The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 784

Episode 784: You Know Who I Am (1)

“Oh! This is something the youngest does!”
Lionel would often show off to Marika.
He’d call her “youngest” even for trivial tasks, trying to force her to do chores.
Every time, Marika silently did her assigned tasks. To her, who had great patience, the mercenary group’s chores were honestly nothing.
And because she wanted to help the mercenary group, she didn’t shy away from cooking or any chores.
The Yulien mercenary group clicked their tongues at Lionel’s constant bravado.
“Wow, what’s with the territoriality? You’re even worse than us.”
“You used to act all haughty and elegant as an imperial knight.”
“Now you’re a total mercenary.”
Lionel didn’t care even if the mercenaries gave him subtle hints. Honestly, he had built up quite a bit of sadness living as the youngest.
So he tried to use Marika in any way he could. Marika was so insignificant that he didn’t really care.
Looking at the two, Giselle couldn’t help but laugh.
“Those two people are going to found the Kingdom of Rutania together?”
I don’t know how they’d founded it, but looking at them now, I felt a strange sense of wonder.
Perhaps it was a feeling only someone who knows the future can experience?
Thinking about the founding of Rutania, another thought suddenly occurred to her.
The founding king, the Shadow Knight Commander’s family, and the Duke of Delphine had founded this kingdom together!
Berhem had said so before he died. And based on her experience to date, the probability of that being true was extremely high.
“Hmm… ….”
The Duke of Delphine’s identity remained vague.
He hadn’t even appeared in her dreams. Despite the long journey back in time, she hadn’t yet met anyone who might have been her ancestor.
However, the Duke of Delphine had clearly been deeply involved in the founding of Rutania.
Therefore, the title of Duke was exclusively granted to the Duke of Delphine in this kingdom. And the Duke of Delphine had the power to overthrow the royal family at any time, if necessary!
“Who on earth could it be…?”
If they were even close enough to found a nation together, that meant they were quite close.
He couldn’t tell if it was someone from the Yulien Mercenary Corps or someone he’d meet later.
“Ugh, I guess I’ll have to wait again.”
While with the Yulien Mercenary Corps, he’d eventually meet the people he was meant to meet. So, he’d probably meet the founder of the Delphine Dukes someday.
“I might want to kill him if I do, but…”
Giselle chuckled and shook her head at that thought.
Those from the past weren’t at fault. And if she killed the founder of the Delphine Dukes here, who knows how the future would change.
Unless she’d traveled back in time like she did when she returned, her body would remain in the future.
Perhaps it served as a link between the past and the future.
Therefore, she had to avoid anything that would significantly impact her fixed future.
“Hmm, wait?”
Come to think of it, wasn’t there another person in the same situation as her?
Giselle glanced at Erenes. She was still sitting proudly on the cart, eating fruit.
Then, when her eyes met Giselle’s, she winked, one eye widening.
“Huh… ”
What would she do if they met again in the future?
“Come to think of it… ”
Did she really remember what was happening? Perhaps she
knew Giselle’s name from the beginning but pretended not to.
Or, perhaps… ” Perhaps
the events of the present affected the future, altering her memories.
It’s impossible to be certain, but given that the future where “Giselle Ferdium, Duke of Fenris” exists is fixed, the latter was likely.
If the past changed, and so did the future Erenes…
” This will be fun.”
She wondered whether he would be happy to see her or embarrassed.
Giselle, lost in thought, suddenly stopped.
“Hmm…”
The other mercenaries also stopped. They slowly and sharply drew their swords.
A man stood blocking the narrow passage. Like Marika, he was dressed as a traveler.
He looked like a remarkably ordinary middle-aged man. If I’d seen him in the crowd, I’d have passed him by without even remembering him.
Soon, people began to appear one by one from the surroundings, surrounding the Yulien Mercenary Corps.
They held no murderous intent. However, they were glaring at Marika and her subordinates.
Giselle, who had a rough idea of his identity, smiled and asked,
“State your affiliation and name. Politely.”
“…”
The man blocking his way twitched his lips several times. Giselle then snapped her stick and spoke again.
“Should I answer?”
“…I’m Darenz, the leader of the Crips.”
“Okay, Darenz. What’s going on? You said you were going to be a secret escort, but you’re allowed to show yourself like this?”
Darenz bit his lip at those words.
It was taboo to show himself in front of the escort target. But since Marika had already told them everything, hiding was pointless.
Listening to her now, it seemed she knew everything.
Darenz’s mind was in a state of confusion.
‘Damn… … . Who would have thought that she’d cause something like this?’
As soon as he received the request, all the executives and members were mobilized. This was a request that would determine the life or death of the group.
However, the problem was that warlocks and monsters were suddenly rampaging everywhere.
If they sent the incompetent down a dangerous route, they wouldn’t be able to find the escort target.
So, they sent the lower-ranking units down a relatively safe route. The intention was to somehow locate the escort target.
They didn’t even realize that the safe route had already been cleared by the Yulien Mercenaries.
In any case, they received word that the lower-ranking unit had found the target. The other groups also mobilized as soon as they received the call.
But… … .
―What? Marika attacked the escort?
Darenz was shocked upon hearing the report. Not
only did she show herself, she even attacked.
He couldn’t understand why she would do such a thing. Then a theory suddenly occurred to him.
‘Could it be that she… knew I killed my family?’
Otherwise, there was no way she would do something so crazy.
If she caused such a trouble and incurred the Pope’s wrath, the organization would be swept away in an instant.
Still, he had to confirm it. Since the situation was already at a crossroads, Darenz boldly revealed himself.
“I want to talk to Marika.”
“Oh, you’re a new recruit in our mercenary group, right?”
“…You’re saying she really joined the mercenary group?”
“I said so. So we should be polite. If you don’t want to get in trouble with the Pope, that is.”
“…”
Darenz gasped for breath.
He wanted to kill her right then and there.
But now that he’d joined the Yulien Mercenaries, he couldn’t touch them.
It was maddening. Still, he had to hear the reason for his impulsive actions.
“Marika, what are you doing? If you had something against me, you should have told me yourself.”
Marika glared at Darenz for a long time before speaking in a cold voice.
“How long did you think I’d be under your enemy’s control?”
Darenz closed his eyes. Those words were enough.
“You knew.” He
regretted it. He should’ve just killed them a long time ago, but killing them on a whim was a mistake.
As Marika had said, it was he and the other officers who killed her family.
And they took in and raised the only survivor, young Marika.
I thought she wouldn’t know since she was so young, but somehow she had found out.
Giselle listened to their conversation and nodded slightly.
“You’re the enemy.” Since the other
person didn’t deny it, it had to be true. He was curious about the details, but he didn’t ask.
Such stories would naturally come up.
Anyway, Darenz couldn’t continue, just clicking his tongue.
“Tsk… … . Things are getting tricky.”
He wanted to kill her right then and there. He had the ability to do so.
With all the members gathered around here, he was confident he could wipe out even the Julian Mercenaries. No matter how powerful
the Julian Mercenaries
were, there were only a few here right now. But the problem was that they couldn’t be touched.
“If it weren’t for the Pope… … .”
The Pope was the most powerful figure on this continent. Disobeying his orders meant death.
Finally, Darenz hesitated for a moment and said,
“I would like to speak with the captain.”
“Go ahead.”
Giselle extended her arm in a showy gesture, and Julian stepped forward.
“I am the captain, Julian. Please speak.”
“I don’t know why you accepted Marika, but please hand her over. It was our mistake, so I will fully compensate and apologize.”
At those words, Julian glanced at Marika for a moment.
Marika raised her mana, looking slightly fearful. It was to escape if necessary.
Of course, the odds of failure were extremely high.
In that subtle tension, Julian smiled at her and then looked back at Darenz.
“I refuse.”
“…She’s not worth protecting.”
“We’re the ones to judge that. And Marika is part of our mercenary group. I can never give her up.”
“…Even if we put ourselves in danger because of it?”
Then, Julian stared straight into Darenz’s eyes and said,
“A comrade is someone who shares that risk. Once you accept it, you accept it, no matter what the price.”
“….”
Julian continued with a stern expression.
“It doesn’t matter who we accept. What matters is that they’ve become our comrades.”
Kyle, looking around at the surrounding Assassins, raised the corners of his mouth.
“If you want to come forward, come forward. We’re not the type to turn down a fight.”
At the same time, the mercenaries gained momentum. Osval, in particular, who had recently been involved in an accident, stepped forward with even greater determination, intent on making up for his mistake.
“Osval, the man! We will revolutionarily crush anyone who approaches!”
Marika felt a thrill at their reaction. The tension in her body naturally drained from her.
In the Assassins, her value lay solely in her ‘usefulness,’ and failure meant death.
She had to exert all her strength to keep her emotions hidden. She gritted her teeth and persevered, determined to get revenge, but it couldn’t have been easy.
It was a life where death was a constant possibility. A life where she might be used as a tool and then discarded.
But now.
Even though she had merely joined hands as if making a deal, the Yulien Mercenaries considered her a true comrade.
It was by no means easy. Despite the risks, they accepted her wholeheartedly.
Marika, who had always lived on the edge of a knife, finally felt a sense of security. It was
a sense of security that she had found a place where she could live, not a place where she had to “survive.”
It was like finding her feet on the ground for the first time after drifting through a fierce storm.
Giselle clicked her tongue, seeing Marika’s reddened nose and eyes.
“Are you really an assassin? Why are you crying so much?”
Well, now that she thinks about it, Belinda was secretly quite tearful, too.
Perhaps the sensitivity that the assassin profession demands, coupled with the sensitivity, makes her more sensitive?
Giselle, oblivious to the surrounding atmosphere, let her imagination run wild. That was how little interest he had in Darenz at the moment.
Darenz narrowed his eyes and glared at Julien.
“The mercenary corps has gained a bit of fame and is now fearless.”
The only superhuman they knew was Astion. Julien and Kyle were considered top-tier, but he was confident he could assassinate them.
But not now. He would have to wait until the Pope’s mission was complete before he could kill them.
Of course, there was no need to wait until then to kill Marika.
“I’ll have to wait until the right opportunity.”
The biggest obstacle was avoiding detection, but the opportunity would come. No one can maintain constant tension.
They’re not aiming for superhumans. They’re not aiming for the highest level.
So, Marika’s assassination would surely be successful.
If the outcome was certain, they could wait as long as they wanted. Assassins, after all, possess the greatest patience.
And there was another variable that could be used.
Darenz looked at Lionel.
“The author is on our side.”
A temple knight of the Empire and a loyal servant of the Pope.
He knew all the information he’d gathered so far because the author had reported it to the Pope.
Using the author would make it easier to eliminate Marika than he’d thought.
Lionel yawned, oblivious to Darenz’s thoughts.
“What should we have for dinner tonight? I’m sick of jerky. The youngest is secretly quite good at cooking. Is it because he’s a former assassin? He seems to be quite handy.”
He was becoming increasingly simple-minded as he worked with the Julian Mercenary Corps. It was a side effect of his mercenary life.
Darenz felt a slight strangeness at Lionel’s somewhat fierce demeanor.
Then, as if realizing something, he nodded slightly.
“I see. You’re hiding yourself now. That’s how you can plot a plot twist.”
Lionel didn’t have such thoughts. But Darenz’s imagination couldn’t escape common sense.
It wasn’t Darenz’s fault. The Julian Mercenary Corps was a mercenary corps whose members themselves didn’t understand it.
Anyway, Darenz, who had made up his mind, slowly spoke.
“I understand. If that’s what you mean, then there’s nothing we can do. However, Marika’s matter and our request are separate matters. The request is important to us, so we will follow.”
When Julian looked at Giselle, Giselle stepped forward and said,
“There’s no need to do that.”
“It’s the Pope’s order. We cannot refuse. I will escort you so that you won’t be hindered on your journey.”
“Hmm…”
“Since the Salvation Church’s resurgence, the atmosphere has become tense everywhere. Please understand that I cannot back down.”
Darenz said with a stubborn expression.
Jiselle nodded. They’d follow even if I told them not to.
There was no need to waste time with this, since there was no immediate fight to be had.
“Understood. But I’d prefer if we could be a bit less noticeable. Marika’s uncomfortable.”
“…Understood.”
Darenz twitched his cheeks several times, seemingly displeased, but he retreated without further comment.
Before long, the assassins surrounding him had all disappeared. However, everyone knew they were still following him, keeping a distance.
Thus began the quiet, uneasy journey of the mercenaries and the assassins.