Even after their clash with the Snowbur Kingdom’s forces, the Julien Mercenary Corps encountered several other armies.

But unlike before, no battles broke out.

That was thanks to Viscount Horento’s “awakening” after his brush with death.

“Make way at once! Imperial envoy coming through! The Julien Mercenary Corps has escaped! We must deliver word to the Empire immediately!”

His furious tone and overbearing expression—he was the very image of the Empire itself.

The sheer force of his performance made the kingdom’s soldiers step aside without question.

Thanks to it, the Julien Mercenary Corps was able to move quickly without further fighting.

Behind him, Ghislain grinned from horseback.

“Well, well. Your acting skills suddenly skyrocketed. Why didn’t you just do this from the start?”

“He-hehe… is that so?”

Viscount Horento gave a sheepish smile. Inside, however, he was weeping.

The Snowbur Kingdom’s army surely thought he had betrayed them. News of this could reach the Empire at any time.

Now there was only one way he could survive.

'I have to get there first!'

He would guide the Julien Mercenary Corps and then flee before the news spread. That was the only way to save his life.

Which was why he had no choice but to throw himself wholeheartedly into the role.

Unfolding a map on horseback, Ghislain muttered,

“Hmm… At this pace, we’ll arrive soon. The cordon is loosening.”

Indeed, the closer they drew to the Empire, the thinner the lines of interception became.

No one expected the Julien Mercenary Corps to flee toward the Empire.

Thududududu!

After days of relentless riding without rest, they looked like complete beggars.

Had it not been for Ereneth summoning water spirits to wash them here and there, they’d be even worse.

But their ragged state only made their disguises as desperate envoys more convincing.

Studying the map for a moment, Ghislain spoke.

“From here on, we’ll move in hiding. The terrain’s rough, but better that than running into another army.”

Though the cordon was loose, the closer they came to Imperial territory, the tighter the vigilance grew. Suspicion was everywhere.

They avoided the armies of kingdoms they had previously aided. Their disguises might hold, but sharp eyes could still recognize them.

Ghislain also had another plan.

“Until we reach the meeting point, we should keep to the shadows.”

He had arranged to meet certain people before entering the capital. Dark had already flown ahead to deliver word.

It was best to approach that rendezvous unseen.

Viscount Horento’s face twisted with worry.

“It won’t be easy. The Empire accounted for your attempts to avoid detection, so kingdom armies were deployed with crisscrossing patterns. And even aside from them, the Empire’s border is crawling with patrols and intelligence units.”

“I know. That’s when we keep acting. If caught, we’ll fight.”

Horento lowered his head and sighed.

'Haah… how did I end up in the hands of lunatics like these…'

Kingdom troops could be deceived with the Empire’s authority. But Imperial units wouldn’t be so easily fooled.

And yet somehow, these madmen insisted on heading straight for the Imperial capital. The journey ahead was pitch-black with dread.

Thududududu!

The Julien Mercenary Corps pressed forward, avoiding military encampments wherever they could.

Of course, this was no simple task. Armies did not merely sit idle.

They had mages watching vast ranges, scouts covering the rest, and rotations meticulously organized.

That was how they were able to monitor such enormous swaths of land.

To slip through, they had to cling to mountains, swamps, and treacherous passes, threading narrow paths between patrols.

Ghislain, with Dark’s aid, found those paths easily.

Knowing the encampments, he could also deduce the mages’ areas of surveillance.

Where the patrol ranges overlapped, they would hide nearby, slipping through under cover of night.

Thanks to Dark, the infiltration went smoothly.

As always, Dark was sent to scout ahead—until one day he returned with unexpected news.

— Master, there’s an army here.

'What?'

— Not just patrols. A full army encamped.

Ghislain’s brows furrowed as he turned to Viscount Horento.

“Why is there an army where none should be?”

“I-I don’t know! Truly, I don’t! I can’t possibly be aware of every Imperial movement!”

“…Hmmm.”

Ghislain’s expression hardened.

Even after all their careful maneuvering, a force lay in wait ahead.

The rumor of the mercenaries’ escape must already have spread far and wide.

Which meant—

'Someone’s caught on to my plan?'

It ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ was possible the Empire had anticipated a march on the capital and redeployed accordingly. They might already be tightening a regional cordon.

Truly, the Empire. A genius capable of grasping even such an absurd plan…

But before he could finish the thought, Dark blurted out again.

— Master! It’s him! It’s that guy!

'Who?'

— That weird noble from Flovitz! He’s here again!

'…Marquis Valesant?'

— Yeah, that’s him! The banner matches too!

“……”

The map listed only the kingdoms, not their commanders.

It wasn’t as if Marquis Valesant could have anticipated his movements. He must have been shirking again, relocating his camp at whim.

Ghislain smirked.

“Well, isn’t that a coincidence. I wasn’t planning to meet him yet.”

But since fate had arranged it, it might be better to adjust the plan.

“Full speed. Time to greet an old acquaintance.”

And so, the Julien Mercenary Corps drove hard toward Marquis Valesant’s army.

Meanwhile, Valesant himself was passing a lazy afternoon at his new encampment.

“Goodness, why is the weather so lovely? I’ll have myself a pretty little nap. Hey! Wake me if anyone comes!”

He lay down on his floral-patterned bedding.

Not that he was completely careless. With the Imperial inspector present, magical wards had been set all around.

Soon, a mage maintaining sight spells reported.

“A small unit is approaching. They’re wearing Imperial uniforms.”

“Ugh, every time I try to nap, something comes up. What now? Bringing some fresh news, perhaps?”

Flustered by guilt at his own idleness, Marquis Valesant straightened his clothes and went to greet them.

Spreading his arms, he beamed at the riders approaching.

“My, my! Welcome, welcome!”

The Julien Mercenary Corps reined in before him.

Valesant rubbed his hands together.

“Oh, no need to rush so! What’s the hurry? Now then, what brings you here?”

Viscount Horento glanced nervously back.

Then Ghislain peeled off his fake moustache and dropped his disguise.

“It’s been a while, Marquis Valesant.”

“Eh? Do I know you? I don’t recall anyone in the Emp—…”

Valesant studied his face. His eyes bulged. His whole body trembled. Then he shrieked.

“KYAAAAAH! AAAAH! AAAAAH!”

“……”

“GYAAAAAH! AAAAH! AAHHH!”

Marquis Valesant shrieked and flailed as if he’d seen a ghost.

Naturally, the surrounding knights and soldiers drew weapons and closed in on the mercenaries.

The Imperial inspector rushed out in alarm.

The marquis’s aide seized his flailing master and cried,

“My lord! What is it?!”

“KYAAAAAH!”

Still screaming, Marquis Valesant jabbed a finger at Ghislain.

The aide turned, squinted at him… and then—

“AAAAH! AAAAAH! WH-WHY-WHY-WHY?!”

He too began to shriek.

There was a face here that should never have been seen. The two of them, petrified, could only scream.

“……”

Ghislain regarded the two of them with a cold, flat stare. Their hysterics hadn’t changed one bit, now or then.

The aide clutched at Marquis Valesant and cried,

“My lord, deep breaths! Breathe! Inhale! Exhale! Inhale! Exhale!”

“Ah, yes—inhale! Exhale! Inhale! Exhale!”

“……”

As the two continued their frantic fussing, the Imperial inspector stepped forward and asked,

“You look like Imperial envoys. From which unit do you come? On whose orders?”

He studied the mercenaries more closely, then blinked in surprise.

“Wait—is that not Viscount Horento? What brings you here?”

“……”

Viscount Horento had no say. He looked toward Ghislain.

And Ghislain turned his gaze on Marquis Valesant. Everything depended on how the marquis chose to act.

Valesant glanced at Ghislain, then at the inspector.

He had been in a situation much like this before.

The decision came quickly. The Empire was far away; the Julien Mercenary Corps was close. And it was always the closer threat that was more frightening.

Marquis Valesant thrust out a finger at the inspector and shouted,

“Seize this man at once!”

“…???”

The inspector’s face went slack with confusion. So did the marquis’s soldiers.

But Valesant repeated the order with even more force.

“Bind him, now!”

The knights obeyed, moving swiftly to tie the inspector and force him to his knees.

Outraged, the man cried,

“What is the meaning of this?! I am an Imperial official!”

“Silence! Do you not know your crime?”

“Wh-what crime?!”

“For spying on me.”

“……”

Valesant turned at once to beam at Ghislain.

“There, is this satisfactory?”

“Yes. Our marquis truly has a remarkable gift for empathy.”

“Oh, please. It’s nothing—one look and I know.”

At their exchange, the inspector trembled and stammered,

“Y-you don’t mean… are you—?”

Viscount Horento, face dark, nodded heavily.

“These are… the Julien Mercenary Corps.”

“N-no… impossible…”

“It’s true. The Imperial army was defeated by them.”

“……”

The inspector’s jaw dropped.

By his knowledge, the Imperial force sent to catch the mercenaries numbered ten thousand, including a superhuman.

That such an army had fallen was beyond belief.

But seeing Horento alive with them, it had to be true. They had lost, and he had been taken as a hostage.

Drawing out his hand axe, Ghislain spoke evenly to the inspector.

“You have two choices.”

“W-what choices?”

“Cooperate—or die.”

“I… I—”

Crunch!

“Gaaahhh!”

The axe sank into his shoulder, wringing a scream from him.

Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!

Without another word, Ghislain hacked him again and again, expression blank, like a butcher carving meat.

“Uwaaagh!”

As the inspector shrieked, Ghislain murmured,

“You’ve got spirit. I have no choice but to acknowledge it. I’ll remember you as a fine man.”

When he raised the axe toward the man’s neck, the inspector screamed,

“I’ll cooperate! Cooperate! Anything you want!”

“Oh? Truly?”

“Yes! My spirit is weak! I often imagined that, if ever tortured, I’d confess everything at once!”

“Good. Then you’ll listen closely to Viscount Horento.”

“Y-yes!”

Released, the inspector immediately began absorbing Horento’s instructions, though a mercenary hovered close by, ready to kill him at the slightest slip.

Meanwhile, the Julien Mercenary Corps exchanged greetings with Marquis Valesant.

The mercenaries were delighted to see him again. Valesant, however, was far more anxious than glad.

After the courtesies, he leaned toward Ghislain and whispered nervously,

“W-what is this? What are you doing here?”

“What else? The usual. I came because I don’t like the Pope.”

“…You mean to confront the Pope?”

“He struck first. I have no choice.”

“I see… then may fortune favor you. As for me, I’ll just…”

Marquis Valesant fully intended to lead his troops back home. He could concoct an excuse for handing over the inspector later.

For now, he needed to get as far away from the mercenaries as possible.

But Ghislain clasped his shoulder and grinned.

“Going somewhere?”

“I-I was just about to return…”

“No, no. You know our style by now. You’re coming all the way with us.”

“H-hahaha… Together, then…”

It was exactly like when they had gone after Marquis Falkenheim. The Julien Mercenary Corps obeyed no common sense.

And so, drained of all will, Marquis Valesant marched with them once again.

With the army now bolstered, the situation shifted.

Viscount Horento and the Imperial inspector used their new pretext to face other kingdom troops.

“By Imperial command! This is a conscripted army! We’ve been tasked with transporting supplies for the war against the Demonic Realm—make way!”

With both an Imperial inspector and an Imperial officer present, no one dared question them.

In truth, most of the other kingdoms didn’t care in the first place.

On the march, the mercenaries finally had the chance to bathe and rest properly, exhaustion easing after their punishing advance.

And after several days’ travel, they reached Ghislain’s intended destination.

It was a wide plain, spacious enough to host an army, lying just a stone’s throw from the Empire.

Marquis Valesant was overcome with dread.

'Why here? Why come to a place like this? Isn’t this perfect terrain for a battle?'

Imperial troops could charge here at any moment. If battle erupted, his army would surely be annihilated.

Uneasy, he agonized in silence.

'What do I do? Should I run? Betray them?'

But betrayal was impossible. The mercenaries were far too terrifying.

Sure enough, after a few days, another army appeared—just as Valesant had feared.

But they were not Imperial troops.

When he saw them, his face went slack with shock.

“Wh-what? Why are they here…?”

Shhhhhh…

The newcomers were warriors with pointed ears, clad in armor like overlapping leaves, armed with longbows and finely wrought blades.

They rode atop massive stags called Elcorns.

The elven army advanced with the majesty of a living forest on the march.

Everyone could only stare, dumbstruck at the wondrous sight.

After a moment, the most regal figure rode forth, astride the noblest Elcorn of them all.

The Julien Mercenary Corps, too, stepped forward with expressions of joy.

A gentle yet commanding voice rang out to greet them.

“It has been too long. I’ve missed you all.”

High Chief Iralniel, bearing a serene smile, welcomed the Julien Mercenary Corps.