The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations-Chapter 739: Looks Like I Can Let Loose (1)

The reason Ghislain had carefully inspected the decayed forest was because something about it didn’t sit right.

This... couldn’t have been done by dark magic alone.

Dark magic, for all its malice and resentment, was still a worldly force—a natural element within the spectrum of this world’s magic.

But the energy suffusing this forest... it carried a far more fundamental darkness.

Something completely foreign to this world.

The Salvation Order.

Only the priests of the Salvation Order could wield such energy—the kind that refused to blend with this world, like oil in water.

That profane power had been combined with dark magic to rapidly corrupt the forest.

It was no wonder the elves hadn’t noticed. The presence left behind by the Salvation Order simply amplified the dark magic, nothing more.

Since both energies were negative in nature, even a transcendent might not be able to tell them apart when they were mixed like this.

But Ghislain was no ordinary mage—he was a high-level dark magic user himself, and someone who had reached a realm where he could manipulate Willpower. He could sense when something was fundamentally out of tune with the world.

That was how he had picked up on the Salvation Order’s presence.

I figured it’d be something like this...

A war between elves and orcs—sure, that was common enough. He could overlook that. But the moment he heard dark mages were involved, he’d grown suspicious.

The Salvation Order had already meddled all across the world. There was no way they would leave the elves untouched.

And sure enough, they were now descending upon the northern forest.

SSSSHHHH...

The forest began to rot faster. It was reacting to the approaching surge of overwhelming energy.

The sudden acceleration of decay startled Ereneth. She took several steps back and shouted,

“Wh-what is this?! Why is the forest suddenly like this?!”

It was as if darkness was engulfing everything around them. The speed of corruption was horrifying.

Ereneth turned to Ghislain.

“What’s going on?! What did you do?!”

“Our enemies are coming.”

“Enemies? You mean the dark mages?”

“No. Others. But the dark mages and orcs will be following them.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Who are the enemies?”

“High-ranking priests of the Salvation Order.”

“.......”

Ereneth’s face went blank. The name came so out of nowhere she didn’t even know how to react.

This was a war between elves and orcs. The dark mages had merely joined the fray.

If the Salvation Order had truly gotten involved, there was no way the High Chief and the elders wouldn’t have noticed.

Ereneth scoffed in disbelief.

“They say humans are frighteningly good liars, but you’re not very impressive. That lie was just clumsy.”

There was no way for Ghislain to convince her right now. The darkness closing in was something only he could sense.

And that darkness would be here very soon.

Ghislain turned to her and spoke.

“There’s no time. Go back. Tell them to prepare for war.”

He slowly began drawing mana. Several powerful presences were approaching.

But it wasn’t just darkness that was arriving.

FWWOOOOOOSH!

Elves appeared, accompanied by spirits. They had finally noticed something wrong and had followed Ghislain into the corrupted forest.

The elf who had been pursuing Ghislain from the beginning—a high elder—shouted,

“Ereneth! What is going on here?!”

“I-I...”

Flustered, Ereneth looked back and forth between the elder and Ghislain. The elder turned a cold gaze on Ghislain and demanded,

“You. Was it you who defiled the forest? Where are the other dark mages?”

Ghislain frowned. He was annoyed, but he understood. These elves didn’t know anything yet.

And this was no time to slowly talk things through or clear up misunderstandings.

His tone turned cold.

“It wasn’t me.”

“Then what is happening here?”

“Priests of the Demonic Realm are on their way here.”

“What?!”

“The center of the forest is the safest place, isn’t it? Summon every elf there immediately—and prepare for battle.”

“You wretch! What kind of nonsense is that?! Stop whatever you’re doing right now!”

BOOM!

A massive spirit launched itself at Ghislain. In that moment, he dissolved into shadow and scattered.

“You again!”

The elder, enraged that Ghislain had disappeared, expanded the spirit’s energy further. He clearly intended to capture Ghislain right here and now.

But from within the darkness, Ghislain’s voice echoed.

“Get out of here. They’re almost here.”

“What trick are you—”

The elder paused mid-sentence and looked up at the sky. He finally felt it—the massive power drawing near.

“Wh-what is... this...”

He stood frozen, dazed.

From far off, a deep darkness was rolling in. It was overwhelmingly ominous... and terrifying.

As an elf attuned to nature, he felt it all the more vividly.

He knew it instinctively—this was a force entirely opposed to the natural order of the world.

“Are you saying... they really came? From the Demonic Realm?”

As the elder halted his attack, the swirling shadow condensed—Ghislain revealed himself once more.

“Yes. So get out of here. Gather every elf. Behind them, dark mages and orc armies will be coming too.”

“Then what about you—?”

“I’ll buy as much time as I can. Now go. You’re just in the way.”

The elder swallowed hard and stared at Ghislain for a moment.

The fact that this human had eluded capture in the forest until now meant he had skill. Still, he couldn’t understand why a human who had nothing to do with them would go so far.

But the time to ask questions had passed. Right now, they had to accept this man’s help.

“Retreat. Inform everyone and prepare for battle.”

The elves who had followed the elder began withdrawing. But Ereneth stood still, teeth clenched.

“Ereneth! Let’s go!”

“...I’m not going.”

“What? What are you saying?!”

“I’m going to fight here too.”

“Are you mad?! This is beyond your level!”

But Ereneth shouted back, her face burning with fury.

“What’s wrong with my level?! I’m strong enough! I can fight too!”

“Y-you...”

The elder looked stunned—as if a child had just lashed out in rebellion.

And in his heart, that wasn’t far from the truth.

Elves always obeyed their elders. He couldn’t comprehend why Ereneth was being so defiant.

Ereneth looked straight at him and continued speaking—

“This human is the first human friend I’ve ever made! How could I leave my friend behind?! Is that what we call elven nobility?”

“......”

The elder still wore a stunned expression.

Elves never abandon their own—no matter the cost, even if it meant losing their lives. That was a given.

But that principle had never extended to humans. Though they were forced to cooperate with them due to the war against the Demonic Realm, elves and humans were not supposed to form friendships. That was precisely why they were so strict about teaching the younger generation not to get close to humans.

And yet here she was, already calling an unknown intruder her friend?

With a °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° proud expression, Ereneth declared,

“I’ll fight here with my friend. Surely, you’re not telling me to abandon someone who’s risking his life to fight for us, are you?”

“......”

The elder had nothing to say.

Now that Ereneth had declared Ghislain a friend, staying behind to fight had become a matter of her honor. Forcing her to leave would only violate the very values they had taught her.

Seeing the elder fall silent, Ghislain smirked faintly.

She’s shrewd, alright.

What Ereneth felt for him was likely no more than curiosity, maybe a bit of fondness—nothing beyond that. She probably didn’t truly consider him a friend yet. How could she, after knowing him for such a short time?

She just wanted to fight and earn glory. That’s why she was saying all this.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. She probably was genuinely a bit worried for him too. It was her first human, after all.

I appreciate the gesture, but this isn’t the place.

Ghislain had no intention of dying fighting a horde alone. He planned to throw a few punches and escape when things got hairy.

If Ereneth stayed, it’d make retreating inconvenient.

So he told her firmly,

“Ereneth. Go with the elder.”

“What? No way—I’m fighting too! I told you, I’m strong!”

“I know. But this isn’t the place for you to fight.”

“......”

“Go join the other elves and fight with them. The orc army will be marching in soon anyway—you’ll have all the fighting you want.”

“Then what about you?!”

“I’ll fight a bit, then run. You know I’m better at escaping when I don’t have to worry about anyone. You’ve seen me do it, haven’t you?”

“......”

Ereneth bit her lip.

He was right. His escape skills were top-notch. Even before she helped him, he’d evaded capture all on his own.

GOOOOOO...

The darkness was now visibly close. Its pressure weighed on them so heavily it felt like it would crush their lungs.

Ghislain gripped his staff tightly and shouted,

“Go! Hurry and prepare!”

At his cry, the elder stepped back and called out,

“Ereneth. Fall back. We will prepare to fight alongside the High Chief.”

“......”

Ereneth stopped resisting. Pushing her stubbornness now would only put others at risk.

With her signature pout, she muttered,

“Don’t die. I still have so many questions about the outside world.”

“Yeah. I’ll hold out as long as I can and run when I need to. Just get ready.”

With that, Ereneth and the elves retreated.

Ghislain looked up.

The sky was now completely consumed by darkness.

One, two, three... four... five.

The ones arriving weren’t ordinary. This might be the most dangerous situation he’d faced since coming to the past.

It was one of those rare moments where he truly had to risk his life.

To be fair, he’d had it a bit too easy up to this point. Even if this era’s average skill level was high, his was still far beyond theirs.

But not this time. The energy crawling up his skin now—this was the real deal. Real power from the Demonic Realm.

This tension... this feeling... it’s been a while.

“Looks like I can finally let loose a bit.”

While Ghislain grinned in satisfaction, Astion and Dark were far less enthusiastic.

— Did she really just say he’s her first human friend? That’s what she said earlier, right?

— That’s not what she meant, you idiot! She’s gone full dumbass now!

Shut it. It’s starting.

Ghislain grinned and drew forth his mana. A brilliant blue aura erupted around his body.

And in the next instant—

SHOOOOOM!

Five black beams shot down from the sky, targeting Ghislain.

KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!

A deafening explosion rang out as Ghislain was blasted backward. The five black streaks were also hurled back from the collision.

The shockwave alone split the earth, and dust and rubble flew in all directions.

The area had turned to complete ruin in an instant—proof of just how powerful the impact had been.

As the dust cleared, five middle-aged men in black robes stood in the now-empty clearing.

The man at the front looked at Ghislain and asked,

“Who are you? Why is a human with power like yours here?”

Ghislain, steadying himself and spitting blood, replied calmly,

“Just out for a walk.”

“......”

The leader glanced around, checking the surroundings—wondering if maybe he’d made a mistake and ended up in the wrong place.

But no. This was the right spot.

The forest that rejected all human intrusion... now completely corrupted and lifeless...

And yet—some bizarre human stood there, all alone, on a stroll.