The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

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Chapter 611: Then, I’m always okay. (3)

The Cyclops is a creature that can almost be considered legendary. It actually exists, but the population is so sparse that seeing one in person is nearly impossible.

Aside from dragons, it can be said to be the strongest monster, both in strength and size.

What if you were to defeat such a monster alone?

‘Then you’d be called a “Cyclops Slayer!”‘

Kaor had already earned the titles of “Ogre Slayer” and “Leather King of the North.”

Back then, he was quite satisfied, but now that he had become a superhuman, he felt a bit lacking. A more impressive and intense title was needed.

The Cyclops would more than satisfy that desire. Although “Dragon Slayer” might be out of reach, this was definitely possible.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

The Cyclops swung its club repeatedly at Kaor. It seemed quite irritated as Kaor continually dodged out of the way.

Kaor was strong in real battles and was adept at exploiting the weaknesses of his opponents. He moved calmly, evading the Cyclops’ attacks.

At the same time, he took opportunities to approach and swing his two swords.

Slash! Slash!

With attacks supposedly double the power, the Cyclops’ lower body was now filled with sword wounds.

Particularly, Kaor focused on the tendons around the Cyclops’ ankles. It’s basic common sense that to catch such a large monster, you must first take away its mobility.

Slash! Slash!

Kaor’s swords moved like lightning, continuing their assault.

Ever since becoming a superhuman, his movements had changed slightly.

While still appearing chaotic and savage, his sharpness was as good as Ghislaine’s.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

Kaor calmly targeted the Cyclops’ ankle again and again. It might take time, but he was confident he could take it down.

People watching noticed Kaor was fighting steadily and didn’t rush to help.

Gordon asked Lucas beside him.

“Hmm, should we not intervene? I feel like he could take it if he had a little time.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to just let him finish quickly?”

“Yeah, with that personality, he’d go crazy again.”

“Ha, I really wish he’d only take after the old man half as much.”

Gordon and Lucas shook their heads. Other knights felt the same way.

Gillian had no unnecessary sense of honor. He focused solely on helping Ghislaine achieve her goals.

Therefore, unless it was a situation that required a one-on-one duel, he didn’t care at all about coordinating with allies.

But not Kaor. He was a man with an excessive desire for recognition.

Anyone who knew Kaor’s filthy temper could only watch helplessly.

Before long, Belinda, who had come to support Ghislaine, clicked her tongue.

“Why is he acting like that even after becoming a superhuman?”

Ghislaine, watching the spectacle, chuckled. That personality seemed impossible to change.

When the war ended and Kaor became a superhuman, Ghislaine was overjoyed and congratulated him.

However, after becoming a superhuman with more guts, Kaor challenged Ghislaine to a rematch.

Of course, he got beaten so badly that dust flew on a rainy day.

It seemed that because of the humiliation faced that time, he wanted to capture the Cyclops today to gain his fame.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

Dodging the Cyclops’ club, Kaor was extremely focused on the battle.

“I will capture it, I’ll catch it. The old man couldn’t do it alone, but I will.”

If he could prove he was better than the old man, wouldn’t that be something?

In Kaor’s mind, only that desire remained.

What does a superhuman do? With so many talented folks in the territory, his inferiority complex hadn’t vanished at all.

This was a matter of pride, entirely separate from wanting to live a leisurely life as a superhuman.

At that moment, Kaor’s concentration was at an astonishingly high level. A massive desire was driving him.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

The Cyclops’ ankle was so heavily slashed that the bone was beginning to show.

Graaaar!

The Cyclops howled in pain and fell to the ground. Now, all he had to do was slowly circle around and attack its arms and body.

“Phew, I can do this!”

Kaor was significantly drained, having consumed more than half his mana, but he was confident.

If he just kept this up, it would take time, but ultimately, he would end up victorious.

Slash! Slash! Slash! Slash!

Kaor truly exerted a fierce focus as he attacked the Cyclops.

The Cyclops’ movements grew slower and slower. The more sluggish it became, the more excitement filled Kaor’s heart.

“Just a bit more!”

Suddenly, he felt lighter in body. Somehow, he felt a surge of strength.

Graaaar!

The Cyclops swung its club at the approaching Kaor.

Crash!

The earth trembled and cracked. But Kaor quickly dodged with shining eyes.

“Now’s my chance!”

He felt he could strike its neck if he got close. Kaor dashed with all his might.

The end was in sight. Finally, the great “Cyclops Slayer” was about to be born.

Even if he couldn’t cut it down in one blow, he could still inflict a fatal wound. Kaor laughed joyfully, gripping his two swords tightly.

Seeing that, Ghislaine clicked her tongue.

“Tsk, tsk, there he goes again.”

The battle isn’t over until it’s completely finished. It was clear he was getting excited thinking he had the upper hand.

That’s the most dangerous time. The Cyclops was no monster without intelligence.

Indeed, the Cyclops suddenly swung its club sideways in an unexpected movement.

“Huh?”

Kaor was caught off guard and froze. It was completely different from its previous patterns.

A giant club was rapidly approaching from the side, big enough to block his view.

There was no room to dodge. Kaor, sensing his life was at stake, summoned all his mana to protect himself.

“I’m going to die!”

If he got hit by that, he would truly die. Kaor instinctively felt it.

Jerome and Vanessa suddenly surprised, deployed a shield for Kaor. Yulien swiftly swung a sword, chopping at the Cyclops’ arm.

Their actions were shockingly swift and precise, yet they were all considerably exhausted.

Therefore, they couldn’t perfectly withstand the Cyclops’ powerful attack.

Crash!

“Keek!”

Crack!

Kaor’s arm bone and ribs shattered from the hit. Even after partially weakening the strike with their attack and shield, this was the result.

In that instant, a flashback hit Kaor’s mind.

“Ah… it feels like it was like this back then…”

He nearly died facing the Twin Head Ogre too.

But this was wholly different from back then. It felt like one of his bones had shattered completely. Maybe he wouldn’t survive even if he avoided more hits.

‘…This is bad.’

His mind swirled with pain. Suddenly, he regretted being so cocky. If he fell like this, he wouldn’t be able to dodge and would take follow-up damage.

He thought those things as he flew far away.

Kaaaaar!

The Cyclops let out a roar of victory.

There was a disturbance, but he finally got a hit on that annoying little human. If it had landed properly, he would have killed him instantly, and that was a bit regretful.

But it’s fine. The human was down and couldn’t get back up. Now, he could just finish the job.

The Cyclops turned its body. It had been knocked back quite a distance, but with just a little movement, it could crush him.

There were other humans around as well. It intended to take them all out.

Kaaaaar!

The Cyclops raised its upper body. Walking properly was a challenge, but killing all the humans in front of it wouldn’t be difficult.

Kaor, who had collapsed from a distance, muttered in a pained expression.

“Help me…”

“…”

The others could only watch that sight with a sense of pity. Indeed, Kaor was still Kaor.

While the Cyclops was a threatening monster, there were many strong individuals here.

Now, there were no remaining monsters. The remaining small ones were being swept away by the fortress troops.

At Kaor’s plea for rescue, everyone except Ghislaine moved.

Crash!

First, magic ruthlessly pierced the Cyclops’ body. Following that, Yulien and Gillian’s swords, along with Belinda’s dagger, mercilessly slashed at the Cyclops.

Kaaaaar!

The Cyclops swung its club wildly in pain, but no one was hit.

With several people attacking in turns, the exhausted Cyclops was panting heavily. Its movements grew slower.

In that gap, all the members of the Knight Order of Penris pounced.

Thud! Crash! Boom!

Graaaar…

Boom!

Before long, the Cyclops fell, reduced to minced meat.

Although Kaor continued thrashing about to exhaust its strength, the battle ended quickly as skilled individuals rushed in all at once.

Ghislaine, who had been watching while seated, laughed.

“Finally, we’ve defeated it. Great work, everyone.”

Having been delayed in joining due to catching the wizards, they had almost let the Forward Fortress get overrun and suffer great damage.

Fortunately, they managed to arrive just in time.

At Ghislaine’s declaration, everyone cheered loudly.

“Yay!”

“We won!”

“We survived! We took down all those monsters!”

The fortress troops were genuinely thrilled. Having faced the brink of death and returning, how could they not be happy?

However, their pure joy didn’t last long. Soon, those mourning their fallen comrades began to increase.

The recent monster wave was that terrible. They never wanted to experience it again.

Marquis Alferen rushed over with priests and shouted.

“Your Grace! Are you alright?”

The priests surrounded Ghislaine, exuding divine power. Ghislaine smiled and waved her hand.

“I’m always fine, so take care of that guy first.”

Kaor was being carried on a stretcher. In the end, he failed to gain the desired title and fame. All he got was shame.

The priests rushed to Kaor, pouring divine power on him. He flipped over and buried his face in the stretcher.

His determination to not show his face was clear.

Belinda watched that scene beside the stretcher and clicked her tongue.

“If you’re embarrassed, you shouldn’t have acted like that in the first place.”

“….”

Kaor didn’t say a word. He absolutely wouldn’t turn his head.

But the area around his buried face seemed to be suspiciously damp.

Alfoy teased from the side.

“Is that guy crying? Hey, are you crying?”

“….”

Kaor just buried his face and waved his hands angrily. He wanted to hurry up and leave.

The soldiers carried the stretcher away, walking briskly. Alfoy kept following, trying to converse.

“Hey, are you crying? You really crying right now?”

“….”

Kaor remained buried in his face and didn’t respond.

After receiving some basic treatment, Ghislaine stood up from her place, and Marquis Alferen said.

“Thank you for your hard work. Please take care of your injuries and get some rest.”

Ghislaine immediately shook her head.

“We must hurry to another location. We can rest along the way.”

“But everyone must be exhausted…”

“This is the Forward Fortress, so we fought here first. Monsters will come crashing into the other fortresses soon. We need to reach them first.”

“Hmm…”

“It’ll be tough, but it can’t be helped. We must quickly reorganize our troops and move.”

Marquis Alferen nodded.

The army had come to fend off the monster wave. Just because they blocked this place doesn’t mean it’s over. They need to defend the other fortresses as well.

But everyone was extremely tired. Marching right away would put a colossal burden on them.

‘Ugh… to have to face another monster wave like that?’

Marquis Alferen was completely fed up after experiencing it this time. The soldiers were terrified.

If they said to fight again, some would surely desert. No, it would be strange if they didn’t desert.

He himself felt like just quitting right now and heading back to his homeland.

As if sensing that worry, Ghislaine smiled and said.

“This is the most dangerous place, where the fights are the fiercest. While there will be more monsters than usual elsewhere, it will be much better. Besides, the wizards will also join us in turns. There’s no need to worry excessively.”

“Hahaha… I wasn’t really that worried.”

Marquis Alferen nodded, a cold sweat running down his forehead. Still, it was a relief to hear it would be less than now.

Moreover, now the superhumans and wizards would join them. That should make it manageable.

“Then… can you say a few words to the soldiers? I think it would be better for you to speak, as it would lift their spirits more than if I did.”

“Of course, that’s easy enough.”

Ghislaine rode forward on the Black King, boldly addressing the soldiers. Although her body ached all over, she showed no signs.

The Black King seemed familiar with it, arrogantly lifting its head.

Soon, Ghislaine shouted in a resolute voice.

“We must support the other fortresses immediately! It will be tough and frightening, but there’s no need to worry! Monsters will be fewer than now, and the wizards and superhumans here will assist us!”

The soldiers’ faces slightly darkened. The situation was already tough enough.

Ghislaine, smiling kindly as if she understood, continued.

“Just hold on a little longer! The rear fortresses have plenty of supplies and troops! You won’t need to struggle like this! Once we arrive, you’ll have enough time to rest!”

The soldiers forced smiles. If there would be fewer monsters than this, it seemed manageable. Plus, there would be plenty of fresh troops at the other fortresses.

Still, they were exhausted. They wanted to rest a little. That was unavoidable.

Ghislaine also fully understood the state of the soldiers’ fatigue. After fighting like this, it would be strange if they weren’t tired.

However, he knew how to motivate the soldiers at such times.

“I vow on my name! To you who have fought harder than anyone else… I will reward you with an immediate payment equivalent to three years’ salary as soon as the battle is over!”

No matter the finances, it was essential to throw out rewards first.