The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Chapter 340: Chapter 339: I'll Take Care of It (3)

Chapter 340: Chapter 339: I'll Take Care of It (3)

?

Pippin, a guard on patrol duty, stepped out of the barracks while yawning.

"Ugh, this is so annoying. I'm so sleepy I could die."

One downside of this mansion was that there were far too many places to patrol. With its near-fortress-like size, it was massive.

What use were 500 soldiers if most of them were crammed into the perimeter and the main house?

As a result, only a small number of soldiers had to patrol the vast mansion.

"Ha, guess I'll head to my secret spot again today."

Pippin was good at shirking his duties. He knew of a blind spot in the mansion where no one came and there were no guards.

He would always take a nap there, then pretend he had finished his patrol. If caught, he would be in serious trouble, but he had never been caught.

Who would punish the person on patrol duty? The mansion grounds were so vast that it was harder to be caught.

Pippin made his way to his secret spot and lay flat on the ground. Having grown up roughly, he didn't mind lying on dirt.

Thud, thud...

"Hm?"

When he put his ear to the ground, he heard a faint sound.

"What is that? Why am I hearing this?"

It was so faint that he thought he might be imagining things.

"Eh, must've heard wrong."

Since it wasn't clear, he simply lay back down to rest. He made sure not to fall into a deep sleep, taking only a light nap.

He had done this many times before and was used to it. After a while, he returned to his duties.

Two days later, when he was on patrol again due to the shortage of guards, he went to his secret spot for another break.

This time, the sound was back as soon as he lay down.

Thud, thud, thud...

"Huh?"

When he lifted his head, the sound stopped. It was only audible when his ear was pressed to the ground.

"Is something down there? Could it be water flowing?"

He dismissed it as unimportant and went back to his duties. But the third time he heard the sound, suspicion took hold.

Thud, thud, thud...

"Something's definitely there."

The sound had been faintly audible for days. And now, it was clearly getting louder with each passing day.

"Why is this sound coming from the ground?"

If there was a monster living there, they wouldn't have built a building on top of it. It would have been known a long time ago.

It wasn't the sound of water flowing either. Curious, he put his ear to the ground and concentrated.

Thud, thud...

He heard a sound that sounded like something was being broken and dug. After thinking for a while, he brought a shovel and dug a little bit of the ground.

He thought that if there really was something under the ground, the sound would be heard better from below.

Indeed, when he dug the ground and put his ear to it, the sound became a little louder. After listening for a while, he unconsciously muttered.

"A tunnel?"

It was a thought that came to him without thinking, but he was strongly convinced. A sound that had been heard for several days, and was getting louder.

Now, it felt like the ground was shaking subtly.

"I'm sure, someone is digging the ground down here. To sneak in here."

Pippin's eyes gleamed with anticipation. If he reported this, he'd receive a huge reward. Discovering such a thing in an unguarded spot was remarkable.

The truth was that he had just been lying there to slack off.

He rushed to report to his superior, emphasizing how no one else would have noticed this if not for him.

Several soldiers came to dig at the ground and press their ears to confirm.

"It really does sound like someone is digging a tunnel down there."

When other soldiers confirmed the noise, knights were brought in to investigate. Using mana, the knights could hear the sound even more clearly.

"Station soldiers here immediately."

Whoever was bold enough to dig a tunnel into the mansion clearly had guts. The information was reported up the chain of command, and knights and soldiers were stationed in

anticipation.

Sure enough, the next day, a small portion of the ground trembled, and a single head popped

out.

The knights and soldiers, already waiting with torches lit, clearly saw the figure emerge.

"A dwarf?"

No one had expected a dwarf, so they blinked several times in disbelief.

A knight, finally regaining his composure, pointed his sword at Galbarik's neck and growled.

"Who are you? How did you dig this tunnel?"

Galbarik, his eyes darting around nervously, finally managed to stammer,

"A-are we... thieves?"

"This insane dwarf..."

The knight glared at him for a long moment before shouting to the soldiers.

"Arrest these bastards and throw them in the dungeons! I'll report this to the young lord. And investigate where this tunnel leads!"

Galbarik and the dwarves were swiftly captured and dragged away.

Even as they were taken, the dwarves wore dazed expressions. Despite their slight lapse in vigilance, they couldn't fathom how they had been caught so easily.

They had conducted the construction quietly and were sure the area was a blind spot. The dwarves grumbled that the mansion's defenses must have been far more thorough than they anticipated. They insisted that there was no way they could have been caught unless every gap had been tightly guarded.

In reality, it had been pure luck-a lazy soldier had stumbled upon the tunnel by chance.

As the dwarves were dragged away, leaving only the unfinished tunnel behind, Martin, upon

hearing the news, was livid.

"Where did they come from? Find out immediately!"

"We're investigating, but it may take some time."

"Why? Just check where the tunnel connects!"

"We sent soldiers into the tunnel, but there's a door blocking the way."

"A door? In a tunnel?"

"Yes, it's an exceptionally thick door. It seems to be locked from the inside."

"That doesn't make sense! How were the dwarves planning to leave, then? Just break it

down!"

"The door appears to act as a support structure. Forcing it open or destroying it could collapse

the tunnel."

"Ugh!"

If the tunnel collapsed, they might never determine where it originated. It was clear the

thieves, being dwarves, had prepared for this possibility.

After thinking for a moment, Martin narrowed his eyes and gave an order.

"Search Dominic's warehouse immediately. He's been doing construction there recently. That must be where the tunnel starts-they're trying to rescue the hostages."

"Understood."

Knights and soldiers made their way to Dominic's warehouse.

The mercenaries guarding the area had no choice but to step aside under the knights' stern

orders. After all, they didn't know what was happening inside.

As the knights and soldiers tried to enter, one man stood in their way-Dominic, the captain

of the Drake Mercenary Corps.

"What's the meaning of this?" Dominic asked, his face cold.

The knight smirked, drawing his sword.

"What are you doing here at this hour? Got something to hide?"

"This is my private space. Even as knights, you have no right to barge in here."

"This is an order from the young lord. Thieves have broken into the mansion, and we need to

check inside."

"I know nothing about it. Leave now."

The knight tilted his head mockingly and said,

"Don't act so high and mighty, Dominic. Just step aside. You're just a mercenary who's been

treated well because of the young lord's favor."

"Even the young lord cannot infringe on my personal space."

"Quit spouting nonsense and move! The young lord governs this city!"

At the knight's shout, the soldiers tightened their grip on their weapons and stepped forward.

The mercenaries, watching from outside, also drew their weapons and entered. Tensions rose sharply, both sides ready to clash at any moment.

The knight glanced around, sneering as he said, "Are you really going to fight here? What do

you think will happen if I get hurt or have to retreat?"

The veiled threat made Dominic grit his teeth. With his skills, he could easily deal with the

knight and soldiers in front of him.

But he couldn't handle the consequences.

"Fine," Dominic sighed deeply, stepping aside.

"Do what you must and leave quickly." "You should've done that from the start."

The knight smirked arrogantly, looking Dominic up and down before opening the door.

Creak...

Thump!

As the door opened, Dominic's breath quickened. His heart pounded, and his head felt dizzy.

The knight, stepping inside, shouted immediately.

"Check the floor! There must be a tunnel!"

'We're caught!'

Dominic was certain now. The mention of thieves confirmed the dwarves had been captured.

The spy within the mercenary corps had likely reported the warehouse as suspicious. As soon

as the incident occurred, Martin sent people here, along with those already keeping an eye on

him.

Although the warehouse was arranged like an office, the knights and soldiers searched it relentlessly.

They removed carpets, struck the floor with their weapons, and searched for anything

unusual.

But they found nothing.

"What's this? Wasn't it here?"

No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find the tunnel entrance. Even with mana,

the knight couldn't uncover anything, despite breaking parts of the floor.

Frustrated, they checked the surrounding area as well, but to no avail.

After one last thorough inspection, the knight glared at Dominic and said, "I don't know what

you're up to, but be careful. We'll be watching."

With that warning, the knight led the soldiers away.

Even after they left, Dominic stood frozen. Only after some time did he wipe the cold sweat

from his brow and sit down.

"Phew... We're safe for now."

The tunnel entrance wasn't in the warehouse. The construction at the warehouse was merely a

ruse to mislead the enemy.

The actual digging had been done outside the city. For the dwarves, it didn't matter whether

they worked inside or outside.

In fact, working outside made transporting materials easier and allowed for more extensive

initial work.

Though the immediate crisis was over, Dominic knew time was running out. If the dwarves were tortured, they might reveal everything.

At dawn, Dominic disguised himself and went to find Ghislain. By then, the entire city was

buzzing with rumors about the dwarves caught breaking into the mayor's mansion. Upon hearing the news, Ghislain scratched his head.

"Ah, that's life for you. Weird things happen, and that's what makes it fun."

He didn't know how they had been caught. Perhaps the dwarves had slipped up, or maybe the

guards were more alert than expected. It could even have been pure luck.

The world was full of such uncertainties.

This sort of thing had happened often in his previous life and even after his return. That was

why Ghislain remained unfazed.

But Dominic, who relied entirely on Ghislain, was in no mood to stay calm.

"Th-this isn't the time to be so relaxed! The dwarves have been captured! Martin won't sit

still!"

"It's fine. Martin's a noble; he knows how valuable dwarves are. He won't harm them right away. He'll probably try to negotiate."

Dominic's face turned grim. How could Ghislain be so carefree and irresponsible when the

entire plan was at risk?

But Ghislain simply grinned and continued.

"A plan is just a plan. It can change at any moment based on the situation. The process doesn't

matter."

"Then what does matter?"

"The result. As long as we get the result we want, that's all that matters."

"But everything's falling apart! What are you going to do now?"

"What do you think? I'll go in, rescue the dwarves, and save the hostages."

"?"

Dominic looked utterly bewildered. Ghislain patted his shoulder and said,

"You can mobilize the troops immediately, right?" "Y-yes... I've ordered them to be fully armed and on standby."

"And you've secured the important supplies?"

"Yes, we couldn't take everything, but we've set aside the essentials."

"Then we're ready. Let's get started. Take your troops to the agreed location and wait there." "W-wait, what exactly are you going to do?"

Ghislain didn't answer the question. Instead, he gripped Dominic's shoulder firmly and said,

"I'll handle it. Just prepare everything now. There's no room for error. Got it?"

Overwhelmed by Ghislain's forceful energy, Dominic nodded instinctively. "Y-yes, understood." Dominic's expression grew determined. Martin already suspected him, so if Ghislain failed,

he would immediately attack the mansion.

"If you fail, I'll crush Martin myself."

"And the hostages?"

"If we fail, they're as good as dead anyway. I might as well take that bastard down with me."

Dominic's eyes burned with fury. Meeting Ghislain had awakened all the rage he had been suppressing.

Ghislain chuckled at the sight.

"Now that's more like it. A mercenary should have that kind of resolve."

"I'll begin preparations immediately."

"Good. Time for me to move, too. Hey, you lot, wait by the tunnel door." Ghislain issued new orders to the twenty knights he had brought. They were to wait for him at

the tunnel door blocked by the dwarves.

As Dominic and the knights moved, Ghislain rinsed his mouth with alcohol and spat it out.

Then, he sprinkled some of the liquor on himself.

Soon, he reeked of alcohol. "That should do."

Reeking of booze, he headed straight for Martin's mansion.

"Stop! Who are you?"

The guard at the gate stopped him. Ghislain swayed slightly, his half-lidded eyes staring at

the guard.

"Who are you? You can't just wander in here! Ugh, you stink of alcohol. Get lost!"

The soldier shouted, pushing Ghislain's shoulder.

"Huh? Did you just push me?"

Ghislain slurred, swaying as he spoke. The soldier, irritated, snapped back.

"Yeah, I pushed you. What are you going to do about it?"

At those words, Ghislain smirked.

Then, he lunged forward, delivering a flying kick to the soldier's face.

Thud!

[T/L: Please support me and read 385 extra chapters: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]