The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 48: Things Are a Bit Dangerous Right Now

“The estate is in danger? Why?”

The sudden statement flustered Belinda.

The biggest problem for the estate, money, had been largely resolved with the discovery of the runestone.

If they used that money wisely, they could lay the foundation for developing the estate like any other prosperous land.

“As long as you don’t recklessly throw money away, what could possibly be dangerous? It seems like there’s more than enough to last a lifetime.”

If the estate were in danger, the greatest threat would be the man standing right before her—Ghislain.

He had always been one to cause trouble, and now, with a considerable sum of money in his hands, the chances of him causing even greater disasters were relatively high.

For him to suddenly say the estate was in danger… was he predicting that he was about to cause some chaos?

“Hmm, how should I explain this?”

Ghislain pondered momentarily before dismissing all the maids and soldiers from the room, leaving only Belinda and Gillian behind.

If things continued this way, they would never truly understand why he was acting the way he was.

Up until now, they hadn’t fully understood Ghislain, yet they had followed him regardless.

However, no one knew how much longer that would last.

At this point, he had to offer some kind of explanation.

If he were to say outright that he had returned from the future, they’d surely think he was mad. So, he decided to explain using events that had already happened.

“You think that now we’ve obtained the runestone, everything is fine, don’t you?”

Gillian nodded.

“With the runestone we obtained, we can solve the chronic issues of the estate. Isn’t that what you’ve been aiming for, Young Lord?”

“Yes, it is what I wanted. But that doesn’t mean it’s entirely a good thing.”

“How could it not be a good thing?”

Neither Belinda nor Gillian could comprehend the meaning behind Ghislain’s words.

They had found the resources to resolve the estate’s problems. How could that possibly be anything but a good thing?

Ghislain stayed silent for a moment, organizing his thoughts before speaking again.

“There are people watching us.”

“What?”

Gillian wondered if Ghislain had developed some kind of paranoia.

Who on earth would be keeping watch over them?

Then, Belinda nodded her head and spoke.

“Lady Amelia? Is it because you took the money? Wouldn’t it be best just to compensate her and make peace?”

Gillian also nodded as if he understood.

After all, they had already dealt with the assassins that came for them previously.

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But Ghislain shook his head.

“No, it’s not them. There have been people watching us for much longer than that.”

“They’ve been watching us from before?”

“Who could possibly…?”

Before they could finish their questions, Ghislain continued.

“This is something neither my father nor our retainers know. Only my sister Elena and I are aware of this. Someone has been targeting our estate.”

Ghislain then explained the incident where Elena had been attacked and the discovery of the body of the Digald prince.

He even mentioned how they had disposed of Frank and the Digald prince’s bodies to prevent a territorial war caused by false accusations.

As Ghislain continued his explanation, Belinda and Gillian’s expressions grew darker.

They began to understand why Ghislain had been moving so urgently and unusually up until now.

After organizing his thoughts for a moment, Gillian asked in a puzzled voice.

“But, Young Lord, this estate… I apologize, but no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem valuable enough to seize. In fact, taking it would only lead to battles with barbarians, which would be a loss. There’s no reason to weaken this estate by instigating a fight with another one.”

“Yes, that’s how it’s been until now. But what about now?”

“Well, of course, now we have the runestone…”

Gillian trailed off as he realized the problem.

A weak military, a poor estate, and citizens who were always exhausted. Yet, this place had been discovered to hold something of immense value.

The result was clear.

When someone wants to take what another has, history shows that there’s always one certain and swift way to do so.

Belinda swallowed nervously and answered in his place.

“W-war?”

She shook her head immediately after saying it.

“No, no. The runestone was just discovered. There’s no way the enemies know about it yet, right?”

Her logic seemed sound.

If the enemies had known about the runestone, they would have invaded long ago.

Ghislain nodded.

“Right, it’s likely they weren’t targeting us because of the runestone. If they were certain it existed, they’d have already attacked. There must be another reason they’re aiming for this place.”

Ghislain spoke with a bitter smile.

“But now that the runestone has been discovered, they’ll soon set their sights on us. In a way, I’ve accelerated the coming war. It was bound to happen sooner or later, anyway.”

Gillian’s expression turned grim.

Dealing with the assassins sent by Ghislain’s former fiancée was already troubling, but now they had to worry about an unknown enemy targeting their estate. This was no ordinary situation.

“Do you have any guesses as to who might be behind it?”

Ghislain shook his head.

He was convinced that the Delfine Duke was behind the conspiracy, but no clear evidence had surfaced yet.

Moreover, foreign figures like Aiden from his past life were involved, so explaining everything at this point would be pointless.

“I don’t know for sure yet, but their identity will likely be revealed as things unfold. That’s why I’m trying to prepare as quickly as possible. Just be aware of that.”

Belinda nodded, her expression stiff.

The confusing puzzle of Jamal and Philip’s story finally began to make sense.

It would have been hard to believe in the past, but she had already witnessed Ghislain’s abilities firsthand in the Forest of Beasts.

There was no reason for him to lie about this.

Gillian cautiously asked Ghislain.

“In that case, shouldn’t you inform the lord and devise a plan together?”

“No, not yet. We don’t even know for sure who among the retainers is an enemy or ally. Even Elena’s knight protectors betrayed us. There are likely spies lurking around.”

“The news that we’ve obtained the runestone will soon spread as well.”

“Exactly. We need to sell the runestone and make preparations before our enemies find out.”

Ghislain shrugged as he spoke.

“Besides, Amelia will continue to target me regardless of the runestone. She’s a more tenacious woman than you think.”

“If the enemies find out we’ve secured the runestone, they will certainly make a move immediately.”

“Exactly. That’s why we need to prepare for the possible war. Now you understand why there’s no time to rest, right?”

Gillian furrowed his brows in concern.

“For any other estate, preparing for war and launching an attack would take about two to three months. But at that time, it was practically impossible for Ferdium to build up a force to respond effectively.”

Ghislain nodded silently.

If the enemies were to invade, they would be thoroughly prepared to crush Ferdium’s military strength. They probably knew every detail of their forces by now.

The best course of action would be to recruit more soldiers and upgrade their equipment, but time was too short to raise funds and make all the necessary preparations.

Fully aware of these circumstances, Gillian couldn’t hide his worried expression.

“Building a reliable force and properly equipping them would take at least a year or at least six months. And even then, that’s just for basic training.”

Belinda, who had been quietly listening, asked with an exasperated look on her face.

“So… you’re saying we need to prepare because war is coming?”

“Well, to put it simply, yes.”

“Ugh, why do you have to make it sound so complicated? Fine, I’ll help, too.”

“Huh? You should be resting, Belinda. Your body’s still not fully recovered, so you do not need to be involved.”

“The estate’s in danger, so of course, I need to help prepare. I’m not interested in war, but in the end, isn’t it just a matter of taking the commander’s head? I’m good at that kind of thing.”

At Belinda’s confident remark, Ghislain laughed, half in amusement, half in admiration.

“Well, just hearing you say that makes me feel reassured. While you’re not wrong, we can’t rely on just that. For now, focus on getting your strength back.”

“Thanks to you, I’m already feeling a lot better. I think I’ll recover in no time. Besides, you seem to be moving around just fine… Wait a minute, come to think of it… How are you able to move so well already? And what about using mana earlier?”

“Oh? That’s right.”

When Belinda pointed it out, Ghislain tilted his head, his expression turning serious.

He had been using mana naturally without thinking, simply because his body felt fine, but now that he thought about it, it was indeed bizarre.

He had been severely injured to the point where he couldn’t move properly.

On the first day, he had been completely unconscious, unable to even move. On the second day, he could barely move his body, let alone use mana.

That’s why it had been Gillian and Kaor who had sliced up the Blood Python’s corpse.

But now, his body moved naturally, and he could use mana without any strain.

Though he wasn’t in peak condition, he could still move normally.

Logically, it was impossible for his body to recover this much in just three days.

Belinda looked at him with a curious expression.

“Could this also be related to the training technique you’ve learned, Young Lord? That’s an incredible recovery rate.”

Gillian, also intrigued, looked at Ghislain.

To him as well, it seemed that Ghislain had recovered far too quickly, given the severity of his injuries.

Ghislain shook his head.

This wasn’t the result of his mana training technique.

While stronger mana could undoubtedly influence the body’s healing process to some extent, he hadn’t yet accumulated enough mana to reach that level.

His technique, in the first place, wasn’t focused on recovery but was optimized for extreme destruction.

“It is strange, though.”

He hadn’t paid attention to it earlier since he was immediately taken to meet his father, but his injuries should have required at least two weeks of recovery.

His bones had been fractured, his muscles torn, and the powerful venom of the Blood Python had slightly poisoned him. Recovering so quickly was strange in itself.

“It feels like my muscles are almost completely healed.”

Though not fully restored to the point where he could fight, his body now only felt a slight ache.

It was proof that his bones and muscles had almost entirely mended.

The effects of the poison had also disappeared without him realizing it.

“I honestly don’t know what’s going on either. I should take today to rest and check my condition.”

Belinda eyed Ghislain suspiciously.

He had hidden many things from them before, often brushing off questions. She figured this might be another one of those times.

“Well, fine. If you say you’ll rest, that’s good. Once you’re feeling better, let’s move together.”

“Sure, I’ll assess my condition, and we can move together. But first, make sure you rest and recover.”

As Ghislain moved to leave with Gillian, Belinda suddenly remembered something and called out to him.

“Wait, you said even basic training would take at least six months. Isn’t it already too late, no matter how fast we prepare?”

At her question, Ghislain’s expression turned meaningful.

“There’s a force ready to deploy immediately.”

“What is it? Are you planning to gather mercenaries again?”

It was true that mercenaries were the only force they could quickly mobilize.

But Ghislain shook his head with a confident smile.

“Of course, we’ll need to reinforce the mercenaries. But there’s another force, one that no one else can use.”