The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations



"What? We failed?"

Marquis Falkenheim furrowed his brows in disbelief.

Of the knights he had dispatched to Swipel's domain, only two had returned. And even they had come back with their mana cores shattered. "No... How could he...?"

The force he had sent had included top-ranking knights, and Swipel's own knights had fought alongside them. Not even a transcendent should have been able to face such overwhelming power head-on and emerge victorious. He had personally reviewed battle scenarios involving the transcendent under his command countless times.

After summoning his strategists and listening to the full report, Falkenheim ground his teeth. "Gascot... That idiot..."

Why on earth had he suddenly decided to engage in a one-on-one duel in the middle of battle?

Even if the opponent had been confirmed as a miracle-born transcendent, throwing himself into a duel for the sake of pride was sheer stupidity. That was all Falkenheim could think about.

Of course, Gascot's decision wasn't purely out of arrogance. He had fallen for Ghislain's schemes.

However, the knights who had survived the battle were completely unaware of this. So naturally, the Marquis directed his fury at Gascot.

It wasn't just Gascot-those who had surrendered were a problem as well. If they had fought to the bitter end, the Swipel forces might have been able to finish the job.

And yet, the moment the tide turned against them, they surrendered outright. The sheer disgrace of it all made Falkenheim seethe.

But the most infuriating news was still to come.

"They betrayed me?"

Among the knights who had survived, more than just the two who had returned were still alive. The rest had been captured and then... defected. Upon hearing this report, the Marquis ground his teeth harder.

He could guess their reasoning-they had turned traitor to save their own lives. But betrayers would ultimately meet death at his hands. They knew this.

And yet, they had still chosen to betray him.

"They turned just to protect their damn mana cores?"

Falkenheim's fury erupted. As someone who was not a knight himself, he could not begin to comprehend their reasoning.

"Prepare a new strategy immediately! No, mobilize the army! We'll crush them first! Any traitors we find-behead them on the spot!"

The justification for war had already been abundant. Initially, he hadn't planned for House Falkenheim to act directly-he had intended to let Julien's mercenary corps deal with it.

But now, with things as they were, he had no choice but to act personally to maintain his house's dignity.

He wasn't the least bit concerned about provoking a greater conflict. There was no force in the kingdom that could challenge him. The king was a mere puppet. The kingdom itself was already within his grasp.

A few neutral nobles existed, but their influence was insignificant.