The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 271: Chapter 270: It’s About to Get Faster (3)



"Uwaaaaaaah!"

"It's the King of Raiders! The King of Raiders is here!"

"Run away, quickly!"

The villagers screamed and ran for their lives. The King of Raiders had become so infamous that everyone kept their belongings packed, ready to flee at a moment's notice.

Since they were already preparing to relocate, the people didn't look back and just fled.

The militia was no different. They, too, had received orders from the lord to flee if the King of Raiders' forces appeared, rather than fight.

Ghislain, holding a club, shouted loudly.

"Destroy everything and take it all!"

"Yeah! Let's loot it all!"

The knights didn't really understand why Ghislain was doing this. They assumed it was just because something had annoyed him again or that he was simply bored.

The knights paid little attention to the governance of the territory, focusing solely on their training.

Thus, this time, too, they simply followed Ghislain's lead in utter chaos.

But as they joined him in raiding the villages, a thought began to form among them.

"This... is actually kind of fun.'

'Maybe I'm naturally suited to being a bandit?'

'I don't know why, but I want to keep doing this!'

Most of the knights were former mercenaries or from humble backgrounds. Even after becoming knights, they couldn't live as rigidly as knights in other territories.

Although Fenris was far freer than other territories, it still had rules. Especially under Gillian, who, despite being a former mercenary, was stricter than anyone else.

He would never tolerate tarnishing Ghislain's reputation.

After being bound by the title of knight for so long, committing these "bad deeds" after such a long time felt oddly liberating and thrilling.

"Yeah! Destroy everything!"

"All the food in this village is mine!"

"We are the Raiders of the North!"

Thus, they threw themselves wholeheartedly into the act-not merely pretending but fully immersing themselves in their roles.

"Hehehehe! Grab them all!"

"Uwaaah! Mom!"

A masked knight laughed crudely while chasing a fleeing child.

"No! Please, not my child!"

The child's mother screamed in shock. Realizing he had gotten too close, the knight deliberately tripped as though he had stumbled over a rock.

"Oh... my... goodness! There was... a rock... here?"

"Oh, thank the goddess!"

Hugging her child, the mother thanked the goddess and hurriedly fled. The others around her, terrified, didn't notice the knight's awkward acting.

Like this, the King of Raiders and 40 bandits scared away the villagers while feigning pursuit, and then began smashing the houses.

Bang! Bang! Crash!

The masked Claude urged the knights on.

"Faster! Break it all down! This is so embarrassing-what if someone sees us?"

Though Claude often behaved recklessly, he was still an academy valedictorian and a former scholar. He despised stooping to such degrading acts.

"Oh, come on! This is fun!"

The knights laughed and cheerfully destroyed the village.

After demolishing the houses, they took the food and materials they had "looted" and returned triumphantly to the castle.

Of course, on the way back, they changed into clothes they had hidden nearby to avoid suspicion.

When they arrived, the people of the castle looked at Ghislain and knights with faces full of

awe.

"I heard our lord chased away the bandits."

"They say there were over 500 of them, but now their numbers have dwindled to around 40."

"Ah, how exhausting it must be to go out like that every day."

Ghislain waved his hand at the people with a weary expression.

Seeing him, the people were overcome with emotion and shouted loudly.

"Lord, stay strong!"

"We will support you!"

"I'll enlist too!"

How could they stand by idly when their lord was enduring so much for them? Their current peaceful lives were all thanks to their lord.

Ghislain, looking equally moved, opened his mouth to speak.

"Just hearing that gives me strength. You all are the hope of this territory. Let's join forces and drive out the enemies targeting our land!"

"WAAAAAAHHH!"

The cheers shook the castle. With such daily occurrences, the enlistment rate continued to

soar.

As soon as he entered the castle, Ghislain asked Claude.

"Hey, how much did we gather today?"

"... It wasn't much since it was a small village."

When Claude reported the amount of their "spoils," Ghislain responded with a disappointed

expression.

"What? That's all? See, that's why I said to hurry up. Did they take it all and run?"

Claude looked at Ghislain and thought to himself.

"This bastard is completely hooked on banditry now.'

The lord had always been an unpredictable person, so it suited him well. But this wasn't the kind of thing Claude wanted to be involved in.

Though he was forced to participate, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of shame every

time.

Regardless, thanks to the King of Raiders' actions, the perception that the territory was in danger had firmly taken hold.

No one doubted the rumors, as the cities and fortresses were bustling with soldiers constantly

on the move.

"Move quickly! There's news that the enemy is approaching!"

Thud, thud, thud!

Watching the busy soldiers, the people grew increasingly anxious.

"Are enemies coming again?"

"Our territory has so much food; of course, everyone wants to take it. I can't believe we didn't

think of that until now."

"Is it the raiders again? Or a scout team from another lord?"

An old man approached the busy soldiers and asked.

"What's going on? Are enemies attacking again?"

"It seems so. We've been ordered to move quickly to the borders."

The soldier answered seriously. He didn't know the truth; he was just following orders to

relocate.

That's how the military operates. You don't question orders; you simply obey.

Thus, the soldiers moved busily, and the people, seeing this, grew even more worried.

The army they had blindly trusted seemed to be facing great difficulty. If the territory were taken by outsiders, they'd return to the poverty-stricken lives they once knew.

To them, it seemed as though the territory was already in a state of war, and the enlistment

rate only continued to rise.

Of course, after the soldiers had moved, new orders would come down shortly after.

-The lord intercepted the enemy at the border. Return to your posts.

Relieved, the soldiers praised the lord.

"As expected of our lord."

"We should be helping him more."

"I heard other units fought alongside him."

Even if they hadn't fought themselves, rumors spread that other units had. The higher-ups

restricted information sharing between units, so there was no way to confirm the truth.

Seeing the growing number of enlistments, Ghislain smiled in satisfaction and said.

"Good, we're almost there. Now, for one final performance."

By now, the forced relocation of all villages was complete. There were no more small villages

left in Fenris Territory where spies could hide.

Every populated area had been consolidated into cities and fortresses.

This would make mobilizing people during wartime much quicker and easier, as well as

facilitate logistics.

It was a plan entirely focused on enhancing war efficiency-typical of Ghislain.

At the same time, they managed to complete the stalled relocation project while boosting

enlistment rates.

"Let's go! Make no mistakes!"

When Ghislain and knights returned from their final raid, they were covered in bright red

bandages.

The bandages had been specially dyed with spicy red seasoning by Belinda to look like they

were soaked in blood. The pungent, spicy scent made the knights' noses turn red and their

eyes watery.

Seeing them, the people couldn't believe their eyes.

"Th-The lord is injured."

"Isn't our lord rumored to be a swordmaster?"

"They said the enemy had too many strong knights."

The people, looking worried, stamped their feet nervously. Ghislain and knights appeared

utterly exhausted, with drooping limbs and heads hung low.

Once a crowd had gathered, Ghislain concentrated mana into his foot and gave Black King a

sharp squeeze in its side.

Neighhhhh!

Startled by the excruciating pain, Black King thrashed and bucked, and Ghislain fell off then/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

horse at just the right moment.

Thud.

"Urgh!"

"My lord!"

As the people rushed forward in alarm, Ghislain raised a hand to stop them.

"I-I'm fine..."

At that moment,

lack King, still agitated, out a snort and kicked the fallen C

the

side.

Wham!

'You bastard?'

Rolling on the ground, Ghislain glared briefly at the horse, but he couldn't scold it now, not

while he was acting. Transforming his anger and irritation into a look of pain, he lowered his

head again.

"Lord!"

The people screamed.

Their lord had cared for them, fed them, sheltered them-he had done everything for them.

Seeing him struggle and suffer like this was unbearable.

Some even collapsed, weeping uncontrollably, especially the older residents who had lived in

the territory for a long time.

To them, Ghislain was a savior and benefactor.

At that moment, Ghislain murmured weakly. His voice, oddly clear, seemed to pierce through

the crowd.

"Ugh... If only we had more soldiers... The territory's forces... are too few."

With those words, he closed his eyes and pretended to faint. The knights, watching, bit their

lips and feigned outrage.

'If I laugh now, I'm dead.'

'Hold it in, hold it in... Oh, please, please.'

'Mom, Dad, I miss you.'

Even Claude closed his eyes tightly and turned away, as if trying to stifle tears.

"This is too embarrassing to endure.'

Next to him, Wendy bit her upper lip and stared at the sky.

Soon, Belinda and the household staff came running from the castle.

"Ahhh! My lord! What should we do!"

Belinda screamed as Gillian picked up Ghislain and carried him into the castle. His face was

bright red.

Gillian hated participating in this kind of drama. But since it was Ghislain's plan, he couldn't

let it fail.

He kept his mouth shut, afraid he might slip up, and marched silently. The villagers mistook

his hardened expression for suppressed anger.

Meanwhile, Alpoi and Kane, who were moving materials for construction, clicked their

tongues as they watched the lord and vassals deceive the people.

"Sheesh. Look at this circus."

Regardless, the rumor that the lord had collapsed from injuries sustained in battle spread

rapidly throughout the territory.

A massive volunteer enlistment movement began among the people.

"We must protect our lord! Let's support him!"

"We must defend the territory! If not us, then who? If we lose this land, we'll return to the old

days!"

"Every able-bodied man, enlist in the army!"

The Fenris Army's service term was 10 years, similar to other territories.

Though it seemed like a long time, people didn't care. With determined expressions, they

lined up to enlist.

Not long after, Claude reported to Ghislain.

"... Excluding the knights, the number of soldiers is about 12,000. It's far beyond the target...

Damn it, why is this even working!"

Claude shouted in frustration, unable to contain his anger.

He knew the lord was popular, but he didn't realize it was to this extent. It felt like everyone

in the territory adored, respected, and cherished him.

It was infuriating that such blatant manipulation worked so well. He couldn't help but feel

jealous.

"Ugh... Including the knights, elves, and labor assault corps, the total number of troops exceeds 13,000." Currently, the only territories in the North capable of amassing more troops were Rayfold and

Desmond.

Considering the number of knights and the new equipment, their total military strength could rival those two territories, contenders for the title of strongest in the North.

Of course, the new soldiers were no better than recruits for now. They would have to be

trained into elite soldiers to achieve that level.

Ghislain smiled with satisfaction and nodded.

"See? I told you we have plenty of people." "Yes... How fortunate you are to be so popular. Must be nice."

"Are you jealous?"

"Yes,"

Ghislain clicked his tongue at Claude, who was huffing, and continued.

"From now on, we will begin full-scale training. Gillian." "Yes, my lord."

"You will oversee the training in the southern region, centered around Stonehaven Fortress.

I'll assign you 100 knights to assist you. Work with them."

"Understood."

Since the soldiers were spread across the territory, it was impossible for Gillian to train and manage all of them alone. Ghislain had to divide responsibilities to make it manageable. Stonehaven Fortress, located in the southern part of the former Cabaldi territory, was the

largest and most important strategic point. Any invading enemy would have to pass through

it.

Although they had to divide the responsibilities, the lord couldn't stay away from the lord's castle for long. Thus, Ghislain assigned Gillian to the more distant southern region. Even overseeing just the southern region would be challenging for Gillian. That's why

Ghislain assigned additional knights, who were of a higher level than regular soldiers, to assist him. Ghislain boldly stated her training objectives.

"The goal is to make all soldiers proficient in horsemanship. After that, we'll select 2,000

soldiers who are comfortable on horseback and train them intensively in archery, organizing them as archers and mounted archers."

For Fenris soldiers, horsemanship was now a basic skill. But for Ghislain, that wasn't enough. "The rest will be trained to master spearmanship, swordsmanship, and shield techniques,

just like the current soldiers. They should be able to switch roles and fight effectively in any situation." "What's the timeline for this goal?"

"The timeline is three months. I know it's short, but within that time, they must at least be

ready to participate in battle."

"I will do my best to carry out your orders."

Though the timeline was tight, it had to be done. They never knew when the civil war might

break out.

Quietly, Ghislain sighed to himself so that no one would notice. Because of his actions, the future was changing, and events were unfolding much faster than in past life. He couldn't afford to let his guard down for even a single day.

Looking around at vassals, he spoke firmly.

"From now on, we'll put all territorial development and policies on hold and make training

the soldiers our top priority. Focus all resources on supporting the soldiers so they can train

without distraction."

With that, Fenris Territory's preparations for war officially began. Training the soldiers was

the first and most crucial step.

The soldiers might struggle with the intense training, but their morale was incredibly high

since they had all enlisted with the determination to defend the territory.

Now, they had to be trained to fight effectively on the battlefield.

To the level where they could stand against the army of Harold Desmond, known as the strongest in the North.

Ghislain smiled confidently and spoke. "The day we become the strongest in the North isn't far away."

The preparations for dominating the North were steadily coming to fruition.

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