The Regressed Mercenary’s Machinations Chapter 791

Episode 791: I’ll Take It Hotly (3)

Jiselle asked with an innocent expression.
“Why?”
“…….”
“You said you’d give me everything?”
“That’s what you said, but……”
Arterion stroked his chin a few times, lost in thought.
He’d clearly said he’d support everything, but he hadn’t expected him to ask for the lich he was using as his personal secretary and guardian.
“Uuuuuum…….”
Dragons are inherently greedy creatures. Their
instinct is to collect anything of value, whether useful or not, and hoard it in a lair.
‘A lich is a truly rare slave.’
In the first place, a skilled enough to reach the 8th circle is a genius born only once every hundred years.
That’s why Arterion didn’t destroy Naktura and instead captured it. The 8th circle lich was extremely useful.
Currently, there are no warlocks on the continent who have ‘officially’ reached the 8th circle. Even if there were, they would be extremely difficult to find.
Naturally, when Arterion captured Naktura, the other dragons were extremely envious.
But to ask for that outright?
Looking closely, this guy was just as greedy as a dragon.
“Hmm… ahem.”
Arterion cleared his throat a few times and said.
“I heard from Iraniel that you’ve mastered dark magic. Still, an 8th-circle lich would be difficult for you to handle.”
“That’s just a matter of improving your magical skills. Even an 8th-circle lich would be sufficient to control it.”
“Ahem, ahem.”
When Arterion seemed to be faking it, Giselle spoke again.
“You said you’d give us freedom if we killed him, didn’t you? You were planning to let him go, weren’t you?”
“That’s true, but…”
In fact, that wasn’t the case.
Arterion had already seen Giselle and her party’s abilities and assumed Naktura would ultimately fail.
He had simply sent them to make things a little harder for Giselle and her party. Fighting an 8th-circle lich would definitely be a huge help.
He didn’t mind if one or two of the party members died in the process.
He hadn’t expected Naktura to be subdued so easily, without a single death.
Arterion hesitated, opening and closing his mouth several times.
It would be a bit rude to refuse now, considering the Dragon Lord’s reputation.
Besides, if he passed the 8th Circle Reach, the Yulien Mercenary Corps’ power would increase dramatically.
For the greater good, it was right to hand it over.
Finally, Arterion spoke with a complicated expression.
“Understood. Once you reach the 8th Circle, I’ll hand over the Reach.”
Giselle smiled, as if she’d expected him to do so.
“Thank you.”
“…You’re truly remarkable.”
Arterion clicked his tongue at Giselle.
The support he’d already promised was immense. Anyone else wouldn’t have dared ask for more.
‘But this guy is different.’
He was determined to take everything he wanted.
Usually, he would be cautious, mindful of the dragon’s reaction, but this guy didn’t seem to have any of that.
‘Well…’ … It would take something like this to be able to fight the Pope.’
A man who doesn’t even fear a dragon would be afraid of the Pope, right?
In a way, he could be said to be the perfect person to protect the saintess.
‘And the other guy too… …’
Arterion looked at Yulien.
Yulien was laughing and talking with Deneb.
A bright smile bloomed on Deneb’s face, as if she was happy to see them again after such a long time.
Arterion’s brow furrowed slightly at the sight.
“The saintess cares too much about humans.”
“Is that a problem?”
Arterion nodded at Giselle’s question.
“Of course. It’s not right for a saintess who should prioritize the word of God to be swayed by other emotions.”
“…Hmm, is that so?”
“That boy Yulien would risk his life for the saintess. That’s a good thing, but it’s not a good thing for a saintess to be swayed by human emotions.”
“Why is that not a good thing?”
“A saint must prioritize saving the world. That is her mission.”
“Aren’t you still working to save the world?”
“Yes, but…”
Arterion trailed off.
After all, no matter what he said, he couldn’t force the saint’s will.
Giselle understood what Arterion meant.
Yulien and Deneb.
They cherished each other like life itself.
Which meant they were also each other’s weaknesses.
And that could have interfered with the goal of saving the world.
‘Uh… …’
Giselle suddenly felt a pang in her head.
Why would future Erenes and Arterion have considered Yulien their adversary?
She thought there must have been a misunderstanding. Even Erenes, after spending time with Yulien, had been unsure and only harbored suspicions.
But what if there was another reason?
What if it had something to do with Deneb?
‘Hmm… …’
But judging by the results, the Demonic Mirror had been sealed.
That meant things had proceeded as Yulien and Deneb had originally intended. So she couldn’t just assume anything and be suspicious.
Now that she looked, Arterion was quite fine.
‘Ugh, my head hurts.’
Giselle shook her head a few times.
There was no point in thinking about it now. After all, since she had returned to the past, history would be somewhat different from the original.
Isn’t that why she’s pushing the hero and his companions to become even stronger than before?
So, the outcome would definitely be positive. Everything is merely a process leading to a certain outcome.
As always, it’s important to believe in yourself and do your best.
‘For now, I’ll focus only on what I can control.’
As for what comes next, I can look at the results and reconsider later.
That was Giselle’s motto.
Arterion asked, seeing Giselle lost in thought.
“What are you thinking about now?”
“…I’ve been thinking about the two of you myself.”
“I can’t stop you now anyway. The human heart only wants to cling to you if you try to force them apart.”
“You seem to understand human emotions well.”
“Let’s call it wisdom gained through the years. In any case, I can’t go against the saint’s wishes, so for now, we have no choice but to observe.”
With those words, Arterion began preparing Giselle’s requests.
The runestones for the mana cluster were overflowing. Everyone was speechless at the sight of the mountainous pile of runestones in the large warehouse.
“Wow, wow…”
“Isn’t this the most on the continent?”
“I’ve never seen so many runestones before.”
It was enough to create a large-scale mana concentration circle and live within it.
Normally, runestones were consumed quickly, so such a thing was only possible in imagination.
Giselle looked at it and tried to control her expression.
“Huh, huh… That’s quite a lot.”
It seemed to be as much as the amount she had secured in Fenris. Maybe a little more.
In fact, even Giselle, who had so many runestones, couldn’t continue to operate a large-scale mana concentration circle. She had too many other uses.
However, the runestones here could be used purely for training.
With this much, she should be able to create and use the mana concentration circle to her heart’s content.
Arterion opened another warehouse and said,
“If you need weapons, choose from here.”
“Wow, whoaaaaah…”
The group gaped again.
The warehouse was filled with dazzling weapons, sorted by type.
Each and every one was too luxurious to be for training. No, these were simply treasures.
Even the swords rolling on the floor were renowned dwarven swords. It was embarrassing to dare use them for training.
Arterion spoke loudly.
“When your training is over, take one weapon of your choice. I’ll give them as gifts to you, who must protect the saint.”
The group gasped in admiration at those words.
They’d already received fine weapons from the dwarves, but having another one
was a welcome addition. After all, the more treasures, the better.
Yulien looked slightly worried. He knew dragons were incredibly greedy. He
couldn’t believe they could so easily take the dragon’s hoard of treasures.
So he cautiously asked,
“Are we really allowed to take these treasures?”
“Yes, we can just have the dwarves reforge the missing ones.”
“Ah…”
Arterion said casually, but everyone else understood.
The only way to get them back was to not count them as treasures,
even if it meant inflicting immense suffering on the dwarves.
Arterion also provided the magic book Giselle had requested. He promised to provide monsters for actual combat whenever needed.
Over the course of several days, most of the preparations necessary for training were completed.
Additional requirements could be requested during training.
However, there were a few items that were difficult to obtain here.
One of them was the “delicious food” Giselle had requested. In this frigid, barren land, that was, in fact, the hardest thing to come by.
Giselle wondered how he would solve this problem. The Dragon Lord wouldn’t lie, after all.
Arterion solved even that problem with absurd simplicity.
“Just wait a moment.”
He returned after a brief absence, bringing dozens of people with him.
Seeing them trembling and crying, Giselle asked,
“…Who are these people?”
“The cooks and servants who will be in charge of your food.”
“…”
“They are all highly skilled cooks who have served in the Kingdom of Snowbur, so satisfying your tastes will not be difficult. The kingdom will prepare the ingredients in large quantities and send them here every time.”
“…”
Arterion had threatened a nearby kingdom to bring the cooks and servants.
It was the simplest, most certain, and most dragon-like of all methods.
There was no way a dragon would procure the ingredients and cook the food itself.
Everyone was speechless at this situation. They felt like villains.
Giselle scratched her head.
“Um…”
While he preferred a clear-cut solution, he wouldn’t torment an innocent person like this.
Finally, Giselle sighed and said,
“…We’ll take care of the food ourselves. Please just send them away.”
“Impossible.”
“Why?”
“A dragon’s word is heavy. I requested the kingdom to bring them here. Therefore, they must be responsible for your meals here until your training is complete.”
Giselle shook her head.
Human logic didn’t apply to such high-ranking beings as dragons. For now, she had no choice but to accept it.
“Understood. For now… I guess I’ll need help.”
With this, all preparations for training were complete.
Giselle’s first goal was to learn 8th and 9th circle magic with Astion.
Yulien and Kyle focused on gaining practical experience.
The two fought monsters every day, and occasionally, the 8th circle lich Naktura would join them.
Lionel and Marika devoted themselves to the techniques and mana cultivation methods taught by Giselle to become superhumans.
Erenes gradually accumulated the natural energy overflowing here, deepening his affinity with the spirits.
The other mercenaries also learned various techniques from Giselle every day and honed their skills.
Giselle even created a massive mana concentration camp where everyone lived. This was to quickly accumulate mana.
They didn’t have to worry about anything else.
In particular, the people kidnapped here (or rather, kidnapped?) were first-class cooks and servants. They took care of everything they needed for daily life, beyond training.
Thanks to this, the Yulien Mercenaries could focus solely on training.

* * *

“These damned bastards…”
Darenz gritted his teeth as he stepped onto the frigid land.
They had been waiting in the port city of Tulan, under the Pope’s orders.
However, there had been no news from the Yulien Mercenary Corps, who had crossed into the frigid land with the dragon, for a full year.
Regardless of whether they had obtained the Holy Stone, even the fate of the saint was uncertain.
Ultimately, the Pope had sent Darenz to the frigid lands to confirm the truth.
Arriving on a ship provided by the lords, Darenz immediately raised the Holy Empire’s flag.
He had to do so to avoid being considered an intruder and killed by the Dragon Lord.
“Damn… This place is fucking cold.”
Darenz cautiously looked around and soon noticed something unusual.
“Corpses?”
They were the corpses of monsters. Frozen corpses were strewn everywhere.
It was easy to infer that the Yulien Mercenary Corps had fought here.
If the Yulien Mercenary Corps had died, that would have been a problem in its own right. Because they had to find their corpses in this frigid land.
“Let’s go.”
Darenz and his men headed towards the altar.
Even though he was a superhuman assassin, he couldn’t dare cross this land to the lair.
Arriving at the altar, Darenz infused mana into the magic circle there.
Kuuuuuuuuuuuu!
Immediately, the magic circle glowed and an immense magical energy began to surge.
It felt like thunder in the sky, the will of a gigantic being taking hold.
And a moment later,
Arterion’s voice rang out from the altar.
“The rats have crawled in. But since you’ve raised the imperial flag, I will listen.”
Darenz and his men immediately fell to the ground. Darenz spoke with a trembling voice.
“We, your Majesty, greet you. I am Darenz, the leader of Crips, on the orders of His Holiness the Pope.”
“Hmm… So, what’s the matter?”
“We were in charge of escorting the Julian Mercenaries. However, since their traces were cut off here, we came to investigate.”
“Escort… Are you sure you came to escort them?”
“Yes, that’s right. That was His Holiness’s order.”
Darenz kept emphasizing the Pope’s name. That was the only way to survive.
After a moment of silence, Arterion’s cynical voice rang out.
“Not escort… but it seems like you came to kill the saint.”
Darenz’s face paled at those words.