The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 725

Episode 725: Trust me and leave it to me. (4)

Ismogen, who came down the mountain, did not head straight to the battlefield.

He hid himself again in a suitable forest, where he intended to get information from the bandits.

Bandits also disguised themselves as local residents, employees of the merchants, and mercenaries and infiltrated various parts of the Bonedor territory. Wherever they heard news of help being needed, they went there without hesitation.

Fortunately for them, there was a war going on. Most of the soldiers had been called up and sent to the battlefield, so checks were somewhat relaxed.

Because of the war, there was a lot of movement of people and goods in each city and town. Thanks to this, the bandits were able to gather information here and there without being detected.

“The Bonedor army has already set out.”

“We are moving quite cautiously and at a slow pace.”

“I think it’s because we have to guard our weapons thoroughly.”

The bandits eagerly reported the information they had learned to Ismogen. Ismogen just listened silently.

In fact, what he really wanted was not information about the war. His goal was to see if the weapon was actually used on the battlefield.

Not long after, Ismogen finally heard the news he had been hoping for.

“The Bonnerdor army has captured Count Schwarz’s first fortress!”

“Did you use the Empire’s new weapon?”

“Yes, yes! I saw it from afar! There was really a statue on top of the cart? It was spitting fire! And! The wall just collapsed!”

“……What happened to Mr. Schwarz?”

“The statue fired twice? When I shot more, the walls collapsed here and there, so I was startled and retreated! I heard that you guys were also in a state of confusion after hearing the rumors!”

“…….”

The explanation was crude, but there was nothing he could do since he was an uneducated bandit. The important thing was that a weapon with truly powerful power actually existed.

There is definitely something there. If you go nearby, you may be able to see it for yourself from a distance.

But that alone wasn’t enough. We needed to know exactly what the new weapon was made of, how powerful it was, and whether it could be mass-produced.

The best way was to steal the weapon itself.

‘What should I do… … .’

If you put your mind to it, you can steal at least one weapon. The problem is that your identity will be revealed in the process.

I heard that there are secret forces of the Empire as well as knights and troops belonging to the territory.

If you fight all of them and demonstrate superhuman strength, there will definitely be someone who notices your true identity.

Ismogen thought for a long time. His true identity must not be revealed yet.

Currently, his colleagues are going to other kingdoms and causing trouble. If his identity is revealed, his colleagues’ operations could also fail.

So Ismogen had no choice but to protect himself and not use his power recklessly even in this small territory.

But if everything we’ve heard about the weapon’s power is true, the war will end sooner than we think. We must seize it before the Empire returns.

“……Continue to monitor the location of the weapons.”

Ismogen, who had been thinking about it for a long time, decided to wait a little longer. He intended to wait until a certain opportunity came.

For the next few days, Ismogen waited, listening to the information the bandits brought him.

One thing that was a bit annoying was that bandits were coming and going from here more often.

‘I guess we should move soon.’

He felt inwardly uneasy, as he had never stayed in one place for so long and heard reports before.

The moment I decided to move again and adjust the positions of my informants, a bandit came asking for the information I had been waiting for.

“They say they are secretly moving weapons!”

“……Explain.”

“It is said that Count Schwarz, who was being pushed back, requested support from the surrounding territories and the royal family. When Count Bonnetor found out about this, he secretly moved his weapons and planned a surprise attack before the reinforcements arrived!”

“…….”

Ismogen frowned. The strategy itself made sense. In fact, it was best to end the war before intervening elsewhere.

But the more persuasive the information was, the more suspicious it was. No matter how lax the information management, it is not easy for an outside source to find out about a top secret operation.

“How did you find out such important information? It must have been conducted in extreme secrecy.”

“Hey, this is what the informant who infiltrated as a mercenary told me!”

“……How many troops?”

“They say that the weapon is inaccessible to anyone but the Empire. They say that 200 secret Imperial troops are bypassing it with the weapon. They say that they have really left the camp.”

“…….”

Ismogen thought again.

Controlling information is harder than you think. No matter how hard you try, information will leak out somewhere as it passes through multiple people. If even a rumor spreads within the camp, it will be impossible to control.

So, in times of war, such weaknesses are sometimes used to their advantage.

Perhaps this was the situation. Count Schwarz kept avoiding combat, so Count Bonnetor might have spread rumors on purpose to lure him.

But it was also an attractive piece of information, because if it were true, it would make it easy to seize the weapon.

‘It’s worth a try.’

As long as you don’t reveal your identity, you can watch from afar and come out only after you’re sure it’s not a trap, and there won’t be any problems.

“I’m going to go and seize the weapons.”

So Ismogen led all the bandits and began to move secretly.

As they left the forest, a bandit muttered to himself as he saw a bird sitting on a tree.

“Wow, it’s a lucky bluebird.”

The bird was a bit plump and short, but it was still blue in color.

Another bandit standing nearby took up the horse.

“Huh? I saw one flying around the city too. I guess there are a lot of bluebirds in this area.”

“That’s right. I have a good feeling about seeing the bluebird. I think this will work out well too.”

The bandits believed so. The fact that he was still alive after being captured by an unknown middle-aged man was proof of this.

They chased after the Empire’s secret forces, hoping that this would be the last time.

* * *

Rattle, rattle, rattle.

The Yulien Mercenary Corps was moving, pulling a cart loaded with dragon cannons.

Thanks to the power of the weapon, it wasn’t difficult to deceive the secret forces of the Empire. However, there was someone else they really wanted to deceive.

Kyle asked Julianne.

“Will it really appear?”

“Well….Giselle said he wouldn’t miss this opportunity.”

“What if it doesn’t show up? What if I miss it?”

“A deal that will be made until it appears.”

“…….”

“Because Jiselle is convinced that it’s the work of a Salvation Church priest anyway. There’s no other way.”

Jiselle was convinced that the priest of the Salvation Church had written the numbers on both estates.

I thought so after seeing the reactions of Count Bonnerdor and Count Schwarz.

One of the two may have been evading the truth or lying, but the circumstances made it clear that someone unknown had intervened.

So, they were working hard, even spreading false information.

Rattling! Rattling! Rattling!

In order to pretend to move stealthily, I had to move in a place that wasn’t a road. Every time the cart shook violently, the Dragon Cannon shook as well.

Osvald saw that and shouted at Kyle.

“Brother! The iron plate and wood that I put up fell off again!”

“Oh, that piece of junk is really…….”

As time passed, the Dragon Cannon became more and more hideous in appearance. Now, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was complete garbage.

Eventually, the mercenaries repaired the Dragon Cannon whenever they took a break. It was because there was something great inside, and it couldn’t be broken just yet.

As the mercenaries were repairing the dragon cannon, a sparrow-like Dark flew in and landed on Kyle’s shoulder.

“Found it. It’s moving now.”

“What? Really? Did you really find it?”

“Yeah, I can’t dare leave this body’s eyes. I really chased after everyone who went out of the city. I thought I would die because it was so hard. Did you know that I even created Dark 57?”

“Then can I go and hit first?”

“No, no. The subordinates move first, and the leader is approaching from afar. He is very cautious. But his energy is also unusual. I was afraid that I would get caught if I got close, so I only watched from afar.”

At Dark’s words, Kyle looked at Yulien. Yulien nodded.

“Now let’s move slowly. Just follow the plan. Then we’ll show ourselves.”

The mercenaries moved again, dragging their dragon cannons. They only searched for secluded paths where others would not come.

When night fell, the mercenaries took up positions in suitable places. Only a few stood guard with torches lit, while the rest lay down and slept.

But no one was truly asleep. The mercenaries were ready to grab their weapons at any moment.

Because we know that an attack is coming soon.

Of course, not everyone was like that. In any group, there was bound to be at least one person who was clueless.

“Drrrrr…. Kkuu …

“…….”

Everyone else was just pretending to sleep, except for Osval, who was really asleep.

As some more time passed, bandits gathered around the camp.

The bandits, disguised with tree branches and the like, approached stealthily, taking advantage of the surrounding terrain. They crouched down on the ground and slowly crawled, so it was difficult to spot them unless you looked closely.

They were bandits accustomed to night raids. They jumped up as soon as they were close enough to jump in.

And then, without saying a word, he stormed the mercenaries’ camp.

The bandits thought they had succeeded in their surprise attack, because there were only a few people standing guard, and even those who were there were dozing off.

There was a loud snoring sound from some guy there.

But the moment they swung their weapons, the bandits realized something was wrong.

Kaang!

The soldier(?) who was clearly sleeping suddenly raised his sword and blocked the attack.

“Damn it! I’ve been caught! Hit me quick!”

As the bandit in the lead shouted, the other bandits shouted and charged wildly.

“Wow!”

“Kill them all!”

The bandits were all disguised as soldiers of the Schwarz Army, because they wanted to blame them if anything went wrong.

Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!

A fight between the bandits and the mercenaries began. However, as the fight progressed, the bandits were pushed back helplessly.

There were about 100 bandits, but there were 200 mercenaries. To begin with, they were no match for their numbers, but the mercenaries were far superior in terms of skill.

“You bastard! I didn’t eat it!”

The difference in skill was so great that even Osval, who suddenly woke up from his sleep and started talking nonsense, was able to easily defeat the bandits.

In particular, the skills of Julian and Kyle were outstanding.

Thanks to years of training and experience, they had already set foot on the top level.

Every time the two men swung their swords, the bandits’ heads flew off.

Soon, the surviving bandits retreated with terrified expressions.

“Damn it! What the heck? Why are you so strong?”

“Ha, I didn’t kill a single one.”

“We’re already half dead…….”

Julian pointed his sword at the bandits and asked.

“Is that the Schwarz army? You dare to mess with us, who came from the Empire without fear. Did you think this kind of surprise attack would work?”

The bandits could not answer and just clenched their teeth. They simply did as they were told and honestly had no idea what was going on.

But I couldn’t run away, because there was someone even scarier behind me.

While I was unable to do anything, I heard someone’s laughter coming from the darkness.

“There are two top-class knights……. They really are from the Empire…….”

The owner of the voice was Ismogen.

He knew the power of Bonedor and Schwarz. Neither territory had a knight who had reached the highest level.

However, there are two knights who appear to be of the highest level in the unit transporting the weapons.

Ismogen was convinced after seeing the two. It was indeed the Empire’s powerful men who had come with weapons.

Now was the time to act boldly.

“You will all die here. You holy warriors who have received the grace of God. Tell the unbelievers the will of God.”

Ismogen’s words were filled with an unknown power. The bandits who heard his words suddenly trembled.

Paaaaaaaah… … .

Soon, an eerie atmosphere began to gather from all directions. At the same time, the bandits began to twist their bodies in strange ways in agony.

“Ugh….”

The bandits’ clothes were torn and their upper bodies were swollen excessively. Their eyes were blackened and the veins all over their bodies bulged.

Black smoke poured out of their mouths, noses, and ears. They screamed, billowing black smoke.

Kwaaaaah!

They turned into monsters and attacked the mercenaries again.

Kwaaaaang!

“Ugh!”

The mercenaries who had blocked the attack staggered back. The monsters called the Templars exploded with life force, displaying tremendous strength.

“Get back! Get back and take a defensive stance!”

Yulien shouted loudly and quickly moved between the mercenaries and the paladins.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Yulien and Kyle stood at the front to block the Templars. The other mercenaries quickly formed groups and fought.

Only then did a tight situation emerge. Julian and Kyle poured all their efforts into protecting their allies.

But the knights charged forward without sparing their own bodies. As a result, the mercenaries gradually began to be pushed back.

Even in such a situation, Ismogen did not show up.

He continued to watch the fight from the darkness. He wanted to use up as much strength as possible since everyone here would die anyway.

It was a remote place with nothing around, so no one would come to visit. It was a perfect situation.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kaaaaaaah!

The mercenaries kept getting pushed back. This was natural, as they were fighting with a focus on defense.

Before we knew it, there was no one left around the Dragon Cannon.

Ismogen, who had been chasing the fight, stopped for a moment. It was important to silence the Empire’s bastards, but more importantly, it was the Empire’s secret weapon.

He muttered after looking at the Dragon Cannon for a moment.

“……Is it chicken?”

Ismogen also lacked some artistic talent.

Ismogen looked around the Dragon Cannon with a puzzled expression.

Because it was such a mess of a weapon made by the Empire. It seemed like it would be difficult to make such a trashy shape even if you tried to make it on purpose.

No matter how much you know about art, this is not it.

In the end, power is the most important thing about a weapon, but it was still a weapon that came out in the name of the empire. It couldn’t have looked so shabby.

Ismogen raised his spirits. It occurred to him that perhaps this really was a trap.

And it wasn’t aimed at Schwarz either… … .

“Surely not me?”

At that moment, a huge blast of magical power shot out from the Dragon Cannon’s muzzle.

Kwaaaaaaaang!