The Regressed Mercenary's Machinations-Chapter 756: Is That Their Target? (3)

Thud!

The headless body of the dark mage collapsed onto the ground.

He hadn’t even realized how he died, his eyes wide open in disbelief.

"......?"

The remaining dark mages froze.

They couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

From that hellfire—

From that explosion so fierce even a superhuman would fall to their knees and vomit blood—

A man had emerged unscathed.

It wasn’t just unexpected—they had never even imagined it. It was too surreal. That made the shock all the greater.

Their minds stalled, and their bodies couldn’t react.

Slick!

Julien’s sword swept through the air once more.

Another dark mage went flying, without even having time to blink.

Snap!

Then, three more figures burst ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ through the pillar of flame.

"Ghislain!"

Ereneth cried out desperately and reached her hand forward.

A water spirit was summoned instantly, enveloping Ghislain. Its clear, cool energy protected him and began rapidly healing his wounds.

Without hesitation, Kyle charged forward.

"Move!"

Julien, about to move again, instinctively twisted his body at Kyle’s shout.

Clang!

Kyle’s blade slashed viciously, cutting a dark mage diagonally from shoulder to waist.

Boom!

The mage, cleaved down to the bone and split in two, collapsed.

Now only one remained.

Julien and Kyle charged at Bulag.

Neither of them hesitated. Regardless of the situation, they had been trained and had lived through enough to move without pause.

Of course, Lionel was different. He still hadn’t broken the habit of trying to analyze the situation first.

"Uh, uh... What is this? What happened? Why am I still alive?"

So all he could do was hold up his shield and stand next to Ghislain with a pale face.

Seeing Julien and Kyle closing in, Bulag finally reacted and raised a shield. He had watched the others die and only now responded.

Crash!

Bulag’s shield trembled violently under the duo’s attack, then vanished.

"Khrrrk!"

Bulag groaned as he staggered back. Though a 5th-circle dark mage counted as a powerhouse, handling opponents at the level of top-tier knights was too much for him.

He could barely handle even one—let alone two—especially with his mana already depleted.

With his shield shattered, Bulag wore a hollow expression as the two swords closed in.

At that moment, Ghislain quietly spoke.

"Stop."

Slash!

Julien’s sword cut across Bulag’s shoulder. Kyle’s blade sliced through one of Bulag’s legs.

"GYAAAAAAAAH!"

Screaming, Bulag collapsed with one arm and one leg severed.

Thanks to Ereneth, Ghislain’s urgent wounds had been healed, and he slowly got to his feet.

His face was pale, and exhaustion was written all over him, but a familiar playful smile lingered on his lips.

"Ugh... I thought I was gonna die."

Ghislain brushed off his waist and continued speaking.

"I used up all my mana protecting you guys."

He rolled his shoulders a few times, loosening up his stiff body.

Seeing that, Lionel finally shouted in a trembling voice, his face still ghostly white.

"One slip and we’d all be dead! Why do you always do such reckless things?!"

"But we didn’t die."

Ghislain shrugged nonchalantly and continued.

"I predicted this much. I don’t act unless I’ve done the math."

"Really? You’re saying you anticipated a trap of this scale and were confident you could stop it?"

"I am. I always have a plan."

"......"

Lionel was at a loss for words. After all, they had actually survived.

In truth, Ghislain had taken the brunt of the damage because he poured all his mana into shielding his comrades.

Thanks to that, the three of them came out unharmed. Ghislain alone had to endure the impact that exceeded his limits.

It was true he had predicted a trap. The enemy’s forces weren’t enough to stop a superhuman.

Of course, he hadn’t expected them to be this excessively prepared, but he still acted as if he had known everything.

Because that was the only way his companions could trust him and move with confidence.

"Now then, shall we ask some questions?"

With a weary expression, Ghislain walked toward Bulag.

Bulag, already incapacitated, tried to crawl away across the ground.

Without a word, Ghislain lightly tapped Bulag’s remaining leg.

Crunch!

"AAAAARGHHHH!"

Bulag screamed as the last leg broke too.

He thrashed, writhing in agony, but there was no escape.

Ghislain squatted beside him and asked,

"Was it you who released the monsters in this area and had them attack people?"

"Y-Yes! That’s right! But I was ordered to—! I was threatened into doing it!"

Bulag nearly sobbed as he spoke.

"I-It was a priest of the Salvation Order who gave the command! I really had no choice!"

"And who was that priest?"

"I don’t know. He’s been providing funds and supplies for a while now... but I only found out recently that he was from the Salvation Order. Before that, I only had suspicions."

Ghislain nodded. It was the same answer Basilude, the dark mage from Nodehill, had once given him.

So he didn’t press further and moved on to the next question.

"Why did he tell you to stop us?"

"I don’t know that either. Just... he said there was a high chance the Julien Mercenary Corps would pass by here... So we were to wait."

"...So it wasn’t a certainty. Just a prediction."

Ghislain’s expression hardened. It was fortunate the enemy didn’t know their movements for certain, but the fact that they could roughly guess the route was still troubling.

So they really do think we’re heading to meet the dwarves.

His gaze extended far ahead. This path was the fastest and most efficient route to their destination.

How had the priest of the Salvation Order predicted his next destination? And why were they trying to stop them?

Ghislain fell into brief thought.

The fact that we captured Ismoken and handed him over to the Empire must be well-known by now.

Right after that, the Julien Mercenary Corps headed to the Elven Forest. And there, Ghislain fought high-ranking priests of the Salvation Order.

Munareff knew my identity.

Given the circumstances, it wasn’t hard to guess that the Julien Mercenary Corps might be acting under the Pope’s request to acquire the Sacred Stone.

And naturally, their next destination would be the dwarves’ sanctuary.

If they’re also targeting the dwarves... they’d want to delay my arrival.

Rahаmod and Munareff had already witnessed Ghislain’s power.

Being a superhuman alone was formidable, but the 100 Death Knights under his command were even more powerful.

From the Salvation Order’s perspective—relying on dark mages and forbidden magic—he was a terrifying enemy force.

It was only natural they’d want to delay the Julien Mercenary Corps.

Ghislain closed his eyes and took a deep breath. At last, the pieces seemed to fall into place.

He looked down again and asked,

"Did they tell you to delay us for a month?"

"Yes! Just to delay you! Even if you couldn’t be killed, we were to stall you as much as possible..."

Ghislain nodded at Bulag’s reply.

As expected—his guess had been right.

They’re preparing to invade the dwarves.

By unleashing monsters and stirring up chaos with dark mages everywhere, the kingdoms would have no choice but to focus on quelling the immediate threats around them.

And in that time, they’d pour everything they had into the dwarves.

The road ahead won’t be easy.

They likely didn’t expect the dark mages to actually stop the group. Judging by how they ordered them merely to delay and drag things out, that much was clear.

Which meant there could be more of them entrenched along the way. From the Salvation Order’s perspective, it was a strategy to cause disruption while also hindering the bothersome Julien Mercenary Corps.

Ghislain clicked his tongue and turned to Bulag again.

"Anything else you know?"

"N-No, nothing more. We barely even met face to face. I only received support or contacted them when necessary."

"Hmm..."

"Please, spare me. I swear I’ll abandon dark magic and live quietly in hiding. I was really threatened into this!"

Bulag sobbed like a man wronged, despite being the one who had gleefully massacred innocents and summoned monsters. Now he tried to play the victim.

Ghislain stared at him with interest and asked,

"Why did you side with them? You do realize that even if the Salvation Order wins, they’ll dispose of you too?"

"We... we don’t belong anywhere. The kingdom only wants to hunt us down and kill us."

"So you sided with them?"

"...All the dark mages probably have. Better to join the side that needs us now than get struck from both ends."

"Not entirely wrong."

"...Even if a great war breaks out, humanity won’t be easily defeated, right? That’s how it’s always been. And if war happens... then maybe we’ll finally have a chance to negotiate with the kingdoms as part of the human alliance. We’re beings who can only survive in chaos."

In short, they wanted to back the Salvation Order, reap the benefits, and spark a war.

It was exactly the kind of logic a dark mage would have.

That half of humanity might die? They didn’t even consider it.

Ghislain let out a dry laugh, his eyes filled with disbelief.

They’re all the same.

Basilude had said something similar. It was clear now: all dark mages shared the same mindset.

Acting out of self-interest wasn’t surprising.

Wasn’t the Salvation Order and even humanity itself starting wars for their own gain?

Ghislain wasn’t about to start preaching. He was the kind of man who respected others’ thinking.

But still...

"Sure, I get it. But I’m not merciful enough to let an enemy live."

Ghislain grinned and raised his staff.

Bulag, stricken with terror, screamed,

"W-Wait! I told you everything! Spare me! I heard you’ve used dark magic too! We’re the same, aren’t we?!"

"If you were ready to kill others, you should’ve been ready to die too. And don’t lump me in with you."

Ghislain’s voice turned icy.

"Scum like you being allowed to breathe is a luxury."

"You... you bastard—!"

Crack!

With a heavy thud, Bulag’s head shattered.

Ghislain gave his staff a quick shake and rose to his feet.

"You all heard that, right? Looks like we’ve become their target. It won’t be easy getting to our destination."

At that, Ereneth’s eyes lit up.

"That kind of danger is exactly what I live for. Even now, that was amazing. So full of tension!"

"..."

Everyone stared at her blankly.

She really didn’t seem like an elf at all.

Ghislain, knowing the future, quietly chuckled to himself, then spoke again.

"Yeah, there’ll be plenty more excitement ahead. So let’s get moving."

Lionel asked with a slightly baffled expression,

"Wait, we just fought that hard and now you want to move again without even resting? You were coughing up blood a moment ago. Aren’t you going to heal?"

"You’re worried about me? How unexpectedly kind of you. Didn’t think you were that type."

"You lunatic! I meant I’m exhausted!"

"We’ll rest and heal as we go."

"That’s... possible?"

"It is. Right now, our priority is a forced march to the destination. We’ll rest only if it’s absolutely necessary. You’re a knight—you know how important mission objectives are, don’t you?"

"..."

"..."

With nothing to say, Lionel looked to Julien and Kyle. Both simply nodded silently.

Lionel had nothing left to argue. He only lowered his head and muttered under his breath.

"These maniacs... We’re not even a military unit, but it’s all ‘operation objectives’ and ‘forced march.’ Why are we acting like a damn army... Where the hell did he even learn that stuff?"

Lionel found Ghislain utterly insufferable. Normally, he acted like a freewheeling mercenary, but occasionally he took command like a trained officer.

He couldn’t even begin to imagine that Ghislain had fought in countless wars, earning titles like the Madman of War or the God of War.

Of course, Ghislain valued rest too—but no one knew when that would come.

The fact that he wasn’t resting now meant he still had the strength to go on.

"Let’s move the civilians this way too. There could still be monsters wandering nearby."

Time was short, but Ghislain decided to bring the people with them. Leaving them to travel alone would be too dangerous.

There was a nearby city where they could be entrusted.

Thankfully, with Ghislain’s magic and Ereneth’s spirits, they could accelerate the civilians’ pace for a while.

And so the group resumed their rapid movement.

***

In the mist-covered slopes of a deep mountain.

Between grotesquely twisted old trees, a forgotten cave lay open, untouched by human hands.

Inside, the walls were damp with moss, and the floor was littered with shattered bones.

Deeper inside the cave, figures cloaked in black robes had gathered.

The rock walls were marked with bloody runes, and the massive magic circle on the floor overflowed with dark blood.

The black-robed figures stared silently down at the circle.

Soon, a chilling voice echoed from deeper within.

"...The preparations?"

One dark mage lowered his head nervously.

"N-Not quite ready yet."

"..."

A suffocating silence passed before the voice spoke again.

"...It’s taking too long."

"T-The dwarves’ fortress is powerful. We need more time to prepare."

"..."

Fwooooosh!

Suddenly, dark energy flooded the cave.

It slowly but surely seeped into the bodies of the dark mages.

"Arghhh!"

"Keghhh!"

"P-Please, spare us!"

Despite being strong enough to reach the 5th Circle, the dark mages couldn’t resist the force.

It was that overwhelming.

The dark energy twisted their minds and crushed their hearts, driving them to scream in agony.

Tap.

The pain ended abruptly.

The dark energy pulled back from them and extended toward the cave entrance, as if sensing something.

The owner of the voice spoke again.

"...Who goes there?"

Step. Step. Step.

Someone was approaching—confident, unhesitating footsteps.

The intruder soon appeared.

Upon seeing him, the owner of the voice gasped faintly.

In a tone of surprise and unease, the voice asked lowly,

"...Prophet Rahаmod. Why have you come here? Shouldn’t you be overseeing the Elven Forest?"

Rahаmod answered with a grim expression.

"I failed."

"You... failed?"

"Yes. Because of the Julien Mercenary Corps."

The voice’s owner was silent for a long time.