Chapter 784
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So You Know Who I Am. (1)
"Hey! This kind of stuff is for the youngest!"
Lionel constantly asserted dominance over Marika.
Even over trivial matters, he would tag on the word "youngest" to force nial tasks on her.
Each ti, Marika quietly carried out the task. For soone as patient as her, the chores of the rcenary corps honestly didn’t even count as work.
And because she genuinely wanted to help the corps, she didn’t shy away from anything—from cooking to cleaning.
The Julien rcenary Corps clicked their tongues as they watched Lionel’s incessant posturing.
‘Wow, what’s with the hazing? He’s even worse than we were.’
‘Wasn’t he the imperial knight who acted all high and mighty, trying to seem refined?’
‘Now he’s completely turned into a rc.’
Even as the rcenaries gave him subtle glances, Lionel didn’t care. Truthfully, he'd bottled up a fair bit of resentnt during his ti as the youngest.
So, he put effort into bossing Marika around whenever he could. Not that Marika cared much—it was all too trivial for her to be bothered.
Watching the two, Ghislain found himself smiling unconsciously.
‘These two end up founding the Kingdom of Ritania together, huh?’
He didn’t know exactly what process would lead to that, but seeing them now made the idea feel oddly surreal.
Perhaps it was a feeling only soone who knew the future could understand.
As thoughts of Ritania’s founding crossed his mind, sothing else suddenly surfaced.
― The founding king, the family of the Shadow Knights' commander, and the Duke of Delfine together established this kingdom!
Berhem had said that before he died. And based on everything so far, that statent had a very high chance of being true.
‘Hmph…’
The identity of the Duke of Delfine was still unclear.
He hadn’t even appeared in Ghislain’s dreams. Even though a fair amount of ti had passed since he’d co to the past, he still hadn’t encountered anyone suspected to be the duke’s ancestor.
Still, the Delfine Ducal House had clearly played a major role in the founding of Ritania.
― That’s why the rank of duke was a privilege allowed solely to the House of Delfine in this kingdom. And the ducal house had the authority to overthrow the royal family whenever necessary!
‘Who in the world could it be…’
If they had founded a kingdom together, it ant they were very close.
Whether that person was currently part of the Julien rcenary Corps or soone he would et later—there was no way to know.
‘Tch, do I have to wait again this ti.’
While traveling with the Julien rcenary Corps, Ghislain had always ended up eting the people he was ant to et. So, he believed he’d eventually encounter the founder of the Delfine house too.
‘I might even want to kill them once I do…’
With that thought, Ghislain let out a faint chuckle and shook his head.
The people of the past had done no wrong. And if he were to kill the founder of House Delfine here, who knew how the future might change?
If he had completely traveled back in ti like during his regression, that would be one thing—but his current body still remained in the future.
That might have ant he served as a link between past and future.
Which was why he had to avoid doing anything that might greatly impact his fixed future.
‘Hmm, wait a second.’
Now that he thought about it, wasn’t there soone else in the exact sa situation as him?
Ghislain glanced at Ereneth. She was still seated proudly on the cart, eating fruit.
Then, as their eyes t, she winked at him with one eye.
‘...Seriously?’
What did she plan to do if they t again in the future?
‘Co to think of it…’
Did she rember the things happening now?
She had known his na, Ghislain, from the very beginning—was she just pretending not to?
Or perhaps...
Maybe the events happening now have altered her mory in the future.
It wasn’t certain, but given that the future where " Grand Duke of Fenris, Ghislain Ferdium" existed was already fixed, the latter seed more likely.
If the past changed and Ereneth in the future also changed as a result…
‘That’d be interesting.’
Whether she’d be happy to see him again or feel embarrassed—it was hard to tell.
Lost in thought as he moved along, Ghislain suddenly ca to a halt.
“Hm…”
The other rcenaries also stopped in their tracks. With sharp tension in the air, they slowly drew their swords.
A man was standing, blocking the narrow path. He was dressed like a traveler, just like Marika.
At a glance, he looked like an utterly ordinary middle-aged man. So much so that, had they passed in a crowd, he wouldn’t even be rembered.
Soon, others began to appear one by one from the surroundings, encircling the Julien rcenary Corps.
There was no bloodlust in them—but they were clearly targeting Marika and her subordinates.
Ghislain, who had already guessed their identity, asked with a smile,
“State your affiliation and na. Politely.”
“...”
The man blocking the road twitched his lips several tis. Ghislain twirled his staff slightly and spoke again.
“You gonna answer or not?”
“I… I am Darents, commander of Crips.”
“Alright, Darents. What’s going on? You’re supposed to be guarding her in secret, so is it really okay to show yourself like this?”
At that, Darents bit his lip.
Revealing oneself in front of the escort target was practically taboo. But since Marika had obviously told them everything, hiding was pointless.
From what the man in front of him just said, it was clear he knew everything.
Darents’s mind was in chaos.
‘Damn it… I didn’t think that woman would pull sothing like this.’
As soon as the request ca in, all officers and mbers were mobilized. This mission was one that could determine the survival of the entire organization.
But the problem was the sudden rampage of black mages and monsters across multiple areas.
If the inexperienced mbers were sent through dangerous routes, they wouldn’t even be able to locate the escort target.
That’s why the lower-ranked squads were dispatched through relatively safe paths. The goal was to at least identify the escort target’s location.
What they didn’t know was that those “safe paths” had beco that way only because the Julien rcenary Corps had already swept through them.
In any case, a lower squad eventually reported that they had found the target. Once the other squads received the ssage, they mobilized with everything they had.
But then...
— What? Marika attacked the escort target?
When Darents received that report, he was utterly stunned.
It wasn’t enough that she revealed herself—she even attacked.
He couldn’t comprehend why she would do such a thing. Then suddenly, a single hypothesis ca to him.
‘Don’t tell … she knew I was the one who killed her family?’
If that weren’t the case, there was no way she’d do sothing so insane.
If her actions ended up incurring the Pope’s wrath, the organization would be wiped out in an instant.
Still, he needed to confirm it. Since the situation had already gone awry, Darents boldly chose to reveal himself.
“I wish to speak with Marika.”
“Oh, you an our newest mber?”
“She… really joined the rcenary corps?”
“I’m telling you, she did. So, you’d better treat her with respect—unless you feel like getting chewed out by His Holiness.”
“…”
Darents exhaled roughly through gritted teeth.
What he really wanted was to kill her on the spot.
But now that she’d joined the Julien rcenary Corps, he couldn’t lay a hand on her.
It was infuriating. Still, he needed to hear why she had done what she did.
“Marika, what is the aning of this? If sothing was bothering you, you should’ve told directly.”
Marika, who had been staring at Darents for a long while, finally spoke in a cold voice.
“How long did you think I’d stay under the man who murdered my family?”
Darents closed his eyes. That one sentence was more than enough.
‘So, she knew.’
He regretted it. He should’ve just killed her when he had the chance. It was a mistake to take her in on a whim.
Just as she said, it was he and the other officers who had murdered her family.
Then they took in the only survivor—young Marika—and raised her.
He had assud she wouldn’t rember, since it had happened when she was so young, but sohow, she had found out.
Ghislain also gave a small nod after hearing their exchange.
‘They are enemies, then.’
Since the man didn’t deny it, it had to be true.
Though he was curious about the details, he didn’t ask.
Those stories were the kind that surfaced naturally, in due ti.
In any case, Darents couldn’t say another word. He rely clicked his tongue.
‘Tch… this has beco troubleso.’
He wanted to kill her right now. He had the ability to do it, too.
With all of his organization’s mbers gathered around the area, he was confident he could even wipe out the entire Julien rcenary Corps.
No matter how powerful the Julien rcenary Corps was, there were only a few of them here right now.
The problem was that they couldn’t be touched.
‘If it weren’t for the Pope…’
The Pope was, without question, the highest authority on the continent. Disobeying his orders was no different from asking to die.
Eventually, after so hesitation, Darents spoke.
“I would like to speak with your commander.”
“Go ahead.”
As Ghislain dramatically extended his arm, Julien stepped forward.
“I am Julien, the commander. Speak your mind.”
“I don’t know the reasons behind taking in Marika, but please hand her over now. This was our mistake. We will offer a full apology and compensation.”
At that, Julien turned to look at Marika for a mont.
She gathered her mana with a slightly fearful expression—just in case she had to flee.
Of course, the chances of succeeding were very slim.
In that subtle tension, Julien gave her a small smile, then turned his gaze back to Darents.
“I refuse.”
“She’s not worth protecting.”
“That’s for us to decide. Marika is a mber of our rcenary corps. We will never hand her over.”
“Even if it puts you all in danger?”
Julien t Darents’s eyes directly and replied,
“Sharing that danger is what it ans to be comrades. Once we’ve accepted soone, we’re prepared to pay any price for it.”
“…”
Julien continued firmly.
“It doesn’t matter who the person was before. What matters is that they are one of us now.”
Kyle glanced around at the assassins surrounding them, the corners of his lips curling up.
“If you want to co at us, go ahead. We’re not the kind of people who shy away from a fight.”
At the sa ti, the rcenaries began to exude their fighting spirit.
In particular, Osval, who had caused trouble earlier, stepped up more eagerly than anyone else to redeem himself.
“Osval the man! I will smash any attackers… revolutionarily!”
Marika shuddered at their response. The tension left her body naturally.
In the assassin group, her worth had only been tied to her “usefulness,” and failure ant death.
She always had to suppress her emotions to avoid exposing herself. She endured it all by clenching her teeth for the sake of revenge—but it had never been easy.
It was a life where she could die at any mont. A life where she could be used and discarded like a tool.
But now—
Even though their relation had only started as a deal, the Julien rcenary Corps was treating her as a true comrade.
It wasn’t sothing easy to do. Despite the risks, they had wholeheartedly accepted her.
For soone like Marika, who had always lived on the edge of a blade, this was the first ti she truly felt secure.
Not a place where she had to survive—
But a place where she could live.
It felt like after drifting endlessly in a violent storm, she was finally standing on solid ground for the first ti.
Watching Marika’s reddened nose and teary eyes, Ghislain clicked his tongue.
‘Seriously, is she really an assassin? Why is she so emotional?’
Well, now that he thought about it, Belinda had been surprisingly tearful too.
Maybe being an assassin requires a certain level of delicacy, and that sohow made them more sensitive?
Ghislain let his imagination run wild, forgetting the atmosphere around him. That’s how little interest he had in Darents at that mont.
Darents narrowed his eyes, staring at Julien.
‘So, this rookie rcenary corps gained a bit of fa and now they’re fearless, huh.’
As far as he knew, they only had one Transcendent—Astion.
Julien and Kyle were both evaluated as top-tier, but he was confident he could assassinate them.
But not yet. Until the Pope’s mission was completed could he not kill them.
Of course, when it ca to Marika, there was no need to wait.
‘I’ll have to wait for the right mont and kill her.’
The biggest challenge was not getting caught.
But an opportunity would co eventually. No one could stay on high alert forever.
He wasn’t targeting a Transcendent or even the top-tier.
So, he was sure he could successfully assassinate Marika.
If the result was guaranteed, he could wait as long as it took.
Assassins were the most patient people in the world.
And he had another variable he could use.
Darents looked toward Lionel.
‘That one is on our side.’
A Temple Knight of the Holy Empire and a devoted servant of the Pope.
All the information so far had been relayed to the Pope through him.
If used properly, eliminating Marika might be easier than expected.
Unaware of Darents’s sches, Lionel just yawned.
‘What should I eat for dinner? I’m sick of jerky. The rookie’s actually kind of good at cooking. Is it because she used to be an assassin? She’s got so skill with her hands.’
As he continued traveling with the Julien rcenary Corps, Lionel’s thoughts were becoming more and more simple-minded—a side effect of rcenary life.
Darents felt sothing off about Lionel’s vacant expression.
Then, as if sothing clicked, he nodded slightly.
‘I see. He’s hiding his true self for now. Waiting for the right mont to strike.’
Of course, Lionel had no such thoughts.
But Darents’s imagination couldn’t break free from common sense.
It wasn’t his fault. Even the mbers of the Julien rcenary Corps didn’t fully understand their own group.
In any case, Darents, having made up his mind, slowly spoke.
“Very well. If that’s your decision, there’s nothing I can do. But Marika’s situation and our mission are separate issues. Our mission is important to us, so we’ll follow you.”
When Julien looked at Ghislain, the latter stepped forward and replied.
“There’s no need for that.”
“It’s a command from His Holiness. We cannot refuse. We’ll escort you without interfering with your journey.”
“Hm…”
“Since the Salvation Church resud activity, the atmosphere across the land has turned grim. We hope you understand that we cannot back away.”
Darents spoke with a stubborn expression.
Ghislain nodded. These people would follow them whether told not to or not.
And since there was no battle breaking out imdiately, there was no point in dragging things out.
“Alright. Just try not to be too noticeable. Marika gets uncomfortable.”
“…Understood.”
Darents twitched his cheek several tis in displeasure, but said no more and backed off.
Before anyone noticed, the surrounding assassins had vanished as well.
But it was clear to everyone that they were still following at a distance.
And so, the quiet and uneasy journey of the rcenary corps and the assassins began.
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**New Elents and Characters Introduced:**
* 벨린다 = Belinda (Female) (Referenced in comparison, not directly involved)
* 구원교 = Salvation Church (Referred to as being newly active again)
* 암살단 = Assassins (as an organization accompanying the rcenary corps covertly)
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