The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 818

Record of Episode 818 (2)

Boom!
Astion slammed the table hard and growled.
“What? You want us to be the vanguard? Do you think we’d obediently do it if we told you to?”
Astion tried his best to imitate Giselle.
His notoriety was already high. Rumors abounded that he was acting as if he were acting selfishly. So he planned to capitalize on that image as much as possible.
It seemed to have worked, and the alliance commanders cleared their throats and began making excuses.
“Isn’t the Yulien Mercenary Corps that strong?”
“Ultimately, someone had to do it, and I guess the renowned Yulien Mercenary Corps would be the one doing it…”
“Still, securing the initial path might not be so dangerous since the dragons will support us…”
In truth, it was all just an excuse.
To narrow the front, they would have to abandon the fortress and advance. They would have to secure territory and then establish a base there again.
Even if the Crackers were at the level of regular soldiers, their numbers were so great that even the dragons would miss them.
The dragons were thinning their numbers closer to the Demonic Realm. They were fighting nonstop, so it was impossible to continue providing support.
Therefore, being at the forefront would inevitably lead to greater losses. The commanders of each nation were reluctant to deploy their regular troops for such a dangerous undertaking.
‘This is the time to use mercenaries,’ they thought. ‘
Weren’t they brought in to be expendable anyway?’
‘Of course, someone has to do it. Of course.’
To them, mercenaries were merely a means of filling numbers. They were always used as cannon fodder, so they had no qualms.
Astion could not have been unaware of their intentions. He scoffed cynically.
“Don’t be ridiculous. How can you expect untrained mercenaries to lead the charge? We’ll only provide support from the rear, so understand that.”
The commanders frowned at Astion’s threat.
The Yulian Mercenary Corps was difficult to suppress by force. The officers’ skills were exceptional.
After all, the saintess Deneb had originally been a member of the Yulian Mercenary Corps.
But using the regular army for dangerous work when there were mercenaries was foolish. They had to put the mercenary corps at the forefront somehow.
They spent days shaping public opinion and constantly dictating the situation.
“Well, if mercenaries don’t do this, who will?”
“Aren’t mercenaries supposed to be doing dangerous work?”
“Well, they’re being too harsh just because they have some power.”
Rumors spread quietly among the soldiers. Naturally, the mood soured.
The nobles thus fanned the flames between the regular soldiers and the mercenaries, and the mercenaries themselves were furious, feeling they were being pushed to their deaths.
At the same time, the nobles tried to persuade the leaders of the Yulien Mercenary Corps.
“After all, isn’t your primary duty the protection of the saint?”
“Why don’t you leave the mercenaries to us and focus on more important tasks?”
“After all, aren’t you the core of the Yulien Mercenary Corps?”
The nobles created various excuses to allow the Yulien Mercenary Corps’ leaders to escape,
knowing full well that this would make things go smoothly.
But such tricks didn’t work on Astion.
“Shut up! Just mix it up and go. Otherwise, you’ll see my 8th Circle magic rain down on our allies.”
Despite the nobles’ various tactics, Astion remained unmoved. In fact, he became increasingly angry and even resorted to threats.
While he differed slightly from Giselle, fortunately, people simply assumed he was just as irascible as ever.
Currently, all the other legions had begun their advance. However, the legion that included Yulien’s mercenary corps had held off.
The commanders wanted to conserve their own troops, and Astion was afraid to put the ragtag mercenaries at the forefront.
Then, Yulien, who had been lost in thought for several days, spoke up.
“Let’s take the lead.”
“What? Are you crazy? Why are you even standing there? Don’t you know the mercenaries are in poor training?”
“I think this is our only chance.”
“What chance?”
“A chance for the mercenaries to become stronger. And a chance for us to become one.”
“What… are you talking about?”
“The high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church haven’t revealed themselves yet. The same goes for the monsters we’ve only seen in literature. It’s just the Rifters that are being unleashed in droves.”
At those words, Astion’s expression shifted as if he’d just realized something. Yulien continued, his eyes steady.
“The Rifters are easily defeatable if we just stay alert.”
“Well, then…” ”
Yes, it’s a chance to experience real combat with a little less risk. To prepare for the bigger battles ahead. And as for Giselle…”
Yulien smiled softly.
“She’s definitely using this situation to grow stronger.”
“…”
Astion was speechless at those words.
Yulien was right. Giselle wasn’t someone who acted recklessly and selfishly.
Even if others saw it that way, he had a plan.
Nothing was overlooked, and he exploited everything he could.
Giselle, too, would have used the current situation as a means to grow stronger. He was a man who never missed a moment of real-world experience.
The only difference was…
“Aren’t you going to rip us off?”
“…That’s okay. Let’s just focus on growing.”
That part was a bit disappointing. Giselle would have rip us off a lot.
Yulien reviewed the strategy repeatedly and focused on strengthening the formation. He ensured stability by having the mercenaries he had previously worked with lead the unit.
He demanded only one thing from the mercenaries:
“Follow the instructions. Then you will surely win and survive.”
And he made one promise:
“I will be at the front.”
[… …The commanders were delighted when we decided to lead the vanguard. We set out as the vanguard, basking in their false praise. They probably thought we’d suffer significant losses, after all, the dragon’s support only lasted a few times.]
[But Yulien’s actions were astonishing. True to his promise, he stood at the forefront, unwavering. To protect Yulien, my friends and I also risked our lives several times.]
[Yulien’s selfless actions soon changed the mercenaries’ attitudes. Their spirits sharpened by the day, and they boasted discipline that rivaled that of the regular army. It couldn’t have been otherwise. Mercenaries who didn’t follow the rules were put in danger and eliminated.]
[As time went on, we grew stronger. The endless stream of enemies actually became valuable training partners. Through the daily battles, the mercenaries became one, and finally, they began to truly follow Yulien.]
[Perhaps if Giselle had seen this… …she would have laughed and praised our choice.]
“Wow!”
“We won again today!”
“As expected of the captain!”
With every victory, the mercenaries cheered.
They no longer feared the fight against the Crackers. Initially, they had been poorly controlled and suffered considerable casualties, but not anymore.
In life-or-death battles, the mercenaries fought as one, quickly growing stronger. And at their center was always Yulien.
“Yulien! Yulien!”
Everyone chanted his name.
Yulien fought without sparing himself. He stood at the forefront, always in the most dangerous places.
Thanks to Yulien’s actions, many mercenaries survived.
As time went by, Yulien earned the mercenaries’ absolute trust and respect.
And at some point, Yulien’s reputation resonated louder than Astion’s.
[… … Perhaps Yulien is the one who most resembles Giselle. When I said this, my friends thought it was a joke, but… … His leadership and bold decisions reminded me of Giselle.]
[As Yulien’s fame grew, mercenaries from all over the continent continued to come to him. They gathered under his banner, saying that if they were destined to fight anyway, they would join Yulien’s mercenary group.]
[The power of the mercenaries united as one was formidable. Now, even if it wasn’t Deneb, no force would dare to disturb us. Then, suddenly, I remembered the conversation Yulien and Tyran had had long ago.]
―Let’s save the world together.
―Do you think that… is possible? Mercenaries like us? Even if we were together, there would only be a few hundred of us?
―It is possible. I… . .
That day, Yulien declared to everyone with a firm look in his eyes and voice.
―I will become the king of mercenaries.
[And now, just as he said back then, he had truly become the king of mercenaries.]
[Mercenary King Yulien, that title meant that every mercenary on the continent knelt before Yulien. Despite this, Yulien was not arrogant. He focused solely on continuously fighting the Crackers and improving his skills.]
“Are you writing a diary again?”
In response to Marika’s question, Astion raised one finger and shook it from side to side.
“It’s not a diary, it’s a record to be passed down to future generations.”
“……Isn’t that it?”
“Oh, it’s something else? This is an important record that will remain as historical data.”
“……Yes.”
“How is our Mercenary King?”
“He’s training in spiritism with Erenes.”
“It’s poisonous, poisonous. It doesn’t rest.”
Astion shook his head.
Since Giselle left, Yulien had been pushing himself to the point of overwork.
Perhaps it was because of the burden of leading the mercenary group.
Astion was helping, but the weight of responsibility was different. Yulien felt he had to become stronger to protect everyone.
‘Perhaps… because of what Giselle said.’
They ultimately succeeded in sealing the demonic realm.
However, in the process, Yulien and Deneb would sacrifice themselves.
Seeking to change that fate, Giselle did her best to make her friends stronger. But there was still no guarantee of success.
Yulien couldn’t accept such a future. No, more precisely, he couldn’t accept Deneb’s sacrifice.
If it meant saving Deneb, Yulien would choose to sacrifice himself.
So Yulien relentlessly focused on becoming even stronger.
Astion, watching him, noticed something strange.
“It’s truly fascinating. Even so, how can he grow stronger so quickly?”
Yulien’s swordsmanship and spirit mastery were growing by the day. The gap between him and his friends was widening.
Kyle gritted his teeth and trained, unable to accept it, but he was having a hard time keeping up.
“Are you really… a warrior?”
Giselle said that Yulien was the warrior who would save the world. At first, I laughed it off, but now I couldn’t.
Deneb had truly awakened as a saint.
Warriors and saints aren’t just given names. They must be worthy and recognized for their status.
If a saint is loved by the gods, a warrior is loved by the world.
Deneb had proven herself a saint through miracles. And Yulien was striving to prove herself.
If Yulien truly defeated his adversary… …
no one would disagree with calling him a warrior.
[… … I now believe that Yulien is a warrior. Yulien truly seemed to be loved by the world itself, growing stronger by the day. As Yulien grew stronger, the spirits who accompanied him also displayed even greater power.]
[Yulien studied the books and teachings that Giselle had left behind every single day without fail. He tried not to forget them, and he ruminated on them so as not to miss anything. All of those efforts were making Yulien stronger.]
[We, too, were inspired by Yulien and devoted ourselves to training without rest. The rift people who appeared in abundance became our training partners and test subjects, and there was no shortage of opportunities to demonstrate what we had learned.]
[We had become stronger than when the war began. As Yulien had predicted, the mercenaries had also become incomparably stronger. Thanks to this, we succeeded in building new fortresses and narrowing the front lines.]
[… … And so, a lull was maintained for about two years. The Rifts continued to appear, but stopping them was no longer a major problem.]
[However, anxiety still lingered in the hearts of the Human Union.]
[The original plan was to advance into the Demon Realm after reducing the number of high-ranking priests of the Salvation Church through several battles. However, not even a single high-ranking priest appeared, let alone an adversary. Only a constant war of attrition with the Rifts ensued.]
[It was widely known that the adversary could open the Rifts themselves. They could continue to pour out Rifts, but the Human Union could not. The need to maintain their forces was simply too great. If they continued this way, they would inevitably tire first.]
[In the end, the Human Union decided to advance into the Demon Realm. They devised a strategy to leave a minimal defense force at the defense line, while the remaining legions would all assemble and advance in one breath.]
[The dragons took the lead to secure the path, and the Allied forces followed suit. It seemed they would be able to enter the Demon Realm in no time. But it wasn’t long before… .]
[The adversaries and high priests appeared.]