The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations

Ghislain's destination was the border region between the Kingdom of Xanthos and the Kingdom of Potinus.

The two kingdoms had never gotten along. In the past, even minor misunderstandings had escalated into large-scale wars.

Of course, in the current era, they merely ground their teeth at each other while making efforts to maintain peace. They couldn’t recklessly wage war anymore.

The Holy Empire did not tolerate conflicts between kingdoms unless there was an extremely serious issue. After all, no one knew when the Demonic Realm might resurface.

Historically, wars between kingdoms tended to break out after a major suppression of the Demonic Realm rather than before.

As Ghislain flipped through a book detailing the history of the two kingdoms, he muttered,

"Ironically, defeating the Demonic Realm doesn’t bring peace—it just sparks another war. Even after fending off the demonic hordes, people still can’t help but fight. Why can’t they just share, be considerate, and treat each other kindly? Their endless greed… Tsk, tsk."

"What the hell are you saying?"

Kyle gave Ghislain a bewildered look. Those words sounded completely out of place coming from him.

Of course, this wasn’t a situation where they had the luxury of discussing their personal philosophies.

But among them, there was one man particularly lacking in self-awareness.

"Hearing those words from you, boss?! As a man of honor, Osvald declares this the funniest thing he’s heard in his life! Puhahahaha—kehhk! I-I apologize!"

Despite such lighthearted exchanges, the reality remained unchanged.

Although the two kingdoms were constantly at odds, neither dared to push things all the way to war.

However, that didn’t mean they weren’t trying to ruin each other in every possible way.

They spread false rumors, imposed economic sanctions, and even incited rebellions in each other’s lands.

But these tactics had limited success.

"Since they’ve been enemies for so long, they’re naturally wary of outsiders. That’s why, in the end, they mostly just resort to badmouthing each other."

Yet, in this historically hostile border region, an incident had suddenly erupted.

The two nobles with the greatest potential to provoke war—Count Boneto of Xanthos and Count Schwarz of Potinus—had started feuding.

Each lord claimed that a village under their rule had been attacked by the other side. Now, both were mobilizing their armies.

Though they had yet to engage in full-scale military action, the tensions were dangerously high.

Given the long-standing animosity between the two kingdoms, one wrong move could escalate the conflict into a full-fledged war.

However, the surrounding nobles weren’t particularly alarmed.

Since this was the border region, tensions between these two counts were nothing new.

Kyle pointed out the obvious.

"They've always been at each other’s throats. Isn’t this just more of the same?"

"It could be," Ghislain acknowledged. "But if there's a priest from the Salvation Order involved, this place would be irresistible to them."

"Yeah… that's true," Kyle admitted.

"Look at it this way. Both territories are at the outskirts of their respective kingdoms. Even if war breaks out, it would take time for the capitals to respond. And the terrain? Plenty of mountains—perfect for hiding. Now, tell me, does this really seem like a coincidence?"