The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 151 – It’s Nice to Be Back. (3)

As soon as Vanessa saw Ghislain, she began to wail again.

“I’m sorry. Huh-uhhng…. I destroyed the building, used up a bunch of Runestones, and caused huge damage to the estate… Ughh-uhhhng.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. It happens. Besides, no one got hurt, so it’s really fine. Hahaha.”

Ghislain still laughed cheerfully. Now that there was a 6th-circle mage on the estate, what did a building matter?

To recruit a 6th-circle mage, even building hundreds of structures like that wouldn’t be enough.

Mages of that caliber couldn’t be lured in with just money.

It confirmed once more that his judgment was right; he hadn’t been wrong in thinking she was the greatest talent in the history of the Crimson Flame Tower.

“No, it’s not okay. The estate is poor, and there’s no money, so everyone is living a hard life… I should save every penny to help the estate… From now on, I’ll only eat one meal a day… Uhhuh-uhhhng.”

The more Vanessa spoke, the more Ghislain’s smile faded.

“No, we’re not that poor anymore.”

“I’ll work hard and do laundry for the rest of my life to repay it, I swear. Uhhuh-uhhhng…”

“No, if you did the laundry, that would be even more of a loss.”

It was a logical point, but to her, it sounded like, “If you do the laundry, you’ll just ruin the clothes.”

“Of course, right? Someone like me should just die. Please kill me. Ughh-uhhhng.”

Ghislain sighed. Vanessa was great, but her problem was this terribly low self-esteem and shyness.

She had been ignored and struggled for so long that she became overly sensitive to even the smallest mistakes.

If she had a personality like Belinda’s, she would have haughtily said,
“I’m a 6th-circle mage, so what’s the big deal about a building? Just give me more money!”

Well… considering the accident this time, if she were still in her old position doing menial tasks, she wouldn’t have been able to repay it even if she worked her whole life, so he could understand why she reacted this way.

As she continued to sob with tears and snot streaming down her face, repeatedly apologizing, Ghislain helped her stand up.

“I’m telling you, it’s really fine. More than that, reaching the 6th circle already is incredible. That helps me more. I’ll build a new lab for you, so don’t worry about money and just focus on your training. That’s the most important thing. Got it?”

“Uhhuh-uhhhng, my Lord!”

At his gentle praise, Vanessa burst into tears of gratitude and buried her face in Ghislain’s chest.

Ghislain patted her shoulder a few times before gently stepping back and taking a good look at her.

Her pale face, streaked with dark smudges, stood out, as if she hadn’t seen sunlight in a while.

Her clothes were stained in various places, clearly showing that she had been holed up, devoting herself solely to research and training.

Ghislain forced a smile as he patted Vanessa’s shoulder, feeling as if he could almost see the musty smell emanating from her.

“…Training is good, but now that you’ve reached the 6th circle, you should also wash up a bit and take some walks.”

“Y-Yes, yes, yes, sir!”

Only then did Vanessa realize the state she was in, and, blushing, she quickly backed away.

Ghislain turned to Lowell and spoke.

“Rebuild the lab to be sturdier and more spacious. Also, make sure to set up dummies in a large open area for her to use magic on.”

“Understood. The ground here is well-prepared, so we can build it here again…”

But then, Ghislain draped his arm over Lowell’s shoulder and whispered.

“Build it far away, very far away. Make sure it’s even farther from the lord’s castle, in a place where there are no people around and it’s safe. You understand, right?”

“…Yes.”

Only after receiving Lowell’s firm agreement did Ghislain turn to address the others.

“Keep the fact that Vanessa is a 6th-circle mage a secret for now. There’s nothing to gain by letting rumors spread.”

Everyone nodded absentmindedly, still in shock.

Even with talent, who would have expected she would reach the level of a 6th-circle mage so soon?

The close aides were surprised but had no choice, but to agree with Ghislain’s decision.

The residents of the estate were far enough away that they hadn’t heard the conversation, so keeping the secret wouldn’t be difficult.

‘This has to be kept a secret.’

‘A 6th-circle mage, something only the great lords have, now exists here.’

‘It’s a powerful card, unknown to others!’

6th-circle mages were extremely rare. Many spent their entire lives devoted to magic and couldn’t even reach the 5th circle, let alone the 6th.

Once someone reached that level, it was a given they would be a private mage for great lords, and they could even aspire to become a Tower Master of the mage towers.

Although Vanessa was a half-formed 6th-circle mage, lacking sufficient mana, her abilities were still something that could be put to use.

Anyone foolish enough to pick a fight without knowing this would find themselves on the receiving end of a sudden and powerful burst of flames.

As Ghislain and the others were busy ensuring everyone kept quiet and managing the situation, Alfoi and the other mages came running over, panting.

“Was there a fire? What happened to the fire? I thought I saw some other magic being cast, too?”

Ghislain waved his hand with a smile at the panicking Alfoi.

“Hey, Alfoi, it’s been a while. You’ve been doing well, I hope?”

“Ugh… Lord, you’re back…?”

Alfoi began to sweat nervously and tried to back away, prompting Ghislain to turn and ask Lowell.

“Were the tasks given to the mages proceeding smoothly?”

Lowell glanced at the mages before starting to tattle.

“Ahem, the pace has been slowing down, and they haven’t been able to keep up with the schedule.”

“Is that so?”

Alfoi frantically waved his hands and shouted.

“No! We’ve been working hard! It’s just that my health hasn’t been the best lately!”

“It’s fine. When someone’s tired, they can take a break.”

“Uh…? Really?”

Ghislain nodded with a gentle smile, truly looking like he didn’t mind.

“As long as you work harder to make up for the rest you took. There’s a lot to be done in the future.”

Alfoi felt a sudden chill run down his spine, a sense of foreboding creeping up on him. That lord wasn’t someone who’d just let things slide like this, right?

Moreover, the mention of there being a lot to do was highly suspicious.

Could it be that there were even more tasks besides the construction projects they were already handling?

Ghislain looked at the anxious mages and grinned.

“Prepare yourselves.”

* * *

Before heading back to the lord’s castle, Ghislain made his way to the mercenaries’ garrison.

“Young Lord, you’re back!”

Randolph, who had been training the mercenaries, greeted Ghislain with a bright expression.

Standing next to him was Fergus, who wore a welcoming smile.

“Haha, Young Master. Did you have a good trip?”

Ghislain responded in surprise.

“Wait, I told you to rest comfortably at the Fenris Estate. Why did you come all the way out here to the garrison?”

“I’ve been helping the Knight Commander.”

Fergus, who had been recuperating in Ferdium due to health issues, had accompanied Randolph when he moved to the Fenris Estate.

Although his stamina hadn’t allowed him to actively participate in the training, he had used his age-earned wisdom to greatly assist in the mercenaries’ drills.

Ghislain shook his head and spoke with concern.

“Still, you should be taking it easy for now. I’ve told you several times that it’s not easy to come back to life if you die.”

“Haha, it’s fine. Thanks to you, Young Master, I’ve gotten much better.”

With Ghislain regularly visiting Ferdium to provide him with medicine, Fergus had become much healthier compared to his previous life.

But it still wasn’t enough to satisfy Ghislain.

‘I wish he’d rest a bit more.’

Despite Ghislain’s repeated attempts to persuade him, the old knight’s stubbornness hadn’t wavered. Sighing, Ghislain turned to Randolph and offered a late greeting.

“Have you been well?”

“Well? These thick-headed idiots aren’t even human!”

As soon as Ghislain finished speaking, Randolph jumped at the opportunity to vent. His face was dark and weary.

After dealing only with disciplined soldiers and knights, being tasked with handling mercenaries was proving to be a nightmare.

It wasn’t just that the mercenaries didn’t follow orders properly—many of them lacked even basic common sense.

They had been following orders mainly because Ghislain had a firm grip on them, but by nature, they were unruly.

Even when they attempted tactical drills, they could only manage the charge formations that Ghislain had trained them in; they couldn’t do much else.

“How on earth did you wage war with this lot?”

“What’s wrong? Are there many issues?”

“ ‘Many’ doesn’t even begin to describe it! They don’t even have the bare minimum of military discipline!”

The most important thing in the military was to follow the orders of superiors. Moving as one to achieve a goal was the hallmark of a true soldier.

However, the mercenaries were all stubbornly set in their ways, each insisting that what they knew was correct. To them, the fact that they had managed to survive until now was proof that their methods were right.

“I’ve somehow managed to drill the necessary basic knowledge into them, but I can’t do any more. Ugh, I just want to kill them all,” Randolph said, pressing his temples as if he had a headache, shaking his head.

Before he could even finish his rant, the mercenaries came rushing out, excitedly welcoming Ghislain.

“We’re saved! The Lord is here!”

“Ah, we were getting so sick of this!”

As he looked closely, he noticed they were all covered in bruises.

Apparently, Randolph had resorted to knocking sense into them since they refused to listen.

“Anyway, I’ve taught them most of what you asked, so I’m going to head back now,” Randolph said, shuddering at the thought of staying any longer, firmly insisting on leaving as soon as possible.

Ghislain nodded, a bit disappointed.

‘Ah, I was hoping to get him to handle things a bit longer… Looks like I’ll have to take care of it myself from now on.’

Still, from what he could see, Randolph had managed to teach them the basics of formation and at least the minimum military knowledge.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The basic training of the new recruits was also in decent shape.

Honestly, it was clear that Randolph had dealt with the most bothersome parts of the job.

“Thank you for all your hard work. I’ll make sure to compensate you properly.”

Randolph responded with a sense of pride, “I even managed to teach a few of the illiterate ones to read a bit.”

Though Fergus had been the one actually teaching them, Randolph spoke as if he had done it himself, without any pangs of conscience. After all, the allocation of training time had been under his control, so it wasn’t entirely untrue.

“That’s great to hear. At the very least, they need to know how to read,” Ghislain said.

He had made it a point to tell Randolph to teach the mercenaries how to read and write.

No matter how well a soldier followed orders, being literate allowed for a broader range of tactical operations.

There had also been a promise from earlier to teach the illiterate mercenaries how to read.

Among the mercenaries that had gathered, ‘Pisser Gordon’ spoke up proudly.

“I can write well now, and I can read everything!”

Given that Gordon had always been taken advantage of in contracts because he couldn’t read, he had every reason to be proud.

“Oh, really? Congratulations. So you can read the contracts on your own now?” Ghislain asked with a smile.

Gordon then pulled out a small book from the waistband of his trousers and waved it.

“Of course! I’m even writing my own stuff here now!”

“Really? What, are you writing a novel or something? I’m curious, can you show it to me?”

Wanting to see how well Gordon had learned to write, Ghislain asked. But Gordon shook his head.

“No, I’m not showing this to anyone.”

“Well, suit yourself.”

Ghislain answered nonchalantly, but the mercenary next to Gordon didn’t share the same attitude.

“What is it, anyway? Even the lord is curious, so let us see it. You’re always scribbling something in secret.”

“Ah, I said no. I’m not going to show it.”

“Come on, let us see.”

The mercenary next to him grabbed Gordon’s arm and tried to snatch the book away.

Of course, it was impossible to easily take something away from Gordon, whose body was packed with muscle.

As the two started to struggle, a few other mercenaries joined in, finding it amusing.

“Damn it! Let go of me! I’m going to kill all of you!”

Even someone as strong as Gordon couldn’t hold out when five or six men piled on him.

He struggled desperately to keep them from seeing it, but he was on the verge of losing it.

“Ugh!”

Gordon let out a strange scream, wildly flailing his arms, and ended up dropping the book.

Thud.

The book fell, coincidentally landing right in front of Ghislain.

Curious, Ghislain picked it up and opened it to a random page.

[April 2nd, clear weather]

“Once again, Knight Commander Randolph kept nagging at me to do this, do that. It’s like his obsession with my life is getting worse.

I’ve already mastered all my skills, but he just keeps on with the lecturing, and I’m seriously at my limit.

It’s cold because the multiplication chill is here, but he keeps glaring at me, telling me to train.

He must’ve learned how to harass people from some melon molesting device because he keeps trying to teach me things. He’s definitely not someone fit to be a mentor.

My dream is to become a great knight, but I’m not going to be like someone with such a boring personality as his……

Today’s journal ends.”

Snap.

Ghislain immediately closed the book and shut his eyes.

He couldn’t continue reading someone else’s diary.

Whether it was an invasion of privacy or an obsession with it, it was still the same behavior.

‘Well, at least he learned how to write.’

There were some serious spelling issues, but the fact that he could read and write even this much was an accomplishment.

Considering how things were before, this was a significant improvement, something to be appreciated.

As he was lost in these mixed feelings, Gordon, who had roughly beaten down the other mercenaries, rushed over in a panic.

“Please give it back!”

“Oh, right… Here.”

Ghislain handed the diary over without hesitation.

“You read it, didn’t you?”

“…No.”

“You read it! Who reads someone else’s diary like that?”

“…I’m sorry.”

Gordon, still on the verge of tears, quickly tucked the diary back into his pants.

He kept glancing nervously at Randolph, probably worried because he’d written so many complaints about him.

Feeling both amused and a bit sympathetic, Ghislain decided to change the subject.

Since Gordon had learned this much, there was no need to check further.

“Let’s continue with the inspection.”

Lowell, who was acting as the temporary supervisor, led them around the estate.

There were significantly more houses for the residents and improved infrastructure.

While many buildings were still under construction, estate development wasn’t something that could be finished quickly, so they had to get used to it.

“Alright, for now, let’s head back to the castle to discuss the future construction plans. Now, let’s go to the most important site.”

Following Ghislain’s words, the group exited the outer walls once again.

Lowell, who had been leading the way, looked emotional as he spoke when they arrived at their destination.

“It really… turned out just as you said.”

The aides who had been absent during Ghislain’s time away couldn’t help, but gasp at the sight before them.

“W-Wow… This is no joke.”

“I expected it, but… to this extent…”

“Even seeing it in person, it’s hard to believe.”

They rubbed their eyes, doubting whether what they saw was real.

A rippling wave of golden light.

Towering stalks of wheat, far taller than a person, covered the entire land, an immense sight that no one could have imagined.