The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations (light Novel)

Mercenaries are people who do anything as long as they are paid.
In his previous life, Ghislain had taken on many assignments beyond just fighting.
He’d been involved in fortress construction and even taken on building temporary barracks when there was a shortage of manpower during wars.

‘If I hadn’t been called the Mercenary King, they would’ve called me the Construction King.’
At first, he had simply relied on brute strength without much understanding, but after receiving similar assignments repeatedly, he began to pick up basic knowledge of construction and civil engineering.
He realized that to win a war, it was just as important to have a solid base and living quarters for soldiers to rest as it was to have a strong fighting force. With that in mind, he had purposely visited construction sites to learn more.

With practical knowledge from the field, leading construction work wasn’t difficult for him now.
“First, gather as many workers as possible. The more people we have, the faster this will go.”
Of course, the people around him had no idea that Ghislain had accumulated such knowledge.

To them, Ghislain was nothing more than a reckless young lord meddling in things he had no expertise in.
But no one dared to oppose him. After all, who could stop the lord once he’d made up his mind?
Soon, a large number of workers had gathered, and Ghislain began giving instructions based on the memories of his past life.

“All right, first, we’ll lay the foundation and then start working on the framework!”
At Ghislain’s command, the workers moved quickly. Since the lord was personally overseeing the work, no one dared to slack off.
As they followed his orders, something resembling a proper framework began to take shape.

The skilled craftsmen whispered among themselves as they worked.
“The lord seems to know a thing or two, but… What exactly are we building here?”
“Looks like he’s building a large house or maybe a barracks.”

“Judging by how he’s dividing up the areas, it seems like he plans to build several large rooms and cram people in there.”
Building something like barracks or a large manor with separate quarters would certainly solve the housing issue. It wasn’t an ideal solution, but with time running short, it wasn’t a bad idea either.
But did the lord really need to be involved in this personally?
Eventually, one of the carpenters raised his hand and asked.

“My lord, if you’re building a large barracks, we can take care of the rest. There’s no need for you to handle such rough work.”
“No, no, that’s not what we’re building. If you just throw a bunch of people together in one place, it’s not a home; it’s a pigsty.”
Another worker raised his hand and asked, “Isn’t this just a large mansion with many rooms, like the homes of nobles?”

Ghislain shook his head again.
“It’s similar, but not quite. If we were truly desperate, we could do that, but we still have some time, so it’s better to build it properly from the start.”
The workers were curious, their faces full of questions. Ghislain chuckled and decided to explain.

“Let me explain it simply so you can follow along. What we’re building is a sturdy, large structure with multiple houses inside it.”
“Houses inside a house? Isn’t that just a bunch of small homes stuck together?”
In crowded cities, houses were often built tightly together, so this was the closest concept the workers could imagine.

“No, it’s not like that. It’s a single large building with multiple smaller homes inside—a communal housing.”
“Does something like that… even exist?”
Ghislain nodded emphatically.

“Yes, and we’re about to build one right here.”
In his previous life, after a great disaster had swept the continent, survivors had flocked to cities, which were then turned into fortresses. In the limited space available, they had to make the most efficient use of every inch of room, and the idea of communal housing was born—large buildings where each family had an independent living space.
Even after explaining it several times, the workers still looked puzzled. It was difficult to grasp the concept because it was something that didn’t yet exist in their world.

“You all still don’t understand, do you?”
Ghislain sighed and shook his head. It was tough to explain ideas that didn’t yet exist in this time.
In that case, there was only one solution. As always, showing them directly was the best way.

“All right, enough talk. If you don’t understand, just follow my instructions as best as you can. Once you see the result, you’ll get it.”
With that, Ghislain refocused on the work.
The construction quickly picked up speed. Although Ghislain was just one man, the work moved much faster.

Part of the reason was that none of the workers dared to slack off under Ghislain’s watchful eye, but the real reason lay elsewhere.
“Hya!”
Thwack! Crack!

Every time Ghislain let out a spirited shout and swung his axe, the wood was perfectly cut.
He worked faster than multiple workers combined, shaping smooth wooden planks in the blink of an eye. Everyone around him was stunned.
“Wow… I’ve heard rumors about the lord’s swordsmanship, but he’s incredible with an axe, too.”

“Is this even humanly possible? How does a person swing an axe like that? He waves his arms a few times, and whole planks just pop out!”
It didn’t stop there. Ghislain would grab a handful of nails, toss them in the air, and they would all land perfectly hammered into place. Anything that needed to be demolished was destroyed with a single swing of his hammer.
As for time-consuming tasks, like drying mud, Ghislain simply brought in mages, who handled the work in an instant.

With this kind of speed, the workers were struggling to keep up with Ghislain’s pace. They didn’t even have time to wonder what they were building; their priority was just to finish what they were told to do.
“Pant… pant… Are we really building houses?”
“The speed is insane. It feels more like we’re assembling something.”

Of course, Ghislain wasn’t just building recklessly.
Even though he was using construction methods from his past life, he adapted the designs to match the technology and resources available in the current era.
He constantly explained the concept of communal housing to the craftsmen assisting him and meticulously divided the work to make it happen.

He gave them advice, pushed them hard when necessary, and ensured that all the essential elements for human living were incorporated.
“We’ll install separate stoves for cooking and use fireplaces for heating. We’ll also build separate ventilation shafts and multiple chimneys to prevent smoke from leaking.”
“For the toilets, we’ll create a drainage system so that when water is poured, the waste flows into a large pit.”

“This part goes like this… and that part goes like that…”
As time went on, the workers began to understand what Ghislain was building.
“It’s true that showing something once is better than explaining it a hundred times,” Ghislain said, smiling as he watched the workers nod in realization.

Though they had started without really understanding, they were now beginning to see that they were building something substantial.
Even Claude, who occasionally came to check on the progress, found his expression growing more perplexed by the day.
“What the… Is this real? Are we really building houses?”

At first, Claude had been certain that Ghislain’s meddling would cause problems.
But despite his doubts, he hadn’t stopped Ghislain. His reasoning was simple: sometimes, a person had to fail to become humble and self-reflective.
However, contrary to Claude’s expectations, something that actually resembled a proper house was being constructed.

And the speed was unbelievable. Even the mages, who had been working on the farmlands, had been dragged in to assist, which only made things move faster.
In just four days, the communal housing Ghislain had promised was completed.
It was a three-story building with four homes on each floor.

“Hmm, this should do just fine,” Ghislain said, resting a massive hammer on his shoulder, a satisfied grin on his face as he looked at the finished structure.
It was hastily built, so it lacked any decorative elements and looked rather plain. However, its sturdy, unconventional design made it stand tall and strong, and even its rugged appearance gave it an air of solidity.
The workers who had helped build it were left staring in awe. Now they finally understood what Ghislain had been trying to explain all along.

“This… actually worked.”
“How did the lord even come up with this?”
Even though they had helped build it, the reality of what they had accomplished hadn’t quite sunk in yet.

Claude, still dazed, asked Ghislain, “How… did you come up with something like this?”
“Well… When construction started falling behind, I just thought about the fastest and most effective way to get it done.”
Ghislain spoke with a casual air, but in truth, this kind of communal housing had been quite common in his previous life.

Back then, they had used magic to make these homes even more efficient and comfortable than the ones they were building now.
Buildings in the past could accommodate more families, with some rising as high as seven floors.
Of course, nobles and the elite still lived in their manors, while commoners resided in communal housing.

Ghislain looked around at the craftsmen and spoke again.
“With this method, we should be able to finish building the housing much faster, don’t you think?”
The logic was simple: if one overseer could only handle a certain number of buildings, then the solution was to increase the number of people living inside each building.

And it wasn’t wrong. With the time it took to build a couple of small houses, they had built this one large structure.
“Yes, if we continue building like this, we’ll save an incredible amount of time. Just ten of these buildings can house 120 families!”
“Good. I’ll provide more workers, so keep the pace up.”

“Understood!”
The craftsmen, filled with awe, responded enthusiastically to Ghislain’s command.
They had already drawn up detailed blueprints during the construction, so replicating the structure wouldn’t be a problem.

The craftsmen, more than Ghislain, were now fully aware of how revolutionary this communal housing was.
The more they analyzed it, the more they realized that it was the perfect solution for the current situation. It was a revolution in housing design.
All it took was breaking their preconceived notions about what a house should be, and this remarkable structure had been born!

Watching the craftsmen excitedly chatter among themselves, Claude decided it was better not to think too much about it anymore.
‘Right… I was wrong. I should never have expected normal results from this man.’
As Claude stood with a resigned expression, Ghislain turned to him and said in a scolding tone,

“What are you doing? Haven’t you snapped out of it yet? Now that the construction is speeding up, we need to bring in more workers.”
“Ah, understood. I’ll immediately issue a notice to recruit more workers.”
At Claude’s response, Ghislain raised an eyebrow as if he’d just heard something absurd.

“When are you planning to finish at this rate? We don’t have time, remember? We need to move faster.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that…?”
“The immigrants. We’ve been feeding and housing them well for the past few days, right?”

“Yes, most of them should have recovered by now, though there are still a few sick people.”
Ghislain flashed a sly grin.
“From now on, it’s no longer a recruitment. It’s a draft. Anyone who can move will be brought in. The free meals end here.”

The immigrants, who had been living comfortably for the past few days, immediately understood what was happening when the draft orders came.
It was no surprise to them. They knew there was no such thing as a lord who would provide something for free in this era. Some even felt relieved to hear the news, as they had expected it all along.
No one resisted. Like cattle being led to the slaughterhouse, they followed the draft orders without much enthusiasm.

All able-bodied immigrants were forced to work on the housing construction or the clearing of farmland.
But once they began moving into the communal housing, their attitudes changed.
“It was real? They’re really giving us homes, not just tents? I thought it was a lie!”

“I thought it was going to be like living in barracks with everyone, but… This is amazing!”
“Getting my own home… Was it this easy?”
Most of the immigrants had been forcibly driven out of slums.

The homes they’d lived in were barely standing, decrepit shacks that only kept out the rain. Some had lived in broken-down tents or crude shelters made of whatever materials they could find.
Born with nothing, they had been resigned to living difficult, bitter lives, never knowing there was any other way.
But here, things were different. Working hard had earned them a reward.

Although it was called communal housing, it was far larger and cleaner than any shack, and each family had its own clearly defined living space.
For those who had lived as beggars, it was an overwhelming gift.
“At first, I hated it here, but if I hadn’t come, I would’ve missed out on all of this!”

“The lord is incredibly generous! Coming here was the best decision! I feel loyalty building up inside me!”
“You were driven out, so you didn’t exactly ‘choose’ to come here, but still… It was lucky to be thrown out, I suppose.”
For those who had been treated like less than human in the past, Fenris had become a place where they could grasp a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Desperate to avoid returning to their old lives, they threw themselves into the work, eager to help with the construction.
Thanks to their enthusiasm, the progress moved faster than ever.
As Ghislain watched the immigrants work hard while still smiling, he couldn’t help but feel satisfied.

“To think they’re working so diligently for the sake of the territory. With this kind of morale and energy, we can accomplish anything.”
Claude had to agree.
“Indeed, my lord. With this much enthusiasm, the other projects should also finish faster.”

“That’s good to hear. After all, we need to keep moving quickly, especially with the upcoming war.”
At the mention of war, Claude’s expression darkened slightly.