The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations-Chapter 265: This Is a Real Life-or-Death Battle (2)

“Grrr...”

The Twin-Headed Ogre’s two heads, foaming with blood, hit the ground with a thud.

Thud!

Its massive body followed, collapsing onto the earth and sending a tremor through the battlefield.

The ogre’s corpse was a wreck, with deep cuts and tears all over, the marks of Kaor’s relentless swordsmanship as he fought in a trance, risking everything.

The wall he’d slashed through—the one he had struggled to conquer—had been the ogre’s heads.

Kaor had finally broken through his limits.

“I...I did it...”

A laugh escaped him. He’d defeated a creature he’d never imagined he could handle alone.

In the past, he might’ve charged in recklessly and gotten himself killed, but today, he had used every skill he possessed and achieved victory.

“Heh... So I’m the strongest... ugh!”

Kaor coughed up blood, sinking to the ground. He was finally aware of his condition.

His body was a mess. One arm was broken and hung limply, and his wrist, which had been gripping his sword, was swollen.

Every muscle felt torn apart. Although he had tried his best to dodge, some of the ogre’s attacks had been unavoidable.

Each powerful blow had left an impact that accumulated in his body, leaving his insides in turmoil.

“Damn it... But I won... Who knew an ogre could be this strong... Ugh!”

Coughing up another mouthful of blood, Kaor struggled to keep his eyes open as he surveyed the battlefield.

“How long was I fighting...”

While he was battling the Twin-Headed Ogre, the other monsters had been nearly wiped out. Only a few Turian soldiers and hunters were left dealing with the stragglers.

Although he had been so absorbed in the fight, a considerable amount of time had passed. The monsters around him had been cleared out by Ghislain and the others.

As the remaining fighters turned to look at Kaor and the defeated ogre, a roar of cheers erupted.

“Woohoo! We did it!”

“That redhead is amazing!”

“He took down a Twin-Headed Ogre all by himself!”

The hunters were ecstatic. Very few in the fortress’s history had ever taken down such a monstrous beast alone.

And this wasn’t just any monster—it was a Twin-Headed Ogre, one of the strongest ground monsters, especially dangerous during a monster wave, when its strength was even greater than usual.

They showered Kaor with praise, marveling at his strength.

“You’re the best, Redhead!”

“From now on, you’re the king of Ironcliff!”

“Not even Doncard could compare to you! Well, he’s dead now, anyway.”

Even the hunters who had initially resented joining under Ghislain were changing their minds. After all, being with strong allies increased their chances of survival.

People’s loyalties are fickle.

“Heh, did you all see? Even the old man can’t beat me. I’m the strongest... cough!”

Kaor sat there laughing, coughing up blood, yet feeling a strange sense of euphoria from the cheers around him.

Yes, this was how he wanted to live—admired and respected. That was a man’s life, after all.

Thud, thud, thud.

A figure approached Kaor and planted a greatsword into the ground beside him. The crowd fell silent.

“Hey, so did you learn something?” Ghislain asked with a faint smile. Kaor forced his eyes open and chuckled.

“Almost died... Might actually be dying, you know?”

“To gain true insight, you have to get close to death. If you die in the process, then so be it.”

“Heh... If I survive, I’ll train hard. Go tell the old man he’d better watch out.”

“We’ll see. Gillian’s probably been through more brushes with death than you have.”

“Pfft, I’d still win in a fight.”

They laughed together. Though the crowd cheered for Kaor, they could barely meet Ghislain’s gaze.

“That guy... he’s an actual monster...”

“Did he say he’s from the Kingdom of Ruthania? Could he be a Swordmaster? Or one of those mystical sword mages?”

“He could probably take down our whole fortress by himself.”

Humans don’t cheer for dragons—they revere them, bowing in awe at their might.

To the crowd, Ghislain was like a dragon. They could only stare, overwhelmed by his presence, as if he were an entirely different species.

Kaor, for all his strength, still felt like one of them. So they cheered for him, but for Ghislain, they held a quiet, unspoken fear.

Of course, not everyone was like this. Fenris’s knights, who had always considered Ghislain a monster, were hardly surprised.

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“Our lord’s skills are beyond anyone’s comprehension.”

“We were a bit surprised this time, but he’s just doing what he always does.”

“He could wipe out an army with that technique.”

“I’ll ask him to teach it to me someday.”

Ghislain looked at the tense faces around him and smiled.

“What are you all doing? The hero who took down a Twin-Headed Ogre is on the brink of death. Hurry up and get him treated.”

As he spoke, Ghislain poured a potion over Kaor’s wounds.

The potion would help with superficial injuries, but it was just a temporary fix. Kaor, who had drained all his mana and was battered inside and out, was half-dead.

Finally, the knights rushed over and helped Kaor to his feet.

“Captain! Are you alright? Your skills have really improved!”

Thud!

One of Kaor’s former Mad Dog Brigade members, who had endured Kaor’s rough leadership, used the opportunity to nudge him in the side with a fist.

Kaor, barely conscious, didn’t even know who had hit him.

“Ugh... who just...”

“Hey, take it easy! The guy’s pretty messed up right now.”

‘This jerk deserved it, though...’

Thud!

Another knight who harbored a grudge for Kaor’s abrasive attitude gave him a subtle jab as they helped him along.

“Ow! Who the hell...”

“Get him inside quickly! He needs to rest! You idiots.”

Thud!

“Gah...”

The knights surrounded Kaor and escorted him into the fortress. The hunters, however, didn’t see the punches he was receiving.

A few of the hunters even looked on with a touch of admiration.

“Man, I’m a little jealous of that camaraderie.”

“If it were us, we’d have just killed him and taken his loot.”

“Having comrades like that is probably why he fought so hard. Sure, he’s got a nasty personality, but deep down, he must have a good heart.”

While the others were wrapped up in sentiment, Kaor, now unconscious, was being half-dragged, half-carried into the fortress by his fellow knights.

* * *

“Thank you, Count.”

Grant, the fortress commander, met with Ghislain privately and bowed deeply.

The fortress didn’t typically acknowledge noble titles, but Grant couldn’t help but make an exception.

No, even if Ghislain hadn’t been a noble but a slave, Grant would still have bowed to him.

“Thanks to you, we suffered fewer casualties than we would have had fighting from the fortress. I should’ve trusted you from the start and deployed earlier...”

Grant trailed off, regretting his hesitation. If they had acted on Ghislain’s advice immediately, they could’ve minimized the damage even more.

Ghislain patted Grant on the shoulder, reassuring him.

“It’s fine. You needed to experience this at least once. But remember one thing.”

“What would that be?”

“Most monsters lack intelligence. They only focus on the enemy right in front of them. Especially the half-mad monsters of these mountains. If you exploit this well, you can greatly reduce human losses through strategic maneuvering.”

“We’ve considered such tactics, but monsters tend to outmatch soldiers in physical ability, so we assumed direct confrontation would be too costly. That’s why the kingdom built these fortresses.”

“Even after what you saw today, you still think that way?”

‘Well, that’s because you’re a monster yourself...’

Grant fell silent, realizing that Ghislain’s point was sound, even practical. But at the same time, he couldn’t shake the feeling that only a warrior as powerful as Ghislain could achieve such feats.

Ghislain seemed to understand Grant’s thoughts and clicked his tongue.

“You don’t need a powerhouse like me for this. Build passages on either side of the fortress for cavalry.”

“Excuse me?”

“Monsters tend to chase what’s right in front of them. Skilled cavalry could easily split their ranks and draw them away.”

“Oh...”

“First, hit them with siege weapons, and when they get close, use cavalry to spread them out, then form ranks and attack. It’s much better than engaging in chaotic skirmishes on a narrow wall.”

“Hmm...”

The fortress had few cavalry, but Grant realized that with royal support, he could likely obtain some.

The Turian Kingdom was committed to providing whatever the fortress needed to prevent it from falling.

“Of course, assess the monster wave’s nature. If it’s mainly flying monsters or those that can scale walls, sticking to the fortress defense is smarter. You can make that call, right?”

Grant nodded.

Each monster wave was different, depending on how the monsters from the mountains gathered.

Sometimes there were fewer monsters that could breach or fly over the walls, making defense relatively easier. The real trouble came when large monsters would hurl smaller

ones or rocks, but even that wasn’t as damaging as the worst-case scenarios.

“A commander must adapt strategies and tactics for every situation. Relying solely on the fortress can backfire.”

In his previous life, Ghislain had seen fortresses fall due to commanders relying too heavily on static defenses without considering alternative strategies for different monster species.

Grant was beginning to understand that his duty wasn’t merely to rely on the fortress’s walls. He had to develop a variety of strategies tailored to different scenarios.

“Thank you. I’ll take your advice to heart and prepare more thoroughly.”

“Good. With proper preparations, the monster waves will always remain within manageable limits.”

“How can you...?”

“Curious?”

“Yes, you seem to know this place better than I do.”

Grant felt an odd sense of familiarity from Ghislain, as if he had experienced such situations countless times.

Amused, Ghislain decided to share a bit of the truth.

“Actually, I died once and came back to life...”

“It’s clear you have your reasons. I’ll just assume there’s a story behind it.”

“...Yeah, there’s a story.”

It was almost amusing how no one took him seriously.

After their conversation, Grant went to the storehouse to distribute rations to the fortress’s defenders as a reward for enduring the monster wave.

It was customary after every wave to acknowledge everyone’s contributions and fairly distribute any salvage.

“This time, things should go smoothly.”

Usually, this distribution was a headache, with everyone arguing to claim more.

But today, things were different.

“I’ll take all the hide and sinew. Divide the rest equally. Anyone have a problem?”

No one dared speak up after Ghislain’s declaration. He had killed the most monsters, and Kaor had taken down the Twin-Headed Ogre.

Who would dare challenge those who had contributed most to their survival?

The hunters gathered in small groups, drinking the alcohol Grant had distributed and chatting.

“Let’s drink and enjoy ourselves.”

“Yeah, but there’s barely any food. Monster meat, again?”

“Still, we’re better off than the rest of the kingdom. They say there’s nothing to eat out there.”

Unlike other regions, the Turian Kingdom didn’t suffer from food shortages, thanks to the monster waves.

After extracting anything of value from the monster carcasses, they ate what was edible. While the taste wasn’t great, it was better than starving.

The fortress’s main meal was stew made from monster meat and whatever edible herbs they could find, often heavily spiced to mask the flavor.

“Ugh, no matter how many times I eat it, it’s disgusting.”

“I can’t even remember the last time I had real meat and bread.”

“Food here is way too expensive. A decent meal costs an entire day’s pay.”

The soldiers grumbled but still forced the food down. Eating something was better than drinking on an empty stomach.

The poor food quality affected Ghislain’s group as well. With only basic rations on hand, they ate the same fare as the hunters.

“Turns out we eat pretty well back home,” one knight muttered.

“If it weren’t for that spicy seasoning powder the steward packed, I wouldn’t be able to eat this. It smells awful.”

“This is just terrible. I’m only eating because I’m hungry.”

The knights from the Fenris estate, accustomed to soft bread and roasted chicken, found the monster stew almost unbearable.

Unlike the knights’ complaints, Ghislain ate heartily.

“What’s wrong? You don’t like it? Back in my day, people went hungry even for this.”

‘What is he talking about?’

‘He’s good at everything, but sometimes he sounds like an old man.’

‘Back in his day? Is he one of those “young geezers” we hear about?’

Since Ghislain was eating it with gusto, the knights forced themselves to eat as well. The steward had mentioned that Ghislain used to be a picky eater as a child, yet now he was happily eating monster meat, much to their confusion.

After barely managing to fill their bellies with monster stew, the knights received unexpected good news.

“What’s that?”

“Look at all those wagons coming in!”

“A big merchant caravan?”

A huge convoy of wagons was entering the fortress, and the sight of the cargo being unloaded left everyone stunned.

The wagons, stopping outside the inn where Ghislain was staying, began unloading massive amounts of grain and meat.