Chapter 343
Chapter 343: Let’s Go Back Easily. (2)
In an instant, Martin, caught by Ghislaine, shouted loudly.
“Y-You bastard! Do you even know who I am?!”
Ghislaine didn’t care whether Martin was having a meltdown and dragged him along.
“Step aside, before I put a knife to this clueless young lord’s neck.”
He was as good as a bandit. Under Ghislaine’s threat, the knights and soldiers had no choice but to retreat.
“You! Let me go! Do you think my father will just sit by? I will definitely kill you all!”
Martin continued to struggle, but it was pointless. Ghislaine held him by the collar and advanced without hesitation.
He didn’t even prepare for an ambush. After all, it was impossible for the knights here.
Perhaps knowing this, the enemy simply followed Ghislaine at a distance.
“If you don’t want to see him die here, step aside.”
The troops waiting outside were the same. As Ghislaine appeared with Martin in his grip, the troops parted like the Red Sea.
No one dared to try and rescue Martin recklessly. If he got hurt, even if they saved him, he’d surely die.
So little loyalty did Martin command; everyone just pretended to follow, fearing the consequences.
Gordon whispered to Ghislaine.
“Umm… if we get out safely, you’re going to let him go, right? Killing him would stir up quite a storm.”
In response, Ghislaine smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth.
“Do I look like I care? It’s not like they wouldn’t have to fight anyway. Well, I won’t kill him myself.”
“Then who will?”
“The Drake Mercenary Group will decide that. He’s their enemy.”
Martin had already killed a few family members of the Drake Mercenary Group as examples. That grudge wouldn’t be easy to brush off.
Ghislaine could kill him for them, but revenge needs to be taken personally. Ghislaine knew this better than anyone and planned to hand Martin over to them.
Gordon and Lucas exchanged uneasy glances.
“Lady, things are going to escalate.”
“It never ends quietly.”
After all, he was the second son of the Marquis family, known as the tyrants of the West. Killing him would surely enrage Marquis Roderick immensely.
But now the enemy was moving into Penris territory? The Marquis would definitely try to kill everyone in Penris.
Of course, Ghislaine intended for the House of Marquis Roderick to be the next target. Yet, there was a world of difference between being politically opposed and being personally embattled.
With political enmity, there was a chance they could team up again depending on the circumstances.
But if it became a family feud, then out of honor, one side had to die.
“Ugh, even so, do we really need to create an enemy first?”
“No one knows how things will turn out later… Sometimes I feel the lord is too reckless.”
Ghislaine’s accumulated grudges from his previous life felt palpable. Gordon and Lucas couldn’t help but feel uneasy, unaware that he was a returnee.
No matter how quietly they whispered, Martin couldn’t have missed their words.
Observing the uneasy expressions of Gordon and Lucas, Martin realized that Ghislaine genuinely intended to kill him. It was as if panic seized him, and he screamed.
“What, what are you doing! Save me! Hurry and save me! They’re about to hand me over to that bastard Dominic!”
What good was it for nearly a thousand troops to follow along? No one dared to rescue Martin. There weren’t any capable figures or loyalists around.
Thus, Ghislaine led Martin safely to the tunnel.
Martin’s soldiers followed, but they could go no further.
“Oh, Lord! We made it safely! I knew it would be like this.”
Galbarik chuckled and opened the door.
Ghislaine allowed Gordon and Lucas, along with the hostages, to enter first and went in last. He then closed the door behind him, preventing the soldiers from following.
“Now let’s get out of the city. They’ll likely sense something and come this way.”
“Understood. Then we’ll have to break through.”
The hostages and prisoners followed the knights as guides. Galbarik then smashed the door that blocked the tunnel.
Crash!
There was a loud sound as dust filled the air. The door, made with dwarf craftsmanship, completely sealed off the tunnel.
“Uh… what do we do?”
“We need to rescue the lord…”
“The Marquis might kill us all.”
The troops trailing behind seemed at a loss, just fidgeting in place. The guard knights looked just as perplexed.
With Martin captured, they had to keep following, but the tunnel was blocked, making it impossible to pursue. They also lacked the wit to estimate where the tunnel began.
Just then, the commander of the city’s defense force asked one of the knights.
“Did Dominic gather troops?”
“Yes. We received intel that they planned to attack here today and were preparing.”
“Then they must be encamped outside the city. They can’t gather that many troops from within. Let’s head out.”
At least the defense captain could think logically. They decided to regroup their forces before heading outside the city.
Meanwhile, Ghislaine and his group emerged from the tunnel to the designated location.
At the arrival point, armed people gathered, emanating a fierce aura.
The hostages were intimidated seeing that, but soon recognized the faces and brightened up. Those were none other than their family, the members of the Drake Mercenary Group.
“Dear!”
“Father!”
“Oh my! My son!”
As the hostages rushed out crying, mercenaries from the Drake Mercenary Group burst out as well.
The hostages and mercenaries embraced each other, weeping.
Seeing this sudden ocean of tears, even the rough mercenaries had to wipe their noses. The seasoned mercenaries were aware of the circumstances.
Dominic, who had endured the heavy burden as captain, showed emotions deeper than anyone else.
“Dad!”
His son was running towards him. His wife followed close behind.
Dominic embraced the two, letting out tears he had held back for so long.
“Ah…”
No words came out. He couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.
After Ghislaine had been captured along with the dwarves, he had almost given up on rescuing the hostages. Instead, his fury burned stronger, swearing to kill Martin even if he died today.
But to really rescue all the hostages!
After a while of sobbing, Dominic snapped back to reality and bowed his head to Ghislaine.
“Thank you so much! I will never forget this grace until my dying day!”
“There’s one more gift.”
Ghislaine spoke nonchalantly and tossed Martin aside.
“Cough! Y-You crazy bastard!”
“Martin!”
The moment Dominic saw Martin, he drew his sword. The surrounding mercenaries also readied their weapons at the sight of Martin.
How they longed to kill him! Because of this guy, their families had been taken hostage and had died. They could never be satisfied even if they tore him apart.
“What’s this? You’re all trying to kill me? You think it’s all over just because you rescued the hostages? Do you think my father will sit back and do nothing if you touch me?!”
Martin jumped up, glaring at the mercenaries and yelled franticly. He still seemed dazed.
“I will hunt you down and kill you all, even if I have to scour this kingdom! My father is a grand noble of the Duke Faction, you know? The Duke’s house won’t stay silent!”
He was born the son of a powerful Marquis and had never faced any hardships in his life. Therefore, he didn’t believe that mercenaries could ever do anything to him.
He knew that if they touched him, the Marquis wouldn’t let it slide.
In truth, Dominic, even with his sword drawn, merely trembled and didn’t know what to do.
He was a sworn enemy who had killed his wife and father. Eating him alive wouldn’t even resolve the hatred he felt.
But what if he killed Martin here? The Drake Mercenary Group would be hunted down for the rest of their lives.
Though they were already tied in a feud, killing Martin would change the situation. The Drake Mercenary Group and the mercenaries who took them in would become the sworn enemies of the Marquis.
Ghislaine looked at Dominic and calmly said,
“Revenge should be taken when the time is right.”
“…Count.”
“Don’t fear the consequences. You’ll be heading to Penris now.”
“But… if that happens, Marquis Roderick will surely seek to destroy Penris. And the Marquis is a grand lord of the Duke Faction.”
At that, Ghislaine grinned widely.
“I can handle you all. No need to worry.”
“…”
Dominic swallowed nervously without realizing it.
Marquis Roderick was not some impoverished northern lord but a grand lord of the west, renowned as the tyrant of the West. The Marquis was the very essence of the West.
Even if Penris maintained the strongest position in the north, they were still not at a level where they could take on Marquis Roderick.
He couldn’t place such a burden on his benefactor. Dominic relaxed his trembling hands and lowered his sword.
“Since we saved the remaining family… I will be satisfied with this much. Initially, this was already impossible.”
If they spared Martin, the Marquis wouldn’t need to expend resources fighting Penris. He might just let the Drake Mercenary Group off lightly if given the chance.
But if they killed Martin, from that point, the story would change. Not only would the Drake Mercenary Group be enemies, but so would Penris, who sheltered them.
Ghislaine looked at Dominic.
“Do you not regret it?”
“I’ll bury it in my heart.”
Ghislaine shook his head.
“There’s no such thing as revenge buried in the heart. There’s only forgiveness or revenge, one or the other.”
“Count…”
“I’ll say it again. You need not fear the consequences. Even if you hate it, I won’t force you. If you want to forgive, you can do so; that’s your freedom. But…”
Seeing Dominic still hesitating, Ghislaine spoke with cold eyes.
“Whether you kill Martin or not, I will destroy the House of Marquis Roderick. And the Duke’s house as well. That fact will not change. No one can stop me.”
“…!”
“So there’s no need for you to worry about the issue between Penris and Roderick. But if that still burdens you…”
Dominic looked at Ghislaine with trembling eyes. Ghislaine also looked at Dominic firmly.
“Stand at the forefront of my army when we battle the Marquis house. That will be enough.”
Dominic stared into Ghislaine’s eyes for a long time. The people around them held their breath, watching the two.
Thud!
Dominic quickly approached Martin and roughly grabbed his neck with one hand.
“Gah! Ugh! W-What the hell?! Let go of me! Let me go!”
Ignoring Martin’s cries, Dominic spoke in a low voice.
“I’ll take the payment in advance.”
Then he continued with a deadly smile.
“I will definitely stand at the forefront of the Penris army.”
Thud!
“Guh!”
Dominic’s sword pierced through Martin’s abdomen. Yet Martin only staggered but didn’t die.
Dominic surveyed the other officials who had been captured alongside the hostages.
“It’s your turn now.”
The executives of the Drake Mercenary Group and the leaders of the subordinate mercenaries approached Martin with fierce eyes.
They too had experienced losing family members. Therefore, their grudges ran deep.
As the mercenaries approached, Martin clutched his belly and shouted.
“D-Don’t come any closer! N-No! You filthy bastards… My father will never forgive you…!”
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Gak! Cough…”
Martin couldn’t finish his sentence. The mercenaries relentlessly jabbed various parts of his body.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
“Ghh….”
Martin felt pain that nearly knocked him out. He should have died ages ago with this much stabbing.
But the seasoned mercenaries wouldn’t simply kill him that easily. They chose to attack only non-lethal areas to prolong his suffering as long as they could.
Thud.
Martin, collapsed on the ground, gasped for breath. Perhaps he had lost too much blood; his head was spinning.
But what hurt the most was the excruciating pain coursing through his body. He had never felt such pain in his life.
“Ugh… Ah… S-Save me…”
Dominic and the mercenaries merely looked at him with cold eyes.
He was the one who had killed their families and made them do dirty deeds as hostages. He didn’t deserve an ounce of sympathy.
With his blurry vision, Martin forced himself to open his eyes and blinked multiple times. Then suddenly, the figure of the one who had rescued the hostages came into view.
Ghislaine approached Martin’s dying form and spoke calmly.
“Go on ahead and wait. I’ll send your father soon.”
Martin struggled to focus his fading mind and recalled the conversation he had overheard between Dominic and Ghislaine. Penris, he definitely said Penris.
“You… you weren’t a mercenary… Penris… Who… what are you…?”
Ghislaine smiled widely.
“That’s right, I am Count Penris. And I am…”
His voice, filled with conviction, reached everyone’s ears.
“I will become the king of mercenaries.”
That declaration resonated deeply within everyone’s hearts. Those gathered sensed that Ghislaine’s words were destined to become true.
Ghislaine had never doubted himself.
He had always believed in himself and moved forward.
So someday.
The flag of the Mercenary King would once again cover the continent beyond the kingdom.
