with your commander.”

“Go ahead.”

As Ghislain dramatically extended his arm, Julien stepped forward.

“I am Julien, the commander. Speak your mind.”

“I don’t know the reasons behind taking in Marika, but please hand her over now. This was our mistake. We will offer a full apology and compensation.”

At that, Julien turned to look at Marika for a moment.

She gathered her mana with a slightly fearful expression—just in case she had to flee.

Of course, the chances of succeeding were very slim.

In that subtle tension, Julien gave her a small smile, then turned his gaze back to Darents.

“I refuse.”

“She’s not worth protecting.”

“That’s for us to decide. Marika is a member of our mercenary corps. We will never hand her over.”

“Even if it puts you all in danger?”

Julien met Darents’s eyes directly and replied,

“Sharing that danger is what it means to be comrades. Once we’ve accepted someone, we’re prepared to pay any price for it.”

“…”

Julien continued firmly.

“It doesn’t matter who the person was before. What matters is that they are one of us now.”

Kyle glanced around at the assassins surrounding them, the corners of his lips curling up.

“If you want to come at us, go ahead. We’re not the kind of people who shy away from a fight.”

At the same time, the mercenaries began to exude their fighting spirit.

In particular, Osval, who had caused trouble earlier, stepped up more eagerly than anyone else to redeem himself.

“Osval the man! I will smash any attackers… revolutionarily!”

Marika shuddered at their response. The tension left her body naturally.

In the assassin group, her worth had only been tied to her “usefulness,” and failure meant death.

She always had to suppress her emotions to avoid exposing herself. She endured it all by clenching her teeth for the sake of revenge—but it had never been easy.

It was a life where she could die at any moment. A life where she could be used and discarded like a tool.

But now—

Even though their relation had only started as a deal, the Julien Mercenary Corps was treating her as a true comrade.

It wasn’t something easy to do. Despite the risks, they had wholeheartedly accepted her.

For someone like Marika, who had always lived on the edge of a blade, this was the first time she truly felt secure.

Not a place where she had to survive—

But a place where she could live.

It felt like after drifting endlessly in a violent storm, she was finally standing on solid ground for the first time.

Watching Marika’s reddened nose and teary eyes, Ghislain clicked his tongue.

‘Seriously, is she really an assassin? Why is she so emotional?’

Well, now that he thought about it, Belinda had been surprisingly tearful too.

Maybe being an assassin requires a certain level of delicacy, and that somehow made them more sensitive?

Ghislain let his imagination run wild, forgetting the atmosphere around him. That’s how little interest he had in Darents at that moment.

Darents narrowed his eyes, staring at Julien.

‘So, this rookie mercenary corps gained a bit of fame and now they’re fearless, huh.’

As far as he knew, they only had one Transcendent—Astion.

Julien and Kyle were both evaluated as top-tier, but he was confident he could assassinate them.

But not yet. Until the Pope’s mission was completed could he not kill them.

Of course, when it came to Marika, there was no need to wait.

‘I’ll have to wait for the right moment and kill her.’

The biggest challenge was not getting caught.

But an opportunity would come eventually. No one could stay on high alert forever.

He wasn’t targeting a Transcendent or even the top-tier.

So, he was sure he could successfully assassinate Marika.

If the result was guaranteed, he could wait as long as it took.

Assassins were the most patient people in the world.

And he had another variable he could use.

Darents looked toward Lionel.

‘That one is on our side.’

A Temple Knight of the Holy Empire and a devoted servant of the Pope.

All the information so far had been relayed to the Pope through him.

If used properly, eliminating Marika might be easier than expected.

Unaware of Darents’s schemes, Lionel just yawned.

‘What should I eat for dinner? I’m sick of jerky. The rookie’s actually kind of good at cooking. Is it because she used to be an assassin? She’s got some skill with her hands.’

As he continued traveling with the Julien Mercenary Corps, Lionel’s thoughts were becoming more and more simple-minded—a side effect of mercenary life.

Darents felt something off about Lionel’s vacant expression.

Then, as if something clicked, he nodded slightly.

‘I see. He’s hiding his true self for now. Waiting for the right moment to strike.’

Of course, Lionel had no such thoughts.

But Darents’s imagination couldn’t break free from common sense.

It wasn’t his fault. Even the members of the Julien Mercenary Corps didn’t fully understand their own group.

In any case, Darents, having made up his mind, slowly spoke.

“Very well. If that’s your decision, there’s nothing I can do. But Marika’s situation and our mission are separate issues. Our mission is important to us, so we’ll follow you.”

When Julien looked at Ghislain, the latter stepped forward and replied.

“There’s no need for that.”

“It’s a command from His Holiness. We cannot refuse. We’ll escort you without interfering with your journey.”

“Hm…”

“Since the Salvation Church resumed activity, the atmosphere across the land has turned grim. We hope you understand that we cannot back away.”

Darents spoke with a stubborn expression.

Ghislain nodded. These people would follow them whether told not to or not.

And since there was no battle breaking out immediately, there was no point in dragging things out.

“Alright. Just try not to be too noticeable. Marika gets uncomfortable.”

“…Understood.”

Darents twitched his cheek several times in displeasure, but said no more and backed off.

Before anyone noticed, the surrounding assassins had vanished as well.

But it was clear to everyone that they were still following at a distance.

And so, the quiet and uneasy journey of the mercenary corps and the assassins began.

—

**New Elements and Characters Introduced:**

* 벨린다 = Belinda (Female) (Referenced in comparison, not directly involved)

* 구원교 = Salvation Church (Referred to as being newly active again)

* 암살단 = Assassins (as an organization accompanying the mercenary corps covertly)