Chapter 179: Not My Taste

The sudden attack from the enemies caught everyone off guard.

However, Heinkel, who was in charge of the mercenary group, did not panic.

‘I wonder if these guys are the enemies the prince mentioned.’

Originally, he was just a low-level mercenary who wandered from village to village.

He had once been a top-ranking mercenary with quite a reputation, but a sudden accident had left him injured.

But it wasn’t long before he was abandoned by people or ignored by nobles.

‘Thanks to the top-quality potion the prince sent me, I was able to regain my former glory.’

The top-quality potion couldn’t be bought with just money.

There were times when he doubted Ian, the prince.

But he changed his mind after hearing what Gerard, the captain of the Gerard mercenary group, and the strategist, Line, said.

“You can trust that prince.”

Honestly, it was surprising.

The key members of the Gerard Mercenary Group, who had grown into the best mercenary group in Kaistein, were saying such things.

Moreover, Ian, who had treated his injuries, was nothing short of a lifelong benefactor to him.

Heinkel recalled Ian’s words with a calm gaze.

“Our target is the Third Prince and his knights. However, unexpected situations may arise.”

“What kind of situations are you talking about?”

“A third party may attack, targeting both myself and the Third Prince.”

“What? What audacious fools would dare interrupt a conflict between throne successors?”

“As of now, the most likely possibility is…?”

As Heinkel scrutinized the enemies attacking the mercenaries, cloaked in black attire but armed with magical tools, their appearance aligned with the descriptions Ian had provided.

With certainty in his eyes, Heinkel rose to his feet and raised his voice.

“It’s Duke Garcia’s Secret Special Force! Everyone, disengage and create distance! Avoid direct confrontation!”

“!”

For a moment, the enemies were startled and hesitated at Heinkel’s words.

They couldn’t help it.

“You… How do you know our name?”

“We’ve operated discreetly until now. How did you uncover us?”

“A mere rural mercenary captain knows our name?”

Despite their initial shock, the enemies quickly regained their composure.

“Though you’ve heard our name, you don’t grasp the full picture. Duke Garcia is merely an ally.”

“There is only one true master.”

At that moment, the eyes of the Secret Special Force grew cold.

How they were discovered no longer mattered.

Fully equipped with magical tools, the Secret Special Force charged once more.

Their glowing swords cut through any shield, and the clothes they wore deflected the mercenaries’ swords.

Heinkel nodded to himself.

‘Just as the prince had said.’

The Secret Special Force aimed to eliminate Ian and Louis, yet Heinkel remained undeterred.

Ian’s extensive knowledge of the enemy force had prepared the mercenaries for such a scenario.

Heinkel issued orders to his comrades.

“Maintain distance and form a defensive line!”

“They are lethal up close! Don’t allow them space!”

The mercenaries, skilled in combat and evasion, drew their swords as if anticipating this moment.

And that wasn’t all.

Pheee~ Bang!

Red smoke rose into the sky.

The mercenaries’ expressions changed upon seeing it.

“Captain! It’s a red signal flare!”

“The prince has sent the signal!”

The purpose of the red signal flare was clear: total annihilation of the enemy.

“No need to retreat. Attack!”

“Deploy the items!”

Witnessing the flare, the Secret Special Force halted momentarily, perplexed by the mercenaries’ sudden change in demeanor.

“Why the sudden aggression?”

“They are just mercenaries. They can’t beat us who are armed with magical tools.”

Unbeknownst to them, the mercenaries, conditioned by Ian to prioritize survival, now fought with ample resources and resolve.

“Everyone, use that!”

“Understood!”

As the mercenaries’ movements changed, the Secret Special Force began to suffer losses.

It was due to the mercenaries’ splendid tactics of using long-range throwing weapons and various tools thoroughly, no matter how close they got.

Thunk!

Rather than simply succumbing, the mercenaries ignited bombs they had kept hidden in their pockets.

Boom!

In an instant, green smoke erupted from the bodies of the mercenaries.

This was a poison they had prepared in advance.

“Why? Did you believe we were easy targets because we’re mercenaries?”

“T… these damn guys! Cough…”

The Secret Special Force collapsed, bleeding from the deadly poison.

“But… you won’t be safe either.”

“Hah, no way. We’ve already taken the antidote. Do you think we’re fools?”

“Wh-what…?”

The mercenaries laughed at them.

They were things they had prepared to deal with knights.

No matter how well-equipped they were with magical tools, it was not easy to deal with professional mercenaries.

Moreover, these mercenaries were exceptional.

“Our employer invested quite a bit in us.”

“Do you have any idea how much this poison and antidote cost? We can’t just use them recklessly.”

“But it’s not just the poison we have.”

If the enemy had their magical tools, the mercenaries countered with magic scrolls and various types of poisons.

“You guys said you had so many magical tools, right? We’ll make good use of them.”

The mercenaries smirked and charged towards the Secret Special Force.

***

The red flare was one of the various methods Ian had prepared to capture the Third Prince.

But its effectiveness was undeniable.

It was clear just by witnessing how dozens of once-formidable foes were quickly swept away.

Of course, Nathan, standing beside Ian, kept grumbling about the waste.

“Those bastards! Do they have any idea how much all that costs? They should use it wisely!”

It couldn’t be helped.

Just as it was difficult to obtain the highest-quality potions no matter how much gold you had, there were poisons and antidotes that couldn’t be obtained no matter how much money you had.

‘But thankfully, we managed to resolve that issue in Labadom Village.’

While they had killed the commander, the researchers were still alive.

Ian had them create poisons and antidotes that the mercenaries could use.

Although it cost a fortune, he didn’t care.

‘If spending that much could result in the annihilation of the Secret Special Force and the enemy knights, it would be worth every coin.’

Ian was quite aware of the capabilities of the Secret Special Force.

It wasn’t just about the magical tools they possessed.

They were underground assassins who could exert the power of knights even though they weren’t knights.

Having such enemies lurking in the shadows, he couldn’t relax.

‘After all, we couldn’t even catch them in Bahara.’

So, he was going to cut off Duke Garcia’s hands and feet right here.

Wasn’t that why he had prepared the mercenaries?

‘They were originally trained to deal with knights. It would be a problem if they couldn’t even do this much.’

He tested the mercenary group right there and then, and they passed with flying colors.

‘To show such skill against the Secret Special Force, they should be more than capable against knights.’

Money can work wonders.

Thanks to the lessons he learned in his past life from Duke Garcia, Ian knew how to wield financial power better than anyone else.

That’s why he reached out to the mercenaries, individuals no one thought to invest in, despite being professionals in combat yet treated as insignificant.

‘Maximizing effects with minimal expenditure. It’s a method used by Garcia in my previous life.’

Moreover, there was no better way to build a private army without attracting the attention of kings or other nations.

As Ian contemplated this, the appearance of the mercenaries in battle left Louis’s knights astonished.

“Did they have prior knowledge of this?”

“Impressive. Such preparation.”

“I didn’t know mercenaries could fight so well. Especially with poison. It’s despicable, but effective.”

The Third Prince’s knights were visibly taken aback by Ian’s foresight.

It was rare to find someone who could concoct such intricate schemes.

However, Nathan shook his head in disbelief.

‘You fools! Those were meant to be used against you!’

Regrettably, he couldn’t voice his thoughts aloud.

Instead, Nathan leaned in and whispered into Ian’s ear.

“Let’s say we dealt with the Secret Special Force. And what about those hiding below the mountain?”

“Are you talking about those who’ve been watching us from earlier?”

“Oh? You were aware?”

“Yes, I sensed their presence.”

To be exact, it was the power of Jealousy.

At the end of the world, where everything appeared to be black and white, the enemies were in black.

Soldiers, all heavily armed, were hiding at the bottom of the mountain.

‘Since Garcia and the First Prince are working together, those must be the First Prince’s hidden soldiers.’

Of course, they all had to be dealt with.

But most of the things the mercenaries had were used up in this battle.

And it was too much to ask the mercenaries who were fighting now to fight again.

“We’ll handle them.”

“What? Their numbers are overwhelming, aren’t they?”

Nathan shook his head.

No matter how great a knight he was, called [Swift], and how many knights were beside him.

“There are too many enemies. I wonder how they managed to hide such an army.”

“How many do you estimate?”

“Well… I think it’s more than ten thousand.”

Even the presence of knights was felt among the enemies.

But Ian smiled instead.

“We can handle them all here. It’s a basic principle of warfare to deal with the enemy when they are scattered.”

“No, Your Highness, how much military strategy have you actually read? To say such a thing…”

“I’ve read the works of Duke Heinrich and Duke Ulrich regarding battlefield strategies, I believe.”

The Third Prince’s knights and Nathan were taken aback.

“You’ve read all those boring things?”

“It wasn’t that boring, but I heard that a knight should memorize them by heart. Seems you haven’t done so.”

“…”

Nathan turned his head slightly to the side. It was as if he hadn’t heard correctly.

Ian smiled as if he knew that would happen.

“Well then, let’s get rid of them.”

As Ian readied to advance with the knights, Nathan discreetly whispered.

“But what if they’re the First Prince’s troops? Could it lead to complications for Your Highness in the future?”

“Hmm? Why?”

Ian inquired calmly. Nathan, appearing frustrated, tapped his chest.

“That’s because His Highness the First Prince is the rightful heir to the throne. If His Majesty finds out, there will surely be a big problem.”

But just then, a voice interrupted.

[That won’t be the case.]

“Uh? Who’s there?”

At the sudden sound, Nathan immediately went into a defensive posture.

However, the voice was coming from Ian’s arms.

Ian smiled.

“I connected to Duke Lavaltor just in case.”

After all, he couldn’t just confront the Third Prince empty-handed.

Regardless, Duke Lavaltor’s voice continued to resonate through the crystal.

[Much time has already passed. The achievements of the Seventh Prince are comparable to those of the First Prince, after all.]

But there was more to it.

[Your Majesty. No, he’s not a fool to accept a prince who plays dead for a specific purpose as his rightful successor.]

Ian shared the same sentiment.

‘No, in fact, the appearance of the First Prince at this moment works to my advantage.’

Unlike in his previous life, Garcia and the First Prince appeared before King Eloin collapsed.

Moreover, King Eloin and the royal family’s authority were higher than ever.

This was actually an opportunity for Ian.

‘In the past, even King Eloin chose the First Prince as his successor.’

On the other hand, he might have been just a scarecrow in his previous life. But this life was different.

Besides, he had heard about the First Prince.

This was an opportunity to defeat such a guy and be truly recognized by all the people of the kingdom.

Thus, Ian threw items to Nathan and the knights.

“What’s this?”

“An antidote. Take it now.”

“Huh?”

“Did you think I would only give it to the mercenaries? It’s something I originally prepared.”

Given the overwhelming number of enemies, he intended to reduce them with poison gas.

A sinister grin played on Ian’s lips.

“As the saying goes, repay kindness twice and revenge tenfold. If the enemy tries to invade, it’s only natural to subdue them with poison. It’s not my style to be the first to be attacked.”

“…”

The knights of the Third Prince broke out in a cold sweat.