The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 226: It Does Taste Good. (2)

‘W-what? Why isn’t he reacting at all?’

Brandel’s expression turned perplexed, forgetting his plan for an ambush. Even he, who had taken an antidote, was feeling the effects of the poison creeping in. It was impossible for someone who drank two cups to appear unscathed.

As he lingered in confusion, Ghislain’s voice broke the silence.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to drink?”

“Oh, yes, yes.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Brandel missed the perfect timing for his attack. Flustered, he decided to drink another cup and strike Ghislain afterward.

Grumble…

A stronger reaction stirred in his stomach. It was a clear sign that the poison had surpassed the antidote’s capacity to neutralize it.

‘Damn it, the poison itself isn’t the issue. Could it be that this bastard has a slow reaction to poison?’

The degree of poison sensitivity varied from person to person. Brandel could only conclude that this must be the case.

But then Ghislain poured himself another drink and downed it in one go.

‘This time, for sure, there’ll be a reaction…’

“It’s tasty. Here, have another.”

Brandel’s face visibly paled. His hands began trembling slightly.

‘Stay calm. I can’t afford to mess up here.’

The knights standing beside Ghislain watched him with dull expressions. If he hesitated now, it would only arouse their suspicion.

‘I’ll pretend to drink and strike immediately.’

Forcing a smile, Brandel lifted his glass. He glanced at Ghislain’s face, but it remained as composed as ever.

This didn’t make any sense. Just as he began to panic, a sudden realization dawned on him.

‘I’ve been fooled by rumors! This guy must either have no mana or an incredibly negligible amount! That’s why there’s no reaction!’

It was evident that Ghislain’s feats had been grossly exaggerated.

Of course, given his results, it couldn’t all be dismissed outright. But even if he was an excellent strategist, his personal combat capabilities were undoubtedly subpar.

Brandel began to slowly draw upon his mana. A stinging pain radiated from the area around his core due to the poison. He couldn’t afford to delay any longer.

Was he lifting his glass too slowly? Ghislain’s voice rang out again.

“Not drinking? Are you bad at holding your liquor?”

At that moment, Claude, with his usual cheeky tone, chimed in from the side.

“If he doesn’t want to drink, can I have it instead?”

From Claude’s perspective, both of them appeared perfectly fine despite drinking several glasses, so he thought it would be safe for him to partake. After all, liquor of this quality was rare to come by.

As Claude licked his lips, clearly tempted, Ghislain let out a small laugh.

“Whatever you’re trying to pull, it looks like some kind of trick. You’d better not drink it.”

The moment Ghislain spoke those words, Brandel hurled his glass aside and lunged at him.

At that signal, four assassins who had been posing as Brandel’s guards sprang into action.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Claude let out a scream, only to be abruptly grabbed by the scruff of his neck and flung aside by Wendy. His body skidded backward and collapsed in a heap.

Brandel, the first to make a move, drew a sword concealed within his sleeve and aimed it straight for Ghislain’s head.

‘It’s a success!’

From the moment he moved, Brandel had no doubts about his victory. There was no way someone without proper mana could defend against this attack.

‘Huh?’

Just as his blade thrust forward, Brandel caught sight of Ghislain yawning.

Although his sword was aimed precisely at Ghislain’s forehead, by the time he regained his focus, the blade had veered off course.

Thud.

Before he could make sense of the situation, something sharp struck his neck—it was a pen. A simple pen, used for signing contracts, was now embedded in him.

‘W-what…? A guy without mana…?’

As Brandel’s consciousness began to fade, Ghislain’s languid voice drifted into his ears.

“My pen’s stronger than your sword.”

Ghislain casually pulled the pen from Brandel’s lifeless body and placed it atop the contract. Dots of crimson blood spilled onto the parchment, obscuring some of the words.

“The contract’s canceled. I’ll be taking the penalty fee.”

Ghislain paid no mind to the assassins who had moved alongside Brandel.

Gillian and Wendy were already dealing with them.

* * *

Clang!

Wendy effortlessly blocked the sword of an assassin attacking Claude with her dagger.

“You wench!”

As the assassin tried to strike again, Wendy swiftly closed the distance and extended her hand.

Several sharp needles shot out from her ring, piercing the assassin’s neck.

Thwack!

“Grrrk…”

The poison coating the needles worked instantly. The assassin foamed at the mouth and collapsed.

Swoosh.

Wendy, having finished off her target, immediately retreated. A second assassin’s sword came slashing through the air where she had just been standing.

Clang!

Wendy quickly shifted her stance, and by the time she returned to her position, she was holding two daggers, one in each hand.

Whoosh!

Clang! Clang!

The assassin deflected the rapidly thrown daggers with practiced ease. In an instant, he prepared to counterattack Wendy.

Thud!

That is, until a third dagger buried itself into his forehead.

“When… did you…?”

The assassin muttered weakly before collapsing.

Claude, who had been watching, mumbled under his breath.

“You’re really strong. But, isn’t this a bit underhanded…?”

Wendy shot him a contemptuous glare, and Claude, pouting, averted his gaze.

Meanwhile, the remaining two assassins on the other side met even swifter and more humiliating deaths.

Gillian didn’t dodge the incoming attacks. Instead, he moved even closer to the assassins, reaching out with his hands.

Thud!

He didn’t bother drawing a weapon. With nothing but his bare hands, he grabbed both assassins by their heads and smashed them together with tremendous force.

Crack!

The assassins died instantly, their skulls shattered without ever landing a proper attack.

The knights of Fenris who witnessed the scene clicked their tongues in disbelief.

“What kind of old man keeps getting stronger like this?”

“What on earth is he eating?”

“Look at those rippling muscles! Did he find a way to turn back time or something?”

Since meeting Ghislain, Gillian’s skills had improved at an astonishing pace. He had already been a formidable warrior, but Ghislain had filled in the gaps in his techniques.

It was the kind of enlightenment only someone like Ghislain, who had once held a spot among the Seven Strongest on the Continent, could provide. For a powerhouse like Gillian, such insights were far more valuable than conventional training.

Brandel and the assassins were dealt with in an instant. The Fenris knights standing nearby had nothing to do and no inclination to intervene.

Why would they, when there were such monsters handling the situation?

Besides, they weren’t worried about what their lord ate.

“Anyone who can stomach the poison of a Blood Python can eat anything.”

It was already a well-known fact among Ghislain’s inner circle that his stomach could digest even steel.

Elsewhere, assassins disguised as laborers began drawing their weapons. They targeted the administrative officials who had been inspecting the inventory.

Or, at least, they tried.

Thud!

Suddenly, the officials pulled out weapons of their own and ambushed the assassins.

One particularly large and bald man tore off his uniform and shouted.

“I am Gordon of the Muscles!”

“Damn it! I thought he was suspiciously big for an administrator!”

The assassins were thrown into chaos. Judging by how prepared their opponents were, it seemed their plans had already been exposed.

Even with the surprise counterattack, the officials struggled to quickly dispatch the assassins. Among their ranks were highly skilled knights loyal to Count Desmond, making the fight a prolonged and chaotic battle.

The scene descended into utter mayhem, and Ghislain rotated his shoulders leisurely, a grin on his face.

“Well, it’s time to collect that penalty fee. Everything here is ours now, right? Let’s finish cleaning up the rest. We don’t want our people getting hurt.”

He couldn’t help but be in high spirits, having gained such enormous resources for free.

Ghislain already knew that Brandel’s merchant guild was owned by Harold Desmond. It had been common knowledge in his previous life.

Back then, the ducal family’s rebellion had succeeded, and Harold had secured control of the north, leaving no need to keep such affiliations secret.

So when the owner of such a guild requested a personal meeting, claiming it was too much to handle in public?

“Well, the outcome was obvious.”

Even if they hadn’t known Brandel’s true identity, they wouldn’t have been easily defeated. After all, the enemies still didn’t fully understand his true capabilities.

The same applied to poison. Normally, most poisons had no effect on Ghislain. His exceptional mana control allowed him to isolate and neutralize toxic substances within his body.

But after consuming the poison of the Blood Python, even that became unnecessary. He could simply drink it, and it would be transformed into flesh and blood.

“I should finish that later.”

It was quite potent, to the point that even his mana increased slightly.

Once Ghislain entered the fray, the assassins were swept away in an instant.

Concerned that the novice-level knights of Fenris might be harmed, he had used a bit more strength than necessary. There was no way the assassins could withstand that.

The last remaining assassin, trembling, spoke with a quavering voice.

“S-So, the rumors were true.”

He was far too strong. Even they, who prided themselves on their skills, had been handled as if they were children. It was as if they were facing a monster.

They had heard rumors of him breaking down a castle gate single-handedly, but they hadn’t believed it. People with such exceptional skills were usually famous for their swordsmanship from a young age.

However, the only rumors about Ghislain painted him as a wastrel, leading many to assume his swordsmanship would be lacking.

Even so, they had carefully selected skilled individuals and conducted numerous rehearsals to prepare.

Never had they imagined they’d be so easily overwhelmed.

Thunk!

Without saying a word, Ghislain decapitated the assassin.

Once the situation was resolved, Claude came running, breathless, and asked,

“How did you know? Why didn’t you tell me? I heard you disguised the knights as administrative officers because it was the first transaction and you wanted to be cautious. So, you knew this would happen too, didn’t you?”

“Yes. But if I had told you there would be a fight, you’d have gotten cold feet and made it obvious you wanted to flee.”

“……”

Claude was at a loss for words, unable to refute. Truthfully, when the knights had disguised themselves as administrative officers, he had debated not showing up at all.

Feeling embarrassed, Claude changed the subject.

“Well, anyway, this was all free, right? What a jackpot!”

Ghislain was just as satisfied as the elated Claude. The more he gained, the greater Harold’s losses would be.

With this amount, Harold’s finances were bound to take a hit for a while. Moreover, since the actual workers weren’t assassins and had survived, unfavorable rumors were sure to spread about Harold.

Ghislain intended to give a small consolation payment to those who had lost their jobs and subtly encourage them to spread the word wherever they went.

‘So, they’ve started targeting me openly. In that case…’

For Harold to play his hand by sacrificing such significant resources and a precious merchant guild meant something else entirely.

‘It’s a sign that Amelia’s side has stepped back—either they’ve finished their preparations… or they’ve delegated authority.’

Raypold’s rebellion was the most critical task Harold had been assigned. There was no way the ducal family would abandon it. If Harold had stepped away, it could only mean that Amelia herself was about to take action.

Even though many parts of the future had changed, this particular event wasn’t too far off from what Ghislain had predicted.

“Oh, come to think of it… the rebellion will probably happen on the same day as in my previous life.”

Nodding several times to himself, Ghislain muttered as he looked at the towering pile of resources.

“If it’s Amelia, she’ll succeed no matter how much I interfere. I do owe her a bit for what she’s done, but… I’ll have to trip her up a little.”

Imagining Amelia’s irritation, Ghislain chuckled to himself.

* * *

The road construction proceeded without pause. As the network of roads connecting castles, fortresses, and villages expanded, Claude raised another issue.

“The construction is going smoothly, but I think it’ll be hard to utilize them immediately.”

Ghislain already knew what the problem was.

“It’s because of transportation, right?”

“Yes. Most of the horses in the estate are reserved for military use. The number of horses is critically low.”

No matter how excellent the roads were, they were useless without enough horses to travel them quickly.

Horses were a valuable resource, expensive and difficult to procure. They were indispensable for warfare, transportation, and agriculture alike.

Still, having roads was better than having none.

“At least for military movements and supply lines, the roads will certainly help,” Claude noted.

“Hmm, true. For a transportation revolution, horses are essential. That’s how the economy can grow more active.”

Ghislain’s seemingly indifferent response made Claude cautiously ask, “Do you have a plan to secure more horses?”

As a lord, if you couldn’t acquire something, you made it, and if you couldn’t make it, you took it by force. But no matter how he thought about it, there was no way to create or seize horses.

Yet, just in case, Claude probed. Ghislain answered casually, as though it was no big deal.

“Of course, I have plans to secure horses.”

“Whoa! As expected of our lord! What’s the plan? I won’t object this time, so please tell me!”

“Are you sure you won’t object?”

The tone carried a hint of unease.

While Claude hadn’t opposed recent projects like the construction of incubators or road networks, the fact that Ghislain felt the need to confirm only heightened his suspicion.

Still, Claude pressed on boldly.

“Yes! I won’t object!”

Ghislain chuckled faintly. Even though Claude claimed he wouldn’t oppose, Ghislain was sure that once he revealed his methods, they’d all foam at the mouth with protests.

So, for now, he had no intention of explaining.

“I’ll tell you later. There are some things I need to do first.”

“Damn, now I’m even more curious. Why am I like this?”

Claude clicked his tongue in frustration before asking, “What do you need to do first?”

“Let’s host a banquet. Invite some young lords from the nearby estates.”

“A banquet? Really?”

Claude and the retainers tilted their heads in confusion.

Ghislain wasn’t particularly fond of the formal banquets of nobles. Even when he hosted one, he preferred mingling with the common folk and enjoying himself casually. The sudden decision to host a noble banquet was unexpected.

“It’s just to build a bit of camaraderie among the younger generation. We’ve grown quite a bit, haven’t we?”

“Hmm, that’s true. It’s about time you started networking too.”

Even if they were only heirs now, most of them would eventually inherit something. Building connections with such individuals while they were young could only be beneficial.

While Claude was deep in thought about the idea, Ghislain grinned and emphasized, “But there’s one person you absolutely must invite. Use any means necessary. Even if you have to kidnap him.”

Before acquiring horses, Ghislain had plans to first throw his enemies into disarray.