The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

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Chapter 490: For the Royal Family (3)

The Crown Prince Faction nobles were extremely busy, barely able to catch their breath. They needed to reorganize the Kingdom Army and send it down to the southern front as planned.

It wasn’t just a matter of reshuffling troops and issuing orders.

With many casualties, new commanders had to be appointed, and careful attention had to be given to various armaments and supplies.

Even amidst the hustle, the nobles’ eyes shimmered with hope. The Northern Army’s string of victories sparked optimism that the war was nearing its end.

“When the war is over, the vast south will be wide open.”

“Ha ha ha! Isn’t it the kingdom’s richest agricultural zone and resource-rich land? The rewards will be enormous!”

“Perhaps we’ll be able to feast on so much that we might have leftovers.”

For the high-ranking nobles who didn’t fight directly, war was just a numbers game. Thus, they busied themselves calculating how much they could consume once the war ended.

Perhaps they wouldn’t realize the seriousness of war until a blade was pointed at their own throats.

Seeing the jovial nobles, Marquis Branford let out a sigh.

‘How can only these types be in charge?’

Nobles were born into their status. The mindset of those who had grown up this way wouldn’t easily change.

That was why accidents kept happening even in the midst of war.

No matter how powerful one’s authority, this couldn’t be helped. Until everything was overturned and started anew, it would never cease.

‘But it’s not over yet.’

There were still noble souls fulfilling their duties.

Thanks to them, the kingdom was barely holding steady.

Gathering his thoughts, Marquis Branford asked the knight beside him.

“Have the Chamberlain and that man not come out yet?”

“Yes, I don’t know what they’re doing. They just enter for meals when the time comes.”

“Hmm…”

Count Domont and the mysterious mage hadn’t emerged from the king’s chamber for several days.

The king had refused to meet anyone else besides them.

“I’ll go check as soon as the meeting is over, so prepare yourselves.”

“Understood.”

With his orders given, Marquis Branford continued the meeting with the nobles.

But not long after, an astounding figure entered.

“Your Majesty!”

Someone shouted and leaped to their feet. Other nobles also gasped, jaws agape.

The king, who had been bedridden and unable to move properly, had appeared. Though supported by the Chamberlain, he was undeniably moving.

Berhem wore a cheerful smile and spoke.

“Ha ha ha! It’s been a while, everyone. You’ve worked hard worrying about the kingdom’s stability on my behalf.”

Marquis Branford was also quite surprised, but hid it well and stood up to offer the king his seat.

However, he needed to gauge the situation.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

“Of course, I’m okay! How long has it been since I’ve felt this good!”

Berhem slowly took his seat. He seemed a bit uncomfortable moving but appeared mostly fine.

He surveyed the astonished nobles with a crooked grin.

“I know you all must have been puzzled. You probably thought I would never get up again.”

“Y-your Majesty…”

“That’s not it…”

The nobles were flustered. While it was true they thought that, they didn’t expect the king to be so confrontational about it.

Berhem narrowed his eyes, looking around at the nobles again before continuing.

“The mage behind me is incredibly talented.”

Everyone turned to look at Flacus standing behind Berhem.

They had heard the rumors. A wandering mage boldly asserted that he could cure the king’s illness.

They thought he would soon be arrested along with the Chamberlain. But truly, he had revitalized the king.

“This is Sir Flacus. In the future, treat him with the same respect as you would me. He’s the one who saved my life. By the way, I wonder what the kingdom’s mages and priests have been doing these days.”

With Berhem’s taunting words, everyone fell silent. Depending on how one interpreted it, it could suggest that they deliberately hadn’t treated the king.

Marquis Branford glared at Flacus. He continued to wear a gentle smile, appearing like a deeply educated scholar.

‘What on earth did he do?’

The king had been unable to move properly for over ten years. If a man like that could suddenly roam freely after just a few days, it certainly wasn’t by normal means.

While the king’s recovery was good news, something deep inside Marquis Branford felt uneasy.

Such matters couldn’t stem from sorcery.

He had to find out what methods had been used, even if it meant torturing Flacus. But given that he had improved the king’s condition, it wasn’t feasible to forcibly take him away.

“Your Majesty, I believe we should verify what methods he used.”

“What do you mean? My body is getting better!”

“What if he used a hollow spell? In the end, worse side effects could manifest.”

At that, Berhem exploded in anger.

“Marquis! Are you telling me to just lie down and die?!”

“Your Majesty.”

“Don’t touch him! Unless you want to be labeled as a royal assassin!”

“……”

At those words, every noble fell silent.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t understand the king’s feelings. Who could refuse to improve their health?

With a piercing gaze directed at the nobles, Berhem slowly stood and declared.

“I’ll take my leave today. From the next national conference onward, I’ll lead it myself.”

With those words, Berhem left, supported by Count Domont.

The nobles looked at Marquis Branford.

“This is really…”

“Suddenly, the king decides to attend the national meeting…”

“What will happen from here on out?”

The king had been absent from national matters for over ten years. The Prime Minister had been leaving everything to Marquis Branford due to his old age for several years now.

In such circumstances, how could the king, who had not participated in governance, suddenly barge in and expect everything to run smoothly?

Frankly, one needed to know something to conduct a meeting.

Commander Maurice frowned. He was currently in the capital, managing troops while receiving reports from all the legions.

“We are in the middle of a war. If His Majesty, who knows nothing of the current situation, leads the national affairs, decisions will only be delayed. Why not let him handle national affairs after the war ends?”

Marquis Branford replied with a still expression.

“It’s not strange for His Majesty to lead national affairs. Prepare accordingly from now on.”

With that, he too left the conference room. Of course, he didn’t feel entirely at ease.

“Toleo, what do you think?”

The nobles lacked the discerning ability to feel or grasp the rival’s energy. They had learned swordsmanship as part of their refinement, but few reached a high level.

Maurice was of high knight status, but he too seemed not to have perceived anything odd.

“I’m not sure either. If he indeed used dark magic or some sorcery, I should have felt it, but I didn’t. However…”

“However?”

“The mysterious mage is definitely suppressing his energy. I sensed that from the moment we first met.”

“Hmm…”

After all, unless the other intentionally concealed it, even the highest-tier knights would find it hard to discern the nature of someone’s energy.

Let alone a sickly king who hadn’t learned anything, recognizing something strange at once would be difficult.

Since the day Berhem stood, he continuously attended the national meetings. His condition improved day by day.

“Ha ha, today is truly refreshing. I’ve realized that moving is such a great joy. So, how’s the war going?”

“Yes, most of the troop reorganizations are complete, and we are preparing to move to the southern front one by one.”

Having received various reports and grasped the overall situation, Berhem expressed surprise.

“I didn’t expect that even in wartime, we would be completely free of supply shortages. I had no idea the production in the North had improved so much. It’s vastly different from when I was bedridden.”

“It’s all thanks to Count Penris.”

“Count Penris… I’ve heard that name often from the Chamberlain. Truly a blessing for the kingdom.”

While he praised with his mouth, his eyes conveyed a different message. The nobles sensed the disconnect and began glancing nervously at Berhem.

Soon, Berhem spoke with a voice full of authority.

“Upon reviewing the situation, it seems that due to chaos and war, the damage to the citizens has been excessive. Thus, I have made a resolution.”

“What is it?”

“I think it would be best to stop the war at this point. I will negotiate with the Duke Faction. I intend to forgive them and create a peaceful world.”

“……!!”

Marquis Branford widened his eyes. The other nobles looked equally shocked.

The Duke Faction had rebelled against the kingdom and initiated the war. Yet now, the king himself was stepping forward to negotiate with them.

Where could one find a king who would do such a thing?

With a cold expression, Marquis Branford replied.

“Your Majesty, that cannot be!”

“What do you mean?”

“The Duke is a traitor who rebelled against the royal family.”

“I said I will forgive them.”

“That’s not all. They colluded with the cult to create rifts and caused the death of countless people. If we don’t punish them for bringing chaos to the kingdom, greater turmoil will come.”

At Marquis Branford’s words, Maurice spoke with a fierce tone.

“Your Majesty! Because of those scoundrels, countless soldiers of the kingdom have died! The soldiers from the allied forces who came to help us have perished in the same way! How can a king let the deaths of his subjects simply slide by?!”

Other nobles also expressed their dissent loudly.

“The Salvation Society is classified as enemies of the four major factions! Forgiving them would mean the kingdom also becomes an enemy of those factions!”

“That is absolutely unacceptable!”

“How can we trust the Duke or the Salvation Society to negotiate?”

In fact, among the nobles, there were those who secretly wished for the war to end soon. They were watching to see if things would change now that the king had finally appeared.

But they also couldn’t go against Marquis Branford’s intentions. The noble with all the power was far more fearsome than a powerless king.

As all the nobles voiced their opposition, Berhem trembled with rage.

“Is this the first decision I’ve made since I woke up?! And yet, you all still oppose me?!”

“We cannot allow it, Your Majesty.”

Seeing Berhem’s frosty expression, he exhaled harshly and clenched his fists.

He was indeed just a puppet. Everyone was just looking out for Marquis Branford.

Bang!

Berhem slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

“We’ll adjourn for today. This matter will be discussed again soon, so cease the movement of the Kingdom Army immediately.”

With that, he turned to leave. Once the king departed, Maurice exploded in frustration.

“I knew this would happen! We’re in urgent times, yet decisions are taking ages! There are legions that have only just finished reorganizing and haven’t even set off yet! What are we going to do when my nephew is waiting?!”

The legions that had already set off could excuse themselves, claiming they moved before the royal decree, but they couldn’t freely move the standby Kingdom Army without the king’s approval.

Ultimately, they would have to pressure the king to obtain the order. It was certainly a troublesome situation.

“Sigh, if only that fortune-telling grandmother were here, I could have asked her what to do.”

“……”

Everyone fell silent. To Maurice, the fortune-telling grandmother was above the king.

He was currently sending search parties to the southern front, actively seeking her out.

As Marquis Branford rose from his seat, he spoke.

“For now, let’s try to persuade him for a few more days. National meetings are typically drawn out like this.”

Given the Marquis’s involvement, decisions had been made relatively swiftly, but typically, meetings tended to be sluggish affairs.

Though he voiced that it was out of his control, in truth, Marquis Branford had other thoughts.

‘That mage must die first.’

It seemed the Duke Faction and the Salvation Society were up to something. There’d be no way the king would speak such words without provocation.

That mage had to be a priest of the Salvation Society. The king must have orchestrated this act to treat his own body.

Marquis Branford said to Toleo.

“Toleo. Prepare the troops, knights, and mages as if facing a superhuman. I will take the opportunity to strike and kill him.”

“Understood.”

If he was indeed a priest of the Salvation Society, he must have reached a level akin to a superhuman. The Marquis began assembling the greatest knights and mages for the capture.

Even if he was superhuman, there was a way to confront him if he was alone. There would likely be considerable sacrifice, but he had to find a way to catch and kill him.

While Marquis Branford was preparing, Berhem continued to attend meetings for several days, insisting on negotiations with the Duke Faction.

However, he found himself facing continual opposition from all the nobles.

With nothing working out in his favor, he returned to his chamber and unleashed his fury.

“Marquis Branford! That bastard! How dare he defy my will! Is he not the true traitor?!”

Berhem felt anxious. The improvement in his health was a temporary occurrence. To fully reclaim his well-being, he needed something from the Duke Faction.

The Duke Faction offered to trade that for a royal secret and simultaneously demanded a ceasefire.

However, with Marquis Branford opposing, he found it impossible to fulfill that wish.

Some legions were on standby, but they couldn’t stop those already moving. Marquis Branford was clearly fanning the flames from behind the scenes.

At this rate, war would reignite before he could obtain what he desired.

“What can I do? Marquis Branford isn’t listening to me at all.”

With urgency in his tone, Flacus offered a soft smile.

“It seems I will need to hasten the lion hunt.”

The lion was the emblem of the House of Marquis Branford. Essentially, it was a declaration to capture Marquis Branford.

Berhem cautiously asked, “Is it possible?”

“I did expend quite a bit of energy treating you, but it’s not impossible if the royal knights join forces.”

Flacus had consumed considerable energy to heal Berhem. Replenishing that would require a specific ritual.

To carry out that ritual smoothly, Berhem needed to wield powerful authority.

“Yes, what must I do?”

“At each meeting, demand ceasefire negotiations to buy time. I shall arrange a date with the royal knight commander.”

“Understood, we must succeed.”

Berhem spoke with a trembling voice.

Marquis Branford held all the power. They had to prepare without drawing his attention. Thus, he couldn’t help but be nervous.

From that day onward, Berhem made a fuss at every meeting, brandishing the king’s authority.

The nobles found themselves at a loss. They needed to restart the war quickly, yet the king was holding them back.

Ultimately, Marquis Branford stepped up to speak on behalf of all.

“Your Majesty, we can’t delay any further. The Duke Faction must be preparing to fight even now.”

“I said I desire negotiations!”

“I apologize. This is an issue linked to the kingdom’s survival. It cannot be ignored.”

After saying this, Marquis Branford turned to Maurice.

“Order the standby legions to move immediately. From now on, they will follow the orders of the Northern Army commander.”

“Ah, understood.”

“Your Majesty, it would be best if you let the Chamberlain and the mage go now. An investigation seems necessary.”

Hearing this, Berhem yelled furiously.

“You scoundrel! I am the king! I am the king! How dare you act so recklessly!”

“……”

“How intolerable! You are the true traitor! You are the traitor!”

“……See to it that the king is attended to.”

With that outburst, there was no helping it. Marquis Branford simply turned to leave the meeting room.

“You treacherous bastard! What’s the difference between you and that woman! I am the king! This kingdom does not belong to you!”

As the echoes of Berhem’s shouting faded behind him, Marquis Branford closed his eyes.

‘As long as the war ends…’

Once the Duke Faction disappears, there will be no one left to threaten this kingdom or the royal family. Once that’s taken care of, he would consider retiring.

But it seemed that path wasn’t as easy as he thought.

Returning to his mansion, where he had been working late into the night, his butler entered with a report.

“The royal knights and the palace defense forces have begun moving. Their target is here.”

Marquis Branford said nothing. His expression remained entirely impassive.

The butler also continued his report with an unchanging face.

“All knights and soldiers are prepared. Moreover, the capital’s defense forces have moved to surround the palace. The infiltrated servants within the palace have completed their preparations as well.”

“…….”

“Just give the order.”

Flacus and the royal knights had secretly begun to move against Marquis Branford.

However, Marquis Branford was already receiving reports on all of it.