Shall We Move Again? (1)
Before the subordinate entered, Ghislain was reflecting on the past two years.
"Quite a lot has happened."
The biggest change was undoubtedly that Ghislain had reached the level of a 6th-circle master.
He had yet to obtain a 7th-circle magic book. Moreover, Astion's enlightenment was still somewhat lacking, so even if he acquired the book, he wouldn't be able to master it immediately.
However, he was now just a step away from transcendence. At his level, even magic alone allowed him to exert superhuman abilities.
At first, Astion was utterly frustrated.
— What the hell! I'm the one studying, but why do you get all the benefits? How do you learn magic like that?!
No matter how many times he saw it, he couldn't believe it. He had to study so hard that his head hurt just to barely grasp a single spell.
But Ghislain only had to watch Astion cast a spell once to replicate it instantly. No matter how difficult the magic was, there were no exceptions.
— How is that even possible?!
Every time Astion got angry, Ghislain would murmur indifferently.
"Magic... it's not that hard. You just watch and copy it..."
— Aaaah! Why is the world so unfair?!"
Astion couldn't quite gauge the extent of Ghislain's abilities. He didn't fully understand how Ghislain learned magic either.
So, he could only envy and resent Ghislain's so-called talent. It was understandable—after all, he was the one doing all the hard studying, only for someone else to reap the rewards.
Of course, the truth was that Ghislain wouldn't have been able to do any of this if he hadn't taken over Astion's body, but Astion wasn't even considering that part.
However, it wasn't long before Astion changed his perspective.
Whenever Astion finished his studies, Ghislain would always engage in a simple exercise routine and remark,
"Honestly, I wouldn't have taken this body even if it were given to me. It's completely out of shape. It's what you'd call a wretched excuse for a body."
— .....…Could you not insult my body after stealing it?
"This is what happens when you rely on magic for everything. Just look at yourself—you're constantly congested, your nose runs all the time. You get out of breath after just a short walk. Your shoulders and knees ache like an old man's."
— ...…That's normal for a mage. We sit and study all the time.
"Even so, you have to move your body from time to time to stay healthy."
— If you have mana, you can use it to stay healthier than ordinary people—
"Tsk tsk tsk, that's exactly the problem. If your body is strong, your mana flows more efficiently."
Ghislain continued to nag him while exercising without rest.
At first, it was just light stretching. But gradually, the intensity increased.
Eventually, it reached a point that defied human comprehension—he started strapping bizarre iron weights to his body and pushing it to the limit.
Astion was horrified and shouted,
— S-stop! Treat my body with care! Don't abuse it like that!
"Don't say things that could be misunderstood if someone else hears. And it's my body now, remember? Anyway, don't worry. I'm a master of training."
Despite Astion's panicked protests, Ghislain never stopped training. As a result, the body took a toll, and Astion freaked out.
— Aaaah! Stop it! You're ruining my body!
— Please, stop! You got hurt again!
— My bones! My bones are breaking!
— You're going to die at this rate! No, I'm going to die!
— You! You…Oh?
— Oh. Oh. Oh.....
— W-Wow… This is… my body?
For months, Astion had raged nonstop, but at some point, all he could do was gasp in admiration.
In just a year, his body had completely transformed. It had become a sculpture-like physique that anyone would envy.
Astion immediately felt the difference.
— M-my nose isn't runny! It's not congested either!
— Even after studying all night, I don't feel that tired!
— My shoulders and neck don't hurt! My head feels so clear!
With a body of steel, he felt energetic even without using mana. A healthier body allowed him to focus better on studying.
Ghislain grinned proudly and pushed him even harder.
"Now, study even harder."
— .....
By tirelessly balancing physical training and magic study, Ghislain had effectively turned himself into a human weapon.
With their roles divided, he had both an exceptional body and mind. Theoretically, he was practically invincible.
And it wasn't just Ghislain who had grown stronger over the past two years. Yulian and Kyle had also made remarkable progress.
Their rapid improvement was largely thanks to Ghislain's relentless training, but without the ideal environment, it wouldn't have been possible.
By enlisting Rio's help, Ghislain had obtained a massive amount of rune stones and immediately constructed a mana convergence formation.
It was a method he had previously used in Fenris. Most of his earnings had gone toward purchasing rune stones.
Upon seeing this, Yulian and Kyle were appalled.
"I-isn't this something only high-level knights can use?!"
"Wouldn't it be better to just take all this money and live happily somewhere far away?"
He spent so much on rune stones that it made daily life difficult. They were exorbitantly expensive, and no matter how much money he poured in, it was never enough.
Even Rio, who was helping with the purchases, struggled financially.
Yet, Ghislain remained steadfast.
"Money? We can just steal— I mean, earn more later. For now, just focus on getting stronger."
Hearing those words, Yulian and Kyle were deeply moved. No matter how essential training was, spending such an enormous sum on them was beyond comprehension.
They didn't know why he was doing this. He always said, "If you don't want to die, just do it," but they had no idea what he truly meant.
From that point on, their mindset shifted.
'He's doing all this for us—we can't let him down.'
'We can't let such a fortune go to waste. We'll get stronger and live in luxury.'
Fueled by determination, Yulian and Kyle finally reached the level of advanced knights. With a bit more effort, they would soon break into the highest ranks.
Once they overcame that final hurdle, they would become superhumans. Ghislain wasn't too concerned since he already knew what lay ahead.
The only thing that worried him was one person.
"Deneb... she's not improving easily."
Even Ghislain didn't know how to accumulate holy power. Without a mana cultivation technique, Deneb was falling further behind the others.
So much so that even Ghislain had to forcibly push her toward acts of kindness. Yet, the increase in holy power was minimal.
But Deneb herself wasn't bothered at all. Strength wasn't important to her.
She devoted herself to charitable deeds, educating the children of the territory, and doing whatever she could.
And over time, something peculiar happened.
"Lady Deneb, thank you so much."
"Your words today were truly inspiring."
"May the Goddess's blessing always be with you."
Deneb's reputation far surpassed that of anyone else.
There were many strong warriors, wealthy nobles, and powerful rulers in the world.
But there were very few people who genuinely helped others like she did. Even among priests, she was exceptional.
While Yulian and Kyle focused on training, Deneb continued to assist more people.
Since Ghislain allowed it, and since she found more comfort in helping others than in training, she didn't hesitate.
As a result, she became the most revered figure in the region. Seeing this, Ghislain could only chuckle.
"Well... she'll awaken eventually."
Once she did, she would become one of the most significant figures in the world. Until then, all he had to do was protect her.
Ghislain hadn't just been training—he had also continued working as a mercenary.
"There's no better training than real combat."
Following that belief, he accepted every dangerous request that came his way. When bandit exterminations arose nearby, he even moved without pay.
As a result, the reputation of the Yulian Mercenary Corps steadily grew. The bandits plaguing the Nodhill and Lacus territories were completely wiped out by their hands.
Ghislain killed those who resisted to the end, but those who surrendered were captured and imprisoned.
At one point, even Lord Andrew had to plead with him.
"We're running out of prison space! And feeding them is draining too many resources!"
With so many criminals being rounded up, it was inevitable. But Ghislain had a simple solution.
"Put them all to forced labor."
"Huh? Them? Can they even be controlled?"
"They can. Because I'm here."
Ghislain arrogantly raised his chin and pointed at himself.
By now, he had become a figure of terror in the region. The criminals who had been captured wouldn't even dare think of challenging him.
Thanks to his strong insistence, the criminals were put to work on the most dangerous tasks in the territory. For Lord Andrew, this was nothing but beneficial.
Among them, those with decent skills or the occasional former knight were taken in by Andrew.
As for Ghislain, he selectively recruited a portion of them as his subordinates in the mercenary corps—to put them to work on menial tasks.
"Man... Joining the Yulian Mercenary Corps was the best decision ever."
Andrew expressed his amazement daily. Strangely enough, the territory was developing more and more as time passed.
With security stabilized, the people could focus entirely on their livelihoods.
Ghislain's contributions to the Nodhill territory didn't stop there.
"Thanks to the mage, we even forged an alliance with Lacus Territory. Hmm, I should consider forming a blood tie with Baron Lacus soon."
The two territories supplemented each other's weaknesses and grew rapidly. With Ghislain standing in the middle, there was no concern about backstabbing.
Everything progressed based on trust in him. Naturally, this led to Ghislain becoming the true power behind both territories.
In this way, Ghislain and his group had spent the past two years productively. But it wasn't all smooth sailing.
"More and more people are targeting us."
As the Yulian Mercenary Corps' reputation soared, other mercenary groups in the region found their work diminishing.
It wasn't just in Nodhill—Yulian's mercenaries had taken over even the requests from neighboring territories.
For the dangerous jobs, Ghislain took the lead himself. As for the less critical tasks, they were delegated entirely to his subordinates—most of whom were former bandits.
Because of their growing fame, nobles and merchants alike sought out the Yulian Mercenary Corps first. Even the simplest tasks were now being handled by Ghislain's men.
"Making money isn't hard."
Ghislain chuckled gleefully.
To him, it was just a small change, but even small sums added up over time. And with his subordinates bringing in the money on their own, life couldn't be more convenient.
Naturally, the mercenary groups that had already established themselves in the region weren't pleased. Fewer requests meant less income.
This was a ruthless era. A mercenary corps that couldn't make money was no different from a bandit gang.
And so, they began to take increasingly aggressive actions against the Yulian Mercenary Corps.
"They got ambushed again?"
"Yes, sir."
Ghislain's subordinates, who had been handling minor requests, were repeatedly attacked—some injured, others killed.
Since the bandits were only working to atone for their crimes, he wasn't particularly moved by their deaths.
However, the increasing number of groups openly challenging the mercenary corps was an issue he couldn't ignore.
"Well, I suppose it's about time to move on to the next phase."
He never intended to stay in one place and train forever.
Ghislain had a plan.
"Yulian and Deneb need to be at the center of the world. And for that, we need a powerful force."
There weren't many ways for Yulian—who wasn't a noble—to amass power quickly.
One of the few viable methods was to establish a mercenary corps. A person leading a formidable mercenary force couldn't be ignored, even by nobles.
After all, no one knew when that mercenary force might side with their political enemy and turn against them.
Thus, Ghislain's first goal was to elevate the Yulian Mercenary Corps into the greatest and most powerful force in the land.
"The second step is political power."
Ghislain himself had grown quickly thanks to the support of Marquis Branford.
Likewise, the Yulian mercenary corps needed noble backers to solidify their position.
He had already chosen the nobles to support—Andrew and Rio. These two would soon rise to become the most influential figures in the kingdom.
"I'll make sure of it. At the very least, they'll reach the rank of marquis."
And when they did, he would be the shadow pulling their strings.
Of course, neither of them knew about his plans yet.
As typical rural nobles, they were simply enjoying their current lives—mining gold, raising ducks, and living in peace.
It would take quite some time for them to seize real power. In the meantime, Ghislain's immediate goal was to establish overwhelming military strength.
He even took the time to send Dark to his friends in the real world, updating them on his situation.
Hearing from him probably eased their worries, just as relaying the message helped him feel reassured about them.
"For me, it's just like training in magic while I'm here... I wish the others could also relax and see things as easily as I do."
Bringing his thoughts to a close, Ghislain was finally pulled from his contemplation when one of his subordinates entered the room.
"Alright, shall we move again?"
Stepping outside, he found Yulian, Kyle, Deneb, and about ten former bandits, fully armed and waiting.
Ghislain looked at Yulian and smiled.
"All set?"
Yulian nodded.
Their faces had changed significantly from two years ago. The youthful innocence was long gone, replaced with a sharp, commanding presence.
Like raw gems refined into precious jewels, their rigorous training and experiences had shaped them into something formidable.
The former bandits bowed their heads immediately at the sight of Ghislain. Having been thoroughly beaten by him in the past, they dared not meet his gaze.
'The Bandit Crusher of Nodhill.'
That was Ghislain's new nickname.
With a smirk, he addressed the group.
"Alright, let's go. Time to clean up the fools who keep picking fights."
Now, it was time to take control of every mercenary force in the region.
[Notice: Thank you for supporting my translations! I've launched a new website to host all my novels in one place. I will continue posting chapters here until I can update the links on Novel Updates. In the meantime, visit my new website "https://revengernovel.com/" and enjoy 5 extra chapters for free! Buy and Read all available chapters of the novel: https://payhip.com/revengerscans ]