After suddenly using muscles and tendons that hadn't moved in a while, Ghislain's entire body creaked in protest.
He discreetly counted the number of remaining orcs.
'Wow, there are still five left?'
According to his initial estimate, he should have already taken care of all of them by now. However, his body was proving to be weaker than he had anticipated, making it difficult even to stand, let alone kill all the orcs.
"Grurk, grurk."
Fortunately, it seemed that Ghislain's bravado had worked; the orcs began to slowly retreat.
While orcs were known as a warrior race, wandering orcs valued their lives more than battle.
As they realized they couldn't handle the human in front of them, the orcs lost all fighting spirit.
'Ugh, they can't run away.'
Ghislain's heart raced, and he was about to attack the orcs.
But just then, his legs gave way, and he stumbled, collapsing onto the ground.
"...?"
Seeing Ghislain's panicked expression, the orcs brightened with renewed hope.
"Graaaah!"
One particularly quick-witted orc raised its axe and charged at Ghislain. Skovan, witnessing this, gasped and rushed forward.
"Young Lord!"
With Skovan's horrified shout, the orc's axe swung down toward Ghislain.
Crash!
As Ghislain rolled to the ground, the orc's axe narrowly missed, embedding itself in the earth.
Ghislain seized the moment and sprang up, swinging his sword at the orc's neck.
Slash!
Blood sprayed as the orc fell. Skovan, who had rushed in, halted in his tracks.
With a relaxed smile, Ghislain brushed his hair back.
"Heh, mission accomplished."
"Grurk!"
The remaining orcs began to retreat again, thinking Ghislain had intentionally shown a weakness to lure them in.
But Skovan looked at Ghislain with a confused expression.
'Is this for real? Did he really trick them? But why are his legs shaking like that?'
It wasn't just his legs. Even the hand holding the sword was trembling slightly.
That was a sign that his muscles aren't functioning properly.
Yet Ghislain's expression was as calm as if he were out for a leisurely walk.
If that were truly an act, he would have the talent to become an award-winning actor.
While the orcs and Skovan watched in a state of suspicion, Ghislain made a decision.
'This won't do. It's embarrassing, but there's no choice.'
Earlier, he had confidently told them to just watch, but now it was time to get the soldiers moving.
Honestly, it was difficult to move his real body. But he couldn't show weakness here.
If he displayed any vulnerability, the morale of the enemies would only rise.
Ghislain put on a stern expression as he looked at the soldiers.
"With this many left, you should be able to handle them. Attack the remaining orcs!"
"..."
But the soldiers merely blinked and showed no sign of moving.
It was true that Ghislain had displayed remarkable skills, but this unexpected turn left them at a loss for how to respond.
Ghislain stared at the soldiers, wide-eyed.
'Not one of them... is moving?'
He suddenly realized just how little respect he had received during this period of time.
No matter how much of a scoundrel he had been, he never expected to be treated with such contempt by the soldiers.
There was no choice. At times like this, he needed to issue a precise command.
"Ricardo! You come out! Block the front!"
Calling out to someone he knew, the handsome Ricardo shouted in alarm.
"No! I can't! Please don't make me do this!"
"Ugh, this is driving me crazy. Is there really no one here who listens to me?"
Since the soldiers wouldn't obey, he had no choice but to rely on the "real" commander.
"Skovan! What are you doing? The orcs are fleeing! Are you going to just stand there? Do you want to die, you idiots!"
Skovan, who had been frozen in shock, snapped to attention upon hearing Ghislain's furious roar.
"W-what? Yes! Everyone, attack!"
As expected, the "real" commander was different. The moment the command was issued, the soldiers moved like clockwork.
"Yaaaah!"
Skovan immediately positioned himself in front of the orcs.
Although the orcs had already begun to turn and flee, he was a knight who could use mana.
His speed was quicker than anyone else present.
As Skovan moved to slow the orc's retreat, the soldiers began to surround them.
Ghislain wanted to move as well to finish off the remaining orcs, but his body refused to cooperate.
'Ugh, it feels like my bones are twisting.'
Eventually, Ghislain gave up on moving and elegantly sat down on the ground.
Fighting is all about momentum and confidence. He could not afford to show weakness.
This was the essence of a mercenary's foundation: 'bravado' and 'swagger.'
Fortunately, Skovan was a knight with decent skill, so he had no trouble dealing with the remaining orcs.
"Graah!"
Thud, thud!
Before long, all the remaining orcs had fallen.
Ghislain, who had been pretending to be relaxed and watching, laughed.
"Looks like we got them all. No one got hurt or died, right? How about it? Wasn't it manageable for all of you?"
At Ghislain's question, the soldiers all nodded silently.
Honestly, they felt they should say something, but words wouldn't come out.
To them, Ghislain was a pathetic waste.
He had never trained properly and was weak, yet his bravado was overflowing.
Yet that waste had suddenly displayed tremendous swordsmanship, effortlessly slaying nearly twenty orcs on his own.
Had this kind of talent been known, they wouldn't have treated him with such disdain for so long.
"Young Lord, are you alright?"
Skovan looked at Ghislain with trembling eyes.
His feelings were not much different from those of the soldiers.
This made no sense.
Even the commander of the Perdium knights couldn't showcase such swordsmanship.
He wanted to grab Ghislain and demand an explanation for how this had happened, but Ghislain beat him to it.
"Oh, I'm fine. By the way, are we heading back to the castle now?"
"Yes. Now that the orcs have all been taken care of, we should return."
"Good. Then let's head back immediately."
"What?"
Skovan was taken aback by Ghislain's urgent tone but couldn't bring himself to ask why.
"Make sure to transport this body quickly and safely back to the castle. I can't afford to die again."
Thud.
Just as Ghislain finished speaking, he lost consciousness and collapsed.
Even a mercenary's bravado and swagger had their limits.
***
As soon as he opened his eyes, Ghislain let out a sigh of relief at the sight of a clean ceiling.
"I'm alive."
He had pushed his body's strength to the limit without any mana, causing him to lose consciousness.
As a result, every part of him still ached. This was solid proof that the situation was not a dream.
"Oh, where is this...?"
It wasn't a large room, but it was neat and elegantly decorated, resembling a space where a noble would stay.
For some reason, the familiar environment made Ghislain tilt his head in confusion. Memories felt on the verge of resurfacing.
"Have I returned to the castle? Is this my room?"
It seemed quite some time had passed since he lost consciousness.
Creak.
Suddenly, the door opened and a person walked in. Upon seeing Ghislain looking around the room, she gasped in surprise.
"Young master! You're awake!"
"Huh?"
A woman, dressed neatly with her black hair tied up, clapped her hands in joy.
Her face looked familiar.
Ghislain exclaimed in surprise as he recognized her.
"Belinda?"
The woman before him was undoubtedly Belinda, his personal head maid and tutor.
Even when everyone in Perdium was criticizing him, she had always defended him.
To see her again like this was astonishing.
"Belinda!"
Ghislain sprang from the bed and hugged her tightly.
"Why are you acting like this? Did you do something wrong again?"
Belinda soothed him with a gentle tone. Ghislain released her and replied with a wide smile.
"No, I'm just happy to see you."
"Why would you be so happy to see someone you see every day?"
As Belinda looked at him suspiciously, Ghislain spoke earnestly.
"Actually, I died and came back to life..."
"Yes, yes. You died to an orc and just resurrected in bed. Wow, amazing."
Seeing Ghislain about to spout more nonsense, Belinda promptly interrupted him.
"…No, that's not it."
She stepped closer and whispered in his ear.
"Young master, you know you're in a dangerous situation right now, right? If the maids hear and it gets out, you'll really be locked up."
"...."
At her words, Ghislain nodded in resignation. As expected, it was difficult to convey sincerity when one had a tarnished reputation.
"By the way, where is this place?"
"Where else would it be? It's your room. Anyway, I'm glad you're awake."
He looked around again. It was indeed a scene he remembered well.
A space that was both familiar and stimulating memories. This was certainly the room he used when he was young.
As he took in the nostalgic surroundings, Belinda continued.
"You seem fine now... but you've sweated a lot, so you should probably take a bath first."
She turned and shook a golden bell that was sitting on the table.
Ding, ding.
Soon, a few maids hurriedly entered the room.
"Prepare the bath for the young master."
"Yes, Head Maid."
The maids rushed towards Ghislain, ready to take him away.
"Uh? Uh?"
Ghislain, flustered, was led away.
***
After getting cleaned up, Ghislain stood in front of a mirror once more.
The image reflected in the mirror was clearer than his reflection in the water and came to him with the vividness of reality.
'...I really can't believe this.'
The person in the mirror was a perfect young nobleman.
The scars that had covered his face, the brutal gaze, and the fearsome expression were all gone. Only the handsome and bright version of Ghislain from the past remained.
As he stared blankly at the mirror, Belinda chuckled.
"You must really like your own face, huh?"
"Yeah, I like it very much."
His confident response, free of any embarrassment, caused Belinda to wear a slightly disapproving expression.
Upon closer inspection, Ghislain was lost in the mirror.
It must be rare to become so absorbed in one's own face.
'Wow, he must really like it. Well, it's better than causing trouble, I guess.'
Though today felt a bit strange, upon further thought, it wasn't unusual for a nobleman to act oddly.
"You should rest a little longer."
Belinda said this with a shake of her head as she left the room.
Even after she had gone, Ghislain continued to gaze at the mirror for a long while.
Creak.
How long had he been looking in the mirror when the door opened slightly, and a girl peeked her head inside?
"Oppa?"
"Elena?"
Ghislain exclaimed in surprise upon seeing her face.
A girl with golden hair, looking around sixteen or seventeen years old.
It was none other than his younger sister, Elena.
Seeing her made Ghislain feel as if his heart was dropping.
Having suddenly returned to the past and fought battles, he hadn't had the time to process his thoughts.
But seeing his sister's face, a specific event came vividly to mind amidst the tangled memories.
'Wait, how many days are left?'
In his previous life, after the subjugation team was wiped out, a torrent of criticism had fallen upon Ghislain.
Even though he had caused many incidents, he had never faced so many deaths due to his actions.
'If only I hadn't been such a poor commander back then.'
The vassals had clamored for the heir to be imprisoned, and unable to bear it, Ghislain had resolved to leave his family.
'That's right, the battle against the orcs marked the beginning.'
His heart began to race.
While he had decided to leave, a crucial event had taken place during that tumultuous time.
The accident that befell Elena had become the decisive factor for Ghislain's departure from his family.
"Elena!"
Ghislain called out with a fierce expression, causing Elena to jump in surprise.
"Yes? Why?"
"How many days are left until the festival?"
"Um, a week?"
Ghislain covered his face with his hands to hide his beaming smile. He couldn't contain his laughter.
If he had resolved to leave the territory after being criticized for failing the orc subjugation.
The day his life changed was a different one.
Though decades had passed, how could he forget?
The intense killing intent filled his eyes, hidden behind his hands.
'The day I wished most to turn back. The memory that haunted me for a lifetime.'
A week later, Elena would die.
[T/L: Please support me and read extra chapters here: https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]