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Chapter 695
Chapter 695
Listen closely, In the future... (1)
“Waaah! Long live the Lord!”
“Long live the Julien Mercenary Corps!”
Quack! Quack! Quaaack!
The people of the Nodehill Territory and the ducks cheered as they watched the allied forces return triumphantly.
Еn̆ u m̄_ǎ.і́ d̈
When word had first spread that Count Crest had declared war, everyone had been deeply worried. The disparity in military strength had been too obvious to ignore.
But then, something miraculous happened. Count Crest, a powerful lord, had been defeated.
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Though it hadn’t been the power of Nodehill alone - it was thanks to the allied forces and the efforts of the Julien Mercenary Corps - the fact that they had won was all that mattered.
“I told you! The Julien Mercenary Corps is the best!”
“Wasn’t it the Julien Mercenary Corps who took down the Black Mage?”
“Our Lord made a divine move hiring the Julien Mercenary Corps.”
Е n u m а̇
All anyone could talk about was the Julien Mercenary Corps. Just as Ghislain had intended, their reputation was rising fast.
Since the subjugation of the Black Mage, the people of the territory had come to trust the Julien Mercenary Corps deeply.
A festival was held in the Nodehill Territory to celebrate the victory. Andrew, the Lord, even loosened the purse strings borrowing some ‘money’ from Rio to distribute alcohol and meat to the people.
“With the Julien Mercenary Corps around, there’s nothing to worry about anymore.”
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“They even took care of the local bandits. What a grateful group they are.”
“I wish they’d stay in our territory permanently.”
W е b̈ nо̌ vе.l _Ĕ n ů mа̄
“Quack, quack! Quaaack!”
Just like the joyful townsfolk, Andrew and Rio wore cheerful smiles all day long. Their sudden territorial expansion made their delight inevitable.
Of course, that didn’t mean they weren’t concerned about potential consequences, but for now, they chose to enjoy the moment.
The two men, now tied to the same boat, talked every day about how to manage the territory.
“Don’t worry too much about stabilizing the territory. I’ll lend you the money.”
At Rio’s words, Andrew gave an awkward chuckle.
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“Ah, I still owe you so much from before... I’ll at least pay you back with lots of ducks.”
“Haha... There’s no need for that. If I need more, I’ll just buy them through the merchant guild.”
Thanks to the gold mine, Rio continued to grow wealthier. His guild also kept expanding and now handled considerable trade with neighboring territories.
In contrast, Andrew didn’t have any standout strengths. Still, perhaps because of his forthright personality, capable individuals began trickling into the Nodehill Territory one by one.
As they were discussing various matters regarding the territory, Andrew furrowed his brow and said,
“By the way, Count Swifel’s reply is taking too long. This isn’t something that should take this much time.”
Еñu̇ m а.і̃ d̂
“Indeed. The territorial division needs to be finalized so we can report to the royal family.”
Count Swifel had only sent word asking them to wait a little longer while he occupied key points in the Crest County.
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But there was really no reason for Count Swifel to stall. This war had only been won thanks to the Julien Mercenary Corps.
They were simply dividing the land among themselves because they were nobles who could claim territory. If the Julien Mercenary Corps had demanded compensation, they would have had to sell land to pay it.
However, the Julien Mercenary Corps hadn’t asked for anything. All they had said was to divide it among themselves as they saw fit.
And yet, even after the true heroes of the victory had been so considerate, what was taking him so long to make a decision?
Ėnu mа
Rio scratched his cheek with an awkward smile.
“Don’t tell me… he wants to keep everything for himself?”
“Come on, no way. After seeing the Julien Mercenary Corps in action, he’d have to be insane to think that.”
Even the Crest forces had been defeated without managing a proper battle against the Julien Mercenary Corps. The weaker Swifel forces didn’t stand a chance.
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So, the two of them quickly dismissed their doubts. If Count Swifel had any sense, he would never think of doing something so reckless.
Andrew spoke casually.
Ĕ n̈ üm ӑ
“Well... he doesn’t seem crazy, so maybe he’s just trying to find some justification to take a little more. I’ll send another envoy and try to arrange a meeting.”
The two of them decided to wait a bit longer. Even with the delay, they weren’t especially worried.
After all, no matter how they looked at it, there wasn’t much Count Swifel could do.
* * *
While waiting to hear from Count Swifel, all the troops remained stationed in the Nodehill Territory.
The first thing to deal with was the treatment of the prisoners.
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The prisoners were reasonably divided between Nodehill and Larks. Since they had taken over the Crest County, there was no need to worry about the prisoners' families.
The issue that troubled Andrew and Rio lay elsewhere.
“Hmm... we have more prisoners than troops... I’m not sure if we can keep them under control.”
“Money’s not the issue we can feed and house them but I’m not sure how we’re supposed to integrate them.”
Bringing together people from different regions was always a challenge. They had no experience assimilating war prisoners and didn’t know any fast methods to do so.
But they couldn’t keep the prisoners locked up forever, either. In the end, they turned to Ghislain for advice.
Wеb̀n о v̄ѐ ľ Èn̈ u m̊ а
Calling himself the ‘King of Wisdom,’ Ghislain nodded after hearing their concerns.
“It’s a valid concern. The postwar period is often more troublesome than the war itself. Dealing with the aftermath is never easy.”
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“Then... what should we do?”
“The fastest way to unite people is to create a common enemy.”
“A common... enemy?”
“Yes. When people fight together against the same foe, they naturally become one.”
Е̃ n̆ uḿ_а̊
Andrew and Rio nodded. Indeed, nothing forged bonds faster than camaraderie.
But who were they supposed to fight right now?
After a moment of thought, Andrew spoke up.
"Well… I am worried about Marquis Falkenheim’s retaliation, but who knows what will actually happen… Even if we do end up fighting him, it won’t be right away, will it? We need to unify before that happens."
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They couldn’t leave things as they were until an enemy appeared. In fact, if they entered a war in this state, it would be even more dangerous.
Not only was there no loyalty to the territory, but the soldiers also felt awkward even among comrades. It was obvious they’d all flee if the enemy turned out to be strong during a fight.
Е̃ n ům a
They needed an opponent they could reasonably win against, but no such enemy existed.
"It’s not like we have any bandits around either. Didn’t the Julien Mercenary Corps already wipe out all the threats in the area? And we can’t just deploy all these people to other territories either."
Ghislain nodded again. Merging them into one in such a short time wouldn’t work through ordinary means.
But this was Ghislain, a genius of territorial development with a wealth of experience especially when it came to military enhancement, no one on the continent could rival him.
Wearing a deliberately regretful expression, Ghislain spoke.
"It can’t be helped. I’ll have to make the sacrifice."
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"What?"
"I’ll be your enemy."
"…"
"What? Is that not enough?"
"Ah, no. It’s not that, it just seems a bit much."
This was someone who had faced over five thousand troops alone. Everyone already considered Ghislain a Transcendent.
W е b̄nò vе_l̇ Е n ü m̃ ӓ
And now that very man was offering to become their enemy. It was far from a welcome suggestion.
As the awkward silence lingered, Ghislain smiled coyly and waved his hand.
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"Oh, don’t look so tense. I’m not saying I’ll actually fight you. I’m saying I’ll take the heat. If I do, you’ll all come together in no time."
"Take the heat…?"
"Yes. If I push you all mercilessly, everyone will curse me, right? All you two have to do is take good care of the soldiers afterward. Got it? I’ll handle everything. Like always."
Though they wore reluctant expressions, Andrew and Rio still nodded. If Ghislain said he’d take care of it, then regardless of the process, the problem would indeed be solved.
Е n ŭ m̌ӑ
First, Ghislain mixed up the troops from Nodehill, Larks, and Crest and formed new squads. Then he immediately announced the start of hellish training.
The soldiers went blank just looking at the training schedule.
"Why the hell do we have to run with chunks of metal strapped to us?"
"Ten thousand thrusts a day? Is that even something a human can do?"
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"Why the hell do we have to climb cliffs?"
"Endure an hour in fire? What the hell is that?"
Én̆ u m а́
"There’s even an hour underwater?"
"Ten thousand… push-ups?"
"We're supposed to do all of this… every day?"
This wasn’t training ordinary soldiers could endure. Not even the special forces of a major territory would be able to handle this.
No, under normal circumstances, it was simply impossible for a human being.
The knights were no exception. They had to undergo the same training as the soldiers.
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Once training began, half of them collapsed before the morning session was even over. The rest - knights included - fell before the end of the afternoon.
Within a single day, the combined forces of the three territories were utterly wiped out by the training.
Still, Ghislain didn’t stop.
"Deneb! Heal them all, quickly!"
"…"
No matter how hard Deneb tried, she couldn’t heal everyone. It was a small territory, and there were no other priests besides her.
Е ṅū m̃а
Even all the territory’s attendants and healers were pulled in to care for the soldiers.
Despite this, Ghislain forced the training to continue. In his heart, he wept tears of blood.
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'I will become a demon for your sake!'
The soldiers dropped like flies every time they trained. It was training no human could possibly endure.
And the same went for the knights. They stormed up to Ghislain and confronted him.
"Stop this training at once!"
Е nû m а̊.іd̈
"This is just torture!"
"No one can possibly endure this kind of training!"
Ghislain responded with an incredulous expression.
"Why not? Isn’t it just because you’re not trying hard enough?"
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With that, he personally demonstrated every part of the training. Naturally, he completed all of it without the slightest issue.
"See? If you try hard enough, you can do anything."
Е̇n̈ ûm̄ а̂
"…"
No one could argue after witnessing that madness with their own eyes.
Of course, Ghislain knew full well that this level of training was far beyond what mere effort could accomplish. It was impossible for normal people. But increasing their combat strength wasn’t the priority right now, unification was. And sure enough, after a week, everyone had become of one mind… united in cursing Ghislain.
"That crazy monster bastard… So, what if he's good at fighting? Doesn't he understand normal human standards?"
"How the hell is anyone supposed to survive in fire for an hour?!"
"Are we sure he’s not some mage conducting human experiments?"
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"I’d rather go to war than do this training."
"I just want things to go back to how they were."
The military training from before had been hard but at least it was reasonable. Thinking back now, it had been mercifully easy.
Since Ghislain had volunteered to play the demon, the soldiers, who suffered together under his command, naturally grew close.
Having a shared object of hatred was incredibly effective. Now, no one cared where anyone came from.
Only a strong sense of camaraderie, forged through shared hardship, had begun to blossom.
W е̇ bǹо̂ v eľ Ĕ ňu ṁ а̃
That was when Andrew and Rio started to act. They handed out generous servings of alcohol and meat to the soldiers, sympathizing with their hardship, and occasionally gave them time off from training.
"Seeing how much you suffer through this training pains your lord deeply. From now on, all of you shall rest for two days!"
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"Wooooaaaah!"
He had merely told them to rest, yet the soldiers cheered as if they'd won a war. As time went on, Andrew and Rio's reputation soared, while Ghislain’s infamy only grew.
Watching the soldiers change by the day, Andrew and Rio wore deeply moved expressions.
"He’s sacrificing his reputation for our sake…"
Е́ ñ ú m а́
"It’s truly admirable. Letting go of one’s fame is no easy thing."
"Indeed. He's a man who can sacrifice himself for the greater cause. Thanks to him playing the villain, the soldiers are uniting quickly."
Though Ghislain looked rather pleased with himself these days, that was probably just their imagination. Yes, just their imagination.
Ghislain paid no mind to his rising infamy. He was someone who never concerned himself with trivial matters if it meant achieving his goals.
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However, there was one person who greatly cared about that growing infamy.
― Hey! They’re cursing me in your name! Everyone’s putting the blame on me right now!
Ѐn um̈а̊
‘……’
That was right. It wasn’t Ghislain’s name, used only among close acquaintances that was being cursed but his public alias: Astion.
With a solemn expression, Ghislain said,
‘It’s fine. I’ll shoulder all the insults. What matters most is unifying the territory’s forces.’
― That’s the problem! I’m the one being cursed, not you! You said you’re going to leave eventually, right? Then won’t only my name be left behind?
‘……’
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― Wait, don't tell me… You’re doing all this without a care because I’m the one who’ll take the fall in the end…
‘That’s a misunderstanding. I’m not that kind of person.’
― What part of that isn’t true?! That’s exactly how this will end!
‘…If just the two of us bear the blame, everyone else can be happy.’
― That’s what I’m saying! I’m the only one getting cursed here! I want to save the world and gain glory with my friends too, you know! How can I do that if all I’ve got is infamy from the very beginning?!
‘Glory, huh…’
W_е̊ b̊ ńó v е̊ l̆ Еn̊ú mа
Ghislain let out a sigh. Astion wasn’t wrong, but still it stung a little that he didn’t understand the noble intentions behind Ghislain’s self-sacrifice, all over something as shallow as fame.
So, he made up his mind to explain just how meaningless that fame really was.
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‘I told you I came from the future, didn’t I?’
― Yeah, not that I completely believe it even now.
‘I know what will happen to you in the future.’
― Really? What happens? I bet I will save the world and become super famous, right?
Еn u m̊а̂
Astion asked with a pounding heart. He had asked about the future several times before, but Ghislain never really gave him a straight answer.
Taking a deep breath, Ghislain replied.
‘Listen carefully. In the future, you…’
― In the future?
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Ba-dump. Ba-dump!
‘…become a recluse shut-in.’
Ẃѐb ň о̄v́е̂l Ѐńů m а
― …….
‘No one knows who you are. You hide your Magic Tower out in some countryside. You even spread a fake name for it. It kind of looks like you committed some huge crime.’
― …….
Faced with that shocking future, Astion was left utterly speechless.
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