The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 298: Chapter 297: Not Yet the Time (3)



Amelia felt an intense urge to kill Ghislain the moment she saw him.

'Should I kill him now?'

He was far too dangerous and aggravating to leave alive. This current ordeal was proof enough of that.

As her hand slowly rose, Ghislain gave a sly smile.

'Stay still, Amelia. It's not yet your time to die.'

Amelia was a double-edged sword, a rose laden with poison. The Duke faction still didn't fully understand her tendencies or her true abilities.

She had no real allies. She lived only for her ambitions. This made her both dangerous and useful to him.

'You'll keep doing things the Duke faction doesn't expect, and that'll make it easier for me to deal with them.'

There wasn't a single force capable of defeating the Duke faction in its current state. That's why Amelia, as an unpredictable variable, was a necessity.

In the previous life, as the Duke faction weakened due to Ghislain's actions, she had wasted no time baring her fangs. She had even tried to stab Harold, who had become the Duke of the North, in the back.

Now, as Ghislain's movements destabilized the region, Amelia would undoubtedly look for her opportunities.

Of course, even Ghislain, who prided himself on understanding her better than anyone else, couldn't predict her every move. Amelia was capable of making truly impulsive decisions, ones no one could foresee.

This carried risks for him as well. But to confront the mighty Duke faction, such dangers had to be accepted.

'So, think carefully, Amelia.'

If he had wanted to kill her, he would've tried the moment he returned to this life. Circumstances had forced him to let her live back then, but now that she was alive, it was more advantageous to use her for as long as possible.

But if she attacked now, he'd have no choice but to kill her.

'I'll only have one chance.'

The grip on his spear tightened. If it came to a fight, he'd have to pierce her head in a single strike. Failure would mean he wouldn't survive.

Her entourage wasn't to be underestimated either. The individuals standing by her side radiated a sharp aura, ready to strike at any moment.

'If a battle starts, those guys need to die first.'

Ghislain himself was exhausted and heavily injured. If it came to a fight with Amelia's army, even the Fenris troops here wouldn't escape unscathed.

Even if he managed to kill Amelia, the losses would negate the victory over Harold. All the effort to minimize casualties would be for nothing.

A fight here would only benefit the Duke faction.

Amelia likely understood this as well.

As her hand continued to rise, Ghislain began raising his spear slowly in response.

The Fenris knights behind him, picking up on the tension, started emanating a dangerous energy. The entourage surrounding Amelia also released their killing intent.

In the suffocating atmosphere, Amelia's eyes narrowed.

"This could be my chance.'

Ghislain was a dangerous man. The feats he'd accomplished were nothing short of miraculous.

Even now, she couldn't fully grasp what he knew or what abilities he possessed. He was someone who needed to die.

'It's possible.'

It was clear that Ghislain and his knights were utterly exhausted. Their bodies were drenched in blood, and the dust clinging to them suggested they'd arrived only recently.

No matter how strong Ghislain and his men were, they couldn't withstand an assault from her larger force.

Both sides were tired, but she had the advantage in numbers.

It was a perfect opportunity. Yet, her hand hesitated.

'If I kill him now... the 3rd Corps and Perdium will immediately turn against us.'

Killing Ghislain here would make her position untenable.

She hadn't yet secured full recognition from the Duke faction and wasn't prepared to openly confront Marquis Branford's Royalist faction.

There was justification for her presence, but claiming territory that someone else had taken first was a different story.

But her hesitation wasn't purely logical. Deep down, something else held her back.

'I might die too.'

Amelia trusted her instincts. They were warning her, telling her that attacking now was dangerous.

'Why?'

She couldn't understand why she felt this way when the situation seemed so advantageous.

The idea of fighting the Royalist faction felt manageable, but an inner voice screamed at her not to proceed.

Biting her lip, she slowly lowered her raised hand.

Seeing this, Ghislain gave a faint smile and lowered his spear.

"That instinct of hers... the same as in the previous life.'

Even in the previous life, Amelia had an uncanny ability to avoid him. She had a unique sense

for danger.

It was this instinct that had allowed her to escape him, even after he had reached the pinnacle

of martial arts as one of the continent's Seven Strongest.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Of course, Amelia wasn't solely guided by her instincts. She was also calculating.

'If we fight now, neither of us gains anything. Only the Duke faction will benefit.'

As long as the Duke faction existed, her ambitions were unattainable. But if Ghislain allied

with the Royalist faction and opposed the Dukes, a window of opportunity would open.

There was no need for her to incur losses by starting a fight with the Royalists.

'I'll let you go this time, Ghislain. Let's see how well you run wild.'

Both of them understood that a fight here served no one's interests. Neither had any desire to

incur unnecessary losses.

As the tension eased slightly, the killing intent from those around them began to dissipate.

After a moment of silence, Amelia broke it with a question.

"How did you know I'd come here?"

"Isn't it obvious? You'd never let such an opportunity slip by."

Amelia's eyebrow twitched.

It wasn't obvious. This wasn't something just anyone could predict. If it were, every lord in

the North would've mobilized.

But Ghislain spoke as if her actions were entirely predictable.

"You seem to know me better than I thought."

"Of course. I might know you better than anyone else on this continent."

"Better than anyone? You, of all people?"

"Yes. I've been watching how you move. So don't make any rash decisions, unless you want to

regret it."

Ghislain's sharp grin was met with Amelia's unimpressed expression.

"Don't say things that others might misinterpret. I'm not your fiancée anymore."

"...Is that how you see it?"

|| ||

A brief, awkward silence fell between them.

Ghislain couldn't help but recall his previous life. Back then, whenever Amelia found an unclaimed territory he had passed through, she'd immediately plant her flag there.

Even his own subordinates had given her nicknames like "The Witch of Flags" and "The Land-Grabbing Queen."

Her tenacity remained unmatched, even after Raypold was trampled. She continued to ambush the Mercenary King's forces and seize other territories whenever she had the chance.

Her infamous tendency to find excuses to keep whatever land she seized, even when Duke nobles demanded it back, had become a legend.

If Ghislain was a tempest sweeping across the continent, Amelia was the relentless force following in its wake.

"The Duke faction will have no choice but to approach Amelia now.'

Unlike Harold, who had unified the North for the Duke in the previous life, Amelia wasn't a

puppet for their cause. She'd become a wild card, entirely uncontrollable in the upcoming

civil war.

'She'll be a headache for Raul and the others.'

The thought made Ghislain chuckle involuntarily. Whatever their past relationship, Amelia

was undeniably an extraordinary woman.

Lowering his spear, Ghislain turned his horse.

"I'll take my leave for now. Consider yourself lucky, Amelia."

"The next time we meet, I'll take your head, Ghislain."

"Confident, are we?"

"Of course. I won't let you off so easily next time. Count on it."

"Don't say things others might misinterpret."

"...."

Ghislain chuckled to himself as he returned, having given Amelia a taste of her own medicine.

Amelia glared coldly at his retreating figure. If she were honest, she wanted nothing more

than to strike him down here and now.

But now was not the time. Killing Ghislain at the cost of losing everything she had gained

would mean nothing.

Ghislain was merely an obstacle on the path, not her goal. That made it easier for her to hold

back.

She had far grander ambitions and objectives.

Of course, she could easily make his life difficult if she wanted. Burning and pillaging all the

nearby villages would be a simple act of revenge.

'Meaningless.'

But such acts would be nothing more than petty indulgences with little to gain. Amelia wasn't

foolish enough to expend her energy on something so trivial.

"Let's go back."

Amelia retreated decisively. If not now, she could find another opportunity later.

As the Raypold forces slowly withdrew, the small contingent of Fenris soldiers within the

fortress let out sighs of relief.

In their exhausted state, they had no doubt they would have been annihilated in a

confrontation. Naturally, the tension had been unbearable.

Standing atop the fortress wall, Ghislain watched Amelia's departure and shook his head

slightly.

Shaking off a faint sense of regret, he laughed loudly and declared, "Leave only a minimal guard! The rest of us are heading for Desmond Castle!"

***

Boom!

The gates of Desmond Castle creaked open, and Ghislain and the Perdium forces entered.

Following behind them, the Kingdom Army and more Perdium soldiers filed in. The

townspeople within the castle whispered amongst themselves with expressions of fear.

"How could we have lost...?"

"How did a force of thirty thousand get defeated...?"

"What's going to happen to us now?"

They had always taken pride in their land being considered the strongest in the North. With

Raypold's internal struggles rendering it no longer a match for Desmond, they had grown

even more confident.

This defeat, then, came as a massive shock.

Yet even more troubling than their shattered pride were their practical concerns.

"Now that the war is over, they're going to recruit everyone they can. The Kingdom Army and

Perdium are here too."

"Isn't Perdium known as one of the poorest regions even in the North?"

"We have nothing left to give..."

Living in the heart of the territory, these townspeople were relatively well-off. Harold had meticulously divided and managed the populace according to their social strata.

But even they had endured tremendous expenditures for this war. And despite that, they had

still lost.

Desmond's army had been so strong that the invaders must have suffered significant losses

too. It was clear the victors would resort to forced recruits to recover those losses, leaving Desmond's residents deeply anxious.

So, when Ghislain strode confidently into the castle, they didn't dare meet his eyes, instead

holding their breath.

The same was true for the remaining vassals of Desmond. Convinced of their impending victory, they hadn't even prepared to flee.

Because the war had ended so abruptly and Ghislain had arrived so quickly, they hadn't had

time to gather their belongings or escape.

Dragged to the castle square, the vassals wore expressions of disbelief as they faced their conqueror. Ghislain gazed at them coldly.

A few among them, pale with fear, cried out desperately.

"C-Count! We didn't wish for this war!"

"We opposed it!"

"How could we have suggested attacking the Kingdom Army? That's treason! Treason!"

They scrambled to plead for their lives. However, not all of them grovelled.

"Silence, you disgraceful fools!"

"Even in death, the Count will not rest peacefully!"

"We fought with everything we had. Defeat is defeat!" These were the vassals who remained loyal to Harold to the end.

Though Harold had been strict and cold, he had also been a capable ruler with noble dignity.

Many of his vassals had genuinely admired and sworn loyalty to him.

Watching the vassals split into factions and bicker, Ghislain spoke with weary disdain.

"Take them away."

As soon as his command was issued, soldiers began dragging the vassals off.

"Please, spare us!"

"You barbaric invaders!"

"We're suffering this because we didn't kill that wretch sooner!"

Amidst the chaos, one man's words caught Ghislain's attention. He turned to look at the

speaker with curiosity.

The man, dressed in fine attire that suggested a high rank, glared at Ghislain as he continued

to shout.

"We should have gone after you instead of your sister! We should've killed you, no matter

what!"

"Oh?"

"You filthy bastard! I regret not urging the Count to wipe out Perdium sooner!"

Intrigued, Ghislain dismounted and approached the man.

"And who are you? You seem to know quite a bit."

"I am the head butler of this territory! A man far above the likes of you, you scoundrel!"

"Hmm... So, you must've been part of the plans to get rid of me, alongside Harold?"

"That's right! We had more pressing matters, so we put you off. And now look at this disaster! If the Kingdom Army hadn't intervened, we would've killed you for sure this time!" Unaware of the actual state of the war, the head butler assumed Fenris had won thanks to the

Kingdom Army's support. The numerical disparity had been too great to imagine any other outcome.

Still glaring at Ghislain with bloodshot eyes, the head butler continued.

"You think this ends here? Even if we've fallen, the Duke faction won't stand idly by! They'll

kill you! Not even the Royalist faction will save you then!"

"Really? The Duke faction has the time for that? I thought they were too busy to bother." Ghislain's mocking remark made the head butler shout even louder.

"The Duke faction already considers you a significant threat! They've been trying to send

someone to deal with you! That's why the Count was forced to act quickly and face you himself!"

"Oh... Is that so?"

Ghislain smiled, intrigued. As expected, the Duke faction was already moving to eliminate

him.

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