The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 710

Episode 710: Shall we start the next operation? (1)

“What? You failed?”

Margrave Falkenheim furrowed his brows in bewilderment.

Of the knights dispatched to Swipel Territory, only two returned, and those with their mana cores destroyed.

“No, how could that guy… … .”

The force included knights of the highest rank. The knights of Count Swipel were also present.

Even if you were a superhuman, you wouldn’t be able to win if you went head-on against that kind of power. In reality, how many times didn’t the superhumans you were leading review their plans?

Margrave Falkenheim, who had called in his staff and heard the full story, ground his teeth.

“Gascot… … this idiot… … .”

Why are you suddenly having a one-on-one fight after fighting so well?

No matter how tired the opponent was, he was proven to be a superhuman. How dare you fight him just out of a sense of honor.

All I could think was that I had done something really stupid.

Of course, Gascott’s intervention was partly due to a sense of public opinion, but it was more because he was persuaded by Giselle’s trickery.

But the knights were completely unaware of this fact, and the Marquis had no choice but to blame Gascott.

It wasn’t just Gascott who was the problem, but the knights who surrendered as well. If they had fought until the end, Swiefel’s army might have finished them off.

But to surrender right away when the tide of battle was turned! It couldn’t be more pathetic than this.

But the most embarrassing news was something else.

“He betrayed me?”

Among the knights who had been deployed for the operation, there were more survivors than the two who returned. The rest were all captured and later defected.

The Marquis ground his teeth when he heard the report.

It was obvious that he betrayed in order to survive in the moment. But in the end, the traitor will die by himself.

Knowing that, they betrayed each other. It was clear that everyone was crazy.

“You’re converting just to protect that mana core!”

Margrave Falkenheim was furious. Not being a knight, he had no understanding of the knights’ minds.

“Plan a new operation immediately! No, prepare the army! We must completely push back against them! Cut off all the betrayers as soon as you find them!”

The justification was already abundant. Since it was not an issue that the Marquis needed to take direct action on, he only wanted to deal with the Yulien mercenary group.

But now that it had come to this, he had to take action himself to save face as the writer.

In the meantime, I had no worries about being attacked. There was nowhere to attack anyway.

The king was a puppet, so the entire kingdom was in his hands. There were a few neutral nobles, but their influence was also minimal.

As the Marquis was preparing to attack Nordhill and Lax, new news came in one after another.

“Wow, the king has raised an army!”

“What? He raised an army?”

“Yes! I designated the Marquis as the leader of the rebellion and created a punitive force!”

“How could someone like that raise an army!”

“The 2nd Royal Army Corps near the capital has betrayed! We have information that the Nordhill Army and the Lax Army are working together!”

“The 2nd Corps betrayed? What happened to the Commander-in-Chief?”

“The Commander-in-Chief has been executed for treason! The current interim Commander-in-Chief is… …the Vice-Captain of the Yulien Mercenary Corps.”

“Julian Mercenaries? No way… … .”

“Yes, that’s the superhuman we were trying to kill.”

“They hit the player!”

Margrave Falkenheim’s face twisted in anger.

The King, Nodhill, Lax, and the Yulien mercenary group were all going to die by their own hands anyway. So it was clear that they were going to make a last-ditch effort.

“This… this… this… If only we could just wait a little longer and the Pope’s permission would have been granted!”

Public opinion in the empire gradually turned in his favor. He could have just waited a little longer, but something unexpected happened.

If this happens, the Empire will quietly back out again, because if it supports one side during the civil war, it will provoke the opposition of the other kingdoms.

This is especially true if you support an illegitimate rebel group.

Margrave Falkenheim, whose anger was on edge, harassed his retainers.

“Prepare for war quickly! After all, this is only a small army! Wipe them out at once and capture the king! Lock them in the tower as soon as you catch them!”

The vassals moved more busily. However, things did not go as Margrave Falkenheim had intended.

Soon after, absurd news came one after another.

“The vassals of the fiefdoms near the capital are surrendering! The punitive force’s strength has increased to 30,000!”

“… … .”

“The royal armies of each region are surrendering to the punitive force! The punitive force’s strength has increased to 50,000!”

“… … .”

“The punitive force’s attack was so sudden that the vassals are not able to coordinate with each other! They are not prepared for war at all, so they are all surrendering! The punitive force’s strength has increased to 70,000!”

“… … .”

“Ouch, we’re in trouble!”

“… … What’s going on this time?”

“The neutral lords and nobles have joined the punitive force! The punitive force’s strength has increased to 100,000!”

“… … .”

“The punitive force has started moving towards the great lords! The great lords are also surrendering without fighting!”

If they were Dae-yeongju, they would be able to hold out by surrounding the castle with a siege. However, no one thought of coming forward and fighting the punitive force first.

It was natural. It was rare for a person to waste time by risking their own life.

Everyone thought that if they came forward and died first, it would be a dog’s death.

“… … .”

Margrave Falkenheim, who had been staring blankly for a long time, asked.

“How do you maintain supplies and front lines by moving like that?”

“They say they are conscripting all the troops and supplies from every territory they pass by! They are not even maintaining the front lines and are just swarming around like locusts!”

“… … .”

Margrave Falkenheim felt dazed. He had no idea what had gone wrong.

This is not how war is fought. An army like that sand castle will collapse with just one misstep.

Still, using such a strategy.

‘The plan is to somehow bring me down.’

Margrave Falkenheim’s eyes turned cold. His opponent was really moving forward without looking back.

It means that you want to conclude the matter with one stroke without thinking about the consequences.

This was a possible strategy because it was not a war of conquest, as there was no need to occupy or stabilize the territory.

“You idiot. Do you think you’ll be safe if you just destroy me?”

If you keep sweeping things away like that, the aftershock will only get stronger.

The lords surrendered because they couldn’t handle it right away, but it couldn’t be sincere. The lords will definitely seek revenge on the royal family.

If he disappears, the king will be able to survive for a while, but the kingdom without its absolute ruler will fall into even greater chaos.

“Tsk, I should have killed you a long time ago. Was that why you wanted to save your life?”

Margrave Falkenheim, who was muttering to himself, suddenly had another possibility come to mind.

“Could it be… … that you are aiming to provoke the demon lord?”

If the Demonic Realm is unleashed, the kingdom will become one without anyone having to tell it to do so, because there is nothing more important than defeating the enemies of humanity.

However, there is no guarantee that the Demon Realm will be unleashed in this era. The Demon Realm could be unleashed right now, or it could be unleashed 100 years from now.

It was too big of a gamble to move forward solely based on a possibility that no one could guarantee.

Margrave Falkenheim shook his head to shake off his thoughts. The absurdity of it made him deep in thought.

“It’s something that can just be swept away.”

The number of punitive forces has increased to a significant level, but even so, it is a hastily assembled army. They will not even be able to properly coordinate with each other.

“If you want a one-shot fight, you have to do it.”

A ragtag army cannot defeat a united and powerful army. That was common sense.

However, the superhuman of the Yulien Mercenary Corps was a dangerous element. Someone was needed to catch him.

“Send Count Godiff and Count Grozian together.”

The names of two superhumans came out of Margrave Falkenheim’s mouth. Those two people would definitely be able to catch that guy named Astion.

“Send out all knights and wizards, leaving only the bare minimum of defense personnel. Tell the vassals who have not yet been defeated to quickly join us. We must crush the enemy in one fell swoop.”

This side also had to hurriedly assemble and send troops, but the situation would be better than that of the punitive force.

The staff members looked embarrassed at Margrave Falkenheim’s words.

“We haven’t even properly established a supply route yet. We haven’t even prepared enough supplies.”

“If we go on an expedition in such a hurry, we won’t be able to deploy our troops smoothly.”

Boom!

Margrave Falkenheim slammed his fist on the table and said:

“So? Are you saying that we should just watch as those punitive forces stir things up here and there? Can’t you see that their forces are increasing every moment?”

Even though they were a rabble, the number of troops in the punitive force had increased too much. In addition, even the neutral lords who had been holding their breath joined their side.

Once they have chosen a side, they cannot back down. They will try to reduce the number of vassals of the Margrave of Falkenheim by any means necessary.

We should also move quickly and gather the remaining vassals. Since we moved in a hurry anyway, we had to accept that there would be some messiness.

Then one of the staff members expressed a different opinion.

“How about going on an expedition but maintaining a calm state?”

“What do you mean?”

“The punitive force is a hastily assembled force. There will be many lords who were frightened by the difference in forces and had no choice but to surrender. If we stall for time in a standoff, it will only work to our advantage.”

“Hmm… … .”

“If we fight like this, we will win, but we will inevitably suffer heavy casualties. The enemy forces are too numerous.”

“Please continue talking.”

“The punitive force maintains its large size by pillaging the surrounding territories. It is different from our stable supply system. In the end, as time passes, it is inevitable that they will split.”

Margrave Falkenheim nodded in agreement with the reasonable opinion.

Certainly, it is clear that the punitive force will have a hard time maintaining the current situation. They will want to end this situation as quickly as possible.

“There is no need to fight and suffer losses. Just keep your vassals in check so they don’t suffer any more, and wait for the enemy to self-destruct.”

“Not bad.”

“Isn’t it true that you want a one-shot fight? I don’t think you need to necessarily give the enemy what he wants.”

The staff was right. The punitive force was now unstoppable. They would die the moment they stopped.

It was a situation where we had to somehow keep the momentum going and win the game in one go.

Margrave Falkenheim decided to accept his advisor’s opinion. Although he was angry, he did not need to suffer any losses.

“Good. Set out quickly, but devise a strategy to protect the remaining vassals. Also inform the vassals that we will be moving.”

“All right.”

The hastily assembled 80,000-strong Margrave Falkenheim Army moved first. The remaining troops followed, loaded with supplies to maintain the front line.

Margrave Falkenheim muttered with a cold look in his eyes as he watched the advancing army.

“The king must be considered dead in the war.”

Since they raised an army first, there was nothing to hesitate about. I had no intention of killing them easily.

I was determined to make him pay the price for this stupid act.

* * *

“Is this okay? I think we’ve surpassed the number we can handle… … .”

Andrew asked Jiselle, sweating profusely. The punitive force now had a force of 150,000.

Thanks to the increased numbers, there was no need to worry about the lords on the side of the Margrave of Falkenheim who had surrendered.

There were too many troops on this side to betray, and even if they joined forces, it was obvious that they would not be able to coordinate well.

The involvement of neutral lords was crucial. They risked their lives in this matter, and were actively cracking down on the inside.

However, the problem was that the punitive force had grown too large. Because they had gone out to war without proper preparation, supplies were becoming increasingly difficult.

If we continue like this, we will collapse on our own before we can capture Margrave Falkenheim.

Despite Andrew’s worries, Giselle smiled.

“I told you not to worry. Just keep going like this.”

As always, Giselle was relaxed. It seemed as if the army in disarray was not visible to his eyes.

Andrew followed him, trying to suppress his nervousness. It was unsettling, but at the same time, very exciting.

‘They really stole everything, from soldiers to supplies, along the way.’

It was a ridiculous strategy, but it really happened as promised. I couldn’t believe it even when I saw it with my own eyes.

‘Well, even I would have surrendered if a superhuman led this size of an army… … .’

Anyone can think about the possibility, but it takes confidence and skill to boldly put that imagination into action.

If it weren’t for Giselle, no one could have done this.

The punitive force, which had been stirring up various parts of the kingdom, arrived at their next destination, the County of Billette.

Count Billet was a great lord. As expected of a great lord, he had a huge castle and a lot of troops stationed there.

As usual, Giselle stepped forward and shouted loudly.

“I won’t say much! You heard our news, right? I’ll give you three seconds to think! Surrender!”

Soon a magically amplified voice rang out from the castle.

“I won’t surrender even if you give me three years, not three seconds! You crazy mercenary bastard!”

Astion’s notoriety spread far and wide during this war, because he seemed like a madman to everyone.

Count Villette continued to swear at Giselle without stopping after that.

But even though she was being cursed at, Jiselle didn’t care at all.

“I always feel this way, but strangely, even when I get cursed at, it doesn’t feel like I’m being cursed at. I guess that means my heart has become more open.”

Only the Astion inside him was suffering.

Although there was no physical contact, it was the first time that Yeongju had come out so forcefully and even swore at him.

Jiselle narrowed her eyes and thought for a moment.

‘Hmm, he’s stronger than I thought. I heard he’s not that spirited of a guy.’

Count Billet was a great lord with 20,000 soldiers. Although he had quite a large force, it was impossible to stop the punitive force.

There are no siege weapons, but there are hundreds of magicians gathered here, and the number of knights now exceeds a thousand.

If you just lead the way and the rest of us cling to the walls like a pack of dogs, we can take the castle down in no time.

There’s no way the other person wouldn’t know that. But still, the fact that he came out so strong…

‘Has Margrave Falkenheim finally made a move?’

If that was the case, then it made sense why Count Billet came out so confidently. He judged that if the Margrave of Falkenheim came to support him, he would have a chance of winning.

Jiselle first pulled back the army a little further. Then, she immediately sent Dark and scouts in all directions.

Soon, information began to trickle in.

“The Margrave Falkenheim army is taking up positions nearby!”

“We are also building long wires across several territories, not just here!”

“There are about 120,000 of them! Judging by the flags, it seems that vassals from nearby territories have also come!”

Jiselle nodded after hearing the news.

“Yeah, I guess it’s time to stop.”

We made a big profit by moving by surprise. But this method could not work forever.

Surely the remaining vassal armies will also be coming here.

I think I know why they didn’t attack the punitive force right away but held the front line long.

‘Are you trying to buy time by helping your vassals not to surrender to this side anymore? You’ve used your brain quite well.’

If the war becomes protracted, this side will be at a disadvantage, since there is virtually no supply route.

On the other hand, the other side will stabilize over time. Aren’t they quickly resolving the situation now?

But this was within the range of Giselle’s predictions.

Jiselle smiled brightly as she understood the other person’s intentions.

“Okay, shall we start the next operation now?”

The current situation was, of all the scenarios that had been envisaged, the one that Jiselle had most wanted.