The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 660

Leo had a confused expression on his face. He had been coldly observing, and suddenly Ghislain acted as though they were friends, which he couldn’t quite understand.

Ghislain, indifferent to Leo’s strange look, supported him and continued.

"Alright, we don’t have much time, so let’s talk as we go. Hey, you all, hurry up and pack. It’s our first mission!"

"..."

The three of them blinked, looking at Ghislain. They couldn’t adjust to the sudden shift in atmosphere.

But once Ghislain glared at them with determination, they all moved at once.

Leo, still puzzled by Ghislain’s sudden friendliness, regarded him suspiciously.

He honestly didn’t expect much from them. They all looked too young and delicate for mercenaries. What he wanted was experienced and powerful mercenaries.

And there was something else about Ghislain that lingered in his mind.

"First... mission, you say?"

Ghislain immediately noticed the unease and desperation in Leo’s words.

"Don’t worry too much. I’m a 5th-circle mage, after all."

"5... 5th-circle?"

It was hard for Leo to believe that someone who looked this young could be a 5th-circle mage.

Ghislain smirked and waved his finger. Suddenly, a massive mana spear materialized in the air.

"Oh, wow."

Leo gasped. Ghislain waved his hand again, and the spear shot upwards.

Boom!

The spear pierced the roof in an instant. Leo’s face turned pale as he saw it.

"Woah!"

He couldn’t help but shout in awe. At this level, even a skilled knight could be taken down in one hit.

Though it was true that mages were at a disadvantage in direct combat with knights, Leo wasn’t worried.

"This is enough! We can kill the opponent before they even get close!"

The spear was formed in the blink of an eye. He thought that before the knight could even approach, they’d be finished. Leo, who wasn’t familiar with combat, could only think along these lines.

Seeing hope at last, he grabbed Ghislain’s hand and repeated his thanks.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Don’t mention it. I’m happy to help with fighting evil. Shall we get moving?"

"Yes!"

Ghislain and his group immediately followed Leo. Jackson, who had been standing there in a daze, muttered while staring at the hole in the roof.

"Ah, those bastards..."

It seemed like the repair cost would be quite high, but since he had already received his payment, he couldn’t exactly complain.

Shaking his head, he packed up his things.

"To think that a newly formed mercenary group would directly get involved with a lord... These guys really have no fear."

Even if they won the duel, they’d likely have to flee to another region. Jackson, who had been trying to befriend them, found this a bit disappointing.

Julien, packing up, turned to Ghislain and asked,

"Why the sudden change? You said we should hear both sides. And you also said duels weren’t very helpful."

"I think it’ll be fine to help them."

"But what if the other side is the bad one?"

"Gold is good."

"What?"

"Forget it. Anyway, I can tell immediately when I look at things."

"..."

"I said this to teach you all something."

"..."

"Ah, I have a plan. Just follow along."

"...Alright."

Ghislain was someone who could change their strategy on a dime if needed. The three were still confused but diligently observing and learning.

Leo introduced himself to Ghislain again.

"I’m Leo, the heir of the Raks Merchant Guild. Thank you for taking on the mission. How should we proceed with the contract?"

"I’ll decide on the payment after I’ve heard all the details. Please, go ahead with your explanation."

"Yes, let me explain the situation in detail…"

The Raks family was made up of several noble families. While they didn’t have territory, the current head of the family had excellent management skills and had grown the guild into something quite large.

They were part of the Mark Baronage and had managed to acquire considerable assets through their dealings with the lord.

"So far, the lord hadn’t interfered with our taxes or profits, as we had paid quite a bit. But recently, public funds were discovered in the territory."

Part of this was located on land owned by the Raks Merchant Guild.

The Raks Merchant Guild had substantial mining rights in the region, as they could legally acquire a portion of the resources.

They had passed over half of the mining rights to the lord, as it was only right considering the lord controlled the land.

However, the lord soon began eyeing more of the mining rights, which they had legally acquired.

The amount of ore mined from the "part" was massive, making it easy to see why the lord was greedy for more.

But the Raks Merchant Guild had obtained these rights legally, backed by the Mark Baronage.

And so, they sought assistance.

Leo contorted his face in anger as he continued,

"A steward who worked with us for two years betrayed us."

"A steward betrayed you? This is madness... Anyway, keep going."

The betrayal of the steward had shocked the guild.

They had to pay extra taxes due to the profits from the mining and mineral processing. The lord, using this as an excuse, began putting pressure on the guild.

The lord created false documents accusing the guild, and with the help of the steward and staff who had already turned against them, they fabricated all the evidence.

"The lord said he would forgive us if we handed over all the guild’s assets. We requested the royal family to mediate and give us time for proper investigation. But..."

The lord had already made up his mind to take control of the mines, and there was no way he would give them any time.

In this era, the royal family was highly influential, but the Raks Merchant Guild was still quite respected in the region.

Yet, the lord’s greed was so obvious that even others could see it. He had put his pride and honor on the line in this struggle.

"If we lose the duel, we’ll have to give up all the guild’s assets. The lord doesn’t need to gain gold anymore."

Desperate, the Raks Merchant Guild demanded gold from the lord, but he had already made up his mind to seize the entire guild.

In these times, if there was an opportunity, no one hesitated to act on their greed.

The Raks Merchant Guild was at risk of losing everything they had worked for.

"In this world, having no power is a crime."

Leo finally began to cry.

The lord presented the strongest knight of his territory. However, those hired by the merchant guild didn’t have that level of skill.

At best, a few of them could use mana, but all had collapsed from poison.

"There are traitors in the guild. But we don’t even know who the traitors are."

Now, there was no one left to face the duel. They tried to hire mercenaries, but by now, the word had spread, and everyone turned them down.

Thus, Leo had ended up here, coming from the trusted guild in Changwon to this city.

Ghislain nodded. This was a clear scheme where the powerless were destined to be victims.

"Understood. So that’s the situation. Our 'Julien Mercenary Group' can solve this for you. But even if you win the duel, wouldn’t that cause problems? The lord will definitely retaliate."

Leo’s face darkened. Even if they won the duel, it would only buy them a little time.

The lord would surely find another excuse and come at them again.

It wouldn’t end with just a duel. He would likely send his troops.

"So... for now, I’ll try to negotiate again for the mining rights if we get through this. At least we can try to protect what we have left. We can’t request mediation from nearby territories now."

It was about the mine. Other lords would surely want to take it if they had the chance.

If the Raks Guild requested help, it was obvious that a war would be sparked under the guise of that.

That was why they couldn’t seek help from other regions.

"The lord is probably watching us closely. If we’re caught trying to seek help from another region, he’ll kill us first."

The lord had also issued the challenge for a duel to ensure that they wouldn’t seek help elsewhere, promising to spare their lives if they didn’t.

Whether he would really spare them, though, was another story.

Leo sighed and continued.

"There are traitors within the guild, but we still haven’t figured out who they are. If we show any sign of discontent, the lord will use that as an excuse to attack us. There’s nothing we can do."

"We can help."

"Help? How?"

Ghislain said nonchalantly,

"We can watch over your negotiations until the armies from nearby territories arrive."

Leo stared at him blankly. How could they stop the lord’s army with only four people?

No matter how skilled they were, it was impossible in Leo’s mind. And even if they had the ability, he didn’t intend to get involved in such a risky move.

"I’m sorry. We can’t start a war over the mine. Innocent people would die."

"Do you mean that?"

Leo smiled faintly, as if whispering,

"Who do you think has suffered the most here? The guild members, the people from the territory, they’ve all been my long-time clients and friends. How could I just watch them get hurt?"

"Aren’t you a merchant?"

"My father always told me I lacked merchant skills. But what can I do? My heart says otherwise..."

Ghislain chuckled softly, looking at Leo, his sincerity clear on his face.

"Honestly, I don’t think you’re cut out to be a merchant."

It was the kind of character that didn’t fit in this harsh era. But, despite this, he must have been feeling somewhat despondent, unable to even solve such a simple problem.

If his heart weren’t in it, it wouldn’t have been a problem for him.

But if someone hated him, what could he do? He wasn’t going to force anything. After all, even if they pulled in other regions, the Raks Guild would not be able to handle it.

"I’ve been watching the flow of things lately. It seems like the kingdom is slowly getting caught up in this era of turmoil."

Julien and Deneb, quietly listening nearby, smiled. They were moved by Leo’s warm heart.

They whispered amongst themselves, thinking that Leo was a bit of a naive person.

After a while, the group arrived at the Raks Guild's headquarters.

Around the guild were several small houses. People who worked for or depended on the guild lived in these houses, forming a small village beneath.

They were all aware of the situation, so their faces looked grim, but they smiled and greeted Leo as they saw him.

"Lord, welcome back."

"Don’t worry too much about the guild’s matters."

"We’ll handle everything and make sure it’s taken care of."

Leo smiled and nodded at them.

Just by observing, it was clear that Leo had strong trust and loyalty in this area.

Once they reached the guild, Ghislain and his group were treated with great courtesy. Ghislain sat arrogantly, drinking tea and eating fruit as if it was nothing special.

Julien, Deneb, and Kyle, though somewhat uncomfortable, didn’t worry too much. They had faith that with Ghislain’s skills, even a knight would be no match for him.

Leo carefully spoke up,

"By the way... you haven’t mentioned the payment yet."

Ghislain looked at Leo and nodded.

"For the payment, since it’s your first request, I’ll make it special and offer a lower price."

"Thank you. How much will it be?"

As usual, Ghislain raised three fingers. This had become his trademark gesture.

Leo, hoping for a lower price, hesitated before asking,

"Three gold?"

"..."

"Haha, sorry. Then... it’s not 30 gold, right? How about 300 gold?"

Leo’s words shocked Julien, Deneb, and Kyle. 300 gold? They had never even seen that much money before.

300 gold was an enormous sum. For most mercenaries, it would be enough to risk their lives.

But Ghislain looked indifferent. To him, 300 gold was a trivial amount.

‘Even when I had nothing, Amelia gave me 20,000 gold in donations.’

Thinking back to that time, he stood firm.

Leo, swallowing nervously, spoke again,

"I’m willing to offer 3,000 gold."

This time, Ghislain’s group was even more shocked. Kyle even began to plan his retirement.

But Ghislain closed his eyes and shook his head.

"..."

At this rate, it would be 30,000 gold. That amount would be enough to shake the guild to its core. No, it was unlikely they could even gather that much in cash.

It was an enormous amount, and everyone’s faces turned pale.

Leo, with a trembling voice, asked,

"How much would you be willing to accept?"

Ghislain smiled faintly and shook his head again.

"I think there’s been a misunderstanding... I’m not thinking of taking such a large amount all at once. If I did, it would undermine the operation of the guild."

"Really? So, then what do you mean by ‘little by little’?"

"30% would be fair."

"Yes?"

"I’ll take 30% of the mining rights from the restored mine."

Ghislain smiled brightly.

This meant that they were intending to stay on good terms for the long term.