The reason Ghislain knew so much about the Drake rcenary Corps and Martin was that he, too, had been a rcenary at the ti.
The Drake rcenary Corps had fought remarkably well. Dominic, their leader, was far more skilled then than he was now.
Though he was naturally talented, his abilities at the ti were truly extraordinary. It was easy to guess why he had grown so strong.
'He probably wanted to save his family at all costs.'
During the civil war, the Duke faction achieved an easy victory. The Marquis Rodrick grew stronger, so the rcenary corps narrowly avoided being destroyed.
Still, they remained re tools under the Marquis's command. Dominic must have quit drinking and dedicated himself to training, hoping to escape that cage.
Perhaps it was also a way to forget reality.
And then, he had encountered Ghislain.
The rcenary King's army, which swept across the kingdom, was entirely different from the Royal faction during the civil war.
It was led by one of the seven strongest warriors on the continent. Within a week of the war's start, the army had seized the capital and utterly destroyed every force they faced.
When the rcenary King's army invaded the West, the Marquis Rodrick naturally put the Drake rcenary Corps at the forefront.
Dominic had to survive to save the hostages. The sa went for the rest of the rcenaries. So, they fought with all their might against the rcenary King's forces.
After Ghislain captured and executed the Marquis and Martin, he learned of the plight of the Drake rcenary Corps.
-What a sha.
They were a rcenary corps strong enough to catch the eye of the rcenary King. If they hadn't been held back by hostages, they might have followed him.
As a fellow rcenary, Ghislain found their situation deeply regrettable. That feeling left a lasting impression of the Drake rcenary Corps in his mory.
Now, that information from back then was proving invaluable.
"This ti, they'll follow .'
In his previous life, it hadn't worked out. But now, he would let them live as true rcenaries.
Using the knowledge from his past life, Ghislain knew that the hostages had remained here all this ti.
From Martin's perspective, the Drake rcenary Corps was a valuable asset. He had to keep the hostages hidden in the safest place possible.
Sowhere he could monitor them at all tis, and from where they couldn't be easily taken.
"Anyway, we'll infiltrate this building, so keep that in mind. Just prepare everything I tell you to."
The target was the only building within the building connected to the main mansion by an underground passage. It was also linked to a secret escape route that led outside.
True to his cowardly nature, Martin had modified the mansion to include multiple escape routes.
Because it was a top secret, only a select few of his closest aides knew about the secret passage. Martin used it to thoroughly conceal the hostages.
Although Dominic struggled to trust Ghislain, who shared no details, he had read The Chronicles of Count Fenris. It described how Ghislain always acted like he knew everything,
and yet always succeeded. Dominic had no choice but to believe him.
Honestly, a part of him had reached a point where he thought, "To hell with it."
"So, how do you plan to infiltrate?"
"I'll rely on the help of infiltration specialists."
"Excuse ?"
"The Drake rcenary Corps can bypass city inspections, right?"
"Yes, we can."
Since they were practically Martin's lackeys, they didn't undergo inspections. It was one of the few privileges they enjoyed. After all, as long as hostages were held, they couldn't do anything else.
"Prepare wagons. There are people I need to bring. Don't use your n; disguise my subordinates as rcenaries."
Ghislain issued his orders with confidence, as if he had planned everything beforehand.
Dominic obeyed without resistance, partly out of curiosity and partly because Ghislain kept him too busy to ask questions.
The knights accompanying Ghislain were granted the status of Drake rcenary Corps mbers and provided wagons marked with their seal.
By nightfall, the wagons sent out by Dominic returned, and dozens of people stepped out of them.
They were short in stature but had broad, sturdy builds, causing Dominic to gape in surprise.
"Dwarves?"
The people Ghislain had secretly brought were dwarves-fifty of them, no less.
The dwarf at the forefront extended his hand to Dominic and said,
"Nice to et you. I'm Galbarik."
"Gasp! The great blacksmith?"
"Hm? You know ?"
"I read about you in The Chronicles of Count Fenris."
"What? There's such a thing? Why didn't anyone tell about this? I'm in it, and I didn't even know? I'm curious how they wrote about ."
"...I didn't know either."
Since the book had been secretly published, it was natural that none of them knew about it.
Though dwarves were officially considered slaves, Dominic addressed Galbarik with
honorifics, treating him with great respect.
As a fan of Count Fenris, Dominic cherished every figure ntioned in The Chronicles. It was a sentint only true followers could understand.
Avoiding Dominic's overwhelming gaze, Galbarik turned to Ghislain and asked,
"So, where should we dig the tunnel?"
At those words, Dominic was startled.
"A tunnel? Are you saying we'll dig a tunnel to get in?"
Ghislain nodded.
"Yes. Since we can't approach from the outside, we'll dig our way in secretly."
"That's impossible. Digging a tunnel inside the city? We've thought about it, but it'll make
noise, and we'll get caught."
"Don't worry. Dwarves never get caught."
Galbarik, too, wore a confident expression as he said,
"For us, digging a tunnel this distance is easier than drinking soup. With precise asurents and proper support structures, we can eliminate noise..."
Galbarik began to explain in detail, much like Vanessa.
He admired Vanessa's intelligence and had noticed that her clear explanations seed to win
people over.
So, whenever he got the chance to emulate her, he seized it.
If Ghislain hadn't stopped him, he would have gone on all day.
"Save the explanations for later. Let's just get to work. Use the excuse of interior construction
to bring all the necessary materials here."
Dominic, still uneasy, asked, "Are you sure this will work?"
Galbarik examined the blueprints carefully, pointed to one area, and said, "We'll dig here. Judging by the building layout, this area should be unguarded."
The spot Galbarik pointed to was a gap between the target building and an adjacent one. It
was indeed a place where only occasional patrols occurred and where additional guards would
be unnecessary.
The mansion's interior was less heavily guarded than its outer periter due to its sheer size, making it likely they could enter unnoticed.
"But even so, we'll still need to enter the building to rescue the hostages. A fight is
inevitable."
Ghislain nodded as if that were obvious.
"Once the hostages are rescued, it'll beco a race against ti. We'll need to quickly neutralize the forces inside and move. Then we'll retreat back through the tunnel to this
spot."
"Then..."
"Yes, prepare wagons here so we can leave the city imdiately. And..."
Ghislain turned a cold gaze toward Dominic.
"Deploy all your forces outside the city. Make it so that anyone pursuing us gives up and turns
back. Understood?"
Dominic swallowed hard. He had heard that Ghislain was decisive, but he hadn't expected him
to move so quickly.
It all felt reckless, as though Ghislain had no concrete basis for his plans, only telling him,
"Trust . It'll work."
Reading about it in a book and witnessing it firsthand felt vastly different.
But what could he do? They had already begun.
"...Understood."
If they failed, Dominic decided he would storm Martin's mansion and kill him before he died.
Following Ghislain's orders, everything began to fall into place.
Dominic spared no resources, providing everything the rcenary corps could offer. Materials
were acquired, and the dwarves were given every convenience to focus solely on their work.
No additional laborers were hired; the operation had to remain a secret, so only the dwarves worked on the tunnel.
Preparations to smuggle out the rcenary corps' assets also began.
While they couldn't take everything, they planned to bring along the most important items.
Of course, not everyone in the rcenary corps complied without question. Several officers
and subordinate rcenary leaders approached Dominic.
"What's going on, captain?"
"Please, tell us. Why are we suddenly mobilizing forces and moving supplies? And why are we
suddenly renovating the warehouse?"
"...It's because of a commission."
"What kind of commission?"
"A very important one. I can't share details yet, as nothing's finalized."
"Captain!"
Dominic, who wasn't skilled at lying, looked troubled as he said,
"It's truly important. Can you trust and wait? I'll explain everything soon, so please trust
this ti."
"Mm..."
It was clear he was hiding sothing, but they all nodded in agreent.
Most of those questioning him had family mbers held hostage by Martin. Even those
without families had been with Dominic for years.
Dominic had led the rcenary corps admirably until now. For him to make such a request
was rare.
Simple and straightforward, they decided to trust him.
"Alright, captain. If you say so."
"Yeah, we know you'd never do anything to harm us."
"Just let us know when it's ready." They laughed it off, easing the tension. Dominic smiled gratefully at them.
But inside, he felt differently, thanks to what Ghislain had told him before the operation.
-There's a spy among your n. Soone working for Martin, and they've been here for a
long ti.
-T-then what should I do? Won't they expose us? What should I say?
- Just hide it.
- But they'll suspect and keep watching . -That's the point. Keep them focused on you so they don't pay attention to the tunnel. Keep
moving and make them suspicious. Just say exactly what I told you about .
For Dominic, this was a relief. It ant he didn't have to make up lies he wasn't good at. Just
by being vague, he could keep the spy suspicious and occupied.
Sure enough, one person subtly probed Dominic.
"Didn't that Count Fenris guy co by recently? The n were talking about it."
Several people had heard Ghislain's na during his earlier visit, and rumors had already
spread.
"Ah, that? It was just so imposter who was good at fighting. The real Count Fenris
wouldn't co here. It turned out to be soone using his na."
The rcenaries nodded. It made no sense for soone of that stature to co with just a few
subordinates.
Still, so were curious about who the man really was.
"Then who was he? Why did he co? I heard he beat up a lot of our n."
"He was sent by another noble."
"What?"
"I think news about us targeting the Campbell rchant Guild reached their ears. They
probably sent him to warn us not to act hastily."
"Mm. So, what will you do?"
"That's why I'm making preparations. Once everything is ready, I'll explain."
Though the man looked skeptical, he nodded. There was no way to verify the truth, so
pressing further was pointless.
While Dominic reassured his subordinates, the construction progressed smoothly. The dwarves, as specialists, dug the tunnel quickly and quietly.
At this pace, they could complete the path to the interior in just a few days. Ghislain stayed at a nearby inn with his knights, waiting for the tunnel to be finished.
anwhile, Dominic couldn't rest for even a single day, pacing his office with anxiety.
He followed Ghislain's instructions to openly move supplies and gather forces, drawing attention to himself.
'Will this really work?'
If they failed, the hostages he had tried so hard to protect would be dood. The only reason Martin hadn't removed Dominic from his position as captain was because the rcenary corps itself had been built up by Dominic.
Without him, the corps would fall apart, which was why he had remained in charge.
But Martin's temperant would never tolerate Dominic baring his fangs at him.
Still, Ghislain's prediction had proven true. "The city guard has increased their patrols around the area.'
Martin must have suspected sothing. The city guards, who should have been stationed
inside, were now patrolling more frequently.
In particular, there were noticeably more guards lingering near the warehouse under
construction.
"They're suspicious. They're definitely suspicious.'
The authority of being the Drake rcenary Corps' captain had so far kept them at bay. But
there was no guarantee they wouldn't suddenly storm in to investigate. This constant fear left Dominic perpetually on edge.
Oblivious to Dominic's worries, the dwarves cheerfully focused on their work.
"Ha! Following the lord lets us do exciting stuff like this."
The dwarves, emboldened by their experiences with Ghislain, had grown fearless. Everything
Ghislain did seed destined to succeed.
Though they lacked so tension, it wasn't a problem. Construction was sothing they were thoroughly familiar with.
"We're nearly there. Just a bit more."
The dwarves' surveying skills were top-notch. They checked the maps and blueprints
multiple tis, asuring distances precisely.
Now, they just had to dig upward. They wouldn't break through completely until Ghislain
arrived, but they needed to confirm their location.
Late at night, Galbarik leisurely created a small hole, just big enough for a head to poke
through.
As he slowly peeked out, Galbarik's eyes widened in shock.
"...What the?"
Galbarik couldn't believe what he saw. He had double-checked the location, confident it was
an unguarded
spot.
But the scene before him was entirely unexpected.
Countless soldiers were glaring at him, weapons drawn, with nacing expressions.
[T/L: Please support and read 385 extra chapters: sko-fi/revengerscans]
Reviews
All reviews (0)