The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 724

Episode 724: Trust me and leave it to me. (3)

“Wow!”

“Amazing!”

“I didn’t know there was such a weapon!”

The onlookers raised their hands and cheered.

He destroyed that big tower in one fell swoop. To wield that kind of power, you would have to be at least a high-circle wizard.

But a single soldier demonstrated such power with just simple manipulation. It was truly an amazing weapon.

Even without that, rumors of a war about to break out were spreading, and the atmosphere in the territory was already tense. However, when they saw the power of the weapon, all their worries and concerns blew away.

Just shoot that a few times and your opponent will be wiped out.

Even Count Bonnetor was surprised and let out an exclamation of admiration.

“Wow, that’s amazing. It’s really amazing. Who would have thought the Empire would create such a terrifying weapon……”

“It was made for the fight against the Demon Realm. They are strong.”

“That’s right. But with a weapon like this, even the Demon Realm won’t be able to do anything. Maybe the long war with the Demon Realm will end soon.”

“It will definitely happen.”

Julian spoke with a firm voice. That much was not an act, it was sincere.

Count Bonnerdor nodded several times before asking.

“Hey, is this the only one? Don’t you have any more?”

“Unfortunately, I only brought one. The purpose is to test its performance and make it widely known. Of course, the Empire continues to produce it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Just one is enough. It’s more than enough.”

With that level of power, just one could change the course of the battle. You should be thankful for even one.

The magicians of the realm also approached in admiration.

“I felt an incredible magical power in an instant.”

“How on earth did they make it? How does it work?”

“Can I take a look?”

The wizards’ eyes sparkled as they wondered if they could figure out anything. The territory-exclusive wizards were especially excited.

He is a 5th circle magician. The magical power that came out of that weapon was stronger than his own maximum magical power.

So I couldn’t hold back my curiosity.

But Yulien and the mercenaries resolutely blocked the wizards’ path.

“No.”

“Joe, can I take a look around for a bit?”

“No, this is the Empire’s secret weapon. It would be a problem if the technology were to leak out.”

“But we’re on the same side, so let’s take a look around a little bit…….”

“We have come to test and publicize the power of the weapon. We have not received permission from His Holiness to go beyond this. If you continue like this, we will go back.”

At those words, Count Bonedor was terrified and stopped the wizards.

“Oh my! This is the Empire’s new weapon! It’s only natural to be concerned about technology leaks! Everyone, stay away from the weapon!”

War is imminent, and if they leave, it will be a disaster. Count Bonnetore gave strict orders and took Julien’s side.

Julian said, bowing his head slightly.

“Please check the technology used in the weapons later. Once the war against the Demon Realm begins, we will provide weapons to each kingdom.”

“Of course. The Empire is truly our spiritual pillar. No, now it will be even more than that. Now that we have created such a weapon, won’t the Empire prosper again? Hehehe.”

“Thank you. By the way… Could you help me spread the word that the Empire has developed a new weapon?”

“It won’t be difficult! I’ll let it be known that the Empire has sent us a new weapon today. Many people have seen its power firsthand, so it will spread quickly.”

“Thank you. The Empire will not forget this favor.”

“Thank you for just saying that. Hahahaha!”

Count Bonnetor seemed to be in a good mood. He suddenly looked at Julien and started talking out of the blue.

“Actually, I have some knowledge of art. I am probably the noble who supports the art world the most in this region. There is no one who does not know the name ‘Bonetore of Aesthetics’.”

“Ah…… yes…….”

Count Bonedor looked at the ‘Dragon Cannon’ that he had been cursing inwardly and came up with a new review.

“Looking at it again, I see that beauty is hidden in its crudeness. Should I say that it contains the delicacy of the dwarves and a philosophy that was ahead of its time?”

“…….”

Julian couldn’t answer.

In fact, the ‘Dragon Cannon’ was hideous to anyone who saw it. It was made by roughly melting pieces of metal and trying to make it look like scales, and the head was hard to tell whether it was a chicken or a crushed monster.

The port area where the fireball had come out was oddly twisted, and the rest of the decorations looked unbalanced, as if they had been hastily put on.

Nevertheless, Count Bonnerdo nodded with an expression as if deeply impressed.

“The harmony of these rough lines… It’s a bold composition that seems to test the limits of civilization. It’s clear that they’re trying to emphasize the essence by destroying the beauty of form.”

“…….”

Count Bonedor stroked his chin with one hand and stared intently at the Dragon Cannon.

“These crooked eyes… symbolize passionate confusion. It seems as if they are trying to express their screaming self by throwing off existing aesthetic norms.”

To anyone who looked at it, it was just a bunch of shards of glass stuck together haphazardly.

Julian just listened silently. Art, it seemed, was too difficult.

Count Bonnetor continued to emphasize how excellent his aesthetic sense was. As he continued to talk nonstop, there was suddenly a crashing sound.

thud!

It was a sound coming from the body of the Dragon Cannon. Count Bonedor asked in surprise.

“What are you talking about? Is something broken?”

“That’s probably annoying… No, I guess I’ll have to do some checking.”

“Oh, I see. Yes, yes. If it’s a weapon like that, its structure must be delicate. Hurry up and inspect it. Then I’ll go spread the word.”

Only then did Count Bonedor stop talking and leave. The people who had been listening nearby also disappeared one by one with expressions of exhaustion.

Anyway, thanks to Julian’s smile and the power of the weapon, the demonstration ended safely.

And thanks to the surprisingly talkative Count Bonedor, the rumor began to spread quickly.

* * *

“Enough! Enough! War is declared!”

When a man with a dirty appearance entered the cave and shouted, everyone inside cheered.

“Really? Did a real war happen?”

“It’s finally done!”

“I survived! I survived! Hahahaha!”

These were bandits from another region, and they were the ones who plundered the village in order to cause a fight between the two territories.

The delighted bandits soon lowered their voices and conversed cautiously.

“Now that war has broken out, will you let us go?”

“W-Wouldn’t you? You promised that!”

“You can silence us by killing us.”

The bandits’ eyes were soon filled with fear.

They couldn’t run away either, because a strange energy had seeped into their bodies.

One day, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared and injected energy into their bodies. After that, anyone who tried to rebel against the middle-aged man or run away died with their bodies exploding.

Since I didn’t know what the principle was, I couldn’t even dare to think about rebelling.

So, they have been doing whatever the middle-aged people tell them to do until now.

The bandits have faithfully carried out their mission. Now all that remains is to wait for the middle-aged man to arrive.

They wanted to report their results and get out as soon as possible, but they didn’t know where the middle-aged people were staying.

After waiting for about a day, shivering, I finally heard someone’s footsteps.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

As soon as they heard the sound of slow footsteps, the bandits immediately knelt down and bowed their heads.

The bandits, who had lowered their heads, trembled in fear. The unidentified middle-aged man had taken hold of their minds to that extent.

Damn it.

The steps stopped. A middle-aged man’s voice broke the heavy silence.

“Report it.”

The person in charge of contacting the bandits infiltrating the territory opened his mouth in a trembling voice.

“War has been declared. Count Bonnetor declared war first, and Count Schwarz responded. Both sides are currently mobilizing their armies.”

“It was a success.”

The middle-aged man smiled. A black aura began to form in his hands.

The energy rippled ominously, as if it were trying to negate and destroy everything in the world.

The middle-aged man’s name is Ismogen.

As Jiselle had expected, he was a high-ranking priest of the Salvation Church.

Ismogen could be said to be an advance team that was trying to cause chaos in this world and cause maximum damage before the demonic realm was unleashed.

And he achieved what he came here for.

The two territories were not on good terms to begin with, so the scale of the war would naturally grow. That also meant that this fight would eventually escalate into a war between the two kingdoms.

It was a satisfactory result. Now it was time to leave this place. I had to go somewhere else and cause chaos again.

“Now that the work has been done, I will give you your freedom as promised.”

Of course, that freedom is death itself. If you are not a believer of the Church of Salvation, you are not worth living, and you cannot spare those who have seen you.

The bandits didn’t even know that and just hung their heads with a relieved expression on their faces.

Ismogen, who was about to emit a black aura, paused for a moment. It was said that a war had begun, but it was not confirmed whether they had actually engaged in combat.

Even though the military has moved, if they continue to remain on alert, additional measures will be needed.

Since he can’t go forward himself, it might be better to keep the bandits alive until he’s sure he’s really succeeded.

Ismogen always acted cautiously, as he had to keep the fact that the Salvation Church was starting to move unnoticed.

Thanks to his caution in minimizing contact with bandits, his existence has remained unknown until now.

Ismogen hesitated for a moment, then asked the bandit he had first reported again.

“The two sides haven’t fought yet, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. The last I heard was that he was gathering troops and moving.”

“Anything else unusual?”

“That… there’s a strange rumor.”

“Tell me.”

“It is said that the Holy Empire intervened in this war.”

“…….”

Ismogen’s eyebrows twitched.

The Holy Empire is the greatest enemy of the doctrine. The fact that such an empire has intervened is news that even he cannot ignore.

“How did you intervene?”

“They say the Empire’s secret forces have come looking for Count Bonedor. And… they’ve handed him a new weapon.”

“The Empire’s secret unit? A new… weapon?”

“Yes, it is said to be a weapon secretly created by the Empire to fight the Demonic Realm. They said they will test its performance in this war.”

“……Are you sure?”

“Many people have seen it in person. Even the informants hiding in the territory say they saw it in person. They say it’s incredibly powerful.”

“Explain in more detail.”

“That… It’s said to be so powerful that it can destroy even a giant tower in one go. And it’s said that even ordinary soldiers can handle the weapon.”

“A soldier?”

“Yes. The informant confirmed that the soldier was actually handling the weapon when the tower was destroyed.”

“…….”

Ismogen was completely exhausted. If everything he had just heard was true, then it was serious.

What if hundreds of weapons, powerful enough to be handled by a single soldier and even powerful enough to topple a tower, appeared on the battlefield?

The ramifications would be enormous. It could completely change the landscape of the battlefield.

‘It is possible.’

Humanity has been fighting the Salvation Church for a long time. It would make sense if they developed new technologies to win the war.

Also, the fact that it was made in the empire weighed on my mind.

If he was going to create something secretly, the Empire was definitely the right place for it. Even a high priest like himself couldn’t sneak into the Holy Empire.

‘I have to check.’

This was more important than anything else, because the level of weapons could determine the outcome of the war.

I had to see for myself what kind of weapon it was, so I could figure out a countermeasure.

Ismogen also did not believe the rumors at face value.

‘It could be a trap.’

He thought that this rumor might be a trick played by Count Bonnerdor against Count Schwarz. He never imagined that it might be a trap to find him.

Ismogen decided to take a small risk and check the truth of the rumor.

If by any chance such a powerful weapon really existed, the morale of the Human Alliance would obviously increase tremendously.

And the Salvation Church will have a tough fight.

“……You guys need to work a little harder.”

“Ma, just speak.”

“Just watch the war situation. Observe and report on the movements of the Bonedor Army. Also check where actual weapons are being used. You absolutely cannot miss it.”

“Oh, I understand. I will check it out.”

“I’ll give you a little strength so you can move a little more smoothly. The magicians of the realm won’t be able to detect it, so you don’t have to worry.”

Saaaaaaaa… … .

As Ismogen stretched out his hand, a black aura flowed towards the bandits.

“Open your mouths. This holy aura will make you into holy warriors.”

As the bandits opened their mouths, black energy began to wriggle into their mouths.

It was a creepy, disgusting feeling, but the bandits held it in. They didn’t want to move around and have their heads explode.

The bandits’ eyes turned black for a moment and then returned to normal. But no one noticed.

Ismogen said, lowering his hand.

“Go. Go and see for yourself what it really is and let me know.”

The bandits have dispersed covertly. Now they will pursue the Bonedor army and assess the situation.

Ismogen slowly followed them out of the cave.