The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

7th Chapter: I Won’t Fall for It Again. (3)

Ghislaine had been considering various possibilities for how Elena ended up in an accident.

Among them was the assumption that there might be a betrayer within the castle.

Of course, the guard knights were suspecting as well, but who would have thought it could be Jamal, who had been protecting Elena for so long?

“How about it? Would you like to take a look, my lord?”

“Sure, let’s go take a look.”

Ghislaine nodded lightly and followed Jamal along with Elena.

Navigating through the chaotic crowd, they soon found themselves in a quiet area and entered the Poor District.

It took some time to get there, but Elena was filled with excitement at the thought of new sights to see and walked eagerly.

Although she felt a bit scared of the gloomy atmosphere unique to the Poor District, she seemed not too worried since the guard knight was with her.

Ghislaine quietly observed another guard knight, Philip.

‘Is this guy in on it too?’

His face was slightly flushed, and he silently walked, looking rather awkward.

In his previous life, Elena, along with Philip and Jamal, was found dead.

If both of them were betrayers, the reason for their death was pretty clear.

‘They must have been silenced.’

The cost of interfering in a dangerous plot to kill the lord’s daughter wasn’t cheap.

Usually, one would have to stake their own life, but it seemed the two hadn’t thought that far.

“Here we are!”

When the group arrived at an open space, Jamal excitedly exclaimed.

Looking around, they saw old, dilapidated houses that crowded the clearing.

Discarded materials and trash filled every corner.

‘As expected.’

The piled-up trash seemed to make it difficult to escape.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed arranged by human hands. At first glance, it looked like ordinary trash, but it cleverly blocked the escape routes.

“Ugh, what’s the big deal? It’s just a bunch of garbage.”

Elena frowned. After putting in the effort to come all the way here, she looked frustrated at the disappointing atmosphere, which was far from what she had expected.

As Elena’s voice sharpened, Jamal hurriedly waved his hands.

“It’s not ready yet. Soon, people will come and show you something amazing.”

“Hmph, forget it! I’m going back. Let’s go, brother.”

Elena wasn’t a fool.

She spoke casually, but her anxious expression was quite apparent.

Having placed her trust in a guard knight she had known for a long time, it made sense she’d feel suspicious when he led her to a place filled with trash.

“Young lady, wouldn’t it be a shame to leave without taking a look after coming all this way?”

Jamal stepped in front of Elena, grinning slyly.

Just a moment ago, he had a tense expression, but now he seemed to have all the confidence in the world as if it didn’t matter anymore.

“Move aside, I’m going back.”
“Just wait a moment!”

“Philip!”

Elena turned to Philip with an angry expression.

But he said nothing and just stood next to Jamal.

“W-wait, are both of you…?”

Elena tightly grabbed Ghislaine’s arm with a terrified face.

Seeing both guard knights acting suspiciously sent a shiver down her spine.

“W-what’s going on…? Why is this happening?”

She barely opened her mouth, but her voice trembled slightly.

Jamal laughed as if it was nothing serious.

“I have no grudge against the young lady. You’ve treated me kindly, and being a guard wasn’t that bad either.”

“B-but why…?”

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Just a well-paying request came in. It’s a bit disappointing that I won’t be seeing the young lady anymore.”

Jamal smirked wickedly, licking his lips with his tongue.

“Now, as promised, I’ve brought the young lady! Let’s wrap up this transaction quickly!”

As Jamal shouted, three people appeared from one side of the dilapidated building.

One was an ordinary-looking middle-aged man, and the two men next to him looked younger.

All three had common features that would be easily forgotten in a crowd. They looked particularly suited to blend into the shadows.

The middle-aged man glanced around before asking Jamal.

“Looking at your face, you seem to be the Grand Duke of Perdium, right? I don’t remember you being in the request.”

“Heh, yeah. He just stupidly followed along. I’ll throw him in as a bonus. It’s a gift.”

“What an unexpected gain. This will yield better results. Prepare yourself.”

As the middle-aged man nodded with a satisfied expression, the other two men blocked the escape route.

Elena looked around, her face pale.

“Jamal! What on earth are you doing?!”

Jamal replied with a carefree smile.

“Who knows? My job was to bring the young lady here. The rest is up to them. They can sell you as a slave or kill you.”

“W-what?!”

Elena stammered, shocked, and then Ghislaine stepped forward.

“You’ve sold us out. Do you think you’ll get away with this in the territory?”

Despite Ghislaine’s warning, Jamal seemed unconcerned.

“All we need is the money and a chance to run far away. I’m sick of this wretched territory where everyone just fights every day. Aren’t there many like us leaving Perdium?”

“But nobody leaves while causing a scene like this.”

“Blame bad luck for the Grand Duke not being in the original plan. Well, thanks to the Grand Duke, the maids didn’t follow along, so I guess he saved a few lives. Looks like you’re doing a good deed before you die, huh? Hehehe.”

“Bad luck, you say…”

Ghislaine wore an inscrutable smile. Jamal shook his head dismissively, thinking Ghislaine had given up.

“Anyway, I’m sorry about this. I feel a little guilty, but it can’t be helped.”

However, contrary to his words, there was no hint of remorse on his face.

Jamal approached the middle-aged man with a grin. Philip’s expression was the darkest among them. He seemed to feel a tinge of guilt.

Jamal inspected the middle-aged man and grimaced slightly.

“You look too light-fingered. If this is a joke, it’s not funny. You do know we’re both knights, right?”

In response, the middle-aged man took out a piece of paper from his pocket and waved it.

“Seems like you worry too much. Isn’t it a hassle to carry that much money around? It’s easier to use a letter of credit from the Northern Merchant Alliance when dealing with large sums.”

“Tch, gold coins are better. There better not be any problems when exchanging. If it’s a scam, I’ll definitely kill you.”
“I’m going to kill you.”

The middle-aged man smirked and nodded.

“Don’t worry. There won’t be any problems at all. I promise.”

As the middle-aged man assured him, Jamal reluctantly accepted the paper.

Just as he was about to channel mana to check if it was genuine, he glanced at the words written on the paper and his eyes widened.

[Digald Ball Invitation]

The paper was nothing of value, just an invitation to a ball from another territory.

“You bastard!”

Just as Jamal was about to draw his sword in anger…

Whoosh!

The middle-aged man had already pulled out a dagger and stabbed Jamal in the gut.

“Gurk, cough!”

“It seems you picked this up on your way and didn’t like it. Not a fan of balls, huh?”

As the middle-aged man finished speaking, he moved the dagger again.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

In the blink of an eye, the middle-aged man had stabbed Jamal multiple times and stepped back slightly.

“It’s not a lie. If you die here, it won’t be a problem at all.”

“You son of a… you tricked us…”

Holding his gut, Jamal staggered and collapsed.

Knowing it was dangerous, Jamal and Philip had considered the possibility of this happening.

However, confident in their skills as knights, they continued without hesitation, only to be caught off-guard by the middle-aged man’s tactics.

“Uaaaaagh!”

Unable to contain his rage, Philip drew his sword and charged at the middle-aged man.

Clang!

The middle-aged man swiftly drew his sword and easily blocked the attack.

After exchanging a few blows, the middle-aged man expressed a bit of admiration.

“Not bad.”

As a knight from Perdium, Philip had pretty good skills.

But the middle-aged man was on another level entirely.

Slash!

As the middle-aged man channeled more mana, Philip’s head was soon severed.

“Gurgle.”

With blood frothing from his mouth, Philip collapsed. The middle-aged man approached with an indifferent expression and cleanly cut off his head.

Then he walked over to Jamal, who was bleeding out on the ground.

“P-please… spare me…”

Even as he was dying, Jamal pleaded for his life.

“Sorry, I prefer clean work.”

“You bastard…”

“Anyway, good job. I hope you enjoy your gift.”

Once again, the middle-aged man coldly decapitated Jamal.

Having dealt with both of them, the middle-aged man pulled out a pipe and started lighting a roll of tobacco.

“Ah… this is the best time to smoke. Now, shall we finish this?”

Exhaling smoke, he looked back at the siblings.

Elena clutched Ghislaine’s arm tighter. Tears glistened in her eyes as she trembled.

Not only was it terrifying to witness someone being decapitated right in front of her, but she was also afraid of meeting the same fate.

“O-o-brother! Let’s run away!”

Elena pulled on Ghislaine’s arm again, desperate to escape, but Ghislaine shook her head.

“It’s okay, let go. You seem surprisingly strong?”

“Hurry up and let’s get out of here!”

“Just three guys? There’s nothing to worry about.”

Ghislaine smiled as she tried to pull her arm free, but it wouldn’t come loose easily.

“Do you work out? Why are you so strong?”

“What?”

Elena looked bewildered.

The middle-aged man, who had been watching quietly, also chuckled.

It seems the Grand Duke of Perdium really was a bit off his rocker.

Whether the enemy mocked him or not, Ghislaine began to spread her mana like thin threads in all directions.

In her previous life, she could have encompassed the entire space within her vision as her domain, but that was impossible now, so she scattered it in strands instead.

“Thinner and wider.”

Such manipulation of mana was not something just anyone could pull off.
Muna couldn’t do it.

Even a decent knight wouldn’t know such techniques, and even if they did, they’d be lost on how to execute them.

Only those who surpassed their limits and could manipulate mana freely could use such skills.

Ghislaine, though his body hadn’t fully grown yet, already had experience and knowledge beyond that level.

Even with a small amount of mana, there was no problem in operating it with precision.

‘There are no others apart from these three.’

No threads of mana ensnared anything.

Confident that there were no hidden personnel, Ghislaine carefully released Elena’s hand, which was tightly gripping his arm.

“What’s your name?”

At Ghislaine’s question, the middle-aged man brushed off his pipe and replied.

“…Out of respect for the nobility, I’ll share my name. It’s Frank. May you resent me in the afterlife.”

“That’s not the name of this area. Who sent you?”

“That’s not for you to know.”

With a nod from Frank, the two men blocking the exit stepped closer.

One of the men asked Frank.

“What should we do?”

After a moment of contemplation, Frank said matter-of-factly.

“Beheading is too ordinary; let’s mangle the whole body. Let Count Perdium see and become enraged. Don’t forget to keep them alive for as long as possible. It’ll look prettier when they writhe in pain.”

“Understood.”

Thud.

The moment Ghislaine heard that, his heart raced wildly.

The painful memories that had plagued him for a lifetime surged back in his mind.

Seeing Elena’s body returned in a horrific state, mutilated and broken, Ghislaine wept and retched.

The last image of Elena he’d seen remained vividly branded in his mind, never to be forgotten until his dying day.

‘I’ve never forgotten even once.’

Blood rushed to his head, and his face began to heat up.

How long had it been since he felt this kind of excitement?

Though excitement was a no-go before a fight, Ghislaine surrendered himself to the whirlwind of emotions. His hands began trembling slightly, and his breathing quickened.

Seeing this, Frank chuckled.

‘What a complete rookie.’

Just from the slight trembling of his hands, it was clear how lacking Ghislaine’s skills were.

However, one thing nagged at him…

‘He’s smiling?’

Even in this situation, his lips were curled up. His eyes shone with a terrifying madness.

But what could someone as pathetic as Ghislaine do? Ignoring his uneasy premonition, Frank urged his subordinates.

“So it really seems he’s a madman as the rumors say. Get started.”

The two men approached Ghislaine a little closer.

Elena hesitated and stepped back.

“O-Oppa!”

She couldn’t run away out of worry for Ghislaine and could only cry out like a scream.

At that moment, Ghislaine spoke softly.

“I’ve finally met you all.”

“What?”

“I really wanted to see you.”

“What the hell is this punk saying…?”

Ghislaine’s hand shot out like lightning and grasped one man’s neck.

“Gah, urk!”

Poof!

His fingers pierced the neck, completely going through. Blood gushed out, beginning to soak his clothes.

“Geh, geee…”

The man trembled, having dropped his sword.

With blood-soaked hands, Ghislaine slowly pulled the man close to his face.

A voice filled with ecstasy rang out.

“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to meet you. I’ve dreamed of this moment my whole life.”

Without hesitation, Ghislaine flung his hand back.

Wham!

The man’s head was ripped off and his lifeless body collapsed onto the trash heap.

---